Goodness the Wisdom Excellency and Beauty of him You may say these indeed in themselves are glorious creatures but say withal Where is He that enlightens them and makes them so glorious Oh! What and How glorious is He that thus shines in them and through them And as they All testifie the glory of their Creator so they All suffer him to be their Lord and Ruler Every thing is contented to stand in his place and be obedient to him the beasts they are appointed for food to man as other things are for beasts every one increasing and yielding their sweetness and fatness to the next creature above them and this they do willingly without grudging And All these creatures though they do speak God yet that they say of Him it is nothing in comparison of him Though they say something yet they all say not All of him but in us there is such a deal of ignorance which I was about to say was the greatest sin that we are so far from using them as we should making them serviceable to us and keeping them in their place that we are rather serviceable to them and are their servants and we make them Masters we are sooner turned into their kind then they into ours And the creatures though they speak God and speak aloud of him yet know this they still cry Plus ultra plus ultra there is more behinde still look beyond us for we are nothing when thou beholdest The Beauty glory sweetness or Excelencie of any Creature or of all the Creatures together Hear This voice from Them Look Beyond us for we All are Nothing Nothing to Him who made us and gave us to be What we are And we all speak infinitely short of Him As when I see This Church or House I know he was a workman that built it yet I know not All of him I neither knew what age he was of nor what means he had but that he was a workman this his works do tell me So in the works of Creation when I look upon any of the creatures I must needs acknowledge he was a Rare workman and a wise that contrived and made it but they come infinitely far short of him And they still cry with that man in the Gospel We believe But Lord help our unbelief 2. For their prayers You know prayer consists of two parts Of Prayer or Invocation Of Praise and Adoration As I told you every creature praises God the work praises the workman and every creature praises God I and with a loud voyce But whoever heard and understood the noise and the language of the stones and the voyce of the still and quiet earth But even All these praise God Aloud and he receiveth it at their hands They all praise him in his Sanctum Sanctorum The whole world and the Heavens and the Heaven of Heavens are all but His Temple as David saith In this Temple doth every one speak of His glory In this Temple they all sing praise and Hallelujahs to him every one even as it were vocally as Psal. 84. 3. David complains that the Swallows and the Sparrows were more happy then he for they might draw nigh unto God in his Temple to praise him for what is their chirping crying and singing but the voice of nature and to whom do they cry and to whom do they sing but to their Creator and God knows their voice and their cry as David saith He feeds the young Ravens when they cry unto him As a mother knows the signs the Child makes knows by the nuzling what it craves even so doth God by all his creatures The eyes of all things look up unto thee and thou givest them their meat in due season What the eyes of all men nay of all things You know one creature understands the voice of another they understands one anothers complaints one anothers singing and rejoycing one Dog understands the voice of another and so every creature in its kind and shall not God who is the God of nature he knows whereof we are all made and He knows all our complaints and wants The Lions seek their prey of God and he feeds the Ravens when they cry unto him But if these should not preach Gods praise yet the very stones do speak his praise and cry unto him but yet in such a language as God understands who made them and therefore you to whom God hath given rongues and understanding if you do not praise God and glorifie him if you hold your tongues all these dumb creatures and even these senseless stocks and stones shall rise in judgement against you for this is a true rule Nature hath done nothing in vain What 's the reason the poor sheep bleats when it comes to the slaughter and the swine Roars when he is killed do you think they cry to us that pursue them kill them no no but to God who is witness of their surrendring up their precious lives according to his will STEVEN when he was stoned to death nor Jesus Christ when he was crucified and said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit they did not cry more Audibly I say not more Audibly in Gods eares to God to take notice of their innocent yielding up their lives then these creatures do Cry to God when they suffer cruelly and unjustly crying to God Lord lay not this sin to their charge And Father into thy hands I commit my life and my spirit and fall asleep as Steven did and return to their rest 3. The third thing is their Decalogue but this belongs onely to us because they need none they never broke their law they alwayes walk according to Gods will The water and the sea summer and winter hay-time and harvest with all other things these all keep their appointed time they all obey thy will O God True it is they have not that reason that we have and therfore they have not so exact A Decalogue Yet God hath power even to break this exact Law yea man also may if God give him a dispensation and then if he break any of these Laws it is no sin as God commanded Abraham to kill his son and he did kill him in his intention and he had killed him had not the Angel staid his hand and it was not Evil but Obedience in Abraham But if any one shall do this from their own will then it were sin for he that gave the Law may break the Law And for this third part we need say no more 4. For their Sacrifices or Sacraments I do not say they sacrifice as of themselves but they are not onely an occasion of our praising God and sacrificing to him but they are also the matter of our sacrifices yet David in that of I Chron. 16. 31 32 33. Exhorts Let the Heavens be glad and the earth rejoyce and let men say among the Nations The Lord reigneth so withal saith he Let the sea
those that hunger and thirst for them and who cannot be satisfied without them and to none else Besides all this the importunity and sollicitations of many Scholers and other Christians from time to timeâ— who having experience of these practical things in themselves who though they want much of the Doctors schollership and parts yet deemed them worthy the publishing and have now prevailed to communicate them publiquely assuring themselves that those who have the things themselves in them will not be captious to spy out faults but receive in good part what is well intended Moreover another main reason of deferring them no longer is the abuse of many truths more broken forth of late them foâ—merly many of those Diamonds of truth being therein cleared and polished which have been so much abused and abased either by those filthy dreamâ—rs who have as to men wofully mistaken corrupted and defiled many glorious truths and by their false and devillish conclusions have not onely given occasion but a justification to defile the â—lesh falsly pretending that truth allows it though truth in it self cannot be corrupted or defiled or else by those blind Seers of 〈◊〉 times who yet calling themselves Prophets but are not do as Isaiah saith Isa. 5. 20. call truth errour and errour truth call darkness light and light darknesâ— evil good and good evil c. here also thou shalt find many of those Diamonds and prâ—cious Tâ—uths taken up from under their feet having been by them so trodden in the dirt as to men I say still they not knowing the worth of them by their viâ—ifyings and by their foul names of Errour Heresie Familsm c. because they knew not a true and right Diamond or if some yet not all and thâ—m they knew not they presently vilifie as cheating and counterfeit indeed few can know them from such or from dirt they have so daubed and trampled them in the miâ—e yet here thou shalt find them made orient spaâ—kling and refulgent as â—it to be numbred among those foundation precious stones whereof the New Ierusalâ—m is built Rev. 20. And those blind Seers pourtraitured to the life and their seemingly-holy disguises pulled off And yet in all this we have said commendatory of the Author Christian friends do not think that we have gone about to praise or liâ—t up Man or that we would have you fasten your eyes on any creature whatever No no God forbid far far be any such thing from our thoughts for what is man or wherein is he to be accounted of neither was it the Authors practise at all to lift up Man neither do we here present him as a perfect man but with Eliah as the Apostle saith of him Iames 5. 17. He was a man subject to like passions as we arâ— and with Lot Abraham David Pâ—ul and Peter he had his infiâ—mities but he could say also with Paul 〈◊〉 me that is in my flâ—sh dwelleth no good thing But I dâ—ligâ—t in the Law of God aftâ—r the inward man now if I do that I would not it is no more I that do it but sâ—â— that dwelleth in me neither did he ascribe any good either graces or gifts to himself but all to God he would not set that crown upon his own head or upon the head of any creature but with Paul confessed Gal. 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And when God had wrapt up his spirit in pâ—eaching even as it were to behold himself in the third heaven yet he had that prick in the â—lâ—sh which would cause him often to say even in publique Beloved if at any time you find any good by me or see any truth more then you did before or find your souls raised from death to life or the Cripple from his mothers womb healed and cured within you or if you see any grace any gift in me as Peter to the Jews Ye men of Israel why look ye on us so earnestly as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man walk if you see in me any good know that is none of mine I dare not claim it neither can any creature claim it But if you see in me or your selves any sâ—â— any evil that is most properly mine and yours and yet it is not I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me but all good is Gods whatever it be that comes under the notion of Good under what name soever it is Gods and his onely So that we have onely hereby laboured to set and six your eye on him from whom all excellencies slow to see and behold the excellencies and vertues not of man but of him who calleth from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God and that you should wonder and be amazed that the Almighty should stoop so low as to work in men and to communicate of his own nature and put â—orth his mighty workings in and through such poor nothings as men are And in this respect let no man â—ear to speak to the utmost freely and fully of the Vertues Excellencies and workings of the Lord in the hearts of his people for in them he displayes his gloâ—ies they are his Sanctuary his Temple in them he rests as in his holy hill where every one speaks of his glory and although these motions and mighty miracles be wrought in man yet they are not of man or by man Therefore let men or whoever shall have occasion to speak either of the dead or of the living but keep to this rule and fix their eye on him to whom all glory and praise is due and then let them set forth freely and fully whatever vertues or what ever is praise-worthy in any of the sons of men thus far made the sons of God then they need never fear to be charged with flattery or hope of rewards from men Let not so far as lies in man the graces of God and his glorious working in his Saints dye no not when thâ—y dye 〈◊〉 this is far from over praising the dead or the 〈◊〉 as the mistake hath been though man may and must return to his mother the Earth and to his principle of dust yet let the Lord alone be exalted and in this sense spare not to speak out freely the vertues and endowments of God in any man although for the best of man or men we must say of them with Daniel and other Saints To us belongeth nothing but shame and confusion of face for ever but to the Lord honour and glory mercy and forgiveness for over and â—ver Let no man appropriate to himself or put upon others any good for all good is fâ—om God and whatever is evil is mans although naturally and generally mens practises are quite otherwise appropriating all good to themselves and nothing of evil whereby the poor blind creature Man deludes his poor soul while
