never go to seek their stragling Souls by going to their Houses to endeavour their Return not once in twelve months but if they be lost lost they may be for you especially if they be some of the Poor of the Flock if mean in the World and they may wander from Mountain to Hill and be devoured of wild Beasts for you have neither cared to seek that which was lost nor to bring again that which was driven away nor to heal the Sick c. And WO BE TO YOU ye Shepherds of Israel saith the Lord Ezek. 34. 2. that do not the work of a Shepherd but take care to feed your selves and cloath your selves and if that be done whether you have it of the Sheep or any other way you are satisfied though you do not those Offices of Shepherds of the Flock as those that should watch for their Souls as those that must give an account of them to God O how sad an account have ye to make for these things Heb. 13. 17 These Sins of your Omissions unto whom so great a Charge is committed have been very great provocations of the Eyes of his Glory of whose blessed Service you have been so negligent and you must be told of it with a SPARE NOT. Again As this hath been the Sin of Prophets and Teachers so it hath been the Sin of others also even of many of all distinctions Presbyterians and Quakers c. for it is the concern of all that fear the Lord to endeavour the Reclaiming and Recovery of any that are fallen or overtaken with a fault and to endeavour the restoring of them with the spirit of Meekness But this hath been a general Sin among very many viz the Omission of this Duty It is true that many Professors are not gifted for such a Work as â—ohers are but every one ought to be found performing it according to their capacity as need â—equires and neglect of the discharge hereof in any of the Lords People hath been their sin which the Lord will have them humbled for But the great Sin among the Sins of Omission of the Lords People is the Sin of Omission of the constant attending of the Assemblies of the Saints in all times wherein that Assembly whereunto a person appertains doth appoint any solemn Assembly for the publick worshipping the Lord together waiting on the Lord to see his goings in the Sanctuary to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire into his Temple For the Lord is pleased to declare Rev. 1. 13 20 that his presence is in the midst of the Churches in the Assemblies of his Saints and there his people may inquire may seek after may find and obtain the Knowledge of the great Mysterieâ— of his Gospel and Kingdom and there the spiritual Eye may behold his Beauty And if some cannot see any Beauty there it is because their Eyes are blinded But every spiritual Eye may and doth behold in some measure the Beauty of the Lord in his Temple in his Churches But the reason why those that are truly spiritual see but a little is because there is a great defection in the very best of the Churches and most of the Elders of the Churches have their blots and some in particular are very â—oul ones as hath been said and may appear before this discourse be ended it being to shew the Lords People their Transgressions and the Churches and the Elders of the Churches their Sins But though there be a very great defection and backsliding in the Churches and the very Elders of the Churches to their shame yet there the Beauty of the Lord is to be seen if any where upon Earth though it be very much beclouded But though there be but a little Light yet some-Light and some spiritual Beauty there is among many Churches and Congregations of Saints and let particular Souls know that then they shall know if they follow on to Hos 6. 3. Prov. 10. 4. Isa 32. 20 Prov. 2. 4 know the Lord And he that improves a little well shall gain much more The diligent hand maketh rich and blessed are they that sow beside all Waters Blessed are they that improve all opportunities in publick and private to search for the Knowledge of the Glory of the Lord as for Silver and dig for it as for hid Treasures In all places or means in which there is any ground to expect the obtaining of that blessed Treasure But this hath been the Sin of the House of Jacob or those that pretend to be of that House viz. of the Israel of God That they have greatly neglected not onely other Duties in the performance whereof they might have been blessed but also this great Duty of attending the Assemblies of the Saints wherein in an especial manner they ought to â—e diligent For in the Assemblies of the Saints God is most evidently and visbly honoured and gloâ—ified by his People in the Eyes of the World And the more they have been opposed the more ought his Saints to be diligent in giving up themselâ—es by a faithful obedieâ—ce unto his Precepts in the observance of all his Ordinances and appointments blamelesly purely and not according to mens inventions for in vain do they worship him that teach â—or Doctrine the Precepts of men But instead of waiâ—ing on the Lord in the Assemblies of his Saints in former times wherein the Lords People enjoyed Prosperity and as much Liberty as they could desire they many of them followed the World and the Profits thereof and others for tâ—iâ—â—â—ng occasions neglected their Duties when it was not for matter of Gain unto them but meerly from a sluggish dull dead frame of spirit and Indifferency in the Lords Service And when Churches have appointed solemn days of waiting upon the Lord in solemn Assemblies besides the Sabbath or first day of the Week there have been slender appâ—â—â—ances of them of all Distinctions Even of some of the Baptised Churches I say not all of the Baptised Churches but some are very guilty hereof also and it is too well known to them that their solemn Assemblies being appointed have been slightly observed weekly â—n the week Days yea many times when days of Fasting and Prayer and days of Thanksgiving have been appointed upon solemn occasions they have been unworthily neglected by many Church-Members and by some Elders also some affording but half the day to the Lord and some no part at all O unworthy People Was the Lord a barren Wilderness unto you or a Land of Darkness Was there no pleasure to be found in waiting upon him Was he no more delightful to your Soul then a Land of Darkness which is very unpleasant to the Body Was he so to your Souls Was there no more in him then in a barren heathy Wilderness Who can chuse but have his heart rise against the unworthy doings of such a People as have by their Aâ—â—ions seemed to manifest no more regard unto the
A TRUMPET Blown in Sion sounding an Alarm IN GODS HOLY MOUNTAIN OR A Voice lifted up as a TRUMPET Crying aloud and not sparing To shew the Lords People their Transgressions and the House of Jacob their Sins By a poor Worm that through the Lords great Grace hath found great Blessings among the Presbyterian Ministry and by conversing with some of the Lords Upright Ones of the Presbyterian Way and also choice Blessings among the Ministry of the Independant and Baptized Congregations and some of the Faithful with them Micah 3. 5 6 8. Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my People erre Therefore night shall be unto you that ye shall not have a Vision But truly I am full of Power by the Spirit of the Lord and of Judgement and of Might to declare unto Jacob his Transgression and to Israel his Sin Isa 58. 1. Cry aloud spare not lift up thy Voice like a Trumpet and shew my People their Transgression and the House of Jacob their Sins Jer. 4. 14. O Jerusalem wash thine Heart from Wickedness that thou mayest be saved LONDON Printed in the year 1666. THe Reader is desired before he read any part of the insuing Discourse to take notice That there is nothing at all said in this Book that justifies either the People called Quakers or any others in any of their Errors in Judgement But the drift of the whole is to shew all the several Understandings those Evils that are among them that are against their own Knowledge Light and Understandings See pages 40 41 51 52 64 67 68 69. to this purpose To the Reader IT is more then probable that this insuing Discourse will meet with great oppositions and that the powers of Hell and darkness will muster their Forces against it not so much by stirring up the Enemies of the Lords People to oppose it for the Devil knows that their appearing against it will be no impediment to the virtue and efficacie of it to the blessed ends proposed in it But it may be by stirring up those that are accounted Honourable Act. 13 45. and Devout to speak despisingly and slightly of it and to pick out something or other to carp at and thereby think to cast dirt upon the whole being fretted that such a work as this should come abroad into the World that should discover the exceeding sinfulness of Sin in such as they But though there should be some such though possible not many but the most covetous Person is the most likely Yet I am very sure of this that unto very many yea most of the Lords People of all distinctions that have true Faith in God and in Jesus Prov. 25. 11. Christ our Lord this Discourse will be like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver to whom it will come as sweet showers of Rain unto the dry ground as refreshing Waters to a thirsty Traveller who will lay it up in their Bosoms as a Jewel of great value who will say it is a pretious Balm and an excellent Oyl who will bless the God of Israel for it and the sharpest part of it will be to them the sweetest And it will not be to them as many other Books have been that once reading over hath sufficed them and so to lay them by as of no more use but it shall be so savory to them as when they have once tasted it they shall be often chewing upon it with pleasure not for the curiosity of the Stile nor for the humane Learning that is in it for that sort of beauty is not in it but for the seasonableness of the Discourse being what the poor Saints of God now most stand in need of so as it will be said There is nothing morâ— needful now then Discourses of this Nature and for the plainness and downrightness and impartiality of it striking at that in all sorts of Professors that stands in the way of true Peace and Sollace to the Lords People even at those grieving Bryars and pricking Thorns that grieve the Soul and pierce the inward man for it is not outward Enemies that are grievous to Saints unless to their flesh but they do them more good then hurt and make more for their inward peace then if they had prosperity without but it is Sin that is the make-bate between Christ and their Soul it is their Iniquities that have separated between them and their God and they have hid his face from them and that makes outward troubles uneasie and unpleasant to them But when they shall be purged from Sin they shall glorifie the Lord in the Fires even the Name of the Lord God of Israel in these Isles of the Sea although Isa 24. 14 15. Psal 46. 2 3. the Earth may be moved and though the Mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea though the Waters thereof roar and be troubled and the Mountains shake with the swelling thereof yet will they not fear There are at this day many thousands of true hearted Nathaniels true Israelites indeed in England Scotland and Ireland that are daily praying more earnestly for holiness then for outward ease for deliverance from the Enemies within their own Souls then from the Enemies without That the Lords Name may be sanctified and glorified in the holy Conversations of his People rather then that his People may be put into a posture of outward glory that desire that a pure Language may Zeph. 3. 9 12. be turned to his People though he leave them an afflicted and poor People trusting in the Name of the Lord and that fervently pray day and Rom. 11. 26. Mal. 3. 1 2 3 4. night that the Deliverer may come to Sion that may turn away ungodliness from Jacob and that the Lord whom they seek may suddenly come to his Temple even the Messenger of the Covenant whom they delight in may come and be like a Refiners Fire and like Fullers Sope and may sit as a Refiner and Purifier of Silver and purifie the Sons of Levi even all his own Inheritance and may purge them as Gold and Silver that they may offer unto the Lord an Offering in Righteousnesse that the Offerings of Judah of Jerusalem may be pleasant unto the Lord as in the dayes of old and as in former years And these which thus pray are the Lords Watchmen which are upon the Walls of Jerusalem Isa 62. 6. which shall not hold their peace day nor night even them that make mention of the Name of the Lord and keep not silence and give him no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth even until the Righteousness of Sion go forth as brightness until true Holiness shine so conspicuously in Sion as men may have cause to say of Sion The Lord bless thee O Habitation of Justice and Mountain of Holiness Jer. 31. 23. For this is that which will make Sion to become indeed the praise of
Church-Assemblies where we have heard the good Word of God in the Parish-Assemblies and in other Assemblies and the Word of the Lord hath been sweet unto us And we have been Partakers of that great Ordinance of the Lords institution at his Last Supper frequently wherein we have endeavoured to do it in remembrance of him and to shew forth his death until he come And we have upon several occasions kept days of Fasting and days of Thanksgiving both publickly and more retiredly And wherein have we not walked in the Ways of God nor been obedient unto his Laws The answer to these things is this It is true O House of Jacob that ye do many of you seek the Lord dayly and delight to know his ways as a Isa 58. 2. Nation that did Righteousness and forsook not the Ordinances of their God yea ye ask of him the Ordinances of Justice and ye take delight in approaching to God and ye come and sit before the Prophets and Ministers of God as his People and ye say the Word of the Lord is good and it is sweet Ezek. 32. 