shadow of eternitie he is said to be without beginning of dayes and end of life You may call eternity life for 't is an essentiall attribute to the highest life but then you cannot measure this life by dayes and years no not by beginning nor endding for 't is without both saith the holy Ghost Without beginning of dayes or end of life Eternitie is a life of and to it self without term or dependance any denomination from any thing without it self You may denominate some things by some accidents that belong to them as long short great little but eternity is without all accident and can be called by none of these neither long nor short great nor little but what it is essentially within it self a life without all term a life everlasting a life from everlasting to everlasting and such a life did Christ live whilest on earth a life that had no term that was before all things and after all things Eternall life is consistent with humanity though not with iniquity with humane nature though not with sinfull nature The God-head dwelt bodily with us that is in our nature dwelt that life which is eternall that is of and to it self without any term dependance or denomination but from it self There is principium ordinis principium temporis a beginning of order and this is competent to Christ as the Sonne of God First the Father and then the Sonne There is a beginning of time and this is competent to Christ as the Sonne of man but principium essentiae a beginning in regard of that essence and life which is the same in all the three Persons so there is none The Father is eternall the Sonne eternall and the holy Ghost eternall without termination or denomination known to us The Sunne is appointed for times and seasons for dayes and moneths and years Gen. 1. 'T is a long met-yard to measure the Heavens which is wonderfull spacious and it doth it speedily 't is mensura motus the measure of all motion above and below but there is no measure for eternity but it self but the Sonne of righteousnesse who fully comprehendeth his own being in all the properties of it it can be put under no definition in our terms and so consequently into no humane conception and therefore when spoken of 't is very brokenly and yet as may best reach to your apprehension as calling it something before the eldest thing you can think of He is before all things As Christ is in being so in office the one giveth fitnesse to the other He is a King eternall a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck Every being hath proper action as Christ is he doth he hath eternall life and doth eternall actions he blesseth for ever curseth for ever he blotteth out sinne for ever and writeth down sinne for ever Now go write it before them in a table and note it in a book that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever that this is a rebellious people lying children that will not heare the Law of the Lord. Esay 30.8.9 If thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever 1. Chron. 28.9 The works I do they bear witnesse of me saith Christ when he would convince them of what a being he was As things are so they act such a life generateth such a life Whosoever shall drink of the waters that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up to everlasting life Our dutie must be suited to Christs being and moving both which are for ever and so must our obedience be I will extoll thee my God O King and I will blesse thy Name for ever and ever Psalm 145.1 the being and moving of Christ should not be separated his Person and Office should go joynt and answerablely be observed in conversation God and King are here coupled together by the Psalmist and Christ as God and King lifted and extolled I will extoll thee O God my King Christ is eternall in both and in all other attributes he is God-King and God-Priest and God-Prophet that is of suitable action in all these Offices to the nature of an eternall life of a God-life I may so speak and therefore ought joyntly still to be considered and observed Naughty hearts suspend duty at pleasure they consider not with whom they have to do to day they will be holy to morrow they will not and in this undoe themselves for ever as falling under an eternall stroke Beings and Offices over us must be acknowledged as they are they are eternall and must be obeyed eternally Ever follow that which is good Thes 5.15 Religion if it cost you money or if it cost you bloud yet you must obey for he that liveth for ever will otherwise make you die for ever O England take heed of eternall blows if thou wave thy fidelity to Christ to wave temporall strokes thou wilt have eternall stroakes thou wilt be judged as Elies house for ever and as the Churches in the East with a perpetuall desolation and Ziim and Ochim shall dance here and thou shalt heare the voyce of the Turtle no more for ever Esay 13. Thy bending affrighteth me more then thy bleeding but I spare thee O weak England Truth should be managed according to its nature and according to its Father 't is eternall and so must we cleave to it if thou canst not receive this the Lord have mercy upon thee England I leave generalls and speak to particulars 't is an eternall God ye have to do with he is before all things and will be after all things wherefore tremble and consider your state every one what eternall things are done upon you An eternall agent hath an eternall subject to work upon your souls are everlasting and there Christ specially worketh as most suitable to him little is to be heeded what is done without in comparison of what is done within you complain of many strokes upon your states names bodies but is there not a stroke of strokes an eternall stroke upon your souls Hence forth let fruit never be on thee more Ah Lord here is an eternall God striking a stroke like himself Barren souls is not this eternall stroke strucken upon you You of this congregation let me wash my hands of your bloud ere my glasse amongst you be quite out what hath my eternall master done in your eternall souls by the eternall words which he hath spoken by me since the day I came amongst you Are not your hearts the same as sowre as bitter as cold as carnall as worldly as ever Are not these symptomes of an eternall stroke that God hath cursed you for your barrennesse under brave means which you a long while have had never to be otherwise then you are Take time to give me an answer till I come to this place again Christ being eternall eternall mercy may be
