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 timeâ— 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 foâ—merly many of those Diamonds of truth being therein cleared and polished which have been so much abused and abased either by those filthy dreamâ—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 â—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 darknesâ— evil good and good evil c. here also thou shalt find many of those Diamonds and prâ—cious Tâ—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 viâ—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 thâ—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 miâ—e yet here thou shalt find them made orient spaâ—kling and refulgent as â—it to be numbred among those foundation precious stones whereof the New Ierusalâ—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 liâ—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 arâ— and with Lot Abraham David Pâ—ul and Peter he had his infiâ—mities but he could say also with Paul 〈◊〉 me that is in my flâ—sh dwelleth no good thing But I dâ—ligâ—t in the Law of God aftâ—r the inward man now if I do that I would not it is no more I that do it but sâ—â— 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 pâ—eaching even as it were to behold himself in the third heaven yet he had that prick in the â—lâ—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 sâ—â— 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 â—orth his mighty workings in and through such poor nothings as men are And in this respect let no man â—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 gloâ—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 thâ—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 â—ver Let no man appropriate to himself or put upon others any good for all good is fâ—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
therein who can stand before his indignation and who can abide the fierceness of his anger his fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him and darkness shall pursue his enemies Think upon this all you that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal. 50. ult But saith he Psal. 61. 3. The Lord is good and is a strong Hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him Oh Beloved Let us all then give glory from our souls to this our great God to this infinite and everlasting Being who fills all things let us all poure out oâ—r souls before him like Water and be melted to nothing in his presence And to that end First Let us subscribe to the infiniteness of our â—od in all his Attributes in all his ways in all his Creatures Let us alwayes believe it and have him continually before us that we may tremble to offend him even the wickedest man And that godly men may both fear and love him and that they may with strong confidence be rooted resting and depending on him who is the rock of Ages And Secondly Let us cry out with Moses in continual acclamations in that powerful Orarion when ever we think of him or behold him There is none like the God of Iesurun who rideth upon the Heavens for thy help and in his excellency upon the skie For the eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the Everlasting Arm. Thou canst be in no trouble but he is by thee with thee in the fire or in the water where ever thou art Ps. 34. 7 8. The Angels of the Lord encamp round about them that fear him O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him O fear the Lord ye his Saint for there is no want to them that fear him The young Lions may lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any thing Iacob when he went from his fathers house was afraid he should have wanted Gen. 28. but God appeared to him in a dream and he beheld a Ladder reaching from Earth to Heaven The longest Ladder that ever was read of or ever heard of and the greatest builder hath made it and onely for his own use And Iacob by it saw that the providence of God was every where and Angels were continually passing up and down upon it being sent of the Almighties Errands not onely for protection but to be ministring spirits sent forth not onely for the good of those who shall be heirs of Salvation but for the good of all his Creatures So that we may say of the providence of God as David saith of his presence for they are both one Psal. 139. 7. Whither shall I go from thy presence if I ascend into Heaven thou art there there is the top of the Ladder if I descend into the deep thou art there there is the bottome of the Ladder The builders of Babel aimed to make such a Ladder but that which they could never do the builder of Heaven and Earth hath done but were they not very fools to think to build a Tower of ten thousand times 1000000 miles high But let us labour to see the eternal God at the top of this Ladder and everlasting arms at the foot of it then how can we doubt He that hears the Ravens when they cry unto him who have neither faith nor understanding shall he not hear thee O thou of little faith It is against both the promise against the practice of your Father that any of you should want any good thing Yet how full of complaints are all the sons of men one wants children another friends others honour others riches others health others preferment some all these but certainly you are deceived you do not want any of them for if they were good for you you had them not then indeed you wanted them but being not good for you you want them not for they in such a case will do you more hurt then good Therefore I say let the servant of God that thinks he wants any of these things pray for what he will he shall have it if he do really want them for not onely all inanimal or unreasonable Creatures which are Gods Angels when he pleaseth do owe their Suit and Service unto those that fear the Lord but even all the Angels of God in heaven they are all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes which shall be heirs of Salvation Heb. 1. 14. Nay let me tell thee if thou wilt command the Sun to stand still and the Moon in the valley of Ajalon as Ioshuah did it shall be done or the Sun to go backward upon the Dial as Hezekiah did or the Rocks to gush out water and the Heavens rain down Manna or the waters to be divided and the Sea to stand up as a wall as Moses did all shall be done and they shall obey rather then any of Gods people shall want any good thing Or if he will command Iron to swim as Elisha did Nay let him command the Covenant of night and day to be broken and time to be no more and it shall be done for Gods word can never fail nay heaven earth shall pass away but not one jot of his word shall fail But for all this I know and methinks I hear your murmuring thoughts still for all this you are not yet satisfied And you say with Iob Doth the wild Asse bray when he hath grass or loweth the Oxe over his fodder can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt or is there any taste in the white of an egg We are sure we do want these things or else we would not complain we are sure we have them not and is there any sweetness in nothing had we fodder we would not lowe nor complain I answer Indeed that may be that you are without them 1. It may be you are not of the family of your heavenly father then what right or interest have you to expect them but you are servants to sin and to his enemies and yet would have him let you want nothing 2. There is a great difference between not having and wanting It may well be that you have not riches and honour and preferment c. but if you be the true servants of God it cannot be that you should want them David saith it was good for him that he wanted and that he was in trouble There is oftentimes more mercy from God and more comfort to us in Gods Rods then in these outward things which are onely esteemed Blessings for they are often no other but rods or else meat to fat us for slaughter for our happiness and comfort lies not in that which the tender
roar and the fulness thereof let the fields rejoyce and all that is therein then shall the trees of the wood Sing Out at the presence of the Lord that is To him to whom God hath revealed himself and suffered His glory to pass before him All creatures yea the dumb and inanimate creatures sing out and sing aloud the infinite praises of God Almighty Psal. 145. 9 10. The Lord is good to all and his tender mereies are over all his works All thy works shall peaise thee and thy Saints shall bless thee and talk of thy Kingdom and Power And so much shall suffice for these four parts of the creatures Religion We will come to make use hereof to our selves First Let it make us ashamed of our backwardness to give God praise we that are exalted above these creatures that they are more ready and cheerful in praising their Creator then we we may blush and be ashamed for There is nothing that we can behold but puts us in mind of our slothfulness These poor servants that have received but one talent do yeild more increase of praise to God then I or you that have received many talents These poor creatures do more sing forth Gods praise then we with all our wisdom reason and understanding And let us with shame confess Saying it is I It is I that have depressed thy glory and caused thy praise to be evil spoken of and say with David when thou seest any of the creatures dye It is I Lord that have offended but what have these poor sheep done which are killed and slain for me unworthy unthankful sinner Second Use Take notice hence of the vast circumference of Gods Kingdom it reaches farther then we are aware of we think that we are the onely creatures that God esteems of Was not the earth made for me and the Sun to shine upon me and all creatures to feed and clothe me and thou thinkest that thou art left alone to praise God no no deceive not thy self Gods praise is not confined to the Church of men he hath reserved to himself seven thousand that have not bowed their knee to Baal Dost thou think poor creature that thou art onely He that I have appointed to worship me and that my infinite praise depends onely upon thee no no His Kingdom is from one end of heaven to the other and every creature praises him as much or more then thee as Col. 1. 16. All things were created by him both things in heaven and things in earth visible and invisible all things were created by him and for him for his praise and glory and Psal. 2. 10 11. That at the name of Iesus every knee shall bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Iesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father Therefore alas alas do not think that Gods Temple is so narrowly scanted that thon onely praisest him thou art the least part of his Church and Temple Third Use Let this teach us to go to God boldly in the name of Iesus and with great encouragement to praise God for though men and Angels be unfit to praise God and they cannot do it as they ought yet he that accepts the Ravens and the Lions and all the dumb creatures when they Cry unto Him be assured he will never refuse the sighs and the groans of any poor penitent dejected soul that comes bleeding and weeping to him for mercy He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast away Joh. 6. 37. Fourth Use Let us learn also that when we look upon the creatures we take heed of being taken with any of them But let us consider that these are but as Iaco bs Ladder that by these steps by these Angels of God we may ascend to him that stands at the Top And if God do not by one means or other by one affliction and vexation in the creature or other drive us from the creature that we may look up to him we shall for ever live and dye in the creature And therefore happy is that man that God hunts from these things that they may never have any Rest till they find Him where they shall find Rest to their souls As if there be oyl put into a deep glass it lies at the bottom and will never rise to the top but if you pour water into it it will still be rising up to the top till the oyl it self run over I could apply it thus A soul that is sunk in sin and sunk in the creature except God of his infinite mercy pour upon him the water of afflictions his soul will never Arise and mount up to God this drives us upward to seek rest there for here is none and so thereby shall become more then conquerors through him that hath loved us where as if these had not been our souls had been drowned in the creatures and sunck for ever to the pit of Hell These things I thus unfold to you that you may see the unspeakable and large bounds of Gods praise That every thing may result and yield to him honour and praise A Fifth Use To teach us that though it be impossible for us to search out the unspeakable praises of God that is hid in all the creatures we may see them yet we can never search them to the bottom howbeit every creature saith to us as the Angel to Iohn when he would have fallen down and worshipped him See thou do it not for I am thy fellow servant Worship God we are ready to fall down and worship the creatures but they all cry See thou do it not I am thy fellow servant worship God And they all cry to thee Dost thou see the beauty of any creature doth the sweetness of any creature take thee I say they all cry to us Arise and depart hence for this is not your rest Doth the Pleasantness the sweetness the Comeliness c. of any creature delight thee it saith and calls aloud to thee Arise and depart hence for this is not your rest how sweet how beautiful how fair soever Rest not in that thou seest but seek for HIM thou seest not All creatures are like the waters to Noahs Dove which could find no rest for the soal of her foot but yet she brought an Olive leaf in her mouth we may taste and use these things But take not too much of them and hold them gently and be alwayes ready to let them fall take heed of resting till you come to the Ark all come out from him and all return to him again Sixth Use and the last Take heed of abusing any creature it is enough that you may use them for they are one of the family you your selves are of and they groan as well as you for deliverance as God complains that ye make him serve your
