Selected quad for the lemma: glory_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
glory_n	everlasting_a	king_n	mighty_a	2,880	5	9.3624	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38823	The Gospel treasury opened, or, The holiest of all unvailing discovering yet more the riches of grace and glory to the vessels of mercy unto whom onely it is given to know the mysteries of that kingdom and the excellency of spirit, power, truth above letter, forms, shadows / in several sermons preached at Kensington & elswhere by John Everard ; whereunto is added the mystical divinity of Dionysius the Areopagite spoken of Acts 17:34 with collections out of other divine authors translated by Dr. Everard, never before printed in English.	Everard, John, 1575?-1650?; Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680.; Barker, Matthew, 1619-1698.	1657 (1657)	Wing E3531; ESTC R29421	513,595	936

well provided But by the way be not deceived to think God comes or goes for he cannot remove from place to place he cannot fill you more then he hath filled you already neither can he be nearer you then he is for he is ONE intire ACT of Being filling all things with his infinity he cannot come nor go nor remove nor be more in one place nor in one man more then in another And yet David bids us Open our gates that the King of glory may come in stand open ye everlasting doors that the King of glory may come in yet this is a certain truth he cannot come in more then he is already come in but the meaning must needs be● set open the eyes and doors of your knowledge and understanding Beloved take knowledge of this that the King of glory is within you already As when Elisha and his servant were invironed round about with enemies the mountains round the City full of Chariots and armed men his servant was afraid but Elisha comforts him and tels him there was no cause of fear for they had more with them to preserve and defend them then there was to offend and destroy them for saith he There is round about us Chariots and Horsemen for our defence Elisha his eyes were open and he saw them present but his servants were shut and he could not see them although as near to him then Elisha prayed that his eyes might be opened and immediately it was so and then he also saw the Chariots and Horsemen and fire round about them to defend them they were there before he saw them and his not seeing them did not make them not there So Christ doth not then come into thy soul when thou first seest him there when he works in thee and to thy sight and feeling when he lives in thee but then you come to know him and see him there and then you come to know ye are no reprobates because he dwels in you workingly to your sight and feeling for if you were reprobates yea Devils and the blackest Devils in Hell yet he is in you no place no creature can exclude him the earth and heavens yea the heaven of heavens cannot contain him no nor exclude him nor is he any more in the highest gloriousest Heaven then he is in the lowest Hell then he is in the very Prince of Devils but this they know not they cannot see him in them they are not able to see that he acts in them and by them but they think they act and live and work by their own power and think that they fulfil onely their own wills their own malice and do what they please And this also indeed is the very Devil in man this Disposition when he arrogates to himself the wisdome power or glory of God for all wisdom power glory and all good is all and alone his And as I said if all be his the creature is deceived to think it self hath any but they in whom God lives they see themselves nothings they see God is all in them they see him do all speak all work all think all in them they acknowledge freely they have no wills no affections either Natural or Divine but what are his they execute not their own wills their own lusts but they fulfil the will of him who works in them And to him and not to themselves they ascribe the glory and power of doing all O Beloved If we knew the gift that is in us our eyes our desires would alwaies be upon it Oh how precious is that gift in us could we but see it and know it as our Saviour said to the woman of Samaria O woman if thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that speaketh to thee he would have given thee living water whereof if a man drink he shall never thirst and it should be in his belly a spring of water springing up to eternal life Such a Gift such a Power such a Treasure is in every man mark well what I say that were he but acquainted with it he would presently deny renounce himself his own wisdom power parts and solely live upon this gift this wisdom this treasure I tell you you would desire to drink no more of your own waters of your own pleasures of your own wills but you would say as the woman there said to Christ Oh sir evermore give me of that water that I thirst no more that I come no more hither to draw Then you will desire never to draw your comforts from honours pleasures lands c. or from your own wills then you wil acknowledge feelingly and knowingly and not in words onely that you are nothing that you can do nothing but that he is all and in all Beloved look but inwardly and there you shal see the gloriousest things that ever ●e saw there is the City of God the Temple of God the new Ierusalem such things as never eye saw nor ear heard or ever entred into the heart of man as man but as he is a new creature in some deg●ee Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City of God Selah saith David There is within thee such a glorious Temple 〈◊〉 bedecked and beset with precious stones and rich pearls of Faith Repentance Love Ioy Hope c. all graces which didst thou en●oy would make thee rich to Eternity thou woulst never desire any more to taste thine own waters to follow thine own will but wo●ldst say with David One day in this house of God● is better then a thousand elsewhere Psal. 84. 