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nation_n	earth_n	let_v	rejoice_v	2,218	5	9.6032	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38823	The Gospel treasury opened, or, The holiest of all unvailing discovering yet more the riches of grace and glory to the vessels of mercy unto whom onely it is given to know the mysteries of that kingdom and the excellency of spirit, power, truth above letter, forms, shadows / in several sermons preached at Kensington & elswhere by John Everard ; whereunto is added the mystical divinity of Dionysius the Areopagite spoken of Acts 17:34 with collections out of other divine authors translated by Dr. Everard, never before printed in English.	Everard, John, 1575?-1650?; Brooks, Thomas, 1608-1680.; Barker, Matthew, 1619-1698.	1657 (1657)	Wing E3531; ESTC R29421	513,595	936

Goodness the Wisdom Excellency and Beauty of him You may say these indeed in themselves are glorious creatures but say withal Where is He that enlightens them and makes them so glorious Oh! What and How glorious is He that thus shines in them and through them And as they All testifie the glory of their Creator so they All suffer him to be their Lord and Ruler Every thing is contented to stand in his place and be obedient to him the beasts they are appointed for food to man as other things are for beasts every one increasing and yielding their sweetness and fatness to the next creature above them and this they do willingly without grudging And All these creatures though they do speak God yet that they say of Him it is nothing in comparison of him Though they say something yet they all say not All of him but in us there is such a deal of ignorance which I was about to say was the greatest sin that we are so far from using them as we should making them serviceable to us and keeping them in their place that we are rather serviceable to them and are their servants and we make them Masters we are sooner turned into their kind then they into ours And the creatures though they speak God and speak aloud of him yet know this they still cry Plus ultra plus ultra there is more behinde still look beyond us for we are nothing when thou beholdest The Beauty glory sweetness or Excelencie of any Creature or of all the Creatures together Hear This voice from Them Look Beyond us for we All are Nothing Nothing to Him who made us and gave us to be What we are And we all speak infinitely short of Him As when I see This Church or House I know he was a workman that built it yet I know not All of him I neither knew what age he was of nor what means he had but that he was a workman this his works do tell me So in the works of Creation when I look upon any of the creatures I must needs acknowledge he was a Rare workman and a wise that contrived and made it but they come infinitely far short of him And they still cry with that man in the Gospel We believe But Lord help our unbelief 2. For their prayers You know prayer consists of two parts Of Prayer or Invocation Of Praise and Adoration As I told you every creature praises God the work praises the workman and every creature praises God I and with a loud voyce But whoever heard and understood the noise and the language of the stones and the voyce of the still and quiet earth But even All these praise God Aloud and he receiveth it at their hands They all praise him in his Sanctum Sanctorum The whole world and the Heavens and the Heaven of Heavens are all but His Temple as David saith In this Temple doth every one speak of His glory In this Temple they all sing praise and Hallelujahs to him every one even as it were vocally as Psal. 84. 3. David complains that the Swallows and the Sparrows were more happy then he for they might draw nigh unto God in his Temple to praise him for what is their chirping crying and singing but the voice of nature and to whom do they cry and to whom do they sing but to their Creator and God knows their voice and their cry as David saith He feeds the young Ravens when they cry unto him As a mother knows the signs the Child makes knows by the nuzling what it craves even so doth God by all his creatures The eyes of all things look up unto thee and thou givest them their meat in due season What the eyes of all men nay of all things You know one creature understands the voice of another they understands one anothers complaints one anothers singing and rejoycing one Dog understands the voice of another and so every creature in its kind and shall not God who is the God of nature he knows whereof we are all made and He knows all our complaints and wants The Lions seek their prey of God and he feeds the Ravens when they cry unto him But if these should not preach Gods praise yet the very stones do speak his praise and cry unto him but yet in such a language as God understands who made them and therefore you to whom God hath given rongues and understanding if you do not praise God and glorifie him if you hold your tongues all these dumb creatures and even these senseless stocks and stones shall rise in judgement against you for this is a true rule Nature hath done nothing in vain What 's the reason the poor sheep bleats when it comes to the slaughter and the swine Roars when he is killed do you think they cry to us that pursue them kill them no no but to God who is witness of their surrendring up their precious lives according to his