in your Sins whether I go you cannot come O Friends lay these things to your Hearts what have I to do but to tell you that the Love I have in my Soul to you all makes me desire in my Heart that you might be saved This is the Will of God that you might all be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth Blessed are they which know the Truth the Truth as it is in Jesus Truth in the inward parts hath a speaking Voice and if thou hearken to it it will tell thee that thy state is nought Canst thou believe the Truth when it tells thee so That thy state is nought and that thou art like to go to Eternal Destruction unless there be Repentance and Regeneration to prevent it Canst thou believe this Doctrine when it sounds in thy own Heart If thou canst not Believe it Unbelief will be thy Ruine The Spirit of Truth is come to convince the World of Sin because they believe not in Christ he tells them their Condition and they will not believe him The Spirit of Christ convinceth men of Sin and they believe him not The Spirit of Truth convinceth thee of thy Sin but thou believest him not Thou Lovest thy Pleasure and thy Profit and thine Honour then thou Lovest not God with all thine Heart and then thou art not a Christian but out of Covenant with God Art thou sensible that thy condition is bad were it not best to get it mended After we are convinced of our own sinful state Is it not our best course to seek to have it mended Who shall mend it Saith one I have done all I can to mend my Life and I cannot mend it I have concluded so in my younger years I have Fasted and Prayed and spent time in Hearing Reading and Meditation and did all in my own Power and all to mend my state but I could not mend it and as I grew up in years Sin and Corruption more prevailed and there was no help and I came so far as to believe there was no help and that if God did not help me I was undone to all Eternity I many times wisht that I had never been born I went to Ministers and Meetings and to all sorts of separate People and to all manner of Ordinance and to all manner of Means to mend this bad Heart of mine to see if I could get a Power that would give me Victory over my Corruption but my Arm was never so long as to reach thereunto it was far out of my Power and Reach Many have sought to get this Power of Reforming their Hearts and Lives to attain it by their own hands by their own endeavours but they could never do it they could never better their condition nor bring forth fruit worthy of amendment of Life I wish that every one was come to that pass that they knew not which way to turn them that they were come at last to their Wits end they will come to it sooner or later the sooner the better I have done all I can I can do no more I am at my Wits end and know not what to think concerning my Eternal State I know not what to judge of it I strive against my Lusts and Corruptions but for all that they prevail upon me Temptations come before me but I cannot conquer them O I am glad when People are come to that pass that they know not what to do but to despair of their own Arms of their own Strength and their own Wit and despair of all other help in the World I am glad of that But I am not Preaching up Despair of Gods Grace and Mercy but let me tell you when Men Despair of their own doings and of all outward means and helps then they are fit Objects for the mercy of God and not till then When the Lord looked and saw that there was none to Save and Deliver then his own Arm brought Salvation God will not save tâ—ll then God will not reveal his Power till Men have done with their own Power they will never Trust God while they think they can do something for themselves All the Forms of Religion of the several People of this Nation will do them little good without the Power What is the meaning of that Principle that have such Masses and Prayers and Performances What is the meaning of it let us search to the bottom They say we are Sinners when we Pray to God for his Blessing and for Salvation by Christ there is this at the bottom They think these Duties and Performances will be very helpful to their state helpful towards the knowledge of it to speak plain English these are their Gods If I speak of Prophane and Wicked People I would say their Lusts is their Gods But when I speak of Righteous People that are meer Formalists then I say their Duties as they call them are their Gods When they have done all they can do nothing for them then they have no Gods at all they are Godless And if God doth not help them they are undone to all Eternity When poor Creatures are Cast out as it were into the open Field to the loathing of their Persons not salted at all nor swadled at all but lying in the Guilt of their Blood When I passed by thee saith the Lord and saw thee polluted in thy own Blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy Blood yea when thou wast in thy Blood I said unto thee Live When I passâ—d by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was a time of Love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy Nakedness yea I sware unto thee and entred into Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine What was it a time of Love when I was such an Obeject in my own Eyes that I thought I was the most miserable Creature in the World One that could not make a good Prayer nor Dispute for Religion nor Perform any Duty a Poor Creature Cast out into the open Field to the loathing of my Person Lost all that I Gained my Name was from among the Living my Days were passed over in Sorrow and I said there is nothing but Darkness and Death and Misery for me I used all means and tryed all things save only a living Trust in God a trust in God alone and that Flesh and Blood cannot do Flesh and Blood cannot know him therefore Flesh and Blood cannot trust in him Alas said I I cannot trust in the Lord I cannot cast my Soul and all my Concernments my Fame and Reputation in the World I cannot cast all upon the care of the Almighty I cannot know him nor trust in them how can I do it No body can do it They that know my Name saith the Lord they will put their trust in me never a truer word was spoken but how they should know God and trust in him I know not When thou comest once
goodness and receive of thy blessings that so every one may be sensible that thâ—u art at the least knocking at the door of their hearts that thou mightest have an entrance and bow the hearts and wills of all to receive what thou givest and hast to offer to receive the word of Life by which thou art quickning them And kindle holy desires after thy self that every one may receive thy truth in the love of it That so blessed God of Life thy glorious work of Redemption may be carryed on and we may all feel it carryed on upon our Souls Hear thy poor People that are crying unto thee the God of Gods in Zion that are sensible of their weakness and feebleness and how unable they are to overcome the Enemies of their Soul Arise in thy power O Lord and these Enemies shall be scattered Let the Souls of thy People be raised from the Dust and delivered fâ—om their Sin that they may rejoice and pâ—aise thy name for their deliverance Righteous God of Life our Eyes are unto thee to set forth thy glory for th u hast made bare thine Arm for the Salvation of the poor and needy Souls and thou hast been stretching forth the cords of thy Love to gather them that were scattered and hast been bringing home to thee those that were hurried away in a dark and cloudy day Thou hast made us sensible of thy operations and hast constrained thy Servants to labour in the Word and Doctrine for the gathering of such home that so they and we may enter into thy holy Covenant and may sound forth thy praises to the Ages and Generations to come That so Holy God of Life and Love thou that hast saved us with a marvelous salvation mayest receive for all thy mercies and blessings to thy Children Praises Glory Honour and Thanksgiving for thou alone art worthy who art God over all blessed for Ever Amen Sermon II. Heart Preparation for Receiving the Gospel Preached at Devonshire-House Feb. 12. 1687. IT is in my heart at this time to desire that every ones heart were prepared to be made partakers of the blessings of the Gospel For there is a certain Preparation that every one must witness in themselves ere they are capable of receiving Divine blessings For in all Ages of the World the Blessings of the Lord have been manifold and his Arm hath been always stretched out in all Ages to the Sons and Daughters of Men sensible of the Love he hath unto them and where these tenders of the Love of God have met with prepared hearts they have received it to their Eternal well-fare But this hath been the Lamentation that hath been taken up upon the greatest part of mankind that they have not been prepared to receive the Love of God their hearts and minds have been so filled with the Love of visible things and carnal objects that they have not been truly sensible of the Riches of Grace and Mercy and Love of God unto them Now it was said of old by the Prophet That the Preparation of the Heart is of the Lord and there is somâ—thing that belongs to us on our part that we might attain to this this Preparation that we might be brought in to this Spiritual frame of mind and that is by returning to the Lord that People might think upon his Name and have regard to his Appearance And although this is not the work of Nature for by Nature the minds of People are abroad and they are crying out as the Psalmist speaks Who will shew us any good Yet to help that defect the Lord hath been pleased to send forth his Grace and his Truth and to call unto the Sons and Daughters of Men that they might seek after him that they might Seek the Lord while he is to be found and they that do hearken unto his voice they will readily confess that there is nothing doth so well satisfie an Immortal Soul as to be gathered into fellowship with its Maker And that at one time or other it is the desire of all Men and Women that they might attain Peace with the Lord and they know there is no Peace to the wicked and they know wickedness will remain until it is abolished and destroyed and they know that it is not in their Power to destroy it and therefore of necessity there must be a waiting upon the Lord who is Almighty that he may reveal his Power in our weakness And they that are thus Prepared in their Minds for them to meet religiously together with expectation unto God that he according to his promise will appear and will reveal his Arm and do in them and for them that which they cannot do for themselves this is a fit occasion for People to meet together and thus many times to have their expectation to God and say Lord thou knowest my weakness and thou knowest the enemies I have to deal withal thou knowest I am not able to overcome them Therefore we are now met together in the Presence of the Lord to wait to receive at his hands that Power that Life that Vertue by which we may be made more than Conquerours Such a Religious Meeting thus gathered together hath a Promise I will be in the midst of them saith the Lord and therefore having a promise we may reasonably expect that we shall be made partakers of the living Virtue and Power by which we may do that which of our selves we cannot do And I say Friends it is my Souls desire that you were all thus qualified that every one had an evidence in himself of this right Preparedness for where the Eye is abroad upon any visible thing that it seeks satisfaction in any thing below the Lord himself it will wear away and wax old All those Objects that People fix their minds upon they will wax old but they whose desires and the breathings of their Souls is that they may grow into Acquaintance with their Maker this will never wax old When Peoples minds are fixed as the People of the Lord of old were When they made a comparison between the state of their minds and the minds of others and signified it in these words They are saying They are crying that is they that are of the World Who will shew us any good But we for our parts our cry is Lord lift up the light of thy Countenance upon us and we will be more glad of that than thâ—y can be with all the increase of Corn and Wine and Oil. Now they that feel in themselves the reason of their Meeting together is to enjoy the Light of Gods Countenance and to partake of the blessings of God they have their expectation to God their minds are retired into God But knowing right well that if the Tongues of Men and Angels are moved to declare the Heavenly and Divine Mysteries of the Kingdom of God they cannot be Edified or benefited by them without the Divine help and assistance of