10. It s better with David to be but a Door-keeper in this Temple then to dwel in the places of self-wil wickedness Here are ●he Beauties of God himself displayed One thing I have desired and that I will seek saith David that I may dwell in thy house all the daies of my life there to behold thy beauty and to visit thy Temple Here dwells wisdom whose wayes are wayes of pleasantness and all her paths are peace Never look nor never expect outwardly to find God for God dwells within nor expect not outwardly to hear God for God dwels in his Temple within there he preacheth and there he teacheth for outwardly are nothing but obscurities darkeness thick darkness outward darkness as the right translation renders it where is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth Outwardly are nothing but accidents and vails and thick clouds whi●h hide the everlasting beauties of our God from our beholdings within dwells the King of glories the everlasting Son of the Father who is from everlasting to everlasting even the Alpha and Omega of all the works of God Beloved when you a●e still and quiet upon your beds then examine your hearts then ye shall find your beloved when lust and self and flesh are all quieted and asleep so that there is no disturbance nor hurly-burly in

all the good things he hath promised we shall say by experience Now we know that heaven and earth shall pass away but not one tittle of his word hath failed We shall then see All Solomons Love-songs fulfilled and never till then And yet Beloved all these things are but dark shadows to the Truth and The Things themselves But to conclude We run over these things for time hastens Those that are brought to this condition To have the vail Rent before their faces They shall see Such things as I am not able to express For eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither ever entred into the heart of man those glorious things which God hath prepared to entertain To Feast such self-denying souls which are both Full Satisfying and Ravishing contentments Beloved these are such things as cannot be enjoyed Seeing them by feeling till the vail be Rent But yet know this t is Othniel that takes this City t is The Lords good time or fit opportunity We cannot take this City nor marry Achsah Calebs daughter when we would but we must wait Gods opportunity when he pleases to give it no● in our time but in his time nay we cannot so much as hasten that time When we shall have power to smite Kiriathsepher and marry Achsah no more then a woman in travail by all the means and industry she can use can hasten the time of her delivery We must wait the time Till God reveal for we must take it When he will give it And As He will give it by degrees time after time line upon line and precept upon precept And so We w●iting in Gods way He will Reveal and we shall come to understand The Good Will of the Lord One time after another Now A little and then A little line upon line that so you may come To glorifie God your heavenly Father Not that you may bring Honour or Profit to your selves though This be our greatest Honor and profit or take the praise to your selves as though by Your power you had smitten the City or married Achsah And so possessed the Upper and Nether springs the letter and the Spirit Thus to do is not to smite the City You as yet have not smitten it this is not The power of God this is but Your selves this is but by the power of flesh this is but by the power of Satan in us but here is the misery of the Sons of men they are ready to think and believe that they have smitten the City when t is Nothing less they think they know as much as can be known and Glory in this and so look for and give praise and Honour to themselves And if Any go beyond them if they cannot fathom what you say presently they cry out upon it as an Error and no body must know more then they and they must have the honour and praise of all they must and will be sure to keep men within their compass and knowledge always holding them in the letter in the Rudiments in the Pedagogies and in the shadows of Religion and cannot indure nor bear that men should be brought up to perfection to possess those Plerophorias those Full Enjoyments prepared for them that so they may be delivered and set at liberty from under the Law and from the killing Letter From Bondage and thraldom that they may come to receive The inheritance of Sons and Freemen h●t so the glory and praise of All may be to God Almighty none to them who hath given power to smite Kiriathsepher the City of the Letter that it may be unto us DEBIR The Word of God and so reveal unto us things Unutterable and unspeakably glorious Even The hidden Manna and the Living Waters to nourish us to Everlasting life Where the Glory of God is the light of that Temple whose brightness you shall see so far as you are able to Receive where you shall have Safety from all your Foes you shall see and behold their Ruine where you shal have the company comfort of all the Saints And God himself shall strive to Fill and if it were possible and Glutt you with happiness Where the City Gates are built with Pearls The streets paved with gold the walls of Precious stones the Temple in this City Is Almighty God Himself and Kings and Princes shall be but Vassals and cast out and nor regarded as such Where the River springs from under the Throne and Hill of God the Water clear as Chrystal The Banks set with Trees of Life Where your Chear is Ioy your Exercise Singing the song of Moses and the Lamb your Duties praising the Subject God the Quire consisting of Angels and Saints the Songs Hallelujahs Rev. 19. 