I will pardon all The same that Israel was in her time the same is the Church now scattered upon the face of the whole earth the Gentiles being succedaneous to Israel whereof England is a particular How hath God dealt with this Nation from time to time delivered it out of the hands of the Romish power Antichristian heresies and worship and from all the tyrannicall government and lords over our consciences Heavie things were upon us and some of us not sensible of it the innovations bowings and cringings at the name of Jesus and to the Altar Jure divino like to be long lived reformation feared as much as vassallage yet Almighty God with his own arm saved us and snatched us as brands out of the fire from the violence that was lately and delivered us from our enemies and hath wrought some reformation for us he lookt upon us as a people that were drosse and hath begun to refine But we like the Egyptians love the garlick and onions of our Countrey that that hath been vomited out would we willingly take up again And these few yeers wherein God hath shewed us much mercy and love both to our spirituall and temporall beings in much tranquillity and peace we have abused to our own lusts and have not followed that light which God hath sent amongst us but the dark and foggie mists of our own carnall hearts despising and persecuting the same so that we have given the Lord just occasion to complain of us that we we the church of England is drosse as the house of Israel was yet neverthelesse take comfort thy God wilt melt thee and thou shalt be as the word pure silver Secondly The house of Israel is drosse to me saith God as drosse and the drosse of silver Almighty God is a pure a holy and a good God there is nothing can remain or dwell with God but holinesse and purity holinesse becomes his habitation Hag. 2.9 the gold and the silver are his the drosse and drossie metals are ours By gold is understood the gifts and graces of Gods holy Spirit and by silver the word of truth the word of God yea the word God There can be no union between gold and silver and drosse for drosse is that imperfect matter which doth accompany metals and is to be severed from them at the first rise of them out of the earth and taken from the metall as the scum and film of the metall by a refining and a purging fire Drosse likewise is found among metals subject to rust and apt to receive into it self corruption being in vessels and this likewise by melting and refining is cleansed and made clear Drosse of it self is worth nothing yet it fixeth and abideth in metals and may be by the skilfull refiner brought to something being washed and purified Is England drosse see are they not like the house of Israel that were Idolaters and other kindes of sinners what sin is there that is not committed in England Hath not God lately and now at present made triall of us Mark 12.1 â— as the Husbandman did of those that kept his Vineyard he hath sent his servants to see what fruit we have for him and we yeeld him none at all but beat revile reproach and persecute his servants That light that he hath sent amongst us our fathers scarce heard of it but never saw it that discovers Antichrist the Beast and the Whore Antichrist to be man exalted in the flesh man the righteousnesse of man in us the Beast to be the man of sin that is man deceiving himself Gal. 6.3 thinking to be something when he is nothing for man of himself is nothing without God but as a beast and the Whore to be man that seems to live with God in the outward appearance or Church and lives on the traditions and inventions of men cleaving onely to the wisdom and fashions of men and not desiring God to be all in all Do we not hate the messengers of truth and sin with an high hand against the bounty and love of God falling to spirituall whoredoms and fornications like the Concubines and Harlots having a seeming heart for God but wholly yeelding of it up to the service of the Devil the world and the flesh hating those that tremble at the word of God casting them out for his names sake and say Esa 66.5 Let the Lord be glorified but mark the end the one shall have the appearance of God to their joy and they the others shall be ashamed What is the demeanour of the people of England in their profession Is it not meerly outside The more mercy and love God doth bestow on us the more we lift up our heels against him when we should live and praise him in the admiration of his bounty beholding our great dignity in and through Christ he hath called us to be his sons heirs of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken and fellow-heirs with Christ in that Kingdom he calleth us unto a union with himself my Tabernacle shall be among men Ephes 1. ult Col. 2.19 as he hath said We are his portion and he is our portion we are his fulnes having the increases of God yet notwithstanding all this we are wedded to fleshly services and forms and content our selves with the bare names of Christians denying the life and power of Christianity and do hate those that live in that power Our services and worship of God are as dead things not being done by our selves but by an Attourney we do not call on God by a dead Saint but by a living man who may be as dead having not the life of God in him neither hath attained to the first resurrection a poor service that is not in our own persons with our own hearts Many there are that neither call on God themselves neither do assent to the prayer of another but custom and fashion causes them to bring their bodies to a publike place where the poor blinde heart cannot tell what he comes for neither is he carefull being benummed what the issues of his sencelesse comming will be Is this the coming to Christ for life Is this the way to get acquaintance with God No this is that drosse and more there is like to it that doth accompany the good metall but it shall in time be cast out and then we shall learn of Christ for he is meek and not learn of those that are proud boasters haters of God inventers of evil things and despisers of the pure light and truth O that the Lord would shew men the deceitfulnesse of their own hearts that can be content with the husk and shell of Religion be ful of glorying in that Righteousnesse which they have gotten by outward meanes in their own wisdoms and imaginations and utterly neglect refuse and abhor the inward binding of their souls up in union by Christ with the Father in the free Covenant of Grace and
cunning sophistry hath been much in use and it is got into that garb that it deceiveth many and they deceive themselves to speak prate of that that is not within them but without them they teach not the testimony of Jesus that should be the spirit of prophecie but speaks out their lying vanities to deceive yet taken by the world for teachers of the truth 2 Cor. 15.16 But S. Paul bids other Apostles not to teach by another mans line but to get praise of God for he that seeketh his praise of men or from himself is not allowed of God Such Apostles are deceitfull workers 2 Cor. 11.12 13 14 15. that transform themselves into the Apostles of Christ and no marvell for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of life therefore it is no great thing though his Ministers transform themselves as though they were the Ministers of righteousnes whose end shall be according to their works 1. Tin is like silver in colour in lustre silver is of a very bright colour and shineth much and tin doth resemble it in the colour and brightnesse as much for we may finde by things made of tin being in shape and form of the silver vessels some are apt to take one for the other bâ—ing not in their neer view so the Minister he shineth and is a spectacle for his whole parish to look on and for others where he resorteth observing all the rules of civil carriage and behaviour a fair outside good words courteous seemingly thankful for courtesies temperate sober and ready to give advice and every way seeming to be of a godlike behaviour like the painted sepulchres that are fair on the out-side but within nothing but dead mens bones 2. Tin is like silver in its sound silver hath a very sweet sound to the ear of man and nothing can passe it so the sound that the Minister doth make Jer. â— 14 is very sweet to the ear for they sound out the great love of God according to the letter and tell of his great mercies like the sound of the pure word but where is the true sound of the word that soundeth to us the taking up the Crosse the submitting and yeelding of our wils to Gods will denying our selves losing of our lives this is bitter Durus sermo to themselves and cannot say as Paul did that he rejoyced in the Crosse that is the sweetest sound to the soul when the mystery of God comes to be revealed by the Crosse 3. Tin is like silver in its weight herein is some difference but yet many times Tin hath not been su pected by wait when a piece of coin hath been counterfeited by it it is neer it in the weight of it So are Ministers like silver in the weight they will speak of as weighty matters and as pressing as if the very power of the Lord went along with their voices when it is nothing but a meer pressure upon the minde for the present and makes the melancholly man or woman it may be sermon-sick Where is the alteration and change of the minde wrought It cannot though they presse home with loud voices terrible words dreadfull and threatening quotations all is nothing it is but as the weight of Tin But the word it self figured to us by silver is that that shews its perfect and absolute weight when that without as to the outward makes a greater shew for when the Temple was builded there was no noise of axes and hammers 1 King 6.7 nor any tool else while it was building so the inward work of the word is not by outward hammering but by a low and still voice into the inward part Fourthly Tin will adulterate with other metals and mix it self with them it will adulterate and mix with brasse and so it becomes hard joyning with a hard severe metall So doth the Clergy they mix and adulterate with the power and authority taking that upon them they are not called unto by the Lord witnesse these late times wherein the Episcopacy had great power and authority to do and undo upholding by their power t e Beast and Antichrist compelling men to observe dayes and meats and the Orders of their Rubrique who did punish with as severe a punishment him that did deny Bishops to be Jure divino as he that should deny Jesus Christ or the Father to be God Blessed be God we are delivered from that horrible adulteration and so far is tin refined or melted nay in that case taken clean away yet the seed of that power lies in the earthy minde for the Clergy would if possible bear some sway but because they cannot they are gotten to be Incendiaries to the Magistrate against the Innocents for that the mystery of Antichrist is by them a discovering and laying open to the Beleever which they cannot endure to hear of because they are the chief concerned in upholding him it is conceived that they are the greatest hinderers of the growth of the pure and infallible truth But what can they do their power if they were so many Bishops might be restrained their behaviour concerning marriage heretofore did testifie what they were Psal 76.10 and now they rage but the rage of man will turn to the praise of God and the rest God will restrain Job saith of his persecutors Why persecute ye me as God is not my flesh sufficient let them take heed who they persecute for Christ is upon the earth though not seen by them nor heard out of the pulpit and God is shaking the heavens they are chiefly to look to it for they are as the pillars of that heaven that shall fade It is said when the Son of man shall come shall he finde faith on the earth It is to be doubted whether there will be any or no for the channell begins to be dried up the Spirits presence is not where some say it is and therefore suspect your selves you that would mix with the authority take heed of kindling any more fire if you do you are like to be burnt in it Again Tin will adulterate and mix with lead This is a strange thing that tin such a shining metall should debase it self so to mix yet so it is the Clergy will mix themselves with the poor rabble of the world Hosea 7.8 those that are ignorant and though not openly profane yet secretly vile making them the executioners of their designed purposes what they will not be seen to do themselves they encourage and countenance the poor to do as in the persecution of the tongue to mock and deride the poor Northern men that goes about speaking words of the kingdom such as Noah was to the old world a Preacher of righteousnes In this matter the Ministers of the land shew no spirit of meeknes 2 Pet. 2.5 neither are they Ministers of the Gospel that do not obey the Gospel of our Lord he saith blesse them that curâ—e pray for them