sizes some bigger some lesser two talents five talents ten talents concerning the glory above t is disputed whether it be graduall but concerning the glory of a Christian here it is a resolved thing that it is graduall there is migration in our glory here going from glory to glory from strength to strength Milke and strong meate babes and full age crums and Flagons love and abounding in love Our Kingdome comes our Kingdome here is a comming Kingdome Mercies are all shaped by Love it is the property of Divine Love to higthen dispensation still till shee hath lifted the soule beloved fully into her bosome Grace t is in the beginning little a graiâ—â— of Mustardseed in progresse great in the end all to wit Heaven which is all now doth Love fully possesse her beloved and now she rests and not till now beyond Heaven there is no gradation no step higher Love hath got her full end which is the full possession of what shee makes out to and now rests Love shapes Mercy so as fully to bring about her end and that is to bring the soule shee loves into her bosome to the full fruition of her selfe of whatsoever shee is you may see this demonstrated in Christ the Father loves him and he gives him mercies greater and greater and never leaves till hee hath lifted him fully into his bosome to his right hand i the fruition of all John 5.20 The Father loveth the Sonne and showeth him all things that himselfe doth and hee will show him greater workes then these that yee may marveile My Father hath given me great things already but hee will give me greater for he loves mee and this will drop and drop till it hath dropped out all it will never rest till it hath brought mee into his bosome The love of God carries the same property and proportion to a Christian and this makes the grouth of a Christian necessarily as the grouth of a Crocadile of which it is written that hee groweth alwayes so doth a Christian till hee bee transplanted into Heaven Vse T is trying this point what truth is in you Your graces are not so great but you may have greater if this be not regarded as you taste not grace what tang it has so you understand not grace what order t 'as Spirituall fulnesse speakes a deluded heart hee that hath goods enough enough for many yeares enough to make his felicity for ever and therefore rests is a foole hee knowes not his state what hee has nor what he wants Blinde men 't is observed do not dreame so much as men that see because fancy in the day hath not so much nor so lively impressive imployment to set it at worke in the night but blinde soules dreame more a great deale then they that see This is one of their dreames among many I have enough grace to bring me to Heaven I hope and I care for no more I love not to be pragmaticall Some make a great deale of stir and run mad t is extreame naught this I like it not Answ this is one extreame but there are two extreames and vertue in the midst of them dost thou eye t'other extreame Some die with heate others die with cold Thou seest others too hot may'st not thou be too cold grace in the true knowledge of it is inviting 't is like some Liquids drinking makes thirstinesse and longing for more drinke every degree of grace possessed makes discovery of greater degrees not possessed One Chamber of Christ hath a window looking into another far bigger and more glorious Thou art entered into one thou sayest dost thou looke into another more glorious and long to enter into it if thou be a stranger to these things thou art a foolish Virgin that possibly hast knocked at the doore of Christs house a little but art yet indeed entered into no roome when Christ had opened the nature of spirituall bread unto his followers that they did indeed understand it they fell a longing presently for more what they had discovered much more behind which they wanted and therefore cryed Lord evermore give us of this Bread Vse This point is upbraiding the light which shines upon us is more glorious then that which shined upon our Fathers that which hath beene hid from Ages and from Generations we have made manifest to us wee have mercies according to externall communication of the biggest what have you according to internall communication this will be looked after This is a day of great things a time wherein Christ brings about great things to our doores our fathers day was a day of small things yet if they were judged for despising their day of small things how much more shall you be judged that despise the day of great things t is the Apostles argument to the Hebrewes and must be mine to you Despite is a spiritull act deliberate disaffection to the loveliest things The posture of our spirits wee least looke at and this Christs Eye is most of all fixed upon Externall carriages are all measured and titled from the heart God rules in the inside of his enemies hee unbowells this Generation and Christens it in blood according to its spirit We offer despite to the spirit of grace we tread under foot the bloud of the Lord Jesus can wee tell whether this iniquity will be blotted out till this Generation die The heart fired against truth abides so t is part of that unquenchable fire below God allowes Satan to bee fueler in such a soule till they both come to burne together in hell Love lost Christ cares not for the person let him be what he will if hee be the greatest man in the World he will burne to death in that fire which burnes in his breast against Christ Our love now to be least when greatest love is tendered can you imagine that this iniquity will be quickly forgotten great heare makes great thunders t is so now the Sun of love shines mighty hot and now wickednesse thunders and so will Justice and righteousnesse too believe it COLOS. 1.26 But now is made manifest c. THe word notes two things appareo et splendeo vision and shining vision that is according to Gospel speech still in the letter and in the spirit the understanding of words which one reads by workes which one feeles a voyce behind one interpreting that before one circumcision outward in the flesh and this explained by circumcision inward in the spirit There is a narrative and an operative light that which makes one talke well and that which makes one walke well that which enables one to produce bookes for his authority in discourse and that which enables one to produce his soule and his life for authority here is my soule and my life reade if it be not so as I say let men and Angells all the World reade if they will The Manifestation which our Apostle speakes of here is the latter for he speakes of such
of bloud upon thee is not thy nakednesse covered with scarlet of such price as puts a God in debt The redeemed adore the redeemer this is in the text Giving thanks to the Father who hath delivered us from the power of death c. a redeemed soul feeds two with every mercy himself and God he admires love this is feeding himself and then he praiseth God and this is feeding of God too Paul could not speak about soul-deliverance but he must make a breaking off and a breaking out Who shall deliver me I thank God Christ The soul is naturally active but as 't is freed by Christ 't is much more active and ascending it sends to God all that is done upon it The soul blesses necessarily as 't is blessed Soul-blessings make their qualitie in us suitable to themselves and to their own nature so much of God as they bring with them so much of God they leave in the soul and the soul necessarily carries as much of God to Heaven as it hath of God from Heaven in any mercy In the Devils arms there is singing drunkkards sing and worldlings sing In Christs armes there is singing too there is singing of halelujahs here the redeemed lift up the Redeemer every soul in Christs arms sings to him all Christs children can sing sweetly there are songs of Sion songs of deliverance Divine love makes gladnesse of heart a heart gladded gets into that bosome that made it so to dilate it self and that makes