you compare me therefore he that compares God to any thing he hath not smitten The City of Kiriathsepher and taken it he hath not married Achsah So likewise the Third Commandment The letter of it commands not to take Gods name in vain or blaspheme his name Now if a man hath â—ot in words blasphemed nor swore an oath but when he hath been called to it he hath done what Moses required and No man else was externally punished but he that externally broke the Letter of the Commandments But Gods name you know signifies his attributes his Power his Wisdom his Iustice his Mercy c so that the Spirit of this Commandment is He that takes or appropriates this Power or Wisdom or Mercy or any other Attribute and saith They are His That he hath either power or goodnessâ— or wisdom or justice or mercy or that any creature hath any of these or whatsoever is Gods Name or That he shall apply These to any sinister by or self-end and doth not at all times use them onely â—o glorifie serve and honour God with them I say this man hath fearfully and desperately broke this Commandment this man hath not onely Buried his talent in a napkin and been An unproâ—itable servant for which the Lord Commands from him to be taken away That which he hath that is That which he seemeth to have To himâ—elf and to other men like himself for which â—nprofitableness he is to be cast into Outer Darkâ—ess where is weeping and gnashing of teeth But then what shall become of him that hath Arrogated purloined and appropriated those things which were but lent him to imploy for his Lords 〈◊〉 to his own self-ends and advantage Nay moreover This man hath subjected God himself to â—erve his turn and his own carnal ends as the Lord himself complains by the Prophet You have made me to serve your iniquities that is you have served your selves with my power and strength and wisdom and goodness and not me nor my ends O Beloved that we could but see all these things in oâ—r selves to shame us and to bring us to nothing that we may put our mouthes in the very dust for these high indignities against the Throne and Scepter of Jesus Christ in our souls Beloved know This is the substance of the Commandment the other part is but the shadow this is the Commandment it self the other is but the Sacrament the symbol the Image And so likewise in the fourth Commandment he that refrained his hands and feet from servile labour and rested did no work nor gathered 〈◊〉 sticks Moses found no fault with them but the Spirit of this Commandment goes farther for he that goes but thus far keeps but the Sabbath of the Ox and the Ass but the Sabbath is to be sanctified what 's that onely to go to Church and hear or read and make a prayer or to do the like at home No no But blessed is the man who keepeth the Sabbtah from polluting it Many think because they are constant in such things as Those that they have sanctified the Sabbath But as I said He that truly keeps the Sabbath Holy he must keep Gods Sabbath Object You will say What is that Answ. He is called The God of Sabbaths not because as many ignorantly think that he is the God of the Sunday more then of the Munday or Tuesday oâ— of the seventh day more then of any other day But because He is the God of Rest for Sabbath is as much as to say Rest Because the creatures are all in motion in vegetation and action and no creature can be at Rest till they return to Tim He Onely is at Rest. All creatures were created by him and are as it were gone out from him as Noahs Dove sent out of the Ark and they rest not One minute till they return into this Blessed Noah again And till He be pleased to put forth his hand and take it in again Beloved know this The most stable and most durable creature that is is in Motion is still and always inchanging It remains not the same not one tittle of time The iron the gold the silver the stones none are at rest no not One minute For could you but shew me any one creature that is at Rest but for one minute I would be so bold as to say It were God and that creature were immortal and everlasting but it is God onely that is at Rest it is He onely that is immortal and therefore no creature can be God Almighty He is the True Sabbath and those that return to be One with Him they onely keep a True Sabbath for God Rested on the seventh day and sanctified it six dayes He was in creating and working while we are absent from the Lord we are in continual travel and labour and so in continual changing till the seventh day come while we are in the world and in the body we must work and be in changing and removing from place to place and doing the actions of creatures as creatures But know as the Prophet saith Arise depart hence for this is not your rest Remember your Sabbath To keep it Holy without turmoils and hurryings after the creatures and learn to live above while you are here below I say Above in the quiet and still Regions Above All the creatures and things below for here in these things you can never Rest But Return to God Return to thy rest O my soul saith David where onely you shall find Rest and there keep your Sabbaths All other keeping Sabbaths is but External and bodily labour and bodily labour profiteth nothing sayes the Apostle yet most men those that not onely profess religion but also most Teachers they are gotten into such a Form of religion and External holiness of Outward and Bodily labour in keeping Sabbaths and other things in religion so that true and real godliness is almost lost and which is most dangerous of all Herein they rest and bless themselves and their disciples Therefore I would gladly disturb them and Rouse them from their Lees whereon they are setled Therefore I say look not among the creatures nor in your External duties nor in Outward keeping of Sabbaths to find your true Rest but onely in your God who is the God of your Sabbaths Then for the fifth Commandement God by the Letter commands us to honour Father and Mother that is to be done To honour and obey those that are our Fathers and Mothers of the body and according to the flesh and those that are termed Fathers and Mothers in regard of their office For my aim is not in this nor in any other Commandement â—o dehort you from doing the External part thereof But when you have done that there you Rest and think you have done some great Act but this is that I say this is not that God chiefly intends but God would by them
obtain this meeting and several times procured two but never could get three of them together to confer with and to give an account of whatever had been delivered by him which That he might vindicate Truth much hungred and thirsted for what the cause may be of such backwardness in them we leave to others to judge of But it may be if they would have met they might have learned that which they never knew For as truth is strongest so God had wonderfully come into him and declared himself by him in his late years and made him as it were a Sampson against the numerous Philistims and a David against the huge and mighty Goliahs of those times for even then in his dayes some of his acquaintance and followers who indeed were very knowing men and pretended High things as indeed they were but abused by them to great lieâ—nciousness making even those precious 〈◊〉 an occasion to the flesh insomuch that he 〈…〉 to threaten prosecution of them to 〈◊〉 for their vile words and actions if they so persisted after so often Admonition and he forbâ—d their following or hearing of him except they came with affection to truth and with desire to be built up in the most holy faith yet as he was a man of presence and Princely behaviour and deportment and fit to accompany such so he was also familiar even with the meanest and if willing to be taught he was as willing to instruct and teach them and they were upon this account more welcome to him then Lords or Princes imitating the humble carriage of his Lord and Master he not thinking it any disparagement to accompany with the worst and lowest of men so he might do them good for he knew he was not sent to call the righteous but the sinners nor to heal the whole but the sick not the Iusticâ—â—ries and those who though they may be large in confession of sin yet really see but little in themselves and less to repent of Insomuch that those who were about him either in sickness or health would often say they gat more good instruction from him in discourse then by many Sermons of other mens he being still forward if they were backward to take occasions to communicate some Divine truths so that he won their attention to hearken to him as Christ did Maries who chose that better part which should never be taken from her And when they were backward to enquire of him he would move them to ask him questions if they had any doubts or questions to propound then for saith he when I am gone many will miss me therefore I desire you would make use of me and get what you can by me while I am here and the more you so do the more welcome but Christ I know will be a Teacher to those that are his He was also a man of a choise couragious and discerning spirit endowed with skill and depth of learniag judgement and experience to mannage what God had though but of late revealed to him as he often would say affirming he was now ashamed of his former knowledge expressions and preachings even since he commenced Dr. in Divinity although he was known to be a very great Scholar and as good a Philosopher few or none exceeding him yet when he came to know himself and his own heart and also to know Jesus Christ the Scriptures more then Grammatically literally or Academically viz. experimentally he then counted all those things even all his acquired parts and humane abilities loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Iesus Christ and him câ—ucified not onely externally but particularly buried and risen again in himself and for that blessed sight to see how the Scriptures were daily fulâ—illing in himself and others they concerning as much all times all men and all ages as those of whom they were the history wherein lies as in these Sermons he sheweth the chief excellency fatness and marrow of the Scriptures and without which the word is of so little use to us that to us it is not the word of God which the Apostle saith Heb. 4. is quick and powerful and mighty in operation sharper then a two edged sword and peircing between even the joynts and marrow as he also largely in several parts of this Book sheweâ—h And this was the alone knowledge whereby he was crucified to the world and to himself And thereby his depth in learning and Philosophy being sanctified they so much the more confirmed and centred his spirit they brought him to his heaven home and rest even into that ever blessed union and communion with God which before was but skin-deep learning and Philosophy as he termed it And the couragiousness of his Spirit was such when he was but a bare literal University Preacher as he afterward still called himself that he was the onely man that opposed preached against and held it out to the utmost against the late Kings matching with the Infanta of Spain when others durst but whisper their consciences and thoughts he chose Texts on purpose to shew the unlawfulness and the great sin of matching with Idolaters being often committed to prison for it when he was Preacher at Martins in the Fields and then by the next Sabbath day one Lord or other would beg his liberty of the King and presently no sooner out but he would go on and mannage the same thing more fully notwithstanding all the power of the Bishops being committed again and again being as I heard him say six or seven times in Prison insomuch they coming so oft tâ— King Iames about him he began to take more notice of him asking What is this Dr. Ever-out his name saith he shall be Dr. Never-out Then began the Bishops for this to be his 〈◊〉 adversaries fetching him up into their High-Commission and never left prosecuâ—ing him until they had took from him his Benefice being four hundred pounds a year And at his second convening thither spoken of before 〈◊〉 threatned him he would bring him to a morsel of â—read and all because he could not have his will of him to make him stoop and bow to him And where is the man that hath adventured for all their forward and great professions so far as he hath done in discharge of duty and consciencâ— because he thought he was bound thereto by command from God! And yet for all this as he said of himself â—his he did by a meer power of self from natural abilities and from the power of the old man suggesting and working in him and carrying it out with much boldness mâ—gnanimity and true zeal as to mans judgement Oh! what great things may men do this way externally and have no principle of grace or true fear of God! yea not onely to the loss of Means and Liberty but to the loss of their heads and lives and meerly out of Vain-glory or some such Self-interest and herein truly is little
their father which is in heaven Til this time Iesus Christ was crucified dead and buried but when once this Lion of the Tribe of Iudah begins to rouse up himself then it shall appear that there is now a King born that will bear rule that shall be such a Messiah spiritually as the Iews expected temporally a Potent and Mighty Prince whose Government shall be upon his shoulders His Name being WONDERFUL Counsellour and Prince of Peace And now all those Accursed Iews which â—rucified him and made him to serve shall now be made to serve him as the Prophet saith You have made me to serve with your iniquites Now all those headstrong lusts those Kings and Rulers of the Earth which cryed Let us break his bonds in sunder and cast away these cords from us He shall now rule them with a rod of iron and crush them in pieces like a potters vessel So that we shall live no longer the life of natural carnal men in the vanity of their mind to fulfil the lusts of men and the will of flesh and of the world but they live the life of spiritual men we shall then shew that we are the Off-spring of Christ Till you become to this whatever you think of your selves there can be nothing well done for before this we altogether think our own thoughts do our own actions go our own ways For all the imaginations of mans heart are onely evil continually But before this great and not able day of the Lord come the Lord will set signs in the heavens and in the earth and there shall be great stirs and wars and rumors of wars and the Inhabitants of the earth shall be troubled amazement and terrour shall seize upon them because of these things And when thou seest these things come to pass I say within thee then look up for know your redemption draweth nigh When you see the red Dragon watch against the woman shall be delivered of her man-child spoken of in the Revelation that he sends forth whole floods of water out of his mouth to drown her then know the child is born But before this time when you see the woman in travel and hath great pain and cryeth out extremely and hath bitter pains I say Bitter pangs then you may know the child is near delivery that is when this beloved old man our own will as the Scripture terms him who was never by us denyed anything himself desired but all was carried smoothly according to his own desire and now to be crost and contradicted Oh â—his is great pain to him Oh he cryes out like a travailing woman Oh he would by no means forsake himself his own will his own pleasure his own profit Take up his cross and follow Christ What forsake all that is dear to him this is death to him Oh! when you hear your flesh cry out Oh! would to God I had never been born then I had never seen this day Oh! let me dye let me dye I am weary of my life when ye hear him like Iob bitterlycurse the day of his birth Oh Beloved this day is a terrible day to flesh and blood it never saw such a day Oh it s a bloody day it comes with a terrible confused noise of the warriors and garments tumbled in blood as the Prophet speaks it was never so haled and puld this way the flesh tother way the spirit it was never so torn in pieces But know Beloved when these pains are upon you that the child is at the birth near to be delivered Beloved these things will be if ever Christ be born in the soul And when it is so that the flesh hales one way and the Spirit another Oh then it behoves you to pray That so your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath nor in the harvest Oh Beloved pray that these things this Seed do not dye without fruit that in the midst of this biting bitter winter you do not fly but bide by it and indure and wait the fruit that in the midst of winter you may enjoy your Sabbaths a day of rest peace lest that when other men enjoy their Sabbaths their harvest you have nothing but winter bitterness trouble and want and no fruit to refresh you Brethren I beseech the Lord that you may prove try and examine your selves by these things see if this day hath overpast ye hath your woman had pains and bitter agonies have you suffered such contradiction between the flesh and the spirit that these wars and terrours and rumours have struck through the very soul of you that you have felt it as bitter as gall as bitter as bitterness it self for saith our Loâ—d Luk 21. 22. Then be the dayes of VENGEANCE that all things which are written may be fulfilled insomuch as you may say of your selves Call me not now Naomi pleasant but call me Marah bitterness for the Almighty hath dealt bitterly with me This work being gone through you may be sure the child is born to you and to you a Son is given else not Tell me of what you will of education and good nature and the still work of Gods Spirit except this work be done in you so that you can speak of the work thereof experimentally you do but befool and delude your own souls And this work being gone through and the child born then as I said before he grows and increases in age and perfection every day He is not grown to a man in a moment but by steps by degrees He that hath this work brought about in his soul he need fear nothing he is in a free and safe condition all the men upon earth nay the powers of darkness cannot hurt him although the Dragon the Devil Sin Lusts the old man Self Lucifer Adam the Serpent c. these with all their fiery darts for when I name one I name all as I opened them to you upon another occasion for I opened near 20 of his names severally for these names and many such the Scripture gives him to set out that evil one within us which the most part of men are little acquainted with although they hug them in their bosomes eat drink sleep work play with them all these I say although they send forth whole floods of water after the woman yet they cannot drown her 〈◊〉 this work delivers and frees men from the powers of darkness this work brings down the strong holds disarms the strong man and sets the soul free Saves it delivers it carries it above all waves The next remarkable action Christ did he was circumcised That is He submitted himself to all outward Ordinances because he knew that all powers were ordained of God and so far forth as they tend to God and tend to love and peace we ought to submit So then we are then circumcised with Christ and Christ is
