which is God to lift up his head that he may look into heaven and see the glory of God and Jesus Christ the right hand of God opening himself to receive his poor weary soul O what a refreshing comfort is this unto a dying man to see the heavens of God in Christ opening A beleeving soul sees it self happy and compleat in God through Iesus Christ and the Son of man God-man standing with the souls of men which he hath made just and perfect and they standing as the right hand of God in Christ as a Queen in gold of Ophir All this you may have an instance of in Steven if you do but read Acts 7.55 56. And so likewise in the whole Church of Christ if you do but read Heb. 12.22 23 24. Psal 45.9 And thus a poor soul is received from misery unto glory even into Abrahams bosom that is into the bosom of Jesus Christ where it takes up its rest as Steven did but while the poor soul doth live in this world it shal find trouble For all that do live the life of God in Christ Iesus shal suffer persecution in this world 2 Tim. 3.12 All relations under the Sun variable as the relation to a wife to a family in Church fellowship in professed friends in parents and in children in riches and in outward contentments but in Christ all these are constant and dureable For a mans enemies shal be they of his own houshold Mat. 10.36 Nay in Church fellowship which is like an houshold if they differ in judgment read 1 Pet. 4.16 to 19. If it be so in a mans houshold and in Church fellowship as there is experience between the Presbyterian and the Independent I shal conclude and say as David said It is good for me to draw neer to God and to desire him to plant my confidence and my joy in him alone for in every external condition in this world I shal find trouble But my fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Iesus Christ and spiritually there I shal find good cheer read these Scriptures Psal 73.25 26 28. 1 Iohn 1.3 4. Iohn 16.32 33. Sect. 4 I shal speak now of a precious balsam and a sweet cordial that wil heal all our diseases in this Kingdom that is if the Lord would be pleased to raise a flood of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and cause it to run with a mighty stream into the hearts of the King and the Parliament this would enable them to bear one anothers burthens and so fulfil the Law of Christ that is to restore the poor groaning subjects in the spirit of meekness that they may rejoyce once again Gal. 6.1 2. Now he that ruleth over men must be just mark this ruling in the fear of God read 2 Sam. 23.3 Now my hope is and my desire shal be that God would be pleased through Christ his strong arm to make good that Prophesie in our days which is spoken of in the Prophet Isaiah That Kings may be nursing Fathers and Queens may be nursing mothers in these our days O that we might truly say once out of experience that we are beholding to them as nourishers or for their good nursing Isai 49.23 For this end God did set up Kings at the first as David and Solomon who were types of the spiritual King Jesus and fed their people with wholsom and sweet food that is with a peaceable life as good Magistrates and preserved them in all godliness against those that would harm them and disquiet them Psa 78.70 71 72. But of this we have had but little these many years instance in those domineering Bishops and the high Commission Court which was of long standing and persecuted godliness under the name of Puritans or some other names but I hope it will not be so now therefore let us follow the Apostles Exhortation That prayer be made for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty for he or they that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God 1 Tim. 2.1 2. and 2 Sam. 23.3 Courteous Reader Sect. 5 I shal speak a word or two in my own defence and so conclude Now my first word is When I first set my pen to paper it was not with any sinister respect or by-end but it was for the glory of God Neither was it for profit nor the applause of men for that to me is as a vain thing I speak the words of truth and soberness But seeing the customary and the outside Pharisaicalness which most men and women of all sorts use in matters of Religion Ministers as wel as others this I saw and was at a loss within my self but the Lord did teach me to consider of it and then I went to glean as Ruth did into the field of Boaz read Ruth 2.7 8 9. But the field that mine eyes was upon to glean in it was not the field of external Art nor the field of a great Library for that is to learn to speak other mens words which I disclaim But mine eyes were upon that only one field where I gleaned among the sheaves and that field is the Scriptures the only one Book which I had and no more and that is the Bible which is the Word of God Now courteous Reader I have gleaned and am satisfied and I commend that unto you which I have reserved and as Naomi did make use of the barley which Ruth did glean as you may read Ruth 2.18 so I desire that you may be wise to make use of what hath been said for your own good and I shal be glad Sect. 6 Now my second and last word is to the Christ-baptized man or woman for I speak unto thee O man or woman who art inwardly taught by the sweet Spirit of God hast that unction from the holy One which wil teach thee to know all things for that anointing abideth in thee anâ— teacheth thee all truths and thou shalt abide in him or it 1 Iohn 2.20 27. Therefore I speak to thee O man or woman who art baptized with the Spirit of Christ because thou art the best able to discern between wheat and chaff True Christian Reader when I first set pen to paper my heart was inabled to indite of matter concerning the Lord of Lords and I spake of things touching Christ the King and my heart was stirred within me as the water is when it bubbleth up or the water which the fire boyleth And I was made able by the sweet Spirit of God who did blow sweet gales of wind spiritually into my heart Ioh. 3.8 And I was so refreshed by them for they so comforted my heart that my tongue became as the pen of a ready writer The knowledg of the mystery of God in the flesh of Christ the Saints and the givings forth of the Spirit are not got by
have not found Iesus Christ there It is a great mistake and the most in our days are subject to this mistake They think the meer having of the letter of the Scripture is sufficient for them to have eternal life so in some sort they become Idolaters even with the Scriptures themselves What is the Scripture to thee if thou mistake it In them ye think ye have eternal life but thy darkness comprehendeth not the light that shines in them as you may read in the Gospel of John 1.4 5. For what is the body without a soul Or what is the Scriptures to thee if thou hast not the key of David to open and unfold them unto thee Rev. 3.7 Or what is the Word to thee if thou hast not the Spirit of God by which it was given to open the mystery unto thee that is in it and then that Spirit wil teach thee to profit by the Word and wil instruct the in righteousness 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. And thou canst not take liberty to sin as the great out-cry goes now in our days but so much for that Mistake me not my advice is to account it a very great mercy to have the Word of God amongst us but ten thousand times a greater mercy to have the Spirit of the Word among us our Teachers and then that Spirit would heal our divisions and shed his love abroad in our hearts and then we should not bite and devour one another as we do and this is the crown of Pauls rejoycing to be made an able Minister not of the letter but of the Spirit for the Spirit giveth life and worketh love in our hearts 2 Cor. 3.6 O Lord Sect. 5 how little of thy sweet and peaceable Spirit is abroad in the world amongst Ministers and people if we consider the bitter envying and strife in mens hearts which is brought forth in contention and reproaching one another Now I shal speak as S. James speaks My brethren these things ought not so to be James 3.10 13 14 15 16. Is this the Spirit of Iesus Christ No in no wise For the fruit of the Spirit of Christ is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness meekness temperance Gal. 5.22 23. For these gifts the Spirit of God works in the hearts of the Saints as the Apostle speaks For God saith he hath not given us the spirit of fear and of error and heresie and division but of power of love and of a sound mind as you may read 2 Tim. 1.7 You Pharisees saith our Savior you search the Scriptures but ye wil not come to me For how can ye beleeve in me when ye receive honor one of another John 5.39 40 41 42 43 44. compared with John 12.42 43. and you shal find that not to be of the Pharisees simple judgment one shal have no place amongst them no not so much as to be the Beadle of a Ward not to be one in their way is as much as to be put out of their Synagogue as for instance in the blind man And they cast him out Iohn 9.32 33 34. And so you may instance in Lazarus But the Chief Priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death For he was a cause that the people went to meet Iesus Christ as you may read in the Gospel of John Chap. 12. Vers 10 11 18 19. Have not we many chief Priests and Pharisees now in our days as wel as there were in Christs time that sit and consult against their brethren as you may see in John Chap. 11. Vers 47 48. Instance if you wil in Mr Edwards a mighty man in the Scriptures and yet hardly knows Jesus Christ like to Nicodemus Joh. 3.1 4. He is something like to Tertullus too who disputed maliciously against Paul a notable Orator and one that had learned a leaf past grace and could talk nimbly but to little purpose as Mr Edwards doth read Acts 24.1 2 5 6. But now if Mr Edwards had an ear to hear what the Lord saith he would tremble Thou givest thy mouth to evil saith the Lord and thy tongue frameth deceit Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother thou slanderest thine own mothers son Mr Edwards have you not done these things doth not your conscience accuse you yet The Lord wil reprove you Mr Edwards consider whether you have not forgot God read Psa 50.19 20 21 22. Mr Edwards I shal refer you to one place more Have you heard of the doctrine of Iesus Christ Now the doctrine of Christ is First For Information Without me saith Christ ye can do nothing pleasing to God Joh. 15.5 Secondly It is for Exhortation to you Mr Edwards beware of being like to the Scribes and Pharisees Mar. 12.38 which neither loved Christ nor his followers Mistake me not I am no favorer of Sectaries yet I can with patience look upon them til God doth change their hearts In the third place I advise you not to be like an unskilful man to pluck up the wheat in stead of tares And in the fourth place Beware of being like unto the Scribes and Pharisees in loving to be chief and to have the uppermost places and to have domination and beware that you be not like the Pharisees and Lawyers that lode men with burdens grievous to be born and for a pretence make long prayers and so devour widows houses that is you oppress the weak and poor by your power and self-seeking Read if you please Mark 12.38 39 40. and Luke 11.44 45 46. Master Edwards be not angry with me for quoting these Scriptures unto you for they are the words of our Savior to the Pharisees and to the Lawyers and they were as wise men as your self Mr Edwards and as zealous read Joh. 5.16 17 18. and yet they made no conscience in seeking to kil Jesus Christ as you do not under the name of Sectaries to kil the Saints in their good name and in their reputation by your reproaches which you lay upon them and then you cal for the Magistrate to punish them and imprison them But God hath given the Parliament wisdom above such spirits as you are Mr Edwards for to restrain you or else what is it that you would not do and so the chief Priests and Pharisees likewise were very skilful in clothing Jesus Christ with a filthy garment of their reproaches and then they made the people out of love with him and then Barabbas must be let loose and Christ must go to suffer As for instance in their reproaching of Christ The first is this They thought Christ was come to destroy the Law Mat. 5.17 The second is this They said Christ was a Blasphemer Mat. 9.3 4. The third is this They said Jesus Christ was a gluttonous man a wine-bibber and did resort to ungodly men and to sinners Luk. 7.33 34. In the fourth place They said that Christ was a Conjuror This fellow say they doth cast out devils by
strive together and therefore he is bold to tell him that did the wrong Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow to which the guilty person returns an angry answer as though Moses were of his mind to kill his brother wilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday every man 's afraid of his brother now thus it is in the Egypt of this world in the which the most even of professors are as yet found doing that one against another in the face of Christendom and to the shame of Christianity which the Egyptians do one against another yea that which the Egyptian did against the Hebrew And therefore as none was found so fit a man as Moses a man mightily preserved but the meekest man in all the earth to bring these dissenting brethren out of Egypt and be their Captain to lead them through the Wilderness so none will or can in any age be found and therefore not in this but one that is as Moses was a man of a meek and quiet spirit I mean Christ himself brought forth in them that beleeve none but he in the Spirit will ever be able effectually to bring the Church of God out of the Egypt it is yet in and free it from under those infinite numbers of Taskmasters that lye in wait like foxes to have dominion over it Foâ— what hath the Nation done hitherto in a manner I mean in relation to Religion but built Pithom and Raamses two treasure Cities to spiritual Pharaoh the King of spiritual Egypt the name of the one being by interpretation as they say os defectionis vel gehennae the very mouth or gate of hell the other importing a thing as evil Commotionem tineae the eating of the moth the name of the one in plain English is A Form of Godliness the labor and strife of these times accompanied with her sister or rather her daughter City scituated next unto her yea lying in her bosom The want of the power of it if called by her name Negative but her positive name is The superfluity or the overflowings of evil I have therefore prayed that God would take of this spirit of Moses I mean that meek and quiet that sweet and saving that high holy and healing Spirit that sometimes rested in our Lord in the form of a Dove and is in the same similitude in the heart word and life of his members as appears in this man and this discourse and put it upon and pour it out in great abundance upon the heads and hearts of all sorts of men especially the leaders of the people in the Land for the reconciling and uniting them to God the fountain of peace and sweetness and one to another that the voyce of the turtle rara avis a rare bird may be heard again in our land that every one may sit under his own vine and under his own figtree that the voyce of war may be heard no more amongst us This we see evidently was the drift of this author and this book The last thing is the opportuness of its coming forth for it may serve to check those proud waves that are now arising I mean calm those unruly passions that are this day found boyling up in the spirits of most men and factious to the endangering and unquieting of all How sweet and welcom at such a time as this would that prevailing mighty voyce of our Saviour be which indeed is heard in this man and in this book of them that have cars to hear I mean that Peace be still which may save the ship we are all in as it did that wherein the Apostles were with Christ in expectation and hope of which I remit all to wait on him and rest Yours in the service of the Gospel R. B. IF Verse becomes a tract so grave as this As Psalmes in Scripture shew that treat of bliss Then let 's awake and to Jehovah sing For here 's a Dove that doth the Olive bring To England and the Ark of God in it The waters sink that would have drowned it The mountains hills and stately trees appear That overwhelm'd with inundations were A resting place on earth there 's yet for God The Sea 's dried up by h's wonder-working rod. All sects and sides before him silent are He quiets all and makes an end of Warre R. B. The Authors Request Courteous reader for the better directing you in the reading of this book look into the plainness of the Table in the which many things remarkable may be found presently and let me desire this one thing of you and that is to read the Table of Contents all over which you shall find at the end of this Book R. P. A LOOKING-GLASS FOR A Proud Pharisee Who is Very Zealous and yet very Ignorant CHAP. I. The Spiritual Opening and Application of these Scriptures VIZ. JOhn 8.33 Joh. 8.36 Mat. 16.6 Mat. 15.1 9. Rom. 10.2 3. Isa 63.3 Isa 59.16 2 Sam. 16.1 2 3 4. compared with cap. 19.26 27 28 29. Col. 1.18 Mat. 20.2 13 14. Rom. 9.31 32. Rom. 9.32 Luk. 16.15 Den. 9.4 Ps 101 5. Isa 65.5 Joh 9.28 29. Joh. 5.39 40. Mat. 17.5 Joh. 7.49 1 Cor. 1.27 28. Mat. 9.2 Luk. 5.29 30 31. Isa 53.2 Rev. 3.17 Eph. 1.7 8 9. Prov. 8.18 Rev. 3.17 Prov. 8.19 20. Luk. 16.14 Mat. 21.31 Heb. 11.31 1 Cor. 1.27 28. Act. 13.46 48. Mat. 6.7 Eccles 7.16 Mat. 5.17 Mat. 6.5.6 Mark 12.38 39 40. Rom. 9.32 Luk. 18.9 10 11 12. 