the corner it is rejected and laid by even by those that account themselves Master builders and this is the Lords doing and it s marvailous in our eyes Again another ground why the souls of men come not to Christ Reas 3 is because the appearing of Christ in the spirit makes all the hidden things of mans heart lie open even that which man himselfe never saw nor never thought was in him and this man hates and will not abide to see nor behold that depth of pride that selfe-glorying hypocrisie c. and taht bottomlesse pit of misery mans eye never looked into himself into his own heart but in the day of the appearance of Jesus Christ all this is discovered and laid open therefore man would by no means come to Christ because the appearing of Christ discovers his sin and condemnation man loves his own life skin for skin and all that a man hath will be give for his life but he that loseth his life shall find it Job 2.4 Mat. 10.39 John 3.19 therefore our Saviour tells us plainly that this is the câ—ndemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather then light because their deeds are evil for he that doth evil hateth the light neither comes to the light lest his deeds should be made manifest that they are evil So here the ground is rendred why the Gospel is Condemnation to the sons of men the Gospel brings light but men resist it hate it Certain it is that the light of Christ is in every creature for he is the true light that enlightens every one that come into the world Joh. 1.9 Mat. 6.23 And if this light that is in us be darkness how great is that darkness Here is the condemnation of all the sons of men that they dare not stand in the light of Christ not being able to behold hell in their own hearts but labour by all means to cover it for the light of Christ would shew them that there is no thought action or duty or performance that ever they did that had any thing of purity in it but it was all sin Now man not daring to see his own misery therefore he runs from this light and gets himselfe behinde any tree He runs from the appearance of him that sits upon the Throne and so resolves he will not see his own misery death and condemnation Rev. 6.16 neither will he believe it though he be told it by an Angel from Heaven he will not come to the light lest thereby he may know or be convinced that his deeds are onely evil Againe this is the work of the Father to draw men unto Christ because no lesse then infinitness and Eternity is able to bring God and man together the separation between God and man is so vast and they are at such an infinite distance since his fall that nothing but Infinitness can bring these two infinite ends together for the soul of man in one sin sins against an infinite God in any one sin it goes out and turns away from the infinitnesse of all blessednesse good joy glory and peace and so goes down into the infinitness of nothing for nothing is a kinde of infinitness and he is indeed gone into a far Country Luk. 15. 13. as the Prodigal was now therefore nothing but the infinite powers and infinite wisedome and strength that is in the Lord is able to bring life out of death something out of nothing therefore there is nothing to bring the heart of man out of that far country wherein to it is gone and out of that bottomless pit into which is is fallen nothing can do it but infinitness and eternity 2 Cor. 4.14 nothing but the same spirit that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead can quicken our mortal bodies there is nothing I say able to do it but the same spirit to bring a poor soul from hell and condemnation and make it one in unity with the spirit And therefore the Apostle witnesses Eph. 2.13 you that were aliens hath he made nigh by the blood of Christ Eph. 2.13 and you that were sometimes afar off hath he made near by the blood of Christ So now I hope this appears a truth to you and I hope the Lord will make it so in you by experience till then it is not a savour of life unto life for except you have the Scriptures made good in the power thereof in your own hearts what are the Scriptures to you And I have alledged them for that very end that you may finde and say These things are all fulfilled not only among the Jewes and at Jerusalem but really and truely in my selfe So then I hope some of you see it is the alone power of the Father that draws the soules of men unto Christ otherwise no man can come unto him But give me leave yet a little farther for the clearing it and explaining it by the way What this power of the Father is or how the Father doth draw or bring the soules of men unto Christ God is said to be a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth Joh. 4.23 God is nothing but life glory and power spirit and immortality and whatsoever thing we could have a notion or similitude of that is able to set out strength and life and glory and wisdom yet all these come infinitly short of setting out the strength and power of the Lord of Hosts the great Jehovah who is Psal 121.5 he that keeps Israel Psal 121.5 he that keepes Israel neither slumbreth nor sleepeth so that is is to be cleared what power it is that brings the spirits of men unto Jesus Christ Certainly there is nothing but the same eternal spirit that was in Jesus Christ it is the same immortal and immediate hand and power of God that doth ever raise up the soule of man and bring it unto Christ and nothing but that spirit only and therefore from hence is that of the Apostle that no man can so much as say that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12.3 Joh. 3.5 and except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God for t is all one and t is wrought by one and the same Almighty Spirit to say that Jesus is the Lord by the spirit and to be born of the spirit for man to say confess so ten thousand times if he do not feel him to be the Lord and the Almighty in him all his confessions in words are nothing And by one spirit saith the Text ye are all baptized into one body even the whole body and they all testifie one and the same thing that there is but one spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 Eph. 4.4 one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all Eph. 4.4 and they have all been made to drink into
one spirit which is that One Boundless Infinite and Eternal Spirit of the Father that like the wind bloweth where it lifteth and we may hear the sound and tasste the operation of it in us Joh 3.8 but know not whence it cometh nor when it will work but cometh and goeth when it pleaseth and not in the least when men will they have no command of that free and good spirit It is onely this one spirit that makes the soul one with Jesus Christ therefore the Apostle witnesses if Christ be in you Rom. 8 11 he that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by that spirit that dwelleth in you this is that spirit that searches all things and tries all things even the hidden things of God 1 Cor 2.10 this is that living spirit that blows upon the dry bones the spirit of the four winds that blows upon the dead and rotten bones Ezek. 37.4 and the blowing of this spirit brings sinew to sinew bone to bone and this makes them live and stand up before him and there is nothing else but this spirit that doth it there is nothing can be conjoined with it However men may say and keep a great deal of busling about the power of man that so it may not be said there was any to help him yet I say it is the spirit of God alone that draws man to Jesus Christ that it may not be said that his Idol hath done it for otherwise the mouths of all would not be stopped Ibid. 48.5 Rom. 3.19 Zach. 2.13 and all flesh would not become silent before him Neither would it be said that the Saints rejoyce in nothing else but in the Lord Jesus alone Obj. But I know it will be objected Oâ—bj though God doth thus and he onely draws the soule to Jesus Christ yet this is not done without means and instruments Answ First Answ truly I grant it is so but the wayes of God are like himself infinite and he is infinitly wise and his wayes are past all the thoughts and imaginations of the hearts of men for eye hath not seen Rom. 11.33 1 Cor. 2.9 nor ear heard nor is the heart of man ever able to finde out the secret wayes of the Lord. Secondly God hath not onely determined a thing but determined also by what power and instruments and means he will bring it to passe but in this it is otherwise with God then with man Man may propose a means to an end that is weak and may faile but God never intends and purposes an end but the means is as infinite as himselfe and as eternal and omnipotent as himselfe so that his meanes cannot faile he speaks and it shall and must come to pass 'T is true God hath ordained the means by which he brings men to Jesus Christ Psal 33.9 but this means is hiw own power and spirit and strength Obj. But thou wilt say Obi. Is it solely by himself alone without an Organ and Instrument is there not something subordinate Answ Truly the workings of God have alwayes a subject wherein to be manifested Answ as in man there is the soule which is the Recipient and subject in which the things of life and death are acted there is usually an Organ And how should they hear without a Preacher Rom. 10.14 yet both the Organ and the Preacher are empty dead things And if I or any man in being exercised about the things of God should look upon our selves otherwise quite laying by all thoughts of power wisdom ability to do any thing but to be only as a Pipe or Cistern through which those divine things passe and no more we take that praise to our selves which is alone due to God Now though it be so I say that this Organ is but a dead thing through which the life of God passeth if we be any thing else in our message and speaking to you but as men that have denied our selves laid aside our own wisedome strength conceits and abilities and all the workings of our own heads if we be not dead to all things that so the Lord may speak through us then I may boldly say we are not those Instruments and Embassadours by which he entreats his people to be reconciled unto him 1 Cor. 3.6 Therefore be pleased to consider that place of the Apostle in 1 Cor. 3.6 I have planted and Apollo hath watered So then Paul may be called a Planter and Apollo a Waterer but doth he goe no farther nay saith he Neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth any thing Vers 7 but God that gives the encrease thoug they may improperly be called PLANTERS and WATERERS yet neither is the Planter any thing nor the Waterer any thing So that it is clear it is no otherwise but thus It pleased God out of his own love and goodnesse to condescend so low as to speak the Words of Eternal Life mercy by us and to one another that men of the same Blood and Frailtie should become Instruments and no other in the hand of the Lord taking no glory to themselves in any thing onely to be as weak and fraile and dead Instruments whereby the Lord will speak out the Words of Eternal Life But this creature is to be considered as nothing at all neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God is all therefore I say 1 Cor. 3.7 till it be so with us that we are dead to all our own wit and reason and all our understanding till these are killed and dead and we stand onely waiting upon the Lord as Habakkuk saith Hab. 2.1 Hab. 2.1 I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the Tower and will watch to see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer I say when the soule is thus dead and silent to his own wit to his own selfeseeking to all his own opinions of wisdom or strength or parts I say there is no man which is a true Prophet or a Messenger from God till then For all the Prophets and Embassadours from God come thus qualified and they are not ashamed thus to shame themselves and to be as nothing in the eyes of themselves and others that so the Lord alone may be lifted up and exalted in them And when God appears thus in the poor dead Organ then usually God works in them and by them For saith the Apostle We have this treasure in earthen vessels 2 Cor. 4.7 God useth Organs and Instruments but there is no Efficiency in the Instruments for notwithstanding all that I can say and speak if the eternal sense and mind of the spirit be not at the back of it and goe home with it it will be but a Parable a History and a Paradox to you Mat. 13.11 Saith Christ to you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom So then
be nothing but A sink of sin A body of death A bottomlesse pit of abominations Mark 4.21 Rom. 7.24 Rev. 9 2. that I was a fool and madness was in my heart in all I did And that he alone was goodness mercy power wisdom eternity salvation and Alsufficiency this he freely and with all readinesse acknowledgeth and this he is not ashamed to declare as those are that would be esteemed holy Ones but to tell it to all the world though all the wise and holy men of the world esteem him a foole and a madman yet this is his glory to take shame to himselfe But all your wise and righteous men all their contriving is to hide all their shame and they would be thought to be holy men and strict men and that they walk exactly and according to the rule of the word and this is their glory that others have this esteem of them they would not for a world be thought as vile and finful as others they hate that Jesus Christ should so far lay them open to the world and themselves Psal 56.8 Ezek. 8.11 What are they to come before the Lord and have no Goodnesse no Endeavours no Watchfulnesse no Bottles of Prayers to offer no sweet incense to offer no Duties thereby to think well of themselves this would be Death and Destruction and Desolation to them When God knows when once he will arise in them Psal 50 21. and set their sins in order then all their delusions and coverings will be removed and they made naked Then all their fine and neat contrivances to disguise themselves before God and men shall be rent and destroyed Joh. 9.39 when the Lord will arise and come to Judgment in their hearts then all their inward parts shall be laid open and what they have dâ—ne in secret shall be proclaimed upon the house top Mat. 24.15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet stand in the holy place whoso readeth let him understand then shall there be in those dayes great tribulation in them Luk. 8.17 Mat. 24.21 Mark 13.14 Luk. 21.25 and the Moon shall not give her light and the Stars shall fall from Heaven and the powers of the Heavens shall be shaken Then he that is on the house top shall not come down to take any ting out of his house he shall not go down to fetch any of his Riches or Gold or Silver none of his fine utensils for worship none of his fine and workmanlike duties none of his strictnesses none of his holy walkings he is stript of all left naked and how are their houses left unto them desolate in one moment Babylon in them is fallen is fallen and shee that said in her heart I shall sit a Queen and am no Widow and shall see no sorrow therefore shall her plagues come upon her in one day Rev. 18.2 c. death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her Then is the houre of Judgment come and the Lord will arise and nothing can hinder or stand before him This will be a miserable day to these men a day of blackness and gloominess and thick Clouds the Sun turned into darkness and the moon into blood A deluge of wrath is now irresistibly comming upon them and then the Heavens shall be rolled together as a scrole and the earth shall melt with fervent heat and all their works burnt up 2 Pet. 3.10 Then from hence we may conclude that at that day all men even the wisest men of the world will be at their wits end to cover and hide themselves from the wrath of the Lamb and from him that sits on the Throne Rev. 6.16 Then all those Merchants of Babylon shall lament for her That their Whore their Strumpet with whom they have all their dayes committed fornication is made desolate c. their trade of Religion is quite overturned Mich. 3.11 those that made Merchandise of the Word and Preacht for money and for hire and to get bread or to make themselves great and to that end got into forms and duties and fellowships that men might have high thoughts of them and made long prayers under pretence and to grow rich by devouring widows houses Mat. 23.14 and yet these things these pretences these prayers and duties they heap to themselves thinking they may please God with them and these things as foule and abominable as they be they think to be a goodly sacrifice But when this day comes that the Lord will arise and plead his own cause all these things will stand in no stead all their works must be burnt up then he will remember how these foolish men blasphème his name Psal 74.22 23. Psal 74.22 23. And if they should bethink themselve wherewithal to come before the Lord and to offer thousands of Rams and ten thousand Rivers of Oyle nay if they give the fruit of the Body for the sin of their Soul Micah 6.7 all were to to no purpose For the Father the Eternal Majesty of Heaven can be pleased with nothing but that One Eternal and Alsufficient sacrifice the blood of his own dear Son For men to call themselves Christians and Saints and for others to esteem them so is a poor covering now in this day it will not cover their nakednesse The bed is too short to stretch themselves on it and the covering is too narrow they cannot cover nor wrap themselves in it Esa 28.20 T is not all their fellowships and Congregatings nor washings nor External eatings and sitting down with Christ at his Table nor their Perswasions that they do the mind of God and conform exactly to the rule and letter of the word All things of this nature is but of man Phil. 3.19 and they glory in their own shame Thou dishonourest thy head Christ to pray or prophesie and thy head not BARE if thy self be not stript naked t is a dishonour to Christ who is the head of the Church for all honor all praise all wisdom all goodness all righteousnesse is Christ's crown and no creature is to wear that Crown but himself alone If thou takest these or any part of these which are due alone to him thou makest Christ ashamed he is dishonoured for there is no Goodnesse no Love no Beauty no Life but onely in the Son of God and whatever is in him is his for the Church not that they enjoy it in themselves but in him all glory be to him and all shame and confusion upon themselves and hereby is their head magnified Christ alone is their Covering their Righteousnesse their Wisedome their Redemption their Saviour their Beauty they have no shelter no hiding place but in him Those that are ashamed thus to acknowledge and confess him before men Mat. 10.32 he will be ashamed to confess them
but the Apostle tels us of another Ruler and Teacher As many as are Christs are led by the spirit of Christ Rom. 8.14 Acts 17.7 And in the Acts it is said the Apostles would have gone into Bithynia After they were come to Missia they assayed to goe into Bithynia but the spirit suffered them not for they found trouble and opposition there was the Lord leading of them and guiding of them otherwise they did not set a foot forward their eye was still upon the Lord so till the cloud be removed from over the Tabernacle the soule will finde nothing but trouble and destruction if it goe onward and the Lord hath not discovered the light of the Tabernacle and himselfe goe before it Then in the first place this discovers to us that there are usually two things in the way of Christ which oftentimes in the world are mistaken and taken one for another there are I say the heavenly things themselves and there are the Patterns of them now the Pattern is not set forth for it selfe but in reference and Relation unto the thing of which it is a pattern And a copy or exemplar it is not for it selfe but in relation to what we should act imitate or doe by it so there are the heavenly things themselves and the patterns or types or similitudes of them Take speciall notice of these two things Now we shall finde it apparent if we consider it that the world hath alwayes been quick-eyed to see the one but not at all to discern the other The world and especially the great professours of Religion have been quick-sighted to discern the form pattern and similitudes of Heavenly things and there they have been satisfied But I say to find feel and enjoy and to live in the Heavenly things themselves Heb. 9.23 Col. 1.26 1 Joh. 7.6 this is that Mystery that hath been hid from ages and Generations your time that is the time of the flesh is always But My time that is the time of Christ is not always as to man though always as to God I say the world in all Ages could never be found to be without living upon and in the patterns forms and shapes of Heavenly things according as they fancied but to find the sons of men living in under and by the power of Heavenly things themselves that is the Mystery that hath I say been hidden from ages and generations as Paul saith We all find the Jews in the time of Moses they all lived under the Law in that form they all saw the outward form of the Tabernacle had a reverent esteem of that and there rested And so how many are there now who rest on the outward forms of washing and dipping these I take to be the Familists the world so much hates and talks of for they are all of this Family and Society and herein lies so far as I can see their Church-membership which they so much Idolize And for all this how few are there of them that are of the inward assembly of the Saints that are come to the general assembly of the Church of the first born which are written in Heaven they are come and are brought but only to the mount that may not be touched and that burneth with fire Heb. 12.18 22. and unto blackness and darkness and tempest How many of them I say are these that are brought to Forms Fellowships and Washings which as they are used produce nothing but blackness and darkness and fire and Tempest not into the Unity of that one Spirit But Onely to be baptized with Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea 1 Cor. 10.1 c. Ps 95.11 Heb. 3 17.18.19 for with many of them saith the Apostle God was not well pleased whose Carkasses fell in the Wilderness And the Text saith they entred not into his Rest but were overthrown in the Wilderness because of unbelief Now we shall finde no age in the world where the people have wanted their forms of things in one kind or other but ye shall hardly find any age wherein people have lived under and upon the Heavenly things themselves How many patterns and similitudes have the Papists in their Church the Pope himself in imitation of Christ can wash the feet of twelve Pilgrims once in the year and fares it any better with those that call themselves members of other Churches to be only Apostles in imitation some have one pattern some another one thinks he hath the true Baptisme because he hath the similitude and pattern of spiritual Baptism which was then by some used by way of dipping in water Another hath the pattern and similitude of eating Christs Body and drinking his Blood in their breaking of Bread which was but the type of the Heavenly bread that was the Body of Christ But Christ saith Joh. 6.53 except a man eat his flesh and drink his blood he hath no life in him How many Churches partake of the patterns and shadows and whatever they say they conclude from thence they are the Church of God because say they we have the right use of the Sacraments which is a sign of a true Church because they have the patterns types and shadows observing onely outward rules forms and carnal ordinances which all perish with the using wherefore Col 2.20 if ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the world why as though living in the world are ye subject to Ordinances yet impudently and blasphemously wil they dare to say they are not Church of Man but of God when they know not the mystery nor live according to the power of the Heavenly things themselves and therefore herein that Scripture comes to be fulfilled that men shall have a form of godliness 2 Tim. 3.5 but deny the power of it for the one may be where the other is not and the Apostle tells us That he is not a Jew that is one outwardly but he is a Jew that is one inwardly Rom. 2.28 29. whose circumcision is of the heart and spirit whose praise is not of men but of God So from hence it is clear many Churches and many hundred thousands of souls may have an exact pattern and yet want the Heavenly things themselves they may have the pattern as the Jews had that were sanctified and washed only with the Blood of Bulls and Goats but to have the Heavenly things themselves viz. that Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of life and to have the Purifications and Sanctifications that are onely by his blood this they are strangers to This is the spiritual and living fire and where ever it is in the soul of man it cannot but break forth to the destroying of all things of man and flesh and magnifying and exalting all things of the Spirit of God So that hence it is clear that it would be the wisdome of the sons of men to see whether they have the heavenly things themselves and
