stark naked then you may look to find God to see Him as he is in himself consequently truth but not before And truly this work being done in the soul there is such a miracle wrought as none but only the finger of God could do He that thinks ever by his own power to bring it about is utterly deceived This is a great question now adays Whether miracles be ceased now or no But it shews that such men have little experience of these Divine sublime truths It is a most foolish ridiculous question to him who enjoys these things for he sees there are as great miracles done now every day as ever was done since the world stood but the fault is in us we see them not our eyes are blinded that we can see no miracles Oh! were they but open we should see such miracles as would make all the understandings of Men and Angels stand amazed and a thousand times greater then ever any that Christ did in the flesh And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in the midst of a burning bush and behold the bush burned and was not consumed In these bare literal words there is a mighty miracle yet there is hid in them a miracle far transcending this outward miracle there is couched in them an abstruse hidden sense One would wonder to what purpose God should shew such a miracle of this nature A burning bush and not consumed What did this concern the work God Almighty was about namely to bring the Israelites from under Pharaohs bondage and grievous slavery Yet it being opened and unfolded you may see how fit it was every way upon this occasion As for instance That of Iacobs vision Iacob when he was to leave his Fathers house and forsake all his kindred and friends never looking to see them again he was to walk a long tedious way and un-inhabited as the world was in those times he having many sad thoughts and knew not what he should do nor what should befall him having gone one dayes journey and meeting with no lodging at night but weary as he was lay down in the open field and having nothing to lay his head on he gathered a heap of stones and laid his head on them a hard pillow as you may well think yet at last it should seem fell asleep and dreamed such a dream as never was dreamed on a pillow of Down And his dream was he saw a Ladder reach from Earth to Heaven and God himself stood at the top of the Ladder and the Angels of God were ascending and descending on it But as I said of this vision to Moses What was all this to Jacob this seems not suitable to his necessity at that time One would think that if God had appeared to him and said Iacob I will be with thee I will provide for thee take no thought I will be thy God thou shalt want for nothing though thou hast forsaken Father and Mother and all yet fear not I will be all in all to thee This or else somewhat to this purpose had been more fit for Iacobs condition Beloved Whatever it seems to be in the History in the Mystery it was the suitablest the fittest the seasonablest vision that could possibly have been revealed to him namely to let Iacob see that while all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth which are Gods Angels or Messengers and do his will and all go of his errands He himself holds the Ladder at the top they all come from him and they all return to him again And not only so but he being their essence their being their life their motion they are all moved and actuated by him Himself there is not one Creature not one of these Angels or Messengers but doth his will and he is with them in what part of the Ladder soever they are if they be in the middle or bottom or at the top yet they are not absent from him but he rules and guides them all to do his work which he appoints them to do Now my Brethren this being fixed in Iacobs mind that every Creature was formed actuated and moved by God himself and that not any one of them could do any thing to him nor he could want nothing but a supply was at hand because he commanded it because he was so near it he was in it This was that which comforted Jacob in all his journey That whatever he met withal or wheresoever he was he still had recourse to what his vision taught him And so likewise in this vision to Moses it was the fittest that could have been shewed him upon this occasion and in this business which he was to go upon Now you may observe three kinds of Miracles to three several divisions of persons 1. To Moses and that onely this One the bush burned and was not consumed and this was sufficient to work upon Moses and to encourage him to his work But 2. The Israelites they will not beleive for one miracle but they must have three miracles But 3. The Egyptians ten miracles would not work upon them something is included in this For Moses being a man Near God being a Shepherd already he had in part resigned up himself to God and therefore one miracle was enough to make him believe for as soon as ever he saw it and God called unto him and said Moses Moses he presently answers Gods call Here am I Lord but Israel being further off from God having been long in Egypt they were so well accustomed there also to their slavery that they had as live remain there still as depart therefore before they could be perswaded to Obey and follow Moses there must be three miracles wrought 1. Moses threw down his Rod and it became a Serpent then he took it up by the tail and it became a Rod again 2. He put his hand into his bosome and pulling it out it became leprous and putting in his hand again and pulling it out it became as his other flesh 3. Says God If they will not believe for the first nor for the second miracle for the third they shall believe Take up of the water of the brook and pour it on the ground and it shall turn into blood These being further removed from God God did not live in them he was exalted in them as he was in Moses but was as dead and buried in them and to them But ten and ten to that can never work upon the Egyptians Those that will live and die Egyptians all the miracles in the world can never make them believe Moses he said at once Lord here I am he was ready to obey God and the Israelites they answered at three times But some there are that are so hardned in their own ways and so frozen on their dregs that let God do what he will with them let him strike them with sickness famine plague pestilence what he
an Angel to worship him I sin or if I fall down to Jesus Christ as included in that man or in any Creature I sin likewise But if in men and beasts and trees and in all I behold God 〈◊〉 Immutable Incomprehensible Incircumscriptible Essence so I may praise God and take any occasion to fall down before him and say O thou God That Fillest Heaven and Earth O thou God that Fillest and movest every thing and thou thy self art not moved nor changed in all things I see thee who art One and for ever the same If you shall now ask me how you may behold God thus I will tell you In every Creature is a beam of the Divinity which is an Angel and that Angel be it never so small beholds The face of God Almighty that beam that lives in me or thee that beam I say sees the very face of God And therefore saith our Saviour Christ Take heed ye despise not one of these little ones for their Angel always beholds the face of your Father which is in Heaven Although you see not the Sun when you behold a beam that comes in at the window yet if you do but lay your eye in that beam you shall see the Sun it self So though you cannot see God Almighty in any Creature yet if you do not despise any of these little ones They behold God and if you lay your eye in that beam you shall come to behold God himself and then in the name of God praise God even with all your might and with all your strength then you can never praise him enough in all his Creatures Only take this along with you Thar so long as you are capable to see touch or understand what you see so long you see not God it is but a Creature but if you let that little spark guide you That Angel within you it will bring you to the very face of God For God is in the Midst of the bush in the midst of the Creature yet he is not The burning bush though he be in the Creature yet he is not the Creature So long as he appeared to Moses under any form he was but an Angel The Angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses in the midst of a burning bush And if Moses had worshipt that burning bush he had been blamed as well as S. Iohn But God is Hid he is Vailed from our sight by Accidents He is not in the Out-parts but he is Within Beloved if God would be pleased to unfold these things to you and me and make us understand them aright I know that Then neither heights nor depths nor Angels nor Principalities nor any thing should ever be able to separate between us and these blessed truhs nay nothing could hinder us from union with this Our ever Blessed God for these are such infallible Truths such glorious Truths Against which the gates of hell shall never prevail When Iacob was to go three or four hundred miles from his Fathers house He saw a vision in his first nights sleep and it was a Ladder that reached from heaven to earth and the Angels of God went up and down ascending and descending on it and at the top of the Ladder stood God himself What do you think was the meaning of that Ladder We deny not the truth of the Story for let that heart that hath such a thought consume for ever in endless flames but let us labour to find out the mind and meaning of God in all his words God stood at the top of Ladder what God is in himself we meddle not with we have nothing to do with that O blessed God! be thou what thou art thou hast said I AM that I AM and we say so too THOU ART that THOU ART Holy and Blessed be Thou in what thou Art for ever and ever And as Thou art in Thy Self we neither know thy Name nor thy Sons Name But the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us Christ Jesus is the Substance and Being of all things Hee is Hee in whom all Types and visions ended This Book of God is a great Book and many words are in it and many large Volumes have been drawn out of it but Christ Jesus Hee is the Body of it Hee is the mark all these words shoot at Hee is the Truth and Substance of all those Types Shadows Metaphors Allegories Parables and Paradoxes Hee is The MARROW in that Bone and the Kernel in that SHEL There cannot one Creature come into the world nor go out of the world not one Angel ascends or descends upon that Ladder but it comes from God and by Jesus Christ He is the Substance and Being thereof and there is not One Creature but doth the Errand God sends him on And therefore David ascribes the very worst of actions to him when Doeg curst him he said Let him alone for God hath bid him He knew no Creature could move towards him to do him either good or hurt but what God bid it do And therefore saith he in whatever befel him I held my tongue and spake nothing because thou didst it Beloved know this the interpretation of visions is from the Lord as Ioseph said to Pharaoh It is not in me to interpret dreams or visions but God shall give Pharaoh an Answer of peace And so say I of this A vision it is and we shall find it no where expounded but God hath set it down It is thrown amongst us and writ for every one to read some take it one way and some another As Pilate said What I have written I have written he that can find the interpretation let him Beloved we spent much time the last Sabbath but we could not get from under the cloud nor espy the bright pillar of light and comfort to discover the meaning of the VISION but you know I was forced to leave my discourse as to the Vision it self Muâ—â—led up in those Sacred and Holy discontents which yet are like physick though a little distastful yet exceeding whollom My beloved is a garden walled about and as a fountain sealed up And saith Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of dreams and visions is from the Lord. There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets And he that Ploughs not with his heifer shall not find out his riddle He which sent that vision to Iacob taught him also how to interpret it For in the bare relation of the vision what is in it to comfort Iacob in the condition he was in And so here to what purpose was this vision shewed to Moses what concerned this the business in hand as you may conceive Beloved He that can find out Gods meaning in these visions shall find Hidden Manna to nourish him But he that thinks by his wit and by his policy and by his own strength to find it out be sure shall find nothing but a bone to choke him
therein who can stand before his indignation and who can abide the fierceness of his anger his fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him and darkness shall pursue his enemies Think upon this all you that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal. 50. ult But saith he Psal. 61. 3. The Lord is good and is a strong Hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him Oh Beloved Let us all then give glory from our souls to this our great God to this infinite and everlasting Being who fills all things let us all poure out oâ—r souls before him like Water and be melted to nothing in his presence And to that end First Let us subscribe to the infiniteness of our â—od in all his Attributes in all his ways in all his Creatures Let us alwayes believe it and have him continually before us that we may tremble to offend him even the wickedest man And that godly men may both fear and love him and that they may with strong confidence be rooted resting and depending on him who is the rock of Ages And Secondly Let us cry out with Moses in continual acclamations in that powerful Orarion when ever we think of him or behold him There is none like the God of Iesurun who rideth upon the Heavens for thy help and in his excellency upon the skie For the eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the Everlasting Arm. Thou canst be in no trouble but he is by thee with thee in the fire or in the water where ever thou art Ps. 34. 7 8. The Angels of the Lord encamp round about them that fear him O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him O fear the Lord ye his Saint for there is no want to them that fear him The young Lions may lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any thing Iacob when he went from his fathers house was afraid he should have wanted Gen. 28. but God appeared to him in a dream and he beheld a Ladder reaching from Earth to Heaven The longest Ladder that ever was read of or ever heard of and the greatest builder hath made it and onely for his own use And Iacob by it saw that the providence of God was every where and Angels were continually passing up and down upon it being sent of the Almighties Errands not onely for protection but to be ministring spirits sent forth not onely for the good of those who shall be heirs of Salvation but for the good of all his Creatures So that we may say of the providence of God as David saith of his presence for they are both one Psal. 139. 7. Whither shall I go from thy presence if I ascend into Heaven thou art there there is the top of the Ladder if I descend into the deep thou art there there is the bottome of the Ladder The builders of Babel aimed to make such a Ladder but that which they could never do the builder of Heaven and Earth hath done but were they not very fools to think to build a Tower of ten thousand times 1000000 miles high But let us labour to see the eternal God at the top of this Ladder and everlasting arms at the foot of it then how can we doubt He that hears the Ravens when they cry unto him who have neither faith nor understanding shall he not hear thee O thou of little faith It is against both the promise against the practice of your Father that any of you should want any good thing Yet how full of complaints are all the sons of men one wants children another friends others honour others riches others health others preferment some all these but certainly you are deceived you do not want any of them for if they were good for you you had them not then indeed you wanted them but being not good for you you want them not for they in such a case will do you more hurt then good Therefore I say let the servant of God that thinks he wants any of these things pray for what he will he shall have it if he do really want them for not onely all inanimal or unreasonable Creatures which are Gods Angels when he pleaseth do owe their Suit and Service unto those that fear the Lord but even all the Angels of God in heaven they are all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes which shall be heirs of Salvation Heb. 1. 14. Nay let me tell thee if thou wilt command the Sun to stand still and the Moon in the valley of Ajalon as Ioshuah did it shall be done or the Sun to go backward upon the Dial as Hezekiah did or the Rocks to gush out water and the Heavens rain down Manna or the waters to be divided and the Sea to stand up as a wall as Moses did all shall be done and they shall obey rather then any of Gods people shall want any good thing Or if he will command Iron to swim as Elisha did Nay let him command the Covenant of night and day to be broken and time to be no more and it shall be done for Gods word can never fail nay heaven earth shall pass away but not one jot of his word shall fail But for all this I know and methinks I hear your murmuring thoughts still for all this you are not yet satisfied And you say with Iob Doth the wild Asse bray when he hath grass or loweth the Oxe over his fodder can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt or is there any taste in the white of an egg We are sure we do want these things or else we would not complain we are sure we have them not and is there any sweetness in nothing had we fodder we would not lowe nor complain I answer Indeed that may be that you are without them 1. It may be you are not of the family of your heavenly father then what right or interest have you to expect them but you are servants to sin and to his enemies and yet would have him let you want nothing 2. There is a great difference between not having and wanting It may well be that you have not riches and honour and preferment c. but if you be the true servants of God it cannot be that you should want them David saith it was good for him that he wanted and that he was in trouble There is oftentimes more mercy from God and more comfort to us in Gods Rods then in these outward things which are onely esteemed Blessings for they are often no other but rods or else meat to fat us for slaughter for our happiness and comfort lies not in that which the tender