but also typical and Significant so is this growth of Jesus Christ he grows up in us in wisdom and stature and he in us waxeth strong in spirit being filled with wisdom and understanding He teacheth us the true wisdom He in us chuseth that good thing which shall never be taken away He is The grace of God in us I live saith the Apostle yet not I but it is Christ his life in me From him cometh all growth in grace not from our selves the work is his none of ours From him cometh Faith Hope Charity Strength Vertue c. If any of these come from man from the power industry or strength of man they are false and good for nought yet how ready are most men to assume these to themselves or at least to think that by their power or wisdom or industry they have attained them From whence come wars come they not from your lusts So from whence comes pride and the lifting up of the creature high towring and and swelling imaginations that in plain terms exalt themselves against Jesus Christ they are so far from being from him or of him that they are quite contrary to him however to some may seem the vertues of Christ himself but they they are the excrements of the Old man Hence it is said That Iohn Baptist grew and waxed strong in spirit because Christ by his divine life in him brake forth in Iohn and his light did shine before men they seeing those good works in him God was glorified not Iohn for saith he I must decrease but he must increase Hence it is said here accentively twice in this Chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 versus ult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both in our Text and Verse ult And the childe grew and waxed strong in Spirit filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upou him And again Iesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and men As these things were in him in his person then so the same things are as really done in his Mystical body and members All these influences are his and flow from him the head We are dead in trespasses and sins bnt he is the Resurrestion and Life And he that believeth in him shall never dye nay though he were dead yet shall he live When Jesus Christ doth once begin to display and declare the glory of himself in the soul and to adorn the soul with himself what a palace what a Kingdom what a Temple is that soul Well might David say Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City and Temple of God Psal. 82. 3. more glorious then the Temple spoken of Rev. 21. and saith our Saviour The Kingdom of heaven is within you All that description Rev. 21. there at large setteth out the Glory and light of that Temple which was like Iasper most precious and clear as Chrystal and the wall high and stately wherein were twelve gates the gates kept by twelve Angels and the walls of Iasper and the City pure gold and the very foundation garnished with precious stones a Iasper a Saphir a Chalcedony an Emerald a Sardonix a Sardius a Chrysolite a Beril a Topas a Chrysophrasus a Iacinth an Amethist I say all these things are accomplished in a great measure in some less in some more in all those where Jesus Christ is pleased to display his glories and in that soul where he is pleased to adorn it with his own graces and with the fruites of the spirit as Faith Hope Charity Strength Vertue Love Ioy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Meekness Temperance c. Those that are thus qualified inriched and adorned let me tell you they need no Law no Light for they are a Law to themselves and there is a light within them like that City Rev. 21. 23. That had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for The Glory of God did lighten it and the lamb is The light thereof Nay I may say and say truly as I may say they are gotten above Law above Letter in this regard for they have the Gospel and the life within them yet for all this do not think that I speak against Law or Letter or Ordinances use them as I say but Rest not in them And know this also that while the soul is Rapt up in the glory sight and beholding of Jesus Christ he knows this that he enjoys that which is the Substance and that which is as farre above the other as the Substance is above the Shadow and the Life above the Letter and the Spirit above the Flesh yet he will not slight nor cast away these means or Ordinances because God hath often appeared in them and by them to him as I have shewed more at large upon other Scriptures But I say Let us look to find that in us which Christ affirms that the Kingdom of God is within us and that you are in some beginnings of that glorious Temple and City mentioned before for if you think the Kingdom of God or Heaven to consist of such things as are there declared in the Letter you are much deceived But the holy Spirit is pleased to make use of such expressions and representations that are so amiable and Glorious to the carnall eye that so we may come to see the Truth and Substance of those Shadows and Representations to be far and transcendenly more ravishing and glorious as all those Saints and people of God before whom God hath Unvailed his glory can abundantly witness and seal to the truth thereof Insomuch that had they all those precious stones and Houses and Temples built of them really yet they in comparison of what they see and enjoy of God would trample them all under their feet as not worthy to be named the same hour with those true pearls and those ravishing full and satisfying and transparent precious stones which are within them They need not when they are in union and communion with him and when he is pleased to let but his back parts pass before them they shall not desire the light of the Sun or of the Moon to give light in that Temple for the glory of the Lord doth lighten it aud the Lamb is the light thereof And as it is expressed there in Ver. 14. The Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it and the Kings of the earth shall bring their glory unto it This Temple and this Palace and this Glory darkens all the glory and splendor of all the Kings and Emperors under the Sun All their glory vanisheth and makes hast before this glory as being abashed and ashamed once to appear in sight thereof Beloved I hope and I know there are some that hear me which know and see and feel these things to be true yea as you say as true as Gospel yea so true as nothing is nor
he will Tear and Rent the Man and when he doth not though he seem to depart he keeps possession still or will Return with seven other spirits worse then himself Many perswade themselves they have grace because they are of a smooth fine affable disposition and carriage and many Prophets daub them up with untempered morter as if they had grace from their Cradles whereas indeed All men are as deep in Adams fall one as another and one as hard to be recovered as another I have shewed you upon another Text how all must suffer with Christ none excepted if they will be glorified with him and shewed you wherein viz. All and every one must be emptied and humbled as Christ was When Christ comes to cast the Devil out of these men in person himself I le warrant you he will Rend and Tear them When for Christ and to enjoy the life of Christ they must be emptied of all their fine natural endowments and come to see the ugliness the sinfulness of all their thoughts words actions and to be arraigned as the vilest Malefactors for all their great progress in Religion for even these are as far off the life of Christ as the other And they must be at the mercy of the Judge as much as the other And their Secret and Heart-Idols and defilements are as odious to God as the other I pray where is then their In-bred gracious natures If they must pass through that Condemnation and annihilation and abdication and indifferency c. as I then shewed you And must fight with the strong man Armed before he be cast out I le warrant you they will find this A Fiery Tryal Also the Apostle calls it A new birth What throws and pangs is there in natural births And do you think there is less and easier in the New birth No no deceive not your selves far far more for ye must be Slain and Crucified with Christ. I pray consider seriously of these things and be not deceived and lulled asleep nor receive not any such pillows under your Elbows from any for they cry peace peace when there is no peace and they say Thus saith the Lord when he hath not spoken unto them but they flatter you with the visions of their own heart Jet 23. 16. But be sure these unclean spirits are in every one of us naturally and they depart not without Tearing Beloved know All these are the unclean spirits in men that God will cause to pass out of the Land Zech. 13. 2. And I say t is to be suspected That when as the unclean spirit goes out without RENTING he intends a second return And contrarily where Satan departs with Renting he hath no hopes of re-possession For where he spoils and tears his lodging at his departure he finds that he that is stronger then himself casts him out and that such a soul is weary of such a troublesom Guest and turbulent intruding Inmate whom he rents he leaves and whom he Teares God Repairs whom he Rents God Renews Oh how I desire to have all our hearts Rent for then and not till then will God regard them Rent your hearts saith Ioel Joel 2. 12. And A broken heart a soul that is contrite and rent O Lord thou wilt not despise Psal. 51. 17. And therefore O sweet Saviour Rebuke thou all our unclean spirits with power command all our sins and corruptions to depart out of our hearts let them not reign or have the dominion over us but be thou our Lord our King and reign over us Other Lords indeed have had rule over us but do thou set up thy Kingdom O Lord and cast down thine Enemies under thy feet Thy Kingdom come for thine is the Kingdom power and glory for ever AMEN Come Lord Iesus come quickly ALL POVVER Given to IESUS CHRIST IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH MAT. 28. 18 19 20. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth c. In one Sermon Preached at a private Meeting in Old-street Augustine and others with him reckon this to be the ninth and last time of our Saviours appearing to his disciples after his Resurrection And that for this end he appeared so often to manifest the truth of his Resurrection and yet for all this some still doubted as you read in the foregoing Verse And they had great cause for though he had appeared to so many and so many times as this being the ninth time and it is also said He was seen of more then five hundred brethren at once yet for all this some doubted and although the Disciples were particularly appointed by Jesus to come at this time into this mountain and when they saw him they fell down and worshipped him yet some for all this doubted they knew they had seen him in great and extreme sorrow and anguish of soul even to the utmost that the malice of men and Devils could invent they saw him yield up the Ghost and they thought they had done their last office for him accompanying him to his execution and death and so to his grave and sepulchre but here He after many appearings to them to confirm their saith appears this once more and it seems to be very probably the last time of his appearing immediately before his ascention and now he gives them a commission and command To go and teach all Nations as it follows in the 19 and 20. Verses baptizing them in the name of the Father c. and teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you for â—o I am with you alwayes even to the end of the world And because they should be able to shew their Authoritie and Warrant if any should ask who sent them he tells them He that is IAM hath sent you IAM is with you and further tells them that their power they shall derive from Him For all power is given to me in heaven and earth And these words however they be few in number yet there is in them an Abyss of matter there is a mighty power and a vast length and breadth height and depth in all His words for His words are alwayes full of sense spoken to the highest pitch that our capacity can conceive or reach The words of Christ are most pure free from all concourse of the depravedness of the creature they are like the pure wine that he made at Canaan there is no tincture no brackishness no leaven of the old Adam or of the Pharisees Mens writings and speakings are alwayes low they have in them some Allay of humane weakness but in his words there is not the least allay they cannot admit of any moderation or modification Others it may be writ they knew not what themselves as I may so speak even the Penmen of the holy Scriptures for they wrote things beyond their own comprehension they being directed by another spirit they spake not of themselves but the holy