1 Chro. 29.14 1 Cor. 15.8 9 10. Luk. 18.9 10 11 12. Isa 65.5 Dent. 8.17 CHristian Friend I have made bold to present you with some Scripture cautions they are such as our Savior gave to his Disciples and the Prophets gave to the high-conceited Jews who boasted of a freedom by Abraham which is without Joh. 8.33 and called God Father and yet knew not the Son of God whose freedom is within which is best of all Joh. 8.36 Now do ye Pharisees says Christ make clean the outside of the cup and the platter but your inward part is ful of ravening and envy and yet you think you are righteous and despise others Luk. 11.37 38 39. Luk. 18.9 The kingdom of God cometh not with observation or with outward shew Luk. 17.20 21. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly saith the Apostle And there are now which say they are Christians and are not but are Antichristians Rom. 2.28 Rev. 2.9 10. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Read these Scriptures and consider wel of them Rom. 2.29 The first Caution is Mat. 16.6 Sect. 1 Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadduces which is called Vers 12. the Doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadduces Pride and hatred do proceed from those that are ignorant of Jesus Christ yet these Pharisees
a comparison of the Pharisee and of the outside Christian which I shal make good by four places of Scripture And the first place of Scripture is in Mark 11.13 concerning the Fig-tree And Christ seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves he came if haply he might find any thing thereon and when he came to it he found nothing but leaves Here are three things remarkable with relation to a Pharisee or an outside Christian The first is Christ sees a Pharisee afar off he sees into their hearts he sees them proud afar off he tels them they are as graves ful of rottenness Luk 11.42 43 44. Secondly Christ comes to the Pharisees and they reject him Joh. 11.47 48 53. and took counsel together to put Christ to death Thirdly Christ finds nothing in a Pharisee but leaves and these leaves are not for the healing of the Nations as is spoken of in Rev. 22.2 But rather a bringing in of judgment and a wounding of a Nation as Adam and Eve did by seeking themselves in eating the forbidden fruit they brought sin upon the Nations of the world and so became naked and they sewed fig-leaves together to hide their nakednes Gen. 3.7 And this is the Pharisee's way But I wil shew you a more excellent way The Lord God himself made coats of skins for Adam and Eve and covered their nakedness and in his goodness said The seed of the woman meaning Christ should spread his skirt of love over them and cover their spiritual nakedness Gen. 3.15 21. Ezek. 16.8 And thus much shal serve by way of comparing the Pharisee to the Fig-tree that had leaves but no fruit for Christ The second comparison that I shal make of the Pharisees is this They are like to those Soldiers that led Christ away to crucifie him and after they had done then they did strive for his garments Mark 15.16 24. The Pharisees caused Christ to be put to death and I beleeve that there are Pharisees now that though they cannot reach the person of Christ yet they can reach the members of Christ to kil them in their outward comforts and in their good name and in reproaching of them for if they have done so to the green tree what wil they do to the dry tree and if they have put Christ to death they wil proceed to put Lazarus to death also Joh. 12.9 10 11. And yet they wil strive for Christs garments I mean they wil strive for the ordinances of Christ and seem to take delight in them as a man doth in his garments as you may plainly read in Isa 58.2 And yet they are like dying men whose garments can neither warm them nor keep life in them If Jesus Christ be not the life and the heat in all his ordinances though you lap your selves about with them as with a garment yet you may perish for want of heat for it is the Spirit of Christ that gives forth heat and makes men lively It is the Spirit that quickneth saith Christ the letter profiteth nothing Joh. 6.63 Jesus Christ tels the Pharisees that they are miserable and naked Rev. 3.17 No say the Pharisees for we have the ordinances of God and our duties and these are as garments to cover our nakedness Now this is a strain of spirit that doth rest upon most people and Ministers as one may hear in these expressions Since we have begun these morning Exercises saith one God hath given us in 70 victories but mark what the Lord saith these victories be but the effects therefore ascribe not too much to your prayers but consider the cause Not for your sakes O house of Israel nor for your prayers be it known unto you but for mine holy Names sake are these victories given unto you Ezek. 36.22 Yet I wil be sought unto saith the Lord. O! Sect. 3 it is a sweet thing to pray when the Spirit of Jesus Christ teacheth and helpeth us to pray then we shal set the Crown of praise upon the head of Christ alone for the Spirit it self helpeth us so to do Rom. 8.26 But it is a bad thing to set the crown of praise upon the head of our prayers and performances O that we could do our duties out of love to Christ alone and then take our hearts and our hands off from them and have our eyes fixed upon Christ alone and not upon our duties for why should we be like the Hen that when she hath done her duty she tels all about her Simile The Pharisee seemeth to be much for the praise of God yet hath but little or no acquaintance with Jesus Christ Give God the praise saith the Pharisee to the blind man that was cured and as for this Follow meaning Jesus Christ we know not from whence he is Joh. 9.24 29. A Pharisee doth not really know Jesus Christ therefore he doth carnally complement with Christ Iesus Good Master saith the Pharisee what shal I do that I may get heaven Why saith Christ thou knowest the Commandments and yet thou canst not spel my Name in them therefore thou art miserable poor and naked No saith the Pharisee I am not so for I have observed all those Commands that thou didst bid me from my youth to this day Wel saith Christ I see into thy heart and that is not right to me for all that thou hast done Mark 10.17 18 19 20 21. And this web saith Christ which thou dost trust unto shal be as a spiders web and shal not cover thy nakedness and this staff which thou dost lean upon shal be as the spiders house But it shal not stand though thou shalt hold it fast it shal not endure Job 8.13 14 15. Though a Pharisee seem to come to Christ yet at the same time he doth thrust Jesus Christ away from him Now the third comparison Sect. 4 that I shal make of the Pharisee or outside Christian is this Now a Pharisee is like unto a Papist in two things The first is this A Pharisee is one that seems to worship God zealously but hath no knowledg of Iesus Christ I bear them record saith the Apostle that they have a zeal of God but not of Christ Rom. 10.2 3. and so they are ignorant of the true way which God wil be worshiped in which true way is Iesus Christ Joh. 14.6 I am the Way and the Truth saith our Savior And God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him or inables such and then they worship him spiritually in Christ Iesus Joh. 4.23 24. Search the Scriptures saith our Savior to the Pharisees for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they testifie of me And ye wil not come to me that ye might have life Now a Pharisee or an outside Christian searches the Scriptures as a Papist searches his beads by number and by tale and when they have done they
you M. Edwards like unto those in the Acts that cryed out against Paul when he had spoken of Jesus Christ And do not you so cry out Mr Edwards against these men saying Away with such fellows out of the Kingdom for it is not fit that they should live amongst us read Acts 22.22 23 24 25. And in your tenth head you charge them under the name of Sectaries with hypocrisie under pretences of piety and holiness pag. 61. M. Edwards do not these ten heads which you have layd down to accuse your brethren though falsly come forth from you like unto those ten horns which came out of the seven heads and these seven heads are seven mountains and this is the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carryed her Read Rev. 17.7 9 12 13 14 25. The Lord teach us to know this mystery and a false Prophet for there is a mystery of iniquity as wel as of godliness as the Apostle speaks in 2 Thes 2.2 3 4 7 8 9 10 11. Now in the next place M. Edwards Are not your ten Heads which you have produced in your 61. page like unto the horns which the Prophet Zechariah speaks of and wil you push the Church with these horns and scatter Israel and Iudah Here you may see a power that did scatter Israel or here you may see a mountain of power that wil scatter Israel But who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel that is before Iesus Christ thou shalt become a plain Zech. 4.7 For the Lord hath shewed me four Carpenters saith the Prophet Then said I What come these to do And he spake saying These are the horns which have scattered Iudah so that no man did lift up his head but these are come to fray them or to cut them off and to cast out the horns of the Gentiles which lift up their horn over the Land of Iudah to scatter it Zech. 1.19 20 21. This was the Prophets glorious vision concerning the power of Christ which is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of our Lord Iesus Christ And he shal bring forth the head stone of Reformation in the hearts and spirits of men and then we should serve one another in love and rejoyce with shoutings crying Grace grace unto it Zech. 2.6 7. Mr Edwards I think you are but little or nothing at all acquainted with these sweet workings of the Spirit of Christ But with the former places which I have named I think you are very skilful because you give your mouth to reproaching and your tongue is like unto a horn that gores your neighbors and brethren and this you do as it were out of zeal pushing the members of Christ up and down like unto Saul Being exceedingly mad against them he persecuted them even unto strange cities Acts 26.11 Acts 22.3 4 5. And yet for all this Mr Edwards you say you are a Minister of Jesus CHRIST which seemeth very strange But Mr Edwards Sect. 8 I pray you from whence had you your ministerial gifts I beleeve you wil say either from Cambridg or Oxford and there you learned your Arts and the Tongues and you can talk of the Fathers by roat and by your Logick you mistake and cal white black that is you cal Truth Error Mistake me not I highly prize the use of Tongues and all humane Learning in its place but this wil not prove you to be a Minister of the Gospel but only a Minister of men and so sent out from amongst men The Lord teach the people this mystery Saul was a Minister of the Gospel if this rule be true before he knew Iesus Christ and the Gospel for he had all humane Learning and yet was no Minister of the Gospel as he himself confesseth I was brought up saith he at the feet of Gamaliel a learned Rabby and taught according to the perfect manner of the Law of the fathers and was zealous towards God as ye all are this day And I persecuted this way unto the death binding and delivering into prisons both men and women as also the high Priest doth bear me witness read Acts 22.3 4 5. Acts 26.9 10 11. Acts 8.3 4. And thus you may see what it is to be a Minister sent out only from men A Minister sent out from men is a Minister of Terror and not of Tenderness a Minister of the Law and not of the Gospel a Minister of the Letter and not of the Spirit And so likewise in the next place Ministers sent out only from men may be able externally to prophesie and to work miracles as those Ministers do that are sent out from God as for instance the wise men of Egypt did cast down their rods and they became serpents in like manner as Aarons rod did but Aarons rod had the preeminency Exod. 7.10 11 12. And so likewise Ahabs false Prophets externally did the same things that the true Prophet of the Lord did These false Prophets did chuse one bullock for themselves and cut it in pieces and laid it on wood in like manner as Elijah the true Prophet did but they had no heavenly fire but Elijah the true Prophet called on the name of the Lord and he was answered by fire from heaven but the false Prophets had no answer from Baal Therefore they were mad before the Altar and the God that answered by fire he was God read 1 Kings 18.21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 38. Levit. 9.24 And thus you may see how far the false Prophets may go in external performances they may run when God doth not send them Jer. 14.12 13 14 15 16. and so seduce the people Ezek. 13.10 11. and heal the hurts of the people slightly And this they do in seting the old Adam up without the strength of the new Adam Jer. 6.13 14. And for this the Lord cals them idols speakers of vanity diviners false dreamers that comfort in vain Zech. 10.2 5. And use their tongues and say the Lord he saith but this doth not profit the people The Prophet that hath a dream let him tel a dream and he that hath my Word faith the Lord let him speak my Word faithfully What is the chaff to the wheat saith the Lord Jer. 23.28 31 32. Take heed M. Edwards the false Prophets are like unto chaff but the true Prophets are like unto wheat The Old Testament declares that the false Prophets ran up down amongst the true Prophets Consider those Scriptures forenamed And shal we think to be free now in the time of the Gospel No saith our Savior There shal arise false Christs and false Prophets Mat. 24.24 and they wil have a shew of godliness like the Pharisees but they cannot see the power of it and so they become proud and covetous false accusers fierce despisers of those that are good striving after high matters loving of pleasures and profit read 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5. M. Edwards I pray you
