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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	lord_n	sing_v	song_n	1,893	5	9.6892	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96143	The judgement set, and the bookes opened. Religion tried whether it be of God or of men. The Lord cometh to visit his own, for the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God. To separate the sheep from the goats. and the precious from the vile. And to discover the blasphemy of those that say, they are apostles, teachers, alive, rich, Jewes, but are found lyars. Deceivers. Dead. Poore, blind, naked. The synagogue of Satan. In severall sermons at Alhallows Lumbard-street, by John Webster, a servant of Christ and his church.	Webster, John, 1610-1682.	1654 (1654)	Wing W1210; Thomason E805_13; ESTC R207390	257,953	337

away their captivity Oh! that men were but to come to this condition to be sensible of their misery that they did but really see they were in Babylon in Captivity Oh then what mourning what hanging their Harps upon the Willows Psal 137.1 c. sitting down by the Rivers of Babylon weeping and crying out Oh how shall we sing the Lords song in a strange Land And wishing and saying Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones Will the Ox lowgh when he hath fodder Job 6.5 saith Job Till they have deliverance they cannot but mourn Rev. 5.5 and none can deliver them but the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah to such a soul only is Iesus Christ precious others may talk of him and make a great profession of Iesus Christ in the Letter and talk of Iesus Christ his dying at Jerusalem and of beleeving and Salvation by him but they cannot love him till Iesus Christ be IMMANVEL a Saviour in them Mat. 1.23 then and never before can these Elders throw down their Crowns before the Lamb saying Thou only art worthy to receive honour and glory and power Rev. 4.10 11. for thou only hast redeemed us by thy Blood Thou seest thou canst not so much as move hand or foot to help thy self All thy tears thy prayers are nothing but as Iesus Christ prayes and cryes in thee by his spirit with groans unutterable which cannot be exprest Rom. 8.26 This take as the first difference and examination between those that are wounded and sick and condemned the one he is so and he can go to no other but only to Iesus Christ to be healed and saved The others when they are so they can finde help and rest in men in means in ordinances in fellowships in reformations and better ordering of their lives by their own power The other finde there is no resting no sitting still in any thing below Christ but they hunger and thirst and wait the good pleasure of Iesus Christ and when the spirit which bloweth where it listeth will blow upon their Hearts John 3.8 They are like a hungry man whose stomack doth so gnaw he cannot rest without food and like a thirsty man who cannot be satisfied without drink It is not husks nor shadows nor pictures nor Idols will serve his turn but he must have real food he must have Christs body which is meat indeed Ibid. 6.55 and Christs blood which is drink indeed He must have the Eternal God help him or all he can do is nothing to him Beloved were men but come to this to be really miserable and truly in bonds which men so much talk of and so little feel ye need not direct them this way and that way ye need not bid them cry or pray or run to hear or the like their very misery would constrain them whereas otherwise men take up these things for form and for custom and complement and to be thought religious and to quiet their consciences and the like But they would be like the blind man which notwithstanding they hindred him and reproved him and bid him not pray nor cry yet the sense of his blindness made him cry out after Jesus Christ Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me Luke 18.39 If men did but find see and feele the burning within them and the sting of the fiery Serpent they need not be bid to look up to the Brazen Serpent John 3.14 Secondly If thou beest a true seeker of deliverance a true waiter thou wilt abominate and scorn all other Deliverers but only this Only Deliverer Jesus Christ all other thou lookest upon them as Physitians of no value Job 13 4. Thou seest there is but one Teacher but one Counsellour but one Saviour They will not go after them that say Loe here is Christ and loe there Mat 24.23 in this way and in that form saying joyn to us we are in the best way here ye shall find rest and satisfaction but they see really and are fully convinced that there is nothing else but the Eternal Father making out himselfe through his son 1 Tim. 3.16 c. even Christ manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles beleeved on in the world and received up into Glory And sayes the Apostle Gal. 4.3 4. Even so we when we were Children were in bondage under the Elements of the world but when the fulnesse of Time was come God sent forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons And because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father So that it is clear that soul that truly seeks deliverance it sees Jesus Christ only to be able to deliver that there is nothing lesse then Him nothing besides Him But herein lies the misery of all the Sons of men they pretend to seek Iesus Christ and think they have found him because they have heard of a Iesus Christ who died at Ierusalem and though they have no union with him yet if they can externally beleeve in him that 's enough though they never receive any vertue from him nor he was never formed in them And herein generally most men professing Christ sit down and rest and blesse themselves and never