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A66997 Law-power, or, The law of relation written in the heart of ministers and people by the finger of God, is mighty through Him, to prevaile with both : to live as a people separated to their God, and from the world, specially at the Lord's Table. Woodward, Ezekias, 1590-1675. 1656 (1656) Wing W3496; ESTC R25194 60,431 76

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wicked men passe for Beleevers having no faith and for Disciples who hate Discipline and for Saints who persecute holinesse If the law of your Relation be written in your hearts can this be Fifthly What meaneth then That this monstrous body we meane your Church hath so much glorie and favour in your eyes and the Church of Christ the true members thereof as in charitie you should judge so little That alone honourable with you this alone despicable so far as appeareth to mans eye you are every day washing the face of the one to make it looke goodly and faire before men and so to in-state it in and possesse it of glorious matters while you bewray the face of the other which must needs be while you wash the one not with dust as you may reade hereafter but with mire and dirt Surely ye could not doe so if the law of this Relation were writton on your hearts for thus ye and we read In whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that feare the Lord Well The Lord knowes who are His and He hath made some of them to know it that they are His for Him they serve And now they know That He loves them and to the end that hath no end He loveth them And now for mans love if they have it they thanke him for it if they have it not it matters little and troubles them lesse upon their owne score But this they know That upon whose heart soever this law of Relation is written this law of love is written also For every one that loveth Him That begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him 1 Joh. 5. 1. Idem est motus animae ad finaginem rem saith Aristotle some where The love that beares up the soule to God beareth it also to the Image of God Qui amat-supra amat infra he that truely loves God above heartily loves his Brothe● beneath But see what it is to swallow downe the Principles of Infant Baptisme and to regulate all matters in the house of God according thereunto as some doe for it is to the men of that way and judgement we speake Sixthly If you have the law of your Relation written upon your hearts what meaneth then that you doe with your poore people sottish and brutish ones so contrary to this law In suffering them to take Sanctuary at the Ordinance of Baptisme thereby to shelter them from the wrath that is to come and while they live in their sinnes give them right and title to all Church-Administrations Surely surely they that feele the law of this Relation upon their hearts cannot doe so no not for a world can they doe it it were to make a poore ignorant people to beleeve a lie which we are assured is far from your purpose to doe But you know there is finis operis and operantis utter destruction of soules will be the end of this worke though it is not your end that are the workmen no the thought of it that you should destroy soules is an abhomination to you Let your worke as to this matter be an abhomination to you also You cannot in evill things and doiugs seperate the end from the meanes if the man will goe onn sinning his end will be perishing for ever as ye ought not in good things to seperate the meanes from the end if the end I drive to be eternall life the meanes must be taken that conduce thereunto Therefore by the mercies of God we beseech you and because of the terrour of the Lord His heavy wrath and displeasure dolefull and dreadfull punishments that must be the portion of all Stewards that feele not the law of their Relation written upon their hearts by the finger of God there and regard not to feele it we would perswade with you to Consider these matters what your doings have been and are how agreeable to the mind of your God rule of His word law of your Relation advise with one another about it and then speake your minds Having praemised these six things for tryall whether the law of your Relation be written upon your heart we proceed herein according to the proposed Method and first to shew CHAP. II. WHat an influence this law of Relation written in the heart by the finger of God hath upon the doctrine and practise of a Minister We will speake of him single for as it is with one it is with all who find that law as aforesaid and of his Doctrine first § 1 First He is his Lords Paranymph or spokesman he speakes a good word for Christ where ever he comes if it be seasonable thereby to make-up the match and betroth the soule unto Him He laboureth to come within the bosome of a sinner and grapple so powerfully with his spirit that He may take no nay at his hand and for the attaining this end and to make him see what need he hath of Christ He will lay open the lothsome nature of sin and let-in the terrour of the Lord upon the Conscience that the carelesse and rebellious sinner may come to a parley of peace and be content to take Christ upon His owne tearmes and take up the profession of the Truth and not stand at the Cost * This is Gods resolution to humble the soule so low till it can in truth and seriousness bid Christ welcome upon any conditions His mercy and the blood of His Son is so pretious and unvaluable that He will not cast-it away where no notice shall be taken of it but He will make the he●rt subscribe experimentally to that Truth of His. 1 Tim. 1. 