salvation of our Souls 1 Pet. 1.4,5,9 Insomuch that Death which is in it self no other than Nature's Divorce the Bodies Prison the Soul's Banishment the Arrest of Judgment the Curse of Sin and the King of Terrors as well as the Terror of Kings Job 18.14 unto all Mankind in General yet such a change doth the power of Godliness both in Young and Old that are chosen and called make in their Changes from one World to another that their Death's is only their 1. Harvest or Ingatherings into God's Garner c. 2 'T is the Joy of Marriage which is called a Rest in the House of the Husband Ruth 3.1 so Death is our Rest A Rest from their Labours Rev. 14.13 they shall Rest 1 st From their Labours of Necessity their Needs of Nature shall then cease for ever they shall Hunger no more they shall Thirst no more c. as they have done while in the Body 2 dly They shall Rest from their Labours of Infirmity they shall never complain of any more Aches and Pains in any one of the parts of the Body as they have done frequently heretofore in the time of their Mortality 3 dly From the Labours of their Callings c. they shall toil no more in the Sweats of either their Brows or their Brains c. And 4 thly Which is above all they shall Rest from their Labours of Iniquity a Laboribus Peccati as well as Officii they shall never sin any more whereas heretofore in the time of their sojourning upon Earth they had this weight upon them which they could never lay aside nor cast it off and sin did then easily beset them so that they could not run the Race that was set before them Heb. 12.1 Because of the Law of the Members that did continually war against the Law of their Minds and oft bringing them into Captivity yea and as oft making them to cry out Oh wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me c. Rom. 7.23,24 But now Christ is come to them and knock'd off all their Fetters which formerly clogg'd them c. and setteth them at perfect liberty Isai 61.1 and those whom the Son of God doth free they are free indeed John 8.36 3. Death to those that die in the Lord and in a Good Old Age also is not only the Christians Harvest Marriage and Rest as before but 't is likewise their Conquest over all their Spiritual Enemies so they have also the Joy of Victory as well as of Harvest of Marriage and of Rest They are become by their Holy Life and Happy Death more than Conquerors Rom. 8.37 even Triumphers in Christ 2 Cor. 2.14 and so as they have won the Crown of Glory by their overcoming the Wicked one through the strengthning Love of Christ upon them so they shall wear it as Kings Rev. 1.6 and as Conquerors for evermore 'T is said the last Enemy to be destroyed is Death 1 Cor. 15.26 Now to all true Believers Death is already swallowed up in Victory ver 55. as Fuel is swallowed up by the Fire and as the Sorcerers Serpents were swallowed up by Moses his Serpent so that they can say to Death when it comes to them as Jacob said to Esau surely I have seen thy Face as the Face of God Gen. 33.4,10 Thus that Esau Death doth meet a Member of Christ with Kissing rather than with Killing or so much as Frowns yea and guards him home to his Father's House as Esau guarded his Brother Jacob Home to Canaan after his long absence from it he went before Jacob as his Life-guard ver 12. Thus after a long Conflict by the Indwellings of Sin all our Life comes the Conquest at the last in our Death Alas we cannot beat sin out of Doors as Sarah did the Bond-woman Hagar but this Fretting Leprosie sin can never be either washed out or scraped off from the Walls of our Earthly Tabernacles until the House that is infected with that Plague be demolished by Death and the Stones and Timber thereof be altogether taken down As it was thus in the Type under the Law concerning the House of Leprosie Levit. 14.43,44 So it is with our Houses of Clay as the Antitype which can no way be Amended but must be Renewed and this is only done in part while we are in the Kingdom of Grace But this cleansing Work is compleatly perfected when Death gives us a dismission from hence into the Kingdom of Glory The belief of this made Old Simeon sing his Soul out of his Body and Paul the Aged Phil. v. 9. was not only a Conqueror but which was more even a Triumpher in Christ as before for he sang a Triumphant Song over Death and the Grave singing as well as saying Oh Death where is thy Sing and Oh Grave where is thy Victory 1 Cor 15.55 This is the boldest and the bravest Challenge that ever any Mortal Man did ring in the Ears of Death in which words he as it were out-braved it calling it Craven to its Face as the Vulgar saying is and bids it do its worst to him that it could do like the Philosopher Anaxarchus who with an undaunted Courage told the Tyrant who was beating his Body to pieces with a great Iron Pestle in a large Mortar made purposely for that Barbarous Butchery in the very Act of his Martyrdom he most confidently cryed out to his Tormentor Tunde Tunde Tyranne Vasculum frangis sed Anaxarchum non Laedis Beat on beat on thou Bruitish Tyrant thou indeed doth break the Vessel of the Man but thou can never hurt Anaxarchus the Man himself Much more might