yet saw truly their own misery how they are departed from the fountain of living waters Jer. 2.13 and how they dig to themselves broken Cisterns which are empty and dry and can hold no water And in their extremity hither they come to their own Cisterns thinking to refresh themselves and quench their thirst but they are empty and dry and so many men who are great professors of Religion dig wells for themselves but they are not the Wells of Salvation Oh my dear friends Esa 12.3 my heart bleeds to think how these men delude themselves with golden dreams And they pretend great love to Christ and say he is their hope and their help and they will wait upon him and cast their soules upon him when as they do but as it is Ps 78.34 35. they returned and inquired early after God Ps 78.34 35. and remembred that God was their rock and the high God their Redeemer Neverthelesse they did but flatter him with their mouths and they lyed unto him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they faithful in his covenant How do these men keep a great stir and make a great noise for their Religion and who seem more zealous then they or more eager for worship who more flattering and smooth in their expressions and say thy Servants thy Servants and who seem to be more affected with dishonour to Christ and are very much offended at errors and heresies and blasphemies but I fear and

1 Cor. 12.13 whether they be Jews or Gentiles and have been all made to drink into one spirit I also bear witness to One Ordinance and One Administrator Mediator Redeemer and Intercessor which is the Lord Jesus Christ blessed for ever Joh. 14.6 who is the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but by him and it is HE that is ordained Acts 10.42 to be Judge of quick and dead by the Father and there is no name given under Heaven Acts 4.12 by which men can be saved but the name of Jesus neither is there salvation in any other for there are diversities of gifts but the same spirit and there are differences of Administrations 1 Cor. 12.4 5 6. but the same Lord and there are diversities of Operations but it is the same God which worketh all in all And I witness that it is Jesus Christ only by his spirit that makes men Able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter 2 Cor 3.6 but of the Spirit And do all teach and speak in and from the power of that spirit as IT is pleased to give them utterance And therfore all those that claim an Ordination by man or from man that speak from the spirit of the world from wit learning and humane reason who preach for hire Jer. 23.1 Ezek. 34.2 Zach 11.17 Joh. 10.1 and make merchandise of the souls of men I witness they are all Baals Priests and Idol-Shepherds who destroy the Sheep and are Theeves and Robbers who came not in by the door of the Sheepfold but climbed up another way And are the Magitians Sorcerers Inchanters Micah 5.12 Soothsayers Necromancers and Consulters with familiar spirits which the Lord will cut off out of the land 2 Tim. 3.8 9. so that his people shall have no more Soothsayers And as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses so doe these resist the Truth men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith but they shall proceed no farther for their folly shall be manifest to all men as theirs also was woe unto them for they have gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the errors of Balaam for reward and perished in the gainsaying of Core Jud. 11.12 13. These are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you feeding themselvs without fear Clouds they are without water carried about of winds Trees whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead plucked up by the roots Raging waves of the Sea foaming out their own shame wandring Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of Darkness for ever And now Brethren I commend you to God and to the word of his grace Act. 20.32 which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified Mind and give heed to that meek stil quiet and silent spirit of the Lord Jesus that is in you which is Pure Holy Innocent Underfiled and Righteous teaching and leading into all truth righteousness and purity like it selfe unto which if you give heed as unto a light shining in a dark place it will preserve and present you spotless and without blame before him whose eys behold no iniquity which that the Lord may fulfil in his due time in you is the Continual prayer of him who is Yours in the bonds of Love in the Lord Jesus Jo. WEBSTER To the Reader THe Author of these ensuing Sermons being cast by providence upon some imployment in the Lords work in this great City was much Carried forth in his ministration to set up the LORD JESVs in the Hearts of men in opposition to all that is of flesh and all that is of man which caused many out of an impatient spirit to distaste the things that were delivered But many that heard him being inwardly acquainted with what was spoken by him were very desirous to have that published for the benefit of all which they themselves had the happinesse to receive from his own mouth apprehending it to be the Bridegroomes voyce in him and therefore savory to them He being now at a great distance from the Presse and not in a capacity of overseeing that which the Transcriber may have failed in the Reader is therfore desired not to mind the manner of delivery but the matter of that which is here presented wherein if single-hearted he will doubtlesse finde a lively Discovery of many sweet Breathings of the spirit of Jesus Christ from One that appeares to have been long inwardly taught of God and that wholy laid aside all those Humane advantages wherewith he was