and sold under sin and ye are yet carnal saith the Apostle Carnality never judges carnality never look that flesh should find fault with its own actions neither doth the Reasonable man find fault with his reasonable actions but sâ—ith the Apostle The Spiritual man judgeth all things that is the Spirit of God as David saith Exalt thy self O God above the heavens and shew thy self thy glory and thy majesty Come thou unto us O Lord and judge the heathen be thou judge among the judges among the gods among those that are and still would be gods and judges Do thou O Lord put all thine enemies to silence and Rule THOU in the midst of thine Enemies But to silence our own reason all our own affections our own will our own joys our own fears our own hopes and then hear what God shall say There is no hearing of God till all these be put to silence as it is said Gen. 3. God came into the Garden in the COOL of the day what do you think was meant by that that God came at evening when the sun was going down do you think that the day was too hot for God to walk in no no that cannot be but t is meant he came into the soul in the cool of the day that is when lust was cool when the heat of Adams desire was over when his own will was silent and there was a calm then God spake and said Adam where art thou Till then there was such Noise and such a Hurly-burly in his soul This lust would be satisfied and the other lust would be satisfied such crying and calling making such clamour and noise there was then no hearing God speak but these being All put to silence God comes in with a still soft voice not while the thunder and mighty rushing was and speaks in the soul Hear now what God saith Hear him judge you hear him condemn you and if ye do this This delivering over to Satan is not unto death but that your spirits may be saved in the day of the Lord This casting of our souls into the lower hell as David complains is that we may be saved from the condemnation irrecoverable I came to send fire on the earth saith our Saviour and what if I will that it be already kindled The kindling of this fire is a happy kindling t is that you may escape the Unquenchable fire suffer therefore this condemnation to be wrought in your souls it is a blessed a happy condemnation The day that this work comes into thy soul is the blessedst day that ever thou sawest the happiest hour that ever passed over thy head the brightest and gloriousest day that ever dawned to thee Indeed it is The day of the Lord A day of darkness and gloominess of clouds and thick darkness but it dawns to everlasting light and glory I told you wherein and how you might examine your selves And that you might have a glass large enough to see your whole body open your eyes to see the glass of the Law and view your selves round by it and then I will warrant you you shall see cause enough of condemnation then you will see so much in your selves that you will have no wisdom nor leisure left to judge other men if you did but see the true resemblance of your selves you could do nothing else but be alwayes judging and condemning your selves you could do nothing but lay all the Bitter curses you could devise upon this Meroz Even upon your Corrupt Self you would so Hate and lothe your selves in your own sight you would not others praises which formerly you have so much sought for It may be we have read and heard the Ten Commandments over and over a thousand times but that is not enough But as the Scripture requires an ear in an ear so we must have an eye in an eye He that hath ears to hear let him hear and He that hath eyes to see let him see I opened to you the sins of the first Commandement from which I know you will free your selves most in you think That of all the rest you are most free from having other Gods you were taught That from your Cradle Thou shalt have no other Gods but me But as I then shewed you you that do worship any other god as all of us do some make their belly their god some pleaure their god some profit their god some credit and praise their god and these we obey and worship and fear and love Whatever it was that drew you from obeying Gods Commandments was it for pleasure was it for honour or whatever else consider what you have done you have made them your gods and done more then bowed your knee to them so that as often as thou hast said the Ten Commandments so often hast thou dissembled with God and rebelled against that which thine own mouth hath acknowledged And I doubt I may say of you as the Prophet said of Israel So many Cities so many Gods Shall I say so many men so many Gods Nay so many LUSTS so many Gods And those that have many Gods have no God This is generally acknowledged for even among the Heathen there was not one learned and wise man but did confess there was a God and that there could not be any more then one God although they gave several names to the divine power in several creatures for the Apprehension of the ignorant and called them Gods yet they knew that God was but one Take therefore that sacred spotless Law open it and look upon it view thy self well and it will shew thee clearly all thy Gods Do but look upon the actions of this very day nay since you came into this place and see if there hath not been matter enough to cause this work of Condemation Besides consider this seriously you are not represented to God as doing of one action but according to the Tenor of your lives thou art not presented to God as thou art dying when thy mouth is full of holy words nor as thou art doing any good action not as thou art sitting in the Church at thy prayers not as thou art hearing a Sermon not as thou art relieving the Poor c. but all thy whole life every minute being always as present with him as if every particular action were now in doing there is no passing of time no succession of time with him so that from hence conâ—lude and resolve it to thy thoughts if ever thou swearest an Oath thou art with him alwayes swearing if ever thou blasphemest thou art ever blaspheming if ever thou toldst a lye thou art with Him alwayes lying if ever thou committedst adultery thou art alwayes doing that act as to him if ever thou brokest Covenant and Promise thou art with him alwayes doing so if ever thou trampledst the bloud of the Conant under thy feet thou art alwayes
doing so and if there was at any time any good in thee know that is none of thine that is his own work and no praise belongs to thee at all Now what sayest thou Davids heart smote him when he had numbred the people so should ours in numbring our sins Nay farther consider that not onely all thy own sins are laid upon thee but all the sins of all the men in the world that ever were are or ever shall be Because thou art of that Body of that Race A member of that sinful body and race proceeding from our first Parents which stained the Race and House in the very root by rebellion and Treason And that all this hath been in doing by thee almost this 6000 years so that when thou wert but six dayes old thou wert a 6000 years sinner when thou wert little above a span long thou wert an Everlasting Transgressor As in the body of Christ All the Members have right and interest in all the excellencies and graces of the whole body the Faith of Abraham the Zeal of Iosiah the Patience of Ioh the Meekness of Moses and adde to that whatever virtue is in the head Christ which is in Heaven They are all thine Thou sharest in all so that we may then say Thou art all fair my Love there is no spot in thee So thou being of that sinful race and body thou hast right and thereby art intitled to all the vilest sins that ever were committed in the world As it was said concerning those that crucified Christ that God might bring on them all the sins that ever were committed from the bloud of the righteous Abel What canst thou now say for thy self O wretched Off-spring of the race of flesh and bloud but that Nebuchadnezzars Oven should be heat seven times hotter will it not be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement then for thee What canst thou say is not Tophet prepared of old and prepared for thee O thou foul and leprous creature The pile and fuel thereof is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone shall kindle it Esay 30. 33. Hast not thou by thy so often sinning Even trod the bloud of the Covenant under thy feet and done despight unto the spirit of grace hast not thou chosen thy sins and lusts before thy Saviour and hast therein cryed out for a Barabbas to escape and concerning Christ hast cryed crucifie him crucifie him What will ye crucifie your King I say you crucifie Him cruciâ—ie Him His Bloud be on us and on our children c. Yet thou condemnest Iudas when thou readest how Villanously he betrayed and sold his dear Meek and precious Master I ask thee Who now hath sold his Master what for 30 pieces nay for the pleasure of one darling sin which will for ever destroy thee And thou condemnest the Devil who sinned but once and was thrown down from his place and thou condemnest Adam who eat but once of the forbidden fruit and was immediately cast out of Paradise and will not that weight of sin that as a TALENT of Lead lies upon thee make thee once groan or complain many aggravations by circumstances might be presented before thee for circumstances alwayes aggravate nay sometimes create the sin Friend What sayest thou to this charge if thou canst say nothing to me then what shall I say to thee Then thus Onely the blood of Jesus Christ purgeth from all sin if thou hast not right and part in that all thy sins lie upon thee And what ever he performs in thee that God accepts and nothing else for be assured what ever prayers what ever sighs what ever groans thou puttest up to him he loaths all but what his Son makes but all His requests are heard and granted I know you can in words have present recourse to that saying That though we are sinners indeed and grievous sinners yet the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin I know that this very word were it spoken by Christ himself is enough indeed to silence Death and Hell and all the powers of darkness and is armour of proof against all Satans fiery darts and it is a most undoubted truth bâ—t then say I it is Christ himself must pronounce this saying to thee The blood of Iesus Christ purgeth thee from all sin If Christ pronounce these words then art thou indeed for ever acquitted but if thou sayest this of thy self to thy self and by thy self thou art not acquitted I know if Christ speak these words it is present death to all sin and unbelief they are the utter destruction to Sin and Sathan but if spoken onely by thy self they do but harden thee in sin they do but give new life to sin Thus much have I spoken to thee that thou mayest come to this first work of Humiliation namely Condemnation of our selves But O my Dear Brethren what are my words if Christ speak not by me he must preach his own truth to thee And this I say except thou first come to this work of Condemnation thou wilt never come to the second which is Annihilation not to any of the rest For every step is one above another These steps are ascending for as Solomon prayed that God would hear the prayers of all those that came and prayed in that house of the Lord and did see the plague of their own heart 2 Chron. 6. for except they saw that their prayer was in vain so say I not that it is in vain to pray but it is vain to trust to faith in vain to trust to Christ it will do no good except you see the plague of your own heart for thou mayest pray long enough and believe in Christ long enough if thou doest not see thy just worthiness of being destroyed if thou doest not see just cause of censuring and condemning thy self to the lowest Hell and that thou seriously confess That hell was not made in vain but that it was justly made And for thee and that it were just and righteous that God should cast thee thither nay not onely so but that you feel your souls in the Bitter agonies of Hell already and that the Torments thereof are seized upon you then there were hope That thy spirit would be saved and delivered Till thou art come to this never tell me of the blood of Christ That it purgeth from all sin but thou art none of them to whom it belongs for thou hast neither part nor portion in this matter If ye suffer with Christ then also shall ye be saved by him and reign with him SERMON VII ROM 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together BEloved I will trust your memories for that which I have delivered before out of these words and come immediately to the second of these six steps which I have
