He that in his natural state walks in full riot sinning boldly in contempt of God and Piety if God shall yet bring this Man under Conviction by strong hand his Call is usually in great terror and this usually puts him upon a more legal and superstitious way of Worship and not seldom more out of a servile fear of punishment than a true love of God or Good so as the old root of Concupiscence is not pluckt up but brought under by fear of Wrath and therefore as formerly he found that by contempt of God and Duties Wrath was exasperated So now by a more servile Fear and rigid Obedience he seeks to procure Peace and therefore is superstitious in all things rigid toward others and ready to persecute all not of his own length and measure Now if this Man be called to this War he contends stubbornly accounts free Grace a meer Harlot as Judah did Tamar believing there is no way to redintegrate what former contempt wounded but by an over-acted Zeal which might countervail it and thence as one strong hold fails him he raises another and makes every one a false Christ and runs after every one that saith Lo here or Lo there he is and often perisheth in the way But if through Mercy he escape this Snare yet is he very liable to the second temptation for now perceiving the large Arms and free Heart of Grace he for a while like Seed sown in stony ground rejoyceth in it blesseth God as large in bounty but withal hasting to the other extream despiseth his former folly in trusting to Duties counts them foolish and smiling at his former zeal therein applauds his own Wisdom in discerning their nakedness and setting him at freedom from a needless Yoke And now his servile Fear being removed the Roots of his former licentiousness not as we said before extirpated but only lopt and kept under by fear of punishment sprout forth to the great abuse of the Heavenly Gift unto wantonness Yet ought not this to discourage any Man from repenting of his evil ways for the Lord delighteth not in the death of a Sinner as it is written Ezek. 18.21 If the wicked turn from all his sins and keep my Statutes and do what is lawful and right he shall thereby live and not die all his transgressions he hath committed they shall not be mentioned to him in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live But yet upon the whole it is good to be forewarn'd and watchful over such Temptations as are most incident to that manner of sowing he hath sowed And therefore I say it behoveth all Men to remember their Creator in the days of their Youth before the evil days come and Years draw nigh when God shall say I have no pleasure in them for because when I called they refused and set at nought all my Counsel I will laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh Therefore I say when God calls delay not say not in thy heart I have yet time enough to repent and turn to the Lord for few if any so hoping have found the way of Godly Sorrow but if thou hast lost some time in riot and prophaneness and at length a strong hand forceth thee to repentance let it be sincere and hearty not for fear of punishment but for love of him that called thee and his Christ that died for thee and tho thou lay thy Foundation in legal Fear yet mayest thou by Prayer Faith Experience and Patience convert it into reverential Love Which endeavour for legal Fear is often servile and servile Fear is an hypocritical bridling Sin for base ends and as soon as Grace stops the cries of Guilt it slacks the Reins and Lust takes its career but Love digs up the Root of whatsoever thing is hateful to its Beloved and is most pleasing to God and Man Fear I say of the sin-revenging God may as with an Anvil and Hammer break a flinty heart in pieces but every piece is still Flint but Love like Oil shall make it supple and plaint and the more as Grace and forgiveness of Sin manifest themselves it loves and becomes more obedient But if yet thou hast not obtained Love yet do not hope to expiate thy former evil life with any Righteousness of thy own and above all esteem not the persecuting or reproaching a Brother any kind of Merit but if he hath offended thee forgive him as thou desirest God should forgive thee And again while legal Duties bear a high rate in thine Eyes yet still let what is thy own Act be of mean account Know God will try it and it will be found light in his Ballance and so being humble in thy own eyes walking in consumption of the Arm of Flesh in love with thy Brethren and watching for the day of thy Tryal thou shalt find favour and God shall deliver thee in six Evils and the thus Hast thou bin formerly licentiously wicked and now art a Convert If thou dost hope to clear Scores with God by restraining thy Lusts excedency of Merit and yet but a servile fear and terror of the Sword of Justice it is the Spring and Plumet of thy Obedience it must fall out that when Grace shews it self to the taking away the Fear that also thy Obedience ceases and thy Lusts again break forth and in the mean time thou art in a miserable state first Because servile Fear and a wounded Spirit are thy Tormenters and yet best Friends upholding thee from uttermost Perdition Secondly Because Grace which is the only true Balsam against Sin and Guilt is become thy most perfect Poison so as it is of Grace not to let thee see Grace But on the contrary I say tho thy Sins were as red as Scarlet tho thou hadst been a Beast of Ephesus yet if in true and sincere Obedience thou turn to God converting thy servile Fear into Love Self-confidence into Self-condemnation and thy eager persecuting Spirit into brotherly Affection thou mayest in this well-fought Fight wash thy self as white as Snow and free thy self from the evil of this last Temptation because the Love of God will more powerfully restrain thy rebudding Lust than Servile Fear can yea the Lord himself will be thy Keeper as he hath promised Because thou hast kept the Word of my patience I will keep thee in the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the World to try them that dwell upon the Earth 24. Now this Warfare is in sundry places and divers manners represented in the holy Scripture in Allegory in Proverbial Speeches and Prophecies The Fathers did not only see it in Prospect but by Faith which makes things afar off as present in the Promise did enjoy it and obtained a good report And of this we shall now join some few Texts and more hereafter as occasion offers Our Psalmist hath many Passages touching this whereof one thus Psal 118. Out of my Straits I invoked Jah
Conscience stands firm and quick it will not fail to detect all its Sorceries To speak out of my own experience it hath already manifested four of its gross Deceits Of the first in the day of Vocation for until then it shews not the depths of its Craft because all Men by Nature set forth into the World much leavened with the Love Lusts and Vanities of the Flesh and as long as the Soul is content to take part with it in wallowing in Sin so long the Heart troubleth not the Soul nor Satan the Heart because his desires prosper in that way which is most pleasing to him because most destructive to Souls neither will he tempt in this State to Superstition or Idolatry because it makes better for his end that neither God nor Religion should come within his thoughts But if the Soul shall become sensible of this Bondage and threaten to leave Egypt that it may sacrifice to God in the Wilderness then the Heart leavened by Satan sets on foot all its Stratagems and if God in favour of the Design raise up a Moses in it and smite the Heart with some noisom Plague or Affliction it cannot bear it makes shew of Repentance and promiseth that if God will remove his Hand it will become a true Leige-man but no sooner is that taken away but it hardens it self as Pharaoh did and will not consent that the Elect Seed shall depart out of its Slavery until the ten Egyptian Plagues have passed upon it for in that Story the Conflicts of the Spiritual and Natural Seeds upon Vocation are shewn in Allegory The second is That after the Soul is manumitted by a strong hand the Heart also enters into Covenant taking upon it the Oath of a holy Life and