have their force and make issue according to their majesty and glory in the hearts of you all words of majesty and glory resplendent words which are so shaped above as to make strong reflections of the Sunne upon soules here below will make very saving or very killing influence God speakes gloriously to take affect and save the most obdurate heart let him have his designe this is the last thing that I would presse upon you and this concernes us all God makes his words glorious his workes glorious that the heart may be melted and moulded to a glorious forme by them doe not frustrate divine art Words which goe forth with much of God from Heaven let them leave much of God in your hearts When vision is glorious the soule should be in a transe when the speaker is in Heaven the hearer should be there too The Lord spake in glory in shining light to Saul he cast the beauty which he uses above upon his words and these wrought indeed and made Saul cry out Lord what wilt thou have me to doe Methinks this expression in the Text is as if there were such another Heaven opening and such another shining word to some Saul here to some bloudy malicious sinner Sinner sinner why doest thou shut thine eyes and thine eares against glorious words of Christ Some glorious Meteors they render the Heavens to us as if they did gloriously open Heaven me-thinks opens in this expression glorious power how can any heart keepe out of Heaven when Heaven opens to it How can any heart but be taken with that which is full of nothing but taking lustre what man can passe over such an expression without laying his hand on his heart with such a quaere what is that power which the Holy Ghost admires Surely there is glory indeed in that which he calles glorious O that my soule could see this glory Where Christ sets a hand in the margent pointing to the observation of any thing of his that surely is very remarkeable there the soule should stand still sit down and dwell The very accents and aspirations of truth must have their place in the heart of man the heart is to hold all not a tittle of truth must fall to the ground our hearts must catch it and keepe it from falling and dying Power and Love and Wisdome they are accented and aspirated glorious power infinite wisdome love passing knowledge c. These titles and aspirations this dust of gold must not be throwen away but adde to the impression of truth for 't is God setting all his strength to thrust things into the heart 't is God using his best soule-saving art to get into Sanctum sanctorum As the heart behaves it selfe so Divine truth lives or dies in it as Divine words die or live in the heart so God dies or lives in the World Much of God dies when glorious expressions make not glorious impressions much God-dying makes much man dying that God is so much dead in England makes so many men dead Man is lesse then a tittle of truth yea the World is lesse then a tittle of truth Spretis punctâ—s expiraâ— Anglia tittles of truth kill'd by the Christian World kille the Christian World so generally at this day As truth hath apparel'd it selfe so let it goe in the World and live in our hearts let us not take the least spangle from Her attyre Truth and Wisdome and Love will otherwise lose their dimensions and God will lose the glory of his heights and depths of divine dispensations The goodnesse of the heart is as the words of God make totall impression upon it T is the best heart in which God can best read all that hee hath said to a tittle and finde glorious impressions suitable to the glorious words in which he deliver'd himselfe How you judge of your hearts I know not God judges of them as your breath turnes into his as your spirits admire adore rise and ascend into Heaven with his That heart which can reade and heare glorious words of Christ and not be answerably affected will never be a glorious Christian Christ makes the place of his feet glorious as he treades in the heart so hee makes it glorious as his Word makes impression so is sanctification and no otherwise they that heare and let goe divine words of the the movingst forme and force will certainly die loose Soules Men goe to reading and hearing the word with a carelesse spirit 't is most mens sinne all that such get is judgement they eate and drinke judgement saith the Apostle respecting another Ordinance So these heare and reade judgement to their soules that is heart hardning and not heart raising The handling of such a glorious expression as this though by a weake servant of Christ must needs have set your hearts something more Heaven-ward had yee heard with such preparation as becomes you A man finds God in his Word as hee seekes him in Prayer and no otherwise Wax receives impression as 't is prepar'd Esther must fast and pray and come with her life in her hand to the King to have a glorious Scepter stretched out unto her So must we come into the presence of the King of Kings