need nothing but more of the world that they might provide for their posterity there is all the care they have which made the Prophet cry Earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord. In their Exercises they call a Psalm and either they or their Clarke read a verse at a time not too much for fear of cloying them and sweetned being meter and the people must sing to the praise and glory of God That they love the Lord with all their hearts that Gods Comandments are better to them then Gold and Silver and sweeter then the Hony and Hony Combe and divers such words whereas it is not in their hearts And thus the Almighty God is mocked by a company of poor soules that know not what they doe Yet by the report of their minister they are good Christians he dawbes with untempered morter and laies a little of his Tin upon them and so they passe for currant O what a reckoning will here be when the Lord comes to try and refine the sons of Levi who are reâ—embâ—ed to Tin they will be clean taken away God will have in his temple no other vessels but Gold and Silver that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousnesse then shall the offerings both of Judah and Jerusalem be acceptable unto the Lord as in the old time Aagain Tin is a dry metall and by reason of its drynesse when it is bended it will creek those that are Mineralists know this that Tin of all metalls is dry Shall it be said that the Clergy is so it may be said they are dry and thirsty too their drinesse appeares that they have but little good within them and their thirst declares that they would draw what they could to them for their drynesse it appears by their charity peace contentation and humility let them examine themselves I would none of them were to be blamed but found to be Sions builders yet being my duty I must speak what I know and have found them to be I charge not all that are or have the name of Ministers but the corrupt ones they are uncharitable contentious greedy proud and persecuting some there are I would set down their goodnesse if I could perceive any they are quite dry of all goodnesse But this is not all they are thirsty that is they are covetous their desire above all is large for they desire rich Benefices fair houses farmes dairies land living store of tithes all mens good will their servants their cattell their gold and silver what not if these be not like Tin in its drinesse then no men are But they are so and therefore the Lord will melt-them We may observe that in the Temple there was much Gold Silver Brasse and Iron used but no Tin in the new heaven Rev. 21.1 and new earth that coms dowen from God there will be no Tin this Tin was never found but where Apostacy was and when Almighty God removeth away our Apostacy then will he take away all our Tin Again Tin when it is bended it will creek and cry it makes a noise and by that signe many knowes it to be Tin and different from mixt metals will Tin when it is bowed and bended creek and cry And what do the Clergy when things goes contrary to their outward peace and welfare how do they cry till a deliverance comes till a repair is made this is sufficiently experienced what excellent shifts they use above all men that lost in the late warrs they were soonest repaired they will not ly long in a trouble or in adversity but they will cry to their gods whether favourers of Episcopacy or Presbytery they are sure to speed rather then not they will passe upon them a Romish sentence which some poor Ignoramusses stand in fear of and helpes them out of his tender minde saith he a minister of the Gospell There be many such canonized for Saints that have done much for the worst Ministers which is to their further hardening I must say of them Matth. 6.5 as our Saviour Christ said verily they have their reward they have it already it is in their possession they have all they shall have let them look for no more for the unrighteous shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven What a do is there now with the Clergy there is news that their kingdom is at end that there is no need of them that they are Seducers and Deceivers that they preach for hire here is a great matter to bow them and bend them to make them creek and cry and do they not Survey their demeanour under this strange Academy they do cry out amain they travell much they spend their spirits much more then they did having mended their pace they say we are all undone if this light do continue If they cannot blow it out they cry for help help Judge help Magistrate help Justice help Lawyer help common men help poor help rabble and rascality I had almost forgot they cry for help to their God too and that at all publike occasions and meetings I cannot assure them that the almighty God will hear them although some men of authority do hear them my advice is from the Lord to them Let all flesh be silent before the Lord Zach. 2.13 for he is raised out of his holy place Fiftly Tin it will receive any impression easily Filius Dei was once stampt on the clergy when the sons of Levi Since was Jure Divino on some on others such a Lords Chaplain They were at the beginning only Prophets and Priests but of late they have been leaving out the Romish Catalogue Bishops Doctours Bachelours and Masters As Tin will easily receive any stamp cognizance or badge so will the Clergy imbrace any place or name any title whatsoever to make their benefit great Yet in all this and notwithstanding all other impressions they claim the old stamp Filius Dei although they be not Silver but a mixt deceiveable metal so that they are in the world like unto bad coine which when some see the stamp they own the peece for good being afterwards upon better view or advice of others found to be bad and that no experienced party will meddle with it for good as it so past before then there is a stir and a mischief being a losse and a detriment to him that received and took it for good Even so the studied doctrines and speeches which is squeesed through the corrupt braines of some called Divines and brought through multitudes of words of Art Eloquence and Philosophy which is not consistent with the minde of God who is the Eternal and most holy God make much mischief in the world among the sons of men now Insomuch that men that are truly and purely inlightened will not medle with it and likewise doth forbid their brethren to have any thing to do with it knowing and understanding how formerly they were at a losse by it and
that shortly all such yea such base mixtures and deceiveable coine shall be called in by the Great Supreme Commander who will melt it and refine it for there is little base coine but Tin is in it Again as Tin will receive any impression so it will not hold the hammering it is not malleable it will not indure strokes as other metals but it will break and tear So will the Clergy when any stroke comes upon them it rents them from their people they then forsake their flock reduce a hundred to fifty they are gone They will not be pliable to yeeld to the perswasions of any but of their own Tribe and rather then they would turn they would if their power might limit God the Holy One of Israel and do now breathe out impossibilities of things that will come to passe pleading That this corrupted defiled and Apostate Church now being Mal. 1.6 is the very true Church of God and that they are as the Apostles in the Primitive times were and that whosoever doth forsake them forsakes their mother and that there is no happinesse in departing away from them to be expected for that that is out of it concerning Gods worship is hereticall and abominable Can the vote of a Synod be such a vote if there were one I doubt it for the sober modest Preacher and the rebaptized conclude that the Church visible is not cleansed as it should be or may be if it were then Quorsum haec dispendia what means all this stir more then ever what meanes the complaints such various Judgements and Opinions what means so so much burnings one against another enquire out the author and the cause of it Is not God by this beginning to refine his people is not he a gathering of his people together that were scattered doth not the great day of the Lord begin to dawn But I am speaking to them that care not to hear for of all men the worst man is a bad Minister the Schools will say that I know not wherein they are the worst except it be in matter of turning It is a sad thing for a Leader to retreat for a Teacher to unteach for a minister to change Oh no it is against his credit The good Propher Jona was faulty in this but what became of him you may read a heavy punishment the like sad things may come upon such as now raile revile and persecute those men that now say that the Lord will suppresse all the teachings of men and that there is a light in every man that directs him to obedience shall poor vile wretched man say out of his unbelief God cannot this way bring men to himself but it must be by the ancient Apostatized way be silent for ever and let God alone in his most wonderfull Changings Sixtly Tin is a metall that will consume by fire and come to ashes contrary to other metals Gold and Silver will not consume neither will Brasse consume by fire waste it will But Tin will suddenly be consumed and then all the luster the glory and brightnesse of it is gone and cannot appear any more happy were it that the messengers of the Lord as they call themselves were as Silver that their luster might continue as shall the luster and glory of the Word the Son of God But there is a time of fading perishing and consuming of all the glory of Tin and so there will be of all the Shinings Glossings Glisterings Soundings Likenesses Adulterations Shadowes Mixings Coverings Impressions which are not purely of from the Lord but begotten in the corrupt minde artificially through the skill of vain man beautified adorned and set out as the glory of the eternall God seeming to be as the Lords golden candlesticks The ashes of Tin serves to scour iron stone and other things but the Lord will consume all with the breath of his mouth and make the ashes of it as the ashes of Tin serveth to clear and to make bright other vessels instruments and tools which may serve in his house for the future Hear then all you that boast of your callings that are not called of the Lord as Paul he saith that he was by the will of God and not by the will of man you I say that are called by the will of man and of men to be speakers and teachers or ministers know this that Jesus Christ is the Minister of reconciliation and the onely teacher of his people and you are the intruders among his people taking up that liberty to your selves that belongeth not to you being you know not what you say nor the word you speak nor the Gospel that you professe and pretend you preach to the world for the Gospel is hid to them that perish and if you be in that perishing and consuming condition wo be to you from the Lord. Deceive not your selves in these last times wherein God in great love comes to manifest himself unto his think not that the old vessels of Tin can now stand that hath held all manner of most filthy poison for this many yeers and that the boasting of bare ignorance hypocrisie can uphold them Hath not the outward visible Church since the primitive Saints been apostatized and corrupted this many hundred yeers Do you conceive that the lopping of some boughs off the tree that hath ever since brought forth bad fruit will serve the turn No no the tree it self must be cut down and cast into the fire the corrupt and drossie metals must be refined This the Almighty will do he will gather his jewels and his wheat his Saints he will gather them together and there shall be one Shepherd and one sheepfold there shall be no more hirelings that do forsake the sheep when the woolfe cometh for fear of their own persons but the Lord God will be their everlasting light and defence amidst all their enemies Is it Gods complaint that his people are Tin it concerns all to look about although by his Prophets he complains onely against the Prophets that sinned against him and also the Priests for their behaviour towards him and his people as by the resemblance of tin is at large set forth yet other people inclining to the wayes of the Prophets and the Priests are herein also concerned Some there are that put their trust and confidence in the sayings and doings of others for themselves and not willing to romage their inner man to get a testimony of their own but rely on the preaching praying and praisings of God by those Prophets and Priests lips being content to hazard their eternall welfare not caring in their inward and invisible part to answer and obey the light that acquaints them with their condition and so live without the evidence and assurance of their eternall welfare Fools and blinde can you be content to lie down and be satisfied with the bare name of Christians and not prove your selves to be so in very deed
The Fiery Change OR ALMIGHTY GOD His Melting and Refining of his people purging out their drosse and drossy Metals making them like unto Himself and to his Son who is the pure Word Wherein is discovered by the comparison of Metals how the visible Church is corrupted consisting of men of all degrees and conditions and how God hath begun to Refine them Which have past in the world a long time for good Metal But now is discovering by fire By Robert Read When the Lord shall purge the blood of Jerusalem out of the midst thereof by the Spirit of Judgement and the Spirit of Burning Isaiah 4.4 Every mans work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by the fire and the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is 1 Cor. 3.13 For even Our God is a consuming fire Heb. 12.29 LONDON Printed for the Author and are to be sold by Giles Calvert at the Black Spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls and by Richard Moone at the Seven Stars in Pauls Church-yard neer the great North door 1656. To the right Christian Reader MAny writings have been of late in these distempered times printed published which have proceeded from the several authors desires to have all men to agree unto them which have like as streams of water run to and fro these Nations Had they come from the pure fountain there would not have been such difference but issuing from the dirty miry and dreggy puddles of art wit humane invention together with corrupt learning and imagination wherein hath been seen much Pride Passion Avarice Ambition Novelty and self conceit it cannot be otherwise but that instead of being medicinall as the pure word is those writings have proved to be killing and destructive True it is where prevaricate and prejudiciall complaints are made out of the carnall and sinister ends of vain men there can be no remedy or relief to their satisfaction But where complaints are from just discoveries of God there is a power goes along to remedy that that is is complained of Some would have the whole Orbe guided after one manner some after an other manner each man seeking chiefly his own honour interest and profit and what is corruptly seen by them to be good that they desire to be done and conclude all to be evil that seemeth against their Tenents Whence it comes to passe that they revile and persecute that truth and that good thing they see not which others purely see and do declare dealing with many as Balaam did with his Asse beating him because he stopt and would not carry him along the way where he was going contrary to the Word of God the Asse saw an Angel with his sword drawn but Balaam saw not the Angel It is even so that many who are accounted Asses Idiots see the Lord makes them see and complain against that that many wise and learned men of the world do not see for the wisdom of the world cannot see nor know God they see no Babylon but what is against their jugdement no Antichrist but that of Rome no Whore but what keeps not correspondency with the visible Church no Beast but onely the poor profane and breaker of the Civill Law They see not the impure purity the dissembled Christianity the unsavory Salt the covnterfet Diamond the drossy silver But think that the late brustring of their own Garments to be the Garment of Christ the new guilding of their base mettle to be very gold that they are sufficiently changed because Baptized and Civilized that they know the