this blessed Apostle insult over this greatest of Tyrants that universal Destroyer of Mankind to wit Death with his Javelin in his hand seeing he was so able as to render such weighty Reasons for his Triumphing Insultation as he saith the Sting of Death is Sin c. ver 56. signifying hereby that our dear Redeemer had been the Death of Death by his Death Mors Mortis Morti Mortem quoque Morte dedisset The Death of Christ gave Death its Death as it was prophesied of him Oh Death I will be thy Death c. Hos 13.14 thus our Saviour did disarm Death and took out the Sting from this Venemous Serpent so that we may now as safely put Death into our Bosoms in a serious Meditation of dying Daily as some men whom I have seen have with enough of safety put into their Bosoms a Snake whose Sting was before pulled out If Death do now shoot out any Sting at us we may thank our selves for our not being more constantly sound in the way of Righteousness If at any time we turn aside to crâ—…ked Paths there will the old crooked Serpent meet us and he will not only sting us there but also leave his Sting behind him in us as the Bee doth to those that are stung by it and this may be the procuring Cause of many sad effects
into the image of sin he cannot do wickedly with both hands earnestly Mic. 7.3 he is not past feeling to work all uncleanness with greediness for he hath not so learned Christ Ephes 4.19,20 Sin cannot carry it away without some Counter-Buffs So 't is farther said We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not to wit that sin unto Death the unpardonable sin no not other sins as other Sinners that are the Slaves of Satan but he keepeth himself so as that the wicked one cannot touch him that is with any of his deadly touches He cannot thrust in his venemous Sting so far as to destroy the Seed of God in him that is begotten of God as he doth into the very Spirits of those called the Serpents Seed even the World that lieth in wickedness 1 John 5.18,19 with ver 16. From whence we may argue and upon better grounds than that Pagan Dame before-named did that if the Seed of God be in us if we be begotten and born of God none of those Principalities and Powers of Hell nor any of those Rulers of the Darkness of this World nor any Spiritual Wickedness in high places as the phrase is Ephes 6.12 shall ever be able to prevail against us but they shall surely fall before us They may indeed sometimes in case of some Divine Desertion put us foully to the Foil but they can never give us a total and a final Fall for God so puts his fear into the hearts of his Covenanted People that they shall not depart from him but he will cause them to fear him for ever Jer. 32.39,40,41 for here lies the Riches of the Covenant of Grace that tho' for some glorious ends of unsearchable Divine Wisdom it sometimes doth permit a fall even in the choicest and chiefest of the Favourites of Heaven yet it always doth ensure Repentance after the Fall as it was in the case both of David and Peter they both did fall foully but neither of them did fall finally they both got up again by the helping hand of their Heavenly Father And this may be a little illustrated by the example afore-named of Mordecai and Haman If a Jew fall before a Persian as Mordecai did before Haman yet may he get up again and prevail as did Mordecai against Haman but if a Persian or any Gentile doth but begin to fall before a Jew he shall not be able to stop from falling down nor to rise up again as did Haman before Mordecai he did fall to the lowest and utmost ebb of disgrace and misery yea and tho' he was advanced on high upon the highest Gallows that we read or hear of which he had erected for the Jew Mordecai yet he did most fatally fall into the bottomless Pit of Hell also to be an eternal Companion with proud Lucifer and his faln Angels c. All this may afford matter of great encouragement to us in our Christian Warfare that the Seed of God in us will spring up gradually notwithstanding the many bitter Blasts of Hail and Snow that fall upon it and will in due season bring fortn a most happy Harvest as Psal 126.5,6 but we must be careful to war this good warfare 1 Tim. 1.18 and fight this good fight of Faith 1 Tim. 6.12 both in God's Arms which makes our Bow to abide in strength Gen. 49.24 and which strengthens us with a kind of omnipotency in doing all things Phil. 4.13 yea and in God's Armour also Ephes 6.12 to 19. whereby we may be able not only to stand our ground but also to quench all the fiery Darts of the Devil yea and if we resist him stedfast in the Faith we shall put him to the flight and win the Day and so wear the Crown of Conquerors Jam. 4.7 1 Pet. 5.8,9 Let us all along observe the Apostle's Rule Whatsoever we do in Word and Deed let all be done in the Name of the Lord Jesus Col. 3.17 David acknowledges it was by God's strength and not by his own c. In all those fore-named places of the Psalms and in 2 Sam. 22.30,33,34,35,36,37 c. wherein he saith that God was his strength and that girded him with strength so to rout the Ranks of his Enemies and so to beat them down that they could never rise up any more c. and this was