iniquities so may they complain to God of you and say thou hast appointed me to serve and comfort man and to make him more fit to serve thee but he abuses us and prostitutes us to serve his own inordinate will and lust and regards not thee And God himself calls upon you Oh take heed you do not abuse them and make them to serve your sins and lusts by Drunkenness Gluttony Pride and Wantonness for they are of that family of whom is named the whole family in heaven and earth They all call me Father and Maker as well as your selves And he that can look upon every creature as his BROTHER he can never abuse it he will never begin to strike his fellow-servants and say My Master deferreth his coming and therefore I take that to be a godly speech of St. Francis as they call him for all he was of the Church of Rome and therefore some of our literal Divines deride and mock at it I would God they would practice it in a godly and reverent manner It was his manner to call all the creatures his Brethren the Ox his Brother the Ass his Brother the Dog his Brother For God is Father of them as well as of thee But proud man is ready to put honour upon himself when no honour belongs to him All honour is Gods if all be his what right hast thou to claim any take heed of abusing then any of these thy brethren at thy pleasure and thinking that they were made Only to please and satisfie thee Solomon saith A good man is merciful to his Beast that is he useth them respectfully and for necessity and forbears Execrations and cursings of them and tortures to them And so to conclude let us and all creatures together sing and sound forth the Honour and Praise of our great God from Generation to Generation throughout all Ages Amen OF MILK FOR BABES AND OF Meat for Strong Men. Luk â— 2. 40. And the Câ—ild grew and waxed strong in Spirit filled with wisdom and the Grace of God was upon him Preached at Kensington Publick Meeting-place AS it is said of Iohn Luk. 2. ult That the child grew waxed strong in spirit was in the desarts till the day of his shewing unto Israel so likewise here the same is said of Jesus Christ yet with this exception and difference Iohn hath an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or set time after which he decreaseth and grows less Iohn 3. 30. He must increase but I must decrease And so it is with Believers they must grow less and less and come to nothing that so Jesus Christ may become all in all according to that in Dan. 2. 34 35. That stone cut out of the mountain without hands which smote the Image and brake it to pieces and it became a great mountain and filled the whole earth This stone is Jesus Christ which breaks to pieces all things That is That all Worships and Religions and whatever is mixt with Iron and Clay and whatever is of Man may decrease that himself may increase and grow great and fill the whole earth with the knowledge and manifestation of himself He being all in all But I must forbear for I prevent my self The Text contains 1. A Histâ—ry 2. A Mystery And this as I was speaking before comes under the second part viz. The Mystery For the History that is brief and shews onely the truth of his humane nature which though Hypostatically united to the Divinity even from the instance of his conception as it followeth in the Text that he was filled with wisdom and the Grace of God was upon him Vers. ult that he increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man which cannot be meant in regard of his Divine nature as if there could be any Access or increase of or to that which is infinite but onely in the expression and manifestation thereof in those Organs which the God of Order had therefore ordained and co-apted So that if any shall ask How that which is full and perfect can be said to increase I Answer as before not in Augmentation but in Manifestation God cannot grow greater or lesser be more or less excellent or glorious but his greatness power and glory is further manifested more spread and made known according to that promise Numb 14. 21. and Isa. 6. 3. All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord Our great and infinite God filleth the whole earth and the Heavens yea and the Heavens of Heavens with his majesty and Glory at all times and in every place Alike but then he is said to fill the Earth or Heavens with his glory and greatness when he is manifested more to men or Angels and when he enlargeth the knowledge of himself And of his Power and Greatness As we have often shewed you concerning Iacob Gen. 28. He dreamed and saw the Ladder reaching from earth to heaven and the Almighty The God of Abraham and Isaac was at the top thereof and from him Angels ascending and descending continually thereby God manifesting himself to be with him whereever he was and that he would keep him in all places whereever he went and that he would not leave him but fulfill all he had promised Iacob awaking he saw God as present there as at home in his Fathers house and cryes out The Lord is in this place and I knew it not whereat he was â—ore afraid and burst out into this ravishing acclamation How dreadfull is this place this is none other but the house of God! God was as much present in his glory and majesty over night as well as then but Iacobâ—aw â—aw not his presence God was not more there but there was a greater manifestation Iacobs sight was opened to see the presence of God more Iacobs Portion and Treasure was nigh him alwayes but he saw him not as Hagar God opened her eyes and then she saw the well of water Gen. 21. 19. Know this that the fountain of all good is alwayes with us nigh at hand if we could but see him and we need never fear nor never despond and doubt so as we do For as Moses saith concerning the command Deut. 30. 14. It is not hiddeu from thee neither is it far off the not in heaven nor beyond the sea but nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart So the Apostle Rom. 10. 6 7. he applies that Scripture to Jesus Christ who is Col. 1 16. the first begotten of all creatures by whom all things consist and in whom they live move and have their being But the second part is the Mystery of the Text. That which is more materiall is the Mystery Though all Scripture be written for instruction yet know The Scripture is a Mystery of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which as Eustathius saith comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
every where But shall I tell you how yoâ— may come to handle him with your hands and see him with your eyes Thus Can you but take off all accidents from every thing and then that whiâ—h remains is Christ Their Angels alwaies behold the face of their father which is in heaven As if you take from me all heighth and depth all greatness and littleness all weight and measure all heat and cold and all kind of matter and form for these are all Accidents and then that which is left is He which BEARS â—p all even Iesus Christ blessed for ever even He that dwels in Heaven and in the bosome of his Father in his Pavilion and in his Secret place He clothes himself with light saith the Psalmist as with a garment Light is the next thing to God himself the purest Accident For all that may be smelt felt tasted seen heard oâ— understood all these are Accidents and therefore saith the Apostle the fashion of this world passeth away for the fashion of this world are but Accidents for take away all kind of fashion visible and every thing that can be imagined under any form whatsoever and then you shall find Jesus Christ the Son of the father the first-begotten of all creatures the Beginning and Foundation of all the works of God The IMMANUEL God with us All accidents must pass away all the fashion of the World and whatsoever must passaway let it pass away and that which perisheth or is to perish let it perish but still Christ remaineth he changeth not he is not subject to Accidents or any change but he remains alwayes the same He is yesterday and to day and the same for ever Therefore lay not hold on these transitory things but lay hold on the Anchor of your souls which is Both sure and stedfast and that entreth into that which is within the vail Heb. 6. 19. Highness and lowness pass away greatness and littleness pass away youth and age pass away weight and lightness pass away and all the beauty and glory of the Creature but still Christ who is the salt and the substance that still remains For there was something of me before I was either high or low great or little heavy or light old or young c. and that was Christ The beginning of all things And Christ being thus as we have shewed you you then see what ground Christ had to call himself The salt of the earth for all these things being taken away ye shall find him to be as the salt of every thing thâ—t is Christ he is the Strength the Holder the Knitter the Composure and Compacture of all things His name is The word of God Rev. 19. 13 He is The word by whom all things were made in him was life and the life was the light of men this light shineth in darkness But the darkness comprehendeth it not All Accidents are darkness and hide God from us He is the image of the invisible God the first-born of every Creature for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all were created by him and for him and he is the beginning of all things and by him all things consist Object But it may be you will say to me How can that be true of Christ Salt is good but if the salt saith he hath lost its â—avour wherewith shall it be salted It is neither meet for the land nor yet for the Dunghil but men cast it out He that hath ears to hear let him hear What shall he be seasoned withal can he be infaâ—â—ated or unsavoury Answ. The decision of which doubt falls propeâ—ly under the second general question of my 〈◊〉 My second question answers this viz. What iâ— is to have salt He in regard of himself seasons all alike He in himself doth not season some more and some less or some have him and some have him not but as it was in the gathering of Mannâ— they all gathered enough thoughsome gathered more some less they lacked not nor they had none left so Christ is in every one in regard of himself alike that is in regard of their real and essential perception and participation of Christ. He is the form of forms the soul of the soul and he cannot be more in one place then in another But here to have salt is to see to know to feel and believe and assure our selves that we have this salt and that Christ is in us Christ is in regard of himself every where and in every one alike but every one believes it not alike If we should attempt to speak of God as he is in himself in his essence as abstracted from all creatures so he is unknowable neither Creating nor in possibility of being Created as t is said in Prov. 30. 4. Who can declare his generation his name or his sons name if thou canst tell he is unknowable unnameable Canst thou by searching find out God We cannot conceive of his manner of being in the creature but acâ—ording to his manner of working in the creature As Iacob when he awaked then he saw that God was in that place then he cryes out Oh how terrible how dreadful is this place this is none other but the House of God God was there before as much as he was then but Iacob was not aware of God The whole creation is Gods house Gods Temple but we see it not so we see not God in all places nor in all creatures as Iacob did then till our eyes be opened God is alwaies in every creature and he is there alike in his Heaven in his Holy place and he cannot be more in one then another but till we be awaked till our eyes be opened till the scales of ignorance and the thick darkness be removed we cannot acknowledge it But as soon as ever they are open then we see God was and is in us we were not aware and we shall then cry out of every place and of every creature O how dreadful is this place I see now this is Gods house and Gods Temple and I knew it not Till then God had made as David saith darkness his secret place and his Pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies but when he pleaseth to discover himself then it follows in the next verse At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed hailstones and coals of fire then the Lord was seen and heard for he thundred in the heaven and the Highest gave out his voyce they saw then that it was He alone that wrought in and through all the Creatures that it was he alone that gathered and scattered and discovered the foundations of the world He it is that turneth the Nations of the
