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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	light_n	sin_n	sin_v	2,662	5	9.9466	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89411	Several works of Mr. Iohn Murcot, that eminent and godly preacher of the Word, lately of a Church of Christ at Dublin in Ireland. Containing, I. Circumspect walking, on Eph. 5.15,16. II. The parable of the ten virgins, on Mat. 25. from ver. 1. to ver. 14. III. The sun of righteousness hath healing in his wings for sinners, on Mal. 4.2. IV. Christs willingness to receive humble sinners, on John 6.37. Together with his life and death. Published by Mr. Winter, Mr. Chambers, Mr. Eaton, Mr. Carryl, and Mr. Manton. With alphabetical tables, and a table of the Scriptures explained throughout the whole.	Murcot, John, 1625-1654.; Winter, Samuel, 1596?-1665.; Chambers, Robert, minister in Dublin.; Eaton, Samuel, 1506?-1665.; Manton, Thomas, 1620-1677.; Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.; J. G.	1657 (1657)	Wing M3083; Thomason E911_1; ESTC R202939	754,107	852

alas they are but bottles themselves if Christ be not in them and there found to a soul and sought by a soul they are dry and sapless when many a rich man in hearing a Sermon hath a qualm cometh over his heart and he beginneth to be a little sick of sin which the Word hath lanced and it strikes to the heart what doth he do alas he chears himself with this Surely if I were such a sinner God would not regard me God would never have blessed me as he hath done therefore this is but a foolish melancholly fit The drunkard and the wanton can eat and drink and sing and dance down twenty such pills as these though they troubled them a little at the first they make a shift to claw it off The civil good-natured man though he see and know himself to be a sinner yet he is none of the worst he doth much good in the place where he is yea he prayeth and heareth and keepeth Sabbaths and thinks this shall make amends for all and so walks in the sparks of his own kindling but alas the end of these things will not be rest for they shall lie down in sorrow and shall have it from the hand of God too then who can resist it when lifted up or heal his blow when it is given I tell you Brethren I doubt this is the grand imposture of most of our hearts for it can hardly be but we must sometime or another be convinced our condition by nature is very sad and forlorn and men are not men if they be not carried forth to seek some course-for their escaping and how few alas reach the Lord Jesus therefore we mnst needs stick somewhere short of him Ah the Lord grant that none of us who think upon more probable grounds then others and others think so of us too that we are such as come to Jesus Christ that we sit not down in any thing on this side him for if we do we perish Therefore I say the soul that cometh to Jesus Christ goeth out of all alas if he have never so much of the world profits pleasures at will he is as rich as another and hath as much content in relations suitable to his hearts as another and it may be as much in praying fasting hearing using of the Ordinances as another and yet all this is nothing to him satisfieth him not he cannot take up with it they are but husks they will not satisfie however they may fill Thirdly There is a coming unto Jesus Christ it is not a going towards him but a coming to him this is builded much what upon the willingness of Jesus Christ to receive them this desire after him haply more fitly may be annexed to the power of Christ to save to the utmost O when the soul knoweth this O then that I had him that I were in him but now when the soul cometh to understand is perswaded he is willing to receive all that come Well then the Spirit quickning perswading the soul resolves I will venter upon him I will go and cast my self upon him and bear my self upon him hang all my weight upon him and this also he is taught of God this is imprest upon his Spirit by the Spirit of the Lord Jesus this is the drawing nigh yea not nigh to him but coming unto him this is the touch of faith if it be never so secret a touch of faith that others take no notice of yea that a poor soul through the fears and troubles that are upon him and earnestness of Spirit to have all quieted and cleansed and done away forthwith thinketh he doth not he hath not touched the Lord Jesus yet he may have touched him and be come unto him if he be carried out in his affections indeed and in truth beyond all count all as nothing as dung and dross as an hungry man would prefer a piece of bread before much riches he cannot eat nor drink gold nor silver and so it is here he is resolved upon it that he will lie at the pool of Bethesda his eyes shall be up and are up to him he will hang on him not let him go except he shake him off● into hell O this is a soul indeed that cometh to Jesus Christ Fourthly He cometh to him with words too at least heart-words if not words of confession I will wrap up these things as fast as I can I doubt I stay too long in the first part words of confession and words of petition of confession so the poor Prodigal I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son O I have sinned from the womb conceived in sin born in iniquity I have sinned before thee not regarding thy all-seeing eye desperately against light against knowledge against mercy against the blood of the Lord Jesus against all that grace whereby thou hast waited upon me to be gracious O I am no more worthby to be called thy sun O I am not worthy to lift up mine eye toward heaven saith the poor Publican I am not worthy to come near to the Temple to come among the company