lies drown'd as it were in a Sea of loves and sweetnesses in a blessed astonishment and stupefaction it is elevated in the highest advancement of life and spirits in the Lord of life and glory that descended and ascended to draw up with him all that adheres to him O were the soule wound up to this pitch and watched at it and wound up againe if never so little slipt downe how might we live O still still let us be in this blessed vision of God with more continued intentivenesse contracting thence or rather dilating those Coexistant inherent essentiall which we call attributed species Then others beholding the stedfastnesse of our faith could not but there see more of that radiant image in its deputed Majestie the ball of the sensuall eye not more naturally expressing the Idea of the directly opposite and neighbouring visage then this of the spirituall of faith doth that of God And certainly no sence doth furnish us with more and more cleare conceptions of God then the sight being for its ready commence with the soule for its extention and intention the properest most conducible and advantagious of all being the most spatious farthest reaching pure simple active and therefore most apprehensive and next to that the hearing being the lesse grosse and earthly of all the rest But to keepe to that As the Sunne conveyeth heate and activitie inseperably with and proportionably to its light so is the truth loved and done so farre and onely so farre as it is seene The actions are spurious and illigitimate that are not conceived in the heart and begotten by the eye it will be our wisedome then so truly to informe the latter at we desire the well and right forming and performing of the other Let us looke on him then by no other Organ then faith thorough no other medium then Christ at no other distance then the mearest approaches even to such an unitie that wee see our selves in him and him in us When with the wicked wee put God farre from us and see the world draw nigh us then seemes he little and this great but when we draw neere to him what a pointile what an atome what a nothing it seemes nay it is And as the medium is ever the fame so is the Organ then best when most refined abstracted metaphysicall subtilized sublimed and sence-rarified cause then most proportionable and sutable to the simplicitie and puritie of the object it intends and therefore consequently to the extensivenesse and infinitie of it God being simply infinite and infinitely simple And therefore as wisedome consists in the clearenesse and quicknesse so in the inlargednesse of the understanding but since that knowledge that light in every thing wee draw from him is the onely true wisedome wee are then wisest when our understandings are most clarified by him most acted on him And surely this clarifying of our faith is according to the intimatenesse of our humbly bold accesse unto him the nature of this Sunne being to give light to the blind and that more or lesse according as we are more off or apply our selves nearer to Him And surely while we thus see God in the holiest of holies all the kingdomes of the earth in their freshest and heart-stealingest lovelinesse and that set forth in the most rich and glorious accoutrements will lie at our feete as a dead and rotten carkasle so farre shall we be from committing folly with it so farre that though then too our spirits be at the liveliest as they cannot but be yet because wee nay therefore because we be as crucified as dead to it as it is to us Such power hath this sight to fill the heart with love this love to hold the soule close to God from any thing that would part it from him and to carry it forth in all readinesse of obedience with him When contrarily while we are looking on the world without God we are but looking on so many lying vanities that dead the heart to reall and full contentments withholding it from God and setting the hand on worke in the wayes of sinne which still estrange the soule from Him and keep Him at a distance from the soule that more deading the heart that c. so the soule running on in a round of wickednesse if God not gratiously breake in and hinder its course Which when he doth his presence makes grace to grow by the interchangeable officiousnesse of all its undivided parts The sight of God inflaming the affections they inciting to actions these againe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stirring up the fire in more fervent flames they giving in greater light that discovering more beautie that kindling more fire that animating to more action this againe c. so truely infinitely infinitely infinitely sweet is the comfort of the God-conversing soule The soule that hath received the truth in the love thereof and he that loves mee keepes my Commandements he that doth my will shall know my will he that hath my Commandements as his possession riches c. and keepes them as his greatest joy comfort life he it is that loves me and to him will I manifest my selfe Now this manifestation againe fills the heart with more operative and effectuall love this againe c. Thus Faith worketh by love the fulfilling of the Law the end of the Commandement out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfained the sinceritie whereof must needs be according to the sight it hath of God