23.7 c. who love to be called RABBI or by that Blasphemous Title of DIVINE and they must be honoured above other Saints of God and they are The Clergie and others they are but the Layitie of a meaner rank then we say they And how doe they love to have greetings in the market and the uppermost rooms at Feasts and the like well let them look to it God will judge them one day for all their Sorceries and inchantments and for standing up between him and his glory To whom alone all praise is due but to every man misery shame confusion of face blacknesse of darknesse hell and condemnation But hence we may see that it is no new thing to be bewitched by the Sorcerers and Inchanters and Magicians of the World The Galathians themselves were so for there are many Antichrists in the world there are legions gone out from the Prince of darknesse to deceive the whole Earth And if any from Christ speak but the truth he by his cunning devices will disguise it under the shape of Heresie Schisme Familisme or some odious nickname or other that so the truth may not be owned nor known That so men may stop their eares against the Heavenly voyce of Christ which brings down all things adored or loved in or from man and sets up nothing else but the power wisdom goodnesse holiness and Alsufficiency of the Lord alone He cries Mans heart and all the imaginations thereof are onely evill continually and that there is none that doth good Psal 14.3 Rom. 3 10. no not one They are all gone out of the way and every one is become abominable there is none that understands or seeks GOD. And that there is nothing in man of good but all is evill sin death darkness abomination a lye and utter desolation But Satan cries in the mouthes of his Ministers Let man doe something he can pray he can heare and let him follow those rules that we prescribe and they shall bring peace and rest to his soule But if man were but content to heare the voice of Christ and to stand in the light of God he should be convinced that he had no power no goodnesse and that nothing but onely the power of God could carry him out and that he is dead in trespasses and sins Ephes 2.1 and that the voice of Christ alone can raise them from their graves and that no lesse power can quicken or raise but the eternall Almighty power which raised Iesus Christ himselfe from the dead Rom. 8.11 It is not as men say If you will come to us and joyn and walk with us and be dipt with us or break bread with us will give any life any peace to the soule but the standing in the light of God that so man may take to himselfe death and darknesse misery and wrath and here to stand and dwell and that in him is no good thing then this light would also shew him that in Christ is all life liberty fulnesse satisfaction peace and rest and nowhere else If men did but abide in this light it would debase and keep low the lofty thoughts and those great expectations of and from man it would also give Jesus Christ his due it would not suffer him in the least to act against the glory of Christ but man would be dead and buried and Christ would onely ascend and sit upon his Throne There would nothing be esteemed in Heaven or Earth Mat. 19.21 but Christ and he would be content to sell and lose all for him This light would curb every wicked act every desire of the flesh this alone is the means to crucifie and kill thy vile nature and not any outward externall thing by washing or dipping in water or eating such a poore empty carnall thing as a bit of bread or drinking a sup of wine this thing never did nor never will doe it but to eate and drink that which Christ gave which was not a little bread and wine onely but HIMSELFE Joh. 6.56 1 Cor. 11.29 Ibid. v. 20 ch 10.16 and by feeding on him eating his body and drinking his blood this will nourish to eternall life When ye are met together into one place this is not to eate the Lords body For the bread which we break is the Communion of the body of Christ and he that eateth and drinketh unworthily discerneth not the Lords body Object But may I not use these things Object Ans Yea Answ so you think your selves never the better for using them for t is not they can feed or comfort thee nor t is not going on in thy own power nor thy using of means for Christ alone is the way and the means As if you come to a Feast you are not invited to eate the platters or earthern dishes which bring the meat but you are invited to the meat they doe but bring the meat and if thou eate not the meat thou mayst starve and die if thou follow the dreams of thy own heart and thinkest thou eatest and dost not what a horrible delusion and inchantment is this But of these things we may have an opportunity to speak more fully hereafter Thus you see what are those things which the Lord will cut off in that day when he shall come Thy Horses and thy Chariots thy Cities and thy strong holds Thy witchcraft and thy Southsayers Thy graven Images and thy standing Images out of the midst of thee THE SECRET SOUTHSAYER OR Hidden SORCERER discovered By Mr. Jo. WEBSTER SERMON II. Preached at Alhallows Lumbard-street MICAH 5.10 11 12 13. And it shall come to passe in that day saith the Lord That I will cut off thy Horses out of the midst of thee and I will destroy thy Chariots And I will cut off the Cities of thy Land and throw down all thy strong holds I will cut off Witchcrafts out of thine hand and thou shalt have no more Southsayers Thy graven Images also will I cut off and thy standing Images out of the midst of thee and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands I Have beloved according to the appearance of God in me shewed the meaning of these words according to the Spirit and the Mysterie declaring that great work which is brought to passe by Jesus Christ when he appeares gloriously in the world in the soules of men and is exalted as Lord and King and then it is when Jesus Christ is exalted in the earth and not when men are exalted or when there is peace and plenty of outward things But all the speakings of the Prophets and of Christ himselfe tend to set out that Kingdome and PERSONALL REIGNE which generally all men know little of and neither wil nor can own for a glorious state because not accommodated with outward power riches and eternall glory But in that day when Jesus Christ will come and arise in power spiritually in the soules of men then is that
dare not stand in his Own condemnation he dare not let this light shine on his works because They know they are evil Therefore they hate it preach against it cry out upon it as damnable doctrine and call the Professors thereof Seducers Familists Quakers Jesuits any thing to make them the most odious to the sonnes of men and they themselves resolve to smother it in themselves and will not be guided or directed by it they are resolved not to be weake not to be poore not to be fools not to be vile but make the world still think that they are wise strong holy sober grave regular in all they do and obedient to the very smallest and strictest rules of Christ and he that shall tax them or conceive or declare otherwise of them is to them a Fiend a Serpent a Divel Lastly from this ONENESS of the Deliverer we may conclude As there is but One Deliverer so there is but one way of Deliverance though there may be in the world thousands of inventions of men some worshipping this way and some that some after one form and some after another yet this is certain there is but one Deliverer and one way of Deliverance Eph. 4.5 As the Apostle saith Ephes 4.5 There is a unity in the spirit which is the bond of peace There is one body and one spirit One Lord that is One Deliverer one Faith one Baptism that is one way of deliverance One God and father of all who is above all and through all and in all One Saviour and One way of salvation and there is no more And this way is Christ in man bringing forth the light of God to empty kill and destroy the glory and wisdom of man to make a man as poore as Job having lost all and lying upon the dunghill full of boiles scabs and sores from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet and as miserable as Lazarus with his sores which the dogs came and Licked and to make them lie begging for he smallest crums to relieve them Whosoever thou art if thy deliverance be not wrought this way let me tell thee freely thou wert never yet dilivered however thou flatterest thy selfe to the contrary You may talk of forms and disciplines and dippings and of eating and drinking with Christ and breaking of bread and of Baptismes and all other externall things But this alone is the true Baptisme and the true eating of Christ his body and the drinking his blood This is the One way wrought by this One deliverer and whoever he be that lives in multiplicity of forms and diversity of worships or holds these things forth as Christs way without this Baptism of the spirit he holds forth a lye and a delusion and misery and wrath and desolation of spirit will come in the end for this is that one and only way which Jesus Christ hath used in all the Saints from the beginning of the world and will doe to the end to bring man low in himselfe that he alone may be exalted As there is but One God and Father of all but one Husband who is rich unto all so there is but one Church but one Spouse but one body and this one Spouse body or Church they are all joyned married or brought home to Christ but in this one way And there is but one power but one wisdom but one strength whereby all the people of God were and ever shall be delivered Beloved what a stir does all the world make about setting up a world of severall inventions with variety of washings rules dippings forms and every individuall fellowship say we are in the right way our way is the best and we are neerest the rule and the Primitive practise and our way is the way of peace and rest such and such they miss the rule of the word in this and in that but our way is the most exact and most perfect of all All which is no other but that which Christ foretels shall come when they say Loe here is Christ or Loe he is there but Christs command is Goe not after them for the Kingdom of God comes not with observation Luke 17.20 nor consists not in outward observations nor in eating or drinking nor in dipping in water Col. 22.21 22. nor in meats and drinks nor in obeying the commands and rules of men As touch not taste not handle not which all perish in the using for All things of that nature are far below those spirituall things in which consists the Kingdom of God which is righteousnesse peace joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 and in being Baptized with the spirit and with fire There is but one eating of Christs body and drinking his blood and this is no other but what is given by Jesus Christ himselfe 1 Cor. 11.24 and whoever eats not nor drinks not of this He it is that eats damnation not discerning the Lords body And though men eate and drink and break bread together never so often and be never so constant and observant therein yet the Apostle says plainly This is not to eat the Lords body but t is onely the eating the Hidden Manna that can nourish to everlasting life Rev. 2.7 T is onely the eating of the Tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God that can make us live for ever And of this bread all the Saints doe eat And what one Saint is fed with the same are all Saints and what a Sint lives by he eates daily and this is his food and nourishment the bread that feeds them is not eating for an houre or the like but for ever t is his daily food by which he is nourished and fed to the Kingdom of God He does not one day feed like a Saint and another day like a divel He does not onely examine himselfe to eate a little bit of bread and drink a sup of wine but he daily examines himselfe and he daily and continually eats of this bread 1 Cor. 10.17 and drinks of this cup for they being many are one bread and one body for they are all partakers of that one bread and what ever they doe and when ever they eate Luke 22.19 1 Cor. 11.24 they doe it in remembrance of him They live upon Christ in all things they see Him to be their life their motion their rule and ruler their righteousnesse wisdom redemption They see there is not one creature acts or moves nor is there one change of providence but they see Christ do it more truly then they see the creature doth it They see him the Soveraign Lord and Commander ruling and doing all things as in themselves so in the whole creation of Heaven and earth and this is that they live by and feed upon They have such meat to eat Joh. 4.32 which none knows the vertue of but only they who eat it such meat it is the world knows
escaped from the snare of the Hunter Hast thou really seen thy selfe lost undone made miserable hast thou seen that thy self was in Captivity and that thou wast deaf and dumb and blind and lame that thou wert shut up in darknesse and death and that there was none in Heaven or Earth able to help thee in the least but thou seeing thy selfe so miserable and hopeless that thou wert at thy wits end and no help at all appeared If this have not been thy condition though thou couldst speak never so excellently of the Letter and the History and though thou submittedst to the highest forms and to the soberest and most strict course of life being constant and austere in observing of thy rules for hearing and reading and set times of prayer and constant examining thy self to keep thy selfe up the stricter to thy Rules alas poor soul all this is nothing though thou couldest speak with the Tongue of Men and Angels 1 Cor. 13.1 and pray with such sweet words and language as might ravish all the men on earth If thou doest not finde Christ Jesus in thee breaking every bond and loosing every yoak and that no other in Heaven or Earth could do it but he thou wert never yet delivered but art still under wrath death and bondage The chief thing that every soul is to mind in reading and hearing is to examine whether the same thing be wrought in them whatever we find in the Letter if it be not made good in us what are the words to us we must see how Christ is crucified and buried in us and how he is risen and raised from death in us the chief thing I say is to look into our own breasts All generally that hold forth a profession of Christ they say in words that Christ is the Deliverer but that is not the thing but is he a Deliverer to thee Is that glorious MESSIAH promised Rom. 11.26 and the Deliverer out of Sion come with power into thy soul hath he exalted himselfe there and hath he made bare his arm and been a glorious CONQVERER in thee hath he taken to himself his great power to raign in thee Rev. 11.17 Is he King of Kings and Lord of Lords in thee c. Beloved all preaching and reading and praying and duties is to this end to examine thy inward man and thy spiritual condition Thou joinest thy self in fellowship and walkest conformable to all thy rules and thou art washed and thou breakest bread with them and thinkest herein thou hast obeyed the commands of Christ alas this is nothing if Jesus Christ have not joined thee to himself and made thee a member of him what good doe all these things for by all these outward actings thou dost not discern the Lords body To discern the Lords body is to eat him to be united to him to be made one spirit with him that so he may be made experimentally a Saviour and a Deliverer in thee That he hath taken thy soul out of the mire and clay Ps 40.2 and out of the horrible pit thou canst say experimentally and by feeling that it was an horrible pit and that there thy soul stuck fast and thou hadst no hope ever to get forth and if Christ hath set thee free thou knowest full well no power could do it but only his Eph. 1.19 only the same power which raised Jesus Christ from the grave and no lesse And thou whoever thou art who hast experience of this work thou art in one of these two conditions either thou art set free and delivered by the power of Jesus Christ or else thou seest thy self in the pit in straits in misery in a hopelesse condition and art sighing and groaning for deliverance and waiting when Christ will deliver thee And if thou beest but in either of these two conditions thou art in a safe and good Condition but if thou hast been in this misery and condemnation and thou hast used all means to put this off and sought out deliverance for thy selfe and by thy wisedome and strength and conformity and holinesse hast got thy selfe a covering by any thing under Heaven then Jesus Christ never was a Deliverer to thee but though thou thinkest thy selfe delivered yet thou art for all thy peace and for all thy Coverings under a worse bondage then before Therefore I say I would have every soul before me examine it selfe whether he be a true seeker of Deliverance which is to examine in which of these two Conditions he is in whether he hath been under these Terrors and death in hell and condemnation seeing himself lost and miserable and that instead of seeing any wisdom or power or righteousnesse in himself that he hath seeen and doth still see himself to be a meer sink of sin and a cage of unclean birds and that in him is nothing but weaknesse Rev. 18.2 wickednesse and all abominations And let me ask thee when thou wast in this condition whither wentest thou for help whether to dumb Idols that could not help that have eyes and see not and ears and hear not or to the living God in whom alone is help and deliverance And if thou art at present in this condition and distresse Joh. 5.4 thou art one that lies waiting at the pool till the Angel stir the waters expecting when Christ will put thee in Thou wilt not run to this duty and that form to ease thy self and to allay these Terrors and to quench these flames but if help come not there thou waist and there thou standest and remainest in this condemnation and goest up and down sighing and mourning all the day long and thou seest t is not in the power of all the Ministers under Heaven not in all the forms and rules that can be invented but only in the tender mercy and good will of Jesus Christ All other wayes thou lookest upon but as going out to Asher Hos 7.11 and to Egypt and to seek after dumb Idols that have a picture of eyes and ears and hands promising as though they could help but they can neither see nor hear nor help though to others they appear glorious and goodly things and they blesse themselves in using them yet to thee they are dead cold and helplesse so that now here thou waitest and sittest alone like the Pelican in the Desart Ps 102.6 and there thou mournest and bemoanest thy condition and with David thou hast no rest in thy bones because of thy sins Ibid. 38.3 Try thy self now in which is thy condition if in neither of these thou art in a most sad miserable condition indeed and so much the more sad because thou seest it not Or it may be thou hast cured thy self and healed thy selfe but art not cured nor healed Jer. 6.14 but the Prophets have healed the Daughter of my people slightly as the Prophet speaks have not throughly discovered their iniquity to turn
