saith Peter unto you and to all Israell that by the name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth was this man made whole whom ye crucified but God hath raised him up and this is the stone set at naught by you Builders and is now become the head of the corner neither is there Salvation in any other Now when they saw the boldnesse of the Apostles and saw that they were ignorant men they tooke knowledge that they had beene with Iesus and could say nothing against the Miracle they had wrought in the name of Iesus Then they tooke counsell and streightly charged them they should speak no more in that name and they answered boldly whether is it right in sight of God to hearken unto you more then unto God Iudge yee for we can not but speake the things we have seene and heard and so the whole Chapter and divers other places do declare with what wonderfull boldnesse they declare Christ because Christ lived withthem lived in them they had experience of his strength and love in supporting And their love could not but returne in declaring the things they had seene and heard And the Reasons of this are because the injoyment of these things beget a love to the things declared gives power to declare them with all courage and boldnes the Saints are made one with Christ suckt and drawne up into Christ they live by loving and love by living they declare through loving love through declaring And sutable to their love they cannot choose but declare love in them hath the preheminence it predominates it over-rules all other things in them they must needs they are constrained to declare the life they live in If a Parliament should command that men should not declare what experience they have of Christ as I hope this Parliament never will they could not contayne it would be as fire in their bosomes it would burst out loves would so constraine them could they sit and see and not speake I tell you there is such mighty constraines in the power of love they could not keepe in It bootes not the World to act against the power of love to raise persecution the more they act against it the more it workes the more it constraines Againe another reason is why they are so constrained to declare what they see and know because the matter declared is the very power declaring They are so lapt up in the loves of Christ so made one in him that the things they declare is not another thing from them but they are the very things And therefore if they are so bold in declaring never blame them for they and those things are the same no nor never admire them for there is such a constraining power in them they cannot do otherwise And that he hath he receives not from others as their experiences but they are his owne they are himselfe Paul you see when once Christ had appeared to him there was such a Light such a Glory such a Power such a Demonstration of Truth to his Soule that he immediately went preacht Christ he went not to the Bretheren to be confirmed in what he saw and felt but the power love was such that come life come death he must declare it And a third Reason may be because he enjoyes what he declares what he enjoyes he acts and what he acts he enjoyes while he saies he sees he feeles while he speakes of love he acts in love Here now you see the quality of a Saints spirit And indeed this acting and enjoying he esteemes his protion his everlasting inheritance his Heaven his very worke is his reward esteeming saith the Apostle the reproach with Christ Heb. 11.26 greater riches then the Treasures of Egypt Phil 4.8 this life was the recompence of reward Moses had an eye too and Paul he counted all things losse and dung to gaine enjoy it and David herejoyceth in the word as one that findeth great spoiles Ps 16.5.6 â— for in keeping thereof there is a full reward Beloved freinds this is your Heaven and if you cannot count this a sufficient Heaven and reward you will hardly thinke Heaven hereafter a reward especially in the condition you are in but did you act in love and lived in Christ here you would say were this life but perfected I have enough enough I desire no other Heaven this portion is enough as David saies in 16 Psalme Ps 16.5.6 The Lord is the portion of mine Inheritance the Lines are fallen to me in very pleasant places yea I have a Goodly Heritage Now we come to the Third thing wherein the Saints are bold They are bold in undergoing any thing from God must I be poore must I be sicke must I be in prison must I be in Death he is bold to undergoe it he sees the loves of God in all that comes to him Let all the world conjoyn together against this man and looke never so blacke and terrible upon him he sees his God smileing his God speaking nothing but loves As sinne and the law though they are in conjunction to terrifie him yet he is bold for he sees God reconciled And as they the greater can not daunt his boldnes so neither can men nor can the Word all they can doe cannot make him thinke his Father is angry Though God himselfe try the Saints they liveing in him and enjoying his love Though he seeme in his Providence to be angry yet they find loves in his very bosome in his very heart