and is plentifully furnished that he might commend his Message unto the hearts and consciences of men Not with enticing words of mans wisdome but in demonstration of the spirit and of power Vpon which account and no other what follows is recomended to the perusall of all that desire to benefit by what they read by Him that Teacheth to profit Thine In the service of our most holy Faith JOHN CARDELL JOSHUA SPRIG ROBERT BACON TO THE READER Dear Friends HAving obtained the sight of these ensuing Sermons and read some of the matter therein contained they yeilded such a rellish and savour to my Spirit that I could not choose but set to my Seal that it flowed from that spirit which is both pure peaceable which I do not to praise the person or the matter for to man there is none due and to the matter there is none needful because it is Truth and therefore needs not the shelter approbation or praise of men being in it self able to win praise to it self and to carry forth it self against all the oppositions of men or Devils Here thou shalt not find Terms of Art nor quirks of humane Learning and FALLEN Wisdom though the party through whom it was conveied excel in natural aquirements as much as the most but naked truth declaring it self through an earthen vessel in simplicity and plainnesse of speech evidencing thereby that our faith ought not nay doth not stand in the wisdome of mens words but in the power of God And hereby thou mayest see if thou be not blind in the carnal conceits of thy earthly wisdom as most of the Earthen Saints of our times are what self-denial is wrought in this Creature through which the Eternal Spirit hath breathed forth these ensuing precious truths that he having and enjoying all those humane Excellencies of Learning and knowledge which are so in the worlds account and lookt upon as helps to understand the things of God but used to help those that have them to worldly honour and preferment which indeed is the onely use is made of them and no other whatever is otherwise pretended but He in the height of this wisedom is made to become a fool for Christs sake and is willing to lose all honour dignity and preferment that the world and the wisdome thereof can confer upon him that he may enjoy

that is in thee be darkness how great is that Darkness Are they repentings beleevings actings and workings if these be as thou thinkest the means to remove the Cloud off the Tabernacle is not this to trust in man Jer. 2.13 Ch. 17.5 in the power of man and to distrust the living God But is not this rather to repent and believe and trust in God to say Lord I am really blind open thou my eyes thou Son of David have mercy upon me why Luk. 18 39. now this soule seeing this it cryes to and waites upon none but God and then indeed is the heart fixed upon him where it should be from whom comes salvation and deliverance Psal 57.7 And whoever waited upon him that is faithful and strong and only can deliver and was not in due time delivered And from hence it appears when the soul walks in the light he knows full well it will be in vain for him to think to remove the cloud till the Lord remove it It may be the time hath been when thou hast felt the heat of the Divine displeasure and thy ear was then boared and thy uncircumcised heart circumcised and then light appeared and thou blessedest the Lord in that day But now there begins to come darknesse over thy eyes again and thou beginnest to see thy selfe lost again and the Cloud is upon the Tabernacle and thou art gotten into the pathless way Jer. 2.6 and alas thou sayst to thy self and concludest though I am out of my way I will up and be doing I will come to it again and I will recover it and so the poor man begins to wrestle and struggle it out now at this thing and then at that thing so that the poor Saint having lost the light he once had he runs through mire and dirt thinking to come to the light by his prayers and holinesse and so recover himself Then the poor soul thinks he is running to Canaan when indeed he is going back to Egypt And therefore it is clear to me both by the Scriptures and by the experience of the preciousest Saints I ever met with that in this condition its best to sit still For he that believeth maketh not haste Esa 28.16 but waits till the Lord will remove the cloud but if thou wilt turn from the Lord and go by another guide and captain and not by that Moses God hath sent and art going to make a Golden Calfe and and Idol to go before thee if so thou mayest expect that thy carkass shall fall in the Wilderness for thy unbelief Num. 14.29 and not waiting the good pleasure of the Lord for not one entred the promised Land but Caleb and Joshuah know this is the condition and disposition of a Saint that he only rejoyceth in the Lord all his expectations are from him who hath made light and darknesse I have learned saith the Apostle Phil. 4.11 in whatever state I am therewith to be content So that the happiness of a Saint is when he can glory in infirmities as Paul saith and rejoyce in darkness and misery 2 Cor. 12.9 10. for he sees this is his portion and he cannot remove the cloud and he is willing to sit still there till the day dawn and the Day-star arise in him 2 Pet. 1.19 Esa 50.10 Happy is the soule that can sit in darkness and when he hath no light can stay himselfe upon the Lord his God Happy I say is that soul though there be a cloud on the Tabernacle that can sit still and wait the Lords good pleasure and cry unto the Lord till he please to lead him onward towards Canaan And there was a cloud on it by day and a pillar of fire appeared on it by night Know this further from hence That in the time of a Saints greatest light there is stil a cloud