refuse the seal thereof I know I am vile I am vile but thou hast pardoned me Lord I have abused thy love a thousand times refused thy offered self and withstood the tenders of thy Grace but thou hast covered all my sins thou hast freely justified me by thy Grace and made a full attonement for me by thy blood this is that thou freely biddest me take and I have freely drunk it Never was Wine so full as this is Never was Bowl so full of pleasure as this I have swallowed down my life and pardon at one draught I took it from my Saviours hand it was a cup of his own preparing If ever drink was sugared this was I never tasted better rellisht Wine in all my life The richest Cordials cannot match this draught Divine Spirits of pearls dissolved would but dead this Wine Oh when my hopes but kist the purple dews they hung and cleaved so As if they were loth to let thee go They strove and strugled to get near my heart As if intending there to take a part I dare not say them nay blood from that bowl May the best room command within my soul What a sudden strange yet happy alteration do I find within my languid spirits are revived my winter is over Methinks I feel my life and joy to spring amain My Aarons Rod a dry stick but now doth bloom and flourish My newly ingrafted soul is full of Infant-clusters Blood at the root of Vines They say produceth richest Wines Oh! if my Lord will undertake to dress this Vine and trickle down his blood into my root then draw it up into each branch of Grace by the warming beams of his reviving love then let my Dearest come let him come as he hath promised and bring my Father and his Father with him and sup both with me and in me Let them come and I will bid them a welcome I shall have a fruit to present them with which they themselves shall say is pleasant I shall not send my Father away now so oft complaining I came to seek for grapes and fruit but behold wild ones The Conclusion Oh! how unwillingly do I rise methinks I could sit here and feast my heart and eyes for ever What running-Banquets doth my Lord afford me here surely he should not need to fear that I should surfeit on himself But alas I must be gone what shall I do in yonder hungry soul-starving world again I have been feeding on my Paschal Lamb and now I must go and eat my sowr herbs but if it be his will I must obey if it be so I must arise I know thou hast prepared the endless feast above where I shall ever sit and enjoy thy love and glut my hungry eye and heart on the Banquet of thy everlasting self As yet I am now on earth my toil and work lyes heavy on my hands I have yet an afternoon to labour out God knows my work is hard too hard for me my self to perform I scarcely should have lasted out so long but that sometimes at such seasons as this is he repaired my sinking spirits by pouring in the Cordials of his Blood Now I must go and perhaps find as sharp conflicts with my self as ever I know the World and Hell have been laying their snares and gins to catch my new-fledg'd soul and all conspire against my welfare Now it is well if I escape a fall a bruise a breaking of my bones in which sad plight I have so often lain that my Lord might have took me for dead but that my groanings told him loudly I lived Lord must I leave this feast must I go Take me then by the hand and lead me if I must walk let me see thee by me that I may know I walk with my God Lead me away and I will go with thee and let me not go till thou bringst me hither again I cannot will not live without thee And do thou Lord say I must not shall not If both our hearts in love so well agree What then shall separate my Christ from me A Meditation on the Death of Christ Preparative to the Sacrament Pen'd for his private use BUT is he dead Oh sad yet joyful news how strangely is my soul amazed and diversly mov'd and troubl'd by these contrary passions methinks I could pull up the floodgates of my sorrow and vent it out in tears but something bids me hold Shall I mourn for him that 's just now past his state of mourning He 's dead and what of that And so are all his griefs his bloody sweats his sighs and groans concluded He hath drunk on the brook in the way bitter while they were in his mouth and he was living but sweet now they have sunk into his belly and and he in Heaven Sweet to him because it was his work and he hath finisht it and sweet to me because it was the potion of sorrow death hell that I must have taken And canst thou mourn methinks if thou didst love thine heart should rather sympathize with his He is singing and shalt thou be sighing He is joying that his work is done and now is welcoming into Heaven by God his Father and shouting up by Angels voices as the great Conquerour of the hearts of men on earth and that now in triumph he is returned And will a mournful weed a wet eye and a cloudy brow become thee at these times of Festivals Shall the Heavenly Angels be joyful and thou sad How strangely will this be construed Will it not be said thou dost not love him or thou dost envy his recovered glory that he had left and now again hath taken Or that thou canst not endure to see him wear his Princes Crown in Heaven that for a time he had laid aside to come down to the earth to fetch thee thence to Heaven But ah my Lord thou wilt not sure interpret sorrow thus thou hast not sure forgot to give a meaning unto tears to teach a sigh to speak and then to know its language Hath my Lord forgot so suddenly that he was on earth and that he sweat and groan'd and wept and bled as well as I do now What though now all tears and sorrow and sighing is done away and he ceaseth to be any longer subject to our infirmities yet sure he knows it is not thus with us I am not yet in Heaven nor am I yet quite past the vale of sorrow and it cannot then be strange to him if he sees sometimes our faces look of a sadder hue than those that are in Heaven But why should thus my tears be check'd and my throbbing heart be chidden were it for a thing of nought I might be counted fool or child but shall my Saviour die and vent his soul in a stream of blood and all in love to me and shall he thus forsake the world and die and then be laid in the grave and I be denied the liberty of following
thousands that will not What if we here resolve to be sober how many will go on to be drunk if we resolve to keep the Lords-day how many shall we find selling next Lords-day in the fields or streets playing and at Ale-houses and Taverns drinking to drunkenness What shall we do here let not others wickedness discourage you to be good Despair not God doth not stand upon the repentance of a whole City as to make it necessary for him to save it or to save a Kingdom but if there be any that do convert and turn if there be any that do set themselves to humble themselves for the sins of others and do intercede for Gods mercy in his staying with a people God will have respect to a City and a Kingdom for their sake Let us and let all that fear the Lord this day up and down London resolve all to reform and bemoan the sins of London before God and therein become intercessors for London so we might prevent London's ruin For a conclusion let me add these encouragements to perswade you to reform notwithstanding the generality of London will not reform still 1. Because God will have you to reform though others do not God speaketh to all to reform do not you say I will not because others will not it is thy duty if others do not thou dost but thy duty when thou dost it though ten thousands neglect it 2ly God will take it better at thine hands if thou wilt reform in a wicked City than if the whole City were generally good Why because the service is more difficult it is an harder thing for a righteous Lot to live in a Sodom than to live in a place where more godly persons dwell It is an eminent piece of service and an eminent testimony we give to God of our love to him when we can serve him in a place where he is despised his Laws broken and he rebelled against 3ly Some of you must reform or it is certain God will go on still to be angry with London and if God go on wo unto us surely it will be very bitter in the end God hath not yet spent all his venom'd darts He hath more and greater plagues than yet we have felt and nothing but the repentance and heart-reformation at least of some of us I say of some of us that we may become fit intercessors for the rest can prevent the pouring of them forth upon us But you will say Is it possible to have greater than to have an hundred thousand swept away by the Pestilence in one City and in one year than to have such a famous City burnt down in three days Yes If God should but suffer Popery to come in it would be greater If God should bring in a company of bloody Papists that should threaten you with burning or else with provoking God by gross Idolatry you will say it is a greater when you shall live in a London and in England and not hear of Christ Jesus preached to you from one end of the year to the other I think it will be a plague and to have it brought in too by a foreign enemy No perhaps you will say God will never do so This was Israels old presumption What God that brought us out of Egypt he destroy us What! that God that hath known us and hath been our God and hath signified himself our God by many mercies He that walked with us and we with him he send a foreign enemy it is impossible Do not deceive your selves God was as much engaged to the seed of Abraham as to London as to England and what he hath done he can do again This is one of the greatest Judgments that can befall the Land if God should take away the Gospel leave us in darkness and blindness take the Candlestick away and give us up to Idolatry and say as to Ephraim He is joined to Idols let him alone Repent reform lest worse things come upon you Let the Lord see you after this day that you are a more careful watchful circumspect people in the whole course of your lives and conversations and if so doubtless God will have this day an ear open to your prayer he will have an heart ready to pity you and to compassionate you when you cry you shall be numbred among those Intercessors that have stood in the gap that have kept wrath from coming in upon England to the utter ruin of it A Meditation for the raising of mine heart above discouragements under slightings in my Ministry WHAT mean these drooping groans and this languor of thy spirits as if thou hadst neither life nor heat What 's become of thy wonted joy and magnanimity in the course of thy Ministry Thou lookest and seemest as if a weary of thy work what is the cause Is it that Gods glory is less that thou car'st not whether he is honoured or dishonoured by men or what is it That he is not so good to theee as formerly Hast thou not meat drink and cloaths as freely and fully as ever Is thine health or strength abated Or is the Throne of Grace or the way to it shut up Is God angry with thee This were cause indeed but nothing else if thou enjoyest this Or what is it that thou canst not see these so well his honour and these mercies are so much prized Oh! none of these are the cause Gods glory is the same and his mercies they are continued and constant to me as ever And it 's not because I want a rellish of them I do not serve an hard Master that makes me weary of serving him Why what then is the matter Hath he recalled his promise or denied himself and abated thy wages Oh! no Heaven and earth shall pass away but not a tittle of his word and let God be true though all else be lyars What is it are the souls of men less precious or their eternal life and safety now less dangerous Is fire less hot and Hell less tormenting Are not the joys of Heaven so much to be desired and so is the work of the Ministry less needful Is not the case the same to deliver men from so many burning coals as when Christ his Prophets and Apostles preached Art thou then weary Oh! no my strength 's the same But Oh! I am unprofitable to my God I am slighted they wonder I can come into a Pulpit and have no more to say How and is that me a poor worm and wilt thou be thus crusht with such a straw and lose thy spirits under such a contemptible weight 1 And didst thou not expect to meet with such things before who bid thee go and set thee on this work and promis'd thee every hour a word wa st not told thou shouldst be persecuted slighted scoffed at And was it not predicted there should be scoffers in the last times as in the first Why didst not think of this before a wise
pore about a channel was Which pains had open'd wide Through which as through sulphureous mynes Did scalding liquors glide Amidst those simpring plashes lay My wrinkl'd par-boil'd skin In my own sweats I had expir'd Had not my good Lord been My God then dri'd up all my dews Me richest cordials gave Out of those waters I did cry And he my life did save Colds gone and waters now asswag'd A fire fast hold doth catch My muddy cottage was on flame Through sparks within my thatch Its sindgings made my former griefs Desir'd they would return That winds would blow or waters flow To cool me that did burn While my house flam'd about my ears My soul wisht to get out I cri'd I call'd my God did hear And then put th' hot fire out Next must my rest a burthen prove Unto my drowsie head My spirits spent my strength 's decay'd I was as those are dead My eyes as useless were through sleep My tongue had lost her taste Each thing it did offend my smell My flesh about did waste That very God that on dry bones Did breathe and make them live That very pow'r that Laz'rus rais'd Again this life did give He put this quickness in my joints These spirits in mine eyes Restor'd this joy unto my heart Thus answer'd all my crys HYMN XIII Remedies against Discontents THAT blessed peace which all men wish That none but good enjoy Is when all states of life do please And nothing doth annoy If thus unshaken thou wouldst live Contemplate God on high As near as may be live like him Fixt in self-constancy Wish nothing more than to be good Do justly fear no man Think on the blest eternity Let th' world do what it can Be no more mov'd with thy reproach Than God when men blaspheme Let not want loss or death affright Which men so dreadful deem Think that the world below the Moon As yet thy self contains And that all things here ebb and flow That nothing fixt remains What wonder is' t the Mariner At sea meets with a storm How boldly yet he plows the waves In danger fears no harm The traveller his weary steps Directs unto his Inn Sometimes meets Sun-shine and then storms Yet ne'r leaves travelling Are not our days and months and years Now foul and sometimes fair Variety doth not annoy Change makes things please as rare Why should I wish it always day The world without a night Why should I wish it always Spring For flowers for delight Were I not fool to weep to see A cloud creep o're the Sun Such folly is it to lament A cross when it is come II. Rash man complains In any strait But this I could be blest Any mans trouble I could bear Mine only gives no rest Says he what sorrow can be like To want and beggery This this I feel or else I fear Which makes me wish to die Man be thou faithful do thy work Thou serv'st a righteous Lord He will not let his servant want But bread will sure afford Starving-extremity thou fear'st This beggars never feel Better allowance God them gives To whom his dole he deals Hunger and cold and nakedness True blessed Paul complains Yet so as that he glorieth In them so in his chains Are not the Lilies gaily cloath'd They neither toil nor spin Are not the birds of th' air fed That ne'r brought harvest in Will God give grace and glory both Yet barely bread deny Will he give Crowns and Scepters too Of want yet let thee die True murm'ring Israel cri'd out Can God a Table spread Can he in this vast wilderness Prepare for all here bread The Devil could have taught those men That God of stones could take Could mould and knead them up to dough And of them bread could make III. The fool fears want while plenty lasts Like one in Summers day Should shake and blow his hands for cold Then winters coming say Or like one that in streams doth swim Yet gasps and crys for thirst Then says Oh me what shall I do This river leave I must It 's best things should be as they ' r made That rivers ebb and flow That glass or earthen ware may break That riches come and go Fool do'nt torment thy heart in vain If these things fleeting be Fix but thy soul on things above They ' l constant prove to thee All will be gone say let them go Man lives not all on bread There is a word of promise that In want holds up thy head I never will to death thee leave I 'le never thee forsake Think but on this do but believe Thine heart 't will joyful make IV. I know whence spring more troubles yet That do annoy me here My undertakings oft are great And I success do fear I often am engag'd in more Than able to go through Which makes me sit and moan my self Not knowing what to do Whose fault is that why didst thou so Thy God's too good a Lord To set thee on more work than he To do doth strength afford Where he finds will he doth accept With eye to what thou hast Give but thine all he wont refuse To crown that all at last I often have intended much But could not what I meant I would men save but ah I can't Because they wo'nt consent Instead of thanks for my good-will With taunting scoffs I meet I would them raise up unto Thrones They would me under feet Sometimes I talk like to a fool Deridingly they say I now teach false and then too sharp I can't please any way Be wise and such things ne'r will touch Thy heart as to disturb All thy attempts if good should joy Though insuccess them curb It 's reason to think in this world That good things should be crost If thou wilt fish for men thou must With winds and waves be tost What if I disappointments meet They are in use with men Why should I not expect to share Alike with my breth'ren What wonder is' t that they should call That false or sharp that tart That frets the sinews of their soul And that corrodes their heart Can the old man it quiet take To see him bound about That thence where so long he hath lodg'd He should be thus cast out Is not my work a warfare call'd What and no enemy How canst thou fight and not oppose Or use Heav'ns armory HYMN XIV TWO things Lord I desire of thee First that with thee I live If thou delay'st to bring me there Oh then assurance give Content I 'le be in th' shades of night Until my glory dawn Do but for surety grant this wish That I may keep the pawn Give Lord the earnest in my breast A gracious heart to see Let me but know thou dost me love And I shall quiet be Can I have peace whilst that I fear Thy curse hangs o're my head It makes my heart to ake to think What now if I were dead Pardon O Lord it