with much seeking of God and selfe-judging with our lives temporall and eternall in our hands to finde glorious words worke gloriously to have a glorious Scepter stretched out from Heaven to us a glorious power working in us in the hearring of glorious things Hee that minds little about what he is going finds little but the fruit of his sinne he goes away from divine ordinances worse then hee came to them he goes away with a sop with a heart more poysoned in malice more hard dead and cold condemned and executed to wit tortur'd I conclude this point with a note of admiration That God will put glosse upon necessary commodities such as we cannot be without and doe well to make them off is wonderfull Yee doe not use to put varnish upon Bread that 's such a generall necessary dish that its double and maine use to the state of man sets it off well enough without any by-things about the dish Such is the Word of God 't is as bread to our soules of supreme use this one would think should be enough to set it off with us and yet because this is not God paints bread guilds Loves and sets them upon the Table to us * Puts glosse upon the words of eternall life That GOD will put himselfe into a passion to put us put Heaven into his words to put Heaven into our hearts le ts wonder That Christ will let fall his mantle when hee ascends that we may ascend too make his raised spirit breake forth into glorious raised words to raise our spirits too let his love and humility be ever before you 'T is our great worke Christians 't is our great worke to admire God in his words and workes in his
keepe us alive The Revelation of great love made us a little warme for a time and lifted up our hearts a while high and now they fall deadly fast 't is deadly presaging If nothing will keepe up the heart all wil downe all must necessarily downe If Ely cannot keepe up his spirit hee will not keepe up his person if the heart be broke and downe the necke will be broke too ere long and all downe a sinking spirit presages a sinking state Every mans heart ere while was at his mouth leaping now 't is at their heeles running love unto miracle will not keepe us alive nor keepe up our hearts and hands to magnifie God what desolating ingratitude is this Every one lookes heavy speakes heavy sighes heavy scarce one magnifying God What shall I doe sayes one What shall I doe sayes another Why what does God doe eye him doe your duty follow after him with praise or you will murther your selves and many more A second thing that speakes broadly and sadly Englands ingratitude is Concuring and assisting providence checkt A willing God to doe great things for his people sleighted Love workes richly wee worke poorely wee let love die in travell at our doore we are likely then to make a goodly returne of love are we not we are lazily making our selves ready when love calles and puts in her finger at Key holes and crannies gloriously to us which is grosse ingratitude and for which the Church was heavily judged with a departure We take not Christ by the hand when he stretcheth it out to us we doe not welcome Christ as hee comes smiling and with a countenance like Lebanon towards us wee doe not blesse kisse and embrace him when hee shewes his Face as an Angel greater unkindnesse and ingratitude can there be Wee let mercies great mercies melt away in their owne grease and make nothing of them for Gods glory or our owne good as if great favours cost GOD nothing Gods people nothing or were worth nothing Heaven opens and our Eyes are shut Heaven opens againe and our Eyes are still shut God makes his glory passe by us and we let it passe Greene mercies raw mercies halfe mercies bastard blessings will content us when full favours mature favours admirably proffer'd We check a bountifull God a willing Father Is not this base ingratitude we sleight full love when fully proffer'd a plant of renowne when proffer'd in a way of renowne Is this to returne full love fully to kill it in travaile to strangle it in the wombe Because the man-Childe makes Panges and Throwes therefore weary of travaile and any peace so but an end of this War Any reformation so this corporall desolation were but ended O base England A third thing that broadly speakes Englands ingratitude is this gentle corrections unobserved Who observes how tenderly the bloudy swords is manag'd in England How in the middest of Justice God remembers mercy who is taken with this how many hearts doth this raise to follow God with praises What an Earth-quake Justice makes in the joints of the wicked What a brest worke in Bataile mercy makes to save the innocent Few to resist many few to kill many how sparing of good bloud is our good God! how carelesse of bad How hee doth droppe in reliefe like Aquavitae when wee are ready to swoune things goe so ill How many hearts are taken rais'd up kept up blessing God for this Mercy Exalts her selfe against Justice shee