not without demonstration enough that they do but flatter Christ with their MOVTHS when their hearts are far from him sayes Iehu 2 Kings 10 16. See my zeal for the Lord of Hosts but we know his zeal was but for himself So these men are offended if any thing be said to touch them or their wayes pretending dishonour to Christ and they cry out BLASPHEMY because it reproves their blindnesse or ignorance shewing that they are the blind leaders of the blind and both fal into the ditch Luk. 6.39 so do it out of pretence of love to Christ and zeal for the Lord of Hosts If so be it were so that they did make God their zeal and Christ their rest and their dependance as they would have all beleeve what is the reason that these men professing themselves Servants to Christ and Messengers from Christ what 's the reason I say they are so in love with the world who more hunting after Honour after Riches after Applause and in all things seeking themselves as much or more then others making no profession what 's the reason that they must come forth as messengers sent out from Christ and yet they must have two coats Mark 6.9 contrary to their Masters command and they must have their scrip and their bag and who more taking care to provide for the body for food and rayment and the like and yet they say they are doing the Lords work yet dare not trust their Master for outward things shall any man think these men have trusted their souls with him who dare not trust their bodies with him but they must have so much a year and they must indent with the people or else they will not work how say you are not these those that make merchandise of the word of God certainly these men can never make out themselves messengers from Christ 2 Cor. 4.2 approving themselves to every mans conscience in the sight of God neither hath he Commissioned them nor given them their errand nor revealed his secrets to them but they run before they are sent and say thus saith the Lord when he sent them not Jer. 14.23 neither have they seen any vision as the Prophet saith Certainly these are not the men that preach the word of God out of a ready mind and constraint of love depending on the Lord for their recompence and reward 1 Pet. 5.2 but for filthy lucre sake These men never yet received the truth in the love of it in themselves but preach for honour and for praise and because it is a place in credit and this delights them and is very pleasing to the flesh and because they are had in honour and so much they will speak forth and no more then may stand with those things and they dare not venture either their honour or riches or credit c. upon the account of truth no not for their lives Are these of Pauls mind who cryed out woe is me if I preach not the Gospel but these men if they can have but the accomodations that attend a Minister in these dayes 1 Cor. 9.16 as riches and honour and praise and full tables and entertainments and feasting and uppermost seats and the like they will doe well enough for dispensing the Gospel and do that warily and tenderly enough without prejudicing their own esteem or offending others And are not these men faithful Stewards think ye as they would fain be esteemed that can thus order their wayes and keep up themselves and dare not for their ears commit themselves nor their works to the Lord nor to the Authority and power of truth in the hearts of men I am much grieved to see these things and yet who seem more zealous then these men who say they are doing their Lords work just so did the Pharisees up and down whom Christ so sharply reproves for Hypocrisie and Blindness and Covetousnesse and Deceivers c. being blind leaders of the blind and both fall into the ditch Mat. 15.14 But the reason of all this is because these men were never yet emptied in themselves they never took up the crosse of Christ Ibid. 10.38 or denied themselves but are rich and full and holy and wise and sober and very strict as they would be thought and think so of themselves for though they talk and babble of these things in a litteral way yet they never had them in experience but boast of things in another mans line 2 Cor. 10.14 15. and stretch themselves beyond their own measure borrowing this mans words and the other mans experience and because Paul and others have been witnesses to the truth and of high manifestations of God brought forth in them this they appropriate and arrogate and say t is their condition when t is no such matter but having a shew of humility and godlinesse they deceive the simple and are such who serve not the Lord Iesus Christ but their own belly and by good words Col. 2.23 and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple and are such who cannot give testimony to the truth in themselves they are full of curious collected choise words but if you bring those words to experience they plainly discover they know nothing of them but do indeed oppose the truth in themselves for they love honour and greatnesse and the praise of men of whom Christ saith plainly How can YEE believe who thus seek honour one of another and not that honour which commeth from God only Joh. 5.44 Certainly these men whatever they talk of Christ and preach of Christ and make a great noise in words yet they will be found to be no other but as sounding brass and tinkling Cymbals 1 Cor. 13 1 They will undertake to invite others to Christ and never found Jesus in themselves for no man can come after him but he that denies himselfe Mar. 8.34 and takes up his cross and follows him and though they in words and notions talk of self-deniall and selling all for the PEARL yet they are wise in themselves and holy in themselves and rich in themselves and they have a power to act in the waies of God and to conform them selves to the rule have these men sold all think you and though they say men are dead in trespasses and sins yet how many MVSTS do they lay upon them and doe Thus and Thus And whence is all this but because indeed they never yet followed Christ never yet found him never yet believed in him never yet denied themselves were never reduced to emptiness and nothingness but are still alive and whole in themselves except it be for a few outward neglects or omissions now and then and that they can make up again with a little double diligence and this is their way and herein lies the life and top of their Religion And truly brethren how can these things be otherwise Did the woman with the bloody
his wisdom knowledge dignity and preferment in Jesus the Eternal Saviour of his Soule therefore I say here may any that live in the light see the great work of the Lord even when the greatest wisedome is made folly the greatest knowledge made ignorance and all that Gods wisdom may appear Oh what a wonder is it yea a Beautiful thing in this case to see a rich man spoild of his riches a strong man robbed of his strength and a spirit adorned with All carnal exercises made willing to suffer the loss of all that it may enjoy be filled with the fulness of him that filleth all in all there is none but such spirits as His that are made willing to suffer the losse of all that will forsake the Worlds Crown for Christs Crosse yet his spirit hath chosen with poor Moses rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures and profits of the world for a season As doth appear plainly in that he is not afraid to declare and witnesse forth to the unbeleeving world what great things the Lord hath done in and for his soule though he receive nothing from the world but scandal persecution and reproach which was and is all the reward that the people of God doe or ever shall receive from the world because they bear forth the witnesse of the Lord against all its formal covetous self-ended Religion which covers it self under the mantle of Christ thereby to gain the honour riches and pleasant endowments of the earth and makes the mercy and goodnesse of God which leads into all charity towards All creatures a cloak for them to hide their carnal and selfish practices under but this Poor heart having cast off and abandoned the cloaks of shame and renounced the hidden things of dishonesty deals not craftily neither handles the word of God deceitfully but declares the truth to every mans conscience in the sight of God For first here is laid open the foundation declaring that there is no peace life power wisdom righteousnesse nor Eternal happinesse in any other but in Jesus Christ and the heart of the Fathers love made manifest in flesh And also that there is no way to attain to the knowledge of this Jesus but by his own life power and wisdome And this is that which makes the professing ones in this as in all ages to bend their utmost power and strength against it For now cryes BABEL that 's hunting after God on purpose to get worldly power and riches into its hand that when by its pretended Religion it hath got earthly power it may oppresse persecute and undoe the poor groaning and distressed Saints of Jesus Christ who have relinquisht the world that they may serve him in doing good to every one of his creatures if this truth saith shee go forward then the hope of all our gain is gone and we shall no longer be applauded esteemed or set by for this teaches all men to deny themselves to forsake the world The riches pleasures and profits thereof and alwayes to doe good by relieving the oppressed and paying the debts of the imprisoned and that every poor captive may goe free Nay and not only so but also it declares the emptinesse of all our Forms Negative Religions Duties precise Walkings preachings prayings and all other of our Customes and Observations therefore is she forc't to seek the downfal of it or otherwise to lose all her self-glory But O yee Religious Ones let me ask you one Question or two Did Christ or his Apostles deny all ouâ—ward grosse sins as drunkennesse swearing lying and the like that they might become covetous proud and powerful in the world as it is too too apparent by your practice YE do as I shal clearly evince and demonstrate in these ensuing particulars 1. Is there any that have increased and advanced their carnal and worldly estates more then you in these times 2. Is there any that flatter men in Authority more then you and if for any other end then earthly preferment let the effects and fruits speak I know your pretences are that you aim at the glory of God but what are the fruits are they not self-glory for who are more self-seeking who more rich who more high and potent then you who are more desirous of worldly honour and rule then you And why do you say the Scriptures are a rule of life and make them no lesse then God and walk not according to their Rule Do you ever read in Scripture that Christ or his Apostles grew rich and mighty in the world by declaring and witnessing forth the truth in life and doctrine and wherefore are you not like them And ought not all to follow their examples if They ought then why doe not you Where is that self-denial and forsaking the world that Christ so often commands and exhorts to amongst you who are imbracing and thrusting after the world with all eagernesse and love to go in long cloathing to be known from other men that ye may receive Greetings in Markets and the chief seats in the Synagogues and the uppermost rooms at Feasts these are the things that please you How can you believe who thus love to receive Honour of men and seek not that which is of God Would it not be a happiness to you to have the Scripture changed into another form where it saith forsake the world deny thy selfe that it might say embrace the world and cleave to thy selfe for sure I am the one agrees more with your wayes then the other But now to my second Question did ever Christ or his Apostles persecute and hate any that were not of their minds yea or no if they did not then why do you And where is that spirit of love amongst you that is kinde to the evil and unthankful and why do you seek to civil Governours to assist in upholding that you call your Religion and in punishing all those that are contrary to it seeing Christ and his Apostles did not so doth it not hence plainly appear that you own the Scripture in words but denies it in your practice Oh my dear Hearts Are you talking of the Word being a rule of being frequent in duties of becomming obedient to Gods revealed will and walk not according to that rule but in words and outward restraint of some common vices have any of you at any time given freely of your goods to the poor or relieved poor Captives imprisoned for debt or visited the poor Widows and Fatherlesse children in their necessities purely for Christs sake nay this is not with you and if it were what were it available if it should not be from a right Principle yet I know you can speak well but alas that helps not Well thus I have clearly declared your estate it therefore now remains to shew unto you why you do all these things even because you have not known Christ nor the father working in you death
to all these devilish deceits that your soules might come to live in him who is Truth it selfe And then you would not onely be professors but possessors of that Eternal love which would lead you into the truth and goodnesse in sincerity But because this friend of truth will not nor cannot own your outside worship he having by Gods power found the deceit thereof he is therefore by you cast out as a Heretick and so are all those that in truth and uprightnesse of heart are led and acted forth by God to work his own works for Wisdom is justified of her Children The second thing that is breathed forth in this book is this that as Christ is the Foundation so he alone it is that doth build upon this Foundation that building that will stand when all other shall and must fall and not only so but he likewise begins the work of his own power in every particular soule and carries on the same with his own hand in despight of all opposition causing flesh and all the power thereof to fall down before his face into death misery judgment and condemnation where all the glory of the first creation is seald down under the covenant of death never to rise again in its own strength power wisdom nor righteousnesse but if ever it rise again it may rise in the power wisdom and righteousnesse of Jesus the Eternal Son of the living God And thus God exercises his people under the administration of his power by bringing life out of death mercy out of misery fulnesse out of emptinesse strength out of weaknesse sufficiency out of insufficiency joy out of sorrow peace out of war and doth not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax until he hath brought forth judgment into victory and as he begineth and carrieth on his own work so also he it is and none but he that perfects it as saith the Apostle he that hath begun a good work will perfect it For it was the Eternal love of the Lord which by his Son planted the righteous seed in every soule of his and it is the same power and love that causeth it to grow in the spirit of man above all carnal power strength or policy for the pure seed shal reign till all its enemies be subdued and the spirits of those in whom it is perfectly redeemed from the Shrines and Vizzards of mortality Oh how it doth chear my heart to see our near and dear IMMANVEL springing forth unto the blind world in and through earthen vessels to the praise of the glory of Gods great grace who hath made us accepted in his beloved Therefore Reader if thou findest any of these workings in thy own soul then mayst thou know that they are no fictions but the real operations of Gods great power but if thou look not on them in the light of truth there will be no unity between thee and the party through whom they were uttered for he lives in the life of that which here is declared by words and if thou live in the same life and look upon them in the same light then will they be matter of rejoycing to thy soul but if thou look upon them any other way they will be nothing to thee but Parables and Riddles Thus hoping and knowing that God will make this work and every other work together for good to them that love him I commend thee to God and to the work of his grace Resting thy Brother and Companion in tribulation in the Kingdom and Patience of Jesus Christ THO. SOMERTON THE TITLES CONTENTS And TEXTS contained in this Book 1. THe Vail of the Covering spred over All Nations What it is and How removed with a Discovery of that Mountain of Fat things full of Marrow and Wine on the Lees well refined Delivered on a Publick Day of Thanksgiving the 23. of June 1653. at Alhallowes Lumbard street Upon ESA. 25.6 7. In this mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto All people a Feast of Fat things A Feast of Wines on the Lees c. In one Sermon 2. THe Builders of Babel confounded in their Language Being an Exposition by Mr. Webster at the end of a Disputation at Alhallows Lumbard street He being requested to dismisse the multitude with some profitable exhortation which was from Gen. 11. the nine first verses And the whole Earth was of one Language and of one Speech and it came to pass as they journyed from the East they found a Plain in the land of Shinar and they dwelt there and they said one to another Go too let us make brick and burn them throughly c. 3. THe Power of Divine Attraction or The Fathers great love in drawing poor Sinners unto his Son Delivered at White-hall On JOH 6.44 No man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day In one Sermon 4. THe Cloud taken off the Tabernacle that the Israel of God may journey At Alhallows Lumbard street In two Sermons EXOD. 40.36 37 38. And when the Cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle then the Children of Israel went onward in all their journeys But if the Cloud were not taken up they journyed not until the day it was taken up c. 5. THe secret Southsayer or Hidden Sorcerer discovered At Alhallows Lumbard street In two Sermons MICAH 5.10 11 12 13. And I will cut off the Cities of thy land and throw down all thy strong holds I will out off Witchcrafts out of thine hand and thou shalt have no more Southsayers Thy graven Images also will I cut of and thy standing Images out of the midst of thee c. 6. THe rooting up of every plant not planted by the Heavenly Father Delivered at Alhallows Lumbard street In two Sermons MATTH 15.13 14. Jesus answered and said Every plant which my Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up Let them alone they bee blind leaders of the blind and if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch 7. THe Saints perfect freedom or Liberty in Christ asserted in opposition to all yoaks of bondage At Alhallows Lumbard street In two Sermons GALA 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us Free and be not entangled again with the yoak of bondage 8. IN the second of these last Sermons Mr. Webster was freely drawn forth to give that Testimony to Dr. Everards Sermons lately printed which is placed at the end of the Book and are all the Sermons can be expected of his there being not any more preserved Which are sould by R. Harford at the Bible and States-Arms in Little Brittain 9. LAstly hereunto is added A Responsion by Mr. Jo. Webster to certain pretended Arguments against his Book call'd The Saints Guide Reader THere are some few faults escaped at the Press some litteral others in some owrds mistaken but being only such as an
miserable and undone man If once man come to be thus lost undone and brought down in himself then will Jesus Christ make him a Feast of fat things if once his peace be lost his righteousnes lost his joy lost his help lost his strength lost then will Jesus Christ be all these unto him he will make out a peace for him a righteousnesse for him a glory for him he will be to him a feast of fat things full of marrow and wine on the lees well refined And so as he saith in the next verse I will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people and the vail that is spread over all Nations That is mans opinion of his own goodnes his seeming righteousnes which was as a covering as a vail that man could not see himself miserable and under wrath and hell and darknesse This is the covering every man naturally hath an opinion of his own goodness he hath something or other to cover himself withall but some have finer and as they conceive richer coverings then others they think they have more holines and more repentance and more love and more good works these are by so much the worse these are at a farther distance from the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 21.31 And Publicans and Harlots and the vilest sinners shall goe into the Kingdom of heaven and they themselves that have so much holiness shall be shut out Luk. 23.45 Here now The vail of the Temple must be rent from the top to the bottom The rock of their righteousness must be rent their shame must be laid open Ibid. 12.3 what they have done in the secret chambers of their own hearts must now be proclaimed upon the house top they cannot conceal it the covering is removed Now they come to see that Jesus Christ is only the rock of their righteousness and that they have none at all all other rocks all other righteousnesses must be rent that so their want their misery their condemnation their hell their horrour their darkness and delusion may be discovered and if men be once brought to this to be content to be miserable as indeed all mankind is by reason of the fall to be content to see themselves undone to be shut up under the wrath of God condemnation sealed upon them and the pit to have shut her mouth upon them having once thus lost all their power wisdom righteousnes then all death hell and darknes shal be swallowed up in the death of Christ Then he wil as it is in the eighth verse Esay 25.8 Swallow up death in victory and the Lord God shall wipe away all tears from all faces In this mountain he will take away all sorrow and the rebuke of their sins all guilt all condemnation all bonds all captivity all strong holds all chains all death all fears griefs terrors and all things of that nature This rock this mountain will swallow up all and so take away the rebuke of his people When a man is brought into this mountain he shal be thus fed with fat things and wine on the lees and all tears washed away nothing left of that nature and this is that day of the Lord this is the Lords resting day and this is the souls Sabbath and resting day when all rebukes all frowns all griefes are removed All other Sabbaths and rests externall are but figures and representations of this true rest And then it follows in the ninth verse And it shall be said in that day Loe Esay 25.9 this is our God we have waited for him this is the Lord we have waited for him he will save us and we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation for in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest c. when Christ hath thus appeared to the destruction of all things in man and hath brought him out of himselfe and hath ruined all his strength righteousnes wisdom c. then Christ wil be all in all to him then will he feast him in this mountain and the soul seeing all these things accomplished in it self then it cannot chuse but rejoyce triumph and sing Even the Song of Moses and the Lamb This is our God that we have waited for This is the Lord in him alone is power and wisdom and righteousnes loving kindnesses and tender merecies Thou O Lord only art worthy to receive honour Rev. 4.11 and glory and power thou alone art our strength and Our salvation all their happines is concentred in this One God and they have no God but him no Saviour but him they have but One God and one faith and one baptisme Eph. 4.4 5 6. One body one spirit one hope One Lord one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in all They rejoyce in this that they see themselves made nothing that they are emptied of themselves of their power wisdom righteousnes they now rejoyce triumph and sing because the vail of covering of the all Nations is removed in their hearts that their high thoughts are brought down that their wisdom is made folly that their opinion of their own glory of their own somethingness of their own holiness is removed and Christ alone is He in whom they enjoy all things From hence ye may conclude upon this point That Christ alone is the Saints strong mountain Doct. and their feast of all good things He is only their mountain of strength he is their joy and their song he hath rent and destroyed the face of the Covering which is upon all people they see that none can remove this Covering but Christ alone and therfore he having done this in them and for them Psal 4.7 this rejoyceth their hearts far more then if he had increased their Corn or their Wine or their Oyle here is their feast here is their day of Thanksgiving here is their Sabbath which shall never end here is their marrow and fatness here their wine and their fat things full of marrow He is their mountain their glory their rock and all this they see is wrought in them by the power only of Jesus Christ And this adds to their rejoycing that they see they had no hand in it they see that they did not chuse him but he chose them that they instead of chusing him ran away from him opposed him fought against him and yet he followed them and never left them till he had conquered them and this now is their joy and their praise and their song and nothing in heaven or earth shall be exalted or magnified by them but only Jesus Christ their strong mountain their feast of all good things These Souls only come to see that there is a vail and that this is the vail of Covering spread over all Nations all those upon whom the vail is see not the vail but he only in whom 't is rent from whom it s removed And all their desire