have and so Many such rewards This is nothing but the Devils preaching and the Devils learning within thee it s no better then the Devils work and thou canst expect no other But the Devils Wages All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me He is the God of this world and hath great power given him over the Kingdoms of this world and he can bestow much of the glory of them upon his servants but God He speaks first in the center of the earth He begins first with the heart Preaches within thee reforms first the heart here onely preacheth His well-beloved Son in whom Onely he is well pleased Except Thy actions be The actions of his own Well-beloved Son in thy heart he neither owns nor accepts them they are strange fire to him and you know what became of Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire before the Lord The Lord He Pours precious ointment on this Aarons head and from thence Drencheth his beard and so down to the skirts of his garments so far as the heart is reformed the actions cannot be amiss That soul that is in love with Jesus Christ Beloved where the love of God is shed abroad in the heart it is death to him to that soul to go a whoring with the creatures he can have no peace to commit adulterie with the world That whorish woman he cannot endure Satans preaching hearken to me and I will give thee these and these thing no no his peace lies in hearkening to what the Lord saith in him and he preaches no such doctrine but bids him leave the world for its enmity to him he bids part with these things Take up the cross expect reproches persecutions and death from the world This preaching is of God let thy life be in forsaking the glory of the world though thou livest in the world yet let thy heart thy affections dwell and abide with me Use the world as if thou usedst it not count nothing in the world thine own be thou but as a steward in whatever thou hast Alwaies ready to give an account of all This preaching is from God from Heaven The Devils preaching is quite contrary And when thou hearest such preaching as is contrary to this and such whisperings within thee Conclude it is the Devil and not God and that such preaching and learning will destroy thy soul therefore I say always look to thy heart that It be set right before ever thou expectest the actions can be good if that be not so conclude all that proceeds from it is naught we must look mainly to the center to the Heart that life may come from thence Even as the life in the body by the blood flows from the heart to all the members if not those members are dead so the life of true grace flows from the heart as from the fountain for if either fear or Law or Heaven or Hel reward or any hopes or by-ends Urge the heart To goodness These are but dead works and you shall know it by this do but take away these respects and by-ends and these works Cease take away hope of reward and fear of punishment and this bodie is dead he works no more why because there is no life no heat within to move him tell him I mean he whose heart is set right for God reformed by him tell him he must deny forsake the world he must be emptied of all the glory of the world of all self-seeking self-glorying self-praising why herein is his life his peace his glory but to the other who hath been onely taught by such PRECEPTS as come from men from Self This preaching is death to him but his life and peace and joy is to hear How he shall be advanced esteemed honoured c. how he shall be made rich and great therefore you may easily hence distinguish what preaching and practise is from God and what from Satan and Self Thus much may serve for the first thing to open unto you the meaning of these words All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth to me it seems very plain and clear and I hope to you also that That which before seemed obscure now is made manifest The second ground Christ also as he is man hath all power given unto him as being united to God so also to man and this definition as being united to God is very large and deep as the river at the entrance into the Sanctuary which at the first entrance took a man but up to the ankles and then a little further up to the knees and then to the middle and at last it would quite down and swallow up all it grew into a vast Sea The meaning of the words in this sense we are not able to comprehend or understand but the more we wade into them the more we are drowned and swalloed up Jesus Christ he had the same glory in himself when he was upon earth as he had with his Father before all worlds and he is his well-beloved Son in whom onely he is well-pleosed But as he is man he to Us-ward emptied himself of all his glory And came in the form of a servant he was subject to the like passions and infirmities as we are except sinful and hereby man came to be further made known unto him that is in regard of his humane nature he was hungry and thirsty and weary and suffered death and the like and yet in regard of his Divine nature he held his glory and Union with his Father and it was necessary it should be so in both regards for had it not been so he could not have complyed so with the creatures and felt their wants and necessities and had he not retained his unity with his Father which he could not in regard of himself As God either lose or diminish nor increase he could not have complyed so perfectly with his Father for the salvation of mankind For as he was in the bosom of his Father he was unknowable to any creature he was known onely to himself he was inexplicable not to be unfolded and in this regard the more ye enter into darkness and unknowing the more ye know of him for he is nothing that we can comprehend or understand as we are creatures until we come to be One with him and swallowed up into him But let us observe that Christ never made this boast of himself that All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth till he was ready to leave the earth never till he had been crucified dead and buried and rose again It is remarkable he never all the while He was on earth ever appropriated all power to be his till he was ready to depart out of the earth And Beloved this is for our imitation Christ was no boaster though none might boast more but he was meek and lowly he became a servant to all
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 heaâ—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 nearâ—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 lustrâ— 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
man alive as the highest and gloriousest Saint But the One he is senâ—ble how Jesus Christ is near him and He knows how he hath been overtopt in him and overmastâ—â—ed by him and therefore he is ashamed and will do so no more But the Other not knowing of thisâ— he goes on according to his own laws and his own will and kills him Again and Again and runs his own wayes and thinks his own Thoughts and pleases himself Rushes upon any thing that tends to satisfie his own will He rushes upon any sin as a horse rushes into the battel as the Prophet speaks without fear He pleases himself and Tickles himself in his own delights cryes Ha Ha and he feels nothing sees no danger what ever men talk of Hell and Death and Bitterness Destruction and Damnation yet he believes none of these things and therefore he goes to the same course again and again But having onâ—e espyed the King Him who stands Behind the Hangings Him whom he hath so often kickt at and crucified then he is amazed at his Horrid Oaths and Blaspheâ—iâ—s of his Pride and Arrogancy against Him of his Envies and Reproches against his Brethren being onâ—e come to a true sight of this He is amazed and confounded in Himself Sayes he Have I been the man that hâ—th put the Son of God to death have I trampled his Blood under my feet I will not any more adde to hiâ— torments no not to gain the world Hath he dwâ—lt so near been my guest and lodged within me been my life and my stay and have I been he that hath starved and famished him have I so often moâ—kt whipt derided crucified him and knew it not Rather then I will do it again I will dye ten thousand deaths All the world shal never make me commit thosâ— Horrid Facts again I will now be ruled by him I will now do his Will not mine own I will now by his assistance live as he will have me live now I am content to deny mine own wisdom gifts parts strength For now I see I am Nothing And so by this means Christ shall be fed nourished and brought up and he shall grow in wisdom and stature and favour with God and man By this means Ye shall bring Christ to the Temple who shall put all the Doctors within you to silence and so non-plus them that not one shall be able to gain-say or answer him By this means you shall find him do all his miracles more truly over again the substance of his miracles as I shewed you before you even you your self us shal see him work all his miracles in thy sight within thee and this shall make thee more run after Christ to see these Divine miraâ—les far more affectionately and with more wondring and with more true love then ever they did in the dayes of his flesh to seeâ— his external mighty works and miracles This was that S. Paul determined and desired Onely to know for he knew this knowledge would never leave him till it had discovered such things such Miracles as neither eye had seen nor â—are heard no nor ever entred into the heart or thoughts of any man things unutterable unspeakable Let others seek after what they will to get glory and splendour in the world and to get those things that the world accounts great matters or any external literal knowledge of Christ though never so glorious though never so received yet sayes he I lay all in the dust for the Excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord by whom the World is crucified unto me and I unto the World for all those things shall vanish with them and perish in the using and come to nothing But these comforts will stand a man instead this is such knowledge that it will set one foot in Heaven while the other is upon earth when as other men who rest in the Flesh and in the Letter who know none of these things God knows when they come to dye how many weary winter Cold and comfortless steps they have to fetch that they shall be forced to Fly upon the Sabbath and in the Harvest and have their Oyle to buy when all things are at rest with others and they enjoy a fulness and a harvest and have Oyle in their Lamps at the Bridegrooms Coming for they have given up their wills and their lives to Christ So that Christ and they have such sweet Embraces as if they were in heaven already Insomuch that they are gotten above the world â—and all things below go they Even or Odde with other men they alwayes go Even with them they have gotten above Themselves and their own wills Now Christs will is their will And Christs â—eace is their peace And They have begun â—â—eir Eternal SABBATH and are at Rest in the bosome of Jesus Christ their Blessed Saviour OF SVFFERING AND REIGNING WITH CHRIST ROM 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together In eight Sermons Pâ—eached at Kensington Publique Meeting-place T Is true the Coherence of the Text imports An exception after some vast and immense Priviledges asserted and those priviledges Such whereof a Christian may boast of and triumph in as first of his Sonship Ver. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God have received the Spirit of Adoption Verse 15. For ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father 2. Such is a Christians Priviledge and Sonship that he is delivered and set free from the Spirit of bondage he need never fear more And 3. He hath also received the Spirit of Adoption whereby he can own God and cry to him and call him Abba for he is his Father 4. The testimony of the Spirit of our Father with our Spirit Verse 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the children of God And lastly Of our being made the Heirs of God and Co-heirs with Christ As in the former part of the Text And if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ. Our Text being much like the Exceptions in the Kings general Pardon wont to be given in the end of a Parliament where at the first beginning you would think he had forgiven all and every One but by that you have read it to the end you will find so many exceptions and limitations he hath scarce forgiven any So this out Text is such a restriction or limitation narrowing and bounding all those large Priviledges Immunities and indulgences and tells us in plain terms Except we suffer with him we shall not regin with him for every one is ready to catch at the Priviledges and assume them to themselves but stay as if he should say Although these be very large priviledges yet let me tell you to whom they
