of the Law Heb. 7. 12. We have an High priest after a more excellent order then was Aaron's even after the order of Melchisedech and he is King of righteousness who hath brought in an everlasting righteousness and who is clothed therewith as with a robe Isa 61. 10. And hath it to confer upon and cloth with all that are born of him Heb. 7. 1 2. 1 John 2. 29. 3. 7. This was he whom Daniel in vision saw That certain or one man clohed in linen in White raiment whose Loyns were girded with fine Gold of Uphaz Dan. 10. 5. with Rev. 1. 13. And the same he speaketh off again Clothed in linen which was upon the Waters of the River c. Dan. 12. 6 7. with Rev. 10. 6 7. And he is girt about the Paps with a Golden girdle Righteousness is the Girdle of his Loyns and Faithfulness the Girdle of his Reins Rev. 1. 13. with Isa 11. 5. He is a more excellent High-priest then any of the former and answerably his raiment is more excellent then theirs Aaron had on when he ministred the Linen Coat Linen Breeches Linen Girdle and Linen Mitre outward Material white Raiment but he hath put on righteousness as his Garment Girdle Breast-Plate c. And all those that are born of and come unto him are made Priests be they Jew or Gentile wise or unwise male or female bond or free They are a Spiritual Priest-hood to minister unto him as all the males that were born of Aaron in former times were Priests so now Christ is actually in our nature glorified and become the father and begetter of Priests by a birth from above and no difference here between male and female for they are all one in Christ Gal. 3. 27. This priviledge of being Priests is not confined or limited to a mid-order of outward Officers between and distinct from Bishops or Elders and Deacons for there is no such order mentioned in the writings of the Apostles nor is it limited to any outward Church-chosen Officers whatsoever Nay men are so far from being the only Priests because chosen by the professed Church that they are not therefore Priests at all But all those that are born of Christ the Everlasting father and begetter of Priests whether in 〈◊〉 or out of outward Office in the Church are an Holy Nation and Gods Heritage or Clergy 1 Pet. 5. 3. Yea though those that were in former times born of Aaron and were of the Tribe of Levi were outward and bodily Priests to offer bodily Sacrifices in which they were Types of Christ and their Sacrifices of his Yet all Israel might then in obeying his voice have been Spiritual Priests according to that Exod. 19. 3-6 The Lord said to Moses Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob and tell the Children of Israel and not of Levi and Aaron only You have seen what I did to the Egyptians c. Now therefore if ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my Covenant then ye shall be a peculiar Treasure unto me above all people for all the Earth is mine And ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests and an Holy Nation These are the Words which thou shalt speak unto unto the Children of Israel And now all that come unto Christ the living Stone disallowed indeed of men yea of the builders also but chosen of God and precious they also as lively Stones are built up a Spiritual house an Holy Priesthood 1 Pet. 2. 4 5. And there are none else that are Priests of Gods owning and approbation though there are many others that are called so but all these whether male or female in the flesh that so hear and learn of the father as to come unto Christ are joyned unto the Lord and so are Spiritual Levites and made one Spirit with him and partake of his Spiritual Blessings by faith and in a first-fruits of the Spirit according to their needs and capacities and they are Priests And that they may minister unto him and before men he washeth them in his own Blood Thus in our Types that the Priests might minister unto the Lord they were to be washed Exod. 29. 4. And when they came into the Tabernable or unto the Altar they were always to wash Exod 30. 17-22 And therefore the Laver was set between the Tent of the Congregation and the Altar that they might wash before they came to the Altar Exod. 40. 6 7. 29-32 So Christ who is the Laver and Fountain of living Waters through his Blood washeth those that come to and believe on him continually even the weakest as well as the strongest He forgiveth their iniquities even of the little Children also and they receive the remission of them through the opening of his name 1 Joh. 2. 12. Acts 10. 43. He sprinkleth their Hearts from an evil Conscience and their Consciences from dead works and their Bodies with pure Water He gave himself for his Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of Water by the Word Ephes 5. 25 26. Heb. 10. 22. And as in our Types of old the Priests had peculiar Vestments white Garments prepapared for them and put on to minister in Exod. 29. 5 6. 40. 13 14. So Christ clotheth his Priests also with more excellent Raiment He clotheth them with a robe of righteousness Isa 61. 10. Psal 132. 9. He is made of God to them righteousness 1 Cor. 1. 30. And with the fruits of his righteousness as before Ephes 4. 23 24. Col. 3. 10-14 And he anointeth them not with Materal Oyntment as the Priests in former times were Exod. 29. 6. 30. 23-30 40. 9-13-15 But with the Spirit and with some useful gifts 2 Cor. 1. 