leads and guides our bloudy Armies Justice is but as a common man wounds and killes here and there where mercy bids it At most justice brings up but the reare in our Warre shee comes behinde and Treades a little upon our heele and bruises that whiles shee breakes the heads and neckes of the wicked O what Heavenly pillage every battaile in England hath hitherto afforded how much of God how much Divine power how much Divine wisdome Divine love to be gathered up but who hath inricht himselfe with this Noble treasure thy greatest mercies O England are but short liv'd thy tenderest mercies quickly dye I like it not shalt thou live O England God admirably saves us we wickedly kill his kindnesse 't will kill us all if not well look't to God is full of bowells wee are brawny 't will not last so alwayes God killes malice wee kill love what dealings are gentle we groane under as tedious too long and too broad too spoiling too killing who blesses God that Englands miseries are mild that England is dealt with far better then shee doth deserve I have spoken more generally to the Land I will speake more particularly to you Christians You have a great stock of love in your hand what returne doe you make I am commanded by this point in hand to looke after my masters income his great revenue of this lower world rent day is come and I am come to demand it You were Lepers are yee cleansed How many returne and give thankes you were cast out to loathing are yee taken into embracing what acknowledgment doe you make Infinite love is out upon you Christians how does it returne into the bosome from whence it came out Ingratitude makes great guilt and great breach that heart will grow too heavy for the man that cannot be taught to praise God to sing new songes as God renewes his favour Three incomparable things are spoiled by ingratitude Gods glory mans peace and increase of grace hee growes backward as you have such a phrase that is ungratefull it turnes all mans welfare into a consumption t is the thiefe that robs God and man t is base basenesse Gods love and mans knit up in a Sack and the mouth cannot be opened all divine stirrings chok't cripl'd kill'd and deaded which makes merrily and sweetly heaven-ward 'T were endlesse to tell you the evils of ingratitude I will give you a word of remedy and so conclude this point The heart is in thankefulnesse as t is in truth Thankfullnesse is the vitall breathing of integrity A sound heart arrogates nothing but ascribes all to God hypocrisy is the worst giver of all to another that can be truth is best at giving every one their owne 't is her greatest paine that shee can doe it least to him that is best to her Integrity hath no other felicity but to paint out love and carry it to Heaven to see if God will owne any art of hers to make him glorious All the complaint of integrity is that favours are lost upon her that love dies in her bosome and many made-prisoners by her so chain'd and fettered with an evill heart that they cannot returne to God that gave them Integrity is still sighing and panting to get up hill with all Gods blessings on her back Oh that I could carry all sweetely home againe that God lends me Secondly as the soule is in life so t is in thankefulnesse heat is best at making up ward Truth is sometimes much
BAULME FOR BLEEDING ENGLAND AND IRELAND OR SEASONABLE Instructions for persecuted Christians Delivered in severall Sermons By NICHOLAS LOCKYER Master of Arts. ISA. 8.17 J will waite upon the Lord which hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will looke for him LONDON Printed by E.G. For John Rothwell and are to be sold at his Shop at the signe of the Sun in Paule Church-Yard 1643. IT is ordered this fifteenth day of April Anno Dom. 1643. By the Committee of the house of Commons in Parliament concerning Printing that this Booke intituled Vsefull instructions for these evill times be printed by Iohn Rothwell John White The true Effigies of the truly Religious Learned and Iuditious Divine de Nichola Lockyer Mr of Arts Note well the Substance of this shade so bright Lo t is a Burning and a shining Light Neat Elegant Sententious High and Rare Lo all his Sermons and Expressions are R D To the Persecuted Christians In England and Ireland BLeeding hearts you are honour'd to be Baptized with Christs Baptisme to pledge your deare Saviour in his owne Cup. Count not call not honour misery The Wine in your Cup is red indeed but without dregs to you Christs drinking first hath sweetned it well to Saints Wrath makes sufferings misery let the World Houle in their wounds but doe not you complaine let them curse as bearing Caines marke but doe you blesse God and glory as bearing the markes of the Lord Jesus Love in the bottom of a bloudy Cup and the deeper a man drinkes the sweeter Christ powers out love upon the Soule when the body powers out bloud upon the truth A Spirit of glory is a bleeding Christians