had made their savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and of his servants to put a sword in their hands to slay us So it was with David when the worke of his kingdome first came forth when he first set out against Saul he had a great deale of confidence at first 1 Sam 22.22 David saith to Abiathar Abide thou with me feare not for he that seekes my life seeketh thy life but with me thou shalt be in safety But observe after this David lost his confidence and came to doubt of the going on of this worke of his kingdome in the 27 Chapter the first verse I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul he speakes quite contrary to what he said before yet now the worke is neere the kingdome is ready to rise So when the Children of Israel were to come out of Babylon and a death came upon the worke they cryed out The time is not come the time is not come that the Lords house should be built here they doubt as to the time their faith was downe yet then was the time at hand and the worke was carryed on in the second yeare of Darius So likewise looke to Christ himselfe when he was here the Disciples a little before his death they could say to him Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God they had much of faith at first but when Christ is in the grave they loose their faith We trusted that it was he that should have redeemed Israel their faith was gone and yet their Redemption was nearer than ever it was and Christs Resurrection at hand so that while they were Questioning and doubting the time of Christs rising approaches So abundance of good men that formerly have kept to Allhallow's-meeting and Blackfryers-meeting they have now of late withdrawne and cry the time is not come the time is not come for the carrying on of the worke of Christs kingdome but this is so far from making us beleive the time is not come that its a signe to us that the time is at hand when doubting comes after the spirit of faith for so it hath been with the worke of the Lord in all his Dispensations Here followeth six other Signes as they were found in his Notes Fifthly A fift signe is Signe 5 The wonderfull spirit of prayer that is upon Gods People when the decree of release from Babylon was ready to issue forth God puts a wonderfull spirit of prayer upon Daniel Chapter the 9th At the beginning of thy Supplications the Commandement came forth and I am come to shew thee So Nehemiah had a great spirit of prayer given to him when the time came that the Citty Jerusalem should be built And God hath promised Immediatly before he builds Jerusalem to give such a spirit of prayer Isai 62.1.6 7 verses For Zions sake will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalems sake I will not rest untill the righteousnesse thereof goe forth as brightnes and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth I have set watchmen upon thy walls O Jerusalem which shall never hold their peace day nor night Ye that make mention of the Lord keepe not silence and give him no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth Now when an extraordinary spirit of prayer goes forth it s a cleare evidence the work is at hand What a spirit of prayer was there up in the Bishops times and what was the effect of it it brought their Ruine Afterwards when Presbytery was like to tread us downe as did the Bishops their predecessors a great spirit of prayer was in many by this they are ruined And truly I thinke I may say there was never a greater spirit of prayer up than is at this day And to encourage you the more to it I shall here put in two things First Consider That God gives his Children a larger Commission if I may so speake when they are to pray against Babylon than at other times Isai 45.11 Thus saith the Lord the Holy one of Israel and his maker Aske me of things to come concerning my sons and concerning the worke of my hands command ye me Secondly That God will be more quicke in answering Isai 65.24 And it shall come to passe that before they call I will answer and whiles they are yet speaking I will heare Sixthly A sixt signe is Signe 6 The Helples condition Gods people at present are in Before God makes his Arme bare in saving he brings his Children into that straight that they can see strength no were else but in him hence those that pray for Syons Restauration Psalme 102. pray as destitute ones and when they are destitute God answers them Never untill this day since some appearings of this worke have been have Gods people prayed as destitute ones we had A Parliament An Army A Generall that went along with us till of late but now Gods people are wholly destitute and indeed that they are brought into this condition is a mercy and an evidence the worke is neere which we might conclude to be farther off were it not thus A notable place we have Deut. 32.36 The Lord shall judge his people and repent himselfe for his servants when he seeth that their Power is gone and there is none shut up or left And indeed this hath ever been Gods way Abraham cannot have his Mercy till he is in so destitute a condition as that to an eye of Reason he is without hope David before the kingdome falls into his hands must be so