more gladnesse A redeemed soul is every day more admiring more praising him that redeemed him then other So many souls snatched out of hell so many sweet instruments of melody hath Christ in this world Christ glorifies to be glorified not a soul that Christ pulls out of the devils mouth but he is like Jonah when he came out of the belly of hell a humble relater of wonderfull things to God and man All that Christ takes out of the devils bosome and sets in his own stroke him and kisse him 3. The redeemed obey their redeemer Not a lambe taken out of the power of the wolf but follows the shepheard Your obedience is come abroad unto all saith the Apostle Whom Christ takes they become followers of him in the sight of all Redemption from the power of Sathan and the power of sinne are the same redeemed souls are out of both and obey neither they onely observe him that hath taken them I will run the waies of thy commandments when thou hast set my heart at liberty saith the Psalmist He speaks as a captive set at libertie that was glad of his legs and observe what wayes he takes to runne in I will runne the wayes of thy commandments The soul still is in behaviour as the power under which it is if under the power of sinne it walks sinnefully if under the power of Christ it walks holily in his commandments The soul is still according to the hand in which it is would you know in whose hand and power you are observe well then of what behaviour your souls are Sinners you wallow in your lusts and live according to the power of your corruption and yet many of you plead and glory in your redemption by Christ Your heart gives your tongue the lie and your life speaks you slaves to the devil and your lusts Is it a small thing to you to belie Christ and belie your souls to distract and make void divine redemption Are your souls redeemed and yet are they in slavery to sinne Acknowledge truth that discovers you and confesse your sad state this would better become you A bad state is remedilesse whilest 't is plead for as good the wicked may justifie themselves but God justifies none it will be double death to justifie that which God and conscience condemn Sinners you cut off your souls from grace by wicked confidence God does nothing for the man that thinks all is well but prepare double miserie for calling evill good As corruption is in strength let every soul complain O wretched man that I am c. Corruption makes wretchednesse according to its strength in every soul for as lust lives it misleads sinne will beare sway where 't is not thrust out the old man is not as some old men that sit still and do nothing but is very stirring corruption as it lives is imperious all must be her servants gifts parts yea the very heart Lust as it lives will bewitch your affection adulterate your judgement creep into your bosome and become your full delight then are you wretched souls indeed then are you galley-slaves Sinners consider this point corruption as it is in strength keeps its propertie in all the best of you all will find the devils heaven a hell Ah Lord what will his hell be then You will be weary of your lives as lust lives in you 't is such a bondage make what sweet out of it you can the more artificiall you become in acting and managing corruption the more power it hath in you and the sooner will it kill all your felicitie dead you will suddenly in the flame of lust cry out as that Martyr in a flame of fire in an other case Hell is come is come Sathan is come is come as he cried out Christ is come is come We may releive our selves from this point too respecting this land If power work irrisistablie to save the soul the salvation of the body is much more easie to it One devil is more strong then all the wicked men in England and yet the power which opposeth him about the soul which he most looks at and contends for is too hard for him Fearfull souls be strong you will see irresistable power snatch poore England as a brand out of the fire Power it self as irresistable should releive and as it hath such a propertie and so works snatching creatures when almost ready to be destroyed this should much more releive and raise the heart Were we much lower then we are yet irresistable power can put forth of a sudden and snatch us out of the mouth of lions and 't is its propertie so to do You are left now to fetch in your relief from God onely strike in to do it as you behold any propertie of any divine attribute to put forth it self Now you heare that this is the propertie of divine power to work irresistably Redemptio à nihilo que dam creatio est Means are still enough to that power which is absolute and to work so of a sudden to snatch out of miserie when all is ready to be swallowed up feed your weak souls with this and move at the throne of grace upon it and surely you will heare of God and England will be raised from the dust and have beauty for ashes Before your pots can feel the thorns he shall take them away as with a whirlwind both living and in his wrath And the righteous shall see this and joy
your affections burn and your hearts beat to be redeemed That 's well then there is but one step more believe and you are redeemed out of bondage and this will be wrought it will spring and grow insensibly out of those pantings and breathings which are upon you I have seen the bondage of my people and I have heard their cry saith God When bondage makes crying out O what shall I do and who shall deliver me Enemies are got into a body and are deadly strong a body of death besets my soul and in the midst of this body shall not I loose my soul Now the sinner is turned from iniquity and now the redeemer comes to Sion Let the redeemed admire and adore the redeemer this one thing I will touch and give up the point and I am the rather induced unto it because 't is the use made in my text In whom we have redemption through his bloud Which words are spoken in way of admiration and thanksgiving and are but the continuation of that thanksgiving which is begun in the verse fore-going The redemption of the soul is precious silver would not reach it gold would not reach it onely the precious bloud of Christ would do it precious bloud must stirre and precious spirits leap from this consideration as high as heaven and spurtle up in Gods face Freedome binds man all must be sent to heaven that is saved from hell Let the redeemed say this and say that saith the Psalmist Redemption is obligation who ever hangs by his harp a redeemed person must not because he hath his advantage with him above all others his lesson set and laid before him yea his instrument tuned and put into his hand his lips are opened as the Psalmist speaks 't is but stirre thy tongue and matter cannot be wanting nor affections be able to lie still He that died for us must be perfumed and carried home honourably and buried in his own countrey as Jacob was he that died for you on earth must be perfumed by praises and carried to his own countrey and buried in heaven You must not bury Christ in his works but take him up out of his works and words and carry him to heaven and bury him there Nature abhorres burying things in their own bloud you must not bury Christ in his own bloud but take him up out