upon which their Eternity depends in Digging up to themselves Cisterns broken Cisterns that will hold no VVater Did they Believe there were a GOD there were an Heaven such a Reward as the Scripture speaks for the Righteous it were impossible they should move so little for it while they work so hard for what is infinitely beneath it 2. The Weaver's Master pays him according to his Work The Materials he hath before received from his Master of Various sorts and prices according to the piece he is to work Some spoil all and have in stead of VVages Nothing but a smart Reproof and Chiding or an Action brought against them Others bring it Home slovenly done Others bring it done well and work man like They are paid according to their work The great Master the LORD of Heaven and Earth furnisheth every Man with Materials and Instruments for him to do the work which he hath given him to do None is without a Reasonable Soul endued with several Faculties the Principles and Instruments of all Humane Operations All indeed have not alike wit Capacity Judgment Reason But all have some Materials some Power 's given to them GOD as the Prudent Weaver doth not at first give out to all the best Materials The Prudent Weaver first tries his Servant with Coarser Yarn than with Finer First with Woollen then with Silk If he works not the Coarser first well his Master trusts him not with the Finer If he works not his VVoollen Yarn well his Master will not adventure Silk into his Hands If he doth work the Coarser well his Master is not bound otherwise than he may be by a Promise or Covenant to trust him with his most Choise and Costly Materials I must Confess I do much encline to think that in the day of Judgment no Soul shall be Condemned for not doing that which it had not wherewithal to do As a Man may Sin without the Law so he may perish without the Law being judged without the Law I can easily acquit the holy GOD of any Unrighteousness if in Man 's Lapsed Estate he should Eternally Condemn a Soul for not doing what in his present State he cannot do 'T is certain that we all had in Adam a Power to do whatsoever in Innocency GOD required of Man in order to Salvation If our Forefather spent what we should have lived upon it were very absurd to say GOD hath lost his Right to Exact his Debt because we have lost our Power to pay it But I say I see no need to insist on this GOD will find enough to Condemn â—inners for at last because they have done it when he forbade them and it was in their Power to have forborn it Or not done what he Commanded and was in their power to have done The meritorious cause of their Damnation to whom GOD pleaseth not to give Efficacious Grace will be found their abuse or not use of their Common Grace It is true did Men use their Common Grace never so well they could not by such use of it earn Special Grace that is a sacred VVind which bloweth where it listeth The price of it is above all the Pearl and Coral and Rubies and Diamonds of a Natural Mans work But I do not think that in the day of Judgement we shall see the face of one Soul who did what in him lay Onely GOD was wanting to him in the Dispensations of Effectual Grace The Sinner let him think what he will to the Contrary shall never lay his Damnation at GOD'S door This great Master will give every one according to his work Some shall arise to Shame and Contempt some to Life Eternal All shall receive according to what they have done in the flesh whether it be Good or Evil. The latter shall go into Everlasting Punishment the Righteous into Life Eternal Matthew 25.46 VVhen CHRIST comes and it will be quickly his Reward will be with him to give every Man according as his work shall be Revelation 22.12 When the Son of Man shall come in the Glory of his Father with his Angels then shall he reward every Man according to his works Matthew 16.27 He whose work hath bin to rise 〈◊〉 Early to drink Strong Drink and to sit at the Wine till it Enflameth him shall have according to his Work his Portion where he shall want a Cup of cold Water to Cool his Tongue Other sensual Sinners shall also have according to their work i. e. the Judgment Threatned in the word of GOD to such kind of works And the Child of GOD also shall have according to his work Isaiah 32.17 The work of Righteousness shall be peace and the effect of it Quieâ—ness and Assurance for ever The good-man shall receive according to his work The King shall say to them on his right Hand come you Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom c. For I was an Hungry and you gave me Meat c. 3. As every Christians work is not alike so neither will his Wages be 1 Corinthians 3.15 If any Mans Work be Burnt he shall suffer Loss but he himself shall be saved yet so as through Fire He that Buildeth upon the True Foundation shall be Saved but yet he may so work that much of his work may