21. And so they are prepared to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Christ as their High-Priest and Altar 1 Pet. 2. 5. Rev 1. 5 6. And the Sacrifices they offer are broken and contrite hearts broken off from all rejoycing in themselves or confidence in the flesh and filled with abhorrency of and sorrow for their sins Isa 66. 1-3 Psal 51. 17. And Prayers unto God in the name of Christ Psal 62. 8. 50. 14 15. 141. 2. And the Sacrifices of Praise continually that is the fruit of their lips confessing to his name and holding forth the Word of life Heb. 13. 15. Also to offer up their bodies a living Sacrifice holy and acceptable as moved and strengthened by the mercies of God Rom. 12. 1. And to do good and communicate For with all such Sacrifices God is well pleased being offered by Christ as the Altar Heb. 13. 15 16. Or as this counsel is given directly and expresly to the Angel that he should buy White raiment so there may be reference had to the Raiment the Angels those glorious Spirits were wont to appear in as it is said of that Angel that rolled back the stone from the door of the Sepulchre wherein
not like other men or like to what they themselves sometimes were and not onely justifie themselves herewith before men but indeavour so to do before God also they not only weary men but God also with clearing themselves and pleading for themselves and take it ill at his hands and are even angry that he doth not approve them and hear their Prayers and grant their requests So when the Lord sent the Prophet to reprove his people he acquainteth and telleth them they were not Cold and that they had this to plead for themselves and excuse themselves withall that they might still hold fast deceit and refuse to return and because hereby they were blunt and unapt to receive correction and to turn at reproof therefore the Prophet is charged to put to the more strength Cry aloud saith the Lord for their ears are heavy and they are very dull of hearing spare not lift up thy voice like a Trumpet that they may be afraid and run together Amos 3. 6. And shew my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins Yet though they are so greatly polluted they are not quite cold but are lukewarm for they seek me daily and delight to know my ways as a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God they ask of me the ordinances of justice they take delight in approching to God Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest not Wherefore have we afflicted our souls and thou takest no knowledge When as notwithstanding all this professed waiting upon God and frequent approaching to him they were not hot they did not part with the things reproved but their hands were defiled with blood and their fingers with iniquity their iniquities separated between them and God and their sins hid his face from them that he would not hear And yet they thought they were warm enough and looked that God should accept them and approve them But saith the Lord their webs shall not become garments neither shall they cover themselves with their works Isa 58. 1. 3. 59. 1. 6. They were ready to cry they had built an house for Gods name and the place of his rest and had kept his ordinance and walked mournfully before him and thought this would have excused them and obtained God's favour for them though they were loaden with iniquity and were serving their idols Isa 66. 1. 2. But when they are quite cold they have not such things to say for themselves but sooner fall under reproof As the Ninevites that had not God's name called upon them nor his word and ordinances amongst them sooner humbled themselves before God then the Jews who had the Scriptures read amongst them every Sabbath-day and fasted and prayed c. Because they thought eternal life belonged to them and that they were already in a good and happy condition Matt. 12. 41. And as our Saviour saith to the Pharisees Publicans and Harlots enter into the kingdom of God before you For John saith he came unto you in the way of righteousness and ye believed him not but the Publicans and the Harlots believed him Matt. 21. 32 33. Oh how hard is it for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of God! Now then by how much the more they are the more hardly admonished and more difficultly recovered then those that are cold by so much the more is their temper more sad for they sport themselves with their own deceivings 3. The Lukewarm ones are worse then those that are cold because by their seeming to be religious and to do their former works they cause the name of God and his doctrine to be evil spoken of and so do more injury to others sutable to what the Apostle saith Behold thou art called a Jew and so we may say a Christian and restest in the law and makest thy boast of God as if he were thy God thy Father and thou hadst an interest in him and knowest his will and approvest the things that are more excellent and art confident that thou thy self art a guide of the blind a light of them which sit in darkness an instructor of the foolish a teacher of babes which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law thou therefore which teachest another teachest thou not thyself thou that makest thy boast of the law through breaking of the law dishonourest thou God For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you through such lukewarm ones who seem to be religious and yet hold fast a lye in their right hand and so their religion is vain Rom. 2. 