31 32. and with your mouth you shew much love But notwithstanding all this you are a People that have greatly sinned against the Lord for you would not walk in his ways neither were you obedient unto his Laws and you must be shewed wherein And you must know this O House of Jacob though there be many sins that ye cannot be said to be guilty of living in the constant practice of as those others do that cannot in any sence be called by the name of the House of Jacob or Israel because they do not so much as pretend to be Professors of being the Lords servants or being as they call some Puritans but despise being such Yet there are some sins that you the generality of you are as guilty of as the generality of those others are and those sins that you are guilty of are as odious and hateful in the sight of God as the other sins they live in are as you will see by the Testimony of his Servants the Prophets The sins that you are not guilty of or at least cannot be said to live in them as others do are these 1. The Sins of common and prophane swearing and taking the Name of God in vain and of horrible and blasphemous speeches The Sins of this sort are not your Sins that are Professors of the Fear and Love of God in your hearts but are the Sins of wicked prophane loose Creatures that make no profession of the Fear of God 2. The Sin of a common prophane idle loose spending the sabbath-Sabbath-day or the first day of the Week in sports and plays and dancing and drinking and vain discourses This hath not been the Sin of any of them that have professed the fear of the Lord But they have generally in their measure though not without their weaknesses endeavoured conscionably to spend that â—ay in exercises of another nature Yea they that profess the fear of the Lord have generally a desire to keep as a day to the Lord one day in seven at least either the first day of the week or the seventh day and some of them have conscionably observed and kept both the seventh day and the first day of the week So that this hath not been your sin O ye that may be called by the name of the House of Jacob or of the Lords People but the sin of the prophane World 3. The Sin of unconscionable and wicked lying and deceitful words in jest or earnest in the common manner of some that make no conscience at all of telling Lies is not a sin that they that fear the Lord live in but their words and their reports of things have generally been such as have credit upon the account of their profession and they are known to be such as will not lie and men will take their words in the things which they say or promise 4. The sin of stealing and common cheating and deceiving which many make no bones of is not a Sin that they live in that fear the Lord but if before Conversion they have cheated any yet when they come to fear the Lord they do restore it again 5. The Sin of Adultery or Fornication or Whoredom is a Sin that they do not live in that fear the Lord but they abhor such beastliness such filthiness as knowing that Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Heb. 13. 4 6. The sin of Drunkenness and excessive abuse of those good Creatures that are given for the refreshment of our Bodies and not for intemperancy nor for the destruction of the health of the Body as intemperancy in the use of them is to many This is not a Sin of the House of Jacob. They that profess the fear of the Lord do not live in the practice of it But their sobriety and moderation therein is known unto all men These six great Evils and the Evils of the breach of the fifth and sixth Commandments which some others make no Bones of are Sins that are not at this day chargeable upon the People that profess the fear of the Lord. It cannot be said that they do live in the Practice of them Though it cannot be denied but in most of these very Sins some or other of them that fear the Lord have sometimes miscarried But it may not be said that they or any of them do constantly live in these Sins from day to day or week to week as they do in some other Sins but tâ—eir miscarrying in these things is very rare and when they do they are grieved and troubled for and repent of their so doing with all their Souls And as for some of these Sins very many of them that profess the fear of the Lord were never guilty of the commission of them in all their Lives and if any of them ever were it may be it is not one of a hundred or one of a thousand of them that have so bin guilty and they have truly repented of them and turned from them as Stealing Cheating Adultery Fornication or Murder or common Swearing I say these Sins that have been named are not the Sins of the Lords People at this day But if such things be discovered in any that profess to be the Lords People and are Members of Sion of the Churches of Christ they soon come under Reproof and Censure and if they live in them they are frequently Excommunicate or cast out of the Churches as unfit to have the Name of living in Sion or of being accounted the Israel of God But O House of Jacob and you that are called by the Name of Israel you are generally guilty at this day of great and horrible Evils for which the Lord hath brought upon you one Judgement after another and his anger is not yet turned away but his hand is stretched out still Therefore O Israel consider Isa 9. 17 21. well
Spirit in whom any sin did appear or any carriage or conversation not becoming the Gospel according to the Rules laid down in the blessed Word of Truth both in the Law and Gospel as Lev. 19. 17. Mat. 8. 15 16. Gal. 6. 1. 6. That great Duty of a constant frequenting the Assemblies of the Saints and the practise of the publick Ordinances of Christ which he taught all his Constant and diligent attending the Assemblies of Saints publickly to worship the Lord. 1 Pet. 4. 14 Disciples to observe wherein there is a more publick owning and honouring the Lord in the Eyes of all the World Which well becomes the Saints diligently and solemnly to attend whatever Persecution they suffer for it for happy are they if they suffer for well doing the Spirit of God and of Glory reâ—leth upon them which was the blessed Practice of the Saints of old as Psal 22 22. 107. 32. 149. 1. 122. 1 2. 27. 4. Heb. 10. 25. 1 Cor. 11. 18. 14. 23. 1 Cor. 5. 4. Now I say That there hath been a very great Omission of all these great Duties by the generality of Professors is too well known to themselves and others But I may not spare to tell them of it more particularly and to sâ—ew them tâ—e hainousness of those Sins As first That great Duty of solemn and constant Prayer in Families being neglected is to be charged upon many even of the Baptized Congregations whose looseness therein hath been very lamentable and not onely the people but some of the Elders and Teachers of those people also have greatly offended in this thing and whatsoever their zeal hath been in other things and in things never so excellent yet in this they have been a shame and a dishonour to the high profession of the Gospel which they have made my Soul is grieved to think of it It having proceeded meerly from a careless carnal sluggish frame of Spirit not from Opinion or Judgement that it ought to be so or that it were against a Rule to pray and praise the Lord in their Families or to exhort or instruct their Families though that were very bad in them if they did it from Opinion but it hath not been so for sometimes they have been practising that duty in their Families at their own leisure and when their own turns were served O sinful people that have thus provoked the Lord to perform duties to God either not at all all the day long or else when it s done sleeping by most present bringing the blind the halt to the Lord and as these so more private and Closet performances have been very rare and seldom as those that have lived in their Families and observed their looseness and remisness can witness and their own Consciences will testifie to their faces And as the Professors of the Baptized Churches so those of the Independant and Presbyterian understandings many of them have been as guiâ—ty of the omission or slight or seldom performances of these duties as they But for the people that are termed Quakers by way of distinction from oâ—hers they have been wretchedly guilty of the omission of these Family and Closet Duties it being their general way never to pray in their Families though many of their Families have been made up of all such as have been called Quakets all such as have approved one of another and could have no pretence why they should not joyn together in Prayer and praises why they should not worship the Lord together in their Families as well as in the greater Congregations but onely a careless carnal vain heart that is the occasion of the remisness of all Professors that are remiss in this Duty But they have a pretence that they may not pray but when they have a strong impulse of Spirit thereunto and if that be the case and that People may not pray that they may be quickened by the quickening Spirit nor pray for more of the Spirit when they have but a little very little in them then why do they pray at all in their Meetings or joyn in Prayer with those that do But it may be those that pray not all the week before in their Families will pray when they come to a Meeting And had not the devil a great design in hindring all sorts of Professors from Prayer they would not so easily upon such slight and insufficient grounds be hindred from Prayer as they generally are But that subtile Adversary knoweth that their Hearts shall live that seek the Lord and that there are no Souls so thâ—iving as the truly spiritual praying Souls that are most in Prayer and Supplication day and Ps 22. 26. 69. 32. night which none are whatever they pretend but those that spend much time therein both in their Families where they fear the Lord and in their Closets When thou prayest retire thy self set time apart for that purpose enter into thy Closet and pray to thy Father in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly But some may say I may pray in Mat. 6 6. secret when I neither enter into my Closet nor none in my House observeth me But let me tell such That if they be observed as they may be when they little think of it to spend their day from morning to night in being implunged in some worldly business or other or to be in company with some or other talking of this or that News or this and that Trade or business or eating and drinking and walking and talking and so fill up their whole day and no time set apart nor no retirement or being retired from the world and the affairs thereof they are sorry Prayers that such make Our dear Lord went into Desarts and Mountains to pray set time apart for that great and solemn Work and frequently continued all night in Prayer to God It was not a little and slight setting apart of time And therefore let not any dare to deceive and delude themselves and others with deceitful pretences But I have a little digrest though necessarily from my work in hand to show the Lords People their Transgressions But I must proceed to shew his People among the Quakers that this hath been their great Sin that they have been very grosly and in higher degrees then others guilty of the omission of these holy Duties of Family and Closet-Praying and Praising and Worshipping the Lord which is of so great concernment to the increase of all spiritual Grace and that is the reason that they grow so little but are come to a stint and do not adde to their Faith Vertue and to Vertue Knowlenge c. but in the posture they were seven years ago they are still many of them and are rather declined in the purity of their conversations though they stick to their shells and outsides of needless words and gestures in the which there is no savour to
great and glorious Lord of Heaven and Earth the blessed Fountain of all manner of Loveliness Beauty Sweetness and transcendent Goodness then unto a barren Wilderness or a Land of Darkness into which no man desires to enter Do not such a People deserve to be cast into utter Darkness Yet such a People have you been O House of Jacob and ye that are called by the Name of Israel many of you that have refrained and abstained from coming unto the House of the Lord unto the Assembâ—ies of the Saints unto the Place where his Honour dwelleth upon every trivial and slight occasion and sometimes upon no occasion at all What reason have you to blush and be ashamed of these things that not onely as hath been said neglect the waiting upon the Lord in private but also in publick Wherein it is more visible to the World how slightly you serve the Lord and how little you prize an Opportunity of Worshiping him His blessed Servant David could say Psal 122. 1. I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the House of the Lord Our Feet shall stand within thy Gates O Jerusalem Psal 26. 8 And Lord I have loved the Habitation of thy House and the Place where thine Honour dwelleth But what do many of you say You draw back and keep off when you should go to the House of the Lord. You prefer your Shops before it going to Blackwell-Hall before it going to the Custom-House going to receive money on Bills of Exchange going aboard Ships any palâ—ry business before it O foolish People and unwife Do you not consider that Word Deut. 28. 47 48. Because thou wouldst not serve the Lord thy God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart in the enjoyment of the abundance of all things therefore shalt thou serve thine Enemies which the Lord shall send against thee in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness and in want of all things and he shall put a Yoke of Iron upon thy Neck c. Did you not neglect the service of the Lord in the last twelve years in which you had a full liberty and a fulness of all things that a people could desire and therein in a high degree provoked the Lord to deprive you both of your liberty and of your fulness of riches together whereof some of you have been deprived to purpose And since you have been deprived of that liberty you then had have you not greatly neglected the Service of the Lord still though it may be there is a little Beformation among some of you though but a little And do you not provoke him yet more to anger by your negligent attending his Courts and the place where his Honour dwelleth So that you give him cause to deprive you both of all that liberty and plenty that yet he voâ—chsaâ—eth to you or any of you and to make you meer Servants and slaâ—es to your enemies even to Forreigners which seem to be preparing to come against you But I shall not in shewing you this publick sin viz. the sin of the Omission of the publick Worshâ—p of God mention more particularly then I have who are more or less guilty of this evil It is so visible and manifest to all of all sorts that I need say no more to shew those of the Lords People that have been guilty hereof that this is their sin in particular But let them all of them that have been guilty hereof know that the Lord takes it very unkindly at their hands and let them consider those complainings of his against a negligent People that do neglect the frequent and solemn waiting upon him in holy Servâ—ces Jer. 2. 31 32. and what expostulations he there uses with them Have I been a barren Wilderness unto Israel a Land of Darkness Wherefore say my People We are Lords we will come no more unto thee Can a Maid forget her Ornaments or a Bride her Aâ—â—ire Yet my people have forgotten me dayes without number What can ye answer to these words Was the Lord a Wilderness unto you or a Land of Darkness You can make no answer to this but what will â—eturn shame and confusion of Faces upon you What can you say to your Actions in which you have said We are Lords we will come no more unto thee Hath not your careless and indifferent waiting upon the Lord manifested that you thought you were Lords your selves and independant upon the Lord and had no need of waiting on him or praying or addâ—essing to him or observing his Rules or his Commands but you were able to stand upon your own Legs and therefore would walk by your own Rules Poor miserable Worms And how many dayes have you past over your heads when God hath â—caâ—ce been in all your thoughts but you have forgotten him dayes without number The Heart of a young Girl hath been much moâ—e upon her Ornaments and of a Bride on her Attire then yours hath been on your God A Child hath more minded its daily Ornaments especially a Girl then you have your daily solemn waiting on your God for which cause that word may be justly taken up Ezek. 19. 14. This is a Lamentation and shall be for a Lamentation And O that it may be bitterly lamented by the Lords People indeed But of this Sin I must say that there are some here and there of the Lords People whom I do know though it may be but one of a thousand that are very clear of it in the generality of the course of their lives that may it may be be compared with David and Abraham and Daniel and Paul in their diligent and constant waiting upon the Lord whom their Soul loveth both in publick and private Worshiping of him and with Moses and Aaron and Samuel among them that call upon his Name Ps 99 4â— IV. Another great evil in some of the Lords People is that great and IV. COVENANT-BREAKING hainous Sin of the BREACH OF COVENANTS or Oaths solemnly taken and entered into wherein many of them have very much dishonoured the Name of the Lord though it may be it is a Sin that they are not so sensible of as they should be There was a Solemn League or Covenant entered into about twenty two years since But the Deeds of them that did wittingly and willingly break any part of that Covenant when it was in their power to have performed it were a very great dishonour to the Name of God whose People they profest themselves to be that were then swaying persons in the Parliament and Army And whatever their specious pretences were for their so doing by which pretences they deceived themselves and blinded the eyes of many simple honest people yet their sin therein was very great and they did thereby give great occasions unto the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme and the Name of God was thereby prophaned abroad in the World The entering into that Solemn Covenant was not a