you shall have many poor souls afraid to speak of any thing lest they should discover a proud heart and especially in such conferences wherein men are discoursing of the things of God And you that experience this shall find it mostly to rise in such discourse when you are able to discover the experiences of your soul more clearly than other poor Saints For you shall have some that are real Saints yet but babes newly converted that will speak of God but very confusedly by reason that God hath but in a very small manner discover'd himself to them and withal they are afraid to speak lest they should discover an hypocritical heart in speaking To direct him that hath had more clear discoveries of God Let him consider 1 Pet. 4.2 If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God as of the ability which God giveth Let him labour to set the crown of all his discoveries on Gods head and so let him go on to speak and without doubt if a man for fear of discovering his proud heart cease to speak for God in so doing he doth only labour to cut off the branch but suffereth the root to grow and goes about only to still the corruption not to mortifie it And on the other hand let the poor weak Saint take heed of ceasing to speak to other Saints for fear of discovering his hypocrisie but let him go on to speak and pray against his hypocrisie and conclude it to be a temptation XXIII From this experience and the Rule upon it we have this very observant Divine resolving this practical case or enquiry viz. How a man may shun pride in the mind and the appearance of of it in the body To which he answers The incitements and fomentings of pride arise either from what a mans self enjoys or what he apprehends other men think he enjoys Examine it chiefly as to the first head for if it be cured there there is no fear of it in the other if thou thinkest thou art rich beautiful and well-parted and dost make these fewel for an high conceit of self it argues a vain yea a lighter than vain spirit For consider 1 What thou hast thou didst receive it it 's none of thine own What credit is it for thee to have an hundred pounds of another mans wilt thou say therefore thou art rich of that which may be taken away from thee the next moment Wilt thou be proud of an alms me thinks to consider seriously that it 's an alms should humble thee 2 Consider thou hast not so much of any of these enjoyments but others have as much and many have more And therefore if thou art esteemed for these many have as much and others have more than thou hast and if it were put to their choice they would leave thee and cleave to another as one to be prefer'd 3 Consider if some do esteem thee others do dislike thee as much few know thee of those that know thee few consider thee of them that consider thee some slight thee some revile thee some envy thee and a fool art thou then to mind either what thou hast or what others think thou hast Take Rules to keep the heart from pride 1 Never think of what thou hast but think that others have more and what thou hast was given thee praise therefore the Donor 2 Whenever thou thinkest of what thou hast shun the thought that shall represent thee with what other men think thou hast this is an effectual means to mortifie thee 3 Be much in thinking of thy defects and thine unworthy improving of that thou hast this will be a good means to humble thee 4 Think if men knew all they would abate and slacken of their esteem if they would not sink into a disesteem of thy base heart Rules to keep pride from the appearance of it in the Body 1 When thou lookest shun a superstitious scornful brow put on a grave humble look and labour to keep it constantly such and then thou wilt appear constantly humble 2 When thou speakest let it be mildly shun ostentation of words Give others leave to speak as well as thy self considering that thou hast not monopolized reason to thy self and when thou speakest be short and pithy knowing that length is tedious 3 If thou apprehendest any weakness in others discourse seem to take no notice of it either by any scornful words or gestures But if their Discourse be lame mend it in thy reply 4 Vse thy tongue as an instrument to express a grateful mind for what thou hast received and be serious in the expression For how shall men know what thankfulness is in thy mind without thy bringing it up into thy tongue or if thou bringest it thither and speakest lightly they will imagin that thine heart is lighter and take it for no thanks at all 5 In thine Appellations saluting any give such as are suitable That which becomes a Rustick becomes not a Gentleman and what becomes such an one at one time becomes him at all 6 In discourse take heed of over-vilifying that which others approve of and thy self in part allows of for this will be imputd to thee as arising from pride 7 Take heed of bewraying pride in your Gate walk humbly and seriously without any affectation of head arms or feet or without any fantastical folding of thy garment about thee For this will be an Index to others of an affected mind 8 Take heed of the appearance of pride in thy garments be not costly in them nor yet too sordid for both are indices of a base mind but be sure thou takest heed of curiosity in any part of them XXIV On a Saturday in March 1651 we do again meet with this pious Student recording his experience in these words I found much of God in prayer in the morning and especially in the evening God spake out of Heb. 12.8 I will be merciful for their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more A sweet promise I am sure to my soul and yet the night before I had a very sinful frame of spirit and likewise in the day and much of the same spirit the day before Glory to God in the highest on earth peace and good will towards men On the Saturday following I had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a covering or cloud upon my spirit But then after I never had such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desirable things a clear making out of comfort wherewith Paul was comforted when he prayed that God would take away the prick in his flesh Christ pray'd that his faith fail'd not in my life Note it is a sign of acceptance notwithstanding sin if God kept the heart from starting back as an evil heart of unbelief doth On Sabbath-day following I was violently troubled with pride and unbelief as to trusting of God with means in the world after Sermon more especially but going up stairs I knew not
well why only if it was for any thing it was to read of the Controversie of Mr. Goodwin Yet as it prov'd by the all disposing Providence it was indeed for another business For as soon as I was in my Chamber I was exceedingly melted for those former sins Oh happy time Oh blessed spirit that led me not with my Saviour into the Wilderness to be tempted but to the Table of my Lord to feed on his fat things Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name On Friday before Easter 1651 I had no small joy in prayer never to my remembrance found I such a spirit of indefatigability before O praise God my soul and hie to God! And elsewhere he writes I have found in the various dispensations of Gods love and his dealing with me such a temper as this I have gone to prayer and laboured under such indisposition of soul and hardness of mine heart that I could not tell how to speak to God all sparks of faith as to the casting of my soul upon God seem'd to be extinct all breathings after God and Christ seem'd to be dead sin seem'd as nothing I sought to lay them to my charge yea and according to their aggravations I laboured to set Hell as to its torments before me that by them I might be startled Mine heart was so hard sin and its aggravations did as it were rebound back and convictions would not stick Methought Hell and its torments in this case no more frighted me than a sword at a blind mans throat would startle him I sought indeed that mine heart might be softned yet then but in word desires came not kindly from mine heart and in such a case I left praying this being night The next morning I went to duty again with a perhaps God will be gracious but found my soul hard as before and having pray'd a while and finding no comfort in it I was thinking to break off and so I should had not God prevented me by putting such an argument into my mouth as this Lord canst thou that hast said thou art a Father of such tender bowels suffer thy poor child thy poor creature to plead thus with thee for a broken heart and thou with hold it so stifly from him Upon this mine heart was exceedingly full and broken dissolved even into tears Oh ye Saints remember that Gods workings are arbitrary XXV As he records the failings and comforts he had before in and after prayer so we have him noting It is a good means to keep a mans soul up in a constant frame If he every day call his soul to a question How he hath walked with God that whole day And those sins he finds he hath fallen into that day let him resolve to watch against more strictly the next day and beg strength against them and by doing of this he shall quickly find a growth in grace and victory over his corruptions He adds When thou art ever pleading with God against sins remember that they are Gods enemies as well as thine Tell God he hates sin and wickedness and these are the enemies that thou art conflicting with and assure thy self God will not stand as a neuter but will take thy souls part as David in the fifth Psalm And again consider that thy soul is as a Common-wealth Christ the King thy corruptions the enemies now you know that the King is as much or rather should be more engag'd against the enemies of his Kingdom than the subjects are because the destruction of them or their victory strikes more upon his honour XXVI It is an hard thing to believe that a mans prayers are heard except he finds some warmings in his spirit in prayer either in solid joy or an hearty mourning Here these cases came to be resolv'd viz. Seeing the Children of God are often drawn out in prayer at By times a poor soul begins to reflect upon his own experiences and finding no such matter perform'd by himself is apt to be discouraged and to doubt whether God ever loved him First Thou must know though such dispensations are ordinary yet not necessary The Spirit can work without them as doubtless he doth in many Secondly Perhaps it hath not been Christs want of love to thee but thy negligence towards him He hath knocked and thou hast not opened Oh! this is a repulse to the King of Glory a sad dealing with thy Jesus with a Christ that was all a-sweat for thee and had his sides running out water and blood for thee to let him stand and knock without and give him no lodging Object Yea but the soul may say I have often watcht mine heart and markt the breathings of my soul whither they tended Godward or no but alas I was hard and blind a sottish creature Ans First Let such a consideration as this serve to humble thee but not to deject thee Know that there is a time when God will not be found and that is upon thy slighting of his former tenders Oh! when ever thou findest thy self in such a case forementioned Go and bewail before God thine hard and rough dealings with him Secondly Consider that upon such a reflexion on thy self and finding thine heart dead and listless to prayer it is very probable that the Spirit of God calls thee out at that time to prayer against thine hardness thy listlesness and blindness as to the discoveries of thy self and Gods love towards thee Oh! take heed of slighting such a tender as this Perhaps thou maist never have more of such tenders as these are and that thou maist wrestle a blessing out of Gods hand urge God with his own promises in the 54th Chapter of Isaiah it is a most spiritual and raising Chapter Here it may be Queried How to know that God hides himself out of love to me This to me is a strong evidence that God hides himself out of love to me after some miscarriage of soul 1 When God by my fall into a sin makes me more cautious of that sin for the future 2 God by that sin discovers my base heart to me 3 When God draws out my soul to beg earnestly for strength of him against it But a man after he hath fallen into some sin may take up resolutions against it and yet fall into it again 'T is true there is scarce a Saint but hath experienc'd this very thing and the reasons of it are not dark 1 On Gods part he will make his Saints to know that resolutions nor prayers nor any duty else can conquer sin He would have them acknowledg when corruptions are subdued it came from God that so they may put the crown of mortification upon his head 2 On our part let us examine our selves whether we did resolve in the strength of Christ If not it 's no wonder if we fall If we say we did Let 's examine our souls whether we did apply our selves to God