will STEVEN when he was stoned to death nor Jesus Christ when he was crucified and said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit they did not cry more Audibly I say not more Audibly in Gods eares to God to take notice of their innocent yielding up their lives then these creatures do Cry to God when they suffer cruelly and unjustly crying to God Lord lay not this sin to their charge And Father into thy hands I commit my life and my spirit and fall asleep as Steven did and return to their rest 3. The third thing is their Decalogue but this belongs onely to us because they need none they never broke their law they alwayes walk according to Gods will The water and the sea summer and winter hay-time and harvest with all other things these all keep their appointed time they all obey thy will O God True it is they have not that reason that we have and therfore they have not so exact A Decalogue Yet God hath power even to break this exact Law yea man also may if God give him a dispensation and then if he break any of these Laws it is no sin as God commanded Abraham to kill his son and he did kill him in his intention and he had killed him had not the Angel staid his hand and it was not Evil but Obedience in Abraham But if any one shall do this from their own will then it were sin for he that gave the Law may break the Law And for this third part we need say no more 4. For their Sacrifices or Sacraments I do not say they sacrifice as of themselves but they are not onely an occasion of our praising God and sacrificing to him but they are also the matter of our sacrifices yet David in that of I Chron. 16. 31 32 33. Exhorts Let the Heavens be glad and the earth rejoyce and let men say among the Nations The Lord reigneth so withal saith he Let the sea

see light Psal. 36. 9. all other light is but darkness till we come to see things by this light we see them all by a False light every thing is of quite contrary colour in the light that we thought it to be in the dark The light discovers every thing as it is but till this light be come into the soul we believe not that we are in Darkness we think we have as true a light as can be will you make us believe we are blind Saith the Pharisee to Christ but say they quite contrary In my light we shall see light however some may be in darkness we are in the light neither can they be perswaded there is any better light then their own light As for example there be several things that live in the two Elements as those on the earth and those in the water those that be in the water cannot see things on land as they are t is true they have a light but it is a false light things are not represented to them as they are because there is water between the sight and the thing but those that live on the land they see things as they are there is no obstacle between them and the things they look on neither can those on the land see things in the water on the same reason So it is in our spiritual estate there be those that live in two Elements in the light of Nature and in the light of Grace those that live in the first they think there is no better light nor there can be no better for think they Are not we the onely men do not we live obedient to the Laws and seek to do justice and equity towards all and pay every man his own do not we live uprightly do not we govern justly and uprightly and according to Gods Laws do not we bridle sin and sinners that they run not into that excess of riot that some do do not we also submit our selves to authority over us and walk honestly in our places and live peaceably with all men These men these are the men I say they live in the water they have but a duskish glimmering light though they thus boast themselves nothing appears truly to them they think themselves in a very good case there is no better light then theirs and those that think there is they are deceived They know that they are in the good way those that will seek for any better light they think their forwardness will quite put out their light And those that are below them they think those are in as bad case They know not what will become of Swearers and Cheaters and Drunkards and Whore●ongers c. If it were possible it should go ill with us what should become of the multitude say they O Beloved all this is False light For If once you go about to measure your selves by others let them be who they will be you will be found too scanty When God shall come to weigh you in the ballance of the sanctuary you will be found too light God will not weigh us by the holiest men but by his own weights he will not judge thee by thy light but by his own light And if once this bright light be lighted up in the soul The light of the candle shall never need to shine in that soul more there needs neither the light of the Sun nor the Moon for the glory of God shines in it and the Lamb is the light thereof Rev. 22. 5. But the Armour of this False light is Reason whatever seems good to reason that is good and if you cannot shew them a reason it cannot be good for say they as Nabal said to David who was so wicked a man could not speak to him saith the Text is it reason that I should take my victuals that I have prepared for my Sheep-shearers and give unto strangers 1 Sam. 25. 