Lord if they can tell the report that they have heard of him and know themselves if they can say they are sinners Here Antichrist in the mystery exalteth himself against Christ in the mystery and persecuteth him laying stumbling blocks before the people of God loving the wages of unrighteousnesse more then the hidden treasure The consideration of this hath together with the great fire that is kindled by providence set more pens to work for they that bear good will to Sion cannot for its sake hold their peace but must declare the things that they have heard and seen and what will shortly be Even the fall of Babylon and the destruction of the great Whore which hath been spoken of by the Prophets by riddles and comparisons so twisted that the Clergy could not undoe as also the new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven Christs finall conquest and exaltation over sin death and hell the Saints spiritually and most purely refined purified and sublimed from sinfull and carnall forms and will-worship Were it not that that impurity lodgeth with purity and Antichrist found to be in the seat of Christ there would not have been such a fiery contention but when curing compositions are found to be destroying potions if vessels of truth and simplicity are changed to lies and formality what lamentation may be taken up that our guides and our counsellours are fallen in their wisdom Surely the Lord is departed from his people But thanks be to God there is a still and a soft voice that rendeth the Mountains shakes the Rocks divideth the waters and expelleth darknesse apace that true Religion and Righteousnesse that the enemies thereof or rather the seeming friends of it would extinguish and bury now beginneth to get rooting and to grow from dry Bones to an exceeding great Army Should any one then be silent whom the Lord biddeth to speak waiting on the Learned the Aged and the Honourable men to speak fearing the revilings of the Disputer and Opposer No although he be the least and the worst of his Fathers house being thereunto appointed and enabled he must do his duty knowing that the Lord is risen and doth great things by small and contemptible meanes and that out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings he ordaineth strength Upon this account was the ensuing matter presented to me by that Imperiall hand which swaieth all having no power to wave the medling with this subject that tendeth to the discoveries of a pure trim'd Whore which gloriously glittereth like the Sun that speaketh so much of righteousnesse and integrity that none without high presumption and very great affront dareth to question especially without a learned tongue and a gilded pen. What here is spoken is not to flatter any neither is it unjustly to censure but to advise from the Lord the painted face to brinish teares sad cheeks the eleoquent and Oratory tongue to silence in the glory of the flesh the raking and greedy hand to Charity Liberality and Sobriety the impotent and lame feet to walk according to their stage and strength yea and the whole man to his purging and refining change Perhaps some may ask whether this fiery Change shal be before the final Consumption of the whole world having been taught that it is not till then Most certain it is before Have you heard and
seen the late inventions that men have had in all nations by fire presaging that God may by fire do more strange things the one of guns and that great slaughters suddain batteries speedy victories and mighty conquests have been made by them both by Land and Sea the other of Tobacco accounted to be as vitall to the support of the naturall life of man seeming to overpoise bread in the traffick of it which inventions our forefathers never heard of Hath man found out these fiery wayes the one for destruction and the other for preservation and cannot the great God finde out wayes by fire the one to consume his enemies Antichrist the Whore and the beast and the other to burne and consume the drosse out of his Church that they may be preserved being by it made fit Temples to eternall life Tophet is ordained for the King for that that doth exalt in the Church or in any particular minde against God He will slay those that will not he should reign over them and he will melt his own people that they may be rid of all their drosse he will consume their flesh that he may be ever with them in Spirit Reader the Lord hath manifested to me that there is nothing more that he will make war against than against the impure Saints the drossy Silver the bad coin that hath filius Dei on the outside and drosse within Would the Church visible of England did but see how they are cheated a little light varnish silvering or gilt without is nothing to the massey body of Brasse Tinn Iron and Lead within which God will melt and take away He complaineth and he will redresse his people shall not be his onely in name but as he is himself Gold and as Christ the Word is Silver What God hath accquainted me with I am to acquaint as many as love the Lord Jesus Read it in the Spirit The Fiery Change Psalm 47.6 When the Nations raged and the Kingdoms were moved God uttered his voice and the earth melted Psalm 102.13 Thou wilt arise and have mercy on Sion for the time to have mercy thereon for the appointed time is come THe State and condition of England in respect of Gods worship and service the union and communion we ought to have with him doth appear at this day like as the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3.15 which was neither fast nor loose they did neither cleave to God with all their hearts nor forsake him as the words are they were neither hot nor cold And yet there was both heat and cold confusedly luke-warm talking and speaking much of their riches gifts graces goodnesse and goods and of the late increase of the said goods But know not they are wretched miserable poore blinde and naked One of these conditions is misery enough but to be in them all not to have any sight or any feeling but to be blinde Ephes 4.19 and past feeling of their earthy defiled corrupted drossie and unrefined condition is to be lamented and deplored And so it is by Englands late Converts bewailed and bemoaned who have past through the fire and have been refined and have bought of the most pure Gold of their Maker being clothed with the Garment of Christ and have anointed their eyes with eye salve that they can see the filthinesse from which they are escaped purged and cleansed from complaining of it and discovering it Yea uncovering the Whore and making her bare taking her vaile away shewing the filthinesse of her secret parts In prosecution of which it comes to passe that there is a very great difference among men in the world Tot homines sententiae So many men so many mindes the corrupt Metal would seem to be as good as that that is refined there is both good and bad there is that that is refined and there is counterfeit This is found to be among us in England Hosea 7.8 verse 10. We are a people that are mixt we have adulterated our selves The pride of England doth testifie to their faces that they do not return to rhe Lord their God nor seek him for all this that he hath done But do live in their own wills and not submit unto his will neither have they any respect to be drawne up to a union with their God nor with his people All men having not a â—ike measure of the knowledge of him neither do all men beleeve for some have no faith therefore they can have no love to God nor to his people being carnall they are full of envying strife and divisions and walk as men not as Christians 1 Cor. 3.3 Hence it comes to passe that there is much difference in judgement and opinion in matters of religion Some walk by an absolute and perfect rule obeying the ight God shineth in them being dead to their own wills living in the will of God others are hurried and carried by the violent streame of their own wills fleshly understandings and imaginations into all manner of contradictions dissentings oppositions and dividings owning a God and a re igion too in shew but have no desire to attain to any other perfection then that which is externall to the visible sight of men fearing to bring their deeds to the true light to be tried there by it but love darknesse more then the light reviling reproaching and perâ—ecuting those that do â—o and that endeavour to walk according to the light who worship God as he ought to be worshipped inwardly in Spirit and in Truth Gen. 6.22 Yea such as walk with God as Henoch did and such as would for God and to him part with their deerest childe as Abraham did and such as walk before God 2 Kings 20.3 with a perfect heart as Hezekiah did Yea and such as now meekly wait for the appearance of the mighty God and our Lord Christ in the perfect consummation and fullfilling of those prophesies which are neer at hand to be accomplished and fulfilled to the overthrow of the Man of Sin that Antichrist and to the compleat setting up of Christ in his Kigdome The Apostles knew very well what would come to passe after their daies and therefore Saint Paul saith 2 Thes 2.8 Then shall the wicked man be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall abolish with the brightnesse of his coming Then after that great Apostacy which should first come which yet continueth 1 Pet. 4 7. Saint Peter also saith Now the end of all things is at hand be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer But above all things have fervent love for love covereth the multitiude of sins Be sober in your mindes be not drunk for drunkennesse makes men fit for any evill it makes men full of wrath forgetfull sleepy and ready to speak or do any evill it doth infatuate the understanding it weakens all the powers of man it makes him as a beast as a dead man and not
to know himself where he is or what he is All these severall evils as to the naturall sense conduceth much to the undoing of the body and estate of man But drunkennesse in the spirituall â—enâ—e in the inâ—isible and internall part of man to be drunk and not with wine to stagger and not with strong drink to be drunk with the wine ot the fornication of the great Whore Esa 29 9. to sleep in sin to forget God to be full of wrath against God his will his people and his Word to do eâ—ill and speak evil to be infatuated and to have the powers of darkenesse rule over us and in us and not to knovv our selves nor vvhere vve are but reel and stumble and fall This is misery Be sober in your invisible actings Jer. 25.27 in your thoughts imaginations understandings affections wills passions that nothing break into outvvard act against Almighty God or his deare relations either in revilings reproachings or persecutions But be patient bearing all things and abiding in the vvil of our God although never so crosse to our vvills Furthermore Watch Watch as a Centinel doth both to destroy and to discover and by prayer call for help and assistance against the potent Enemies of our soules who doth continually assault us by inward objects injected into our mindes and thoughts and some visibly presented before our eyes which we cannot be freed from so long as we are in the flesh but are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation which is prepared to be shewed in the last time 1 Pet. 115. Again Have fervent love c. Above all things especially and chiefly primarily and in the first place have fervent love hot love not cold and frozen but fervent earnest the want of this love makes all things to be out of order that we love not our superiours inferiours nor our equals but differ with them all and speak evill of all We should love all for Gods sake and be tender hearted forgiving one another as God for Christs sake forgave us 1 John 4.11 Beloved if God so loved us then ought we to love one another For this want of love all men are to be blamed For those that are called Ministers the teachers of the people at this day they do speak bitterly and would act cruelly against divers poor people of God that are otherwise inlightened then themselves and are led by the true light of God living above the ordinances of man which they call the ordinances of God And they that are so highly inlightened by the inward teachings of the Almighty are full of censuring and condemning of those that have not attained to the same measure nor yet come to that pitch and height that they are come to not considering that that which they now live in being darknesse was once their own light and so seem to despise the small things of the Lord which once they rejoyced in Zach. 4.10 Ephes 4.4 There is but one body that shall be saved yet there are many members of that one body the Presbyter and the Baptized Churches are of that body if they cleave to the Lord with all their hearts though they vary in the outward Let not one member therefore despise another for love covereth all All Christian beleevers are but one body of which there are many members The head is the greatest and chiefest part of the body the Spirit of God acteth all one and the same thing in every beleever in different forms As the life of mans body is three wayes so is the life of the mysticall body three wayes In the body of man the life thereof is Animal in the brain Vitall in the heart Naturall in the liver sinews and arteries As it is thus in the body naturall so in the body mysticall yet but one life though three distinct for in the body mysticall there is God in you Christ in you and the Spirit of Christ in you where the Spirit of Christ is there is God be it in what opinion soever For our life is hid with God in Christ Col. 3.3 2 Cor. 3.17 where there is both secrecie and safety Resist not the Spirit For the Spirit is the Lord and there is liberty The Spirit is light the Lord is that light let the members of the body sympathize if one part suffer and is not in its perfection let the other parts and members suffer with it and lament for it In the primitive time there was scarce a brother did differ with a brother but now Churches against Churches differ and are at great variance O let brotherly love be among us yea that fervent love that covereth the multitude of sins Gods infinite and eternall love manifested to us in the fulnesse of it even in the Lord Christ covereth all our sins And our love one to another covereth the sins and offences committed one against another Let not our hearts burn within us one against another because of opinions but rather wait to be delivered out of this apostate state the Church of Christ is now in Matth. 24 2â— for God is beginning to gather his together from the four winds and to scatter and consume all fleshly worships and service done to him set up by the will of man and to set up his King on the holy hill of Sion let the heathen rage never so much it will be all in vain for he will come and reign and rule over us and in us he will be our guide our counsellour and our teacher and will dwell with us after we have past thorow the fire of his indignation and are purged cleansed purified and refined Therefore what our God shall do unto us or bring upon us either by wounding squaring sifting purging purifying cleansing or refining let us be patient with meeknesse of spirit in it and under it and rejoycing with gladnesse of heart that out of his great mercy he will take us into his own hands being unclean filthy impure earthy and drossie and make us partakers of such and so great g ory by being made like unto himself Hear then the word of the Lord you people of the Land Rom. 11.25 who are succenturiated from Israel that that did concern them doth concern you being in the same posture the same diâ—eaâ—e must have the same cure the Lord will not â—et his people perish he wil have judge mercy on them and heal them for the Lord wilâ— judge with fire and his sword Esa 66.16 all flesh And the slain of the Lord shall be many Son of man the hou e of Iâ—rael is unto me as drosse All they are brasse and tin and iron and lead in the midst of the furnace they are e en the drosse of silver Therefore thus saith the Lord God Because you are all as drosse behold therefore I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem as they gather silver and brasse and iron and