God's Spirit for there is a Seal upon them and none can open that Seal but The Lion of the Tribe of Judah he only is found worthy to unseal the Mystery and unseal the Divine Blessings that are with the Lord so that People must come to that retiredness of Spirit to that resignation of Soul that they are as a little Child waiting upon the Lord crying out unto the Lord that he will Prepare them That he will make rhem Hungry and then Feed them That he will raise a Thirst in them and then satisfie them with those Divine Springs of Life which through the Lord Iesus Christ are opened to every one that Believeth So far as your minds are stayed and setled waiting for the Lord you will feel in your selves an openness and readiness that if the Lord speaks you are ready to hear him ready to submit to his word ready to obey him that so there may be such an openness in the mind not to the words of any man but unto the word of God to receive that for where the words of men are received though never so excellent they convert not the Soul But the Word of the Lord is pure converting the Soul And this word is that which is able to Quicken those that are Dead in Sins and Trespasses and bring them to be made partakers of Life For it is not an encrease of knowledge that will do the turn but it is the increase of Life and Vertue the increase of Godliness and a Submitting of our Wills unto him that made us It is this that will do our turn this will bring Peace to the Soul and bring us into the Favour of God through our Lord Jesus Christ Now that all may feel that which Prepares the Heart for this resignation and quietness and subjection you must wait upon the Lord that ye may be made partakers of the blessings of of his Everlasting Gospel and of his Divine Presence This is that which is most profitable most advantagious And then the Lord will Open to you the Windows of Heaven and Rain down of those Blessings upon you whereby you will be comforted and refreshed far beyond all the Works that we can do for it is an inward Work that must be done upon the Soul to Convert People that have been Alienated and estranged from God and bring them to a Reconciled State through the Lord Jesus-Christ whereby they may partake of the Divine virtue which Sanctifies and justifies the Soul in the sight of God His Prayer after Sermon Most Glorious and Powerful Father thy Arm of Power is made bare in this our Day to bring Salvation to the Poor O Lord thou hast lifted up the Light of thy Countenance upon a People that have waited for thy Glory and thy Salvation a little Remnant whom the good of this World could not satisfie but O Lord in an acceptable time thou hast brought thy Salvation near and the Light and Brightness of thy everlasting Gospel thou hast commanded to shine into the Hearts and Souls of the Mourners and bowed down ones who are seeking the living God not among the outward Forms and ways of Men. But O Blessed Father of Life thou hast now brought us to the Day of thy Power and bowed our Wills and made us a willing People therein to serve thee and to do thy Will on Earth as it is done in Heaven and for that end O Lord thou hast put it into the Heart of thy People to wait upon thee in whom all our fresh Springs are that from thee we might receive the renewing of Power from Day to Day and in all the hours of our Temptations and Tryals our Eyes O Lord have been to thee and to thy Power and we acknowledge to the Glory of thy Power and Goodness that thou hast been a God nigh at hand when we have been seeking thee and trusting in thee so that we are a People sensible of thy Power and presence with us for that Eye which thou keepest open to thy Children It brings thy Glory to our view and shews it breaking forth over the Nations and we have great joy and satisfaction in beholding the Progress of thy Mighty Power in our Day how thou hast broken down and Confounded and art still breaking down and Confounding all the Dark imaginations and Devices of the Sons and Daughters of Men that have Conspired to hinder the breaking forth of the Glory of thy Son Christ Jesus O Powerful God of Life arise more and more in the greatness of thy Power and Love and make known thy Counsel and thy will among the inhabitants of the Earth and bow their minds O Lord and their Wills that none may dare to withstand thy appearance lest they be found fighters against God and destroyers of themselves O Powerfull Father for this end make bare thine Arm unto the Rulers and Governours of these Nations that they may know thy Counsels and bow to thy Heavenly Will and may promote thy Law of Righteousness in their own Hearts and the Hearts of others that by thy Power a Blessed Reformation may be wrought and iniquity have a stop put to it that it may not run down in a mighty Stream as it hath done in time past but that Truth and Righteousness and sound Judgment may be known in the Earth that they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness may have their Souls desires satisfied and so praise and thanksgivings shall arise from their Souls to thee O Powerful Father of Life preserve and keep thy Children whom thou hast gathered and Purged and Purified and to whom thou hast made known the way of Life and made them a willing People in the Day of thy Power to do thy will and to wait for the coming of that kingdom that thou hast promised to establish under Christ Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that it may grow and increase and be spread abroad upon the Earth and let every one desire to be the Subject thereof So Powerful Father of Life the Arm of thy Power and Invincible strength hath been Revealed that nothing hath been able to resist or stand against and prevail by which thou art planting Sion and building Jerusalem and establishing it By the same Power let thy Work be carryed on and many be brought in to be Subjâ—ct to Christ for the good of their Immortal Souls as thou hast multiplied thy Blessings among us so from Day to Day thou hast made us sensible of thy Love unto us owning us to be thy Children and peculiar People by thy presence in the midst of us when ever we meet in thy Name to wait upon thee that so living Father all thine both here and every where may be encou aged to attend upon thee and to be faithful to thy Power that wait for the opâ—ning of thy Counsels and the enlightning their understandings that they may be able to compâ—ehend with all Saints the height and depth
and length and breadth of thy Love in Christ Jesus that in the Sense of the freeness and greatness thereof all thy Children here and every where that in an everlasting Covenant of Grace thou hast gathered to thy self may have Communion with thee and thy Son and Spirit and may return thee the honour Glory and Praise of all thy Love and Mercy and Grace for thou alone art worthy who art God over all Blessed for ever and ever Amen Sermon III. The First and Great Commandment opened Or The Heart given up to God Preached at Devonshire-House May 27. 1688. VVHen God gave forth his Law on Mount Sinai which Israel was to hear and to obey The first great Commandment was Thou shalt have no other Gods before me here is the sum and substance of all the true Religion that ever was on the Earth to this day all the Commandments all the Precepts Prophecies and all the dealings of God with his People from that Day to this have been all contained in this short Precept thou shalt have no other Gods but me and as long as Israel stood in Obedience to this Command their Blessings were multiplied upon them their good things were increased from Day to Day The Lord was with them as long as they were willing to be his Pâ—â—ple he appeared as their God as their Defeâ—der wrought their Deliverances sought all their Battles for them gave them Dominion and Strength Courage and Wisdom Ministred out of his Treasury all good things unto them For the great Care of God Almighty was with all his People he had regard to them and visited them at all times to keep them from Idolatry I am saith he a Jealous God take notice of me to be so I am Jealous of my Name If thou wilt be mine thou shalt have no other Gods buâ— me And all the Precepts about Offerings and Sacrifices and making attonement for Sinners and the divers Services and Worship the various Offices in the Temple and Sanctuary they were all as outward means appointed of God to keep this outward Church in an inward Conformity to the Command of God This Command was written in Tables of Stone and these Tables were laid up in the Ark of God and all this pertained to the First Covenant and all this Typed and Figured out the Dispensation of the New and everlasting Covenant that God would make with his People not like unto the old How not like it Not like it in the outward Shadows the Types and Shadows of things but he would bring forth the Susbtance of all those Shadows and Types and would alter the Form and outward appearance of things For as God is unchangeable so his Law is unchangeable Moses saith the first and great Commandment is thou shalt have no other Gods but me This was put into the Stone Tables Christ Jesus saith the first and great Commandment is thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Soul and with all thy Mind Mat. 22 27. This is put into the Tables of the Heart So here is a difference between the first Commandment by Moses and the first Commandment by Christ they both acknowledge the first and great Command to be the subjecting of the Creature to him that made him as his God that he may only serve him that he may love him with his whole Heart The Jew could prove this by his Stone Tables and Christ proves this by the Fleshly Tables of the Heart for there he is