upon the Lords Tabernacle at the greatest height of light liberty and enjoyments to his own feeling and apprehension even then there is some darknesse upon the Tabernacle especially immediately after such great light and glory When Paul was wrapt up into the third heaven 2 Cor. 12.7 there was a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him least he should be exalted above measure there was again a cloud let fall over the Tabernacle when he was in the height of his joys a prick was sent him in the flesh a Messenger of Satan to buffet him and therefore he concludes in another place we walk by faith and not by sight T is so with every Christian in the day of his light 2 Cor. 5.7 and the time of his greatest shinings usually and then especially there is a cloud upon the Tabernacle why to let man know thus much that he must not live upon the GIFT but on the GIVER that man must not gather to day for ever but he is to gather to morrow and every day as the children of Israel in gathering Manna for if thou layest up store it will be dead the next time thou commest to feed on it it will all stinke and it will not nourish thee but wait still on the giver and then his mercy will be sweet fresh flourishing and green Lastly from this that the fire shined on the Tabernacle by night we shall onely note that when the Light of the Tabernacle shines upon the soules of men all things else become dark t is night in that soule to all things but the light of the Tabernacle in the night there was a fire and in the day a cloud now I say when the fire shined all things were dark round about it And herein observe these two things first when mans spirit is shut up and sees he no light then is the time for the appearing of this light And secondly this light never appears but when all things are dark in man for light discovers darknesse if any thing else be light to thee and all things else be not darknesse thou never yet discoveredst this light To this soule there is nothing in the whole creation that seems to be glorious and excellent but when the Sun of righteousnesse in him hath shined upon it then it appears to be all darkness when the light of the Tabernacle shines in the soule of man then riches honour pleasure preferments all things below God are darknesse Then the light of his reason wit moralitie and holy qualities that seemed to be a great light and shined before gloriously being compared one with another or with things inferiour Now when the light of the Tabernacle appeares then all these things appeare to be nothing but darknesse emptiness and blindness and are all as meer vapours before the Sun of righteousnesse as the Prophet saith Therefore thy goodnesse is as the morning dew and as the cloud that wears away so that I say Hos 6.4 whensoever the fire in the Tabernacle shines on man then this will be the sure effect in that soule

doing this work we may see the manner of his working and proceeding with the sons of men in the following words I will cut off thy Horses out of the midst of thee and I will destroy thy Charets this is one part of his acting He will cut off his Horses and destroy his Charets that is whatever it be that man rides on or trusts in or thinks to be delivered by all his helps or refuges all his hopes or confidences that are below or less then Jesus Christ himself hee will cut off and destroy though his confidence be never so great and that wherein he trusts be never so strong and his Charets never so many In that day when the Lord wil arise they shall be all cut off all utterly overwhelmed like Pharaoh and his Charets in the Sea Let it be what it will wherein thou trustest Exod. 14. and thinkest to sit safely in the midst of all wrath and storms if thou puttest trust in riches honour power of men wisdom parts or any thing thou hast chosen and thinkest thy self ever the better or safer for them all these shall be cut off from thine hand Nay though thou art in the very Chariot of Religion Mich. 5.12 and highest profession of the truth and hast chosen to thy selfe the purest forms and Ordinances as thou callest them and Church-felloships washings breaking of bread or any thing else in thine hand which can be named except Jesus Christ himselfe whereby thou hast quieted thy spirit and hast thereby gotten to thy selfe a peace and a rest all is a delusion and an Idol It may be Thou when thy conscience began to accuse thee and wrath appeard to amaze and affright thee thou saidst within thy self I must now do something that I may deliver my soule from this guilt I must quench this flame for I am not able to bear it I will run to this duty and take up that form and observe such and such rules and then I shall do well and I shall secure my self from wrath and hell As the Pharisees what think you drove them to the Baptism of John certainly it was this fear and this guilt upon their spirits For saith he to them O Generation of Vipers Mat. 3.7 who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come bring forth fruits meet for repentance as if he should say when ye were affrighted and terrified you thought comming to my Baptisme would secure you but you are but Vipers for all this and this submitting to Baptisme doth not declare true repentance But know the Ax is now laid to the root of the Tree Vers 10. and every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire And further you boast of being the children of Abraham and the seed of the faithful and because ye are members of the true Church but all this is to little purpose for God is able of these stones to raise up Children unto Abraham So that you see for all your Forms and Fellowships wherein you trust you shall be in that day of the Lord