making a fair shew in the Flesh glorying in it how far we have been glorying in the Flesh our Gifts and Parts our Differences our Opinions waies of Worship wherein we Differ from our Brethren that yet are Planted upon the same Foundation of a crucified Jesus Carnally dividing from each other upon such Differences upon such things wherein we Differ from others as yet are but received and received from the same Fountain that gives to One as well as to the other what he hath even the Lord Jesus Christ Carnally envying of Striving against and Smiting each other Proudly exalting our selves above and Despising our Brethren Thrusting and Pushing the Lambs and Lean and Sick and Broken of the Flock to the scattering them abroad In these things walking like Men the Men of the World and not like the Children of the Heavenly Father whose Conversation as Pauls was is in Heaven above these things And how far we come short of the Spiritnal mind that was in the Apostle and those who were Perfect in that Day and the Lord expects should be in us at this day the reflection of but a Dim Eye will clearly Discern Now that this Evil is a peice of that Sin for which the Lord is Judging his People will appear plainly if we seriously consider what the Lord saith Mal. 4.5 6. Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord and he shall turn the heart of the Fathers to the Children and the heart of the Children to their Fathers lest I come and smite the Earth with a Curse What great and dreadful Day of the Lord is this here spoken of Surely it s none other than that Day of God's coming to his People the Day of the Lords Executing his Judgements and pouring out his Vengeance upon the wicked World wherein the wicked shall be burnt up leaving them neither root nor branch wherein this People shall tread down the wicked and they shall be as Ashes under the solas of their Feet 1 and 3. verses Before this Day come before the Lord will bring his People from under the †Mal. 3.1 2. Isai 10.5.12 and 27.7 Cant. 6.4.13 Isai 4.5 6. Zach. 9.14.15 Refiners fire and Fullers Sope Take the Assyrians Rod the Rod of his Anger from off their back deliver them from under the present smitings and slayings of their Enemies make them terrible as an Army with Banners as the Company of two Armies and create a defence upon them from the Heat Storm and Rain all the rage and malice of their Enemies that they may goe on with Might and irresistable Power as the Lightning in the work of the Lord devouring and subduing treading down the wicked as Ashes under their Feet slaying their enemies with a greater slaughter than ever they were able to slay them with so that neither Root nor Branch shall be left them Before this day of God comes the Lord Will send Elijah the Prophet Either by his Messengers or by his Providences or by both co-working together beget such a frame and temper of Spirit in his People as shall lead them to Horeb to the Mount of the Lord where God himself at first revealed his Will to his Chosen led them into that State and Condition wherein the Lord met with them and was with them and manisested himself unto them at the first in the Day of their Espousals that Day of Love in the glory of which the Lord so much delights that he remembers it and forgets it not Isaiah also strongly hints this whilst he tells us The remnant shall return even the remnant of Jacob unto the mighty God Chapt. 10.21 as they shall no more crouch and bend the knee to their Smiters for their favour so they shall no more run Carnally after Apollo nor Paul not Caephas after this or that Opinion or Way or Party or Man but they shall return from these things from being led Captive by the Pessions and Lusts such courses hurry them into to the Lord the Mightâ—y God alone to Jesus Christ the true Foundaton they shall come into such a Spiritual Christ-like frame of Spirit as shall Turn the Heart of the Fathers to the Children and the Heart of the Children to their Fathers Who are these Fathers and who are these Children that being at a distance need a Reconciler Surely these Fathers and Children are not only of the True Seed of Jacob but of that part of the True Seed too who shall be used in the Work of the great Day of God spoken of before the Stress the absolnte Necessity the Lord laies upon their reconciling and uniting strongly implies so much The Apostle John tells us there are little Children Fathers and young men in Christ 1 John 2.12 13 14. I write unto you little Children because your sins are forgiven you for his Name-sake I write unto you Fathers because ye have known him that is from the beginning I have written unto you young men because ye are strong and the Word of God abideth in you and ye have overcome the wicked one These are the strong and the weak Christians Christians of several measures of several Degrees of a several Pitch in Grace and Knowledge these through weakness and imperfection having strayed from the Simplicity that is in Christ run into Variance and Strife and Envyings and Divisions biting and devouring one another Walk like the Men of the World and not as the Children of one Father