of the people of God but stands afar off and there acknowledgeth his vileness Ah so it is with many a poor soul he deserveth not to be owned by the Lord nor by any of his if he fall upon me as a mill-stone to grind me to power he doth me no wrong Secondly With words of petition to him that he would have mercy upon us that he would pardon and heal and give himself to us indeed that he would be our God a soul that is throughly sensible of his want of Christ cryeth our after him not with a still listless desire but the heart maketh a noise unto the Lord O give me Christ or else I dye Lord Jesus save my poor soul else I perish O sin is ready to swallow me up O the grave and hell are ready to shut their mouths upon me save me or else I perish as they to Christ the waves and billows of thy displeasure are the shaking and breaking of many poor souls O what mone many times will a poor soul that wants the Lord Jesus make to him lead me to the rock that is higher then I O how he sucks the promises and every argument he can fetch out of them he cometh with it and laies it before the Lord yea every letter of his name the Lord the Lord God gracious and merciful c. he pleadeth to the Lord O thy name is great to the ends of the earth therefore pardon me O mine iniquity is great therefore pardon thy faithfulness thy mercy thy promise thy dear Son the highest pledge of thy love that came to save sinners the price is paid the greatest part is done already all that a poor soul can find he will then make use of before the Lord and

there is more in it and I know not but we may consider Virgins according to their state and condition here Now the Church is so called or compared to Virgins not in respect of their glorious unconquered outward condition as sometimes in Scripture even strange Nations yea Idolaters are called Virgins as Zidon thou shalt no more rejoyce O thou oppressed Virgin daughter of Zidon arise pass over to Chittim there also shalt thou have no rest So Babel Come down and sit in the dust O Virgin daughter of Babylon thou that as a Virgin hast hitherto abode in thy fathers house in a glorious beautiful condition thy pomp and glory now come down And so Egypt go up to Gilead and take balm O Virgin daughter of Egypt in vain shalt thou use many medicines thou shalt not be healed though the Papists make this a note of the Church the glory and outward splendor of it that is quite cross to that of our Saviour in the world ye shall have tribulation and how often have they been scatterd by Persecution Nor yet are they called Virgins because of their priding themselves and setting forth themselves as Virgins with their Ornaments Nor yet in respect of the first Constitution of the Church of Christ when they were all or most of them Virgins There were 12. and but one of them a Devil But I conceive It respects the condition of the visible Church as then it shall be specially And what is that how are they compared to Virgins Specially in these two things First Because all that profess the Lord Jesus and become visible S t s they profess to renounce their Idols the Apostle saith that he turned them from Idols to the living God Now Idolatry in Scripture is counted you know whoredom if they have been married to the Lord owning his Covenant or else fornication nothing more ordinary it is enough to hint it to you and therefore when there is a renouncing of Idolatry there the Scripture looks upon them as Virgins So when Judah and Israel had played the Harlot that is to say had worshipped and served Idols God chargeth their spiritual whoredom upon them But when they reformed as Judah did you know in many Kings daies Jehoshaphat Hezekiah c. And in the daies when Sennacher came up against them and blasphemed them the answer the Lord gave to Hezek by the Prophet was this the Virgin daughter of Zion hath despised thee now having renounced her Idols he so calls her and having betaken her self to the shaddow of his wings alone from thence from the hole in the rock she despised the Assyr And secondly Because also now taking upon them the profession of Christ they escape and forego the pollutions of the world then gross scandalous sins they forsake even Hypocrites as well as others in which respects they may be called Virgins though their hearts be not right with God Secondly they had all of them Lamps they took their Lamps saith the text they have all of them a Profession of Christ they make a shew before men The Lamps I cannot take for any thing inward but meerly somewhat outward appearing unto men they are Christians outwardly all of them Even those really believers with the heart they do confess Christ with the mouth to salvation they are not ashamed to own him before men and their light of good works and knowledge shines before men that the world may see it there is the light of the Lamp And truly herein hypocrites may go far they have a form of godliness and as glorious a form as any others and they do as many good works materially good as others do and so they have a light shining before men as well as others So the Pharisees you know they made as many prayers did as much Alms fasted as often as others made a glorious shew here are Lamps Thirdly their lamps it seemeth were burning all of them Concerning the wise Virgins there need be no Question of it But for the foolish I think it will be gathered from that where they complain that their Lamps were gone out extinguished though it is true they were not fed with a right principle and therefore they went out yet they did burn they made a shew of heat and light also before men as Jehu you know did he seemeth to make a greater blaze in his zeal for God then Elijah