according to the lovelinesse worth chooseablenesse that it seeth in him Faith then I take to be by what of light in this night of blindnesse and darkenesse I can see such a light as shining on the intentively beholding soule through the face of Christ hath that influence and attractive power with it to draw it up and make it cleave and adhaere with all its might and strength to God to lift up the heart to and make it goe along with him in all his wayes While like the Helitrophion it turnes and winds shuts and opens with the motion of the Sunne of righteousnesse And this light thus influenced thus working how ever clouded and obscured to a Christians selfe to be wisedome unto salvation that effectuall knowledge of God his Christ comming into and received of the soule that is life eternall already taken hold of and ere long fully prossessed or thus Faith is a promise-lighted seeking light Burnes with pure fervent love whose active might In every radiant precept shining bright Reflects its glory to the Father-Light Thus these three-one obedience-faith-and love Unite my soule to those Thee-One Above John 11.5.7 A seeking Isaiah 11.10 with Romans 15.13 Satisfying John 5.44 with John 14.1 Faith John 1.4.19 a sincere Phil. 1.10 Matth. 6.22 Eph. 6.24 Fervent Cant. 8.6.7 love John 14.15 an universall Psal 119.6 Jam. 2.10 Ephe. 4.23 Matth. 5.10 Constant Cor. 1.15.58 Obedience So that grace is faith understanding faith affecting faith acting
thee t' unwrap thee o' thy misterious lawes And give thy unvailed beauties into me And take my love-inflamed heart to thee To live by faith by love that live by action And but thy pleasure what 's my satisfaction To you it is given to know the ministeries of the kingdome of Heaven And art not thou O Lord tui juris art not Thou at Thine owne disposall at whose disposall are all the things in the world mayst not thou give thy selfe to whom thou pleasest or what is Heaven but Thee or the knowledge of its mistery but the knowledge of Thee and the knowledge of Thee life eternall Thy free and gracious and therefore not worke-fore-seene gift Shalt Thou depend on the creature or that on Thee Thou on its will or it on Thine Can the humble soule say thou sawest man would be good or bad and therefore thou must needs order him to life and death and so not thy will but theirs must have the precedency the preheminency It is not safer to say that thou who art an absolute and free agent giver and disposer of thy selfe in the inhabitation of whom in the soule is Grace Glory Life eternall that thou in leaving and passing by a man hath left him as bad because not pertaking of thee the onely good or blasphemously to say thou seeing some goodnesse in man without thy selfe as it must needs be if not from thee from thy will thou seeing of him thus good of himselfe and therefore a God wouldst order him to salvation and then how can he be a God O into what absurdities into what everlasting confusions would not the mad pride of degenerate nature leade us and all for want of a true thorough sight of that infinite desparitie betweene the Creator and the creature thaâ— absolute soveraigntie that he hath over it that cleare and distinct understanding of his will its positivenesse privitivenesse activenesse permissivenesse c. it s alwayes justice holinesse goodnesse Can that soule but above all desire nay desire it as that one onely thing that it might ever dwell in the house in the presence of God to behold the beauties of his holinesse and to blesse him among his chosen and yet but say withall but if he hath no delight in me here I am let him doe to me as seemeth him good Os what is it can more assure the soule that it hath seene him that it shall ever see him as having chosen that good part that shall never be taken from it in whom alone it could learne to humble it selfe to the death in the willing fulfilling of a ready obedience to its Fathers will This is the heart that will not haste after its owne inventions but will waite upon his counsells that feareth the Lord and dwelleth in his secrets Marle not my soule If wisedome some reserved cases have For heavens Cabinet councell he shu'd save Thee never an Heaven shu'd he fully show The misteries of his state here here wee 'd know Him fully and that were heaven indeed But since Thy conversation shu'd be never thence I blame not this thy scrutinie but wu'd Thy grosse contempt if thy remissenesse shu'd Not prie fnr truth as life and that to see Sparkling i' th' loveliest resplendencie That lights our Hemisphere The soule in'ts grave That 's not abroad i' th' Light Thou't then behave Thee wisely when thy Scripture-guided eye It s ingenious boldnesse shall most humbly prie Unto the utmost bounds of modestie And there where reason failes let faith supply Till thou sha't see thy faith was rationall That skild thy will to trust Truth over all When thou sha't see all ends fall in together All knit all into one knot no time shall seaver No sooner now I 've gotten one but then The others gone and I 'm t' be gone agen Then sha't thou know as thou art knowne without Discourse at one compleat sight far from doubt Grow then in gracious knowledge now and so More Heaven in more Heaven-like manner know Thy Councels were not worthy o' Thee great God Were'nt they too deep Broad Long High