be Burnt and if it be so he shall suffer Loss he shall be saved but as through Fire It hath been a Question amongst Divines whether there shall be Degrees of Glory in Heaven yea or no 'T is very probable there shall much Scripture looketh that way certain it is that in many things all the Glorified Saints shall be Equal They shall all be Exempted from Eternal Punishment they shall all see GOD they all shall be for ever with the LORD but that they shall all sit on Equal Thrones and have the same Degrees of Glory and Happiness we cannot say nor yet will describe wherein the Difference shall lie what further Degrees of Honour or Pleasure one shall have more than another This we know that every Spiritual Weaver shall â—in the Great Day be Paid according to the Kind of his VVork and according to the Degree of his Work in its Kind be it Good or Evil. It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon for Sodom and Gomorrah than for Chorazin Bethsaida and Capernaum Those that abide with CHRIST in his Temptations shall sit upon twelve Thrones Judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel 4. Onely there will be these Differences betwixt the Earthly and the Spiritual Weavers payment 1. The Earthly Weaver hath something Due to him from the Nature of his work as well as from his Masters Promises and Contract So hatâ— not the Spiritual VVeaver The wages of Siâ— iâ— Death But the gift of GOD is Eternal life A Man may earn Hell but he must have Heaveâ— freely given him of GOD All the pretence of Debt we have is from a free Promise 2. Again the Earthly Weaver may do something beyond his
woven threeds by the continual motion of his Slea In the mean time his Feet are moving the Treddles which raising the heavels do part the Warp and are continually making a new room for the Shuttle In the mean time a pair of Temples spread upon the Web keep it fixed and extended advantaging the Weaver in his Work Some Webs are of that Breadth that a single Person cannot work them in such Cases two Weavers are employed each at the Extremities of the Loom catching and returning the Shuttle which his Partner throws The Meditations 1. OUR Spiritual Weaver is the good Christian his fâ—stening his Warp to his Beam is the rooting of his Soul in Faith To him every diversified Providence supplies the place of a Filling-boy offering him matter to work with and upon in making his VVeb of Holiness We have seen him set in his Loom fixed to his Work resolved to have respect to all GODS Commandments Now how quick doth he throw his Shuttle from one hand to another This is that which the Scripture calls a Running after GOD. Draw me saith the Spouse and we will run after thee Canticles 1. 4. I wiâ—l run the wayes of thy Commandments saith the Man according to GODS own Heart Psalms 119.32 The VVeaver works Early and Late from Four in the Morning till Eight at Night The good Christian also preventeth the Morning-Watches Psâ—l 119 1â—8 and mediâ—ates of GOD in the Niâ—ht-Watches Psalms 63.6 he awaketh Early in the Morning and Early seeketh GOD. Psalms 57.8 and 63.1 and 108 2. Isaiah 26.9 he is throwing his Shuttle working the work of GOD all the Day long Evening and Morning and at Noon be Prays and Crys aloud Psalms 55.17 2. The Shuttle mâ—veth swiftly and thus also ruâ— the Dayes of the Weavers Life my Dayes saith Job are swifter than a VVeavers Shuttle As swift as the Shuttle will run The VVeaver thinks himself concerned to be at his Loom betimes that his Task may be done by Night Because the Christians Dayes are swifâ—er than a VVeavers Shuttle he is highly concerned to be up betimes Remembring his Creâ—â—or in the Dayes of his Youth Ecclesiasticus 12.1 and as he hath need in the Morning to be throwing his Shuttle so in the Evening his hand must not be slack not only because he will else not finish his Course but because the spiritual work is of that Nature that as a Piece of Cloth or Stuff not Finished is fit for no Use but will all Ravel out so if a Righteous Man forsake his Righteousness and commit iniquity his Righteousness shall never be remembred but he shall Die in the Iniquity which he hath committed A Christians work is like rolling a stone up an Hill from which if the hand ceaseth till it be lodged on the Top it certainly falls back to the Bottom and he that hath laboured about it hath done just nothing but onely tired himself to no purpose nor shall reap any thing but his Labour for his Pains 3. The whole of our VVeaver is employed in his work His Head contrives it his Eyes observe the Motions of the Shuttle and the several parts of the Loom that they be Regular and serving his intendment One hand throws the Shuttle the other catcheth it in the mean-time his Feet are not idle they are at work upon the Treddels moving them Without these Varicus Operations of the several Members of his Body our VVeaver could