is that it may be removed from all people that others may see that which he sees and enjoy that which he enjoyes that Christ may be a mountain to them as he is to him a rock to them as he is to him a feast to them as he is to him And they can say truely and name this mountaine Jehovah-jireh onely in the mount of the Lord can this be seen Abraham could not sacrifice his Son till he came up into this mount once come in to this mountain then the soule can part with all things for the love of Christ nothing is so dear as Christ And this is the conclusion wrought by the Spirit in Abraham Jehovah-jireh saith he in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen there is no seeing any of these things nor there is no true feasting till we come into this mount of the Lord. What was that going up of Abraham to the mount Moriah think you In the truth of it it was no other thing but this his going up from himself and out of himself forsaking all things for this one thing and comming up to this mountain of the Lod where the Lord alone was all in all Beloved know this for truth there is no wisdome no rightousnesse no strength c. nowhere else but here In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen and nowhere else There is no self-denial no true repentance no conquering of the least sin no true peace no joy no love no wisdom but onely in this mount whatever men pretend that they are wise or holy and the like 't is all but deceit and a delusion till we come up to the Mount till this Vaile be removed we can never bind the strong man we can never cut off our right hands or pul out our right eye til then Matth. 29 30. we can never forsake our selvs we can never deny our own power wisdome and holinesse Here now is this mountain of strength here it was that Abraham staggered not through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God Rom. 4.17.20 Here he 〈◊〉 and was fully perswaded that he that had promised was able to performe that though Isaac were sacrificed yet God was he who could quicken the dead and calleth things which are not as though they were Herein was Abraham the father of the faithful and Isaac the seed of many Nations and all the faithful are his seed in this And his going up to the Mountain is no other but what is done by all the faithful that litteral mountain was not the truth but onely the figure of this strong mountain Jesus Christ he is that mountain spoken of Esai 2.2 called there the mountain of the Lords house Esa 2.2 which shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the Hills and all Nations shall flow unto it Jesus Christ is that mountain who is unalterable unmovable unchangable never to be shaken nor never to be removed and to be established on the top of all mountaines above all the mountaines of man the mountaines of mans wisdome of mans righteousnesse which were esteemed by men never so high never so strong yet this mountain shall overtop them all and be established above all Beloved none come to know these things but those in whom they are wrought in whom the Vaile of the covering is removed men may pretend to these things and be very confident they enjoy them when indeed they are under the Covering to this very day This is that stone also that Daniel speaks of Dan. 2. which was cut out of the mountain without hands which smote the Image which was so terrible in the form thereof Dan. 2. he head being of fine Gold his brest and armes of Silver his belly and thighs of Brass his legs of Iron and his feet part Iron and part clay Now the stone cut out without hands smote this terrible Image and it self became a great mountain V. 25. and filled the whole earth However this may be applicable as by some it is to the outward Monarchyes in the world one succeeding and overcomming another yet all those things are but figures of the truth for those things are not done without hands but the truth is done in spirit whatever it is that men set up to shelter themselves under any form any religion to defend themselves from the wrath of God from the guilt of sin from seeing themselves odious with all their righteousnes and rags All things of that nature are Images and are such Images and so Terrible that no man is able to break them to peices 't is only The Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands can bring them down or break them to peices These Images are diverse and of several tempers and conditions some are of Clay that is some are of low rudiments poor and mean things that Men set up and rely upon and shelter themselves with all their good meanings and good hopes and the like and these may be esteemed but as the feet of this Image others goe higher and they depend up on things of more worth and strength that seem to be made of Iron they cloath themselves with moral vertues and put confidence in them and these they thinke will defend and save them But there are some that goe higher then all these and they pretend to cloath themselves with the garments of Jesus Christ himselfe and the graces of the Spirit and in these they glory and this glisters like Gold but it is not Gold and they seem to have faith but have not faith and love but 't is not love and patience but t is not patience c. And they are no other but Images and Idols upon which many men professing Religion and under the strictest formes and fellowships rely and shelter themselves under and think these will defend and protect them from hell and destruction and Gods wrath these things cover them and cover the wickednesse of their hearts that they cannot see themselves how vile they are how infinitly wicked in the sight of God Esay 30.1 these cover themselves with a covering but not with the Lords spirit Wo be to all such for these poor souls do most pitifully and miserably delude themselves these instead of putting on the rich and glorious robe of Christs righteousnesse doe cloath themselves with the stinking loathsome abominable and divelish righteousnesse of man I and they preferre it before the excellency of the Lord Jesus Christ and of these Christ himselfe saith verily such can never enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but Publicans and Harlots and the vilest of sinners shall enter into the Kingdome Matth. 21.31 when they shall be shut out For these are those that have put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face as the Lord saith by Ezekiel and have set up their Idols in their heart Ezek. 7.19 14.4 c. and yet
come to enquire after the Lord and these men of all other wil the Lord cut off these men the Lord will answer them by himselfe and will set his face against them and will make a signe and a proverb above all other and will cut them off from the midst of his people Israel I will answer them according to the multitude of their Idols says God and wil not be enquired of at all by them for these are the rebellious house These commit the highest abominations These set up their posts by the Lords posts their thresholds by his threshold which is the highest iniquitie These have daubed up a wall with untempered morter they are the Wall and the Prophets that prophesie peace to them they are the daubers and the sowers of pillows under all armholes that pollute the Lord among his people for handfulls of Barly and for peices of Bread that slay the soules that should not dye and save the soules alive that should not live by their lying to his people that hear and receive their lyes having made the righteous sad Ezek. 8.12 18. Esa 29.15 and strengthened the hands of the wicked that he should not return from his wicked way by promising and shewing him the true way of life These are those of the house of Israel that have set up the Idols of Jealousie in the Chambers of their Imagery and dig deep and think to hide their Counsels from the Lord and these are their Idols and their Gods they worship serve rely upon and sacrifice to Therefore with these will the Lord deal in fury because these wipe their mouths and put the branch to their nose and please themselves in their owne Idols and with the gods that their own hands have made Now men being thus confident in their own righteousnes and thinking this form and that duty and their strict walking shal deliver protect them and they resting secure under this mighty Image then comes the Stone cut out of the Mountains and breaks in pieces this glorious Image Dan. 2.45 It falls upon all their duties upon all their righteousnesse upon all their towers upon all their Idols and crushes them all to peices breaks in peices that stately Image made of iron and clay and brasse and silver and gold and makes all their high opinions of themselves become like the chaff upon the summers threshing floore that the wind carrieth away Ib. 2.35 And then they are brought to see that all their confidence was but an Idol an Image a Lye Vanity wind delusion And then and never before this little stone becomes in them a great Mountain and this fill the whole earth Man being once discovered to be as he is Vanity a Lye Babel Confusion Darknesse Hell Horrour Misery and what not with all his glorious righteousnesses discovering them to be but rags Esai 64.6 and filthy rags when man is brought really and not in words onely for that is part of the Covering to be nothing but sinne emptinesse nothingnesse then is the work begun the foundation laid Thou art Peter upon this rock will I build my Church Matth. 16.18 and the foundation being thus laid the gates of Hell shall never prevaile against it the other building was but upon the sand and cannot withstand when therain fals and the winds and storms blow but the fal therof will be great but when this work is brought about in the soule that man is laid low made nothing emptied of himself this is a foundation upon which building let the rain fall Ibid. 7.25 and the winds blow and the stormes beat yet it shall stand because it is founded upon a rock This rock is onely and alone Jesus Christ that blessed eternal rock of ages upon whom all the Saints from the foundation of the world to its consummation are founded and bottomed as upon mount Sion which shall never be removed All the Patriarcks and Prophets give testimony of this rock to him that is the rock of ages and is that great Mountain that shall fill the whole earth He that shall onely raign and shall be all in all whose Kingdome alone shall be exalted 1 Cor. 10.4 All the Fathers drank of this rock as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 10.4 they were baptised unto Moses but they all eat the same spiritual meat and all did drink of the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ He is that unspeakable glory power majesty eternity c. that can never be lift up enough never able to be unfolded nor set forth by Men and Angels according to his greatnesse his goodnesse his unchangablenesse his glory his wisdome and infinitenesse He is the wonder of ages the brightness of his Fathers Glory Heb. 1.3 and the express Image of his person He it is that is set forth by all creatures by all Types Metaphors Representations and yet all come infinitly short of him He that once comes into this mountain we have been speaking of he shall be fed with these fat things there is no attaining these high and fat things but in the Lords Mountain t is not mans Mountain nor mans fat things can feast us with these things but this man shall be fed and shall have the Vail rent from the top to the bottom the Covering that is the Covering of the Vaile of all Nations that is more or lesse upon every man But it is He onely in whom mans glorious Temple is destroyed and all of mans building laid flat and not a stone left upon a stone Mat. 24.2 that is not thrown down That we may come and make some use of all we have said and apply it to our selves This discovers Vse 1 that all things that Christ will make use of in his Church must be materials of his own from himself of his own providing that ever it be that man provides that men hew out by their own wisdom or power and frame never such curious Images they are all abominable all must be destroy'd broke to pieces blown away made nothing All fat things are only to be had in this mountain There is no destroying the Vail of the Covering of all Nations no bringing man to see his own misery his own hell his own darknesse but here no shewing man the excellency of the riches and glory of Christ but here no true feast but here all other feasts are but death and poyson what ever feast man provides or takes content in he feeds himself with lies he is but as an hungry man still that dreams he eates and when he awakes he is empty but this Feast of fat things and Wine on the lees Esay 29.8 and fat things full of marrow and wine on the lees well refined is only prepared and given unto us by Jesus Christ Man naturally feeds upon nothing but sin and misery and hell and damnation and these are sweet
it may not come at them When man is once gone out from God who was his life and his light and his rest and his happiness being not content with him alone Gen. 3.1 nor with the tree o life of which he might eat freely but casting his eye upon the tree of knowledg of good and evil he lusts to eat thereof V. 6. for t is pleasant to look upon man would by no means live upon God and have a dependance out of himself but he will take a secure course and provide for himself he likes well this tree and here he feeds and eats he travailes in this pleasant plain of Shinar and here he begins to bethink himself to dwell and take up his rest here he can sleep quietly under his own labours and sit reposedly under his own vine and here now is the place where all men consult together to raise a Babel This is done by and in every man man having lost himselfe and gone out of his way having no House nor Tabernacle having departed from his house built by God without hands he bethinks himself of building himself a house made with hands by his own study and invention 2 Cor. 5.1 and this shall be his abiding and here he will dwell and here with his own hands he will make himself a shelter from all storms and from all destruction And they say one to another Goe to let us make brick and burn them throughly They say to one another that is not as if men singly spake thus to one another but every man enters into a consultation with himselfe and with the Prince of Darkness And now they having forsaken God the true guide they hearken to the Devil and to the Father of deceit and lyes and take his counsel Joh. 8.44 and him they will follow and his works now they do and not the works of God And what do they And they say one to another Go to let us make brick and burn them throughly That is they think and resolve to act like wise men and make all secure for themselves their building shal be strong and durable and their materials accordingly Bricks throughly burnt which shal not fail and moulder away that is the things that he chuseth shal be things agreeable to his own liking and they must be of his own inventing else he wil put no confidence in them none shal chuse for him whatever it be that wil advance man and make him something and great as to himself and others and things that men esteem highly of those he chuseth Nay and not onely so but he wil have something of his own to trust to to come into the presence of God with and he wil frame to himself a religion and a righteousnesse that shal avail before God which he shal accept and in which himself may put confidence And here now poor man hath deluded himself and they have made themselves aprons Gen. 3.7 and as they think a secure Covering here hath he made himself a shelter and a Tabernacle and built up to himselfe a Tower reaching to Heaven and so shall prevent destruction and condemnation When man begins thus to build he chuseth as he thinks the likeliest and the probablest means for his security and in his conceit builds so strong that no winds nor no storms can shake him nor no deluge overflow his building and so confident he is that he thinks the power of Heaven and Earth can never shake this building for the Top thereof shall reach to Heaven he is so far safe that he is sheltered from the wrath of God and from the frowns of God he hath gotten such a righteousness and such a conformity of the rule and mind of God that he is as it were a perfect man he sees little amisse in him and though he may in words confesse he is a sinner yet let but any one sin be charged upon him and he hath as he thinks a sufficient excuse and wil clear himself from all sin But is this all the end of this strong and stately building no But let us make us a Name least we be scattered upon the face of the whole earth Least we should be in as bad a condition as others are and as the wicked of the world are we wil be wiser and condemn them we wil not be like the Publicans wicked and prophane but we wil forsake sinne and live uprightly and we wil do something that we may get us a Name that we are holier then others Esa 65.5 1. Cor. 3.10 and we wil be no less then Master Builders no such wise man as we no such strict holy men as we and the end of all this is least death and misery and sin hell and condemnation should break forth and seize upon them with the rest of the world But now in all this time what does God doe He beholds their works and their doings and their contrivings vers 5. And the Lord came down to see the City and the Tower which the children of men builded which is not to be understood as if God removed or came down Locally as leaving Heaven to come down to the Earth as men when they remove from one place to another But God came down that is he began to manifest himself to shew himself to the Sons of men before he let them alone and they thought themselves secure and all was right safe and well which they had done now the Lord he begins to appear to confound their thoughts and inventions and to shew all the sons of men their folly vanity and madnesse in all this they were so confident of they think they are securing themselves from ruine when alass poor soules they are running as madly upon their own ruin and destruction as any else in the whole Earth nay are farther from returning then any other in as much as they are more wise more holy and more confident then others Luk. 13.28 And herein is their misery the greater therefore it is high time for the Lord now to come down to scatter this building and to make it BABEL and Confusion Behold the people are one and they have all one Language and this they begin to do and nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do As if he should say all the sons of men are running headlong to their own destruction they are all as one man all do one and the same thing and they have one Name and one Language and all go one way Satan hath almost gotten his full possession and they will be wholly guided by him and follow his counsel they are all departed from me and he is almost quite irrecoverably lost and gone and yet every man thinks he is right and no man considers what he doth nor once thinks of returning for every man is right in his own eyes and nothing will be restrained from them and if I go not down
place to sleep in and a pillow to repose and lay their heads upon and to rest their travailing and wearied thoughts and they could never rest till they come to THIS Shinar But I here proclaim to all such be they never so secure in themselves and applauded and cryed up as happy and blessed men by others yet all this is but This Shinar this is but the Babel which here the Lord speaks of and it shall be no other but the place of Confusion Luk. 13.28 Nay Publicans and Harlots shall go into the Kingdom of Heaven when they themselves these perfect men in their own and in others esteem shall be thrust out Alas they cover themselves with a Covering but not with the Lords spirit the bed is too short and the covering too narrow Esa 28.20 they cannot cover themselves therwith yet have indeed preached in my name and prophesied in my name Mat. 7.22 and in my name done many GREATWORKS and wonderful but for all this depart from me ye are no other but workers of iniquity sayes Christ to such the highest and gloriousest and the most seemingly holy of all these things cannot be the place of rest Ibid. 5.20 Mich. 2.10 for except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye can in no case enter inter into the Kingdome of Heaven Arise therefore and depart hence this is not your rest For indeed there never is nor never was nor never shall be any other but one onely place of Rest for all the Sons of men And that is onely and alone Jesus Christ that Eternal Rock and Refuge for all Nations and Generations that perfect sacrifice of the Eternal son of God to which nothing in the least can be added and nothing else was ever required or accepted but only this Beloved IMMANUEL in whom alone God is well pleased Mat. 3.17 But when thou thinkst thou must do this duty and that leave this sin and that evil and why because this is the condition on thy part which thou must perform or else Christ will not perform the promise of life and salvation on his part herein men are deluded and for all their pains and endeavours and strictnesse yet they fall short of the kingdome of Heaven For it is not thy works nor thy duties nor thy forms nor thy notions nor thy Church-gatherings nor any thing else of thine which is the accomplishment of the promises but they are all yea and amen onely and alone in him 2 Cor. 1.20 in whom the promises are made if these works be wrought by thy industry by thy care by thy watchfulnesse by thy wisdome by thy power they are all odious and abominable Esa 66.3 God will as soon accept the offering up of Swines blood and regard as soon the cutting off a dogs neck as many of these thy duties for whatever is done by thee or in thee except it be done by the wisdome power and hand of Jesus Christ who is the promise maker and the promise worker and accomplisher they cannot be in him Yea and in him Amen for he alone is the promise that is the maker and fulfiller he must work it by his power but as long as thou thinkest thou canst do any thing or hast any thing to offer or any thing to accomplish and thou must do it on thy part as a condition the Lord abhors all such sacrifices as abominable when thou thinkst such and such rules are prescribed and I must obey and submit to every rule not the least but I must do it and then the promise is mine for now I am in the right way and then sayst to thy soul soul take thy ease this is the true place of rest Luk. 12.19 here thou mayest lye down in safety examine thy self is not this thy end How be it all this is nothing else but the building up of Babel in the Land of Shinar All this while when thou thoughtest thou wast travelling to thy rest thou art travelling quite contrary to ruine destruction and confusion thou art but travelling from the East to the plain of Shinar a place beautiful indeed and pleasant to the sons of men when they had turned their backs upon the East and were gone out from God their rest and were not content with the fountain Jer. 2.13 but followed the Streams which in the end are dryed up and there is no water to quench thy thirst but onely a meer hell and place of torment Luk. 16.24 and not one drop to cool thy tongue Secondly Vse 2 we may see here that Sleepiness is the end that all these builders of Babel propound to themselves they would have some rest from their doings and from their labours and from their wisedome and their endeavours their end in all they do is Security that they may sleep quietly that they may not fear neither death nor hell nor judgement that they may cry to their soules Jer. 6.14 Esa 28.18 peace peace when there is no peace and how they having made a covenant with death and hell here they will rest and here they will build and here they will sleep Being come to this pleasant plain here they resolves to secure themselves and build a Tower reaching to Heaven They consult and conclude now they have their hearts desire and nothing shall be restrained from them And all this they doe sayes the Holy Ghost least we be scattered All these things and all these devices are but Coverings of mens inventing to save themselves from wrath and from the guilt of conscience which else would gnaw within them Mark 9.44 Esa 4.6 Mat. 7.26 and be in them the worm that never dies hereby they think they have made themselves a shelter from the storm and the wind but t is but as the house built upon the sand having no Foundation it can never stand here is no security though they think to provide for and secure themselves and think themselves wiser and holier then all other men Their end is alwayes selvishness to secure and provide for themselves and the means by which they attain all is also within themselves by their own wisdom power parts righteousnesse endeavours and the like Also in this way of man to come to life and rest what does he Vse 3 he bethinks himself with all the wisdom he can to chuse wisely and discreetly we will here build say they to themselves and we will build sure and safe and we will make brick and burn them well that so their building may endure and not fall upon their heads They have still something or other that they themselves invent and pretend the rule of the word to goe by as the safest way something that they finde out that their own self tells them is a likely way Say they to themselves Christ has promised if men beleeve and repent then they shall be saved Well I will goe and perform these and