may be of no effect Christ may be to thee infatuate unsavoury good for nothing as he is in reprobates Now I hope is answered that Question What if the salt hath lost his savour wherewith shall it be salted Christ who is the true salt in himself he cannot be unsavoury and good for nothing but he may lose his favour in thee and to thee may be as a thing good for nothing because he dyed in vain to thee his cross is of no effect and so may be as he saith himself good for nothing but to be cast out and troden under the feet of men Alas brethren Christ blessed for ever he in himself cannot be said to be good for nothing noâ— he cannot be troden under the feet of men but till their eyes be opened to see him and acknowledge him as he is that they be aware of Christ and oâ— his presence and greatness and filling all things they as it were tread him under foot And as it is said Heb. 10. 29. How much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy of who hath troden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the convenant an unholy thing wherewith he was sanctified and hath done despite unto the spirit of Grace But beloved none of all these things can any creature do to Christ in himself for to him all Angels cry aloud Rev. 4. 8. The heavens and all the powers therein cry continually Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabboths heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory No creature can dishonour him in himself but in â—hemselves and to themselves they tread him under foot because he lives not in them and so they see not neither acknowledge him or his workings in them Then my beloved let us make this use of this If this salt be in us and that wee see it is he that is our life and our motion then let us not onely give ear to him but let us love reverence and obey him and hearken to what he woâ—ld teach us and work in us let him be sole Lord and Saviour to us to deliver and save us from our lusts and from Satan nay if this salt be in us these will be the fruits and effects that will follow To love reverence and obey him God himself proclaims him to be his well beloved Son in whom onely he is pleased hear him Silence then your selves deny your own life hear no longer your selves nor your own lusts what honour saith what profit saith what self and your own by-ends saith But hearken now to what he commands This shall be your wisdom before all people this shall be your life and he that findeth his life shall lose it but he that loseth his life thus shall find it Beloved Christ being once dead dyeth no more saith the Apostle and yet he saith again That we crucifie to our selves the Son of God afresh He in himself cannot dye cannot be crucified no more but to our selves and in our own soules he maâ— be and is crucâ—fied daily that is when your lusts and your sins live then Christ he is dead and you have crucified him of whom you have been the betrayers and muâ—therers as Stephâ—n said to the Jews Acts 7. 52. so that he hath then losâ— his savour and his taste in and to thy soul for thou tastest him not seest him not nor feelest him though he be in thee Further know this that Christ himself is that salt himself hereâ—ommandeth â—ommandeth To have salt in our selves is to have Châ—ist himself in us as if he should say Though I be in you as I am in all things in all creatures yet my being there doth you no good except you feel and see me there except your faith believe me there and your life express me The third and last point is What is it to have salt in our selves We must have salt in us 1. Exclusively and 2. Inclusively not onely to see Christ in our selves and in â—ll creatures as we have shewed you but to have it in our selves is to be sure we look to our own 〈◊〉 whether we have this salt or no and this is a necessary Exhortation now in these times when men are so ready to neglect themselves and are so much in questioning the estates of others We are too ready to â—udge and condemn otheâ—s that tâ—ey have not this salt but heâ—e we are admonished 〈◊〉 others alone and first be sure to look circumspectly that we have it in our selves Another mans grace will do thee no good if thou haâ—â— none in thy selfâ— Warm thy self at thine own fire and drink the waters of thine own Cistern as Solomon counsels Prov. 5. 15. And who made thee Iudge over others what hast thou to do to take Christs office from him he is appointed to be Iudge of quick and dead Acts 10. 42. Yet thou wilt take upon thee to be Iudge and to sit in Christs throne thou wilt be judging and censuring of thy Brethren before thou hast censured thy self Christ is not in such and such men thou canst spy motes in thy brothers eye and perceivest not the beam in thine own Mat. 7. 5. whereby thy sight is quite put out as to thy self You know Christ himself when he was here in the slesh when they brought to him the woman taken in Adultery sayes he Hath no man condemned thee neither dâ— I. John 8. 11. Beloved did he disclaim this Iâ—dicature and shall we presume to take it up shall we overlook our selves and judge reproch and condemn other men This man hath no grace and that man hath no grace away away with all these things such a man O he is a wreâ—ched sinner and thou wouldst have God destroy him and plague him thou wonderest God doth not strike him down dead and seest not thy self how vile thou art Lord shall we call for fire from heaven said some of the Disciples away away saith Christ Ye know not of what spirit ye are of Leave off then â—udging of others and leave all â—udgement to God Vengeance is mine saith the Lord Christ could have writ every mans sins in his forehead as his are whom thou despisest to be read and seen of all men But thy sins are more secret and hidden and yet as odious to God as his and this thine own conscience knows what would become of thee I pray thee â— if all thy secret sins were written visibly in thy forehead But know that this gift of having salt in our selves is not in any mans power to take but God onely must give it where and when he pleases to bestow it they shall have it and none else And in his time and not sooner nor later But this command to have Salt in our selves is as much as to say before you go about to search other mens cellars that you see your cellars be
nothingness of his handmaid he hath brought down the mighty and exalted them of low degree and scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts If you would find God It must be by lessening your selves and taking the creature quite out of your way And if you would think of God to find Him you must not imagine Him under any form but cast away from you all that ever you can say or think for God is nothing that we can say name or imagine And therefore if you speak of any thing or think of any thing either in the heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth and think him like it though it be never so glorious yea ten thousand times brighter then the Sun yet in this you commit Idolatry and make to your self A graven or a formed image All is one for God infinitely transcends all our thoughts and imaginations yea all the thoughts of all the Angels in heaven for none can comprehend God but God â—imself Therefore herein you belye God for he is none of all those things nor like any of those things we imagine For you know He speakes falsely as well He that sayes less then the truth as he that sayes more then the truth As in your publick oaths they are given in this form Thou shalt speak the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth So that he that speaks less then the truth or more then the truth speaks not the truth and he that speaks not the truth speaks a lye So he that thinks or speaks that which comes short of God and sayes such an one is the Almighty He belyes him and hath broken the second Commandment But he that shall Take away whatsoever is competible to any creature whatsoever He comes nearest to God For whatever is competible or agreeable to any creature Is All but Accidents and so The creature blindes us and hides God from us though God be in every creature and as much in one creature as in another yet These Accidents in the creatures hide God from us And those to whom Christ hath manifested the Father They in whom Christ dwells they know that Christ is in them and in every creature but Reprobates know it not as the Apostle saith Know ye not that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Those that be reprobates do not know that Christ is in them but if they be No Reprobates they know it and are sensible of it Christ hath manifested himself to be in them by Revealing to them That God filleth all things They See him Believe him and Feel him to be That Ever Blessed BEING That filleth all in all Who Alone can make them Happy They have seen His Goings out and His comings in His glorious Outgoings in every creature which hath so Endeared and won over their hearts to him so that they esteem him Dearer and more lovely and Amiable then ten thousand worlds and their hearts Can never depart from him or rather He hath so united them to himself by His love shed abroad in their hearts that they can never be Reprobated from him as David saith in Psal. 68. 24. They have seen thy goings O God even the goings of my King and my God even in the Sanctuary They see God in every creature Deckâ—d as on his Throne In his Glory and Majesty in his Heaven and in his Holy Temple But as we were saying whatever creature thou lookest upon be it never so glorious That creature by reason of its Clothing by Accidents iâ— blindes and hood-winks us from God for I cannot shew you God nor represent God to you by shewing or setting forth to you any creature but if you take from the creature All that can be felt heard thought or understood then you come Nearest Him As Dionysius in his book of Mystical Divinity who was St. Pauls Scholar mentioned in the Acts He very Elegantly expresseth This very thing we have so often spoke of and I willingly speak of it And the oftener as it comes in my way because I know These things we are very ignorant of generally even among those that think they know All things and yet are ignorant in this Great and Comprehensive truth which is even the very beginning and foundation and Rock of all other truths If you could take from the creature all Heat and Cold all heaviness and lightnesâ— all weight and measure all beauty and ill-favouredness all youth and age all greatness and littleness and all Accidents All manner of fashion and form or Whatever hath a Name or can be imagined then you shall find the High and Holy One in his tabernacle and in his Secret place Even He who is God blessed for ever that is Even God in Christ Iesus Those that go about to find God this way in the way of poverty and taking away they shall find God in Christ Jesus But those that go about to find him in the way of adding or inlarging or setting any creature before them to resemble God God hides himself the more and goes farther off from them And therefore it was I said that God loves Carvers better then Painters So then we have shewed you how Moses delivered onely the Letter of the Commandments and he that made Not an Idol to behold and fall down to it with his body he had not broke this Commandment But the Spirit of this Commandment goes farther then every eye can see and there is more contained in it then we can at first see in the superficies of the Letter For he not onely breaks this Commandment that makes an Image and falls down and worships it for this is but the least breach of it this is but outward and bodily he indeed transgresses against the Letter but there is an inward and more dangerous breach viz. To transgress against the Spirit of it That is He that thinks or believes or affirms That God is like any thing in heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth and of this makes himself a God and adores and worships it in his mind This man the Lord will not hold him guiltless for he is a jealous God He that thinks God to be like any thing either glorious or base to be like any thing he hath seen or not seen to be like any thing he hath felt or not felt to be like any thing he hath heard or not heard to be like any thing great or little to be like any thing either present or absent or any thing he can imagine that man hath made him A graven Image and hath fallen down and worshipped it Nay I tell you though he hath neither eyes noâ— hands to make an Image yet he hath both made A graven Image and hath worshipped it Whereto sayes God will you liken me saw you any thing in that day c. and to what will
the 〈◊〉 which is to be smitten and he that doth So â—hall marry Achsah which signifies The Rending or the Tearing of the Vail and so by that means Kiriathsepher the City of the Letter sâ—all be made unto us Debir the Word So that if you put them together you must read it thus in English And A good Heart said He That smiteth the City of the Letter and taketh it to him will I give the rending of the vail asunder and he shall pass into my holy place and enter into my secret Pavilion or into my Tabernacle he shall behold and enjoy the glory of the Holie of Holies as it is promised in that 15. Psalme This is that S. Iohn wept sore for when the Angel 〈◊〉 proclamation in Rev. 5. with a loud voice Who is worthy to open the Book and to loose the seven seals thereof and no man in heaven or earth was able to open the book or look therein but at length it was revealed that the lion of the Tribe of Iudah the root of David had prevailed to open the book and loose the seals The Letter is not this sealed book for every one reads that humane abilities will reach the Letter and the Grammatical sense The Letter is not the Tree of Life nor the Waters of Life which god promiseth to give unto us The Letter is not the Secret Place of the Most High Every unclean Beast may hear and read therein and drink of these waters But He that hath the word of God shall live for over How many are and have been exercised constantly in That viz. in the Letter and yet not live but perish for ever Many thousands have taken great pains and writ many Volumes and preacht many Sermons and yet never reacht This Living for ever many have read it heard it preacht it and therein have thought they have done God good service and expect to enter and shall say Lord open to us and yet Christ shall say to them Depart ye workers of iniquity For by them the City of the Letter was never smitten and taken but he that shall be admitted to come into this Sanctuary and to eat of this Manna he shall find and say from a true and feeling sense thereof This is heavenly Manna indeed I find these are waters of life indeed for I find they give life to read hear and pray and the like they give no life they are no service to God without the life and power but kill and slay those souls that rest therein as most men do The words as I told you divide themselves into two parts Onus and honos The burthen he that strikes or smiteth Kiriathsepher and taketh it And the honour or reward to him that so doth He shall have Achsah to wife but see here it must be a Good heart must do it not a heart that seeks liberty to the flesh To make the knowledge of Christ as a more easie way to sinning to facilitate encourage them to please the flesh No no my Text sayes it must be a Caleb a good Heart such a Heart as seeks not rest in sinning but such a heart as seeks its Rest onely in God such a heart as hungers and thirsts after God Such a one as labours with all his soul night and day and never can be at Rest in any thing below God And then as it follows here Othniel the Lords fit opportunity or in his good timeâ— he struck it and took it Concerning Onus the burden I intimated that it is not sufficient To Read the Scriptures No though we could say all the Bible without Book and understand it according to the Letter It were nothing to salvation If they would read the whole Old and New Testament over every year as I have known some have made it their task yea and made it their boast nay I say more If it were possible they could read it All over every day in the year yet this were nothing for the Devil can do as much what man can come near him in bringing out Scripture upon all occasions As the flesh of Christ Till it was broken and his precious side Pierced and His Blood shed there was no profit could redound to us as he himself said This is my body which is broken for you this Letter of the Scriptures is As the body of Christ till this side of his be Pierced till this Letter be broken till this Rock be smitten there is no water for us Till the Lord give it down from Heaven there is no Manna no bread for us else we may live and dye with the Scriptures and yet hunger and starve and dye but this body being once broken and this Rock smitten and this Side pierced then we shall find a fountain of living waters springing up to eternal life and precious blood gush out and hidden Manna to nourish us so as we can never dye nor perish neither in this world nor in the world to come As you know bread is not food till it be broken whole bread and whole meat goes into the body and through the body into the draught and yields no nutriment to the body The Nourishment and the life and the spirit of it remains untoucht but if it be broken and chewed then the stomach separates the One and the Other The Vertue and the Excrement which divides and conveys to each way its part Truth it is many toss and tumble the Letter and have it much in their mouths and rowl it up and down but never crack it never break it though they seem so to do and make you believe they expound it and give you the sense and the vertue yet how shallow how literal how humane how low how sensual and carnal do they make the Word to be even your Rabbies your Doctors your great Schollars Which shews If that God himself if the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah If the Root of David do not open the Seals t is not all the learning or all the Universities in the world can help us to the Mystery And the Mind of Christ as the Apostle calls it Truth is The worst of men wicked men they feed but upon husks upon Excrements upon the Letter and keep a great stir and a great noise about that they indeed champ that in their mouths but they let the nourishment the vertue and the marrow escape They eat not of the childrens bread that is not for dogs as our Lord saith to the woman of Canaan As in Luk. 15. in the History of the Prodigal there wicked men the worst of men Carnal men they are there compared unto Swine because that any trash any Excrement or the refuse of any thing will serve their turn they feed upon Husks and it agrees well enough to their stomacks that satisfies and they neither desire nor know any better food and as their meat is so are they carnal and fleshly and earthly