in the blood of Jesus for the pardoning of that sin and strength against it If not we may very well suspect that we did not resolve in the strength of Christ XXVII Says a poor Saint I have gone to prayer many a time and have been exceeding low and have pray'd with much carelesness just as if I were talking or telling a tale What shall I do in such a case Answ First That neither raisedness nor flatness in prayer is the reason why God heareth thee And therefore consider That in prayer thou art to approach a God-mediating a God-man and not a meer creature but thus thou dost if thou thinkest God will not hear thee except God raiseth thee thou makest raisedness the ground of thine acceptance which is but a meer created being as all other graces are Oh! Take heed then of depending upon Ashur say Ashur shall not help me but on the Lord will I depend Secondly Consider this for thy corafort that though thine heart is straitned here on earth towards God and in mourning as to thine own vileness yet Christs bowels are not in heaven straitned towards thee He is not so capable of mutability as thy condition Though thou losest thy first love yet he is the same yesterday to day and for ever Thirdly Consider that 't is Christs Intercession and pleading with his Father for thy prayer and not thy raisedness that is the ground of the return of thy prayer The consideration of Gods former dealings and dispensations of love is a good argument to move God in prayer when a soul is at a loss for love now or for strength or when God seems to hide himself as to the answering of thy request to say Lord why art thou so strange to me now Time was that thou borest me as a lamb in thy bosom and carriedst me into thy banqueting house and feedest me with love Time was that thou enravished'st my soul with a glance of thine eye what is become of thy former love hast thou shut up thy tender mercies in wrath see the Psalmist thus pleading in Psal 77. XXVIII I have been in such a temper that I have found mine heart in prayer even contradicting my tongue If for mortifying of pride in parts in learning mine heart hath been ready to say to its self that there could be no joy except in exaltation of self as good to have no learning as not to delight in it and applaud self by it truly this hath been the language of mine heart But I bless my God that he hath given me a joy and that above all that joy which creatures can possibly afford It was my non-experience of Gods love to me it was for want of spiritual enravishments that mine heart became so vain in its imaginations Oh that I could magnifie my God for this his love and goodness Again I have been sometime so carnal that I have even thought that there could be no Feaven more sweet pleasant and desirable than that which might be made up of created beings as to enjoy pleasures and never to be tired with them to please my taste in feeding and never be weary of feeding to hear the most sweet and melodious musick and never weary of hearing to delight mine eye in seeing and never be weary of seeing Thus have I delighted my soul with foolish imaginations as they soon appeared to be when God pluckt off these earthly and sensual scales from mine eyes He shew'd me more true joy in a smile of his reconciled countenance than in a Paradise made up of all the sweetest flowers which may grow in Natures garden can possibly afford me Magnifie the Lord Oh my soul and all that is within me praise his holy name For he hath been better to me than ten thousand worlds I will rejoice in thee so long as I have a being Oh my soul praise the Lord XXIX At sometimes it is hard for a man after the committing of some sin to believe that sin is pardoned and withall to mourn for it And it 's grounded on this thinks the soul what should I mourn for that which is not Answ Fear and sorrowing for sin may well be consistent with closing with a promise by faith for the taking away of guilt Observe therefore that the freeness of grace and the fulness of a promise ought no way to take off a Saints watchfulness over sin and the mourning for sin Further consider although God pardons the sin yet he ceaseth not to hate sin therefore mourn for sin because it offends him Again it is difficult for a man to think that he hath acted faith upon God for pardon of a sin when he hath not in prayer against that sin felt himself raised or his heart melted As for example after thou hast sinned whether in letting thine heart rove upon worldly businesses when thou hast been in duty at Church c. and apprehending it to arise from a carnal soul coming home thou goest to God by prayer to beg a pardon of that sin and for spiritual strength to subdue it and observing in that prayer that thine heart is not raised either in love to God or breathings after the discovery of love or else that thine heart is not melted for that sin in such a case it is hard for thee to conclude with thy self that thou hast acted faith upon Jesus Christ for the pardon of that sin For Answer I confess it is a difficult case but yet the soul may be exceedingly deceived in it Therefore it is good for such a soul to mark this that notwithstanding his present indisposition or blindness as to the discovery of pardon yet in a secret manner he may have pardon given in and hereby you shall know it That if God do afterwards a week or a month or more deaden and crucifie that corruption for thee thou maist conclude thou didst act faith in that application of thy soul to God The reason is clear because actings of faith do always accompany true Faith The instance of this is plain in Hannah she went to God to beg a Son 1 Sam. 1.7 10. And when she had done she knew not whether or no God would answer as appears from vers 11 12. but in the latter end of ver 9. we read that the Lord remembred Hannah And another example of this we have in Cornelius Act. 10.2 'T is said He was a devout man and one that feared God and pray'd to God alway And yet we read not that Cornelius knew that his prayers were accepted until the Angel came and said to him vers 4. Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God Hence the Inference is clear That God may hear a soul and see him acting faith for a mercy when as perhaps the soul that prays could never judg of it himself But it may be objected 'T is true God may hear a soul and the soul not discover it but as for acting of
faith neither of these places mention I answer That we have no reason in the world to say that God will hear any prayer so as to answer it except it hath been put up in faith and the reason is clear which is this because we can receive no mercy but through Christ and can have no interest in Christ except we believe and so can receive nothing from God but through faith mediating therefore because they did receive a mercy to wit the return of prayers from God we must conclude that they did believe XXX I have oftentimes been exceedingly raised in spirit and on a sudden cast down again in an instant as I may so say and have been as far to seek for comfort as ever Now upon enquiry into the causes of this I have found them to be of this kind First God did let me fall because I lookt too much upon mine inraisements as to the establishing of my soul whereas I should have liv'd above them and should have cast my soul immediately upon Christ Secondly God may cast-down upon the questionings in the soul concerning the reality of those inraisements and God may do it upon this account because a doubting soul mistrusting the reality of Gods mercies and not knowing whether they came from God or his own natural strength the soul knows not on whose head he shall put the Crown and because God will advance himself in all Gospel-designs he lets thy soul fall that it might know that all its raisements are from God and here God shews abundance of love to the soul and makes it more firm in its joys the next time And for direction in such a case when a soul is at a loss for the discovery of God it will be its best way to wait patiently upon God and in an humble acknowledgment of his own unworthiness that he deserves ever to be low and if at any time he is rais'd it is from Gods free grace And if thou hast found God in former time coming into thy soul after such a sudden dejection let that experience of Gods love be a stay to thy soul in this case and then conclude that Gods anger lasts but for a moment Object I but saith such a soul I could make indeed my former experiences of Gods love a ground of my faith now if I were but certain that they were then real but I am afraid they were but flashes and I ground it upon this that I see mine heart as wicked as ever as much pride as much deadness to the things of God as much carnalness as ever in a word I find no through mortification in my soul I answer 1 That thou being in a state of temptation and of carnal reasoning art no competent judg of thy mortification for it is 〈◊〉 such a soul in this case as with a man in a passion whiles he is in such a case he can judg of nothing aright for his reason is clouded with his passion But 2 it is most certain that corruptions may be in the soul and yet grace too although as a spark it is cover'd with dead embers Therefore I advise thee to wait patiently upon God till the spark flames till the day star arise in thine heart 2 Pet. 1.19 And there it is very remarkable that the Apostle compares grace to an immortal seed which God puts in the heart Now a seed you know may lie a long time under clods before it appear wait then patiently upon God until the Sun of Righteousness arise in thy soul and make this seed to sprout up to bud forth blossome and bring forth fruit to the glory of God XXXI Object It is true indeed wait patiently upon God I would and live in expectations of a return to my soul again but by reason of my treacherous dealings with him after receits of mercy discoveries of love I have sinned and am afraid that for this God will write bitter things against me Answ Let not sin discourage thee in thy faith but be sure withall to keep a watch over thine heart and join prayer to this watch that thy sin may be mortified Object I but says the soul all that I have done as to the conquest of my corruptions hath been by prayer and this prayer too slightly performed neither hath it been accompanied with diligent endeavours For alas I can remember such a temper that I have gone it may be ten times or more to prayer at mornings and evenings against some one sin and yet after every one of those prayers I have rushed into that particular sin can God be gracious to me Ans It is true thou hast a most wicked heart but I would that thou wouldest but make use of a Parable which our Saviour put forth What King says he will go to war before he hath sate down to consider what the war will cost him And shall we think that the All-wise God who foresaw all the thoughts of mans heart all his pride c. knowing full well what an heart he had to deal with before he sent Christ into the world to die for sinners can be put by his work surely if it could but have kept God from shewing and discovering himself to the soul he had never prosecuted that Gospel-design and now he is resolv'd to carry the soul through all oppositions neither pride nor carnalness shall hinder him in it We are therefore said to be kept by the power of God unto Salvation Truly this very thing spoke abundance of comfort to my soul and establisht me exceedingly when I was once poring on my manifold corruptions XXXII God in his dealings with his Saints sometimes leaves them to carnal reasonings whereby they do in some sort reason themselves out of grace and in this case Satan is very busie and if such a soul should say unto me what shall I do in such a case Ans First Beware of entring the lists with Satan if you do 't is a thousand to one but you are foiled or at least cast into abundance of trouble and disquietments of soul as I have known one to wit O. who hath for that time been unfit either for the service of God or man He could not follow his private calling for it Indeed 't is exceding dangerous For if you give way to one carnal reasoning you shall presently have it backt with an hundred more as for instance in calling into question the reality of thy grace thou maist have most hard and strange thoughts of God Secondly Pray to Christ that he would answer thine objections for thee and truly this is the readiest way to get rid of them in getting Christ to rebuke them And let every awakened Saint that is not troubled with such reasonings know that it was because Christ did answer them to the Devil and establish the soul in his answers or else he might assure himself that he should not have been freed from them O Saints admire the love of Christ to
you in this case and mark his dealings with you herein that you may admire him When a man begins first to set his sace Zion-ward yea and afterwards when he hath made some progress in those ways the Devil doth exceedingly labour with such a soul to afflight â—im from the ways of holiness in suggesting that his former company will despise him and in these new ways there must be more strictness of life more tentations and trouble of spirit which kind of arguments will be apt to stagger such a soul very much because as yet they are but weak and have not such powerful principles infus'd into them as may make them strong enough to find the yoke of Christ easie Therefore it will be the best way for such a soul to resolve still to go on and assure himself that there are more joys to be found in God than in all his former courses and withall pray earnestly for the strengthening of inward principles in his soul and more spiritually in his heart to carry him through the strait gate with ease XXXIII This may be the temper of some souls that have had some assurance of their good estate that if afterwards some sin is set home upon their souls they are exceeding loth to dive into their own hearts which is accompanied with this slavish fear lest they should find all their former hopes to be meer flashes and that they have been in a carnally secure state even until now some have div'd into their hearts at such a time and God hath shown them some hypocrisie or selfishness in their former walkings whence they have concluded that if God had let them die in such a condition they had been damn'd and so after this discovery if they have had a clearer discovery of the baseness of their heart they have concluded the like of that estate By this kind of reasonings there are these disadvantages happen to such a soul First He can by no means make Gods former dealings with him subordinate to the innervating of his present condition and without a special work of the divine Spirit a man shall not gather any ground for his present condition Secondly By this he loseth a praising Spirit and he also deals disingenuously with God in not owning all his gracious dispensations to the soul The direction that I would give such an one should be this Let him know that the least grace is true grace Grace in the seed is as true grace as grace in the bud and grace in the bud as true as grace in the blossom Shall the blossom contemn the bud because it is not so fragrant and so flourishing or the bud the seed Oh! take heed of a non entertainment of divine Love I have had such quick checks of conscience that they have forc'd me to Duty to Prayer to Church to Chappel private Conferences and now I am afraid lest all these actions come meerly from checks and not from inward principles Of this thing if thou wouldst satisfie thy soul ask it whether thou hast not a Will contrary to this fleshly temper and it carries thee out to pray earnestly against that I mean not to the stilling of conscience but that God would discover to you that your duties came from more filial principles of love Bless then God for the quickness of conscience and press for strength to obey whatever conscience dictates to be according to right reason and the mind of God but on the other hand take heed of daubing it with any light gloss from Scripture as some species of good if thou do'st thou sinnest XXXIV Seeing that all the mercies of Saints have divine Love mingled among them Now I enjoy worldly blessings I know not whether they are given to me out of love to me says some poor Saint I Answer There be these three marks whereby a soul may see whether his earthly blessings are mingled with spiritual love First Mark whether they were given to you upon the account of prayer Did you beg them of the Lord upon your knees So that you may say all your mercies are the children of your prayers the births of your entreaties your health your meat and drink were wrestled for at a Throne of Grace After this manner did Hannah procure her son Samuel as we may read 1 Sam. Chap. 1. reflect now upon your self and see whether your outward mercies come this way if they do O how sweet and comfortable will they be to you you shall never look considerately upon them but your heart shall be warmed with the love of God Here you may say is a mercy and there is a blessing which I pull'd out of the bosome of divine Love as it were with mine own hand this child and that child this crumb of bread and that drop of drink are all pledges of Gods love to me these are divine influences and sparks of the flames of Gods loving-kindnesses What Adamantine heart would not such discoveries melt into love towards God what soul would not such chains of gold enravish which were both made and put about its neck with the lovely fingers of Christs hands What soul would not such a Cordial comfort which is compounded of love and goodness Mine heart is enravish'd within me whiles I think of this love and every thought that I have of it bespeaks admiration this is that which Angels admire and in which glorified Saints are immers'd these are the Chrystal streams which run before the throne of the Lamb every drop of which presents a jewel of inestimable price It is a thing rather to be admir'd than talk'd of here I could be content to dwell to eternity but I am call'd off to the second mark to discover this love in outward mercies and that is this Ask your soul this Question Whether it hath been drawn out in praises for that which you have received of God Can you say that you love God the more for them and do they engage you to serve God more if they do you may assure your self that Gods love is in every mercy you receive Thirdly Can you see them given to you upon the account of Christ Can you say that God loves you in Christ therefore God gives you this and that mercy this is one of the highest attainments of a Saint on this side glory This speaks fulness of comfort O! how sweet is it to see a reconciled Father hold forth his hand full of mercies to hear him come and say Child take this mercy and that mercy and when ever thou lookest upon them remember that I love thee O how pleasant is such a voice This cannot but work up the soul to love God and to breathe after God more than ever It is hard to distinguish betwixt an holy waiting upon God for the answer of our prayers and a kind of security which is apt to seize upon mens souls after prayer Now for answer consider this That waiting doth not impair breathings of