himself did And so for light also knowledge aboundeth many times brethren in an hypocrites head a clear head and a muddie heart a sound head as the notion and a rotten heart may be together well this is the third I hasten Fourthly They all took them and went forth to meet the Bride-groom they all have their faces Zion-ward heaven-ward to meet Jesus Christ only the hypocrites they have faces one way and row another way as the Mariners do this I take to be their seeming to make for heaven all of them and the one to be as fair for it as the other for they go as it were hand in hand to meet the Bridegroom yea a hypocrite may go far indeed in externals as far as a child of God as afterward we shall have occasion to say you may have your faces Zion-wards and seem to go forth to meet the Lord Jesus and yet miscarry Fifthly When he delayed his coming until midnight they all slumbered and slept We must not understand this of giving up themselves to security and the wallowing in the sinful pleasures of the world the pleasures of sin for a season For this cannot sute with the truth of grace and therefore cannot agree to the wise Virgins he that is born of God sinneth not cannot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not work sin but his work is righteousness though he may have many by-blows in his work many mis-carriages yet his work is righteousness Nor can it for a great part stand with the very profession of a hypocrite to return again to the pollutions of the world which once he had escaped secretly haply he may rowl a sweet morsel under his tongue and be loth to part with it but the pollutions of the world which are open like wallowing in the myre will not stand with their profession therefore this is not meant by slumbering and sleeping but either Secondly Is meant by it the sleep of death in part for death is no more to the Saints though it be a sleep and a killing sleep to hypocrites our friend Lazarus sleepeth or else Thirdly Also partly a security and heaviness which groweth upon the Saints on this side death and me thinks the words seem to carry much for this there are two words they slumbered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they slept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the latter seemeth to be more then meerly Expository of the former The former signifieth only a little drowsiness when a man doth nap or nod a little as a man

of Jesus Christ there should be a greater desire to be with Jesus Christ knowing you are absent now where there is such a desire and such a groaning surely that day will not come upon them so unexpectedly and terribly If we have not this assurance brethren methinks then the fear of this day of Jesus Christ should hold us in such bondage all our lives-long it should so keep us awake we should have little mind to sleep if we labour to keep upon our hearts fresh our own Condition but we should be up and working to make our calling and election sure and so we might be found doing and surely brethren that poor soul trembling that thus follows hard after Christ if the day come upon him before he have this assurance yet shall it be more comfortable to him then to a man that hath had more peace and fals asleep in the lap of it and so is overtaken Verse 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. IN the former Verse we have a preparative Cry behold the Bridegroom cometh In this Verse we have the effect of it in part which is general to them all both wise and foolish then when that cry was made that dreadful sound was made in their ears it startled them rowsed them out of their sleep they arose from their bed of security and one as well as another all those Virgins those he had been speaking of all those that slept which were wise as well as foolish and foolish as well as wise And that it is thus generally taken it is further plain because afterward he cometh to divide them and the foolish said unto the wise while they were both asleep the one could not speak nor the other hear but now they were all rowsed they universally particle they all arose and trimmed c. It hath influence upon both parts of the Predicate The words are a plain Proposition the Subject is the Virgins the universality of the Subject all of them those Virgins that were asleep before That which is spoken of them is double they arose and they trimmed their Lamps And we have also the time when they did this then then when the Cry came they heeded not what Condition their Lamps were in before There are two things mainly noteworthy in the verse according to the two sorts of Virgins which divide this universal all those Virgins they were wise and foolish some of them were Virgins in deed the other in profession and appearance such now it is very considerable concerning them both That the Hypocrite should ever arise out of such a deep sleep considering that his heart was never awake is a matter worth our noting and that he that had nothing else but a Lamp and that even now wearing out yet should be trimming of it up for heaven On the other hand and it is as observable that the Child of God hath his Lamp to trim now at such a time as this is when the Cry is come he is summoned to meet the Lord Jesus who is near at hand Accordingly I shall take up a double Observation from the words That an Hypocrite a formal Professor may go very far towards heaven and salvation And I think this droppeth like honey from the comb without crushing or wrong to the Text. That a Child of God may have his Lamp to trim when he should use it The first of these A Hypocrite may go very far his Profession may carry him a great way and yet fall short at last You see here in the