destitute as that he is forced to fly the land The Helples condition of Gods people is a cleare signe the worke is at hand Seventhly A seventh signe is Signe 7 The Multiplication of the oppressed people who are the oppressed people in a more especiall manner at this day but those that appeare for this truth who are shut up in prisons and Holes but they and yet notwithstanding what a multiplying of them is there under this oppression It s Steven's observation concerning Israel Act. 7.17 That when the time of the promise drew nigh which God had sworne to Abraham the People grew and multiplyed in Egypt He makes the multiplication of the seede a signe of the Promise drawing nigh What a multiplication of this oppressed people there is all the nation over since some have been in prison is well knowne to many many Churches and Pastors of Churches who not twelve moneths since were averse to this way doe now owne it preach it I speake what I know Yea I dare say That if the present Powers of this Nation had set in counsell 12 months together to contrive a way to spread the notion of the fift Monarchy among the godly throughout this Nation they could not have thought upon a better than the casting of some Eminent leading Saints into Prison for there is nothing that men as men doe more affect than to looke into
soule moves it s all laid up and lodg'd in this great promise the Spirit of God gives forth all the strength the soule hath Eph 3. the latter end We are strengthened with all might by his Spirit in the inner man all the strength or might that a poore soule hath in the inward man it s all from the blessed Spirit of God if a soule hath strength to stand up against Satan truly it s from the Spirit of God The Lord shall tread downe Satan under your feete shortly If the Spirit of God withdraw and leave the soule but an houre Satan will tread him downe and trample upon him but if the soule be a conqueror an overcomer it s by the blessed Spirit all the strength we have whereby we are victors over any Corruptions it s by the blessed Spirit is there the mortification the killing of any corruption in our soules its from this Spirit If ye through the Spirit doe mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live it s not the worke of our faith it s not in our owne power we may struggle and strive and labour and toile but the least corruption is too strong for the strongest Christian in his owne strength but now the Spirit that mortify's the deeds of the body so have we strength to performe any duty any worke to heare to speake the word of God truly this is not our owne it s of the blessed Spirit for if the Spirit of God doe but leave a poore soule it cannot speake it cannot pray it can doe nothing the strength that acts the people of God it s not from themselves therefore one while they have a heart full of the groanes and breathings of the Spirit and a mouth full of words to spread before God and at another time they have not a groane in their hearts nor a word in their mouths and they may pump and they can bring up nothing this shews the strength of Christians is not from themselves but from the holy Spirit of God therefore a Christian that can at all times command his strength to pray or preach it s to be feared that that is the strength of man and not the strength of God the strength of the creature and not of the Spirit the strength of parts and of old Adam The Lord let 's his Children feele that they have not strength sometimes sometimes they have sometimes they have not that they might live all their whole life onely in dependance upon God what experience had Paul of this I know how to want and I know how to abound and can doe all things but how through Christ that strengtheneth me yet another while Paul could not speake his mouth is shut up therefore pray for me saith Paul to the Saints pray for me that I may have a doore of utterance so we are not sufficient of our selves to thinke any thing I am nothing saith Paul yet by the grace of God I am that I am all my strength is laid up in the blessed Spirit it s not in my selfe it s the Spirit of God that is our strength so all our strength is laid up in this promise Fifthly All our boldnes to the Throne of grace it s laid up in this promise Can a poore soule goe to God and cry father father Abba father why truly its the Spirit that enables him so to doe Because you are sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba father and that is the reason why a Saint one time can goe to God and say father father he can speake it out another time he cannot goe and speake out father it is because the Spirit that makes the soule to cry Abba father it s not in the power of the creature but our boldnes with the Father it s the gift of the Spirit of God it s this blessed Spirit of Adoption whereby a man can run to God as a child unto his father Sixthly All our helpe and assistance at the Throne of Grace it s laid up in this promise Wee know not what to pray for Rom 8. as we ought but the Spirit helpeth our infirmities and the Spirit maketh Intercession for us with groanes which cannot be uttered its truth a child of God doth not know what he should pray