bound to love the Lord with his whole Heart and to serve him onely him onely shalt thou serve Now here is the Jews Law brought over to the Christians in the greatest Point of Religion that ever was Preached that shuts out all Idolatry all Superstition all variety of Religions all is shut out by this Commandment and the Christian that hath the Law written in his Heart according to the new Covenant he can go as readily to it and read it as ever the Jew could go to his Stone Tables and read the Law there you cannot deny that if there be a thing written and Graven in my Heart I can go as readily to it as I can go to any Book or Table though I have the keeping of it But the Jews had not the keeping of it generally it was laid up in the Ark of God Now Friends that which lies upon my mind to speak to you at this time and that out of the great Love that I have to all your precious and Immortal Souls as God hath had a Love to mine is that you would all consider and weigh in the fear of the Lord whose presence is among us which of you and how many of you are come to the Obedience of this Commandment I do not doubt but the most of you can say them all but a happy People are you if you can do one I dare pronounce that Soul a blessed Soul that can perform this one Commandment that can or dare stand before his Maker and say O Lord I love thee with all my Heart with all my Soul and with all my Might my love is withdrawn from all other things in comparison of thee there is nothing in this whole World hath a place in my mind but as it is in subjection to the love of thee Here is the first and the great Commandment the unchangeable Law the Law that was good in Moses his Days and good in Christs Days and it holds good in our Days and indeed it is such a definitive Law that the Breakers of it can neither be good Jews nor good Christians there is an absolute necessity lies upon us of abstracting and drawing away our minds and Souls from all other Gods from all Images and other dependencies and trusts that People are naturally liable to trust to And to have their whole Confidence set upon the Lord but alas with Grief of Heart I speak it there are but a very few that as yet have known the right giving forth of the Law and there are a great many fewer that are subjâ—ct to it This Law was not given forth at first without Thunder and Lightning and a terrible noise and the Mountain smoaking he that hath an Ear to hear let him hear in so much as Moses himself said he feared greatly and he Quaked exceedingly because of the Thunder of the Almighty and the Mountain that smoaked and burned with Fire so that Israel could not draw nigh Now I say there are but a few that have come to the Knowledge of the giving forth of this Law that have certainly known those Thunders and that Terrible Work that the Lord of the whole Earth makes when he comes to set up his Law for a great many that have come nigh to it and might have heard and received the Words of the Law of God they have gone backward they have done like unto the Jews of old though they had suffered much and gone through much and had seen the Wonders of
the Lord how be had led them and delivered them yet when it came to this that they must hear the Voice of God they said we cannot bear it We cannot indure it We have devised for our selves an easier way for the Voice of Thunder and Dreadful noises put them into Terrour and Quaking and Trembling and great Dread came upon them but we have found an easier way say they what is that Go thou said they to Moses and hear thou what the Lord saith and come thou and tell us Thou shalt be a Mediator between us let God speak unto thee and do thou speak the same to us and we will hear thee This was the Jews that were not come beyond the Law of God written in Tables of Stone they would not come to receive it in their Hearts as the Christian must so Moses he received the Law from the Mouth of God and he was Faithful as a Servant in the House of God and he ministred forth the Law of God his Precepts Statutes and Judgments and Testimonies and he made them a Book of Laws for all of them to walk by from the highest to the lowest how they should act in Criminal matters and do justice between Man and Man and what they should do in the Worship of God and what they should do towards the Priest whose Lips should preserve knowledge for them and so he brought up a Form of Religion but his Work was according to the Precepts of God and he brought them into the Form of National Religion and Government and National Laws And so Moyses and the Priests ruled over them and the Priest he offered Sacrifice for them and made attonement for them and Moses inquired of the Lord and asked Counsel for them and taught and instructed them and what câ—me of all thâ—s at last When this was done the Priest made attonement for Sin but he could not pluck away the guilt of one Sin there remained the Conscience of Sin after he had made his Offering and Moses taught them the Counsels of God and the Commands of God but he could not bind their Hearts to the obedience of them for he declared openly against them that they were a Rebellious and stiffnecked People notwithstanding this they had a Law without them indeed time would fail me to run through the manifold miscarriages of the Church of the Jews in respect of their Idolatry in respect of their Contempt and Rebellion both to God and his servant Moses which was to teach and to guide them I say the time would fail me to mention the manifold miscarriages that happened among this People that had a Law and Religion without them and a Teacher without them Now in the fulness of time it pleased God in sending his Son Christ Jesus to raise up a Prophet like unto Moses in respect of Faithfulness though higher in respect of Dignity for Moses was faithful in all his House as a Servant but this Man was faithful as a Son in his own House in the House that he was Heir of that House wherein he was a King both a Priest a Prophet and a Ruler in When the Lord signified by the Spirit of Prophecy the coming of the Just one he signified to the People that his Ministry it should not be as that of Aaron the People should not have their Religion without them and their Laws and Precepts without them and their Priests without them and their Worship and Church without them but that they should have it all within them I will write my Law in their Hearts I will put it into their Inward Parts then they shall be my People and I will be their God and they shall not forsake me Your Fathers brake my old Covenant but I will make a new Covenant in the Latter days a New Covenant not like that your Fathersbroke they brake the Law without them But I will Write my Law in their Hearts This Prophet that is like to Moses he shall Teach my People he shall be a Leader to them and guide them in the way they are to go and shall be a Captain for them to lead them to Salvation And it shall come to pass in the Day that I do this if there be any that will not hear him he shall be cut off from among the People That is the Judgment that comes upon the contemners of the Gospel upon them that will not hear Christ Jesus they shall be cut off from the People from what People From the People of God they shall have no part of the Priviledges that are enjoyed through Christ they shall be cut off from the Benefits that others reap by their Faith in Christ So that now we are to expect the operation and working of a Ministry that leads a People to an inward Religion a Heart Religion where the Heart is fixed intirely upon the True and Living God as the object of their Dependance and Trust and they have no other that same is a strange Word to Flesh and Blood what no other Dependance but on the Invisible God Flesh and Blood can never come to this Flesh and Blood and Sensuality can never come to this This is a Religion that hath been hid from Ages and Generations and will be hid to all Ages that ever shall be in the World where Sensuality prevails What will you have me to have my whole Dependance for the Comfort of my Life here and of the Life that is to come the other Life to have my Dependance upon an Invisible God that Invisible Power that made me and Created the World How is it possible for me to sequester my self and draw my self off from all visible Objects I must trust to this and trust to that Flesh and Blood can never attain to this with all the Wit and Reason it hath it can never separate it self from Idols they are little Children that keep themselves frrom Idols They are Children of another birth born of another seed that will keep themselves from Idols Friends Idolatry is a great deal more common I find than most are aware of Am I commanded to Love the Lord with all my Heart and Soul and Mind and Might What is left when the whole is taken away If God hath my whole Heart what have I to bestow upon the World What Love what Affection what Eagerness what Fervency can I bestow upon the World or any Object in the World when my whole Heart and Soul and Mind is gone before gone towards the Lord This is the First and Great Commandment and the Second is like unto it that is Thou shalt Love thy Neighbour as thy self Here it is that the Law and the Prophets Faith Creeds Prayer Religion and Worship all that ever was in the World all Comprehended in this Thou shalt Love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart Soul and Strength and thy Neighbour as thy self So what need is there for us to be disputing about Religion about this
Tenet and the other Tenet this Text and the other Text For my part I should only desire for you to Understand this Text and I should not doubt your going to Heaven Here is the Sum Here is all at once Here is the Quintessence of all Religion of all Types Shadows Figures Ceremonies and Priesthood and all that ever was or could be Named and Practised in the World all brought to this The Heart given up to God our Love set upon him What is this sufficient will some say This will make you a good Moral Man but what is this to the Christian Religion You may be led into Error and become an Heretick for all this How can this be that I should not be of a sound Faith but led into Error and Heresie for all this When People let in Error and Heresie and Unsoundness of Faith Where do they let it in Do they not let in the Principles of Errour and Heresie into their Hearts I believe this and that and the other Error it comes into the Heart and hath a seat in the Heart but how can we do that How can we let it into the Heart When the Heart is given up to God Cannot he keep out Error and Heresie if I give up my Heart and Soul to him Cannot I trust him with all This kind of talk of Error and Heresie hath come among Men that have had the keeping of their own Souls they have taken their own Souls into their own hands and have ordered their Religion themselves or have gotten some body to order it for them and a great many of them have met together to make Creeds and Catechisms and Confessions and Orthodox Doctrines that might certainly be professed and subscribed Afterwards some have come and found fault with them then they must have a Council to try them then these go off and are laid aside and