when men enjoy not this every frowne from men and every frowne from God casts them downe they forsake their boldnes because they have no exprience of the sweet and unchangeable nature of God as Ezek. 22.14 Exek 22.14 Can thine heart endure or can thine hands be strong in the daies that I shall deale with thee They being backsliden and departed from God they were not able to look on God as a father when he aflicted them as the Saints can doe Doth God chide yet they know t is in love Doth God wound all are fruits of his love So now you see how bold a Saint is with God How bold in standing for God How bold in declaring God How bold in undergoing any thing from God and all this by liveing with God by liveing in God and enjoying God This man must needs be a bold man that hath such inflowings of loves from God what shall such a man account deere for such a God How bold was Jer. in the Prison though put in the Dungeon where he sanke in the mire and was ready to starve when he was taken out againe and remained in prison he could not hold his peace the power of loves constrained him to speake what he had seene and felt And so Iob though he was aflicted in his Estate in his children in his owne person Iob. 13.15 what saith he though he kill me he deferves to be trusted in I
cannot forsake him for all this And old Ely when there was such bitter things spoken against him by God saith he it is the Lord let him do with me what seemeth him good I Sam. 3.18 And that is the highest Act that is expressed of him And the reason is because that man that lives in God understands God in himselfe what his heart is If we looke on God as he acts out of himselfe and not as he acts in himselfe there is nothing but changes to day sicke tomorrow well to day in prison tomorrow not this yeare rich next yeare poore Now if we shall judge that God changes as our condition changes Iâ—â—â— 17. what comfort But God in his nature is one the same no changes nor shadow of turning alwaies alike Againe a saint in God lives in the will of God Gods will is all in all to him And this is that which brings him up to that raisednesse and height of spirit he sees God in what ever he doth to act his owne blessed will on him and so he see but that accomplished therein he rests and rejoyces because he lives above aloft he lives in the Center in the Fountaine of loves If we live in the streames if we live below among the Creatures there is nothing but trouble and rumbling this way and that way ebbing and flowing but the Center the Fountain the upper Regions are quiet still composed sattisfied Againe because if God do take all from the Creature and take him up to live in himselfe he hath not lost all but found all a thousand fold Yet in the most roughest acting out of God he finds loves in God else his spirit would be downe to day and up to morrow according to those actings but this life with God in the bosome and bowells of transcendent loves there all disputs are at an ends he lives in providence above providence he lives above reasons Region and Element and therefore when Reason would make disputes and arguments from Gods externall dealings as if God were as rough as his providence this life silences all and layes the soule to rest in the sweet embraces of the loves of an unchaingable Father though he kill me yet will I trust in him And againe the Saints have such experience of the loves of God flowing warme from the heart of God that they cannot be beaten out of good thoughts of God as we say by a freind whom we know and love have intimate acquaintance with if this man or that should bring tales of evill intended by him towards you you would say I wil not beleeve him for I know him so well that the thing is impossible to be true So doe the Saints find God such a true freind such an intimate close freind that hath so much exprest his love to them that though sin the Law Hell Death the Divell the World Providence or whoever should bring them ill tydings from their father ob say they it cannot be I know him so well I have such sweet such frequent enjoyments with him that I cannot thinke a hard thought of him this drawes up the Soule to a high yea a higher and higher enjoyment of God This enjoyment transcends yea sleights all other enjoyments below it it transcends Nature it transcends Reason it transcends externall providence and all the roughest actings thereof Let never so high accusations be layd on the Saints they value them not their life with God makes up all As some have laid divers accusations on me and on the Saints some are Truths and we are ready to maintaine them we hope to the death others are false and charging upon us that we never said nor held and all to make us odious to the World As for instance that I should say there was no other use of Christ but to declare love to the World and for this end he came and for no other Who ever holds it for my part I count it an errour my Judgment is otherwise I hold no such thing I disclaime it Christ came to sattisfie and answer a law as well as to make out love and though these and the like and such other things may be fathered upon us partly through darkenes not