in several particulars 1. Sorrow is the proper consequent of sin Christians therefore so far as freed from sin are necessarily in a state of freedom from sinful sorrow slavish fear c. That liberty 2 Cor. 3. latter end is fixed to joy nothing so genuine and characteristically appendant to the state of an Adopted Child of God as joy because having the spirit he ought to rejoyce evermore and that with joy unspeakable and full of glory 2. I grant also that Saints ought to joy in one anothers society with a spiritual delight considering the Wisemans saying Prov. 15.16 Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasures and trouble therewith The company of such should be all their delight Psal 16.3 Christ himself speaks of his rejoycing in the habitable parts of his earth and his delights with the sons of men Prov. 8.31 This might be more at large evidenc'd from Scriptures 3. I must as I have had too sad a cause put in this much That as Christian liberty in other things through Satans policy is abused too too much for an occasion to the gratifying of the flesh and vanity of heart which should not be Gal. 5.13 so in this which I account if it be brought to the face vain laughter Which I shall describe in brief and then leave to spiritual judgments There is such a frame of heart in many precious Saints as this viz. Acertain sudden indeliberate and rash leaping of heart carelesly blindly and unadvisedly transported with fleshly apprehensions of some sensual ridiculousness in somewhat though never so spiritual without the soul an unreasonable jocundness a shameful discovery of the hearts nakedness and inconsiderable jovialty a carnal unaccountable tripudiation in cases never so serious yea sometimes when most serious a delightful frenzy an irregular itching of the laughing faculty Alas I cannot but say I have sound mine own heart sometime like a feather following the puff of any ridiculous object up and down according to the less or greater impression which any vain foolish matter made upon my sense I had occasion to cry out June 18. O the filthy emptiness of my weak heart arising from those troubled steams within me This I could then count nothing but a fuzze of vanity a bubble of corruption a carnal dancing of the careless sons the bane of reason and poyson of Religion Carnality therefore and vanity are the formal Constitutives of this distemper Vanity I say and lightness in an untameable predominancy The internal cause of it is the loosness and rottenness of such a soul as is void of the actual exercise or power of reason discretion and judgment but it is promoted cherished and enlarg'd from some particular circumstance in the object ab extra let into the unsetled mind and indisposed heart by the quick convoy of the bruitish senses which causes this lightness I speak of or an unaccountable or over-powerful frame of laughing upon the presentation of the imagination or understanding either of a very serious thing grace or carriage of a person apprehended under the notion of his being usually familiar or light or more nearly I mean spiritually related to the soul thus distempered having for its external rise or occasion ex parte objecti that very thing ordinarily which to a rectified and considerative mind should rather be a cause of sorrow or serious humble rejoycing namely sometimes 1. Anothers expression of the like vanity 2. The more precious serious or so apprehended Saint his casting his eyes fixedly upon thee 3. Such a familiar Saint his relation either of some great sin or some special act of divine grace in any spiritual working of soul or his putting a light soul on any more singularly advantageous duty suppose Prayer out of a serious heart 4. The external efficient cause of this distemper is Satan who perceiving the heart loose at the bottom easily disposed to lightness of spirit makes it more vain and causeth other objects to take 5. As the cause of this distemper is very bad because corruptio optimi est pessima so the effects are and proportionably worse Take it thus in the lump It 's scandalous and a temptation to others it makes one uncredible as to any spiritual thing done or urg'd by one in such a frame yea it renders a more serious mood suspicious upon the same account it grieves true Saints and delights the Devil In respect of ones self it causes accordingly as it is more prevalent a general indisposition to all acts of Religion and sense of God it deprives a man of all spiritual communion either with God or his Saints for it takes away seriousness which is the considerate fixedness of the soul as to acts of reliance on Christ for strength against it and lastly it hinders sympathizing with other Saints especially as to mourning 6. There be connexed with this distemper while it is in act upon the soul 1. Pride self-applauding no self-abasing apprehensions 2. Security of heart no sense of the Lords being dishonoured Having seen these particulars opening the nature of lightness or carnal laughter the concerning Question is XLVI How may I distinguish betwixt Christian joys and this kind of laughter Answ First Spiritual joy and the expressions thereof be it in smiles or other gestures is still competent and consistent with the hearts well-disposedness towards God and all spiritual things because it is the fruit of the spirit Gal. 5.22 This doth as it were oyl the Chariot-wheels of the soul disposing it better to communion with God and all spiritual activity Yea seeing it ariseth from some love of God and Christ in him darted into the soul it fits the soul more for Christ and inflames it towards him by this the apprehensions of God are not extinguished but sweetned not diminisht but rather enlarg'd Whereas è contra the frame before mentioned dims the light of grace which by the spirit hath been sown in the soul it quenches the spirit of divine Union and so estranges the soul from God it sets the door open to backsliding and profaneness of heart and we see it is the nurse of profaneness in our spiritual backsliding Get a soul into never so high an attainment this will cast him down and betray him so that the soul hereby is brought to a strange loss seeing the spirit through such vanity of mind is sent away with grief and sadness I could produce a most remarkable instance of one a most precious one amongst us who by this means and the subtilty of Satan was cheated of very much spiritual comfort Secondly Spiritual joy and the expression thereof in cheerfulness consists with prudence and discretion so that a man may be spiritually joyous and yet behave himself fuitably to occasions persons and circumstances but this laughing frame puts a soul upon absurd unbeseeming and unsuitable carriages as laughing when one goes to sympathize with a soul broken for sin See Partic. 3d. above Thirdly
A man hath power over h imself in the expression of spiritual joy to order it well but he hath no power to refrain from or regulate this laughing even then when he well knew he ought not to laugh Fourthly Spiritual pleasantness is acceptable to all that are wise to salvation but a civil discreet man would be exceedingly offended to see Christians so unreasonably transported to laugh and know not wherefore Fifthly Spiritual joy and cheerfulness is not only every way regular but well-grounded too Now of this same laughter above describ'd a man can give no rational account at all Sixthly The last inconvenience which should cause an utter extirpation of this wild kind of laughing as that which stands in opposition to spiritual cheerfulness is non-edification The spirits of Saints are more cold and flat and indisposed by it Reflexion strikes conscience for it as vain but true Christian mirth joy and cheerfulness hath contrary effects with Saints From the premises for the determination of the case I thus judg 1. Christians smiling at their first congress if conscience suggest not some sufficient ground or spiritual account thereof must needs be some degree of vanity aforesaid as proceeding from the lightness of their spirits especially if their meeting be spiritual and deeply serious in which cases the vanity of heart in Christians doth oftentimes bubble up and should be check'd 2. One of the best ways for a Christian to discern both in the point of Congress and the whole continuance of converse whether his smiling or laughter be vain or spiritual consequently lawful and commendable is his having power over his heart therein so that he can restrain it if he thinks fit still keeping spiritual liberty to the exercise of other spiritual duties which vain laughter and smiling alloweth not XLVII Saints often times in the midst of their spiritual enjoyments are apt to meet with this tentation the Devil suggesting such thoughts as these Surely this joy will not last always one time or other thy sins will provoke God to leave thee utterly For dost thou think that he can ever look upon sin and not punish it seeing he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity but with detestation Know that in such a case God would have thee to live by faith I mean as to thy during joys And of this we have an excellent Type in Exod. 16.25 God would have the Israelites to gather Manna only for the present day and to cast off all solicitousness as for the morrow And God doth this and suffers such injections of Satan to try thy faith as he did theirs which you may observe in all Gods methods of grace towards them He brought them into the Wilderness where they were to trust him for provision into the Red-sea that they might trust him with their lives And truly upon a serious consideration we shall find his methods the same in these Gospel-times Get therefore to live by faith Here may be confuted a scruple of many a poor soul being not yet come up to discover its Saintship Whether it may laugh or be merry seeing it knows not but it may be in a state of Damnation The Devil by such a temptation or injection works much upon a scrupulous soul Let such an one argue thus with himself There is no more reason for this that I should not laugh being as yet ignorant of mine eternal happiness than that I should not study or work or follow my calling in such a case for one helps me as to my spiritual state as the other But again Let such an one know this that he must exceedingly watch over his heart in such a condition for perhaps it 's joy is too carnal and by embasing of that joy he may want of spiritual comfort For he that regards the least iniquity in his heart the Lord will not hear him And perhaps this is thy bosom-pleasure pray therefore that thine heart may be moderated to such pleasures and mortified more to the world There is a temper of spirit in some Saints at sometimes although very rarely that being in a raised frame they are so full of divine love that every verse of Scripture they have read hath begotten a new extasie of joy and they have been thus for a while together yea so long that they have been weary of rejoycing this excelling sensation is too strong many times for the body and by reason of the weakness of the flesh there is not a sufficiency of spirits to fluctuate about the heart for a long time but by degrees they decay and weaken or as Mr. Lockier says Gods consolations are as your Aqua Vitae is and the Saints of a weak brain quickly turn'd with the reception of them So that God in wisdom gives us in comfort by measure lest our weak vessels should break XLVIII Consonant to that Christian cheerfulness for the describing distinguishing and regulation of which as we have had his thoughts once and again and his friends were refresh'd with this well-regulated temper in their conversation with him So in his preparatory experimental Theology we find him resolving and recording some things concerning the raising of a Christians affection and carriage with reference to the praising of God Where he notes Many souls are troubled in the examinations of themselves about their affections whether they are set more upon God or things here below and are exceeding apt to conclude against themselves Upon which observation he resolves First Thou art not to think that thine heart is to be ever actually set upon God in the midst of thy worldly affairs and therefore if thou art in thy studies or employments of any other honest particular calling If heavenly thoughts come in thou art not so to entertain them as immediately to leave off the business of thy particular calling and fall to spiritual exercises therefore one comparing the thoughts of man saith some are like to a friend others like to strangers coming to visit another man Now the friend coming at the door he will turn his friend into the door and make him tarry a while till he hath done with his stranger but the stranger being gone he will return then to his friend and he shall lodg with him perhaps all night The Application of this is very sweet you your selves may apply it But Secondly If thou canst but willingly and freely part with the world with thy corruptions and desire heartily of God that he would deaden thine heart to creatures and give in more of himself it is a sure evidence that thou takest more delight in the things of God than of the world And of this we have an example which the Apostle gives us in the Patriarchs Heb. 11.13 14. These all died in or according to faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were perswaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth for they that say
some of your lights But yet I must needs tell you that when God doth deprive you of so many hundreds of as Pious and Laborious and as learned Ministers some of them as any are in the Vineyard I say when God deals thus with you I cannot think that it is in mercy to you but in judgment The Church of England is a great people and there are many poor souls in it that are as firebrands in the fire that have great need to be pluckt out And as there are blessed be God many Eminent Ministers at this day in England to snatch poor souls as firebrands out of the fire yet I say that where there is one we have need of ten He liv'd to see the prediction verified in the great Plague the Dutch War and what succeeded till 1676. What evils have been since they who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity can well observe 5. A Sermon in the Supplement to the Morning-Exercise at Cripplegate about Practical Cases of Conscience viz. Sermon XII published 1674. wherein he hath clearly shew'd how it doth appear to be every Christians indispensable duty to partake of the Lords-Supper From 1 Cor. 11.24 This do in remembrance of me 6. A Sermon in the Morning Exercise against Popery viz. Sermon XXIII published 1675. on Heb. 10.12 But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sate down at the right hand of God Whence he made it evident against the Papists That Christ crucified is the only divine and proper sacrifice of the Gospel and being once offered was so compleatly efficacious as that it took away sins fully and for ever 7. Separation no Schism being a full and sober vindication of the Nonconformists from the charge and imputation of Schism in Answer to a Sermon preached before the Lord Mayor by J. S. This Printed 1675. 