promising to perform all that Jehovah commands but yet upon the first strait or want murmurs starts aside like a broken Bow oft wishing it self in the Pleasures of Egypt again as sometimes the Sons of Israel did for God will put Trials on his called Ones in the first Journeying and these are to teach us to beware of the like Evils as it is written Now all these things happened unto them for example the original Types and are written for our Admonition upon whom the ends of the World i.e. Age are come Another Admonition we have in good Peter whose Heart being warmed with Love to his Master strait way boasted And though all should be offended with thee yet will not I vehemently affirming that he could die with him rather than deny him and doubtless the good old Man intended to do all he professed but so far his false Heart deceived him as on the appearance of Danger he denied his Master thrice before the next Cock's Crow was finished Which also serves for our Instruction fore-warning us not to boast in our own Strength always to distrust our Hearts and if perchance we be overtaken in Peter's Snares that we may with him renew our selves by bitter Tears The next Deceitfulness of the Heart is now when it entred on the Rule and whole Course of Obedience and persuades it-self its Works are upright before God and done upon the pure Principle of Love towards God and Man but indeed is meerly hypocritical moving upon mercenary hope of Reward or a base servile fear of Punishment not loving Justice and Mercy for Christ's sake not doing good to others for love of them but because they love themselves and hope to be Gainers by their Gift And this I fear is a frequent Evil as Experience teaches for whose was once zealous in Obedience in Duties and Charity and after upon the Incomes of Grace and hope that the Scourge is over becomes cold and remiss therein let them boast of what new Light and Gospel-Liberty they please they will be found Hypocrites Bastards and not Sons and so they may behold themselves in the Glass of their own Conscience For if the Command for Duties be still the same and thy Brother in want as before and thou shalt not communicate in both as formerly where is thy Love or Obedience and how were they formerly sincere No assuredly because thy Fear of Punishment is vanished so also Love and nothing more certain than that it was founded upon some base Foundation And thus the false Heart makes many play the Hypocrite persuading that those Hypocritical Sacrifices were acceptable to God which were verily little better than Swine's Blood And therefore here is great need of watching over the Buddings of the Heart and if upon this account Zeal or Charity languish it ought to be brought before the Judg and its Hypocrisy manifested and that if possible that may be renewed which was ready to die And if this be not done by thy self be assured that he that searcheth the Heart and Reins rendring to every one according to the Fruits of their working will do it and appoint thy portion amongst the Hypocrites But now the fourth and last Treachery of the Heart is whilst it is indeed zealous and perhaps competently faithful in these Duties and pretends that all its performances are as Dross and Dung and i◠〈◊〉 uprofitable â—â—rvant and therefore hath no dependence in them but sâ—â—ply on free Grace but nevertheless doth in its secret thoughts say Soul take thy rest for thou hast much Riches laid up for many Years And this is a sore Evil and frequent and thus Experience discovers it If the Heart say to the Soul Take thy rest there is assuredly some shreds of it but if it say to another who fears the Lord and walks by the Rule whereunto it hath attained Get thee far from me for I am more righteous than thou it hath taken a deep root Or if it boast with the Pharisee I thank God I am not as this Man I fast twice in the Week I pay my Tithes I pray in Spirit and read the Scriptures in Understanding and this Man is carnal he prays by a form of words and reads and understands not the Case is clear For how canst thou prefer thy Holiness to another's that believes in the same Christ and owns him to be Righteousness except thou suppose thou hast inhanced thy Merit by some false Vertue or Performance for this is but the vain boasting of the Heart puffed up with knowledg not considering that not many Wise are called but that God hath chosen the foolish and base things of this World to confound the Wise for it is not the Whole but Sick that stand in need of the Physician of Souls therefore seeing the humble and poor in Spirit are the fit Objects of Grace and Christ hath promised them Blessedness why should not the Heart taught to speak the Truth rather boast that it is enrolled amongst these for I know that whatsoever it thinketh yet it will openly profess that it must be saved by Grace and how knowest thou but he that is the Fool in thine eyes hath more Humility Meekness yea is greater in
honour is more than to love For to love a Child or a Servant is enough to give them honour is not ex relatione requisite So as all Love is not Honour but all true Honour which is that here meant compriseth all Love and something more namely such a reverence as is due from a good Son to good Parents or a Servant to a Master And hence our great Lord and Master that he might have preeminence in all things and as well in Meekness Humility and Earth-born Vertues as heavenly Glories vouchsafed to honour his Disciples in washing their Feet and thence gave us an Example how we ought to pay the Honour here required If your Lord hath washed your Feet ye ought to wash one anothers Which doth not refer to the literal Act of washing but requires such mutual Love and Humility amongst them that fear the Lord as will be always ready to perform the meanest Office to their Brethren which may tend to their Edification in Naturals and especially in Spirituals and concludes it with a Blessing Happy are ye if ye do these things And again our Lord takes another occasion to shew how they that fear the Lord ought to be honoured even by their Superiours and Teachers and in such an Honour as Children owe to Parents and such love as Brother and Brother Behold say they to him Thy Mother and thy Brethren are without c. To which he straight replies Who is my Mother Who are my Brethren And stretching forth his Hand to his Disciples Behold my Mother and my Brethren Whoso doth the Will of my Father he is my Brother Sister and Mother Still confirming that the Love of Brothers the Honour and Reverence of Children to Parents is due amongst them fearing God and verily that the greatest wisest and best Leaders and Teachers are not absolved from paying this Honour to the last and least engrafted into this Fear And the full and exact Rule is Give to every one due Honour but to the Elder that rules well double Honour Be kindly affectionate one to another in brotherly Love preferring one another in Honour Who is greatest among you let him be least 14. Here two Queries offer First What kind of Fear is here meant Secondly Why Fear before all other Vertues is made the Badg of this Honour Touching the First The holy Scriptures define sundry Species of Fear which we shall reduce to four more general and pertinent Heads to the present occasion The first is Pachad denoting a more slavish tormenting Fear because never without some terror resisting the sweet effects of Love for it is impossible to enjoy God as a loving and well-pleased Father when we fear him as the inexorable Judg and Condemner of our Souls stained with Guilt to everlasting Torment or to love that Saviour who we fear in the end will leave us to the Rigor of the Law which hath already justly condemned us to Death So as this Fear shuts out Love and lets in Unbelief fearing as our Prophet saith where no Fear is and fearfully as the Apostle looking for or fore-dooming Judgment and fiery Indignation Now this is not the Fear that is the sure Badg of Honour nor yet of Contempt but rather of Tenderness and Pity For first it is certain that where this Fear is some sence and seekings after God are secondly a deep sence of Infirmity And lastly because God oft-times makes this