others are given in the room of them so that these Men have set up for themselves These would not be under the Government and Prescription of God as Children under the Government of a Father but they will set up Religions themselves and say to the rest of the World if you own any thing contrary to our Principles you are an Heretick and being an Heretick you are to be rooted out and cut off Do not you read in the Scripture that whosoever hears not the Prophet that was to come into the World shall be cut off What will you not hear Christ speak in the Church Will not you hear Christ speak The Church cannot speak without a Head If you will not hear the Church you shall be cut off Then they have fallen to Hanging and Burning and Killing and Destroying People and Nations not a few And this comes from their making Faiths and Creeds and ordering Religion themselves all their Barbarous and Inhuman Cruelties Martyring and Dungeoning of People comes from their making Faiths themselves and of all things nothing is more desparately wicked and they did not know it The Heart is deceitful above all things and desparately wicked who can know it Men know not how Proud and Arrogant they themselves are and yet they would be ordering the Hearts and Minds and Consciences of others and out of this hath Sprung all Superstition and Idolatry because men would not give up their Hearts to God Thou shalt have no other Gods but me This Commandment is great in it self strict in the terms Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and thy Neighbour as thy self Their Neighbour could not see with their Eyes therefore there must be Hanging and Burning and Destroying one another But blessed be who is now bringing forth true Christianity upon its old Basis and Foundation whereon it was placed at first for Christianity hath been justled off from its first Foundation for instead of Loving God with all their Hearts and Loving their Neighbours as themselves they Hated them Now this is the Day O Friends the weight of it is great This I say is the Day whereâ—n God is bringing Christianity upon its old Foundation I would not have you think that I am here judging our Fore-fathers that are fallen asleep that therefore they are gone to Hell because they saw not this Day and Lived not to see the benefit of it that we enjoy I am far from it This was the thing that they believed and prayed to God for they did not see this Day outwardly but they saw it by Faith I my self when I was a Child I remember the People of God when they got three or four together they would rejoice in the Hope of what they Foresaw they gave Thanks to God for the Blessed Days that he would bring forth though they could not tell when they did say and believe that God would scatter the Foggs and Mists and bring forth an Happy Day wherein his People should have the Gift of his Spirit when they saw the Impositions and Persecutions of these times when they that did not Conform and Comply were cast into Prisons and thrown into Dungeons and Goals Well it will not always be thus say they there is a Day a coming wherein the Lord will set his People free from all the Yoaks of Oppression and from the Oppressour Indeed my Soul did rejoyce when I was hearing the Prophetical sayings of these good men and I thought I might live to see that Day Blessed be God that hath Preserved my Life to this Day and to this Hour to enjoy what they Prayed for They Prayed to God to scatter the Mists and Fogs that they might no longer Cloud and Darken Men's Minds and hinder them from enjoying God's Teaching Blessed be God that we are now in the injoyment of the Prayers of the Faithful that left the World before we were in it Now the Day is come that they Prayed for and Enquired after How strangely doth the Man Talk will some say concerning the Christian Religion The Christian Religion is all England over go to any Meeting in London except one and they will tell you they are Christians I would to God they were that is the worst I wish them all But what should we talk of the Christian Religion without the Christian Life Except we find that amongst them What signifies the Name and Profession of it And the Christian Doctrine is wanting in many places too There be many in this City urging this very Command of Loving God with all their Hearts and their Neighbours as themselves as fervently as I can do or any body else and yet they will tell you in the next breath that no man in London nor in all the World can do this No Man can possibly Love God with all his Heart Never a Man can be found that can perform such an Act as to Love his Neighbour as himself Not every Neighbour it may be but some one choice Associate he can pick out that he can Love and bear with his Infirmities and
to this pass to be at thy Wits end and not know which way to turn thee nor to whom to run for help or to ask Councel for thy Souls wellfare thou art come to the end of all and without hope then God reveals himself by his Son Jesus Christ Christ the Son of God is known by our coming to him but none can come unto Christ except the Father which hath sent him draw him When thou hast done with thy Gods and thrown away thy Idols to the Batts and Moles then thou wilt find the Lord and thou wilt cry out O that God would have mercy upon me and lift up the light of his Countenance upon me I am a poor miserabie Creature There are many that make such a Whining and Complaining that they take a pride in their very Complaints their Hypocrisie is so great I have known some that have prided themselves in wording their Condition and expressing their miserable case before the Lord but suppose thou canst not speak at all but feelest thy self miserable thou canst not express thy Condition At such a time as this God was drawing thy Soul to Christ Jesus the Mediator of it I have heard of a Mediator and that there is Balm in Gilead for me that there is a Physitian there that there is one Physitian even Jesus Christ the Mediator of the New Covenant thou hast sinned against him and grieved him yet he stands with open Arms for thee ready to receive thee and embrace thee where stands he He stands at the Door and Knocks it is a small matter one would think to let him in Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the Door and knock and if any man heâ—r my Voice and open the Door I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me Here is good News for a hungry Soul if any such be here Christ the Mediator stands at the Door and Knocks he will come in and Sup with thee if thou open to him then we shall meet with the Lords Supper This is the Lord we will wait for him he will bring his Bread with him The Bread of Life and the Wine of his Kingdom And the Lords Supper will be celebrated without cavilling and jangling Now because we do not pervert the Scripture I would have you â—hat understand Books read what Commentators say what those of this and former Ages say upon this Text whether they do not Consture and Deliver in their Opinions that this Knocking at the Door is Christs Calling the Soul by his Grace and this Door is the Door of the Heart and Christs Calling the Soul by his Grace and Spirit to let him in by Faith This is their Judgment and Sense and their Sense is mine and I believe the Genuin Sense of the Text that Christ would have People think he is near to them and that he would have People open their Hearts and Receive him by Faith for to be a Saviour to them No that saith Flesh and Blood I cannot bear I cannot consent to have him for my Saviour I will not let him in for he is like Micaiah to Ahab He never speaks good concerning me For if I have him for my Saviour I must part with my Lusts and Pleasures if there be any other Saviour I will try and not meddle with him He will spoil all our Mirth and good Society he will tell me of every Idle word that I shall speak I must give an Account thereof at the Day of Judgment What do you think that I can like such a Saviour That I can live with such a one as will call me to an Account for every word I speak and that if I speak one idle word Judgment will come upon me No I will try one and another rather than accept of him upon such terms I am one that am joyned to such a Church and enjoy such and such Ordinances and such Helps I am in Covenant with God and under the Seals of that Covenant I am Baptized and do partake of the Lords Supper which is another Seal of the Covenant I hope it will be well with me I will go something farther another saith we must have a Mediator I will go to the Virgin Mary and offer something to her and pray to her Saith another I will go to Saint James and Saint John and other Saints to Intercede with God for me They must have some Mediator This is the Twisting and Twining of the Sons and Daughters of Men to keep out Christ the Great Mediator who came into the World for this purpose to destroy the works of the Devil Alas I have nothing left but my bare Life and Living in the World I have nothing left me but some Liâ—tle desire I had to please God and that he will never Judge and Condemn me for but my false dealing and buying and selling with Deceit He will Judge this and Condemn it And my Discoursing of things without me all my Carnal Friendship and Love of the World and my vain Fashions all that is Corrupt and Defiled these he came on purpose to destroy He came to destroy boâ—h the Devil and his Works What can a man Live in the World and never joyn wiâ—h the Devil Never Sin at all Never do any thing that the Devil would have him do There is no Perfection in this World no living without Sin here then I am sure there is no Unity with Christ here and if there be no Unity with Christ then there is none with God the Father What will become of thee now What will all the pleaders for that opinion say now There is some thing stands betwen God and me and I shall never have Peace and what is that It is Sin I would have my Sin taken away else I had better never been born Canst thou remove Sin out of thy Heart I have tryed but I cannot do it I have heard of Christ the Mediator of the New Covenant He saith he came into the World and that for this purpose he was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil Now Sin in my Heart is the Devils work I will see if he will destroy that for me I will trust and rely upon him and see if his great Power can destroy it in me Here People come rightly to believe in him that God hath sent and trust in him and he will take them in and like a Chirurgion he will rip up their Hearts and lâ—t out their Corrruptions though there hath been never so much Rottenness and he will heal them and purifie them and pardon them though they have been never so wicked if they come to him when thy Sins are set in order before thee then thou cryest out O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of Death Is it God that hath thought of me and waited to be Gracious and hath born my Sin long how wonderful is his patience towards me All these things