15. D. Re. Tr p. 389. Though so doeing he must part with all he hath of His owne his dearest lust and all And here He discovers to the sinner as he can the cunning fetches of his cursed heart and hunts him out of his Muses that he may not cozen himselfe and sit downe with some reserved Delusion and goe no farther And this is the Lords way sure in whose stead he stands and therefore craves of Him dayly His eye-salve that he may stand in His counsell and walke in His way and doe that which he hath seene with his heavenly Father as He hath done and by His Word and Spirit still doth so doth he in His strength and by the directions of His Word Wee will insist upon this a little When ever the Lord brings any soule over to Himselfe He first hideth pride from his eyes Man every man borne into the world and growing up there is a stout rebell a stiffe-necked creature as his father is and as yeares adde Cubits to his stature so is there an addition made to his pride and rebellion as he growes-up he growes more like his father every day now so soone as the Lord God is pleased to deale with this man by His Word and Spirit He knocks downe this Monster pride for this beares-up mightily against the Word and Spirit
and like the possessed man breaks the cords and bands the good Spirit would binde him with as easily till the Spirit hath set them on as we can doe burnt flax or make a thred snap before the Candle Therefore this prido is discerned and slaine first which is enmitie in the will affections and mind There it is still when discovered and slaine there but it doth a man no hurt being discovered and slaine as pride doth not for though it be as they say as the heart is the first that lives and the last that dyes yet the man is humbled for his pride and walks softly all his dayes and doth put forth an holy enmity now against all that in his soule which exalts it selfe against his God his Lord his Christ and Word of His grace Secondly This is it he would bring home to his owne and others hearts The Lord God by His Word and Spirit hides pride from our eyes first by giving us a sight into our selves what an hell there is within us and makes it looke like hell whereas before it might looke like heaven what a dunghill there is within us and makes us smell the stench of it as of a Dunghill whereas before it did savour with us as a garden of spices or a bed of Roses And then according to the exceeding riches of His grace and abundant mercie through Christ gives us a sight of Himselfe Job 42. 6. a saving experimentall knowledge of Himselfe in Christ we heard of Him before with the hearing of the eare and how did we slight Him till pride was hid from us our proud heart was subdued but now our eye hath seene Him And what then Now He is exalted in our soules for we are made low Now He and He alone riseth in our thoughts higher and higher still and so we fable now sin appeares to be sin the worst can be said of it and grace appeares to be grace the best can be said of that too it is grace now Christ is exceeding welcome for sin is above measure sinfull He is pretious sin is vile The hony-combe trampled upon before while we were full of Prov. 27. 7. our selves that is proud relisheth now like an honey-combe as it useth to doe with an hungry soule and truely now we would abhorre our selves and repent in dust and ashes First To apply this to our purpose ye must take Gods way if you meane to doe Gods worke and this way you cannot choose but take when ever ye goe to worke as workmen that need not be ashamed feeling the law of their Relation written upon their hearts Secondly Preach Christ unto the People lift Him up as an Ensigne before them So the Apostles did so the Ministers of Christ doe that feele the law of their Relation they tell their hearers what lost ones they are without Him what glorious creatures they are being found and accepted in Him His fullnes will convince us as one saith abundantly of our emptinesse His Job 9. 