like a swine spake like a swine conversed like a swine and all this because he fed and fared like a swine he lived upon Husks the Letter of the Word without the Spirit and the MARROW And that would suffer them to follow the World To wallow in the pleasures the profits the honours thereof these and the like these he fed upon and these relished with him and nothing else but such like Husks and Excrements and Altogether carnal things was his meat and his delight Will not new food alter all even the whole man Judge therefore Brethren whether we may not call The Letter of this blessed wholsome and Heavenly Book which within it contains the Heavenly Manna and Angels food any other but the Husks To such men Whether it be any thing else to these men but the City of the Letter the Book sealed The Fleshly and bodily exercise which profiteth them nothing It is not yet Debir to them its true they call it the Word of God as the Jews did Oh! the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord so they call it the Word the word I by all means t is The Word of God but you see it is not the Word to them for where is the Nourishment they get from it If they fed upon the Life and Marrow Alas to day How would it Alter their Lives and their Looks and reform their wayes and make them Look like Christians doing the works of Christians But they smooth themselves up with Crying The Temple of the Lord and The Temple of the Lord with a meer outside profession of godliness But the Prophet Tells them there They were deceived For saith he The Temple of the Lord Are these If ye Throughly amend your wayes and your doings If ye throughly exercise Iudgement between man and man c. But will you steal and murder and lye and commit Adultery and swear falsly and burn Incense to Baal and serve other gods and oppress the stranger the fatherless and the widow c. and then come and stand before me in my House which is called by my name and say we are delivered what for To do All these Abominations Is This House which is Called by my Name become A House of Thieves and a Den of Robbers Therefore I charge you in the name of God and as ever ye hope for heaven or think to see Gods face learn yet I know it is not in your power to learn but this I say To shew what you should be and what you must be if ever you enter into the Kingdom of God learn henceforward I say Not to keep this Book in your houses onely and in your heads But to BREAK the body of Christ that you may eat of the True bread saith our Lord This is my body which is BROKEN for you Learn to smite the rock that you may get the pure water of life running from under the Throne of God and the Lamb In the new Ierusalem and not outwardly to touch it onely for that will do thee no more good then if thou hadst Touched the body of Christ when he was upon earth yet many desired to see him and rejoyced to see him and To converse with him and Touch him and so it is now and alwayes hath been in all ages with most Professours in regard of the Letter and Externals of the Word Christs body does us no good except his body be broken and his blood shed for us Neither will the water you draw out of the Letter do you any more good for your souls then that water the woman of Samaria drew out of Iacobs well And He that drinketh of that shall Thirst again But He that drinketh of the Water that Christ giveth He shall never Thirst and It shall be IN HIM An Everlasting Well of water Springing up to Everlasting Life Let us Ministers and All others learn Rightly to divide the word of truth and not take the Outside alone but Outside and Inside together and then you shall find what it is To marry Achsah and to have The Rending of the Vail What it is to have The Upper Springs And the Nether Springs given you as your JOINTURE Let no man for Any thing that I have said think to undervalue the Letter and to trample it underfoot as Excrements and Prophane For though this be The Shell The Outside yet it is the Shell and it is the Outside but this is that I still say There is something within of more price of greater value Thus far prize it In that God hath by this means given us the Kernel In the Shell is the kernel to be found and without the shell ye cannot have the kernel As we can never see LIFE but we must see it in a mortal thing That lives so The Ever blessed Sweet and eternal Truth is in the Letter Hid as life is in Accidents and as fire in a thing fired for True Fire The Element of Fire ye can never see And Truth is as an Oyster in the shell fast shut up which shell must be forced open before you can have the meat And he that doth thus by the letter shall have the meat the vail Rent for him he shall have the priveledge to pry into the secrets of my God and he shall enter into his High and Holy place Now I humbly beseech God Almighty that your eyes may be opened to behold Those Mâ—steries that are Within Paul that blessed High-Flowen self-denied Apostle He being brought to this he not onely confest he saw things unutterable unspeakable so that he was so ravished therewith he knew not whether He was in the body or no but also this was another effect in him of the sight of these things Then sayes he I will henceforth know no man after the flesh Why because that was nothing many glory in the flesh in the letter in that they have seen the body of Christ That they have the Bible in daily use As if he should say away now with all these poor empty things Henceforth I will know no man after the flesh no though I had seen the Lord Christ after the flesh he would now he was come to this condition know nothing after the flesh no more no he went so far as to say that in that case he valued not the very body of Jesus Christ which was a very High and A strange word Men after the flesh And after the Letter judge it no better then blasphemy and would say so but that it s written in the Bible and had many that profess themselves Teachers and knowing men heard Paul say so not knowing him to be as he was they would not have been able To comprehend Pauls reach but All their voices would have gone clear To have burnt him for an Heretick And Christ himself also For many of whose actions were such they would have cryed Away with him Crucâ—â—ie â—im Crucifie Him it s not fit he should
Exod. 14. 9. of the Chariots of new Pharaoh that arose which knew not Ioseph who pursued Israel with Chariots being drowned in the Sea He and all his Chariots And it is said of Solomon that his Chariots were twelve thousand But the greatest number we read of in Scripture is in 1 Chron. 19. 7. were Hanun hired 32000 out of Mesopotamia Syria and Zobah Now I say Chariots were used in two regards As the great men and Princes of the Earth besides that common use for ease they had them either for their state and glory and those were for triumph or else for terror and dreadfulness and those were for warre Some Chariots were drawn with two horses some with 4 some with 6 or else for the more glory they were sometimes drawn with men So also as Chariots were to several ends so they were of divers fashions some were made of wood and some of Iron and some were made with Hooks according to their several uses and Ends for which they were So our great God when he will appear in Triumph or Terror Hath Chariots at command without borrowing buying or hiting c. And these Chariots are in one word HIS CREATURES in which he rides when he pleaseth Either for Glory and Triumph or else Terrour and Battel 1 Triumphant As he is said to be fairer then all Psal. 45. 2. that is there is none like him in mercies and compassions to those he loves Thou art fairer then the children of men therefore Grace is poured into thy lips So he is terrible above all in fury and dreadfulness to those he hates Psa. 66. 5. Come and see the works of the Lord he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men Those are Gods Chariots of Triumph when hâ— rides upon the Cherubims and walks upon the wings of the wind when he is clothed with Majesty and Honour and covereth himself with light as with a garment when he layes the beams of his Chambers in the waters and maketh his spirits Messengers Psal. 104. When he is clothed with Glory and Maâ—esty and cometh forth like a Bridegroom and as the Sun is his Tabernacle Psal. 19. 5. Then we may say O Lord our God how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth who hast set thy glory above the Heavens And as it is here in the 24. vers of this Psalm so we may say They have seen thy goings O God even the goings of my God and my King which art in the Sanctuary The Singers go before and the players of Instruments followed after among them were the dâ—msels playing with Timbrels 2 For Terror Let us see which are Gods Chariots for Terror and War as he is fairer then all so he is terrible above all as I said before as he is the God of peace Rom. 16. 20. so he is the Lord of Hosts Psal. 24. 8. God then rides in his Chariots of Terror when he makes darkness his secret place and at the brightness before him thick clouds passed hail-stones and coals of fire The Lord thundered in Heaven and the Most High gave out his voyce Hail-stones and coals of fire Psal. 18. When he rents the Heavens and comes down and causeth the Mountains to flow down at his presence as when the melting fire burneth to cause the waters to boil to make his name known to his Adversaries that the Nations may tremble at his presence when he doth terrible things which they looked not for Isai. 64. 1 2 3. And as in that Psalm 18. v. 26. With the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure so with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward That is with those that will be at peace with him he will be â—t peace with them and with those that are at war with him he will be at war with them Yet think not that God changeth But so as it is in a Looking glass you know it represents unto you such shapes as is set before it yet all the change is in your selves not in the glass for the glass is alwayes the same in it self If you frown upon it it will frown upon you if you laugh upon it it will laugh upon you if you hug it it will hug you if you strike it it will strike you if you embrace it it will embrace you if you turn your back upon it it will turn its back upon you Just so it is with our righteous God as a man behaves himself toward him so will he shew himself towards him If we forsake him he will forsake us Chr. 15. 2. If we be stubborn toward him he will be stubborn towards us But if we cleave to him he will cleave to us if we embrace him he will hug and embrace us if we run toward him he will run towards us As you know what the Prodigals father did when he was yâ—t afar off but a coming and returning to his father His father ran to meet him and fell on his neck and kissed him And yet for all this God changes not our God is alwayes the same there is no shadow of change in him but the change is in us And he appears so to us because we are changed but in himself he is not nor cannot be changed but is ever the same like Mount Sion which cannot be moved â— But we go onto our Text The Chariots of God Quest. What are these Chariots of God Answ. Look but round about thee and thou shalt see those innumerable Chariots and Angels here spoken of for so many Creatures as thou seest so many Angels and Chariots of God thou seest they are all his Host they are all his Chariots wherein he rides and whether you see it or no Thâ— Lord is among them as in Sinai in his holy place The glory of the Lord fills them all had we but our eyes open to see it so and they are all at his command and there is no creature but doth his pleasure Oh Brethren how glorious and blessed a thing it is to behold and see that look how many Creatures visible and invisible thou seest or conceivest to be For the soul now to look on them as so many fiery Chariots and Horsmen for its defence and preservation and on the other hand how a fearful a thing it is to fall into the hand of the living God who hath all these Angels and Chariots at his command to execute his will and vengeance on those that hatâ— and oppose him Amos 3. 8. when this Lion roareth who can but tremble when God by any Creature roars against a man and threatens terrour to any one for when the Creature roars and threatens or when it comforts and smiles it is God in it I say who is he then that dare comfort And if God speaks peace to a man what Creature dares nay what Creature can terrifie If God be on our side
