Conscience stands firm and quick it will not fail to detect all its Sorceries To speak out of my own experience it hath already manifested four of its gross Deceits Of the first in the day of Vocation for until then it shews not the depths of its Craft because all Men by Nature set forth into the World much leavened with the Love Lusts and Vanities of the Flesh and as long as the Soul is content to take part with it in wallowing in Sin so long the Heart troubleth not the Soul nor Satan the Heart because his desires prosper in that way which is most pleasing to him because most destructive to Souls neither will he tempt in this State to Superstition or Idolatry because it makes better for his end that neither God nor Religion should come within his thoughts But if the Soul shall become sensible of this Bondage and threaten to leave Egypt that it may sacrifice to God in the Wilderness then the Heart leavened by Satan sets on foot all its Stratagems and if God in favour of the Design raise up a Moses in it and smite the Heart with some noisom Plague or Affliction it cannot bear it makes shew of Repentance and promiseth that if God will remove his Hand it will become a true Leige-man but no sooner is that taken away but it hardens it self as Pharaoh did and will not consent that the Elect Seed shall depart out of its Slavery until the ten Egyptian Plagues have passed upon it for in that Story the Conflicts of the Spiritual and Natural Seeds upon Vocation are shewn in Allegory The second is That after the Soul is manumitted by a strong hand the Heart also enters into Covenant taking upon it the Oath of a holy Life and promising to perform all that Jehovah commands but yet upon the first strait or want murmurs starts aside like a broken Bow oft wishing it self in the Pleasures of Egypt again as sometimes the Sons of Israel did for God will put Trials on his called Ones in the first Journeying and these are to teach us to beware of the like Evils as it is written Now all these things happened unto them for example the original Types and are written for our Admonition upon whom the ends of the World i.e. Age are come Another Admonition we have in good Peter whose Heart being warmed with Love to his Master strait way boasted And though all should be offended with thee yet will not I vehemently affirming that he could die with him rather than deny him and doubtless the good old Man intended to do all he professed but so far his false Heart deceived him as on the appearance of Danger he denied his Master thrice before the next Cock's Crow was finished Which also serves for our Instruction fore-warning us not to boast in our own Strength always to distrust our Hearts and if perchance we be overtaken in Peter's Snares that we may with him renew our selves by bitter Tears The next Deceitfulness of the Heart is now when it entred on the Rule and whole Course of Obedience and persuades it-self its Works are upright before God and done upon the pure Principle of Love towards God and Man but indeed is meerly hypocritical moving upon mercenary hope of Reward or a base servile fear of Punishment not loving Justice and Mercy for Christ's sake not doing good to others for love of them but because they love themselves and hope to be Gainers by their Gift And this I fear is a frequent Evil as Experience teaches for whose was once zealous in Obedience in Duties and Charity and after upon the Incomes of Grace and hope that the Scourge is over becomes cold and remiss therein let them boast of what new Light and Gospel-Liberty they please they will be found Hypocrites Bastards and not Sons and so they may behold themselves in the Glass of their own Conscience For if the Command for Duties be still the same and thy Brother in want as before and thou shalt not communicate in both as formerly where is thy Love or Obedience and how were they formerly sincere No assuredly because thy Fear of Punishment is vanished so also Love and nothing more certain than that it was founded upon some base Foundation And thus the false Heart makes many play the Hypocrite persuading that those Hypocritical Sacrifices were acceptable to God which were verily little better than Swine's Blood And therefore here is great need of watching over the Buddings of the Heart and if upon this account Zeal or Charity languish it ought to be brought before the Judg and its Hypocrisy manifested and that if possible that may be renewed which was ready to die And if this be not done by thy self be assured that he that searcheth the Heart and Reins rendring to every one according to the Fruits of their working will do it and appoint thy portion amongst the Hypocrites But now the fourth and last Treachery of the Heart is whilst it is indeed zealous and perhaps competently faithful in these Duties and pretends that all its performances are as Dross and Dung and i◠〈◊〉 uprofitable â—â—rvant and therefore hath no