of God the Father and the unspeakable and sweet comforts of the holy Ghost and that in a spiritual way in all the ordinances they do not nor cannot lean upon the outside of any ordinance A true Beleever sees within the vail and sees the most holy of all Mine eyes saith old Simeon have seen thy salvation O Lord Luk. 2.29 30. A Saint sees Christ in the Spirit though he be vailed with flesh A true Beleever sits down at the table with Christ who is the King of this banquet and there is friendly discourse between Christ and a poor soul A poor soul sits down under the shadow of Christ with great delight and the graces of Christ are sweet to my tast saith the poor foul Cant. 2.3 4 5 6. Now Christ answers the poor soul again and saith Thy graces smel sweeter that I have given thee then the ointments of all spices Cant. 4.8 9 10. Now a beleeving soul is married to God and Christ and doth confess all her sufficiency is from God and from Christ While the King siteth at his table saith the poor soul my spikenard sendeth forth the smel thereof that is while Christ is in the soul to act those graces that he hath given into the soul so long those graces send forth a pleasant sinel Cant. 1.12 13. Now Christ being once in the soul is for ever in the soul and with the poor soul for to help it in all its wants and loves it to the end that is for evermore Joh. 13.1 And Christ promises That he wil never leave the poor soul nor forsake it in its greatest wants Heb. 13.5 6. Now a poor soul begins to be strong in the Lord because Jesus Christ hath taught it to cal God Father Mat. 6.9 And Christ himself cals the poor soul his brother and his sister and tels them he wil pray his Father and their Father for to send his love-token into their hearts that is the sweet Spirit of God for to uphold them in the hour of temptation and to comfort them in their greatest distress and to teach them to have communion and fellowship with God and with Jesus Christ and this is the food that a true beleeving soul feeds upon in all the ordinances of God and in all the promises and providences of God in this world and this is that which a Saint leans upon even upon the very bosome of God and of Jesus Christ as that beloved Disciple did lean upon the brest of Christ at Supper Joh. 21.20 Sect. 3 Now by this means a true beleeving soul begins to be without slavish fear and without bastard-like fear because God hath said Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God I wil strengthen thee yea I wil help thee O thou poor weary soul yea I wil uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness Isa 41.10 Now this is that which holds up the head of a beleeving man or woman in this troublesom world for they see a way made by the blood of Jesus a new and living way and by the hand of faith they can take spiritual food out of that new and living way and feed upon that when worldly food seemeth to decay Heb. 10.19 20. And so likewise a beleeving man by the eye of faith doth see himself secure in this new and living way though the world should be turned upside down What saith the Prophet Habakkuk Although saith he the fields should yeeld no meat and the flocks were cut off from the fold and there should be no herd in the stals Mark the condition of a true beleeving man Yet saith he I wil rejoyce in the Lord and I wil joy in the God of my salvation Habak 3.17 18. I wil lift up mine eyes saith the beleeving man unto the hils from whence cometh my help My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth Psa 121.1 2 3. Now in the next place to lean upon Church-fellowship this wil not profit us But there is a fellowship which the Apostle speaks of which wil profit us Truly saith the Apostle we and all that do truly beleeve our fellowship saith he is with God and with Jesus Christ read 1 Joh. 1.3 4 and this fellowship is by way of union I in them and thou in me saith Christ that they may be made perfect in one Joh. 17.23 24. I shal now speak a word to those that are in external Church-fellowship Sect. 4 who hold it not fit for to have communion with one in some ordinances nay almost in all if one be not in fellowship with them but count of one as to be without or to be men of the world or almost as bad as Heathens in that condition But the Foundation or Being of the Saints is built upon the eternal good wil and good pleasure of God which he had purposed in himself before the world was and hath chosen us with an unchangeable love in him that is in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world That we should be holy and without blame before him in love read Eph. 1.4 9. 2 Tim. 1.9 Here you may see the original of the Saints from whence they are They come forth from God and they go with Jesus Christ to God their Father again For their life is hid with Christ in God read Col. 3.3 4. Joh. 14.19 20. For at that day saith Christ to the Saints ye shal know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you and because I live ye shal live also And where I am there shal you be also and you shal behold my glory saith Christ to the poor souls of men and rejoyce in that and you shal see my Fathers love in me and it shal be in you and I wil be in you read Ioh. 17.23 24 26. Here you may see from whence the Saints are and upon what fellowship they lean They lean upon the unchangable love of God and they lean upon their friend Jesus Christ and they lean upon the coming forth of the sweet Spirit from God and from Jesus Christ into their hearts and that sweet Spirit wil shew them things to come as Christ tels them and that blessed Spirit wil teach them to profit and he wil make Jesus Christ beautiful in their eyes for he shal receive from God and from Jesus Christ and shal shew it unto them as Christ himself speaks read Ioh. 16.13 14 15. Isa 33.16 17. Here you may see what heavenly provision and what a sure place of rest the holy one of Israel hath prepared for every true beleeving soul and here you may see what fellowship God and Jesus Christ have with every true beleeving man or woman And wil you that are called Anabaptists have no fellowship with those that God and Christ and the holy Spirit of God have fellowship withall except they be baptized your way You say to be baptized young availeth nothing I ask
stand for the King I have spoke of three sorts of Ministers yet there is but one Truth Now this one Truth not being rightly known by these three sorts of Ministers hence it comes to pass That they preach Christ saith the Apostle out of envy and strife one against another Phil. 1.15 16 17. He that stands for the Truth as it is in Jesus and so preacheth it he only stands for the good of the King and Kingdom All of you say that you stand for the truth and preach the truth so there were some in the Church of Ephesus that seemed to be great and said they were Apostles but they were found lyers Revel 2.2 There is an old proverb Like Priests Sect. 2 like people and so on the other side as a State changes or alters in matters of Religion so the people will change and alter in matters of Religion but a State or a Councel of those men that are called Divines are not to fit at the stern as the steer-man doth for to compel by force or to force men in matters of Religion contrary to that which he knows himself and so doubtingly a man doth that out of fear which afterwards becomes sin For whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.23 Therefore we ought to wait till God doth perswade the heart of a man for a man ought to be perswaded in his own minde that he may do nothing against the truth but for the truth Rom. 14.5 So in the next place let us look to him whose place it is to sit at the stern and that is Jesus Christ Now there is none that will presume to sit in that place with Jesus Christ but onely one and that is Antichrist and he with his do exalt themselves above Christ who is God as you may plainly see 2 Thes 2.4 7 8 9 10. And this mystery of iniquity is discovered in these latter times by the Spirit of Christs mouth and with the brightness of his coming Now Christ in the heart of a man is the onely and the alone steers-man he guides the soul in matters of Religion he teaches the soul the pure Religion which is to have faith in God and to fear and to love God and to have hope and confidence in God and he teaches the soul to know that he hath presented it to God without sin or spot of sin or wrinkle or any such thing and that it shall stand without blame forever before him in love and Christ in the soul doth help the soul in this present wicked world for to fly from sin as from a serpent and Christ by his Spirit doth lead forth the soul for to rejoyce in God and to see God rejoycing over it for to do it good Iere. 32.40 41. Eph. 5.27 And so likewise Christ leads forth the soul actively to be subject to the Magistrate in all lawful demands Rom. 13.1 5. And so likewise Christ doth help the soul passively to be subject to the Magistrate in all unlawful demands that is to suffer if you cannot do that which they command you as for instance Be it known unto thee O King say those three Worthies we wil not serve thy gods though thou cast us into the burning fiery furnace Dan. 3.18 19 20. And those that Christ doth thus inable can pray and do pray for the Magistrate therefore let them live peaceably by you in your Cities and Parishes and do not disdain them and force them to say as Paul said in another case and now we shal have no more place in these parts hardly to live in 1 Tim. 2.1 2. Rom. 15.23 There have been false Prophets Sect. 3 and false Teachers amongst the Churches in all ages of the world down to this very day 2 Pet. 2.1 Therefore saith our Savior Beware of false Prophets and false Teachers Mat. 7.15 Quest Object But how shal one know the true Teachers from the false Ans By their fruits saith Christ Sol. ye shal know them Mat. 7.16 Q. What is meant by Fruits Object Humane Learning or an outside shew of holiness for this the chief Priests and Pharisees had Ans Sol. Humane Learning and an outside shew of holiness are necessary but they are fruits that wil wither as the chief Priests and Pharisees did 1 Cor. 1.19 20 28 29. Mat. 23.28 Q. Object But how shal one know the fruits of the true Teachers of Christ and a true Beleever in Christ A. Sol. He that hath heard Christ and hath been taught by Christ is one in Truth and one with Truth and is puting off the old man and is puting on the new man and they are renewed in the spirit of their minds and are ordained of God in Christ to walk in good works before God and towards men Eph. 4.21 22 23 24. 2.10 Ioh. 15.4 5. Q. Quest But you wil say who must judg of these things A. Answ Not the Learned of the world nor the Elders that are in years but he that is an Elder in Christ for these things are foolishness to the natural learned men and the Elders only in years cannot perceive them how then can they judg But the spiritual man is able to judg of all things because he knows the mind of Jesus Christ who only knows the mind of God and reveals it to them by his Spirit who searcheth the deep things of God 1 Cor. 1.18 19. 1 Cor. 2.9 10 14 15 16. Q. Now you wil ask what can these men do more then other men Quest that you have spoke so much of A. Answ They can do more then the learned men of the world can do for they can read the Scriptures and speak the mind of Christ to the people distinctly and give a right sense of the Word because they have been with Jesus and Jesus hath been in them and hath given them an understanding for to know him to be the only Truth The chief Priests and Pharisees being grieved at Peter and Iohn took notice of them that they had been with Jesus and the chief Priests and the Elders put them into prison and threatned them as we do the poor Independents read Acts 4.2 3 13 21.23 and so 1 Ioh. 5.20 Q. But you wil say Quest Can you give an instance of such abilities in learned men and unlearned men and are there any such now in our days A. Ans Yes Ezra the Priest did read in the Book in the Law of God distinctly and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading Neh. 8.2 3 5 8. And so likewise Peter and Iohn the Disciples of Christ they were unlearned men and yet they could not but speak the things which they had heard and seen Acts 4.13 20. And so likewise it was the practise of Christ himself begining at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures things concerning himself Luke 24.27 The letter of the Scriptures is as a parable to the learned of the world and to
and the light of the Law which is in no wise grievous read Prov. 6.23 1 Ioh. 5.3 And Christ is the love-token of his Father read Rom. 5.8 And thus those that are counted loathsom Antinomians do imbrace him as the effect of his Fathers love which is the efficient cause of taking away sin from men read 1 Ioh. 4.9 10. And so they account the blood of Jesus Christ God-man to be the meritorious cause that hath and doth cleanse us from all sin past present and to come 1 Iohn 1.7 2.1 2. And so likewise Christ is the rule of a Christian and the Law of God which a Christian doth walk by And so likewise Christ is a Christian School-master for to bring him to God Gal. 6.15 16. Psa 1.2 Eph. 4.20 21. Iohn 14.6 O sweet God Sect. 7 and everlasting Father Isa 9.6 A Prayer from the Scripture to the Father Son holy Spirit opening that Mystery Thou art a sure foundation and a sure dwelling place Psa 90.1 2. O sweet Jesus thou that art built in and upon this foundation 1 Pet. 2.5 6. 2 Pet. 1.3 4. And thy sons and thy daughters being in thee thou proceedest forth and comest forth from God and bringest thy sons and thy daughters along with thee Eph. 1.3 4 5. Iohn 8.42 Isa 8.18 O sweet and holy and blessed Spirit of God which cometh from the Father Iohn 15.26 and from the Son and is sent by the Son into the hearts of his sons and daughters for to make Christ who is God-man glorious in their eyes Iohn 16.13 14 15. Isa 32.15 O sweet and blessed Spirit which art one of three and yet undividable thou art but one God blessed for evermore and not three Gods read 1 Cor. 8.5 6. But out of thy love and wisdom O sweet God thou hast made a distinction of thy self in the first Creation when thou saidst Let us make man in our image after our likeness Gen. 1.26 And thou hast made it good again in the second Creation when thou saidst Go and make new Schollars or new Disciples Then thy power O blessed Father Son and holy Spirit goes along and makes a new Creature in Christ or for Christ Old things are past away behold all things are become new read Matth. 28.18 19. 2 Cor. 5.17 A natural Tree growing up out of the earth An excellent Si mile having his roots therein and by the mighty power of God in his Creation there goes effectual power from the earth into the roots and so up into the body of the Tree and so up into every branch and causeth leaves and Fruit for the use of man which Tree hath its Seed in its self Gen. 1.11 12 29. Heb. 1.2 3. Now our Friend Jesus Christ is the Spiritual Tree of Life which grows in the midst of the paradise of God Revel 2.7 Gen. 2.9 Now God the Father is the paradise and the onely sweet Divine Garden Revel 2.7 And Christ his Son is the only sweet Flower in the Garden and he is daily his Fathers delight and in him onely God takes his pleasure read these two Scriptures Prov. 8.22 30. Matth. 17.5 Now the fulness of the Godhead is the infinite Fountain of Divinty in which Christ is a root or rooted and so grows up in that and so Christ cometh out of God and from God Col. 2.9 Psa 68.26 Isa 11.1 10. John 14.10 11. 17.8 21. 