17 24. When persons are grown quite cold and come not into the assemblies of God's peculiar people there is not then such occasion given to the adversary to speak reprochfully of the worthy name of Christ and his doctrine as when men frequent those assemblies and frequently tread his courts and appear to do their former works when those that profess to believe the Gospel of Christ and are frequently amongst them that make profession of it and hold it forth to others when such I say hold fast deceit and refuse to return when such walk on in darkness fulfilling the desires of the flesh or of the mind the mouths of others by occasion of them is opened against Christ and his Gospel as if he were a Minister of sin and it a doctrine of licentiousness Others among whom they live will be ready to say these are the men that pretend to have learned the truth as it is in Jesus and to have imbraced the doctrine of Christ more sincerely then others They say they believe Christ died for all and gave himself a ransome for all and they hear and pray and read and usually go amongst such as assemble themselves often and professedly to wait upon God and to edify themselves but yet you may see they are as much polluted as others their heart goeth as much after its covetousnes as the hearts of any other and they are as proud and censorious and highly conceited of themselves and as uncharitable and unmerciful as others surely this doctrine teacheth them to live as they list and assureth them they shall have peace though they walk after the imagination of their own hearts This is a doctrine of looseness and licentiousness it is certainly an heresy or otherwise it would have some other manner of effiâ—â—cy on these men that make a trade of hearing it and being amongst those that profess it Oh how by occasion oâ— such is the doctrine according to godliness evil spoken of and repâ—â—ched as if it were a doctrine of profaneness How is God's name hereby polluted Hence the Lord as one highly displeased and provoked thus speaketh to his people in former times who did not servently and sincerely seek and serve him As for you O house of Israel thus saith the Lord God go ye serve ye every one his own idols and hereafter also if
20. See also what a mistake was in the Corinthians who were high minded and highly conceited of themselves Now ye are full saith the Apostle now ye are rich increased with goods ye have reigned as Kings without us c. We are fools for Christ's sake ye are wise in Christ ye can be his Disciples and followers of him and yet are so wise that you can keep your substance and be free from trials reproches and persecutions or ye can declare the Testimony of God succesfully and yet make use of excellency of speech and wisdom we are weak but ye are strong ye are honourable you have esteem and repute amongst men but we are despised c. But what manner of persons were these that had such high thoughts of themselves See what the same Apostle saith of them I Brethren could not speak unto you as unto Spiritual but as unto Carnal as unto Babes in Christ I have fed you with Milk and not with meat for hitherto ye were not able to bear neither yet now are ye able for ye are yet arnal for whereas there is yet among you envying and strise and divisions are ye not Carnal and walk as men 1 Cor. 4. 8 10. with Chap. 3. 1 4. As there is that maketh himself poor and hath great riches who appeareth as one that hath nothing and yet possesseth all things so there is that maketh himself rich yet hath nothing Prov. 13. 7. Such a mistake there was with this Church and is with many that have high thoughts and conceits of themselves Herein they are like a dream of a night Vision as when an hungry man dreameth and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his Soul is hungry or as when a thirsty man dreameth and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint and his Soul hath appetite Isa 29. 7 8. To such a sad and loathsorn condition may such bring themselves who have believed on the name of the onely begotten Son of God by turning their eye from Christ and doting upon and admiring themselves their knowledge parts gifts receipts attainments Oh that we may look into the perfect law of liberty and con-continue therein that we may so behold our own vileness sinfulness shortness and incompleatness in our selves that we may be low in our own eyes and so preserved from this lukewarmness and quickned and inflamed with love to Christ to seek after the knowledge and injoyment of him and for that cause to part with and forsake all things Yea and with fervency to hold forth the profession of our Faith without wavering that we may overcome by the blood of the Lamb and word of our testimony not loving our lives to the death that none of the things we may suffer may move us nor may we count our lives dear to our selves that we may finish our course with joy These are the persons to whom this faithful and true witness whose name is Wonderful Counseller speaketh and to whom he giveth this useful and gracious counsel We have in the next place to consider and speak unto 3. The counsel it self I counsel thoe to buy of me Gold tried in the fire c. We may note in general from the person counselling persons counselled and counsel it self given to them 1. That when men have sitted themselves for being spued out of