for present I conclude and commit you all to the Lord and to the word of his Grace Farewell Where Christ FEEDETH AND RESTETH CANT 1. 7. Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the stocks of thy companions In two Sermons preached for Mr. Hodges at the publick meeting place at Highgate in the Forenoon THIS Text may well be called the request of a fair Lady to her dearly beloved Lord it is clear it is so for though she complains of her self in the verse before my Text that she is black the Sun hath looked upon her yet in the verse following my Text he sayes That to him she is the fairest among women and she cannot be so forward in requesting any thing at his hands as he is ready to accommodate her if she desire to have her name written in the palms of his hands he will do more he will set her as a Signet upon his heart as you may perceive in reading over this Book this Lord here spoken of is such a Lord whose judgment when you know him you cannot disallow for it is Christ Jesus the Lord of life and death and this Lady is the Spouse of this Lord viz. the Congregation or the body of this Saints and Servants and wonder not that I call her a fair Lady for though we see it not yet He her Lord says she is all fair and there is no spot in her And I tell you if we would see the beauty of the Church we must not look upon any one particular member for then we can never say she is all fair ye shall see many spots many wrinkles in them but if you look upon the whole Church then she is all Fair that is the compleat body together As any one species the excellency thereof cannot be known by any one Individual as in a horse the best that is though he may excell in one and many things yet he may want something that is excellent in another if he have strength yet he may want comliness if one have comliness he may want swiftness c. but take all together and then you may judge of the species of a horse and so of a man or any other kind it is a vain thing to judge of the perfections of a man by any one mâ—n one is comely of body another is comely in mind if one be diligent another is wise so if you look upon the whole kind of man and the excellencies of all men put together I say look upon him outwardly inwardly then you must needs say he is a glorious Creature a rare workmanpiece So O Lord Christ wherewilt thou shew us where shall we find that beautiful one thou speakest of that is Altogether fair that is Tota pulchraces amica mea if we look upon any one Member but take the religion of one and the charity of another the zeal of another the faith of another the patience of another and go through the whole body and look upon these as a compleat body and then thou mayest say truly Tota pulchraes amica mea c. There is no spot in thee Thou art all fair my Love And if any one man or member shall claim this beauty to himself except it be as he stands in relation to the body he claims a lye for if ye will claim this Perfection ye must look upon The whole body both all below upon Earth and all that are in Heaven all that ever were and all that are and all that ever shall be and adde to them Christ the head of all then we shall confess that as she requests him not to look upon her as black in any one member so he answers her and acknowledgeth that she is all Fair. This Text then is a request of a fair Lady to her dear espoused Lord whom he hath wasâ—t and purified with his own blood I hope be that is the weakest the meanest in religion will not imagine this Sons to be a Dialogue between two carnal Lovers or as Solomon and his wife complementing together if ye consider them so they are but the eâ—crements of flesh and blood and they shall perish with them But whereto then shall I liken these songs of the Canticles They are like those three Tabernâ—cleâ— that the Disciples would have made when Christ was transfigured one for Moses one for Elias and one for Christ. 1 One for Moses and for his Law that is for the legal and civil life 2 The second Tabernacle is like the Book of Ecclesiasâ—es and the Proverbs leading a man above this life when it condemns this civil legal life reprehending whatsoever is in man as man as wisdom strength power and what ever power there is in him to act and to bring any thing to pass 3 But the third Tabernacle may well be called The Holy of Holies and such is this namely this Book of the Canticles Here Christ answers his Spouse familiarly face to face even in the silence of thunder as it is in Psal. 81. 7. there he calls it the silence of thunder and yet what is more â—ud then thunder the meaning is that to that soul to whom God speaks it is as loud to him as thunder but to them that stand by it is silence and secret wispering because they hear not the voyce of Christ. Beloved this Book is a Mystical Divine High-flown Book the things herein contained are not fit for every ear to hear lest the dead Flie as Solomon saith corrupt this precious oyntment Let the flesh abuse it and turn it to fleshly liberty and for this end the Jews would not suffer their children to read this Book lest the wantonness of flesh should make them abuse it but I hope well of you that you are better instructed so that you will not abuse this Scripture to your own destruction as the Apostle saith Charity bids me judge the best I go on propound them as to the immaculate Spouse of her dear Lord. Ye may observe in the words yet rather for memory then order sake four things 1 The first is her Request Tell me she is in a doubt and cannot be satisfied therefore she desires to be taught 2 The Adjuration or the Poise or weight she hangs upon her request it is not slight weak cold or perfunctory but she is violent in her request follows him with strong arguments Oh thou whom my soul loveth she offers violence to the Kingdom of God to say the truth she doth as it were commit a Rape upon the Kingdome of God 3 The Matter of her Request and that is double she would know where he feeds where he rests at noon 4 The Reason of all this why she would be taught where he rests and where he feeds for why should I be as those that
know what a many woes Christ pronounced against the Pharisees for making Religion a colour for their Hyprocrisie and covetousness under pretence of long prayers devouring poor widows and their houses Matt. 23. 14 15 16. where he instances in many other particulars insomuch that by their evil example which was then much looked upon they shut up the Kingdom of heaven against men for they neither go in themselves nor suffer them that are entring to go in This was the case of the Shechemites Gen. 34. you see how desperately the two sons of Iacob Simeon and Levi played the hypocrites pretending Religion to the Shechemites that if they would be circumcised they would marry with them and give their daughters in marriage to them again This was the Cloak but what was their End and Ayme you shall see Verse 23. say they when they are circumcised and not able to stir shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours And so in the 28. Verse They fell upon them and took their sheep their oxen their asses and that which was in the field and all their wealth c. Thus the Devil is transformed into an Angel of light he will be religious to serve his own turn and to accomplish his own ends when men instead of making Godliness great gain which is pretended 2 Tim. 6. 5. they make Gain godliness And that is intended 4. COMMANDMENT Fourthly For the Sabbath Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day six dayes shalt thou labour but the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt do no manner of work c. The covetous man commonly is of Pharoahs Religion Exod. 5. 17. Ye are idle ye are idle therefore ye say Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord They count that day a lost day One day in seven is above seven weeks in a year say they and what loss of time is this And those covetous persons in Amos who were weary of one day in seven Amos 8. 5. When will the new Moon be gone that we may sell corn and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat Many keep their Sabbaths in their Saddles riding up and down for profit and gain about their worldly occasions Nehemiah when he saw how they prophaned the Sabbath how zealous was he the course he took you may see Neh. 13 15 16. If he were alive now and should see what is now done to see how thrust the Lawyers chambers are on this day what would he say But you see all this is the fruit of Covetousness 5. COMMANDMENT The fifth Commandment is Honour Parents by which is meant not onely in brief that we owe them first Reverence Secondly Obedience But thirdly Maintenance also but Covetousness will keep back all these As Levi in a good sense said of his Father and Mother I have not seen him Deut. 32. 9. so it is through Covetousness more often practised in a bad sense as Prov. 28. 24. He that robbeth his father and mother and saith it is no transgression the same is a companion of a destroyer This will Covetousness do and wipe its mouth and say I have done no evil This was the practise of the Pharisees Matth. 15. 4. saith Christ God commandâ— To honour father and mother and he that curseth father or mother shall dye but ye say whosoever shall say to his Father or Mother Corban It is a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me and honour not his father or his mother he shall be free They would give a small gift to the Temple to be excused from a greater duty and further charge Still COVETOUSNES is in all this 6. COMMANDMENT I but you will say though Covetousness be a breach of all the Commandments hitherto yet the covetous man doth not kill and break the sixth Commandment yea Covetousness also is a Blood-sucker and the covetuous man-slayers those that are gold-thirsty are blood-thirsty also especially now in these hard times in hard times those that pinch the poor grinde their faces do as it were such their very lives and blood see Prov. 1. 11. My Son if sinners intice thee consent thou not if they say Come with us let us lay wait for blood let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause let us swallow him up alive and whole as the grave Why do all this We shall finde all precious substance we shall fill our houses with spoil and verse 19. saith he So are the wayes of every one that is greedy of gain for it taketh away the life of the owners thereof Therefore Covetousness and Blood are joyned together Ezek. 22. 13. I have smitten my handâ— at thy dishonest gain and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee I need not instance the case of Ahab and Naboth Ahab taking away his life to get his vineyard nor of Iudas who for gain betrayed Jesus Christ his Lord to death for thirty pieces of silver And if the hands of many covetous persons are not defiled Actually with shedding of blood It is the Law and not Conscience keepeth them clean they have bloody hearts thoâ—gh not bloody hands and to God they are in that regard guilty of blood as if they had shed blood and though mans Law cannot finde them culpable yet Gods Law doth for that forbids the Murther of the wish and of the heart 7. COMMANDMENT But sure he is not guilty of Adultery yea for you know Covetousness was the cause that Tamar suffered Iudah to lie with her Gen. 38. 16. What wilt thou give me to lie with me saith Tamar to Iudah What is the cause of the permission of so many Stews and Brothel-houses in the Popes Territories at Rome and Venice and Dance and other places but Covetousness for Gain they will a give dispensation for any sin And on the other hand how common is it even among us That many refuse Marriage meerly out of Covetousness to avoid the charge of marriage 8. COMMANDEMENT 8. I but He doth not steal yea surely for the world having stollen the heart of a Covetous man from God he himself will make no bones to steal from men and Thieves and Covetous are immediately joyned together in that I Cor. 6. 10. Iudas was a Thief why Iohn 12. 6. This he said not that he cared for the poor but because he was a Thief and had the bag and bare what was put therein You see he was called a Thief because he was covetous Defrauding oppressing over-reaching cozening cheating gaming extortion vsury all of them Worms bred in the dunghill of a covetous heart Nor is it any excuse to say there is as much evil or more in spending it prodigally that excuses not thee at all as the end of evil asking may be to spend it upon their lusts Jam. 4. 3.