8. His Last warning to secure sinners being his two last Sermons concerning the certainty and dreadfulness of the future misery of all ungodly sinners wherein his fervency of spirit in serving of the Lord is very conspicuous This last was published shortly after his death LXII Concerning these Posthumous Remains which now appear abroad though they have not those Polishings which might have been given to them by the last hand of their excellent Author yet they should not be under valued 'T is very well known he was no slave to his syllables As to that which he himself published of the Souls Immortality in his Epistle to the Reader he there tells him He must not expect from him a fine set of words or flourish of phrases and that he was not for the pleasing of the fancy with such toys yea in a Epistle oâ— his to his Hearers prefix'd to his serious Exâ—ortation to an Holy Life He tells them in Print sometime before he left Newington I tell you I dare do any thing for your sakes yea hazard the reputation of my discretion rather than be thought defective in my care for your never-dying spirits Great souls regard the substance more than circumstances and the attaining their great end more than acquiring some trivial plumes of reward you may be assured there hath been all care and sincerity used in what in this Preface or elsewhere hath been transcribed out of his own Copies to give you his genuine sense in his own words But where there may be slips and defects discovered which the learned Author himself could have easily rectified had he been alive and design'd to have made these things useful in this way Candid Readers who have a love to the deceased will be ready to overlook them without any impeachments of the Authors worth or the Publishers integrity the doing of good to souls being the design of these last as well as of him whose Memory is blessed And if any hastily conceit some particulars might have been left out they would do well to consider that particulars are more pungent and affective than generals and how that the choicest Saints of God in the Scriptures did note their own infirmities and by what means they had helps against them and were victorious over their corruptions Further This may engage serious Christian Readers more especially Relatives to watchfulness and resolutions of practising according to such examples as have through Christ behav'd themselves acceptably to God For as one said well The lives of holy men do teach us what ought to be done and at once convince us that it may be done And therefore another hath pertinently observ'd That the Historical parts of the Scriptures are little other than Annals and Descriptions of the Lives of the Patriarchs Judges Kings Prophets c. The Meditations here published most of them were gotten into the hands of Booksellers two several Copies of which we have seen besides the Original These might with the Letters and some of the Poems which were also in several hands have crept abroad more to the disadvantage of the Author whose happy memory hath herein been sincerely consulted so were the two Sermons taken in Short-hand and offered for gain to be Printed being they were greatly desired by some of his dear friends and beloved people which things laid together with good hopes they may be useful occasion'd a yielding they should be Printed as they now are Errors of the Press excepted knowing the holy Author did evermore seek the profiting of others rather than any praise from them to himself In the close of his little Manual for an holy life his own words are I write not to please all but to profit some If the Lord shall please to bless it to that end it will content me though it doth not thee In his Meditations as you have them you find he is very Pathetical and in his Poetique vein we may easily discern he did all along breathe after that heavenly state he is gone to possess And who knows how much his sanctified fancies and holy ejaculations may raise the affections of others that read them to the life of God He being somewhat musical did compose and in private make use of these Hymns c. for that purpose In his own Memorials out of which much of this Preface is compos'd he hath left this general direction I shall here subjoyn in his own words viz. That soul who would be true to himself as to the enjoyments of God Let him labour to get up his heart into a praising temper For doubtless there is nothing speaks more pure Saintship and Holiness in the soul than when it is carried out in Praises My reason is this because Praises do purely terminate upon God without any reflexion upon such actions as are most purely holy And here examine this case whether a man can love God absolutely for himself or only relatively as he doth discover himself to a soul He wrote some other things as particularly an Answer to a piece of Mr. Pen and Whitehead at the instance of a Theobalds neighbour to whom he gave
sentence thou canst not send me into worser than flames or punish me longer than everlastingly Christ answers Oh how my bowels turn this sinner knows not what is in my heart he thinks I am his enemy Sinner shake off thy fears and wipe thine eyes thou shalt not die The Sinner speaks again Oh thou glorious God or Angel or I know not what to call thee do not delude or deride a poor Caitiff wretch in the midst of misery Why wilt thou raise me to such a pinacle of hope to cast me down and make my fall the greater My Judg hath passed the sentence I must die and who can reverse the doom Ah! I must go see my prison-door wide open the smoke and flashes come to meet my despairing soul half way Christ speaks And now my heart begins to break my love can keep no longer in how causelesly doth this wretch torment his heart he knows not who I am I must reveal my self Sinner I love thee I say thou shalt not die Come feel my heart and pulses how they beat and tell how strong my love within doth act them Dost thou not see I have left my Throne and am come down to the Bar where thou standest condemned But why dost thou weep Come let me wipe thine eyes and bind up thy bleeding and despairing heart I tell thee thou shalt not die If Heaven will have blood it shall have mine so it will but spare thine Sinner if thou knewest who I am thou wouldst not doubt one tittle I tell thee I am his Son his only Son that but now condemned thee I know he is just and justice must be fatisfied But do not thou fear if one of us must die it shall be I I will pour out my blood a sacrifice for sin and appease his wrath and make you friends again Ye innumerable company of Angels yet servants at my Fathers will why do ye rejoice to see my prisoner sent to Hell this cursed soul over whom in glory you do now triumph I do resolve to die for and to buy her to my self a Spouse and to make her blessed with your selves and give her a Princess's place on a Throne that is by my self Sinner speaks Is this a dream or am I waking the goodness greatness glory of this sudden unexpected blessed change tempts me to doubt whether it be true or whether it be some unruly fancy that doth delude this wretched heart of mine What! for the Son of God to debase himself so low as to take my nature and so my cause and become the prisoner What! and though he knows he shall be cast Will he hear the sentence and quietly bear bolts and shackles and chains which should have fettered me Yet more than this Doth he know it is impossible to get a reprieve from his Father and Judg and that he must most assuredly drink the bitterest dregs of Death more bitter than Devils or damned souls in Hell as yet ever tasted of For it is impossible the Cup should pass And can he will he dare he venture But stay I must be a Spouse to be exalted from this Dunghil to be a Princess to the Son and Heir of Glory Hold hold here 's enough it is a Dream an idle fancy of a distempered brain I shall never find a heart to believe one syllable But yet methinks if it be a dream 't is a Golden one Is it possible that such a damned wretch as I could harbour such silken gilded thoughts of such love grace mercy and tenderness of the Son of God Oh my heart if they were not true how came they into my mind or how came they to stay or could they if but meer fictions make such a change in my heart Could they so victoriously conquer all my fear silence all my doubts allay the heats of a scorched and be helled Conscience But why a dream poor wretched heart Didst thou not see him step off his Throne Was it a time to dream or sleep in when thou wert before the Judgment-seat while God was frowning and the Devils dragging thee to and fro to get thee away to Hell Oh then just then he stept down drew near and took thee by the hand and spoke these reviving words to thee Doubt this and doubt thy judgment But why a dream I am not now in Hells torments whither I was just now sentenced My heart is now at ease and quiet surely something must be the reason why the Devil that but now had hold of me hath left me Where is the Conscience that but now was burning in me But Oh cannot the presence of the Lord put me out of doubt Do not his words that were so kind his tender dealing with me doth not his stooping to me taking me by the arm and the gentle lifts that he gives to my drooping soul speak him present Oh! do not my head eyes arms heart breast and the ease of every joint and limb about me witness the same A way my unbelieving heart what a stir is here to make thee believe a thing so evident Doubt my mind and freely doubt I'â—e give thee leave when thou hast any occasion or reason for it But why should I doubt that which is past all doubt May I not believe my senses I both saw and heard him speak the words or shall I misdoubt his faithfulness I know he is the Son of God he cannot lye But is it true yet my God I pray thee be not angry with my scrupulous heart thou seest in tears I make the doubt let it be an argument to me of sincerity I do not ask that question as one that would be fain perswaded it's true Canst thou think my Lord that I would not be reconciled and cheerfully accept of Grace when thou so freely offerest it Oh but Lord speak these words to my heart which thou hast already spoke to my ear and thou wilt melt it into love and thankfulness and I shall never doubt it more Object But yet but what can Heaven love so much Answ Thou silly worm how idly dost thou question must Heaven and so its love be bound up to so narrow and contracted thoughts as thine are What can God love no more than thou canst Love is a perfection and God is infinitely perfect so must be infinitely and incomprehensively loving Thou fool go found the Sea and tell me its greatest depths give me the height of yonder Stars this possibly thou maist do for the Seas are not so deep but they have a bottom nor the Stars so high but they may by art be known But Oh the heights and depths and breadths and lengths of the love of our Redeemer He is God and his breasts are so full of love that they flow and overflow with love they have no bottom Do but try my soul cast thy self into this bottomless lovely Ocean into this endless Bosom and when thou hast been sinking millions of millions of years tell me whither
same and before this age did not our Fathers and Grandfathers and great Grandfathers and so continued a testimony of ages from the time that they were done to this day witness to the truth of them and that so unanimously and resolutely that ten thousands have rather chosen to lose their lives than the truth of them Now put all these together and tell me canst thou doubt Away I see thou dost but trifle confess the truth or I am resolved to heed thee no longer Come take and embrace that crucified Jesus account all things else but as loss and dross and dung in comparison with him stick not at his outward meanness scruple not at his ignominious dying it is the very Christ the Saviour of the world Oh why shouldest-thou thus torment me Dost thou not see all thy fellow-Christians to glory in that Cross and in that Christ that died on it Do they not bear it as a badg of honour and shall it be to thee as shame Do not all the Christian World eat and drink as often as they can the Symbols of this their dying Lord And do they not all sing and joy and triumph in it and wilt thou the while lye vexing thy self over a company of needless fears and scruples Farewell all needless doubts and tormenting questions I see my faith is built on a Rock blow winds beat waves you cannot now remove me Blessed God! I thank thee for thy Son thou hast given his life for the spoiler thou hast bowed his back to the enemies long furrows have they plowed upon it and the day of his calamity they laughed at Lord thou hast wounded him for my sins and bruised him for my iniquities These speak the depth of thy counsels and the ways of thy mercy past finding out and the tenderness of thy Bowels Thou hast made him my Rock and my shield and my strong tower and in the day of my sorrow through him thou wilt hear me To thee O God will I make my vows and to thee will I pay them I will humble my self before thee I will always lye at the feet of my Redeemer Lord his Cross and his shame shall be no more a stumbling-block to me I will take it up and follow him it shall be my Crown my Song and the glory of my rejoicing I will enter into thy Courts with joy and in the Congregations of thy Saints shall be my delight I will remember thy loving-kindnesses of old and the days in which thou didst afflict thy only Son for the sins of my Soul I will call to mind the Covenant of thy Grace and my heart shall praise thee when I see it founded on blood Then will I betroth my self to thy Son join thou Lord both our hands and hearts and we will strike up a match for ever Praise thou the Lord Oh my soul and all you that love and fear him praise his holy name The SACRAMENT The Dress Lord where am I What! all the Children of the Bride-chamber up and drest and I slumbering in my bed Tell me ye fairest what make you up so early Alas our Lord was up before us all He called us up by break of the day and wondered that we were not triming our lamps knowing with whom we were to feast this day Oh! well then I will rise up too Oh what a shew do these bright and glittering Saints make in mine eyes What a brightness do these pearls and diamonds cast in mine eyes they do strike me into amazement Oh what a lovely humble look doth crown their brow and what a comely countenance hath joy and Heavenly delight cast on their cheeks surely they did not thus dress themselves it was my Father that made them thus prepar'd to entertain his Son But where are my Clothes Now for the fairest sweetest robe of thoughts and wishes that can be found or that the wardrobe of my Father can afford me Oh how naked am I But where are my silken golden twists of Faith to hang the jewels of joy and love and humility upon I am never drest till they be on Oh where where are they I saw them by me but just now I laid them by my heart before I went to bed Oh what was I so long a reasoning about Oh what long and many threds did my reason spin even now but to make these twines to tye up my joy and to raise up my love and to hang my Heavenly delight upon But ah I fear this envious world hath with her vanities stollen them away or hid them from me or the envious Devil or unbelief have been ravelling or snarling of them that now I am as far to seek as ever Whither O whither shall I go to find them out Now will the Bridegroom come and I am not ready I cannot dare not go to day Now will my Lord be angry and ask me why I came not and I have no answer to make him And if I go undrest he will ask me where is my Wedding-garment and then I shall be speechless Ah foolish simple heart that thou wouldst take no more care but to let these thoughts of earth so intangle themselves with thy so pure and Heavenly contemplations Now how to get them loose again thou knowest not this thou mightst by heed and care have prevented but now what help Lord I have sinned O holy Father pardon this time and I will take more heed Oh come and unty my thoughts from this earth and come and dress me up as best pleaseth thee Come be not discouraged Oh my soul Let but thy attire of Grace be whole that is sincere thy God and so thy Saviour will accept thee Though thy garments are not so much perfumed with heaven as thy brethrens are but yet if they are but white and free from the spots of flesh and spirit thou wilt be looked on and liked of well enough Thy Lord doth know that all have not talents alike and where he gives but a little he expects but little A Faith that is richly embroidered over with love and delight is not given to all and is not expected from any but from those to whom it is given Thou hast an honest willing serious heart that thinks it doth despise and trample under feet the nearest dearest pleasures profits and glories in the world in compare with him that gave himself to death for thee and hadst rather anger flesh and blood the dearest friends and all the world than him by sinning against him in the least If this be true fear not thou hast thy Wedding-garment on thou art well clad as mean soever as it is it is such a one as Heaven gave thee and such a one as thy dear Redeemer can and will embrace thee in The Presence-Chamber Fear not O my soul I charge thee do not faint Let not thy weakness and the poverty of thy grace discourage thee see how thy Lord draws nigh Fear not I say he will not ask