glory There is inward advancement when outward debasement The soule is in Heaven when the body is in Hell for Christ Was that a Dungeon or a Heaven in which they sang so sweetly at midnight Gods dealings are righteous when Mans dealings are wicked a man might beare suffering upon this ground that hee hath sinned but how sweetly may they be borne when sugar'd with love and all sinne forgiven Yee prisoners of hope what is your hope What say you of Englands night Will it ever have day Would my Soule could enter into your secrets Would I could participate with you in some of your Prison-enlargements If you finde a Heaven in Hell what will your Heaven be Now in the I le of Patmos * A patrimoniis jam ejecti What say's GOD to your soules concerning these bleeding Jlands Many Christians for whom you have bled are now a flying from you to save their Bloud write after them yee bleeding hearts preach your Prison-experiments the faith and hope of your Bonds and conclude like Paul Remember our Bonds and Wounds for Christ and you Surely if there be any Bowels this will bring them backe to die with truth and you I believe the Resurrection of thy dead O bleeding England Your Graves shall open yee Prisoners of hope and your buried glory and honor shall return to you Truth shall out-live tyranny Righteousnesse shall wash her Feete in the Bloud of the wicked Pride shall be dethroned and shame shal be her pavilion Your integrity yee Parliament-worthies Christ will vindicate your great paines and labour of love Christ will returne to you and yours Steele good resolution and Christ will carry you through all opposition You are great sufferers I would this little Booke might give some refreshment to you together with the rest of Gods suffering ones Bleeding Ireland God also is with thee and will be Thy Land is full of murderers but not too many for God to overcome God is as just as Man is cruell cruelty will cut its owne Throat when thou canst doe nothing to evade it Venomous Creatures die in thy land by a providence from Heaven which reason cannot reach God and the whole Creation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fight against barbarous bloud-shed Thy naked Women and Children which mourned starv'd and died in winters past will fight against the monsters which stript them in â—ummers to come when thou want'st men money and meanes to doe it The Vipers which have gnawed out thy guts are got into our Bowels too that we might afford thee no reliefe Moriendo Christiaâ—o vivit Christus but God will relieve both thee and us 'T was a cursed crue which brought Gall and Vinegar when Christ cryed Eloi Eloi England had helpt thee Ireland had â—â—t not beene for this cursed Generation but the bloud of both Kingdomes will be upon them Christ was not overcome when killed Many may die but Christs cause in these poore enviâ—d ilands will live Mannage your bloudy businesse bravely yee Souldiers of Christ in England and Ireland the Lord of Hosts â—s with you Your sufferings are many your pay will bee great Two Heavens are before you one for you and posterity here another peculiarly adorned for sufferers unto bloud Câ—â—ant an pâ—nn slagellum above flinch from Christ and his cause and lose both Vale. Yours in continuall Prayers Nicho. Lockyer To the Reader REader there are some Errata's here and there throughout this Booke notwithstanding all our diligence to prevent them but yet such as with thine own observation of what preceds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and followes with a spirit of love may easily be set right to thy understaÌ„ding Be not a mouth murderer kill two at once my Name and thy Soule What is candidly presented to thee candidly receive and blesse Christ and the next Authour who is at Prayer for a blessing upon this Worke and thee Nicho. Lockyer The Table THE Power of God relieves weak man Page 2. Isa 8.17 The propertie of Divine power p. 3. 4. c. Strengthening power peculiar to Christians p. 6. Divine power workes in man to an eternall end p. 3. Power working relievingly walke humbly p. 9. Cheerfully p. 11 12 Faith should kill feares p. 13. What looseth divine strengthening p. 16. The evill which followes upon it p. 18. Power relieving is lost sometimes only according to our apprehension p. 20 The wicked will never beate the righteous out of heart p. 25. What al might in a ChristiaÌ„ is p. 28. 29. c. How differing from that power which Christ had and used here p. 32. 33. The Divell allmighty in some p. 36. How all might comes into the heart p. 38. 39 The happinesse of an Almighty Christian p. 41. 42. c. Divine power Workes gradually in a Christian p. 45. When power workes lowest in a Christian it workes above the ruining power of sinne p. 49. Power working according to higher or lower degrees we should observe how it workes in us p. 51. All paines spring from one that we have so little of God p. 52. How to know whether divine power workes strong enough to save p. 54. 55. Divine power should be acknowledged as it workes with thankfulnesse p. 57. 58. Apprehension should make due impression