it is onely the immortal Word of the Lord that draws the soul and it is the power of eternity which works all and it is from mercy and great condiscension on his part to speak out these things by such fraile Instruments but it is so 1 Cor. 1.29 That no flesh may glory in his presence And that the praise may be of God and not of the Vessel or of man And know farther It is the Spirit of the Father the same Eternal power of the Father even the same that is God for it is the same God though the manifestations be diverse and though there be the manifestations of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost yet they are One for they are not Three but One. The next thing I shall explain is what is meant by Christ no man come UNTO MEE By Mee here is not meant the coming to the fleshly presence and body of Christ then must we with Mary seek him among the dead no he is risen he is not here it is not meant of the coming to Christ in the History and Notion and in the Letter so all men making profession are come to Christ 2 Cor. 5.19 Joh. 1.14 the Text saith God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and the Text saith again The word became flesh and dwelt in us what is it to come unto him Certainly then it is to come to the EMANUEL he that is God with us or rather God in us but saith the Apostle to those that are called we preach Christ crucified 1 Cor. 1.24 Christ the power of God and wisdom of God So that to come unto Christ is to come to the power of Christ in us to have him abiding and dwelling in us carrying us and leading us into all truth and therefore he tells you againe Joh. 16.13 Col. 1.27 Christ in you the hope of Glory and therefore saith the Apostle try your selves know you not that Christ is in you except you be reprobates So that to come to Christ is to come unto the power of Jesus Christ and Christ is the power of God 2 Cor. 13 5. and the wisdome of God Nay it is God in us teaching us and guiding us and directing us he being the sole Master Ruler power and strength in us this is to come to Jesus Christ From whence it being thus explained there is a deduction or two we would draw from what hath beene said First if the immortal Spirit onely draw the soules of men unto Christ that is unto himself Vse 1 for he is the love of the Father made out unto us for Christ was God dwelling in flesh Then if it be so then Man considered as Man cannot be any wayes drawn or driven or can come unto Christ Not any power of man as man or the power of the whole Creation is able to draw man unto Christ but onely the power of the Father Let men say what they will there is no power of man or any actions or disciplines of man are able to bring man unto Christ for he is weak and cannot wilfull and will not guilty and dare not come to Christ he dare not appear before him But this is a drawing whether the carnal mind will or will not though it murmur and repine yet it draws him out of this spiritual Egypt and bondage Then this shews how false all their pretences are which the world so much admires and cries up Every man thinks he can goe to Christ and he can bring others to Christ by arguments and perswasions and the like and for this purpose are all the forms of Religion set up under pretence of comming and bringing and going to Christ and going on to the Heavenly Canaan and to the New Jerusalem But did they but look into their own hearts they would see this was but going from the Lord instead of going or comming to him all these devices are but to cover over the iniquity of their own hearts For every several way and form will say they are journying to Christ and to find him when alas where is the man that minds him but onely seeks himselfe his own rest and to quiet his own heart and to cover the smoak and the cry and the guilt that lies upon him and to get comfort to himself and then he is safe and he thinks he is gotten neer to Jesus Christ And when he wants peace then he bethinks himself of walking more close and stricter to those forms and rules that quieted his conscience before and thus he runs in a round and makes himself his works and duties his Saviour For if thou askest thy own heart seriously what is the reason of thy praying and going into this form or the other form is it not because thou thinkest God therefore accepts thee and loves thee And is not this to deny this truth that there is nothing but the power of the Father can draw thee that there is nothing able to draw thee but the immortal seed and Almighty hand of God and to say that something else is sufficient to draw thee unto Christ But here now lies the depth of this deceit thou drawest in a Religious way and hast gotten a covering and a profession and such and such actions into thy hands and here thou restest and what follows thou gatherest together and heapest up all Nations to make thy self strong and secure Hab. 2.5 but thou coverest not with the covering of the Lord and so thereby layest sin upon sin thou coverest indeed with a covering that thereby the Condemnation Esa 30.1 Hell and Guilt in thy own heart may not be made manifest in thee Now consider whether ever thou canst come at Jesus Christ who is the Rock of Ages that goest not in the leadings of the Father But if thy heart did apprehend that thou wert that child which Ezekiel speaks of cast out into the open field Ezek. 16. and hadst no hand to help thee nor no eye to pitty thee if it were so with thee then he would appear in thee and lead thee if thou thoughtst thou wast the ignorantest creature in the world if thou wast but blind enough and bad enough in thy own sight but the misery of the world lies herein Joh. 9.41 because they think they see therefore their sin remains for there is no difference among all the sons of men for All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God Thou mayest Rom. 3.21 and I know doest think so that there is a difference in some but truth hath witnessed it that every man hath sinned and is at an infinite distance from the Lord God of mercy and there is no salvation nor no power but in the hand of the Allmighty and that he alone is able to make peace and bring together those two Infinite distances and to make them One. Now judge whether this or the way of the world brings the greatest inconveniency and
whether this way of man do not set him at a farther distance from his true rest for if man think he can come to Christ by any thing of himselfe by any Religious actions and performances then from this it must needs follow that he sees not his own weakness nor wickednesse nor there is no sin nor wickednesse nor misery made manifest unto him And he makes lyes his refuge Esa 22.15 and under falshood he hath hid himselfe and drawn way his heart from the living and eternal God to depend upon the lying and deceitful power and wisedome of man and digged to himselfe broken Cisterns Jer. 2.13 So that Secondly this will follow that this man hath made a Rock to stay himselfe upon for if thou thinkest that thy actions and performances will bring thee neerer unto God then other men or that any thing can draw thee neerer but the meer hand and spirit of the Father is not this I say to set up something against the power of the Father Is not this to set up errour against truth and darkness against light and Antichrist against Christ for here it is manifest that there is nothing but the power of the Father to draw men unto Christ Now seeing thou hast made Lyes thy delight and vanity thy trust see what is pronounced against thee for all thy confidence and strong opinions of thy safety and security Cursed is the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his Arm and whose Heart departeth from the Lord. Jer. 17.5 So I say this meerly leads man from a denyal of himself to a setting up of himselfe from a waiting and depending on the power of God to a depending and hanging on the wisedome and power of the flesh now when the soule has made experiment of this in it self to finde see and feele it really in his own heart that no hand drawes to the Father but the Spirit onely Oh then this will make the heart of man lament and say what a hard heart have I I cannot goe one step towards my Saviour Mark 10.51 this makes him cry out and say come Lord Jesus and open my blind eyes that I may receive my sight and thou Son of David haver mercy on me and there is none but thou alone can cure my leprosie and save my spirit or else I perish I perish for ever and this is that which makes man to have the true circumcision and to worship God in the Spirit Phil. 3.3 and have no confidence in the flesh Then if it be the Fathers power and spirit that onely draws men unto Christ Vse 2 Then neither man nor Magistrates can draw or drive them thither the work of the Father is his own work and he hath not substituted any other in his place for he will not give his glory to another neither suffer his holy name to be polluted Esa 42.8 Now if it be thus that unlesse the Father draw man unto Christ man cannot come then it must needs be lyes and vanity for any of the sons of men to take upon them and say they can and they must act something either to draw or drive men unto Christ we know this hath been the undertakings of all ages and times Joh. 16.2 but what was the fruit of it Under pretence of doing God good service they have shed the blood of the Saints that it might be fulfilled that not a Prophet perisheth OVT of Jerusalem Luk. 13.33 for still in all ages who have more persecuted the Gospel and the true Professours thereof then those who shew most Zeal and profession of it Christ and all the Prophets and Apostles and generally all the Martyrs have suffered upon this account that upon them might come all the blood shed upon the earth Mat. 23.35 Gal. 4.29 from the blood of the righteous Abel to this veâ—y day and that the bond-woman alwayes persecutes those that are from above Now I say for the Magistrates to say they can propagate the Gospel and keep back errours alas what is all of this nature but high presumption against the power and absolute Authority of Jesus Christ and taking the government of the Church out of his Hand and proclaiming themselves wiser then He But I shall but propose to these poor selfe-wise Creatures these one or two things Are they able to rule themselves and to keep errours out of their own hearts I suppose no man so ignorant of himselfe as to deny or affirm that he can the nature of man being so depraved that he cannot resist really one sin as it is sin And moreover is it not a truth that if the Lord watch not the City the watch-men watch in vain Psal 127.1 And yet thou that couldest not keep one sin out of thy own heart how canst thou undertake to watch over the Church of God and keep out Errours and Wolves that they come not in Alas poor ignorant man this is thy pride and the vanity of thy heart 1 Sam. 17 28. Psal 121.4 for 't is the Lord alone that keops Israel and he neither slumbereth nor sleepeth Againe dost thou not say that thou art a Christian if so then thou wouldst believe that he is a God Alsufficient I am God Alsufficient walk before me and be thou perfect Gen. 17.1 Is he alsufficieÌ„ntly Wise and Strong Holy Good Merciful c. then is not this the manifestation of thy absolute infidelity when thou thinkest he will not take care of his own Church Or else thou concludest thus if he be Wise enough yet he hath not Power enough and therefore thou must help him And is he not Alsufficiently Good and will he not take care of his own cause Never feare but he will I and take so much care Mat. 16.18 that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it And againe is it not said that it pleased the Father Col. 1.19 that in him should all fulness dwell And that in all things he might have the preheminence and saith he plainly Joh. 5.22 Mat. 28.18 Esa 9.6.7 the father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement unto his Son And that all power in Heaven and Earth is given unto him And again to us a Son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders And that of the Increase of his Government and peace there shall be no end upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdome to order it and establish it with Iudgment and Iustice even for ever And that the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this And againe Col 2.3 that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him Now is all the power of the father given into the Hand of Christ And have not we all said the Pope is not the Vice-roy nor Vicar of Christ and does not every man throw dirt upon him and yet we can get into the POPES place and sit in his seat
but mans bondage and miserable slavery under the Prince of darkness and sheweth what cruelty is exercised upon the true children of Israel and what mighty signes and wonders the Lord is faine to work before the soul can be brought from under this bondage and without question he that hath not found it so in himself was never yet brought out of Egypt he never yet found the true MOSES which is Jesus Christ pleading with spiritual Pharaoh that the soul may depart out thence to serve the Lord for till then man serves but himselfe even in his highest forms and duties And likewise the children of Israels passage through the red Sea and Pharaohs pursuing and their journyings and fightings and meeting with so many enemies in their passage to Canaan what are all these things but the oppositions and dangerous passages of the soul to the heavenly Canaan the pursuing thereof by the Prince of darkness and the god of this world what is this but the violence used by the Prince of the power of the air which continually works in the children of disobedience 2 Cor. 4.4 Eph. 2.2 that is in all the sons of men till they are by a mighty and strong hand brought out of this their Egypt and bondage All this trouble and shaking is that which the Lord promiseth in Heb. 12.26 I will once more shake the Heavens and the earth Heb 12.26 what he did then externally he will once more do that is after the same manner but now spiritually And this is that work and that birth of Christ at which Herod and all Israel is troubled The spiritual Birth of Christ causeth the whole power of the natural man to shake and tremble even those under the purest external forms And when the people of Israel were led a long and tedious passage to Canaan being carried up and down backward and forward what is all this to us and them in the substance and mystery but holding forth mans lost and miserable condition in the way of his own heart in the way of sin shewing the desolations the darkness the forlorn and lost condition of all men by nature that even when the heart of man thinks he is upon the borders of Canaan and he is now in the right way and shal surely by his travel and industry possess that good Land he is for all this deceived and brought back again to the very borders of Egypt Esa 14.15 and is brought down to the very sides of the pit And t is revealed and made known to him for all his fair progress in his religion and for all his forms and inventions that he is still under misery and darkness and sinne and condemnation and that all those things were but things taken up of himself and were no other but shewes and pretences and coverings to delude himselfe and the world because he could not abide to see the internal misery and that bottomlesse gulfe in himself he could not endure to see the smoak of the bottomless pit arise out of his own heart Rev. 9.2 and those innumerable Locusts crawling and covering the whole earth that there are in his heart pride and Lust and Malice and Murder and Covetuosnesse and Idolatry and Witchcrafts and Sorceries and Lyes and every thing that worketh abomination which cannot enter into the new Jerusalem Rev. 21.26 Therefore I say because man cannot abide to see himselfe thus nor that any other should see him thus vile and abominable as indeed he is therefore he gets himselfe a covering for all these things he makes himself Aprons because he knowes he is naked and he would cover himselfe as to himself so to others Gen. 3.17 and from the face and sight of God himself and having done this with all the Art and Cunning he can invent then he thinks he hath covered the gulf he labours having thus seen himself in this gulf to forget what manner of man he is Jam. 1.23 24. he stops the guilt and cry of his own conscience by these aprons coverings and forms and be begins to be secure and he is holy both in his own sight and in the sight of others and he thinks he shall enter and possesse the good Land flewing with Milk and Honey Now for this man to be uncovered and laid open Exod. 3.8 to be emptied of all this goodness and stript of all his forms and holiness and to be brought back to the borders of Egypt and to let him see he is as far from the promised Land as the worst of men nay Publicans and Harlots are nearer then himself this cuts the very caule of his heart this undoes him Mat. 21.31 and he is no more able to abide these words then the Pharisees could the preaching of Jesus Christ who sought in all his Teachings to pull off their coverings and to make them appear as they were and not to be such as they would have the world believe them to be with their holy shewes and pretences Now every man the best of men being in this condition if they could but be content to see themselves so that they are filthy and abominable in all their works and that they were utterly lost and destroyed and confounded in themselves and knew not what to do nor which way to turn themselves then indeed would the Lord come in and shine upon them with light and life and the Tabernacle of the Lord should guide them and it would shew them the way the truth and life and the holy spirit would guide them into all truth Joh. 16.13 Rev. 21.23 The cloud and the darknesse should be taken up and the Lord himselfe would be their Sun their Light and their Guide then they should see experimentally by the teachings of the Father in them Esa 60.19 Heb. 8.2 and not by the outward teachings of men that Jesus Christ is the True Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man as the Apostle applyes all to Jesus Christ in the ninth of the Hebrews at the beginning Ibid. 9.1 c. As the Sanctuary and all things therein contained viz. The Candlestick and the Shewbread and the Golden Censor and the Ark of the Covenant and the Golden pot of Manna and Aarons rod that was alwayes green flowrishing and budding c. The Holy Ghost signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest which were onely figures for that time and could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience which stood in meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal Ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation But Christ being become an high Priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle and not made with hands that is to say not of this building and so he goes on Of which tings I must say as the Apostle doth that of them we cannot now speak particularly Jesus Christ
Mat. 5.15 He is the light set upon the Candlestick giving light to all that are in the House and Hee is the Hidden Manna to nourish us to eternal life Col. 1.19 2.9 and it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell even the fulness of the Godhead bodily Oh Beloved He is that true Tabernacle which the Lord hath pitched and not man From this Tabernacle must the soul expect all its leadings all its teachings and not from the wisdom of man or the ordinances of man for here they are all taught of God and they shall no more teach every one his Brother Heb. 8.10 11. saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest And whosoever is not led by this light and by this Star onely to behold the Lord Jesus Christ as his only and true Guide if he look any other way he does the same thing that the Prophet said of old to them that followed the Tabernacle of Moloch and the Star of their god Remphan and followeth after lyes and the inventions of their own evil Adulterous hearts Acts 7 42 Amos. 5.25.26 figures which they have made to worship saith the Holy Ghost in the fifth Chapter of Amos and the twenty fifth and twenty sixth verses Now then you may hence see and take notice that until the cloud be removed by the Lord himself there must be no journying no going forward by any of the sons of men and t is the Lord and not man can remove it the children of Israel must wait the Lords time when he pleaseth man he is alwayes furnished and ready your time is alwayes ready saith our Saviour Joh. 7.6 but my time is not yet There are certain days and times while the Cloud is upon the glory of this Tabernacle and till the Lord remove it man can do nothing but wait he must sit still in his Tent And that is when all things are in darknesse in man both within him and without him and he sees himself lost as to all his own wisdom power endeavours in this case t is in vain for man to arise and think to create a light and a wisdome and a power to himselfe for then he goes on in his own power and light and not in the light and power of God Ye know the fire in the Tabernacle never went out there was alwayes light there Lev. 6.13 but if there be a Cloud upon it and thou canst not see it and yet wilt be journying and doing and acting this will be thy fall and stumbling and a curse will be upon thee and not a blessing and thou shalt not prosper When that fire kindled the word in the mouth of Jeremiah the Prophet then that word was a light to them a command to depart out of their Captivity and to return to their own land till then the cloud was upon their way and they were as in a waylesse wilderness where no man passed a land of desarts and of pits a land of drought and shadows of death where no man dwelt Jer. 2.6 as in that second chapter of Jeremiah While man is in this condition and in this night of blindnesse and darknesse and land of death and drought he knowes not his way until the Lord shew him a light till He remove the cloud there is no finding the place of rest nor any feeding on the Hidden Manna nor drinking at the Wells of Salvation Esa 12.3 When man is in this dark night how can he arise but if he sit still as to all his own powers really seeing his own weaknesse and utter inability then this light in due time will shine forth and if he ever stir before this day he arises and works and walks unto his own ruin and destruction It may be this Doctrin may seem harsh and very unwelcome to most men That they shall not be doing and going on and journying Phil. 2.12 and working out their own Salvation many are hereat much offended at which I do not wonder for they not being able to see the Mystery of the Scripture onely rest in the Letter and know not the teachings of the spirit and think they must do something by way of condition or else all is nothing And herein is the great mistake of most men who though never so highly esteemed by themselves and others Luk. 6.39 yet herein are no other but blind leaders of the blind and both fall into the ditch But those who are acquainted with these things in their own experience know and feel this mysticall interpretation to be the truth and all other in the Letter to be but resemblances and shadows under which the truth is hid and covered from all save onely such to whom it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdome Mat. 13.11 but to others in parables that seeing they may see and not perceive and hearing they may bear and not understand As in that seventh and eighth Chapter to the Hebrews where the Apostle speaking of the Law and of many particulars appertaining to that Priesthood he shews that the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did by which we draw nigh unto God and so there by several arguments he proves that Jesus Christ alone was the true Priest and the true ORDINANCE Now in the first verse of the eighth chapter Heb. ch 7. 8. he applyes all that he had before spoken to Jesus Christ alone that perfect high Priest Ch. 7.19 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the summe And so he goes on and applyes it to Jesus Christ that true high Priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high a Minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man which things serve but unto the example and shadow of Heavenly things Ch. 8.1 c. he having obtained a far more excellent ministry by how much he is made the mediatour of a better covenant and established upon better promises he is not a high Priest of a Temple or contained in any Temple made with hands 2 Chron 6.18 but he is such a one whom the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain And he offers not sacrifices but himself his own body And He and all his members are the true Tabernacle wherein the Lord is served and well pleased for the Law made High Priests which have infirmitie Heb. 7.28 saith the Apostle but the word of the Oath which was since the Law maketh the Son who only is consecrated for evermore But what shall we say then of all those things wherein Moses was commanded to be so exact and to make all things according to the pattern and here he calls Christ the true Tabernacle what was theirs a false one I Ibid. 8.2 it was in regard of Christ who is the