thee Friend how camest thou hither not having on thy Wedding-garment He sees thy heart and sees thou hast it on Oh he comes and it is but to whisper thee a welcome in thine ear it is but to fall about thy neck and kiss thy be-tear'd cheeks and bid thee a kind welcome to thy bleeding Lord. Soul Oh did I think to be thus much made of I thought he would not have minded me but I did no sooner appear and set my feet within the doors but he ran to meet me he took me in his arms he brought me hither and set me here Is this a house or is it a Palace Is this a Court for Princes or for Angels Never did place more ravish me into amazement than this place Beautiful are thy gates O Zion O how pleasant is the habitation of the most high Is it the place or the company that strikes me into astonishment Now I can say most feelingly say with David My delights are with the Saints of the most high and the most excellent of the earth Their poverty their disgrace their contempt amongst whom they live do not puzzle my quick-ey'd Faith these are the Kings Daughters that are all glorious within their garments are of needle-work imbroidered over with pure gold fine-spun gold These O these hovv poor and mean soever they are or may seem to be these shall sit vvith Christ to judg the World Oh! hovv my foul is ravished vvith delight to see and look on those with whom I shall live for ever If they are so lovely now what will they be hereafter when our God shall take them and scowr off their rust and wash their Garments bright in the Sun-shine of his countenance and change those mortal and corruptible bodies into immortal and glorious ones and set them upon Thrones about himself and lade their heads with Crowns of massy gold and when I shall hear them warbling out the everlasting Praises of the Lamb whose Body and Blood we all sit down to feed on Communion-Plate Never was Gold or Silver graced thus before To bring this Body and this Blood to us is more than to Crown Kings or be made Rings For Star-like Diamonds to glitter in The Bread Welcome Fairest take and eat 't is the sweetest dainties dearst morsel Heaven can afford thee Welcome my Dear to the Table of thy Lord. Welcome a thousand times I bid thee yea welcomer than thine own heart can wish Take eat this morsel it cost my life it 's a portion thy Father sent unto thee by me and bid me remember thee of his love to thee He bids thee remember a Fathers love I a Saviours He hath a heart to give thee and so have I. Take this in earnest of them both in one Take freely if thou wert not welcome I would have told thee I would have asked thee for thy Wedding-garment knew I not thy heart or if I were uncertain of thy love I would have scorn'd thee as unworthy of my presence did I know thou lovest any thing above me I would have hid my face and never have spoke thee a welcome so feelingly and kindly to thy soul Tell me O tell me dost thou not love me I know thou dost and above Father or Mother Wife or Child Lands or Living or Credit I know thou dost And wilt thou not take the Cross and follow me I know thou wilt I see and know the labour of thy love I remember the pains and travel of thy soul I saw thee follow me on thy knees in tears and begged my life rather than thy life I know thy heart I saw it bleeding before my Throne I took it in my arms and bound it up and in that breast I remember I put it up again I saw thee when no eye saw thee I heard thee and had compassion on thy groanings whilst thou wert complaining that I had shut out thy prayers I well remember since thy heart did first fall sick with love since the time thy flesh began to die and since thou laidst thy self in the grave down by me and wert willing to die to all this vain empty glory of the world because I died and left it I know thee well enough Thou art mine and I am thine Take it I charge thee eat it as thou lovest me and whilst thou feedest remember the love of thy dearest Redeemer Soul Oh 't is the sweetest meat that ever tongue did tast it sends a rellish to my very heart I find it digests as it deseends I feel my nerves and sinews strengthen I never knew that bread was the staff of life till now Oh how fit is my soul now for Christ How easie do I now find his yoke how light his burden Methinks I could watch or pray or read more earnestly resolvedly believingly than ever Oh! methinks I can take his Cross and bear it strongly and take the shame and despise it fully Oh 't is a feast of fat things The richest banquet of love that ever I was at it was but a little that I took and it fills me full my hungry stomack now crys 't is enough I find it now verified to my soul and spirit that he that eats of this bread shall never hunger more Well I need not starve when there is such bread in my Fathers house I need not I will not I cannot feed any longer on husks with the swine of the world I fed on air and smoak before I never tasted substantial bread till I tasted of this This is the staff of my life and upon this will I support my self to my very grave The Wine Christ Come my Dearest I have drunk and thou shalt pledg me I have broached my side and drew it on purpose for thee This is a Wine of mine own making when I trod the Winepress of my Fathers wrath It is my blood but take and drink it it was the cause of my wounding but to thy soul it shall prove healing I died and bled it was but to make this Banquet for thee I have brought thee into my Wine-cellar and my Banner over thee shall be love Fear not take and drink thou hast an ulcer in thy heart and this shall cure it spots and stains of guilt on thy soul and this shall purge them away thy spirits are faint this shall revive thee thou art afraid to see thy Fathers face this shall make thee to draw near the Throne of Grace with boldness Drink I charge thee drink on thy love and loyalty to me I command thee as thou wilt have thy heart to mend thy wounds to cure thy spirits to revive thy fears to scatter thy soul to love and obey me take O take this cup into thy hand taste it and praise my love Soul Lord I have taken I have drunk as thou hast bid me I neither could or dare deny thee Can I refuse thy blood when I have accepted thy self Or can I accept my pardon at thy hands and
earnestly beg of God on thy knees as if thou wert pleading for thy life that God would humble thee and give thee more love to himself and to the rest of thy brethren and take heed likewise of angering them O that thou wouldst but practise this truly truly I should rejoice Angels in Heaven would rejoice as it is written The Angels rejoise at the conversion of a sinner Secondly Look that thou readest the Scriptures diligently every day and let this be thy first work in the morning and the last at night And if thou canst not understand go to God and beg that he would give thee more light and if thou dost this likewise happy shalt thou be And seeing it is late before you go to supper and bed therefore thou maist set apart some time for this duty in the afternoon And this you must do and then wait upon God for a blessing And truly do but reflect on your self and tell me what 's the cause of all that gross ignorance which is in you Truly 't is because you read little in the Scripture and other good Books And if perhaps you read a Chapter now and then it is either because you are forc'd to it or because you would read some story in the Old Testament only to recreate your carnal mind Let me but ask you this one question Do you when you take the Bible in your hand consider it is the book of God and if you do not practise what you read it will turn to your condemnation Do but consider this thing seriously and the God of Heaven bless it to your soul Now I pray and entreat you not to slight this which I have said but turn it into practise And it will be my desire thâ—t you will write this out fair that thou maist read it sometimes and maist know that thy brother loves thy soul as dearly as his own What I have now writ unto thee in particular thou wilt do well if thou communicatest it to all thy brethren that they may not be wanting in these things which I have here desired of thee in particular for I could desire that thou mightest begin to lead the way to Heaven in that family but especially let this be known to my Sister Anne I pray her not to think much that I direct this to you and not to her for I thought you would write to me and I questioned whether she hath not forgot but if she doth write I assure her if my soul and body can do her service it shall I shall not mention my Sister Mary because I have hinted her case in my Fathers Letter The God of Heaven be with you So I pray who am Your tender and most affectionate Brother Tho. Wadsworth Dear and Loving Sister IT hath been such a great interval of time since we last exchang'd Letters with one another that I know not whether to charge you or my self with negligence but I hope neither of us are guilty of forgetfulness God is my witness that I daily make mention of you in my prayers and I assure you it will exceedingly raise my heart in praises if God will but answer them upon your soul And truly my expectations are very great towards you and the rest of my friends I know not who they shall be either in that family or some where else but rather there for God of late hath shewn me much of his goodness as to the answering of my prayers as to particular persons And I am assured that he hath several times drawn out my heart as much if not more for that family So that I live in continual expectations of hearing of the Sun of Righteousness to rise among you and the day star of holiness and purity to break out of some of your souls And to this purpose I have sent you this Letter that you among the rest might be one that may fulfil my joy in the Lord. I am sorry that all this while I have not heard from my Brother John I hope that the Lord will stir up his heart likewise Heaven-ward Tell him that I would have writ to him but that I had so much to write to others so that I was fain to steal a little time to write these few lines As for your self for the present I shall only desire you to read Scripture much and pray constantly if possibly you can twice or three times a day For directions herein I desire you to peruse seriously my Sister Anne's Letter which I have here sent her Lastly Take a special care of my Sister Mary labour to get her to pray though she can but chatter God can hear He hears the young Ravens when they cry and feeds them and will he not much more hear a young child To whom I pray you commend my love very kindly I have no more at this present but that I am Your ever Loving Brother Tho. Wadsworth Loving Sister AS the Letter was with great affection desired so was it as gratefully received by me Neither was it so much because that you did write but because you writ so well and heartily And I shall here assure you that you cannot rejoice me more than in letting me see such sentences dropping from your pen as did in the last Letter And I am likewise as certain that your discovery of them proceeding from your heart carries in it a far more exceeding weight of joy to your own soul I shall have but one or two things to you at this time and I shall conclude First Be constant in Prayer morning and evening and labour not only to speak words but let your words express your heart Secondly Before and after Prayer join reading of the Scriptures Thirdly Take heed of vain and foolish discourse be as little in talk as may be without it is in good discourse I shall now only desire you to write to me every week or fortnight and I doubt not but you will find your parts encrease and abour but to put Letters in practice and you shall find likewise your graces encrease And with this I conclude only desiring you to remember me to your Brother and Sisters and I shall be as I ever was Your Loving Brother T. W. A SERMON PREACHED BY Mr. THO. WADSWORTH Taken in Short-hand REV. XII 1. And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven a Woman clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet and upon her head a Crown of twelve Stars IN these words you have a description of the Church of Jesus Christ on earth the Church of Christ is of all Societies of the world the most glorious it is a Society founded by the Counsel of the great God a Society that is purchased and bought by the blood of the Son of God 't is a Society called out of this wicked world to worship God in spirit and in truth 't is a Society that is to God himself as the apple of his eye 't is a Society
sin How come they then to be tempted the Apostle telleth Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and inticed You are tempted of your selves and of the Devil Lay your sins at your own door God hath no hand at all in them 3ly God cannot be the author of the evil of sin Why because it is so contrary to the nature of God It is so contrary that it would even destroy God if it were there A sinning God is no God at all for the very notion of the Godhead doth imply all Perfection in him Now sin is the palpablest imperfection in the world an imperfect God is a weak God and an impotent God is no almighty God and that which is not almighty is no God at all It is a hard thing for any creature to put off its nature or that which is essential to it now righteousness is of the very essence of the Godhead How hard a thing is it my Brethren for you to think or conceive of a Sun without light or to conceive of fire without heat so hard and impossible is it for you to conceive of a God without holiness a God without righteousness yea without perfection of righteousness And therefore the Apostle to the Hebrews doth reckon sin in God as an impossibility it is impossible for God to sin he instanceth in the case of falseness or a lye Hebr. 6.18 that by two immutable things that is his word and his oath in which it was impossible for God to lye Now what the Apostle here saith of the sin of lying I may say of all sorts of sin it is as impossible for God to do unjustly as it is impossible for God to lye it is impossible for these reasons you see it clear that it is impossible for God to be the author of sin Well then how must it be taken by evil must be here meant the evil of punishment Why is punishment called an evil for this reason because that punishment doth deprive us of our good things now that which taketh away our good things is an evil thing punishment taketh away our good things strippeth us of them all both spiritual and temporal Therefore punishment is called an evil so then the sense is this Is there any punishment in a City is there any evil of punishment is there any plague is there any judgment that doth befall a City saith the Lord I did them I will own them You are not ashamed of your sinning and I am not ashamed of my punishing of you for your sin You are not ashamed to provoke me to wrath and I am not afraid to tell you when I am in wrath with you Now there are several sorts of these punishments that God doth inflict for sin and God doth own himself to be the author of them all there are none of them to be found in the world but God will own himself to be the author of them There are some evils of punishment that do light upon the soul and where ever you see of them in a City the Lord is the author of them All the evils all the soul-plagues that are upon a City they are of the Lord. What are these soul-plagues why judicial blindness judicial hardness of heart judicial unconvertedness so far as these are judgments so far God is the author of them And alas how much of this plague is upon London this evil of judicial blindness hardness of heart unconvertedness unhealedness But will God own himself to be the author of this yes he doth do it by his own Son Joh. 12.40 He hath blinded their eyes who hath blinded their eyes God hath blinded their eyes he hath God hath blinded their eyes He hath hardened their hearts God hath hardned their hearts that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their hearts and be converted and I should heal them This is strange is it not my Brethren that God should be the author of the blindness of the mind and the hardness of the heart I say it is as true as strange for so far as blindness is a judgment so far as hardness of heart is a judgment not as it is a sin but as it is a judgment God is the cause of it but if you should be startled as to wonder how possibly it could be that God should be the author of blindness and hardness if you will but compare this phrase unto that other kind of phrase which the Apostle useth in his Epistle to the Romans Rom. 1.26 the matter will be clear Christ saith God hath blinded them the Apostle he expresseth it by a phrase of giving up to sin God he then blindeth and then hardeneth when he giveth up to blindness that is that blindness that men have contracted when he giveth them up to that hardness of heart that by sin they have contracted to themselves For this cause saith the Apostle God gave them up unto vile affections God gave them up to them for even their women to change their natural use to that which is against nature God gave them up to it All the Villanies that were acted among the Heathens all those abominable sins that they polluted themselves with God gave them up in judgment to commit them And truly when you look over this City of London and you find all sorts of sins in a high degree to abound when you hear of sins that are not to be named though these sins are of mens own wicked hearts yet as they are judgments so they are of God God gives them up to drunkenness and up to swearing and up to adultery and uncleanness so far as these are judgments they are to be attributed to God God gives them up to them And it is like that other phrase that the Prophet Hosea useth Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joined to Idols let him alone If you would know when God giveth up a people to blindness and giveth them up to hardness it is then when he lets them alone in their blindness when he lets them alone in their hardness when doth he let them alone when he taketh off friends from reproving them and Ministers from exhorting them and Conscience from troubling them giving them up to searedness of Conscience when he takes off the Spirit from striving with them then he lets them alone So to let a people alone in their blindness to give them Priests after their own hearts to give them those that will sew cushions under their elbows and will flatter them in their sins and tell them it is an easie matter to please God and get to Heaven and therefore need not be at the expence of much trouble When God giveth them up I say to such Priests and such friends as will flatter them in their sins daub over their iniquities then he lets them alone then he is said judicially to blind their minds and harden their hearts that they should not be converted and healed Oh