overcome by lust and Absalom to fall by Ambition and Abiram by murmuring Iudas by covetousness the Richman by gluttony and that Simon Magus was overcome by covetousness and the like But here is the misery of all miseries and the height of all aggravations For a man to go to hell by his Religion and profession of truth for a man to go to hell by hearing of Sermons By receiving the Communion by praying by preaching by abstinence By overcoming of Vice by Resisting of sin by giving of alms c. to bless themselves and say I thank God I am not thus and thus as the Pharisee said I am not as other men nor as this Publican I do not as other men do I do not swear as such a man I do not blaspheme and lye and be drunk as such and such I go to Church twice a Sabbath I attend diligently I read and repeat the word in my family I pray twice a day nay not onely so but I keep a strict watch over my heart and tongue I have overcome swearing and filthy speaking and lying and covetousness all these have I killed my life is unspotted No man can say Black is my eye But may it not be said of thee as it was once concerning Alexander that when he came to besiege and take a City and the enemy stood upon a high steep mountain or bulwark upon which stood Elephants so that they were in such a strait they knew not what to do for if they killed they should kill more of their own Army then of their Enemies For if they killed the Elephants that stood in the front their heavy bodies would tumble down upon them and kill them So say I I fear that in killing of sin sin hath killed thee Are not all thy good deeds fallen upon thine own head and hath not all thy labour and pains that thou hast taken Killed thine own soul And for all this Potent strength that this Lucifer you see hath yet he hath gotten Armour on besides And his armour is Innocency And the more of this he hath the more strong and the better Armed is He I say the more innocency and unsportedness This Lucifer hath so much the more strong is he against God but as David saith Psal. 119. 71. It was good for me that I was afflicted for before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have respect to all thy Commandments So may I boldly say It were good for thee to Fall Nay it were better that God would let thee fall then stand that thou mayest come to see thine own pride and glory laid in the dust and that thou be made to see Not what a strong excellent creature thou art but what a vile and sinful and what a weak creature thou art that so thou mayest say it was good for me and I find it by experience Oh it is good for me that I sinned and that I fell for before I sinned I went astray I had like to have gone to hell by all my good actions by my pride in them I was even at the very pits brink had this never been disclosed to me Oh Beloved Humility is the Top of all graces all is nothing if we have not That with them Beloved examine your selves Try and see whether these things be in you or not and if they be if you find them so I tell you you will never look so much to find any of them without your selves as within One Name more and then we conclude for this time The â—â—th name that is given him is The Red Dragon Rev. 12. 3. so called because of his colour And there appeared another wonder in heaven and behold a great red Dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads Friends I would fain bring you acquainted with This enemy also that you may once come to know him that you may beware of him for I open all these several names that so I might fully describe and set him out to you that you may know him that if you find him not in you by one name yet you may by another and if not by one or two yet by all his names compared together That as Moses put his hand into his bosom and pulled it out leprous so I would fain have you finde that these things are in your own bosoms you are all Lepers but know it not And though I take some time in opening these names yet I hope it will be profitable to you for as yet I am not half gone through them This Red Dragon makes his Fiery assaults upon the Soul daily and hourly and there doth he make Wreck and spoil he there cruelly Rends and Tears your poor souls and you for all that see it not nor are sensible thereof There He Seises upon his Prey Which but with a very strong hand will he forsake And by those his fiery darts which the Apostle speaks of he wounds the soul to death and destruction and there is no delivering the soul from the jaws of this fiery Dragon but by the Almighty power and hand of God for he goes about like a Roaring Lion seeking his prey and whom he may swallow up and devour 1 Pet. 5. 8. And his Armour is bloâ—d it is no less then your bloud your life that feeds him And he Thirsts for bloud which is your life and that is his life his meat and drink And there is no overcoming this Dragon but by destroying That which is the very life of your lives viz. Of your carnal and fleshly lives the life of pride and the life of covetousness the life of arrogancy and self-boasting c. All Humane and worldly wisdom must be brought down The natural man as born of the old Adam must be crucified and slain and be utterly stript of all his wisdom and power ye must take up arms and go to war within your selves and fight with your selves fight with your own wills with your own affections You mus resist and cast away that which is sweet and dear to flesh and bloud you must cut off your right hands and pull out your right eyes else this Devouring Dragon will never be overcome Every man loves his blood dearly the natural mans sin is as dear to him as his blood it is so interwoven and runneth into the very nature of man even as the blood through every part and membâ—r so that take away the bloud and you take away the life And nothing will satisfie this bloudy red Dragon but bloud this he lives upon and therefore whenever ye look and behold in your selves or any other A dearness in sin A love to sin you shall finde how loth they are to part with it Can a Blackamoor change his skin or a Leopard his spots Neither can ye which are accustomed to do evil learn to do well saith Isaiah Therefore He is A Sore Enemy SERMON III. ROM 8. 17.
If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together THis Text as I have told you represents a Christians whole time that is His Non-age and his Full-age if that be too long his Winter and his Summer if that also be then call it His Day His Evening and His Morniâ—g as Gen. 1. The Evening and the Morning were a day Observe The Evening alwayes before the Morning Now every one I know will be ready to say as Balaam said Oh that I might dye the death of the righteous and that my last end might be like his Numb 23. 10. Oh let my Full Age be like his let my Summer and my Morning be like his The truth is every one would Reign with Christ but none would Suffer with him When the time shall come that we must surrender up these precious souls of ours and that we feel and see we have but our three last groaning sighs to fetch and that we must be dissolved depart out of this Tabernacle and return to our first principles from whence we were taken and that our spiâ—its must return to God that gave them I say when we shall come to see this if so be we believe so far as this Oh then we would willingly dye the death of the righteous and that our dayes might end like his but by no means would we take part with him in his Non-age in his Winter in his Evening in his Suffering with Christ Oh no therein he cryes out Master favour thy self from these things let none of these things happen to thee but this Text I have now read unto you withstands all these wishes and desires In plain words If ye suffer with Christ then shall ye be glorified with him if ye suffer not with him there is no hope of glory no hope of reigning no hope of the crown Therefore it behoves us to look for sufferings we must make account of being sufferers and of being such kind of sufferers as may claim a part in Christs sufferings for there be many sufferers in the world yet have no part with Christ. Moreover it may be We never were whipt with Christ never poor with Christ never crucified with Christ never imprisoned with Christ we were never called as the Apostle saith to resist unto bloud how then can we claim a part of suffering with Christ therefore we must labour to find out such a condition wherein we may claim a part in Christs sufferings and then we may also in his Throne and Glory We must therefore suffer as the Apostle defines Christs sufferings Phil. 2. we must first empty our selves as Christ did and Secondly We must humble our selves as he did fot he being God equal with his Father yet he emptied himself of all his glory that is poured it all out and made himself of no reputation being so humble that he was found in the form of a servant Now when a Christian begins but to set his face toward Ierusalem if he do but begin to look towards this Emptying and suffering life he shall be sure to find enemies enough this old man Adam Lucifer Antichrist the red Dragon Sin c. All standing like so many Goliaâ—s or strong men armed standing at the very gate that if ye do but look towards the door they prepare to encounter they stand at the very foot of the six steps which I named unto you 1 Condemnation 2 Annâ—hilation of our selves 3 Forsaking of all things 4 Indifferency to all things 5 Conformity in all things 6 Deiformity or Transformity Wherein conâ—â—sts Our suffering with Christ which Enemies do labour might and main to hinder us from suffering with Christ so that before we can set one foot on this first step there stands I say Goliah That mighty Giant Standing for the whole army of the Philistims being six cubits and a span high with an helmet of brass upon his head armed with a coat of Male and greaves of brass upon his legs and a target of brass between his shoulders and the staff of his spear being like a Weavers beam and his spear head weighing 600 shekels of iron This Goliah thus armed stands and if any man attempt or have a thought to look toward these six steps he cries and proclaims Choose you a man and if he be able to come and fight with me if he prevail over me then will we be your servants and serve you but if I prevail over him then shall ye be our servants for ever But it may be some will say to me I know not the man I never saw any such thing as you speak of I have none of these things in me you touch not me I am free I have nothing to do with this strong man armed This Goliah nor Lucifer nor the Serpent nor the red dragon nor Antichrist Therefore I intended and began last day to open unto you those names that thereby you might see whether you knew any of these or no for the Scripture hath given this Enemy divers names and set him out divers wayes to us because these things are in themselves far above our capacitie therefore he hath divers names that if you know him not by one yet you may by another for he hath divers and various effects and workings in man and he works in darkness and his works are works of Darkness so that few ever come to discover him or them Therefore I hope after we have gone tâ—rough them all ye will not say Ye know not the man we speake of or that you have not heard of any of these things and that you have no such things within you Nor that you have none of these secret whisperings none of these resistances and fightings within you Nor you have none of these wars and rumours of wars within you you can repent and confess your sins when you list And you for ought you can see have none of this battle of Warriors as Isaiah speaks of which is with confused noise and garments tumbled in blood you have none of this burning up with the fewel of fire But assuredly know That all These things will be within you before there can be To us a child born and To us a son given And if there be Through Gods Blessing such a happy discoverie by that time we have opened these names so that you shall be able to say Sir as you say he is so have we found him truly Nabal is his name and Nabal is his nature Adam is his name and so is his nature the Serpent is his name and so is his nature the red Dragon is his name and so is his nature Then this will be a Happy â— Blessed day to you As I said if so be you find him in you by these names or by his effects then assure your selves He must be fought withal there is no overcoming of him without fighting Do not think that he is Scared with words