for what he should speak or utter to God or what he should most need but the Spirit of God comes helpes our Infirmities our worke in prayer is not to thinke what we should speake but to lay our selves downe before the Spirit Lord come thou by thy Spirit and mannage all our worke for us we are to spread our selves before the Spirit of God and let the Lord come and speake all in us and the Spirit helpeth our Infirmities with groanes not with words the Spirit helpeth a Christian many times when the soule cannot bring out a word the soule is full of groanings groanings that cannot be uttered groanings that have so much in them that they cannot be uttered the soule many times is put by words and is confounded through fulnes for there is by the holy Spirit of God the representation of a multitude of wants together and of a multitude of mercy's together and the soule would faine breath out all to God and he cannot speak them out all but he sends them up all to God in a groane together therefore saith the Apostle It helpeth our Infirmities with groanes that cannot be uttered a poore gratious soule comes and ly's before God and cannot speake a word O but it sends up a groane to God and though it cannot utter one word to God yet it may send up twenty petitions in one groane Seventhly Our speeding at the Throne of Grace our presenting such things there onely as are the will our father it s from this blessed Spirit When we come to pray of our selves we doe but aske our owne Thoughts and spread our owne wills before God but if we could come and lay our selves alway's under the Spirit of God and be willing alway's to be led and guided by the Spirit of God there would come forth alway's the will of God and not the will of the creature He that searches the heart knowes what the mind of the Spirit is because he makes Intercession for the Saints according to the will of God let the Spirit pray and it shall be the will of God though we are poore creatures and doe not know the will of God yet when the holy Spirit comes and draw's forth the heart it speakes out the will of God O therefore let us come and lye downe under the motions of the Spirit and the guidance of the Spirit He that searcheth the heart knowes what the mind of the Spirit is he doth not looke so much what words and what brave expressions and how these things are utter'd but he know's what the mind of his spirit is when God comes and looks upon his Children he doth not hearken
against me And seeing the Lord hath given me an opportunity to testifie the truth for the Cause sake wherein I suffer and which the Author of these Sermons did own to his death I hope no inconvenience can arise from this brief Apology thus briefly represented to the little Remnant of the Womans Seed who in these dayes of Hypocrisie and Apostacy keep the Commandements of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ One word to my Fellow-prisoners in this glorious Cause from the Word of the Lord and it is a part of those glad tydings which they through Grace may bee abundantly refreshed in the remembrance of as I have been in this long time of Oppression THERE REMAINETH A REST FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD. A Sabbatisme so the Word is an holy solemn Rest and it hath reference to the World to come even the state of the Saints in the Thousand years This hath been in all Ages good news to so many as being pilgrims and strangers for the Lords sake in this present evil world have been alwayes hated reproached oppressed persecuted tormented slaughtered by the four great cruel wild Beasts Dan. 7. Oh what a voluminous Martyrology would that be which can comprehend all the cruelties bloody Massacres and despiteful dealings with the Saints of the most High which have been perpetrated upon this earth since Cain slew his brother Abel which can exemplifie in punctual narrations of truth all the Methods Stratagems Pretences and Policies which Persecutors have and will make use of for the suppressing of that spirit which with boldness doth justly contradict them in their wickedness and Abominations It s not a work for a finite creature to undertake none are sufficient Historiographers of these things but the Three who bear Record in Heaven where there is a Book of Remembrance written for those which feared Jehovah and thought upon his Name in their Generations Blessed be the Name of the Lord our God and our Father how sweet is his presence in a prison to his suffering servants Moses esteemed the reproaches of Christ greater Riches than the treasures of Egypt And wee from the overflowings of Divine Love have such glorious Incombs that we would not exchange the least of them for all the gold and silver which is coming from the West-Indies to the New Court. As the noble Marquess Galeacius Caracciolus when Golden Temptations were presented Let their money perish with them saith he who account all the gold in the world worth one dayes communion with Jesus Christ in the holy Spirit Dear Brethren in Bonds for the Lords sake How is it with you Have you cheerful lively spirits Do you live in the sense of the love of God shed abroad in your hearts by the holy Spirit which is given to you Doth your faith grow exceedingly Doth your love and zeal abound more and more for the Lord Jesus and his Interest What ripeness and readiness of spirit soul and body do you find to arise to come forth and to march in the honorable Expeditions of the Lamb against the Beast Are you prepared to follow the Lord fully Oh let us for I desire to be of that number let us never give the Lord rest till he burn with fire that Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth together with all her Daughters and until Jerusalem the New Jerusalem be established the praise of all the Earth We cannot but wait and hope till the Spirit cloath 〈◊〉 as it did Amazia 1 Chron. 