f'r me to plod Them out to one full intuition nor My love so great so sweetly'd inforce m'abhor M'selfe cu'd this blest distraction comprehend Thee in my owne short armes till thou sha't send Th'inlarging Light and Truth shall end This controversie in thee my endlesse friend Now can't I bring two ends together then Two ends to bring together can't I ken Now can't I Mercy and Justice knit in one Then see it shall not need for they are one VVrapt up in one Decree how Thou't expresse Thy uniforme sweetnesse in a divers dresse Substantiall goodnesse in a various shade Compleat perfection with a Cloud ore-laid O come then come VVhen breakes the day That breakes these broken shades away The Clouds subjected under our feet Hang ore our head so may we meet And greete may wholy contemplate the face That glances here imparted grace SHall faith subscribe to sense Or sense to faith Poore faithlesse faith my eyes my head my eares My heart say they all what they will Thus saith Jehovah Speake Lord Now thy servant heares Can't I beleeve thon art I le not beleeve I am Art good N'r I bad But I both beleeve Thou art thou a Rewarder ar't of all That diligently seek thee I have sought Seek and will seek thee so I le nere lin't call By thought by word by deed till I am brought VVord otherwise by a messenger of Heaven And then I le trust but what I have receiven I Would not beleeve because I see feele heare c. but see heare c. because I beleeve not have my sense leade my faith but my faith my sense because I have a ground for it by revelation by the VVord and not so far beleeve as I finde ground from faith out of sense If I cannot believe Gods eyes I will never believe mine owne thinke all I see heare doe as a dream farther then faith goes along and assures me of it c. To receive apprehensions of things as meerely presented by the senses is no more then brutish by naturall reason no more than humane but what by supernaturall reason by faith is divine though indeed that reason be but unreasonablenesse farther then it is inlightned by this farther then it is acquainted with adheres to workes according to the will of God The heartie thorough active compleat knowledge of the Truth Now truth is as I may say of fundamentall necessitie to the constituting of a true and stable faith it being impossible that that which is founded on falsehood shud prove other then false and failing whether concerning persons or things our condition in generall or perticular acts Where the promise precept word is not taken aright the application of the soule to it must needs be amisse where the ground is mistaken the building muw needs miscarry Where that 's not sound this must sinke Loose and spongie soiles
may have a firme superficies Hollow vaults a hard roofe The soule that takes things by the outside is like to goe away with out-side comforts that is not penetrating bottom-searching inward-looking is like to fall low for want of looking low Build then cauteously O my soule tread warily take heede of the rashnesse of fooles Esa 32.4 walke accurately circumspectly precisely keepe thy selfe close to thy God loase not thy hand thy hold the least time the least distance walke humbly love him intirely cleave to him inseperably follow him at every turne thou canst never be out of thy way while thou keepest thy way thy Christ whom thou sha't onely find in his fatheas who is who is already found of all them that seeke his face not themselves but him his holinesse his glory who of his just goodnesse and gratious wisedome to the manifestation of the power of his light of his love hath left thee among so many false lights fooles-fires in such a mist in such a night of darkenesse among so many misguiding guides like so many false voices in a wildernesse Now to know his from a strangers now to discerne is grace wisedome c. in its richest attire Resigne then thy selfe to thy Christ to thy God live by faith in all and feare not but when thou art gone out of thy selfe his spirit shall teach thee when what c. to see heare doe c. for while thou art with so farre as thou art with the Creator thou canst not want wisedome how to use the Creature so as it may bee most for his glory and that is the height of thy wisedome Certainly so long a wee are with him hee will bee with us counselling directing in all our wayes All our miscarriages ill doing and ill farings being from our departure from him our light life comfort so that not onely true faith is rationall in beleeving God beyond and against sence but true reason is faithfull in conversing with God in and thorough sence And hither I conceive lookes those places I am crucified to the world and the world to me am dead and this that I live in the very flesh incarnall sensuall things seeing hearing talking eating drinking commerce c. I live by the faith live the life of the son of God We are dead and our life is hid with Christ in God ARe dead and the spirit that raised up Jesus quickneth our mortall bodies the soule of our soules the life of our lives Senses spiritualized Whatsoever is not of faith is sinne c. Neither can there be any thing pleasing to God but what is done in him in whom onely he is well pleased but what wee doe in him we doe by faith The nature whereof were wee so happy fully to know wee should fully know our owne