148. purity will shew us our spotts His All sufficiencie our nothingnesse labour by all meanes attend and insist upon the meanes which you cannot but doe if you feele the law of your Relation how to wooe for Christ as His Paranymphs speaking a good word for Him Thirdly Be sure you lay your ground-worke well we are more than jealous of you about that matter as we told you before Tell your people home as you can to their hearts what a Cup of wrath they are borne to and that they must drinke it up to the bottome the very dregs of it if they goe out of the world as they came in without any reall change wrought upon them by the Word and Spirit for they were borne Children of wrath so soone as they were Children of men and they have been ever since they were borne filling-up their measures and after their hardnesse and impenitent heart treasuring-up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous Judgement of God Fourthly And tell them herewithall which you must needs doe if ye know the law of your Relation and feele it written upon your hearts That their Church priviledges they hold themselves borne unto being Baptized there trusted to and gloryed In as the manner is stand them in no more stead than the Arke at Shiloh did the Jewes or sacrifices multiplyed or the Temple of the Lord The Rocke and Manna Circumcision or the Lords Super administred at Corinth Beate them off from putting any Confidence in the flesh if you doe not you doe nothing to purpose nay you must tell them more If no inward glory be gained by our glorious priviledges which indeed the Nation partakes off above many if not above all in the world these will serve but to expose us to more wrath and fiery indignation from the Lord rendring our condition worse than was theirs of Corasin Math. 10. 15. ●am 4 6. 10. Ezek. 5. 10. and Bethsaida and our judgement from the Lord more intollerable even in this world as Jerusalems was and at the end thereof than Sodome's and Gomorrah's was And these things you will speake before the people sadly and mournfully as the Apostle saith weeping for you know who said it though you know he was an Heathen If you will have us weepe you must weepe first When you find the law of your Relation pressing upon your spirits Ye will not mention before your people the principles of Infant Baptisme as ye have glossed them with a Comment worse than the text nor will you make mention of god-fathers or god-mothers either Something we have read how they came in at first But when the law of your Relation constraineth you ye will see no need of them now the Church of the living God shall be no more abused with them nor that ordinance prophaned But these things yee know better than we can tell you Blessed are ye if ye doe thereafter And what are you if ye doe contrary to what you know we say not but leave it upon your thoughts Fifthly Preach sound doctrine to them holding fast the forme of sound words and whatsoever is contrary to it Command them to bid defiance to it yea to curse it as Paul did being that which their soule must abhorre when they feele the law of their Relation Thus ye doe ye will say but we doubt it because your people are so well pleased with your doctrine Now certaine it is as once the Apostles found it to be and told us it would ever be especially in these latter times they will not endure sound doctrine 2 Tim. 4. 3. which will make them sound in the saith Sound doctrine is to a swinish spirit such is every spirit by nature till the good Spirit hath wrought thereon like a corroding plaister to proud flesh or a launce to a sore full of corruption which will cut to the core and cut it out We intend cheifly this
Creature but we owe our lives to God our best service and all so we owe not as we conceive our Religion to Infant Baptisme but to the glorious worke of the Spirit together with the Ministry of the word thereby as an Instrument in the Spirits hand He Rivi●●s Christian Religion into the body of a Nation and into the hearts of His people growne up to the yeares of understanding Let the Covenant be opened first the abundant riches of grace therein through Jesus Christ whereunto we owe our selves and all and the seales will follow of course We take leave to tell our perswasion A godly Minister looseth more by giving so much to Infant Baptisme than he will gaine by his praying for the successe of the Gospell his God hath intrusted him with Againe ye pray for the full 〈◊〉 and liberty of Gods Ordinances doe ye not Take heed ye doe not 〈◊〉 ●ut the sinewe of this your prayer and quite weaken it by granting a liberty free Amission to all whilest you set parity aside as a neglected thing though it be the maine even the all of the Duty Remember ye should still the one is to be as full as the other full liberty and as full purity A liberty without purity will certainly bring us into straightness of place which we English anguish Rom. 2. 9. such as we cannot tell what to doe-in to get one minutes time of ease If ye will give liberty see it be stinted and bounded within the bounds and limits which God hath set us To keepe within the compasse of Gods Commands is the best liberty of all Then shall I have liberty when when I keepe all thy Commandements If we Psal 119. 