12.18 that we may speak saying in a mystery Thine are we David and on thy side thou Root of Jessai peace peace be unto thee and peace be unto thine Helpers for thy God helpeth thee And I make no Question but â—re it be long there will be a coming to our David day by day to help him untill it become a great Host like the Host of God and so to turn the Kingdom of Saul unto him whose right it is according to the word of the Lord. For do the Kings of the Earth at home or abroad think of setling and establishment at this time of the day Alas poor creatures their glass is almost run out The God of Heaven is numbring their Kingdoms and finishing them The God of Heaven is weighing the new and old Tyranical Monarchies and will find them too light The God of Heaven will work Divisions in their Kingdomes and will give them all to his Son and his Saints It is true their ghostly Fathers and their Court-Chaplines do put this evil day afar off and perswade their Majesties their Highnesses and their Excellencies c. that we are possessed with on evil spirit of Sedition and Emnity against Government but we dare say to our Father who sees in secret and tryes the reins that they Lye and speak not the truth for he knows who knows all things that the desire of our souls is to be under the best Government that ever was or will bee in the world We confess we groan to be delivered from that Bondage which we are in under the Tyrants of the world we would not have the Beast nor any of his Horns to exercise such cruel domination over us as in time past because we had a little reviving from our former yokes by the out-stretched Arm of the Almighty and it was sweet unto us and we long for a full possession wherefore let us oh let us beleeve and the Lord increase our faith that we shall take them captives whose captives we are and we shal rule over our oppressors We shall meet and magnifie the Lord together and those followers of the Lamb who have prayed and wrestled in prayer for us and for the present it will be of use to look into those good works and comfortable words which this servant of the Lord who lived and dyed in the testimony of this truth doth spread before you who purposed to visit you and to incourage your hearts and to strengthen your hands in God yea and to be refreshed by you I mean you who are removed far off and thrust into holes and corners contrary to All Rules of Righteousness But though he purposed Jehovah preverted who doth all things according to the counsel of his own will and it becomes us who remain alive and have through grace received a Kingdom which cannot be shaken to serve the Lord in our Generation acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire And now oh that those precious truths handled by him might through the blessing of the Almighty become spiritual nourishment to us in our captivity The first Kingdom is founded upon the New Covenant Christ Jesus is the onely foundation c. It is good we shouldbe put in remembrance of these things though we do know them and are through the rich supply of the spirit in some measure established in the present truth I might inlarge but I shall not detain you nor the other Readers any longer but
with those that are enemies to Christ and his worke And then another signe of the time is there shall be a very great sleepe upon the virgins that is in the next Chapter a great sleepe among professors those that stand up for the wayes and truth of Christ There are many other signes of this time but I cannot run over all so that all the times of Gods more glorious appearance and manifestation of himselfe they are such times as the Lord hath mark't out and set evident signes upon them whereby they may be knowne And indeed God hath done it to the end Reason 1 that he might thereby strengthen the faith of his Children what strength was it to the faith of Daniel when once he came to find the signes of the times when he came to find the time was expiring the time of the Jewes captivity why this sets his faith on worke and sets prayer on work as you may see Dan. 9.2 3 verses I Daniel understood by bookes the number of the yeares whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the Prophet that he would accomplish 70 weekes in the desolations of Jerusalem and I set my face unto the Lord God to seeke by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes The seeing and the knowing of this time the 70 yeares were now expiring set Daniels faith on worke and makes him goe fall