we can The pliant Willow is the Precious Man Whose Oaths of one day though of fair pretext Vail to an Inspiration of the next And it is well known what great occasion there had been then given to him and others to belâ—h out such Reproaches as these though this ought not to have been fastened upon all the Lords People there being many thousands of them that do abhor that Maxime That Integrity is no firm ground This Principle being firmly riviâ—ed in the Souls of the Lords dear Servants That Integrity and Sincerity and plain Dealing without any hypocrisie or complements is the most blesâ—ed Path that any People or single Person can walk in And it is well known that there are thousands that cannot be as the Willow bowed to comply with what men will bow them to No but they will rather break then bow And several blessed Servants of the Lord have chosen rather to be broken then to â—ow to lose their precious Lives then to comply unworthily with any thing that may tend to the Dishonour of the Lord Jesus Christ their glorious Lord and King It is not the pliant Willow the bowing complying Man that is the precious Man but such a one is a degenerate Plant of a strange Vine and it is not his Preciousness but his Baseâ—ess that is thereby discovered And there are also many thousands who having taken an Oath or Covenant dare not renounce it notwithstanding all the moâ—â—subtle charming Inspirations of the highest Episcopal or Aâ—chiepiscopal shain imaginable But rather then vail to the Promises or Threaâ—nâ—ngs of the most advanced Hierarchy of whose Promotions they might soon have a shaâ—e they will chuse with Moses to suffer Affliction though it should conâ—inue all the days of their lives rather then to enjoy the Pleasures of Sinful Complianâ—â— for a season But it must be acknowledged that though there be many thousands that never bowed the Knee to Baal that never did nor never would comply to take any Oath but such as they truly and conscionably intended to keep yet so it was that there were some who had the Name of being the Lords People who then were in Power and Authority who did very unworthily turn and wind like the Weather-Cock and comply basely with some things afterward which were contrary to a former Oath which they had taken and these gave the occasions of such Reproaches and Blasphemies to be cast upon others and caused the way of Truth to be evil spoken of But who ever they were that did it and were the chief Rin leaders in it though they were and are never so eminent and never so excellent in all respects and erâ—ed not in one point but this yea though they were as dear to the Lord as Moses and Aaron and though it may be he hath forgiven and will forgive their Iniquity yet he hath taken and may take Vengeaâ—ce on their Inventions because they have not so honoured the Lord before all People as they should have done in an inviolable observance of his blessed Precepts in a faithful keeping Oaths or Covenants though it should have been to their own loss or detâ—iment For the Righteous Man sweareth to his own huâ—t and changeth not V. Another great Sin which some of the Lords People have been guilty of V. PRIDE is PRIDE and Haughtiness of Spirit Though it may be theâ—e is but fâ—w of them that have a full sence of their guilt of this evil For it must be acknowledged that this evil doth not appear in the generality of them as it doth in some others who out of Pride and Haughtiness of Spirit if they be persons of Estate will scorn and despise the Company of them that are poor and mean in the World or scorn that such a one should go before them or such a one should take the Wall of them or sit above them in Feasts or in the Church-Meetings I say there are few or none of the Lords People whose Pride works in such gross and palpable things as these are But notwithstanding it is evident that too many are very guilty of that abominable Sin Pride and one clear proof of it is this That many of them are very unable to bear Reproof one of another when any evil or weakness hath appeared in them for which they are justly reproveable having taken that to be a slighting and an undervaluing of them So that though it hath not been so intended by the Reprover yet it hath been so interpreted by the Reproved But it is apparent that inability in persons to â—ear things of this nature discovers Pride for an humble man that is truly low and little in his own eyes and is not at all puffed up can with all conâ—entedness and patience bear Reproof whether it be justly or unjustly administred because another person cannot have meaner thoughts of him then he hath of himself and having mean thoughts of himself it is rather pleasing then displeasing to him that others see how mean and weak and unworthy a person he is rather desiring to be set in a low place in their thoughts then to be high as judging himself not worthy any high esteem in the thoughts of any considering how unworthy he is in himself before the Lord and how unworthily he hath carried himself in many respects to the Lord and how he deserves at the hand of the Lord rather to be despised and trampled upon by the worst of men then to have any eâ—eem among men and therefore if he be despised and counted poor and mean it is but as he deserves to be because he is but a polluted lump of Dust and Ashes as he is in himself And this we find hath been the way of the most eminent Saints and Servants of the Lord when they have had nearest Communion with God and have seen themselves in the clearest Light of the Spirit As the Propheâ— Isaiah when his Eyes had seen the King the Lord of Hosâ—s having the clearest Vision of the Lord then he most clearly saw his own uâ—done Condition and saw himself to be a man of unclean Lips Isa 6. 5. How many of the Lords People would be very little and very vile in their own Eyes had they clearer Visions of the Glory of God and more intimate Communion with him But it is an argument of the very great darkness and weakness and meanness of that Christian that hath not a very true and real sense of his own poverty and vileneâ—s and unworthiness When faithful Abraham stood before the Lord he was truly sensible of his own unworthiness being but Dust and Ashes Gen. 18. 27. And blessed Job when he had seen the clearest Vision oâ— the Lord then most abhors himself in the sence of his own Vileness Job 42. 5 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the Ear but now mine Eye seeth thee wherefore I abbor my self and repent in Dust and Ashes And as it is always so with particular
And how came you to attain to an infallibility and none but you onely being the Churches of Christ And the Quakers arising after them they swell high in their apprehensions and they despise and contemn the Baptised Churches and account them to be as mean and low and poor People and as eâ—onious and as much out of the way as any others and as much in Babylon and the Presbyterians Independants and Baptised are all alike with them and all out of the way and they †And how came you to attain to an infallibility and none but you onely are Gods holy Mountain and the Kingdom of Christ is onely among them and all others are out of that Kingdom And the Presbyterians they boast of their way anâ— that they * And how came you to attain to an infallibility and none but you onely are the Church of Christ and all others are Hereticks and Schismaticks and deluded persons and none of the Isâ—ael of God but are Moabites and Ammonites and Edomites and Canaanites and are to be destroyed And the Independants they judge that they are in a righter way then any others and that all others are in Errors and in darkness in many things and that they †And how came you to attain to an infallibility and none but you onely are the true Churches of Christ Thus each of them glory in Gods holy Mountain being among them and not among others Each of them saying of themselves in particular The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are we lifting up themselves onely and slighting all others as not worthy to be compared with them But this is from their Pride for else they would humbly conclude and say Surely the Grace of God shines as much in some of these as in any of us and we are not better then others but they may be better then we and may be more dear to the Lord then we for though we walk in that way which as we judge is most agreeable to Truth as it is to be hoped all of them do or else they would not walk in it yet we dare not conclude we are better then others for Truth is not revealed to any man for his Goodness but of meer Grace for we are poor unworthy wrâ—tched sinful Men and have manifold Weaknesses among us for which we deserve to be set in the lowest Rank and it is certain that many of them that differ from us do out-shine us in Holiness and more of the Glory of God appears upon some of them then on most of us They are more cloathed with Humilty they have the Robes of Righteousness about them they have the Ornament of a meek and quiet spirit shining in them they have some of them the Spirit of Love in power in them and have Hearts inlarged to good Works in all which most of us come short And therefore though we think we have more Light and Knowledge in some things yet if they have more power it is an argument that the Grace of Christ is more in their hearts and consequently they are deareâ— to him then most of us And therefore far be it from us to despise them or to say they are not as truly the Subjects and Servants of Christ as we seeing we differ not in our Judgements about the Power of Godliness but about some part of the Form in which the Lord may so enlighten us all as we may be also all of one mind when we are once brought to love and honour each other truly and intirely and notwithstanding our difference we do all come to the perfect praâ—â—ise of that blessed Rule Rom 12. 10. Be ye kindly affectioned one to another with Brotherly Love in honour preferring one another But the contrary to this appearing in all Distinctions discovers their great Pride and Haughtiness so far as they persist in it whether Presbyterians Quakers Independants or Anabaptists But first all these several Understandings are not hereby justified as if one of them were not in respect of the plain Scripture-Rules more nearer to the practise of the primitive Churches then all the other three are for of that there is no question for one of the four must be the most near though they may come much short of the Primitive Times Secondly Nor is it hereby intended that Persons ought to be doubtful of the way they walk in but they ought to walk in the way that they are perswaded in their own minds is nearest the Rule and though it may prove in the day of Dâ—cision to be furthest from the Rule of all the rest yet ought a man to cleave to that way unâ—il he is otherwise perswaded as appeaâ—s Rom. 14. 5 22 23. And Thirdly It must be acknowledged that it is not what our Judgement at present is but what the Lords Judgement will appear to be that shall deâ—ermine the question in his time which of them all is nearest the Rule and although a man know nothing by himself but that he walks nearest the Rule of all the â—est yet is he not always hereby justified before God though he is hereby justified in his own Conscience But Fourthly All that is hereby aimed at is that no one should think of himself more highly then he ought to think but to think soberly that is as often to think of his own imperfections â—n many things as of his supposed and believed Perfections in that point of coming nearest the Rule in forms that so he may be kept from being pusted up and fâ—om insulting over others who notwithstanding their darkness in some things may be as dear to Christ as himself that so he may not be haughty because of Gods Holy Mountain And the Lord tells his People Zeph 3. 11. that the time shall come when this shall not be But The Day shall come saith the Lord in which I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoyce in thy Pride and thou shalt nâ— more be haughty because of my holy Mountain Another Demonstration of that horrible Sin of Pride to be in many of the Lords People is their aptness to Passion Frowardness and Contention but that is also another of their great Evils which I shall now come to declare unto them which will also further discover the odiousness of their Pride VI. Another Sin in the Lords People of which too many of them are very guilty VI. PASSIONATE WRATH is their being so propense unto hasty Frowardness Passion Biâ—terness Wrath Anger Clamour Eâ—il speaking and Malice the apparent Fruits of the Flesh and Works of the Devil That this is the Sin of too many of the Lords People is too well known for many of them do frequently upon very slender occasions break out into such disturbing Passions as do very much disturb their own spirits and put them out of tune for any good service for God or man besides the disturbance and trouble they make in the Family