never dispatch his work in any desireable or acceptable Manner nor hath the Law of the LORD left our spiritual VVeaver one Limb or Member of his Body idle as to his spiritual VVork His Head is employed in meditation and contrivances for GOD his Eyes are lifted up unto the LORD from whom come all his Mercies his Hands must work the VVork of Righteousness with his Feet he walks with GOD. Every Bodily Member hath its Office to a spiritual VVork as well as that which is Natural GOD made every Member and not a Member but for himself Every Member in Man's Body hath a Natural Operation for which it is necessary In our Civil Employments we both can and do use them successively there 's none there useless amongst them And shâ—ll we think that there is any of them of no use to our spiritual work Shall I with both my Hands work on my Trade and have never an hand at work for GOD how busie am I at my work with Hands and Feet and Head and all my Body was I ever so wholly imployed in the VVork of GOD though the wages be highly more The Fruit of this VVork will be but a few Shillings at the End of the VVeek bâ—th the VVork of Righteousness will be Peace and Quietness and Assurance for ever To what purpose are my Knees and Hands and Eyes and Tongue at VVork in Prayer if presently my Hands be working iniquity In the Web of Righteousness every Member hath its Office It is the Fruit of the Souls Sanctification in Body and Mind and Spirit GOD must be served with all and every Part and Faculty with all our Heart and Soul and Strength 4. The Shuttle every time it passeth from Hand to Hand leaveth a Threed behind iâ— Good or Bad thus doth every Action of a Christian's Life All his Actions make but one Web according to the Goodness or Badness of which he must have his Reward every particular Action is a Threed in this VVeb and so hath an influence upon the VVeavers Praise or Dispraise and upon his Wages at last So that as the VVeaver may say upon every Cast of his Shuttle now my VVork is nearer an End than it was before I threw my Shuttle so a Christian upon every Action may say By this Action I am nearer Heaven or Hell I have either added a Jewel more to my Crown or a Coal more to the Fire I must endure The Shuttle passeth not up and down for nothing All our Thoughts Words and Actions are of an abiding Nature Thousands of them slip our Memory but none of them escapes the Book of the Divine Omniscience In thy Book saith David Psalms 139.16 all my Members are written and again Thou tellest my Wandrings put my Tears in thy Bottle are they not in thy Book It is as true concerning all our Actions Are they not in GODS Books VVe do them and GOD keeps silence some time Psalms 50.21 but he will let us know that he seeth them and will set them in order before our Eyes Every Action makes a part of our web we must receive our Eternal Reward according to what we have done in the Flesh Man hath an imperfect Eye A Master may over-look many an ill Threed in a Piece of Stuff But the Eye of GOD is Acute and Perfect nothing slippeth that He will set all in order before our Eyes The VVeavers Knowledge that his Shuttle leaves every time he throws it something towards his web makes him diligent to see it be rightly ordered
rendring to all their Dues Tribute to whom Tribute is due Custome to whom Custome Fear to whom Fear Honour to whom Honour The Minister of the Gospel throws his Shuttle to his People Preaching the Word of GOD in season and out of season with all Faithfulness Diligence Boldness In Meekness instructing those who oppose themselves Fleeing also Youthfull Lusts being Vigilant Sober of good Behaviour given to Hospitality apt to Teach not given to Wine no Striker not greedy of filthy Lucre Patient no Brawler not Covetous c. On the other side Their People return the Shuttle being Obedient in the LORD to those who have the spiritual over-sight of them Laying apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and with meekness receiving the engraffed Word which is able to save their Souls being doers of the word and not hearers only Oh what rare and beautiful webs of righteousness are made at these double Looms when they thus work according to the divine rule happy is the people that is in such case Men shal certainly say this People have the LORD for their GOD. The Poem How swiftly doth my Shuttle fly To th' other hand and by and by Returns to th' other hand it first did throw Stops not at all nor yet moves slow But as it moves a threed doth stay To be united by the slay Vnto the Web. All our days here Swifter than Weaver's Shuttles are Saith holy Job souls cannot rest Idle at all but work what 's best Or worst They cannot move but some New actions stays upon the Loom Adding still to their Web and must At last be judged just or unjust According to them all when done So will the Judge's Sentence run For life or death