the Instrument of calling many stubborn Sinners to Repentance who after proceed successfully in a well tempered Fear Another is Charad trembling Fear which in its proper seasons and Periods is of great use but ought not to be continual because thereby it degenerates into servile Fear And its seasons are when some notable appearance or threatning from God or sence of some great Error or Conviction of Sin in which we have a long time lived break in upon us So in the terrible appearance of God at Horeb the Congregation and Moses feared in Charad hence teaching that when God appears in our Hearts as Law-giver or in our Consciences as the Sin-punishing Judg we ought to fear and tremble before his Presence but then as he abates or vails his terrible Majesty so ought we to remit our Fears to their due proportion Also this Fear Charad seized our Father Isaac when he perceived that he was deceived and had given to Jacob the Blessing he thought was Esau's Birthright Which also is for our admonition For being sure the Blessing belonged to one of his Sons yet not certain which but as is probable Rebecca was for Jacob the Man of * Perfect in Consumption Tummim and he favouring the Birthright set his Affections upon Esau the rigid Hunter who seems to have a reference to the rigid Covenant of Works in a like Allegory as Ishmael did Gal. 4. and now being resolved to bestow the Blessing according to the Birthright without regard had to Esau's Prophaneness in selling of it and now perceiving that the Man of Tummim had gotten the possession by the Decree of his own Mouth he greatly feared Cherad and doubtless was till he had a little recollected himself crimped in Anguish of Mind First from the Surprize Secondly lest he had been too careless in suffering himself to be so deluded in bestowing that great Blessing in which all Nations were blessed contrary to what he believed was the purpose of God And thirdly he might have disposed contrary to the end the Trust upon him Or fourthly on the contrary lest all this while he had lived in an Error ascribing true Piety rather to a rough rigid Life than the Integrity of Tummim and was now in old Age to begin Religion in a more perfect way Whence we are to learn that having set forth in Piety and now for a long time put our dependence in Legal Righteousness and at length our affecting Friend leads to our Warfare and rends all our Hopes from us and convinceth the Birth-right is of of Grace we cannot chuse but be confused and tremble which doubtless is in this Crisis acceptable because we have been hitherto in a wrong way resisting the heavenly Decree all our painful Labour Vanity and vexation of Spirit and we tho old in Profession yet Children in Piety and to begin again in Christ's Cross But neither ought this Fear to be permanent but recollecting our selves with Isaac and resolutely decree tho Esau seek Repentance with tears That seeing we have blessed Grace therefore blessed shall it be Again this Fear strongly seized old Ely when he heard the Host of Israel was smitten and the Ark of God taken thence teaching That when a sudden or general Calamity befalleth the Church or any praying People tho their own Cart-ropes have pulled it upon them we ought to bewail them and to fear and tremble at the Judgment of God which he vile in his own eyes will be ready to do fearing he was not more righteous than they and that if
than a Teacher abounding more in Alms in Charity in washing of the Feet of the Saints and those other Vertues which will not suffer her to be barren in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ than a Master in Arts yet is not skilful in the greater Mysteries of Redemption but well skilled in a naked Christ and in chearful Obedience freely cast in her two Mites into his Treasury and consequently gives more than many others of far greater Abilities 17. And now the consideration of this reneweth upon us the great Commandment of Love more strongly than before For it is not enough only to love but also to honour And what then shall we say of our selves if we convert Honour into Dishonour and Love into Hatred Persecutions Envyings Defamations May not two of different Minds or Ways in many things both fear the Lord And shall that difference which is not manifestly decided in the Word but from the doubtfulness thereof and abilities of the Professors springs up into two Opinions break this so positive and often enforced a Command of Honour and Love Whence is it that some doubt in Mind touching the Service of God Is it not for fear of offending And is not that Fear rooted in the Fear of God How then shall we persecute and compel a Doubter seeing it is also a plain Text He that doubteth is damned because it is not of Faith Neither surely doth this Text need an Interpreter When ye so sin against your Brethren and wound their weak Consciences ye sin against Christ Canst thou give Bail for the Sin of another drawn into the Offence by thy means Canst thou bring back thy weak Brother for whom Christ died and is now perished by thy inducement If thou canst not who will plead thy Cause In what City of Refuge wilt thou hide thy Head from the Avenger of Blood Shall it not be less tolerable for thee than for him in the Day of Judgment And therefore I judg it a safe and excellent Rule Honour them that fear the Lord. 18. Here another Query offers namely Seeing this Fear Jara is an initiating Grace so necessary through the whole Warfare as without it no attaining of the immoveable State why the Psalmist did not at first require it and impose it as a Requisite To which I answer Tho it is not expresly named yet it is fully required for if it make every poor Cottage of Clay honourable where it is found much more is it self honourable and desirable If it was gross Idolatry in the Pharisees to prefer the Gold to the Temple and Gift to the Altar because those were the Sanctifiers and these but sanctified by them it is without controversy that the Gift which maketh honourable is more honourable than the thing by it made honourable Secondly The reason why it was not before required was not because it was not of special use before for as the Apostle hints all godly Conversation ought to be coupled with Fear and which is more our Obedience is vain without it our Warfare must miscarry and we left without the Seal of Sonship But because that even now a time draws near wherein its Master-piece-Service will be required And again because it now ought to appear in a renewed or rather regenerated State dying to tormenting Fear and living in the Love of Christ For in this great Crisis of our dying with Christ he makes all things new and not only so but he permits Satan to send for his Principalities of Darkness in new counterfeit Angels of Light For under the Legal State whilst it was Do this and live his Text was Live upon carnal Ordinances Stones made Bread and not to have regard to the Words or Spirit proceeding out of the Mouth of God but to walk on confidently and without fear in the Merits of his own Arm like the rich Man Soul take thy rest But now these Strong-holds being broken down he flies to a new Text teaching free Grace to Security and Presumption Fear not to dash thy Foot against a Stone for Angels shall bear thee up And now against this regenerate or Gospel-Fear which takes more of Love is the best Weapon for verily under the Law this Fear did oft-times put on frowardness and when Satan persuaded Confidence in superstitious Works and posted on to Idolatry this Fear armed the Conscience and it thrust thorns into the Flesh resisting the Pride thereof and convincing it was not able to perform what was required and consequently urged it to such Duties of Humiliation and Contrition as the Law required and still wrought more by fear and terror of Evil and Judgment to come than by the more gentle and noble Principles of Love But now the Table 's turned the whole Man and Pride of the Flesh become vile in its own eyes Do this and live abolished and in place thereof Believe and be saved and a Canopy of Love spread over them Satan also changes the Weapons of his Assault for if in the way of his old Deceit he should say Do and