Wounds and heal the Divisions that have been made among some Church-Members hath cost many hours and many dayes of precious time And yet with some all time and labour hath been lost the breaches have been so great as have â—ever yet been made up and these breaches have been greatly widened by the whisperings and the back-bitings of many amongst them And this is the ninth sore Evil which must be shewed to the Lords People to the end they may be greatly humbled under the sence of it and may wash their hearts from this wickedness also that they may be saved in the day of the Lords anger that the Lords People may be so thorowly purged and cleansed from this Evil. as they may not only refrain their lipâ— from Back-biting but may be of that Bâ—essed â—isposition of him that shall dwell in Goâ—s Hoâ—y Hill mentioned Psal 15. 3. That He back-biteth not with his tongne nor doth evil to his Neighbour nor taketh up a reproach against his Neighbour Though a Back-biter should utter a reproach to him against his Neighbour yet he will by no means take it up oâ— receive iâ— And this is a Blessed disposition indeed which the Lord grant that all his People may preâ—s after X. Another great Evil to be shewed to the Lords People which is the last X. MISPENCE OF TIME IN VAIN DISCOVRSES that is to be mentioned in this Catalogue Is the spending too much of their precious time when they come into company one with another in discourses of worldly things and sometimes unnecessary things I do not say that all talk of worldly business is alwayes unnecessary But that there is very frequently very commonly talking that is unnecessary which is the Evil of many of the Loâ—ds People and shews they savour the things that be of men more then the things that be of God This is a sad token that many of the Lords People have loâ—â— their first Love for it was not wont to be so with them But I cannot say that of all the several distinctions of the Lords Servants any one are more guilty of this Evil then other but some of them all are eminent in the contrary vertue viz. Generally full of Spiritual Discourses wheresoever they can have opportunity but these are but a few But the far greater number of them all do manifest but little Spiritual savour when they come together or where ever they come which doth manifest great carnality and is contrary to the plain Rule of the Scripture as Ephes 4. 19. Let your communication be such as may minister Grace to the Hearers Ephes 5. 19 20. Col. 3. 16 17. 1 Thes 5. 11. But the more Spiritually minded we are the more will we be coveting to spend our time in things that are of a Spiritual advantage to our selves to one another â—o Acquaintance to near Relations to Children to Servants and all Companies so far as we may But O House of Jacob you have been greatly deficient herein And for this together with all the other Evils that are herein shewed to be the Sins of the Lords People it concerns you to * be on the Mountains like Doves of the Ezek. 7. 16. Valleys all of you mourning every one for his and her Iniquities in particular whatever they have been Which the Lord grant unto you all AMEN An ALARM TO REPENTANCE THese ten particular Evils that are here declared are the Transgressions by which the Lords People have very greatly provoked the Lord to anger and though there are no other particular Evils here mentioned yet it may not be concluded that the Lords People are not guilty of other Evils also But these Evils are the Evils that are most apparently against clear light and against the plain and undisputable Rules of the Gospel and of the Law and the Prophets even such certain Truths as cannot be denyed but are fully owned by every one that doth truly fear the Lord. There are many Errors and Evils either of Omission or Commission which the Baptised the Presbyterian the Quakers and the Independants are most certainly guilty of in the way of their particular distinct understandings and practice for some of them do not practise the Ordinances of Christ according to the Rules of the Gospel but according to mens inventions and some of them do omit and â—lâ—ght and neglect the Ordinances of Christ unworthily and some do sinfully admit of unfit and unworthy subjects to the Ordinances of Christ which are great Evils in all them that are guilty of them But these things are not done I hope by any of them against their light and understanding if they be it is a fearful thing but they all walk and practise as we may hope according to the clearest Light they have in their understandings and as God gives them more Light we may hope they will be ready to walk in it for which doubtless they are all waiting But the Evils which I have had a Commission to declare unto the House of Jaâ—ob are such as they cannot deny to be their Evils when they hear this Declaration of them such as they must and will confess to be abounding among them The which no doubt they will ackâ—owledge they ought to repent of and to abhor themselves for them in Dust and Ashes And it being so none of the Lords People I presume will dare to cavil with it The Word of the Lord giving such full Authority unto all that are inabled to Preach aâ—d Publish it and to me in particular upon whom the burthen the Blessed burthen of it is â—aid to declare among otâ—er Messages this Message To declare unto his People their Transgressions And I hope all the wise in heart will undeâ—stand the Voice of the Lord in it and improve it to the end for which it is published DANIEL 12. 10. Many shall be purified and made white and â—ryed but the wicked shall do wickedly and nâ—ne of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall undeâ—stand I have had in my custody for about three years time the Copy of two Letters which came from Amsterdam in August 1661. to a person of worth in this Kingdom concerning a Vision which an Antient man of Friesland had about that time which I judge worthy of publishing And though I cannot say that I am so confident that the Vision and Message mentioned in those Letters is so tâ—uly from the Lord and so ceâ—tainly the Word of the Loâ—d as that which is written in the Scriptures of Truth yet because so much of the Prophesie therein mentioned if it be a Prophesie is come to pass I dare not say it is not truly from the Lord but it is very probable that it is the Word of the Lord. And therefore I publish it that it may be observed by the Lords People and all whom it may concern And I shall publish those Letters in the very words of him that sent them without altering or
done or no I know not but I suppose we shall hear more of it if the Confistory was made acquainted with this matter Yesterday a Friend of mine went to see him and speak with him but he was early gone out of Town to Sardum a Village not far from hence in North Holland And this day one hath been to inquire after him but he is not yet come to Town and it is doubtful whether he will come or no hither again Just now I am told that he hath given a Relation of the Message written with his own Hand to a Lutheran from whom I may happily get a Copie of it The Old Man hath told the same things to others as well as to me and I make no doubt but others will write of it into England Amsterdam August 16 26 1661. In which Letters I shall onely take notice of this one passage leaving the resâ— to be of what use the Lord shall please to make it to any namely That the Judgements of God are therein said to come upon those prosessing people For not living according to what they knew It is unquestionably true that sins against knowledge have much higher aggravations then sins of ignorance and God takes it more unkindly from his People when they sin against their knowledge then if they sin ignorantly †Luke 12. 47 48 The Servant that knew his Masters Will and did it not shall be beaten with many stripes But he that knew ‖ The times of this ignorance God winked at Acts. 17. 30. not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with feâ— stripes for unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required Happy are the People that live up to what they know If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them But those Peoples case is very deploreable and sad who have continued long in living in sins against knowledgeâ— Davids sins against knowledge cost him very dear and so have the sins against knowledge of many others and many that are yet prospering may be reserved to more severe judgements unless they repent In the consideration of which how greatly doth it concern the Lords People to dread and fear the continuing to live in the Sins that are in the preceding Discourse declared to be their sins They being all sins against their knowledge Sins which they all know to be Sins against the plain Laws and Precepts of the Lord their God and their Redeemer They may be and are many of them sinners in other respects in which they sin for want of knowledge they sin through ignorance but they cannot say so of any one of these Sins They sin as hath been said some of them in their Omissions of the Ordinances of the Lord Christ and others in the praâ—â—ise of them in an irregular way but this they do for want of knowledge though they are not thereby wholly excused they do not sin therein againsâ— their knowledge for it is out of doubt that many of them if not most of them do practice according to what they know and understand But the great sin of the Lords People lyeth in this That they do not live up to what they know do not walk according to the knowledge of the Gospel that every one in particular hath But now to provoke the Lords People to Repentance of these Sins against Some great and weighty Considerations which it concerns the Lords People in good earnest to consider of knowledge especially and thoroughly to amend their wayes I must here lay down some great and weighty Considerations which it concerns them seriously and in good earnest to consider I. It concerns them to Consider that when a People live in a continued course of sinning against the Lord in such great Abominations as these which the Lord so much abhors that though that People make never so high a Profession of being his People and though they appear much in worshipping of him in the Ordinances of his own appointment that yet the Lord doth abhor and loath their most solemn Services And they may keep many solemn Fasting Dayes or Feasting Dayes and yet have no acceptance with him but he may so loath them as to be ready to spue them out of his mouth yea though they be such as seem to have such confidence Consideration I in him as they desire the Day of the Lord as appears Amâ—s 5. 21 22 23 24. I hate I despise your Feast Dayes and I will not smell in your Solemn Assemblies I will not accept them neither will I regard the Peace Offerings of your Fat Beasts Take thou away from me the noise of thy Songs for I will not hear the Mellody of thy Viols But let Judgement run down as Water and Righteousness as a mighty Stream This People pretended to desire the Day of the Lord as appears in the three former Verses and they were diligent in worshiping him but they continued in a course of sinning against him and therefore he sayes I hate I despise your Services People may not think to live in sin and to pacifie the Lord with keeping dayes of Prayer or Praises or of hearing his Word No nothing without a through-amending of their wayes will find acceptance with him and it is a most unworthy thing to think that any thing else without this will do it I have heard a Story of a vile Prophane wicked Man that would wear an Image of Gold continually in his Hat And when he had done any great Evil that did trouble his Conscience then he would take down his God of Gold and kiss it and pray forgiveness of it and think all was well And what do they think less that think they may continue in Sin and paciâ—ie the Lord with their Prayers and Performances But they deceive themselves that will not do it Therefore it is said Mich. 6. 6 7 8. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the High God Shall I come before him with burnt Offerings with Calves of a year old Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or ten thousands of Rivers of Oyl Shall I give my first-born for my Transgression or the Fruit of my Body for the sin of my Soul All this were vain But he hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to love mercy and do justly and to walk bumbly with thy God Nothing less will please the Lord then a righteous holy humble walking before him And let none think to abuse Gospel-Grace and turn it into wantonness because they must not be saved by works but by the Blood of Christ therefore to waâ—k loosly for this is a certain truth both in the Law and Gospel That without Holiness no man Heâ— â—â— 14 shall see the Lord. It is true there is no Salvation by Works but by Christ alone But those who are saved by Christ are also Sanctified by
the whole Earth when true Holiness and Spiritual beauty shall appear in it when it shall be arrayed in the Robes of Righteousness and cloathed with Humility that shining beautiful Rayment and be adorned with the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit and be beautified with the exceeding precious Jewels of Faith and Love when their Faith in God shall be such as they shall not fear what all the united Forces of men or of Devils can do against them and their love such to God to his People and to mankind in general as it shall be the delight of their Souls to do Service to God and to do good in all respects to mankind in general as far as lies in them And when this spiritual Beauty appears on Sion then it shall be the praise of the whole Earth then men shall praise it and glorifie the God of Israel whose Children they are And without this though Sion should have full deliverance from all outward Enemies and though it should have all the outward prosperity that heart could wish instead of being a praise in the Earth and an honour to the Lord it might become a stink in his Nostrils and a stain a blot and a dishonour to his most Glorious and most Blessed Name But all those that wait for Redemption from sin in Jerusalem and that pray and long for the true glory of Sion that it may truly be a praise in the Earth they will rejoyce more in any work that hath any tendency to the discovery of the stumbling-blocks hereunto and to the taking them out of the way then if any one should give unto them thousands of Gold and Silver it will make their hearts leap for joy But I must tell the courtious Reader by the way That my prayer hath long been That God would call forth some better instrument to this Service that he hath appointed me to and give a greater measure of annointing to some excellent One of his that is in this Earth that might do it to greater advantage and so it had been done by any other it may be I had been altogether silent But none yet appearing behold a Babe must do it it may be to provoke others who yet have fuller measures of the Holy Oyl to pour out to this purpose for if this incission be not deep enough and if this Potion do not thorowly stir all the Humours which yet it aims at this being but an Essay it may be a second third or fourth attempt of some one or more that may be greatly replenished with a large Portion of the Holy Spirit that may convince of sin and be a word of Power through the concurrence of the Spirit to draw forth bitter mournings in the Lords People over all their Iniquities may effectually prevail to cast all the stumbling blocks out of the way of his Isa 57 14 Mat. 13. 