when the three children were in the furnace God was with them So long as we are in the furnace we are in the hands of God he is with us for his help is still abiding his gracious appearances and his furnace are inseparable although the people of God may be brought to a very low condition by many pressures yet deliverance is at hand there will be a door opened a most gracious discovery of the Lords presence and of his goodnesse towards them there will not be a separation of us from God but there will be a separation made betwixt us and our defilements Who shall separate us from the love of God Rom. 8.35 36 37 38. shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perill or sword c By this by this furnace we are more than conquerours through him that loved us for those that God loves once he loveth ever He is a sun and a shield unto his Psal 8.4 he is a lamp unto them that are in the smoaking furnace it being the place of triall that God hath made for his to be tried purified and refined in The afflictions losses and crosses of the world are not so much the furnace as the seeming losse of Gods favour the multitude of our sins lying before us Satan continually assaulting the horrible fear and the pit of our own wounded spirits when we see all men hate us Jerem. 30.17 Vers 6. This is Sion whom no man regardeth when our wounds stink and are festered when our bones are broken and our sinews shrunk when we are in captivity when we are dead when we are as dry bones Ezek. 37. then then the Lord liveth in us when we have eaten the little book which is bitter in the belly even as death pangs It is a mystery that in the midst of death we then have our chiefest life when our bones are broken when our confidences are slain then are we most firm and best established in the power and might of the Lord when we finde in our selves to be most out of the Lords love and favour then are we most in his favour and love when our spirits are most wounded then the spirit of the Lord is upon us with healing more especially then than when we had a peace of our own gaining Was not this feâ—t by our Lord Jesus when he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Was it upon him and shall it not be upon us Sion said God hath forgotten me When the glory and excellency of all flesh shall be crucified in us Isa 49.14 Phil. 3. then shall we rejoyce in the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ The end of the Crosse is to bring us to the Crown and the putting us into the furnace is to make us pure for the Lord Psal 12.6 as pure as the silver that is tried in the furnace of earth seven times then shall we being dead with Christ rise with him and shall ever seek those things that are above above the reach of the world the capacity of mortals we shall have no desire to seek and search after earthy treasures for that desire is subjected and dead by our present enjoyment although in tribulation having received a better hope of a more lively and lasting treasure This furnace which the Lord will put his people into is contracted of earth as may appear in the twelfth Psalm forenamed as brasse and iron and other metals cannot be melted but in furnaces of earth so neither can the people of God be melted but in an earthen furnace Here we may see what use the Lord makes of all earthly minded wretches of all despisers of his Word and of his people he makes them to be the furnace wherein he melteth his people their mockings scoffings revilings reproaches and persecutions their cruelty and oppression their tyranny and their slaughters are as the furnace of the Lord all the contentions quarrellings and fightings against Gods people are as the refining pot Prov. 27.21 Gods personall afflicting of the body or wounding the spirit usually comes not but by the envie malice wrath and hatred of man towards man God is the chief refiner but he hath many instruments and weapons wherewith he doth so refine us Satan he desireth it Luk. 22.32 Ezek. 21.31 and his aim is utterly to undo us and we are delivered up into the hands of beastly and cruell men and we know not how we shall be delivered but the Lord doth know how to deliver his and to reserve the ungodly unto the day of judgement to be punished who by their malicious hating of the people of God 2 Pet. 2 9. do hate God himself and his Word and would if it were possible pull God from his throne Job 19.22 they persecute me as God saith Job their rage is against that of God that is in men so that whatsoever the persecutour doth speak or act against any of the people of God that they may assure themselves is good and whatsoever they plead for and would maintain and defend it may not be accounted for good nor so received and entertained these times testifie to us that in difficult matters we may know good by evill mens hating despising and persecuting of it Sixthly God will blow the fire of his wrath upon them c. Fire is that element that doth produce notable effects both by making metalls that are very hard to be soft and plyable and by consuming the drosse out of them making them to be pure this naturall fire doth many things that are excellent as in divers arts mysteries and humane sciences is to be seen exceeding far the other elements Esa 66.15 Zach. 13.9 1 King 18.23 Ezek. 36.5 Amos. 7.4 1 Cor. 3.13 c. It is by fire that the Lord will purge his people he will Judge his people by fire and sword he will bring them through the fire and refine them he will shew unto us what sacrifice he doth accept of by fire Malachy 3.2 who can endure when he appeareth for he is like a purging fire Amos 5.6 Seek ye the Lord and ye shall live lest he break out like fire c. Every mans work shall be tried by fire of what sort it is Gen. 3.15 It was the great God for the sin of man that first did put an enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent which enmity hath continued doth by degrees come to be as fire it doth from enmitie come to contention from contention to alienation and separation from that to hatred lothing and revenge from that to anger and wrath which doth bring to passe the designe of the one vanquishing and overthrowing of the other Heb. 12.29 Psal 2. last God is said to be as fire which doth consume our God is a consuming fire he is so in his anger and in his wrath against the enmity against the
wicked the profane ungodly against the despisers and them that make a mock of his word the breath of the Lord as a river of brimstone shall devour them As God placed the enmity Esa 30.33 so he will destroy it there shall be nothing that shall stand against him he will burne up all and consume all that is not of himself that that lies in the vain imagination of man he will burn it up for nothing can come from vain man as he is guided by the enmity but what is fuell Rev. 1.10 fit for the fire of the Lord. Hence it is that God terms his people to be dross and drossy metalls saith he will melt them he will blow the fire of his wrath upon them and they shall be melted the Lord is the fire and here he saith he will blow the fire c. Much like to that the Lord said permissively concerning Ahab I will go forth and be a lying spirit 1. King 22.22 Esa 54.16 Esa 40.7 Hag. 1.9 in the mouth of all his prophets I will blow the fire saith the Lord I will set men a work to blow the fire Behold then what the Lord hath now done among us What fire hath there been lately blown up what Divisions Dissentions Dashings Clashings Fomentings Rentings and Dividings yea what Burnings and boylings is there in the mindes and hearts of men some raging tearing spoiling and consuming themselves in blinde zeal others wearied and almost tired with patient waiting for the accomplishent of the promises being clouded and vailed and therein are afflicted and tossed with tempest and have no comfort Is it not the Lord that hath kindled the fire which Christ speaks of which he wisht it were kindled Esa 54.11 Luke 12.49 2 Cor. 11.29 I wil blow the fire of my wrath upoÌ„ you I have caused men to be inflamed one against the other I have blowed the fire that is now among you Your diversities of opinions your contrary and different judgements your various kindes of preaching your several prayings your fiery writings one against another your impatient and passionate speakings railings and revilings your condemnings and sentencing one another this fire that is in each of your bosoms wil I blow til it be such a strong fire that it shal consume al that is of flesh the glory of it for it doth deceive my people and makes them to err therefore the fire shall burne out all the drosse and the Tin and there shall be none left but the good metall When therefore we take notice of the severall contradictions that is in the world Rom. 8.28 among the sons of men let us know that all shall work for good in the end to them that beleeve and do with faith and patience wait for the accomplishment of the promises for herein doth matter of comfort arise to them that have received an unction from the Holy One 1 John 2.20 for they know all things if so that then as the Saints did that there are many antichrists now in the world and that the time is come nay the very day doth appear in the which an overturn shall be to all rereligions and professions Isa 66.22 that were made invented and set up by men And that there shall be a new Heaven a new religion set up by God which shall remain for ever But before this is really accomplished and brought to passe there may be much persecution occasioned by them who are the upholders of Antichrist in the professed way of a religion patched up in these times of Apostasie which cannot endure to hear of the fiery change that shall come which will burn up all Envie selfe-conceitednesse pride self-love ambition discord and strife and bring us to that pure love that shall ever the Saints badge 1 Cor. 13.5 6 7 8. and cognizance as in the first of John Chapter the fourth Seventhly God will melt them God will melt his people as men melt Brasse and Tin and Iron and Lead This word melting is often times used in the Scriptures as in Joshua 7.5 the peop es heart melted away Josiah his heart melted 2 Kings 22.19 2 Chro. 34.27 as you may read at large the issue of it Nahum 1.5 Psal 147.18 he sendeth his Word and me teth them God will melt his people that is he will dissolve them he will make them soft and liquid he will make them plyable to relent to faint to be discouraged he will break them and mollifie them The end of melting is to make pliabâ—e and capabâ—e the metall that is melted to accomplish and to bring to passe the designe of the workman for his intended purpose as may be seen by the severall varieties of vessells and other things made founded cast and formed by men that are skild in mettals Here the people of God are as metall Jer. 38.6 Rom. 9.21 in the hands of the founder in other places of Holy writ they are as clay in the hands of the potter and he hath power over them As clay is made soft by water and so is wrought and made to what fashion the potter pleaseth So are metals made soft by fire some having a more strong fire then the others according to their severall qualities and cast wrought and made up by the workman in what fashion he pleaseth Even so it is with the Lord he can melt us and cast us frame us and forme us into what fashion or condition he pleaseth Will God deal thus with his people Will he break them undoe them melt them dissolve them discourage them make them faint and relent Yea God will do it when no course else will serve the turne he will do it yet doth he appoint means not to cast him out from Him him that is expelled Behold here the goodnesse the bounty and the love of God to mankinde and to his people he wil melt them 2 Sam. 14.4 their hearts shâ—â— be melted he wiâ—â— not consume them but their drosse that is in them he will new found them that whereas their hearts were impure he will purifie them he will renew them he will open their hearts Acts 15.9 Ezek 11.19 1 King 8.37 as Lydias was Acts 16.14 he will give them sincere hearts Heb. 10.22 He will establish their hearts with holinesse 1 Thâ—s 3.13 2 Thes 2.16.17 he will give them upright heaâ—ts as he did to Asa 1 King 15.14 A perfect heart as he ga e Hezekiah 2 Kings 20.3 a contrite heart and a clean heart as he gave Dâ—vâ—d 〈◊〉 â—…0 he will giâ—e his people humble patient mâ—â—k 〈…〉 g and tender hearts O what a metamorphose will there 〈◊〉 â—hâ—re God doth melt he will take all manner of evill away and give and bestow all manner of good will it not be a strange alteration among Christians that of proud they are becom humble of being contray to God they are God-like If I had not been undone