11. Is it not reason I should take notice of my gifts and graces that God hath bestowed upon me of my wisdom of my understanding of my memory which God hath given me of my labours and attainments above another take heed take heed I pray thee this may cost thee thy life 〈…〉 to cost Nabal his had not wise Abigail come and met David if Gods wisdom doth not come and prevent thy reason and thy wisdom they will destroy thee Object Why is that any hurt to make a difference where God hath made a difference I see I have these gifts above another and I praise God for them what shall I deny the good things that God hath given me no no by no means Answ. But glorying herein will undo thee and besides is this giving honour one to another as the Apostle commands Rom. 12. 10. In honour preferring one another and accounting thy self the least Read that Rev. 18. 23. Thy Merchants were the great men of the earth for by thy Sorceries were all Nations deceived The Apostle commands Not to mind High things but to condescend to men of low estate Nor be not wise in your own conceits The twelfth name is Darkness Why are we in darkness we have the light and have had it these seventy years and 〈◊〉 if any Nation in the world are free from this name we are we have the light as well as you You may indeed go teach this to the Indians and the Salvages and to those that know not God to those that live in the Antipodes that go feet to feet with us they may perhaps believe this Doctrine and oonfess themselves guilty but you shall never make us believe it concerns us Beloved whatever you think That you have the light know it you are in darkness as in Ephes. 4. 18. Having their understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart And as our Saviour saith if the light that is in you be darkness how great is that darkness That is when men boast of light and yet are in darkness when they are proud of darkness how great is that darkness they call good evil and evil good they call sweet sowre and sowre sweet That which men and flesh calls good that they call good what nature and reason sayes is good that is good and onely good but God calls that evil which they call good and contrary that good which they call evil Therefore saith the Apostle Fashion not your selves according to the world call not that good which the world calls good which this corrupt flesh sayes is good saith it wealth is good and health is good and fair weather is good and pleasure is good do not men say the same do not Heathens say the same therefore this is darkness yea Egyptian darkness that may be FELT If you were not overcome with Darkness And the Armour of this Darkness is love of darkness and

so we may say of evil Cvetousness for thy Covetousness is to please thy lusts 9. COMMANDEMENT The ninth commandement Bear no false witness He also is guilty of the breach of this As in the Commandement before he made no scruple of false dealing so here he makes none of false Accusing Iohn Baptist to the Souldiers he puts these together Luke 3. 14. Accuse no man falsly be content with your wages There is seldom any false Accusation against our neighbour but Covetousness is in it And here we may mention as guilty of Covetousness 1. The Flatterer 2. Knights of the Post that will for gain swear any thing 3. Detractors or Defamers And 4. Lawyers First Flatterers spoken of Iude v. 16. Whose mouthes speak proud things having mens persons in admiration for advantage sake They will say as they say Whom they flatter and fain with and fawn upon for their advantage sake Secondly Those pitiful poor creatures that will serve any one with Oaths and False-witness to get money and may well be called Knights of the Post which so hackney out their souls and consciences to such Hellish Monsters Thirdly Defamers Detractors and Backbiters are here reproved as Covetous and Breakers of this ninth Commandement who watch to take up all the spew and vomit of the world to please those they seek a meals meat from or some such small gain And care not who they reproach nor how unjustly so they can but please their Benefactors Lastly Those Lawyers who against their consciences will give counsel in a wrong cause and so bear false witness for their Fee Sake How common is this among Lawyers If like Balacks Messengers to Balaam they bring the Reward of Divination in their hands they will or it shall go hard though they break their brains for it make a bad cause seem good when they know it to be otherewise O hellish practise and common among Lawyers and yet they slight it as a thing of nothing Must we not speak for our Clients say they But they are herein deeply guilty of this foul sin of Covetousness 10. COMMANDEMENT And then for the tenth Commandement I hope you will not say they do not Covet for this is their whole practise and is directly against this Commandement For what can a man have that a covetons man doth not desire if his hands could or durst be as nimble as his thoughts and wishes he would be like Adam Alone in the earth No body should have any thing but He for Adam had all and no body shared with him such are the desires of a covetous man they are boundless As the Conclave answered Pope Benedict the twelfth If he would make more Cardinals he must make another world too for this world was scarce sufficient for them in being which were already made Covetousness enlargeth her desire as hell Look now upon thy self in this glass set it before thee and see if thou hadst no more sins but this One if it be not a mighty sin a massy sin as heavy as a Talent of lead O that thou didst but feel it so It is such a Seminary and Nursery of so many other sins that thou hast need to cry mightily against it with David Incline my heart to thy Commandments but not to Covetousness Psalm 119. 