sheweth his handy Work dâ—y unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge In these God rides more openly here ye may behold him with open face as it is Ier. 23. 24. Caâ— any hide themselves in secret places from him do not I fill Heaven and Earth sayes God So the Earth is a close Chariot wherein he rides God rides and abides in the close silent Earth though less glorious as to us as well as in the open and more glorious Heaven Psal. 18. 10 11. He made darkness his secret place and his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds he bowed the Heavens and came down and darkness was under his feet T is true he fills Heaven and Earth but in the Earth we cannot see him so open and manifest Sometimes he hides himself in darkness and sometimes he shews himself in light As he is light so he clothes himself with light Psal. 104. 2. like as he was to the Israelites he went before them in a pillar of a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night Exod. 14. 19 20. He in himself is always invisible but in his expressions workings he is more secret more manifest Isa. 45. 15. Verily thou art a God that hidest thy self O God of Israel the Saviour For God was both the cloud and the fire that went before and behind the children of Israel and he it was that filled the Tabernacle he was in both though he exprest himself so diversly And when we have put off this Tabernacle of clay that hangs about us then we whom he hath appointed shall see him as he is Yet let me tell you no man can see God as he is not in his Essence no not the Angels in heaven they themselves are not capable of that nor ever shall be but then the scales of Ignorance and blindness shall fall from our eyes and then we shall see his Influence into all Creatures and how this infinite God Flowes into them all as the river of Thames or the Sea by its streams it flows into all the adjoyning Creeks Arms but into every one according to their capacity not according to their own greatness but according to the greatness or littleness of those Creeks So doth our infinite God Flow into all his Creatures yet these expressions are infinitely below him too narrow to set out God to you but something in a way of resemblance I say after this manner doth the Almighty Flow into all his Creatures into Angels Arch-Angels Cherubims Seraphims Into men into beasts birds fish into all creatures yet not according to his own infinite greatness but according as every one can receive him and according to their capacity For if God should fill his creatures or communicate himself to them beyond their capacities he should destroy his creatures As to Moses God shewed him as much as a creature could see and live for if God had shewed him more he had been blinded undone by it for things may be as well invisible by too much light as by too little by excess of light as by want of light As the Sun if it should shine unto us in that excess of light that is in it self and that it were not intercepted interrupted by vapours and by thick and dull aire or if we were nearer to it then we are we should see nothing at all But whatever we see not of God now while we are in the world it is not for want of light in God but for want of light in us because the thick scales and the thick Darkness are still before our eyes and the dark vail is upon our hearts For God is alike apparent in every creature in regard of himself yet the accidents and matter that clothes God in the creature hides him from our sight For if we ask the Sea or the Winds or Beasts or Men of God these all speak dully and darkly of him for thou art now a hidden God from our eyes though thou art in every creature thou art the action motion and being of every creature yet God himself is a hidden a close God As Iacob when he fell asleep and dreamed and when he awaked he cryes out Oh how fearful is this place this is none other but the house of God God was there before but Iacobs eyes were not opened for God is in every place alike and cannot be more in one place then another but till our eyes be opened we can never acknowledge it but as soon as they are open then we can cry nay then we shall cry out for we cannot contain ourselves with Iacob with a holy fear and reverence we seeing the fulness of his presence every where Oh how dreadful is this place this is none other but the house of God and the gate of Heaven doubtless the Lord was in this place and I was not aware Object T is true you may say I see indeed all the creatures are Gods House and his Temple but why doth he call it The Gate of Heaven Ans. Because every creature when our eyes and ears are open it plainly represents speaks out God with a loud voice it leads us to see God himself who is not onely the substance and being thereof but he is the action life and motion thereof it leads us to behold and enjoy the infinite God who is heaven it self Then we shall come to see and say Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory And then shall we cry out one to another as the Seraphims Isa. 6. 3. And one cryed unto another and said Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory Then we shall see him so fill all places and all creatures even as he filled the tabernacle with his presence and glory Insomuch that we shall be overcome by his presence and the excellency of his divine glory Take home this truth with you and the Lord fix it in your hearts meditate and often think on it till you come to see it and believe it That God fills every thing though you see him not And although he be hidden not onely from men but even from the Angels themselves in regard of his Essence yet whatever creature it be how little so ever it be it is the house of God and the gate of heaven for this is Heaven upon earth thus to enjoy God and therefore well may Iacob call it The gate of heaven He fils even the lowest hell and is as wel in the damnedst Lucifer in hell as in the gloriousest Saint in heaven in regard of his Essence because he is in that regard in all places alike But here is the difference the one seeth him not so nor yields unto him the praise and glory of his infiniteness and of his filling all things as the
delicate or wanton flesh and blood saith is good as to eat Calves out of the stall and Kids out of the flock and then rise up and sing to the sound of the Vial and the Harp Can there be any true comforts in these discomforts which if attained are but vanity and if not attained are vexation of Spirit Teshavah Teshelemoth nay most commonly better not attained then attained because they prove but snares and destructions But here may be applyed that of Sampsons riddle out of the sowre came forth sweet and out of the eater meat therefore O that we could behold the love of God in all conditions Indeed there is nothing happens to the wicked that hath any thing of love in it but if we belong to him how heâ—vy soever the afflictions be or how evil or unjust soever the Instrument be from him it is alwayes just and is in love and intended for our good and the issue shall be sweet just and good Shall then any servant of God grudge at whatever such a Tender father lays upon him we suffer the fathers of our bodies to correct us as the Apostle saith Heb. 12. 9. and we gave them reverence and shall we not much rather be in subjection to the father of spirits and live so verily they for a few dayes chastened us for their pleasure but he for our profit that we may be partakers of his holiness I might shew you in many things wherein our profit by afflictions ariseth but this is not our point in hand we must return to it that we may end at present and commit you to God And let not me think because there are so many men and creatures in the world in Heaven and in Earth to provide for defend and protect that therefore I shall be neglected or that he hath not Armies and Angels enough to defend me or that thou who ever thou art that trustest in him shalt be neglected no no. To think because Kings and Princes and great Ones have Angels to defend them therefore to doubt there will be none or not enough to mind or to assist me Yea yea fear not he hath Chariots enough to assist all yea all his Creatures in all places in all times through all ages Beloved those sweet Babes the Kings children that now are How pleasant are they they take their sleep their food their play and care for nothing And yet little do they think how many heads must bleed and hearts must ake before their royal persons can be touched but I say they take their play and sleep quietly in their Cradles neither fear nor care toucheth them So my beloved Let the true royal seed of God do so Let all Gods Servants lie down in peace and take their rest and say O Lord thou alone makest me dwel in safety Psal. 4. for their Gods Armies lie round about them and shall make them all dwel safely They cannot be touched or hurt For besides al this that these millions of Angels both in Heaven Earth are their Guard That great General himself the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is their Saviour Protectour and his Everlasting Arms are under them for evermore But it may be their infirmities and their ignorance wil not let them see it or confess it yet little do they know how many thousand thousands of the Armies of God must be overthrown before Gods people or any one of his children can be touched before ever any one member of Jesus Christ can be hurt for this God as he is great dreadful so he is a God infinite in bowels and compassions who fills and commands all Creatures and all his Armies and Chariots are for their defence relief and protection And therefore from henceforth and for ever let us all cry out in an holy admiration Oh the Heighth Depth Breadth and Length of his Power and Mercy and Loving-kindness 1 HEIGHTH For saith David Psal. 36. Thy Mercy O Lord is in the Heavens and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds Thy righteousness is like the great Mount ains and thy Iudgements are a great deep O Lord thou â—reservest man and beast How excellent is thy loving kindness O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the â—adow of thy wings â—hey shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the Rivers of thy pleasures For with thee is the fountain of life and in thy light we shall see light 2 DEPTH Psal. 86. 13. Great is thy mercy toward me thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Hell 3 BREADTH Psal. 104. 24. O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches 4 LENGTH Psal. 98. 3. He hath remembred his mercy and his truth toward the house of Isaael all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God And now Brethren if this OUR great God be Lord and Governour of the House what then can be out of order If he be our spenditory our house of Store what fear of want If he be our Treasurer what fear of poverty Surely he hath enough and enough infinitely more then enough He can make the Philosophers Stone he can make gold he can and will create comforts and therefore let all these things stay your hearts and depend on him as on that Rock to whom there is none like him though all the men all the Kings Princes on earth should consult and conspire together and all contribute their utmost to make thee happy yet there is none like the God of Iesurun who rideth upon the Heavens in his help and in his excellency upon the skie for the eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are THE EVERLASTING ARMS And so I commit you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and bring you on to perfection Militia Coelestis OR The Heavenly Host The second Sermon upon Psal. 68. 17. The Chariots of God are twenty thousand thousands of Angels The Lord is among them as in Sinai in the Holy Place At Giles Criplegate in the Afternoon the Repetition omitted WE may well call this Verse The heavenly warfare wherein as I told you were contained four things 1 Their nature they are the hariots of God because God was pleased to ride in them 2 Their number the Text saith that they are twenty thousand thousands of Angels and I told you from the Text that they were Infinite 3 Their name they are called Angels 4 Their Commander and that is God The Chariots of God are twenty thousand even thousands of Angels We spake of these two in the forenoon we come now to the two last The third is their name Angels There is much adoo about this name of Angels what they are what their nature is but we will not now stand
much upon that the most do consent that all the creatures are Angels The word it self signifies especially in this plaâ—e an ambassador or a messenger now all the creatures being so messengers or ambassadors from God they must needs all be Angels But if a man should speak now unto the wisest in Israel and tell them that God sent Angels into every womb there to frame and create the Infant would he not wonder But what if I should say that the very forming-power is an Angel This could not be digested yet it is true for every particular influence in every creature is an Angel observe this that never any one Angel was sent on two errands nor never any two Angels on one errand for all the whole creation do joyntly together sing the infinite praise of their most wise Creator there is not the wickedest man alive but sings and sounds forth Gods praise as much as the holiest though it may be against their wills for if they sing not the praise of his mercy yet they sing as much to his praise the glory of his Iustice. God makes even the very worst of his creaturs sing a part of his praise Ask the craggy Mountains what part they sing and they will tell you they sing the praise of the immutableness unchangeableness of God Ask the flowers of the field what part they sing and they will tell you they sing the wisdom and liberality of God who clothes them beyond Solomon in all his glory Ask the Sun Moon and Stars what part they sing they will say the constancy of Gods promises that they shall hold their course and not alter it Ask the poor received sinner what part he sings and he will tell you he sings the infinite free mercy of a most gracious Father And ask the wicked obstinate sinner what part he sings and he will tell you he sings the praise of his patience and Iustice. And truly my beloved not one creature but sings apart and yet all together all that ever were and that are and that ever shall be put all together yet they do not sing no not the thousand thousand part of this infinite eternal God As the Queen of Sheba when she came and heard Solomons wisdom she confessed that what she heard of him in her own Countrey although incredible yet it was not the tenth part of that she saw and heard so though all creatures sing Gods praise yet All and all if they were a thousand times more then they are yet they all do not yield the thousand thousand part of that honour and praise that is due to him for he hath all perfections in him and he also gives and distributes to the several creatures those several parts and portions they have As I have often told you the perfection of any one species cannot be known by any one individual And so Gods Church is a glorious Church taken not as being in any one member but in the compleat body As the perfections of a man cannot be known by any one man for if one man have wisdom another hath sobriety if one hath patience another man hath temperance so that the beauty of the Church cannot be known by any one member be it never so excellent If Abraham hath faith Iob hath patience if Ioseph hath chastness Moses hath meekness c. so that as you must not look for the perfections of a man in one man for if one be as fair as Absalom another is as proper as Saul if one hath proportion another hath sobriety c. so neither must we look to see the admirable perfection of the Spouse of Christ that is all fair and hath no spot by one member neither by all that are now living upon the earth or that were but look upon all that ever were are and shall be and adde to them their Head Christ and then it is a beautiful Church indeed and in her no spot at all So though every creature express God One one attribute another another and they speak his praise wonderfully yet they come infinitely shorr of him and though altogether they say somewhat yet not the tenth part of him not the tenth part of his Iustice not the tenth part of his patience not the tenth part of his Mercy c. One is sent to deliver a message of his love another a message of his justice another a message of his patience another a message of his liberality and bounty all of several errands and whatever message he sends any creature on he is alwayes just they all do but his will Though they sin and transgress and therein think they do their own will that makes it sin but they all do his wil therefore it is said Ps. 103. 