of the subtile Serpent within him then followed Death Hell Misery and Condemnation then he sees his folly and madnesse in harkning to and giving way to this false Lyar who before told him he should better his condition and he should be like God himself And thus seeing and beholding his nakednesse his folly and misery he being not able to behold it nor live in the sight thereof for he is not able to behold the wrath of God and Hell-fire flashing in his face then he bethinks himselfe of some Covering some Shelter some Cloaths to cover his nakedness he is not able to behold his own condition and he invents a thousand wayes to shelter himself runs to this duty and that rule and he will find out somthing he will do something to quench the fire in him that is kindled by the breath of the Lord. And is not man in this more mad Esa 30.33 and more vain and more miserable For by all these things he doth but adde fuell to this fire for doth he think till one stronger then himself come even to be delivered Alas Luk. 11 22. thus are all the sons of men deluded but when Christ who is the true Mediatour comes when he sets up his light in man then he convinces him of his Emptinesse of his Weaknesse of his Nothingnesse and that he cannot arise Joh. 11.43 nor live without the loud and mighty voyce of the son of God quicked him when this light and life comes upon him then though he be naked in himself yet he is not ashamed but he standing in this condemnation all sin and darknesse and condemnation vanish before the glory of these heavenly things and come to nothing and empty themselves into their own nothingness that so the glory of Jesus Christ may come in the room thereof who is truth and life and fulness and perfection and all things But while man walks by the light of his own fire Esa 50.11 and in the sparks which he hath kindled he is holy and good and pure and excellent and great in his own sight and high in his own wisedome but when once he comes to be guided by the fire and light of the Tabernacle then he is a Miserable Empty Bare Beggerly thing nothing in him of Wisdom Power Glory Riches Goodnesse a meer naked empty and simple thing except he be made happy in the light of God and in the union with Jesus Christ wise in the wisdom of God and holy in the holinesse of God Here sayes the Apostle I permit not a woman to speak in the Church 1 Cor. 14.34 Ibid. 11.16 here let her head be covered that is let not man speak any thing in the Church in the presence of the Lord of his wisdom of his goodness of his upright walking but let Christ be all these in the Church There let all the Weaknesse and Womanishnesse of man come upon him and let him be covered with shame in the presence of this Bridgroom for t is a shame for a woman to speak in the Church let not her shew so much pride but let her ask her Husbad at home let him have all the glory Let not the Bride speak any thing of her riches of her beauty in the presence of her Lord but to see her selfe rich in his riches and glorious in his glory wise in his wisdom let her not meddle herein without her head be covered so that she sees she hath nothing of glory nothing praiseworthy nothing beautiful in her but that her head be perfectly covered with the righteousness riches and glory of Jesus Christ All the men in the world be they of what parts learning strength or excellencie can be named are but WOMEN in this respect and are to cover their heads in the presence of Christ in the Church of Christ In thy Temple every one speak of thy glory Psal 26.9 saith David If a Woman offer to speak in the Church this is but weaknesse this is but shame and confusion of face in the CHURCH what 's that think you without question the meaning of the Apostle is not to be taken Litterally of a material Church nor t is not meant of a Congregation of men or women assembled or congregated together as the wisest of men take it for this in the Scripture sense is not called A CHURCH much lesse in a low and vulgar acceptation of a meeting place built of bricks or wood or stone But the CHURCH is the Temple of God the House of God the Body of Christ in which the Lord discovers his Riches Glory Wisdome Bounty and the Treasures of Wisdome and knowledge and his everlasting power and goodness to the soules of Beleevers and in this Church where the Lord is present let not weaknesse discover its pride insolency or vain-boasting for this is the Church and this is the Woman that ought not to speak there Now this fire of the sanctuary is that which discovers all this Weaknesse Darknesse and Blindnesse in the soul when this light of God appears then all shadows vanish then all coverings are removed and all things in and of Man appear as they are to be nothing but Darknesse Deformity Delusion Lyes Confusion and Misery and God appears to the soul to be onely Light Life Happinesse and Perfection Gen. 2.25 and the soule is not ashamed to be thus naked because this makes way that God may have all the glory all the wisedome all the excellency and man may come to be nothing but sin and emptinesse Thus the soule comes with the Apostle to rejoyce in and to glory in his infirmities 2 Cor. 12.5 and that the power and wisedom of God is made perfect in his Weakness and Folly As a good Wife she is not ashamed to be as nothing in the presence of her Husband but rejoyces that He is esteemed and that he is made all in all to her So doth the true Spouse of Christ let her be nothing so He may be all for she acknowledges that she is only rich in her Husbands riches and wise in his wisdom and strong in his strength 1. Pet. 1.7 she sees she lives not by her own care and industry but in the love and care of her Husband and thus she glories not in her selfe but in her Husband This is to become NAKED and yet not ashamed as was Adam in his Innocency Rev. 3.17 2 Cor. 10 5. To have a poor sinner freely to confess to the glory of Christ Time was when I was rich and had high imaginations of my self and I was in my own esteem able to guide and rule and direct my self and all my affairs and I thought my selfe in a blessed and secure condition but I finde now that was nothing but a lye and a delusion But even then the meer love and tender compassion of my Saviour and Redeemer set up a candle and light in my soul whereby I was discovered to
and whither they shall be led For in this case Esay 30.7.8 and under this dispensation they are not to walk or work but Their strength is to sit still But I know these things greatly offend some who are wise and strong in themselvs Yet saith the Lord vers 8. Write it before them in a Table and note it in a book that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever First we have shewed that the divine fire of this Tabernacle is that onely which guides and directs the souls of men in their way towards the spirituall and heavenly Canaan we have shewed thereupon the happiness of the soul that follows and keeps with this Tabernacle that alwaies sees and beholds this fire of the Altar that knows the fire that commeth down from Heaven that burns up all things but it self but that remains and abides for ever And this is the soul that in not a stranger unto the Lord and the Lord is his Guide Oh! happy is the soul that knows this waits upon it is onely led councelled and conducted by it We have likewise spoken of the misery of all men In offering strange fire upon the Lords Altar in seeking for another Star but not the Star of Jacob Levit. 10.1 c. but following the Tabernacle of Molech and the Star of their God Rempham Amos 5.26 Acts 7.43 Esay 50.11 and thinking to goe on in the light therof and shewing the misery of those men who are kindling fires of their own compassing themselves with their own sparks and thinking to goe on and walk in the light thereof yet this they shall have of the hand of the Lord to lie down in woe and everlasting sorrow The next thing we shall observe is concerning the Cloud that is over or upon the Tabernacle wherein in the first place this is apparent that the Tabernacle that contains all the Mysteries of life and mercy all the glory of life and eternal Salvation But this Tabernacle hath a cloud upon it that it cannot be seen till the Cloud be taken away and removed which all the power of man can never remove And secondly that the remover and taker away of this cloud is God and not man that God I say is he alone that draws and takes up the cloud from the Tabernacle and again lets it descend upon the Tabernacle when it pleaseth him T is the Lord that draws away the vaile and man with all his wisdom learning industry c. cannot pull it off of himself t is the Lord alone that opens the eys of the blind and not the holiest man can doe any thing in this work of himself T is the Lord that circumciseth the heart 1 Cor. 12.13 t is the Lord who baptiseth the spirits of men with the true baptism and all by one spirit into one body whether they be Jews or Gentiles and I have shewed that one man cannot baptize another as they undertake to doe in an Ape-like imitation of the thing for it is the Lords work only he alone can remove the cloud from off the Tabernacle and gives the true Baptism otherwise it abides and must remain thereupon and the soule is not washed nor baptized Thirdly take notice that no man naturally walks by a true guide and he that when the cloud is upon the Tabernacle offers to journey or move towards the heavenly Canaan I say when he offers or attempts any things in the way of God and Christ he acts but blindly and presumptuously and he cannot chuse but stumble and fall for when the cloud is not taken off the Tabernacle by the hand of the Lord then he ought to sit in his tent and abide in his habitation till the Lord remove the cloud and then is the time of his travel and day of his journey and not before First then it is clear that by the Tabernacle is meant the Mysteries of the Tabernacle for whether it be the pot of Manna the Censers or Rod of Aaron and the rest All these be the mysteries of Christ and all these have a cloud upon them so that none can see them or discern them or behold the glory that is in them till the cloud be taken away and removed In the beginning God made the heavens and earth Gen. 1.1 2. and the earth was without form and void and darknesse was upon the face of the Deep till God commanded the darknesse to withdraw and say Let there be light so till God make a separation between light and darknesse otherwise there is a darknesse on the whole depth the depth of HUMANITY or Creaturely nature there was and is a darknesse on it all till the Lord said Let there be Light and there is light there is a darknesse on all flesh till the spirit of the Lord blowes upon it and saith Come thou spirit of the four winds O Breath Ezek. 37.9 and breath upon these slain and dry bones that they may live When the Spirit of the Lord that blows every way and where it listeth comes and blows on these dry bones and they heare the word of the Lord then they are moved and finews and nerves and flesh come upon them and then they are joyned together and breath enters into them that they may live so that darknesse is upon the Deep and the cloud is over the Tabernacle none can remove it take it up or disperse it but the Lord alone When the Lord takes away the cloud from the Tabernacle then the Tabernacle and the MYSTERIES thereof appears otherwise they are hid and no mortall eye nor the sharpest understanding nor the greatest Scholler nor by the use of all externall Ordinances are they able to discern them Secondly when this cloud is removed then is the time for the souls of Saints to act and walk when the cloud is upon the Tabernacle then they should sit still and therefore saith James We ought not speaking of the Saints to determine this or that we will goe this way or that Jam. 4.13 c. threatning a woe to them that say To morrow we will goe to such a City or place and remain there a yeere and there we will buy and sell and get gain but we must from our soules say if the Lord will when we once come under the tuition and tutorage of the Sonne of God and come to be of the congregation of Israel then we goe not when we list or would but we are to attend the Lords hand in removing the cloud from the tabernacle and if he remove it not to day we are to stay till the next day and whensoever he removes it then is the day of our journey and going onwards Therefore the Apostle tels us of a Councellor and Leader they had and I know also the world tels of a guide and rule but it is a Rule which they themselves know not nor understand when it is crooked and when t is straight
8. Matth. 15.14 and say they have heard the word of the Lord and they have seen a vision when the Lord hath not spoken by them and they have seen nothing If the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the pit for he that comes out and saith that he can discover the Tabernacle or that any can remove the cloud from the Tabernacle but the Lord himselfe he is a blasphemer and a lyer But I know they will object and say Obj. 2 Indeed if we consider men naturally in their sinfull condition they are ignorant in the things of God and are even as the Heathens but we have the Scriptures given to us and they contain the mind of God And having this help we by our wits and learning and industry are able to know the mind of God for we know and understand the Hebrew and Greek and Syriack Languages Truly Answ if it were so that they did so it were well but that very word to which they appeale in the very Letter of it witnesses against them for the word witnesses that it is a sealed book Esay 29.11 12. Rev. 5.3 1 Cor. 12.3 2 Cor. 3.6 Luk. 8.10 Mark 4.11 Matth. 11.15 Mark 4.9 Luke 8.8 Luke 24.45 whether delivered to the learned or unlearned and none is found worthy to open it but the Lamb the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah and that none can so much as say Iesus is the Lord but by the Holy ghost and again that the letter kils but the spirit gives life and to you it must be given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom or you cannot know them and when Christ spake with a lively and audible voyce and spake and preacht so as never man did yet said he very often he that hath eares to heare let him heare and so t is said of the Disciples that Christ opened their understandings when he was risen again although he himselfe had taught them the same things before his death yet t is said Luke 24.45 then opened he their understandings that they might know the Scriptures that it behoved him according as it was written in the Prophets and Psalms to suffer and rise again the third day So that hence it is clear there is not any wisdom learning or knowledge in the world that can unseale this book for though it be the declaration of the mind of God through those Saints and Apostles by whom it was written yet never can any man read the mind of God in it but by the same spirit that taught it and unless the same Spirit that raised up Iesus Christ from the dead doe quicken us Rom. 8.11 2 Cor. 6.14 Although the learnedest men in the world open it it will not raise up our mortall bodies nor be any savour unto life Now from hence let but the world judge who are the BLASPHEMERS and what is blasphemy if this be not We say none can truly teach the spirits of men but God himself and none can come to the Father but by the Sonne and he to whom the Sonne will reveale him And they say Matth. 11.27 the way to understand the Scriptures is to get learning and the tongues and to reform their lives to get into this or that fellowship I say this sharply reproves them that say they can open it with the WOODDEN and fleshly key of carnall wisdom and humane learning for we have shewed how there is a cloud upon the tabernacle to this day that none can remove but only God Himselfe not onely in regard of men but of Saints for though a Saint be brought to see into the Tabernacle and to behold the glory of the Lord yet when God pleaseth a cloud shall interpose it selfe that this Tabernacle shall be hid and covered again and again nay it shall be in hiding and opening continually unto the soule * Mark this for the glory of the Tabernacle would not be made out were there not a cloud to make it out by the strength of the Lord would not be made out were there not weaknesse to make it out by the light of the Lord would not be made out were there not darknesse to make it out by and therefore there is a cloud on the tabernacle and t is the Lord only that removes it that they may goe on in all their Journeys and when he doth it not they must sit still and he doth it for this very end that the glory of God may be more made out and that the soule of man might more fully more gloriously and more welcomly enjoy those discoveries Light cannot be made out in light and wisdom in wisdome but light in darkness and wisdom in folly and strength in weakness and fullness in emptiness and riches by poverty and grace by sin Alsufficiency by insufficiency and nothingness and even things that are high in things that are low one deep calls unto another the DEEPNESSE of that glory and FVLLNESS that is in God calls upon that DEEPNESSE and EMPTINESSE and nothingness that is in and upon the poor Creature and this is that Cloud that is still covering and removing from over the Tabernacle that the Glory of the Lord may be made out in and by that cloud that we may know and behold that glory that was hid from us and that we may know how pretious it is by the cloud that with-holds and covers it from us And again that we may know light is not in mans hand as Peter said Master let us be here and build three Tabernacles c. So I say Luk. 9.33 it is that man may not build a Tabernacle of his own least he should say he was Master of it and would think to give and carry the light where he pleased but with a Christian it is otherwise ordered that he might walk in darkness Esa 50.10 and stay himself upon his God so that the condition of a true Christian is not like the men of the world with their light for they are the Orderers and Masters of it But it may indeed be said of your ordinary formal Christians that they have a light never goes out in regard of their forms of Church-Government so that their candle is always burning and they are Masters of their own light and if it be out they can light it again and recover it by their own pains and industry but it is not so with those that truly fear God For when the light appears then they walk and journy but when their light appears not then they must stand still for they dare not go nor stir till the glory of the Lord appears and leads them and that the Lord Himselfe goes before them Further if this Cloud be removed onely by the hand of the Lord then I say First it shews plainly the vanity pride folly and uselessness of mens labouring to remove it in their taking upon them that which belongs to God and First I say it discovers