when he hurl'd as it were the force of God himself at the Face of great Goliah he ascribes all the Glory both of his Valour and of his Victory unto God's strength and not unto his own c. The 4 th Character of a Conqueror is to take the Conquered captive and to clap them up close Prisoners as Joshuah did with his five conquered Kings shutting them up in the Cave at Makedah and rolling great Stones to the Mouth of the Cave that they might be kept there close Prisoners until the time of their execution Josh 10.18 and when he brought them to be executed he made his Captains to set their Feet upon the Necks of those five Kings and then he hanged them up upon five Trees ver 24 26 c. Even so our Joshuah or Jesus doth all those Offices of Love for us as that Joshuah did for Israel our Lord ascendeth up on high he leadeth captivity Captive c. Psal 68.18 and Ephes 4.8 and then he saith afterward as for those my Enemies that would not have me to reign over them bring them forth and slay them before me Luke 19.27 This phrase of leading captivity captive is an allusion to the Roman Conquerors who rode through the City Rome up to the Capitol in their Triumphant Chariots leading their conquered Captives all along with their Hands bound behind them to be disposed of afterwards according to the pleasure of the Conqueror either to present Death or to perpetual Imprisonment Thus likewise our Lord who rideth on Conquering and to Conquer upon the white Horse of the Gospel Rev. 6.2 doth lead Captivity Captive that is those Spiritual Enemies that formerly did captivate us Our Lord doth now through grace captivate them and they are principally Three which make up this Captivity that our Lord leads Captive for us The First is the Flesh whereof Paul complaineth that the Law of the Members did not only war against the Law of his Mind but it also brought him into Captivity to the Law of Sin and made him cry out Oh wretched man c. yet did he look through this Black Cloud at Christ his Deliverer Rom. 7.23,24,25 as it is said If we be in Christ and he in us then have we crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts Gal. 5.24 When Christ came into the World it was our sins that crucified Christ and so when Christ comes into our Hearts he likewise crucifies our sinful Flesh in us as the body of sin did crucifie Christ so Christ doth crucifie the body of sin Now to crucifie is not to kill outright at one blow but it is to put to
blest with an hearing Ear to the word of Life for the Ear is as it were the Gutter that conveys even the Waters of Life into the Soul of Man for thus it is said Hear and your Souls shall live Isai 55.3 and Faith cometh by Hearing the Word of God Rom. 10.17 We must enquire likewise whether with Joab also we have smitten those cursed Canaanites the Jebusites namely our own Carnal Corruptions enquire I say what Rule we have obtained over our own Spirits he that is slow to Anger is better than the Mighty and he that ruleth his Spirit is more honourable than he that conquereth a City Prov. 16.32 This is not only Manly but Godly also Whereas he that hath no Rule over his own Spirit is like a City that is broken down and without Walls Prov. 25.28 Such persons are like secure Hazor that had neither Gates nor Bars Jer. 49.31 those Souls are not fenced in with the fear of God and the Strong Man Satan well armed and furnished for every evil Work as the Man of God is furnished for every good Work as before 2 Tim. 3.17 keeps still the possession of his Strong Hold in them and they were never yet blest with a Visit from that blessed Stronger Man the Lord Jesus to dispossess him Oh thrice happy are they to whom Christ saith as he did to that Demoniack Mark 9.25 Come out of the Man thou Unclean Spirit and enter no more into him As none by the Roman Law were allowed to have the honour of riding Triumphantly in the City of Rome until he had obtained five Victories in the Field over his Enemies c. So none of us can ever expect to triumph as Conquerors in Heaven unless we have got the Victory over all our five Senses for even all the Members of our Bodies as well as all the Faculties of our Souls must be rescued from Satan and brought into obedience to Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 The Sixth Character of a Conqueror is Wholly to disarm the Conquered Thus the Stronger Man when he had come upon the Strong Man and had overcome him he took away all his Armour wherein he trusted Luke 11.22 that is those that were his offensive Weapons to wit the World Sin and Death wherewith he hath prevailed over all the Sons and Daughters of faln Adam after he had foil'd Adam himself for some thousands of Years unto this day And Satan finding all these Weapons so successful is said to trust in them as Goliah did in his Armour which made him triumph before his Victory saying to David come and I will give thy Flesh to the Fowls of the Air and to the Beasts of the Field 1 Sam. 17.44 as if David had been some Boy to be frighted with his big Boasts of his Carnal Confidence and in ver 45. David tells us how Goliah trusted in his Armour saying to him thou comest unto me with a Sword