dependence in them but sâ—â—ply on free Grace but nevertheless doth in its secret thoughts say Soul take thy rest for thou hast much Riches laid up for many Years And this is a sore Evil and frequent and thus Experience discovers it If the Heart say to the Soul Take thy rest there is assuredly some shreds of it but if it say to another who fears the Lord and walks by the Rule whereunto it hath attained Get thee far from me for I am more righteous than thou it hath taken a deep root Or if it boast with the Pharisee I thank God I am not as this Man I fast twice in the Week I pay my Tithes I pray in Spirit and read the Scriptures in Understanding and this Man is carnal he prays by a form of words and reads and understands not the Case is clear For how canst thou prefer thy Holiness to another's that believes in the same Christ and owns him to be Righteousness except thou suppose thou hast inhanced thy Merit by some false Vertue or Performance for this is but the vain boasting of the Heart puffed up with knowledg not considering that not many Wise are called but that God hath chosen the foolish and base things of this World to confound the Wise for it is not the Whole but Sick that stand in need of the Physician of Souls therefore seeing the humble and poor in Spirit are the fit Objects of Grace and Christ hath promised them Blessedness why should not the Heart taught to speak the Truth rather boast that it is enrolled amongst these for I know that whatsoever it thinketh yet it will openly profess that it must be saved by Grace and how knowest thou but he that is the Fool in thine eyes hath more Humility Meekness yea is greater in
and not equality for the Gospel hath in all things the preheminence above the Law even as Christ above Moses So as it may be said as the Law to Moses so the Gospel to Christ and as Moses to Christ so the Type is to the Antitipe Again it is to be observed that the Similitude betwixt them is in a reversed order in many things one whereof as most material to our present occasion we shall instance which is in respect of Time and Order for what was first in one must be last in the other For as a pure Innocence in our first Parents began the Law in the Command of the forbidden Fruit so must the last perfection of Gospel-Righteousness restore to a new State of Innocency as far excelling the former as the second Adam excelled the first And as the Sin of the first Adam in the beginning of time brought in the Curse Sin and Death so in the last of days shall Christ swallow them up in victory and deliver the Kingdom up to the Father as the Apostle fully shews in 1 Cor. 15. the whole Chapter but especially ver 24. 54. But of these things much remains to be said only here I add that the Law began in Innocency but Sin breaking in it ended in Death and the Gospel began in Death and shall drive away Sin and end in Life Eternal And therefore because in the Law Mountain-Worship preceded and prepared the way to Tabernacle-Worship therefore under the Gospel that Worship in the Spirit which answers to the Tabernacle must precede and make way for that which is the Spiritual Mountain-Worship And perhaps this may be the cause why David in his Questions first mentioneth the Tabernacle namely as having respect to Gospel-Order which without doubt in the Spirit he understood And upon this seems the Blessing of Moses to the Tribe of Joseph to be grounded Deut. 33.15 Blessed of the Lord be his Land for the chief things of the ancient Mountains and the precious things of the everlasting Hills 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 two words of great mystery the first looking back at the Age when Time dropp'd out of the Bosom of Eternity the other at that when it shall return to Eternity again Now by these antient and everlasting Hills are meant the first and last Glory of the Church of God as begun in Adam's Innocency and again debauched to Death and lastly re-edified to a more sure and a greater Glory by Christ in the last of Times Also to the like effect The Blessings of thy desire have prevailed above the Blessings of thy Fathers namely the ancient Mountain-Worshippers unto the ends of the everlasting Hills Gen. 49.26 Now these two Blessings of Moses and Jacob are but one thing and sweetly sing in the same Melody And thus often by Hills and Mountains the great Glory of the last Times are signified as Isa 2.2 And it shall come to pass in the last days that the Mountain of the Lord shall be established in the top of the Mountains and shall be exalted above the Hills and all Nations shall flow to it And many People shall say Come ye and let us go to the Mountain of the Lord to the House of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his Ways For out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem and he shall judg c. Which again is assured Isa 11.9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy Mountain for the Earth shall be full of the Knowledg of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea c. I for brevity's sake only recite a few words but the whole Chapters ought to be consulted both shewing the Glory of the last Days when contemplative Knowledg in the Spirit of Wisdom Understanding Counsel Fear and Knowledg shall flow like a River Look also Isa 25.6 7. 