the Father of Mercies the Heavenly Father Now this unchild-like temper must be taken away by a Reconciliation wrought between these Fathers and Children turning the Hearts of these several sorts of Christians towards each other that they may walk as becomes the Children of one Father of such a Father as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is Turn the Heart of the Fathers to the Children c. They shall be of one Heart serve the Lord with one consent there shall be such a Heart-love begotten in them towards each other as that all Variance all Division all Distance shall be swallowed up there shall be no Thrusting nor Pushing nor Trampling upon nor despising one another being by a reconciling spiritual frame of Spirit brought to see themselves the Children of one Father they shall sit at one Table eat in one Pasture drink of the same Water together because the Lord provided the same for all his Children then we shall not hear them quarrelling with and judging of one another but then this shall be the voice Come all ye that love the Lord Jesus Christ Come feed in his good Pastures Come drink of his deep Waters that he hath provided for you all ye Children of our Heavenly Father who bear his Image upon you And this must be saith the Lord Lest I come and smite the Earth with a Curse There is such an absolute Necessity that this Reconciliation be wrought in and among the
Pluckt up all our Defences even then when we could not believe it possible being lifted up and set on high because Isa 1 2 3. Ch. the Cedars of Lebanon and the Oaks of Bashan were the Stakes in our Hedg and the high Mountains and Hills and High Towers and fenced Walls were our Defences and Pleasant Pictures Gold and Silver were our Ornaments and we were strengthned by the Mighty Man and the Man of War the Judge and the Prophet and the Prudent and the Ancient and the Honourable man and the Counsellor and the cunning Artificer and the Eloquent Orator The same Mighty Arme of the Lord of Hosts that hath been and still is upon all these in the midst of us Plucking them up and Beating them down with the Rod of his Anger shall put forth its Almighty Power in Rooting and Planting them that come of Jacob I shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root and not only so But Israel shall Blossome and Bud. It 's not a Bare taking Root but such a Rooting as shall bring forth a Blooming Budding Flourishing State though this Winter night of Affliction may cause Israel in appearance to be as a Withered Dead Tree yet his Life shall appear in its Season he shall Blossome and Bud spring forth into a Flourishing State And fill the Face of the World with fruit Israels Tree shall so flourish so spread forth its Boughs as that the Beasts of the feild shall have shadow under them and the Fowls of the Heaven shall dwell in them the fruit of the Tree shall be much yea so much as it shall be meat for all all flesh shall be fed of it the whole World shall be filled with its fruit The * Isa 27.4 and Mal. 4.1 Bryars and the Thornes the worldly Professors in the midst of Jacob in his faln State shall be burned up and Israel the true Seed shal fill THEIR place with fruit the Proud and the Wicked of the world shall be burnt up as stubble and Israel shall fill THEIR place with fruit Though through our Sin and Stubborness in it we provoke the Lord to suffer us to be slain to be as Dead yet when our Sin is done away and our Iniquities purged we shall Arise though we be brought to dwell in the Dust yet we shall Awake and Sing our Dew shall be as the Dew of Herbs Isa 26.19 such Influences from Heaven shall descend down upon us as that we shall Spring again and Live and Flourish and fill the Face of the world with fruit What Fruit this is would require a large discourse to tell and it not being my work at this time to treat of therefore I leave it I shall only say this That it 's such Fruit such excellent Fruit of such a Divine Nature that it causes glorious effects that men shall fear the Name of the Lord from the West and his glory from the Rising of the Sun the Spirit of the Lord by his mighty working brings forth this fruit Isa 59.19 It 's to this People who are put into a capacity by the means appointed of the Father to bring forth such fruit that the Redeemer comes It 's this People who are brought into this Light upon whom the Glory of the Lord is thus Risen that must Arise and Shine upon whom the Lord shall Arise and upon whom his Glory shall be Seen Isa 59.20 and 60.1 2. These are the People to whom the Great gathering shall be mentioned Isa 60. Having Fixed the Prophesy and Opened it and shewed the Cause and End of the Present Affliction I would now draw a few Conclusions from the whole 1. That in the Last Daies at this Day the Lord will use the same means to Purge and Cleanse and Purifie his People that he makes use of to Destroy his and their Enemies Outward and Sore Afflictions Smiting and Slaying Death it self Jacob the true Seed Smites the Enemy to Destruction and the Lord permits the Same Enemy to Smite Jacob to Blood to Pnrge him from his Iniquity and take away his Sin 2. That