20. Bless the Lord all ye hosts ye Angels that do his pleasure and although it be more properly spoken of those Angels that are invisible in the air in the heavens yet it may well be also applied to all creaturâ—â— for he hath made them very little lower then the Angels onely in the Angels below matter prevails above the form but in the Angels above form prevails over the matter for if our forms were not bounded and fastned to the earth by their matter even we should be as the Angels of God so that we should no sooner think or desire to be in any place were it never so far off but we should immediately be there for how soon can my spirit convey it self in thought thousands of miles but my body cannot be there but by times and succession of gradation and by steps The reason is because the form is imprisoned in the matter earth goes to earth and ashes to ashes and dust to dust naturally because it is its center but the spirit goes upward naturally the higher we go from the earth the more pure the elements and the nearer the earth the more gross the more dull the more sad and lumpish it is impossible that a heavy body should hang in the air for every thing tends and bend to his center if it be a heavy body it will fall downward the water is purer then the earth the air then the water the light then the air the fire then the light and so more and more spiritual till you come to him who is All Spiritual Spirit it self And for those Angels are out of our sight which are said to be in heaven you know there are degrees of them some are Angels some Archangels some Cherubims and some Seraphims 〈◊〉 therefore if you have observed it if ever ye saw Angels pictured they were drawn with compleat bodies from head to foot but yet to shew they are above a man and more spirit therefore they have alwayes wings which shew that they are above us in their Nature and are carried above our element but Arch-angels they are pictured with half bodies cut off at the middle with wings shewing that they are further off
from matter but Cherubims they have faces onely with wings shewing that they are further off then all these but Seraphims they are pictured as it were without any form or matter at all onely with a kind of fiery flame or yellowishness Therefore now of these Angels that are above us we can say little of them because men being in Nature below and they above our element Even as if we should ask a Toad what man is it could say nothing because it is in a sphere below us So if we should go about to define what Angels are we might very well mistake for though we may conceive somewhat to our selves yet we may be easily deceived in the knowledge of the Nature of Angels So much at present concerning Angels But some may further Object to me and it is a strong Objection Object God being so constant so unchangeable as he is and he is in the creatures what is the reason â—hen that the creatures are so changeable the Scripture tells us God is Immutable Ans. Beloved Almighty God is like the Sun riding in his Chariot we have no better expressions to set out these unexpressable things to you the Sun shines to us yet it is much changed to us according to the several objects it shines through The Sun is not the same to us that it is in its self for it is exceeding light and exceeding hot and its shining through the dull air changes it to us though nothing changed in itself so though the creature be changed yet God is not changed but his works are changed according to the several subjects he works on Again that same beam that shines in at one window is not the same that shines in at another yet we say the Sun shines in at both and yet it alters in a very small distance in one quarrel it shines red in the next green c. now here is a change but the Sun is the same So though the creatures be changed and turned upside down and mountains be hurled here and there yet God is the same he is not changed he cannot be moved In him is no variableness nor shadow of changing Iam. 1. 17. although according to the several creatures he works in he seems to be changed to us yet in himself he is not nor cannot be Now we come to the fourth and last part and that is who this General and great Captain is that commands all these Armie of Angels this great Army of Chariots and Angels it is said they are the Chariots of God Quest. But you will say to me I pray how is God in the Creature is he in the creature as he was on Mount Sinai for then God appeared to Moses in great Majesty and Glory the mouâ—â— shook and trembled and trumpets sounded lowder and lowder and there was thunder lightnings insomuch that all the people were amazed now if we could see God in the creature thus we should then believe he were there but we see no such thing in the Creature Answ. We must not imagine that God hath either trumpets or thunders or any such things material but there was something answerable to them something equivalent God then appearing in terrour and we could not better conceive of God then by such expressions as these But although God appear not the same to us in his creatures Yet without all doubt he is as much in every creature and as infinitely present as he was on Mount Sinai as terribly as gloriously though he doth not manifest himself so much For he is as much in the basest creature in a Mouse in a Frog and yet no disparagement or abasing to his infinite Majesty and greatness as some foolishly think but it so much the more exalts him yea I lay he is as much present in a Flie in a Flea in a Pile of grass as he was on the Mount And to some God â—ounds as loud in their hâ—arts in the manifestation of himself as the trumpets then though in others more stilly and wisperingly In all he is alike but he manifests himself but where he pleaseth Some are 〈…〉 and see not God at all In Balaaâ—◠〈…〉 as as much before he spoke but when God 〈◊〉 himself in him then he spake for if God would he could raise unto himself children unto Abraham out of the very stones as well as from among the wisest men And therefore O Hierome it was thy fault it was thy weakness when thou saidst that it was an abasing of God to say he was in a Mouse in a Toad in the base creatures for it is no dispraise at all to him to say he is as much in a Flie or in a pile of grass as in an Angel as much in the damnedst Devil in hell as in the gloriousest Saint and Angel in heaven but much to his praise and glory for deny this and ye deny his 〈◊〉 his filling all places and all creatures But know this God is not in every 〈◊〉 as he is in himself but as every creature 〈◊〉 him as though it be true that thâ— sea flows into all the creeks crannies of the earth yet not according to the fulness of the sea though to every cranny and brook the sea is not spaing It is true God is in heaven yet not more in heaven then he is in the earth and I remember I was taught when I was a child by my nurse or by my mother that God was above in heaven but let us now put away childish things I pray God too too many old men be not guilty of this childishness yea and many of these litteral Divines teach no otherwise they never bring their heâ—rers any farther then to be Monsters alwayes children alwayes feeding them with milk and never learn them to eat strong meat So that if they come amongst strong men to feed with them their stomachs are so squemish they turn with at all Or else casting pearls before swine they trample them under their feet and turn again and all to rent you One thing I had almost forgotten concerning the name of Angels which I will deliver to you before I come to make use of these things In every creature there is an Angel and this Angel is as the beam that comes from the Sun and this beam goes directly in a strait line to the Sun So that let a man thâ—â—gh he be in never so dark stinking a dungeon and never so deep yet if any little beam of the Sun can but come in though it be but at a pinhole yet go lay your eye full in that beam and you shall behold the Sun it self therefore and in that regard saith our Saviour Christ Their Angels alwayes behold the face of their Father which is in heaven So though there be never so much darkness in the soul yet do but lay your eye blinding all your sight besides in this beam or Angel that comes from
God and you shall behold God Now we come to make some use The first let it be this To teach us charity and love towards all the creatures be they never so base for we have all one Father maker God is in them though he manifests not himself as he doth in thee wherein he is most manifested for how came he to be manifested in thee was it by thy pains or industry or by his good will pleasure he might as well have refused to shine into thee as into another might have made thee in his case whom thou despisest Therefore behold and look upon all the creatures as thy brethren yea they are all more truly thy brethren then if you had been begotten by one father and brought forth by one mother in this regard because Almighty God is the common-Father of all and therefore when thou lookest on any creature though never so base account and esteem it as thy brother for it is a son to that Father of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is 〈◊〉 And therefore however some of our litteral and ignorant Divines do laugh at that of St. Francis that he called every creature his Brother he called the Ox his brother the Ass his brother and all creâ—tures his brothers if it came from an humble lowly mind in him I think him the better Christian for man is apt enough to boast himself and to look upon his endowments but he will fill the hungry the humble with good things I tel you here is such a brotherhood as shall never end the other shall have an end and therefore more cause of love to these then to the other for we are all begotten by one Father the other brotherhood ceases for saith our Saviour You are deceived not knowing the Scripture nor the power of God for in heaven there is no marrying nor giving in marriage but they are as the Angels of God in heaven Vse 2. Le ts learn to know our selves and then we shall learn also to pay the creatures that which is due to them Let us give them all due respect shew no cruelty to them but use them as brothers those creatures God hath appointed for mans use and used so they serve their Creators will and appointment let us use them so though many of them lose their lives for us yet shew as much compassioâ— to them as we may let us not exercise cruelty or our dominion or authority over them beyond what we are allowed do not begin to strike thy fellow-servant shew no rigor or wrath to them no not to the dumb creatures no nor to men When thou seest a wicked man thy heart rises against him thou wouldest have God presently destroy him not knowing thy own heart how bad that is and thou art ready to cal for fire from heaven as the Disciples did but what answer makes Christ to their desire Ye know not what spirit ye are of no no leave them to God Thou wonderest that God doth not send fire from heaven presently and destroy them as he did Sodom or open the earth to swallow them up as it did Corah c. O fools when will ye learn wisdom certainly God knows what to do without thy directions yet vain man will be so wise as to teach God wisdom Isa. 40. 14. and censure his actions But who art thou that contendest with thy maker Isa. 45. 9. Though it be said in Psal. 8. 6. He hath given him dominion over the works of his hands yet know though they were made for thy use they were much more for his they were not made for thee to use as you list nor for thy will and pleasure but to be used soberly according to his pleasure and appointment Vse 3. And lastly learn from hence that there is nothing of Fortune but all comes and falls out by an infinite wise Providence That the name of Fortune is an Idle a Heathenish and a wicked word taking it as the word imports for nothing comes by Chance or Fortune but t is God that guides all And yet knowing the right use of that word it may be used for it is used in the Scriptures saith Solomon For Time and chance or fortune for 't is the same happeneth to all things Though it first arose from an evil ground from the Heathens who because there were such cross events in the world that when a business was brought to the heads and period yet one thing or other oftentimes came between the cup the lip as we say and quite turned all about now hereat they were so amazed and at their wits end they could not tell how this should come to pass except there was a God call'd Forune and therefore they sacrificed to him But I say the ground and mis-use being forgotten it may come in time to be lawful to use it at least by such who know how to use it But what it imports is wicked and is condemned by this Doctrine as abominable We poor creatures stand and wonder at many events in the world here now God calls all the creatures Fools for instance When two dear friends that have been long apart not having seen one another in twenty or fourty years he one falls to come in some great danger his dear friend chanceth to come at a very instant and saves his life here now we stand and wonder it is no wounder at all if we eye God ye are herein but fools and blinde Again for example if you see me strike these two hands together if you saw not my body that guides these we may wonder at it but what wonder is it if you see me strike these two togther so far as you are blind and see not God so far ye wonder for it is as easie with God to do any of these things as for me to make my hands meet I can also by the power and guidance of the soul that is in me lay my finger in the darkest night upon any place about me why because my soul within me guides it so it is as easie for God in any case he being as it were the soul of the creatures can cause the creatures to do whatever is his Will to have done both in Heaven and earth and in the Seas as David saith Thus I have spoken to you of this our Immense Unknown Unexpressible Great God But O my Beloved I have spoken but according to man all this while infinitey short of him himself and therefore never scanty or circumscribe God by these things I have said for he is this and he is infinitly more for if men Men and Angels and Cherubims Seraphims should all joyn together to set out his praise to the utmost that they could conceive or relate yet look further further still for when they have said what they can they have said nothing in comparison of what he is As if a