3 4 6. Where there is no more need to fear that your Eyes shall be dimmed with Tears or your Ears Affrighted with Cryes or your Senses disturbed with Pain or the Heart Damped with Sorrow or the Soul Ever Surprized by death VVhere there is All God and No Evil there is No Persecutors None to Claim your Possessions from you None To Envy your Happiness the Rich cannot be Robbed Nor Kings shall not be Flattered VVhere there is Possessions without Impeachments Seigniories without Cares Length of yeares without decay of Strength Love of All without Ie●lousie of any Greatness of STATE without Conscience of Corruption Where we shall be Ravished with Seeing Satisfied with Enjoying And Secured for Retaining Beloved All these things are Very true True In the Letter But far more true Taking it All as meant Spiritually There are Such Things as These Bu● infinitely more Spiritual Divine and Transcending Such things As These and whatever else The Heart of man can Imagine Are but Poor Things to what we shall there Have and Live with and Live in viz. In Heaven The Beginnings whereof are given you Here as an Earnest and First Fruits For Heaven is Nothing else But Grace perfected T is of the same Nature with that you Enjoy Here For He that is United and made ONE with Jesus Christ by Faith Hath A True and REAL Glimpse of those Ravishing Glories And Delights which he shall for ever Enjoy But you must Wave All Carnal Sensual and Worldly Enjoyments And look upon the Highest Chiefest and Rarest here To be But Shadows and Dark Resemblances of those Blessed Good things which we shall then Enjoy For Ever and Ever THE TWO MIGHTY AND Wonderfull TREES OF EDEN In the Garden of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ELOHIM Incognita Vnknown Ever since Man was driven out of Paradise until Admitted to Return in Again viz. THE TREE of KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD and EVIL AND The TREE of LIFE Taken out of A Book Called The LETTER And The LIFE Or The FLESH And The SPIRIT Translated by Dr. EVERARD THE TREE of KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD and EVIL What it is I Will not much contend with them that will have The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as

other have split their vessels in these days But the Author so clearly distinguishes that he misseth both Rocks and carries on the truth Amain with Top-sail against all battery and opposition Here ye shall finde the vail rent and the last shadows vanishing and some Rayes of the glory of the holiest of all appearing being hid from ages and generations but in these last times upon the bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles and for the calling of the Iews more brightly breaking forth revealing the mystery of the Scriptures or the marrow of the true word of God which endureth forever wherein the Life and Spirit of the Holy Word is clearly distinguished from the outward and killing letter comparing spiritual things with spiritual that all those errors differences revilings and bitter censurings so much broken forth of late occasioned by resting in the letter may now vanish and make haste before the presence of the Lord and the glory of his coming whose fan is in his hand and he will throughly purge his floor and gather the wheat into his garner but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire And will baptize his own people with his own Spirit with the Holy Ghost and with fire Howbeit we speak wisdom onely among them that are perfect yet not the wisdom of this world nor of the Princes of this world which comes to nought But we speak the wisdom of God in a MYSTERY even the hidden wisdom which God hath ordained before the world unto our glory which none of the princes of this world knew 1 Cor. 2. It is written Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for those that love him having revealed them unto us by his spirit And if in this life onely we had hope in Christ we were of all men most miserable 1 Cor. 15. 19. We are fools for Christs sake but ye are wise we are weak but ye are strong ye are honourable but we are despised 1 Cor. 4. 10. Let no man deceive himself if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world or to himself let him become a fool that he may be wise 1 Cor. 1. 18. For the preaching of the CROSSE is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God verse 18. But the foolishness of God is wiser then men and the weakness of God is stronger then men verse 25. He that is spiritual judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man verse 15. The Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2. 10. And the anointing which you have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you all things and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him 1 John 2. 27. If any man have an ear to hear let him hear Verse 10. Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Jude 24. and to do exceeding abundantly for you above all that we can ask or think according to the mighty power which worketh in you unto him be glory and majesty dominion and power in the Church by Iesus Christ thoughout all ages world without end Eph. 3. 