of his bloud and bath him and perfume him and lay him to sleep in the arms of his father The redemption we speak of here and would have you thankfull for respects your souls and your bodies what mercy comes to either is a blessing from Christ as a Redeemer Not a deliverance in these bloudy times but from the bloud of Christ from that great redeemer that sits in heaven Bodily redemption is but the outside of soul-redemption I hope the blindest sight will be able to see the out-sides of mercy Blind wretches look upon temporall redemptions which now Christ makes and see if you can blesse him for these you had not had the lives of your bodies nor the livelihood of your estates at this houre had not your redeemer pleaded for you had not he pleaded for you w th his bloud you had been all ere this tumbling in your own bloud you had had your bloud trod under foot by those which have long trod under foot the bloud of Christ One redeemer works all redemptions for soul and body one redeemer pleads in soul-cases and in bodily cases See a full plain place Prov. 23.18 Enter not into the fields of the fatherlesse for their redeemer is mightie he shall plead their cause with thee It is but one redeemer that pleads for us in spirituall things and in corporall and therefore in all mercies both spirituall and corporall let Christ be honoured and praised Coloss 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his bloud THe way of grace is here considerable life comes through death God comes in Christ and Christ comes in bloud to save The choisest mercies come through the greatest miseries prime favours come swimming in bloud to us Through a red sea Israel came to Canaan Many a man lost his life and much bloud shed the very land flowing with milk and honey made to flow with bloud ere Israel could inherit the promise seven nations were destroyed ere the land of Canaan was divided to the Israelites Acts 13 19. Israel came to Canaan through bloud and kept in Canaan through bloud Samson was strangled in his own bloud like Christ to keep bloud and life in that blessed people The harlot had her life by a scarlet thread and so had the rest of her faith As the promised land so the promised crown came swimming to David in bloud how many men died and how near was David death many times ere that promise of his honour did live Josephs garment was dipt in bloud and he dead alive for so many years and this was the way to his greatnesse and to the saving of the life of all the holy seed Sinne makes mercie so deadly hard in bringing forth to cristen every precious child every Benjamin Benoni every sonne of Gods right hand a sonne of sorrow and death to her that brings him forth Adam's sweets had no bitter till he transgressed Gods will one mercie did not die to bring forth another till he died One creature was a felicitie for another and none a death to or for another mercy generated mercy and man fed upon the cream and top of all and yet the bottom as sweet as the top mans felicitie was no creatures misery under him they were happy in him and he in them and all in the presence of God to each I will rain bread from heaven saith God to Moses and this was an extraordinary thing then and yet ordinary to Adam before his fall spiritually understood he had all his provision without cost or toil his felicity descended from heaven upon him as dew heaven and earth opened and not any ones sides or veins and so mercy streamed upon him he had his felicity with no more hardship then Angels Man would have his pleasure and God would have his too divine pleasure hath turned the course of love The sea hath runne so many thousand years in such a channell yet God can when he will turn it into another though so broad and big an element The sea is bottomlesse but not boundlesse 't is ordered by the pleasure of God and so is mercy the will of God bounds it orders it keeps it in and lets it forth through what channells it will life through death heaven through hell The first covenant was sealed with life the tree of life was the seal of Adams first grace and favour the second covenant is ratified with death the tree of life must die or else none could live by eating of it 't is not life out of life now as out of the first covenant but life out of death and this necessarily because
crooked and perverse and this makes him mad and this is Gods way of whipping his bedlams those that are out of their wits against truth and holinesse One calls for morter and the other brings stones the proud Babel will not up did not that vex and torture them think you The great God and great-spirited men meet sometimes and they justle and he justles and crouds their limbs against the wall and that maddes them to the heart Frustration of intention and disprosperity of action you cannot find out a worse hell for a proud man and yet thus God dealeth usually with such spirits God opposeth will to will and what men say shall be God saith it shall not be he sets himself to walk contrarie to them which walk contrary to him and this makes weeping and gnashing of teeth indeed amongst wilfull wretches Can you imagine how this scourges wretches on the kings side that God crosses their will in all things David pleased not Saul Jonathan pleased not Saul God pleased not Saul because none pleased his will this was an evil spirit vexing him continually 'T is the portion of all spirits more or lesse which are pinned to their will they are vexed with an evill spirit of discontent perpetually Continuall raging enrageth God and then he reveals his will and then devils descend to hell which is their place all fiery spirits are put in a room together Let wilfull wretches stoop to the will of God which is the use that Solomon makes of this point Stand not in an evil thing for he doth whatsoever pleaseth him Eccles 8.3 He speaks it in regard of the king how much more true is it of the King of kings That we do evil is not simply damnable but that we stand in it There must be but one God one to rule by will when we make more then we pay for it As God makes his will his rule in all things so do you make his will your rule in all things and not your own Mine own heart is deceitfull 't is an ill guide Sathan can get favour in every court here below not a heart upon earth but he finds something in it when he comes to welcome him 't is dangerous to make this generall commander of a mans military life in this world which holds such correspondencie with such a deadly enemy O that men would thus wisely consider their way and do like disciples of Christ that have denied themselves and not like heady persons that have sould themselves to do wickedly Poore creatures think that there is but one step to felicitie and that is to have their will in this thing or that O if I had this or if I had that what a blessed creature should I be whereas our felicity is not in having our own will from God but in Gods having his own will from us our blessednesse is not in our selves but in him not in any thing that we propose but in what he proposeth 'T is our meat and drink to do Gods will 'T is our felicity to rise dayly to the life of Christ who pleaseth not himself For even Christ pleaseth not himself but as it is written the