41. People and to remove every thing that offends But if any of the Lords People shall after all that is or may be done in order hereunto hug their lusts as their beloved Delilahs in their Bosoms and roll them as sweet Morsels under their Tongues the Souls of many will mourn in secret for their pride But that be far from any But as I said before so I doubt not but am very sure of this there are many thousands in these three Nations that are true hearted Nathaniels that will not be offended but well-pleased with the convincing charging and reproving part of this Discourse even so well satisfied as they will say as Peter said to his dear Lord in another case Lord not my feet onely but my hands and my head also So will they say to the God of Israel Lord let not this Work or any other that may follow it onely tend to discover the Evils of the Paths of our feet and to turn us from them but also convince us of and turn us from all the Errors and Evils of our heads and hearts also and of our whole man we would be all over fair and beautiful and have no spot in us And they will say they are not herein too harshly dealt with but rather say the harshest word is the most acceptable word to them The whole scope of this Discourse is to do that work that must be done before the approaching glory can be expected viz. to prepare the Way of the Lord in the Wilderness and to make streight in the Desart a high way for our God And when that is done the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together as is plain Isa 40. 3 4 5. The Lords Sion hath a long time been and is at present in a Wilderness Desart state A Wilderness a Desart is a rough unhewen unpollished thing no beauty no comliness is in it There are no pleasant Walks no plain and streight Paths drawn by a line in a Wilderness but rough crooked places Hills and Vallies altogether unpleasant little fruit grows there but poor dry heathy shrubs that are of little use And thus it is and hath a long time been with Sion with the Lords own People they have been very barren and unfruitful and like the dry and parched ground they have dead hearts unprofitable and unfruitful lives and conversations in comparison of what they should be little verdure little greenness appears in them but they are like the heathy shrubs of the Desart places They have not plain streight Paths among them but have crooked Spirits and walk in crooked Paths But though this is Sions sad case at this day yet there are glorious Promises made to it as Isa 51. 3. The Lord shall comfort Sion he will comfort all her waste places though she is unfruitful and waste yet she shall not be forgotten but the Lord will comfort her and how by making her Wilderness like Eden And he will make her Wilderness like Eden though she is an unfruitful Wilderness yet she shall be as fruitful as ever Eden was even as the Garden of the Lord and when she is so fruitful she shall be comforted indeed then Joy and gladness shall be found therein thanksgiving and the voice of Melody This is a very great and precious promise the like is Isa 35. 1 2. The Wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them viz. the judgements of God upon Babylon and the Desart shall rejoyce Sion though a Desart shall rejoyce and blossom as the Rose it shall blossom abundantly not a few thin blossoms but abundantly and rejoyce with joy and singing The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it the excellency of Carmel and Sharon no place more excelling in glory for fruitfulness then it shall be they shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God So that it is plain that though Sion be a Wilderness yet it shall become a most lovely pleasant glorious and beautiful place But it is as plain that in order hereunto there
that Word of the Lord already mentioned Isa 42. 24 25. Who gave Jacob to the Spoil and Israel to the Robbers Did not the Lord he against whom we have sinned This is spoken to you now and you have sinned against the Lord. And though you have not lived in these Sins that have been mentioned yet you have greatly sinned and your have lived in Sins which are as great as they Which are These 1. The Sin of COVETOUSNESS This Sin is and hath been thy Sin O House of Jaâ—ob and ye that are called by the Name of Israel This I COVETOUSNESS is a Sin of the Lords People Jer. 5. 28. hath been one of your Sins and this is one of your grand Iniquities and your horrible Sins as will be made to appear And this is a sin wherein you have equalized if you have not surpassed the deeds of the wicked As appears by what follows The Lord gave to the professing People of England Scotland and Ireland within these twenty years last past as much liberty to worship him as their Hearts could wish both in their Parish-Assemblies and other Assemblies They could not desire more liberty then was given to them for every one to worship him in that way in which they were perswaded in their own hearts was according to the minde and will of God And withal he gave to multitudes of them the additions of Health and Wealth and Riches What could have been done more for his Vinyard then he did for them But he looked that they should bring forth Grapes and they brought forth wild Grapes Instead Isa 5. 4. of devoting themselves to Him and to his Service and of presenting their Bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable to God which was their reasonable Service they fell in love with this present World and the Wealth Profits Pleasures and Honours thereof as if there were more beauty in it then in him and as if the Pleasures Profits and Honours of the World did out-bid him and they have chosen to set their Affections upon it and to give up their Hearts to it and to spend their whole Time and Strength and Care and Parts and Abilities which were given for more Noble Ends to grasp much of it together And they have forsaken their God and retained but the Name of being his but he hath not been their Delight their chief Joy and Solace the chiefest of ten thousand But their profits and incomes of outward things they have been their delight and pleasure and they have been as Cordials to them But God hath not been in all their thoughts sometimes all the day long no they have had other Lovers this business to be done and that and t'other business by which outward profits might come in and they have been as meat and drink to them and they can many times forget to eat their Bread to do business of profit But the service of the Lord that what 's that That must not hinder this business and that business that may be done when they have nothing else to do How many days have been spent day after day and scarce half an hour spent in the service of God And that with coldness enough onely to keep the Name of being the Lords Servants and therefore when nothing else could be done that was for worldly profit then the Lord was served in such a manner as it was as on the first day of the week when worldly business could not be done then there would be a coming to the Assemblies of the Saints and a kind of worshipping â—od when the heart was fâ—r enoâ—gh from him for having been engaged in worldly business all the week long it was full of worldly contrivances for profit and gain and wandering up and down in the world as in its proper element when the bodily presence seemed to be before God And so if sometimes in the week days there were an hour or two or three spent in the service of God in a day though very seldom either at a Meeting or it may be in a Closet the world had so much of the heart as very little of it was with God all the while whether on the Sabbath day or any other day onely a conscience and a Name of being the Lords Servants put upon it more then love to it for other Lovers were set up in the hearts of Professors fine Houses were beloved and fine Gardens and Orchards and fine Trades that brought in profits by hundreds or five hundreds or thousands by the year O how sweet were these things O how pleasant for delights What for him that never enjoy'd fifty pound in all his Life that he could say was his own free of debt to fall upon such a Trade or to come into such an Office or Offices as now to have gained fifty pounds per year a hundred two hundred or three hundred per year O how sweet was this What pleasure was there in this What a delightful and desirable thing was it to be so much above those that were his Equals before To be now so and so advanced How sweet were these things So sweet as they were still more and more desired and when a man had so much then he would fain have so much and then so much and then so much and who was it that ever came to a stint to a satisfaction To say I have enough for me and mine I desire no more I will never neglect one days service of God any more to gain any more of this World which I must shortly leave and I know not when I leave it whether it will be a blessing or a curse to my Children I know not whether I do heap it up for to be Ecccl. 5. 13. the hurt and the damage of me and my Posterity after me to nourish them up in idleness and fulness of Bread and it may be in Sodomy even in all those hateful evils which I see many great mens Children are addicted to that it may be it were better my Children had never been born then to have such Temptations left to them as my Estate may be to them Who was it in all the three Nations that came to so much as this while Wealth did flow in upon them Who was it that had their hearts dis-engaged from the pursuit of it How small was the number of them But O thou that art named the House of Jacob how greatly hast thou provoked thy God by a perpetual backsliding Thou art gone away backward thou hast said in thy actions and thy deeds I have loved Strangers and after them will I go so that Jer. 2. 25. there seems to be no hope of thy return Now consider O thou backsliding Daughter how the Lord resents this evil of thine Hearken unto that Voice of his by Jeremiah his Prophet Jer. 2. 12 13. Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be ye horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord For my People
have committed two evils they have forsaken me the Fountain of living Waters and have hewed them out Cisterns bâ—oken Cisteâ—ns that can hold no water My People have changed their Glory for that which doth not profit What a hoâ—rible thing was this That you that are called the Loâ—ds People that yoâ— that once professed that the Love and Favour of God was more desuable to you then ten thousand worlds and that you could trample upon the Worlds Wealth and Honours and Profits and Pleasures and count them but as dung in comparison of enjoying but one days communion with your God and that though you should always be an afflicted and poor People yet if you could but have the happiness and the priviledge to be in the house of God and in the Assemblies of his Saints and to hear his Word and enjoy communion with him in Prayer you would reckon your selves exceeding happy yea in better case then the highest Emperour upon Earth How horrible and astonishing a thing was this that those that once made these great professions that they should so extravagantly set their hearts upon this World as to forsake their God their King their Rock their Shield and their exceeding great Reward their Father and the Guide of their youth their Strength their Glory their all in all to dig and hew them out the vain perishing things of this World which cannot afford them one drop of true comfort Would not this make the glorious and beautiful Angels in Heaven to blush to think of it and the blessed Saints that shine as the Sun to be astonished and all the Hosts of Heaven to be horribly afraid at such unworthy such mad and distracted deeds of the Sons of men ten thousand times worse then him that is so bewitched with a painted Strumpet that is a filthy Harlot as to forsake a truly beautiful and faithful Bride O consider this all ye that have so much forgotten God Consider how he disgusts this Sin of loving this World this Sin of Covetousness Consider what title he gives it by his Servant and Apostle Paul Col. 3. 5. he tells you it is Idolatry So that in loving this World you have set up an Idol in 1 John 2. 15. Matth. 6. 24. Luk. 16. 13 1 Tim. 6. 10. your heart And you are also told by his Word that If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him and ye are told by his Son himself That ye cannot serve God and Mammon But O what gross Idolaters have ye been that have so served the World as you have done and so much neglected the service of your God O consider how that Word hath been verified in you that the love of Money is the Root of all Evil You have so loved and adored and admired and set up the World in your hearts as it hath been the root of all your neglect of publick service to God and to his People for his sake even of your neglect of visiting the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction of your neglect of visiting the Lords Prisoners of the neglect of Family-Duties two or three times a day of neglect of taking pains with Children and Servants and other Relations to bring them up in the nurture and fear of the Lord of neglect of Closet-performances and of enjoying many sweet and blessed seasons in secret of conversing with your God that should have been your chief Joy Consider how this love of Money hath been the Root of all your sparing to deal your Bread to the hungry and to cloath the naked and to bring the poor that were cast out to your Houses of neglect of drawing out your Soul to the hungry and satisfying the afflicted Soul Consider how the love of this World and coveting it hath almost estrarged you wholly from God and from every good Work wherein he might be glorified and ye might have Peace O consider ye Lovers of Gold and Silver what Moses speaks of such as you Exod. 32. 31. O this People have sinned a great sin and have made them Gods of Gold Did they sin a great Sin You have much more They made them Gods of Gold but it was a sudden Temptation and an Evil of a short continuance and it appears not that they set their hearts and affections upon them But you have set up your Bags of Gold and Silver your Land and your Wealth so in your Hearts as to forsake your God and to love your Gold more then your God and if it were not so your actions would witness the contrary but your actions have testified and do testifie to your Faces whom you love most O foolish People and unwise Do ye thus requite the Lord Is not he thy Father Deut. 32. 6. that hath bought thee Hath he not made thee and established thee O this People that are called by the Name of Isâ—ael they have sinned a great sin they have made them Gods of Gold and their very Hearts are set upon them so as they have forsaken the Fountain of Living Waters they Deut. 32. 15 16. have lightly esteemed the Rock of their Salvation they have provoked him to Jealousie with strange Gods Of the Rock that begat them they have been unmindful and have forgotten God that formed them Now consider O House of Jacob and ye that profess to be the Lords People whether this great Sin of yours be not as great if not greater then the Sin of the prophane wicked Worldlings Are they Idolaters So are you They have made themselves Idols For as Paul speaks of some They made Phil. 3. 19 their Bellies their Gods so it may be said of their Lusts after other things even the things of this World their Gold and Silver and Treasures they have made them their Gods also but in that you have made you Gods of Gold your Sin is greater then theirs because it is against greater Knowledge and greater Light and against greater Grace O what great aggravations have your Idolatries beyond theirs Your Sin is verily double to theirs for you have in this committed two Evils You have forsaken your true Glory your dear and gracious and glorious Lord the Fountain of all Good of all that 's lovely and precious of durable Riches and substantial Good for a Shadow for a Trifle for a fading Leaf for that which hath no substance Who would part with a substantial good thing for a shadow of it What is a shadow A shadow is nothing as soon as the light surrounds a thing the shadow is vanished and is not but appears to be nothing So are all your Idols whether Bags of Silver or Gold or Merchandizes or Stocks in Bank or at Interest or Houses and Lands and Gardens and Orchards and pleasant Walks Are they any more then a shadow of true Riches of durable Riches and Substance Are they so much Can there be any kind of shadow of that Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and