this Sore Affliction the Lord makes use of as the means whereby he will Purge and Cleanse his People Ends not in Smiting only but Proceeds to Slaying to Blood slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him It seems Jacobs Disease is so highly Pluretick as the skilfullest Physitian in Heaven and Earth can find no way to cure Jacob of his Distemper but by letting out his Blood 3. The sharpness of the Affliction clearly shewes to Jacob the Hainousness of his Sin The tender Fathers of our flesh will not lay sharp and Sore Corrections upon their Children but for exceeding great Faultiness If we see a tender Father whipping a beloved Child till the Blood run down his back we say surely that Child hath committed some exceeding great fault Much more may we say Jacob hath Sinned a Great Sin when we see the God of Jacob who is the Father of Mercies whose thoughts of Mercy are as far above our thoughts as the Heavens are Higher than the Earth Isa 55.9 when we see him Smiting Jacob and Smiting him to Blood that he even faints under his Correcting hand yea so Sorely Afflicting Jacob that were it not measured out in measures of mercy did not the Lord in tenderness as it were stand upon his watch to put a stop to it when it comes to such a pitch it would deprive poor Jacob of Being This surely is an open Declaration of the Greatness of Jacob's Sin In a case like this we have the Lord mourning over him Hosea 11.8 How shall I give up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admath How shall I set thee as Zeboim mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together 4. The continuance of this Sore and sharp Dispensation will be either Lengthned or Shortned according as Jacob behaves himself under it as he is Obedient or Disobedient to the voice of the Rod Isa 1.19 20. If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the Land but if you refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with the Sword Jacob's willingly doing the will of God may prevent this devouring Sword 's passing over him but if Jacob will not it must have its course saith the Lord of Hosts This Affliction must abide till it hath wrought its Effect Purged Jacob of his Iniquity and taken away his Sin So that the sooner Jacob departs from his Sin the sooner will the Rod of Gods displeasure be taken off his back Consider again that place we have already discanted upon Isa 59.1 2. Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save but your Iniquities have separaed between you and your God and your Sins have hid his Face from you that he will not hear The Lord is now as Able so Ready to bestow Salvation it 's only our own Sin that hinders his hand
the glory of his high looks consuming his glory that they shall be as feeble and weak as when a Standard-bearer fainteth To prevent Objections that might arise I lay down this Position That this smiting and slaying of these two Seeds of each other hath relation not to several Generations Father and Son but shall have its performance to the full in the space of the time of one Generation And that upon these grounds 1. Because the Prophet throughout this large Discourse speaks of a particular day In that day and that day saith he and that in distinction from the VVorlds day This is a day wherein the Lord comes to empty the World to empty the Earth and this VVork of his upon Jacob is but in order to it 2. Because this Evil the Lord brings upon Jacob is altogether outward and temporal it relates not to Eternal matters it respects the Body not the Soul It 's like unto that Affliction the Lord laid upon the Children of Israel in the VVilderness that related to their Bodies deaâ—h in the VVilderness that deprived them of an earthly Canaan but it would be very uncharitable to say those that perished in the VVilderness because of that Judgement were excluded the Heavenly Canaan of which the Earthly was a Type 3. Because otherwise the Promise of restraining and measuring out the Affliction stopping it when it hath brought forth such an Effect would not nor could not yeeld such strong comfort and consolation to poor Jacob as it seems to me the Lord intends it should for what great comfort would it be for the Father to know that his Son his Child shall upon such and such conditions be delivered from the Evil that shall yet destroy him 4. If so be that this measuring out the Affliction here spoken of were only its ending in the destruction of the present Generation upon whom it falls then what difference is there between an Old Testament and a New Testament Measure The Measure of the Old Testament was the destruction of that Generation of rebellious Jacobs and saving their Children their little Ones whom their unbelief said would be destroyed together with themselves and if it be not otherwise now wherein doth Christ appear to be a better Mediator of a better Covenant established upon better Promises as is said Heb. 8.6 Lastly The Lord in this very Scripture it self doth clearly hint thus much by speaking in the Present tense Is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him that the SAME GENERATION of