36. Beloved I do not use to spend time thus against any one particular sin because in doing so in most sins I cut off but the boughs and branches but leave the root to grow ranker and stronger I therefore still desire to strike at the root and then the boughs and branches dye and wither of themselves But this sin being so common and indeed Epidemical as I have shewed you and being a Root it self from which so many evil branches spring and grow I thought good to spend this short time though not in my ordinary way of speaking to you if so it may please God to bring any one here to abandon and detest this great and mighty sin of Covetousness Now I come to speak a little in brief to the other parts of this Indictment which I must run over and give you but a touch of what I meant to say Now for the Extent and generality of this dissease It is an Epidemical disease an universal plague from which no sort is free Some sins are peculiar to the place of Kings They having gotten so much power in their hands they would be Monarhs without control whose assertion is That they owe account of their actions to none but God alone and they want not for flatterers and Sycophants to preach such Doctrine in their ears That no power on earth ought to call them to Account for that they are above the law and then Covetousness will make them Make their lusts their Law and they will have what they will have right or wrong but in this Nation they have been still curbed and kept off from this Absolute power by one means or other You know what Iezebel said to Ahab 1 Kings 21. 7. when he would fain have taken from Naboth his vineyard but the Law manacled and restrained him what saith Iezebel Dost thou now govern the Kingdom of Israel and art so cast down for this thing and wilt fast and eat no bread up and eat and be of good chear I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth And when the Law would not give it him she devised a wicked device causing two sons of Belial Knights of the Post to swear blasphemy against him and so confiscate not onely his vineyard but his whole estate Covetousness will cause even Kings to do this and what not if they have but Power enough 2. Some sins are more peculiar to Noblemen as Ambition Pride desire of Honours and Preferments boasting of their great descent yet there is none of all these but is spiced and mixed if not grounded and bottomed on this general sin of Covetousness for to uphold themselves in their state Thy Princes are as Evening wolves greedy and covetous they all love gifts c. 3. The sin peculiar to rich men is to oppress and grind the faces of the poor through Covetousness To joyn house to house and field to field Isa. 5. 8. therefore the Prophet David gave rich men a good Lesson If riches increase set not your hearts upon them Psal. 62. 12. And we may see the covetous mind of rich men in Nathans Parable 2 Sam. 12. though he had Lambs enough of his own yet he would have the poor mans One Ewe 4. Learned men they are more addicted to credit and applause and to be had in great esteem yet they are not free from this sin of Covetousness It s plain in that story of Balack and Balam who sent Nobles but not without gifts in their hands and when Balack told him I will thee exalt to honour yet he puts that clause in too I would have filled thy house

roar and the fulness thereof let the fields rejoyce and all that is therein then shall the trees of the wood Sing Out at the presence of the Lord that is To him to whom God hath revealed himself and suffered His glory to pass before him All creatures yea the dumb and inanimate creatures sing out and sing aloud the infinite praises of God Almighty Psal. 145. 9 10. The Lord is good to all and his tender mereies are over all his works All thy works shall peaise thee and thy Saints shall bless thee and talk of thy Kingdom and Power And so much shall suffice for these four parts of the creatures Religion We will come to make use hereof to our selves First Let it make us ashamed of our backwardness to give God praise we that are exalted above these creatures that they are more ready and cheerful in praising their Creator then we we may blush and be ashamed for There is nothing that we can behold but puts us in mind of our slothfulness These poor servants that have received but one talent do yeild more increase of praise to God then I or you that have received many talents These poor creatures do more sing forth Gods praise then we with all our wisdom reason and understanding And let us with shame confess Saying it is I It is I that have depressed thy glory and caused thy praise to be evil spoken of and say with David when thou seest any of the creatures dye It is I Lord that have offended but what have these poor sheep done which are killed and slain for me unworthy unthankful sinner Second Use Take notice hence of the vast circumference of Gods Kingdom it reaches farther then we are aware of we think that we are the onely creatures that God esteems of Was not the earth made for me and the Sun to shine upon me and all creatures to feed and clothe me and thou thinkest that thou art left alone to praise God no no deceive not thy self Gods praise is not confined to the Church of men he hath reserved to himself seven thousand that have not bowed their knee to Baal Dost thou think poor creature that thou art onely He that I have appointed to worship me and that my infinite praise depends onely upon thee no no His Kingdom is from one end of heaven to the other and every creature praises him as much or more then thee as Col. 1. 