20. The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all Amen Rapha Harford An Approbation THe publisher of this Book is desirous that it might pass with some testimonial into the world but it needs not testimony from man for I find it imprest with such a Divine Image and bearing such clear lineaments of Heaven-born truths as testifie it to be of God and therefore strongly bespeaks us to receive it as into our houses so chiefly into our hea●ts I dare assure thee Reader if thou hast received a spiritual relish thou shalt taste much sweetnes in it And if thou canst rejoyce to be laid low and made nothing that God may be exalted and made all in all then shalt thou find here that which will help thy joy and let me intreat thee That as thou readest the Book to read also thine own heart and by this thou mayest come to find thine heart in the Book and the Book in thine heart and will make thee fall upon thy face with that Ideot and worship God and report God is in this word of a truth 1 Cor. 14. 25. Some are casting off the letter of the Scripture others resting in it some are despising Ordinances others overvaluing them I find the Author walking warily betwixt both giving due honour to the letter and the form while he is exalting the Power and the Spirit incomparably above both And thou shalt find him laying the Ax of truth and the Edge of his Spirit to that cursed Root of Self-Approbation in man which is daily bringing forth such bitter fruits in his heart in his life and in the world and yet remains unseen and untouched in the hearts of many that would be thought to be arrived at the brink of perfection while they scarce understand wherein the great imperfection of the natural man doth lie Some expressions in thy reading may seem harsh or obscure to thee as they did to me but if thou comparest one place with another thou wilt clearly see what the Author means and shalt find his whole discourse to have a Sacred tendency to lay man low and so to put him into a Rich capacity of coming in to the near●st fellowship with God so that while some seek to build up themselves upon the deceitful foundation of corrupted nature and struggle though in vain in the light and power of it to advance towards perfection He is planting his spiritual Artillery against it to throw it into the dust that man may come to be surely bottomed upon the Righteousness Power and Wisdom of Iesus Christ which is the onely foundation that God hath laid and the Gospel revealed And in some things you must give him a latitude to his judgement as thou desirest to thine own in other If thou findest some truths delivered and inforced with reiterated expressions consider they were delivered for the most part in several Congregations so that in some particulars the same things may be re-inforced but yet with more lustr● to make Truth more clear And that thou hast them as they were Preached and Pressed in Sermons to the Capacity and Conscience of his Auditors and taken from his mouth by a Notary yet afterward owned and approved by himself and compared with his own notes Read Consider and Try and hold fast that which is good March 26. 1653. Tho. Brooks M. Barker Imprimatur Ioseph Caril Decemb. 6. 1652. In remembrance of the Author and upon view of his Essigies and SERMONS HIS ICON curiously

those that hunger and thirst for them and who cannot be satisfied without them and to none else Besides all this the importunity and sollicitations of many Scholers and other Christians from time to time● who having experience of these practical things in themselves who though they want much of the Doctors schollership and parts yet deemed them worthy the publishing and have now prevailed to communicate them publiquely assuring themselves that those who have the things themselves in them will not be captious to spy out faults but receive in good part what is well intended Moreover another main reason of deferring them no longer is the abuse of many truths more broken forth of late them fo●merly many of those Diamonds of truth being therein cleared and polished which have been so much abused and abased either by those filthy dream●rs who have as to men wofully mistaken corrupted and defiled many glorious truths and by their false and devillish conclusions have not onely given occasion but a justification to defile the ●lesh falsly pretending that truth allows it though truth in it self cannot be corrupted or defiled or else by those blind Seers of 〈◊〉 times who yet calling themselves Prophets but are not do as Isaiah saith Isa. 5. 20. call truth errour and errour truth call darkness light and light darknes● evil good and good evil c. here also thou shalt find many of those Diamonds and pr●cious T●uths taken up from under their feet having been by them so trodden in the dirt as to men I say still they not knowing the worth of them by their vi●ifyings and by their foul names of Errour Heresie Familsm c. because they knew not a true and right Diamond or if some yet not all and th●m they knew not they presently vilifie as cheating and counterfeit indeed few can know them from such or from dirt they have so daubed and trampled them in the mi●e yet here thou shalt find them made orient spa●kling and refulgent as ●it to be numbred among those foundation precious stones whereof the New Ierusal●m is built Rev. 20. And those blind Seers pourtraitured to the life and their seemingly-holy disguises pulled off And yet in all this we have said commendatory of the Author Christian friends do not think that we have gone about to praise or li●t up Man or that we would have you fasten your eyes on any creature whatever No no God forbid far far be any such thing from our thoughts for what is man or wherein is he to be accounted of neither was it the Authors practise at all to lift up Man neither do we here present him as a perfect man but with Eliah as the Apostle saith of him Iames 5. 