upon his knees before the Lord this was that that stir'd up his faith he saw the signes of the times the time was now expired or expiring our deliverance is neere saith he and therefore he goes to seeke the Lord by prayer and supplication so that its that which is a great strengthning of faith and indeed our Saviour seemes to make this one of his maine ends in laying downe so many signes of the time of his second coming that his Children might have their faith strengthened in the truth when his coming draw's neere therefore he saith when you shall see all these things know that its neere even at the doore that is when you shall see these signes come to passe know that its neere even at the doore and so likewise in another Evangelist When you see these things come to passe lift up your heads with joy for your redemption draw's nigh as if he should have said when you see these signes fulfilled then know that your redemption draw's nigh let this raise up your faith let this encrease your joy as here when in the evening the skie is red it doth strengthen our reason it doth prognosticate faire weather and in the morning when its red and lowring foule weather so when the people of God see the signes of the times they doe prognosticate to their faith the event of the times what God is doing and what God will doe in the time as the other those outward signes doe prognosticate the event of weather to our reason Againe Reason 2 our Lord hath left such remarkable signes of the times that he might hereby leave his Enemies inexcusable Christ makes this a great aggravation of the sin of the Pharisees that they had signes of the times O yee hypocrites can yee not discerne the signes of the times as if he should have said yee have the signes of the times by which if yee will not be wilfully blind ye cannot but understand something if yee had not these signes of the times there might be some excuse and plea for you O but you have the signes of the times Thus he doth aggravate their sin rendring them inexcusable the great workes that Jesus Christ did when he was here on earth as his working of miracles they were one of the signes of the times and the Lord Jesus Christ doth endeavour to render them inexcusable and that by his workes and in the 15 of John 22 24 ver If I had not come saith Christ and done among them the workes which none other man did they had not had sin but now they have no cloake for their sin When they had such an evident and remarkable signe of the time as Jesus Christs doing such glorious workes among them that they might indeed say we have the Messiah when they rejected Christ in the face of such a cleare signe it rendred them inexcusable so when the signes of the times doe point at such a worke the Lord will have done that signe of the time will render men inexcusable before the Lord that doe not do that worke that by which the Lord Jesus Christ did silence the Scribes and Pharisees namely the signes of the times he will silence many with one day when men shall be excusing themselves and saying Lord we would have served thee but we did not know thy work he shall say what did ye not see the signes of the times did not my Prophets speake to you of the signes of the times did not my Prophets speake did not my providences worke did you not see the signes of the times were not things publicke enough and visible enough this will leave poore soules inexcusable men may perish through not observing the signes of the times Doe but a little consider this Generation of men they doe professe much willingnesse to come to Christ they desire a signe from heaven we would faine know that thou art the Messiah could we but be convinced of it Oh saith Christ yee hypocrites can ye not discerne the signes of the times he bids them presently looke into the times they perished upon not observing the signes of the times so the Jewes we would receive Christ if we had but a signe the Jewes require a signe and the Greekes seeke wisdome but they have the signes of the times the Scepter is departed from Judah miracles are wrought by Christ and they had also the signe of Jonas Christ is buried in the wombe of the earth three dayes and rose againe but they did not observe the signes of the times many men will be found in that very case the Scribes and Pharisees were in splitting upon this rocke not minding and observing the signes of the times Quest How comes it about or what hinders men that they cannot see the signes of the Times Answ Severall things hinder men and blind them that they see not the signes of the times though they be never so evident First Their own Interest being exceedingly advanced and set up very high in their owne hearts and love to that above all other things whatsoever men will not see the signes of the times when ever they come forth when their hearts are set upon their Interest for whensoever the signes of the times come forth it s a hundred to one if they doe not run crosse to that mans Interest and if so be mens hearts are set upon their Interests then they will be blind and not see the signes of the times And indeed so it was with Pharaoh there was a great Interest that Pharaoh had there was an