claudo because it is kept secret sacrâ—d and shut up because in all Mysteries t is necessary to keep close the mind and not to shew the things which are to be concealed as one saith for as St. Paul saith concerning Circumcision Rom. 2. 28 29. He is not a lew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is that of the flesh but he is a Iew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God So say I of saving knowledge He that sees the Mystery of the Scripture he hath the true knowledge of the Scripture He is not taught of God that knows only the Letter and the Flesh of the Scripture but true understanding is that of the Spirit and not of the Letter and though men may â—ry up and praise literal knowledge yet God onely esteems of inward knowledge the mind and inside of the Scriptures All other knowledge is vain and maketh a man not one hairs breadth the better before God Therefore we may observe also what Ministers the Apostle preferres not the Ministers of the Letter but the Ministers of the New Testament as in that of 2. Cor. 3. 6. Able Ministers not of the Letter but of the Spirit And those also to be true Christians having not the Law onely outwardly in tables of stone but within in the fleshy tables of the heart he having made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life all the knowledge of the history is but as the Law written in Tables of stone which doth us no good but it is onely the Spirit the knowledge of the Mystery And Marrow That giveth life But you will say to me How doth the Letter kill I Answer By resting therein and not seeking for the marrow the food and the life but contenting our selves with the knowledge of the History and outside but because I have at other times unfolded this unto you I shall here pass it by and come to the Spirit and Mystery of our Text in hand So then it resteth This premised being That we may safely conclude even thus much that as our Saviour was typisied by others who went before him he was the Substance of all those Shadows both of persons and things even so Christ Jesus himself he is the resemblance and type of himself his outward temporal and visible actions in the flesh were a type of his inward and internall actions in the souls of all Believers He being their life and Resurrection they being before but dead men in Trespasses and sins untill his actions be their life and Regeneration So likewise as his life was Typical and resembled himself so in regard of his death and crucifying whatever he suffered externally in the flesh it shews how he is internally crucifyed daily even to the end of the world Heb. 6. 6. Seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God a fresh and put him to an open shame So likewise for all his other actions and passages related of him as his Nativity it held out our spiritual birth and Christ his being born in the soul as the Apostle expresseth it Gal. 4. 19. My beloved of whom I travel in birth till Christ be formed or brought forth in you So also in his Circumcision is held forth our Spiritual Circumcision as in that of Col. 2 11. Ye are compleat in him in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ c. So also for holiness of life Christs holiness shew us what holiness shall be in them that are his children and people Mat. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in Heaven So also for his outward Teaching it represents to us that all His people should be taught of God he himself would be the true Teacher in us as Isa. 54. 13. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children And Jer. 31. 34. And they shall no more teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest saith the Lord. And Christ himself cites these places Iohn 6. 45. It is written in the Prophets And they shall all be taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the father cometh unto me So also in Christs Miracles as in opening the eyes of the blind it shews that Christ himself must open our eyes or else we remaine stark blind yea as those born blind And never any man but he was known to open the eyes of any born blind David saith Psal. 13. 3. Lighten thou mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death And Psal. 18. 28. For thou wilt light my Candle The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness So also in opening the ears of the deaf it is he alone can say to our ears Ephathah be ye opened it is so So also for his restoring of limbs causing those that are Cripples from their Mothers womb to leap like an Hart and to run his wayes with delight The like also for his raising the dead and feeding the Multitudes And what shall I say more you may apply them more to your selves The time would fail me to undertake to speak of all his actions So also of his Resurrection If ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above Col. 3. 2. And so of his Ascension and all other his Actions and Miracles to see all these things held forth and typiâ—ied in the Person Actions and Miracles of our Saviour These are all Saving actions wrought in us and we thereby partake of the excellency and vertue thereof The other though wrought for us yet if we are not quickned vivified and put into act by these we receive no benefit by them An outward dead faith to believe onely in an external Christ is no better then a faith of Devils This is that Christ whose day Abraham saw and rejoced in Joh. 8. 56. and not in regard of the other onely viz. Prophetically but this chiefly This is that Christ and him crucified whom St. Paul desire onely to know 1 Cor. 2. 2. in regard of which Christ in him working acting and expressing his own life himself in him he slighted the external knowledge of Christ according to the flesh 1 Cor. 5. 16. Wherefore henceforth know no wan after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth know we him no more Now then as all the other actions and passions of Christ were not onely meritorious in themselves
such mighty miracles should be done daily and we not see them Truly the fault is in our selves not that Miracles are ceased but our eyes are blinded and we cannot see them and therefore it is we say There is no miracles now adays Miracles are ceased you are deceived for there wants not either power or willingness in God to shew thee as great miracles as he shewed them and he is as willing to shew his face to thee as to Moses and the Patriarchs but thou wantest that measure of faith that they had to see him thou art so deep set in the earth and so buried in unbelief that he can do no mighty works in thee as it is said concerning our Saviours working miracles in his own Countrey Matth. 13. 58. The next thing is the Vision it self And the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush and the bush burned and was not consumed and Moses said I will turn aside and see this great sight why the bush is not burnt and when he turned aside to see God called unto him and said Moses Moses and he said Here am I and he said Draw not nigh hither but put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place where thou standest is holy ground c. Here is now a large field before us Here is a vast Sea before us and like the river and holy waters in Ezekiel at the entrance into the Sanctuary which though at first it took a man but to the ancles and then to the knees yet at length it became a vast Sea to swallow up all those whose vessels are large enough may now lanch out into the deep But first Put off your shoes from off your feet before ever you adventure into this holy ground that is put off all self-conceit of your own understanding all conceit of your own knowledge or of your own abilities to discover those depths that are hid in these words The ground you are now going to set your feet on is marvellous holy ground it is not for every unclean beast to touch this mountain it is onely a Moses may or can ascend this mountain if you bring with you the judgment of flesh and blood or your own abilities to search these mysteries and to judge of these things I must tell you Other men shall see miracles but you shall see none Paul shall see the vision when they that are with him shall not see it Strip your selves therefore of all manner of conceits and confess you know nothing and give up your selves to be taught of God neither regarding me that speak to you nor your own abilities to judge of these things cast away all things of that nature for you have to do with God not man if you see no Miracles I believe you may blame your selves and your too great wisdom for now adays men are too wise to learn any thing And I for my labour look for no other recompence from such wise men but that they shall turn again and all to rent me But in the entrance into this 2. Verse here is one thing which I before touched at and that is why it is said the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses and in the verses following it is said to be the Lord God that called to Moses how can it be God and yet an Angel I finde not one Interpreter unfold this Mystery but either slides or slubbers over this thing wherein indeed there is such a depth of truth included as is able to make the man of God perfect and wise unto salvation and to build him up in all good works And to that end know That every Creature is an Angel of Gods being considered as Angel or Messenger for so the word imports it is a name not of nature but of office and every creature is sent of an Errand they all come out from him and when they have done their errand they return to him again And the sole business every creature comes about and is sent for into the world is to glorifie and magnifie God I say the whole work the business all creatures have to do is onely to magnifie and praise our great God after it hath done its errand and sung an Hymn to God Almighty then it departs and returns to him again For All creatures do sing his praise in whatever they do if not the praise of his goodness yet as much to his praise the glory of his justice the most senseless creature that is is a Messenger from God An Angel of his sending the winds the sea the flames of fire the earth the air the lions and all beasts and what creature you can name they are all his Angels and do his pleasure Balaams Ass was made an Angel to him when his eyes were opened But Because I say these are Angels I would not have you presently conceive that there are no other Angels above us not so but what they are we know not they are such as God Almighty hath appointed them to be and because we cannot know what they are let us not say there are none for they being in a sphear above us we are ignorant of them ignorant of their Nature and cannot Comprehend it As bruit beasts they are in a sphear below us and although they have not Reason in that degree that man hath yet they have some reason yet man is called the Reasonable creature though even beasts have something like man yet because he is so many degrees above these creatures he is denominated The reasonable creature as if nothing had any reason but him but it is otherwise Now these creatures are not able to understand though they have some reason the life and happiness of a man because they are so much below man So neither can man created in a sphear so far below Angels know the life happiness being and nature of Angels though something they may know yet far short of what they are But every creature hath his happiness in his own sphear a fool he is called a fool not because he hath no reason in him but because he is so far short of that understanding that is in other men There is reason in a kinde in all the creature in beasts and trees c. their life doth express reason though themselves understand not their own reason for they grow and increase and therein they express reason for God doth not in any creature work unreasonably but Man being made as it were The Master of Reason he is led altogether by reason as he is a man and what is above that he is not able to judge of because he never knew no life above it no happiness above it And therefore man if he go about to define those Angels that are nearer to God then himself he must make use of that which is within the compass of his own sphere therefore he would fain define them by