him but 't is not so with GOD he would have no man call him what he is not or any thing he does what it is not but as he is and as hee does Tell Pharaoh I am that I am as he sees me doe and worke so let him call me and no otherwise as men see me and feele me my power my glory and the like so let them call it and me Srengthened with al-might according to his glorious power c. Vse Love leades to this justice binds to this and yet I feare I shall not finde so much favour for Christ from every one as to obey this doctrine A glorious power wrought in and by Christ and yet the Scribes and Pharises would not acknowledge it but blaspemed all They would not call Christ Christ GOD GOD though convinced he was so but called GOD a divell and the power which wrought in him by him and for him a Diabolicall power and thus continued blaspheming glorious power the most glorious power that ever wrought So did Jannes and Jambres the power which wrought by Moses This generation is alive againe alive and lusty in this Land at this day Divine power workes gloriously in the hearts and hands of Christians yet will not manie wretches acknowledge it but deride it blaspheme it make head against it as a power of the devill Never did divine power worke more gloriously in the hearts and hands of English Christians then at this day and yet never lesse acknowledged nor more opposed what speaking what plotting now by cursed spirits against glorious power wisdome and love that stirs in the people of GOD Men care not what they say of our GOD nor what they doe against those in and by whom hee workes Men will not see Christ in Christians nor Christ for Christians but Christ wil make them see and feele both When the heart is naught t is full of shifts such men will attribute all that is done to any thing rather then to that they should then to divine power and call that glorious The Syrians attribute that to Hills which they should have attributed to GOD for which Divine power wrought bloudily againe more bloudily then before that they might acknowledge God and call his power as it was glorious Thus saith the Lord because the Syrians have said The Lord is God of the Hilles but not of the Vallies therefore will J deliver all this great multitude into thine hand and yee shall know that I am the Lord. 1 Kings 20.28 wretched men will call Hilles strong houses strong any thing strong and mighty but God The working of Divine power in the hearts and hands of Christians so lately and so gloriously at Kenton I much doubt whether the wicked will acknowledge to be the power of GOD against them and call it as it wrought a glorious power Divine power therefore shall worke againe and againe more bloudily then at Kenton til they be made to call it a glorious power which workes in the hearts and hands of GODS people Their blindnesse and madnesse is our affliction and their damnation let 's put one against t'other to easen our burdens as we may O when will English Papists and Athests call the power of GOD which works in the hearts and hands of English Christians a glorious power his glorious power When will they confesse that they are strengthened with all might according to is glorious power men of almighty hearts and hands by the power of an almighty GOD When will Balaam alight and turne his horse and confesse a glittering glorious Power of GOD against him When will he ingeniously say I cannot curse but blesse altogether English Christians such a glorious power of GOD workes in their hearts and bands Naughty hearts have their shifts and they have their sinnes pride cannot call that power glorious which is against it A proud person cannot acknowledge that povver glorious which shames him A proud heart is a deadly plague such a man will rather die then lay downe his Weapons to GOD than acknowledge himselfe too vveake for glorious povver O what a nothing is man What a worse then nothing is a wicked man And yet what a something What a all What a some thing above all doth he think himselfe No Land surely hath more guilty wretches of disobedience to this doctrin I have in hand then England What land hath such desperate unacknowledgers of divine power of such glorious divine power as we have Had the glorious and mighty power which workes in the hearts and hands of Christians in England wrought so in the sight of Turkes and Americans how would they have adored it and glorifyed it what hardened Wretches are sinners against the glorious povver vvhich vvorkes in the light of the Gospell above all others Let all men know this and feare that as power is abused so 't will right it selfe within and without Glorious power abused will right it selfe gloriously That glorious povver vvhich vvorkes in the hearts and hands of Christians in England abused