seeing and enjoying Truth partly through malice to lay to our charge the things we never knew nor held yet we hope God will vindicate his Truth and vindicate his saints and Truth shall burne and flame out so gloriously that he will make all opposers and slanderers ashamed therefore let not the saints much trouble themselves at these things let the Creature be still and silent and let God alone he is but working a way for his owne praise in confounding his enemies and vindicating the simplicity of the saints who live with him and in him to their everlasting comfort and Joy BEloved freinds that I intend to speake unto you at this present shall be from the word of God in the 6 of Cant. 9 verse My Dove my undefiled is but one she is the only one of her mother she is the choice one of her that bare her That which I shall speake to you at this time shal be only from the first words My Dove my undefiled is but one There is not much dependance of these words on the foregoing words but so much dependance there is that as you may see in the former words that the Daughters of Jerusalem enquire of the Spouse of Christ where her beloved is she had so set him out and expressed her ardent affection to him that they begin to wonder desire to see what a one her beloved was because she was so ravished with him say they in the first verse whether is thy beloved gone oh thou fairest among women whether is thy beloved turned aside that we may seek him with thee she answers them in the next verses My beloved is gon downe into his Garden to the beds of spices to feed in the Gardens and gather Lillyes And I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine he feedeth among the Lillies And then Christ in the next words begins to discribe and set out what his Spouse is and anotomizes her in all her portracture and beauties not only how beutifull she is to him and amiable through his beuty put upon her but also how fruitfull his Spouse is in the enjoying her beloved that ther 's not one barren among them so amiable every way that Christ was ravished with her beuty therefore saith he turne away thine eyes from me for they have overcome me But then this discription might breed this objection are all so beutifull and comly are all so fruitfull that there it not on barren amongst them they are severall and of severall tempers and judgements nether do they all appeare so fruitfull as he describes he answers all in this ninth verse My Dove my undefiled is but one All Saints in Christ are but one men of the world and poore Saints weak
Jesus And so the three Children what resolutions had they to suffer Wee know our God whom wee serve Dan. 3.17.18 is able to deliver us but howsoever be it known unto thee wee will not worship this Image Frownes nor scornes from men will not turne them out of their way And the reasons of this are First the reall conviction of security in God before they ingage themselves for God as 2 Tim. 1.12 For which cause I also suffer these things neverthelesse I am not ashamed for I know in whom I haue beleeved and I am perswaded he is able to keepe that which I have committed to him against that day The soule seeing God such a buckler and seeing himselfe so secure this makes him not stand at any thing but to ingage himselfe and all he is for God Object But you will say then this is but self-love not to ingage but that hee knowes heshall be secure I answer no t is not selfe love but love to God But here lies a great mysterie in a Saints thus ingaging for God It arises from being partaker of the very nature of God and his will is so swallowed up and resigned into Gods that he acts Gods will not his own So that his security is not in any outward protection but in what the will of God is and if his spirit live in and with God what ever fall to him this he accounts his security Rea. 2 Every spirit acts sutable to that spirit it is in conjunction with Now Christs spirit is the most noble most high most raised spirit and the spirit that is in Christ is in the Saints their spirits are in conjunction with the spirit of Christ therfore they must needs be of noble high raised spirits that though they be in the flesh their life is in the Spirit their life is in Christ though they have thornes and afflictions in the flesh yet to them they are as none they are not much troubled at them for their spirits live among divine thrones and Crownes The 3. reason of a Saints thus boldly ingaging for God is Though they suffer externally yet there is within a supply of contrary love and smiles Men indeavorto throw scornes and derisions upon the Saints and invent such deriding names that they would make them odious even as the very offscouring of the World and that they may render them as the vilest men upon earth It matters not God visits them with his loves Hee communicates that to their spirits which abundantly makes up their suffering and makes amends a thousand thousand times One comes and he calls you Sectaries another Independents another Scismaticks another Anabaptists another Antinomians another comes and tells you they are this day going to petition the Parliament against all your Independents