this love of darkness is a strong Armour Love is a strong cord As a threefold cord not easily broken because men love darkness they not onely conceit they are in light when they are in darkness but they love it they will not be removed from it If ye break this cord of love ye break their life you undo them What not love themselves what not love that which all the world good and bad sayes is good what not Honours good nor Riches good Oh how sweet are these things to flesh and blood they are joyned together with inseparable love And except God himself with his Mighty Arm break in sunder this Cord it will never be broken The thirteenth name is Flesh â—al 5. 1â— For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would so called because t is executed exercised in the flesh and Iohn 3. 6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit If we speak it is by the flesh if we do any thing hear any thing see any thing it is of the flesh t is true we think speak do but t is through flesh and therefore is flesh and you know what the Apostle saith When we are present in the flesh we are strangers to God whatever action we do If we do it by the flesh and from the flesh Sure it is Flesh and blood shall never inherit the Kingdom of God But what may be the Armour of this flesh His Armour is Provision how do men make provision for the flesh Rom. 13. 14. and in the mean time neglect their souls all their thoughts words actions all their walking sitting lying running 〈◊〉 is To make provision for the flesh and when they think they have made sufficient provision for 〈◊〉 then they are at rest till then never 〈…〉 heart hands feet eyes all are set a work to makâ— provision for this flesh but where where is the man that takes such care and endeavours to make such provision for his soul where is the man that can say or doth say of his soul as that rich fool in the Gospel said of his bodily goods Soul soul now take thy ease eat and drink and be merry thou hast goods laid up for many years Where I say is the soul that can say triumphingly Soul soul now take thy rest take thy Ease be Merry in thy God let him be thy joy thy game and thy gain though thou hast not One penny no matter thou hast treasure enough laid up for ever henceforth never more take thought care for no more God is mine he is Enough and Enough The fourteenth name is Selfness Whoever will be my Desciple let him deny himself Luke 9. 23. not onely deny thy self all those things that are evil it is not meant onely so but deny thy self in every thing even in that is good whatever it be that is well done and is indeed a good action that is good really in it self and thou wouldest Nay and thinkest thou oughtest to think well of it Oh this is well done here I have done a good action Away with these thoughts they are dangerous Run away from these thoughts as Christ did when the Jews would have made him King Own not these thoughts the good actions thou dost are none of thine thou hast nothing thou art nothing nothing is thine but sin thou never didst a good action never thoughtest a good thought Shall I ascribe to my self the glory of doing any thing all action is Gods sin evil wickedness is thine away with it down down proud worm down dust down ashes cast down your crowns before the Lamb and him that sitteth upon the throne and confess all honour all praise all power all might all dominion is his and his alone for ever and ever cast down not onely your weaknesses and infirmities but cast down your Crowns your excellencies your graces that wherein your selves and others think you excel and confess That all the glory and all the strength is none of yours it is all his acknowledge I say as the truth is that you are nothing that you can do nothing and say there is nothing due to me but shame and confusion of face for ever but to God onely be all the Honour Glory Power Praise Majesty and Might And the Armour of this Selfness is love of our selves as the Devil told God concerning Iob Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life This love of our selves we cannot part from He that will save his life shall â—ose it but he that will destroy himself destroy his life shall save his life A very strange paradox to flesh and blood The fifteenth name is Propriety but herein I know I touch your coppy-hold and as our Saviour saith Iohn 8. 45. Though I tell you the truth I know you will not believe me Oh this Propriety is that that is dear to us that is when we ascribe this or that thing to our selves I have Propriety in this thing it is mine and mine onely and we look upon it as a thing we may do what we please with it you think it is your own but know you have nothing but what is given you And it may be you confess that but you think it is given you for your selves and you think you may keep it for your selves No God hath made thee but a 〈◊〉 it is his whatever it be and thou art to â—mploy it for him another hath as much right â—n it as thou if God call for it Therefore thou 〈◊〉 deceived It is none of thine It is Gods But if you will claim it All and you will have All the right in it then I say you must disclaim your â—ighâ— in Christ and I say to you as Peter said to Simon Magus Your money and you perish together Thou hast neither part nor portion in the kingdom of Heaven I but here Propriety hath his Armour and he is armed with the Word of God He that cares not for his family is worse then an Infidel I must â—ake care of my self of my wife of my children Truly Friends through the depravation of reason we have so corrupted the Scripture and so misâ—pplyed it to our own destruction wresting Scripture and picking out some places meerly to serve our own turns and no otherwise But I would to God you had so much care of your wives and children as you should in the name of God go on I do not forbid you to care but walk on in your care and in your callings but consider â—ill you therefore count these things your own â—nd not anothers as well as yours if his necessity call for it Let me tell thee God is not tyed to provide for thee That way
you have as really found done in you as if you had been with Sampson himself and seen him do what is related of him for t is all done in you There be two names more but the time is past and I can but name them The nineteenth name is Sathan for he opposeth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped And his armour is Infidelity The twentieth is the Evil one and his armour is pleasure to do evil So much for this time SERMON V. ROM 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together IF we would know what these sufferings are we are to endure if we would be glorified with Christ said I to endure nay that we should be glad to entertain yea and rejoyce in it is not meant of scorn or scandal or poverty or imprisonment or whipping or death it self for then what shall become of them that never suffer any of these things and yet do suffer with Christ therefore I told you wherein every one must suffer with Christ if they will be glorified with him and that is in two things 1 In Emptying of himself 2 In humbling himself If we imitate him in these though we are not called to the former it is no matter so we be ready in affection and are in preparation to suffer them if we be called to them for those two are the Original of Christs sufferings the foundation the root The Fountain all His other outward and external sufferings are but the effects the leaves and the fruit From these two do all the rest stream and flow as from the Spring their Fountain and Well-Head Well then This Ground-work and Corner-stone being laid Let me tell you it will bear All it will bear any building God shall rear upon it and wanting this foundation though we suffer all poverty all disgrace all tortures that can be named yet we suffer not with Christ and therefore they will not nor cannot bring you to glory with him And Again let me tell you The least mite of sufferings though it be never so smal yea as small as the two mites being but half a farthing the poor widow offered coming from this foundation and fountain it is great and precious in Gods sight for it is from God and of God when as all tortures name what you can are not regarded by him without they come from this foundation and Principle And as I told you there be six degrees in these sufferings or six steps Typified by the six steps that led unto Solomons Throne These six steps we must ascend before we can sit down in the Throne of rest peace and perfection having overcome all our enemies and having brought all into subjection and that all things are put under Christs feet and that he rules in the midst of his enemies And made his Enemies his Footstool The first Blessed step is 1. Condemnation of our selves as worthy to be destroyed 2. Annihilation of our selves reducing ourselves to just nothing That whereas sin hath made us something in our own esteem and it hath built up a tower in us to reach up to heaven Grace may scatter it And confound our language and bring it again to nothing 3. Abdication or for saking all resigning up all to God all that ever we are or have 4. Indifferency to be equally disposed to every thing to want and riches to cold weather and hot to peace and war c. knowing that nothing can be better ordered then it is All being done according to his will 5. Conformity to Christ in all things that what ever Christ would do were he on earth in my case in my calling and condition the same do we 6. Deiformity that is That though you see us move wish affect will rejoyce c. yet it is not we but it is God doeth all it is God that moves it is God that wishes it is God that wills it is God that rejoyces And we are now come after much striving to set out foot upon the first step namely Condemnation of our selves confessing our own vileness and wreâ—chedness for so far as we justifie and approve oâ—r selves so far are we from ascending this first step of condemning our selves Friends I would not have you think my labour lost in opening those several names That kept us from ascending â—hese steps for if ever you ascend these yoâ— muâ—â— see those things all in your selves and they 〈◊〉 be removed before ever you can look towards these steps with so much as a purpose to ascend them If you have not lookt all this while within your selves and lookt to find there The Devil Sin the red Dragon the Serpent Lucifer the roaring Lion Antichrist c. my labour is lost I have but be at the air and spilt water on the ground And it is but a folly to proceed to open these steps for as ye understand not the One so neither can you the Other they are both to you As a fountain walled about and a spring shut up and as a book Sealed And he that after all this is not able apparently to see and confess that all these are in himself he is blind and sees nothing The subject of our Coudemnation Being The strong Man The Old man This Goliahâ— of Gath c. as you may remember we have arraigned and indicted him by several Names because he may not escape and shift off the indictment so that he may be accused arraigned and condemned in every heart here present that if you find him not by one name yet you may by some other either by the name of Adam or the old Man or the Serpent or Lucifer or the red Dragon or the Roaring Lion or the Devil or Antichrist or Sin or by the name of Rebellion or False Light or Darkness or the Flesh or Selfness or Propriety or Self-Love or our Own will or lastly by the name of Errour For we shewed you that in Scripture he had all these names with many more if he be not known by any One of these yet by them all you may know him But lest you should think you have no Commission to ride this Circuit and sit as Judge and say Quis me constituit judicem Luk. 12. 14. Who made me a judge I answer We have not onely a Commission but a Promise annexed to it to encourage us to this judging 1 Cor. 11. where the Apostle commands Iudge your selves and you shall escape the judgement of God and Christ himself gives out this Commission annexed with a Promise Iudge your selves and ye shall not be judged But know this also though this work be done in thee it is not thou that doest it but God is judge himself yet God himself judgeth no man but all judgement is committed to the Son Ioh. 5. 22. and not onely the sentence but power and authority to execute that Office belongs to