reproches of them that reproched thee fell on me Romans 15.3 A word of consolation and I have done Some favours are long a coming and then we are sad it should not be for they come as soon as God will and sooner would not be well for us Some persons are very bitter in their carriage this makes others concerned therein to weep bitterly it should not be no creature is bitterer to me then God will the cup of gall and vinegar in Christs hand is Gods will Father thy will be done Men are strong devils are strong lusts are strong and I think they shall never down and this throws me down but it should not be for though I cannot throw these down God will he wills the death of sinners when past remedie and he wills the death of sinnes when past our strength and that he wills this is enough I will be thou clean That God shapes out every thing by his will makes ill for sinners for wilful sinners but very well for such as are humble and penitent COLOSSIANS 1.19 It pleaseth the Father c. AS this terme involves the will of God simply and singly considered so I pursued it the last day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it notes something deare or complacentiall to us and so rendred 1 Thes 2.8 the word also comprehends the strength and intention of affection such a complacencie of love as makes one delight and rest to doe such or such a thing It gave rest to Father and holy Ghost it delighted both to lay out liberally in Christ for fallen mans reliefe Fire hath its propertie which is to burne so doth love in Gods breast to us-ward Wee are now led to speake upon the propertie of mercy how strongly the rivers and streames of life run God is restlesse till befallen man have full reliefe provided Doctr. It gave rest to the Father c. What agents doe naturally they doe it intensly the Sun is restlesse till it rise and shine upon us 'T is naturall to God to shew mercy as 't is to the Sun to shine according to this he wrought as soone as ever he began to worke and could not tell how to worke otherwise God could not tell how to make any thing but blessed creatures and blessed places a Heaven and a Paradise blessed spirits and blessed men God cast all that ever he did into a frame full of mercy but man jogd his hand and turned all out of course God is the same stil restless til all be brought into a state of blessednesse againe As the Needle is restlesse till it stand to the North point so was God till he turned againe to fallen man as may appeare by his speedy provision for Adam God eyes the beautie of action motion with delight unto good is glorious Delight is love in strength love in strength is restlesse till it can vend it selfe Since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still Jere. 31.20 Earnest affection makes mind worke memory worke head worke heart worke still it makes all restlesse perpetually till the thing pitied and beloved have rest God goes reluctantly about no act of kindnesse 't is inglorious it may be competent to you it cannot be to God 'T is below God to shew kindnesse to us here reluctantly though wee be all here such base creatures God delights to exercise loving kindnesse in the earth Jerem 9.24 One would thinke that it might be delightfull to him to shine in his owne spheare to exercise loving kindnesse in Heaven to cast pearles and raies upon those noble peeres and so 't is and 't is delightfull also to the Sunne to shine upon dunghils upon us base creatures to exercise loving kindnesse in the earth God eyes the necessitie of action unlesse he acts throughly wee are all
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed The Sun that shines upon us shines upon thousands more it casteth over the world and shines upon a world so doth the Son of righteousnesse God was in Christ reconciling a world to himself the expression notes quantity in some sense as well as quality a world of worldly men Vse Bounty should be admired 't is so respecting men why should it not be so much more respecting God He whose hand is open to all all mens mouths are open to speak of his goodnesse Christ is a generall good lame blind halt have favour he keeps a table of kindnesse for all commers he reconciles all things Love is destroyed when the heart is not taken with great goodnesse love destroyed there can be no marrying between Christ and the soul 'T was a great judgement when their maids were not given to marry There is no inclination to embrace Christ when his beauty is no whit admired Vanities destroy affection some souls are sots talk of any thing that is spirituall and their hearts grow not amorous by it but die within them like Nabals the curse of God is in strength here these have made themselves Eunuches for the kingdome of darknesse Christ hath no engine to raise love like this to wit his bounty and sweetnesse that he will give every one to drink that is dry that Moses a fair man will marry a Blackmoore that Abraham will lodge a Lazarus in his bosome If goodnesse will not make good if love will not draw love let the soul marry whom he will Christ will have none of him Christ is noble he will gain the heart fully or he will marry no person in the world Persons shall be sick of love or they shall be unmarried to Christ You care not whether persons love you so you can but get their wealth Christ is righteous he seeks us not ours persons not dowry I seek not yours but you He was a friend to the Bride which spake that and spake his heart I know not what hearts you have nor how to wooe for my Masters Son I can say nothing but this he is all love he reconcileth all high low rich poore heavenly things earthly things he takes dust into his bosome and delights in it for ever The contemplation of Christs sweetnesse makes the marriage knot and the solace of the marriage when made When is the soul in heaven but when taken with that love which hath loved him when considering love in its latitude He hath loved me and given himself for me he reconciles all things indeed that would not leave out me Milk and honey is Canaan As the soul feeds upon the riches of love 't is in heaven Man is doubly miserable he is at a losse of satisfying solace and of the right way to acquire it he is taken with creatures and when he comes to lie down in their bosome to solace they vanish and vex a man lies down smiling riseth up howling because that 's nothing which he made so much and this may be the Motto of all earthly beauties That creature is nothing which man makes all Taken with the love of Christ and the longer so the stronger so the more blessed the soul cannot want depth here and tumble it self ashore as it doth when it tumbles in other waters sweetnesse in this way is found bottomlesse O the depth of the riches of the goodnesse of God! c. 