is this That he is very close fisted and very unfree and unwilling to communicate any thing worth mentioning to the supply of others wants or to any other good Uses but these Persons generally do with eager and hungering and thirsting desires hoord up the Wealth of this World and lay up Bag after Bag Wealth to Wealth or do adde Land to Land House to House Field to Field Isa 5. 8. and in this they take great pleasure But are very hard to be drawn to part with any thing considerable to any good Use But it may be these Wealth-mongers will say I cannot accuse my self hereof for I have parted with sometimes five Shillings at a time sometimes ten Shillings sometimes forty Shillings sometimes ten Pounds at a time for good uses when I have seen need and occasion And it may be some good honest poor People will witness for them they have given good Gifts at such a time and such a time when they have been moved thereunto and therefore who will dare to say that they are covetous To which the answer is That notwithstanding this it may appear and will appear that many of you that have thus done are meer covetous Earthworms meer filthy Idolaters and Adulterers and this poor mask cannot hide you especially you that have had and you that yet have very considerable Estates in this World as many of you have had and many of you yet have whom I will not name I say you will be found lamentable covetous Persons such as whose Covetousness the Lord abhors and his People shall and it may be do Psal 10. 3 abhor It may be you have given this and that and t' other Gift to relieve the Poor and Needy But do but consider what you have done I mean in what degree and proportion to your Estates you have done it and then consider whether a poor Brother that hath cast in three pence or four pence to the weekly Contributions hath not cast in six times it may be ten times as much as you Do ye not know what our blessed Lord spake of the poor Widows two Mites You of your abundance have it may be contributed sometimes that which hath seemed to be something in the Eyes of a mean Person and they have blessed the Lord for it but what was it in the Eyes of the Lord Consider that ye that know what your own Estates have been what your yearly incomes by your Rents Lands Tradings Offices and Employments have been what your Gains have been by your great Bargains and great Purchases which you have made and how much hath been cast upon you by Estates coming to you by Marriages or by deceased Friends or good years Crops of Corn or Sugars or by any other Merchandizes which ye have traded in In these gospel-Gospel-Days since the Grace of the Gospel hath been so abundantly revealed the Lord now expects that the glorious Riches of Grace that is now made known unto his Saints should be a far greater inducement unto them to abound in all good Works then all the several Precepts and Injunctions in the Law Wherein he expresly ty'd them by several distinct Precepts to very large Contributions and Communications of their Estates amounting in all it may be to more then a sixth part of their yearly incomes For now under the Gospel the Lord hath left his People to their freedom as to measure giving them no prescriptions of measures herein as if he would now try his People what they will do freely seeing in these blessed days he hath communicated so freely to them And will it not now be their shame to come short of what in the Law he expresly required It is said Heb. 13. 16. To do good and to communicate forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased He is well pleased when his People abound in offering such Sacrifices but he loves a chearful Giver and therefore now doth not constrain but expects it should be done of a ready mind Therefore it would well become a man who hath Three hundred Pounds per annum coming in by Rents or Trading chearfully and freely to part with Sixty Pound per annum at the least for the honour of his gracious Lord who hath freely and graciously given him so large incomes much exceeding what many very many of his fellow-Servants have The Lord having given him also the clear evidence of an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for him over and above these outward things If all these Riches of Grace extended to a poor miserable Worm will not induce him with a willing heart to return back so much of his own to his Lord again when he knoweth that with such Sacrifices he is well pleased that man is a very Churl And as it would become a man of Three hundred per annum to return to the service of his Lord more then a sixth part thereof so much more is it the concernment of him that hath Six hundred per annum coming in to part freely with more then a fourth part thereof and him that hath a Thousand Pounds per annum to communicate freely for the Lords sake more then a third part thereof For the greater a mans yearly incomes are in the better capacity is he to exceed them of lesser Estates And for to observe their Rule of Proportion and to do no more would be very unbecoming him Now I say You that have plentiful Estates that say you have been communicative consider what you have done and know you many of you that those your Contributions that you have made from time to time are contemptible because of the shortness and the niggardliness of them and know that the unworthiness of your Spirits herein will be ere long clearly discovered and that you are filthy covetous vile Persons and have proved your selves to be Churles and not liberal kind and bountiful and though some it may be have accounted you bountiful and merciful when out of your abundance you have given it may be ten or twenty Shillings or five Pounds to the relief of a poor Person or a poor Family yet the time is coming when such vile persons as you shall no more be called liberal nor such Churles as Isa 32. 5. you be said to be bountiful But many a poor House-keeper that out of their Labours have given but Six-pence will appear to be more bountiful by many degrees then some of you that have given ten pounds five pounds or three pounds at a time out of your great Estates So that this is the third Character of him that is a Covetous person who is an Idolater c. He is a Person that is close fisted and very hardly is drawn to communicate of the Wealth of this World but loves to hoard it up and takes great pleasure therein though it may be he will be much in holy Duties if his Estate consist in Lands or Bags
thing done in a Corner but was such a Publick and Solemn Act as was made manifest to all the Nations in Europe whose eyes were then gazing upon us and observing of us and the entering into that Covenant was greatly cryed up as a most worthy Act that might conduce much to the happiness of those Nations had it been inviolably kept to the utmost of every mans capacity But when a Nation shall solemnly enter into a Covenant with hands lifted up to God as if they desired his Blessings and Favours no otherwise then as they performed and faithfully kept it to the utmost of their capacitie and then perâ—idiously in a few years shall wittingly willingly and resolvedly break some great and considerable parts of it in the fight of God Angels and Men and yet profess to be the People of the Lord and the Children of God How greatly do they dishonour his Glorious Name whose People ought to be Children that will not lie much less break a Solemn Covenant of whose Servant it is said Psal 15. 4. That he sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not And it well becomes him so to do for it were better for him to chuse affliction rather then sin to suffer prejudice and loss and great disadvantage then in any measure to break his Promise much less his Oath For what if he lose outward things God is abâ—e to make up that â—hundred fâ—ll to him again But if he sin against the Lord Who shall intreat for him But this Sin of false Swearing or breach of an Oath is a great and horrible sâ—n which as it greatly dishonours the Name of the Lord doth greatly provoke the Eyes of his Glory as appears Because it is evident in Scripture that the Lord doth very severely punish his people for that sin that have been guilty of it bringing dreadful judgments upon them for that sin in particular as is evident in Ezek. 17. The King of Babylon having come up against Jerusalem and taken away the King thereof and carried him to Babylâ—n he being one of the Sons of Josiah and having set up a Brother of his to be King of Judah in the stead of him that he carried away to Babylon he made him whom he set up to be King to enâ—er into a Covenant of Subjection unto him But inâ—â—ead of keeping his Coâ—enant he rebelled against the King of Babylon as you have the History 2 Chron. 36. 10 11 12 13. 2 Kings 24. 17 18 19. Jer. 37. the whole Chapter And sent to Egypt for help But saith the Lord Ezek. 17. 15 16. Shall he escape that doth such things or shall he break the Covenant and be delivered As I live saith the Lord God surely in the place where the King dwelleth that made him King whose Oath he despised and whose Covenant â—e brake even with him in the midst of Babylon shall he die Neither shall Pharoah with his mighty Army make for him in the War Seeing he despised the Oath by breaking the Covenant when loe he had given his hand and hath done all these things he shall not escape Therefore thus saith the Lord God As I live surely my Oath that he hath despised and my Covenant that he hath broken even it will I recompence upon his own head and I will spread my Net upon him and he shall be taken in my snare and I will bring him to Babylon and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me and all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword and they that remain shall be scattered toward all Winds And ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it Here we see when the King of Judah had sworn to the King of Babylon though it may be he might think himself not bound to keep Covenant with him being a Heathen and an Idolater and though it may be when he took the Covenant he took it unwillingly yet having taken it he was indispensibly bound to perform and keep it For if the consideration of the quality of the Persons whether Heatheus or Turks or Atheists should null the Covenants or Promises that are made by the People of the Lord to them then the Name of the Lord would be greatly blasphemed amongst the Heathen by such Deeds for it would justly open the mouths of such to say That there is no Truth noâ— Righâ—eousness amongst such as profess to be the Lords Servants For among all sorts of men in the World Truth and Faithfulness in Promises and Covenants and Just and Righteous Dealings among Men is highly esteemed and the contrary condemned much more among the People of the God of Truth for Just and Right is He therefore if any such do Deut. 32. 4. break a Covenant a solemn Oath God is more dishonoured by them then by others and he will not bear with it in them but usually doth severely punish it as in this King Therefore saith the Lord Shall he escape that doth such things Shall â—e break the Covenant and be delivered He shall not escape 2 Kin 25. 7. Jer. 39 6 7. he shall be carried captive and he shall die in Babylon seeing he despised the Oath by breaking the Covenant And accordingly he was carried to Babylon and all his Sons were there slain before his Eyes and then his Eyes were put ouâ— and he was blind to the day of his death And it is much to be observed That the Lord calls the Covenant that this King entered into HIS Oath and HIS Covenant Thus saith the Lord God As I live surely MY Oath that he hath despised and MY Convenant that he hath broken even it will I recompence upon his own Head For we find in Scripture that the entering into a Covenant or Oath is a great and solemn Appointment of the Lord for the ending of Controversie and for the confirming Heb. 6. 16 of Truth and therefore it is called in Scripture The Oath of the LORD as Exod. 22. 10. 11. If a man deliver unto his Neighbour an Ass or an Ox or a Sheep or any Beast to keep and it die or be hurt or driven away no man seeing it then shall an OATH OF THE LORD be between them both that â—e â—ath not put his hand unto his Neighbours Goods and the Owner of it shall accept thereof c. And 2 Sam. 21. 7. But the King spared Mephibesheth the Son of Jonathan the Son of Saul because of the LORDS OATH that was between them between David and Jonathan the Son of Saul The like Eccles 8. 2. And so here As I live saith the Lord surely MY Oath that he hath despised and MY Covenant that he hath broken even it will I recompence upon his own head And it is plain that in an Oath or Covenant the Party doth in word or gesture call the Lord to witness to the Truth of it either by Hands lifted up to Heaven or by kissing the