Text God doth not pluck away the vizard at first but letteth them proceed he could have discovered them when he pleased they take up their Lamps and they go forth to meet the Bridegroom more then many will be perswaded to that will hardly stir a foot for Christ they continue so doing until the Bridegroom tarried so long beyond their expectation then indeed they fell asleep then they rowsed again and trimmed their Lamps All these put together which are in the Text will make it appear that a Hypocrite may go far and fall short A Doctrine never more need for to be pressed then now And therefore though you have heard not very long since much concerning it and much more then I am able to speak and better for the matter yet let me also put you in remembrance of these things brethren and the Lord open all our eyes in a thing so nearly concerning us all I shall therefore propose what I have to say by way of proof of the Doctrine in several heads or degrees whereto a Hypocrite may reach the Lord give us all understanding in them First then a Hypocrite he may have much knowledge much light a head full of notion and this is one thing necessarily imported in the Lamps which the foolish Virgins had Some have thought their Lamps were dead they had no flame no light nor heat at all but I see no reason of it for it is said their Lamps were gone out which argues they were in before but I think this will hardly be denied but a Hypocrite may be a man of much knowledge do you not see it in the Pharisees were they not men of much knowledge and understanding able to teach others they had Moses's Chair and so the Scriptures the Doctrine of the Law men of great knowledge and yet our Saviour brands them for Hypocrites that is an aëry religion that lies in the head So the Jews the Apostle speaks to them by way of concession yielding to them what they had but shewing them where they fell short thou art a Jew and restest in the Law and makest thy boast of God as we do now make our boast of Christ that we are Christians and cannot bear it to be accounted otherwise and knowest his will and approvest the things that are more excellent being instructed out of the Law there is the principle of their knowledge not a light within them by nature but to the Law and to the Testimonies they had their light from thence and so well grown in knowledge that they were confident that they were guides to the blind and therefore had no need to be blind themselves a light to them which are in darkness an instructer of the foolish a teacher of Babes And not only he is confident of it but the Apostle yieldeth it that he had the form of knowledge and of the truth in the Law and then he reasons ex concessis thou which teachest another teachest thou not self c. We glory in these days as much in our light as ever they did never such times of light though for my part I cannot see but much that passeth for light is gross darkness but suppose it be so there may be light enough a shining Lamp and yet but a foolish Virgin surgunt indocti rapiunt coelum nos cum doctrinis c. I know it is true where a people are void of knowledge they

Prophet But on Zion shall the Glory of the Lord arise Look into what families brethren you put your selves no man would content himself to live in a dungeon continually that family is worse where Jesus Christ hath never come Fourthly Then take notice how sweet a condition it must needs be to have an union and fellowship with Jesus Christ especially where that fellowship is constant truly light is sweet And it is a pleasant thing to behold the Sun saith Solomon but alas that is nothing to a sight of Christ poor sinners in a dark condition when they become sensible of it will tell you what its worth to have a glimpse of Christ of the light of his countenance poor creatures that for half an year together are without the Sun will tell you how sweet a condition it is to have the Sun shining on them Mary Magdalen will tell you when she wanted her Saviour her Lord with many tears what a want it is and what a joy to have his presence O what light is there in that soul what joy what peace what comfort what warmth what melting over the Lord Jesus it is a little heaven on earth indeed this enjoyment of the Lord Jesus Fifthly We may hence learn then brethren whence cometh all our light and all our warmth and all our fruitful influences whereby we spring forth and bring forth abundantly it is from the Lord Jesus Thy heart was as very a dungeon as any full of darkness and bugs frogs and serpents and how came it to be lightned but that the Sun of God was pleased to shine on thee yea into thy heart more then another and freely with his presence to scatter those lusts thy soul was full of before Art thou enabled so much as to bud to think a good thought its from hence because that the Sun of righteousness hath arisen on thee thou hast received some influence from him doth it come to a blossom a good word holy communication its from the same principle doth the fruit knit and grow up into a ripeness increase into an holy action an holy walking with God whence is it but from the Sun of righteousness doth the Marigold open its according to the heat of the Sun do our hearts open are our hearts enlarged hence it is Brethren forget not the fountain we are apt to think the sparks are of our own kindling c. Sixthly Then Brethren we should hence learn to whom to your all give the Praise the Glory of all Let the Moon and Stars then fall down before this Sun as it was in Josephs dream they shine but with a borrowed light and the borrower is servant to the lender How do the Birds each morning chant and chirp when their little spirits are