man should come from some forrein parts and desire to see our Kingdom and should but onely come to the out-coasts and see onely the Cockle-sâ—ells that lie upon the shore or the Oyster-shells or the Pibble-stones that lie there and should immediately go back and say he hath seen England do you think that he is able to describe the Kingdom to any one that shal ask him Alas poor man he is deceived for he hath seen none of the pleasant Hills Vales none of the stately Structures Palaces Buildings none of the strong Castles Towers none of the Provisions and Ammunitions none of the Proper and Comely Men Women and Children none of the Healthful and Commodious Springs none of the Silver-Gliding and Pleasant Streams none of the Pleasant and and Fruitful Orchards none of the Pleasant Walks and Gardens nor any thing else esteemed the Glory of the Nation Even so when Men and Angels and all Creatures have seen and spoken to the utmost what they can of God Alas alas they have neither related nor seen any more then the Out-coasts the Suburbs of this our great God or of his Kingdom Glory and Majesty I say when we have written and spoken to the utmost even Men and Angels and all Creatures put all together all that ever they can do or say They all speak infinitely infinitely short of him they all can shew you but the Cockle-Shels and the Pibble-stones of his Kingdom Glory and Majesty they can describe nothing in comparison of what God is They have not seen the City with twelve Gates the streets whereof are pure Gold the foundations whereof are laid and garnished with twelve manner of precious stones and the twelve gates of several pearls and the streets of the City Transparent as Chrystal And the Glory of God and of the lamb are the light and glory thereof O then let us learn to give him the Glory the surmounting praises of his glorious greatness and incomprehensibleness And do it heartily freely Pour out your very souls before him like water fully and freely nothing your selves in his Being And although herein we may lose our selves and be annihilated yet be assured it is our greatest and onely Salvation and gain Learn we henceforth to know wherein our Riches and happiness lies O Beloved deceive not your selves and dote not on these outward temporal things on Honours Lands Livings Meat and Drink and those despicable things compared with these Riches and Pleasures which indeed are but poor Cockle-Shels for children to play withall and not for Grown-men in Christ These are but for the body for the back and belly and the outward and worser part of man and as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 6. 14. Meats for the belly and the belly for meat but God shall destroy both it and them All these things perish with the using Learn to distinguish and know what is true riches true food these outward things are but as the Cockle-shels and Pibble-stones that lie on the Out-Coasts of the Kingdom These are nothing of the State Riches Treasure Magnificence of the Kingdom of God You must learn to distinguish between the Riches and Glory of the King and the Cockle-shells at the shore And You that have Plenty of these outward things you have no more but shells and you that have no more you never enjoyed nor saw the Riches the Pleasures the Glory the Magnificence of this Great King or of his Kingdom which we have now been unfolding to you Beloved Let us all call to mind what hath been set before us and stand and wonder and for ever hereafter be amazed and astonished and cry out Oh the Gloâ—y the Glory the Infinite Vnspeakable and Vncomprehensible glory of our God of his Kingdom Majesty and Soveraignty and therein to be lost and swallowed up in an everlasting Abysse of Silence and Serenity And say to our selves as that Rich man in the Gospel and although he deluded his poor soul with false Ioy and Treasure yet this man may truly sing to his soul a Requiem as he did Soul soul take thine ease take thy rest sing and rejoyce leap dance Thou hast much goods laid up in thy God not only for many years but for ever and ever Luk. 22. 12. O now let us for ever take delight under His shadow sitting there with great delight with the Spouse saying as it is Cant. 2. 3. As the Apple-tree among the trees of the wood so is my Beloved among the Sons I sate me down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste being ravished in beholding him as Guiding all things as FILLING ALL THINGS and seeing him more our selves then ourselves she was overcome by his Glory and by her union with him c. O Beloved let us curiously survey him in all his Riches Attendance and Glory even the Kingly-nakedness of his Divine Being and let thy soul here set up her REST see him hear him and adore him and entertain all familiar and amorous parlyes with him and receive his Rosy Kisses close and amorous embracements and sugred expressions from him in which condition thy soul will be as it were annihilated and lost being swallowed up and drowned in him I tell thee thou blessed soul thou wilt be inebriated drunken and overcome with these Divine Pleasures Glories which are at his right hand for evermore looking upon and despising all things but him or as enjoyed in him as Empty Nothings as Cockle-shells and Pibble-stones but seeing him to be so Rich so Full so Ravishing and more then transcendently glorious and excellent that this soul can truly really freely and with all his soul say O thou whom my soul loveth thee onely I Adore Love Prize Admire and take full consolation and satisfaction in and I hate all other Comforts Houses Lands Father Mother Wife Children as compared with thee For he that hates not all these in comparison of thee he is not worthy of thee Beloved now I for my part am at my farthest lost and confounded in the beholding this vast and stupendiouâ— riches and glory of our Great and Almighty God which like a deep Sea before me stops my passage I can go no farther So that I must onely now stand upon the Banks and cry out with St. Paul Rom. 11. 33. O the depth of the Riches Wisdom and Excellency of God! how unsearchable are they and past finding out which are as unsearchable as God himself without brim without bottom And if things we see and behold here in the body which are as Cockle-shells and Pibble-stones be so excellent so rich and glorious so full so sweet so ravishing now we see but in part as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13. 12. what will the fullness of this glory be to us hereafter when we shall see as we are seen and shall not onely possess it but be possessed and swallowed up in it So
Goodness the Wisdom Excellency and Beauty of him You may say these indeed in themselves are glorious creatures but say withal Where is He that enlightens them and makes them so glorious Oh! What and How glorious is He that thus shines in them and through them And as they All testifie the glory of their Creator so they All suffer him to be their Lord and Ruler Every thing is contented to stand in his place and be obedient to him the beasts they are appointed for food to man as other things are for beasts every one increasing and yielding their sweetness and fatness to the next creature above them and this they do willingly without grudging And All these creatures though they do speak God yet that they say of Him it is nothing in comparison of him Though they say something yet they all say not All of him but in us there is such a deal of ignorance which I was about to say was the greatest sin that we are so far from using them as we should making them serviceable to us and keeping them in their place that we are rather serviceable to them and are their servants and we make them Masters we are sooner turned into their kind then they into ours And the creatures though they speak God and speak aloud of him yet know this they still cry Plus ultra plus ultra there is more behinde still look beyond us for we are nothing when thou beholdest The Beauty glory sweetness or Excelencie of any Creature or of all the Creatures together Hear This voice from Them Look Beyond us for we All are Nothing Nothing to Him who made us and gave us to be What we are And we all speak infinitely short of Him As when I see This Church or House I know he was a workman that built it yet I know not All of him I neither knew what age he was of nor what means he had but that he was a workman this his works do tell me So in the works of Creation when I look upon any of the creatures I must needs acknowledge he was a Rare workman and a wise that contrived and made it but they come infinitely far short of him And they still cry with that man in the Gospel We believe But Lord help our unbelief 2. For their prayers You know prayer consists of two parts Of Prayer or Invocation Of Praise and Adoration As I told you every creature praises God the work praises the workman and every creature praises God I and with a loud voyce But whoever heard and understood the noise and the language of the stones and the voyce of the still and quiet earth But even All these praise God Aloud and he receiveth it at their hands They all praise him in his Sanctum Sanctorum The whole world and the Heavens and the Heaven of Heavens are all but His Temple as David saith In this Temple doth every one speak of His glory In this Temple they all sing praise and Hallelujahs to him every one even as it were vocally as Psal. 84. 3. David complains that the Swallows and the Sparrows were more happy then he for they might draw nigh unto God in his Temple to praise him for what is their chirping crying and singing but the voice of nature and to whom do they cry and to whom do they sing but to their Creator and God knows their voice and their cry as David saith He feeds the young Ravens when they cry unto him As a mother knows the signs the Child makes knows by the nuzling what it craves even so doth God by all his creatures The eyes of all things look up unto thee and thou givest them their meat in due season What the eyes of all men nay of all things You know one creature understands the voice of another they understands one anothers complaints one anothers singing and rejoycing one Dog understands the voice of another and so every creature in its kind and shall not God who is the God of nature he knows whereof we are all made and He knows all our complaints and wants The Lions seek their prey of God and he feeds the Ravens when they cry unto him But if these should not preach Gods praise yet the very stones do speak his praise and cry unto him but yet in such a language as God understands who made them and therefore you to whom God hath given rongues and understanding if you do not praise God and glorifie him if you hold your tongues all these dumb creatures and even these senseless stocks and stones shall rise in judgement against you for this is a true rule Nature hath done nothing in vain What 's the reason the poor sheep bleats when it comes to the slaughter and the swine Roars when he is killed do you think they cry to us that pursue them kill them no no but to God who is witness of their surrendring up their precious lives according to his will STEVEN when he was stoned to death nor Jesus Christ when he was crucified and said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit they did not cry more Audibly I say not more Audibly in Gods eares to God to take notice of their innocent yielding up their lives then these creatures do Cry to God when they suffer cruelly and unjustly crying to God Lord lay not this sin to their charge And Father into thy hands I commit my life and my spirit and fall asleep as Steven did and return to their rest 3. The third thing is their Decalogue but this belongs onely to us because they need none they never broke their law they alwayes walk according to Gods will The water and the sea summer and winter hay-time and harvest with all other things these all keep their appointed time they all obey thy will O God True it is they have not that reason that we have and therfore they have not so exact A Decalogue Yet God hath power even to break this exact Law yea man also may if God give him a dispensation and then if he break any of these Laws it is no sin as God commanded Abraham to kill his son and he did kill him in his intention and he had killed him had not the Angel staid his hand and it was not Evil but Obedience in Abraham But if any one shall do this from their own will then it were sin for he that gave the Law may break the Law And for this third part we need say no more 4. For their Sacrifices or Sacraments I do not say they sacrifice as of themselves but they are not onely an occasion of our praising God and sacrificing to him but they are also the matter of our sacrifices yet David in that of I Chron. 16. 31 32 33. Exhorts Let the Heavens be glad and the earth rejoyce and let men say among the Nations The Lord reigneth so withal saith he Let the sea