Jacobs Seed who are smitten and part of whom are slain by their Enemies shall get up again and slay them with a greater slaughter limiting it to a short space of time for performance of it 3. The CAUSE that brings this Sore Dreadful Dispensation upon the Seed of Jacob is their SIN This is strongly and closely implyed in the 9. Verse For if the taking away of Sin and Iniquity be the End of its coming then of necessity Sin is the Cause of its coming This is a People ROBBED and SPOILED they are all of them SNARED IN HOLES and they are hid in PRISON-HOUSES they are for a PREY and none delivereth for a SPOIL and none saith Restore VVho gave Jacob for a Spoyl and Israel to the Robbers did not the Lord He against whom we have SINNED FOR they would NOT VVALK IN HIS wAYES neither WERE THEY OBEDIENT uNTO HIS LAW Therefore he hath poured upon him the FuRY OF HIS ANGER and it hath set him on fire round about c. Isa 42.22 24 25. Ver. It 's Jacobs Sin that Causes the Lord to visit him in wayes of Affliction and Correction it 's his Sin that Causes the Lord to lay upon him his Fatherly Chastenings and Rebukes and that in Love that being cleansed from Sin he might be a partaker of his Holiness Consider Isa 59.1 2. Behold the Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear But YOUR INIQUITIES have separated between you and your God and YOuR SINS have hid his face from you that he will not hear How nearly this Scripture doth concern us will appear if we consider it doth not only speak of what God will do in the last dayes but to the Islands also V. 18. We see here the Lord in a posture ready to save and to hear his People His Hand is not shortened it 's ready prepared to save his Ear is not heavy it 's open to hear There 's no such thing as the Time being not come on the Lords part to hinder him from saving Jacob But it 's Jacob's Sin that Causes the Separation between him and his God It 's his Sin that Causes these Hidings of the face of his God from him It 's his Sin that retards his Salvation It 's not any thing in the Enemy it 's not to ripen his Sin that he may fill his Measure that so the Justice of God may fully seize upon him as some vainly conceit that is the reason why the Lord suffers this Affliction to befall his People No it 's Jacob's own Iniquities your Iniquities it's Jacob's own Sins your Sins that Causes God to separate himself and hide his face from him Was it think we for the Assyrians sake that the Lord might take an occasion against him to destroy him to be as a fire and a flame to him to burn him up Or for Sion's and Jerusalem's sake for the sake of that Work the Lord had to perform there that the Lord made him the Rod of his Anger against his People and by him sorely Afflicted him suffering him to be as Bryars and Thorns tearing and rending their flesh Surely it was for his Peoples sake Had not their Sins made a Work for the Lord to perform upon them by a Rod of Correction the Assyrian had never exalted himself over them No the Lord loves his People better than so if he Correct and Afflict them it 's for their own sake not for the sake of any other that through his Peoples Affliction he might destroy them The Lord loveth Jacob so that he will give men for him and People for his Life but we never find the Lord giving up his People for the sake of any other under Heaven either for their good or for their hurt Nothing can bring Affliction upon Jacob but his own Sin And Jacob's Sin brings Affliction and Sorrow upon him even then when the Lord is ready his hand is open prepared to bestow Salvation upon him when the Lords time is come to hear and save him yea even then when the Lord is waiting to be gratious Isa 30.18 Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you That the Prophet here speaks of the same Time and to the same People he speaks of and to in his 27. Chap. will clearly appear if the whole Chapter be seriously considered This waiting of God to be gratious is while Jacob
is under sore rebuke and trouble as the preceding 17. Verse manifests The Lord waits that he may be gracious Heaven is ready to Save if Earth were but as ready to be Saved There 's no Obligation no tye upon God to shorten his hand to hinder it from Saving if Jacob were but prepared and ready to receive Salvation Therefore saith the Prophet will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you How will the Lord exalt himself that he may have mercy In Judgement for the Lord is a God of Judgement The Lord will exalt himself and his Glory by his judging of Jacob and while this correcting Judgement is working its natural Effect by the help of the co-working of the mighty Spirit of God in the heart of Jacob he waits to be gracious waits to Save he waits the good hour wherein his Corrections having wrought the desired Effect he may be gracious his Grace may abound above Jacob's Sin in delivering him out of the hands of all his Enemies that he may serve him without fear in Holiness and Righteousness before him all his dayes Thus was it with Jacob in the Wilderness of Old The Lord was ready to give him the Promised Land the Time was come for him to