working in the Soul tend to beget a Love to God and fervent desires after being cleansed and purified from Sin and earnest Prayer to the Lord to make that Holy Fire to kindle that would burn it up The more the Soul trusteth in Christ the more doth this Heavenly Fire burn up our Lusts and then a Man feels a great change in his mind The things saith he that I delighted in are now grievous to me I hope I shall never be found in those things again my mind is now taken off them who took it off Didst thou not strive before to take it off I did but I could not do it There are many I believe in this Assembly before the Lord that are my witnesses in this matter that when they came to Christ the Mediator he changed their minds and he untyed the Devils fetters they were tyed to their Sins and Lusts but he hath unloosed them and set them at liberty and they now find such a change that they hate those things they loved and when they come to think of them they are ashamed they are ashamed of those things that they formerly took pleasure in What fruit saith the Apostle had you in those things whereof you are now ashamed So I say what pleasure have you in Sporting and Gaming and Drinking and Company-keeping What pleasure have you to think of your Wanton Discourses What pleasure in Pride and Vanity What pleasure in Wrath and Bitterness of mind And what pleasure in Malice and Envy What pleasure have you in those things whereof you are now ashamed So far as you are convinced you are ashamed to think of them I am ashamed to think that the Devil at such a time by such a Temptation should prevail over me I would to God you were all come to this to be ashamed that you might remember your past evil Ways and Actions with sorrow and shame There is a secret Joy in this Sure it is better to be ashamed than to continue in impudence God hath wrought this change at last and who shall have the Glory of it God shall have the glory of it for his own Works will praise him What men do many times they do for their own praise but when they are at their wits end and know not what to do they cast themselves upon their Maker to see if he will have mercy upon them if not they must Perish then for what he doth he gets the Glory and the Praise of it There are some here that are bound to praise God while they have a Day to live for what he hath done for them They could never have loved God with all their Hearts but they would have continued Strangers to God and the Devil would have led them Captive at his Will They would not have loved God with all their Hearts had not God first shed abroad his love upon their hearts and constrained them to love him it is he that hath first loved them and wrought in them both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Whatsoever we are we are by the Grace of God this Grace is magnified in them that believe and obey the Gospel My Friends we know there is so much Peace and Pleasure in the ways of God so much Soul-satisfaction in Walking with God and loving of him with all our Hearts That I should be glad that every one of you were of the same mind and had experience of it We Labour diligently for this purpose and we would set before you these two things First how we may come to know our miserable State by Nature What a blessed and happy Sâ—ate they are in that have been Converted and Changed that have been translated out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of God's Dear Son Consider your State by Nature is Evil we hope that many of you in hearing the Reports of the Gospel concerning the goodness of the Lord his great love in sending his Son into the World to seek and save you that were lost and that you may believe in him And we are perswaded that by the Foolishness of Preaching God will save some of you that you may be his Redeemed Ones and trust to no other Saviour for there is not any other Name under Heaven but the Name of Jesus by which you can be saved He only can take away the Sâ—ns of the World his Spirit searcheth the Heart and tryeth the Reins which he promised to send into the World when he was leaving it Now I dare Proclaim that Holy Spirit to be the Spirit of the God of Heaven that now sees what Resolution thou art of and what thou art now proposing to do whether to go on in Sin or to return to God This I can speak without Blasphemy it is God's Spirit that searcheth thy Heart and knoweth thy thoughts and purposes and convinceth thee of thy Sin God hath sent his Son Christ Jesus into the World to enlighten you that by his Light you might see him and that by his Grace you migh Receive him and that by his Grace you might be saved To him I commit you all and these words that we have spoken are in the Evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit according as he hath wrought in us I must tell you we were never called of God to Study Sermons for you nor to Preach things that are made Ready to our hands but as the Lord our God hath wrought in us and as God hath been pleased to make known his mind to us and by his Spirit given us utterance So we speak and so we Preach You that are come to believe and receive the things of the Spirit you will Judge what I say I speak unto you that are Spiritual Judge ye what I say saith the Apostle so when I speak of Divine and Heavenly things you that are Spiritual Judge what I say and as you come to Judge and Determine in your selves that these things are true you will feel the Power of them in your own Spirits And we shall all be of the same mind and as we have One God we shall serve him in sincerity and Worship him with Reverence then his Name shall be Exalted in the midst of us and we shall Edifie one another in Love and we shall instruct one another and call upon one another Come let us go to the House of the God of Jacob He will Teach us and Preserve us in his way and do us good and keep us from all Evil. Turn your minds inward and consider that God is a God at hand ready to help you and he requires no more of you than of other People in former times to love the Lord with all your Hearts and to abstract and withdraw your minds from all other things that do come in Competition with him and be sure to have no Trust or Dependance but upon him Then see what God will do for you no Tongue can express nor Pen Write neither
that he may make it Workman like He will say if I let my Rule alone and not make use of it but work as I please and trust to mine Eye no wonder if I make bad work and what I build fall down again and tumble about mine Ears You to whom God hath given the Standard of Truth as a rule and measure to Govern your Thoughts Words and Actions by Let every thing be tryed with it before you Die and leave this World If you do so and make this your daily practice then ask your selves and you will be able to tell your selves and tell me and say I have now obtained more hopes of Gods Favour and a greater sense of his Love and goodness to me than ever I had before The Apostle doth exhort us to Walk Circumspectly not as Fools but as Wise Redeeming the time We have spent a great deal of time in vain let us now be Wise and Improve our time for our Eternal Advantage let us walk Circumpectly that is look round about us Consider our ways and try all our Thoughts Words and Actions by the Standard of Truth To Day My Friends while it is called to Day hear the Voice of God and harden not your Hearts and receive that Heavenly Counsel that is tendered to you that you may be partakers of the Inheritance among the Saints in Light His Prayer after Sermon BLessed and Eternal Father Thou hast brought forth thy Glorious Name and Revealed thy Power and thy Mighty Arm and thou hast caused a Remnant to bow and Worship at thy Appearance Thou art Wonderful Thy Majesty is Great they that do behold thee will with Reverence Worship before thee Thy Power is gone forth and hath reached the Hearts of thy People Thou hast humbled them and subjected them to thy Divine Almighty Power that they might appear in the Earth to the Praise and Glory of thy great Name And O Lord as thou hast begun a great Work in the Earth so thou hast committed this Work to thy Servants and Children that bear thy Name among the Sons of Men that they should shew forth thy Rightousness among the Inhabitants of the Earth and our Souls have said many a time Who is sufficient for these things All our fitness and sufficiency our meetness and preparation is from thee Do thou Reveal thy Power and make bare thy Almighty Arm. We have found thy Presence from day to day and thou hast upheld them that know thy Love O Gracious God of Life herein we have encouragement to go on in the Work which thou hast called us to hereby we are enabled to Worship before thee and to offer up living Praises unto thy great Name for that Refreshment and consolation which thou hast Ministred unto thy People And O living Father We have never waited on the in vain whensoever we have met together in thy Name We have found thy Divine Presence and the opening of the Treasures of thy Love of thy Wisdom and of thy Favour to thy Children So that from day to day and even at this day thou rememberest thy People and thou givest them fresh occasion to draw nigh to thee and receive their daily nourishment and strength from the operation of thy Power O living God of Life gather up the Hearts of thy People more and more and draw them into a nearness to thy self that their Understandings may be moâ—e and more opened to discern thy Will and subject themselves to thy Wisdom that every Thought that is exalted against thy Divine Power and living Voice in their own Consciences may be brought down that so all the Nations of the Earth may bow before thee that so thy Truth may Reign and thy Power may be exalted and the Righteousness which thou hast Revealed may shine forth more and more in the Brightness and Glory of it and enlighten those that are afar off that they may be brought to seek after God And Lâ—vâ—ng God of Life let thâ—se that are bowed down under the Weight of Sin be supported and raised up and those that are weary and Heavy Laden let them have rest to their Souls Powerful God of Life keep thy People in a fresh and living Sence of thy love and of thy Heavenly Vertue by which thou nourishest thy Children and satisfiest them from day to day Not only when they are met together but when they are separated from one another let thy People be preserved from the Evil of the World while they are in it and let thy Wisdom and Power give them Victory over it that thou mayest have the Glory of all thy Mercies and Blessings vouchsafed to them For thou alone art worthy who art God over all Blessed for Ever and Ever Amen Sermon V. The great Duty of Remembring our Creatour Preached at Devonshire-House April 6. 1692. THERE is only One Living and True God Creatour of Heaven and Earth whom we are obliged to serve and Worship I have so much Charity as to believe there are none among us but will own and Acknowledge this And my Soul wisheth that this Obligation did always rest upon every ones mind that they might Remember their Creatour that hath given us all Life and Breath and continued all our blessings to us that so every one might apply their Hearts unto that Universal Duty that we are all convinced of And they that are thus imployed and exercised they are considering how and after what manner they may quit and discharge their Duty and perform the Obligation that lies upon them so that it may be accepted at the hands of God I speak now of those that are considerate not of those that go on in a Form of Religion and matter not nor Regard whether they are accepted of God or no but all that are Conscientious towards God they are desirous to serve God and Worship him so as they may be acceptable to him so to perform duties that they may receive their reward and that Encouragement that God in all Ages hath discovered and made manifest to be in his Purpose towards them that truly serve him When People come to this Consideration how they may serve God aright and worship him acceptably the Lord is nigh unto them to instruct them to teach them and guide them in that way that is Everlasting And blessed be his Holy Name a great many in our days have met with this Divine Teaching and Instruction and are taught in this Age as in former Ages to Understand the Worship of God that he requires that is in Spirit and Truth and do find that the Father doth seek such Worshippers and where he finds them he rewards them And they have an Answer of Peace in their Bosoms and they are encouraged to go on in the Worship and service of God to the end of their days And it is a great mercy and benefit a great blessing that God hath bestowed upon a Remnant so opened their Understandings to let them see and know