revived by the Sun rising on them and shall our mouths be sealed up when the Sun of righteousness hath visited our hearts quickned them enlightned them The Stars you know appear not when the Sun ariseth in his Glory O dear friends so should we when the Name of Christ cometh in competition with our names not appear be content to be nothing to decrease so he may increase Let him have the Glory of all Seventhly Then Brethren learn to prize the Lord Jesus set a true esteem on him should we want the Sun for one moneth what a value should we set on it it is true worth indeed brethren to value things by their enjoyment rather then by their 〈…〉 an t now thou hast the Sun-shine it may be many a sweet refreshing warming from the Lord Jesus O prize it every one is looking at and admiring a Comet but who considereth the Sun who admireth that prizeth that how much ado hath the Lord Jesus with us to bring us to this he is fain to put us in a dungeon to make us bear the iniquities of our youth to hide his face to make us walk in darkness before we will prize it what a grief is this to him is it not a trouble to our selves and what a folly is it Brethren to grieve the Lord Jesus and grieve our own souls when we might save all this O labour then to do it beg such a heart of Jesus Christ Eighthly Then Brethren shut not the windows against the shinings of this Sun of righteousness sometimes the Lord Jesus getteth within a sinner for all his fence and guard light cometh in at some chink beginneth to discover the condition in which he is sheweth him the filthy vermine that are ready to run away with his soul that the heart swarms withal that he saw not before and yet alas he maketh a shift to clap to the window to smother the light with both hands puts it away he desires not the presence of it this is a sad condition when men are ignorant and will be ignorant when the Lord Jesus would have healed them and they would not be healed O how canst thou tell whether ever thou shalt be healed till thou die O take heed Brethren of this it is the way to bring the blackness of darkness on you to provoke God to clap the everlasting chains of darkness on you wherein you may be reserved to the last day Oh it is a sad saying that Let him that is ignorant be ignorant still the time may come when the hour of darkness shall fall on your souls at the day of death that you would give a world then but for a glimpse of that light you now shut out and fence your selves against when your works of darkness and secret pleasures of sin for whose sake you have done it do fly in your face buffet you ready to tear your throat out hale you before the judgement-seat of Christ O then for a sight of Christ but he is far from you no he would have enlightned you but you would not Therefore now the things which belong to your peace are hid from your eyes He might pitty Jerusalem and weep over her but alas her condition was past cure I would the condition of many a poor soul here were not such yea Brethren the people of God themselves take heed of sh 〈…〉 ing out the light of this Sun of righteousness for what will become of the light in the room when its fullest of light if the windows be clapt too will it not be cut off will it not become a dungeon we complain many times of a dark and sad and dead condition the truth is Brethren we have shut him out we have thought Oh now we are full now we have knowledge and heat enough we have been so warmed with the influence of Christ on us now it matters not for altogether so strict a walking now we have gotten the light of his countenance this is a secret frowardness of our hearts and then he is provoked to withdraw and alas we are in darkness again Therefore take we heed Brethren how we hide the face of God in

Christ from our selves by such wantonness under the beams of Grace Ninthly Then Brethren learn we not to rest in the common influences of this Sun the Lord Jesus he shineth on the good and bad Brethren but he shineth only on the heads of some but into the hearts of others as the Apostle saith the passages between the head and the heart are opened and the light seizeth on the will and affections as well as the understanding the Sun may shine on thee thou mayst have much knowledge and an head full of notion and yet be but a weed for it shines on the weeds as well as on the flowers on the dunghill as well as on the garden the dunghil never savours so bad as when the Sun beateth most on it O what steams are there then enough to poyson a man Ah Brethren the shining of Jesus Christ on some poor sinners what doth it but raise steams of lust within men are more vile more wicked their guilt greater their condemnation surer their sins more loathsom to God then any others therefore stay not here Brethren except we find that the light we receive from Jesus Christ do scatter our lusts for they will not endure the light that is saving indeed except thou find that it change thee indeed and transform thy heart into his image from Glory to Glory if thou find thou art rather changed from dishonour to dishonour from one vile affection to another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle cals them all the light thou hast received is nothing Tenthly They are not friends to Christ then Brethren that would make more Suns then one what is not the Lord of Glory a glo 〈…〉 s Sun enough is there not a fulness of light in him sufficient for us all a fulness of heat and influence in him for us all but we must be flattering our selves and others into a rivalship with Christ how gross are the Papists in this point making the Saints their mediatour of satisfaction and intercession both I do them no wrong they are