6. Did he heal the sick and diseased give light to the blind open the ears of the deaf untie the tongues of the dumb feed the hungry preach teach to pray sigh and groan and weep reprove with Authority Was he hungry and thirsty and went up and down doing good Was He Arraigned and condemned under Pontius Pilate did he dye rise again ascend into Heaven and sit at the right hand of his Father All these are true So let us in all these mind that these mighty works be done in our souls that they be cured from the putrified sores of sin and lusts Isa. 1. 6. and from our spiritual leprosie and cry Open thou O Lord mine eyes that I sleep not the sleep of death Psal. 13. 3. We should labour and pray that our understandings may be enlightned that we may have The seeing eye and Hearing ear to confess and praise him with our tongues that they may speak the language of Canaan and say Open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise And that we should hunger after righteousness and be watchful in prayer sigh and groan and weep for sins committed against God Mine eyes gush out with tears Psa. 119. O that my head was a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night c. Jer. 9. 1. Reprove and rebuke and loath our selves as Iob I do abhor my self Job 42. 6. Do good especially to those of the houshold of faith Condemn and accuse and judge our selves I called mine own ways to account saith David I dye daily saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. Christ rose again Arise and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Eph. 4. And so we should rise again to newness of life If ye be risen with Christ seek the things that are above Col. 3. 1. He ascended and so do we when our conversation is in Heaven He sits at the right hand of his Father All power is given unto me Mat. 28. 18. Now I live saith the Apostle yet not I but Christ in me And Jesus Christ cast out Devils too and so must we cast out spirtiual wickedness in high places All these are the works of Christ in us and happy are we if we can truly say This day are these Scriptures fulfilled in us But must our Saviour cast out Devils in us what in me If an Angel should tell me so I cannot believe it and I would ask with the Virgin Mary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How can this thing be Luk. 1. 34. If our Saviour himself should tell me 't is and must be so and except I cast the Devils out of thee thou canst not be saved I should ask him as Nicodemus did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How can it be Ioh. 3. 4 For where is there any Devils in me to be cast out Just so Peter said to our Saviour Ioh. 13. 8. Thou shalt never waâ—h my feet but certainly as our Saviour then told Peter Except I waâ—h thee thou hast no part in me So in this case except he cast out the Devils they are in us still for Beelzebub will not cast out Beelzebub But it may be Here you wil say to me as the Jews said to Christ Iohn 7. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certainly thou hâ—st a Devil To tell us such strange things To make us believe that we are Possest For this purpose it will be necessary to see what the Devil is for that which is here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An unclean spirit in Luk. 4. 33. is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The Spirit of an unclean Devil Devils for substance are Angels for quality Evil ones or Angels of darkness A man is in substance a man though Evil and his Evilness of quality doth not make him lame or blind or deformed There are secondly many good Angels as our Saviour testifies More then twelve Legions of Angels Mat. 26. 33. And there are many bad Angels My Name is Legion for we are many Mark 5. 9. Whereas 't is said of both of them that they are spirits 't is true it taken comparatively not positively or simply for this word spirit hath divers Acceptions in Scriptuâ—e As 1. Spirit is taken for the Air Ve-ruach The Spirit of the Lord rested upon the waters Gen 1. 2. 2. 'T is taken for the Wind Ve-ruach The East wind brought in the Locusts Exod. 10. 13. 3. 'T is taken for the spirit of life All flesh died in which was Ruach the spirit of life Gen. 6. 17. 4. For the immortal part of man Ve-ruach The spirit of man returns to God that gave it Eccl. 12. 7. 5. For the purpose and mind of man Kol-rucho A fool opens and speaks all his mind or spirit Prov. 25. 11. 6. For the influences of the spirit As I will take of the spirit that is in thee and put it on them Num. 11. 17. 1. So then Devils are Angels yet different from good Angels Yet not in substance power strength agility or the like but in that one accident of Evil Therefore they are called Evil Angels Psal. 78. 49. And Angels that sinned 2 Pet. 2. 4. And The Devils Angels Mat. 25. 41. and Angels of Darkness Good and evil Angels differ not then in substance but in quality 2. The Devils are spirits who maketh his Angels spirits Heb. 1. 7. And so in the words of my Text The Unclean Spirit But yet they are spirits comparatively or respectively not simply or positively for so onely God is a Spirit it is his peculiar Title Iohn 4. 24. And as God is a Spirit so he is called the Father of spirits Heb. 12. 9. 3. They are Bodies But not Natural or Terrestrial but Spiritual and Celestial 1 Cor. 15. 40 44. Non ut nos yet have not bodies as we have So speaks the Nycene Synod Corpora multo tenuiora quam natura But much more subtile bodies have they then we not so gross and heavy as ours are but more Aerial and sublime so speak the Greek and Latine Father for God is Onely Incorporeal Yet know this That their Corporiety or Materiality hinders not the being of many in one place As a whole Legion in one person Mark 5. 9. and seven Devils were cast out of Mary Magdalen for the Penetration of bodies spiritual is not As of bodies Terrestrial For As the light of many Candles through One hole they are to our senses confounded yet in themselves distinct like the lightning from East to West Luk. 17. 24. And as all the Sun-beams make but one JUBAR till received by several subjects so is it with spiritual bodies 5. That every Devil is As the Star of His ORB as concentring of light to our sight is of things near or far off Ibi est ubi operatur There
we see what A Great work it is To bring the soul out of Egypt spiritually and which is woâ—st of all That we with the Israelites after the Lord hath thus gloriously and triumphantly bâ—ought us forth that we should have so much as a look toward Egypt again or any inclination to be under Pharahs bondage again which desires of ours will certainly bring us nothing but sorrow and vexation we shall not get so soon to Canaan as otherwise we might but the Lord will exercise and sit us forty years in the wilderness Oh! the difficulty of the New-birth Oh! The Throwes Here is iron labour women if ye talk of iron labour and many times Throws to no purpose the child sticks somewhere in the birth and there is no strength to bring forth Here needs a skilful Midwife indeed a faithful practical Physician one that hath the Practick part as well as the Theorick or else the childe may miscarry But here is our comfort the work is in the hand of the Lord and this childe being designed for life shall 〈◊〉 miscarry though the birth be the worst of â—â—â—ths And as cross as cross may be Oh WONDER wonder That ever childeâ—hould â—hould be saved This simile the Apostle â—imself uses to the Galatians My beloved of whom I travel in birth till Christ be formed in you And Christ being once born in the soul then he grows and by degrees comes to perfection as it is said of him Luke 2. 52. And Iesus increased in wisdom and stature and favour with God and man then he begins to work all those miracles in our souls that he did in the flesh cures the blind casts out Devils blind and dumb so that we could not hear nor see nor believe our selves to be in this miserable condition we cannot See our selves in Egypt in bonds in slavery or if we see yet we are dumb we are not able to open our mouches to express our misery fain we would express what we feel but cannot utter it Therefore you shall find our Lord in one place mingling clay and spittle to anoint the eyes Iohn 9. 6. in another place opening the eyes of a poor blind man that cryed after him so that he would take no nay Iesus thou son of David have mercy on me Mark 10. 