know what a many woes Christ pronounced against the Pharisees for making Religion a colour for their Hyprocrisie and covetousness under pretence of long prayers devouring poor widows and their houses Matt. 23. 14 15 16. where he instances in many other particulars insomuch that by their evil example which was then much looked upon they shut up the Kingdom of heaven against men for they neither go in themselves nor suffer them that are entring to go in This was the case of the Shechemites Gen. 34. you see how desperately the two sons of Iacob Simeon and Levi played the hypocrites pretending Religion to the Shechemites that if they would be circumcised they would marry with them and give their daughters in marriage to them again This was the Cloak but what was their End and Ayme you shall see Verse 23. say they when they are circumcised and not able to stir shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours And so in the 28. Verse They fell upon them and took their sheep their oxen their asses and that which was in the field and all their wealth c. Thus the Devil is transformed into an Angel of light he will be religious to serve his own turn and to accomplish his own ends when men instead of making Godliness great gain which is pretended 2 Tim. 6. 5. they make Gain godliness And that is intended 4. COMMANDMENT Fourthly For the Sabbath Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day six dayes shalt thou labour but the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt do no manner of work c. The covetous man commonly is of Pharoahs Religion Exod. 5. 17. Ye are idle ye are idle therefore ye say Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord They count that day a lost day One day in seven is above seven weeks in a year say they and what loss of time is this And those covetous persons in Amos who were weary of one day in seven Amos 8. 5. When will the new Moon be gone that we may sell corn and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat Many keep their Sabbaths in their Saddles riding up and down for profit and gain about their worldly occasions Nehemiah when he saw how they prophaned the Sabbath how zealous was he the course he took you may see Neh. 13 15 16. If he were alive now and should see what is now done to see how thrust the Lawyers chambers are on this day what would he say But you see all this is the fruit of Covetousness 5. COMMANDMENT The fifth Commandment is Honour Parents by which is meant not onely in brief that we owe them first Reverence Secondly Obedience But thirdly Maintenance also but Covetousness will keep back all these As Levi in a good sense said of his Father and Mother I have not seen him Deut. 32. 9. so it is through Covetousness more often practised in a bad sense as Prov. 28. 24. He that robbeth his father and mother and saith it is no transgression the same is a companion of a destroyer This will Covetousness do and wipe its mouth and say I have done no evil This was the practise of the Pharisees Matth. 15. 4. saith Christ God commandâ— To honour father and mother and he that curseth father or mother shall dye but ye say whosoever shall say to his Father or Mother Corban It is a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me and honour not his father or his mother he shall be free They would give a small gift to the Temple to be excused from a greater duty and further charge Still COVETOUSNES is in all this 6. COMMANDMENT I but you will say though Covetousness be a breach of all the Commandments hitherto yet the covetous man doth not kill and break the sixth Commandment yea Covetousness also is a Blood-sucker and the covetuous man-slayers those that are gold-thirsty are blood-thirsty also especially now in these hard times in hard times those that pinch the poor grinde their faces do as it were such their very lives and blood see Prov. 1. 11. My Son if sinners intice thee consent thou not if they say Come with us let us lay wait for blood let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause let us swallow him up alive and whole as the grave Why do all this We shall finde all precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoil and verse 19. saith he So are the wayes of every one that is greedy of gain for it taketh away the life of the owners thereof Therefore Covetousness and Blood are joyned together Ezek. 22. 13. I have smitten my handâ— at thy dishonest gain and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee I need not instance the case of Ahab and Naboth Ahab taking away his life to get his vineyard nor of Iudas who for gain betrayed Jesus Christ his Lord to death for thirty pieces of silver And if the hands of many covetous persons are not defiled Actually with shedding of blood It is the Law and not Conscience keepeth them clean they have bloody hearts thoâ—gh not bloody hands and to God they are in that regard guilty of blood as if they had shed blood and though mans Law cannot finde them culpable yet Gods Law doth for that forbids the Murther of the wish and of the heart 7. COMMANDMENT But sure he is not guilty of Adultery yea for you know Covetousness was the cause that Tamar suffered Iudah to lie with her Gen. 38. 16. What wilt thou give me to lie with me saith Tamar to Iudah What is the cause of the permission of so many Stews and Brothel-houses in the Popes Territories at Rome and Venice and Dance and other places but Covetousness for Gain they will a give dispensation for any sin And on the other hand how common is it even among us That many refuse Marriage meerly out of Covetousness to avoid the charge of marriage 8. COMMANDEMENT 8. I but He doth not steal yea surely for the world having stollen the heart of a Covetous man from God he himself will make no bones to steal from men and Thieves and Covetous are immediately joyned together in that I Cor. 6. 10. Iudas was a Thief why Iohn 12. 6. This he said not that he cared for the poor but because he was a Thief and had the bag and bare what was put therein You see he was called a Thief because he was covetous Defrauding oppressing over-reaching cozening cheating gaming extortion vsury all of them Worms bred in the dunghill of a covetous heart Nor is it any excuse to say there is as much evil or more in spending it prodigally that excuses not thee at all as the end of evil asking may be to spend it upon their lusts Jam. 4. 3.
be for a fire and his holy one for a flame and it shall burn and devour his thorns in one day And he is FIRE in three regards In regard of Burning Heat Light First The nature of Fire is to burn Fire cannot burn it self take notice of that fire cannot burn fire but all things else it will burn and consume So doth Christ he is that fire that burns up all our works and whatsoever is not himself and his own work INUS he consumes and annihilaâ—es The Light of Israel shal be for a fire and his holy one for a flame it shall burn and devour his thorns and his brâ—ers in one day Know this the more sin the more fire the greater burning Mal. 3. 2. Who may abide the day of his coming who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like refiners fire and like fullers sope Christ is this fire and let me tell you this burning and consuming is for your good it is that out of the old ashes of the old man you may have a new life a new resurrection Examine thy self hath this fire cut off thy hands and feet and pulled out thy right eye hath it consumed thy young men 〈◊〉 hath it burnt up thy OLD heaven and thy OLD earth that so ye may enjoy a new heaven and a new earth 2 Pet. 3. 7. Nay further let me aske thee hath it thrown all thy gods in the fire hath it burnt up all thy idols yet I tell ye this burning is not unto death but unto life as Christ said of Lazarus This sickness is not unto death but be sure that as the Lord Jesus Christ burneth up and woundeth so he healeth and maketh alive again I would and I heal Secondly the work of fire is to heat so Christ after he hath destroyed and burnt up all our actions then he breathes into us a gentle warmth and heat of his own Spirit to cherish and revive us again that so we may no longer live our own lives but the life of Christ. Thirdly The nature of fire is to give light when That day dawns to us that Christ comes into the soul we shall find He brings light with him and this is called Christs day Our first day is our own day that is a day of darkness a day of gloominess and thick clouds but the day of the Lord is a terrible day our flesh trembleth for fear of thee for who shall abide the day of thy coming and who shall stand when thou appearest for thou art like refiners fire and like fullers sope When Christ comes into the soul he comes not onely with light to discover but like fire to burn up all that building that we have made to our selves and that we have raised by our own power and breathes warmly and gently by his Spirit his own life until by degrees he brings a glorious light into the soul He then turns us from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God And all this is done by one and the same act in God although those acts be divers and distinct in the creature that is the same act in God which comes to the obstinate and perverse and hardens them which comes to the humble and meek and softens them the same act in him Hardens and Softens as the Sun doth wax and clay That same God which was darkness at the bottom of Mount Sinai was light in the top of the Mount He is the same God in himself to all but he works diversly in regard of the creatures He is the same God in a frozen and hard heart as he is in a repenting and bleeding soul but to the one he appears not but in wrath and vengeance ready to take revenge on them for their sins but to the other he appears in mercy and love and marries himself to them he communicates to them his sweet loves and their wills are swallowed up in his and these onely are they that can say in truth Not my will but thine be done but the other they cannot forsake themselves their own will their own ends but this is but by the way And this you see in brief what the fire is Our God is a consuming fire But now what is the salt I know it is divers wayes taken and expounded Some take it to be wisdom and discretion in speech and for proof they cite that place of the Apostle Let your speech be alwayes gracious seasoned with salt for so Solomon saith A wise man may hold up his head before Princes and they give this reason As salt keeps things from stinking so doth wisdom so salt and season a mans words that his words may not be unsavoury to wise men so that he is not laught to scorn Others take it for holiness and sincerity in life and conversation as our Saviour saith Ye are the salt of the earth Mat. 5. 13. that is say they when by their living well speaking the Truth in their words and expressing holiness in all thir actions this seasons their lives maketh them savoury before God and men So also they interpret that of our Saviour Mat. 5. 13. Ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savâ—â—r wherewith shall it be salted it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men when men live not as they profess they are unsavoury and men tread such mens profession under their feet and therefoâ—e say they He admonisheth them to strive for integrity of life and soâ—ndness in doctrine and constancy in suffering for these things honour their profession and seasons them with salt and makes them savoury to God and to men But to be short and without any more circumstances that we may come to the matter intended The fire and the salt are both one and that is Christ himself as I have told you He is the fire so He is the salt as the Apostle saith Heb. 2. 11. Both he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all one So Jesus Christ he is the fire that salteth and the salt wherewith it salteth as is exprest in the verse before the Text. Indeed I confess the Apostles also were called Salt Mat. 5. 13. Ye are the Salt of the earth saith Christ himself not that they were the Salt themselves or the salt indeed but they were those which uttered the salt they taught salt as I may say and where rathâ—r as we may call them Salters those which sold and uttered the true salt which is CHRIST to the world But I say of them as the Apostle Paul saith 1 Cor. 3. 4 5. While one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo who is Paul or who is Apollo but Ministers by whom you believed neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God c. and in another
in his Lords wrath and punishment In Isa. 2. 18. See there how the Lord threatens to bring down this Spirit that is generally in all the sons of men Verse 10. Enter into the rocks and hide thee in the dust for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty the lofty looâ—s of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone sâ—all be exalted in that day For the day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up and he shall be brought low and so he goes on And upon all the Cedars of Lebunon that are lifted up upon all the Oaks of Bashan upon all the high mountains upon every tower and upon every fenced wall upon all the ships of Tarshish and upon all their pleasant pictures And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down and haughtiness of men shall be made low and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day And their Idols he shall utterly abolish and they shall go into the holes and caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his maâ—esty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth and a man shall cast his Idols of silver and gold to the Moles and to the Bats to go into the rocks and into the tops of the ragged rocks for the fear of the Lord and for the glory of his maâ—esty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of I have a little digrest but it was for your good therefore you may bear with me Let us now then henceforward learn to beware of this God that is so Near us and so much in us and not to be like Lot in his drunkenness when his two daughters came and laâ— with him and yet he knew not when they lay down or when they arose Gen. 19. 35. But learn we to awake 〈◊〉 of our spiritual darkness and not to be so ignorant so sottâ—sh to let him be so near you as to live in you and to dwell with you to be with you in your going out and coming in in your down-lying and uprising and you never yet acquainted with him Who knows all your thoughts afar off even before you think them your selves Saith the Apoâ—â—le KNOW YOU NOT that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates nay though ye be reprobates It is the case of Reprobates of Devils not to know this but the meaning is if ye be not in the condition of reprobates then ye know and feel experimentally in some measure and degree that Iesus Christ is in you of a Trâ—th O happy yea thrice happy is that soul who is thus aware of God to see his workings and actings through all the creatures then will that soul cry out against himself and instead of arrogancyâ— and applanding himself he cryes out of himself of his own former and present ignorance and blindness he will not say we see and they what they ignorant of any thing they would not any one should have such a thought of them alas poor soulsâ— their great knowledge undoeth them thy wisdom hath made thee rebel or perverted thee Isa. 46. 10. because by all their parts and knowledge they themselves are swelled and pâ—ffed up and are not lessened and made nothing if they were they would cry out Oh what a beast was I I have not the knowledge of a man Oh what a wretch was I was God himself so near me all this while nay within me and I not know it hath it been he that hath altered and changed me in the whole course of my life and turned me from vessel tâ— vessel from one condition to another It was he that hath made all the changes in my life and ordered my actions as he pleased and also would and hath made them serve to his praise though I saw it not but now I see and feel it was He that made me pass through the fire and through the water and tumbled me and tumbleth Nations up and down That makes the waters roare and the mountains quake But now I hear and see as David saith The Lord spake it once and I heard it twice that God alone doth all that is I heard it throughly experimentally I saw it ratified to my experience to me within me I heâ—rd it first by the hearing of the eare I heard it in my understanding but my second hearing was my experience and seeing by the eye believing itâ— and knowing it in my self that it was so that God alone doth All. Till we come to see this What ever our boasts are whatever our parts are whatever our knowledge is we are dead we are in the state of reprobates we are frozen we can take no salt and I pray God we are not so self-wise and so hardened in our own conâ—eits that we be not as the Apostle saith twice dead and pulled up by the roots and so never shall bearany fruit being past hope and without God in the world I know this is harsh doctrine to the general sort of Professors What they ignorant what they to be accounted by others or to account themselves fools then who are the wise men Think they You know Salt when it is in a frozen body doth no good you know by experience that frozen meat will take no salt and then it may be said to be infatuated or good for nothing So though Christ the true salt be in us as he is in himself yet we may be reprobates our hearts our souls Frozen and we cannot take in this salt And then though Christ be there yet he doth us no good and he may be then said to be infatuated useless not but that he can thaâ— our hearts and work upon us and overcome in us and prevail over all the powers of 〈◊〉 and darkness within us if he pleaseth for He in himself is alwayes alike strong but we do not alwayes find him so neither is he so to us As you know he came to one place and he could do no miracles there because of their unbelief Mat. 13. 58. Christ he works still and doth all his miracles in the world daily but it may be not to thy sight he shews not his miracles to thee or in thee but to those whose eyes he hath opened he is daily in their sight working his miracles You are deceived Miracles are not ceased as you conclude but your eyes are closed and blinded by the god of this world 2 Cor. 4. 4. as the Apostle Paul saith concerning the Cross of Christ Can the Cross of Christ be made of no effect yet the Apostle there propounds a case wherein it is made of no effect that is not that it can be so in its own nature but to thee it