I had been undone Consider how fit this resemblance is Man is as drossy metall that must be melted refined and purified These metalls are all generated and bread in the earth and they are no way usefull or serviceable as they come forth of the earth but must passe through a strong blowing fire before they can be made perfect or usefull for the Artificer Even so it is with man being brought forth into this world he is not fit for any thing nor to have to do with his Maker untill he hath past through the fire that all the earthy disposition and incapable substance of drosse that fixeth to him be clean taken away A man cannoâ— commune with his Maker nor offer any sacrifice to him as he is in nature untill he is new born he cannot enter all that earthinesse and drossinesse that is in the internall part must by fire be scummed cleared and utterly taken away and consumed hence it is that Saint John the Baptist saith John 3.3 I Baptise you with water but there is one that cometh after me who will baptize you with the Holy Ghost Matth. 3. and with fire the baptisme of fire is that that will be hereafter for the Whore sits upon the many waters and she is in discovering What is there in the world that is fit for use and service as it is brought forth Children are apt and prone to all evill and disobedience and do whatsoever is contrary to right if they be not educated taught corrected and instructed the naturall disposition must be subdued and kept under that the direction to a good demeanour may work upon them and they grow up into it Survey the whole creation and see where there is any thing that is fit in its body naturall by reason of its afaffixes to make use of before there is a change Corne canot be made into bread before it be threshed winnowed ground sifted and baked no flesh can be fit to nourish before it hath been ordered dressed by fire Trees cannot serve for building but they must be squared sawed and fitted stones must be hewed and so must all things that doth belong to meate and drink apparell and manufactory there must be a change of them or an abatement from them the earth it self canot yeeld forth fruits before it be tilled and manured Canst thou then Oh unbeleeving man conceive although thou art lord of the Creatures that thou art cleaner then other creatures canst thou approach neer to canst thou serve and obey thy Creatour in that nature of thine thou wast brought forth in before thou art cleansed purified purged melted plowed winnowed and sifted before thy self thy will wisdome understanding desires Psal 51.8 and all in that nature be dead and a new birth be witnessed that the broken bones may rejoyce over the dead body of sin which is called the old man because it is as old as thy self having all the parts of a man a head to imagine mischief and vanity to plot and contrive against his Maker a stiffe neck arms and hands full of oppression and guile and stretched out against the innocent feet swift to shed blood heels to kick against the law of God eares to hear folly eyes to behold vanity if this old man be not dead in thee and thou art not a new creature nothing that thou doest can be accepted thou mayest dream of a happinesse to be had when thou hast gotten an artificiall tongue like a newborne creature and art through education and thine own wisdome Esa 1. civilized in the outward garbe but if thy heart bâ— not changed thou art farre off from happinesse Judgement must passe over thee yea the fire of the Lord must burn out thy drosse or else thou wilt be miserable poor blinde and naked Thou must yeeld and submit thy self to thy God bring thy cursed nature to him there to be slain come willing y Psal 10. humble thy self under the mighty hand of God and he will exalt thee learn of thy Maker to know him and to beleeve in him that for the love of the world gave his onely begotten Son that they should not perish but obtaine through him everlasting life Thinke on this O man of the great love of God to thee what satifaction could the whole world give for the Redemption of one soul and hath Christ Jesus equall to God his Father purchased Redemption for the whole world and art thou so far from prising it that thou wilt not accept of it but think to live happie without change in thy naturall unclean unpurified and unrefined condition Consider in thy hought it to minde did thy Saviour Jesus Christ that be no robbery to be equall to God as it were un-God himself becomming man and suffering a shameful death to recover and Redeem thee and art thou so desperately wicked and so fool-hardy that thou wilt not unman thy self to be like God that is to say to put off thy will wisdome righteousnesse thy pride lust and carnall minde to be invested into a kingdom of righteousnesse peace and holinesse and to be made like unto Christ in whom all fulnesse dwels and to be in union and communion with the Father Let him that hath ears to hear hear what the Lord hath said Know ye not that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates and except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees you cannot enter if you are the servants of sin your wages is death if you live after the flesh you shall die for they that are in flesh cannot please God for the wisdome of the flesh is death but the wisdom of the spirit is life and peace all that you can do in the raw unquoth earthy rough drossy vain darke uncircumcised unprepared and dead condition of nature though never so much beautified and adorned with art learning and outward wisdom and glory it is but hypocrisie we are onely Christians portraied and as it with a diamond if not right it is worth nothing and as in a picture if it be not to the life then it hath no regard so except we are really changed and metamorphosed from that we were borne in and are made like the Son of God we are not free from the law of sin and death but it hath power over us to eternall death Will the almighty God melt his people let them be of what sort soever in their outward callings either men of authority men of the world teaching men or mean men Then here Behold the great love of God unto you he will will melt you he will make you pliable tractable and vertible that what you cannot do your selves he will do for you Can the Leopard change his spots or the Blackmore his skin no more can a man change his nature of himself or by any power within himself but God onely is the changer of all Are his people Brasse Tin Iron and Lead such metalls
being of drossy earthy substances and qualities that are not fit for his service that will be served with Gold and Silver how then can these metalls be melted and purified and be made fit vessels for the Lord They cannot melt themselves neither is it in the power of one to melt another no more can man be humbled mollified or be made capable tractable or vertible of himself by himself or by any other man bur onely by the Lord himself who saith I will melt them Behold then I say the goodnesse mercy and love of God that doth such great things for us as to melt us himself we are still in his hands we cannot do amisse no hurt shall come to us we have his presence his love his bounty although in the Furnace he owns us he will not depart from us what greater love then this to be with us when we have most need when we have the bitter cup presented to us then then is our sanctification neer then the Lord is making of us like to Himself and like to his Word to be righteous as he is righteous pure as he is pure Therefore those that have gone through this fire and have been melted humbled broken and refined sound fort the praises of God and declare as David did what the Lord hath done for your soules how he hath severed and separated you from the world and hath made you fit to have fellowship with the Father and with the Son which is a mystery to the World 1 John 1.3 and to those that have not past from death to life that have not past through the fire and known the indignation of the Lord but liveth in the vanity of their mindes serving their lusts cohering to the corrupt formes fashions and customes of the world which have no life in them but have the issues of death proceeding from a raw earthy drossy unmelted and unpurified root holding and continuing in it self no true peace nor joy but what nature or art hath Let the people who have been dead and are now alive that were darknesse and are now light in the Lord that are made conformable to the Death and Resurrection of Christ being dead to all sin and alive to all Grace who love not the world nor the things of the world but have attained the Kingdom of Grace Love Joy and Peace and have communion with their God have a reciprocall and correspondent love to God and to their brethren and eccho back everlasting thanks and praises to their God who hath freely communicated of himself unto them and hath made them as kings and priests who have not onely the fruits and effects of peace but peace it self Heb. 7.2 Ephes 2.14 Col. 1.27 for Christ in them the hope of glory he is their eternall Peace and their everlasting Light which proceeded from that fire in which they were melted and purified which hath consumed in them all their drosse and all manner of carnall lust concupiscence and self wisdom all righteousnesse invention and imagination that was in the will and carnall minde that led them into errour imitation and separation from the pure truth that comes from God the Fountain of all Truth and the very essence of all true religion and of all righteous living being derived from him and to be yeelded up to him with a pure conscience being divided and severed from the world which savours not of the things of God Eighthly and lastly The end They shall know that the Lord hath done it in his wrath in his indignation What my people Israel are they such abominable sinners as to commit such grosse sins blood-shed idolatry oppression disobedience uncharitablenesse covetousnesse and fornication I have great indignation against my people for these their great sins you may think that you are still in my favour and because your secret hiding of your sins makes the lesse cry among men you think by my silence that I am like unto you But I will reprove you and set your sins in order before you Psal 50.21 you shall know that I am angry and wrathfull against you you may apprehend in your carnall wisdoms and understandings that I still love you but you shall feel my fury I will melt you and then you shall know wherefore because you transgressed against me The Lord in the sixteenth of Ezekiel speaks much of his people how they were and what he did for them Ezek. 16. and what their behaviour was vers 48. As I live saith the Lord God Sodom thy sister hath not done neither she nor her daughters as thou hast done and thy daughters After many threats and menaces the Lord still owns them and in vers 62. saith that he will establish his covenant with them and they shall know that he is the Lord. The Lord here doth tell them that when he hath melted them they shall know that it is the Lord hath done it in his wrath they shall not say This fiery change came upon them by chance or fortune or out of the dust or by the transactions of differences that is among the Nations of the world or through the envie and malice of men against them and so blame the instruments as the ignorant world doth but they shall know that it is he that doth it and by the power of his arm and in his wrath See here and take notice of Gods love and mercy in the midst of judgement although he be angry and full of wrath yet he will not destroy his people in the midst of judgement he remembereth mercy Psal 83.3 that what he doth bring upon them is to change them not to confound them it is to purifie not to consume them it is that they may know the Lord as in many places in Isaiah Jeremiah and Ezekiel of their prophecies you shall find that after judgements denounced it is said And they shall know that I am the Lord. The knowledge of God is that that the world is not acquainted with although they talk much of it they have none of it Hos 4.1 God complains by his Prophet Hosea that there was no knowledge of him in the Land and that his people were destroyed for want of knowledge vers 6. We are Heathens by nature and by profession we declare it for we professe outwardly what is not inwardly It is the inward living the life of grace that makes us Christians to be ingrafted into Christ truly to be as the branches to the Vine to have experience of Gods mercy and love to us to know God by our acquaintance and fellowship with him is to know him aright as Christians not as the world that sayes they are Christians and know God no otherwise but as a dreadfull Judge by the flashings that they have in their mindes living in disobedience to the light and every thing that they do in profession is heavie irksome and burdensome to them they worship God because of his great power