1.18 And so Christ is Gods King upon his holy Hill of Sion and God hath given him to be the Head over all things to the Church which is his Body now the true Church of God is the fulness of Christ and the true Church is most compleat in Jesus Christ Psal 2.6 Ephes 1.22 23. Colos 2.10 Psal 45.13 Now this is matter of great comfort unto a perticular poor soul for to have the blessed and infinite God anointing Jesus Christ our Head with his fulness that we might receive of his fulness even grace for grace in Christ Jesus Heb. 1.9 John 1.16 And so likewise it is an inlivening comfort to a poor fainting panting and thirsty soul for God to pour out his precious ointment upon the Head of thy Aaron that is Jesus Christ And so from him as thy Head this ointment runs down upon thy Beard nay it runs into thy heart into every corner of thy heart and it runs down to the skirts of his garments that is to every poor member of his and he fills and refreshes them with his Grace which is as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion for there the Lord gives a blessing even life for evermore read Psa 133.2 3. Now this is the River the streams whereof shall make glad the City of God Now the heart of a right Christian and a true believing man or woman is the City of God and the holy place of the Tabernacles of the most High and the infinite Divine Consolations of the Spirit which is God blessed for evermore runs thorow this City and maketh it glad when the world is turned upside down read Psa 46.4 5 6. Now you that stand for Fruits Sect. 8 and for Notes and Signes consider well what Tree they grow upon for a natural tree may bring forth excellent Fruit to the natural sight and if you take this natural Fruit for to be Notes and Signes spiritual you will deceive your selves as the most of the world do to this day because the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them and if he hear of them by the hearing of the ear he makes a jest of them for they are foolishness unto him 1 Cor. 2.14 But if you grow in the Tree of Life as the Branch doth in the Vine which Tree and Branch Zech. 6.12 is Jesus Christ then you shall live and receive of his life and bring forth fruit by his strength for in him and with him and by him you shal be able to do all things and without him you can do nothing to please God John 15.4 5. Phil. 4.13 Heb. 11.6 O sweet and blessed Spirit of God which workest all our works in us and for us Isa 26.12 And as a natural tree whose seed is in it self and having its roots in the earth and so receiving nourishment in at the roots without which it could not live But that nourishment which the roots do receive in runs up the body of the tree into every branch of the tree and causeth a fruitful flourishing of green leaves and fruit for the use of men and this turns to the praise of God and the good of men and all this is the work of the sweet Spirit of God through the whole course of nature But in a supernatural way of grace it is unspeakable and ful of glory Christ is the spiritual tree of life which is rooted in God Isa 11.1 10. John 1.18 John 17.23 24. Now the sweet Spirit of God which is only
one God Eph. 4.6 cometh down from heaven into Christ not by measure but in the fulness of God to dwel in the body of the tree of life which tree is Jesus Christ John 1.32 33 34. Joh. 3.34 Col. 2 9. 1.19 Now the sweet Spirit of God is the head and life of this tree and this tree is the head and life of the branches which are surely graffed into this tree Now God is the head of Christ and his life and Christ is the head of the Church and their life Col. 3. â— 4. Now Jesus Christ being man united unto God and God dwelling in this man Christ now Christ being man and so weak saith this of himself I saith he can of mine own self do nothing as I hear I judg and I seek not mine own wil but the honor of the Father which hath sent me John 5.30 And thus Christ reasons with Philip that he might lead Philip through himself unto the Father that he might give God the Father the honor of his love for Christ thus Christ seeks the honor of his Father Now Christ being the spiritual tree of life and Philip a branch of this tree the spirit of life runs through this tree into all the branches and causeth the branches to bring forth the fruit of praise to God And thus Christ and his members do seek to advance the glory of the Spirit of life which is God as you may see by these words Have I been so long with you saith Christ to Philip and yet hast thou not not known me He that hath seen me hath seen the Father And how sayst thou then Shew us the Father Beleevest not thou that I am in the Father and the Father in me The words that I speak unto you I speak not of my self Mark this But the Father that dwelleth in me he speaketh the words and he doth the works Beleeve me Philip saith Christ that I am in the Father and the Father in me Joh. 14.8 9 10 11. And thus Christ the tree of life bears and brings forth honor to his Father and thus the branches of this tree bring forth fruit and give the honor of it wholly unto God instance in Paul The life saith he that now I live it is not I but it is God in Christ that lives in me Gal. 2.20 And thus the sweet Spirit of God cometh down into the head of the body which head is Christ and so down into the branches which are the body of Christ and the Church of Christ which Church is created in Christ Jesus Eph. 2.10 God is a Spirit John 4.24 If I be lifted up from the earth saith Christ I wil draw all men unto me Joh. 12.32 that is Christ who is God in the Spirit shal draw men with the Spirit up into Christ and they shal be all taught of God the Father who is a Spirit and learn of him spiritually to come to Christ John 6.44 45 46. And thus you may see that a Christian in deed and in truth is not in Jesus Christ or for Jesus Christ after a carnal manner or after the rudiments of the world or after the laws of mens making Col. 2.8 18 19 20. But as the Apostle Paul saith We saith he worship God in the spirit and we rejoyce with the spirit in Christ Iesus and have no confidence in the flesh or fleshly ordinances Phil. 3.3 Carnal reason and fleshly wisdom may and do handle those things which we cal the ordinances of God and it may be very learnedly and with a seeming shew of zeal and piety and yet for all this be but carnal and fleshly and like the grave where Mary stood weeping An allusion because she could not find her Lord Christ there now Christ was risen and gone and she sought the living among the dead John 20.11 12 13. Luk. 24.5 And so a poor soul stands by the ordinances that most men handle Observe weeping because it finds them dul and cold and dark And if one ask the poor soul why it weeps it answers as Mary did I weep because I cannot find my Christ here These men cannot tel me of my beloved Lord whom my soul loveth Let me advise thee a little An Advice O thou poor soul thou must go a little beyond these dark and dul watchmen I was saith the Church but a little passed from these watchmen but I found him whom my soul loveth I held him and would not let him go such is the love of the soul unto Jesus Christ that it cannot be satisfied without Christ read Cant. 3.3 4. Such a man is the only man for a sick soul that beleeves what he speaks A true preacher and speaks what he hath seen and learned of Christ read 2 Cor. 4.13 Eph. 4.21 Now the man in Christ Sect. 9 with the spirit of Christ speaks spiritually of God in Christ and the Spirit of Christ is the Saints rest or resting place for unto that the Saints flee as a cloud and as the doves to their windows for shelter and for food Isa 60.8 The Spirit of God is the original good The Spirit of God and the only sweet good unto the spirits of men The Lord Iesus Christ saith the Apostle be with thy spirit 2 Tim. 4.22 Thus the sweet Spirit of God comes down into the tree of life which is Christ and so into the branches that grow in this tree of life Christ is the tree out of which these branches grow and come forth Iames 1.17 18. The Saints life Every true beleeving man and woman is a branch in Christ the tree of life and the sweet Spirit of God is their life that they live by and move by and act by Acts 17.28 And it pleaseth the sweet Spirit of God to give this title to the branches in Christ That they might be called trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord by the rivers of his sweet Spirit that he may bring forth fruit in his season read and compare Isa 61.3 9 10 11. and Psa 1.3 together And thus the sweet Spirit of God works all the Saints works in them and for them Isa 26.12 13 19 20. And thus the holy Spirit of God doth write his Law in their hearts even the Law of Faith and Love which they account of great use Secondly They live not as they list but as the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus doth constrain them and so in its love it doth direct them read Isa 30.21 Thirdly We are to do nothing for Christ as the most people in the world do to this day for this were to go down to Egypt the flesh for strength to get Christ but this wil be to no purpose or vain labor Now in this case Our strength is to sit stil saith the Prophet read Isa 30.7 Christ is a gift of God John 4.10 and not for us to get of God or from God We are not to work for
life but we are to work from a principle of life which is in Christ Jesus A right knowledg of this and the exceeding great and precious promises and the in-comes and the in-dwelling of the Divine Nature in our nature and in our hearts Now this is the seed in the tree of life which wil cause us to â—ease from our selves whose breath is in our nostrils and we shal cease from our own doings For wherein are we to be accounted of Now in this day and at this time The loftiness and the haughtiness of men shal be made low and the Lord alone shal be exalted in that day read and compare 2 Pet. 1.3 4. Isa 2.17 20 21 22. together Now when the grace of God in Christ doth abound in your hearts saith the Apostle That wil make you that ye shal neither be barren nor unfruitful in the works of the Lord nor in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ read 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8. Now this wil stop the mouths of your adversaries that say that you say Christ hath done all for you and you need to do nothing Now I know you wil answer and say as Christ said to Philip The words that you speak The Saints defence and the works that you do it is not you that do them but it is Christ who is God that dwelleth in you that doth all in you and for you and by the strength of Christ you do what you do and Christ shal have all the praise Ioh. 14.10 Fourthly You are accused of saying That you need not pray for the pardon of sin Of the pardon of Sin Now the Love of God and the Blood of Jesus are the pardon of sin and the pardon for sin and the sweet Spirit of God is the Messenger that brings the Manifestations of this pardon unto the soul nay into the soul and makes it glad In my love I have bloted out thy sins as a thick cloud saith the Lord. Isa 44.22 And with my Sons blood I have writen a pardon Rom. 5.8 9 10 11. Heb. 9.22 28. Now this pardon lies in the Covenant ordered in all things and made everlastingly sure though I do not as yet beleeve it or at sometimes I do not so clearly see it or feel it in my soul Read and consider 2 Sam. 23.4 5. Hebr. 10.16 17 18 19. Now in time of Trouble The time of Temptation or in time of Ignorance when men do not beleeve or in time of Desertion when God doth withdraw himself or hide his face or in the time of men being weak in faith then they are apt to think that there is no pardon or that there must be one got made for them but there is one ready for them before they pray for it or cal for it Isa 42.6 7. Now the love of God and the blood of this man saith the Apostle meaning Christ who offered one sacrifice for sins from the foundation of the world 1 John 4.9 Heb. 10.12 14. Rev. 13.8 Now this is the pardon that is ever ready for poor siners to come unto and it is able to save them to the uttermost Hebrews 7.24 25 26. Now we are not so much to ask for the pardon for that is sure and stedfast in the heaven of God but we are to ask much more for the manifestations of this pardon in our own souls and that by the Spirit of God and this wil make the lame man leap as an Hart Isa 35.5 How the soul is refreshed 6 7. and make the sick man wel and heal all our doubts and expel our fears and make us holy and heavenly before God as for instance saith Ieremiah The Comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me Lam. 1.16 And so in David Lord saith he I know my pardon is sure but there is a cloud before me and it Lord saith he take this cloud away Davids prayer Ps 51. opened and cause me to hear the joy and gladness that I had wont to have in and with the Spirit of Christ O Lord restore this joy and let me have thy free Spirit to comfort me and uphold me O Lord let thy holy Spirit be constantly in my brest or in my heart that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce The absence of thy Spirit O God is as the breaking of bones and the presence of thy Spirit O God is as marrow and fatness and as wine upon the lees And thus it was in David Psa 51.8 9 10 11 12. And thus it was between the Church and the Spirit of Christ in her union and communion with the Spirit of Christ I am thine and thou art mine saith the soul to Christ I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine And this we know saith the Apostle by the Spirit of God which he hath freely given unto us Cant. 6.3 1 Cor. 2.12 13. Now the question is not whether there be a pardon or not a pardon but whether I saith a poor soul have any interest in this pardon or no The perplexities of a poor soul wanting assurance I know not And if I had saith a poor soul or if I could but get saith another poor soul the assurance of the pardon of my sins then I should tread the world under my feet I know saith another poor soul that there is a pardon but whether it be for me or no it is not as yet revealed unto me but if it were revealed in my soul then it would be as a crown of life to me as David said Lord saith he thou hast crowned me with loving kindness and with tender mercies Psa 103.4 10 11 12. Now the word Pardon which is so much spoke of amongst us and prayed for by us it is apparently known to be and to be generally held forth unto all men for Christ hath spread as large a plaister as Adam made the sore Rom. 5.18 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6. And life and death good and evil blessing and cursing are set before men therefore chuse life O men for why wil ye dye O ye sons of men Deut. 30.13 14 15 19. Ezek. 18.31 Now you wil say I am for general Redemption and for free wil. I answer An Objectionmade and answered I am for that which God is for It is not in faln man to direct his steps to God Jer. 10.23 All men in Adam went out of the way from God and are to be found in a way of sin Rom. 3.11 12 18. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots No it is their nature we have a proverb That custom is a second nature Man at the first falling into sin sin is become a custom and so is become a second nature and so men drink in sin as a fish drinks in water John 8.44 The Ethiopian cannot change his skin no more can a man change himself that is accustomed to sin Ier. 13.23 A man in his sins is dead