God that the Truth and the word of God it self is hid and coucht under mighty parables for without a parable spake he nothing unto them and indeed without parables can we not have the truth As we cannot have meat without excrements for in all the meat we eat there is abundance of excrement to a very little nourishment the greatest part though never so refined and decocted is excrement And so I say of the Letter the Letter compared with the Spirit is but the Shel the Excrement the outward Husk of the word and we have a great deal of excrement and Husk and Shell that doth us no good at all to a very little meat for you know excrement doth not nourish at all that comes away again and goes into the draught as our Saviour saith yet we may not abhor nor undervalue the Excrement of the Word because it is Excrement for we cannot have the meat thereof without Excrements for that which is Excrement doth but serve to convey the nourishment into the body God could not possibly speak to us nor convey his word but by the Excrement of the Letter as he hath done Something must be presented to our eyes and ears externally that we may conceive what is done internally for if Almighty God should have spoken as he would have spoken we should not have been able to have heard him for he should have quite undone our understanding As the Sun shines to us and gives us light at such a distance and through so many elements ayr and clouds and Mereors and many such interruptions so many thousand miles of distance which keeps his own perfect and full lustre glory and brightness from us for if it should not do so we should be quite blinded and our sight destroyed by it for we have much ado the strongest-sighed man that is to behold and look upon the Sun at that distance as it is what should we do then if these things and such a distance interposed not themselves between our sight and the Sun So if our great and Almighty God should speak to us in a spiritual way and as himself would speak if he should shine into us in the least part of his own splendor and glory all our sights all our apprehensions of him would be quite put out he would utterly destroy our sight and we should be quite swallowed up for we cannot possibly see God nor hear God but onely in that way that he hath already spoken to us But happy is that man who gets not the excrement but the nourishment of the Scriptures And I pray you for all this which I have said To magnifie the Spirit above the Letter let us be so far from throwing away the Letter that you rather infinitely bless God for it and be very thankful to him that he hath so far condescended to stoop so low to our weak capacities that we may come as we are able to receive the knowledge of him who is our happiness and eternal life O praise his infinite goodness for ever that the Mighty Strong Infinite Wise Creator hath been pleased so far to abase himself as to deal with us as with Babes for we are no better That HE the Mighty Jehovah is become weak to the weak that he hath made himself a Babe to us Babes Oh! be amazed and astonished at it for ever and fall down continually before his footstool with all trembling and fear St. Paul who was but a man tells the Corinthians that he could not speak unto them as spiritual men how then could God himself speak to them as spiritual or they to bear His words If we cannot bear the words of a weak frail man how is it possible to bear the words of God Himself As the Poets fain of their God Iupiter and his Wife Iuno a certain woman desiring of Iuno that she might but lie with Iupiter in all his glory and majesty she answered O woman thou hast asked thine own destruction but she persisting in her desire and having her request granted presuming upon her own strength And as soon as ever Iupiter drew near she was presently made in to powder Shewing thereby thus much unto the people that the true God was infinite and incomprehensible For let me tell you they intended as much as ignorant as you conceive them to be though to the common people they spake after this manner Covertly by similitudes and comparisons For there was not one of all the learned but knew that such a One must the true God be Neither let us be so simple as to think that they thought these to be Gods Or that their Gods and Goddesses were so wicked as to be Adulterers or the like They were not so sottish but they hid and couched the Truth under these shadows So God Almighty even Our God who is the true God if he should speak unto us as he is in himself what creature could stand before him he would speak all the world to powder to nothing for if he had pleased he could have spoke All Truth in One Word but where had been Auditors to have heard or understood that word As when the people murmured against Moses and Aaron and were divided against them and for them They thought that all the people of God were holy and Moses and Aaron took too much upon them and God could speak by them as well as by Moses and Aaron but as soon as God began to shew himself in his power and majesty they all trembled and were not able to stand before him and again when the people thought they would go up to the mountain as well as Moses Well saith Moses if ye will do but as soon they drew near to the foot of the mountain and the storms began but to arise and they heard the thunder and the lightnings and the terrible noise and the trumpets sounding louder and louder then they began to tremble and fear and prayed that God would not speak unto them lest we dye said they but let Moses speak to us for we can Hear Him Brethren know this for an undeniable truth that in Gods word there is such a depth of light and of glory Such ravishing profoundness That will serve all the men that ever were are shall be yea all the Divines and People of God through all generations nay and adde to them all the Angels in heaven to pry and dive into through all eternity and yet shall never be able to find out the bottom and the Vast stupendious depth thereof But as I say God is pleased for our capacities to give us these things hid under a vail That he may give us The Norishment He is faine to give us with it the Excrement which he would not do if we could receive the Nutriment alone For saith the Apostle Till this day while Moses is read they have still the vail over their heart In the outside of the Letter you see
or any figure but as Abstracted and above all creatures and so he is the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob but take him Concretely as included or represented in any creature so it is Idolatry But if in the former sense then ye worship him after the example of the Patriarchs Beloved I beat upon these things the more and the larger because I would fain have you understand me and it may be this may seem to you an Error or a Novelty at least till you have eaten it and chewed the cud and debated it in your own souls but to have a thought of worshipping God as included in any creature or representing him in regard of his Essence to justifie worshipping of Images I abhor and curse all such thoughts to the pit of hell and surely you cannot have such a thought of me for this is the very thing I so much endeavour to perswade you from But for instance There is the Sun that shines in at this window yet you know that is not the Sun but a beam from the Sun though I lye not in saying the Sun is there for that could not be there without the Sun yet it is not the real Sun and in seeing that I do not see the Sun yet if I desire to see the Sun in this room and were loth to go out of doors let me but lay my eye in that beam to see whence it comes and I should see the Sun it self for that beam it goes directly to the Sun for if I were in a dungeon though thirty miles deep in the ground if the Sun could but shine in at any cleft or pin-hole though the Dungeon were never so dark yet if I lay my eye in that beam I should behold the face of the Sun Even so it is with Almighty God there is in every Creature a beam that comes from him which is the Being and Essence of the Creature Now if we shall fall down and worship that Beam as simply considered as contracted and included in the Creature this were sin but if I lay my eye in that beam I shall see it leads me to the Eternal One Immutable Incircumscriptible Iuconceivable Essence of the Divine BEING And that Angel beholds the very face of God Almighty Hence you may learn to interpret that place where our Saviour commands Take heed ye despise not nor offend one of these little ones for their Angels alwayes behold the face of your Father which is in Heaven Not that it is lawful to worship that beam or Angel but He alone from whence that Beam comes who is farre above every Angel and all manner of Creatures and Creation As to take the former instance suppose there were a Religion that it were lawful to worship the Sun if one should fall down and worship that Beam that comes from the Sun did not he sin for that is not the Sun but comes from the Sun and therefore for any one according to that Religion to worship that Beam were Idolatry for he worshipped not that he was commanded but was taken up in a thing Infinitely below his God So in the same sense Every Creature is a beam of the Divinity which is the Substance thereof and though you see not the face of your Father in Heaven yet that beam doth yet He that shall see that beam and fall down to that worships that he ought not something else instead of God I pray God ye understand me for I fear the simile I before named and instanced in is too true among men Some there are that do hear me and understand me to whom God hath revealed these things and some though they hear me yet they are like the dog they understand not what I say I speak riddles to them but others there are which understand not neither will they hear but are like a stone therefore I say it again God is really present in himself in every Creature but if he worship God as included in or represented in that Creature he sins and commits Idolatry because he worships that beam instead of God and falls down to a Creature instead of God But if I take occasion upon the sight of any Creature To behold God himself above and beyond all Creaâ—ures and so worship him he that will deny this and say This is sin let him also deny God himself So farre as any thing can be called an Angel so farre we are forbidden to worship it but if that Angel occasion us to look beyond it to him that sends that Angel to him that is the Essence and Substance of that Angel Here we are commanded to worship because then Our Angel always Beholds the Face of Our Father which is in Heaven being One Eternal Almighty Immense Incircumscriptible Glorious BEING even God blessed for ever and ever Vse We will onely make one short Vse and Application of this point to our selves and so conclude Is it not then more then apparent that God is every where in all Creatures and in every place he is near us yea nearer us then our selves are to our selves he is the Ideal form and first beginning of us and all Creatures and whatever is in us But if we would see him we must first strip your selves of all manner of visibility and whatever can come under any thought of an Angel Beam or any conception for God is unknowable unconceivable And as long as you know or conceive any thing you are short of what God is else we make him comprehensible and knowable who is altogether unknowable and incomprehensible And therefore whensoever I meet with any thing whatsoever that will shew me how to know the incomprehensible God I must cast it away because I know it seduceth and misleadeth me for God is unknowable yet God is nearer to me then any thing I can call I or my self he is nearer then my touching tasting smelling seeing hearing so near that he is the form of our forms the soul of our souls And therefore Beloved if we would send our desires to him he is so near that we can no sooner think any thing but he knows it as the Prophet Esay saith Before they call I will hear and before they pray I will answer God knows all our thoughts and desires before-hand for he is the desire of the desire And therefore do I want any thing any benefit any good thing any counsel in any difficult case Yet mistake me not I do not mean about lands and livings or riches and pleasure honour and praise or good name when I speak of these things I mean not nor intend concerning matters of right and wrong so much or those things wherein flesh and blood please themselves which come to nothing and perish with the using As the Apostle saith But do I want direction to guide my soul to bring me nearer to God to live the life of Christ do I want counsell and support to
ascribed to him He gave them favour and he hardened the heart of Pharaoh and He bid Shimei curâ—e David and the like Be assured whatever clashing and dashing thou observest in the world So as to thy thinking all will come to Nought and Miscarry yet be assured He it is that keeps all Guides all from dashing one against another but so far as his wisdom will have it so and it must be so for the accomplishment of his most holy ends O therefore let Vain man and his ignorance Nay his wisdom and his will stoop yea stoop to the very dust before him and leave all to him and be afraid To Censure His doings or to say concerning the Almighty Such an action was not well done Such a man O it were well if he were Removed Oh! he doth a great deal of hurt Oh! let him be cut off Oh! Beloved know God Almighty is a God of Infinite wisdom and art thou wiser then he must it needs be as thou conceivest no no you are deceived submit your judgements to him Expand and give up your selves and all you are and have to his Wisdom and Soveraignity and do not once dare to oppose that Infinite Infinite Wisdom of God in comparison of whose wisdom all the wisdom of all men and Angels put together is but folly before him He chargeth his Angels with folly and the Heavens are unclean in his sight what art thou then Poor Crawling worm to lift up thy self in his presence But thus to see God Doing all This is that Moses saw by the eye of faith in this Burning Bush It is He that Overturns the world It is He that burns every Creature New-forms and New-shapes The whole Universe He is that Great Potter that makes destroys and Re-makes at his pleasure what vessels he pleaseth He maketh vessels of honour and dishonour He alters and changes every Creature New-moulds and New-makes all and yet he destroys nothing And know this and set to thy seal that whatever He doth He cannot but do all things well superlatively well so well as it cannot be better And hereby the Lord will also set His seal to this soul so that He and It are so joyned together and made One that they will never part But he that looks upon the bare vision in the bare letter he cannot see these things What is it to him that Moses saw the vision That is gone and past But dost thou see what Moses saw Dost thou see all acted altered and changed by him Dost thou see Him alone doing all That it is He that Vn-makes and New-makes That it is He that makes men yong and makes men Old That it is He that bringeth to the grave and turneth man to destruction and saith at his pleasure return again ye sons of men That it is He that maketh and formeth man and all Creatures and bringeth them back again to their first principles and thereof Creates Raiseth and re-makes new Creatures Dost thou Thus see That the whole Universe is but a Body acted and guided by one soul by one spirit And that it is nothing else but a Carcase moved and led up and down by one spirit And that He is the substance of all and of every Creature the meanest the smallest the vilest as well as of the most glorious Dost thou see HIM in the midst of all this changing and tumbling up and down That it is He that destroys and preserves all things Unmakes Re-makes as the Potter doth and yet the clay is the same but that it is he which is still producing new forms Dost thou see that it is He that doth all these things that it is He that preserves all and weighs all so that nothing is lost For did not he Preserve all entire in themselves every element in its Property and Nature and keep them within their own bounds which is His Excelling glory they would presently devour and Overcome one another Fire if it did predominate were not bounded it would turn all things into Fire it would make all things like it self And so of Water it would turn all to Water and so of the rest But he hath set them their bounds which they cannot pass hitherto shalt thou come and no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed So that he keeps all things Entire in their own Element and every thing in its Proper place And in all this change or alteration and tumbling of the elements together Herein is His power seen That there is nothing lost nor diminished Dost thou see all this and that it is He that ruleth the Nations and that it is He alone that reigneth and that HE commandeth and ordereth the affairs of Princes all Nations and that all the Kings of the earth are in his hands My times are onely in thine hand saith David And know though thou thinkest That Kings and Rulers and others walk according to their Own wills and contrary to thine and thou art therefore offended yet know They all walk according to my will and pleasure saith God and though thou and they think otherwise and though they have no such purpose to obey my will but to please themselves and fulfil their own wills and not mine yet I have them so in my hand that they shall all in the end serve to my praise glory yea even in that they think they serve themselves and their own ends Poor Ignorant souls Alas when as they glory and pride themselves in their great pomp attendance and command and think that it is They that Rule when as they see not Psal. 66. 7. that it is He that ruleth by his power for ever and ever And Dan. 4. 17. The most High ruleth in the Kingdoms of men He it is alone that doth whatsoever He will and not they wil He sendeth the sword giveth it a Commission The Sword never awakes Till he say awake O sword And t is said of our Saviour That he came to bring peace unto men Luk. 2. 14. Peace on earth and good will towards men And yet our Saviour saith again Matth. 10. 34. I come not to send peace but a sword and vers 35. I am come to set a man against his father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter in Law against her mother in Law c. what strange contradictions are here What flesh and blood can reconcile these Scriptures yet both very true Again dost thou see That it is he that shall change these our vile bodies and make them like the glorious body of Iesus Christ Phil. 3. 21. Jesus Christ will purifie thoâ—â— that cleave to him and purifie them like unto himself Fire I told you never rests working and purifying till it hath brought All things to be as pure as it self So That Divine Fire Jesus Christ will never leave purifying and cleansing His people till he