'T is a brave thing to dive the depths of kindnesse if there be heaven any where 't is in the bottome of divine love Things have their full solace in their proper element this in reference to the soul of man is the love of God in the extent thereof What did take up Adams soul into Paradise whilest he moved well but the beauty of God the extent of his kindnesse that it reached all that Adam could look upon and all that while had he Paradise in his spirit but when he began to admire the beauty of forbidden things the beauty of Diabolicall fancies then he dyed in his nest presently What takes up those blessed spirits above but the contemplation of the love of God Here lies their full and perpetuall blessednesse that they cannot nor will not look beside love 'T is a very desolate time in which we live many have little left in the world to think upon and yet set not themselves to think of that which might make all to them Such are without solace indeed which have none without nor within how such poor creatures bear up I know not how to keep them up if they sink I know not there is no cordiall in any distresse but the contemplation of the love of Christ and under this notion how large it is This bleeding time makes my heart bleed to think what refreshments to give forth to mourning persons in every corner State is gone friends gone all left me gone this the complaint of thousands Yet he that is all is ready to receive you all and to impart all to you God hath set you free of this world to think of another which is better Make use of the rich proffers of grace and all will do well yet What doth Christ reconcile all things in earth to himself and leave out me Blesse me even me also O my Father so pray Some are froward and will not stir after grace though never so plentifull though Christ will be friends with them yet they will not with him How oft would I have gathered thee and thou wouldst not Take heed of stubbornnesse in sin though Christ shew mercy to thousands yet he will be the death of such a soul I am affraid of some of you lest Satan should harden your hearts against the Lord Jesus Christ Know the disposition of grace Christ treads upon none that stoop Know the season of grace doth Christ knock O then is the time when he would reconcile thee to himself Never let that word of Christ which takes thee be forgotten that 's a kisse of Christs lips to gain thee kisse the Son again Blesse God that he would make any word of his a sword to wound thy hard heart Blesse Christ that hee would come so neer where thou dwellest that he would not once knock but put in his finger by the hole of the dore to make thy bowels yearn after him when he knocks again intreat him to knock all down that hinders his coming in Longing souls after Christ are the blessedst souls in the world who ever die unreconciled to God they will not This point will leave all men without excuse I will touch this and conclude God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth and Christ acts according to this latitude he reconciles all things to himself he desires not the death of one sinner Sinners if you die in your sins blame your selves not God you will die as those that exclude your selves as those that
matter of joy And yet there are no other prospects here below take what house what place what advantage you will to look abroad upon things here below you cannot look besides ruine and desolation that this shall be repaired and all these broken cisternes mended and filled and all made to run eternally into my soule this may doe something upon the soule when it can rise and reach so high and this is hope My flesh shall rest in hope Hope is a soule at rest concerning all things within and without concerning spirit and flesh that they shall be all perfectly well The soule of man naturally sits up much now distracted creatures can take little rest this is not well that 's not well all will be worse the world will sinke and I shall be undermost you may guesse by despaire what hope is Despaire is a soule wracking it selfe with what is Job 13.14 and with what will be 'T is one taking his flesh in his teeth torturing and tearing all under his own apprehension of things God is gone he will never returne if he doe 't will but be to send me to my place Hope is the correction of these distempers God is hid he is not gone I shall see him though not now every bone that is broken shall rejoyce every filthy issue in my soule shall be dryed up I will waite upon the Lord that hideth himselfe from the house of Jacob and I will look for him this is hope hope has the command of her selfe but will not have the command of God Shee has every thing that would rebell at her foote but Christ in the highest esteeme of any of his daughters Can he give bread Will he give a crum to me No I shall eate this morsell and die groane this groane and my heart-strings will breake You never heard hope speake such a word shee is a childe that speakes just like her father Our God is not come indeed yet but he will come and he will not tarry though he puls down quickly yet he takes time to build up and this time hastens Despaire looks upon mercy at a stand hope sees it coming and coming a great pace My beloved comes skipping upon the mountaines i Certainly coming and swiftly coming Hope hath but bad externall feeling but all other senses most acute Shee can see a great way heare a great way and the like In a dark day when fogs are never so thick shee can look through them and behold the land that is far off When shee is in the belly of hell shee can look towards Gods Temple When burthens presse that sense hath nothing but torture nothing but devils to shake hands with yet then shee can see a God amongst a thicket of Devils though shee cannot come at him as shee would though I cannot come to him he will come to me where ever I am though thousands incompasse me yet I will not feare that is I will not despaire of one to come to relieve me Hope will carry more burthens then any grace without sinking In perils by sea in perils by land c. In povertie in nakednesse distressed in all kinds with a witnesse but not cast downe Hope is never cast downe shee will cast downe any thing men devils but is never cast down her selfe Hope is a hardie long-lived grace 't will live in famine when ' thath not a bit of bread 't will live in sicknesse in warre in death The righteous hath hope in his death Hope was never knowne to have her heart-strings breake 't is semper vivens Death is the King of feares and yet it pales not the countenance of hope hope walks in the valley of the shadow of death and feares none ill i expects no hurt Hope can fee no ill no hurt in any thing not in death not in the grave that house is something darke indeed but I shall not alwayes lie there saith hope Thou wilt not leave my soule in grave though thou kill me I will hope in thee though thou burie me I will hope in thee I shall rise as Christ did this vile body shall be changed and made like Christs glorious bodie and then set for ever where his is The flesh doth rest in hope Hope is conversant about no ill but about all good and most about that which is noblest 't is appetitus excellentis boni cum fiducia obtinendi therefore is hope so often put for heaven it doth so often goe to heaven and is so much taken up there Looking for that blessed hope and for the glorious appearing of that great God and our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ Tit. 2.13 and so by the Author to the Hebrewes urged To lay hold on the hope that is set before us You see hope is put for heaven and the reason is because so much conversant there Hope feeds delicately shee hath a table below and this is