stript naked of all your garments and of all your refuges all those Horses and Chariots which you thought should preserve you and carry you out of all danger they shall all be broken and cut off and thy soul plunged into the bottomlesse pit Psal 38.3 and thou shalt have no rest in thy bones because of thy sin and by reason of thy misery for thou shalt not know which way to turn thee for all thy Idols and all thy Images shall not in that day be able to help or deliver thee Jer. 4.4 for the wrath of the Lord shall burn as an Oven and then thou must stand naked before the presence of the Lord who is a consuming fire Heb. 12. c. to burn up and consume every thing but Himself And not onely so but as it follows in the next words I will cut off the Cities of thy Land and throw down all thy strong holds As when outward enemies came upon the people of Israel and invaded their Land and the Lord had said they should go into captivity then nothing should be a defence to them but the enemy should break into their strongest places and their Cities should not secure them nor any of their strong holds which they had made for their defence do them any good This now was true in the Letter but this is also as true in the Mystery in the living and spiritual sense When men have made themselves defences and think they are secured from wrath and hell and all storms and no evil shall touch them neither will they be carried captive by Satan nor by the Prince of Darknesse and although by their wisdom they contrived these forts and strong holds and thought themselvs never so secure therin yet all of them shall be vain hopeless and helpless and nothing within them nor without them shall help them and the wrath of the Lord shall make them vile odious and abominable which before they got coverings for now whether they will or no they shall see themselves as they are and they shall not be able to have one good thought of themselvs but the contrary for this light of the Lord discovers their blackness their deformity and that there is no power nor wisdom can help them but onely the good will and the good hand of the Lord nothing but his meer goodnesse and they shall see that there is no power no goodnesse no mercy anywhere but in the Lord alone and if he doe not pitty them there is no mercy at all for them And not only so That men have their horses to ride on to carry them swift away that no danger may overtake them and Chariots wherein they ride and put their trust so likewise that they have Cities and Strong-holds for their security so that all the wisdome and power of man cannot make them more strong and safe to beare off the wrath of God but also saith he in the next verse Vers 13 I will cut off witchcraft out of thine hand and thou shalt have no more Southsayers Men have their Juglers and Diviners their Southsayers and their Witches All that witchcraft whereby men have deluded and deceived their souls in that day shall be discovered those false SEERS who cryed peace peace when there was no peace All that Witchcraft which men used in the things of God in setting up Images and forms and shadows and herein deluded men making them believe they were the things themselves And though they have wrought them up never so curiously and made them as neere the life as might be yet in that day they shall come to see they were but Images and dead things which could not help at all And now they shall no more live upon them or hang depend or call upon them for help or reliefe though they were made after the best pattern and never

things but Christ in us must remove and passe away else the heavenly things cannot appeare for whatever is not of the Fathers setting up and planting John 15.2 must be rooted up and t is the Lord himselfe must teach his own worship For Paul clearly confesseth he had his knowledge in the mystery of Christ by Revelation for all his great knowledge in the letter yet he saw he was blind and ignorant of that as you may see he expresseth at large in Eph. 3. at the beginning and elsewhere And none know this but the Church and those that are true members of Jesus Christ nay the Angels and Principalities and Powers know not these things which he calls the manifold wisedom of God vers 10. So that in these words read before you it appears to me there is included these two things First here is a description of mans day and what he doth in that his day He gets unto himself Horses of his own and Chariots of his own and he builds unto himself strong Cities and strong holds that is places of security of his own inventing and in that day his hand is full of Witchcrafts Delusions and Lyes and he gets to himself Southsayers and Diviners to promise to him peace safety and security and in that day he is full of graven Images of his own making and he cleaves mightily to his old ancient and standing Images which both he and his forefathers have received Secondly here is a threatning of an approach of the day of the Lord and that his hand shall be upon all these things he will cut off his Horses and destroy his Chariots and the Cities of his Land and will throw down all his strong holds and will cut off all his Witchcrafts and Southsayers and graven Images c. And however most Interpreters do take this in a Litteral sense onely and look upon it as a History of what God did outwardly and externally among the Jewes when they were destroyed and carried into captivity yet to me there is much more in it for all those relations are types of spiritual things the word of the Lord enduring for ever as David saith I have seen an end of all perfection but thy Law is exeecding broad Psal 119.96 And in this sense it is promised there shall be no more an Inchanter