the soul then and not before expect to hear and see God God is never seen or heard but when all things in us as of us are at rest Those that come and acknowledge him and deny themselves and all they are even all their parts both of Nature and Grace these are come to enâ—oy their rest these onely keep Subbaths these are they that have overcome and are set down with him in his throne even as he hath overcome and is set down in his Fathers Throne In the evening it is said God came into the Garden and called to Adam in tâ—e cool of the day Gen. 3. 8. that is when the heat of Adams lust and self-will was over till then lust made such a noise in Adams soul God could not be heard Then the Lord God puts Adam upon the examination of his soul Adam where art thou whâ—t hast thou done hast thou tasted 〈◊〉 eaten of thine own will that forbidden frâ—it whiâ—h 〈◊〉 shalt find the very eating or tasting will be death to thee which every soul thâ—t God hath really spoken to findes true in his own feeling and experience Thus have we run through this hour allotted it may be God may open your eyes that you may see into these things and I pray God you may even far beyond what I am able to express that you your selves may say and feel that this knowledge is that one thing necessary For this is that word which if you believe not will be the savour of death unto death but if believed and received will be the savour of life unto life THE STARRE IN THE EAST Leading unto the true MESSIAH 1 COR. 2. 2. But I determined to know nothing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified In two Sermons Preached at a Private meeting at KENSINGTON BEloved there are such things In-wrapt and folded up in the sacred Sriptures of God Almighty which being once known he that knows them in a right way he need not with the Apostle here being taught by the holy Spirit deire to know any thing more And because the treasure that is in these words and also in all the words of God is so fast lockt up so that no natural man can come at them he knows nothing of them for he perceiveth not the things of God neither indeed can he for they are spiritually discerned Therefore let us implore and beseeâ—h his help who hath the keys to open the seven seals as it is in the Revelation of S. Iohn He who onely was counted worthy to open the book that He may unloâ—k and reveal to us these precious mysteries I determined to know nothing among you c. What doth the Apostle mean by these words was he a man that knew nothing or was he an ignorant in all those other things and therefore sleighted them That because he had no learning therefore sleighted learning No 〈…〉 me leave to tell you He was no Fool he was 〈…〉 he was no Babâ—â— no not in all that great and â—hiefest learning which was in his time accounted so highly of for he was as great a proficient Therein as most of them all He was brought up as he â—aith of himself at the feet of Gamaliel and he waâ— a great man in the learning of the Pharisees who were at that time the onely learned men of the Church yea of the whole world Insomuch that they were had in reverence of all because they thought these Rabbins had all knowledge that these were the onely men to whom God himself opened and revealed himself So that he was counted a madman or a fool one led with the spirit of error and schism that should dare to oppose or speak a word against them Yet our Apostle here being inferiour to none of them all and could have gone their paths to have gotten their estimation in the world if he had then seen any excellency in them as before he did he could have gloried after the slesh as well as they But now having to do with these Corinthians and seeing the vanity of all humane learning without this knowledge he layes all aside and undervalues all as dross and dung and comes to them in wonderful plainness of speech that he might preach to them Iesus Christ and not himself as they did to gain honour and profit in the world and to make themselves great in the esteem of others it was death to them to fail of these ends These they put so 〈◊〉 confidence both Preachers and People in this kind of way and in this learning being onely litterally learned and knowing in the Scriptures onely Externally so that all the world was undervalued to them for so it was at that time All this great fabrick of the world was divided into two parts onely viz Iews and Barbarians if they were not Iews they were Barbarians and Heathens And this kind of learning was then and so alwayes is accompanied with all manner of riches and honour with all the glory and splendour of the world every man bowed to their parts and worth they were presented with gifts and it was accounted a great honour to have them accepted by them they were repaired to at all times As to resolve doubts and give counsel c. they were as Oracles in the peoples esteem generally And he that went not this way was like to lead an obscure beggerly life no body taking notice of him scarce having a hole to put his head in nay He should be sure to be trampled down and cast under foot by these great men by their great blustering and by their great parrs and by their great learning The foxes have holes and the birds of this world have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head Well notwithstanding all this our Apostle sticks not at it but layes all aside learning credit honour and dishonour riches poverty he tramples all under foot and is content to expose himself to whatever their malice could bring about he reposes no confidence in whatever Parts he had equal with them and sayes that he expected and was content to be accounted a Fool and to hide himself and be as one that had nothing in him He will never go about to dispute it out with these great Rabbins that is not the way he knew that would do no good for he had experience that of disputations there was no end for every one stuck so fast and unmoveable to his opinion one to shew his wit and eloquence another to gain honour and riches another because he had declared what he held and being once past the bars of his lips he must not recant and be a flincher and discover his ignorance wherein he had declared so much confidence but must then stand it out to the death so one for one end and another for another mens Ends being infinite and unspeakable so that therein he had no hope Well
Mourners and Rejoycers Isa. 66. 10. Rejoyce ye with Ierusalem all ye that love her Rejoyce for joy with her even all ye that mourn for her that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory You shall come to know what Heaven is which is so much talked of and so little known 7. You shall see what our Saviour represented and intended when he said Iohn 16. 21. A woman when she is in travail hath great sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a man-child is born into the world And lastly we shall also see what it is St. Paul means 2 Cor. 1. 15. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so also our consolation Aboundeth by Christ So that you see both the Law and the Prophets And Christ and his Apostles do plentifully bear witness to the Text and to both parts of it both for our suffering with Christ and our reigning with him for as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15. 19. If in this present life onely we had hope in Christ we were of all men most miserable But our Life is Hid with Christ in God As then There is a Season to every thiâ—g and an appointed time for every purpose Eccles. 3. 1 c A time to be born and a time to dye a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance a time to lose and a time to get c. So will I enstyle this Text A CHRISTIANS TIME His whole time from the very beginning to the end so that besides or beyond which he hath not noâ— cannot look to have a minute a moment Nay he is not at all when he is not either suffering or being crucified with his Saviour or else in being glorified or reigning with him In both which states he is very safe although he cannot alwayes see it so Or you may call iâ— if you will his Non-age and Full age Gal. 4. 1. when he is under age and differeth nothing from a Servant though he be coheir with Christ who is heir of all things or else his Full-age or partaking with Christ in his Inheritance and glory Or else if that be too long ye may call it A CHRISTIANS YEAR that is his winter and his summer his winter of affliction and suffering and his summer of joy refreshing and consolation Or if that be too long then cal it HIS DAY as Gen. 1. The evening and the morning were the first day and so the fâ—rst day and every day after consisted of an evening and a morning first the evening then the moâ—ning And Luke 19. 42. If thou hadst known in this Thy day the things that belong to thy peace You must observe this order or else a Day is improperly applyed to him because he hath first his Night and evening of darkness and sorrow and then his Morning of joy and refreshing after that NIGHT of sorrow as Psal. 30. 5. Heaviness may indure for a Night but joy cometh in the morning Call it all these or any of these so you pervert not the order that we must be first servants and suffer with Christ before we come to be heirs in pâ—ssession with Christ we must first have our winter first sow our seed c. before we have our Summer and time of reaping From hence take notice of the perpetual and constant method God takeâ— with all his children first he gives them their Evening their Non-age their Winter c. First lets them have their time of suffering their winter of affliction their evening of sorrow Their serving-time first and then afterward cometh their Morning their Summer their Full age Their Morning of joy and consolation and their time of Reigning first Servants then Heirs as you may obseâ—ve in those Types of Jesus Christ which Types set out not only his Person but his Body Ioseph was first sold for a slave and was cast into prison before he was advanced to a kingdom And Mordecai he had his sorrowing and fasting time before he was advanced a tristibus semper sed necessariis incho at Deus as Origen saith And as our Saviour saith Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest But it is quite contrary in the Devils method towards his servants He gives first their Summer first their morning first their good wine but Christ he keeps the good wine last God first plucks up and then plants first pulls down and then builds first kils and then makes alive 1 Sam. 2. 6. And as it is Rom. 5. 15 16. For if through the offence of one many be dead much more the Grace of God and the gift by grace by Iesus Christ hath abounded unto many For if by one mans offence death Reigned much more the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall Reign in life by One Iesus Christ. But wicked men They may rejoyce here but they have their portion but their suffering succeeds and is coming apace as Abraham said to Dives Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy Good things but now he is comforted but thou art tormented Friends you may rejoyce sing and dance and be merry but you have small cause if you consider all you may sup well but you are like to have au hard breakfast You prefer your life and your lovial time before the life and time of the people of God you think they are a melancholy people but judge your selves whose condition is best theirs or yours He that will be my Disciple let him here take up his cross and then his Crown follows whatever He loses parts with denies himself in t is that he may have an hundred-fold with Christ in his Kingdom He now sows that he may then Reap but it is quite contrary in thy condition nothing will content thee but to reap now rejoice now and to be frolick here and then follows everlasting darkness instead of leaping and dancing your feet will for ever stumble on the dark Mountains Beloved these things are worth your consideration which if you seriously do it may be that your spirit may be saved in that day of the Lord do not overprize your contents here but rather use them soberly use them but use them so as if ye used them not there will come a time will abundantly recompence all your suffering Bearing and forbearing But I fear to some this is harsh doctrine as Christ his doctrine was to the young man when he bid him Sell all and he should have treasure in Heaven he went away sorrowful for he was very rich worldly riches glistered more in his eye then heavenly riches
and that drove him quite away And our Saviour preaching such unsavoury doctrine as this Ioh. 6. 66. t is there said Many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him And so also it may be some of your cases here present To turn away and turn back from the Holy Comandement when it is set before you without fraud or flattery But I must tell you this Tryal he hath Appointed ye must all that look for this crown this Throne of Rest pass through the Fiery Tryal in one kind or other For enough would willingly eat of Christs Bread and drink of his wine see his miracles and be healed by him externally but to eat the â—lesh of Christ and to drink his blood to be content to bear his Cross and to be baptized with his Baptism to suffer with him how few are they How many are content to hear his doctrine and to be ruled by it very much as Herod was by Iohn it s an easie and a pleasing request to ask to sit on his right hand and on his left but hard to be baptized with his baptism To see and read of his Miracles done upon others but to be content to have his Miracles done in our souls how few are there nay you are so far from that that you cannot so much as yield or acknowledge that you are lame or diseased or blind or deaf or dumb spiritually it were much if you would confess this then there were some hope you would be content I and be glad to be healed by him O my Brethren I would say to you as once Paul to His Corinthians O ye Corinthians Our mouth is open to you our Heart is inlarged ye are not straitned in us but I feare ye are straitned in your owne bowells Now for a recompence in the same I speak unto you as unto my Children Be ye also inlarged For I would not Keepe Back from You any part of Gods Counsel revealed to me But to many how harsh is this doctrine are you not ready many of you to repent you ever followed Christ and to turn back and leave all proâ—ession I know that these thoughts will creep in even while I set these things before you When Christ shall tell us That for his sake ye must be content to be despised mocked excommunicated cast out of the Synagogues of the greatest Professors and that by the greatest Rabbins and learned Teachers and by those that profess Christ And by them ye shall be persecuted scourged killed and by them his name sâ—all be blasphemed Oh! then you are ready to cry out What strange new Doctrine is this what hard sayings are these And many times Christs own people are amazed at this doctrine and are not willing to submit to it Mat. 19. 25. When his Disciples heard it they were exceedingly amazed saying who then can be saved How many are willing to flatter themselves saying Master favour thy self none of these things shall happen to thee Luke 4. 8. But beloved you know Tops must be kept up with whipping and Nets Kept open with cork and lead Else there is no fish caught But be not afraid of the Cross of Christ it is the pathway to his Crown to his Throne If the Son himself learned obedience by the things He suffered Heb. 5. 8. much more may you And t is said v. 9. He being so consecrated He was the Author of salvation to all that obey him and not onely an Author but a pattern we must imitate obey and follow him our pattern And Luke 24. 26. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and so to enter into his glory Else if it were not so The Disciple would be Above his Lord and the Schollar Above his Master As David said Shall I dwell in an house of Cedar and the Ark of God dwell between the Curtains 2 Sam. 7. 2. So shall our Lord wade through a Sea of blood to his Crown and wouldeâ—t thou be carryed in a bed of Roses and Spices and as Uriah said to David refusing at his command to go to his house The Ark Israel and Iudah abide in tents and my Lord Ioab is encamped in the open fields and shall I theâ— go into my house to eat and to drink and to lye my wife 2 Sam. 11. 11. so how unsâ—itable is it for our Lord and Master Jesus Christ to suffer so much to be so humbled and so emptied and we to be so full and so lifted up He came not to be ministred unto but to minister Mark 10. 45. and shall we expect to be served and not to serve But the wisdom of our God in this case hath appointed it otherwise But as there are some are amazed and discouraged at these things and turn back so some also though they go forward and seem to walk with Christ yet suffer not with him If this be all say they then we have to plead for our selves we have suffered for him and with him These are ready to bless themselves and will not be found without an answer like those in the 7. of Mat. v. 22. Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out Devils and in thy Name done many great workes when Christ had there a little before been telling them what they must do and what they must suffer he there takes them off as well as the former Sufferers So many now will come and say Have not we suffered in thy name have not we been mocked and presecuted for thee have not we suffered with thee and for thee have not we been poor as thou wert have not we been despised as thou wert contemned as thou wert have not we been whipt as thou wert Luk. 6. 40. but Christ shall answer them as he did the other there Mat. 7. 23. Then will I profess unto them I never knew you Depart from me ye workers of iniquity Have not we had compassion on thee when we have either heard or read of thy Bitter Sufferings we never thought upon thy Bloody sufferings but it grieved us for thee we never read in the Gospel of thy sâ—ffâ—rings or of the Jews malice toward thee but it pierced us to the very heart we never heard of thy sweet name Iesus but we bowed our knees put off our hats and yet for all this wilt thou say nunquam novi vos thou wilt not know us No I will not know you For although they have done and suffered all these things yet they have not suffered for Christ nor with him Therefore Christ will profess unto them I never knew you I know you not you poor ones you contemned ones I know you not you compassionate ones Depart from me ye are All workers of iniquity Though you were sufferers you mistake your selves you suffered not with me nor for me Oh beloved how Christ met