saith I feared that the Lord had forgotten me and had passed me by and had done with me but I see he Visits me again and he hath Visited my Soul this Day inclining me to walk more answerably and suitably to his Love he hath doubled his Power upon me and hath kindled a holy Fire in my Heart and caused me to seek after him He hath touched my Heart and I will Pour out my Soul in Supplication seeing he hath touched me He will take hold of â—e by his Power and he will keep me from being any more drawn away I will live in the sense of his Power and mercy that keeps me Night and Day that I may encrease in it and grow in Grace When the Lord meets with such a one he will draw him to the way that he hath appointed none can come unto me saith Christ except the Father which hath sent me draw him If I am drawn into what form shall I go now And what Ordinance shall I take up now This is all under Feet This is none of my Work I will come to Christ the Mediatour and he will take the Government and Rule of me It is not my best way to study for a form and an outside Religion I will wait upon that Power that hath thus touched my Heart that he may by degrees bring me to the Obedience of Christ But some are ready to say Who and What is this Christ Jesus that you are speaking of that Immediate Christ Jesus that is extant and present that I am to have to be the Object of my Faith That I may believe in him and come to Acquaintance of him that I may partake of the Life of Christ Jesus and have it Communicated to my Soul It is true we have not a thought or a word to speak that may Derogate from the wonderful Grace of Christ who died in his person on Earth for the salvation of our Souls Yet we must know that the Lord Jesus Christ may be Spiritually present with us and take the Government of us and we are to be subject to him How shall this be I am speaking of one that hath felt the Fathers Drawings when he draws them to his Son and draws them to something that is Holy and Pure This God the Father hath begotten we read in Scripture that God hath begotten Christ who is the only begotten of the Father It is strange you will say to speak of begetting Christ again God begets Christ again that is spiritually he being the first born in many Brethren in every true Believer and there is a travel of Soul that Christ may be Formed in him See what Travel of Soul the Apostle Paul falls into the second time for the Galatians They were a brave People they worshiped God in the Spirit and believed in Christ Jesus and afterwards they came to be seduced by false Prophets and false Teachers that set them about their Works and told them that they could not be Justified and saved without their own Works These false Teachers that came among them were as bad as Popish Priests and Friers It is not your Obedience to Christ and the Spirit will save you you must be doing So these Poor People were deluded and bewitched to give you the Apostles own Words and so they were Infatuated and drawn away from the Simplicity of the Gospel and they thought by the works of the Law to obtain Salvation The Apostle writes a Letter to them and tells them that he traveled in birth again till Christ was formed in them If this was not Scripture it would look like a strange work there must be a forming of Christ a Birth there must be and a begetting Who must beget in this and that moment But the same that begat from the beginning the same is the Father he begets Christ in all that believe and obey the Gospel He is begetting something in me that is Holy though I be unholy the Father by the Operation of his Divine hand begets something in me that is Holy This I find though I am not so good as I should be I have that given me that will tell me that the more I adhere and joyne my self in my desires and Affections to this good Principle the more I shall pertake of the Quality of it this good Principle though it be like a little Grain of Mustard-seed I cannot tell what to compare it to for Littleness in comparison of the Great Lump and Mass of Sin Corruption and Filthyness that Wars against it This will Overspread all that is bad and make me Holy as that is Holy Pure as that is Pure and to have a Love to Him from whence it came even to God and Christ It will gather the Affections from Corruptible things and place them upon things above This Faith tells People that it is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen such a one lives by Faith such a one that comes to be joyned to that that is begotten of the Father He lives by the Faith of the Son of God and can do nothing of himself but through Christ that strengthens him They say unto God I perceive I can do nothing without thee I cannot Pray unto thee nor serve thee of my self I can do nothing acceptably but through Christ the Mediator such a one becomes like a little Child and he must be Led and who must Lead him but the Spirit of Christ You cannot Preach saith one to him unless you be moved by the Spirit You cannot Pray till you be moved by the Spirit How should I No without him I can do nothing I cannot Preach nor Pray nor do any thing Acceptable to God the Father but by Christ and he hath Revealed him in me This is no new Doctrine we see the new and Living way It was an old way to old Christians and a new way to the new and so a Thousand Years hence if the World last so long Men will see that they cannot do any thing pleasing to God but as they are gathered into Christ they will see their own Righteousness works and doings will avail them nothing at all This is all laid at the feet of Jesus whom God hath exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to be Lord and King Now my Friends we are engaged in this Age abundantly engaged to offer thanks to God through Jesus Christ that he hath provided and opened a way for the sending forth the Spirit of his Son And that God hath gathered a People and hath made known to them the way of Life that they might walk in it but there is no walking in it but through a Daily Cross and self-denial It is not likely that a Man should be brought back to God the same way that he went out from God and the Prophets and Apostles do allude to this turning to God When thou turnest aside to the right Hand or to the left thou shalt hear
thy Divine Almighty Power that they might appear in the Earth to the Praise and Glory of thy great Name And O Lord as thou hast begun a great Work in the Earth so thou hast committed this great Work to thy Servants and Children that bear thy Name among the Sons of Men that they should shew forth thy Righteousness among the Inhabitants of the Earth And our Souls have said many times who is fit and sufficient for these things All our sufficiency and Preparation is from thee do thou make bare thine Arm and Reveal and make known thy Power We have found thy Presence with us from day to day and thou hast upheld them that know thy Love O Glorious God of Life herein we have Encouragement to go on in the work that thou hast called us to Hereby we are enabled to Worship before thee and to offer up Living Praises to thy great Name for that Consolation that thou hast Ministred unto thy People And O living Father we have never waited upon on thee in Vain when ever we have met together in thy Name we have found thy Divine presence and the opening of the Treasures of thy Love of thy Wisdom and of thy Favour unto thy Children so that from day to day and even at this day thou remembrest thy People and givest them fresh occasions to draw nigh to thee and to receive their daily nourishment and strength from the Operation of thy Power O living God of Life gather up the Hearts of thy People more and more unto thy self and draw them into a nearness to thy self that their Understandings may be more opened to discern thy will and subject themselves to thy Wisdom that every thought that is exalted against thy Divine Power and living Voice in their own Consciences may be brought down That so all the Nations of the Earth may bow before thee that so thy truth may Reign and thy Power may be exalted and the Righteousness which thou hast revealed may shine out more and more in the brightness and glory of it and inlighten those that are afar off that they may be brought to seek after thee And O thou living God of life and power let those that are bowed down under the weight of Sin be supported and raised up And let those that are weary and heavy laden have rest to their Souls Powerful God of life keep thy People in the fresh and living sense of thy love and of thy Heavenly Vertue by which thou nourishest thy Children and satisfiest them from Day to Day not only when they are met together but when they are separated from one another let thy People be preserved from the World while they are in it and let thy Wisdom and Power give them Victory over it That thou mayest have the Glory of all thy Mercies and Blessings vouchsafed to them for thou alone art worthy who art God over all Blessed for Ever and Ever Amen Sermon VI. The Divine Monitor OR Light from Heaven Preached at Grace-Church-Street June 19. 