in Israel But we will endeavour to apply all this to our selves and make Use thereof First hence we may safely conclude that all men without distinction untill Christ be revealed in them they are all joyned in one way of Idolatry and false worship and that all those Histories and Descriptions of Idols and Idolaters in Scripture are but figures of what man does in his DAY And howerer they go not all one way in regard of themselves but many censure and condemn each other yet to God they are all Idolaters Inchanters Southsayers c. and are gone a whoring after their own inventions Psali 106.39 and are mad after Idols they all have their Horses and their Chariots and Cities of confidence and strong holds their Sorcerers and Inchanters and follow the way of Balaam Jer. 19.14 1 Kings 18.18 and their god ASHTEROTH as their Fathers have taught them All that the spirit of man can find out by his own wisdom power or invention is nothing but as Sauls going to Witches and Wizzards in the day of their distresse they every one in this way leave URIM and THUMMIM which the Lord hath commanded Exod. 28.30 1 Sam. 28.7 and they are all going to a weak woman and one that hath a familiar spirit And all this he doth by taking counsel of his own heart and following his own inventions and doth not wait upon that Divine teaching of the Father and that never failing URIM and THUMMIM which the Lord himself hath commanded him to wait upon All these inventions of man are but his Horses and Chariots to carry him away swiftly from his enemies and pursuers when conscience is awaked in man and he begins to apprehend wrath and vengeance and sees what a vile ugly creature he is and what wayes he hath taken and how he hath followed after witches and wizzards to enquire of them who have made lyes their refuge now man gets to himselfe all the refuges defences and deliverers he can possibly to save him from this wrath to come Mat. 3.7 Deu. 19.6 he rides swiftly from the pursuer of blood and the wrath of God I say let this be the first Vse we make of this point even every man befroe me and all to whom these things shal come to examin himself seriously if these things be not so let him deal plainly with his own heart let him get into his chamber and be still and there Commune with himself and he shall finde that all his goings out and seekings and inventions have been nothing else but to stop the mouth of conscience to allay the fire that began to burn within him and to get some drops to coole his tongue and to cover the fire and the smoak of the bottomlesse pit Luk. 16.24 Did not all your undertakings arise from a sight of a want an emptiness poverty and misery and have ye not gotten Horses to ride far away from this guilt of conscience have ye not with the Prodigal gone out from your fathers house and spent your patrimony upon Harlots and riotous living Ibid. 15.13 and nothing could ever cause you to return but though ye were never so poor and had spent all yet you would joyne your selves to any thing in the first place that may appear as a rich Citizen wherein ye may not fear want but for all this your povertie and misery still comming more and more upon you you rather then you will return home and discover your folly miserie and nakedness will live upon husks shadowes figures and they not being able to fill your belly nor supply that infinite emptiness in your soules then you have been forced to return and come home unto your father emptie naked ashamed miserable lost and undone And till this be there is not one of the sons of men ever can come home or return to their fathers house not untill they have nothing at all left no goodness no love no wisdom no power c. but see that all these are in their Fathers house and nowhere else Being perswaded that there is bowels of love there is the rich robe there is bread enough there is the embraces there is the kisses of love there is the dancing and the melodie Till this day comes the Prodigal is never received with joy his Father never falls upon his neck and kisses him Beloved I appeal to every soule here this day and to all the poor received Saints and people of God if they have not found all these things fulfilled in them and a thousand times more after this manner more then ever can be exprest Have all

thy goings forth to this thing or tother thing been any other then Jonahs Gourd Jonah 4 7. to sit under the shadow thereof to shelter thee from the burning sun and heat of Divine wrath examine thy heart Didst ever take up any dutie any form any way of worship purely for love to God because thou sawest him the fairest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 because that he was the joy of thy soul thy portion thy inheritance thy All in All For till then God is not thy God if any other thing be thought good or excellent but he thou hast not chosen him for thy God doe but examine thy thoughts and thy ends in all those things and thou shalt find satisfaction to thy selfe securing thy self getting happiness and rest for thy selfe was the chiefest moving cause And being so as I am sure it is till man see himself empty naked and a miserable Prodigal what 's all thy acting doing sacrificing washing breaking bread Forms Modes what 's all thy highest rules and strictnesse and walking up to the rule as thou callest it but working for thy selfe Mat. 20.13 2 Cor. 5.14 and working for a penny and meer mercinary working by force thou doest nothing by the constraint of love t is not for the excellencie of holinesse and love to the Lord himself but so thy own head may be covered and thou mayest be cloathed and that thou mayest have Cities to dwell in and live happily Saith Satan Job 1.9 doth Job serve