live one Whisper of free Grace would have rendred his Temptation ridiculous if he should sollicit the Arm of Flesh to buckle on its Armor again it would cry out O thou Deceiver from the beginning I am bruised and broken in thy Service I am less than a Worm And therefore he now comes in a new Disguise knowing his former Visage was discovered-and detested instead of Do and live he saith Stand still and live and for Work out thy Salvation by thine own Arm Work not at all thy doing and working is rotten and filthy they contaminate and hinder the work of the Spirit in thee sit still and let Grace make a perfect Work And now I say is the time that the regenerated Fear of God girds up its Loins to resist this Hypocritical Mocker with its two-edged Sword Legal and Evangelical threatning and entreating How darest thou O Worm as thou knowest thou art tempt the Lord thy God whom by late experience thou perceivest is a consuming Fire How canst thou hope for Salvation without giving all diligence to make thy Election sure in fear and reverence Then turning the other Edg I grant as the Tempter said Do and live is abolished but consider who brought it about if it was it self then go on and boast but if it was another then forget not how from thee a perishing Wretch he took that heavy Burthen which pressed thee deep as Hell and laid upon thee another which was easy and light and wilt thou not bear it for his sake Consider how he raised thee from Death and made thy dead Carcase a living Member of himself and wilt thou take his Members and make them the Members of an Harlot in Sloth and Lust If he hath given thee much dost therefore owe him less If all thy legal and painful diligence could not deliver thee will Abuse of Grace and Contempt of thy Deliverer carry thee to the far end
that Death and giving Life Eternal The second part of the Parallel hath respect unto their Houses Now Moses's House was a dead Tabernacle the Service of which stood in the sprinkling of Blood Meats Drinks and external Ordinances but Christ's Temple is built of living Stones a living House a Service in Spirit and Truth an holy Priesthood a chosen Generation even the Hearts of the Elect in which God himself vouchsafes to dwell And hence often the Elect Church is called the Temple of God 1 Cor. 3.16 6.19 Eph. 2.20 c. From whence how great the preeminence of the Antitype over the Type is in part appears and also how part of the Question of David is Evangelically to be understood 17. The next Scripture is Heb. 5.5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an High-Priest that is after the order of Aaron but he that said unto him Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee As he saith also in another place Thou art a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedec Before Christ was compared with Moses who was the Legislator and Prophet and now with Aaron the Administrator of the Sin-covering Ordinances where the difference is that Aaron was but a Servant that could make nothing perfect but every day offered Sacrifice to keep in remembrance the hope of a full Mediation to come but Christ is a Son a beloved Son in whom fully and in whom alone God was well pleased who needed not daily to offer Sacrifice first for his own Sin and then for the Peoples but at once by offering up himself wrought Salvation to the uttermost And whereas the other Priests were often removed by Death Christ's Priesthood is eternal according to the Order of Melchisedec without beginning without end of days King of Righteousness King of Peace Look Heb. 8.5 6. 9.7 8 c. But that which most fully reacheth our intention is Heb. 11.18 For we are not come to the Mount which might not be touched and that burned with Fire nor unto Blackness Darkness and Tempest and the sound of the Trumpet and Voice of Words which they that heard desired that the Word should be spoken to them no more And so terrible was the Sight that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake But you are come to Mount Zion and unto the City of the Living God the Heavenly Jerusalem to an innumerable Company of Angels to the General Assembly and Church of the First-born which are written in Heaven and to God the Judg of all and to the Spirits of just Men made perfect And to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the Blood of Sprinkling which speaketh better things than the Blood of Abel See ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on Earth much less shall we escape if we turn from him that speaketh from Heaven Now I say this Scripture fully answers our end states the Parallel shews the Gospel's preheminence and sets before us David's Question in the first part in its Evangelical Glory For this Mount that might not be touched was Sinai where Mountain-Worship gave up the Scepter to the Tabernacle and at this time were the Ten Commandments and Measures of the Tabernacle and all its Vessels given to Moses with this Charge See thou make all things according to the Patern shewed thee in the Mount And the Blackness Tempest and Majestick Voice of Words shew that awful Yoak which Jehovah in the Counsel of his Will thought fit to impose upon his Elect People only allowing a hiding-place in the Tabernacle till the evil day was past And on the other hand the Heavenly Jerusalem the General Assembly of the First-born from the Dead and Spirits of Just Men made perfect are those which came out of great Tribulation and have washed their Robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb and are before the Throne of God and serve him day and night So as the Tabernacle of Moses is become the Elect Church of the First-born and the purifyings and washings thereof changed for that fulling Soap which can make the Spirits of just Men perfect and the Wings of the covering Cherub are made a hiding-place which can save to the uttermost and which is more give a Kingdom which can never be shaken For they that are dead to Tabernacle-Worship are hid Col. 3.3 with Christ in God and when Christ their Life shall appear then shall they also appear with him in Glory So as the first part of David's Question in the mouth of the Followers of Christ is Lord who is he that thou wilt raise from Death and making his Spirit perfect wilt hide in the Bosom of thy Christ until he and they appear in that Glory he had with thee before Time was 18. Now concerning the latter part of the Question it must also be in the same manner sought after Now the Beauty of Mountain-Worship consisted in those Graces wherein the Worshippers were Types of Christ And first Noah figured him as he was the Preacher of Righteousness and forewarned of the Evil to come for it was not the Man Noah that preached to the Spirits then in Prison but Christ then figuratively spake by him 1 Pet. 3.18 whereby the World was condemned and only eight Persons saved But in the fulness of time Christ preached himself was heard seen and handled filling the Poor and Hungry with good things made the broken Hearts whole gave deliverance to Captives Luke 4.18 Eyes to the Blind and Light to them which sate in Darkness published the acceptable Year of the Lord to all Nations and Languages and teaching the Mystery of Salvation laid open a sure Path to the innumerable Companies of the Church of the Living God and to the making perfect the Spirits of Just Men. So also the Waters of Noah was a Type of Baptism by Water not as putting away the Filth of the Flesh but the Baptism of Christ was with the Holy-Ghost giving the Answer of a good Conscience 1 Pet. 3.20 21. Again Noah taught a reverential Fear of God but Christ perfect Love And Abraham the next Heir of Grace was a Type of Christ as both were Fathers of the Faithful but he according to the Flesh and Christ according to the Spirit And Abraham tho every where justly celebrated for his never-failing Faith yet so far did Legal Faith fall short of Evangelical as Abraham only attained to offer up the Promise in Isaac and by Faith to receive him in a Figure Gen. 15.6 Rom. 4.1 2. Gal. 3.6 9. Heb. 11.17 But Christ freely and really that is not in a figure offered up himself to an ignominious Death bore the Wrath of God kindled by our Sins and pacified it by his Blood obtained the promised Glory and made us Co-heirs thereof Again Abraham left his Country and by Faith followed God he knew not whither but Christ left his Possessions in Heaven