1692. IT is a great Priviledge to the Sons and Daughters of Men that it hath pleased God Almighty to open a way how they may come to the true Knowledge of himself And O that there was a Heart in every one of us that could rightly prize this Priviledge as they ought to do for in the Knowledge of the true God consists our true Happiness and without this the mind of no Man or Woman can be be good there is nothing seasons the mind and Soul of Man and prepares and fits it for an everlasting well-being but the Divine Knowledge of the living God that made him And there is a Propensity in the Soul of Man even since the Fall to return again to God and to have that acquaintance and Communion with the Lord that Man had before he fell and they that have regard to that inward spark of Divine Love that they find in their own Souls towards God they will experience that the Lord is merciful and Gracious and Propitious to that which is of himself For though the Soul is lost and Man is lost through transgression and a great Alienation is happened between him and his Maker yet the Mercy of the Lord endureth for ever And his kindness and favour to lost Man is such that he stretcheth out his hand all the day long and presents and offers to the Children of Men a Friendship and Acquaintance and a Communion again with him and though by Sin and Transgression there is a rebellous Nature grown up in the Sons and Daughters of Men yet the Soul of Man is not wholly so there is something that strives and labours in a contrary way and persuades the Soul to turn again unto the Lord and to wait for the knowledge of God and whosoever hearkens with care and diligence to that Divine Monitor that is daily drawing and persuading People to seek after God they come to understand that the Lord is not so Angry with Mankind but his Love and Mercy and Good-will reaches towards all the Sons and Daughters of Men and the Bar that hinders their Communion with God and Peace with God it is not in the Lord but it is in themselves and therefore the remedy must be wrought in themselves This is evident to every Eye that there is something gotten into Mankind which the Holy God cannot own and can never have fellowship with That is another contrary Spirit hath wrought upon the Souls of People and hath seduced and drawn them out to that which is unholy and contrary to God and the terms of Gods Covenant with Mankind which is that he should forsake that which the contrary Spirit hath wrought Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous Man his thoughts Why should he forsake his ways Because the Lord never led him to those ways He that made him never led him into them but the Devil the Enemy of Mankind seduced him into those ways therefore the Creatour cries out to him Let the wicked forsake his Ways and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts I cannot have union with him as long as he walks in his evil ways I cannot dwell in his mind so long as evil thoughts are in it so may the Lord complain of the works which the Devil hath wrought that Man is carryed away from God by his evil thoughts and the works of the Devil Why doth not God destroy those works when he is Almighty and able to do it Very true God is so but he hath offered to Mankind through the Son of his Love a way and means how Man may come to be purged and cleansed from the evil that the Devil hath wrought in him and how he may come to be reconciled to God God hath not chosen the way of Coertion and Force and to work altogether by irresistible Power that Man shall go to Heaven whether he will or no there was no force used for his going to Hell and Darkness but
that inhabits Eternity yet he dwells with meek humble and contrite Hearts that tremble at his word If I be one of the number of those that tremble at Gods word I have Gods promise that he will come Home to me and dwell with me It is well for thee if the over-ruling Power of God hath prevailed upon thee that thou canst be willing to be at Gods Disposal and say Lord What wouldst thou have me to do Therefore Friends I would advise you all in Love to your Souls that when God desires your Hearts that you would give them up to him that there he may delight to dwell and have his habitation Hearken to Gods Voice and have regard to his word which is a more sure word than any Man 's in the World There is a more sure word of Prophecy saith the Apostle unto which you will do well to take heed This will check you and reprove you when you do Evil and shew you wherein you have Transgressed and will encourage you and be a Comfort to you when you do that which is good This will make you wise to Salvation and throughly furnish you and give you understanding for every good work This word will tell you this you must not do lest you offend God and wound your Conscience and grieve the Holy Spirit this word will help you so to speak as to Administer Grace to the hearers such a one as hath regard to this word hath a Chaplain in his own Bosome That will direct and teach him how to stear his course and order his Conversation among Men and how to serve God acceptably This High Priests Lips will preserve knowledg even Jesus Christ The Righteous who speaks to us in his Word we can do nothing but by his Direction If you come to him to lead to you into all truth he will bring you the Father reconcile you to him that you may obtain his Favour and Everlasting Life when one of Christs Disciples said Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Jesus saith unto him He that hath seen me hath seen the Father And How sayest thou then shew us the Father If you subject your selves to Christ and to the Government of his Spirit he will bring you to that Life and Immortality that fadeth not away This hath been our Labour and Travel from time to time to Preach Christ among you and not to Preach our selves and gather a Church for our selves but to gather a People in to Christ who is Lord of Heaven and Earth We would Preach Christ Jesus the Lord we would not have you Admire Mens words and sayings and charge your Memory with them But we would have you remember the words and sayings of Christ who is the great Mediatour to reconcile Man again to God that you may know him by his Power working effectually in your hearts we Labour for nothing else and we want nothing else We are Ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us We pray you in Christs stead be ye Reconciled to God That you may so Live that whether you Eat and Drink or whatsoever you do you may do all to the Glory of God your great Creatour that hath given his Son to Die for you and Redeem you from all Iniquity that you might be a peculiar People zealous of all good Works Therefore let God have all the Honour and Glory for all his mercies and Blessings Let us render to him Hearty Praises and Thanksgivings for his wonderful Love and ackowledg that it is a great priviledg that we may obtain by Jesus Christ even to be brought again to the true knowledg of the living God which we lost by our Transgression His Prayer after Sermon GLorious art thou in thy Appearances O Lord and very wonderful is thy Power and thy ways past finding out And in this thy glorious Day thou art opening a way for the Sons and Daughters of Men to return to thee And O Lord those whose Eyes thou hast opened rejoyce and are Glad because they have seen the way of thy Salvations and the breathings of their Souls are that their Feet may be kept therein and that they may make straight steps in their way to thy kingdom And O Lord we are sensible that our strength and our Power and our Ability is only in thee and therefore are the Souls of thy Children bowed and subjected to thee Waiting for the Renewing of thy Power that as our Temptations are renewed from Day to Day that thou wouldest make known thy Power in us that we may feel the stretching forth of thy hand to save thy little Ones out of the hands of the Destroyer And so Powerful God of life break forth more and more in thy Glory and make known thy Power in expelling the Clouds of darkness and ignorance and bring the Minds and Understandings of thy People to know thee more and more till they come to the blessed Inheritance among the Saints in Light Holy and Powerful Father break in upon thy People by thy Almighty Power and scatter the dark Clouds of Temptation and cause the light of Life to shine upon them thou that hast commanded the Light to shine out of darkness do thou shine into the Hearts of the Sons and Daughters of Men. Open their Hearts that they may receive thy Truth and make tender their hard Hearts that they may live to thee that Created them and give a comfortable Account to thee of their Thoughts Words and Actions and let them turn to thee before it be too late to repent them Powerful God of Life thy mercies and loving kindness do abound to a little Remnant that do believe in Christ and do trust in thy great Name Thou hast been with them in their fiery tryalls and tribulations and to this Day thou hast been the glory of our Assemblies and the joy of our meetings We are sensible of thy holy Power working in our Souls and of thy renewing thy love upon us All that want a full sense thereof that are seeking and crying after thee for it O let them be brâ—ught to a due sense of God O arise for the help and the Comfort of the Sorrowful the Sighing and the needy Soul pour forth the treasures of thy love upon them that follow hard after thee and breath for deliverance that so Powerful God of life praises may arise to thee for all thy mercies and abounding blessings for thy goodness and loving kindness bestowed upon us from time to time Most Powerful God of life and light let the Eye of thy Favour be turned upon this Land of our Nativity spare the inhabitants of this City and Nation that they may seek after thee let them know the weight of thy Hand upon them to bow them down to humility and brokenness of Heart Give them Repentancee for their Sins Living God of life display thy Power to all from the highest to the lowest among us and advance the kingdom of our
of their want of thy presence and are frequenting the Assemblies of thy People with hoâ—â— and desire that they may enjoy a Blessing from thee Living God of Life Touch their Hearts with the Finger of thy Power and let them know that thou art ready to open the Treasures of thy Love and Life unto them through the Lord Jesus Christ that their Souls may be Comforted and they may offer up to thee Sacrifices of Thanksgiving And let all thy Children every where render to thy Holy Name through Jesus Christ Blessing and Honour and Praise who art God over all Blessed for ever and ever Amen FINIS A Catalogue of Books Printed for Naâ—â— Crouch at the Bell in the Poultrey near Cheapside History 1. ENglands Monarchs Or A Compendious Relation of the most remarkable Transactions from Julius Caesar to this present adorned with Poems and the Pictures of every Monarch from King William the Conqueror to K. William and Q. Mary With a List of the Nobility the Knights of the Garter the number of the Lords and Commons who have Votes in both Houses of Parliament and many other useful particulars Price one shilling 2. THE History of the House of Orange Or a Brief Relation of the Glorious and Magnanimous Atchievements of His Majesties Renowned Predecessors and likewise of His own Heroick Actions till the Late Wonderful Revolution Together with the History of William and Mary King and Queen of England Scotland France and Ireland c. Being an Impartial Account of the most Remarkable Passages and Transactions in these Kingdoms from their Majesties Happy Accession to the Throne to this time By R. B. Price One Shilling 3. THE History of the two late Kings Charles the II. and James the II. being an Impartial account of the most remarkable Transactions and observable passages during their Reigns and the secret French and Popish Intrigues and Designs managed in those Times Together with a Relation of the happy Revolution and the Accession of Their present Majesties K. William and Q. Mary to the Throne Feb. 13. 