now what of all this were you but carried above and did you live in God these would be like so many small puffes of wind that would scarse blow away a straw For a man never feares a man when hee knowes himselfe above a man when he knowes himselfe free from him and out of his reach to hurt him All the men in the World cannot hurt a Saint nor all the Divells in Hell a man will never feare his Enemie especially when he knowes he is kild before hee comes neare him Christ hath overcome sin Death Hell the Divell the World and therefore what need the saints feare any of these 2 Cor. 4.17 The afflictions of this life are but light and momentary but there is an exceeding weight of glory to be revealed Will a man regard a small crosse when he has a weight and an exceeding weight of Divine loves of Divine Crownes This is enough to make a man not only to be content to beare afflictions and frownes from the World but also to love the crosse to love the frownes When thou hast a losse in thy Estate in thy name or any way Christ comes with his loves and makes an over abundant supply I doe not say he gives thee the same things but he gives thee that which is a thousand times more worth If thou losest farthings and gainest pounds if thou losest strawes and gainest pearles what losse hast thou Thus Christ doth to a Saint at the very instant of his suffering if he live with in Christ for Christs way is not to send the affliction and let it lie heavie and presse a man downe and then he afterwards lets men reason themselves into content for a Saints content as a Saints is not from reason but from a present injoyment of Christ which is communicated at that very instant immediatly from the very bosome and heart of Christ Intercourses of loves runnes out from Christ which alone is their satisfaction without reasons helpe The fourth Reason why the Saints are so bold in declaring and ingaging for God is because in all their sufferings they ingage not at their own cost and charges they live not by their own life they live not by their owne strength but they ingage at Christs charges they live by Christs life they spend upon his strength Ti 's a Phrase wee have often up especially in the Country they may spend freely that spend upon other mens Purses So the Saints they goe on in their way and walke like Saints because they live not by and of themselves their life and their strength and their comforts are all Christs they spend upon his Stock This makes them so free and so bold spend while they will they have a vast Treasure never to bee exhausted Still Christ supplyes them with new strength and new life Let men goe on to revile and abuse the Saints and study names of Factions and Independents and the like to make them odious No matter Christ assists them Christ hath names full of Love and sweetnesse for them And if they should proceed to persecution as they may and imprisonment no matter There comes a new suppy from Christ answerable to their sufferings But the Saints being weake and not knowing this they many times needleslly trouble themselves with forethinking what they shall doe if Suffering and Afflictions and Troubles increase And the reason is because they apply and compare Future Troubles to present strength But those that live in Christ and with Christ they know they cannot ingage upon any new affliction But there is a new supply of Strength and Courage and life from Christ and therefore they reason thus If Bonds Reproaches and imprisonment or Death it selfe doe attend mee There is Fresh Joy New Life and more Srength attends The more opposers the more Strength the more Joy the more Glory the more Loves the more Imbraces The more overcomings of Loves And therefore this is that which makes them Bold in Declaring for God Who more bold for God in declaring truth then the Apostles in Acts the fourth though they knew troubles and persecution attended them Acts 4.10 and bonds in every place be it knowne
Saints that see not their priviledges by Christ they are ready to say how can this be that the Spouse of Christ is so beutifull so fruitfull they see it otherwise they can see no beuty in them they bring forth but little weake and poore fruit here is some of this way and some of that fellowship some of this Judgement and some of that some are in a Church way and some are not some are Congregated and some are uncongregated I but for all that though among themselves they be divers yet in Christ they are but one You 't is true make a difference but that should not be This is but the folly and weaknesse of men but see and looke upon them as they are in Christ and you shall see they are one to him as they are in him and live with him and in him they are fruitfull though not as they are in themselves The points that I apprehend these words hold forth are these 1 Doct. That Christs Church is Christs Dove 2 D. Christs Church is Christs undefiled Dove 3 Doct. That Christs Church or Christs Dove is not divided but is one and united Now for the first of these if you aske why Christs Church is called Christs Dove I conceive for present 't is in two regards first in regard of their Priviledges how