nor with Big looks nor Stately carriage nor self Arrogance c. Five of his names we have opened First he is called the Old man 2. Adam which names we opened 3. The Serpent as Esay 27. 1. In that day the Lord with his sore and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent even Leviathan that crooked Serpent he shall slay the Dragon that is in the Sea And I tell you how much soever we think we abhor Serpents yet Thâ—se Cruel Serpents we live with them we eat we drink we play with them we hug them in our bosomes And the way to destroy and kill this Serpent is by cutting off his head kill him in the head for therein is his life for that is it that is promised in Gen. 3. Let the Serpent but save his head and he will do well enough cut but off the tops of weeds and they will grow again ranker then before they have their life still cut off swearing lying pride covetousness anger revenge any particular sin yet you have left the root still you have saved the Serpents head and therefore though I have preached to you these three years yet ye never knew me To Hazzard a Sermon at the cutting off any one of these particular sins I never set my self to preach against any one individual vice as swearing and drunkenness or whoredome or the like as many do inveighing against some one particular external gross sin many months together Perhaps I might have forced and perswaded you to leave them and so may they but what reall good have they done but I knew if I left the Root behind they would grow again if not the same way yet another way as bad or worse but take away the root and the cause and then the effects would soon cease not in one branch onely but in all The fourth name was Lucifer that is that through our own vertues and excellencies he hath given us the fall and that is a dangerous fall that which we take by our own endowments I do not mean onely natural endowments as ability to pray admirably in words to repeat Sermons to converse and reason excellently but I mean our looking on our own excellencies even those that are excellencies indeed our graces and that which to others makes us not onely seem excellent but we are so in our selves When we look upon what we arâ— how far we have gone on in Christianity how many sins we have overcome and we glory like the Peacock in our own plumes and feathers this is the most dangerous fall if not an irrecoverable one And he is not unarmed as I then shewed you at large and his armour is Innocencie they walk unblameably and the more of this innocencie the more danger and it were better in this case for men to have fallen then to have been innocent for their innocencie hath been their destruction for this is the very sin of Lucifer which threw him down from Heaven Fifthly He is called the red Dragon in the Revelation 12. 3. we read in this place of a woman that was with child clothed with the Sun ready to be delivered of a male child and the red Dragon stood before her to devouâ— the child as soon as it was born Because it was a Man-child therefore he watched so narrowly if it had been of the female sex he had not cared but being a Man-child one that would be the destruction of him and his kingdom it was time for him to look about him And when you read that Chapter of the woman in heaven clothed with the Sun I hope you are not so weak as to imagine that there is any such thing in heaven that there is a woman with child in heaven I hope you are not so babish but it is meant of the soul of man which is to be esteemed far above the Sun and the fabrick of the massie world And when this soul is to be brought to bed of a male child in the New birth this Dragon watches to destroy it this Pharaoh commands strangle them in the birth but be they females of the weaker sex let them live these help to advance Satans Kingdom by all means let them live nourish cherish foster them but for the other destroy stifle them they destroy his Kingdom And the Armour of this red Dragon is Blood therefore he is called the Red Dragon Red like blood God commands the Jews not to eat the blood of any thing for that is the life thereof but t is blood this Dragon seeks t is the life t is blood that nourishes him and this is a sore Armour and we cannot destroy him but we must destroy our selves Ye must destroy your life ye must destroy the blood the life of your lusts the life of your sins the life of your desires the life of your affections the life of your hopes the life of your fears Is not this also a Sore Enemie The sixth name he is called the Roaring Lion so called because of his implacable fury nothing will satisfie him nothing will stop him in his course of sin no benefits no terrors no threats no intreaties neither mercies nor judgments neither rewards nor terrors move him he mocks at all he rusheth through all as the horse rusheth into the battel as Iob saith of the horse ch 39. v. 22. He mocketh at fear and is not affrighted neither turneth he back from the sword And he is not unarmed and his armour is Resolution he will through all nothing shall stop him he is desperate he is without all bounds restraints and limits when God commands any thing he is without command he will be King and Lord himself as Ier. 2. 25. Withhold from following after thy Lovers withhold thy foot withhold thy throat from thirst but thou saidst There is no hope I will go after my Lovers Strangers I have loved and strangers I will love that is ye cannot dam up his way he is like an overflowing Sea no banks no bottom no commands no laws will hold him Sayes he seeing that God commands and I command one is strong and the other is strong I care not right or wrong stand or fall let him that is strongest take all Beloved I know these things you will not own you loath these words Oh far be any of these thoughts from you but let me tell you though you say not so with your mouths yet this is the practise of your lives The seventh name is the Devil In Scripture we find very little said of what God is in himself in his essence because that is too high for us those words we are not able to hear nor to comprehend but very much what He is towards us what God is to us and what he is in his effects and workings in us for he is in his essence incomprehensible to us so is the Essence of the Devil and we find very little yea much less
Christ as Act. 10. 42. it is Christ that was ordained of God to be judge of quick and dead he is not onely Judge at that great and last day but he also is Judge in this life as our Saviour sayes Ioh. 12. 31. Behold now is the Prince of this World judged or cast out there is no man nor nothing of man that is judged or condemned but it is Christ that is The Iudge in that soul for if we tarry till Satan condemn Satan if we tarry till Belzebub condemn Belzebub till the strong man bind himself we may tarry a day too long as the Proverb is for never while the world stands can we expect that flesh will judge flesh that our own will will condemn our own will that Lucifer will judge Lucifer this can never be if you expect that you may wait till it be too late the door will be shut and there is no more hope The Scripture then makes mention of three sorts of men that are Judges the first are Carnal men Rom. 7. 14. 1 Cor. 3. 3. For we know the law is spiritual but I am Carnal sold under sin For ye are yet carnal for whereas there is among you envyings and strifes and divisions are not ye carnal and walk as men that are led meerly by carnal and fleshly sense given up onely to please their appetites and fleshly desires they see no farther and their aim is no higher The second sort are Animales reasonable men and they are such as are more refined of a higher and more sublime nature even those that mind the intellectual part their souls And these reasonable or rational men as we call them being guided by reason there they rest and there they are satisfied for let a man but shew a reason for what he does and who will condemn him But neither of these have the wisdom that is from above for all this wisdom is but earthly fleshly and devillish Iam. 3. 15. Can it be expected that either of these two will judge themselves will carnal fleshliness judge carnality no it approves it it justifies it or will reason condemn reason how can it overthrow it self it is impossible a Kingdom divided against it self it cannot stand but yet the rational man doth judge and condemn and sits as Judge oftentimes over the actions of the carnal man But there is a third sort of men and they are Spiritual men Gal. 6. 1. and 1 Cor. 2. 15. Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness considering thy self left thou also be tempted But he that is spiritual judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man And This MAN judgeth both these the Spiritual man Omnia judicat judgeth all things we esteem little of the carnal man every one condemns him but we highly esteem of the rational man because he is guided by reason and doth all things that reason guides him to he minds not his body onely it is reason he should regard that but he regards his soul too and That above his body he knows he hath an Eternal soul and therefore it behoves him and he hath reason to look for an estate and well-being for it and who can now judge who is able to blame this man can any man do better But now comes the spiritual man and he judgeth all things when he comes he judgeth and condemneth the very best and highest actions of this reasonable man and tells him that his very thoughts are abominable to God his hearing reading praying his sacrifices are an abomination In the two former men we could not find such a judge but here comes ONE who indeed is no man nor any part of man but the Son of God himself he comes now into the soul the spirit of God he is the judge this spiritual man this Christ being formed in the soul this word being spoken in the soul for Christ is the Word spoken It comes and sayes Reason for all thou art so set up and esteemed amongst men yet thou art a fool and Reason sayes again that God is a fool But let me tell you God is capable to understand Reasons wayes but Reason cannot understand Gods ways And beloved God and Man have been a long time at this God sayes Reason thou art a fool and again Reason sayes God thou art a fool But now Reason must be condemned Reason must be cast the inward man must judge the outward the New man the old the second Adam the first This is that voice in the soul This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased hear him Do you think that is meant onely of his words that he then spake when he was on earth No but Hear him that is Hear Him in your selves Hear Him in your souls the one is but a fleshly hearing this is a spiritual a soul-like hearing His Word silences all Of this word we may say Blessed is he that hears my words and doth them And as David saith Arise Lord and judge the people but by the way Do you think that God ariseth or removes from place to place No no Rise Lord in our souls be Judge there among the Gods amongst those that have been our Gods and have ruled over us those strange Lords bring them down and do thou Lord exalt thy self the wicked flourish in thy House and Courts And break down the carved work c. In that place that should be thy House witness those effects those murthers and thefts and cruelties that express themselves daily many in action and many more lye lurking in the soul to betray the innocent and guiltless man Oh then sayes this soul let God arise and his enemies shall be scattered and again Psal. 35. 24. Iudge me O God according to thy righteousness and let not mine enemies rule over me Judge me according to thy righteousness not according to flesh not according to reason but according to thy righteousness And if that condemn me this condemnation is not unto death as Christ said concerning Lazarus This sickness is not unto death So likewise This delivering unto Sathan is for the crucifying of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Oh Lord sayes this soul judge thou me my flesh hath judged me and my soul hath judged me the carnal and the rational man hath judged me but they can find no fault with me but up Lord exalt thy self that so this man of sin may shew himself no more in me Now He that hath been judged and condemned by the world must now condemn the world Now He sits down with Christ in his Throne To judge even the twelve Tribes of Israel all Outward and formal profession The wisdome of the world which hath long condemned the wisdom of God to be folly must now by
the wisdom of God be codemned of folly 1 Cor. 2. 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of God for they are foolishness to him And again 1 Cor. 3. 19. The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God for it is written he taketh the wise in their own craftiness and the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise are but vain And now that which hath laboured to quench the spirit 1 Thess. 5. 19. must now be quenched by the spirit that which the darkness could not comprehend nor love shall now be both comprehended and loved And that which was crucified dead and buried must now rise again and be exalted and sit in judgement Oh! where is he that doth or dare say and pray with David Psal. 35. 24. Iudge me O Lord my God Search me and try my Reins Though I be found guilty and so lyable to all punishments both here and hereafter yet judge thou me But He in whom this Spiritual man is risen he can say so for he knows this judging is but to escape judgement t is not unto death but to escape both Death and Hell T is for the destruction of the slesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Iesus This is the day of Jesus Christ the former day was Our day this is that Great Day of Jesus Christ wherein he will judge all things Suffer then I beseech you the words of exhortation For until this work â—f condemnation be wrought in us we have no need of a pardon we have no need of a Phisician for we are whole And he that thinks this work needless he hath as yet no Saviour Intercessor or Mediator Mat. 19. 12. The whole need no Physitian but those that are sick Christ never dyed for him the precious blood of Christ let it speak better things to whom it will to thee it speaks no better then the blood of Abel till this great act of condemning our selves be in thee Christ dyed in vain to thee If then by all that hath been said of Adam the Old man the Serpent and Lucifer and the rest if still thou wantest Water to thy Mill if still thou wantest Argument or Evidence against thy self if yet thou wantest water in the midst of the Ocean or light in the brightest sunshine vâ—z Cause to set thee upon this work what shall I say I will say as Isaiah saith to the Law and to the testimony either contractedly or at large which sayes Thou shalt love God above all with all thy strength with all thy mind and with all thy might and the second is like it Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self See and examine thy self by this Law and see whether there be no cause of condemning thy self It is a Law made for thee to walk by and â—bey by him that made thee who hath power to command thee A Law so full so holy and pure that Moses himself trembled and was amazed at the delivering of it by God being deliveâ—ed with such terror and dread the people were not able to look toward the Mount nay they had much a do to hear Moses deliver it to them And if it were so terrible in the Proclamation of it what will it be in the execution of it upon Rebels in the breach of it Examine thy self by it and see how short thou comest of that which is injoyned thee Nay t is a Law given thee by him that gave himself for thee he laid down his life for thee besides how agreeable is it to thy well-being and to the well-being of thy neighbour how agreeable to the principles of nature and reason how hath it been justified in all ages and lastly in observing whereof consists thy life and breath or else thy eternal death as Moses reasons the case in the 28. of Deuteronomy And because you shall not hereafter complain of your not being Catechized I will in this point teach every of you to chatechize himself and do it I charge you till you find matter enough to condemn your selves and before you go about it you had need to pray O Lord open thou mine eyes c. that I may receive my sight Take then the first Commandement Thou shalt have no other gods but me I know now when flesh and blood hears this Commandement it thinks it hath shelter enough it can answer this Commandement well enough Have I any other but one true God I worship no other God we are no Papists Turks nor Heathens we are free from worshipping Angels and Saints and Stocks and Stones or any false God I worship onely one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity but withal know you are bound to love him with all your whole mind and strength and alas if you did but see your selves and examine your ways you would find even every man before me for I implead my self and all that hear me this day that according as the Prophet saith Ie. 2. 28. According to the number of your Cities so many are your gods See if thou hast not bent thy heart rather to the satisfying of some lust rather then to the obeying of Gods Commandement whâ—ever sin and lust it is that thou hadâ— but â—desâ—re 〈◊〉 commit when Gods Law hath told thee 〈◊〉 said I charge thee commit it not yet thou hast 〈◊〉 chosen to obey it and hast not regarded Gods Commandment I appeal to thy self That thou hast pleased thy self but Gods Commandments thou hast cast them behind thy back and trodden them under foot Let it be what sin it will whether Pride Gluttony Covetousness Deceit Malice Revenge whoever they are that dare displease God for the satisfying of any lust or sin whatsover thou hast hated righteousness and loved wickedness Psal. 45. 7. thou hast made that very lust thy God What Lord what God what lust hath power to command you and you to obey and to break Gods Law as the Prophet complains Other Lords have ruled over us what doth the Prophet mean there doth he mean when Israel was carried Captive No not onely so those were all but types of the Captivity of the soul although we have not fallen down on our knees and worshipped these sins yet in thy practise thou sayest dayly to them as to instance if it be pleasure thou followest it against Gods Commandement if it be profit thou lovest if it be mony thou esteemest though I say thou hast not fallen down and worshipped it yet thou hast done worse for thou hast given thy heart to them And I tell thee that therein As the Israelites did thou hast worshipped them and said when they had made a GOLDEN CALF These be thy gods O Israel these are they that will help thee and deliver thee it matters not whether thou do it with thy body and in words but thy heart hath fallen down and said Pleasure thou art My God I admire
adore and worship thee and thee I will serve saith another Profit thou art my God thee I will please and obey Thus if you will examine your selves punctually and particularly you cannot deny but must confess that you have worshipped and served other Gods And thou mayest truly complain and say O Lord Other Lords besides thee have ruled over me Though Reason will excuse and defend it self yet hear God speak in thee hear what His well-beloved Son saith in thee and confess that thou art as the truth is Guilty of the breach of this Commandement and that the reward of sin is death hell and eternal damnation and this confession from the heart and from a true sight is a sure means and way that thy spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus This sight of thy spiritual thraldom and being delivered over to Sathan is that thy Spirit may be saved and that thy flesh may be crucified And so you might go over all the Commandments and try your selves by them as hereafter I may have time and if you do but thus examine your selves you will never complain of want of Catechizing But for this time the time hath cut me off SERMON VI. ROM 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together THis is the sixth hour I have spoken to you out of these words Many men may think themselves exempted from suffering with Christ because they do not suffer as Christ did viz. In Disgrace Buffeting Spitting upon Poverty Whipping Crucifying c. For As a Lamb dumb before the shearer so opened He not his mouth Therefore I defined a condition to you wherein every one may claim a part in his sufferings and that was in Phil. 2. 6 7. He Emptied himself And he Humbled himself Phil. 2. 