94.7 8 9 10 11. Gen. 1.31 1 Iohn 3.8 Rom. 8.28 Psal 103.14 15. Hosea 13.9 Psal 30.5 Isai 27.4 Hosea 14.4 Gen. 3.8 Tit. 3.4 5 6. Psal 110.3 Revel 22.2 4 5 16. 1 Iohn 3.9 Matth. 12.28 29. 2 Cor. 7.1 Luke 18.9 Rom. 7.18 Colos 2.14 Gal. 6.14 Col. 1.27 29. Gal. 6.14 Rom. 7.15 Rom. 7.25 Iere. 23.21 30 to the end 1 King 22.11 12. 2 Pet. 2.1 Matth. 24.24 25. Phil. 3.20 Ephes 2.20 21. Iohn 14.2 Isai 33.17 Phil. 3.20 Gen. 5.24 Heb. 11.5 Psal 9.10 1 Iohn 4.1 2 3. Isai 1.11 12. Isai 58.2 3. Iere. 7.4 8 14. Iere. 5.30 31. Phil. 3.4 5 6 7 8. 1 Corinth 1.18 19 to the end 1 Corinth 13.4 5 6 7 8. 1 Iohn 3.11 12 13. Iames 4.1 Mark 7.21 22. Revel 12.1 Gen. 2.2 3. Heb. 4.9 10. Matth. 17.5 Iohn 17.23 24. Hebr. 2.11 12 13. I Shall speak a word of the freeness of the pardon which is in general Sect. 1 held forth unto all men Isai 55.1 2 7. This is the ground I confess of every ones coming that comes aright If the pardon be free to every one then I am within the number Now this pardon of sin which we pray for it is not to be made now for it was in God with Christ before the foundation of the world Rev. 13.8 Eph. 1.4 5. Rom. 5.8 Psa 68.18 Rom. 8.3 Heb. 9.22 28. And so much in general of the pardon of sin Now I shall speak a word of this pardon in particular And here lyes a scruple and here lyes everlasting comfort I know Object says some this pardon is held forth to all But yet for all this I cannot beleeve that it is for me I answer Sol. If you know it by the hearing of the ear naturally and earnally and by the seeing of the eye sensually and according to your natural sense and no more then you cannot know it nor beleeve it by these for your good because it is spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 Secondly I answer A man may have a true knowledg of the pardon of his sin and yet have the comfortableness of it withdrawn for a time Now here comes in a right panting and breathing and praying not for the pardon of sin for that is sure in God but here is a praying for a comfortable evidence and the sweet manifestations of the Spirit of God to my soul or in my soul O Lord saith David pardon my sin Psalm 25.11 Now David at this time did know that his sins were pardoned You will ask how I know that Quest He himself said Answ That God had made with him an everlasting pardon or covenant ordered in all things and sure and this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow saith he 2 Sam. 23.5 And I know the Lord changeth not for he hath said it Mal. 3.6 Now David was a strong man in the Lord and yet he was up one while and down another while Up when the Spirit of God did act the grace of Faith in him then he did flourish like a green bay-tree and then his mountain was strong but when the sweet Spirit of God did withdraw it self then David was troubled Psal 30.7 Now a poor soul in its winter season when its fruits are in its roots Sect. 2 is kept by the power of God as in the secret chamber of God and lives upon a word of promise when it doth not see the spirits fruits at that time it beleeves that God is faithful though he doth not shine upon it and cause it to grow 1 Pet. 1.5 7. Isai 43.1 2 5. Now a poor soul not having the heat and sunshine of the Spirit is discontented though it may have its eye fixed upon its pardon which is sure and stedfast O saith Mary Magdalen they have taken away my Lord And so saith the poor soul Iohn 20.13 O Lord saith David let the light of thy Spirit shiâ—e into my soul and that will make me more glad then corn and wine increased Psal 4.6 7 8. One smile from thy fatherly countenance O Lord one beam or glance of the refreshings of thy sweet Spirit O let me hear of spiritual joy and gladness and then I shall follow thee all the day long My soul panteth for thee the living God I cannot live but in thy light restore my wonted joys My heart and my flesh fail me But God is my rock and my well-spring of joy and he never faileth and this is all my joy Psal 51.8 12. 73.25 26. 36.8 9. The poor soul once being possessed of this spiritual dew it begins to speak of the excellency of Christ while the Spirit of grace sitteth as king in my soul and hath spred his table full of divine Graces upon which my soul doth feed and while the King sitteth upon his throne in my soul saith the Church my graces send forth a pleasant smell While the king lodgeth within my brest saith the poor soul he his sweet as a bundle of myrrhe to my soul And the king saith I am fair and there is no spot in me because of the comeliness which he hath put upon me and he saith that I am fair and have doves eyes read Cant. 1.3 12 13. Eze. 16.14 Cant. 4.1 Now a poor soul being brought by the king into the banqueting house on the day of the Lord nay in the day of the Lord and upon the Lords day I mean Christ who is the Lords day Psalm 118.22 23 24. Now Christ is the king of this day and the day it self in which every true believing soul doth abide for ever any Christ himself is the house into which the poor soul is brought and Christ himself holds his banner of love over a poor soul and makes it glad in himself Cant. 2.4 Now Christ and the soul have sweet communion together Sect. 3 and Jesus Christ tells the soul of his Fathers great love unto it before the foundation of the world and that he hath chosen it in him and blessed it with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in himself And Christ tells the soul that it shall stand in him for ever before God and be holy and without blame before him in love Ephes 1.3 4. And Christ tells the soul that he came out of the bosom of the Father to be its ransom and to pay its debts to the law and to sin and to hell and the devil and the grave John 1.16 17 18. Isai 53. read the whole Chapter Hosea 13.14 1 Cor. 15.54 55 56 57 58. Heb. 2.14 15. And so likewise Christ tells the soul he will inable it to beleeve all this Heb. 12.2 And so Christ tells the soul he will make it fruitful in good works before God and men that they may glorifie God on their behalf Eph. 2.10 Matth. 5.15 16. And Christ tells the soul he hath done all for it that it stands in need of and that he is all unto it that it wants
his benefits who hath forgiven thee all thy sins whodoth forgive thee al thy sins he doth continually declare unto thee the forgiveness of all thine iniquities that thou mightest rejoyce before him in the forgiveness of all thy sins for he hath healed all thy diseases and he doth heal all thy diseases and he wil continually heal all thy diseases Therefore thou mayst be of good cheer O my soul for thou mayst and dost swim in rivers of pleasures for evermore Now this river is loving kindness and tender mercies whereof the soul doth drink and is abundantly satisfied and it lives in this river and shal never more thirst after sin read Psa 103.1 read the whole Psalm Now this river is God himself in which the soul doth live and refresh it self as in a fountain of life and it never needs to fear drowning read Rev. 22.1 2 3 4 5. Psa 36.7 8 9. Secondly This Fountain of Israel which is the sweet God himself is the ayr in which the soul doth live and in which the soul doth move and act and hath its being Acts 17.28 And so likewise the soul as a bird doth fly up and down in this ayr admiring of God and praising of God and chirping forth praise unto God in the midst of this heaven and thus the soul doth fly in the midst of the Heaven of God delighting it self in God where it shal abide for evermore read Rev. 14.4 5 6. Now the soul doth wind up its conclusion in giving all honor unto its original All my springs saith the soul are in thee who art the fountain of Israel which is God blessed for evermore read Psa 87.6 7. Psa 68.26 And so much with submission to better judgment about praying for a pardon for sin nay rather a praying for the manifestations of the Spirit and the evidences of the Spirit to be in my heart of that pardon which God hath had ever ready from the foundations of the world and holds it forth unto all men But I Quest saith some poor soul want the Spirits application of this pardon and if he would but keep it close unto my soul or in my soul then it would cause me to rejoyce both in life and at death But the Spirit is free to work where he wil and in whom he wil and to pass by whom he wil and who shal say Why dost thou so unto him Fifthly You are accused of saying That God sees no sin or no sin in you But how is it then that God suffers sin to come into his Creation as an accident he not creating of sin Answ Because he wil bring forth his own defign in manifesting of the glory of his free grace and making out of Christ Secondly There is no equality between Christ and sin or Christ and siners neither hath Christ any accord with sin And what agreement hath Christ the Temple of God with idols which is sin None at all 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16. God sees sin contrary unto himself therefore he appears as a consuming fire unto sin and not unto sin only but unto all created forms and beings Heb. 12.18 21 27 29. Heb. 1.10 11 12. 2 Pet. 3.10 11 12 13. And so likewise to siners that is sinful men and women in whom sin hath taken possession and is their present king Now such in their capacity look upon God as a dreadful Judg because they look out of the prison house of sin and think they most dwel with devouring fire and with everlasting burnings And thus God appears unto all that look upon him out of Christ Isai 33.14 But now on the other side Sect. 8 Those that are Baptized with the fire of the Holy Ghest this is their proper heavenly element that they live in and they are like the bush that was all on a flame of fire and was not consumed Exod. 3.2 3 4. Now this fire wil burn stubble and all maner of sinful works of men 1 Cor. 2 11 12 13. But this heavenly fire is nourishment unto that which is of it self 1 Pet. 1.5 7 8. Now these seeing God in Christ see him unchangeably good and the same yesterday and to day and the same for ever Heb. 13.8 Now God is not as sinful dark men judg him to be that is to be made up of love and hatred Fury is not in God Isa 27 4. and wrath and fury and so they stand a far off from him and say that he is an hard Master Now what a mistake is here for God is the only true Good he is loving merciful and just and sin shal not stand neer him but sin shal be bowed down and the siner whose heart is a throne for sin to be his king he shal not stand upright in the judgment of God in Christ Psa 1.4 5. Now sin doth delude a man to think that God is like unto himself read Psa 50.19 20 21. But God is of purer eyes then to behold such evil and to look on iniquity and sin and not to destroy death with his sting Habak 1.13 Heb. 2.14 15. Now I shal speak a word by way of comparison of sin coming in by way of accident and Gods design in suffering of it Now the comparison wil fal infinitly too short But suppose a curious Artificer makes a Watch very curiously but something fals out in a very short time and puts the Watch out of order and this we cal an accident and use to say there is such an accident faln out and hath put the Watch out of order and it doth nothing now but jar and it never goes right until it be taken in pieces and a second Art applied unto it and so new made up again but now if this Artificer could have prevented this accident he would not have suffered this accident to have faln out upon his Watch and spoiled it But it is not so with God for accidents are not against God Nothing done without Gods providence but for God and permited by God to be or not to be and are suffered by God and ordered by him to bring his own designs about Now an accident is in relation to men as not knowing God and so they use that word accident or luck or chance or as some grosly cal it fortune not knowing that God is neer unto that which they cal accident or luck and doth dispose of it and them as shal make most for his own glory As for instance The lying spirit was admited to go into the mouth of the Prophets of Ahab and so Ahab was deluded And so likewise the arrow was ordered that was drawn out of a bow at a venture and was directed to the joynts of the harness of the King of Israel and so he was wounded And so likewise David hasted and ran to meet the Army and put his hand in his bag and took thence a stone and slung it Now David being a type of Christ Revel 22.16 as it is writen
shall answer you as Christ answered the Jews If God were your father saith Christ then ye would love your Brethren Joh. 8.38 c. Now mark this all you that verbally say You beleeve in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth and yet you hate your Brethren as Cain that wicked one did who slew his brother see the reason of it and judg of it among your selves read 1 Iohn 3.12 Now Sect. 3 as Christ was said to be the Mother and proved so Christ may be said to be the childe the spiritual childe that is born Christ must be born in our hearts and then we shall grow or is to be born in men and women that come to be true Christians as the Apostle makes it plain My little children saith he of whom I travel in birth again until Christ be formed in you or born in you Gal. 4.11 19. Mark this all you that minde the shadow more then growing up into the Substance for this spiritual Childe Jesus must be born in thy heart O man or woman as well as in the womb of the Virgin Mary and then this Childe will grow up in thee and wax strong in thy spirit as he did in the days of his flesh and then thy heart shall be filled with wisdom and the grace of God through Jesus Christ will be upon thee or in thee And this Childe Jesus will increase in wisdom and thou O man or woman in whose heart this Childe is born thou shalt be in favor with God and man But I do not mean fleshly man for thou art out of favor with him for he jeers and scoffs at thee like Ishmael for Christs sake as we almost all do at this day though we talk so much of Reformation But thou O man in whose heart this Childe Jesus is born shalt be in favor with God and with the Man Christ and in this favor there is life for evermore Luke 2.40 52. Now I shall confirm what hath been said of the Childe Jesus being born in the heart of a man with Christ in the Spirit now dwelling in the hearts of some men Know ye not saith the Apostle that the spirit of God dwelleth in you and ye are the temple of God and so examine your selves Know ye not how that Iesus Christ is in you 1 Cor. 3.16 2 Cor. 13.5 Now Jesus Christ living in the heart is the ground and the hope of a Christians glory Colos 1.27 Now Christ in God and God in Christ taking up the form of this Childe Jesus and every true believing man and woman and that freely of Free-grace and all this by way of union freely read Phil. 2.6 7 8. Now God in Christ making in himself of two one new man and this by way of union with himself and the Cross of Christ as you may read Ephes 2.15 16. Colos 1.19 20. Sect. 4 Now by way of union with God in two natures every man that hath this Childe Jesus born in his heart and that by vertue of a promise such a man is the new man that the Apostle speaks of Ephes 2.15 Which comes to be made partaker of the divine nature as you may read 2 Pet. 1.3 4. Now if one should say The Childe Jesus is the second wonder in Heaven which the devil in men doth seek for to persecute That the most men in our age nay almost all men doth persecute this Childe Jesus as soon as he begins to be born but in a quite contrary way to that of the Jews and the zealous Pharisees for they persecuted this Childe Jesus from the first unto the last because he came in the form of an unlearned and weak man and he became as a servant and humbled himself for to work out a redemption for his creation Phi 2.7 8 Psal 40.6 7 8. No sufferings like unto Christs suffrings yet these blinde learned Jews and Pharisees persecuted this Jesus in the days of his flesh from the very first unto the last and said he had a devil and came to break the Law and that he was a loose fellow and a gluttonous man and a wine bibber and a friend of leud persons and they laughed him to scorn an spit in his face and struck him upon the face and scourged him and then put a gorgeous robe upon him and jeered at him but not being content with this they platted a crown of thorns and put it on his sacred head from which the precious oyntment runs down upon our souls and when they had crowned him with prickling thorns upon his tender head then they jeered him and said Hail king of the Jews and they put a reed in his right hand and they bowed the knee before him as to a King And thus the learned Jews and the precise Pharisees together with the sotish chief Priests and the rude multitude made a mocking stock of this Childe Jesus For at the first they had no room for him in the Inne but he was fain to be laid in a horse manger and there they sought to destroy him And as soon as he was grown a little in age they thrust him out of their City and led him unto the brow of an hill to cast him down headlong to break his neck thus they made him a man of sorrow and grief all along to the very last after they had made him a King they took off the purple robe from him and put his own raiment on him and led him away to crucifie him and as they went they spit upon him took the reed out of his right hand and smote him on the head and said he was a Malefactor and so to the Cross he must go and there to be hanged that is he had his arms stretched out his merciful hands were both nailed to the Cross both his feet in a cruel manner and there his natural life did languish upon the Cross for som certainhours together and in all this misery these hard hearts mocked at him and gave him vineger to drink mingled with gall and they that passed by railed on him in this distress when he hung by the hands and feet fast nailed to the Cross then they wagging their heads at him and bid him save himself and come down from the Cross Now here is one thing of note the chief Priests with the Scribes among themselves were mocking of Christ Let Christ the King of Israel A ministry or people being ignorant of Christ are the most forward to do all maner of cruelty even unto death that saved others descend from the Cross that we may see and beleeve Mark 15.29 30 31.32 Now Jesus being long upon the Cross for the sin of man at length he gave up the ghost But yet their malice did not rest here though he was dead for they came to break his legs but being prevented of that one of them took a spear and pierced his side or thrust it into his