nothing but the word of Christ My soule hopeth in thy Word Shee hath a table above and this is nothing but Christ himselfe and the state he weares above this shee looks upon oft and smiles to her selfe when no soule alive is aware Rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God The two termes of hope are hell and heaven shee goes from the one to the other and in this way turnes the one into the other and this is all her worke shee goes into every house of mourning where Christ is and takes exact notice of every distresse corporall and spirituall and then bids the mourner be chearfull all teares shall be wiped from thine eyes there is a house eternall in the Heavens though this cracke and moulder and there thou shalt sigh no more Hope is that good Angel that carries Lazarus and lays him in Abrahams bosome 't is that grace which makes heavie afflictions light long afflictions short by shewing the soule what they worke about a far more exceeding and an eternall weight of glory Hope can speake nothing but Heaven and glory to a distressed heart I conclude as I began Hope is a glad expectation of good i of all good but especially the highest and the noblest good Drooping hearts thinke of this point how usefull is this grace for you you have taken a house by the borders of hell continually affrighted with evill spirits that walke up and downe in your soules and yet you love to dwell here Terrors take hold sometimes 't is a heavie stroake then the soule refuseth comfort Sense of fin is good but it s a wound of it selfe that must be carefully drest oft with the leaves of the tree of life 't will rankle and kill else Sinner dost thou know thy state Yes Dost thou know it exactly Yes Why whither shalt thou goe when thou diest To Hell Hast thou no hope of any other thing No. Why wouldest thou stand still all this while and let thy soule bleed to death Was there no Balme in Gilead No word in all the booke of God
very exactly A true glasse is of worth All light flatters but the Gospel That 's an oyntment indeed which takes off all scales and makes perfect sight in any one and this is the propertie of the Gospel to whom soever it comes though an ideot as the originall is he is convinced of all 't is spoken as the naturall property of this light man cannot hide any thing from it It makes an exact discovery of man and an exact discovery of God so far forth as such powers as we have here are comprehensible it shines into our hearts and gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God it discovers mans glory to wit his soule and the glory of God to wit his heart and his soule towards man two such properties as are not to be found in any light The glory of God is his face all other light discovers but his back parts or if it speake any thing about the face of God 't is as vailed To see the King is a great favour but to see him in state that 's a great friendship indeed There be many things have glory which if any one could give one eyes to behold wee should account it a great priviledge if any one could set me as Satan would have set Christ to behold the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them as is there exprest I should be ready to thinke it a great priviledge and yet all this glory not comparable to the glory of God all these things that glitter here below are but the dust of that gold above but some old cast garments which the King lays at his feete and gives to some poore servants and slaves they are but as cast-rags given to diseased creatures The glory of God is not to be exprest the Gospel helpes us to Pauls vision to behold unutterable things The face of God is his glory the face of a man is his glory Distinguishing propriety whether such a one be a brother a sister a father I can tell you when I see his face which is glorious to me when I behold The Gospel gives a distinct knowledge of God by this and by this alone I am enabled to look as it were in his face and to discerne in what relation I stand to him and he to me whether I be his childe and he my father or otherwise Mercy considered in such a latitude as eternally to save is cald the glory of God condiscension to the creature offending taking him up in his armes 'T is cald the glory of a man to passe by a fault to abide sweet when others are bitter to smile and embrace when there is no invitement but all discouragement this is cald the glory of a man and this is cald the glory of God The Gospel and no light else holds forth transcendent condescension in God by all other light wee conceive of him as one that is austere as one that will not yeeld a whit as one that will have the utmost farthing his own with advantage or inflict death The Gospel holds forth all sweet condescension in God it sets him forth as one inviting come blinde halt as one waiting to be gracious thirty forty fifty threescore yeares to the last houre and yet giving a penny to him that came in last as well as to him that came in first it sets him out as one that goes about to folkes-dores and knockes sinners doe you need any mercy doe you need any thing for your soules or bodies to make you blessed for ever you may have it for nothing Milke and honey wine and oyle tryed gold and royall apparrell The Gospel sets out God as one that expostulates with man about the matter of his good Why doe you lay out your money for that which is not bread And why will you die The Gospel sets out God as one beseeching man to be reconcild as one that delights to exercise loving-kindnesse to make it his work his daily businesse to forgive sins and to bring souls to heaven at his own cost this is transcendent condiscension and this is the glory of God in the eye of a poor sinner this makes him shine more glorious then any thing in the world and all this the light of the Gospel discovers discovers in us hath shined into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God Vse The Gospel is a grand favour but I am affraid we do not count it so Manna is loathed we love darknesse more then light That light which discovers us and makes our nakednesse appear is a plague and no blessing to thousands What is more inraging and more deadly to some persons then the powerfull words of the Lord Jesus What is more inraging at this day then the shining light of the Gospel Our misery is great the cause apparent we shut our eyes against the light The Prince of darknesse shall rule this is the vote of thousands Where Satan raigns do you expect any other but a hel rending and tearing howling and yelling Brave England is turn'd into a hel oppressing racking rending weeping wayling and gnashing of teeth and why Certainly the Prince of darknesse raigns amongst us have you a glimpse of that feind in all this our hel and misery If there were indeed a true love of the Gospel amongst us could there be such fighting abroad and at home amongst us as there is As light is precious it conquers as light conquers pride falls pride fallen the Lion is a Lamb Lambs rend not nor tear one another We rend and tear one another name state all that is dear and would be to one another as the very devils are Ah Lord Is this a Christian Land a Land honouring the Gospel Doth it conquer us Is the Spirit of the Gospel in us whose hearts burn like hel in pride and malice against one another The hand of the Lord is upon an hypocriticall people get it off who can You say you love the Gospel and yet think the Land too good for them that faithfully professe it He that hates his brother in his heart is a murtherer a bloody spirit is in you a bloody hand of justice is upon you if this right not the innocent and publish the hyporcisie of this generation to all the world then say that Christ hath not spoken by me Would the sword were sheathed saith many would it had done its work say I. We needed through launcing mens basenesse comes out freely 't is a mercy to know who loves the Gospel and how How long will England bleed ere good blood appear Will that good bloud be so little as not enough to hold life in the State O that will be sad Sinners look about you you that dissemble with your light are the plagues of the Land doe you call whom you will troublers this will be found the truth which I have said you are the troublers and the destroyers of the Land and the