much they are tendred by him and secondly in regard they are made glorious and amiable by him 1. Considering how precious they are to him what affections he hath let out to them the dearest loves and the very heart of Christ runnes out to them singly solely nothing that is in the very bowells and heart of Christ is too good too deare for them there 's nothing in Christ but is there laid up kept and preserved for a Saints treasure all the choice loves of God the choicest life of God is treasured up in Christ for his Saints and when once they have forsaken themselves then to be enjoyed by them and delighted in for ever he thinkes nothing too good for his Spouse he hath not only filled himselfe for them but emptyed himselfe for them poured out his own bloud his owne life his owne glory to save them to inrich them Christ shewes how precious they are to him first in regard of the place where he layes a saint that is in his very bosome in his very heart not only in his common providence but in his very heart he never leaves a saint till he bring it from step to step by degrees into himselfe that the soule is so lapt up in him that he hath made it one with himselfe And that soule that is acquainted with this life knowes this and none else others know not what it means I was sayes he a slave under the Law and it tyrannized over me many a hard lesson and many a hard task I had set me and many a bitter stripe and hee in bowells of loves came and freed me he redeemed me from that tyrannie I was under the killing letter which threatned nothing but death and hell and now I have found his loves in setting me at liberty and now I can read his loves in every line in all his proceedings and these are I say such loves that none can prize but those that have them read seene and felt them in them This is a Saints portion peculiarly to live with Christ to live of Christ to live in him 'T is the worlds portion to live under life and not injoy life but a saint lives in life life and he are one they are brought by Christ into the very overflowings of loves they live in the very streams of loves compassed about with loves Christ comes to them continually sups with them wraps them up in admiration of himselfe and fills them with divine loves Secondly Christ declares how precious saints are to him by taking all advantages to do them good by sin by sorrowes by sufferings by afflictions by life by death every way none of all these but Christ makes them advantages and helps to them When they wrastle with sin it would be too hard for a saint if Christ did not help them and sin would get the advantage over them should Christ but leave us in a temptation we were undone but Christ comes with a conquering unresistable power rescues us from sin and brings us over to the loves of himselfe So also in affliction the saints they moyle and toyle and are even worne out in it that they know not what to do that they are ready to give out and lay downe all then Christ he comes in and supports and puts under his hand to stay the soule from sinking when our own strength is done then Christ comes in nay we many times wrastle our selves into great straits Christ comes now and releases us that when we lose our selves he gaines us and wrastles us into his owne loves and glory he ravishes us with his loves and then also is he ravished with our loves as you see in this chapter Secondly they are made glorious by him and with him as David saith Ps 68.13 They are like the wings of a Dove covered with silver and her feathers like yellow gold 't is a metaphor you must conceive taken from very pleasant and glorious coloured Doves to set out how Christ beautifies and makes his saint glorious and amiable The very same glory that is on Christ is on a saint Christ and a saint have not two different lives two different glories but both one and the same sayes the Apostle 1 Ioh 4.17 As he is so are wee in this world Brethren the life of a saint is a misterie Christ and they live in the injoyments each of other the life of a saint is internall Surely friends let me tell you 't is not knowne by partaking of fellowships and ordinances although wee ought to partake of them and hold them forth to the world but the beauty of the life of Christs consists in the injoyment of Christs loves so that the soule is therein centred and satisfied as it is expressed 17. Ioh. 17.23 Ioh. Thou in me and I in them and they in me that they may be made perfect in one All saints they are beloved with the same loves that the Father loves the Sonne the same riches the same life the same love the same glory is bestowed on them Eph. 11.3 We are now in this life set in heavenly places in Christ many thinke they shall have this life hereafter when they shall come to heaven but those that live this life they are in heaven here and sit now in heavenly places and herein is the great mistake among Professours they do not live in and with Christ here they use ordinances and hold forth a profession and here rest but for this heavenly life this intimate uniting life they looke not after it they expect it not they know it not they live it not Oh brethren did you but