The whole must be Judged by the All-seeing Eye What care had I of thoughts need take Of Words of Actions all these make My Web as it is true or not So will the wages I have got Be unto me at last Then Watch My drowsy soul Let no sleep catch Thine Eyes Let nothing thee betray To what in the great Judgment-day Will not abide My head my hand Mine Eyes my feet move at Command Of my quick soul Each act their part While I am in my Weavers Art The head contrives the hand doth cast The Shuttle feet do move as fast All is at work the nimble Eye Observeth how the Shuttles fly Should I not this work Righteousness With my whole man is that work less In labour or in price Then shake Thy self my soul Let each power take It's part Command the Members too That each of them their part may do Think not GOD will be served by A pious Tongue or devout Eye Nor by a false pretending heart He must have all and every part Doth a threed break doth thy soul sin Do what it can Oh look back â—hen And by Repentance make that good Which nothing but thy Saviours Blood Can expiate Repentance may Pardon obtain buâ— no scores pay My soul see that thy Tempels be Always before thy face Oh see Thou workst from Faith love holy Fear These will thee keep thou shal not Erre Thy work will streight and even be Nor shalt thou move incertainly My soul learn how to work alone And how with a companion Who doth not work of every kind Himself will not approved find CHAP. VI. The Art The Weaver in Weaving sometimes finds a Threed defective in the Warp mostly through the negligence or other infirmity of him that wound the Warp on â—e not discerning the breach of the Threed Sometimes also a Threed breaketh in the Striking if it happeneth in the former the Weaver Supplieth it by another Threed in its Room If it breaketh in the Striking he brings the two Ends together and goeth on in his work When he hath wrought a Plate then he looks it over with an Instrument picks it out and brusheth off the loose knots So goes on till he hath finished his Web Then he Cuts it off the Loom The Meditations 1. THE Spiritual Weâ—vers Warp is his Credenda the several Propositions of Faith and Truth which are wound upon his Soul partly by the Exercise of his Reason upon Natural Principles partly upon the Revealed will of GOD in his Word For the Candle of the LORD in our Souls is dighted both these ways Reason working upon Natural Principles will conclude That there is a GOD who made Heaven and Earth that he must be Eternal infinite just and Holy c. That to him must be given account of our thoughts words and Actions That Man hath an Immortal Soul c. But there are many more Propositions of Truth which Reason working from Meer Natural Principles will never Discover yet are Concluded from Reason upon this Hypothesis That those Sacred Books which we call the Scriptures contain the Revealed Will of GOD and are the words of Him who cannot Lie Now as Naâ—ural Light is not the same in all but varieth according to the Capacity of a Man to Exercise his Reason and the Helps he hath for it so also there is a vast difference in Mens Conclusions from Scripture-Principles Every Man is not alike able to search the Scriptures nor hath the like Advantage from Forrein Help nor is so able as another to compare spiritual Things wiâ—h spiritual There is not a greater Difference in Faces than there is in the Sentiments and Opinions of Pious Souls who all have set up to themselves the same End viz. the Glory of GOD who dayly Beg of GOD to Lead them into all Truth and would not willingly believe a Lie and necessarily there must be so unless it would please GOD that all Men should be Born with the same Wit Reason Parts and Arrive to the same Degrees of Learning and have the same Helps of Instruction Now it is impossible that the two Contradictory Parts of the same Proposition should be True Hence of Necessity every Spiritual Weaver will at last be found to have some Threeds in his Warp defective Some indeed more some less but all some Nemo sine Crimine vivit Optimus ille qui minimis urgetur saith Horace There is none liveth who hath a right Apprehension of every Divine Truth And this Reflection were but Men possest with Common Humanity would oblige them to bear each with his Brother There will not be found a guiltless Person to throw the first Stone at his Neighbour Neither is any Mâ—n Infallible Nor is there upon Earth any Infallible Judge why do I then Judge and condemn my Brother may not he by the same Right Condemn me Is there not the same Distance from him to me Stand where he will as from me to him who shall judge betwixt Us shall the Church or any Authority of Men Determine betwixt Us The Church indeed yea the Civil Magistrate may Determine that nothing be Published within their Territories contrary to what they apprehend the will of GOD But certainly no Man can make an Hair