to be in union and communion with him except he be changed and renewed and this God must alone do he is the Agent and we must be the Patient the work is Gods man can but resigne himself up and yeeld himself to him his obedience is passive God works all in all 1 Sam. 2.30 Resignation and submission is that that God requireth Honorantes me honorabo Those that honour me I will honour 1 Thess 4.4 and those that despise me shall be despised those that will honour God by their resignation he will honour them by his communication those that do despise God when he calleth shall be despised when they call 1 Thess 5 19 20. S. Paul saith Quench not the spirit despise not prophesying Doth it not appear that such there are that do Our Saviour Christ saith The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light Wherein is that The children of this world let any man but nod or becken to them be it in some hope of profit away they get and they take much pains and travell to get the wealth of this world But in matters concerning God neither the light that shines in the minde the motions of the good Spirit the prophecyings nor any verball perswasion will work upon them to take any pains so much as to yeeld or submit to endevour to subdue a lust But still men say What shall we do or how shall we do this or that in matters between God and them but do not that they can If man hold up his finger or wink although never a word be spoken it is presently understood 2 Pet. 3.5 But let God notwithstanding the light that shineth into every mans conscience speak by his Messengers plainly Turn return repent come submit draw neer why will you die and the like invitations yet poor miserable men refuse Speak conscience Prov. 1.24 25. may not a man be passively obedient in resigning and yeelding himself up to his Maker taking up the Crosse waiting on the light which directeth him to his God Rom. 1.19 20 21. answering the motions of the good Spirit and submitting to the wil of God Must man of necessity be acting doing in his own will or else nothing to be done Surely the Lord will be served after the manner he prescribeth that is in spirit and truth no flesh no wil of man must be in any thing wherein we have to do with God we cannot read of any that did walk according to his own heart but that he did wickedly Observe the commands of Christ if we will have our flesh mortified we shall finde them to be easie Matth. 11.29 Come love beleeve submit embrace kisse follow and the like If he bid us take up his yoke he meaneth to draw with us we shall not be overburdened he will assist us and make it easie and light Consider this then O man what canst thou do lesse then come to thy Saviour to resigne yeeld and roll thy self on him to embrace to depend and trust on him O Israel thy destruction is of thy self thou canst move and stir forwards in thine own will and in thy mis-led understanding and wilt not thou move or stir in submitting thy self unto his will You will not come to me that you may have life It appeareth then that men love death that they love darknesse Joh. 1.5 most true it is for they cannot comprehend the light Let therefore the consideration of the miserable effects that follow the neglect of not coming to Christ make us to be wise and come move and stir yeeld and submit ask seek and knock enquire not as Ahaziah did 1 Kihg 1.2 but as David did Psal 37. at the Sanctuary of God and as the Prophet Isa saith Should not they enquire of their God Isai 8.8 Hitherto that that hath been said hath been to shew what is signified by drosse and drossie metals whereunto God doth liken his people it remains now that somewhat be said to each particular people as a direction from the Lord to walk by If the Apostles Paul Peter 1 Thess 5.2 3. 2 Pet. 3.10 11 12. Jam. 5.8 James and John foresaw a change that would be in the world as if it had been at hand in their dayes what do the people and Saints of God foresee now now Antichrist the man of sin is revealed for Saint Paul saith 2 Thess 2.8 That the Lord shall consume him with the breath of his mouth and the brightnesse of his coming When man fell from God he fled away and his posterity hath ever been feeding upon the four elements and would not willingly be beholding to God but eternally live in them what wil mankind do when these elements shal be melted with the heat of fire surely not one jot or tittle of Gods word shal evade but in his du time al that hath been prophecied of Esa 40.8 shall come to passe It seemeth cleer to some that the day of the Lords coming is now begun and that the apostacy which hath continued many hundreds of yeers is declining and the light beginneth to shine that along time hath been simulated which declareth what the visible church is now upon the earth even like to Israel they are drosse to the pure and holy God they are Brasse Tin Iron Lead These four metals which signifie four sorts of men mē of power teaching men men of Trafficke poor men may be further resembled to the four elements S. Peter speaketh of that shal likewise melt fire 2 Pet. 3.12 aire earth and water The man of power being as the fire which doth predominate and do the greatest execution to the regularity of the rest the teaching man which is as the aire in which men do breath and live in yet as aire the man of trafficke which is as the earth that beareth forth fruit to the support of the life of man the poor man which is as the water that doth refresh and ease and bring much comfort and helpe to man Will God not onely melt the forenamed metalls but also the elements in which man hath and doth live in being the onely support of man for what can man do if any one of these elements be taken away he cannot subsist in his naturall being Then here see the great goodnesse of God that will not onely pruge and refine man but he will also refine the elements that man lives in and whereby he doth subsist God will not onely make man pure but the place and seat where mans station is he will make it pure also there shall be a pure world as well as pure inhabitants the fire shall be pure fire like the fire of the Lord that consumeth all the combustible matter of drosse and filth that remaineth now the air shall be pure cleared and purged from all humane and terrene vapours wherein the defilements of it did consist
thing in and according to your own wills neither to and for your own ends you are not to look to the glory and fame of your callings and places but to have respect unto the glory of God above all as the Prophet Micha speaketh you should do justly Mica 6.8 love mercy and walk humbly with God Justice mercy should be exercised after the most perfect patern of God himself for God saith Be holy as I am holy perfect as your Hevenly Father is perfect the justice dispensed by men on earth Matth. 5.48 should be suteable to the justice and judgement of God answering to his holinesse and to his righteousnesse and that not in some things as do the Heathens but in all things whatsoever and that exactly and compleatly that the will of God may be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven In this deportment the wise and faithfull that are in authority do manifest themselves to be the children of God their Father when that among all the prunings Matth. 5.9 and loppings of injustice the equitable and cleer reducement stands consistent with the most free single and perfect righteousnesse of the most Holy God And as God requireth justice so doth he require also mercy mercy to the poor that are oppressed wronged and trampled on Justice and Mercy must go together it is justice to punish the offender and oppressour Psalm 101.1 and it is mercy to relieve the poor and the innocent It is the counsell of Christ Be mercifull as your Heavenly Father is mercifull and there is a blessing pronounced to them that are mercifull full of mercy Matth. 5.7 Again men of power should walke humbly with God men that do walk humbly as they ought to do do walk with God as Noah did the Lord he will dwell with the humble man he giveth grace to the humble and resisteth the proud Pride hath been much among men of power some have smarted 1 Pet. 5.5 for their pride as our late times can testifie and through that and by that means the powers are some way refined the taking away of the Ecclesiasticall power is a great signe that God intendeth good unto us and it should cause the opposites derived from them to be humbled Let men of power consider how the Lord for the pride of Nebuchadnezzar dealt by him taking from him his reason making him to feed as the beasts They may also look back to the times that we have known of late how were the powers of this Nation shaken and shivered yea broken to peeces that when they thought to make a greater addition to tyranny and oppression they became powerlesse What were thoâ—e that were in authority or how were they set up was is not more because of their wealth then of their grace or because of their sinister relations then their qualifications more that they might act and do the will of man then to do according to Gods will Hath God begun to refine the powers have we seen some amendment Doubtlesse God will proceed For he will have those to rule that are God-like that are as Himself is he wil be the Shepherd of his sheep he wil correct them with his rod and bear them up with his staffe he will have no cruelty exercised on his nor partiality on the evill doers but the Judges and the Arbiters shall deal justly and impartially in dubious matters Most strange effects of Gods providence in this Nation is to be taken notice of how hath God begun among us as it were were with a besome to sweep away all adverse power in the great mutation of Governours and of Government laying aside some persons and powers Psalm 23. and deposing of them who thought themselves on a sure foundation and setting up others that never thought of being capable of it being of mean discent Luke 1.43 Surely this cannot but shew unto us that the Decree of God is gone forth to overturn all Nations Kingdoms Kings Governours and Rulers of the earth untill they be wise and learned in the the fear of their God and are willing to kisse the Son Psal 2. to embrace the Lord Christ the chief Head of all kingdoms and do yeeld up themselves their greatnesse lawes interest and affaires into perfect subjection and conformity to the most absolute and perfect power of Christ and to rule men no further nor no otherwise then as they are the servants of Christ their Lord Thus God will have his people that rule over others under himself when they are melted to be such as shall curb the evill doers and to defend preserve sustain maintain and uphold them that do well Truth and right government according to the perfect Law of God is most serviceable in its place and it cannot be performed rightly but by such as fear God and hate covetousnesse that are impartiall God that hath by the spirit of burning burnt and consumed the fleshly minde and will of Governours causeth them to act ac-according to his own will and for his glory being led by his Holy Spirit into all wisdom endeavouring to please him not winking at any deceit for carnall ends but administring and distributing true justice for Gods sake saving the innocent and punishing the nocent giving forth according to Gods will and not according to their own without respect of persons but for conscience sake to do the thing that is right and as becomes men given wholly up to serve and obey the living God 1 Cor. 6.1 Matth. 19.28 Let the Arbiters they that were of old called so now the Lawyers of our times learn to dread the Lord and not to scrue and wrest the proposalls made to them of peace into a long contrived debate to enrich themselves by others ruine and clothe themselves by the nakednesse of others It is an office for Saints and not for the covetous and cruell there will be a time in the new Jerusalem that the Saints shall judge the earth they shall give the Law forth from the Spirit of the Lord for the Evangelicall Righteousnesse shall comprehend more then the the Morall the love of the Father shall be in the Arbitrer and he shall administer judiciously equally and impartially which shall cast out the oppressour and restore again the prey taken from the spoiled and be in that love and meeknesse as becommeth a Saint doing no wrong Secondly Those that are called by the will of man to teach and to instruct men let them consider what they are and how they are to be qualified it is not for them to be as Tin to have the likenesse of the better metals and to adulterate with all mean metals it is not sufficient for them to have an artificiall humane pregnant and Scholastique manner of delivering speeches and sermons and with it set forms of prayer but they must have the theory within them that is such a testimony that their spirits can bear witnesse within them
positions framed and compiled out of the letter chosen by themselves to serve their own turns for the advance of their functions Most certain it is that there is a generation of teachers that are not sent by the Lord who are desperate enemies to the pure truth Jer. 23.21 Ezek. 13.2 3 4 and cannot endure those that do discover their weaknesse defections or wickednesse and upon this ground will be raised a far greater contest than is yet not consonant to the minde of God for disputing should be laid aside and be no longer among us but advice given to turn amend repent or else for ever perish Let not Teachers be slight in the examination of themselves in that large charge which is laid against them lest that come upon them which Saint Paul endevoured to avoid that after he had preached to others himself might not be a castaway 1 Cor. 9.27 therefore did he beat down his body and kept it in subjection But how far are many from this duty How do they feed and pamper their bodies in every manner of way as much as any It is a strange recoil for a diseased man to say Physician heal thy self or for an Auditour to say to the preacher Pull the beam out of thine own eye That light which is sprung up sent among us from the Lord let them obey it though never so crosse to their wils lest that after all their learning teaching preaching praying and exercising Psal 2.1 they be found among the raging Heathen or which is worse to be their Abettours and Ring-leaders Think upon the complaints that the Lord often hath made against the Prophets who caused his people to erre Judge your selves that you be not judged and condemned of the Lord Try and examine your selves ye that call your selves sons of Levi for the Lord is coming to try and to refine you Great is the goodnesse of God to his Church that he hath made such a discovery that they in whom we trusted and have been our introduction we must forsake being called to a better and a more lively hope to the indwellings of God than to attend the ordinances of man that speaks nought but death the Priests lips should preserve knowledge Mal. 2.7 but they have destroyed the true saving knowledge they have known the will of the Lord but they have not done it they have thrust themselves into Christs office meerly to get profit favour and honour It is a great mischief and a deadly injury to be blinde-led Christ saith If the blinde lead the blinde they both fall into the ditch that is they fall into that they cannot easily get out and when they are through mercy helped out they must be cleansed from the filth of the ditch which they have received in the ditch If by leading men fall where their desire is to avoid what are they better by leading what a heavie account have these leaders to give above all others Are not the teachers moved to hear of the fall of Babylon Surely some are but those that are not that endevour to uphold Antichrist in the mystery shall suffer with the Whore and be partaker of her plagues Is there 〈◊〉 in Heaven and cannot those hear of it that are still talking of Heaven Is there a new Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven and shall our Supervisours not see it Hath that City but one street in it and no crosse-wayes at all tending to unity and concord and shall our peacefull Preachers not know it Certainly God will dwell himself with his people and they shall know all things 1 Joh. 3.19 through that light and love of his wherewith many Nations shall be joyned to him and whereby he will be all in all that that which was above the reach of the highest Apostle will come down and appear to the lowest and meanest of his people The great discoveries that Almighty God hath made concerning the fall and overthrow of Antichrist which fall is beginning the wise and the learned of the world are so far from waiting to see it that they are blinde yea wilfully blinde concerning it being friends to that worship of God which is according to the oldnesse