well knowing those Bitternesses he was to meet withal in his Peregrination upon Earth And lastly Abraham attained by Faith to be called a Friend of God but by Faith in Christ we are made one with God even as the Wife is Bone of the Bone and Flesh of the Flesh of her Husband for as Christ is one with the Father so are we by Faith one with him as it is written And the Glory thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and they in me Lastly Jacob wrestled with an Angel and forc'd a Blessing for himself and Family but Christ being in the Form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with Him and obtained a Blessing for the innumerable Family the Church of the First-born So as in the Gospel-Mountain instead of Fear we shall have perfect Love for Water-washings Peace of Conscience for fore-warnings of Evil to come the Evil it self is removed for Promises of good things afar off actual possession of the things promised and for Friendship full Union O that He would rend the Heavens and come that the Mountains might melt away at his Presence 19. There are two other Sister-Texts which agree info full harmony with that we are upon as leaves no place for doubt but that they all mind the same thing and may much conduce to the explaining one of another for no Key more expert in opening Scripture than its own The first Psal 24.3 Who shall ascend into the Mountain of the Lord Who shall stand in his holy Place He that hath clean hands c. Now the Question is expresly the same in effect for the Holy Place and Tabernacle are one for in it were two holy Places the Holy and most Holy which Mystery Paul explains for seeing the second Holy did answer to the Gospel-perfection it necessarily follows the first was a Figure of the Legal For says he there was a Tabernacle the first in which the Candlestick Table and Shew-bread were which was called the Holy the other after the second Vail was called the most Holy into which only the High-Priest went but once a year the Holy-Ghost thereby signifying that the Way into the Holiest yet was not made manifest whilst the first was yet standing which was a Figure for the time then present in which were offered Sacrifices which could not make perfect as pertaining to the Conscience but stood only in Meats c. But Christ being come an High-Priest of good things to come by a greater and more powerful Tabernacle c. obtained Eternal Salvation Whence again we observe that the preeminence of the Gospel above the Law is further asserted Secondly That in the Tabernacle there was as I may say a Wheel within a Wheel for tho the whole Tabernacle did most eminently figure that Righteousness which was by the Law yet had it a secret regard to the Gospel also as if indeed even in its day and perfection it was not of avail save as it had respect to the Righteousness of Grace And thus far we have the Apostle's warrant But it seems from the course of the Analogy that the Court of the Tabernacle which was without the first Vail and had in it the Altar and Laver did answer to the Worship in Mountains for into it were all the Congregation admitted and so in Mountain-Worship were all Nations here also were the Sacrifices solemnized and they were the only Ceremonial Service used in Mountains But to insist on this would be too long in this place Another difference is that in this Question the Mountain is first which is according to the Legal Order and in our Text the Tabernacle according to the Gospel as if the Prophet spake more legally here and in our Psalm more spiritually Also for dwell there it is ascend here implying there must be a painful or legal working up before a legal Habitation can be had in this Legal Mount Again for sojourn there it is stand here that is able to stand under the Legal Yoak which is hard to do tho under Tabernacle-Coverings The other Text differs much in the Question in expression but not in effect as the Answer assures where the Prophet having shewn the terrible day of God's vengeance upon the Wicked he adjoins thus Isa 33.13 14 15. Hear ye afar off the Gentiles what I have done ye that are near Jews know my Might 14. The Sinners of Zion feared Trembling took hold of the Hypocrite Who shall sojourn in the devouring Fire with us Who shall dwell in the Burnings of the hidden Age 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He walking in Righteousness c. Now here by these Fires the same things are in a Mystery signified as I may say in their purer essence for by the devouring Fire God the Father is meant and by the Burnings of the Age the Baptism of Fire by Christ for the Father is a Consuming Fire Heb. 12.29 Deut. 4.24.9.3.66.18 And our Prophet again Behold the Lord will come with Fire and rebuke with Flames of Fire for by Fire will he plead with all Flesh The Son also came with the Fan in his Hand and will throughly purge his Floor and burn the Chaff with unquenchable Fire Also he will baptize with the Holy Ghost and with Fire As also another saith Behold I send my Messenger which was John the Baptist who bore the former witness of Christ and he shall prepare my Way and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come But who shall abide the day of his Coming Who shall stand when he appeareth For he is like a Refiner's Fire and he shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of Silver he shall purify the Sons of Levi the Ministers of the Tabernacle and melt them as Gold then the Offering of Judah and Jerusalem shall be sweet to the Lord after the manner of the days of the hidden Age and ancient Years 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this is the Fire of the hidden Age. Yet hath infinite Wisdom and Love found out a Medium whereby our frail and sinful Mortality shall co-habit with that Fire which if it touch the Mountains they shall smoak in safety as was represented by a Figure to Moses at the Bush which burned but was not consumed for that Fire was the Godhead and the Bramble the Seed of the Woman in Christ a Mystery of Mysteries that the Seed born of Corruptibility should embrace Incorruption and not be consumed so as all Moses's Egyptian Learning was confounded to see the natural Fire not devour the natural Bush but much more astonished in Spirit when he heard that that Fire was Jehovah the God of his Fathers and consquently the Bush human Nature So as God here taught Moses the Mystery of Mysteries namely the Incarnation of Christ where Flesh did not only live unconsumed in the devouring Fire but became one with it even an immortal Fire replenished with the fulness
thee leave thy Gift there go thy way and be first reconciled to thy Brother and then offer thy Gift Mat. 5.23 But on the contrary if in the Fear of God Love of Christ and Charity with all Men thou sacrifice who will lay any thing to thy charge Is it not God that justifies Is not Christ at his right-hand And if he died for thee yet an Enemy will he now refuse thee bringing a Gift in the hand of Love his most beloved Grace that Grace which covers a Multitude of Offences fulfills all Precepts and without which no Gift can be acceptable And now to speak what hath been upon my Heart I fear the neglect of this Duty not returning Evil for Evil hath provoked God more against his praying People than any other Sin they through common Infirmity are subject unto and the more because it hath rather been indulged as a Vertue than contended against as an Evil as judging a small yea and uncertain Error worse than a manifest Breach of a Command ten times repeated deceiving themselves with that common saying which oft comes from a false Heart I love his Person but hate his Error Whatever therefore thou offerest do it in Love O how displeasing and broken must those Prayers be where all should be of one mind but indeed one asks one thing and another the contrary where one blesseth another curseth Ask saith our Lord in my Name and have but we ask and have not And what can be the cause save what