16. All things were created by him both things in heaven and things in earth visible and invisible all things were created by him and for him for his praise and glory and Psal. 2. 10 11. That at the name of Iesus every knee shall bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Iesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father Therefore alas alas do not think that Gods Temple is so narrowly scanted that thon onely praisest him thou art the least part of his Church and Temple Third Use Let this teach us to go to God boldly in the name of Iesus and with great encouragement to praise God for though men and Angels be unfit to praise God and they cannot do it as they ought yet he that accepts the Ravens and the Lions and all the dumb creatures when they Cry unto Him be assured he will never refuse the sighs and the groans of any poor penitent dejected soul that comes bleeding and weeping to him for mercy He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast away Joh. 6. 37. Fourth Use Let us learn also that when we look upon the creatures we take heed of being taken with any of them But let us consider that these are but as Iaco bs Ladder that by these steps by these Angels of God we may ascend to him that stands at the Top And if God do not by one means or other by one affliction and vexation in the creature or other drive us from the creature that we may look up to him we shall for ever live and dye in the creature And therefore happy is that man that God hunts from these things that they may never have any Rest till they find Him where they shall find Rest to their souls As if there be oyl put into a deep glass it lies at the bottom and will never rise to the top but if you pour water into it it will still be rising up to the top till the oyl it self run over I could apply it thus A soul that is sunk in sin and sunk in the creature except God of his infinite mercy pour upon him the water of afflictions his soul will never Arise and mount up to God this drives us upward to seek rest there for here is none and so thereby shall become more then conquerors through him that hath loved us where as if these had not been our souls had been drowned in the creatures and sunck for ever to the pit of Hell These things I thus unfold to you that you may see the unspeakable and large bounds of Gods praise That every thing may result and yield to him honour and praise A Fifth Use To teach us that though it be impossible for us to search out the unspeakable praises of God that is hid in all the creatures we may see them yet we can never search them to the bottom howbeit every creature saith to us as the Angel to Iohn when he would have fallen down and worshipped him See thou do it not for I am thy fellow servant Worship God we are ready to fall down and worship the creatures but they all cry See thou do it not I am thy fellow servant worship God And they all cry to thee Dost thou see the beauty of any creature doth the sweetness of any creature take thee I say they all cry to us Arise and depart hence for this is not your rest Doth the Pleasantness the sweetness the Comeliness c. of any creature delight thee it saith and calls aloud to thee Arise and depart hence for this is not your rest how sweet how beautiful how fair soever Rest not in that thou seest but seek for HIM thou seest not All creatures are like the waters to Noahs Dove which could find no rest for the soal of her foot but yet she brought an Olive leaf in her mouth we may taste and use these things But take not too much of them and hold them gently and be alwayes ready to let them fall take heed of resting till you come to the Ark all come out from him and all return to him again Sixth Use and the last Take heed of abusing any creature it is enough that you may use them for they are one of the family you your selves are of and they groan as well as you for deliverance as God complains that ye make him serve your

and thwart and contradict one another and that the confusion of things confounds thine understanding yet be sure I am with them and in them and I order all and to me all things work harmoniously though to thee cross and contradictory yet all effect and bring about my Ends they can do nothing but what is agreeable to my will for they are all led by one spirit they all to me do keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace with me Even all Contradistories Coincide And so far forth as thou canst see and believe this they all shall do the Same to thee Beloved you know these my two hands are moved by the same spirit in me and the same soul moves all the members of my body and think you will one member hurt another No will my hand smite or pierce any member to hurt it No surely and if it do yet it is to better its condition though for the present it may hurt and wound and make it smart yet it is not to Hurt it but for its greater good So