side All this was done unto his body which was humane besides his troubles in the spirit when he was in an agony in the garden where his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground Now never were any mans sorrows like unto the sorrows of Jesus Christ yet for all this their malice did not change the stream of love which was in Jesus Christ for when they were a thrusting him out of the world and he was going unto God his Father then this Child Jesus which was the Man Christ and anointed of God above all his yellows prayed Father saith he for give them for they know not what they do for they are ful of the seed of the serpent Yet nevertheless O righteous Father saith Jesus Christ A ful Redemption by Christ for al men if all men had but faith to beleeve I have finished a sufficient Redemption for the whole world if thou O Father wilt but give them faith to beleeve it or to give a true credit unto that report for it is finished And thus Jesus Christ bowed his head and took his leave of this cruel people and this wicked world together as you may read Luk. 23.34 John 19.30 Now these blind Jews and Lawyers Sect. 5 and zealous Pharisees together with the blind devotion of the chief Priests and the rude multitude they all looked upon an outside Christ or a fleshly Christ or Christ the Son of God vailed with flesh so that they did not see within the vail the most holy of all therefore they fel upon him and judged him to be forsaken of God and so they marred his visage and despised him and saw no comeliness or beauty in him that he should be more desired then another man Isa 52.14 Isa 53.2 2 4. Now the man in whose heart the Child Jesus is born such a man or woman sees within the vail and sees Christ spiritually sees Christ as God-man ful of divine amiableness and sweetnesses of beauty and unspeakable comeliness of the spiritualnesses in Christ when he was vailed with his flesh but much more now Christ is ascended far above all heavens to fil the souls of men ful of spiritual gifts unutterable and ful of glory Eph. 49 10. Psa 68.18 Now the soul of such a man or woman is sick of love for the delightful in-comes of a spiritual Christ now unvailed which is not to be seen visibly for he is invisible and not to be seen now but by the eye of faith for by faith Moses saw him that was invisible Heb. 11.27 Now a man in Christ is a new creature and Christ being born in a man makes him partaker of the Divine Nature as the Apostle speaks Now Christ is our life and our life is hid in God Col. 3.3 4. Now the life which a true christianized man or woman that is a true beleeving man or woman or a true beleeving man in his young age as wel as in his old age now the life which they live it is not they but Christ liveth in them and as a Father he doth translate them into the substance of the Gospel which is Christ the inheritance of the Saints in light but no new light mark this all you that mock and jeer at new light Gal. 2.20 Col. 1.12 13. Now Christ being in a Christian and a Christian in Christ Christ becomes the Christians School-master and doth Gospelize him and make him a new creature and he doth spiritualize him and make him heavenly and Christ-like that is like unto himself Now a true beleeving man or woman are the auditors or the hearers and the holy Ghost is the preacher or the speaker and the heart of a true beleeving man is the place where this sweet Spirit of grace doth preach or make known the Lord who is our salvation Eph. 4.20 21. 1 Jo. 2.27 28. Now the Lord is that Spirit that doth all in us and for us And in the glory of the Lord every true beleeving man or woman is changed into the image of Christ for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily and a true beleeving man or woman is comple at in him Now all this is done by the Spirit of the Lord who is both Lord and Christ read 2 Cor. 3.17 18. Col. 2.9 10. Now you wil object and say Object that I seem to make more Christs then one whereas I say that the child Jesus is to be born in the heart of a man or Christ the Son of God for man who is the Son of God in man he is to be formed in the hearts of men or Christ to be born in the heart of a man which is God with us or God in us Mat. 1.21 23. Luk 2.26 27. I answer Answ there is but one God and Christ one Christ who is above all and through all and in you all and when this Christ doth appear in thy heart O man or woman then thou shalt also appear with him in glory for grace is glory Eph. 4.6 Col. 3.4 11. One word more to prove that there is but one true Christ Sect. 6 by way of simile Simile There is but one natural Sun in the Firmament that doth shine upon this world and all men and creatures do live in this Sun and do partake of its light and heat or else they would dye and vanish away and this Sun doth live in men and in all creatures with his light and heat but men and creatures are distinct from this Sun and apart from it so that every man or creature is not a Sun as this natural Sun in the Firmament which I have spoken of but every man and creature doth partake of the fulness of this Suns light and heat and so they are nourished And so likewise in the last place I shal prove That every true Christian or true beleeving man or woman is not a Christ neither are they Christs as you did object and say I seemed to make more Christs then one yet a true beleever is one with Christ in union and communion light and life And first of all for union I in them and thou in me I wil saith Christ that they be with me where I am to behold my glory Joh. 17.23 24. Secondly For communion of the fulness of Christ Every true beleever receiveth grace after grace unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Joh. 1.16 Eph. 4.13 Thirdly The light of the Lord is my light saith the soul of every true beleeving man and it is my joy and delight to walk in this light and his salvation is the strength of my life of whom shal I be afraid Psa 27.1 Fourthly Christ is my life saith a true beleeving Christianized man in whom I live and move and have my being and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who is God with us or God in us and his name
hand of the Gospel moveth the heart of a man to a godly sorrow The goodness and the kindness and mercy of God applyed to the hearts of men that leadeth men forth to a true repentance and a right breaking of heart Now when the love of Jehovah doth break into the heart of a man or woman then the soul doth cry out and say the loving kindness and the goodness of God hath conquered my soul and the Lord draws my soul after him with the cords of love and how then shal I return again to folly seeing Jehovah hath taken hold of my soul with his love Now the rough hand of the Law as it is unskilfully handled by the most of our learned Men that know not Christ handle the law roughly rather hardens the hearts of men and sears them up in their sins then it mollifies and softens the heart because the Law is a strict rule holy jvst and good not given for men to do and live thereby Now the strict rule of the Law in the letter meeting with a crooked siner these two fal to variance as Cain did with Abel Now this carnal siner looks upon the Law as too strict that if he offend in one point he is guilty of all and so lies lyable to a curse for not continuing in all things which are in the book of the Law to do them Now this siner looking upon the Law out of the hand of Christ his heart begins to harden against God and he becomes an enemy against God and is not subject to the Law of God Rom. 8.7 And if it were possible this carnal minded man would destroy both God and his Law for the very same reason that Cain slew his brother 1 Joh. 3.12 And thus a man comes to be seared up in his sins when both he and his minister look upon the Law carnally and not in the hands of Christ as we in our days have many pretenders for the Law and many that rest in the Law and not in Christ and yet make their boast of God and seem to be Teachers of others and yet not able to teach themselves and yet make their boast of the Law and remain carnal in the Gospel and can hardly tel how to speak any thing of Christ Sect. 9 Now these rough handlers of the Law are like unto Esau cuning men of the field men that love red pottage and see no beauty in Jacobs heritage but despise it How can these men apply savory meat unto a poor hungry thirsty soul whom they hate for the blessing wherewith it is blessed in Christ And Esau said in his heart Now Esaus heart being ful of the seed of the serpent he said he would slay his brother Jacob as Herod would have done Christ Now by savory meat I mean the sweetnesses and the refreshings of Christ unto a poor weary soul which these men by experience know not as you may take an instance of the Jews and Pharisees Instance great zealous talkers of the Law of God and the Worship of God Nay they made their boast of God and yet they did not know Jesus Christ though he was present amongst them but dealt roughly with him according as they did see the Law as you may read at large Rom. 2.17 21 23. Gen. 25.27 30 34. 27.41 Iohn 9.13 14 15 16 29. Have not we many now in our days which hold forth the Law as the chief Priests and Pharisees did that is quite out of the hands of Christ and they tel the people they know not the Law but they must beleeve it as they hold it out unto them for the chief Priests and Pharisees told the people in Christs time That the people who know not the Law are cursed And thus the Law did seem to be rough by their unskilful handling of it out of the hands of Christ as we also may do at this day Iohn 7.45 48 49. How the Law in the hand of Christ turns to be Gospel Christ is the living law of God and the onely rule for a Christian and doth the greatest work as for instance Saul in his height of malice when he was going to Damascus the light of Christ did shine round about him and changed his evil heart He did not hear the voyce of thundering and lightning at Mount Sinai but a gentle hand and a soft sweet voyce speaking unto him and saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me in my members Now Saul was not afrighted out of his wits but said Who art thou Lord and the Lord said I am Iesus whom thou persecutest but thou shalt do so no more for I will make thee a Minister of grace and though Saul trembled yet his heart was possest with love to the Lord and to those that he had persecuted for saith he Lord what wilt thou have me to do for thee and for them that I have so wronged Now this is a Gospel-change Acts 9.3 4 5 6. 26.16 Sect. 10 Now if this work of the Gospel had been wrought in the hearts of those that might have prevented bloodshed or in those that were so exceeding mad to shed the blood that was shed in Guildhal-yard but it seems they were of Sauls minde Men in our times like unto Saul and the chief Priests and Pharisees thinking that they might do many things nay any thing against a man or a woman under the name of Independents or Sectaries that is to put Christ and his members out of their Synagogues and City nay further even to kill Christ in his members or Christ and his members together and in so doing To think that they do God service These things are done and the cause is they neither know God nor Christ these are Christs own words as you may read Acts 26.9 10 11. John 16.2 3. But I am of Stevens minde and shall say Lord lay not this sin to the charge of this City Acts 7.58 59 60. Now the Law being in the hands of Christ and the Spirit of Christ who is the onely blessed God and the efficient cause in changing of that which we call Law into Gospel Thus God in Christ saith unto every soul I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other Gods before me Exod. 20.2 3. Now this Law is brought by the Spirit of Christ Christ makes way for himself in the hearts of men into the heart of a man or a woman and there it is planted and ingraven Jere. 31.33 34. and Christ puts in the finger of his sweet Spirit in at the hole of the door of the heart in at the hole of the lock as it were and his Spirit is the key that opens the heart and Christ with his finger puts back all the barrs and bolts that stand between him and the soul and Christ looks into the soul and takes away all drousie distempers and waters the soul and refreshes it with his sweet graces Christ is a sweet Law