like his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 no condition desperate to Christ he can give sight to one that is born blinde he 〈◊〉 change the spots of the Leopard plague spots all things touching the fallen condition of man are possible to him 't was spoken you know by himself upon a sad fight which none of Christs Disciples could do good to to wit one rended and torn by Satan which Christ cured with ease There be many thousand impossibilia to us yea in us not a sin in a mans soul the least but is impossible to us to subdue because in our nature Can a Leopard change his spots any one of his spots He may lick at them but can he remove them 'T is as if Christ had said Can a sinner take out any stain in his soul he may lick at them by prayer and the like but he cannot remove them because as a nature to him yet I can do it as if Christ had said I can take out any spot out of any cloth out of any part soul or body He is able to save all that come to God by him Christ hath this vast power and he cannot suspend it If he refuse to do what he can for any distressed creature that comes unto him and be the most miserable in the world he will displease his Father which we know he would not do he would undergo hell first The power that Christ hath for the good of sinners is necessarily acted The Sun shines upon all the world and it cannot do otherwise Christ in the 6th of John when he had discoursed largely according to what latitude and compasse he wrought for the salvation of souls he puts it to this conclusion I can do no lesse saith he for this is the will of my Father that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him might have everlasting life if it be the tatterdst the forlornst creature in the city that looks pitifully upon me I must look pitifully upon him if he hang about me for soul favour I must in no wayes cast him off but take him out of the jaws of death and carry him in my arms to eternall life What is the will of the Father is the will of Christ the will of Christ naturally not artificially in a way of self-deniall and contest as the will of God is said to be a Saints will so that what the Father would have Christ own Christ cannot but own for the same Spirit is in him and in the same measure and therefore you have him setting himself forth by the Prophet just as I do as one bound by that Spirit which anointed him The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and he hath anointed me to preach unto these and these and to comfort all that mourn a Christ doth not say the will of the Lord is nakedly revealed to me how far I shall shew mercy and how far not but the same Spirit that speaks to me saith he is upon me i. in the same measure that it speaks to me 't is in me and so necessitates me to obey or captivates me as my own nature and as my own affection God is captivated with love toward all captives so am I saith Christ he would have all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth Jewes and Gentiles so would I too saith Christ the same bottomlesse sea of love that fluctuates in his breast is in mine the Father and I are one and often Christ uses this expression when he speaks about love to the creature Vse Sinners if ever you would be saved consider this point well how wide the arms of Christ are how big the bosome of mercy is it hath many thousands between her breasts already and yet there is roome for you The love of Christ is not coy 't is not humerous ' thath not naturall antipathy against any but persons that sleight it Sinners sinners I beseech you consider it at what height you love your sins Do you love your sins above your bodies above your estates and names yet there may be hope Do ye love your sins above your souls this is sad yet there may be hope But do ye not love your sins above that love which stands with her arms open to you yet for all this What hope can there be in this case How can you escape the damnation of hell as Christ spake to this generation There is no art to make the soul set open the everlasting dores like telling him of the King of glory which would come in I conclude so because 't is the art the holy Ghost useth Mercy held out in the extent of it is the King in visible glory drunkards swearers adulterers set open your everlasting dores the King of glory would come into you he would forgive your sins against the light of Scripture your sins against the light of nature your beastly sins I those wherein you have been worse then beasts your sins against your own bodies as well as against your own souls Love would get her self a name upon you by cleansing and kissing of Swine by laying a Toad in her bosome by bringing a devill out of hel to heaven Can you spit in the face of this Love now in the sight of all this congregation and turn to your lusts again Mercy comes to all your dores she falls down at all your feet will you tread upon her Mercy shews you what she would have you do Christ humbles himself to the dust laies himself at all your feet if you would but do the like to him not a soul of you should perish We hold out to you now the riches of grace if it work kindly you shall know it by this the soul longs to be partaker of it this grace must be nourished if longing die ere it obtain the soul is guilty of stifling the Spirit What buds in the soul will blossome do but keep it in the Sun all that are weary and heavie laden have ease all that are opprest with the devill are healed 't is the thing we are upon If this grace work not kindly the soul hardens it self in its sin If love be so large I may go on in my sin yet a while longer and do well enough at last God rejects none not young sinners not old sinners I will make as much as I can of my sin and lie as long as I may in the lap of Delilah if I must part with it I will part with it at last when I must part with all Death is seised violently upon this soul he vomits his excrements Would a Judas speak worse then this man I will keep my covetousnesse and treachery as long as I can if I must leave it it shall be at last when I leave this world my master and my hope for ever You cannot imagine the depth of guile that is in our hearts naturally