happinesse VVIsdome begins with ends makes first its last Not stirs a foot till wary feare forecast Vnto what good but good thence End 's but One Then doe speake thinke an act till feare hath shewne Thy faith that kinde to come from lead to God A sinfull folly ' t is Thus faith will plod Hee 's then the man that 's only wise That keepes his God before his eyes The head of wisdomes feare but there Are wisemens eyes see with their feare His Optick nerves his moving hence Derive their animall influence THings as their principles decay and thrive Th'most dying Christians are the most alive Reduce all ills to sin all sins to 'th First All goods to grace all graces unto Christ Then place thy selfe i' th' midst and thou sha't see How good 't is in a trembling joy to be VVhile every act and accident shall show Thee thee not thee ere blest thee so to know Thus shake thee from thy selfe and thou sha't finde How good 't is to enjoy anothers minde Thus shake thee from thy selfe and thou sha't see How good 't is in anothers life to be VVhile seeing whence and whether brought th' ast bin Grace shall thee humble make and faithfull sin But may this humble faith still acted be Still't wu'd from sin and sinfull sorrow free THere is nothing wherein we are more wanting then in what we thinke our selves least the grounds and principles of Christianity VVhat more commonly confessed than that we are all sinners children of wrath by nature More readily professed then that we believe in Christ that we preferthe will the glory of God above all c. and yet what is it we beleeve we do lesse What is it is more hard more excellent VVhile they are things meerely notionall and superficially swimming in the braine or at most but glide and coast upon the heart and carry it on in a way of action so far as pleases our selves and corrupt nature the devill lets us run on with the undoubted uncontraverted conceit that we know them that we believe them till they have at length brought us thither where we shall too late be forced to believe know that we believed that we knew them not But then is it that we meet with the crosse windes the stormes fluctuations temptations doubts questionings of their certainty their equity c. When they come with that weight upon the soule as to sinke into it to be received and entertained of it into its seriousest and solemnest consideration when they come with that force and power upon it as not to Herere inprimis viis to stay in the common sense fancy but to take the judgement and by that the heart and by that the whole man into their possession that they are not only on the soule but In it and it wholly given up to wholy in these things when we come to suck sweetnesse from them to live upon them to digest them throughly to gather strength from them to draw them forth to practise to make them such to our selves as they are in themselves c. certainly could wee fully understand firmely beleeve cordially affect and frequently or rather continually actuate these things what manner of men should wee be O could we experimentally know in all holinesse in all happinesse of conversation we should be Christians farre more in reallitie then wee can be in profession in substance then wee can be in shew It is as impossible for that heart to make the world know what it sindes within it selfe as it is to speake proportionably to make them know what is heaven Not the thousandth part of it selfe is that soule able to discover that hath the powerfull workings of these thoughts these meditations within it though too they be such whose very nature is to carry forth the soule in the most operative activitie The cause once knowne the cure 's halfe done the soule And why not adde the body purg'd o' this foule Distempering humourous faithlesse pride thou' rt sound Though sinne shame paine want div'ls beset thee round The man 's within and all 's in vaine without If he that 's hid in Christ will
same building frame and growing body so farre should we be from making them as arguments to keepe us at the greater distance And what indeed is the end of Gods various dispensation of himselfe in such diversitie of gifts parts abilities if not that hee might shew the more of his wisedome in drawing them all so compleatly into one gracefull knot the bond of peace love that in such if not by such a variety can preserve the unitie if not further the harmony of the spirit of the Lord Jesus Ephes 4. perlege Or to what purpose is our knowledge but for love for charitie the fulfilling of the Law the end of the Commandement out of a pure conscience and of faith unfained This is the sincere the true faith and knowledge that thus workes What puritie of conscience what life of assection I see in the conversation caeteris paribus by that shall I judge of the truth of the measure of the faith the knowledge as the roote by the fruit and by that I look to be judged by the judge of all things by him whose call is for whose residence is in whose shining is into the heart where he shewes himselfe where he is where he ha's savingly Not by what is found in my braine my head but in my brest my heart that which sitteth here making musicke to the Lord with a gratious answering to all his wills a glorious admiration of his love his wisedome c. his mercifull acceptance in the Lord