the Apostle objects Jam. 4.3 We ask amiss to bestow it upon our Lusts Malice Pride Wrath for the Promise of Christ cannot fail but to him Glory to us Confusion of Faces belongs But O how powerful would Prayers be proceeding from a beloved and chosen People and centering in perfect Love towards God and Man when they meet together at the Throne of Grace not seeking their own but the Honour of God Good of the Church and mutual Edification one of another for hereby the return would be Ask of me things to come touching my Sons and concerning the Work of my hands command ye me Whence we see how great a thing and acceptable to God Love is perfectly fulfilling the Law and all the Prophets require in order to the establishing of our Peace for he that loves all Men cannot reproach his Reproacher nor wilfully do evil unto him that doth evil unto him 8. Not bringing Reproach upon his Inwards or Warfare that is upon his Mind or Conscience in the Conflict between the Law of his Mind and the Law of his Members which is whilst we are fighting the good Fight to ascribe any part thereof to the Merit of our own Sword or Bow as the false Heart is apt to do And that which seems parallel to this in Psal 24. is Not lifting up his Soul to Vanity or a Lie For there is no Lie or Vanity like that which would ascribe the beating down of Satan our Enemy to its own Arm no greater Reproach to the Judg the Conscience which hath so often discovered and condemned the Infirmities and Vanities thereof This indeed is read otherwise by Interpreters namely reproach upon his Neighbour And tho the Sister-Text doth favour our reading yet lest I might seem to have transgressed in departing from the old footsteps I shall give some further Reasons and submit all to the correction of the Pious and Learned First It is manifest from all the Questions Who shall dwell and Applications in all the three Sister-Texts that the Duties required in the Answers are those essential Vertues which are the price of the immoveable and immortal Crown which indeed are such things as Eye hath not seen Ear hath not heard nor hath entred into the Understanding of Man And therefore not reproaching a Neighbour being but a Moral Vertue known to all Men by the Light of Nature so expresly as debauched Man tho he do not practise it cannot blot it out I do not think it was the Prophet's most legitimate intention And furthermore because this whole Verse may be practised from a Natural Moral Principle by Men who yet may miss of immoveable Reward promised in the Close not that I deny that as Moral they are pleasing to God Secondly If we compare the first Clause of the Verse with this they differ little in words but in effect are the same For Thou shalt not backbite with thy Tongue and Thou shalt not reproach thy Neighbour are the same for tho thy Tongue is not expressed in the latter nor Neighbour in the former yet that both are necessarily understood is manifest because one is the Instrument of Backbiting the other the Object thereof without both of which it could not exist Reproach cannot be save by the Tongue nor can it be said we backbite any thing but a Man or a Neighbour for in Scripture-Language most usually by thy Neighbour every or any Man is meant So as so reading it is but a reduplication of the same which in Scripture which avoids Tautologies unnecessary Words or gingling Phrases is very rare and indeed I think never save for emphasy sake And therefore Gospel-Precepts which doubtless are the best and safest Interpreters of the Law Prophets avouching that the Graces accordingly as we express them are the price of immortal Life and the Hebrew it self according to the true legitimate root favours our reading as fully as the other and as I think more also I have adventured tho still confessing my self unskilful in the Sacred Tongue to depart from the trodden Path having this for my satisfaction that tho I may fall short of the pure Hebraism yet as long as I make it agree with a Gospel-Interpretation I cannot sow any dangerous or unwholesom Error but if any contend I shall submit 9. Of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we have already said something namely that it is that intimate part in Man where God writes his Law and in which the Spirit of Man resideth which I take to be the Mind or Conscience where indeed the Law of God is writ and God vouchsafeth to converse with Man Again it signifies the middle of a thing or within because the Mind is the very middle Center or Life of the Soul sitting there as God's Vicegerent exhorting reproving accusing condemning or excusing in great Majesty and Authority for where the Answer of a good Conscience is who can condemn When it is wounded who can bear it As the Apostle saith Which shews the Work of the Law is written in their Hearts their Consciences witnessing with them and their Thoughts between or within themselves accusing or excusing one another Thirdly 'T is a Battel or Warfare shewing that the Mind or Conscience is the middle part or Lists wherein the Spiritual Warfare is fought which is very often taken notice of by the holy Writers as Paul saith I see another Law in my Members warring against the Law of my Mind Which Law I take to
he repent not he may likewise perish Lastly The Elders at Bethlem trembled at Samuel's uncouth coming to their City because they from God upon some weighty importance And hence we ought also to fear when any great and unusual Providence brings us a Message or Warning from God And now this Fear is always good and wholesom upon such occasions and periods and as the Apostle saith helps to work out our Salvation in fear and trembling and therefore is a Branch of that Fear which is the Badg of our Honour upon them that have it The third Fear is Magor properly a sojourning Fear or a doubtful hanging Distrust such as usually are upon wary Men pilgrimating in strange Countries Thus David feared in Gath Jacob with Laban So in our Psalm Who shall fear or sojourn in thy Tabernacle And this Fear in due temperament is good but in excedency hurts and in Scripture is taken in both Sences In the worse when a Man fears the Lord in distrust still fore-dooming Evil or Judgment and is cast down with such common Afflictions or cross Providences which often exercise others for their good like a froward Child apt to offend but so impatient and fearful of the Rod as the Father fears to correct it lest it should harm it self by Grief and so it neither is pleasing to the Father nor at free Peace with it self And this usually follows such as by Nature are of a mournful Spirit yet may be tempered either to a well-pleasing solemn Wariness or cockered to an offensive Morosity for it being once persuaded as it easily is that a severe solemn mournful Life is the best way to lop off Vanity or whatever thing seems in its own Glass vain it straight counts this pure Religion and falls to such a rigid Course of Life as God requires not at its hand And so this Severity having obtained a good Report with many fearing God it hasts to voluntary Humility and grows so morose as it censures all not of its own length and measure But it is best when Judgment begins at home and to wash our own hands clean before we reprove others of Spots is meet Now this is a Grievance arising from the defect of vile in its own eyes And tho I judg to relieve and help the poor is much better than to censure or judg others by our own measure and that a cheerful Mite is better than a rigid Penny yet doubt I not but that these are of them to whom Honour is due But now this Fear in its equally-weighed temperament is an excellent Corrosive against proud Flesh which Nature of course brings forth keeping the Body under and bringing it into subjection always sensible of Infirmities at home still fearing its own Heart is hatching some Evil which it perceives not and fearing lest it being ripe should suddenly break out and surprize it unprepared for the Assault In every Bush of the spacious Field of Nature and in them especially that loam pleasantly to Sense it suspects a Temptation lies and rather chuseth to avoid it by stealing by in some secret Path than to rouse it up to provoke