6 7. And I told you If we suffer never so much if we suffer not on This foundation we do not suffer with Christ And if we do suffer from these two then if we suffer never so little we do suffer with him Nay if these two foundations be laid It matters not whether we be called to suffer in the former cases or no so we have but a readiness and a fit disposition and willingness to suffer therein also if God please but suffering in these two respects In Emptying our selves and humbling our selves as Christ did we do suffer with Christ and shall Reign with him For all other sufferings let them be what they will are nothing to these or without these yea the external and bodily torments of hell are below these sufferings It may be we are far from the sufferings of our neighbours in Germany in the other sufferings yet if we have suffered in these Two we have suffered beyond them if they have not suffered in these kindes All the Tyrants in the world cannot invent Tortures comparable to these sufferings The last day we came to handle one of those six steps that lead up to this Throne of Solomon The first was Condemnation of our selves The second Annihilation The third For saking all The fourth Indifferency to all conditions That is to be as willing to have pain as ease as willing to have want as plenty foul weather as fair bad report as good report that we can as well bless God for evil as for good Enough can say blessed be his name for good things God hath given me health Oh! blessed be his name God hath given me wealth God hath given me a good year of increase God hath sent fair weather to get in my crop Oh! blessed be his name God hath given me the life of my wife or the life of my children Oh! blessed be his name God hath given me many goodly and happy children that are a comfort to me in my old age Oh! blessed be his name Every one can bless God for these things And what great things do ye Do not Heathens and Hypocrites the same saith our Lord. But where is the man that when God hath taken away any of these things can say as heartily Blessed be his name that when God hath taken away his dear wife that when God hath taken away his hopeful child he can say Blessed be the name of the Lord God hath taken away my credit God hath taken away my wealth taken away my health yea all yet blessed be his name Thou mayest say so in words but what saith thy heart doth that say so The fifth was Conformity to Christ. And the last Deiformity when we are captivated and have given up our selves and delivered up into the will of God and all our members presented unto God A living Sacrifice Holy and Acceptable unto God that we no longer do any thing but it is God that doth all in us while we do it All Attain not to the same measure in these as I told you before but all must attain to the same desire and affection to come to these The first is Condemning our selves Iudge your selves and ye shall not be judged Beloved consider what it is that makes us afraid when we come to dye and to leave all our dear friends behind us when that hour comes that we have bur three Deep Groanes or sighs to fetch to cool our languishing heart And then to give up the Ghost I say What makes you afraid then to go out of this body and to leave the world behind you Is it not because you and the world have made a league together and you esteem it so dear a friend as you can have no better Answer me seriously Is it not because you are afraid the Comforts hereafter are not comparable to the Comforts here but would you escape this fear would you escape this judgement then you must ascend these six steps The first whereof is To condemn our selves Let your selves pass first under this judgement Iudge your selves and ye shall not be judged But you will say This Office belongs to Christ To judge as in Acts 10. 42. He is Appointed to be judge of quick and dead What have I do to enter upon the office of Christ All judgement is committed to the Son John 5. 22. To which we Answer It is true that whosoever is truly judged it is Christ that judges him for no man will condemn himself will reason judge Reason or will think you Lucifer cast out Lucifer will Belzebub cast out Belzebub will devillish practises condemn devillish practises You are not so senseless to think so It is true you say in our ordinary speech and you have it at your fingers end we must judge our selves and we mâ—st condemn our selves but as I said it can never be expected that Belzebub and Lucifer and Antichrist will condemn themselves he can â—ver suffer his Kingdom to be divided he knows then he cannot stand There be as I told you three sorts of men The Carnal The Reasonable And The Spiritual Man I am carnal
and sold under sin and ye are yet carnal saith the Apostle Carnality never judges carnality never look that flesh should find fault with its own actions neither doth the Reasonable man find fault with his reasonable actions but sâ—ith the Apostle The Spiritual man judgeth all things that is the Spirit of God as David saith Exalt thy self O God above the heavens and shew thy self thy glory and thy majesty Come thou unto us O Lord and judge the heathen be thou judge among the judges among the gods among those that are and still would be gods and judges Do thou O Lord put all thine enemies to silence and Rule THOU in the midst of thine Enemies But to silence our own reason all our own affections our own will our own joys our own fears our own hopes and then hear what God shall say There is no hearing of God till all these be put to silence as it is said Gen. 3. God came into the Garden in the COOL of the day what do you think was meant by that that God came at evening when the sun was going down do you think that the day was too hot for God to walk in no no that cannot be but t is meant he came into the soul in the cool of the day that is when lust was cool when the heat of Adams desire was over when his own will was silent and there was a calm then God spake and said Adam where art thou Till then there was such Noise and such a Hurly-burly in his soul This lust would be satisfied and the other lust would be satisfied such crying and calling making such clamour and noise there was then no hearing God speak but these being All put to silence God comes in with a still soft voice not while the thunder and mighty rushing was and speaks in the soul Hear now what God saith Hear him judge you hear him condemn you and if ye do this This delivering over to Satan is not unto death but that your spirits may be saved in the day of the Lord This casting of our souls into the lower hell as David complains is that we may be saved from the condemnation irrecoverable I came to send fire on the earth saith our Saviour and what if I will that it be already kindled The kindling of this fire is a happy kindling t is that you may escape the Unquenchable fire suffer therefore this condemnation to be wrought in your souls it is a blessed a happy condemnation The day that this work comes into thy soul is the blessedst day that ever thou sawest the happiest hour that ever passed over thy head the brightest and gloriousest day that ever dawned to thee Indeed it is The day of the Lord A day of darkness and gloominess of clouds and thick darkness but it dawns to everlasting light and glory I told you wherein and how you might examine your selves And that you might have a glass large enough to see your whole body open your eyes to see the glass of the Law and view your selves round by it and then I will warrant you you shall see cause enough of condemnation then you will see so much in your selves that you will have no wisdom nor leisure left to judge other men if you did but see the true resemblance of your selves you could do nothing else but be alwayes judging and condemning your selves you could do nothing but lay all the Bitter curses you could devise upon this Meroz Even upon your Corrupt Self you would so Hate and lothe your selves in your own sight you would not others praises which formerly you have so much sought for It may be we have read and heard the Ten Commandments over and over a thousand times but that is not enough But as the Scripture requires an ear in an ear so we must have an eye in an eye He that hath ears to hear let him hear and He that hath eyes to see let him see I opened to you the sins of the first Commandement from which I know you will free your selves most in you think That of all the rest you are most free from having other Gods you were taught That from your Cradle Thou shalt have no other Gods but me But as I then shewed you you that do worship any other god as all of us do some make their belly their god some pleaure their god some profit their god some credit and praise their god and these we obey and worship and fear and love Whatever it was that drew you from obeying Gods Commandments was it for pleasure was it for honour or whatever else consider what you have done you have made them your gods and done more then bowed your knee to them so that as often as thou hast said the Ten Commandments so often hast thou dissembled with God and rebelled against that which thine own mouth hath acknowledged And I doubt I may say of you as the Prophet said of Israel So many Cities so many Gods Shall I say so many men so many Gods Nay so many LUSTS so many Gods And those that have many Gods have no God This is generally acknowledged for even among the Heathen there was not one learned and wise man but did confess there was a God and that there could not be any more then one God although they gave several names to the divine power in several creatures for the Apprehension of the ignorant and called them Gods yet they knew that God was but one Take therefore that sacred spotless Law open it and look upon it view thy self well and it will shew thee clearly all thy Gods Do but look upon the actions of this very day nay since you came into this place and see if there hath not been matter enough to cause this work of Condemation Besides consider this seriously you are not represented to God as doing of one action but according to the Tenor of your lives thou art not presented to God as thou art dying when thy mouth is full of holy words nor as thou art doing any good action not as thou art sitting in the Church at thy prayers not as thou art hearing a Sermon not as thou art relieving the Poor c. but all thy whole life every minute being always as present with him as if every particular action were now in doing there is no passing of time no succession of time with him so that from hence conâ—lude and resolve it to thy thoughts if ever thou swearest an Oath thou art with him alwayes swearing if ever thou blasphemest thou art ever blaspheming if ever thou toldst a lye thou art with Him alwayes lying if ever thou committedst adultery thou art alwayes doing that act as to him if ever thou brokest Covenant and Promise thou art with him alwayes doing so if ever thou trampledst the bloud of the Conant under thy feet thou art alwayes
doing so and if there was at any time any good in thee know that is none of thine that is his own work and no praise belongs to thee at all Now what sayest thou Davids heart smote him when he had numbred the people so should ours in numbring our sins Nay farther consider that not onely all thy own sins are laid upon thee but all the sins of all the men in the world that ever were are or ever shall be Because thou art of that Body of that Race A member of that sinful body and race proceeding from our first Parents which stained the Race and House in the very root by rebellion and Treason And that all this hath been in doing by thee almost this 6000 years so that when thou wert but six dayes old thou wert a 6000 years sinner when thou wert little above a span long thou wert an Everlasting Transgressor As in the body of Christ All the Members have right and interest in all the excellencies and graces of the whole body the Faith of Abraham the Zeal of Iosiah the Patience of Ioh the Meekness of Moses and adde to that whatever virtue is in the head Christ which is in Heaven They are all thine Thou sharest in all so that we may then say Thou art all fair my Love there is no spot in thee So thou being of that sinful race and body thou hast right and thereby art intitled to all the vilest sins that ever were committed in the world As it was said concerning those that crucified Christ that God might bring on them all the sins that ever were committed from the bloud of the righteous Abel What canst thou now say for thy self O wretched Off-spring of the race of flesh and bloud but that Nebuchadnezzars Oven should be heat seven times hotter will it not be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement then for thee What canst thou say is not Tophet prepared of old and prepared for thee O thou foul and leprous creature The pile and fuel thereof is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone shall kindle it Esay 30. 33. Hast not thou by thy so often sinning Even trod the bloud of the Covenant under thy feet and done despight unto the spirit of grace hast not thou chosen thy sins and lusts before thy Saviour and hast therein cryed out for a Barabbas to escape and concerning Christ hast cryed crucifie him crucifie him What will ye crucifie your King I say you crucifie Him cruciâ—ie Him His Bloud be on us and on our children c. Yet thou condemnest Iudas when thou readest how Villanously he betrayed and sold his dear Meek and precious Master I ask thee Who now hath sold his Master what for 30 pieces nay for the pleasure of one darling sin which will for ever destroy thee And thou condemnest the Devil who sinned but once and was thrown down from his place and thou condemnest Adam who eat but once of the forbidden fruit and was immediately cast out of Paradise and will not that weight of sin that as a TALENT of Lead lies upon thee make thee once groan or complain many aggravations by circumstances might be presented before thee for circumstances alwayes aggravate nay sometimes create the sin Friend What sayest thou to this charge if thou canst say nothing to me then what shall I say to thee Then thus Onely the blood of Jesus Christ purgeth from all sin if thou hast not right and part in that all thy sins lie upon thee And what ever he performs in thee that God accepts and nothing else for be assured what ever prayers what ever sighs what ever groans thou puttest up to him he loaths all but what his Son makes but all His requests are heard and granted I know you can in words have present recourse to that saying That though we are sinners indeed and grievous sinners yet the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin I know that this very word were it spoken by Christ himself is enough indeed to silence Death and Hell and all the powers of darkness and is armour of proof against all Satans fiery darts and it is a most undoubted truth bâ—t then say I it is Christ himself must pronounce this saying to thee The blood of Iesus Christ purgeth thee from all sin If Christ pronounce these words then art thou indeed for ever acquitted but if thou sayest this of thy self to thy self and by thy self thou art not acquitted I know if Christ speak these words it is present death to all sin and unbelief they are the utter destruction to Sin and Sathan but if spoken onely by thy self they do but harden thee in sin they do but give new life to sin Thus much have I spoken to thee that thou mayest come to this first work of Humiliation namely Condemnation of our selves But O my Dear Brethren what are my words if Christ speak not by me he must preach his own truth to thee And this I say except thou first come to this work of Condemnation thou wilt never come to the second which is Annihilation not to any of the rest For every step is one above another These steps are ascending for as Solomon prayed that God would hear the prayers of all those that came and prayed in that house of the Lord and did see the plague of their own heart 2 Chron. 6. for except they saw that their prayer was in vain so say I not that it is in vain to pray but it is vain to trust to faith in vain to trust to Christ it will do no good except you see the plague of your own heart for thou mayest pray long enough and believe in Christ long enough if thou doest not see thy just worthiness of being destroyed if thou doest not see just cause of censuring and condemning thy self to the lowest Hell and that thou seriously confess That hell was not made in vain but that it was justly made And for thee and that it were just and righteous that God should cast thee thither nay not onely so but that you feel your souls in the Bitter agonies of Hell already and that the Torments thereof are seized upon you then there were hope That thy spirit would be saved and delivered Till thou art come to this never tell me of the blood of Christ That it purgeth from all sin but thou art none of them to whom it belongs for thou hast neither part nor portion in this matter If ye suffer with Christ then also shall ye be saved by him and reign with him SERMON VII ROM 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together BEloved I will trust your memories for that which I have delivered before out of these words and come immediately to the second of these six steps which I have
see what fruits follow any other smiting The heart that seeks liberty to it self it abuses the Scriptures It comes in privily to spie out our liberty that it may be an occasion to the flesh I say a Caleb must smite this City and not a heart that seeks for liberty to satisfie its own will and its own desires for such Smiters there be too many that would cast away the Letter of the Word They would have no Law to rule or curb them but this is not a good Hearts A Calebs or an Othniels smiting But to it I say viz. to this Good Heart Let it smite the Letter and spare not nay I counsel ye Take it and Tear it And Rend it all to pieces as we do meat else ye get no nourishment for in the Letter lies the nourishment hid there is no getting out the Nourishment and vertue without we do as it were Tear it with our teeth and Chew upon it to get out all the vertue As cleane Beasts Chew The Cud and that by a power given from above and the more we can tear it and chew it in that sense the more and the better nourishment it gives Nor do I bid you do it as of your selves by your own power but by the wisdom and power of God who will enable you to find the Treasure if you dig for wisdom as for gold And search for it as for Hid Treasures With a resolved heart To dig for truth for truths sake and not for self and for sinister ends and advantages but out of love to truth thus I say let a good heart use the Letter of the word and spare not Take it Strike it Smite it Tear it all to pieces not because he hates the Letter but as men do by meat they tear it champ it chew it between their teeth not because they hate meat but because they would get all the nourishment out they possibly can Beloved in this manner Strike Kiriathsepher In the Name of God and the Almighty prosper ye Go on and the Lord of heaven give you good success that he may enable you to get out Those pure waters of life proceeding from the Throne of God and of the Lamb That Hidden Manna that may nourish you to Everlasting life that ye may have that Treasure that Pearl hid in the field that white stone and that New Name that ye may be enriched with gold purified seven times as David in that 12. Psalm sayes the Woâ—d of God is Do you think he means the Letter No no but That thou mayest have That white raiment to cover they nakedness and that eye-salve to anoint thine eyes that thou mayest see then also art thou Him that overcometh to whom it shall be given to sit with him in his Throne even as he also overcame and is set down in his Fathers Throne Then shall ye come to be marryed to Achsah Calebs daughter Then shall Othniel Gods fit time or opportunity give you possession of this City Kiriathsepher that it may be unto you The Word of God That the Vail being Rent you may look within and see the glory of the Holie of Holies and that you may behold The Beauty of the Lord and may visit His Temple and there fall down and worship and desire there to be for ever and for ever AMEN Shadows vanishing SOME Rays of Glory appearing The two last SERMONS on JOSH. 15. v. 16 17. And Caleâ— said he that smiteth Kiriathsepher and taketh it to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife And Othniel the son of Kenaz the brother of Caleb took it and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife THE last Sabbath I told you that part of this Chapter was as the One Cherâ—b and that in 2 Cor. 3. was as the other Cherub which as the two Cherubims lookt directly face to face to each other so doth this Chapter look forward to that and that turns it self and looks face to face upon this that is the One is the interpretation of the Other and you may remember as a Prologâ—e to our Text we gave you a brief Epitome of the History of Moses his sending the twelve Spies to discover and view the Land of Canaan whereof Ioshua and Caleb were two of the twelve and they bring news of the goodness of the Land with the other Ten which Ten All but Caleb and Ioshua they brought up an Evil report though they All confessed the Land was Excellent and good and abounded in plenty of all things flowing with milk and honey yet they said it was impossible to get it or conquer it for the men were mighty sons of Anack Giants and the walls Thick and high The people hearing this began to murmur Then Caleb and Ioshua standing up they clear the slander and encourage the people and for this confidence and saith of theirs they two onely entred the Land all the rest being about Six hundred thousand that murmured died in the Wilderness and not one entred the Land And as we related the History we raised some observations and endeavoured to bring the History home to our selves and shewed how these things were daily in fulfilling spiritually and really within us Then we came to our Text where I also told you that this Text as I have now read it It is Hebrew and reading it but as it is printed is still Hebrew But as I then told you we may not nor will not deny the Truth of the History and of the Letter but we must take heed we rest not in the Story and go no further for the Word of God Endureth for ever There is a secret in the whole Letter of the Word which lasts to Eternity which is accomplished not onely in that time and of that man of whom it is written but fulfilled as well and as Really in all times in all ages in all men ever after and before As Ambrose said of Ahab and Nabal These Histories are old in time but new in practise for there are many such persecuting Ahabs and many such churlish Nabals So may I say of this History and the rest of the Scriptures Old in time but ordinary in use To this very day Caleb proclaims Whosoever shall smite Kiriathsepher and take it he shall have Achsah his daughter to wife This was done Once in the Letter but Ever doing in the Spirit for the world of God lasts for ever as David saith Thy Word O Lord endureth for ever Often in the 119. Psalm and elsewhere They are such things as not onely instruct one age one season but every age and every season that follow it The meaning and the mind of God we must look at and not to the bare History hear what the Apostle Paul saith Bodily exercise profiteth nothing or rather hear it from our Saviours own mouth The flesh profiteth nothing but the Spirit giveth life Caleb here signifieth A good 〈…〉 or the City of