and Spear c. that is thou trustest in thy own Strength and in thy Armour c. but I come to thee in the Name of the Lord c. who will deliver thee this day into my hand ver 46 47. which was accordingly accomplished Thus he who is call'd both David's Son and David's Lord Mat. 22.45 The Stronger Man encounters the Strong Man that trusts in his Armour and spoils him thereof Col. 2.15 even in a Duel too as David did Goliah for Christ trod the Winepress alone Isai 63.1,2,3 When the fulness of time came this ruddy David appeared with his Garments dyed Red with the Blood of his Enemies and as David put Goliah's Armour in his Tent 1 Sam. 17.54 so our David hath buried all the Damning Power of the Devil's Armour in his own Grave Rom. 6.4 Col. 2.12 Thus this Alligory may be farther enlarged as David carried the Head of Goliah to Jerusalem and as some suppose set it up upon a Pinacle of the Temple where Satan set our Saviour by God's permission afterwards as an high Monument of his Happy Victory This David did after he had shewed this same Head to Saul ver 57. And as for Goliah's Sword wherewith David had beheaded the Gyant with his own Weapon this likewise was laid up in the Tabernacle wrapped in a Cloath behind the Ephod 1 Sam. 21.9 where we are told how David prevailed with the High Priest Ahimeleck to restore it to him again as before it had been his own won by his Valour and therefore he accounted no other Sword like that which would be a standing Remembrancer of his former Atchievements by the mighty presence of the Lord his God wherewith he did encourage himself in the day of his great Distress 1 Sam. 30.6 even so our Mystical David destroyed him who had the power of Death that is the Devil with his own Weapon Heb. 2.14 Christ's Death was the Death of Death and of the Devil also who had the power of it Christ came to this end that he might destroy the works of the Devil 1 John 3.8 Accordingly Oh how happy are those Christians who through Christ that strengthens them have got the head of the Tempter or of some strong Temptation into their Hand as David had the Head of Goliah in his Hand and can shew it to the King of Kings as he did to the King of Israel as before and who have got also those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Weapons of Wickedness as the Greek word signifies Rom. 6.13 which formerly warr'd against their Souls 1 Pet. 2.11 But now are wrapped up in a Cloth behind the Ephod in the Tabernacle of the Lord and who likewise go with David to the High Priest of our Profession as Christ is called Heb. 3.1 and have got a better Sword of him than that of Goliah even the Sword of the Spirit which it the Word of God Ephes 6.17 of which it may be better said than was said of the other there is none like that for if the word of Christ do but dwell richly in us as it ought to do in all wisdom Col. 3.16 and as it did in Christ himself aeque equally for Quality non equaliter not equally for Quantity for then we may comfortably hope that with this Sword we shall conquer the great Goliah of Hell as our Lotd did only by hurling three smooth Stones of Sacred Scriptures at his Head as David did at the Head of Goliah and gave him his mortal wound Then indeed are we Conquerors in Christ and then may we say with David also the Snare is broken and our Souls are delivered Psal 124.7 We should be careful to keep all our Monuments and Remembrancers of our former Conquests over both Satan's Temptations and of our own Carnal Corruptions as wrapped up in a Napkin behind the Ephod of a Sanctified Memory even in everlasting Remembrances then former experience may strengthen our present Faith Psal 77.10,11 and then no Weapon formed against us can ever prosper as the Lord hath promised Isai 54.17
The Seventh Character of a Conqueror is to put his Laws upon the Conquered according to his will and pleasure as Jehoshaphat and Jehoram did by the assistance of Elisha who said to them this is but a light thing with the Lord to give you Water in your want but he will deliver the Moabites into your hands 2 Kings 3.17,18 but ye shall smite every fenced City and shall fell every good Tree and stop all Wells of Water and mar Hebr. grieve every good piece of Land with Stones as if it were a grief to any good Soil to become useless and unfruitful ver 19. all this was done to Moab ver 24 25. Thus also if we be Conquerors we must endeavour to batter down all the strong holds of Satan in us with Sling-stones as was the custom of that time which is now done by mighty Bullets out of the Mouths of great Cannons The Slingers went about Kirhareseth and broke down only the Towers of it this was the will and pleasure of the Conqueror not quite to demolish the Walls of it as he did the other Cities It were well if we could sling such smooth Stones as David did at Goliah's Head especially such of the Holy Scriptures as our Mistical David did at the Devils Head Matth. 