Book of the Scriptures which is the â—ord of God or by saying SO HELP ME GOD. So that it is properly called The Oath of the Lord because the Lord is solemnly owned as a Witneâ—â— to it and it is a dreadful thing to break it Another Scripture that manifests the dreadfulness and the horâ—ibleness of the evil of the Breach of an Oath is that in 2 Sam. 21. where it is plain that whatever the Persons are to whom it is made though Heathens and though a man be drawn into that Covenant by Flaâ—teries or by the deceitful words of the person or persons that drew him into it that yet he is indispensibly bound to perform it and the breach of it is a great Provocation of the Lord. For it is there said That there was a Famine in the days of David three years year after year and David enquired of the Lord and the Lord answered It is for Saul and for his bloody House because he slew the Gibeonites Now we know how that by deceit and guile the Gibeonites had drawn Joshua and the Elders of the Children of Israel to swear to them that they would not destroy them So that the Gibeonites though they were Idolateâ—s and of the sinful Nations that the Lord would have destroyed yet they had that sence of the weight and reverence and strengâ—h and force of an Oath solemnly taken by the Lords People that they knew it would not be broken by them and accordingly it proved unto them for though they had obtained this Oath by deceit and guile yet the Princes of the Children of Israel would not recede oâ— go back from it nor break it in killing of the Gibeonites but said Josh 9. 20. Let them live still lest Wrath be upon us BECAUâ—E OF THE OATH which we sware unto them Here the fear of the Lord was upon the Children of Israel when the power of the Lord and his Goodness had been much display'd unto them in making them Conquerours over their Enemies when they were newly come into the Land of Canaan O that it had been so upon others that have broken Covenants But Saul wicked King Saul made no bones of destroying the Gibeonites though it was contâ—ary to an Oath that the Elders of the Children of Israel had solemnly sworn to the Gibeonites But the Lord would not â—ear this Sin in him but being hereby greatly provoked he sends a Judgment upon Israel for this even three years Famine until seven of Saul's Sons were cut off for this Sin of Saul So greatly is the Lord provoked by those that do break a solemn Oath or Covenant How greatly therefore doth it concern those that have been actually guilty of the breach of any Oath they have taken or any Covenant or any part of a Covenant they have entered into to whom soever they have sworn it though it should be to Unbelievers and Infidels that they greatly humble themselves for their so doing and repent unfeignedly of it and resolve for the future to perform all the Oaths and Covenants they have taken to the utmost of their Ability I say to the utmost of their Ability for God requires no more of any And it is certain that it was not in the power of some to hinder others from the breach of that Covenant which they had generally taken For in the great Breaches of the Solemn League and Covenant that have been made it was not in the power of men in a private capacity to hinder them It being carried on by them that were the Ruling Power of the Nation at that time but as many as did protest against it at that time did well and for those that did not they ought greatly to bewail it And though they were deceived and blinded by the subtile devices that were then used to put a fair colour upon those Actions by which the Covenant was broken so that many good People in but a common capacity were ignorantly led to acquiesce in what was done by those that were above them â—et they ought now sincerely to repent of what they did then ignorantly To that end let them consider how greatly the Lord hath been dishonoured by his Peoples breach of Covenant The Natioâ—s abroad that had their Eyes upon us might blush to behold that a People that so eminently professed to be the People of the Lord should so grosly and palpably break so solemn an Oath And what occasions of stumbling hath been given to them thereby and occasion to Enemies of blaspheming the Name of the Lord In which respect this breach of Oaths has been a great Sin of some of the Lords People But though it haâ—h been the Sin of some yet I cannot say that it hath been the Sin of all and they may have Peace that have been kept clear from the breach of any Oath or any part of an Oath But I say Iâ— greatly conceâ—ns those that have been guilty of this Sin unfeigneâ—ly to repent of it And though I mention no particulars of the breach of Oaths yet it concerns every one to consider their ways and wherein soever they have not kept to the utmost of their ability any part of thâ—â— Oath or any other Oath they have taken to repent thereof whether it hath been done through ignorance or careless indifferency or any other way for it is a dreadful thing to break a Covenant and a Sin that brings the Judgments of God upon a â—eople that are wittingly and knowingly guilty of it and sometimes upon a whole Nation though it be but the Sin of some of the Nation as appears by the instances already given Now it is much to be desired that the Lord would please to help all his People that have been any way guilty hereof to lay it indeed to heart and truly to repent of it setting time apart to acknowledge it and to be humbled for it before the Lord with full purpose of heart to do no more so wickedly that if it may be the great Judgments of God that are already upon us and that may be coming on us may be diverted and the Plague may be stayed in all parts of the Land I mention this Sâ—n as a great Sin of the Lords People because though it be but the Sin of some yet it is such a Sin as for which God hath brought Judgments upon a whole Nation though but a few of the Nation have been guilty of it And because it is a Sin which brings so great a blemish on true Religion when some of the Professors of it shall be guilty thereof as witness that dung that was by reason of the guiltiness of some Professors of this Sin spread upon the Profession of Religion by George Wharton in his Almanack for the year 1660. in his Verses for the Month of June that year His words are these But 't is the Mode Come come let 's all comply There 's no firm footing on Integrity For having said and done all what
out one of another and by taking up Evil * Witness Mr. Edward 's Gangranâ— Reports one of another and manifesting no Brotherly Love one to another but caâ—rying it one to another as if they were not Children of one Father I say in that the Lordâ— People have done thus they have provoked the Lord to scourge them all and to spare none of them And they must know that as far as they remain thus disposed he is greatly offended with them Not that the Lords People ought not at all to judge one another for there are many things that we may judge and censure one another for as when persons are overtaken in faults or evils that are against plain Rules such Rules as are acknowledged by all that acknowledge and believe in the true God and Jesus Chrâ—st whom he hath sent as to be a Lyar to steal to cheat to deceive to swear falsly to commit adultery to be malicious or envious or proud or covetous or impatient or froward or to be scornful are evils acknowledged by all that truly believe in the true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent to be against plain Rules received and acknowledged by them all and when we see a Brother overtaken in any of these or the like â—â—â—lts we are to judge and condemn them as the Works of Darkness and the Fruits of the Flesh and to endeavour to restore them that are guilty of them and to have no fellowship with them in such unfruitful Works of Darkness And accordingly the Independants the Baptised the Quakers and the Presbyterians do all bear witness and that justly against these and such-like Eâ—ils whether they are in any of their own Understandings or in any others And this kind of judging one another the Lord both commands and commends He commands it in these Scriptures Lev. 19. 17. Psal 94. 16. Mat. 18. 15 16 17. Ephes 5. 11. And the Lord commends it in the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2. 2. I know thy woâ—ks c and how thou canst not bear them which are evil That spirit of zeal that was in them against evil in any in that they would not bear noâ— suffer sin in any was very acceptable to him And therefore in such cases we may and ought to judge of the Ways and Spirits of men and to condemn the carnal minde and sinful disposition of spirit and the sinful ways of men for if a man be disobedient to that which he knoweth to be the Will of his Lord we ought to judge and condemn him therein But that which we are forbidden to judge one another for is the things in which we cannot be of one mind but do differ in our Understandings For though we may be perswaded that the Way wherein we walk is the very Way which the Word of God directs us to walk in yet we ought not to say that therein we are infallible And though we are all to walk in those things wherein we differ every one as we are perswaded in our own minds and should erre therein yet we may not be judged to be none of the Lords Servants or People For they onely may be said to be none of his that wilfully rebell against his known Will and continue in so doing without Repentance But there being this testimony in the Conscience of a man that with his whole Soul he desires and endeavours to do the will of God from the heart and that he doth not knowingly erre in one tittle from the Law of our Lord Jesus Christ but it grieves and troubles him for to censure or judge such a one to â—e none of the Lords is that which the Lord forbids But it may be said That some Quakers do not acknowledge the true God nor Jesus Christ our Lord whom he hath sent To that the answer is easie If they be such to our own knowledge as do deny the true God and Jesus Christ our Lord whom he hath sent as do not own him nor his Law nor profess an unfeigned subjeâ—ion to him in all things so far as they know his Will Then they are not to be owned as the Lords Servants but to be accounted as Heathens and Inâ—idels Buâ— if they do profess Faith in God and in Jesus Christ whom he hath sent and if the true Fear of the Lord be in them and they do manifest a subjection unto the Laws and Rules of the Lord Christ in all things so far as they know his Wâ—ll although they are very differing from us â—n many other things not so generally received by all the Lords People yet he thaâ— censures or judges them as Enemies of the Lord or condemns them as none of his may offend the Lord Christ Now as far as the Lords People have been censoriouâ— one of another and condemned one another as none of hiâ— so far they have greatly grieved hâ— holy Spirit in walking contraâ—y unto the blessed Rules of his Word in which he sweetly instructs his People thus Hereby shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another And Joh. 13. 35 1 Cor. 13. 5 Rom. 12. 10. Heb. 13. 1. Rom. 14. 2 3 4 5 9 10 12 13 23. Love thinketh no Evil. And Be kindly affectioned one towards another with Brotherly Love in honour preferring one another And Let Brotherly Love continue And in another place thus For one believeth that he may eat all things another who is weak eateth Herbs Let not him that eatetâ— dâ—spise him that eateth not and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him Who art thou that judgest another mans Servant To his own Master he standeth or falleth yea he shall he holden up for God is able to make him stand One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike Let every man be fully perswaded in his own mind To this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living But why dost thou judge thy Brother Or why dost thou set at nought thy Brother We shall all stand before the Judgement-seat of Christ So that every â—ne of us shall give an account of himself to God Let us noâ— therefore judge one another any more And Whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin And Judge not that ye be not judged And Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy Brothers Mat. 7. 1 3 4. Eye and considerest not the Beam that is in thine own Eye But very many of the Lords People have greatly sinned against him in not observing these blessed Instructions but they have cast them all behind their back as if they were of no concernment to them to observe But they have rebelled against the Lord and rejected the Word and Wisdom of the Lord herein And though he say Judge not that ye be not judged And Let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth for God hath received him And
25. doer of the Word that man shall be blessed in his Deed but he that is a forgetful Hearer can expect no blessing The good Seed of the Word cannot grow up there when he either suffereth the Devil to catch it from him oâ— the cares of this World and the deceiâ—fulness of Riches to choak it This heart is not the good ground in which the Word is sowed so as to bring forth thirty sixty or an hundred fold But this hath been a sin of very many that they very seldom take time so much as to call to memory the Word they have heard but hearing the Word on the first day of the weak many times think no more of it all the weak followiâ—g It is well known that the two distinguishing Characters that were given of the â—lean Beasts which onely were acceptable to God in Sacrifice under the Law were that they were such as did Chew the Cud and part the Hoof. â—nd it is certain that those Souls cannot be clâ—â—n under the Gospel that do not Chew the Cud that do not review and recal to mind and meditate upon the Word of God when they have heaâ—d it Paul speaking of the Word of the Gospel sayes It is the 1 Cor. 15. 1 2. Word whereby ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain and it is the Power of God through Faith unto Salvation But those that keep it not in memory cannot be saved Rom. 1. 16. Whereby ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you The Word of Truth maketh Souls clean Sanctifie them through thy John 17. 17. Truth thy Word is Truth but it is by treasuring it up in the heart The cleanest and purest Souls have the Word of Christ dwelling most plentifully in them Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way but by taking heed thereto according to thy Word Psal 119. 9. The Blessed man when he hears the Word doth not let it go in at one ear and out at another but his delight is in it and he meditates on it day and night Psal 1. 