the 〈◊〉 which is to be smitten and he that doth So â—hall marry Achsah which signifies The Rending or the Tearing of the Vail and so by that means Kiriathsepher the City of the Letter sâ—all be made unto us Debir the Word So that if you put them together you must read it thus in English And A good Heart said He That smiteth the City of the Letter and taketh it to him will I give the rending of the vail asunder and he shall pass into my holy place and enter into my secret Pavilion or into my Tabernacle he shall behold and enjoy the glory of the Holie of Holies as it is promised in that 15. Psalme This is that S. Iohn wept sore for when the Angel 〈◊〉 proclamation in Rev. 5. with a loud voice Who is worthy to open the Book and to loose the seven seals thereof and no man in heaven or earth was able to open the book or look therein but at length it was revealed that the lion of the Tribe of Iudah the root of David had prevailed to open the book and loose the seals The Letter is not this sealed book for every one reads that humane abilities will reach the Letter and the Grammatical sense The Letter is not the Tree of Life nor the Waters of Life which god promiseth to give unto us The Letter is not the Secret Place of the Most High Every unclean Beast may hear and read therein and drink of these waters But He that hath the word of God shall live for over How many are and have been exercised constantly in That viz. in the Letter and yet not live but perish for ever Many thousands have taken great pains and writ many Volumes and preacht many Sermons and yet never reacht This Living for ever many have read it heard it preacht it and therein have thought they have done God good service and expect to enter and shall say Lord open to us and yet Christ shall say to them Depart ye workers of iniquity For by them the City of the Letter was never smitten and taken but he that shall be admitted to come into this Sanctuary and to eat of this Manna he shall find and say from a true and feeling sense thereof This is heavenly Manna indeed I find these are waters of life indeed for I find they give life to read hear and pray and the like they give no life they are no service to God without the life and power but kill and slay those souls that rest therein as most men do The words as I told you divide themselves into two parts Onus and honos The burthen he that strikes or smiteth Kiriathsepher and taketh it And the honour or reward to him that so doth He shall have Achsah to wife but see here it must be a Good heart must do it not a heart that seeks liberty to the flesh To make the knowledge of Christ as a more easie way to sinning to facilitate encourage them to please the flesh No no my Text sayes it must be a Caleb a good Heart such a Heart as seeks not rest in sinning but such a heart as seeks its Rest onely in God such a heart as hungers and thirsts after God Such a one as labours with all his soul night and day and never can be at Rest in any thing below God And then as it follows here Othniel the Lords fit opportunity or in his good timeâ— he struck it and took it Concerning Onus the burden I intimated that it is not sufficient To Read the Scriptures No though we could say all the Bible without Book and understand it according to the Letter It were nothing to salvation If they would read the whole Old and New Testament over every year as I have known some have made it their task yea and made it their boast nay I say more If it were possible they could read it All over every day in the year yet this were nothing for the Devil can do as much what man can come near him in bringing out Scripture upon all occasions As the flesh of Christ Till it was broken and his precious side Pierced and His Blood shed there was no profit could redound to us as he himself said This is my body which is broken for you this Letter of the Scriptures is As the body of Christ till this side of his be Pierced till this Letter be broken till this Rock be smitten there is no water for us Till the Lord give it down from Heaven there is no Manna no bread for us else we may live and dye with the Scriptures and yet hunger and starve and dye but this body being once broken and this Rock smitten and this Side pierced then we shall find a fountain of living waters springing up to eternal life and precious blood gush out and hidden Manna to nourish us so as we can never dye nor perish neither in this world nor in the world to come As you know bread is not food till it be broken whole bread and whole meat goes into the body and through the body into the draught and yields no nutriment to the body The Nourishment and the life and the spirit of it remains untoucht but if it be broken and chewed then the stomach separates the One and the Other The Vertue and the Excrement which divides and conveys to each way its part Truth it is many toss and tumble the Letter and have it much in their mouths and rowl it up and down but never crack it never break it though they seem so to do and make you believe they expound it and give you the sense and the vertue yet how shallow how literal how humane how low how sensual and carnal do they make the Word to be even your Rabbies your Doctors your great Schollars Which shews If that God himself if the Lion of the Tribe of Iudah If the Root of David do not open the Seals t is not all the learning or all the Universities in the world can help us to the Mystery And the Mind of Christ as the Apostle calls it Truth is The worst of men wicked men they feed but upon husks upon Excrements upon the Letter and keep a great stir and a great noise about that they indeed champ that in their mouths but they let the nourishment the vertue and the marrow escape They eat not of the childrens bread that is not for dogs as our Lord saith to the woman of Canaan As in Luk. 15. in the History of the Prodigal there wicked men the worst of men Carnal men they are there compared unto Swine because that any trash any Excrement or the refuse of any thing will serve their turn they feed upon Husks and it agrees well enough to their stomacks that satisfies and they neither desire nor know any better food and as their meat is so are they carnal and fleshly and earthly
like a swine spake like a swine conversed like a swine and all this because he fed and fared like a swine he lived upon Husks the Letter of the Word without the Spirit and the MARROW And that would suffer them to follow the World To wallow in the pleasures the profits the honours thereof these and the like these he fed upon and these relished with him and nothing else but such like Husks and Excrements and Altogether carnal things was his meat and his delight Will not new food alter all even the whole man Judge therefore Brethren whether we may not call The Letter of this blessed wholsome and Heavenly Book which within it contains the Heavenly Manna and Angels food any other but the Husks To such men Whether it be any thing else to these men but the City of the Letter the Book sealed The Fleshly and bodily exercise which profiteth them nothing It is not yet Debir to them its true they call it the Word of God as the Jews did Oh! the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord so they call it the Word the word I by all means t is The Word of God but you see it is not the Word to them for where is the Nourishment they get from it If they fed upon the Life and Marrow Alas to day How would it Alter their Lives and their Looks and reform their wayes and make them Look like Christians doing the works of Christians But they smooth themselves up with Crying The Temple of the Lord and The Temple of the Lord with a meer outside profession of godliness But the Prophet Tells them there They were deceived For saith he The Temple of the Lord Are these If ye Throughly amend your wayes and your doings If ye throughly exercise Iudgement between man and man c. But will you steal and murder and lye and commit Adultery and swear falsly and burn Incense to Baal and serve other gods and oppress the stranger the fatherless and the widow c. and then come and stand before me in my House which is called by my name and say we are delivered what for To do All these Abominations Is This House which is Called by my Name become A House of Thieves and a Den of Robbers Therefore I charge you in the name of God and as ever ye hope for heaven or think to see Gods face learn yet I know it is not in your power to learn but this I say To shew what you should be and what you must be if ever you enter into the Kingdom of God learn henceforward I say Not to keep this Book in your houses onely and in your heads But to BREAK the body of Christ that you may eat of the True bread saith our Lord This is my body which is BROKEN for you Learn to smite the rock that you may get the pure water of life running from under the Throne of God and the Lamb In the new Ierusalem and not outwardly to touch it onely for that will do thee no more good then if thou hadst Touched the body of Christ when he was upon earth yet many desired to see him and rejoyced to see him and To converse with him and Touch him and so it is now and alwayes hath been in all ages with most Professours in regard of the Letter and Externals of the Word Christs body does us no good except his body be broken and his blood shed for us Neither will the water you draw out of the Letter do you any more good for your souls then that water the woman of Samaria drew out of Iacobs well And He that drinketh of that shall Thirst again But He that drinketh of the Water that Christ giveth He shall never Thirst and It shall be IN HIM An Everlasting Well of water Springing up to Everlasting Life Let us Ministers and All others learn Rightly to divide the word of truth and not take the Outside alone but Outside and Inside together and then you shall find what it is To marry Achsah and to have The Rending of the Vail What it is to have The Upper Springs And the Nether Springs given you as your JOINTURE Let no man for Any thing that I have said think to undervalue the Letter and to trample it underfoot as Excrements and Prophane For though this be The Shell The Outside yet it is the Shell and it is the Outside but this is that I still say There is something within of more price of greater value Thus far prize it In that God hath by this means given us the Kernel In the Shell is the kernel to be found and without the shell ye cannot have the kernel As we can never see LIFE but we must see it in a mortal thing That lives so The Ever blessed Sweet and eternal Truth is in the Letter Hid as life is in Accidents and as fire in a thing fired for True Fire The Element of Fire ye can never see And Truth is as an Oyster in the shell fast shut up which shell must be forced open before you can have the meat And he that doth thus by the letter shall have the meat the vail Rent for him he shall have the priveledge to pry into the secrets of my God and he shall enter into his High and Holy place Now I humbly beseech God Almighty that your eyes may be opened to behold Those Mâ—steries that are Within Paul that blessed High-Flowen self-denied Apostle He being brought to this he not onely confest he saw things unutterable unspeakable so that he was so ravished therewith he knew not whether He was in the body or no but also this was another effect in him of the sight of these things Then sayes he I will henceforth know no man after the flesh Why because that was nothing many glory in the flesh in the letter in that they have seen the body of Christ That they have the Bible in daily use As if he should say away now with all these poor empty things Henceforth I will know no man after the flesh no though I had seen the Lord Christ after the flesh he would now he was come to this condition know nothing after the flesh no more no he went so far as to say that in that case he valued not the very body of Jesus Christ which was a very High and A strange word Men after the flesh And after the Letter judge it no better then blasphemy and would say so but that it s written in the Bible and had many that profess themselves Teachers and knowing men heard Paul say so not knowing him to be as he was they would not have been able To comprehend Pauls reach but All their voices would have gone clear To have burnt him for an Heretick And Christ himself also For many of whose actions were such they would have cryed Away with him Crucâ—â—ie â—im Crucifie Him it s not fit he should
live And With those men which Live â—pon the shadow and content themselves with Shels and Husks There is no peace to be had with them except ye make the Substance Vail to their Shadowes And the True God to stoop to their Idol Baal Otherwise They are like Saul Before He was converted Acts 9. 1. Exceedingly Mad against them like Inraged Mad Bulls and Breathing out Threatning and Slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord And are still seeking to the High Priests and the powers of the Earth to assist them with Commissions To make Havock of the Church But Oh! that the Lord would graciously Shine Round about them And smite them to the earth Causing them to hear That voice Why Why persecutest Thou Me It is Hard for thee to Kick against the Pricks But St. Paul â—e was now come to those things of which he knew and found Christ His bod was but A shadow He now possest the 〈◊〉 let the shadow go And if men woâ—ld never sleigh the Shadow or the Letter or the Shell Till the did it on the same ground the Aposâ—le did 〈◊〉 instead of blaming them I should Highly commend them But this is that which is too common in these dayes they throw away the shadow and the shell too soon they throw away the Letter and Ordinances upon a meer supposition 〈◊〉 they are in S. Pauls condition and this is thâ— very ground of the Error of Many in these dayes and therefore I caution hence 〈◊〉 much and charge you Not to throw away the Letter noâ— sleight the body of Christ in the least exâ—epâ— inrelation to the Spirit the Life and the Substance Onely comparatively And you as come Really 〈◊〉 enjoy these things not to cast them quite 〈◊〉 as I said before but not to rest in them 〈…〉 the Handmaid before the Mistress or the 〈◊〉 before the Marrow or the Casket before thâ— IEWEL or the â—ield before the PEARL Le no man saith the Apostle Iudge you in Meats 〈◊〉 Drinks or in respect of an Holy day New 〈…〉 of The Sabbath dayes which are shadows of Thing To come But the Body is Christ. For beloved Christs body was Symbolical 〈◊〉 well as his actions they all held 〈…〉 that we might not rest in them bâ—t this is 〈…〉 flesh in us is ready to abuse to our own 〈◊〉 and condemnation The cunning politick Devil in us when he cannot hold us in prophaneness by the Chains of ignorance then he labours to do it by the Chains of knowledge Sayes he in us if the letter be a shadow and nothing then we will neglect it we will throw it away there is nothing now to be done we will live as we list we Owe No duties to God or man we will please our selves and deny our selves nothing for we are gotten above Word Ordinances Sacraments Worships and all Oh Beloved these are the Devils strongest Chains of all These Chains of Knowledge to abuse the highest liberty and glory of a Christian to the Idleness and Luxuriousness of the flesh He that is taken in These Chains a thousand to one if he ever get out as the Apostle saith Heb. 10. There is after this no more Sacrifice for sins such will hardly ever recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil and as he expresseth it in Heb. 6. It is impossible for those who were once inlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away it is impossible to renew them again to repentance and he so goes on and explains it by a similitude For the earth which drinketh in the rain which cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God else it beareth thorns and bryars and is rejected and is â—igh unto cursing and in the end to be burned This caution I thought good to mind you of that in taking you off from Resting on these things that you do not quite slight them nor think your selves come to the Spirit when ye have scarce Attained The letter and Outside But as I was saying Christs body and his actions were symbolical for though he healed the lame and cured the deaf and raised the dead and the like yet this was not the Substance nor the End of his coming for he by them shadowed out to us what he doth internally in our souls For Iesus Christ is yesterday and to day and thâ— same for ever He did then Those actions of curing the blind cleansing the lepers casting out devils and the rest So he doth the same still as David saith Psal. 103. Praise the Lord O my soul which cureth all thy diseases and healeth al thy infirmities which redeemeth our lives from destruction and crowneth us daily with loving kindnesses and tender mercies These are the diseases Christ cures daily and so cures that they never mortally fall sick again Those he cured then they might fall to the same diseases again or worse it may be and besides that curing them saved them not from death as this curing doth The young man that was raised from death dyed again and Lazarus dyed again but those he cures in soul they are cured for ever them he quickens for ever them he so raises from death that they dy no more As old Simeon said of him Luke 2. 34. That he was for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and he was for a sign which shall be spoken against He is for a sign in the flesh and in his Humane nature of what he did from the begining and of what he is still in doing He himself in the body in his humanity and All his actions were typical These things I often represent to you because we are Backward to reâ—eive them we are loth to turn our eyes inward in hearing and reading the Scriptures To see all those things fulfilled in our selves Nay we do not yet feel and believe That we are those that Christ came to cure that we are the dumb and the deaf the halt and the blind Little do we think that Devils are to be cast out of us but those whom Christ hath cured they are able to see really that they are The men that Christ then by them represented They see when they read of the Iews crucifying of the Lord of life of their cruel whipping mocking c. crowning him with thornâ— and the like they can say to themselves as Nathan said to David when by a parable he had represented his sin sayes he and so can this man say to himself Thou art the man And so likewise in all his other actions Far be it from any one to think that to heal those External diseases was the End of his coming But thus think Did he arise from death to life he doth the same