47. in another place Raising the dead in another place causing the poor lame Cripple to walk and dance and all sounding out his praise through all the Regions before they could not speak and now they cannot hold their peace but must proclaim what great things the Lord had done for them Out of Mary Magdalen he cast seven Devils and then she sate attentively at Christs feet to hear his words O Beloved Such words from such an experimental Teacher from such a faithful High-Priest who knows our condition as they are powerful so to an experimental soul they are as sweet as honey and more desired then Gold yea then much fine Gold His words were so sutable so aptly spoken to what she experimentally found in her own soul No marvel Mary sate so contented and quietly at Christs feet while Martha was troubled about many things and minded not so much her inward condition And though I have a little digrest yet I hope it is for yours and my good I could not but follow my thoughts and express them to you which came in of a sudden and beyond my premeditation Beloved seeing we are so full of these unclean spirits t is but necessary they should be cast out and that will be effected when our Saviour shall be pleased to cast them out and to do to us as he did here in the Text Rebuke him in us and bid him hold his peace and Come out of us for he hath the Onely power and strength to do it Therefore this Text may betermed a New And a true Divine EXORCISM let not the word offend you for Satanis here Conjured by Jesus Christ and commanded forth here needs none of the Papists fooleries no holy Water no Copes Vestments Adjurations Crucifixes Relicks Lights Candles nor any mumbling Mass-Priests nor Christned Bells Nay no use of ordinances nor all your duties can do it simply no t is Virtus the Power and Word of Christ that onely expels Sin and these foul spirits out of the soul not but that we should use the word of God and pray often to him that he would be pleased to exercise his power over these great and potent enemies And when he will please to work A short work hâ— will make of it when he pleaset to begin nothing shall stand up in his way and blessed shall we be when the Lord himself shall effect it for us for he doth it with two words here in the Text 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hold thy peace Come forth And therefore let us pray unto him and say Lord speak thou the word onely and thy servant shall be healed And Genesis 1. it was no more but one word Let there be light and Let there be a firmament c. and it was so and such is the power of God in the soul when ever he will arise and till then where is your power And note this also further that as our Saviour speaks by way of Authority and Rebuke unto Satan Come out of him So in this particular Satan counterfeits them in himself who will in all things turn himself into an Angel of light for he will sometimes in men silence himself and Rebuke himself and seem to help to destroy his own Kingdom but he doth it as Augustus Caesar once said of Rome Inveni lateritiam relinquam marmoream that is I found it built of mud and bricks but I will leave it of the hardest marble He seems to be cast out in one sin But he doth but change shapes to root himself the surer in another Shape he many times makes a Retreat but he doth it to take breath as I may so say to Rally up his forces for a stronger encounter And when the unclean spirit returns he enters with seven other spirits worse then himself So it is in many men Even by Beelzebub they cast out Devils as when outward respects and the fear of shame onely keeps them from some sins and exorbitances As many who love the upper end of the tables and the uppermost rooms at feasts Mat. 23. 6. but yet abstain some to avoid the cost others for fear of censure so divers do refrain from lust because they are afraid to lose their reputation and credit so many forbear to do actions of violence as Murther c. but t is for fear of the Law so also many forbear to be drunk because none but base people use it so many resrain themselves from committing whoredom for fear they should get noisome and infectious diseases so many turn religious and use constancy in duties of Religion publique and
glorious and beautiful yet Christ is crucified and Self is alive and set in the Throne As David saith Up Lord why sleepest thou Avenge us on our adversaries God is asleep in men till this work be brought about in them and again Arise O Lord exalt thy self above the Heathen Till thou Till thy self be brought down the Heathen are exalted and Jesus Christ is trampled down as the heathen in old time typically got the upper hand and took possession of the Land and the fair houses of God and banished and carried captive the people of God kept them under made them tributary and overrun the Land Even so are those very things accomplished in us when lust and sin commands and bear rule and over-run the soul like locusts which are the very locusts of the bottomless pit Which also are ANTICHRIST and they keep him under and daily crucifie him that is crucifie his life in us And these are those enemies we continually ought to make war with and hate and pray against these are that Meroz that we ought to curse bitterly as the Angel commands and not men nor any thing which God hath made for all creatures As they are made by God are good very good but the seed of the Serpent we must war with and persecute Even to the very death and nothing else These things Brethren we ought still to find in our own experience Not onely to hear and read the history of them as done in and by others but to see and feel how they are really accomplished in our selves for except we see This fighting and resisting accomplished in us except we have found the strong man bound in us and felt those fightings and resistings that he makes till he be bound and overcome we are yet in our sins Strangers possess the Land and the Temple of God lies waste and the enemies of God roar in the midst of the Congregations and they set up their Ensigns for signs and break down the carved work with axes and hammers Could we but see all these things in our selves then we might be sure that Light was approching to us And if This Light were but set upon a candlestick then it would give light round the house and we should discover these things more and more but till then the lights is hid under a bed or under a bushel as our Saviour saith And if we have not found these things in our selves we have not been so much as in the way to union with Jesus Christ but having found it we have cause infinitely to rejoyce for then Those Masters and Lords that formerly commanded thee now thou shalt command them and they shall obey then thou shalt find that he hath in thee broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in sunder Psal. 107. 16. thou through him shalt have power now to rectifie thy understanding thy will thy affections to rule and govern them As a King because Christ is exalted as King in thy soul then thou shalt be taught of God and shalt receive An unction from that holy one and thou shalt know all things In our selves indeed and in our own strength we can do nothing but by the power of Christ and by his strength in us we shall be More then Conquerours and we shall find these words true to our selves that our Saviour here saith All power is given to me in heaven and in earth you shall feel it true in your selves for you being united and made one with him you shall so derive his power to your selves that you may say All power is given to me in heaven and earth then you shall come to see such things as never eye saw nor ear heard nor ever entred into the heart of man things unutterable For till this comes to pass within you you shall never see the new heavens and the new earth so often promised in the Scriptures not till then shall we ever see the day that old things shall pass away and all things shall become new as it is exprest Rev. 21. 4. Then is the day come that God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes And thou shalt heare Christ himself in thee proclaiming Behold I make all things new Then shalt thou have power over the earth then also art thou that blessed Meek one spoken of Mat. 5. That shalt inherit the earth then shalt thou have power to meet thy Saviour Prepared And adorned as a bride to meet the bridgroom at his coming then indeed shall all those spiritual promises be fulfilled and accomplished in thee And all this by being risen again and united to thy Bridegroom Jesus Christ. And the way to this life is by being dead to the world and dead to the flesh the world being crucified to us and we to the world I le tell thee such a pass thou art now come to that as thou stinkest to the world so the world stinks to thee As all things are ready to forsake thee so thou art as ready to forsake them so that thou beginnest to see no excellency in any thing the world presents to thee no not in PROPRIETY which the whole world yea generally al esteem so highly of and are of all things lothest to forgo I say to this man even propriety begins to dye to him and he to it It departs from us and we depart from the love of propriety or with affection laying claim to any thing in the world but having it as having it not as 1 Cor. 7. That both they that have wives be as though they had none and they that weep as though they wept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not and they that use this world as not abusing it for all the fashion of this world passeth away This man is an a man dead and clean cast out of sight as David saith clean out of mind he is as a bubble that no body sets by but yet be contented hâ—ppy yea thrice happy are those men that are come to this to be dead men You know dead men are not affected with any thing dead men lay no claim to any thing dead men cannot so much as say This is I they esteem not of themselves they boast not of themselves praise and dispraise is all one to them they can let men do what they will with them they are all at one pass they claim no interest no propriety in any thing let them be merry while he lies by or let them be sad all is one to him let them be sharers of his goods One will have one part and another another part let them make merry and spend lavishly of His goods He is not moved why The reason is because he hath lost all his SENCES in this world his life is gone he is a dead man Beloved This was the condition
pious and precious proverb All things must be comprehended and keep Sabbath there must be no going up no running out nor no work done Seeing God desires not Our works but Our Sabbath and that himself in us Free and None Hindring him a MASTER and a GOD may Work Know Love Praise Pray Hear Crown and Reward HIMSELF in us Beloved without all doubt this is the ONE and Onely thing that pleaseth him And he commands All Flesh that in Divine matters it never Stir it self or desire any thing And therefore it is that I in this Book have Robbed man of all and Rejected him with all his Best Ware and most Precious Riches that he had in Divine businesses viz. Of all his Will Knowledge Wisdom Goodness All these must we Unlearn from all these must we Fast and keep Holy-day as from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil from whence Death is eaten And therefore there is in Heaven meer Peace Gladness Felicity as where there are Eternal Sabbaths and no Will but Gods Will Light Knowledge Art Wisdom in all his Saints whereby he doth Illustrate and Enlighten them And Christians do pray in the Lords Prayer that the same thing may be upon earth and that the will of God may be there done as it is in Heaven where no man Doth Wills Knows Speakes any thing but God who will have and in Christ hath Appointed this Sabbath also upon Earth This God grant unto us all Amen A most clear Glass and lovely Example of our Lord Iesus Christ which as he practised in himself so he propounded unto us to be followed and it may serve for an EPILOGUE or Perclose of this Book out of the 106 page of Iohn Taulerus his Works printed at Colen in Folio 1548. VVHosoever desireth to order his life according to the most Acceptable will of God and to be Partaker of his grace without any impediment ought warily to look into this Instruction following of the life of Christ which containeth all good things and to express it in his life and conversation Therefore