blasphemed as many doe vvill harden and cut off vvith a vvitnesse ' t vvill turne men into Divells and Divells into Hell apace Divine povver stumbled against vvill throvv men but Christ and his povver scofft at and blasphemed vvill fall upon men and grind them to dust and yet this is the practice of our Enemies Let us be patient they fight against themselves vvith their tongues more then vve can doe vvith our hands by blaspheming that vvhich they shall bee for'ct to stoop unto That vvhich the vvicked vvill not doe lies the more upon us a necessary vvork vvill else fall quite to the ground You have seene how divine power hath wrought in the hearts and hands of our brethren abroad in Gods Cause call it as 't is a glorious power The almighty hath strengthened them within and without according to his glorious power call it so He raised and strengthened the spirit of Scotland to resist to bloud against bloudy wretches that would have destroyed both them us his power is a glorious power He hath raised and strengthened the spirit of England to resist to bloud against their bloudy enemeis and ours too against all the base bloudy body of many Kingdomes combin'd his power is a glorious power He hath strengthened the hearts and hands of Christians at Hull at Portsmouth at Coventry at Warwick in the City in the Field and made them victorious His power is a glorious power Bloud much good bloud is fallen and yet much risen up againe men have hearts to set their feete in the place of the dead to die againe that Christ may never die His power a is glorious power He hath made the spirits of Nobles Noble the spirits of Gentlemen noble the spirits of Trades-men yea the spirit of Plow-men noble City and Country noble all England for so I account the Parliament resolved to live and die with truth his power which worketh in them and us is
how they grieved him by their murmuring you would think much if he should be so long a telling England of her present murmuring So afterwards he took eight yeares and then eighteen yeares and then twenty yeares to tell Israel what they did under their Judges and then seventy yeares to tell Israel what they did under their Kings not any publique body that I know of in the Scripture but when God hath come to administer Justice to it he hath taken some yeares to doe it Great houses that have many roomes in them and these very foule cannot be swept presently Secondly as God takes time to administer Justice to publick bodies so he takes time to administer mercy to publick bodies The Tabernacle was long a raising the first Temple which was to exceed that longer the second Temple which was to exceed that much longer and the third which is to exceed all longest of all The tent or Tabernacle which was but small I judge was a yeare a making the first Temple seaven yeares the second Temple forty and six yeares if this had any typicall signification as I believe it had it might well point at this that a publick house for Christ under the Gospell would be long a raising I meane a worship suiteable to Gods Will borne up by publick authority According to what way God will dispence himselfe 't is Justice and duty to waite for him I finde not one hint in Scripture of suddaine raising this last house You shew your selves ignorant men you erre not knowing the Scriptures which are impatient because travailing England is not delivered in an houre in a yeare We have scarce travailed so long yet as the Tabernacle was a building sure I am not so long as the first Temple was a building there is no ground therefore of impatience who have more noble things in hand The son rises more and more and so must up to the perfect day this is the order that Christ will proceed in to bring full mercy into the World will you be impatient that the sun rises no faster that he is not at the meridian as soon as the day dawnes A second principle is this God doth fit for favours and then gives them he doth hew stones for this last Temple We are a generation low in spirit and yet impatient that we have not high things Doe you give children and fools what they desire doe you not instruct and discipline and then give yea and then too what in your wisdom you know good We are utterly below high things affraid of full mercies is it not the feare of some that the Puritan faction as they call them will be too strong the discipline of the Gospell too strict our spirits are base to God and yet we wonder that noble things are not given unto us Doe not men play with their light prefer policy to truth Judge that Christ may weare a party coloured coat mans wisdom mixt with Gods our own inventions and truth weaved together Tell me the best of you all which are so impatient for reformation which amongst you all doth deale so fairely with your light and so simply with your conscience as to render your selves capable of so great a good as you seeme to wrangle for Let things goe how they