it and to hope to overcome it by proof of Arms. By this wary Fear the Steps of the strong Man are established It taught Noah being warned of God to prepare an Ark to the preservation of his Family It taught Nehemiah and his Associates to build the Walls of their City with a Sword in one hand and Trowel in the other It is worthy of much Honour but especially when it hath learned in the good days which God vouchsafeth it to eat its Bread and to drink its Wine with a merry Heart and to acknowledg that this is the Gift of God 15. The last Fear is Jara a reverential Fear never out of season but ought perpetually to be kept alive in our Hearts as the Fire which came down from Heaven was upon the Altar Neither can it ever exceed to Loss because never without a mixture of Love for where we reverence there we love and Love will not give place to a tormenting Fear And this is it our Prophet intends and calls Jara often elsewhere celebrating it in lofty Characters Jara saith he is the beginning of Wisdom the initiating or matriculating Grace into the Society of the People of God to them so fearing God is near he pitieth them he will not suffer them to want any thing that is good he will bring them out of all Evil besides numbers more throughout the whole Scripture which would be too long to insert And therefore in a word it is the Key to Wisdom the Moderator and Spur of a Christian Life always inviting to Vertue restraining Sensuality promoting Piety calling forth to Duties pressing hard after Vertue and like Salt seasoning our Conversation and Discourse the Hammer and Anvil of Sin and the Mark of God in the forehead of the Saints 16. Next we enquire Why David makes Fear and not rather Love Faith Charity some of the more established and more exalted Vertues the Ensign of this Honour But the reason is plain namely That he which is greatest might be as if he were least and the more eminent old improved Gift might honour and help to nurse up the initiated Infant Secondly Because this is the most comprehensive Badge of Sonship none in Christ who want it thence shewing that God would have his whole Church to render mutual Honour one to another no Member no not a Hoof so mean but the greatest ought to honour it young or old Infant or decrepid wise or simple gifted or not gifted it matters not if they have the Mark they must be honoured And to one vile in his own eyes it will not be difficult to do it because already persuaded that this simple plain Candidate hath laid right the true Foundation of Wisdom will in a short space out-strip him or at least walk more humbly and faithfully according to his Light than he himself shall do But to another wise in his own Eyes it is difficult Art thou learned canst thou plead well for the Truth divide a Text speak a word in season to weary Souls Then bless the bounteous Giver and be not high-minded but know because much thou hast received much therefore thou owest But a poor Widow comes to ask counsel of thee finding some defect in her self but wants skill to utter it she would gladly pray but cannot speak six words together in good coherence except she have the Lord's Prayer by heart or an old Prayer-book in her hand she would gladly understand but reads and perceives little yet in the mean time gives good testimony she fears the Lord oft goes to her Closet shuts her Door saith little but weeps reads and sometimes trembles at the Word not that she understands but reverentially fears the awful Majesty of the Lord thereof Now this I say is an Object of our Honour perhaps more humble and despised in her own Eyes
of Happiness If they who would not hear him who spake from Earth escaped not how wilt thou escape him that speaks from Heaven to thee if unregarded To taste free Grace and to return to thy wallowing is to crucify Christ afresh Greater Love than he greater Ingratitude than thou can no Man shew by his Death he bought thee to everlasting Peace and for a moment of Vanity thou wilt sell him Do not therefore O thou Moth set Thorns and Stubble in Battel against the consuming Fire but fear nay tremble with the Elders of Bethlem at this my Embassy from God and again look back and tremble that thou durst so much as admit of such a kind of Parly as this was And now this I judge is the proper task of regenerate fear and though never out of season yet now of most especial use steading the Soul as ballast in Ships and also by Anchors on every side that is legal fear drawing by threat and Evangelical alluring by Love and hence I suppose the reason was why the Psalmist ranked this Precept here 19. Swearing to a or the Friend and changeth not This is the ninth Precept but how to understand it according to usual readings and glosses seems difficult The 70 Arab and Vspel who swears to his friend deceiveth not but his is not in the Original The Targ. he swearing to afflict himself and changeth not but neither is himself in the Text nor the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hithpahel Other who sweareth to his Hurt and changeth not Others who swear to do Evil and recompenseth it not Now verily upon the best judgment I can make of Laws and Precepts touching Oaths and Vows some of these are displeasing to God and in the best but an indifferent thing not required by God nor under a promise of Blessing but a liberty left to a Man to oblige himself to a voluntary Humility and not to sin in so doing provided he performed his Vow only the Daughter without her Father's nor Wife without her Husband's consent were restrained for none were obliged to swear but having sworn he was as straitly bound under penalty to perform as he was to any other Precept of the Law so as threats of penalties hung after Oaths but no promise of Blessings Again it made that thing a real sin which in it self was no sin adding to that yoak which was already so weighty as who could bear it Yet I do not say that Vows were not of good and holy use for else God would not have permitted them and I suppose were to hasten and perfect that Humiliation the Law was to bring upon all flesh or that if any strong zealous Professor thought he could be more obedient than the Law required and put too much confidence in the merit thereof it was permitted to him to impose such services as were not against the Law upon himself to the end he might the more earlier find with Solomon Vanity of vanity all is vanity on this side the Messiah But the thing I say is that taking them in their most excellent use they are not necessary causes of attaining the immovable state for many thousands have sojourned and have had their sin covered in the Tabernacle of God who were not conversant in Vows as I presume because we do not find any Exhortations by the holy Writers to encourage men to be Votaries but to the contrary Eccl. 5.5 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin that is to make that a sin to the flesh which is no sin of it self Secondly In the Historical Scripture we find not any Oath celebrated for good save one by Jacob at Bothel which was most warily circumstantiated as we shall further observe and not to a friend but unto God but many which tended to great loss as Jephtha's And lastly in the very dawning of the Gospel our Lord positively forbad all Oaths Matth. 