God that the Truth and the word of God it self is hid and coucht under mighty parables for without a parable spake he nothing unto them and indeed without parables can we not have the truth As we cannot have meat without excrements for in all the meat we eat there is abundance of excrement to a very little nourishment the greatest part though never so refined and decocted is excrement And so I say of the Letter the Letter compared with the Spirit is but the Shel the Excrement the outward Husk of the word and we have a great deal of excrement and Husk and Shell that doth us no good at all to a very little meat for you know excrement doth not nourish at all that comes away again and goes into the draught as our Saviour saith yet we may not abhor nor undervalue the Excrement of the Word because it is Excrement for we cannot have the meat thereof without Excrements for that which is Excrement doth but serve to convey the nourishment into the body God could not possibly speak to us nor convey his word but by the Excrement of the Letter as he hath done Something must be presented to our eyes and ears externally that we may conceive what is done internally for if Almighty God should have spoken as he would have spoken we should not have been able to have heard him for he should have quite undone our understanding As the Sun shines to us and gives us light at such a distance and through so many elements ayr and clouds and Mereors and many such interruptions so many thousand miles of distance which keeps his own perfect and full lustre glory and brightness from us for if it should not do so we should be quite blinded and our sight destroyed by it for we have much ado the strongest-sighed man that is to behold and look upon the Sun at that distance as it is what should we do then if these things and such a distance interposed not themselves between our sight and the Sun So if our great and Almighty God should speak to us in a spiritual way and as himself would speak if he should shine into us in the least part of his own splendor and glory all our sights all our apprehensions of him would be quite put out he would utterly destroy our sight and we should be quite swallowed up for we cannot possibly see God nor hear God but onely in that way that he hath already spoken to us But happy is that man who gets not the excrement but the nourishment of the Scriptures And I pray you for all this which I have said To magnifie the Spirit above the Letter let us be so far from throwing away the Letter that you rather infinitely bless God for it and be very thankful to him that he hath so far condescended to stoop so low to our weak capacities that we may come as we are able to receive the knowledge of him who is our happiness and eternal life O praise his infinite goodness for ever that the Mighty Strong Infinite Wise Creator hath been pleased so far to abase himself as to deal with us as with Babes for we are no better That HE the Mighty Jehovah is become weak to the weak that he hath made himself a Babe to us Babes Oh! be amazed and astonished at it for ever and fall down continually before his footstool with all trembling and fear St. Paul who was but a man tells the Corinthians that he could not speak unto them as spiritual men how then could God himself speak to them as spiritual or they to bear His words If we cannot bear the words of a weak frail man how is it possible to bear the words of God Himself As the Poets fain of their God Iupiter and his Wife Iuno a certain woman desiring of Iuno that she might but lie with Iupiter in all his glory and majesty she answered O woman thou hast asked thine own destruction but she persisting in her desire and having her request granted presuming upon her own strength And as soon as ever Iupiter drew near she was presently made in to powder Shewing thereby thus much unto the people that the true God was infinite and incomprehensible For let me tell you they intended as much as ignorant as you conceive them to be though to the common people they spake after this manner Covertly by similitudes and comparisons For there was not one of all the learned but knew that such a One must the true God be Neither let us be so simple as to think that they thought these to be Gods Or that their Gods and Goddesses were so wicked as to be Adulterers or the like They were not so sottish but they hid and couched the Truth under these shadows So God Almighty even Our God who is the true God if he should speak unto us as he is in himself what creature could stand before him he would speak all the world to powder to nothing for if he had pleased he could have spoke All Truth in One Word but where had been Auditors to have heard or understood that word As when the people murmured against Moses and Aaron and were divided against them and for them They thought that all the people of God were holy and Moses and Aaron took too much upon them and God could speak by them as well as by Moses and Aaron but as soon as God began to shew himself in his power and majesty they all trembled and were not able to stand before him and again when the people thought they would go up to the mountain as well as Moses Well saith Moses if ye will do but as soon they drew near to the foot of the mountain and the storms began but to arise and they heard the thunder and the lightnings and the terrible noise and the trumpets sounding louder and louder then they began to tremble and fear and prayed that God would not speak unto them lest we dye said they but let Moses speak to us for we can Hear Him Brethren know this for an undeniable truth that in Gods word there is such a depth of light and of glory Such ravishing profoundness That will serve all the men that ever were are shall be yea all the Divines and People of God through all generations nay and adde to them all the Angels in heaven to pry and dive into through all eternity and yet shall never be able to find out the bottom and the Vast stupendious depth thereof But as I say God is pleased for our capacities to give us these things hid under a vail That he may give us The Norishment He is faine to give us with it the Excrement which he would not do if we could receive the Nutriment alone For saith the Apostle Till this day while Moses is read they have still the vail over their heart In the outside of the Letter you see
or none Evil Actions as they are Actions that are in Scripture attributed to Satan that are not likewise ascribed to God either for things External or Internal Truly friends I may not keep back any part of Gods counsel for fear of the Iews Although they be Angry at the preaching of these things First For External Actions If we look upon Iob Did the Sabeans come and take away his Oxen and slew his servants and was that done by Satan upon that Commission given to him Iob 1. 12. All he hath is in thine hands why yet we know it was God gave him that very Commission who is the Lord of all Hosts yet acted by Bands of Sabeans and Armies of men Did the Chaldeans set upon his Camels drove them away and slew his servants know as David saith The Lord teacheth my fingers to fight And the mouth of the sword of the Chaldeans could not bite till God bad it Did the fire burn up his sheep and his servant yet we know that it is the Lord God Who raineth snares fire and Brimstone Psal 11. 6. and in that very History it is called Ignis Dei The fire of God Job 1. 16. Did a great wind come from the wilderness and blew down the house and killed Iobâ— children yet 't is certain He that is the Lord Bringech the windes out of his treasure Psal. 135. 7. Iob saith The Lord hath taken away c. Job 1. 21. But to come nearer yet Did the Devils enter into the Girgasites swine So that they ran headlong into the sea and were drowned but yet they did not could not enter into them till Christ bade them go no no He that sends is greater then he that is sent the Lord is above the servant though the Devil may desire to do mischief yet he cannot accomplish it till he be authorized and impowred by God himself Now to come to spiritual Actions and such as may seem to have a Near and almost inseparableâ—ffinity â—ffinity with the worst sort of evil Sin for the other were but Medicines Nocumenta Documenta Nocuments are Documents Did the Devil Harden Pharaohs heart yet the Text saith plainly of God I will harden Pharaobs heart Exod. 7. 3. Obduration and hardness of heart is a grievous sin and a Heavy punishment yet God saith I will harden Did the Devil tempt Absalom to take his fathers Concubines yet 2 Sam. 12. 11. saith God I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house Yet again Thou didst it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel Did a Lying spirit that is the Devil Seduce Ahab that he might go up and fall at Ramoth-Gilead yet it is recorded in the same place Behold the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy Prophets saith Micaiah 1 King 22. 23. I will sum up all in HIM who is the sum of all Christ Jesus Ioh. 12. 40. who citing that of the Prophet Isaiah Isa. 6. 10. where God commands to make the heart of this people fat and shut their eyes c. Christ saith plainly Ioh. 12. 40. HE hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that they should not seeâ— nor be converted And saith he These things spake Isaias when he had seen the glory of God And then spake of him So likewise did the Devil enter into Iudas his heart to betray his Lord Luk. 22. 3. It was true yet I will say as Austin upon Psal. 61. towards the end of it Malignus Iudas Traditor Christi Maligni persecutores c. Iudas was wicked who betrayed Christ the Jews were wicked who persecuted him with malice to death all of them were impious and miserable wretches to crucifie the Lord of life And yet Paul saith to the Romans Rom. 8. 32. The FATHERâ— spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tradidit BETRAYED HIM yet it was HIS FATHER And Ephes. 5. 2. tradidit seipsum And He gave up Himself and yet Iudas He betrayed him What shall we say herein Dispone si potes distingue sipotes dispose and distinguish if thou canst To that end Let us then take the counsel of our Saviour Let us give unto God the things that are Gods and unto man what is mans let us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with boldness give unto God as the SOLE SUPREME Agent The Glory of all Actions of what nature or kind soever as actions As to the soul The power and act of seeing but of seeing doubly or dimly to the organ it useth so God gives to the soul the Act and power of Hearing smelling tasting speaking thinking Going and Doing and the like but for the Evil and viciousness of any or all these to the organ they use and imploy In bâ—ief Take this as the sum of all let God have all the glory honour and praise of all actions they belong to him alone but to our selves let us take shame and confusion Baldness to every head and shame upon all faces Ezek. 7. 18. Gods righteousness in all these is like the great mountains and his â—udgements are a great depth Psal. 36. 6. like the mountains indeed Eternal and Eternally mountains though we climb never so long never so high They are still past finding out and are like the great DEPTH Depth still though we sink never so low and therefore Cusanus speaks learnedly to this point Omnia creat Deus etiam alterabilia mutabilia corruptibilia contraria c. that is God creates all things alterable changeable corruptible contrary yet he created not Alteration Changeableness Corruption nor Contrariety for seeing that he is HIMSELF Entity Life and Substance Essence and Being He doth not cannot create Non-Entity Destruction Death or Ruine but Hee is Alone BEING LIFE and SUBSTANCE And yet so it musts needs be for God is the God of Order and order implyes plurality and diversity And then secondly what harmony or musick is made upon one string or if it be a Monochorde yet there must be divers fâ—ets and stops and cliffs In this case you know The sweetest Harmony is made where there is the greatest discord and Variety To go a step or two further In that famous and memorable story of Ioseph his Brethren t is said sold him to the Midianitish Merchants in their malice and they into Egypt where he was tempted by his Mistris An act worse then the other yet when he makes himself afterwards known to his brethren Gen. 45. 5. Ioseph saith plainly Misit me Deus c. God sent me hither before you into Egypt They did it and God did it they indirectly God directly yet Ioseph saith it was not you but God sent me before So also in that act of Shimei he was set on by the Devil to curse David yet David saith Let him alone let him curse the Lord hath