the words of their Missall praying for pardon by the merits of their Saints and praying to them to intercede for them yea and to the Virgin to command her son O horrid but in them it s not so much because either they are in Egyptian darkness and denied the means of light or given up to strong delusions to believe a lye but for us that have the light of the knowledge of Christ in such a rich manner among us and yet have a Pope in our bellies the indignity is much greater to Jesus Christ how prone are we to set up our own works as our Saviour who can say his heart is clean and throughly purged from this evil O that we were but ashamed of it and were able to say that we do it not in our hearts for then it s not so deeply chargable on us as I doubt it s on many of us Therefore take heed of this Brethren of setting up any spark of our own kindling or of his kindling in us in defiance to the Lord Jesus in opposition against him or partnership with him in our salvation in our comfort or peace or joy of faith if we do and give him not the whole we do much dishonour him and shall find that we much wrong our own souls No readier way Brethren to bring an eclipse then when the Moon wil be interposing between the Sun the Earth Eleventhly What enemies are they then to Jesus Christ and to Mankind that would pluck the Sun out of the Firmament would we not account him a desperate enemy that would endeavour it and are they any better are they not much worse who would pluck away our Christ from us whether they be sins or lusts within which do indeed rather cloud or eclipse at most But there are some who would even pluck him out of his throne that the Father hath set for him in Heaven in his Church such as deny the Lord that bought them such as will not yield him to be the most high God equal to the Father though Christ counted it no robbery they count it a robbery for him be equal with him Can a creature-Christ be a sufficient Christ to give light and life and healing to poor sinners will this ever satisfie any tender conscience quiet any trouble 〈…〉 ul let it go then for a damnable heresie and let us abhor it and beware of it for nothing is so gross but in these times Sathan finds some vent for it and bewail it Brethren that ever any poor creatures that expect salvation by Jesus Christ should attempt such an high indignity against him what is it but to kiss him with Judas and yet to betray him with Joab to kiss the Son and yet to stab him he that would bring the Sun down to the light and condition of the Moon were a wretched man but this is nothing to the case in hand Twelfthly Then admire Brethren the tender mercy of the Lord that would give us such a Sun the Lord Jesus the Sun of righteousness if he had left the world in a Chaos at first and never commanded the light to shine out of darkness never set any Sun in the Firmament who could have charged any thing on him But he knew what a miserable world it would it be without the Sun and how little of the beauty and excellence and perfection of his works and wisdom would appear if there were no Sun But here Brethren shining forth more of his ●enderness and bowels unto poor Sinners in a dark and dead condition through the tender mercy of our God whereby the day-spring from an high hath visited us here are the soundings of his bowels toward us indeed when we were forlorn and helpless in our selves to cause this day-spring from on high to visit us And truly for us in this Land how long have we had the Sun of righteousness risen on us and that yet it is not set that he is not altogether eclipsed by the world of iniquity that he hath stood still as it were and not hastened to a setting this is unspeakable mercy admire it bless the Lord be filled with his praises Thirteenthly Brethren Then let us be exhorted to set our selves in the warm Sun I mean to wait diligently on the Lord Jesus in his Ordinances for these are the Orb in which he moveth in his Church the Heavens and doth as it were wheel about the Church in them as the Sun in the Orb to communicate his light and heat and influences and therefore its observable that David saith I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of God then dwell in the tents of wickedness why saith he The Lord is a Sun and a Shield Glory and a Defence round about them therefore he would be a door-keeper in the house of God because there and then and to them he

thee yet wave all come clearly off it and alone cast thy self upon the waters commit thy self to the deep where no bottom is to be felt this is growing in the root indeed Thirdly In humility this is another which indeed doth follow upon the other and must needs do so for nothing emptyeth more then faith nothing layeth the soul lower and indeed this is the prospering grace of the soul that soul that is lifted up as the Prophet saith is not right within him Learn of me saith our Saviour for I am meek and lowly O when the soul is thus low then it is hungry and thirsty and poor in Spirit and then it sucks from the Lord Jesus then a taste of his love is sweet to the soul then the Spirit being ready to yield to God in every thing to do all his will God is ready to yield to the soul in every thing that he requireth agreeable to his will how do we grow in humility Brethren examine this it is the first and second and third and every step of Jacobs Ladder dost thou find that whereas thou wast wont to over-look and undervalue in comparison of thy self now rather thou thinkest in good earnest that every one fearing God is better then thy self because of the vileness of thine own heart thou seest before thou couldst not bear a reproof but if thou didst not turn and all to