17. He was a man subject to like passions as we ar● and with Lot Abraham David P●ul and Peter he had his infi●mities but he could say also with Paul 〈◊〉 me that is in my fl●sh dwelleth no good thing But I d●lig●t in the Law of God aft●r the inward man now if I do that I would not it is no more I that do it but s●● that dwelleth in me neither did he ascribe any good either graces or gifts to himself but all to God he would not set that crown upon his own head or upon the head of any creature but with Paul confessed Gal. 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And when God had wrapt up his spirit in p●eaching even as it were to behold himself in the third heaven yet he had that prick in the ●l●sh which would cause him often to say even in publique Beloved if at any time you find any good by me or see any truth more then you did before or find your souls raised from death to life or the Cripple from his mothers womb healed and cured within you or if you see any grace any gift in me as Peter to the Jews Ye men of Israel why look ye on us so earnestly as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man walk if you see in me any good know that is none of mine I dare not claim it neither can any creature claim it But if you see in me or your selves any s●● any evil that is most properly mine and yours and yet it is not I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me but all good is Gods whatever it be that comes under the notion of Good under what name soever it is Gods and his onely So that we have onely hereby laboured to set and six your eye on him from whom all excellencies slow to see and behold the excellencies and vertues not of man but of him who calleth from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God and that you should wonder and be amazed that the Almighty should stoop so low as to work in men and to communicate of his own nature and put ●orth his mighty workings in and through such poor nothings as men are And in this respect let no man ●ear to speak to the utmost freely and fully of the Vertues Excellencies and workings of the Lord in the hearts of his people for in them he displayes his glo●ies they are his Sanctuary his Temple in them he rests as in his holy hill where every one speaks of his glory and although these motions and mighty miracles be wrought in man yet they are not of man or by man Therefore let men or whoever shall have occasion to speak either of the dead or of the living but keep to this rule and fix their eye on him to whom all glory and praise is due and then let them set forth freely and fully whatever vertues or what ever is praise-worthy in any of the sons of men thus far made the sons of God then they need never fear to be charged with flattery or hope of rewards from men Let not so far as lies in man the graces of God and his glorious working in his Saints dye no not when th●y dye 〈◊〉 this is far from over praising the dead or the 〈◊〉 as the mistake hath been though man may and must return to his mother the Earth and to his principle of dust yet let the Lord alone be exalted and in this sense spare not to speak out freely the vertues and endowments of God in any man although for the best of man or men we must say of them with Daniel and other Saints To us belongeth nothing but shame and confusion of face for ever but to the Lord honour and glory mercy and forgiveness for over and ●ver Let no man appropriate to himself or put upon others any good for all good is f●om God and whatever is evil is mans although naturally and generally mens practises are quite otherwise appropriating all good to themselves and nothing of evil whereby the poor blind creature Man deludes his poor soul while

and sold under sin and ye are yet carnal saith the Apostle Carnality never judges carnality never look that flesh should find fault with its own actions neither doth the Reasonable man find fault with his reasonable actions but s●ith the Apostle The Spiritual man judgeth all things that is the Spirit of God as David saith Exalt thy self O God above the heavens and shew thy self thy glory and thy majesty Come thou unto us O Lord and judge the heathen be thou judge among the judges among the gods among those that are and still would be gods and judges Do thou O Lord put all thine enemies to silence and Rule THOU in the midst of thine Enemies But to silence our own reason all our own affections our own will our own joys our own fears our own hopes and then hear what God shall say There is no hearing of God till all these be put to silence as it is said Gen. 3. God came into the Garden in the COOL of the day what do you think was meant by that that God came at evening when the sun was going down do you think that the day was too hot for God to walk in no no that cannot be but t is meant he came into the soul in the cool of the day that is when lust was cool when the heat of Adams desire was over when his own will was silent and there was a calm then God spake and said Adam where art thou Till then there was such Noise and such a Hurly-burly in his soul This lust would be satisfied and the other lust would be satisfied such crying and calling making such clamour and