God for naught thou hast peace and riches and satisfaction to thy selfe and therefore thou servest him if thou hast not thy pennie thou wilt rather stand idle in the market Mat. 20.6 thy working is to be freed from miserie and to get that which thou callest HEAVEN These are thy Horses to carry thee from wrath and to the place of rest where thou mayest with the Prodigal live upon thy own and spend lavishly and indeed it tends to no other but to run thy selfe out of all and to bring thee to misery Beloved from hence let everie one every particular form every several division and distinction of Worshippers examin themselves from what principle they act and work if it be not to carry them into a far countrie Luk. 15.13 that they may not see their miserie nor remember Hell nor the wrath of God and their forms have been their Horses and Chariots which have saved and delivered them quieted their consciences shut the mouth of Hell kept off the gnawing worm And when they have got into this Chariot of Religion and these Forms of Worship then they think themselves safe and well horst How many thousands of people are now got into these ways and joyned themselves to these rich Cttizens and never yet were emptied made miserable and nothing never lost their own lives never took up the Cross of Christ nor forsook themselves but having taken up a Form suitable to their liking say they now I am safe now I am well what ever others doe I am in a good condition I have secured One I am wiser then others I am holier then they stand farther off Esay 65.5 I am now somebody and every particular Form think themselves in the best way and censure all others and applaud and deifie themselves But in the day of the Lord all thy helps hopes Idols witchcrafts shall be cut off nothing of thy planting shall stand but thou shalt be left empty naked helpless hopelesse so that thou shalt be utterly stript of thy whole selfe and no way left to escape by all thy forms wisdom inventions and thou shalt be so distressed that there is nothing left to help thee but a naked Christ onely meer mercy and the good hand of the Lord. So that except thou canst stand in this light and bear this discovery there is no help for thee And when man is brought to this condition he wil look every way for help Gen. 4.16 any man to direct and offer him any likely way any Chariot to carry him from the presence of the Lord that Hell may not pursue him and that he may out-run his own guilt with Caine he will goe dwell in the Land of Nod thinking to get from the presence of the Lord he hath now with the Prodigal loft his fathers house that is he hath put himselfe out of his fathers love care and protection and he will mannage his own portion and provide for and direct himselfe but all this is to cover with a covering but not with the Lords Spirit Esay 30.1 To the Land of NOD what 's that that is to the land of Forgetfulnesse or to the Land of Dizzinesse And there he hath a portion and patrimony upon which he spends and there he happens among Harlots and lives by his own wisdome and inventions and he gets to himselfe any thing that will but uphold his spirit though he be come almost to Beggery yet he will shift still before he will discover and acknowledge his folly and beggery he will live upon Husks upon his own duties Luk. 12 19 and his own forms shall be his life though there is no nourishment no life in them And yet he sayes to his soule Soule take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many years and there he feasts himselfe lives Deliciously every day he eats and drinks and is merry and will not think of returning to his father nor acknowledge his rebellions And this is the far Countrey that he is departed into that so he may not see his own misery his own lost condition But in this day of the Lord all these things shall be discovered and he shall see that he is deluded and hath fed himselfe with dreams and that there was nothing reall in all he enjoyed but all even the best of his dainties was but Husks a lye and a deceit Then shall even the very sinews of all his strength be cut asunder all his foundations removed and himselfe utterly beggered and undone the very earth and the works thereof and all things therein 2 Pet. 3.10 shall be burnt up and the elements shall melt with fervent heat and he shall be at his wits end And this day of the Lord shall be like the Refiners fire and Fullers Sope Then he shall discover the Magicians and Inchanters of Egypt Mal. 3.2 to be all lyers and deceivers when they told thee Loe here and loe there In this mountain and on that hill in this way and that form thou shalt finde peace and rest Then He whom thou hast crucified and murthered by thy sinnes shall appeare in the clouds to judge thee and will set all thy sinnes in order before thee Psal 50.21 Then thou shalt see that thou hast crucified and put to death thy innocent Saviour That meek one of the earth who is all mercy pitty loving kindnesse him who came to save thee and ransome thee from thy cruell bondage and