16. Now these things premised let us proceed to what was first in our intention namely to enquire how the Shadow answers to the Substance and to reduce David's Question to the Evangelical meaning whereon the great Interest of the Gospel-Professors depends in which we have a sure Guide namely the Apostle to the Hebrews who in the whole Epistle industriously strives to shew First their likeness and secondly the great Prerogative the Gospel hath over the Law And seeing the whole Epistle would be too long for this place we will only insist and that briefly too upon some few more plain Testimonies The first whereof is Heb. 3.5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his House as a Servant but Christ as a Son over his own House whose House we are if we hold fast the Confidence and rejoycing of the Hope unto the end In which Scripture we have two main points of this Parallel explained the one in the Institutors Moses and Christ the second in their Houses or Institutions Now concerning the Institutors the one was but a Servant the other a Son the first a Sojourner the second an Heir Again Moses was not able to bring the People of his House into the Land of Rest but Christ hath made all his Sons Co-heirs and Possessors with him of his Riches and Grace for of his Fulness have we received Grace for Grace Just as the sealed Wax receives the lines and impression of the Signet so the Faithful receive the efficacies of Christ the only difference being that our Gifts are in measure and his without ours cannot uphold us from Sin but must leave us light in the Ballance of Justice his is without measure and able to make up where our account is defective And hence it is written He was like us tempted in all things Sin only excepted Again Moses and Christ were both potent in Miracles but with this difference That Moses's Miracles were most-what for destruction of Enemies as in the Fields of Zoan and Christ's always to save oft-time Enemies he pulling down the pride of the Flesh this healing and comforting the broken in heart And this difference Christ himself asserts Mat. 5.43 It was of old Love thy Neighbour and hate thine Enemy namely in Moses's House But I say Love your Enemies c. It is also observable that the first Plague Moses miraculously brought upon Egypt was turning Water into Blood and the first of Christ's was turning Water into Wine John 2. Now by Blood is meant Legal Fear and Self-condemnation even unto Death which was the end of the Law for unto Death it brings all Men even the Elect which Death yet is of Mercy because in it lies the streight Gate leading to Eternal Life and by Wine is meant Joy and Consolation which are the end of the Gospel From whence in part appears the Parallel betwixt the Institutors the one a Servant the other a Son the one bringing down to that Death which all must pass before they can be new-born of Water and the Spirit and the other raising from
assured forsake his Captain for fear of a few Blows let us therefore not be dismayed but watch and prepare our selves for it looking unto Christ the Author and Finisher of our Faith who for the Joy set before him endured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the right Hand of God so let us do and obtain a Seat at his Footstool and with these words let us comfort our selves as the Apostle exhorts Consider him that indured such contradion of Sinners lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds Son despise not the chastning of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked by him for whom he loveth he chasteneth and calleth to this Trial. For though no chastisement be for the present joyous yet after it yieldeth the peaceable Fruits of Righteousness wherefore lift up the Hands that hang down and the feeble Knees and loose not with Esau both Blessing and Birthright which now is about to be established upon thee for ever if thou wilt but indure a little hardship 14. But perhaps the fearful Soul may say on this wise Surely this Day is terrible who shall live when God doth this If Christ besought that this Cup might pass from him if it were possible If his Soul were exceeding sorrowful even unto Death If in his Agony he sweat as it had been great drops of Blood And lastly in the bitterness of Death he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me How shall I a Worm be able to stand it To which I answer That all these things Satan in that Hour shall suggest unto thee and yet be not thou troubled but roul thy self upon him who for thy sake and not for his own suffered these