5.30 Of old it was said Forswear not thy self but perform thy Vows to God but now I say unto you swear not at all And now to come to those in particular which the several glosses of Interpreters from our Text give the most ligible amongst them seem to fall short of David's intent Who sweareth to afflict himself of which nature some Oaths were of pious institution Numb 30.13 namely to afflict the soul which was by fasting and abstinence from anointing and outward refreshments wearing sack-cloth going bare-foot and such manner of penance which doubtless were good in fit seasons and occasions of Humiliation and often used by leading men as David Psal 33.13 Dan. 10.3 But that any ever did thus upon Vows or when occasions required not is not recorded as memorable and exemplary that I find Secondly Who swears to his friend c. which is of good moral use So Abraham sware his Servant and so he made a Covenant with Abimelech and Joshuah and the Spies to Rahab which are still alwful And doubtless to break Faith so solemnly given is to forseit mutual converse and even Humanity but to make such voluntary Oaths is not required but are only of humane Institution and for worldly and temporal advantages Lastly Who swears to his own hurt or to do evil to another are both great Sins whether kept or broken ending in wounds The Rabbies say such were well beaten for their pains and me judging deservedly and therefore if perchance a man thus sinned by Swearing ignorantly when it is known to him he was to make confession thereof and bring a Trespass-Offering and hence seeing this Oath in our Text is ranked amongst eminent Graces and under the greatest of Blessings I judge our Prophet did not refer it to any of the Oaths aforementioned 20. But perhaps Jacob's Vow compared with the Gospel Precept touching Vows Let your communication be yea yea Nay nay for what is more than so cometh of Evil may be a good guide unto us in our search Now Jacob's Vow was conditional with God and not in his own strength but in a dependance upon God Gen. 28.20 Jacob vowed a Vow If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go and give me bread to eat and raiment to put on so that I come again to my Fathers House in peace then shall Jehovah be my God and this Stone which I have set a Pillar shall be the House of God and of all that thou wilt give me the tenth shall be thine And now this Oath draws to something of excellent purpose and will suit as a befitting link to the last of our Golden Chain For first The occasion that led him to this Vow was agreeable to the former exposition of our Psalm For first he was a Man of Tummin banished from his Fathers House his Staff his Portion a Stone his Pillow where in a mystery God taught him good things made a new discovery of himself as Jehovah to him whom I take it he hitherto knew only by the Name
We endâ—avoured to express by name 41. Now we shall conclude in summing up all within the compass of one prospect Lord who is he whom thou wilt to espouse in everlasting Love Him walking in Integrity by Consumption resisting his original corruption undermining the power and pride of the Arm of Flesh rejecting his own and laying hold upon the merits of Christ Him studying to find out the deceits of his Heart oft calling it under strict examination is allwayes jealous over it and especially when it with the Buyer cryes it is nought it is nought yet in private boasts and by this his diligence teacheth it to speak the Truth and to believe unto Righteousness And having thus subdued his affections takes his Tongue to task knowing it to be an unruly Instrument often set on fire by Hell cursing and blessing in one breath oft wounding others and not rarely it self And so bridleth it as it will not reproach any no not its Reproacher but will plead for the Innocent set forth the Goodness and Glory of God and confess unto Salvation Him not rending evil for evil but doth good to them that do him evil yet not casting his Pearls before Swine forgiving all men and a Brother though though he offend him seventy seven times Nor yet will offend him though he be impertinent in matters lawfull or indifferent but seeking to build up such in brotherly kindness according to the faithfull precepts of Gospel Unity Who being called unto his Spiritual Warfare meekly takes up his Cross following his Captain General wheresoever he leads without murmurringly saying Where goest thou Forsaking without regret whatsoever Righteousness by legal Merit or Works he had gathered patiently yeilding up every strong Hold that these or his own Wisdom or Education had erected And lastly resignes the Promise believing with Paul that his naked Lord is better than all these and with Abraham that he that hath promised is able to make it good unto him in a more excellent way than he could conceive still loving the Word and frequenting the Assemblies though in this Crisis he find no relish in them but believes that they are good and holy and profitable because commanded by him not commanding in vain and so enters the strait and terrible Gate Layes down his Life bringing no reproach upon his Warfare or Inwards And now having thus fought the good Fight and finding himself delivered and raised up from Death and not by himself concludes he is poor and miserable and writes upon the Tablets of his Heart in the point of a Diamond Vild and contemptible thou Saved by one that ought thee nothing and gave for thee a great Ransom yet required no Price or Recompence from thee and in the sence of this puts on Humility Meekness and Gentleness Love Mercy and Charity towards others and especially the poor needy and labouring Souls in the distresses he was in and so becomes a doer and not a hearer of the Word in that Religion which is pure and undefiled and girding the Loines of his Mind and Will fall's not under the sluggish Sleep of I cannot I cannot but renewing reverential Fear cutteth down with its twofold Edge such sordid ungratefull Allurements or Suggestions as draw back to ease and supine neglect and renders due Honour and Love to every candidate in the Fear of the Lord. And for as much as full Experience assuring that God is with him loves him and will never forsake him he freely nails his Ear to his Door-Post in an Everlasting Covenant of yea yea nay nay And that he so assisting will not be drawn into the seducing Doctrines of Anti-Christ or any Spirit Principality or Power in Heaven Earth or under the Earth that claimes rule with God or compartnership with Christ his Master in working Holiness and therefore carfully watches over the envyings pride lustings of his own Spirit and fearing the fawnings of Satan is allwayes suspicious least he should delude his Spirit into a twisting of Interest and him into a Perswasion that they together are the Spirit of God in him speaking and teaching in his Name and oft begging as verily the case urgently requires that God will enable him to discover the Frailties of his own and Forgeries of this old Deceiver now working in the depth of Satan yet disguised in the form of an Angel of Light And having done all this acknowledgeth himself an unworthy Servant no Wages or Usury due to him but will patiently wait for the Reward until he be made fit to receive it Nor yet when the Trial comes will think it some strange thing or murmur that it burns down his Wood Hay and Stubble but rejoyceth that he is made thereby conformable to Christ and that those counterfeit Riches he had gathered though upon the right Foundation shall not any longer deceive them with their outward Splendor but are consumed only the Foundation left and he upon it naked and empty saving a white Linnen Garment which he rejoycing well calls his Innocency and knows no other Righteousness he hath beside this outward covering and therefore does not upon it lay claim to the Reward nor is so hasty for it as it will awake her Beloved for it though sick of Love until he please Who so doth these things shall never be moved in his legal State he will find a City of Refuge from the Avenger in his Warfare whilest he walks in the Valley of the shadow of death he shall fear no evil but the next day he shall sing a new Song in the Land of Confession We have a strong City Salvation will direct the Walls and Bulwarks Open the terrible Gates of Hulam that a new born may enter in and to worship in Spirit and Truth Him will I keep in perfect Peace his mortal hush through the good Will of him that dwelt in the bush shall live in ease in the everlasting burnings of the hidden Ages and in that Mountain Isai 25.6 where God shall make a Feast of fat things and where our Lord shall swallow death into Victory his Innocency shall be cloathed upon with Immortality and his corruption shall put on incorruption O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory and he shall be ever with his Lord God shall give him Light and he shall Reign for ever and ever wherefore let us comfort one another with these things rendring to him who shall make us more than Conquerers All Honour Glory Praise Age and Age Amen FINIS