will you can still shuffle along is not a shuffling condition fit for a shuffling spirit God walkes to you as you walke to him and yet you are impatient he cuts you out a condition with his Sword suitable to your hearts he sees what consciences you have that you stick at nothing why should he remove what you can swallow why should you thinke much to live upon Huskes if you can eate Huskes when I looke upon that cold neutrall indifferent spirit that is in English Christians generally I wonder to heare any complaine that their best mercies are so long a comming You impatiently talke of the Parliament of the Army of this and that one is this and another is that and therefore your misery lives your mercies linger and you die I tell you 't is Englands neutrality that hath brought her to this state that keeps her in this state that will spend her and end her with bleeding if any thing doe A third principle is this inferiour agents are all over-ruled Judas and his bloudy crew move by a supreame councell they could not else have done to Christ what they did and so Christ told them Providence orders all agent and actions to her own end not to such an end proposed by such a man if love be in the breast of the first agent 't is no matter how all other agents act you are to conclude they act well still though you cannot see it no heart could be impatient or wrangle if this principle were but well swallowed Actions and agents may move very strangely in our view and yet very orderly to the greatest good as their supernaturall end I would aske any impatient soule but this what is in the breast of God respecting our cause love or not love if you Judge love to be in God to our cause believe that all agents and actions are ordered by it and will bring forth in Gods time a blessed end A fourth principle is this The imployment of War is a new thing to England a councell of War and a councell of State are two things experience makes Expertnesse 't is weakenesse to fall out which young beginners because not expert every one doth not know how to stick a Hog to the heart at one thrust such must have the liberty to thrust againe and 't is well if they kill him at last Would you have men old Souldiers which never saw the field before let any Chronicle produce braver courage and carriage by young beginners then ours have hitherto shewen both at Kenton and Branford Passion makes uâ— looke over what God doth by us and for us A fift principle is this Gods providence makes up mans improvidence God we see is by so much the more watchfull that we are unskilfull have we cause then to be impatient did not Gods providence make up our improvidence at Branford could so many else have been kept from comming to the gates of your City by so few and so unarmed our men wanted powder and shot and our God shot off for them and for us or else certainly we had had their Cannon thundering about our Ears for a Sabbath peale Many advantages we have given them but they are curst to the adversary they doe not thrive with them they labour in the very fire and blast themselves upon the top of their best advantages When God is al-sufficient in such a redundant sence as this to supply over sight by his watchfull Eye what soule dares to murmure A sixt principle is this Impatience against called instruments to any worke is impatience against GOD and hee will take it so who is Moses and who is Aron that you murmure against them who
not be a joy to a man to put forth an Arme to cast out Devils though he never pluck it in againe should not a Christian make it his honour his joy to make devils subject to him to make insolent wickednesse asham'd and returne or swell and breake and hang it selfe should it not joy a man to suffer any thing to kill a devill legions of devills principalities and powers Scarlet wickednesse wickednesse grown so high as scarce ever was in England 't was the joy of Sampson to suffer any thing that hee might make wicked Nobles suffer scarlet wickednesse a never dying Monument of shame mee thinkes it should make the most fleshly fearefull spirit in the World Joy to suffer any thing to help forward such noble acts as these To die in the prosecution of a just cause to the life such a death is it not life such heart bloud dropping forth does not every drop give back a cordiall to the heart from whence it comes Such misery does it not create it 's owne joy Can you not joy in such sufferings as bring cordialls with them Such sufferings as are rather joyes then sufferings they have so much honor and glory in them You shall be the death of the Kingdome of the devill throughout England throughout the Christian world Some thinke the Throne of the Beast is in England I believe the life of the Beast the life of al beastly wickednesse through out the Christian world depends much upon these wicked wretches which live in England is it not time then they were dead should it not joy any one to