45. would have liberty out of God and beyond His bounds our liberty will proove our misery our undoing and utter destruction Looke ye to it as ye looke God should looke after you and your prayers That ye carve not forth so liberally in your Lords matters granting to your people a full liberty without regard had at all to full purity But having said so much against your full liberty and all those impurities which cleave as fast to that liberty as ever any did to their Idol we will say no more here onely as ye goe on praying ye will goe on sinning and provokeing your Lord to His face in His owne House if ye doe not looke better to His Administrations there than hitherto ye have done Seventhly Be pleased to Consider That the Body whereof our glorious Lord is the Head and the Saviour is as like Him as likenesse can be a very comely and a glorious Body and however little glory or comelines may appeare from without and none at all in the worlds eye yet is she all glorious within partakeing of her Lords owne glory though not in the same degree and every one of this Mothers genuine Children are made Princes in all lands where any one of them is there is a Prince how poore and meane soever the out-side be for whatever the Lord-Christ is by Nature he and she are by Grace Consider we pray you this thing then we know what will follow upon this Consideration so be ye be much if not wholy in it That the fire will consume all that is glorious in the world yet a very little while and there will be no excellencie but the excellencie of Christ and His Church and Children we are bold to presse you unto this Consideration againe because ye and we know what must needs follow thereupon First Ye will give the Lord Christ the preheminence in your assemblies and at His Table specially ye will set His deare Children Beloved Friends and faithfull servants next unto Him And by no meanes will ye suffer that which may offend or grieve them And ye will stave off those nasty filthy Creatures two footed Dogs and swine from comeing neare unto them till they have bethought themselves what they are and of their uncleannesse And Secondly As ye know The first thing the Spirit of grace doth within doores is to set God and Christ in His own place the heart so that person that is acted by that Spirit will shew forth or proclaime Gods Justice in the world and Christ His Righteousnesse in His Church which is to set Him in His place a King and a Prophet a Prince and a Saviour and perswade an hearty obedience and subjection to Him to be directed by Him for if a man be subject to Christs Kingly Office His Propheticall office shall guide him and cause him not to erre in that he speaks from God or to God or in what he is to doe for God and His People CHAP. VII WE would give you two or three Scriptures to muse upon draw two or three things from them and then draw to a close of all The first Scripture Isa 52. 1. From henceforth there shall no more come into them the uncircumcised and the uncleane The like promise ye have Joel 3. 17. So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion my holy Mountaine Then shall Jerusalem be holy and there shall no Stranger passe through her to defile her No stranger to open that notion as we read Mr. Ca●yl Job 15. p. 89. it opened unto us No stranger that is no child of Bolial no wicked person shall passe through her to defile and pollute her But strangers may passe through her to be visited and relieved by her The other Scriptures Mal. 3. 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another Acts 2. 42 43. They continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship And all that beleeved 1 John 1. 3. Truely our fellowship is with the Father and with His Sonne Jesus Christ Rev 21. 27. 22. 15. There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth nor whatsoever worketh an Abhomination for without are Dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and Murderers and Idolaters And who so loveth and maketh a lye From the premised Scriptures we would Conclude First SECT I. First THat it is one of the highest priviledges promised to the Church that a time shall come when the wicked shall not come unto her Awake awake Put on thy strength O Sion put on thy beautifull garments O Jerusalem the Holy City Wherefore must Jerusalem the Holy City awake thus and be ready in her dresse in her beautifull garments why there is good newes for her from henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and uncleane As if He had said In times of Sions defection or opposition when there was no due Reformation of worship nor order among worshippers than the uncircumcised and uncleane came and stood yea even dwelt with thee as thy owne Children but oh Jerusalem A Time shall come when the uncircumcised and the uncleane shall not so much as come into thee they shall be rejected and cast out for ever Prophane ones shall find no place