Christ's mouth and brought themselves into such a condition that they deserve to be no longer pleaded for by him as his Church but to be vomited forth as loathsome and he threatneth so to deal with them yet while it is called to day such is the graciousness and mercisulness of this faithful and true witness such is the loathness and unwillingness of Christ and God in him to execute what he threatneth that he is long-suffering to such unworthy and ill-deserving ones and giveth good and wholesom counsel to such that they might hear it and receive it that so the judgment threatned may not be executed upon them He had said I will spue thee out of my mouth but before he doth so he here saith I do counsel thee in the present time to buy c. So when the Lord had been declaring the wonderful iniquity of his people in former times and commanded it to be recorded and threatned judgement desolating judgement yet before he executeth the sentence he giveth good advice to them Now go saith the Lord to the Prophet write it before them in a table and note it in a book that it may be for the time to come the latter day to warn and admonish us for ever and ever That this is a rebellious people though they fast and pray and tread God's Courts lying children children that will not hear the Law of the Lord which say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesy not to us right things speak smooth things prophesy deceits Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in an high wall whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant and he shall break it as the breaking of the potters vessel that is broken in pieces he shall divide them and separate them one from another and make such a breach amongst them as cannot be repaired by them again Thus he threatneth and yet to these he saith In returning to him from whom ye have deeply revolted and rest ye shall be saved namely from the judgement deserved and threatned or from the evil of it In quietness and confidence shall be your strength yea and though they would not presently listen to this counsel yet still he saith therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you c. Isa 30. 8 18. Thus also when the Lord by the Prophet Jeremy had threatned sore judgements on his people for their multiplied and heinous provocations and commanded him once and again and a third time not to make intercession for them nor to lift up a cry or prayer for them yet such was his unwillingness to destroy them and such testimony he giveth of his willingness to receive them in returning to him that their hands might not hang down nor their knees be seeble that he acquainteth them with the end and intention of such threatnings and giveth unto them good counsel At what time I shall speak saith the Lord concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy if that nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them Now therefore go to speak to the men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem saying thus saith the Lord behold I frame evil and devise a device against you return ye now every one from his evil way and make your way and doings good Jer. 7. 16. 11. 14. 14. 11. with chap. 18. 7 11. To this also
reputation and became obedient to death the death of the Cross not for himself but for us and for our sakes surely he hath born our griefs and carryed our sorrows the chastisement of our peace was upon him it was our good he designed and not his own and rather then we should suffer the curse we had deserved he indured the Cross and suffered the curse he bare our sins in his own body on the Tree How might this move and prevail with us to bear one anothers burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ Gal. 6. 2. Herein perceive we the love of God that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren even in the room and stead of them and for their good But who so hath the worlds good and seeth his brother have need and shutteth his bowels from him how dwelleth the love of God in him My Brethren let us not love in word neither in Tongue but in deed and in truth 1 John 3. 16 17 18. 4. In that he here commendeth himself to us under the name of Gold and proposeth such an end to us to move and perswade us to buy it that we may be rich herein is intimated and signified to us his willingness and cordial desire that we should listen to him receive and obey his gracious counsel imbrace and close with him and part with and suffer the loss of all things for the excellency of him therefore doth he so aptly and enamouringly present himself to us and make use of such ingaging alluring Arguments and Motives he knoweth we all naturally love riches our hearts are taken with Gold and our eyes set upon that as a most desirable and delightful and desirable thing and which is very pleasant to behold he knoweth we would fain be rich and our wisdom moveth and leadeth us to desire so to be and to labour to that end Prov. 23. 