rent him that reproved thee though with never so much mildness yet thou wouldst snarl and quarrel and be ready to cast as much as that came to into his own teeth that reproved thee now if thou be reproved thou hast nothing to say but fearest thy heart it may be too true of thee now it is welcome thou lovest them that reprove thee so much the more Brethren it may be heretofore you would be apt to complain of your selves and of your own vileness and make sad mone and yet if another speak but an ill word of you yea if they speak no more of you then you deserve you could not bear it now if they speak ill of you art thou ready to lay thy hand upon thy mouth sure the Lord hath bid them speak evil and there is cause enough for it and they cannot say worse of me then I am O here is a growth in humility before thou wert ready to envy every one that had more gifts or more grace more of the hearts of Gods people then thy self now thou art ready to say with Moses enviest thou for my sake thou canst sweetly submit to his disposal of thee the least thou hast is more then thou deservest O this is that which obtains much of the Lord when thy heart is in such a frame it is fit to receive so Jacob he was less then the least of his mercies it was an argument wherewith he pleaded with the Lord thou art content to be any thing though in never so mean a degree of service to him so be he will be but thy Father and own thee if thou mayst not be with him in the transfiguration upon the mount if thou mayst be but a Disciple if thou mayst not get within the cloud with Moses nor be a Benjamin yet if thou mayst be a Son and a Subject though no Favourite this is that thou art contented with O here is a growth Brethren search and try are we come to this pitch or how far are we gone herein is it better with us then it hath been in this respect But then secondly we must try whether we grow upward yea or no as well as downward and this I shall consider according to the chief faculties of the soul the mind and the will and speak somewhat to each of them And first for the mind the understanding 1. Do you find Brethren that you grow and increase in the knowledge of his will that the darkness that is upon your hearts naturally doth vanish by any degrees do you find the vail doth wear thinner that was upon your hearts that you begin to behold the Lord Jesus with a more open face then before time was when you were babes in understanding are you new men and women or are you past the state of babes Alas I doubt if the treasuries of our hearts were laid open we should find them very empty of this heavenly knowledge how few can bring out of their treasuries both new and old This will appear in these two things specially First if you be apt to be tossed up and down with every wind of Doctrine and are not-stablished in the present truth but your minds are floating and hovering and ready to settle upon any thing that is presented to you though contrary to what you have received it is a sign that you are but children in understanding how easie is it to deceive children to put upon them Counters instead of Gold to make them part with the one for the other and how easie is it to lead captive silly-women as the Apostle calls them that are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth a weak eye that cannot discern between things that differ hath not his senses exercised to discern it is very easie to put one thing upon them for another truly Brethren these times have the name for times of great light and greater knowledge then there was before and I do believe that knowledge shall encrease by going too and fro but yet for all that mens eyes are very weak they cannot discern between light and darkness but put darkness for light for what is the ground of all errour is it not the ignorance of the Scripture and the power of God and was there ever any times more fruitful in errour then these are Alas Brethren what strangers are many of us to the very principles of Religion if examined in them that pretend to such high discoveries and revelations of Christ in our times such have need of milk and not of strong meat the wisdom of God in a mysterie is a riddle to them the Apostle spake it to them that were perfect that is to say grown men and women in opposition to babes Well then look to it if you find your selves easie to be shaken to turn with every wind of Doctrine like a weather-cock it argues you are but children but babes you may perswade a child to any thing to be of twenty minds in an hour because alas he hath no sound well-grounded knowledge of any thing you may perswade him to part with his meat his drink for a toy or by some pretended loathsomness in it that is not and so it is with poor weak ignorant souls how do we see many cheated out of Ordinances out of duties out of close walkings with God as things of no moment by the cunning craftiness of them who lie in wait to deceive It is a sad thing to see persons that should be of greater knowledge then