ears to hear the word of God God had punished Pharoah and his host and his people in Egypt ten times yet Phareah was not satisfied but followed Israel to the Red-Sea now God will make the Sea to punish Pharoah the very Sea can do it God spake but the word and those great waters a wonderful thing divided hither and thither and contrary unto their natures stood like two crystal walls congealed until the Israelites passed through but when Pharoah and his host assayed to do the like God spoke the word and like two Jaws they close again and devoured Pharoah and his host The Sea was executioner of Gods wrath upon that proud-hearted King Look upon things upon the earth they are all ready to execute vengeance upon Gods enemies the Fly the Locust the Caterpiller yea the very Lice God maketh use of to bring down the proud heart of Pharoah and not only these inferiour creatures but all sorts of creatures yea the very Devils and wicked men stand ready to execute wrath even upon those that are as wicked as themselves The very Devils if God hath a mind to punish a man they will be ready to run to inflict the punishment They will do it nay they are very desirous they would go more about this work of plaguing and punishing men than God is willing they should do and it was meer importunity as I may say whereby the Devil did get God to try Job It is true those afflictions came not in wrath upon Job but for trial but however it was in wrath from the Devil But God giveth the Devil leave to burn Job his Cattel by fire from Heaven to raise a mighty storm to bring the house down upon the heads of his children while feasting to stir up the Sabeans to come into the field and take away his Cattel And what he doth here for Job so he will do it for those that are otherwise his professed friends and followers Ahab was a good servant of the Devil but Ahab had angred God and God was resolved he would spare him no longer but cut him off How will God cut him off He shall be cut off in battel saith God But how shall Ahab be brought to the battel there steps one out a lying spirit I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab his false Prophets and these false Prophets shall perswade Ahab to go to the battel and there thou shalt cut him off This was the Devil the Devil that had put Ahab upon Idolatry the Devil that had put Ahab upon selling himself to do wickedly the Devil is readiest to do execution upon Ahab when his time is come Saith God he hath been false and treacherous to me Go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of his Prophets and they shall prevail upon him to lead him out to the battel and I will provide an arrow that shall take away his life Wicked men are ready to do execution upon any people that God is angry with God threatneth his people Israel I will but hiss for such a people and they will all come What a great people were the Babylonians I will but becken I will but nod I will but speak a word and all that great Empire of Babylon shall be in arms For what to pull thee in pieces Oh Judah and Oh Jerusalem So likewise if there were any instruments that did wilfully help forward the burning of the City I tell you they had all their orders But will God give wicked men order to do thus wickedly no. God only gives them order to inflict the evil as it is a punishment no otherwise what wickedness there is in the principle of him that is the executioner that is to himself God gave commission to the Devil to burn Job's Cattel and to destroy Job's Children the Devil doth it maliciously and with an intent to make Job blaspheme God Ay but God doth only give leave for the trying of Job So when God maketh use of wicked men to inflict a judgment he intendeth nothing but the demonstration of his righteousness against sin but wicked men they may have malicious ends of their own So if God should give leave to men to burn the City I tell you though the instruments be wicked and do it wickedly they are crooked staves but yet therewith God strikes a right stroke a right blow It was sin in Judas to betray his Master yet the Apostle Peter tells you it was according to the determinate counsel of God God had so ordered it in his Providence that Judas should be one of the twelve that should betray Christ so ye see that God is the author of all the evil of punishment but not of the evil of sin He is the author of it by decreeing of it by providing means to affect his Decree But then lastly we shall add the reasons hereof when God doth bring evil upon a City Why doth God bring evil upon a City I answer you the principal reason for which God doth bring evil upon a City it their sin for their sins and their punishments are relatives where there is no sin there is no such thing as punishment The Fire of London so far as it was London's punishment it doth respect the sin of London it was for sin This is very clear in all the Judgments that we read of they are all for sin Why did God drown the old world because their imaginations were evil and that continually it was for sin Why did God burn Sodom it was for sin their sins cried in the ears of God Why did God threaten the Twelve Tribes it was for sin Why was ten of them destroyed by the Assyrians about threescore and ten years after this Amos prophesied it was for sin God telleth us so And why was Jerusalem destroyed by the Babylonians for their sin And so the rest And if so if sin is the cause of all the Judgments you read of in the Book of God then you must conclude where there was so great a Judgment so great a punishment inflicted upon London it was for sin it was for the sin of London Why what sins are there that God is so angry with they are of two sorts there are sins against nature or the Law written upon the heart and there are sins against the Gospel against the grace of God in Christ Jesus The sins against the law written in the heart they are enumerated in Rom. 1.28 They liked not to retain God in their knowledg God gave them up to a reprobate mind to do the things which are not convenient being filled with all unrighteousness fornication covetousness maliciousness full of envy murder debate deceit malignity whisperers and so he goeth on these are sins against nature against the law of nature and usually these are the sins for which God doth punish the Gentiles or those that never had the Law nor Gospel But then the sins against the Gospel are the greatest
the times to be drunk and commit adultery sobriety is laughed at a scornful defiance is bid to the Law of God and Ministers have now much ado to perswade men that these things are sins It is for London's impudence in sin that God burnt London Secondly they are not only the bare sins of London but God is angry with them for these sins under the preaching of the Gospel Alas if you were drunk you might be drunk and God never have burnt the City if you swore and forswore and had been some of the Americans that had no Law nor Prophets nor Christ nor Apostles nor Ministers you might have sworn and cursed and God would have stood still and let you alone and only took a course with you at death burned you then in Hell But since God hath taken England for his people and London for his people and sent Christ to be preached and sent Ministers and gifted them and bid them cry and cry aloud believe it God will not take your sins as he takes the sins of others No Sabbath-breaking is a greater sin in London than it is in the Northern parts of this Kingdom Why you have more means you have the Gospel in a greater light And you Parents in London and Masters for you to neglect your Families God taketh it worse at your hands than he doth at those in the Country Why you should know better God hath given you more means to know the preciousness of servants and childrens souls therefore you should look more carefully after them Your sins are committed against Gospel-light and therefore more dangerous therefore God punishes you Thirdly sins after vows of reformation did London never promise God solemnly to reform if you have forgotten it God hath not London hath been under a promise to reform How to reform to entertain Christ and the Gospel and to improve it better to promote his Ordinances and to reform their Families every one in their places If you have broken your Vows and thrown them behind your backs God is still alive to punish for it Ay your sins are greater too than others Why because they are against more mercies temporal mercies in some respects than the Countries about In the time of the Civil War when all the Country almost was laid wast London was not touched there were Cities besieged Cities burnt Cities and Towns laid waste and desolate people beggered and undone every where London did thrive all the while God had a great reckoning with London London a people of so much means so many mercies so many deliverances so much of the Gospel and yet London a drunken London a covetous London an adulterous London Believe it God hath now at length reckoned with you and hath begun to pay off your old and long score and I fear he hath not yet done with you Christ hath been neglected the Spirit grieved Ministers rejected hated persecuted Sabbaths prophaned London full of pride covetousness lying swearing luxury drunkenness and all these under the Gospel and all these committed with a brazen face impudently for these things God is angry with you for these things God sent the Pestilence for these things sake God brought the fire If this be true here is another Inference followeth Have our sins burnt our City and brought so many thousands by the Pestilence to the grave Oh that we could be ashamed of our sins confess them with shame be humbled for our sins learn to hate our sins beg of God for grace to conquer our sins Oh that there might be a separation between sin and us that the great separation between God and us may be prevented Is God angry with London it is for sin Oh be rid of your sins let us all this day search our hearts and try our reins and see what iniquity is in us what personal sins what Family-sins what City-sins what Church sins let us see how far we contributed to the burning of London and Oh that we might by repentance and reformation crucifie those sins that burnt London this would be a good work and without this work in vain do you fast this day God told Israel when they came fasting and mourning before him there in the Prophet Isaiah That they should cease to do evil and learn to do well and then come and fast and pray and then faith he Let us reason together if you will cease to do evil and learn to do well Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool So I say in the name of the Lord to you this day you are about praying to God that he would be at peâ—ce with London let all of us cease to do evil what evils those evils that I have named have any of us been guilty of London's pride the Lord help every one of us to resolve for to crucifie that sin and to resolve we will not have a hand any more in burning London Which of you would not part with pride to save so great a City let your ornaments be sober as become men and women professing Godliness Those that have been guilty of drunkenness let them be drunk no more take up that resolution those that have been guilty of injustice in their callings let them resolve they will never more sin to get an estate and that they will rather live and die beggars Believe it that is not the way to die beggars if you come to resolve upon it For God can bless you in his way more than you can gain by walking in your own sinful ways Resolve to lye no more cozen no more swear no more are there any unclean let them be unclean no more Have you broken the Lords-day and prophaned that do so no more Resolve every one of you in your places that for the future you and your Families will endeavour to spend the whole Lords-day in serving God and looking after the Salvation of your Souls Again take up a resolution to give Christ a greater acceptation a better acceptation stand with your hearts wide open to the offers of Salvation do not neglect and slight Salvation when God offers it When you despise his Son you despise God himself They that receive me saith Christ receive him that sent me So those that reject Christ reject God the Father When you come hither and Christ is offered and you will not entertain him you reject God you will not entertain God See that the Gospel may come in its efficacy and power upon your souls God is angry with every Citizen that hath not after all the offers of Salvation accepted of it Every impenitent unconverted sinner because of his impenitency and unconvertedness he had a hand in the firing the City Let us I say repent of our sins let us forsake those sins whereby we have provoked the Lord against us But you will say How if we should we shall leave thousands and ten