things and for the Joy set before him endured all for even this his Joy was also upon thy account namely that for Sinners he should obtain Mercy And therefore do thou also set this Joy before thee and know that blessed is he that endureth to the last behold saith the Spirit to the Churches Fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer The Devil shall cast some of you into Prison that ye may be tried but be faithful unto Death even this Death and I will give thee a Crown of Life Secondly Know assuredly nothing shall be bruised in thee that is not thine Enemy Lust Superstition Idolatry nothing taken away but what are false lying Hypocrisies deceitful Shadows of Righteousness treacherous Pretenders to Felicity which at length would tear thy Soul in pieces like a Lion And on the contrary whatsoever in thee bears the true Image of God or is of the immortal Seed or in any way tends to everlasting Happiness shall be as safely hid from the Avenger in Christ as Noah was hid in the Ark or is as surely bound up in the Bundle of Life as the Soul of Isaac was when led to the Sacrifice And therefore fear not that ten Days of Affliction that shall rend away these lying treacherous Inmates and place there in their room the vital Seeds of Eternal Joys Thirdly Thou oughtest not to take a measure of thy Tribulation in this Hour from that of Christ's For first he took upon him all the Sins of the World which had been or should be and at once offered a full Sacrifice for all and thou only answerest for thine own which yet were of small comfort if indeed thou wert to satisfy Justice for the least of them But let this be thy support that indeed they are already cancelled in potentia and it only remains that thou by Confession Self-condemnation and Faith bring it into Act. Fourthly Know that whilst Christ by his Death opened a Way into the Holy of Holies which hitherto was unaccessible he made it plain and easy for thee Strait it is indeed and narrow and hard to find but being found it is smooth and not one Stone of Stumbling left in it Neither will the finding of it be difficult if thou wilt deny thine own Wisdom and take Christ for a Guide who also is ready at thy right hand as the Apostle saith Heb. 2.17 4.15 a merciful a faithful a well-experienced High-Priest merciful because in him all Love flows faithful because he cannot lie nor Guile come forth of his Lips experienced in that he suffered himself and was tempted like us in all points Sin only excepted and therefore knows how to succour them that are tempted and do suffer And therefore thy great Concern ought not to be what the weight of thy Sufferings are as cut out and appointed for thy Lot by God or Christ for his Yoak is easy and his Burden light but thy great Duty is to deny thy self thy Wisdom thy Works Merits Hopes yea even thy promised Isaac and all thy Labours in Righteousness from thy Call unto that day and so to confess with thy Mouth and believe with thy Heart and the thing is done But on the contrary if thou harden thy Heart as in the Provocation in the day of this thy Temptation in the Wilderness as thy Fathers did thou then bindest heavy Burthens upon thine own Shoulders and thine Answer shall be Who required these things at thine hands And if thou obstinately persevere in this stiff-neckedness assure thy self thy Carcase shall fall and perish in the Wilderness thou shalt reproach thy Conscience and it shall reproach thee thy whole Warfare shall turn to Wrath and Contempt and thy reproached Captain shall forsake thee and because thou wouldest not hear his Voice whilst it was called to day to morrow he will swear if thou enter into his Rest and in vain shalt thou seek Repentance tho with the Tears of Esau 15. Wherefore I say thy Warfare is not difficult on thy part in respect of the Decree of God but because of thine own Stiff-neckedness and therefore from some experience to speak unto thee Mark the Captain of thy Salvation from thy first Manumission out of the Bondage of Nature imitate and follow him close turn not to the left hand after a superstitious use of Ordinances nor to the right in a supine and negligent use of them nor yet being wearied and impatient of Wants loiter behind or turn back for Egypt Nor lastly let not thy Zeal to approve thy self couragious in this Combat make thee over-run thy Leader for that is but to challenge Satan to a Duel in the strength of thine own Arm and to be well buffetted for thy Pride And therefore keep upon thy Guard and watch and be assured he will call thee forth in the very nick of time and advantage for there is a time for all and every good pleasure of God and every one beautiful in its season For every new-born Babe is not fit for this Combat but must be first trained up in such Arms Exercise Discipline and Hardships as the manner of War shall require and then let him watch for the Alarm Of which we have an express Example from him we ought