possess it the Iniquity of the Amorites was full the Enemy was ripe for Judgement yea the Lord told him so by the mouth of his two faithful Witnesses Caleb and Joshua Num. 14.8 9. They are bread for us their defence is departed from them and the Lord is with us But Jacob was not ready to receive it his Sin hinders his Possession This is our Case It 's our own Sin and not anothers that hath hindered our Salvation and brought a sore Affliction upon us And that too at a Time when the Lord's hand was not nor is not shortened by any Consideration of a Time or any thing else on his part but is prepared ready to Save It 's only our own Sin that stands in the way of our Salvation it 's that that Causes the present Hidings of the face of our God from us by it we have as it were Caused God to go out of that path of Salvation he was graciously and wonderfully going on in and to steer another course that he may take away our Sin that which hinders his saving of us and to wait till this Let be taken out of the way that he may be gratious unto us and Save us Q. It may be asked What are those sins which have hindered our Salvation by which we have provoked the Lord our Father so severely to chastise us An. I had thoughts to have enlarged upon this Subject but lest I should grieve the Spirits of any and hoping that a word a hint may prove sufficient I shall do no more This SIN which hath brought Affliction upon us which hath provoked the Father of mercies to chastise us with bloody stripes to take it away is that which hath made us both unfit for God to use in and unable to do the Work the Lord hath appointed to be done by his People Any Sin less than such Sin the Lord would have born with and the Intercession of our Mediator would have prevailed for us as the Children of Israel of old in the Wilderness through the Intercession of their Mediator were many times born with and found favour and grace from God till they came to sin that Sin which unfitted them and put them out of a capacity to receive that great Gift of his Grace and favour he was in a readiness to bestow upon them and to do that Work the Lord had to do by them Now I would only Query whether some parts and parcels of this provoking Sin be not these First Love of this Old World This is a killing Sin most pernitious to Jacob's Happiness while this remains he cannot be a fit Instrument for the Lord to use and so not fit for Deliverance See what the Apostle John saith of it 1 Joh. 2.15 Love not the World neither the things that are in the World If any man love the World the Love of the Father is not in him The reason of this the Apostle James tells us Jam. 4.4 The friendship of this VVorld is enmity with God whosoever therefore will be a friend to the VVorld is the Enemy of God How much and how powerful this Sin hath prevailed amongst us and how far it hath hurried us into other provoking Evils every seeing eye and discerning spirit cannot but be sensible of The reasons why I put it upon the Query whether this hath not provoked the Lord to chastise us are 1. Because our Lord Christ doth so severely warn us to take heed of it Luke 21.34 Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this Life and so that day come upon you unawares In these words he hath relation to the two extream conditions men are in in this World Full or Empty either in a full possession of it and so out of abundance of Love and Delight they have to it and take in it they drown themselves therein Or being Empty out of a Love to it they are carefully reaching after the possession of it This he equally warns us of and commands us to watch and pray against upon no less penalty than being not accounted worthy to escape the Judgements of God and to stand before the Son of man when he Comes for when he Comes he will neither have the surfeiting drunken Lover nor the careful Lover of this World to be his Follower This is clearly imployed in the 36. Verse 2. Because our Lord Jesus to express his hatred of this Sin sets forth the wickedness of the VVorld at that Day when he comes in Judgement to it by this Love of this VVorld Luke 17. from the 26. to the 30. V. As it was in the dayes of Noah so shall it be also in the dayes of the Son of man They did eat they drank they married VVives they were given in Marriage until the day that Noah entered into the Ark and the Flood came and destroyed them all Likewise also as it was in the dayes of Lot they did eat they drank they bought they sold they planted they builded but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from Heaven and destroyed them all The bare being exercised about these things Christ here reckons up as the sinful state of the World cannot be his meaning for all these things are either necessary to our Being as eating and drinking or else to our Well-Being in this Life They are such things as at his coming he finds also those exercising themselves about whom yet he takes to himself to follow him leaving the rest to Iudgement They were all eating and drinking and marrying and at the Mill and in the field together as well those that he takes to himself as his own Peculiars