of the Letter Rom. 7.6 and great enemies to that of the newnesse of the Spirit holding forth for good the outward Circumcision the outward Baptism the outward lip-labour and auricular attendance in divine Ordinances that now is wounded and condemneth the Circumcision and the Baptism of the heart the invisible and spirituall Communion in the Spirit with the Father and the Son which is the marrow of all religion Rom. 2.27 28 29. not holden by men worthy of praise or commendation and therefore maligned and envied as Stephen was Acts 7.54 c. being stoned for speaking the truth which the people could not apprehend All the Apostles spake somewhat of the great change that would be in the world Rom. 8.23 1 Joh. 3.2 2 Pet. 3 13. and do declare evidently that there is a third dispensation which is of the Spirit that of the Law had its period that of the Gospel as the Gospel had its limit bound up to the outward administrations of men gifted hath had its Apostate-being digressing from Gospel graces and faith being as the night of the world to the revelation of the great light that God would after shine into the spirits and hearts of men spoken of by Saint Paul 1 Cor. 2.9 10 11. Now the night of Apostacie is beginning to passe away and the day approacheth wherein the Almighty will manifest himself to be the God and Father of his people by his dwelling in them foretold by the Prophets seen a far off by the Apostles and witnessed by some now the which hath a very great opposition not by scandalous and profane persons onely but by great Professours acute and learned Teachers which will not yeeld to any reproof nor subscribe to any other mans revelation and therefore do charge the unchangeable God that he changeth not nor disturbeth not neither doth he rent and divide the visible Church but that some do they do conclude they are suborned of the evil one and endevour to stop their mouths and punish those persons that say as Malachi did Mal. 2.17 Ye have wearied the Lord with your words Why use you so many words so much pharisaicall prayers and such counterfeit and heedlesse singing and praising Why such variety of humane learning philosophy and pleasing the fleshly mindes of men And wherein have we wearied the Lord are we not his people and are not our exercises the exercises of Faith and Love derived from the primitive time we know nothing of it but what is agreeable to the Word and if we should desist what will become of religion Mark the Text when ye say Every one that doth evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he delighteth in them or where is the God of
judgement Look to this O ye Teachers of men your case is so that God hath found you great enemies to the most pure light and truth that floweth from himself Mal. 3. and as in the third chapter of the same Prophet being the next words hear there your doom God will try you Judgement beginneth at the house of God among the righteous among them that are full that are rich 1 Pet. 4.17 18. that are wise Oh that this sort of people could see but their unrighteousnesse their emptinesse their poverty and their folly until men come to see that they are so Joh. 3.39 Isa 29.18 19. they are not happy the blinde onely shall see and the deaf onely shall hear and he that is hungry shall be satisfied for the Lord hath sealed the book that he that can read cannot open it and he that can read will not meddle with it Isa 29.11 12. but persecute it witnesse the late times since that the hidden mysteries that John saw hath been opened which the Teachers of our times yeelded themselves willingly to be blinde unto 2 Pet. 3.5 how is it like to be persecuted further Is the rise of their persecution because that some illiterate men speak accounted not worthy in their esteem to meddle with such things Rev. 18.7 16. Or is it because that Babel the seat of the Whore with all her ornaments shall be destroyed Or is it because divine merchandising shall have an utter end Saint Paul did intimate in his Epistle to the Corinthians that there were some 2 Cor. 2.17 but he and the rest of the Apostles were no such that did make merchandise of the Word Tremble then all you that are Teachers that say you are Apostles and are not Rev. 2.2 that would be canonized for Saints here and have not yet bowed to the Scepter of the Lord Christ that have onely tasted of the little book which is sweet in the mouth Emanuel God with us but have not eaten it up Rev. 10.9 c. Rev. 21.8 because of its bitternesse in the belly that are fearfull of losing the glorious things of the world if they should embrace Christ really loving such a religion and profession that agreeth with the conditions of the great men driving still at those that would separate worldly same pomp ease and wealth from the inward 1 Joh. 2.15 invisible and spirituall worship of God which cannot stand together joyning the humane and corrupt ordinances and will-worship with the inward worship of God in spirit limiting the holy One to their traditionall service Learn to know that the Almighty hath power to change all things at his own will and pleasure yea the very Heavens which is the Church and the religion we live and converse with God in and that there shall not such adulteries and fornications be committed among his people and in his house there shall be no more inticers to love the strange woman Prov. 7. who hath all comelinesse and excellent entertainment to the satisfaction of the desires of the flesh There is other discoveries made and they who are the sons of Levi that wait at the Altar must be changed and not cry Templum Domini not the temple of the Lord because once it was so and now it hath not the Spirits presence to say all one words but they must cry Dominus in templo Rev. 21.3 Rev. 3.20 The Lord in his temple the Lord is now coming to dwell he standeth at the door and knocketh Observe with a discerning eye whether it be not in vain for the Teachers of the world to go about to uphold that which God hath designed down if Antichrist shall fall it will not be in part but in the whole the stars shall fall therefore envie not and despise not the small beginnings neither trample on any springing up that is of the Lords planting for it may prosper the better Contend not neither fight against them unto whom the Lord hath made great discoveries of Christ his coming forth in the glory of God censuring reproaching and persecuting those doctrines that you are not able to comprehend as the devout women did and the chief men did against Paul and Barnabas Acts 13 5â— such are the great opposers of pure truth that live in the profession of truth and teach others carried out with a zeal kindled from the outward letter endevouring to open the mysteries by and with their outward gifts which cannot be But in stead of opening Heaven they open Hell having the key of the bottomlesse pit stirring up contentions and strifes rather manifesting themselves to be the apostles of Gods anger and infliction then the peace-exercising and teaching Apostles of Christ were Shew forth your Evangelicall fruits you that stile your selves so let your love your patience meeknesse righteousnesse and long-suffering appear in your behaviour towards all men and your rendering good for evil blessing for cursing praying for persecuting Behold and see ye Teachers of the world whether there hath not been and now is amongst you such which have been as you say called to the function and place of the Ministery vile and vicious persons A great grief it hath been to many souls who have received somewhat from God Mills Flavell Wells by the conscientious and right dividers to see such covetous proud oppressing drunken idle lying vain incontinent persons to stand up to speak as if sent from God striking terrour amazement to the poor tender hearted hearer being ignorant of God that such as are reprovers of evill should be examples of committing evill This blessed be the Lord is taken notice of by our Governours and there is a beginning in some places of the Nation to call such to the barre and to try them for those grosse evils and there is hope that they being taken in hand for their open wickednesse others that live in the secret shall also be detected it is manifest that God is coming forth to refine and purifie all Thirdly to the men of Trafficke Merchants and others that by their commerce are as the earth to support and bear up and yeeld sufficiency to others through the exercise of their worldly imploiments Let them learn here to know God as he is and to know themselves what they are for God is the chiefest good there is no happines in the enjoyment of any thing without God al things created by him having not their use for to his glory are abused and become as so many hinderances and let ts unto us in the way to life Ester 1.5 They are all vanity there is no worth in them all the world and the things therein are not worth one soul Luke 16.1 and as for themselves let them know that they are but as stewards which must give an account 1 Tim. 6.17 of their stewardship and they are not to put their trust in uncertain riches nor to
to say thou art a reformed Church See where thy reformation lieth if it lie in words in shew in form in letter this is not that that God requireth he will have it in actions in substance Pro. 1.7 26 12. Jer. 4.22 Esa 1. in the inner man in the spirit See how the Lord of old did reprove his people for their being well conceited of themselves having nothing but the externall sacrifices the husk and shell of purity the internall and spirituall life being departed Sooth not thy self up see thy poverty thy need and luke-warmenesse It is in vain to bring a dead sacrifice to the living God It is to very great losse so to do Witnesse the sacrifices of Cain and others who found no acceptance but were cast off It is a hard thing for men to be convinced of their impurity and drossines that do love live in a strict profession godlines and have not the life Pro. 28.13 and the power of it within them Solomon saith he that hideth his sins shall not prosper hence men inferre that such as hide the sins of murder adultery deceit lying stealing and the like they shall not prosper and very well may it be but yet that speech of Solomon is more nicely and closely spoken to and directed to professing people being in other languages rendered Defection as thus Mat. 19.22 Luke 18.22 if so be a man were even a perfect spotlesse and an unblameable man observing all things from his youth up as the Ruler did yet being defective in one particular endeavouring to cover it and hide it from the Lord he shall not prosper it is the covering the hiding from the Lord that makes the Whore The honest and chaste wife she hideth nothing from her husband but it is the whorish woman she that loveth another and that doth commit folly privately secretly in dark places yet seemeth to be as honest and chast as any The varnish and gilt of a profession makes the base metall to be of great esteem being it appeareth not the corruption lieth within and cannot be discerned but by the fiery light and heat of God Corruption cannot see coruption it is grace that can see it and discover it no light in man Psal 36.9 1 John 3.18 Exod. 27.20 can make his defilements visible to his inward and internall minde untill the perfect and reall light of God appeareth that is a searching light a lasting light a pure light a powerfull light and a discerning light where this light is there is God and there is no darknesse for where God is the patient may see himself and what he is and that sight is the cure When thou wast in thy blood then said I Live when we are as dead and as dry bones Ezek. 16. and 37.12 Then oh my people saith God I will open your graves I will do it by mine own power I will not let you lie in the fleshly outward formes as great professours and small practizers but you shall see your selves as dead and dry bones then will I bring you to live in the spirit that you may see your life in the Lord alone not hid in Christ onely but Christ appearing to be life in you your life may appear to be in God The great work that God is doing is by melting of us to make us see that in the flesh we are the dead body of Christ that is the end why the Lord doth rend divide disquiet and destroy all our comforts for we would willingly Jer. 50 34. establish a righteousnesse of our own and it is a great mercy that God doth shake us he will disquiet the inhabitants of Babell they have no rest untill they return to his land happy are we when we see our selves the dead body Esa 26.19 of the Lord Christ then we shall arise With my body saith he shall they raise the same spirit that raised his body raiseth ours together with him we that truly see our selves Ephe. 2.12 Ephe. 5. to be darknesse are light in the living Lord let us walk as children of the light What great change will there be when a beleever seeth and doth know what he is before that time his heart and his apprehensions doth deceive him every man naturally desireth good to his own sence and apprehension but our enemies the Devil the world and the flesh do so cunningly deceive us that we cannot come to understand what Almighty God is neither what good is but conceive amisse of both taking good for evil and evil for good and are ready to yeeld up our ingagements to God upon the account of our base fleshly reasonings about Gods dealing with us and unlesse we are become dead to all things of our selves and in our selves we cannot have power from God to vanquish This mortall must put on immortality this drosse must be purged and refined out we must be as the gold and as the silver that is Gods for how can two be together except they be agreed when God hath refined his people Amos 3.3 they shall be like to himself and they shall set forth his glory and witnesse the coming of Christ in them having felt the power of his death and the vertue of his resurrection being changed out of the worlds nature into the perfect image of God glorifying God that they are past the condemnation the war the refining furnace the slaughter the enmity the undoing the strong man and the taking away of his goods rejoycing that they have been baptized with the Baptism of fire being assured of their union and communion with God the life of God dwelling and abiding with them that there is begun in them an eternall and everlasting peace which shall have no end here is comfort that they are past from death to life death being overcome shall have no more dominion over them Blessed and happy are they that have their part in the first resurrection Rev. 20. for over them the second death hath no power A sad thing it is being well weighed to see England in such a posture a great goodly gilded profession but a miserable a desperate and wretched practice exercise and execution in that profession it is plain by the words of Christ If you are not in the Vine you are not of him except you be in Christ you are reprobates John 15. we love the form the beauty and goodlinesse of religion but do hate the power the life and the crosse that true religion doth present Salomons advice is Buy the truth and sell it not truth must be bought it must be purchased it is not to be had by one dayes going in a week to hear spending that day chiefly in decking and adorning the body in feasting or high feeding in idle and vain discoursings and proud walkings and think all is well and that we are good Christians because we can talk of Christ having not found the true doctrine being hid from