setled up he mounts Upon his Royal Steed Who prancing through the streets is prais'd For his victorious deed Just so my glorious blessed Prince With vict'ry on his side Being won with ghastly gaping wounds In triumph he must ride Down with a Chariot made of clouds From th' Palace-yard on high His Father sent to setch his Son In great solemnity Before he steps up to his seat Like Royal Prince he gave Rich-wonder-working gifts to 's friends And then he took his leave Strait at command the foaming winds With prancings up they fly Proud of the burthen that they drew A load of Majesty When he got home Oh! with what shouts Of joy did Heav'n resound When th' Father sat him on his Throne And there himself him crown'd Angels and Saints do all at once The Song of the Lamb sing As worthy of all honour praise Yea worthy to be King Sit there thou great Victorious Prince At thy Fathers right hand Bring down thine en'mies to thy feet Rule all by thy command HYMN V. The Souls Access LOrd hear my knocking 's hark my crys Want drives me to thy door Oh! chide not do not say Away I was here once before Where shall I go thou only hast That life none gives beside I went about the world to beg For life but all deni'd Thou art my God and Saviour To thee I naked creep Besmear'd in blood and tears I lie Lord pity see I weep If I have sin'd Lord thou hast di'd To free me thou wast sent And thou hast said I shall not die If that I will repent Justice Oh hold a while thy stroke Suffer a sinner plead It 's for my life one word and then Strike on and make me bleed If I had sin'd and would not yield But stoutly stand it out Thy wrath might then have broacht my heart And let my life run out If I had heard a Christ was come With open arms to save Had I not run for refuge there Mercy I might not crave Now Justice strike 't is done but see Where I incircled lye Within the folds of Jesus arms Strike in his arms I 'le die Chear up my heart the storm is o're Justice is ris'n and gone All thy accusers creep away Thy Christ is lest alone What blessed voice was that I heard My Son rise off thy knees Thy sins are pardon'd thou art free And I have paid thy fees Lord what a quick dispatch hast thou In grace giv'n to my cause I am arraign'd acquit set free By thy most gracious Laws Had I not guilty dar'd to plead Though fraught with Angels skill How sure my impannel'd conscience would Have sought and found the bill HYMN VI. The descent of the Spirit WHO knows the winds from whence they come Or whither they do go The holy breathings we receive Are from the Spirit ev'n so Sometimes its cooling gales we feel On Conscience all on fire Sometimes its cooling heats we find Our nummed hearts inspire This is that Holy Ghost that Christ Did promise for to send This is that pow'rful Spirit that Our stubborn hearts must bend Jerusalem the City was Design'd for his descent Thither the Christians at th' command Of th' Heavenly Angel went No sooner were they set but straight A mighty tempest rose Shook the foundations of the house Which they for pray'rs had chose Struck with amazement soon there fell Flames shap't both flat and long Which hovering light upon each head Much like a Cloven-tongue Those little fiery bushes were But wonders for to shew That th' wonder-working Spirit was Come down to men below For straight he tun'd each Christians tongue All Languages to speak The Parthians Medes and Elamites To them their minds might break Thousands of Salem flock to see This strange unheard-of thing They flock too fast for they forget Good hearts with faith to bring Some are amaz'd but others scoff Some praise but others say They have too much of tongue they 'r drunk With much new wine to day Oh injur'd God! how can'st thou bear These dreadful Blasphemies These wonders speak thy Gospel true They say it 's nought but lyes Scarce fifty days now past thy Son With nails they Crucifi'd And now to heap up sin on sin Thy Spirit they deride Instead of wrath Gods bowels yern Yet thinks them thoughts of Grace The bleeding Christ while Peter preacht The Spirit gave them chace Three thousand hearts at once he struck Who bleeding came and cri'd What shall we do we do believe On Christ we Crucifi'd O holy conquering Spirit thou Those souls did'st captivate This is a second wonder wrought Which we with Songs relate Oh let me find thy heats within As a refiners fire Purge from my heart all dross and sin This this is my desire HYMN VII First Part. THOU dreadful Judg whose Majesty Angels themselves adore That can't with open face thee see But clap their wings before When thou with whispers dost but chide The arch of Heaven doth quake Big-bellied clouds forth lightning bring And into thunders break When that thy wrath it doth but breathe Great storms of whirlwinds rise Hail snow and rain come tumbling down Whilest th' trembling sinner flies The lofty mountains stoop their heads To hide them in their vales Great men and Princes shrink for fear Their hearts and courage fails Some high and mighty Angels hatcht Treason against his Crown He spar'd them not but from their Throne With vengeance pull'd them down He chains of darkness on them laid As pris'ners doth them keep Against the great and terrible day When hardest hearts shall weep When the old world thy name forgot And laid aside their fears The gentle wrathful Heavens wept Drowns it with showers of tears When Sodom and Gomorrah burnt With fires of wanton lust With flakes of fir'd brimstone thou Those Cities burnd'st to dust Sion it self that darling hill In Salem that did stand Them both for slaying of thy Son Thou mad'st a fire-brand Our bleeding carcasses thy sword leaves reeking on the ground Yet after this we no more fear Than men fall'n in a swound Second Part. When thou O mighty God shalt come Riding upon the wind To judg the world Oh! in what place Will th' wicked refuge find How shall we hear thy shrill voice't trump Cleaving th' air asunder To wake our ashes in their graves With noise like claps of thunder Lord what a glorious train is that That on their wings do ride Look how they post in full career Thronging on either side Oh! they 're the Angels of the Lord Egypt's first-born that slay'd That took poor Lazarus soul that di'd And him in bosom laid The Trump shall sound and Michael then Th' Archangel strait shall cry Arise you dead to judgment come The Lord your lives must try Look how the wicked's bodies crawl Like Toads out of their den What ghastly fearful looks they bear They look like frighted men Why do you sinners now thus quake Call for your
good night What must be suffer'd why is' t fear'd I can't my life defend Fear or not fear it 's all a case My life must have an end Death comes why let it why should I Plead priviledg from what My God hath pointed out for all It must be then my lot He lent me to my self a while My lent-out life recalls What is his own he may demand He wrongs me not at all Why should I tremble at the grave Alas it is not Hell Why should not I thank God and die That it 's not worse it 's well Art thou new-born then thou hast felt The pains of death to lust They 'r greater than those thou wilt feel Which brings thee to the dust To leave a sin to wicked men Doth far more torment bring Than shame than beggery or death Or any other thing Think how the wicked go to hell How careless do they die Shalt thou less fear it than they do Though thou must fore on high Think that thy grave were but thy bed That God thee there did keep That when that dying thou wert but A falling fast asleep Think what a quiet undisturb'd Repose thou there shalt take That God when thou hast slept enough Himself will thee awake Think that thy Lord and Saviour In this cold bed did lie Wilt thou not with him lay thy self What love him and deny Think that a thousand thousand Saints Have hither crept for rest Have long'd and hop'd to be dissolv'd All counting it the best Think what 's this world that thou must leave It is not Paradise A hell of torment sin shame grief A cinque of filthy vice Where lust and pride do sit and reign Grace goodness subjects are If thou art good thou maist go pack That 's all the world doth care How often their ungodly lives Have vext thy soul but think Their selling Heaven for a lust For dross a cup of drink It 's true thou maist them contradict But what get'st thou by that They curse thee wish thee in some pit Where thou maist lye and rot Thou say'st there 's good as well as bad That thou must leave behind If good men make thee will to stay Above thou'lt better find The best on earth are bitter-sweet Weaknesses have their stings They can thee hurt and will sometimes Till God to Heaven them brings Thou say'st if God the shepherd smite The sheep will scatter'd be If they were safe it matters not What did become of thee Thou fool God will them bless or curse If curse thou must not live But if for them he blessings hath Better than thee he 'l give I come then Oh ye Heavenly host Of Angels take me up I 've broke my fast with grace on earth With you above I 'le sup I come my Father and my God! Now to thy self me take Through my Lords wounds I hope for love Oh love me for his sake HYMN XI Comfortable at the death of a dear friend DRY up thy eyes and let thy looks Again seem fair and clear Let not those briny staining streams Thy blubber'd cheeks besmear Who knows not man was made to die Can tears blur the decree Or spunge it out those Heavenly rowls What God wills that must be Was he not made of dust that 's dead Can dust for ever last What wonder is it then to see That dust on dust is cast Hath not the wisest God all things Made subject unto change Why should he thee or thine except Is not thy folly strange Why his departure thus bemoan'd He paid but nature's score He me not leaves I follow him He 's only rid before It 's God commanded him away 'T was he that gave him thee Is it not reason more than thou the Giver pleased be Thou say'st no sorrows like to mine None e're lost such a friend How many thousands say the like Complaints will ne'r have end Nay think how far others in grief Have cause thee to exceed Thou ' st lost a friend but they a child Thou weep'st but they do bleed Is thine a child their is a wife Or else some dead husband But if this last be thine own case Think his is worse that 's damn'd Look round and view that num'rous heap Of houses that do stand Tell me the house that hath not mourn'd By strokes giv'n by deaths hand Go round about the Royal Tombs Number the Queens and Kings How oft have Palaces worn Black By wounds made by Deaths stings Or think how many mourners thou hast cheered up before Let the same reasons on thee move That thy heart grieve no more Or think of him as ne'r been born Or born not known to thee He might have di'd a thousand times 'T would ne'r have troubled thee But did thy life and livelihood On him alone depend For shame do not forget thy God Who meat to Ravens sends But ah alas he lov'd me more Than all the world beside Ah! take thou care in saying so Thy God he be'nt be-li'd But Oh the friend of my bosom He cannot be forgot But fool didst think he could not die What did thy mind besot Play not the child my grown-up soul Many spectators gaze At thy-high spirit under grief Soul-weakness will amaze Think thy employment calls aloud To lay aside complaints Think that thy Friends thy Country Church Cry to thee as in wants Or else look up unto thy God In whom contentment lyes His heating brightness will dry up All tears from out thine eyes If all the reasons I have us'd Will nothing move thy heart Then take thy course I only wish Thy cure be wrought by smart HYMN XII Of Thanksgiving for the restoration of Health ' THE God of Heav'n is but one To him alone I pray To him in straits I made my vows Which now in health I 'le pay My God is light life help hearts ease Physician Nurse and Friend Himself was the best Physick I Could take to make me mend For sin me weakness did confine Within my Chamber-walls In prison as with Iron-bolts My limbs were sore with gauls My bones were all as out of joint My sinews lax and loose Each member was so feebly hung As if 't had lost its use All elements did seem to strive To raise my misery They would have surely me orewhelm'd But that my God was by My trembling skin my chattering teeth The shiverings of my bones My shoulders shrugging up with cold Thus sadly made their moans As if all hail and snow and rain Their coldnesses had lent To some night-stormy blustring winds My body to torment I was like weary pilgrim that All night in forest lies While rain and snow and chilling winds Do pinch him till he dies But my good God! those nipping blasts Screen'd off me with his palm He sweetly rockt me fast asleep So they did me no harm The freezing air now thaw'd I thought Me safe but was deceiv'd For straight a watry vapour rose As much my body griev'd Each
fire I soon with beams it crown'd So now my flame grew higher O what a warmth I felt Each pow'r about did glow My soul began to melt And round my body flow Lord cri'd I what a bliss What lavish glory 's this We feel when thou dost shake And dost our hearts to fitters break A Divine SONG I. COME O ye winged Angels from above Can you not tell me news of him I love Where he ascended When the Clouds him took And wafted him Beyond what we could look Did he not pass the Sun and pierce the sky Tell me Tell me For it 's the same that here did die II. What did he when within your gates he came Did he strip off his rags or wear the same Yea but much mended Each jag glory wore They are the same But brighter than before That very torn flesh now wears Majesty And shall And shall When time yields to eternity III. Go search the Thrones and tell me where 's his place You may him know by th' shinings of his face Is'nt he set higher Then all your degrees Of Seraphims Or Cherubs if you please Doth not his brightness Put your glory out And you And you Fall down to worship round about IV. Can you inform me what 's his business there Whether of us he taketh any care Doth there burn incense Are perfumes there sweet Are there the prayers Which we lay at his feet Doth he accept them and his Father too Tell me Tell me But nought but what you know is true V. You flaming fires that attend his will Can you inform how long 't will be until The winged winds shall Bring their Royal load Or how long he Will make with you his ' bode Are you preparing clouds whereon to ride Oh when Oh when Will you come flaming by his side VI. If you him see pray tell his longing bride Begs that he comes the world his stay deride We groan for freedom Their sins vengeance cries Since we are fit O will the Lord arise Will he come crown us and the wicked burn Or stay Or stay Till more stray-souls unto him turn VII If that's his meaning tell him then that we Wait still believing and will patient be We know he will not Quite forget us here We are belov'd Which will at length appear Let him but purge us scowr off our rust And then And then Let him but haste us to the dust A wounded Conscience I. CHide chide no longer I do smart Thy words my Soveraign they are keen They plow deep surrows in my heart And scatter seeds of wrath between Oh! what an harvest is here like to be Thou maist reap glory but I misery II. My sin is poyson rank enough Do not with it thine anger blend If thou wilt force me drink it up It will it self work out my end If thou would'st have me die thou need'st not go But to my Conscience whence doth venom flow III. If thou intendest to torment Thou need'st not send me down to hell Keep thou but up an angry look It 's pain enough where e're I dwell Where thy beams shine not but keen angers flame Must make hell-torment or a pain wants name IV. Guns fire nor sword doth Soldier fright The Mariner laughs in a storm The Shepherd fearless is by night The Martyr counts his fire but warm If thou but cast'st a frown my spirits fail My heart it panteth and my looks wax pale V. Though my Spirit doth rocky seem If thou in anger dost it smite It gusheth forth in briny stream That even suffocates my light Thy frowns may well cause dews in flinty mind When at thy blows hard marble tears can find A Petition for a prospect of Immortalities HUmbly my God! I beg of thee I might Discharg'd a while from prison take my flight Into those regions where I may converse With naked Spirits let my conceptions dress Sit close and comely to each thing that I With a clean mind shall venture to descry While Earths dull off spring children of the night To coop their thoughts in shades of sense delight While Owls and Bats are flut'ring with their wings About this gross dark world for earthly things Oh! let me snatch a glimpse of that above And steal a glance of thee thou God of love Why is my half a spirit if that I May not converse with Spirits till I die May I converse with thee thou dazling Sun Father of Spirits why not when I 've done May not I look upon the Stars and take A view of their less brightness while I ' wake Why should my Taper sweal away for nought But me to gaze on things scarce worth a thought Scarce worth a thought if but compar'd to thee And that retinue that in Heaven be O charge me not of niceness that I fain Of other worlds would some small knowledg gain Pass me not home if thou a Pilgrim find Me in my travels alas my wearied mind Is tir'd with this world this muddy smoke From Earth doth ev'n my languid spirits choak Let me but take a little air that I May be refresht then home again I 'le hie I do conceive a vast extended Sphere Farther above the Stars than we are here Repleat with matter some thick some thin and light In which are bodies some opake and bright Tumbling about so doth our earth where we As on a float swim round the world we see In th' center of which orb as in a Throne Sits the adored Triad all alone Shooting their Omnipresent beams about Filling the Sphere within and space without Without I dare not say they idle are For God is pleas'd not only here but there Yet we are sure throughout this golden ring His beams have been faecund in ev'ry thing And do continue chearing as a Hen Her Chicks does nourish in her father'd den But their productions vary some opake That eyes may see nose smell and hands may take Others so fine so rare that no sense can Grope out a touch such is the sp'rit in man Such are the Angels spirits more refin'd From earthly tincture than the humane mind Such that no razor knife or sword can wound Where was the carcass of an Angel found As glassie Scissers would clip off a ray Just so keen steel may cut a spirit in tway Spirits through steel can freelier pass than light Can through that Scisser that it takes its flight In fire they burn not having no flesh to fry Where did you see an Angel Martyr die They sport about the belly of the deep And yet their sides no briny-tears do weep Just as I 've seen the Sun pass through her beams And pierce the bosom of clear crystal streams Yet have they liv'd unquench'd nor have they been Moistned with th' cold dampy parts within Cast them in pits ram them up fast with earth From these dark wombs they 'l find a pass for birth Clap them in dungeons lock them up in chest Stop up