4 Now then he thus in the first place describeth himself and calleth himself and commendeth himself to us under the name of Gold tried in the fire and counselleth us to buy it that we may be truly and indeed inriched that we might be assured of his good will to us and earnest desire that we should listen to him and that he may out-bid all other persons and things that we might be taken with and enamoured on and give our hearts and affections unto him he thus representeth himself to us as such a delightful and desirable Object that we might receive his heavenly and advantagious counsel and open unto and give entertainment unto him so when the Spirit of errour and delusion useth many alluring Arguments to perswade men to listen unto and imbrace her that she may seduce and destroy them that she hath deckt her bed with coverings of Tapistry with carved works with fine linnen of Egypt that she hath perfumed her self with Myrrhe Aloes and Cynamon and thence inviteth Come let us take our fill of love until the morning let us solace our selves with loves To the end none might listen thereto and be inticed and deceived by her the Wisdom of God calleth also and glorifieth her self by her Spirit unto the Sons of men Doth not wisdom cry and understanding put forth her voice she standeth in the top of high places that her voice may be heard far and near by the way in the places of the paths unto you O men I call and my voice is to the Sons of man hear for I will speak of excellent things such things as excel what the whorish woman proposeth and presenteth and the opening of my lips shall be right things receive my instruction and not Silver and Knowledge rather then choise Gold though those seducers and deceivers should set before you and promise to you Gold and Silver to corrupt you yet my instruction is better for Wisdom is better then Rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it yea and also Riches and honour are with me yea durable riches My fruit is better then Gold yea then fine Gold and those that love me shall inherit substance c. Prov. 7. 10-27 8 1-21 So when sinners such as miss their way and mark are inticeing and saying Come with us let us lay Wait for Blood We shall find all precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoil cast in thy lot amongst us that we might not consent or imbrace their evil counsel though they set motives of profit before us Wisdom cryeth without she uttereth her voice in the Streets she cryeth in the chief places of concourse in the openings of the Gates in the City she uttereth her words in which she sheweth how precious and inriching she is and how happy they are that listen to her that whoso findeth her findeth life and shall obtain favour of the Lord and saith Turn at my reproofs Behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you I will make known my words unto you which are pure words as Gold tried in a Furnace of Earth purified seven times To the end we might hear and receive his counsel that we might be wise for our selves and inriched by him Prov. 1. 10-22 Psal 12. 6. His willingness that we should be made partakers of himself and his readiness to communicate and impart this Gold is signified to us in his thus commending it and using such Motives and Arguments as are most taking with and pleasing to and desirable of us all which might provoke and perswade us to buy this Gold But we shall adde no more to this first branch of the counsel In the the next place we come to the second branch viz. And White raiment that thou mayst be cloathed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear This is a further branch of the good and wholsom counsel given by the Amen the Faithful and true Witness the beginning of the Creation of God who is the Counsellor of Peace that giveth this good counsel In which consider we 1. The thing further counselled unto by this excellent one and that is White raiment 2. The end why this Angel and Church is counselled to buy this White raiment That thou mayst be cloathed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear 1. The thing which this Counsellor further counselleth this Angel and Church to buy and that is White raiment or Whâ—te Garments They were not only wretched miserable poor but naked also and there is that provided which answereth to that part of their need namely a cloathing for their nakedness a covering for their shame that it might not appear That we may have some understanding and usefulness of this branch of the counsel let us God assisting inquire into and consider 1. What is this White raiment here counselled unto 2. Why this Raiment is said to be White and what is imported therein 1. What is this White raiment here counselled unto In general we may
at the door and knockt yet they turned a deaf ear to him Hereby they became naked destitute of their clothing and liable and lying open to his wrath so as he threatned to spue them out of his mouth as a shameful thing Rev. 3. 17-20 When once such forsake the Lord how naked polluted and shameful become they from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in them but sin and shame wounds and bruises and putrifying sores and it must needs be so when they forsake the Lord the fountain of living waters and robe of righteousness Isa 1. 2-4-6 Jer. 13. 