loves God he knows him to be so full and satisfying that he never need make him more gods he knows that if the world were ten thousand times larger and pleasanter then it is he knows that God he is so full that he is sufficient for all neither can he make Images to worship them nor to put him in remembrance of him for he hath an apprehension of him beyond all manner of Images the whole Creation is a glasse to him he knows no Image can resemble him as God said to Moses Thou shalt make no image for ye saw no Image since the day I brought you out of Egypt And if he love him can he swear and blaspheme and prophane his name and can he if he love him grudge him one day in seven yea rather he wishes that God had taken seven to himself and given him but one Examine your selves by these things Is the seal of your external love a witness of your internal love it is true God is worshipped in spirit in truth and his love must be shed abroad in our hearts invisibly first but yet that love never rests there but it is like Aarons Rod a budding Rod or else thou art not fit to be a Priest to God if thy Rod be not a budding Rod be not deceived God is not mocked Except this tree put out some fruit some leaves it is dead and there is no sap or life in it for God hath not left himself without witness so that you see if there be not this love in the heart and expressed in the life conversation there can be no acceptance with God thou must come to him under this title O thou whom my soul loveth not as a Mercenary for gain or reward or for what advantage thou shalt get by him but for love to him not to his not as a Servant but as a Son Noâ— for fear neither but for love to him Many Beloved can come to God under this title O thou whom my body loveth thou givest me health thou givest me wealth thou givest me wisdom thou givest me a good report this is but O thou whom my body loves But this O thou whom my soul loves this proceeds forth from him that is invisible generally most men fix their eyes upon the visible blessings of God and they are much in prayer to God for them but know he regards none of these prayers but when his Son in whom he is well pleased when he prays he hears him alwayes but if any other prayes he regards it not Ye pray and it may be daily Thy will be done but yet saith the Husbandman O let me have a good year of increase and the Merchant he prays Thy will be done too but saith he O let the wind blow right for me to send home my shipping and the Tradesman he prays Thy will be done but saith he I desire store of customers to day and good takings what prayers are these think you what submission is here to the will of God mind thy own duty leave the success to him From whence do you think come these prayers O give me my health again O give me my wealth again O give my children again come these from Christ thinkest thou are these his prayers in thee or come they not from the flesh O let my flesh be well housed let my flesh be well clad let my flesh be well provided for away away God is deaf he can hear none of these prayers these blessings he gives promiscuously to every man these do not at all declare Gods love for he as often or oftner gives them where he hates as where he loves These are goods that a man may do good with but the other are goods that make a man good if thou dost good with them coming from this ground from love to Christ within they are acceptable even the least of them but if thou dost never so much good with them without this doing them to be seen of men or for any other by-end then verily ye have your reward ye did them to be seen of men ye are seen of men ye did them that men might think well of you and they do think well of you verily I say unto you you have your reward As the Lord said to the rich Glutton Son thou hadst thy portion in thy life time now he is comforted and thou art tormented Examine thy self do thy prayers come from this root O thou whom my body loves O thou whom my flesh loves or O thou whom my Soul loves for my body for my flesh then it is all one search thy soul diligentlyâ— for the day of the Lord will come and burn up all our deeds all our actions all our dross it will try out the gold the gold will not consume but be more refined but all that is hay and stubble and dross and such like stuff wrought but by the power of the creature and by the power of man even all mens Religion and their religious actions and whatever is of man shall be burnt up for ever Where Christ FEEDETH And where his Flock RESTETH CANT 1. 7. Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions Preached in the Afternoon for Mr. Hodges in the publick meeting-place at High-gate I Told you in the morning that we must not imagine this Book of the Canticles to contain any idle reverence and foolish wanton complements between a man and his wife on whom they either doted but the expressions of entire vehement love between the Lord Christ his dear Spouse Beloved this is the Eternal Everlasting sense the other is but the Letter which is nothing nor may we look upon them as the Dialogue between Solomon and his wife for what are they to us they are dead gone Though the whole Book of the Canticles be in appearance but an Epithalamion or a Love-song between Solomon and Pharaohâ— daughter his wife and consequently may seem to rellish nothing but of sensual love and the effects thereof carnal enjoyments yet know this is but the chaff that covers the corn And herein by these expressions the true Solomons face is vailed as was Moses his face by his vail because we are not able otherwise to behold him Therefore still when ever you hear or read the Scriptures seek to have the Book unclapsed and the seals opened for as it lies printed or written in the Letter it is both clapsed sealed walled about and though it be a fountain yet it is walled about by the Letter none see the meaning save onely they to whom it is given And where-ever you see the Letter speaks rest not in that but look for One greater for behold a greater then Solomon is here Mat. 12. 42. when the
bold so it is a very strange speech and a home charge but wonder not for where the Spirit of the Lord is there is true boldness as Solomon saith Prov. 28. 1. The Righteous are as bold as a Lion For the Prophet here strikes at head and tail root and branch great and small Prince and People Priest and Prophet The whole house of Israel are here 1 Accused of Covetousness 2 Condemned for Covetousness The accusation is like an Indictment well laid which expresseth 1 The fault the charge which is Covetousness 2 The extent of the fault it was Epidemical from the greatest to the least 3 The Intention they gave themselves to it they did it purposely and voluntarily And 4 The Charge being proved and they found guilty the sentence or condemnation follows which is onely implyed in the word For it being the connexion of this verse with the former wherein is threatned that God will pour out his fury and indignation upon the children and young men upon the husband and wife the aged with him that is full of dayes and their houses and wive should be turned to others I The matter of the accusation is Covetousness But this sin how evil soever and however threatned here and elsewhere in the Scriptures is hardly esteemed any sin at all ye cannot perswade men of the Evilness thereof but you are ready to think and charge us that we Church-men are strange fellows To set up men of straw and then fight against them for our parts we find very few covetous some indeed are Swearers Drunkards Adulterers Lyars Prophaners of the Sabbath these they can see and acknowledge to be sins and would have us preach against them but to keep such a stir about Covetousness they think is a vain thing and time lost for either they are but few that are so or else t is not so great a sin as you make for or else you call that Covetousness which is not Indeed I confess other sins wear the Devils Cognizance and Livery openly but this alwayes wears a Cloak ye shall never see Covetousness without its Cloak as the Apostle terms it 1 Thes. 2. 5. For our last Translation renders it very right Nor a Cloak of Covetousness For this sin is generally in credit in the world and therefore they do not let it go naked but clothe it not with the name of any vice or sin but under tolerable and credible names as Thrift Providence Good Husbandry Honest care of a mans own and Care of the main chance I and so it should seem they esteem it the main chance a covetous man will part with his soul before he will part with his Covetousness and they have Scripture ready to protect and defend them 1 Tim. 5. 8. He that provideth not for his own especially for them of his own house is worse then an Infidel and hath denied the faith And so they bring it in as a duty that they ought to be scraping and covetous We may endeavour to uncase this covetous man by two words one is in the place before named 1 Thess. 2. 5. Nor a cloak of Covetousness its never without a cloak as I said and the other is 1 Tim. 6. 10. its hare called The root of all evil What a world of evils grow up from covetousness as if we had time we might shew In brief it excludes all love and fear of God and all love and pity to men and all care of our neighbours good and so breaks the whole Law it will make him Oppress Cozen Deceive Lye sell a good Conscience for every trifle In short it will make a man turn his back on all Religion to forsake the faith and consequently Salvation as is there exprest and in the foregoing Verses The love of money is the root of all evil which while some have coveted after have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows It is such a sin that if ever God touch the heart about it it will pierce through with many sorrows before ever they can forsake it for saith he They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in perdition and destruction It is such a subtil snate so cunningly contrived and so full of fair pretences that let a man be once in love with money he knows not which way to wind out but it wil fetter him even to everlasting perdition and destruction Indeed friends it is a very hard thing to uncase this sin because care and diligence there may and must be and this is its Cloak DILIGENCE is Covetousness his Cloak never off his back whereby it s sheltred against all reproof I suppose and sure it is a man may pray Agurs prayer without Covetousness Prov. 30. 8 9. Give me neither poverty nor riches feed me with food convenient for me A Competency of food and raiment this certainly is the limitation and bound of our desires But then will arise another Question What is a Competency or what is sufficient Therefore some in answer hereunto have deâ—ined Covetousness to be an inordinate desire of more and using unlawful means and ways to get it But I conceive this is somewhat too favourably defined for one may be covetous yea deeply covetous and yet get his goods without fraud deceit or oppression c. Aug. de lib. Arbit lib. 3. Chap. 17. Avaritia est plus velle quam satis sit It is Covetousness to desire more then is sufficient which is But daily bread and but This day our daily bread we have no warrant to seek more But we having daily bread according as our Saviour teacheth us to pray in the Lords prayer which includes all things necessary for this life food and raiment and the like without question this is sufficient and the desire of more is Covetousness As our Saviour commands Matth. 6. latter end Take no thought for the morrow saying What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewith shall we be clothed for after all these things do the Gentiles seek And as the Apostle exhorts 1 Tim 6. 8. Having food and raiment let us be therewith content When this will not content then the desire is inordinate when a man will hunt and seek after that which he dare not warrantably pray for which is but daily bread and why should we seek with carking care for any more for any more for our breath is in our nostrils we are not sure of life not an hour then to what end is all this taking thought and then thou fool whose shall those things be which thou hast provided within this bound we ought to keep our selves for no sooner are we over this pale and bound SUFFICIENT but then we are in the wide wildernes and boundless CHAMPAIGN of Covetousness which consists in two things 1. To be covetous is to let
14. Take heed and beware of Covetousness for a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth Besides all this that it is one of those Ingentia Peccata Mighty sins as it is called in Amos 5. 12. appears By The practice of the Saints The danger of the Sin Look over all the Saints which of them do we read of that were defiled with this mire of Covetousness Noah once overtaken with the love of wine never with the love of the world David though once besotted with flesh yet never bewitched with the world but he ever accounted himself a Pilgrim and a Stanger in it then he was far from being in love with it Zacheus he had been A Pinching Prowling Publican and the chief among them griping and grasping what he could get by cruelty and extortion before he knew Christ which is a sin incident to all such meâ— but as soon as Christ entred into his heart when he entred into his house he threw away this sin with disdain Lo half my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation I will restore him fourfold If Jesus Christ do not whip this Money-Merchant out of the Temple it will bar even Him himself entrance Now Beloved what 's the reason these forenamed Saints though they had other both infirmities and gross sins yet not any of them tainted with this sin of Covetousness surely it shews that Christ and this sin in the love of it cannot cohabit together if Christ be there this sin must abandon if this be retained Christ is there a stranger And the reason is Grace and Religion may better stand with a sin once acted or oftner so it be not habitual although it be gross and foul as Adultery Incest Drunkenness c. then with an habitual Covetousness for where that sin is it can scarce be other then customary and habitual Therefore Samuel 1 Sam. 12. 3. did so abominate this sin that he challenged all Israel to charge him with it though he was their Governor and Ruler and wanted not for temptations and opportunities Behold I have walked before you from my childehood unto this day and here I am bear witness against me before the Lord and before his Anointed whose Ox have I taken or whom have I defrauded whom have I oppressed or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith and I will restore it you And they all answer and bear witness Thou hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us neither hast thou taken ought of any mans hand There was a pattern for Kings and Rulers and for Saul their new chosen King but who follows it he presently as soon as he could get the power of oppressing fell to it as God told them he would 1 Sam. 8. 11 12. This will be the manner of the King that will reign over you he will take your sons for himself for his Chariots and his Horsemen and to run before his Chariots and he will appoint them his Captains and he will set you to ear his ground and reap his harvest and to make him instruments of war and for his Chariots and he will take your daughters to be Confectioners Cooks and Bakers and he will take your fields and vineyards and olive-yards and give them to his servants c. and so goes on and ye shall cry out in that day because of your King which ye have chosen And Beloved what more frequent in all ages then covetous and oppressing Rulers and Governors They take it successively from hand to hand Having once got the power ye shall soon feel it So Ier. 5. 10. He complains that though he was free of this sin yet every one hated him Wo is me my Mother thou hast born me a man of strife a man of contention to the whole earth I have neither lent on usury nor men have leâ—t me on usury yet every one doth curse me So Paul Acts 20. 33. I have coveted no mans silver or gold or apparel ye your selves know these hands have ministred to my necessities and to those that were with me But what may be yet further the reason why that of all sins the Saints were freest from this sin of Covetousness Surely These Reasons may be further added I. Because they knew that this sin was that which most staineth and blemiâ—â—eth the good report and honest reputation of men professing Christ that men who pretend for heaven should live as men of the world whose portion is in this life and that they should so far blemish themselves and their master to set their mindes and affections on such poor transitory trifles and as if they had not better things to look after or that they served a Master not able to maintain them rather then thiâ— should be fastned on them or their Master They would instead of being in love with them trample them under their feet 2. To inlarge a little of what I hinted before It handeth in greatest opposition to the life and truth of grace for where this sin getteth head it eats out the heart of grace that though it be not quite lost yet scare Any to be perceived the Life being almost quiet extinct if he have life yet none to be perceived by himself or others and therefore saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 6. 10. Love of money is the root of all evil which while some have coveted after they have erred from the faith and peirced themselves through with many sorrows Nay not onely hath it caused some to erre from the faith and so wounded their own souls but some it hath caused to fall quite away from the faith that is from the profession of the faith and turn Apostates 2 Tim. 4. 13. Demas hath forsaken me and hath embraced this present world and yet now adayes where is there a man yea especially among Professors that would be accounted Christians that are free from it but are most deeply guilty of this defiling and dangerous sin of Covetousness And I think in no age ever more Beloved though your hearts were as mountains of rich Mines yet this one sin loved and delighted in will consume and eat out all for ought may be perceived and make you as barren as the barrenest Heath This sin is like the seven lean ears of corn that Pharaoh dreamed of which devoured the seven full ears And like the seven lean Kine devouring the seven fat and were themselves as hollow and lean as before and in Scripture is often compared to Caterpillars Grashoppers Cankers and the Palmer-worm because it doth feed upon the green and flourishing herb of grace till it hath as it were quite eaten it out of the heart therefore David prayes Psal. 119. 36. Incline mine heart unto thy Commandments and not unto Covetousness intimating that those that love