23.7 c. who love to be called RABBI or by that Blasphemous Title of DIVINE and they must be honoured above other Saints of God and they are The Clergie and others they are but the Layitie of a meaner rank then we say they And how doe they love to have greetings in the market and the uppermost rooms at Feasts and the like well let them look to it God will judge them one day for all their Sorceries and inchantments and for standing up between him and his glory To whom alone all praise is due but to every man misery shame confusion of face blacknesse of darknesse hell and condemnation But hence we may see that it is no new thing to be bewitched by the Sorcerers and Inchanters and Magicians of the World The Galathians themselves were so for there are many Antichrists in the world there are legions gone out from the Prince of darknesse to deceive the whole Earth And if any from Christ speak but the truth he by his cunning devices will disguise it under the shape of Heresie Schisme Familisme or some odious nickname or other that so the truth may not be owned nor known That so men may stop their eares against the Heavenly voyce of Christ which brings down all things adored or loved in or from man and sets up nothing else but the power wisdom goodnesse holiness and Alsufficiency of the Lord alone He cries Mans heart and all the imaginations thereof are onely evill continually and that there is none that doth good Psal 14.3 Rom. 3 10. no not one They are all gone out of the way and every one is become abominable there is none that understands or seeks GOD. And that there is nothing in man of good but all is evill sin death darkness abomination a lye and utter desolation But Satan cries in the mouthes of his Ministers Let man doe something he can pray he can heare and let him follow those rules that we prescribe and they shall bring peace and rest to his soule But if man were but content to heare the voice of Christ and to stand in the light of God he should be convinced that he had no power no goodnesse and that nothing but onely the power of God could carry him out and that he is dead in trespasses and sins Ephes 2.1 and that the voice of Christ alone can raise them from their graves and that no lesse power can quicken or raise but the eternall Almighty power which raised Iesus Christ himselfe from the dead Rom. 8.11 It is not as men say If you will come to us and joyn and walk with us and be dipt with us or break bread with us will give any life any peace to the soule but the standing in the light of God that so man may take to himselfe death and darknesse misery and wrath and here to stand and dwell and that in him is no good thing then this light would also shew him that in Christ is all life liberty fulnesse satisfaction peace and rest and nowhere else If men did but abide in this light it would debase and keep low the lofty thoughts and those great expectations of and from man it would also give Jesus Christ his due it would not suffer him in the least to act against the glory of Christ but man would be dead and buried and Christ would onely ascend and sit upon his Throne There would nothing be esteemed in Heaven or Earth Mat. 19.21 but Christ and he would be content to sell and lose all for him This light would curb every wicked act every desire of the flesh this alone is the means to crucifie and kill thy vile nature and not any outward externall thing by washing or dipping in water or eating such a poore empty carnall thing as a bit of bread or drinking a sup of wine this thing never did nor never will doe it but to eate and drink that which Christ gave which was not a little bread and wine onely but HIMSELFE Joh. 6.56 1 Cor. 11.29 Ibid. v. 20 ch 10.16 and by feeding on him eating his body and drinking his blood this will nourish to eternall life When ye are met together into one place this is not to eate the Lords body For the bread which we break is the Communion of the body of Christ and he that eateth and drinketh unworthily discerneth not the Lords body Object But may I not use these things Object Ans Yea Answ so you think your selves never the better for using them for t is not they can feed or comfort thee nor t is not going on in thy own power nor thy using of means for Christ alone is the way and the means As if you come to a Feast you are not invited to eate the platters or earthern dishes which bring the meat but you are invited to the meat they doe but bring the meat and if thou eate not the meat thou mayst starve and die if thou follow the dreams of thy own heart and thinkest thou eatest and dost not what a horrible delusion and inchantment is this But of these things we may have an opportunity to speak more fully hereafter Thus you see what are those things which the Lord will cut off in that day when he shall come Thy Horses and thy Chariots thy Cities and thy strong holds Thy witchcraft and thy Southsayers Thy graven Images and thy standing Images out of the midst of thee THE SECRET SOUTHSAYER OR Hidden SORCERER discovered By Mr. Jo. WEBSTER SERMON II. Preached at Alhallows Lumbard-street MICAH 5.10 11 12 13. And it shall come to passe in that day saith the Lord That I will cut off thy Horses out of the midst of thee and I will destroy thy Chariots And I will cut off the Cities of thy Land and throw down all thy strong holds I will cut off Witchcrafts out of thine hand and thou shalt have no more Southsayers Thy graven Images also will I cut off and thy standing Images out of the midst of thee and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands I Have beloved according to the appearance of God in me shewed the meaning of these words according to the Spirit and the Mysterie declaring that great work which is brought to passe by Jesus Christ when he appeares gloriously in the world in the soules of men and is exalted as Lord and King and then it is when Jesus Christ is exalted in the earth and not when men are exalted or when there is peace and plenty of outward things But all the speakings of the Prophets and of Christ himselfe tend to set out that Kingdome and PERSONALL REIGNE which generally all men know little of and neither wil nor can own for a glorious state because not accommodated with outward power riches and eternall glory But in that day when Jesus Christ will come and arise in power spiritually in the soules of men then is that