be as a book sealed or as a box that hath far more precious ointment in it then that of Mary Magdalen as you may read Mark 14.3 But such men want a key to open this box A literal reading of preaching Minister doth but speak empty words in the ears of people or they want heavenly art to break this box that the sweet smels of Jesus Christ may come forth into the world amongst men Such men can speak of the letter of the Word which is as a Cabinet but they can speak little or nothing of Christ in the Spirit which is the Pearl in this Cabinet and this is one reason why your hearers are so ignorant and there is so little love to God in the world and love unto our neighbors Now I shal give your hearers one Caution Sect. 4 which is this It is not enough to cal Lord Lord but to have the grace of Christ to inable them to do his wil read Luk. 6.45 46. It is not the hearing of the Common Prayer Book read nor the verbal reading of it your self A form of Prayer only taught by men doth but beat the ayr that wil profit you It may be you may hear it read and be zealous in that and pray and yet remain ignorant in what you hear and in what you pray and your understandings ful of darkness But the Apostle saith He wil pray with the light of the Spirit and that light wil enlighten his understanding that he may edifie others 1 Cor. 14.14 15. And so likewise you may learn to say over the prayers in that book The definition of prayer viz. nay it maybe say over many prayers without the book but this is not prayer herein you are mistaken for prayer consists not in length of words nor in strength of words A true and a comfortable prayer comes from the spirit of grace returns to the spirit again but in the breathings of the Spirit of God into the soul and the souls breathings back again unto God And this is that which the Apostle saith The Spirit it self maketh intercession for us or in us with groanings which cannot be uttered And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit Rom. 8.26 27. because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the wil of God Now this grace of Christ in prayer comforts every soul that hath it and makes them able in the publick for the Kingdom and it makes them able for their families in private This grace of Christ makes those that are the Ministers of his Gospel sufficient and able in the newness of the Spirit to bring forth fruit unto God Rom. 7.4 6. Now I know that you that are readers and hearers of the Common Prayer Book and of those imitating preaching Ministers which can preach but little or nothing at all of the mystery of Christ and of the unsearchable riches of the sweet grace of Jesus Christ but they can speak pleasingly of the history of Christ and of the letter only I know now that you wil plead liberty of conscience to hear and to have this manner of reading and preaching And for my part you should have the liberty of your conscience A people delighting in a litter alministry are sotishly ignorant for the most part of them and ful of segality but I am sorry that your understandings are so dark that you are not able to discern the natural artificialness that is in some mens reading and preaching and I am grieved to see that you are not able to discern between the naturalness and the spiritualness of Ministers Some by the principles of nature can preach elegantly and use plausible words and this pleases you wel and this you cry up and magnifie But the spiritualness which some Ministers have from the Spirit of God this you cry down and say it is new light or new wine and with mockings say these men are ful of new light or with a jeer as Festus did to Paul saying Too much of this learning makes men mad And thus natural parts are advanced and true Ministers of the Gospel discountenanced as you may read Acts 2.13 15 16 17. Acts 26.24 25. 1 King 22.26 27. Mat. 27.63 Sect. 5 Now I shal speak a word in the behalf of those Ministers which are made able by the grace of the Gospel of God as Paul was such Ministers have the mystery of God manifest in the flesh revealed unto them by the spirit of God They are ful likewise of knowledg of the mystery of Christ in God and God in Christ and Christ who is God and the new man dwelling in the Saints now this is a glorious mystery read John 17.21 23 24. Eph. 4.23 24. 2 Cor. 6.16 Now such Ministers are made able by the gift of grace and the effectual working of the power of God that they may preach the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ unto a poor soul A ministry built on Christ doth administer grace to the hearts of the people now such Ministers have the secrets of the Lord revealed unto them Psa 25.14 And they do declare unto all the world the mystery which hath been hid in God from the begining of the world but now in these last times it shal be made known by the Church of Christ the manifold wisdom and love of God in his eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence that we shal be filled with all the fulness of God And thus the true Ministers of Christ are furnished from God to speak the things of God Evangelically and to speak spiritually what they hear and see of Jesus Christ and this you may read at large Eph. 3.3 the whole Chapter And so likewise every poor member of Christ is compleat in Christ For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily and of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace Col. 2.9 10. Joh. 1.16 17. Now if the Lord would be pleased to let this grace come down from above as an overflowing stream of love into our Land it would heal our breaches it would move the Kings heart to be easie to be intreated by the Parliament for the good and peace of his subjects that they might enjoy their own with quietness and the freedom of free subjects though he as a King lost something which is his own to purchase peace for his people and then he would be as a nursing Father unto his people which I desire to see all this a tender-hearted father doth for the good of his child he wil part with much of his own because he loves his child And this grace must move the Parliament if they be like unto a tender-hearted father Now those that are like unto a tender father If they see any one lie under a burden though it be but light they go speedily they make no delays in taking off
suffers and is crucified now in the hearts of men in every particular mans heart and that spiritually as he was among the Jews chief Priests and Pharisees Pontius Pilate and Herod Mans heart should be an habitation for God to dwel in but That man of sin and the world and the devil hath taken possession of this Temple of God and exalteth himself in the heart of a man above God and shews that he is God but this is that spirit of Antichrist which would keep the true Christ out of the hearts of men and wil not confess that Jesus Christ should come in the flesh of men 2 Thes 2.3 4. 1 Iohn 4.2 3. Now when God wil have the possession of the heart to be his Temple then he sends his holy child Jesus which was conceived by the Holy Ghost into the heart of a man read Acts 4.27 30. Luke 1.31 32 35. Now the heart of every man by nature is like unto those husbandmen that consulted against the only beloved Son of God and said Come let us kil him and they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard that is out of their hearts read Mark 12.4 5 6 7 8. And thus your ignorant Protestants do and your carnal Christians and your outside zealous professors stand up with the Kings and rulers of the earth like unto the Jews chief Priests and Pharisees Herod Pontius Pilate and the rude multitude against the spiritual and holy Child Jesus who is both Lord and Christ Acts 4.25 26 27. Acts 2.36 Iohn 11.47 48. CHAP. XIII The Spiritual Opening and Application of these Scriptures VIZ. 1 John 4.20 21. Acts 9.4 5. 26.14 15. Acts 22.3 4 5. John 12.10 11. John 5.18 19 20. Mat. 20.35 36 37 38 39. John 16.2 3. Eccles 7.29 Gen. 6.5 8.21 John 19.17 18 20. Mat. 15.19 20. Luke 6.45 46. Mark 3.27 Ephes 4.24 Rom. 5.14 Iohn 12.32 Heb. 2.14 15. Acts 2.23 24. Mat. 27.63 64. Isai 29.11 Col. 1.26 27. Rom. 10.2 3. Mark 15.10 11 15. Iohn 10.19 20 24 25 31 39. Luke 1.35 Heb. 2.14 15. Iohn 16.13 14. Luk. 20.19 20 21. Matth. 13.25 38 39. Luke 6.45 46. Iohn 14.17 18. Acts 4.28 Ioh. 12.32 Luke 3.16 2 Thes 2.7 8 9 10. 1 Cor. 2.1 2. Iohn 12.23 24. Eph. 1.3 Rom. 6.5 6 7 8. Heb. 2.14 15. Rom. 6.3 4 5. Gal. 6 14 15. Eph. 4.22 23 24. Col. 1.12 13. 2 Cor. 5.17 2 Cor. 3.18 Rom. 6.5 8. 8.11 Phil. 3.9 10. 1 Iohn 1.3 Rom. 11.36 Rev. 19.4 5 6. 21.3 4 9 10 11 22 23. Iohn 11.42 1 Cor. 2.13 14. Gen. 18.1 2 3 4. 19.1 2 3 4. Dan. 3.24 25 26. Isa 43.2 3. 43.3 4. Philip. 2.6 7 8. Rom. 8.3 4. Heb. 10.5 6 7. 1 Tim. 3.16 Heb. 9.11 12 13 14. Psa 27.1 Rev. 1.10 11 12. Iohn 16.13 14 15. 1 Cor. 3.22 23. 1 Pet. 1.11 12 13. 1 Tim. 3.16 Luke 17.34 35. Rev. 1.7 8. Acts 26.18 Luke 3.16 17. Iohn 3.29 30. Eph. 4.3 4 5 6. Isai 9.6 Mat. 1.20 21 22 23. Isai 7.14 Psa 113.5 6 7 8. Col. 2.19 Eph. 2.21 22. Col. 2.9 10. Eccles 1.7 Eph. 3.17 18 19. Eph. 1.22 23. 5.32 Rom. 8.17 Phil. 3.10 11. Gal. 6.14 15. Isai 29.20 21. Acts 24.13 14. Luke 18.11 12. 2 Cor. 3.6 2 Cor. 13.3 4 5. 1 Cor. 2.4 5. Matth. 7.21 22 23. 15.13 14. Luke 6.39 40. I Shal give you two instances of what I have said and prove it by Scripture We all say that we love God and Christ whom we never have seen and yet the most of us hate our brother whom we see dayly 1 Iohn 4.20 21. Now this is a pure contradiction A contradiction for we all say that we love God and yet God saith Why persecute you me in my Christ in my Saints Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Acts 9.4 5. 26.14 15. Most men are zealous for God Instance and yet hate Christ who is the way of God Instance in Paul when he was Saul Acts 22.3 4 5. And so likewise those that say verbally Thy Kingdom come and contend so much for the form of the Lords prayer which I highly esteem yet these men know not the power and the glory of this kingdom but labor to put those far from them Instance 2 into whose hearts this kingdom is come instance in the chief Priests who sought to put Lazarus to death out of envy against Christ Iohn 12.10 11. Yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth them in whom I appear saith Christ they wil think they do God service Note this The time cometh saith Christ though men have fair pretences to know God and Christ as the most in these our days have yet they know God but after a customary way and they know Jesus Christ verbally to discourse of him only with the tip of the tongue but in their hearts they seek to kil both him and his as those husbandmen did Ioh. 5.18 19 20. Mat. 20.35 36 37 38 39. Mark now The time cometh saith our Savior that is in these our days we do as much as the Jews chief Priests Pharisees and Pontius Pilate did in a spiritual way against the holy Child Iesus Now the ground of all this is because we do not know God nor Jesus Christ spiritually and these are Christs own words read Iohn 16.2 3. I shal give you a reason as God shal enable me why I said Christ suffers and is crucified even now in everyparticular mans heart that shal reign with him Reason 1 Now my first reason is this God hath made man upright Eccl. 7.29 but they have sought out many sinful inventions sinful inventions to slay Jesus Christ Every imagination that is in the heart of faln man is evil from his childhood his very purposes and desires Gen 6.5 8.21 all his thoughts are evil continually Now notwithstanding that Jesus Christ was crucified at Golgotha Sect. 2 nigh unto Ierusalem in the days of his flesh Iohn 19.17 18 20. Yet for all this the most mens hearts remain as ful of all maner of wickedness as pride envy and evil thoughts murthers adulteries fornications thefts false witness blasphemies and these are Christs own words concerning faln man or corrupted man or the old man which bringeth forth abundance of evil treasure Mat. 15.19 20. Luke 6.45 46. Now Jesus Christ is the only good man and the only strong man and the only new man which the first Adam was a figure of Luke 6.45 Mark 3.27 Eph. 4.24 Rom. 5.14 Reas 2 Now I shal give you my second reason which is this It is Gods design to lift up Jesus Christ spiritually in the hearts of men and I if I be lifted up in the heart of a man saith Christ I wil draw the whole heart unto me Iohn 12.32 Now Jesus Christ being lift up in the heart of a man he begins to play the good man and the strong man and he delivers faln man
from the corrupted and old man which is sin and the devil Heb. 2.14 15. Now all this is done by the determinate counsel of God Acts 2.23 24. And as the Jews did crucifie Christ in the flesh even so doth every particular man now crucifie Christ in the spirit as much as in him lies The Jews gathered together in counsel against Christ and had their chief Priests and Pharisees to accuse him and they had a Pilate to condemn him and they had a rude multitude that cryed Crucifie him Crucifie him release Barabbas and crucifie Jesus and thus it is in every particular mans heart now For the corrupt heart of a man now in our days for all our customary and seeming outside shews yet we are against the holy child Jesus in a spiritual way as wel as the Jews were in a fleshly way but this holy thing which shal be born in the heart of a man wil be both Lord and Christ now in a spiritual way and rule in the midst of his enemies but when this holy Child Jesus which is Emmanuel God with us or in us doth but begin to stir in the heart of a man then the corrupt heart of a man doth gather up all his forces against God in Christ A remarkable note and saith I wil not have this man to reign over me And so likewise the corrupt heart cals for a counsel against Christ in the Spirit And the first in this counsel is the wilfulness of the wil which is in faln man and this wil is stubborn against God and disaffected to the true Christ as the ignorant chief Priests and Pharisees were who called Jesus Christ Deceiver and thought to have kept him in the grave with a band of men Mat. 27.63 64. God is but one he is all in all his appearances The second in counsel against God who is both Lord and Christ and Jesus it is the dark and the blind understanding which is in the hearts of all men now the most learned men as wel as others for the mystical book of God coming into the flesh Col. 1.26 27. Rom. 10.2 3. Mark 15.10 11 15. even unto them is sealed Isai 29.11 and likewise to the zealous for God but without knowledg to them also as wel as the rude and ignorant multitude The understandings of most men are so ful of darkness even now in our days Sect. 3 that they cannot see God in Christ they cannot see God manifesting himself in the fleshly hearts of men they cannot see that spiritual Ministry which comes out from GOD therefore they jeer at such a Ministry or at such a Minister with the name of new light or strange doctrine and they are ready to say as the Jews did unto Christ He hath a Devil and is mad why hear ye him And thus most men are confused in their understandings not knowing Jesus Christ who is Gods Truth but are ready to take up stones to stone him as the Jews did as you may read at large John 10.19 20 24 25 31 39. Now the third that comes in counsel against God who is that holy child Jesus who is that holy thing which was born of the Virgin Mary and took our flesh upon him Luke 1.35 This God wil come now in another appearance and make way for himself into our hearts God is the first last and his Church in the midle into our flesh and that spiritually into his people Heb. 2.14 15. John 16.13 14. Now the third as I said before that comes in counsel against God it is the affections and the love that are in every mans heart for I am now speaking of every mans heart in particular Now so far as a mans heart is possessed with the old corrupt man with the envious man so far a man plays the Judas with Christ to betray him even in his heart for you must know from the heart proceedeth evil thoughts against God and mans dissembling love that feigns it self to be a just man for Christ when in the mean time he is like a spy to betray Christ and to accuse Jesus Christ such is the deceitful heart of man to God like unto those dissembling chief Priests which are left upon record as you may read Luke 20.19 20 21. Mat. 13.25 38 39. Luke 6.45 46. Now the wil of man that wil have none of Christ and the understanding of man that cannot see God in Christ nor see any beauty in Christ why he should be desired the dissembling love of man that cannot affect Jesus Christ And then comes in the fourth which is the blind judgment of man and this gives sentence against Jesus Christ and like Pilate condemns Christ and releaseth Barabbas and all this is done in the heart of every particular man And for all our talk of the Jews to be against Christ in the flesh we play the Jew and the chief Priest and Pharisee and Pontius Pilate against Christ now in the Spirit and thus doth every particular man in his own heart And though Christ gave himself unto the Jews to be crucified and to have his body lifted up on a tree read John 10.17 18. according to the counsel of his wil determined before to be done Acts 4.28 Yet it was his design who is God blessed for evermore in his love to lift up his Spirit within every particular mans heart whom he doth intend to baptize with his Spirit read Iohn 12.32 Luke 3.16 Now this being done Sect. 4 Christ who is God-man brings in his Cross into a mans heart and by the power of his Cross all his enemies in the heart of a man shal be crucified Every man now hath something in his heart like to the Jew the Pharisee and like to the high Priests and Pilate but these shal all be crucified by the brightness of Christs coming into the heart and by the power of his Cross I desire to know nothing saith the Apostle save Iesus Christ and him crucified and him crucifying all within my heart that is contrary unto himself Read at large 2 Thes 2.7 8 9 10. 1 Cor. 2.1 2. And every thing that is mans own shal be destroyed and dye on this Cross as sin and self-seeking for the Son of man must be glorified and except thy soul O faln man as a corn of wheat fal into the ground and dye and be found in Christ it abideth alone but if thy soul dye O faln man and be buried with Christ in his grave and there put off its naturalness which is as thy grave clothes and so arise with Christ or so arise in Christ unto spiritualness in heavenly places I say if so then thou shalt bring forth much fruit read John 12.23 24. Eph. 1.3 Now if thy corn of wheat dye I mean thy soul which is surrounded with sin and the world and the devil then thy sin and the world and the devil must be crucified upon the Cross of Christ