people of God whom he hath made eminent strong in Faith converse with them and if they be not very communicative as some are more reserved whereby they are not so profitable to others draw it out from them dive into their experiences how they came to that measure of Faith wherein they can so glorifie God and walk so chearfully before him And so for Humility and Tenderness where thou findest any eminent in these make an improvement of them joyn thy self to them in a more special manner labour to get somewhat from them this is a special help to growth in Grace And for knowledge of your relative State lay together your experiences you have had of God beg his Spirit to shine upon them else you will see nothing but by his light but a word or two more to this afterward Thus much for the General Exhortation I have a double Exhortation which is more particular and then a word of Comfort and so shut up all For the particular Exhortation First then Be sure that we grow according to our measure For every part hath a measure according to the effectual working in the measure of every part I doubt many of us that should be as the eye to the body have much less light in us then other parts of the body and such as should be as the arm and hands to work alas are like little fingers for growth come on poorly How should Magistrates grow and Ministers grow and such as bear an Office in the body of Christ they should be much more grown their Faith should be much more strong then other mens because they have greater works lying upon them then other men and who is their sufficiency but Jesus Christ and how is he strong to any of us but according to the measure of Faith If Paul had not had a strong Faith he had never done the works of his condition with such unwearied pains no nor Moses nor Joshua Faith it works by Love a weak Faith can do little and is not this the reason that some of us in these employments alas act so poorly for Christ our faith is weak and so our knowledge is weak few Apolloes mighty in the Scriptures able to convince gain-sayers therefore the Apostle exhorts young Timothy to give attendence do his diligence in reading as well as in Exhortation give thy self wholly to these things that thy profiting may appear to all men As Jerom I think said he did discere docere as he learned a lesson so he taught it to them there is a double score then upon which Ministers are to labour to grow First upon their own account because they have greater works to do and greater temptations usually to grapple with then others have for the Devil is most malicious against the Light-bearers such as have the Torch in the hand to give light to others Even the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus He knoweth they are labouring to pull down his Kingdom and do you think he will not labour to pull them down their souls down O how his finger itches to be winnowing them as he did the Disciples he desires it he begs it as he did to molest Job that Pillar of Religion in those parts so he would buffet and exercise the poor Ministers of Jesus Christ I know not what others have but I am sure some have their hands full and their hearts full O what need then to be men grown and strong in Faith to resist stedfast of knowledge in his depths and devices But this is not all Secondly Because the growth of others doth much depend-upon our growth are they not as the bones to the body when they grow no more the body groweth no more They are called Pillars in the house of God and what proportion the pillars bear to the house the bones bear to the body No marvel If Teachers be such as know not what they say and whereof they affirm as the Apostle saith That their hearers also be like those silly women alway learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth O what need then had young Timothies to be stir themselves wholly to these things because alas else they wil be able to say nothing either for substance or manner that may be for the edification of the body It is true there are no new revelations now the Scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect to every good work but how short do we fall in our understanding of them it is matter of sadness and would be more if our hearts were more sensible to consider that for ought we know many are dwarfs because we are so our selves Brethren help us for your own sakes But there are others also that should be exhorted to look to their growth that it be proportionable to the means of Grace you have and do enjoy according to your time of standing in the Church of Christ how long hast thou been planted in the house of the Lord many years you should be Fathers in Israel and Mothers in Israel as Deborah was and is it so with you Brethren It is very sad to consider that some among us that have hoary heads found in the wayes of righteousness and have so long been in that way and yet are so heavy and so dull and so ignorant and so little Faith and Heavenly-mindedness that there are many Christians that are but of yesterday outstrip them in many things is not this a shame therefore labour to answer your mercies your experiences your light and means you have enjoyed by your growth for this is expected assure your selves there is not a Talent but shall be accounted for and if you perish not yet you are not like to have a full reward you will suffer loss for a Calf of the Stall to grow no fatter then another that hath not such feeding it will not be born to be like Pharoahs lean kine devouring all before us and yet be never the fatter but as poor and lean as if we had never lived under a lively searching Ministry as you of this place for the most part have done assure your selves Brethren your guilt is very great to be watered every moment and yet be as dry and hard as if you had never seen when good had come Thirdly Another particular Exhortation shall be to help one another Brethren were we not wanting one to another in this respect we should be a people much more strong in the Grace which is in Jesus Christ But alas you will say is this in our power to help one another to grow all the supply comes from Jesus Christ the Head It is true it doth so principally Phil. 1. 19. Joh. 1. 16. 2 Cor. 3. 18. But he communicates by the mediation of instruments there is a supply of every part by that which every part supplyeth saith the Apostle as