that horrible Pride Robbery Blasphemy Arrogancy and Infidelity that is in the heart of man to think he will do that which none can do but the hand of God And 't is Infidelity to think God will not do that he hath promised to do to the ends of the earth and robbery in that it takes away Gods honour and wisdom and power and this mans Arrogancy in assuming them to himself One while the Magistrate he will take upon him to remove the Cloud and he saith he is the great man to propagate the Gospel which is onely and properly the propagation of the Son of God and he must plant the Ministers of the Gospel And it may be perhaps there are some would have them go with the sword and blood to plant this in other Nations surely the fruit must needs be good that springs from such a root The Gospel you see is a Tabernacle that God plants and pitches and not man but ever and anon they will be taking upon them to do this and then it must be their care to know and distinguish of blasphemies and errours and heresies and this they do meerly out of that principle of errour and blasphemy that is in their own hearts for this shewes their Infidelity that God is not able to carry on his own work And do we say we are Christians and believe in him and when we have so done tell him a lye to his face Esa 9.6 for he saith Esa 9.6 that the government shall be upon Christs shoulders And Saith the Magistrate He hath the government upon his shoulders and yet when we have made great profession in words we trample him under the feet of men Mat 5.13 for if he cannot do his own work without the power of man then he stands in need of man and then must be weaker then man Then comes another and saith The Churches they must do this they must send out and they must remove the Cloud from off the Tabernacle and that darknesse that is in several corners of the Land the Harvest is great but the Labourers are few And our Saviours counsel is when he tells us Mat. 9.37 38. Joh. 4.35 that the Harvest was white even to reaping saith hee pray to the Father that he would send faithful Labourers He doth not bid you go to the men of Power or Patrons or Magistrates And truly then it were needlesse to pray to the Lord of the Harvest when men can send them forth now is not this pride infidelity and arrogancy for any of the sons of men to think to do it Obj. But you will say if that men should not do it men would become Heathens and Mahumetans or Atheists and of no Religion Answ Thinkest thou so is Religion Planted by men I thought it had been such a thing as the Text saith every plant that the Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up Mat. 15.13 May man then root up and plant at his pleasure For the truth is mans Ministry and Ministers may send out men and plant Churches that is they may make PROSELYTES and they may make them worse but can never make them better as the Pharisees taking great pains that way to furnish men as to imitations notions actions and external performances Rom. 2.28 29. but to bring the heart to be a Jew inwardly whose Circumcision is of the Heart and not of the Letter this is that plant that is alone of the Heavenly Fathers planting and shall abide but what plant either the Magistrate or Churches either by exclusion or inclusion have planted shall be rooted up But what the Lord plants what Tabernacle he pitches among poor creatures the sons of men that are neither cal'd by the Magistrate or Churches that is the Church that shall abide being founded on the Rock of Ages and shall stand for ever Nay further they will themselves remove the Cloud of the Tabernacle which God must do and not man and to do this they will lay heavy burthens upon other mens shoulders Mat. 23.4 c. and to this end they will bring forth a Doctrine to put men upon it teaching that men have Free will and may believe if they will and repent unto life that so man may be perswaded he is not fallen so low as some say that he need but wipe or throw off a little the dust off his own eyes which he got by his Fall and then he may see presently and using but his utmost industry he may work out his own salvation Alas this is but a delusion of Satan to make a poor blind man rub his own eyes and be afterward a great deal worse No this is not the way 't is the Lord removes the Cloud and not Man therefore till the Lord cause the soul simply to go out by beleeving there is still a cloud upon the Tabernacle and upon all those Mysteries that concern Jesus Christ Eph. 4.21 and they cannot see the truth as it is in Jesus Alas these soules look not at God but man the truth is all men in their Religion talk of God but their hearts are far from him Esa 29.13 This people saith God draw too neer me with their lips but their hearts are removed far from me Yet more though all mens Religion talk of God yet you that have eyes to see may see plainly their Hearts are on man and the creature they talk of God of Christ of grace of gaining knowledge of acting by grace and yet do but follow the point home in practice and application and ye shall find these are all laid upon man and in effect they say man must remove the Covering off the Tabernacle and he must by his study and pains bring down light and life and the like So I say though they say it with their mouths their hears are far from God So that when once man really sees there is a Cloud upon the Tabernacle then he looks not to the right hand nor to the left Psa 121.1 thinking that man should remove it but alone to the hills from whence his help and salvation comes for when a man thinks his own zeal performances duties belief repentance and the like be the way to remove the Cloud thinking surely I shall remove it presently I will goe pray and hear and watch over my selfe and keep close to those rules I have chosen and then I shall have light and peace and joy and so remove the Cloud presently and so he is bragging and boasting thereof in himselfe and throwing dirt and mire upon all others that are short of him as he conceives and so poor man is feeding upon the dead ashes of his own heart Esa 44.20 and knows not that there is a lye in his RIGHT HAND his very light is darknesse and his goodnesse sin and his riches beggery and his life death and that he holds in his right hand is a lye And if the light
that is in thee be darkness how great is that Darkness Are they repentings beleevings actings and workings if these be as thou thinkest the means to remove the Cloud off the Tabernacle is not this to trust in man Jer. 2.13 Ch. 17.5 in the power of man and to distrust the living God But is not this rather to repent and believe and trust in God to say Lord I am really blind open thou my eyes thou Son of David have mercy upon me why Luk. 18 39. now this soule seeing this it cryes to and waites upon none but God and then indeed is the heart fixed upon him where it should be from whom comes salvation and deliverance Psal 57.7 And whoever waited upon him that is faithful and strong and only can deliver and was not in due time delivered And from hence it appears when the soul walks in the light he knows full well it will be in vain for him to think to remove the cloud till the Lord remove it It may be the time hath been when thou hast felt the heat of the Divine displeasure and thy ear was then boared and thy uncircumcised heart circumcised and then light appeared and thou blessedest the Lord in that day But now there begins to come darknesse over thy eyes again and thou beginnest to see thy selfe lost again and the Cloud is upon the Tabernacle and thou art gotten into the pathless way Jer. 2.6 and alas thou sayst to thy self and concludest though I am out of my way I will up and be doing I will come to it again and I will recover it and so the poor man begins to wrestle and struggle it out now at this thing and then at that thing so that the poor Saint having lost the light he once had he runs through mire and dirt thinking to come to the light by his prayers and holinesse and so recover himself Then the poor soul thinks he is running to Canaan when indeed he is going back to Egypt And therefore it is clear to me both by the Scriptures and by the experience of the preciousest Saints I ever met with that in this condition its best to sit still For he that believeth maketh not haste Esa 28.16 but waits till the Lord will remove the cloud but if thou wilt turn from the Lord and go by another guide and captain and not by that Moses God hath sent and art going to make a Golden Calfe and and Idol to go before thee if so thou mayest expect that thy carkass shall fall in the Wilderness for thy unbelief Num. 14.29 and not waiting the good pleasure of the Lord for not one entred the promised Land but Caleb and Joshuah know this is the condition and disposition of a Saint that he only rejoyceth in the Lord all his expectations are from him who hath made light and darknesse I have learned saith the Apostle Phil. 4.11 in whatever state I am therewith to be content So that the happiness of a Saint is when he can glory in infirmities as Paul saith and rejoyce in darkness and misery 2 Cor. 12.9 10. for he sees this is his portion and he cannot remove the cloud and he is willing to sit still there till the day dawn and the Day-star arise in him 2 Pet. 1.19 Esa 50.10 Happy is the soule that can sit in darkness and when he hath no light can stay himselfe upon the Lord his God Happy I say is that soul though there be a cloud on the Tabernacle that can sit still and wait the Lords good pleasure and cry unto the Lord till he please to lead him onward towards Canaan And there was a cloud on it by day and a pillar of fire appeared on it by night Know this further from hence That in the time of a Saints greatest light there is stil a cloud upon the Lords Tabernacle at the greatest height of light liberty and enjoyments to his own feeling and apprehension even then there is some darknesse upon the Tabernacle especially immediately after such great light and glory When Paul was wrapt up into the third heaven 2 Cor. 12.7 there was a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him least he should be exalted above measure there was again a cloud let fall over the Tabernacle when he was in the height of his joys a prick was sent him in the flesh a Messenger of Satan to buffet him and therefore he concludes in another place we walk by faith and not by sight T is so with every Christian in the day of his light 2 Cor. 5.7 and the time of his greatest shinings usually and then especially there is a cloud upon the Tabernacle why to let man know thus much that he must not live upon the GIFT but on the GIVER that man must not gather to day for ever but he is to gather to morrow and every day as the children of Israel in gathering Manna for if thou layest up store it will be dead the next time thou commest to feed on it it will all stinke and it will not nourish thee but wait still on the giver and then his mercy will be sweet fresh flourishing and green Lastly from this that the fire shined on the Tabernacle by night we shall onely note that when the Light of the Tabernacle shines upon the soules of men all things else become dark t is night in that soule to all things but the light of the Tabernacle in the night there was a fire and in the day a cloud now I say when the fire shined all things were dark round about it And herein observe these two things first when mans spirit is shut up and sees he no light then is the time for the appearing of this light And secondly this light never appears but when all things are dark in man for light discovers darknesse if any thing else be light to thee and all things else be not darknesse thou never yet discoveredst this light To this soule there is nothing in the whole creation that seems to be glorious and excellent but when the Sun of righteousnesse in him hath shined upon it then it appears to be all darkness when the light of the Tabernacle shines in the soule of man then riches honour pleasure preferments all things below God are darknesse Then the light of his reason wit moralitie and holy qualities that seemed to be a great light and shined before gloriously being compared one with another or with things inferiour Now when the light of the Tabernacle appeares then all these things appeare to be nothing but darknesse emptiness and blindness and are all as meer vapours before the Sun of righteousnesse as the Prophet saith Therefore thy goodnesse is as the morning dew and as the cloud that wears away so that I say Hos 6.4 whensoever the fire in the Tabernacle shines on man then this will be the sure effect in that soule
doing this work we may see the manner of his working and proceeding with the sons of men in the following words I will cut off thy Horses out of the midst of thee and I will destroy thy Charets this is one part of his acting He will cut off his Horses and destroy his Charets that is whatever it be that man rides on or trusts in or thinks to be delivered by all his helps or refuges all his hopes or confidences that are below or less then Jesus Christ himself hee will cut off and destroy though his confidence be never so great and that wherein he trusts be never so strong and his Charets never so many In that day when the Lord wil arise they shall be all cut off all utterly overwhelmed like Pharaoh and his Charets in the Sea Let it be what it will wherein thou trustest Exod. 14. and thinkest to sit safely in the midst of all wrath and storms if thou puttest trust in riches honour power of men wisdom parts or any thing thou hast chosen and thinkest thy self ever the better or safer for them all these shall be cut off from thine hand Nay though thou art in the very Chariot of Religion Mich. 5.12 and highest profession of the truth and hast chosen to thy selfe the purest forms and Ordinances as thou callest them and Church-felloships washings breaking of bread or any thing else in thine hand which can be named except Jesus Christ himselfe whereby thou hast quieted thy spirit and hast thereby gotten to thy selfe a peace and a rest all is a delusion and an Idol It may be Thou when thy conscience began to accuse thee and wrath appeard to amaze and affright thee thou saidst within thy self I must now do something that I may deliver my soule from this guilt I must quench this flame for I am not able to bear it I will run to this duty and take up that form and observe such and such rules and then I shall do well and I shall secure my self from wrath and hell As the Pharisees what think you drove them to the Baptism of John certainly it was this fear and this guilt upon their spirits For saith he to them O Generation of Vipers Mat. 3.7 who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come bring forth fruits meet for repentance as if he should say when ye were affrighted and terrified you thought comming to my Baptisme would secure you but you are but Vipers for all this and this submitting to Baptisme doth not declare true repentance But know the Ax is now laid to the root of the Tree Vers 10. and every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire And further you boast of being the children of Abraham and the seed of the faithful and because ye are members of the true Church but all this is to little purpose for God is able of these stones to raise up Children unto Abraham So that you see for all your Forms and Fellowships wherein you trust you shall be in that day of the Lord stript naked of all your garments and of all your refuges all those Horses and Chariots which you thought should preserve you and carry you out of all danger they shall all be broken and cut off and thy soul plunged into the bottomlesse pit Psal 38.3 and thou shalt have no rest in thy bones because of thy sin and by reason of thy misery for thou shalt not know which way to turn thee for all thy Idols and all thy Images shall not in that day be able to help or deliver thee Jer. 4.4 for the wrath of the Lord shall burn as an Oven and then thou must stand naked before the presence of the Lord who is a consuming fire Heb. 12. c. to burn up and consume every thing but Himself And not onely so but as it follows in the next words I will cut off the Cities of thy Land and throw down all thy strong holds As when outward enemies came upon the people of Israel and invaded their Land and the Lord had said they should go into captivity then nothing should be a defence to them but the enemy should break into their strongest places and their Cities should not secure them nor any of their strong holds which they had made for their defence do them any good This now was true in the Letter but this is also as true in the Mystery in the living and spiritual sense When men have made themselves defences and think they are secured from wrath and hell and all storms and no evil shall touch them neither will they be carried captive by Satan nor by the Prince of Darknesse and although by their wisdom they contrived these forts and strong holds and thought themselvs never so secure therin yet all of them shall be vain hopeless and helpless and nothing within them nor without them shall help them and the wrath of the Lord shall make them vile odious and abominable which before they got coverings for now whether they will or no they shall see themselves as they are and they shall not be able to have one good thought of themselvs but the contrary for this light of the Lord discovers their blackness their deformity and that there is no power nor wisdom can help them but onely the good will and the good hand of the Lord nothing but his meer goodnesse and they shall see that there is no power no goodnesse no mercy anywhere but in the Lord alone and if he doe not pitty them there is no mercy at all for them And not only so That men have their horses to ride on to carry them swift away that no danger may overtake them and Chariots wherein they ride and put their trust so likewise that they have Cities and Strong-holds for their security so that all the wisdome and power of man cannot make them more strong and safe to beare off the wrath of God but also saith he in the next verse Vers 13 I will cut off witchcraft out of thine hand and thou shalt have no more Southsayers Men have their Juglers and Diviners their Southsayers and their Witches All that witchcraft whereby men have deluded and deceived their souls in that day shall be discovered those false SEERS who cryed peace peace when there was no peace All that Witchcraft which men used in the things of God in setting up Images and forms and shadows and herein deluded men making them believe they were the things themselves And though they have wrought them up never so curiously and made them as neere the life as might be yet in that day they shall come to see they were but Images and dead things which could not help at all And now they shall no more live upon them or hang depend or call upon them for help or reliefe though they were made after the best pattern and never
and have familiar spirits and such as do no other in all their Religion but enquire after the dead as the Prophet speaks what 's that Esa 8.19 Mark 5.3 who enquire not after the living the substance and the truth but after the dead and all their delight is to be among the Graves and the Tombs and dead things which have no power nor life in them being men very cruel and fierce But all things of this nature in man shall be cut off when Christ shall arise in us and become Lord and King and be all in all viz. to be alone King Priest and Prophet in us Then we shall hearken and give ear alone to him having no other Guide nor no other Teacher or Master but him when these things come to pass in us then all the delusions within us and all in others without us shall all be discovered and vanish And indeed we can never discover those Spiritual Sorcerers and Inchanters without us till we have sound them out and discovered them within us Then he alone shall shortly tread down Satan under our feet Rom. 16.20 Rev. 18.23 Then this MICHAEL will throw down out of Heaven the Dragon and his Angels which deceived the Nations Onely the Breath and Comming of the Lord can discover those depths of lyes and infinite deceits that are received and rooted in the heart of man and nothing but the good hand wisdom and power of the Lord Almighty can deliver the soule From hence then we may hold out thus much and 't is very clear First that there is no greater Deceiver to be found then is within Man No cunninger Devil no greater ANTICHRIST nor no worse WITCH then what Man hath in his own heart so that HE hath in him all things described by the Name of EVIL There is in him the Devil Sin Antichrist the red Dragon the Jims and Ziims of the Desart There is in him Lucifer and the beast with seven Heads and ten Horns There are in him Conjurers Sorcerers Southsayers Witches Mutterers Peepers consulters with the dead that is delighting and resting in formal and dead Ordinances and with Women which have familiar Spirits with the GREAT WHORE and what not even with all things that belong to the Kingdom and power of Darknesse And all these things and whatever else can be named of this kind they all make up but one body all these are but Satan and his Members and they all have but one and the same Head As Jesus Christ consisteth of whatever is good righteous holy pure undefiled and the seed and sons of God and all things of that nature are his body and he their Head so all the seed and sons of Satan make up but one body and one building which is ANTICHRIST and the Great Whore and the Dragon and Lucifer and the rest And however man is carried out to look for all these things without him yet be sure these Sorcerers these Wizzards these Necromancers these Dragons Devils Antichrists all are in thine own bosome Here is the true Necromancy and Witchcraft the true Antichrist all other without are but shadows pictures and representations of the true and reall body of Antichrist and the Great Whore and the like If thou wouldest find out Antichrist and the true Necromancer and Southsayer It is thy selfe When thou enquirest and askest counsel of thine own heart then thou consultest with a familiar and lying spirit when thou makest a shew of that which thou art not then thou art a Necromancer and a Sorcerer and so every one of these evil ones according to their names you shall find in your own practice the nature thereof And truly Beloved herein lies the great and mighty Delusion and Witchcraft amongst the sons of men that Satan in them is so cunning that he alwayes carryes them out of themselves to find out Antichrist and Wizzards and Southsayers and Lucifer and the Great whore and the like And the true reason is because the Divel he would not by any means have these things be discovered to be in mans own breast where indeed is his Temple and SEAT more then at Room externally or litterally in any other place There is Antichrist there is Belial and there be the Southsayers and the Sorcerers in thine own heart But man will by no means indure this Doctrine And so long as Satan can blind delude and deceive man making him look for that evil one and the son of Perdition 2 Thes 2.3.7 and the MYSTERY OF INIQUITY out of himself so long Satan rests secure and safe But if the Light of God comes and discovers where his lurking and hiding place is viz. to be within and at home while we have been ruuning up and down far and neer to find him Then the soule either fights against this light or else blushes and is ashamed and confounded in it selfe And now it will trust no longer to it self now it sees the greatest cheating and witchcrafts to be acted in it selfe But till this day of the Lord come and this great light shine round about him man rides on boldly and confidently as Saul to Damascus and is not smitten down from his Horse neither sees he what he is doing Acts 9.1 2 but blesses himself and thinks all is well and he censures this wicked man and the other and he can curse the Devil and Antichrist without him bitterly thee whom he thinks to be at Rome and concludes that there he must fall and be brought down but never remembers that there is ONE in him whom he knows not but if any shall say unto him as Nathan to David Thou art the Man Antichrist is in thee and Adam is in thee and the Serpent is in thee and in whatever is said or related of Adam or Satan or Antichrist or Lucifer or of Eve What they did behold I say unto thee 2 Sam. 12.7 Thou art the man all this thou mayest read in thine own actions in thy own practices But oh how tart and harsh is this Doctrine to all the wise sober grave holy and learned men of the world Oh how do they hate and deride this Doctrine But let me tell them before the Lord Angels and Men That for all this while they are blessing themselves 1 Cor. 4.9 from the Devil and Antichrist and the rest and scorning these things should be in them and think that they have discovered them here and there Behold they are nigh them they are within them in their hearts and mouths though they see them not But if ever with all thy learning and parts and righteousnesse thou hadst had but the light of God in thee it would have shewed thee the Divil and the true Necromancer and let thee know that for all thy vain boasting and swelling and high and proud conceits of thy selfe that thou never yet hadst the light of God and that God never yet answered thee by that true URIM and THUMMIM