own souls and you shall better consider and know his malice not onely to the bodies but to the souls of men as t is said 1 Sam. 18. 10. Saul was vexed by an Evil spirit so when you hear of casting out of Devils Take heed lest your selves fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the snares and nets and condemnation of the Devil Further to this point St Paul saith 1 Cor. 12. 4. that there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Differences of graces yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but one spirit As there are the graces of wisdom of Knowledge of faith All different in their several acts operations and degrees yet flowing all from the same spirit so I may say there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Differences of sins and lusts in the soul some being spiritual wickednesses others carnal and fleshly some for stature and growth like the sons of Anack mighty and great and strong others of a less and lower size Differences too there be in sins length and time as Iob saith His bones were full of the sinnes of his youth Some do not leave their sins but increase them and carry them in them till they dye and they grow strong and numerous even to a Legion of Devils There be some also that though they come up in a night yet by the blessing of God they are wasted and gone in a night like Ionahs Gourd they are like a wafaring man of no continuance they take no deep rooting in the soul There are differences too in respect of obstinacie purpose of mind malice and HATRed of God c. some going before others others following after unto judgement as the Apostle speaks It was said to Ierusalem Thou hast justified thy sister Sodom in all her abominations Ezek. 16. 51. her sins did exceed for grievousness those of Sodom and yet all sins of what nature or quality soever how different soever they be are all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from that Evil One in us The Devil and though as our Saviour saith Mat. 15. 19. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts thefts c. yet these are suggested into the heart by Satans malice and policy As t is said of Iudas That the Devil put it into his heart to betray His Master So that it is not onely Hard but impossible for any man that hath not been rapt up into the third Heaven To know How God sends Good motions into souls whether by Angels or not Yet I am sure though the Apostle saith That to will is present with me Phil. 2. 13. But yet that will is from him For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every good and perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights Jam. 1. 17. Nay all natural actions as to think and to do or to move c. are all of him from him and by him For In him we live move and have our BEING And As hard it is to say directly Though the Prince of this world Joh. 12. 31. The God of this world 2. Co. 4. 4. very lofty titles you see are given him by the Holy Ghost To shew what great power he hath I say 't is very hard to know How he Tempts and moves us to Evil whether by His Angels or not For HE hath Angels called properly and peculiarly HIS Mat. 25. 41. Prepared for the Devil and His Angels and termed The Angels that sinned 2. Pet. 2. 4. And again 't is said He drew the third part of the Stars from Heaven when he fell And the Devil is called The King of the bottomless pit Rev. 9. 11. Sure I am that there are great store of several sorts of Evil spirits For there is The spirit of jealousie Numb 5. 6. The Evil Spirit of lying 1 Reg. 22. 22. The spirit of deep slumber and sleep Isa. 29. 10. The spirit of this world 1 Cor. 2. 12. The spirit of dissention Judg. 9. 23. The spirit of perversness Isa. 19. 14. The spirit of wheredom Hosea 4. 12. 5. 4. And the spirit of seducing 1 Tim. 4. 1. And once for all As we read of the Spirit of Christ so also do we find the spirit of Anâ—ichrist 1 Ioh. 4. 8. And yet necessary it is thâ—â— thâ—s it should be I say Necessary with that necessity of which our Saviour speaks Mat. 18. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is necessary that offences should come For As in visible things there is no change without corruption so in civil things Lex non est posita justo sed injusâ—o The Law is not made for the righteous but for the transgressors for the lawless and disobedient as the Apostle saith And so and no otherwise is it in spiritual things Men cannot imagine How God should have made known the Riches of his goodness Rom. 2. 4. if no Evil had been nor The Greatness of the Riches of his Glory Rom. 9. 22 23. if there had been No vessels of wrath and dishonour Fitted for destruction Neither should he have shewn the Depth of his wisdom and knowledge Rom. 11. 33. If there had been no folly and ignorance Nor yet The riches of his grace Ephes. 1. 7. If there had been None that stood in need of pardon and grace Beloved How could the sons of men have known or understood Either the plenteousness of His REDEMPTION If there had been no Captives Or the exceeding greatness of his love wherewith he hath loved us in Christ If there had been none that were his Enemies and hated him So that now I will say of the Devil and his Angels as once Augustine said of Original sin Whereof after he had long disputed whence it should flow and proceed at length he concludes That it is A more vain and fruitless thing to stand disputing about its Rise or Original when as we feel the flames of evil concupiscence in our selves still Burning then it is for a man when he finds his house on fire to stand still Demanding how the fire came but doing nothing to quench it Or whereas he should find his son fallen into a well ready to be drowned yet should stand still Asking How he came to fall in but not using any help or means to get him out and so save his life So may I say of the Devil and his Angels It being so that they Are And that they are so Active and Destructive to men and that they move in Rule and reign in the Children of disobedience and have already climbed our works and are gotten in our very hearts and there wound kill and slay if we did but see it so I say 'T is but a fruitless question to enquire how they entred or came into us or of what they are made or what Power they have to do us mischief or the like But sure I think it is our best policy and greatest wisdom to
consider How to remove them how to dispossess them and to cast these unclean Devils out of our souls and spirits And if you desire to know How this may be done For though it be Hard and difficult yet it is not a needless thing to undertake nor a thing impossible nay 't is high time 't was done left you be utterly Undone and without any hope For Quanto diutius inhabitat tanto difficilius ejicitur The longer he stays in us the Harder will he be gotten out His quiet possession will plead custome and Prescription An Old disease is hardly Curable And we cannot but with Augustine confess Quot Crimina tot Daemonia Every Sin in our mortal bodies is no other Then A Devil And according to the Old-man and the Unregenrate part the best of us however we may flatter our selves are in worse state then Mary Magdalen was out of whom our Saviour cast seven Devils Luk. 8. 2. So that we may too truly say of our selves we have more then Seventy times seven within us For if Our Saviour should speak Audibly to our ears as he doth intelletually in our souls to the Devil in me or you as he did to the Unclean spirit who came out from the Tombs and Deserts What is thy name he would reply My Name is LEGION For we are many Beloved thus to see our selves in the Word is the right understanding of it And this Word and Glass when Christ sets it before us and teacheth us by it then we cannot forsake it but view our selves in it though it represents us to our selves never so ugly and deformed And he that sees himself Thus A Captive to the Devil Oh! Jesus Christ is A welcome REDEEMER indeed To that soul For the two great and Highest ends of Gods Word To us are in our now fallen condition to throw the Creature low in its own esteem to make it a Beggar as it is indeed to bring it to see its own Nothingness Nay it s undone and miserable condition and to make our Soveraign Lord Christ High Exalted Rich and All in All things To preach to the understanding of the Word thus to have such a powerful influence iâ— to the soul this can no man do no nor all Men and Angels but onely Jesus Christ himself His alone All-powerful Voyce who spake saith the Holy Ghost As never man spake Joh. 7. 46. Man Could never speak so to have any such operation on the spirit of man but onely that High and Mighty Conquerour through the whole Earth that is so powerful that whereever He will conquer he will conquer Of whom all those Mighty Emperours Warriours and Conqueroars we have heard or read of in the Scriputure or elswhere are but dark obscure glimmering shadows and resemblances O Beloved what Heights and Depths of sin are in every one of us Alexander himself with all his victorious-Armies nor all the Magistrates and Powers in the world cannot weaken them in the soul one jot no noâ— all the Angels in Heaven One of which could kill and destroy A hundred fourscore and five thousand valiant men in one night in Sennacheribs Army Yet are not able to conquer Those Legions of Devils in our souls to bring us into subjection to the Crown and Scepter of our onely and true Liege-Lord the Lord Christ What 's thy name saith he to that man so possessed in the Gospel that he was so fierce that no bands or fetters would hold him among men but he broke from all and lived among the Graves and Sepulchers yet he confessed Christs powermaking him ful sore against his own will for the Devil in us will not let us either see or confes him to be there saith he my name is LEGION because many Devils Lu. 8. 30. This and all other miracles Christ did that we by this man them night See ourselves as in a glass And so likewise by all the miracles that ever he did and by all the parables that ever he spake All were written for us All those Rebellions in our souls are LEGIONS Armies of Rebels they are as it is exprest Iudg. 7. 12. In us like the Midianites which were As thick as grashoppers upon the earth They are in some as thick as motes in the Sun innumerable not to be numbred by millions Who can number the thoughts of a man They are not onely of a spiritual nature but they are as quick and swift as the lightning I saw Satan fall down from heaven like lightning And you know what the Scripture of them The thoughts of mans heart are evil and onely evil continually Gen. 5. 6. I have read some are of opinion the Angels good and bad are as thick in the Air as motes in the Sun but I am sure so thick in us are these desperate barbarous inhumane cursed as I may say Irish Rebels and English Traitors in our souls And as I said before As all the victorious Conquerers in the world are a Type or Shadow of Christ in this spiritual Soul-war so also the Characters and expressions of any evil that ever was or ever shall be in the world are but dark shadows of this Evil One within us This is truth but none can see and acknowledge this but those in whom this evil one is in some measure discovered fought withal and overcome How far then are they deluded that dream they can by a power in themselves overcome this mighty mighty Giant this Goliah of Gath that stands for the whole Army of the Philistines who is so armed and so terrible that were our eyes but open to look upon him Drest in all his Armour and Accoutrements he would would make all Creatures Amazed Agasht at him What a hiddeous cry was there think you when the earth gaped so wide open to swallow up Corah Dathan and Abiram and their whole kindred and all that sided in that rebellion it swallowed up them their houses their tents their wives their children and all their substance Such would be and such is the astonishment of the soul where this Evil One this Antichrist as I may properly call him is discovered For herein is set before us the true Antichrist real Antichrist the Ugly deformed Person of Antichrist fO whom all Outward Antichrists are but the Picture take the Turke the Pope or Hereticks or who you will in this kind they are but the Symboles the Resemblance the Shadow of HIM Let the Ministers of Christ then look on their work they are called Embassadors let them look on their message and errand they are sent on and to whom they are sent Moses was a grown man in grace a man of Admirable parts skilled in all the Arts of the times he lived in the meekest man on earth therefore I conclude thence a grown man in grace as I shall touch by and by Yet when he was to grapple with Pharaoh a mighty King and But the