the aforesaid Things and is Comforted and Led by God and hath alwayes a Free introversion or turning inward into himself And all his works and Himself also are made Divine so that in this Perfect imitation of Christs example He doth plainly and clearly know the Lively Truth of the Sacred Scriptures in his own experience and as it shineth into all Pure Hearts The PRAYER THE Almighty power of God the Father vanquish and overcome in us whatsoever may hinder us from him and give us strength to do his most acceptable will in all things The most bright wisdom of God inlighten us and lead us to all good things which may bring us forward to him Alone The unspeakable and super-abounding love of the Holy Ghost pierce through all the oppositions in us kindle and unite our love unto himself with a most Ardent and Pleasant Turning all our powers and strengths So that forgetting those things that are behind we may follow His most Sweet calling and Amorous drawing whereto from Everlasting The-more-then Most-glorious Trinity hath predestinated us Namely from the love of This deceitful world to the enjoyment of Himself and to all His Riches and infinite Blessedness So that by Grace we may be made that which we are not Nor cannot be by nature To whom be All Praise Obedience and Reverence from Every Creature Through Infinite Ages Amen A SHORT DIALOGUE Between a Learned Divine and a Beggar A Certain Divine who if we may believe the ancient Copies was Iohn Taulerus himself who meeting with A Beggar Had this Discourse Containing A most Excellent Example of a Perfect man whence we may be taught How in All things we ought to be of the same mind Resigned to the Will and Appointment of God There was in times past a certain famous Divine who by the space of eight years had continually importuned the Lord by prayer conceiving He wanted the Right knowledge of the Truth notwithstanding all his Learning And spent whole Nights therein begging of God to let him know Him and know himself and to shew him Any man that might teach him The way of Truth and when upon a time He was inflamed with a most Vehement desire thereof a voice from Heaven Thus spake unto him Go forth to the Church-doors and there thou shalt finde A man that can Teach thee the way of Truth And going forth he found there a certain BEGGAR with Patcht and Torn apparel and filthy dirty feet all whose Apparel was scarce worth three half pence to whom by way of Salutation He thus spake unto Divine God give thee a good morning Beggar Sir I do not remember that ever I had an Evil one Divine God make thee Fortunate and Prosperous why dost thou speak in this manner Beggar Neither was I ever Unfortunate or Unprosperous Divine Be Happy what mean these words of thine Beggar Nor was I ever Unhappy Divine God save theeâ— now at last speak more plainly Beggar Truly Sir I will do it willingly Thou Sir didst wish me a prosperous and good morning and I answered I never had an Unprosperous or Evil one for when I am pinched with hunger I praise God if I suffer cold if it hail if it snow if it rain if the weather be fair or foul I praise God if I be wretched and despised I likewise praise God and therefore there never happened any Sad or Evil Morning to me Thou didst likewise wish that I might be Fortunate and I answered that I had never been Unfortunate Because whatever God Gave me or I suffered or whatever happened to me whether it were agreeable to Me or otherwise were it Sweet or Bitter I gladly received it at his hands as the best And therefore I was never Uâ—fortunate Thou saidst moreover that God would be pleased to make me Happy whereunto I likewise answered that I never had been Unhappy for I am fully resolved through his grace to adhere and onely to cleave to The will of God as the best as abandoning mine own will into which I have so wholly poured out mine Own will that whatever He Wills that I Will also and for this cause as I said I was never unhappy Seeing that I will cleave to his will onely and have wholly resigned mine own Proper Will Divine This is very strange But what I pray thee wouldst thou say if the Lord of Majesty would Drown Thee in the Bottomless pit couldst thou Then be content with His Will Beggar Drown me in the bottomless pit Why certainly if he should I have Two Arms by which I would still Embrace Him And claspe fast about Him One is True humility and that I lay Under Him and By Him I am united to His Most Sacred Humanity The other and that is the Right arm which is Love which is United to his Divinity And by this love Given to me from Himself I hold him so fast that he would be Forced to go down to Hell with me and it were much more to be wished by me to be in Hell with God Then to be in Heaven without him By this That DIVINE learned That the most Compendious way to God is A True Resignation with profound Humility Hereupon the Divine spake again to the Beggar and asked him Divine Good Lord Whence camest Thou Beggar From God Divine Where foundest Thou God Beggar Even There where I left All the Creatures Divine But where didst thou leave him Beggar In Humble and Clean hearts And In Men of Good-Will Which is His Temple and Dwelling-Place Divine I pray thee friend who art Thou Beggar Who am Iâ— Truly I am a King and and Jesus himself hath Crowned me with Peace power and Rest. Divine Art thou A King But Where is thy Kingdom Beggar Sir The Kingdom of Heaven is Within me In my Soul And I Can Now and Do by His power in me So Govern Command All my Inward and Outward senses That all the Affections and Powers of the Old man in my soul are Conquered and are in Subjection To the New man In me Which Kingdom No man can doubt But is better Then All the Kingdoms Scepters Crowns and Glories of This world Divine Lord What brought Thee To This Perfection Beggar My SILENCE Sublime Meditation and Above All My Union with the Ever-Blessed God of Peace and Rest Which is MY Kingdom And To say the Truth I could Rest in Nothing which was Less Then God And Now Having found My God I have Forsaken The Un-Quiet world And In HIM I have Found Everlasting Peace and Rest. JOHN 1. 45. PHilip Findeth Nathanael And saith unto him We have found HIM Of whom Moses in the Law And The Prophets did write ISA. 53. 7. OH How Beautiful Upon the Mountains Are the Feet of Him That bringeth Good Tydings That Publisheth Peace That bringeth Good Tydings of Good That Publisheth Salvation That saith Unto Zion Thy God REIGNETH LUKE 1. 29. LOrd Now lettest Thou Thy Servant Depart in peace According to
Thy Word For Mine Eyes Have Seen Thy Salvation Which Thou hast Prepared before the face of All people A light to lighten the Gentiles And to be The GLORY Of Thy People Israel EPHES. 6. 23 24. GRace be with All Them That Love The Lord Iesus in Sincerity and PEace be to All the Brethren And Love with Faith 〈◊〉 God The Father And The Lord Iesus Christ. JUDE 25. ANd To the Onely Wise God And Our Saviour Be Glory And Majesty Dominion and Poweâ— Now and Ever Amen and Amen IOB 42. 1 c. THen Iob Answered The Lord and Said I Have Heard of Thee by the Hearing of the Ear But Now Mine Eye Seeth Thee Therefore I Abhorre my Self in Dust and Ashes Now After The Lord had spoken These Words unto Iob The Lord Also said unto Eliphaz The Temanite My wrath is kindled against Thee And against Thy two Friends For Ye have not spoken of me The thing That is Right Like my Servant Iob. Therefore Take unto you Seven Bullocks and Seven Rams And Go to my Servant Iob And offer for your Selves a burnt Offering And my Servant Iob shall Pray for you For I will Accept Him Lest I should Put you to Shame Because Ye have not spoken of me The Thing which is Right Like My Servant IOB The Heads of the Particular Sermons Analysed and may serve as a TABLE Part 1. UPon this Text Mark 9. 50. Have salt in your selves he first stirreth up to attention and then He sheweth 1. What Salt is 2. What it is to have salt 3. What to have it in our selves Pag. 3. Several judgements what is meant by salt pag. 6. In what sense the Apostles were called salt pag. 7. Christ is the salt 1. To season our duties nothing from man accepted onely Jesus Christ in us pag. 9. 2. To heal our sin-wounds p. 11. 3. To preserve the soul from putresaction p. 13. 4. Salt hath a virtue to preserve it self All Gods promises are as a Covenant of salt like himself unalterable t is childishness to think God to be alâ—ered or changed by prayer p. 13 14. The fifth and main reason as the Author conceives as salt is the substance and knitter of all things so Christ is the salt of the salt p. 15 16 17. Object Christ comparing himself to salt if Christ can lose his savour as salt and be good nothing in what sense this may be in regard of Christ answered under the two heads explained p. 18 c. The Exhortation by way of Use p. 29 Third head is to see we have salt in our selves and to leave censuring and condemning others p. 30 c. That soul is a glorious Temple where God reveals himself in the graces of his Spirit p. 35 c. Two Sermons upon that Text 1 Cor. 2. 2. But I determined to know nothing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified HE sheweth Pauls undervaluing all things but this knowledge p. 41 c. Then what it is to know Jesus Christ truly which must not be externally onely but internally also p. 43 c. Men may know the letter and never know Jesus Christ for he is hid therein p. 45. Yet we may not slight the letter p. 46. True Christ as to us must be formed in us or he doth us no good p. 48. All men yea the learnedst and all the Princes in the world ignorant of Jesus Christ except it be revealed from above explained under two heads p. 49 c. How Abraham more then Prophetically saw Christs day explained p. 56. Christ is alwayes in us in regard of his being yet revealed but to some p. 57. True Demonstrations of Christ his being in us in several particulars and how he is said to be in us p. 58. 1. His birth if he be born in us ibid. 2. Christs star ariseth in us manifesting him to our selvâ—s and others p. 59. The manifestation or birth of Christ terrible to the fleâ—h p. 61 c. 3. We are circumciâ—ed with him ibid. 4. His silencing all the Doctors in the Temple which is done also in the soul before he can be entertained p. 65 c 1. Pleasure 2. Profit 3. Honor all dispute against Christ p. 67 c. A digression occasioned by a terrible from of thunder and lightning encouraging against fear p. 69. 4. Arrogance A dangerous and Common disputant p. 70 c. 5. Reason another great disputer against Christ in us p. 72 c. An Exhortation to look within our selves while these things are unfolding p. 73. 6. After Christ came to preach being thirty three years of age his first miracle turning water into wine how done in us p. 74. While men are in unrâ—generation they wholly seek themselves Neither the glory of God nor good of others p. 76. Christ his coming to us and departing from us further explained p. 77. Third head what it is to know Christ crucified p. 79. 1. So long as the strong man keeps the house Christ is crucified p. 81. The knowledge of Christ not to be had without knowing the Mystery of the Trinity briefly explained p. 82 c. 2. While we hearken to and obey the flesh Jesus Christ is crucified p. 88. The Letter of the Scripture owned justified but resting barely therein condemned p. 89. A Question answered how Christ should suffer and not God in regard they are One and the same p. 92. An example to clear these truths to us p. 98. A conclusion and application of all p. 99. He that truly seeth he hath crucified Christ cannot do it again for a thousand worlds p. 100 Eight Sermons upon Rom. 8. 17. If so be we suffer with him that we may be glorified with him SHewing as there were three rooms in Solomons Temple so there be three kinds of sufferers p. 118 c. The last onely the true sufferers p. 125. If this definition of Christs sufferings amaze us Two qualifications are propounded to encourage the weakest if true sufferers p. 134 c. All outward sufferings nothing if we suffer not with Christ in those two things expressed Phil. 2. 6 c. in emptying our selves p. 148 c. in Humbling our selves p. 148 c. There is no suffering with Christ but by overcoming the Old man p. 160. He is descâ—ibed by twenty several names explained and shewing what Armour each one weareth p. 149. Called 1. The Old man p. 164. 2. Adam 165. 3. The Serpent 168. 4. Lucifâ—r 161. 5. The Red Dragon 164. 6. The Roaring Lion 174. 7. The Devil 175. 8. Antichrist 179. 9. Rebellion 180. 10. Sin 188. 11. False-light 190. 12. Dâ—rkâ—ess 194. 13. Flâ—sh 195. 14. Selfness 196. 15. Propriety 197. 16. Sâ—lf-love 199. 17. Our own will 200. 18. Errour 201. 19. Satan 203. 20. The evil one ibid. These Enemies being overcome we have six steps to ascend to the Throne of Rest or Glorification 1. Condemnation 2. Annihilation 3. Abdication 4. Indiffâ—rency 5. Conformity 6. Deiformity p. 205. 1.