689. Pr. 1 s. 4 THE History of Oliver Cromwel being an Impartial Account of all the Battels Sieges and other Military Atchievements wherein he was ingaged in England Scotland and Ireland and likewise of his Civil Administrations while he had the Supream Government till his Death Relating only matters of Fact without Reflection or Observation By R. B. pr. 1 s. 5. THE Wars in England Scotland and Ireland containing a particular and Impartial Account of all the Battels Sieges and other remarkable Transactions Revolutions and Accidents which happened from the beginning of the Reign of K. Charles the First 1625. to His Majesties happy Restauration The Illegal Tryal of K. Charles I. at large with his last Speech at his Suffering and the most considerable matters till 1660. with Pictures of several Accidents Price one Shilling 6. HIstorical Remarks and Observations of the Antient and Present State of London and Westminster shewing the Foundations Walls Gates Towers Bridges Churches Rivers Wards Halls Companies Government Courts Hospitals Schools Inns of Courts Charters Franchises and Priviledges thereof with the most remarkable Accidents as to Wars Fires Plagues and other occurrences for above 902 years past Pr. 1 s. 7. ADmirable Curiosities Rarities and Wonders in England Scotland and Ireland or an account of many remarkable persons and places and likewise of the Battles Sieges prodigious Earthquakes Tempests Inundations Thunders Lightnings Fires Murders and other Occurences and Accidents for many hundred years past Together with the Natural and Artificial Rarities in every County in England With several curious Sculptures Price one shilling 8. THE History of the Kingdom of Ireland being an Account of the Ancient Inhabitants and of all the Battles Sieges and other considerable Transactions both Civil and Military in that Countrey from the first Conquest thereof under King Henry II. till its entire Reduction by His Majesties Arms. Together with the most remarkable Passages that have since happened there to this time By R. B. Pr. 1s 9. THE English Empire in America or a prospect of His Majesties Dominions in the West-Indies namely New-found-land New-England New-York New-Jersey Pensylvania Mary-land Virginia Carolina Bermudas Barbuda Anguila Monserrat Dominica St. Vincent Antego Mevis or Nevis St. Christophers Barbadoes and Jamaica With an account of their Discovery Scituation and Product The Religion and Manners of the Indians and other excellencies of these Countries To which is prefixed a relation of the discovery of this New World and of the remarkable Voyages and Adventures of Sebastin Cabot Sir Martin Frobisher Capt. Davis Capt. Weymouth Capt. Hall Capt. Hudson Sir Tho. Cavendish the E. of Cumberland Sir Walter Rawleigh and other English Worthies to divers places therein Illustrated with Maps and Pictures of the strange Fruits Birds Beasts Fishes Insects Serpents and Monsters found in those parts of the World Price one shilling 10. A View of the English Acquisitions in Guinea and the East-Indies With an Account of the Religion Government Wars strange Customs Beasts Serpents Monsters and other Observables in those Countries And among others the Life and Death of Mahomet the Grand Impostor with the Principal Doctrines of the Turkish Religion as they are displayed in the Alcoran Two Letters one written by the Great Mogul and the other by the King of Sumatra in the East-Indies to our K. James I. of an extravagant stile The cruel Executions in those parts with the manner of the Womens burning themselves with their dead Husbands Together with a description of the Isle of St. Helena and the Bay of Souldania intermixt with pleasant Relations Pr. 1s 11. THE English Heroe Or Sir Francis Drake Revived Being a full Account of the dangerous Voyages admirable Adventures notable Discoveries and Magnanimous Atchievements of that Valiant and Renowned Commander As I. His Voyage in 1572. to Nombre de Dios in the West-Indies where they saw a Pile of Bars of Silver near 70 foot long 10. foot broad and 12. foot high II. His incompassing the whole World in 1577. which he performed in two years and ten months gaining a vast quantity of Gold and Silver III. His Voyage into America in 1585. and taking the Towns of St. Jago St. Domingo Carthagena and St. Augustine IV. His last Voyage into those Countries in 1595. with the manner of his Death and Burial Revised Corrected and very much enlarged reduced into Chapters with Contents and beautified with Pictures By R. B. Price One Shilling 12. TWo Journeys to Jerusalem Containing first An account of the Travels of two English Pilgrims some years since and what Admirable Accidents befel them in their Journey to Jerusalem Grand Cario Alexandria c. 2. The Travels of 14 English Merchantâ— in 1669. from Scanderoon to Tripoly Joppa Kamah Jerusalem Bethlehem Jericho the River of Jordan the â—â—â—e of Sodom and Gomorrah and back-again 〈◊〉 â—â—â—po To which is added a Relation of the grâ—â—◠〈…〉 of the Jews assembled in the
Affronts and Love him as himself Love thy Neighbour that is every body that there may be a Good-will for all People throughout the whole Race of of Mankind Peace on Earth Good-will towards Men This is the Fruit of the Gospel Christian Words will not make the Christian Religion there must be a Christian Life But where shall we find that or seek for it I know not I have nothing to do to Judge any body but there is one that Judgeth who it is that Liveth the Christian Life and who doth not Who is this What a one is this The Head of the Christian Church Why is he here Yes the Head of the Christian Church is here and he speaks and gives Sentence If you have an Ear you may hear him and if you will turn your Mind inward for he is an Inward Minister every one of you if you will turn your Minds inward he will tell you whether you Live a Christian Life and what a Life it is you Live If there be a Drunkard here let him ask whether his Life be a Christian Life will a man go away Ignorant from this place and have no Answer If there be a Drunkard here let him ask inwardly in his own Bosom Lord is my Life a Christian Life I dare affirm on Gods behalf he will have an Answer No thy Life is not a Christian Life but a Shameful Beastly Life a Brutish one Who told you that the Head of Christians Christ Jesus is present Christ Jesus is he present how came he here He is Ascended up into Heaven such a Day say they How came he here Let him be Ascended up into Heaven yet he is not so Ascended into Heaven as not to be here also how should he fufil his Promise if he be Circumscribed in Heaven or Earth How should he make good his Promise if when Two or Three are met together in his Name he is not in the midst of them Here are now many more than Two or Three met together in the Name of Christ and that hope for Acceptance with God through the Mediator Christ Jesus if you think that here are Two or Three met together in the Name of Christ it follows that Christ is in the midst of them I know not what you may enjoy some may possibly say I do not find any such Presence of Christ I hear of the Presence of Christ in the Sacrament and I have heard talk of the Presence of Christ at a Meeting but I have been at many a Meeting and I never found such a Presence of Christ Can you Read the Scripture Yes I can Read the Scripture as well as you but that cannot give me a sense of it I do Read the Scripture and Believe it but what signifies my Reading the Scripture concerning the Presence of Christ If I have not the sense of it I have been at many a Meeting but never had the sense of such a Divine Presence as you talk of nor it may be at the Sacrament neither What is the reason thou hast no sense of it If thou wilt take my Counsel and turn thy mind inward and enquire whether the thing I speak of be true whether there be such a Voice as I speak of That will tell thee what thy State is if thou wilt be true to thy self thou mayest know the Divine Presence and thou mayest hear Christ speak The Soul hath got Eyes and Ears as well as the Body What Eyes doth the Apostle mean when he saith The God of this World hath blinded the Eyes of them that Believe not lest the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them If the Soul hath Eyes and Ears as well as the Body it can Hear and See as the Body As the Bodily Eye can See Visible things so the Eye of the Soul can See things that are Invisible and Heavenly you can hear my Voice outwardly and you may hear the Voice of Christ inwardly I have known some that have been afraid to hear ill of themselves that they would not enquire some have been so guilty in their own Consciences that they have been afraid of hearing ill that they would not enquire about themselves So it is inwardly some have been Consciouâ— that their Life and Conversation is nought that their Life is a Sinful Life that they dare not put it to the Question It would cettainly have been told them thy Life is not a Christian Life thou must mend thy Life before ever thou comest to have Peace with God If this should be thy Portion and mine that upon search we should find our condition bad what harm is it I would put one Question to thee be serious in Considering of it We are all Children of Wrath by Nature none of us differ about that and that unless we be born again we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God The Question is whether I am one of those or no Suppose upon enquiry it be discovered to me that I am not it is bad enough This is hard but not so hard as it is true this is the thing which I would have you Consider Am not I in a better case to know that I am in a Natural state than to go on and perish to Eternity As long as there is Life there is Hope as long as a man is upon the Earth and taking care for his Soul and enquiring about the State of his Immortal Soul If my Soul is not in a good condition Is it not better for one to know it and to seek for a cure For there is no greater Infirmity and Infelicity can be upon a Man than to have some occult and hidden Disease that he cannot be made sensible of for this wasts and spoils him and he cannot be persuaded to look out for a Remedy So it is inwardly if a Man be Ignorant of his condition and go on to his Dying Day and Hour and not seek after a Remedy this Man perisheth without all peradventure When you are in this enquiry be content to be controlled be willing to have the Truth spoken though it be against your selves I might instance in divers things that I have spoken of If a man be satisfied that his Life is not a Christian Life I say if the Swearer or Lyar if the Proud Person or the Effeminate as soon as they come to be satisfied that their Life is not a Christian Life that they now Live what will this man expect What Counsel should we give him and what Counsel should he take I will go on in the way that I am in what after thou knowest thy Life is not a Christian Life God forbid Wilt thou go on and perpetrate Sin upon Sin and heap up Wrath against the day of Wrath I am a Sinner my Life is Unchristian I make account to Live in Sin and die in Sin Is this good Policy Consider another Text which our Lord spake If ye die