noise there was then no hearing God speak but these being All put to silence God comes in with a still soft voice not while the thunder and mighty rushing was and speaks in the soul Hear now what God saith Hear him judge you hear him condemn you and if ye do this This delivering over to Satan is not unto death but that your spirits may be saved in the day of the Lord This casting of our souls into the lower hell as David complains is that we may be saved from the condemnation irrecoverable I came to send fire on the earth saith our Saviour and what if I will that it be already kindled The kindling of this fire is a happy kindling t is that you may escape the Unquenchable fire suffer therefore this condemnation to be wrought in your souls it is a blessed a happy condemnation The day that this work comes into thy soul is the blessedst day that ever thou sawest the happiest hour that ever passed over thy head the brightest and gloriousest day that ever dawned to thee Indeed it is The day of the Lord A day of darkness and gloominess of clouds and thick darkness but it dawns to everlasting light and glory I told you wherein and how you might examine your selves And that you might have a glass large enough to see your whole body open your eyes to see the glass of the Law and view your selves round by it and then I will warrant you you shall see cause enough of condemnation then you will see so much in your selves that you will have no wisdom nor leisure left to judge other men if you did but see the true resemblance of your selves you could do nothing else but be alwayes judging and condemning your selves you could do nothing but lay all the Bitter curses you could devise upon this Meroz Even upon your Corrupt Self you would so Hate and lothe your selves in your own sight you would not others praises which formerly you have so much sought for It may be we have read and heard the Ten Commandments over and over a thousand times but that is not enough But as the Scripture requires an ear in an ear so we must have an eye in an eye He that hath ears to hear let him hear and He that hath eyes to see let him see I opened to you the sins of the first Commandement from which I know you will free your selves most in you think That of all the rest you are most free from having other Gods you were taught That from your Cradle Thou shalt have no other Gods but me But as I then shewed you you that do worship any other god as all of us do some make their belly their god some pleaure their god some profit their god some credit and praise their god and these we obey and worship and fear and love Whatever it was that drew you from obeying Gods Commandments was it for pleasure was it for honour or whatever else consider what you have done you have made them your gods and done more then bowed your knee to them so that as often as thou hast said the Ten Commandments so often hast thou dissembled with God and rebelled against that which thine own mouth hath acknowledged And I doubt I may say of you as the Prophet said of Israel So many Cities so many Gods Shall I say so many men so many Gods Nay so many LUSTS so many Gods And those that have many Gods have no God This is generally acknowledged for even among the Heathen there was not one learned and wise man but did confess there was a God and that there could not be any more then one God although they gave several names to the divine power in several creatures for the Apprehension of the ignorant and called them Gods yet they knew that God was but one Take therefore that sacred spotless Law open it and look upon it view thy self well and it will shew thee clearly all thy Gods Do but look upon the actions of this very day nay since you came into this place and see if there hath not been matter enough to cause this work of Condemation Besides consider this seriously you are not represented to God as doing of one action but according to the Tenor of your lives thou art not presented to God as thou art dying when thy mouth is full of holy words nor as thou art doing any good action not as thou art sitting in the Church at thy prayers not as thou art hearing a Sermon not as thou art relieving the Poor c. but all thy whole life every minute being always as present with him as if every particular action were now in doing there is no passing of time no succession of time with him so that from hence con●lude and resolve it to thy thoughts if ever thou swearest an Oath thou art with him alwayes swearing if ever thou blasphemest thou art ever blaspheming if ever thou toldst a lye thou art with Him alwayes lying if ever thou committedst adultery thou art alwayes doing that act as to him if ever thou brokest Covenant and Promise thou art with him alwayes doing so if ever thou trampledst the bloud of the Conant under thy feet thou art alwayes