4.3,7,10 So ought we to sling such Stones at the Tempter that we may knock down the Turrets of Pride and Presumption c. which Glory is our Shame Phil. 3.19 This we must do at the least tho' we cannot quite demolish the Walls and Foundation Oh that we could go thus far and Oh that we could with those Conquerors of Israel cut down every tall Tree which are of the Devil 's planting and watering that bring forth only wild and sower Grapes paltry Hedge fruit as Crabs and such Trash in us and Oh that we could mar or grieve every piece of Terra Diaboli the Devil's Land in us as one part of America is called which bears no Fruit but the unfruitful works of Darkness so called Ephes 5.11 And Oh that it were a grief to us as before to become useless and unfruitful in our Places and Stations Oh that we could mar or grieve every inordinate Affection in us which do mar or grieve our pretious Souls Yet farther Oh that we could likewise stop up every Well of Water namely all those filthy Issues of Sin which nothing can heal us of save only a believing Touch of our dear Lord Jesus Matth. 9.20 And yet a little higher Oh that we could sow those Lands we have already conquered out of the hand of the Strong Man by the helping hand of the Stronger Man our pretious Redeemer our Goel with no other thing but Salt as Abimelech did Judg. 9.45 the City of Sechem which he not only pulled down but he also sowed it with Salt as a token of its utter extirpation This was the custom of Conquerors which they used against Cities of greatest provocation and affronts to them because Salt is taken in Scripture not only for a Sign but also for a Cause of Barrenness Gen. 19.26 Deut. 29.23 Judg. 9.45 Psal 107.34 and Zeph. 2.9 for Salt made the Land in those hot and dry Countries utterly barren and desolate when it was sown upon it as nothing but Nettles and Salt-pits were found in Moab when it was devoted to perpetual Desolation And thus it is with all Spiritual Conquerors through Christ's love to them and his strength in them they pray to the Lord that all their fleshly Lusts which war against their Souls 1 Pet. 2.11 may even every one the best beloved of them may be put to death as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.13 signifies In order hereunto when those Spiritual Enemies have received their Mortal Wound whereof they must die tho' it be of a long lingering death like those People that die of Consumptions and this Deadly Wound is always given to them at our first Conversion yet all along if we be right Conquerors in Christ we must still pray to the Lord that the Deadly Wound then given may never be healed any more as that was which the Apocaliptick Beast had gotten and was healed again Rev. 13.3 Our earnest Petition to the Lord must be that he may put rhe same Curse upon our Lusts which he put upon the fruitless Fig-tree saying Let no Fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever and immediately the Fig-tree withered away Matth. 21.19 at which his Disciples marvelled c. ver 20. Accordingly we should desire an everlasting Barrenness may come upon those wild Olive Trees our fleshly Lusts so called Rom. 11.24 wild by Nature yea and upon that Root of Bitterness to wit original Concupiscence which springeth up too too often to trouble us Heb. 12.15 We must beg hard of the Lord that all these sinful Soils may be sowed with Salt even to a perpetual Destruction that we may learn in Christ's School to deny all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts which is the negative part of a Christian and likewise to live soberly as to our selves justly as to all men and holily as to the great God in this present World Tit. 2.12 This is the positive part of a Christian where Note well that three Adverbs Sobre Juste Pie do much exceed the three Adjectives Sobrius Justus Pius for in those latter are included only Acts of Grace but in the former are included the Habits of Grace for it is not one single Act or two but a constant Habit of Grace notwithstanding some interruptions in our way that gives the denomination of a true Christian Now this excellent state can never be attained unless we first become Conquerors through Christ so as to be able to give Laws to our Lusts which are called deceitful Lusts Ephes 4.22 and deal with them as Joshuah dealt with the Gibeonites who made them hewers of Wood and drawers of Water Josh 9.21 Tho' they had deceived him but once yet our deceitful Lusts have deceived us even times and days without number and in all other Scripture-instances we find that evermore the conquered become Tributaries to the Conqueror As 1 st Those Canaanites that could not be driven out yet they did serve Israel under Tribute Josh 16.10 according to the Law of Moses Deut. 20.11 2. Thus the Tribes of Israel when they became strong did put the Canaanites to Tribute as Ephraim Judg. 1.28 and Napthali ver 33. and the Danites by the help of Joseph his Brother ver 35. 3. Thus likewise did David unto Moab after he had cast his Shoe over it c. Psal 60.8 as its Conqueror treading them under foot then the Moabites became David's Servants and they brought him Gifts 1 Chron. 18.2 And this was a prodigious Gift unto David's Successor namely an hundred thousand Lambs and an hundred thousand Rams with their Wool 2 King 3.4 The King of Moab was a great Sheep-Master and his Tribute he paid yearly was this vast number of