2. But it is no wonder such pollutions and uncleannesses appear in many of the Lords People seeing they do so little Chew the Cud. It is no wonder their Souls thrive no more seeing the Word so quickly passes from them undigested They go to hear the Word as the Food of their Souls but digest it not by Meditation and Chewing upon it and getting the sweetness and noâ—rishment of it and therefore are lean and starved Souls though aâ—â—plentiful Tables THIS this hath been also another great evil in many of the Lords People And what is the â—oot of this carelesness and indifferency whether they have nourishment from the Word or not hath been shewed in the mentioning of the first Evil that hath been in this Discourse declared and shewed to the House of Jacob. And they that have been guilty of not Chewing the Cud in the sence now declared are some of the people of the several understandiâ—gs and the Quakers though all of them are not guilty of it but very many of them are grosly guilty of this â—in of Indigestion and though many of them are ready and forward to go to hear the Word yet they too much satisfie themselves with a bare so doing as if that were enough and they very rarely take any time to do themselves their Families good by repeating each what they remember to the help of one anothers memory in whaâ— they have heard So that there appears little growth in many Professors but where they were ten years since the same they are now or scarce so far But it may be some of them are gone back many degrees because they digest not their Spiritual Food And one great reason of some of the Baptised Peoples so doing is their using when they had full liberty to continue their First Day 's ordinary Exercises until four of the Clock in the Afternoon at which time if they had broken up they had done well and then after that to continue the rest of the Day in doing the business of the Church viz. To reprove particular persons where there was need and to inquire into the state of the Sick or the Poor and Needy and to receive in or cast out as occasion required And these things taking up their time * Which things should be done at other times appointed for them until it was late then they had no time before Supper for any other Service and after Supper such Services with Children and Servants use to be lame Services and some elder People also being then unfit for any thing but to sleep so that they had no time on the First Day of the Week for to chew the Cud And for other Days the World so took up some of them as well as some Presbyters Quakers and Independants as they scarce minded to go to a Meeting or if they did the World had so eaten them up that they little cared to minde any thing but their Worldly Business and sometimes some would scarce have gone to a Meeting any week day but to stop the Clamours of their Consciences and it had been as good they had staid at home as gone and as much acceptance it would have had with God unless they had gone to more purpose I mention this as a distinct Evil and not among the Omissions already mentioned because it may be some do scarce think it to be a Duty required of them But â—et all the House of Israel know That this is assuredly a great Evil of those that have been guilty of it and that forgetful Hearers are not blessed But some Baptised People and the Quakers and many Presbyterians and Independants also have been very guilty of this great evil and it must be declared unto them and let them not think to hide it but as they desire to be blessed let them Repent and Reform IX Another great Evil of the Lords People of which they are generally IX TALE-BEARING OR BACK BITING very guilty is the Sin of BACK-BITING And this is a sore Evil and a mischievous Sin though it is a Sin which it may be many of them never think of the sinfulness of it nor scarcely ever think it to be a Sin And that Evil which the Spirit of God gives this title unto is expresâ— by a variety of other such-like Titles in the Scriptures As the Whisperer the Talebearer the Babler the Railer the Slanderer the Evil-surmiser Now that the Lords People may be shewn their Evil herein let them but take a view of their deformity of this kind also in the Glass of the Scriptures even in the blessed Words of Truth therein contained And first It is against the express Precept and Commandment of the Lord Lev. 19. 17. Thou shalt not go up and down as a Tale-bearer among thy People So that he that
ponder this great Consideration and fear and dread the continuing in any known sin and be faâ— from deluding themselves with the vain thoughts of finding acceptance with God in spending a whole day or dayes in a week in the most solemn Church Assemblies or in any other duty which the Lord requires while they continue in sin as remembring what the Lord here speaks in these Scriptures and what is said Psal 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer And let them observe the gracious Exhortation of the Apostle Heb. 12. 28 29. Let us have Grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly fear for our God is not like the vanities of the Heathens to be pleased with many Lip-Services without Reformation but a consuming fire II. Another great Consideration that may be of use to provoke the Consideration II Lords People to a thorow amending their wayes is this viz. That no persons that are not washed from the Pollutions and Iniquities mentioned in the preceding Discourse shall be admitted to be of the number of them that shall follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth or that â—hall be accounted worthy to serve him in the great work he hath to do in the latter day for it is evident that those that are his Followers are described to be such as have none of these Iniquities found in them as appears in the Description Rev. 14. 1 2 c. in these words And I looked and â—o a Lamb stood upon Mount Sion and with him a hundred forty and four thousand having his Fathers Name written in their Foreâ—eads and they were redeemed from the Earth These are they which were not defiled with Women for they are Virgins These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth These were redeemed from among men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God And Chap. 17. 14. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and they that are with him are Called and Chosen and Faithful In which great Characters of the Lambs Followers it is apparent That they are not defiled with any of those Pollutions which the greatest number of the Lords People are now defiled with For First It is said They have his Fathers Name written in their Foreheads Characters of the Lambs Followers Which is an evident Demonstration that they shall be of such Holy and Heavenly Conversationâ— as shall evidently manifest whose Children they are for it shall be as appaâ—ently manifest as any thing is manifest that is fixed in a mans Forehead Secondly In that they are said to be redeemed from the Earth it clearly manifests that they shall not be men of an earthly mind but be altogether disingaged in their affections from sublunary things as having their affections wholly set on things above and having their very heaâ—ts there and having their conversations there also For our conversation is in Heaven Phil. 3. 20 contemning and despising any thing in the Earth when it comes in competition with the Service of their Lord and King for they shall not love the World nor the things that are in the World but shall trample upon them all having all things in the World under their Feet No fear of loss of earthly things nor hope of gain of worldly things shall either deâ—er them from the serâ—ice of their Lord or induce them unto any unworthy complyance And in the service of their Lord they shall not expect great Earthly Rewaâ—ds nor desiâ—e any more thereof then Abraham did in his service in subduing the five Kings that desire nothing but what the young men had eaten as he said to the King of Sodom I will not take any more lest thou shouldst say I have made Abraham rich So shall the Followers of the Lamb say to the World to whom they may do good offices by the appointment of their Lord We will not take of you any reward for this Service but what we have eaten even what is enough to supply us and ours while we are about this Work And when our Work of this kind is done we would not have any thing left of what we take for our Service for we would not be one penny richer in estate then we were before but what we have more we shall account as a Canker and as a Moth to the rest of our Estates or to what the Lord may after give us in the lawful and moderate following our particular Callings but therewith we desire to be content whether it be little or much desiâ—ing to come off from publick Service rather with less then more then we had before And we desire to manifest to the World That we seek their Weal and not their Wealth their increase of Wealth Exteâ—nal and Internal and not the DIMINISHING OF ANY PART OF THEIR ESTATES It shall be manifest that they are â—edeemed from the Earth by their being every way loose from the things that are on the Earth and wholly set on the things that are above and rejoycing in that their Names are written in Heaven and in that they are sure of an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not awaâ— reserved in Heaven for them Thirdly It being said That they shall not be defiled with Women for they are Virgins It doth manifest that they shall not onely be pure from Foâ—nications or Aduâ—teries in the Letter but also in a Mystical and Spiritual sence they shall not set up any other Lover in their hearts but â—emain chaste Virgins to Christ They shall be as pure as Virgins from having their hearts insnaâ—ed with the Woâ—ld or any other thing that defileth They shall not be defiled with the alluâ—ements of the Scarlet Whoâ—e but shall hate to have any thing to do with the Cup of her Fornications Her Trumpery they shall not meddle with But as soon as it is discovered to them they shall detest it and shall give themselves up wholly to the Lord Christ to be guided by him alone cleaving to him as a faithful and loyal Spouse that abhors the thoughts of any but her onely Beloved but shall give themselves up wholly to the Lord Christ to be guâ—ded by him alone and to follow him alone which is the next Character that 's given of them Fourthly They shall follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth He being their Leader they shall follow their Blessed Leader They shall not receive the Precepts of men in the Worship of God but the Rules of Christ alone and shall receive the Law from his mouth alone and not admit of mens inventions and mens interpretations further then they are perswaded it is according to his mind He alone shall be observed by them and whatsoever he reveals to them they shall do and into whatsoever Path he guides them they shall go and shall not be tyed and stinted by
thorowly effectual to that blessed desired and longed-for end Now from the whole Premises these following Positions may be clearly laid down First That those Professors of the fear of the Lord that have been so polluted Position I as is declared and that do continue in those Evils whether of Commission or Omission are very unworthy and very unmeet to be accounted Members of his House and though they may be at present Members of several Congregations yet they are such as shall be cut off from the City of the Lord if they repent not when he shall come thorowly to puâ—ge his Mat. 3. 11. Floor and gather his Wheat into his Garner Secondly That is the great duty of those that are gifted and gracious spirited Position II men and men that have obtained mercy to be faithfull that are in the several Congregations and Societies of them that profess the fear of the Lord whether they are Officers among them or †For some Officers may be â—â— guilty of these Evils as some others any others that are so qual fied to do these three things First To promote and press with all earnesâ—ness and â—ervency of Spirit the work of unseigned Humiliation before the Lord and of true Repentance for all or any of these Evils that are found among any of them all yea to be lying at the Feet of the Lord continually and to give him no resâ— until he pour our such a poâ—tion of his Spirit upon them as may truly â—nable them to be ashamed of all the Evils they have done and to loath themselves in Truth for all their abominations I say To give the Lord no rest until Duty I he do these things for them and not to content themselves with keeping a day of Fasting and to think when that is done all is well but to be impoâ—tunate seckers of the Lord for such a truly broken and penitenâ— Spiâ—it as God will not despise that they may be truly as it is â—aiâ— Ezek. 7. 16. of them that shall escape from the Sword without and thâ—â—â—estilence and Famine within like Doves of the Valâ—eys 〈◊〉 of them 〈◊〉 every one for his Iniquity even for his and her partâ—cular Inâ—quiâ—y most especially and also for all the abomiâ—ations of others also that they may have that special Mark chap. 9. 4. And Secondly It is the Duty also of such faithful Serâ—ants of the Lord Duty II in the several Congregations to declare unto the Members of each Society that are guilty of such Evils and live in them That they ought not to be admitted to be paâ—takeâ—s of the great Ordinance of the Lords Supper unless they repent so as to reform and thorowly amend their wayes it being a very dangerous thing to approach to the Table of the Lord in these pollutions and deformities and not having on their beautiful Garments viz. The Royal Robes of Righâ—eousness the Blessed Ornament of a meek and Isa 51. 10 1 Pet. 3. 4 1 Pet. 5. 5 Rev. 15. Psal 45. quiet Spirit and the precious cloathing of Humility even all those white Robes and Golden Girdles and Cloathings of Wrought Gold that do signifie all the Fruits and gracious Operations of the Holy Spirit And that it is dangerous appears 1 Cor. 11. 26 27 to 30. For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew forth the Lords Death until he come Wherefore whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eâ—teth and drinketh damnation to himself not discerning the Lords Body For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many are fallen asleep Where it is clear that it is a very dangerous thing for a man to draw near to the Table of the Lord without examination of himself whether there be any iniquity that he lives in whether he be a Vestâ—â— on whom holiness to the Lord is visibly written or not It is very dangerous to rush unto the Table of the Lord without any fear or dread of coming unworthily not considering that such as have so done are guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord and that such as have so done have for this cause been sick and weak and have fallen asleep And it is most certain That It is a dangerous thing to come to that Table without the Spirit of Love that ingages the Soul to true and uâ—feigned love to all Saints as Members of the same Body so as to communicate freely and liberally as God hath blessed as to Members of our own Body not like a Churâ— It is a dangerous thing to come to that Table with hearts full of Adultery Mystical Adultery hearts given up unto other Lovers and not to the Lord. It is dangerous coming to that Table with froward hearts contentious spirits having any heart rising against any person or persons Or which is somwhat less It is a dangerous thing to come to that Table with slightings of any others that are members of Christ as truly as we for the Corinthians coming together and some having a fulness of outward things did eat and drink when others that were poor in this world had not and were hungry The Apostle calls these Actions in them that were full a despising of the Church of God the poor Members aâ— truly making up the Church of God as those that were rich and a shaming of them that have not The poorer sort it may be seeing their fulness having their Bottles of Wine and costly Cakes and dainty Viands being made ashamed that had it not Now their thus â—lighting the poor which Evil James also reproves as hath been shewed and shaming of them in that particular is the sin the Apostle here reproves and advises them rather to eat and drink in their own Houses then They it may be would tarry for the rich to grieve and shame the Poor and not to slight the Poor but to tarry one for another for sayes he verses 20 21. When ye come together therefore into one place this is not to eat the Lords Supper for in eating every one taketh before another his own Supper and one is hunâ—ry and another is drunken that is Hath drunk sufficiently and fed sufficiently And vers 33 34. Wherefore my Brethren when ye come together to eat tarry one for another and if any man hunger let him eat at Home that ye come not together unto condemnation It is a dangerous thing to come to that Table with a proud Heart Psal 101. 5. Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer Such shall not be welcome to his Table In a word He that is guilty of and continueth in any Evil whether of Omission or Commission whether of the Evils that have been declared