Christ and not that which it jarring with others there That which sounds forth God in its life and not that which founds forth it selfe in its tongue The Divill I beleeve hath as much knowledge and can dictate as excellent discourse as all the men of the world Knowledge so farre as it is not cordiall and living so farre as it is not sappy savory and fruitfull but dry and barren or bringing forth wild thistles so farre I shall never thinke it to have the Lord Christ for its roote So farre as it is not sapida sertilis it will proove but insipida futilis foolish and vaine I would have knowledge then bee my food and my food my strength and my strength my exercise I wu'd feede with delight but not for delight but for the better disgesting of my knowledge into an assimulated practice And be our opinions notions what they will if they convey no more of God along with them certainly they never came of his sending who alwayes comes along with the true understanding of his will of himselfe the onely truth And by more of his presence induceth more glorious light-more humble love-more faithfull action And to what purpose have our hearts tugged so hard at heaven for the pulling downe of those spirituall wickednesses and exalted vilenesses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 12. but as they have held up the heads and strengthned the hands of the ungodly but as they are those of whom we have no warrant that they had their commission from him and therefore no promise that hee would dispence himselfe through them but as they are intruders betweene God and us and obtruders of their ceremoniall and traditionall obstructions in our immediater approaches to him and they taken away wee might have more of him and that that wee might doe more for him But now to have the obstacles removed and the end never the nearer attained to what purpose is it To have those who under the pretence of being the Conduit pipes were the dirt and filth that stopped them of being the Contrefenestres the shutting windowes to keepe out the theevery of innovations schismes seperations c. out of the Church keepe out the light and truth and were the greatest schismaticks renters of the Church themselves to have these I say removed as sure enough they shall at what ever rate and wee draw never the more light and life into our hearts into our lives but still hugge our owne fond imaginations still seeke about in such extravagancies after our owne inventions lying vanities that promise faire and performe worse then nothing what other will it be interpreted by him then the dispising the turning of his goodnesse his glory into shame while we know God more but know him not and therefore worship him not as God the commander of the whole man But those O Lord that know what it is to know thee can they but be thankfull in an active and 〈◊〉 action-denying thankefulnes O then that thou wouldest accomplish the work that thou hast so gratiously so powerfully undertaken How long shall thy servants nauseate at the fulsomenesse of their pride Though they make the hearts of kingdomes still ake with it let them be vomited be vomited forth thoroughly Rather let us be pained with our cure that not prevent our death We yea thou art sicke of their Lukewarmenesse O when wutâ—â— thou spue them out of thy mouth So will we flocke up to mountaines of thy house and poure forth our soules in thy praises So in the humilitie of our spirits will we sit at the feet of thy Jesus and learne at the mouths of thy holy servants So shall our hearts bow before thee and out hands be dilgent in thy service So shall holinesse bee written on our pathes and our lives be the memorialls of thy mercies So shall the review of thy favours be as the fringe for remembrance of thy precepts So shall the wonderfulnesse of our deliverancies be read in the wonderfulnesse of our obedience So will we commune with our owne hearts and be still and say what have wee returned thee What sinne have we more crucified what dutie have we more have we better done So will we offer unto thee the sacrifice of righteousnesse of a broken and contrite heart While wee bind all the faculties of our soule and members of our bodies to thy Alcar With the cords of our affections to thy Christ and thou sha't accept them gratiously O Lord our hearts thy Sion DElayes are neither constant grounds of suspect nor dispaire neither of suspect of the promisers present good will nor of dispaire of the promise it 's future performance In my last I promised you another which till now you received not yet hath this delay neither proved an utter silence nor proceeded from an unfriendlike disrespect God hath promised you deliverance which yet you have not yet received yet can this protraction neither argue a change of his fatherly affection nor unchangeablenesse of your child like afflictions Neither is it a ground for your doubt of his great prudence or gracious goodnesse in correcting nor of your comfortable support in or seasonable freedome from the correction He that beleeveth maketh not hast Faith is confident of the issue patience attendant on the time Two sweet and never-parting companions An unbeleeving patience or an impatient beleese how dissonant are they in the eares of a Christian How can I with a truly submissive and not presuming