the holy Spirit to us to lay upon you no other burthen then these necessary things That ye abstain from things offered to Idols and from blood and from things strangled c. if you keep your selves from these things ye shall do well Fare ye well Now in these things according to the present infancy and weakness of that Church did as Pauls practise was He became weak to the weak and became all to all that he might win some They saw they could not bear taking away and removing all things at once and so drew them on with cords of love and indulgence in things indifferent It was as much as they at that time could bear to remove that unquestionable commanded Ordinance of Circumcision and because others began to press it as a thing of necessity therefore they in wisdom remove it laying no such injunction on them and this they tell them they shall do well to observe But after this when they had been exercised more in the Truth and they began to see these things were but Pedagogies Paul adventured to wave these things as being things which are not the Truth and Substance And therefore he incourages the Corinthians not to stand upon such things in that 1 Cor 8. 7. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge for some with confidence of the Idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an Idol and their conscience being weak is defiled For saith he in the Verses before An Idol is nothing and there is none other but one God Therefore although it be meat left at the Idol Sacrifices the meat is the same afterward which it was before the Idol defileth not the meat for it is nothing And therefore in 1 Cor. 10. 25. saith he Whatever is sold in the Shambles that eat asking no question for conscience sake Why there he gives the same reason again For the earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof I might draw out this point to many more particulars wherein many are misled in these days as concerning eating of blood and using of Temples or Places dedicated to Idols I hope I need give no other Solution at present but that Answer that there the Apostle doth An Idol is nothing in the world there is none other but one God The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof Therefore I say eat and use what is prepared for you making no question for conscience sake But through the weakness and childishness of many there hath been great contest about things of this nature And if it be evil to prefer the handmaid before the Mistris and the Shadow before the Substance even of things commanded much more to prefer these things of such indifferency before the Substance which are to be laid aside as we grow stronger which we are not to do by the things absolutely commanded but to use them and not abuse them to use them and not build on them or Rest in them And as it is in things of this nature so it is in the general estate of all Christians First they are servants and under the yoke before they come to be Sons but when once the true Heir comes to age then cast out the bond-woman and her son as the Apostle alledgeth that of Abraham for this very purpose not that they do cast away obedience according to the Law but that they do it upon another account even from love Then t is no longer a yoke but according to that promise Ier. 31. 33. I will write my Law in their heart and so they obey out of love and not for fear There was a time when the highest Chriâ—â—ians were but servants therefore despise not him who is not as tall as thy self but let us in whatever we reprove them pity them and pray for them knowing it was once thine own condition onely when men are self-wise and conceited and think themselves to be great and something when they are nothing these deserve a more severe reproof according to that of the Apostle Iude verse 22 23. Of some have compassion making a difference others save with fear pulling or snatching them out of the fire And the Apostle Paul carries this point high and saith Gal. 4. the beginning and applies it to Christ himself Now I say that the heir as long as he is under age differeth nothing from a servant though he be Lord of all but is under Tutors and Governors until the time apppointed of the Father even so we when we were in bondage under the elements of the world but when the fulness of time was come God sent forth his Son made under the Law to redeem those that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons And Christ himself saith Iohn 8. 35. The servant abideth not in the house for ever but the Son abideth for ever But what is it to be a servant and what a Son Christ answers it himself Iohn 15. 15. Henceforth I call you not servants for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but I have called you friends for all things which I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you and ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I have commanded you Servants you know are kept at a distance and know not the secrets of their Master but if you be Friends or Sons its all one you shall abide in the house for ever The inheritance is yours the secrets of the Almighty are yours you shall not onely have the external and outward command but shall see the excellency the glory the pleasure and delight of those Commands that is you shall not onely have the Letter but the Life and shall know whatever the Lord doth you shall not always be servants but shall grow up to be sons and if ye grow not you may well question your selves whether ye shall ever come to the inheritance or no. But I say look to your selves therefore in the name of Jesus Christ for I affirm boldly in his name That faith which is not a growing faith is not a true faith If your faith and light be the same as it was many years ago that you have onely an external faith and your faith is taught onely by the Precepts of men and Christ is not your Teacher and that he grows not in you this is but a dangerous and dead faith As one saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is nothing in the world is barren and saith Christ Considerate Lilia quomodo crescunt Consider the Lilies how that they grow and a grain of mustard seed which is the least of all seed yet it grows the tallest Then â—latter not your selves Beloved that faith that grows not is not true faith and that light that increaseth not is not true light that Christ that grows not in you dwells not in you Beloved look about you this Doctrine falls heavy as lead upon abundance
type of this spiritual Pharaoh You see how discouraged he was but to come into his presence but to ask to let the people go to serve the Lord and much more to bring the thing to pass he went for No mâ—rvel if an Embassador for Christ be in this regard discouraged for All the Powers of darkness are before him Christians look on your enemies they have Cities walled up to heaven You have the tower of Babel to climb the soul to be Rescued and brought out of the claws of all the Devils in hell But this is your comfort Christ doth this for you but it must be done in you What 's thy name LEGION If all the whole earth were gathered into one Body into one Army All the Engines and Politick Engineers for war and all the Artillery thereof this were a potent mighty almost inconceiveable strength yet this is Nothing to these Legions One of which One Sin is able to destroy the soul for ever which is of more value then all the world yet all this power cannot destroy one soul whom Jesus Christ hath purchased Then what shall they soul do that hath Legions of these as thick in thy understanding will affections as Motes in the Sun as Devils in the air as thick as words as actions â—y as thoughts For where this strong man keeps the house Mat. 12. 29. all he doth speaks thinks all is sin and he lies close and safe in his trenches and strong holds he thinks himself invincible unconquerable And indeed so long as Men do but take up Arms against him Or use never so many ordinances or duties which they force themselves unto he laughs at the shaking of your spears Job 41. 29. And the neighing of your horses and all the strength you can make of your selves though you call in all the parties you have from all quarters in the soul Yet he is quiet as t is said David was or as a Christian ought to be in his God he can lie down and sleep in the midst of his enemies because God is his strong hold his Castle of defence So sure and safe is Satan in his conceit in the soul where he hath kept long possession foâ— he hath all the men in the world the whole Arm of Fesh he glories in his Offensive and Defensive weapons And indeed till the Lord Jesus begins To rouse up himself That King of Kings and Lord of lords that Mighty Lion of the Tribe of Iudah Aâ—ise in us and dress himself in his Glittering Armour as David speaketh he fears nothing for as I said before he is so strong that indeed he thinks himself too strong for Christ for so long as Christ suffers himself to be Overmastered by our sins and strong lusts he seemes Too weak for him And he insults over him as a Turk over his poor Gally-slave as I may so say or as if you will some cruel Marshal over his prisoners though the Kings best subjects he lays them at his pleasure Neck and Heels he casteth them into noisom dungeons where is nothing but Satans excrements and the filthy spuings of our lusts and These also he sets as Centinels that they stir not whilst he himself jets up and down in pride saith I le bring down the oroudest of you all What know you not me I have his Majesties Commissino for what I do So also This is that Spiritual and true Nebuchadnezar that jets up and down in his own pride Saying Is not this great Babel that I have built for the honour of my majesty and for the glory of my Kingdom Dan. 4. 30. This Devil in us he looks on himself as a Peacock and saith VVhat a goodly Christian am I what a height I have gotten what large knowledge have I obtained I think there is no point in Divinity but I am able to speak to it what doth no body take notice of me and so Arrogates the doing of all good to himself and All Evil as none of his Ah where is the man that can say I find all these things truly and really in my self this were a certain forerunner of the Sun Arising Of the day Break and of the day-stars arising in Our hearts Now will the Lord Christ arise triumphantly in thy soul and make All these beasts of the forrest to tremble Now as it is exprest in Rev. 6. 2. He will ride on conquering and to conquer as David saith Gird on thy sword upon thy thigh O thou most mighty with thy glory and thy majesty Ride on prosperously thine arrows shall pierce deep into the heart of all Our and the Kings enemies now though Satan in us muster up All his forces as now most certainly he will Yet he shall fall from heaven like lightning that which he hath Enjoyed as his heaven had the command of our souls where he hath ruled as Lord and King but yet as a Tyrant though we saw it not but were willing servants as to our Leige-Lord and natural King and were at the command of every servant and lust more then ever the Israelites were under the External Pharaoh under him we made bricks did all servile work our wages was but hard fare and tripes Oh! was not this an Egyptian blindness and darkness a darkness that may be felt but Israel when they most felt their slavery and groaned were nearest deliverance from under Pharaoh we are alwayes in darkness and slavery but when we begin to feel our spiritual darkness when we begin to feel the plagues of Egypt upon us Our water turned into blood and the frogs crawl and cover over all the Land when we are sensible of the murrain the boils and blains and the Plague and Carbuncles in our flesh the hail and the locusts Even the LOCUSTS of the bottomless pit which come all out of the mouth of the Dragon and from Belzebub Prince of the Devils then we shall see the death of our first-born our dearest right hand and right eye sins then we shall feel in our selves that this conquering King begins to carry captivity captive then shall Pharaoh with all his Host be overwhelmed in the midst of the sea Then the soul shall sing the song of Moses Exod. 15. The Lord is my strength and song he is become my salvation the Lord is a man of war the Lord of hosts is his name Pharaohs Chariots and his Host are drowned in the sea the depths have covered them they sank to the bottom as a stone as lead in the mighty waters thy right hand alone is become glorious in power thy right hand O Lorp hath dashed in pieces the enemies and David throughout his Psalms is full of these expressions all tending to empty the creature of all good and all power and to ascribe all to the Lord neither had the Israelites any good success any further then the Lord went with them and did their workes for them Here
Ghost In them for all Scripture was given by inspiration 2 Tim. 3. 16. after they were once set apart by God to write the holy Scriptures they all spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost as Dan. 12. 4. God commands Daniel Shut up the words and seal the Book even till the time of the end These holy men being once set apart for this use they prophesie Beyond themselves and out of course and latter and after-times shall make known that which they themselves which wrote them knew not for they spake as inspired by God but Christs words are alwayes absolute and perfect truth he knew and saw very well what he said there is nothing useless in his words there is no Tautologies as we call them no vain repetitions when Christ speaks they are words of weight words of power they carry vertue with them as for instance if ever the winds blow and the storms arise in thy soul Then thou shalt find experimentally and feelingly that One word from Christs mouth will do thee more good then all the words and all the power of men To Still those winds and storms those who have experience here of know it full well as we see when the ship was like to be Overcome by the winds and storms and Christ was asleep you may see there how One word from him Ceased them No more but Peace and be still and t is the same in the soul and Psal. 107. 29. He maketh the storm a calm so that the waves thereof are still These words we have now read All power is given to me in heaven and earth They signifie that Christ is God equal with the Father but there seems to be a great difficulty in the words in that Christ never said before he was ready to leave the earth All power is given unto me in heâ—ven and earth The question is What power had Christ now committed to him that he had not before what new power received he that when he was to leave the earth and had given his Disciples a Commission and it was to be sealed at the day of Pentecost that he should say now and never before All power is given me in heaven and earth what addition of power had he now which he had not before if he be God equal with his Father and he saith many times The Father hath committed all judgement to the Son and again Before Abraham was I am and many such like words which shews he is God and of Equal power and Authority with his Father and yet he saith in the 14 of Iohn The Father is greater then I Can God receive any new Access of power No certainly but these words are so hard and difficult to reconcile that in the daies of Arius it filled the Church full of Errors and Heresies the Church fell much at Odds for many from hence denied the Divinity of Christ because they could not reconcile these Scriptures And by the way if he be Lord of all power then he leaves none for man to claim to himself But that I may answer this doubt and make it clear I will lay down two grounds First Although God receive no new power in himself yet he doth receive power by being made further known unto man And Secondly By mans being made further known unto him First By his being made further known unto man the revealing and discovering of God unto man making himself more known the manifestation of this is said To Adde power to him but not That any thing can be added to him who is infinite if there could he were not infinite and He were not God But know this whatever attribute God hath ascribed to him it is in regard of his creatures not in regard of himself for there are no such things in God Neither in regard of his incommunicable or communicable Attributes as Eternity Infiniteness Omnipotency Immensness c. Or in regard of his communicable as Wisdome Iustice and Mercy and Patience c. as if these were several things in God for God is One and cannot be more for when he is said to be any of these Iust or Good or Severe or the like these are all One and the same thing in him they are but Attributed to him that we may conceive of him it is but spoken of him according to the several workings of God on the creatures As for instance the Sun makes the Roâ—e to smel sweet and pleasant and it makes the Nettle to sting it makes the fields to grow and cast a Pleasant savour but it makes the Carrion and the Dunghil to stink and all this variety is by one and the self-same Sun the same light and heat doth divers things causes divers effects in the subjects Says the Rose it makes me fragrant and sweet and says the Dung-hill but it makes me stink and be unsavoury says the Wax it makes me soft and pliable but says the clay it makes me hard and obdurate yet the Sun doth not do one thing to one and another thing to another Even so Beloved it is with our God One man He finds God A comfort and a rejoycing to his heart another he finds God A Terror and an Amazement to him One he finds God A sweet guide and direction to him and thereby and therefore he draws nearer to God loveth and embraceth him Another apprehends God an enemy to him and this makes him run away from God Is God therefore thus various no no He is the self-same God to the One and to the Other and the self-same action in him is to the One and to the other He that is a Hammer to the Hard heart he is also mollifying and softning Oyl to the Penitent soul He that is A comfort to the fatherless and widow he is as an Enemy A Revenger and a consuming fire to the obstinate and rebellious And yet for all this Our God is always the same he is not nor cannot be changed in him is no shadow of change And therefore we cannot imagine that he can grow greater or less in regard of himself but as To us he doth that is if he manifest himself more to us more within us in our souls then he is said to be greater and if he lessen the knowledge of himself As to us then he is said to grow less And in this sense also he is said to come nearer to us and go further from us As also he is said so to do when he expresses as to us more or less some act of justice or mercy or any other artribute then I say he is onely said to be so in regard of us To grow greater or less to come nearer or depart further but He in himself is for ever blessed and perfect Unchangeable Immoveable always the same we can no way Touch him or Alter him but it is onely We the Creature is Altered and he is altered to us as to