say I In the world what can happen or fall out to hurt us or displease us Truly nothing at all If we were but come to this that we could but keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace If we did But Behold ONE Spirit moving and ruling through the whole earth And if we did but see that He is the cause of all Wars and Tumults and that He stirs up their spirits for what End is best known to himself and thought we see such varieties and changes in the world yet in him and to him all things Coincide Even those things that are contradictories to us even all changes and oppositions and contentions and clashings in the world all in him Coincide That is all things to him are in agreement in an Harmony and work to his Almighty praise to the Highest to the utmost that can be Yet in regard of men he may be dishonoured but in himself and by himself He Works out His own praise in all contrarieties Because Really and in truth Nothing contradicts his will but if it do His revealed will yet He makes every act in the creature be it good or evil to contribute to his praise And he whom God hath been pleased to shew this vision to which he here shewed to Moses and the interpretation thereof he sees it so and his will and Gods clash not but Harmonize and coincide Gods actings and their wills agree these Blessed Souls They cannot finde fault with any thing but subscribe that He hath done all things well How then can this man distrust or murmure against God in whatever falls out because he sees God doing all he sees one Spirit moves all acts all but so far forth as men are Drowned in the Letter of this Vision they see none of all this They onely look upon it As a wonderful thing that God did thousands of years since and so take it as an History or according to their utmost interpretation viz. That God in the midst of the Afflictions of the Church yet he preserved them even as in the ve●●s●re though Pharaoh oppressed them and Egypt was as a furnace to the Israelites in which God kept them and brought them out of it which interpretation I condemn not but I think there is more held forth for God bid Moses tell the Israelites I AM had sent him He that was the Substance and Being of all things the worker and orderer of all things in heaven and earth But so far as men see not this When they hear of wars and rumours of wars and Nation rising against Nation they tremble and they fear and are at their wits end not knowing they are all led by the same spirit himself is when as those who see the Almighty thus working ordering and filling all creatures yea Burning and Changing Melting and reducing the Elements from one form and shape to another so that they see one generation come and another go These men they go on in an holy Serenity and Tranquillity of minde knowing there shall not an hair of their head perish without their Fathers pleasure and ordering Beholding his wisdom and power and goodness in all things in all turnings and tumblings and overturnings Having Cast all their care upon him for they know He takes care of them and infinitely beyond what they could do for themselves Therefore they Repose themselves sweetly upon his will and disposing which condition they prize above all earthly enjoyments yea more then a thousand natural lives if they had so many for They have forsaken Houses Lands Wives Children c. and all for Him and in him they enjoy and possess a hundred-fold instead thereof even in this life If they have them they enjoy God in them and through them and though they want all yet they have God instead of all who is to them more worth then all But others not being able to Hear or Bear these things being not yet come to be either Fathers or Yong-men in Christ living still in the Letter and in Shadows whom indeed these fathers in Christ pity and pray for and their Bowels yern for them and such is their strength that they are fain to become weak to the weak and all to all not that they shall gain all but that they may gain some for some are like the Egyptians here spoken of that not all the precepts or examples nor all the Plagues in the world will convince them They will not take knowledge That they are Acted and Guided by an unseen hand and power They see not that the whole Universe is guided by One Spirit But they think that there is one Spirit in the English and another in the French another in the Spaniard and another in the Dutch another in the Turks one in Europe another in Asia another in Affrica and another in America but be assured As to the carrying on of the affairs and designs of God in the world One and the same Spirit rules in all And though there are divers and contrary operations yet all is by the same Spirit it is God that worketh all in all and though they be never so far asunder yet all act by the same Spirit As in my body what 's further asunder then my head and my foot yet the same soul in both and know that this One soul within me hath as great a care of the lowest member as of the highest And so in the world though Almighty God hath set some in a high condition and some in a low yet know He Guides all He takes care whatever thou thinkest that the Higher Members and more Exalted and Impowred shall not oppress the lower no further then he in his wisdom thinks meet He it is that lets one man finde favour in this mans eyes and another not This as other actions all along are