25-27 And all this therefore might be of usefulness to us and to God's people generally who have wandered from mountain to hill and forgotten their resting place to return to him from whom we have revolted with whom is forgiveness of our sins and healing of our backslidings and to buy of him this White raiment that we may be clothed and that the shame of our nakedness appear not considering also as is further signified to us in the end here proposed to move and induce us to buy That 2. We cannot cloth our selves nor cover the shame of our nakedness with any garments of our own making and preparing Nor can we be clothed so as the shame of our nakedness appear not with any other raiment then that which is to be bought of the Amen the faithful and true witness c. Our outward bodily garments will not cover our shame from the eyes of him with whom we have to do unto whom all things are naked though they may cover that of the outward Man from men nor from them who have the eyes of their understandings opened in and by the knowledge of Christ but still our vileness and sinfulness will appear notwithstanding them The most rich costly and neat aray yea all the glory and splendour of the World will not cover our filth and uncomeliness our sin and misery but on the contrary the shame of our nakedness doth more appear oftentimes through and by means of this outward clothing and there it may be seen and read how we glory and pride our selves in that which was the fruit of our sin And therefore insobriety in apparel is signified to be so far from covering our sinful shamefulness as that it self is shameful and rendreth us more so As where the Apostle exhorteth the believing Women to adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefastness and sobriety not with broidered hair or gold or pearls or costly aray 1 Tim. 2. 9. As intimating that insobriety in this outward clothing is immodest and shameful Yea this doth greatly provoke God to wrath especially when his judgments are in the earth and God is calling to weeping and to mourning See how on this account God threatneth to deal with the daughters of Zion Women it seemeth being through their weakness most insident to this vanity and evil and most frequently polluted herewith Moreover the Lord saith Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes walking and mincing as they go and making a tinkling with their feet Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion and will make naked their secret parts In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet and their cauls or net-works and their round tires like the Moon the chains and the bracclets and the mufflers the bonnets and the ornaments of the legs and the head bands and the tablets and the ear-rings the rings and nose jewels the changeable suits of apparel and the mamles and the wimples and the crisping pins the glasses and the fine linen and the hoods and the vailes And it shall come to pass that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink and in stead of a girdle a rent and in stead of well set hair baldness c. Isa 3. 16-26 And yet though this will not cover our shameful nakedness but is it self shameful The believers stand in need of being admonished of insobriety in this outward and bodily aray And therefore the Holy Ghost hath given such like warnings by his servants that they should not fashion themselves according to their former lusts in their ignorance 1 Pet. 1. 13 14. And that the believing women should have a chast conversation and not adorne themselves with that outward of plaiting the hair or wearing of gold or putting on of apparel 1 Pet. 3. 1-4 For even believers themselves as men and Sons of Adam are apt to exceed in this outward clothing and to glory herein as if this would hide their shame and beautify them And from their too high esteem hereof they are ready to have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of glory with respect of persons to respect them who have a gold ring and goodly apparel and mean time to despise such as have vile raiment on them Jam. 2. 1-6 And are therefore admonished not to love the pride of life in which is included pride of Apparel and not to be conformed to this world in the customs and fashions thereof but transformed by the renewing of their mind 1 Joh. 2. 15 16. Rom. 12. 1 2. With this outward aray and with the glory and splendour of this world is MYSTERY BABYLON clothed and would here by insinuate that she is the true Church of Christ and this is its outward ornament and hereby she deceiveth many This woman is arayed in purple and scarlet colour and decked with gold and precious stones And with this outwardly glorious woman the Kings of the earth have committed fornication and the inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication for indeed this is the attire of an Harlot But herewith she thinketh to cover the shame of her nakedness and her daughter harlots imitate this Mother of abominations But this is not the raiment that his Angels and Churches are to be clothed and covered with that is to be bought of him who is the Wonderful Counsellour Rev. 17. 1-5 18. 3-7-9-17 Psal 45. 13 14. Nor will our wisdom or any excuses or coverings thereby made cover the shame of our nakedness from the eyes of him before whom all things are naked and opened We think many times this way to hide and conceal our sinfulness and vileness as Adam did at first He covered his transgression by hiding his iniquity in his bosome Job 31. 33. So we would hide and cover our shame or some part of it by shameful coverings and this many ways As Sometimes by keeping silence and not confessing our sin and sinfulness when reproved Psal 32. 3 4. Prov. 28. 13. Sometimes men hide their sin and shame under their tongues when though they say they have sinned and are sinners because this is generally acknowledged and therefore it is no shame so to confess yet