persecuting both men and women that were of that way that he might bring them bound to Jerusalem dragging them out of every City and breathing out threatnings and slaughter and compelled them to blaspheme Who now do you think turned Paul about and of a Saul made him Paul was there any other hand did this but the good hand of the Heavenly Husbandman who of a Devil made him a Saint No no he clearly saw he opposed salvation fought against it and he had onely a Notion of Salvation and Happinesse in his mind but really to desire Salvation he neither did nor Knew not what salvation was Gal. 1.16 1 Tim. 1.13 but it pleased the Father to reveal his Son and Salvation in me and to receive me to mercy because I did it ignorantly and through unbelief It was alone his good pleasure to cut me off from the wild Olive and to plant me into the true Olive And as the Apostle saith so say I Such were some of you but ye are washed 1 Cor. 6.11 but ye are sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God There is not one natural man in the whole world that can desire salvation but under a false notion as he thinks it will bring peace and rest honour and glory and happinesse but salvation indeed all men who are not possessed of it oppose it fight against it and should it be revealed to them in the true nature thereof they would persecute it and breath out slaughters against the Professors of it Then certainly no man loves Salvation nor no man seeks after it nor can use any means to attain it as men ignorantly affirm and beleeve For can a man love his own death can any man love crucifying and hate his own life I tell ye nay but he must be changed new moulded and be leavened with a new leaven that he may be a new lump And therefore when men talk of such things 1 Cor. 5.7 they know not what they say That man must do and man must act and man must use the means and the like it declares to me they were never yet met in the way going to Damascus they were never yet un-horst and laid flat to the earth Oh Beloved this work of Salvation it is a marvellous work for the Lord to reveal his Son in man Gal. 1 16. the world knows nothing of it but they have some notions of Heaven without them and of a Christ without them and Religion is now made an easie and a common thing almost every one is Religious Religion is the fashion of the Age and its a shame to be otherwise and they think this is enough But to make Christ in us the hope of Glory this is none of mans work but t is the Lords doing and t is marvellous in our eyes For Christ to dye for us when we were sinners and enemies to salvation Col. 1.27 Psal 118.23 Rom. 5.8.10 and for him then to dye for us and to reconcile us by his death this the world knows little of I appeal to every renewed soul here whence is it that any of you are come to be Christians and of men and women of a Devillish nature to be made partakers of the Divine Nature of a Bryar and a Thorn and a Bramble 2 pet 1.4 which was fit for nothing but the fire and burning to become a Heavenly plant and a branch in the true Vine Jesus Christ How came this about was it ever your own work or your own seeking nay did you not fight against this work and oppose it he that findes it not so never yet was partaker of it He never yet could say Vnto me a Child was born and a Son given whose name is called Wonderful Councellour the Mighty God the Everlasting Father and the Prince of peace except he have found in himself as the Lord saith there in Isaiah 9.5.6 Esa 9.5 6. Every battel of the Warriour is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood this must be with burning and fewel of fire This * As that precious instrument in the hand of the Lord Dr. Everard expounds that place in his Sermons call'd Gospel Treasure opened pag. 61. c. alwayes goes before that Christ is given to any of the sons of men Beloved do but examine your own hearts and you shall finde it was thus and it must be thus was ever the strong man bound and cast out of his house and possession without resisting will man lose his life and suffer all his riches and goods to be taken away and never strive nor oppose And was this work ever done by a still-work and using of Ordinances and joyning here and there and man never disturbed but that out of his natural and dead condition he hath dreamed and slept himself into a new nature and into the condition of a Christian No my brethren conversion is an otherguesse thing then most men hold forth And if men see but a want in themselves and then resolve that they must seek after a Heaven to fill up this want and to that end run to this duty and tother fellowship and think he must be constant in the use of Ordinances and if he do but beleeve in an external Christ then the work is done and the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs Alas all this is but the way of man and by all this they do but make a Proselyte and those that teach thus they do but sew pillows under all arm-holes and cry peace peace when there is no peace but have made themselves Aprons Ezek. 13 18. and blesse themselves in an unsound condition and heale the wound of the daughter of my people slightly Wo to these Women saith the Prophet there for this is nothing but Weakness nay herein they have made them two-sold more the Children of Hell then before Mat. 23.15 Col. 3.1 If men are risen with Christ let them shew me how they were crucified dead and buried with him if they are come to Canaan let them shew me how the alone Mighty and Outstretched hand of the Lord hath brought them out of Egypt and how they came through the Sea and through the Wilderness Indeed I confesse these people they talk of signs and marks of the people of God Mat. 12 38 c. but to them there shall be no sign given but that of the Prophet Jonah as he was three days and three nights in the Whales belly so must the Son of man be buried in the heart of the Earth Go ye and learne what this means Art thou cut off from thy old root from the wilde Olive hast thou felt this burning hast thou lost thy own life art thou buried with Christ hast thou been three dayes in the heart of the earth and in the Whales belly hast thou had in thee the battail of the Warriours and the confused noise Esa 9.5 and the
garments rolled in blood hast thou seen the massacre of thy own life and the burning and the spoil and the fewel of fire in thee Then this shall be a sign to thee that to thee the Child is born and the Son given And thou hast then seen him to be the Mighty God the great Councellour the Wonderful and the Prince of peace Beloved you may talk what ye will of this mark and tother sign for saith Christ Ver. 6. Indeed the men of this Generation seek after signs but let them never once name and other sign till they finde this sign in them Have ye found this cutting off from your selves and this planting by the Lord alone Never tell me of Ordinances nor of Washings nor of Breaking bread nor of any of your rules or forms mind you only this signe this mark before ever ye look for any other of being risen with Christ and the like He that knows not these things in himself knows nothing Christ comes not to send peace before he hath sent the sword Mat. 10.34 What 's now all your doings all your dippings washings baptisms if ye have not this Baptisme all the other can never make the doers thereof nor the commers thereunto perfect Heb. 9.9 10.1 And till this be all your baptisms and worships are but from men and not from Heaven and all your Ordinances are but the Ordinances of men neither do you know what an Ordinance of Christ is for all these are but shadows your Sabbaths your new moons all things of this nature for the body is Christ Col. 2.17 If Christ himselfe will make use of these then indeed they are HIS Ordinances and there is life and power in them but as men use them they are empty cold dead and they change not the commers therunto at all for they are alive still and their spirit is yet whole in them and they have no change wrought in them from the men of the World for they are as much in love with honour and credit and all the things of the world as any other men Mat. 7.20 Col. 3.1 by their fruits ye may know them and yet they professe to be risen with Christ and to seek those things that are above why because they mistake things that are above But because they go to Church and hear and pray and fast and conform to Johns Baptism therefore they conclude they mind the things of God and seek after them Beloved to be risen with Christ is another manner of thing and it must be done by another manner of power then these men ever felt Even the very same Almighty power that raised up Iesus from the dead else they do but delude themselves This work is done by no other but by his own eternal spirit And men need not seek to any other help or means but him as thinking they can doe themselves any good But here now comes in the common Objection at which all men having not the work wrought in themselves stumble and fall Obj. and over this block they cannot get Although it is true that God does all and he must give a new heart Ezek. 11.19 and take out the stony heart and give an heart of flesh Thus far they will joyn in with you But must not man do his part and use the means that it may be effected This indeed hath been Answ and is and shall be the great stumbling block in all ages for men having not the experience of these things done in themselves they dreame of mans doing acting and working and he must put himselfe upon this duty and that when as I told you before no man seeks for Heaven as this Heaven and how then can he use the meanes for it when he never once desires the true Kingdome of Heaven but hates it opposes it runs from it useth all his inventions and weapons offensive and defensive to keep it out and desires the Lord to depart from him Job 21.14 Mat. 8.34 for be desireth not the knowledge of his wayes and with the Gergesens rather then they will part with their swinishness and that mire wherein they wallow they will meet Christ and desire him not to come neere them but to depart out of their coasts so well do all men out of Christ love him and seek after him or use meanes to come to him But to answer more particularly I do not ☜ nor never did deny the use of the meanes in the hand of the Father for the meanes do nothing but the Fathers hand only And God never intended a carnal meanes should effect a spiritual work He is a spirit and those that worship him John 4.24 must worship him in spirit and truth The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual And they are mighty in the hand of God 2 Cor. 10 4. John 3.6 not in the hand of man not in our selves but in him That which is borne of the flesh is flesh but that which is borne of the spirit is spirit And what is it that men make out about this Objection but this that men must do and men must strive and men must watch 't is true what meanes soever God pleaseth to use shall prevaile but if use by man it does nothing at all can a spiritual thing come out of a carnal can a cleane thing come out of an uncleane And therefore 't is cleare to me and to all the people of God and to their experience That the Lord makes no use of mans power or strength or wisdome or watchfulnesse or industry but what is done in man Gen. 1.3 't is purely the hand and power of the Lord. If HE say the word Let there be light in such a soul 't is done if he say to the Lepers Luke 5.12 17.17 Mark 7.34 v. 14. Chap. 5.24 be ye cleane 't is done If he say to the eares EPHPHATHA be ye opened And young man I say unto thee Arise And to the sick Arise take up thy bed and walk then the work is done But men not knowing the work and power of God they are alwayes Harping on this string on mans power acting working striving and the like I but they object further I Object but must not man use external meanes as Preaching and hearing and reading the Scripture and the like Answ Although he do Answ yet what doth all this do except the power of God be in it The Lord is pleased in this Book of the Bible to speak out the things belonging to the Kingdome of Heaven and he is pleased to stoop so low to us to represent by external things those things that are high and spiritual and saving but alasse they are all MYSTERIES and they cannot be known but in the light of God and not in the light of man but as God is pleased to make them out in man else no man knows what they meane in their own nature And
are still in snares and lockt fast in their fetters for who else can deliver and set free the soule of man but he that is Lord of all Rev. 1.18 and is subject to none He alone hath the keyes of Hell and death he alone is the soules Captaine and deliverer This is that which all the Saints have experience of when they finde themselves delivered from the bondage of flesh of selfe of the world if they feel this work done within them they know experimentally t is the very finger and power of Christ and that he is only Christs free man that none hath brought it to pass to set them at liberty to knock off their chains and lead them out of prison and set their feet upon a rock but only the Almighty power and meer mercy of the Lord Jesus they know that it hath been he that hath opened their eyes and their eares Psal 40.2 that hath raised them from death and given them feet to walk and there is none know this truly but only those that feele it done in themselves And for proofe of this point though I might prove it by Scripture very pleatifully to shew how many yea all the Saints there spoken of have found it in their own experience that they were delivered from death and from prison by the power of God and by the hand of Jesus Christ yet what is this to thee except thou sinde their experience true in thy selfe else their experience is but notions and riddles to thee and such things whereof thou hast no knowledge except thou see and know thy selfe to be under deth and kept fast in prison and except thou hast found Jesus Christ restoring recovering delivering and redeeming thee from this death And that thou findest that he hath said to thy soule Arise and stand up on the feet Acts 14.10 and hath given thee strength and life to what end is it to bring all the examples in Scripture and in the world if this death and life be no experimented in us Insomuch that thou canst say This word is true to me because done in me as the Apostle saith in Heb. 1.1 2. Heb. 1.1 2. God who at sundry times and divers manners spake in times past unto the Fathers and by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son whom he hath appointed Heir of all things Those truths which he spake before by the Prophets he hath now spoken in us by his Son so that we now know them to be the word and speakings of God But as our Saviour saith Mat. 12.39 40. An evil and an Adulterous Generation seeketh after a sign They expect every speaking should be made good by an external word and ye must go no farther so that the truth is never witnessed to in their hearts but as he sayes there There shall no sign be given them but the sign of the Prophet Ionas For as Ionas was three days and three nights in the Whales belly even so shal the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth Except you find the same things done in you the same miracles the same death the same lying in the grave three days and three nights except you find Jesus Christ taking thee by the hand and restoring thee to life thou art of an evil and adulterous Generation seeking after an external sign and thou art a meer stranger to these things But I shall for their sakes who feel the work of Christ within them give you two or three places of Scripture being the experience of the Saints of old that you may see how the Saints bear witnesse to each other in experience First Scripture Esa 61.1 2 3. Esa 61.1 2 3. speaking there of Christ being the only deliverer saith The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because he hath anoynted me to preach good tidings to the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give them beauty for ashes and the oyl of joy for mourning and the garments of praise for the spirit of heavinesse c. Christ only is the breaker open of the soules prison doors he alone gives deliverance to the Captives and he alone brings them forth from prison and sets them free and this he is to his people in all ages for he is yesterday and to day Heb. 13.8 and the same for ever and when the same word appeared in flesh he testifies the same of himself Luke 4.18 Luk. 4.18 21. where he rehearseth the same words and applyes them to himself vers 21. This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears And this was that which he still held forth in all his teachings that there is no other Saviour nor Deliverer but himself never was nor is nor ever shall be to the end of the world Moses was only an outward and external Captain or Deliverer but His leadings and deliverings are spiritual and there is none can be delivered but by him Heb. 12.24 as he is a better Mediator then Moses so he is a better deliverer t is he alone that frees the soul from the pit from death and hell his Kingdom is within us The Jewes and Pharisees they still excepted an outward deliverer and could not own Him as a Prince and Saviour but were blind and saw not what he still held forth in all his teachings They could not see the truth that they were blind and miserable and full of Hypocrisie and were no other but painted Sepulchres glorious outwardly but within were full of rottennesse stench and dead mens bones They could not endure to stand in the light of this truth Mat. 23.27 but hated it and persecuted him to the death for holding it forth What are we blind also what we the learned the wisest the holiest what we that are strict our selves and call upon others to be so this was death to them But now had they but seen this and owned it he would have been their righteousness their deliverer their redeemer to have set them free but because they said we see therefore their sin remained and their fetters and bondage was not taken off And again Christ tells them Iohn 8.31 32. If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free Now these things they could not see nor understand that they were in bondage but answered to him we are Abrahams seed and were never in bondage to any man how sayest thou ye shall be made free then Jesus answered them Verily verily I say unto you He that committeth sin is the servant of sin the servant abideth not in the House for ever but the son abideth for ever And if the son shall make you
that and the other duty but this cure being not throughly wrought but as the Prophet Jeremy saith The Prophets have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people sleightly for they having submitted to their directions Jer. 6.14 they have hereupon comforted them and told them now all was well and they were converted and both concluded that he was their spiritual father that had begotten them again But for all this the day of the Lord hath afterward come upon them as a thiefe in the night 1 Thes 5.2 and they have been robd of all their comfort and confidence and have laine many yeers after in misery and bondage and no man could speak any peace to them till Jesus Christ himselfe came and then they found him indeed to be The Deliverer And that he alone was annointed to preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaime liberty to the Captive Esay 61.1 c. and the opening of the prison dores to those that are bound to proclaim the acceptable yeare of the Lord and to comfort all that mourn To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion beauty for ashes joy for mourning c. that HE might be glorified Therefore from hence I would presse a word or two upon all those that think themselves delivered It is worthy your consideration that so your confidence may not deceive you If thou art DELIVERED by the power of Christ and that the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah hath ransommed and redeemed thy soule from the power of the grave Rev. 5.5 Then thy testimony and thy witnesse will be this That nothing in Heaven or Earth can deliver but solely the power of Christ and this thou wilt and canst hold forth not in general words but really and from experience that there is no deliverer but Christ alone Thou wilt I say bear out thy witnesse if so be thou art delivered that it was not Ordinances as men improperly call them could do it it was not in the power of the Letter of the word nor in any thing whatsoever nor in the power of thy doing nor thy watchfulness nor strictness could in the least help thy soul to rest but only the mighty arm and power of Christ He hath trod the Wine-presse alone He can in experience give Testimony freely Esay 63.3 c. to that Scripture in Esa 63.3 Who is this that commeth from Edom with died garments from Bozrah travelling in the greatnesse of his strength t is I that speak in righteousnesse being mighty to save T is I that have trodden the Wine-presse alone And of the people there was none with me for the day of vengeance is in mine heart and the year of my redeemed is come therefore mine own arm brought salvation And I will tread down the people in mine anger and make them drunk in my fury and I will tread down THEIR STRENGTH to the Earth Here Beloved is a true description of MANS deliverance it can never be till Christ will do it and till the year of his redeemed be come and he doth it alone and no man stands by him no man can help And in that day they shall drink in his fury ☞ and he will tread down THEIR STRENGTH t is not mans power nor wit nor learning nor endeavours nor doings nor fellowships nor Ordinances can help him or stand by him But his own right hand hath brought salvation If it be not by the hand and power of God alone thou wert never yet delivered For in that day all the strength of man the wisdom of man the righteousness of man all their strength must be all trodden down Esay 63.6 Jer. 25.15 c. and in that day he must be content to drink in the Lords fury and he must stand condemned and abominable in his own sight and take the cap of this fury at the Lords hand Oh sayes that soul whom Christ hath delivered I find He alone was my Saviour my Deliverer there was none with him If his hand had not laid hold on me and saved me I had gone down to hell into the Nethermost pit Oh Beloved he cannot endure to hear any lift up any thing equal with Jesus Christ or join any thing with him to help him in this work in the least He had rather you should kill his dear Father nay himselfe rather then hear any one speak against or undervalue the work of Jesus Christ And this is the witness he bears forth for he testifies what he knows and what his eyes have seen and what his hands have handled of the word of life 1 John 1.1 Nay the very work of Christ it self bears testimony that this was Christ his own work in them for t is such a work as none other could do saith our saviour The works that I doe bear witness of me John 15.24 for if I had not done such works as no man ever did or could do why should you beleeve on me For to make duties or those things falsly call'd Ordinances his rest or his peace or his Saviour this is DEATH to a true experienced soul he cannot endure any should wear that crown but Jesus Christ alone he knowes experimentally as Peter when Christ asked them Ibid. 6.68 Will ye also go from me Lord Whither shall we go thou alone hast the words of Eternal life They had experience of this in themselves that he alone had power and wisdom and strength and to turn away from him they turned to death to sin to misery to weakness to helplesse and dumb Idols whatever it was but only Himself and the work of Christ gave testimony to this work they felt the workings thereof they had it not by reading or hearing or observing this or that rule nor by Notions or fancies or opinion or perswasion or self-confidence but they in themselves have had experience of the breaking of thier own bonds and loosing off their own yoaks and that in them HE hath preached good tidings to the meek and hath bound up the broken-hearted Esa 61 ◠c. and proclaimed liberty to the Captives and hath opened the prison doors and delivered them from death and guilt and hell And that the Tabernacle of God is with these men and to them there is no more death neither sorrow nor crying for the former things are passed away And he that now sits upon the Throne saith in them Rev. 21.3 Behold I alone make all things new These things Write saith the BRIDE and also this Soule for these words are true and faithful Beloved can you give testimony to this work of Christ in you have you seen it felt it believed it Oh! know it is not much talk of Christ or much talk of sin or talking of Deliverance nor thy perswasion or the like but hath Christ wrought it in thee by himself alone Esa 63.3 4. when no man stood by him not thy selfe by thy