suffer any thing to send such to their place to damne up Springs of wickednesse to cut off the devils right hand to pull downe strong holdes of hell should it not joy a man to die dead the divelish world to die like Sampson and pull downe all the Philistims strength at once A blessing is pronounced twice in one Psalme to them that take Babylons little ones and dash them against the stones what blessednesse then to them which take Babylons great ones and dash them against the stones should it not joy one to goe about a bloudy worke to be so blessed so particularly so doubly blessed You shall be the life of Christs Kingdome the life of his children Ordinances spirit glory throughout the Christian world should it not be the joy of a man to die that God may live 't was the joy of God to die that man might live God shed his bloud saith the Scripture to save the bloud of man and he did this bloudy service with joy with delight saith the Psalmist which notes an intention of joy should not a man gloryingly breath forth his glory and die that Gods panting glory in England may recover breath and live who would not be ambitious to be his Saviours Saviour to beare up the pillars of the Christian World as the Psalmist speakes The integrity of your suffering depends much upon your ioy in suffering murmuring suffering is sinning you will suffer for this againe As God calles for the heart in doing so in suffering I cannot stand on this let mee conclude all thus GOD ownes the cause that you owne should it not joy a man to march after God you are willing to lose your bloud and God is willing to spare it The more backward you are to suffer the more you will suffer the more forward the lesse Joy to suffer long for Christ will shorten longsuffering FINIS USEFULL INSTRVCTIONS FOR THESE Evill Times COLOSS. 1.11 Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulnesse EVery word in this Verse hath it not been a sweet flower to smell to the whole is a bundle of myrrhe 'T is a Verse filled with the pantings of a precious spirit which are to be filled with God to have all of that which is indeed all all soule strength all soule wealth all might all patience all joy all Christ in fellowship and fruition to doe him all cheerfull service as long as life lasts There is holy ambition in Christianity i to be greatest in the Kingdome of God * In the Kingdome of grace to sit on Christs right hand as he sits on his Fathers right hand to have all power given unto us to doe all workes well which are assigned to us as he did the whole soule to lie in the bosom of Christ and so to be all in all and answerably all unto all all in point of power patience joy ability and cheerfulnesse unto all duty O how good a good heart would be all good all good in the worst condition grace would be absolute grace would have all grace that all the world may see nothing in her but like her selfe in the lowest condition a man in Christ would be all in Christ all unto Christ outside inside whole man whole man Christs with joy Things have their instinct stones fall downward and they fall as low as ever they can to get to the very center if it possibly may be so sparkes fly upward and they ascend as high as ever they can to get into their own Heaven if it may be Eagles fly high and come as neare the Sun as they can Grace hath its instinct it ascends and ascends as high as ever it can would come as neare the Sun as 't is possible 't would be like him 't would shine in a darke World in a darke night in a desolate condition gloriously as he did A Christian would be all of that nature of which hee is so little hee would bee in all conditions himselfe above himselfe a Christian in state when a man in no estate Things have their sense Senses are greedy they are never satisfied they stil cry give give the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with hearing nor the mouth with tasting so grace 't 'as i'ts instinct yea 'tas more 't 'as sense grace can see grace grace can tast grace grace is sweet to grace the new man can savour the things of God A Christ can desire as hee tastes pantes and Prayes as he feeles hee pants for flagons he feeles drops so sweet for water brookes he sees little streames so pleasant Gods children are very craving the more receiving the more craving receptions are so sweet sense is still eged on divine sense divinely exorbitant never satisfied it cries give give all all strength all patience all joy The crying of a babe is after all that the breast will yield yea after all that both breasts will yield after all that a Saviour hath purchased and made giveable Things have their reason man moves ex judicio he discourseth worth and so makes out pearles are no lumber silver and gold no lumber but treasure pure treasure I would I had my house-full of these saith he Reason hath found out and pitcht upon worth and this makes desire mighty vast the man would have all 't is so good