every good and religious Christian ought in all things and above all things aâ—d at all times with all the strength of his soul in all his thoughts words and works purely to love and intend for God who is the eternal happiness and blessedness of all men as his own Portion which that he may the better do he shall most strictly observe himself within and in silence hearâ— what the Lord saith within him and avoiding all Imployments and Multiplicity he shall rest with God in unity He shall Shut up all his Senses in quietness Continually Praying and Calling upon God His eye being Fixt on him in all his actions He shall enjoy His Presence in every place time and thing He shall be A perpetual inhabitant of himself and shall Especially love Truth of heart and peace of conscience He shall be milde and Humble in heart as well as in word and be Divine and God-like in his life and conversation Taking Patiently All things at the hand of God He shall Praise Thank Honour and intend him in all his works He shall be always Endued with a certain humble Abnegation ordering of himself to what God wils shall submit himself not only to God but to All creatures avoiding those hateful vices Pride Envy Wrath and Arrogancy Moreover perpetually considering and marking the Goodness and Perfection of God He shall wonder and be astonished at the great love and faithfulness of God toward him and contrariwise at his own Unthankfulness and Infidelity judging himself from his heart The Least and Unworthiest of all men He shall more diligently take heed of his own Sense Estimation and of all the wickedness of his nature neither shall he think More of Himself then he hath from or of Himself which is indeed Nothing He shall alwayes take in hand a certain New life and exercise himself in New virtue and in New Truth He shall be Sober and Sparing in words but Plentiful in Holiness of life and shall desire to be Left and Despised of all men as men He shall much weigh Small sins and shall think The least defect not light He shall take so great care of Himself that he be never frustrated of the presence of God in his soul and that other men may be by him provoked to better things he shall do all his works in the most Perfect manner and shall Satisfie those things which he comprehends in his understanding He shall by his good will do nothing in this life to repent of hereafter He shall have In daily Adversity either within him or without him perpetual patience and in continual Multiplicity A Recollected mind he shall not 〈◊〉 either to Have or to Will any thing Proper in this world but be ready to distribute to others wants nor to have any Election oâ— Choise in things but receive thankfully The goodwill of His Father in every thing He shall admit nothing within himself but God continually He shall diligently Eschew and withdraw himself from all men as men and shall preserve himself Naked and Free from all Inwardly-received Images and his soul Untangled from all Accidents whatsoever that he may continually receive The Influence of His Heavenly Father into his soul. He shall often behold and Exercise himself in the Most worthy Life and Example of our Lord Jesus Christ As in a glass considering well How like or unlike He is unto Him and He shall in himself give an Ensample and Testimony to all men Of A Better life then This He shall be True in all his words Religious and Mature in His conversation He shall contemplate His beginning and Original From whence He and All things flowed forth and shall Strive with all diligence To return into the same again Finally tending diligently What He is whether He Ought what He Doth and for What cause he doth every thing and shall most constantly persevere in virtue and truth even unto Death And all this not by any power of his own but by Christ He alone Working all these things in him and not Himself nor Any His own Industry or Acquiring Another short Instruction taken from the same place in Iohn Taulerus his works pa. 107. VVE shall most certainly Attain The Various and Numerous exercises of this Book yea whatsoever can be written of a Perfect and Divine-like Life viz. by this means if we withdraw our selves from the love of all frail and mortal things if we study to attain an humble Resignation and inward Nakedness and embrace Onely God by faith and love in the bosom of our souls and hide our selves wholly with our Souls Spirit Body Heart and Senses in his Most Holy Humanity and labour by a certain lively imitation to become comformable thereunto and Finally by His life and merits Inhere and cleave continually and perpetually to his Divinity Whoâ—oever is enabled by Jesus Christ to do These things doth doubtless Obtain all
type of this spiritual Pharaoh You see how discouraged he was but to come into his presence but to ask to let the people go to serve the Lord and much more to bring the thing to pass he went for No mâ—rvel if an Embassador for Christ be in this regard discouraged for All the Powers of darkness are before him Christians look on your enemies they have Cities walled up to heaven You have the tower of Babel to climb the soul to be Rescued and brought out of the claws of all the Devils in hell But this is your comfort Christ doth this for you but it must be done in you What 's thy name LEGION If all the whole earth were gathered into one Body into one Army All the Engines and Politick Engineers for war and all the Artillery thereof this were a potent mighty almost inconceiveable strength yet this is Nothing to these Legions One of which One Sin is able to destroy the soul for ever which is of more value then all the world yet all this power cannot destroy one soul whom Jesus Christ hath purchased Then what shall they soul do that hath Legions of these as thick in thy understanding will affections as Motes in the Sun as Devils in the air as thick as words as actions â—y as thoughts For where this strong man keeps the house Mat. 12. 29. all he doth speaks thinks all is sin and he lies close and safe in his trenches and strong holds he thinks himself invincible unconquerable And indeed so long as Men do but take up Arms against him Or use never so many ordinances or duties which they force themselves unto he laughs at the shaking of your spears Job 41. 29. And the neighing of your horses and all the strength you can make of your selves though you call in all the parties you have from all quarters in the soul Yet he is quiet as t is said David was or as a Christian ought to be in his God he can lie down and sleep in the midst of his enemies because God is his strong hold his Castle of defence So sure and safe is Satan in his conceit in the soul where he hath kept long possession foâ— he hath all the men in the world the whole Arm of Fesh he glories in his Offensive and Defensive weapons And indeed till the Lord Jesus begins To rouse up himself That King of Kings and Lord of lords that Mighty Lion of the Tribe of Iudah Aâ—ise in us and dress himself in his Glittering Armour as David speaketh he fears nothing for as I said before he is so strong that indeed he thinks himself too strong for Christ for so long as Christ suffers himself to be Overmastered by our sins and strong lusts he seemes Too weak for him And he insults over him as a Turk over his poor Gally-slave as I may so say or as if you will some cruel Marshal over his prisoners though the Kings best subjects he lays them at his pleasure Neck and Heels he casteth them into noisom dungeons where is nothing but Satans excrements and the filthy spuings of our lusts and These also he sets as Centinels that they stir not whilst he himself jets up and down in pride saith I le bring down the oroudest of you all What know you not me I have his Majesties Commissino for what I do So also This is that Spiritual and true Nebuchadnezar that jets up and down in his own pride Saying Is not this great Babel that I have built for the honour of my majesty and for the glory of my Kingdom Dan. 4. 30. This Devil in us he looks on himself as a Peacock and saith VVhat a goodly Christian am I what a height I have gotten what large knowledge have I obtained I think there is no point in Divinity but I am able to speak to it what doth no body take notice of me and so Arrogates the doing of all good to himself and All Evil as none of his Ah where is the man that can say I find all these things truly and really in my self this were a certain forerunner of the Sun Arising Of the day Break and of the day-stars arising in Our hearts Now will the Lord Christ arise triumphantly in thy soul and make All these beasts of the forrest to tremble Now as it is exprest in Rev. 6. 2. He will ride on conquering and to conquer as David saith Gird on thy sword upon thy thigh O thou most mighty with thy glory and thy majesty Ride on prosperously thine arrows shall pierce deep into the heart of all Our and the Kings enemies now though Satan in us muster up All his forces as now most certainly he will Yet he shall fall from heaven like lightning that which he hath Enjoyed as his heaven had the command of our souls where he hath ruled as Lord and King but yet as a Tyrant though we saw it not but were willing servants as to our Leige-Lord and natural King and were at the command of every servant and lust more then ever the Israelites were under the External Pharaoh under him we made bricks did all servile work our wages was but hard fare and tripes Oh! was not this an Egyptian blindness and darkness a darkness that may be felt but Israel when they most felt their slavery and groaned were nearest deliverance from under Pharaoh we are alwayes in darkness and slavery but when we begin to feel our spiritual darkness when we begin to feel the plagues of Egypt upon us Our water turned into blood and the frogs crawl and cover over all the Land when we are sensible of the murrain the boils and blains and the Plague and Carbuncles in our flesh the hail and the locusts Even the LOCUSTS of the bottomless pit which come all out of the mouth of the Dragon and from Belzebub Prince of the Devils then we shall see the death of our first-born our dearest right hand and right eye sins then we shall feel in our selves that this conquering King begins to carry captivity captive then shall Pharaoh with all his Host be overwhelmed in the midst of the sea Then the soul shall sing the song of Moses Exod. 15. The Lord is my strength and song he is become my salvation the Lord is a man of war the Lord of hosts is his name Pharaohs Chariots and his Host are drowned in the sea the depths have covered them they sank to the bottom as a stone as lead in the mighty waters thy right hand alone is become glorious in power thy right hand O Lorp hath dashed in pieces the enemies and David throughout his Psalms is full of these expressions all tending to empty the creature of all good and all power and to ascribe all to the Lord neither had the Israelites any good success any further then the Lord went with them and did their workes for them Here