us in a mystery so that our knowledge without the mystery becomes a snare a bar to keep us from the life and light of God being proud thinking thou art something when thou art nothing Gal. 6. Get out of thy self into single-hearted humility deny the glory and same of thine own wit wisdom and understanding which is sprung up in thee from that evil seed is become that drosse in thee that hath defiled and corrupted the good metall so shalt thou finde the Lord and he will teach thee and instruct thee Psal 16.7 Psal 45. he it is that will give thee counsell without which thou art Antichrist and of the Whore let thy profession be never so shining for the Kings daughter is all glorious within Try and examine thy self O England whether thou dost obey the Lord thy God whether thou dost love him with all thy heart with all thy minde with all thy soul with all thy strength thou hast been catechized unto this Psal 81.8 but where is the exercise of it Hadst not thou need to learn it again of the Lord hear what God saith of Israel If they would have hearkened unto him and not have any other gods what blessings would he have brought upon them c The like might the Lord say of England See and behold thy gods of silver of gold of high places lands livings friends trade and the like Are not thy teachers thy gods whom thou servest and praisest Dost not thou idolize them for their parts of wit art humane learning and invention speaking things agreeable to thy palate and dost despise reject and refuse the inward teachings of God being thereunto wilfully blinded Why dost thou take the Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed Psal 50.20 Esa 1. 1 Cor. 4.5 Mat. 10.26 Or why shouldest thou think that God is as thou art consider this ye that forget God he will reprove you by his creatures the Ox and the Asse and other creatures by his judgements and by thine own conscience Forsake therefore thine hypocrisie and leave off thy lip-labour go from the falshood dwell no longer in Babylon neither delight thy self in the abominations of the Whore for her flesh shall be burnt and happy are they that have attained to this in particular and who are by the teachings of God made like to himself he that is built on the Rock need not fear undermining Tremble all you that live in blindnesse and ignorance that see not the mystery of God manifested among men God in union with man being new created cleansed purged purified and refined Will you still continue as young children to be bound up and swadled in swadling clouts Time was when the Church was in its infancie that it was needfull that it should be bound and limited with ordinances and fed with a little at a time being chewed by the Pastour which used Catechisticall forms having then no other attainments which salting kept the Church from a farther declension or putrefaction being introducible to a further and more cleare demonstration which now is lifted up and held forth namely the accomplishment of the promises whereby we do not only enjoy by faith the benefit of Gods goodnesse mercy and love as dis-joyned but his presence and abiding with us Are you not glad to hear of the beginnings of that which your forefathers did long to see are you content with the rudiments and traditions of men and forsake the inward teachings of God Take heed you do not turn the grace of God into wantonnesse and consult with the arm of flesh and be found fighters against God and his pure truth accounting the times of darknesse to be better then the taking up the Crosse by embracing and obeying the pure light without which you shall never see light nor enjoy the Crown Much might be said concerning the times and of the people that are in controversie in these our dayes the one would have this way the other that way every one seeking to be master over others their words and actions yea of their spirits too contemning one another and contending one with another insomuch that England is become as it were a Chaos of confusion and a nursery of Sects and Orders some binding up the spirit of Christ to the forms and orders of disputation setting foolish reason to be the Master or Judge in things concerning the kingdom of Christ giving out the meaning of the spirit of God without inward testimony perverting the holy Scriptures to their own destruction and others in severall various wayes broaching new doctrines not consistent with the minde of God insomuch that brotherly love hath been much impaired divisions increased and many revolted and rebell in their mindes against the Law and love of God Some stand much upon the ordinances and divine orders in stone-houses called Churches that their devout duties of lip-labour and preaching wherein is counterfeited somewhat of Christ is the onely way to life calling themselves the true Church and their Teachers true Apostles Others spend rheir time in disputing contending and brawling about sects idolatries opinions and judgements so that one party doth condemn and sentence another so that the ears and hearts of the Auditours are much infected with gall and bitternesse wilfully opposing one another crying down that for diabolicall that is not their own judgement whence proceedeth very dangerous effects of daily and most deadly provocations through a secret inward pride of minde working by envie and malice generated and bred in that gall exercising and urging one another by evil entreating by which it doth appear 1 Joh. 2.18 that there are many Antichrists in the world one persecuting and speaking evil of another Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim and both against Judah These contentions among us do perfectly declare that the war spoken of is begun Rev. 12.7 betwixt Michael and the Dragon they that have received the unction 1 Joh. 2.20 Saint John speaketh of they know all things they need not be taught of men but they speak of it and that great tribulation shall be such as was not from the beginning all to bring to passe the promised thing It is much that the Devil the great red Dragon should make Heaven his place to war in so it is he is now warring against Michael in Heaven that is in religion in and among the Professors therof but the comfort is he shall not prevail although his angels make sport and recreation to fulfill the anger of God being the very fire of God and his bellowes also to blow up the fire they do onely his will in purging away the drosse of his people by their most fiery contentions brawlings revilings Zach. 8.10 Isa 66.5 and persecutions as if it were the very zeal of the Lords glory The people of God knowing that the Lord will purge and refine them do willingly yeeld themselves thereunto to be tried and purified
and quake O ye mockers for the day of the Lord is come in which he will not onely search Jerusalem with candles but he will change Jerusalem by fire what can you expect that when the great and dreadfull God who is holy and cannot endure uncleanesse and drosse to be among his people but will consume it by the fire of his anger but to be utterly consumed as these sublunary metalls you can have no other end for the Silver and the Gold the pure metals you ever hated and made no reckoning of but rested and trusted in the shinings of your own base metals not regarding to know God and therefore God will give you up to a reprobate minde Rom. 1.28 let seasonable advice take hold on you What ever you do or suffer get Gold buy Truth dig deep for Silver and let not all the metalls beneath these metalls gain thy heart let them have what luster gilding or shining soever they will deceive thee Jona 3.8 They that trust in lying vanities forsake their own mercy What will become of our Nation if it should neglect so great salvation is there not a deluge of pride hypocrisie idolatry covetousnesse and murmuring now God would be mercifull to us if we would but resigne our selves up to him but we are proud and exalted in the fleshly wisdome being blinde thinking our selves in an excellent good condition giving our selves up to the lusts of our own hearts not caring to see the visions of God in the inward and internall way and so perish through our own carnall understandings in an outward profession Let us be humbled under the mighty hand of God who will exalt us the humble he will teach and those that dread and fear him he will reveal his secrets unto what greater blessednesse can be to any of the sons of men then this to be his schollers Pro. 29.18 and to know his will The teachers of the world are corrupted Psal 25.9 14. and need to be taught themselves for it appeareth they are not as the Apostles were in the primitive time but alienated from their practice having not the inlivening power within them of the spirit whence it comes to passe that living and speaking according to the letter they are by an Artifice of Satan strengthened by the outward profession to oppose strongly from their forme the inward and true spirituall worshiper and so Antichrist comes to be taken for Christ and Christ for Antichrist As the Scriptures are such are the Ministers of it the letter serveth as a shelter or an hiding place for Antichrist to lurke and save himself in where now he is striving for superiority as the Pharisees did in the time of Christ against whom he did chiefly speak but the Spirit is of that pure simple individuall and virgin like holy quality proceeding from the Father of light that it needeth not to be urged either by letter or word being given up wholly to the invisible and internall enjoyment of the life of God which by his inspiration the letter was first monumented to enioy the letter without the spirit is to enjoy the picture and not the person Christ saith you thinke to have eternall life in the Scriptures No you cannot they testifie of me John 5.39 that giveth life to all that do beleeve His ministration is a ministration of reconciliation to salvation and we are to look after no other although there may be excellent pretences Should the men of the world study but half so much for their eternall welfare as they do for their temporall they could not but give strong reasons and gain strong resolutions against their own practices to be in Israel and not an Israelite to be of the visible Church and to have no invisible light and truth this is worth nothing to talk of grace with the mouth and have none in the heart to say they know and do not there sin remaineth Stirre up thy self Joh. 9.14 O worldling ly not still consider what thou art and wherefore thou wast created 1 Joh. 3.20 let not the naturall light that is within condemn thee to perdition and make no further use of any thing wherein others meet with the Lord their God then that thou mightest so really and truly meet him also Let not the outward performances of duties Eccles. 5.7 Job 34.19 Psal 113.7 serve thine own will to the increase of worldly gain or preferment but serve God with a pure minde and heart-performance which he onely accepteth of Let the poor and mean Yea the servants of men endeavour cheifly that the Lord may be their portion the sin of murmuring is as among all people so especially among people of low degree they murmure because God hath not given them such a portion of the world as oothers because they are impotent or that they are under the cōmand of others many waies is there a murmuring against God learn patience and know that the very worst estate that can be is beyond thy desert and that thy Maker will do with his own as He pleaseth Happy art thou if thou findest within thy self the God of love and infinite mercy anyway to appear if in that thou hast received thou hast seen a hand directing it to thee though it be bitter take it from the Lord as a token of his infinite love rejoyce in thy low condition the Lords eye is over thee and will neverthelesse judge thine oppressour he hath a regard to the poor he will defend them he wil bring them them out of the dust and set them among Princes all that wait upon the Lord shall see his goodnesse in the Land of the Living Let all therefore say that have not to their desire in outward appearance of Gods favour Verily thou O God hidest thy self O God thou Saviour of Israel Lastly whatever thou art that dost draw neer to God in any outward performance meditate with thy self to what end thou dost it and be more neer to hear than to offer the sacrifice of fools Eccles 4.17 ◠1. neither be rash with thy mouth to utter a thing before God for he is in Heaven and thou art on earth therefore let thy words be few Eccles 4.17.5.1 Lamentable it is to see how sinfully men present themselves before the Lord in Congregations petitioning for that their hearts are not affected with and promising that they have no intent to perform Consider in your mindes would a mortall man be so served that is in some regall authority and do you think the great God can bear it No if this be your resolved practice he will cast you into utter darknesse that doth thus counterfeit and dissemble with him who seeth the heart you shall never have the light of his countenance here nor that Heaven which you care little for hereafter Behold the day of the Lord is very neer at hand and he cometh as a thief in the night Revel 3.2 Who may abide the day of his coming And who shall endure when he appeareth Mal. 3.2 1 Thess 5.6 for he is like a purging fire and like Fullers sope Watch therefore Luke 12.33 to the 41. read it in the Spirit that being fore-warned you may be fore-armed Finally brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things pertain to love Phil. 4.8 whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue or if there be any praise think on these things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in Paul or in any of the Saints of God those things do and the God of peace shall be with you FINIS