our feeling to our sight to our apprehension and comprehension but not at all in himself We cannot Honour him no nor dishonour him as to himself he is infinitely Far Above our praises or dispraises neither toucheth him as David saith My goodness extendeth not to him and Iob If I sin it toucheth not him He is neither better or worse by all our works either by sin or righteousness Beloved be sure of this we can neither diminish nor increase his praise in Himself though in regard of â—s we do for though we hold our tongues though we run upon our own destruction yet All as Creatures Praise him if he be not glorified by us in his Mercy he is and will be in his Iustice. It is said in Phil. 2. that he emptied himself of all his glory that is he as it were drew a curtain between Our eyes and His glory not between his own eyes and his glory for he was the same in himself but as to men He drew a Curtain or Vail before his glory for he honoured himself most in that he Emptied himself and therefore he saith here All power is given unto me in Heaven and in Earth not but that he had the same power before But now All power is given me that is Now men shall see it how in this very thing I honoured my self How in this very thing I manifested my self to be the Saviour of the world And though he seemed to Unclothe and dis-robe himself of all power and glory yet men shall now see and acknowledge that he still At that very instant retained it as much as ever yea manifested it more to them I seemed to lay it down and now to them I will be seen to Take it up again and they shall see that it never departed from me nor I from it But now it may be you will say to me We see you have partly cleared it and made it appear in what sense it is to be understood that All power is given to him in Earth but how is all power given him in Heaven do the Angels add any thing to him or is any thing added to them yea certainly for by the Church these things are More made known unto them for they were not created in such an estate but they may be made better nor are they so perfect but that they desire an increase in their perfection for it is said 1 Pet. 1. 12. The Angels do stoop down to pry into these mysteries therefore their knowledge and perfection is increasing And indeed it is certain They see their imperfections more then man because of the great light they have they are nearer to God who is light and therefore see their darkness and imperfection more then we for we are more dark and further off the light but alas Vain men think they see a great deal and because of their blindness they think themselves such excellent Creatures being thereby puffet up in themselves looking on themselves as Lords of all every thing was made for Him and that Christ was sent Meerly to Redeem him to save him God overlookt as he conceives All Creatures both above him and below him and had respect to none but to him as proud Haman said I onely am in the Kings favour O poor Creatures you are deceived think not so this is onely a fruit of your ignorance of your blindness limit not Gods Church to so narrow a scantling The Dominions of his Church reach infinitely further ther then you are aware of but we must not now enter upon that But hereby you may see that things in Heaven have a revelation and manifestation of Christ unto them and his power is given unto him There as well as on earth if so it be That you do take Heaven according to our general and common Notion of taking Henven which we Vulgarly conâ—eive to be above the Circumference of the Sun and God to be present more especially there but this also is a limiting The bounds of his Church and Kingdom His Kingdom as I conceive is every where and Heaven is where he is for he is Every where Yet I remember I was taught when I was a Child either by my Nurse or my Mother or Shoolmaster that God Almighty was above in Heaven viz. above the Sun Moon and Stars and I thought of a long time afterwards that there was his Court and his Chamber of presence and I thought it a great Height to come to this knowledge but I assure you I had more to do to unlearn this principle then ever I had to learn it and I am afraid too many of us are gone no further then this Childish principle whereupon follow many errours But it is more safe Taking Heaven in the largest sense Eiâ—her as God Filling all places and all things as well above the Sun as below and below as above and so Heaven to be where God is that is ever where for he cannot be excluded from any place but he is not onely in every place but in every place Alike Or else to take Heaven in that sense the Prodigal doth Luk. 15. 18. Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee to take Heaven to be in our souls When God comes into our souls and dwels there that is when he manifests his presence in us and to us then he is said to dwell there not but that he dwelt there in regard of himself as much before but then he is there as in his Temple As in his glory to Us-ward then we see him there In the Beauty of Holiness Then He is compassed about with our praises as it is exprest in that 68 Psalm It is well seen O God how thou goest How thou My God goest when thou art in thy Sanctuary The singers go before and the minstrels follow after in the midst are the damsels with timbrels c. When God is not onely in us as he is in all Creatures but when he is there sensibly to us that we feel him and see him and Rejoyce to behold his Presence and Glory and so we come Thereby to glorisie him more Whenever we come to this Sight then are we come into a degree of the kingdom of Heaven Into Gods Chamber of Presence There we shall see all Creatures all Angels and Saints and the whole Creation compassing him round about with Glories and Hallelujahs Then as to us is He set upon his Throne And till then he is As Crucified As upon the Cross as Buffetted as Spit upon as Emptied as disrohed as Slighted Trod upon As upon the dunghil as separaâ—e from his glory but all this is but as to men not as to Himself as I said before For to him all Angels Cry A loud the Heavens and the Earth and all the Powers therein and all Creatures cry continually Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbaths Heaven and Earth are full of the majesty of thy glory And
Real condemnation of our selves and not onely verbal p. 206 c. In this Condemnation three sorts of men sit Judges 1. The Carnal man p. 209. 2. The Rational man and he 〈◊〉 the Carnal p. Ibid. 3. The Spiritual manâ— and â—e â—udges both the former p. 210. The spiritualâ—ty of the 〈◊〉 opened and the first Commandment set before us as a glass to behold our condition p. 215. Further explained p. 224. Yet for all this guilt the blood of Iesus Christ purgetâ— from all sin if Christ apply it and not onely our selves p. 229. 2. Step Annihilation reducing our selves to nothing what it is p. 231 c. The effects of this Annihilation This Man 1. Receives all as from God p. 237 c. 2. He doth all by the power of God 238. to the glory of God ibid. 3. He rejoyceth in others goods as his own 239. 4. He is not glued to any temporal things but is ready to part with them when God calls ibid. 3. Step Resignation for saking all things in the world of what condition soever p. 240. 4. Step Indifferency to all conditions p. 251. Effects of indifferency This Man 1. He hath two eyes two feet as to the body so to his soul p. 264. 2. His eye is not divided between God and Mammon p. 265. 3. He resigns his judgement to God alone regards not what mans judgement is ibid. 4. He is gotten above all heights and depths principalities and powers c. ibid. 5. He is an Anabaptist his former name is changed and his Father hath given him a new name p. 268. The Author being interrupted came not to preach of the two last steps which is Conformity and Deiformity p. 270. Four Sermons on Josh. 15. 15 16. And Caleb said He that smiteth Kiriathsepher and taketh it to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife c. THe History of Moses sending the Spies to discover the Land of Canaan of the peoples murmuring and mutining upon the ill report raised by the ten Spies of Calebs and Ioshuas faith these things run over and applyed to our selves as concerning as much 〈◊〉 as them from p. 272 to 280. Part of this Chapter and 2 Cor. 3. Compared and answering face to face as the two Cherubims p. 212 c. The words opened and explained p. 287. Kiriathsepher the City of the Letter must be smitten and taken before it can be to us Debir The word then we likewise shall marry Achsah signifying The rending of the vail p. 294 c. The Letter or Ordinances not to be thrown away nor yet to be rested in p. 295. The spirituality of the ten Commandments briefly explained applyed from p. 296 to 319. In what sense the Scriptures are and are not the word of God explained p. 318 c. The text divided into two parts 1. Onus the work 2. Honos the reward p. 334. Those that rest in the letter either are starvelings or dwarfs alwayes children in stature and grow not p. 337. Christs body and actions in the flesh symbolical p. 343. Jesus Christ the substance and soul of all creatures false conclusions hence abandoned and shewing the soul of man is infinitely below God p. 351. An Objection answered about undervaluing the Letter p. 353. The Awfulness of God in that soul that truly sees him p. 357 c. Pilates question what thing is truth answered p. 363. A short view of some Priviledges which are to be enjoyed withiâ— the Holiest of all after we have married Achsah and obtained The râ—nding of the vail p. 364 c. The two Wonderful and unknown Trees of Eden viz. The Tâ—ee of Knowledge of Good and Evil p. 379. The Tree of Life in the midst of the Paradise of God p. 385. How the Tree of Knowledge c. Is the Seed of the Serpent in mans Heart p. 389. That Great Idol a Mans Self 392. Two Sermons on Psal. 61. 17. The Chariots of God are twenty thousand thousands of Angels the Lord is among them as in Sinai in the Holy place Part 2. THe parts of the text p. 7. God hath his Chariots of Triumph and Terror p. 8. All the Creatures are Gods Chariots wherein he gloriously rides so many creatures so many chariots p. 11. God in himself alwayes invisible to men and Angels p. 17. All creatures infinitely short of God and the most excellent speak him but darkly and though he fill all creatures yet all cannot comprehend him nor all men and Angels by them p. 18. How God is said to be in Hell and in Lucifer himself p. 21. God not to be found or known by Addition but onely by subtraction p. 23. The Kingdom of Heaven commonly mistaken which consisteth not in meats or drinks or crowns or scepters musick c. or any ocular or carnal glory p. 25. All creatures the Amiable tabernacles of God p. 30 c. Two Scriptures propounded whereby to represent a a small glimps or scantling of God p. 34. None like the God of Iesurun who rideth upon the Heavens in his excellency c. p. 39. What repose of heart the people of God may take in this their infinite God and Father because his everlasting arms are under them p. 44. Angels are Messengers or Embassadours p. 48. All creatures sing aloud Gods praise even the worst and wicked st sing a part and how p. 49. What to think of the Angels above us being out of our sphere we not able to define them p. 52. That God is in all the creatures and though the creatures change yet he is unchangeable p. 53. Yet he is not in every creature according â—o his infiniteness but as every creature can receive him p. 55. 1. use To teach us love and charity toward all creatures p. 57. 2. use To learn to know our selves p. 58. 3. use That nothing comes by chance but all things ordered by providence p. 59. Considerations of the Immenseness and infiniteness of God p. 60 c. Two Sermons on Cant. 1. 7. Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth where thou feedest and where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon for why c. THe division of the text p. 70. The nature of a soul in love with Christ though he be still filling her yet she is never fully satisfied wiâ—h him p. 71. Things in heaven are neither visible material ocular oâ— tangible c. p. 77. To try whether we have love to God by our love to our brethren p. 78. Many can come to God in prayer under this notion O thou whom my body loves but how few O thou whom my soul loves p. 80. The letter of the word but a dead resemblance of the life within p. 85. They that limit Jesus Christ according to the thirty three years he lived on earth do circumcise and cut short the large vastness of his greatness p. 88. The Question answered what need Christ any rest seeing he is in heaven p. 94. If Christ be not
as the best and most excellent ibid. Two Sermons on Exod. 3. 6. the first six verses Moses kept the flock of Iethro his father in Law and he led them to the back side of the Desart And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush c. THis is one of the grâ—atest miracles in the whole Scriptures p. 232. This History and Miracle concerns us now as much as the Israelites then p. 233. The Spirit magnified above the Letter p. 237 The truth couched under parables p. 240. The infinite condescension of God to become weak to the weak p. 242. The depth of the true word is imployment for Men and Angels for Eternity p. 244. Why Moses and the Patriarchs are taken such notice of that they were Shepherds p. 246. What the life of a true Shepherd is and why preferred before Husbandmâ—n p. 248. Moses led the flock into the desart before God appeared to him so must we foâ—sake the world or God will not manifest himself p. 250 c. Whether Miracles be ceased now oâ— no an ignorant question p. 253. Greater miracles done in accomplishing the truth of miracles then in the type or shadow p. 254. Yet this a mighty miracle in the letter but the mystery a miracle far transcending p. 255. How suitable Iacobs Vision of the Ladder reaching to heaven was to him and so this miracle to encourage Moses so the great work he was to go about p. 255. Why the Almighty is somâ—times termed an angel and why angels were worshipped in the Old Testament and St. Iohn forbidden p. 258 God not more present in heaven then in earth p. 260 c. God is to be worshipped as present in all places and in all creatures p. 265. The error of the Papists in worshipping Images condemned and why ibid. Hence a ground to interpret that saying of our Saviour Their Angels alwayes behold the face of their father c. p. 268. The use and Application from the foregoing truths p. 269 c. The second Sermon on the same Text. THe life of a Shepherd and of a Husbandman further explained p. 27â— The life of a Husbandman not condemned but a Shepherds life prâ—ferred before it p. 276. Going into the Dâ—sart not meant of forsaking all things actually but in aâ—fection and using them as if we used them not p. 280. The reason of all mens unquietness p. 283. The way to understand the vision is to put off our shoes from our feet as Moses and what that means p. 285. Men as men can comprehend nothing but what is within their own sphere of reason p. 288. Something about the name and nature of angels ibid. Every beam of the Divinity is an Angel p. 294. Christ the Substance of all types and visions p. 296. The true interpretation of visions and types from God alone p. 297. He that can see God thus cannot so far fear any creature nor any cross or death it self p. 298. The wonderfulness of the vision opened p. 300. Making known Jesus Christ is the business of all creatures of all men and all ages p. 302. The substance of this vision is Jesus Christ he is that fire that burns and changeth all things but not himself ibid c. He weighs the mountains and measures the waters he alters all things yet preserves the substance entire so that nothing is lost p. 304 c. How Gods will and theirs harmonize and coincide to whom God hath shewed this vision p. 308. They cannot find fault with anything God doth but they see one spirit moving and guiding all actions of men and creatures through heaven and earth p. 310. Vain man as his ignorance so his wisdom is to stoop and bow before the Almighty p. 311. He that looks no further then the letter of the vision he sees not these mighty things p. 312. But he that doth he sees Jesus Christ not onely changing all things but how at last he shall change our vile bodies ta make them like his glorious body p. 315. The substance of several Sermons on Mark 1. 25 26. And Iesus rebuked him saying Hold thy peace and come out of him and when the unclean spirit had torn him and cryed with a loud voyce he came out of him THe Text divided as Paul diâ—ides a man into body soul and spirit p. 318. Six morall observations onely named from the soul or letter of the Text not stood upon ibid c. Nothing absolutely evil but sin and nothing perfectly good but God p. 323. Obâ—â—r 7. That Christ is stronger then the Devil though he seem weaker and lets the Devil sometimes prevail in the world more then himself p. 324. Distinctions in the will of God as Revealed Secret Permissiv Ephes. 4. 17 18. Luke 10. 42. Phil. 3. 8. Heb. 4. 12. Gal. 6. 14. 1 Pet. 4. 15. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Jer. 17. 9. Ephes. 4. 21. 2 Cor. 3. 6. Exod. 26. 33. 2 Cor. 3. 14. 1 Cor. 6. 5. Rev. 22. 2 Ephes. 6. 12. Ezeâ— 13. 18. Mich. 3. 5. Heb. 6. 1 2. Rev. 1. 10. Isa. 5. 20. Isa. 2. 22. James 5. 17. Rom. 7. 18. Gal. 2. 20. Acts 3. 12. Rom. 7. 20. Acts 26. 18. Psal. 26. 9. Dan. 9. 7. Mat. 7. 2. Mat. 7. 11. Jer. 31. 33 34. Luke 14. 35. Luke 2. 12. Luke 4. 22. Rev. 8. 1. Rev. 3. 16. John 4. 11. John 6. 60. Mat. 13. 36. Num. 22. 28. Ps. 51. 15. Mat. 9. 49. Isa. 10. 17. Mal. 3. 2. Mat. 5. 29. 30. 2 Pet. 3. 7. Joh. 11. Isaiah 20. 3. and Joel 2. 10. Acts 26. 18. Exod. 19. 16. Hos. 2. 19. Mat. 26. 39. Heb. 12. 29. Col. 4. 6. Prov. 16. 21. Eccl. 8. 1. Mat. 5. 13. Heb. 2. 11. Mat. 5. 13. 1 Cor. 3. 4. 5. 1 Cor. 1. 13. Mat. 5. 14. Joh. 1. 9. Joh. 8. 12. Lev. 6. 13. Lev. 2. 13. Num. 18. 19. 2 Kings 2. 21. Ezek. 16. 4. Job 16. 4. Gen. 27. Mat. 3. 17. Mat. 1. 24. Mat. 13. 34. Prov. 15. 23. Psal. 119. Rea. Hos. 13. 9. Luke 10. 34. Reas. 2. Psal. 38. 5. 2 Pet. 2. 22. Reas. 3. 2 Chro. 13. 5. Numb 18. 19. Mal. 3. 6. Psal. 102. 26. Ps. 139. 4. Rev. 3. 14. Heb. 1. 3. Col. 1. 17. Heb. 3. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 51. Mat. 18. 1â— Psal. 104. 3. Col. 1. 15 17. 1 Cor. 7. 31. Heb. 13. 8. Heb. 6. 19. Joh. 1. Rev. 19. 13. Col. 1. 15. Object Luk. 14. 34 35. Maâ— 9. ult Answ. Exod. 16. 18. Prov. 30. 4. Job 12. 7. Gen. 28. 17. Psal. 18. 11 c. Psal. 18. Eph. 6. 12. Psal. 15. Psal. 24. Hab. 1. 2. Rom. 10. 7. Ioh. 1. 26. Gen. 18. 27. Psal. 12. 4. Job 12. Isa. 20. James 4. 13. Isa. 9. 9. Hos. 13. 9. Rom. 12. Mat. 24. 49. Ioh. 9. 41. Mat. 24. â—0 Isa. 2. 18. Gen. 19. 35. 2 Cor. 13. 15. Isa. 46. 10. Jer. 48. 11. Psal. 62. 11. 46. 2. Job 42. 5. Jude 1â—