nothing but the Vail of Gods word and the truth is concerning some God hath commanded Make their eyes heavy and their ears dull lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them that in seeing they may see and not perceive and hearing they may hear and not understand That is And I will be bold to give the interpretation That seeing the Letter they may not see the Life that hearing the words they may not understand the Living sense Having premised this let us now come and take inpieces some part of these words nowread that we may come to eat of the bread of life and of the hidden Manna that is as yet fast locked up and except God open our hearts as he did the heart of Lydia it is and will still be A Book Sealed up to us And Moses kept the sheep of Iethro his father in Law the Priest of Midian and he led the stock to the back-side of the desart and came to the mountain of God even to Horeb What may be the meaning that the Holy Ghost doth describe Moses to be a Sheep-keeper setting down so expresly that particular and still all the Patriarchs are described to be Sheep-keepers certainly there is something to be observed and learned from Shepherds because Shepherds are oftner mentioned then husbandmen and not onely the men preferred before them but all their actions also are preferred before the others Cain was a Husbandman Abel was a Sheepkeeper they both offered sacrifice one of his cattel the other of his ground but the Shepherds offering was preferred before the Husbandmans and so all the Patriarchs are commended for being Shepherds and following that trade and David he followed the Ewes great with young and from that imployment was taken to feed Gods people and to be King over them 2 Sam. 7. 8. I took thee from the Sheepcoat to be Ruler over my people Israel Well we need not to instance any further What may be the meaning of the Holy Ghost in all this in one word I will tell you what a Shepherd is A Shepherd is one that lives meerly and most properly by the providence and blessing of God upon his Trade for they fructifie and increase onely upon Gods will blessing and providence He acts not much but resigns up his will all he hath to God onely depends altogether upon that but a husbandman is he who with his expectation of Gods blessing joyns his own endeavours plowing sowing reaping changing his ground rising early and going to bed late Well I pray is there any hurt in all this No I forbid them not to do so but this I say a Shepherds life is preferred with God far before a Husbandmans because he that hath given up all to God all that ever he can do or say or think his whole man is Resigned to God confessing that they are nothing that they can do nothing and from their very souls acknowledge and not in words onely they have no wit no reason no will no understanding their whole man all that they are or can do is wholly resigned up to God and his will Nor will they joyn any of their works with Gods but let God act all do all think all speak all in them This is the life of a true Shepherd who hath his eye single on God and looks to him in every thing let him increase his stock or decrease it he is all one he is nothing grieved at the one nor lifted up with the other because he accounts nothing he hath his own Nor doth he think That he lives by his own taking care or by his own industry but depends meerly on the blessings of God and the works of nature but the other They moil and Toil themselves They must do something and this ye cannot beat out of them they must joyn their wits and their doings with Gods and do not ascribe all to God while they do it As do the other And therefore Shepherds are accepted with God far before Husbandmen the one doth think verily his own care and industry is the staff of his life They cannot deny all give up all that they are and can do They cannot but think say what ye will but they have some power some wisdom some understanding some ability to bring about their actions but the other The truly Resigned man he sees and acknowledges as the truth is That God alone doth All And that His is all the power all the might all the wisdom and he hath nothing at all he will not by any means obscure or darken Gods power nor his wisdom nor his praise as the Husbandman doth Though perhaps they may say in words it is their endeavours and the blessing of God thereupon and then they think they have made up all when indeed in their hearts in their thoughts and in their practises they do not give God his praise and glory but sacrifice to their own nets to their own wisdom power and parts And in effectwith them T is MAN al●n● doth All. You may see then how this mighty truth is hid under a mystery and is couched in two or three words how Moses doth but as it were by the way glance at it by the by and if God open your eyes you may see how this secret warp and woof runs through this Web So this Mystery runs secretly along through the whole Scriptures unseen And take notice of this that above all men the Egyptians cannot endure this kind of men and such as live this kind of life for saith the Holy Ghost Shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians It is a life so contrary to them that they hate them deadly and esteem them The silliest and ridiculousest and most improvident people in the word But it matters not God prefers them sbove All kind of men insomuch that he is pleased to stile himself The God of shepherds the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob very often because they were these kind of Shepherds most certainly to these men God ever did and ever will speak most familiarly and to these onely he will to Shepherds reveal himself and His Secrets above all the men in the world the other are too much buried in themselves and their own wayes to have God shew them any of his secrets Let us then learn to be Shepherds rather then Husbandmen if we desire to be acquainted with God for it was Mary whom Christ commends who had chosen the better part which could never be taken from her And not Martha who is troubled about many things Although he doth not discommend or altogether condemn Martha for such things must be done yet know this Mary hath chosen the better part which shall never be taken from her Mary is far to be preferred before Martha because she yields and resigns up