What is an hours discourse though never so learned if God do not teach the Minister to speak spiritually God is come into the hearts of men with large and spiritual appearances I hope neither the learned nor the unlearned wil jeer me for using these expressions For by the light of these appearances God wil dis-throne Antichrist which is very much amongst us and this light wil expel all that which seems to be light and is but darkness and God wil set up his own true Christ which is himself and God alone wil be the light of men The Lord is my light saith David Psa 27.1 Sect. 7 Now the worldly wise men are much displeased with these spiritual appearances for it throws down their wisdom because it is fleshly and carnal The wisdom of the flesh charges the wisdom of God with folly and madness and saith it doth infect the world and therefore they take no delight in it they see no beauty in it why they should desire it But when the Spirit comes into the heart of a man and maketh his appearances then this sweet Spirit which is God who is Alpha and Omega and comes and doth the office of the third person and so he is the first and the last and so the poor soul is even at rest in the bosom of God Rev. 1.10 11 12. And there it is taught all truths by the Spirit who is God and the Spirit shews the soul glorious things to come and the Spirit makes Jesus Christ very glorious in the eyes of the soul and here the soul sees Christ and the Spirit and God the Father One and all that the Father hath is Christs and all that Christ hath is a Christians and Christ and a Christian are Gods Iohn 16.13 14 15. 1 Cor. 3.22 23. Now when God doth make these glorious appearances in our flesh then he doth teach us to justifie him in his spiritual appearances and to see him as wel as the Angels for we see by Faith the mystery of Christ and his Church which things the Angels desire to look into 1 Pet. 1.11 12 13. And we speak of this mystery unto men and it is beleeved by some men in the world and as Christ is received up into glory so he wil bring down his glorious wisdom and holiness into the hearts of his people And as Christ is wisdom even so he makes his children wise that they may justifie him who is wisdom it self for wisdom is justified of her children 1 Tim. 3.16 Luke 7.34 35. Now it is plain to prove that there is but one God and Father of all in all his appearances and through all the appearances which have been spoken of as Jesus Christ our Lord therefore we shal be inabled to keep the unity of the Spirit and to be at peace with God for there is but one body and one Spirit one Lord Iesus Christ who is the one God and he is first and last the beginning and the ending of all things saith the Lord Which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty Rev. 1.7 8. And there is but one true Faith which is in him and by him and from him which is the blessed God Acts 26.18 And there is but one true Baptism which is from him and by him and of him who is the only wise God and our good God Now this one Baptism made Iohn rejoyce and his joy was exceeding ful because of Christ which is the souls bridegroom Luke 3.16 17. Iohn 3.29 30. Sect. 8 Now this one sweet and blessed God is the Father of all and every thing that is good doth proceed and come out from him He is the original of all good He is the first cause of all good to the creature He is all in himself and to himself He is all to the soul and he is all in the poor soul He is all in all his appearances He is the Father of all and above all and through all and in you all read Eph. 4.3 4 5 6. Now it is as plain to prove that this one God did and doth come under all these appearances To us a Child is born to us a Son is given and the government shal be upon his shoulders and his name shal be called wonderful counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace God wil renew the heart of a man or woman make it as a chaste Virgin to bear Christ in the spirit as wel as the Virgin Mary did bear Christ in the flesh Now here is one and all and all and yet but one read Isa 9.6 And so likewise Behold a Virgin shal be with Child and shal bring forth a Son Now it is meant thy heart O man or woman shal be a Virgin to bear this Child as wel as the Virgin Mary And when God doth appear as the holy Child Iesus in a man then man doth begin to be happy and the name of this Child shal be called Emmanuel which being spiritually interpreted is God with us or God in us Mat. 1.20 21 22 23. Isa 7.14 Who is like unto the Lord our God who dwelleth on high who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth God comes down into every low condition to comfort a poor soul in high places and in low places Our God comes down into every low condition Is not this a great comfort for the poor souls of men He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the dunghil This is the good wil of our good God He leaves no contemptible place unsought to find out his people though it be in a dunghil He was with Iob upon the dunghil that he might set him and all his poor despised people as Princes even with the Princes of his people Psa 113.5 6 7 8. O the wonderful greatness of our God that hath made his Christ and given him to be the head over all things to the Church O the wonderful wisdom and endless mercy of our God who hath fited his Church to be his own body in Christ Christ being the head O what a sweet harmony and agreement there is between the head Christ and his members O poor drouping soul Sect. 9 lift up thine eyes A note of great comfort to a poor soul and behold thy God who is thy head from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God Col. 2.19 And now poor soul thou art so fitly framed together and so compleat in Christ that thou art become an holy Temple in the Lord In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit Eph. 2.21 22. Col. 2.9 10. Now when God doth teach a poor soul to live upon this it wil be as the lifting up the head above all waters above all temptations above all reproaches of men and above all
labor toiling nor by industry they are not got by studying in a great Library but they are the incomes of God into the souls of men that in a moment 1 Tim. 3.16 Mat. 10.19.20 Joh. 7.38 39. 16.13 14 15. And this shal be to the praise of my good God as David doth express Psa 45.1 And I sat under the healing of Christs wings with great delight Cant. 2.3 And the North wind did blow that is the Spirit did blow in or upon my garden or heart and then the spices and the graces and the flowers did grow out and then my soul with Christ did feed upon his pleasant fruits which were very sweet to my taste Cant. 4.16 And now beloved Christian I have gathered a posie of sweet flowers out of the living Word of God for you to smel upon And yet I neither labored nor toyled for them nor wrought for them neither did I get them by my study but they were given me freely and that in a moment for they were brought into my hand or heart and droped down one by one and I was inabled and taught the same hour to gather them up with great delight Mat. 10.19 20. Now I shal conclude and give all honor glory and praise unto God my Father as my sweet Savior Christ did and that by way of union for every true Beleever is in the Father read John 17.23 and the Father is in every true Beleever and the words which they speak they speak not of themselves but the Father that dweleth in them he speaketh the words read John 14.10 Mat. 10.20 Come beloved Christian and I wil declare Beloved Christians silver and gold have I none but such as my God hath given me such I give unto you for the honor of Christ my Lord and your Lord Acts 3.6 to the glory and praise of the Lord my good God what he hath done for me and by me Psa 66.16 how bountifully he hath dealt with me even as Boaz did with Ruth Let her glean saith he even among the sheaves and reproach her not and let fal also some of the handfuls of purpose for her and leave them that she may glean them and rebuke her not Ruth 2.15 16. Even so bountifully hath the sweet Spirit of God dealt with me he hath brought me in amongst the sheaves to glean nay he hath let handfuls fal of purpose for me to take up this is the good wil of my God He doth open the mouth of the soul wide and then he doth feed it with spiritual food God like a mother doth open the mouth of the soul and then he doth feed it with his divine sweetnesses then the soul saith Bless the Lord. He doth all for the soul and he doth all in the soul and he is all unto the soul Therefore bless the Lord O my soul as David said and all that is within me bless his holy Name Psa 103.1 Rev. 5.13 14. And to this every Christ-baptized soul wil answer and say Amen So be it IF Christ thou truly know thou art not poor He that hath Christ hath all though in the worlds eye he seem to have nothing He wil suffice thee though thou hast no more If Christ be hid from thee thou art not wise All other knowledg is not truth but lyes THE CONTENTS Of this BOOK Directing to the Chapters Sections and Pages where they are spoken to CHAP. I. THe Scriptures insisted on set down Page 1 2. The difference betwixt freedom without and freedom within P. 2 3. Sect. 1. The leaven of the Pharisees ancient and modern opened and advised against Pag. 3 4. § 2. The danger of zeal without knowledg P. 4. § 3. Many deal with Christ as Ziba with his Master divide or make bargains with him P. 5. S. ib. A sweet thing to stand on Christ alone P. ib. § 4. Self-righteousness and Christs weighed together in the ballance Page 6 7. § 5. Confidence in the flesh a cloud that darkens the sun of righteousnes in men P. 7 8. S. 6. There 's a poor rich man and a rich poor man P. 9. S. ib. The speech of Christ upon his coming down from heaven P. ib. S. ib. Why the testimony of Christ is not received P. 10. S. 7. The Pharisee thrusts out Christ of his prayer and wil be heard for his own sake P. 11 12. S. ib. To be something in our selves a principle of corrupt nature but to be nothing a principle of divine grace P. 13. S. ib. A Pharisee hangs upon every thing he doth P. 14. CHAP. II. THe Scriptures insisted on set down Page 15. Sect. 1. Who represent the chief Priests and Pharisees in these times 15 16 S. ib. Christ the Law and the life of the Law P. 17. The followers of Christ suffer from the stricter sort P. 17. Where men bite and devour one another as in these times Christ is not P. 18. S. 2. All 's but a shadow where Christ is not P. 18. The different arguing with God betwixt a beleever and an unbeleever P. 19. Christ the way of God to man and of man to God P. 21. As the spider the Pharisee leans upon his own building P. 23. S. 3. Men have pulld down outward but have set up inward Idolatry in these times P. 24. CHAP. III. THe Scriptures insisted on set down P. 24 25 Sect. 1. God wil not accept of any thing besides Christ P. 26. Christ the golden censer in the which the prayers of the Saints are P. ib. What 't is to come to God with strange fire as Nadab and Abihu did P. 27 § 2. How the Pharisees cloath themselves and how God cloaths his people P. 29. The outside Christian discovered by the figtree that had leaves only P. ib. Men strive about ordinances but have Christ in contempt they are like the soldiers that put him to death but strove about his rayment P. 30. Ordinances without Christ are as clothes about dead men P. 31. An expression in the morning exercise London modestly reprehended P. 31. § 3. The Pharisee like the hen having done his duty tels all about him P. 32. § 4. The Pharisee Papist and outside Christian all alike P. 33 34 Who are enabled of the Father to worship him P. 34. How men become idolaters even with the Scriptures themselves P. 34 35. A mercy to have the Word but a greater to have the Spirit of the Word among us P. 35. § 5. That the Spirit of Christ is scarce to be found amongst us P. 36 Not to be of one faction or another is offence enough in these days Page 37. A large debate with and about Mr Edwards touching his writings P. 37 38 39 40. That the Jews said as much against Christ as M. Edwards doth against his members P. 40 41 42. § 6. The course the world take to have a fling at the truth P. 42. It s to be feared Mr Edwards had but the letter not
the life of the Word Page 44. How the Jesuites Popes and Friers are Ministers of Christ P. 44. ◠7. The shepherds of these times would rule Christs sheep with an iron mace P. 45. Some named that were reproached in Mr Edwards book P. 46. Mr Edwards ten heads in his book like the ten horns Rev. Zech. P. 47 What it is that frays these horns viz. the Spirit of our Lord Jesus P. 48 49 S. 8. That Saul was a Minister upon the same account that many are at this day P. 50 51. A Minister sent out from men is a Minister of terror not of tenderness P. 51. How the false Prophets are mingled among true as heretofore so even now P. 51 52 53. The Confidence of most Preachers in these times is their library and books P. 53. Vpon what account there is much preaching to little purpose in these times P. 54. CHAP. IV. THe Scriptures insisted on set down P. 55 S. 1. None but beleevers able to prove approve of and reprove Ministers P. 57 58. S. 2. There is no cure for the world but free grace P. 59. Jesus Christ is a Saints spiritual magazine P. 60. S. 3. That in these days God begins to pour out of his Spirit upon all flesh P. 61. That upon this account beleevers speak more profitably then their teachers P. 62. That beleevers have a divine right and authority to try the doctrines of men P. 63 A Caution given beleevers not to be despoiled of their liberties in Christ P. 63 64. Many pretend falsly to a divine right in these times P. 64. S. 5. How the people have been and yet are abused by Clergy men 65 66 What divine right is and to whom it doth belong P. 66 67. The honorable Commissioners why not approved of by the Ministers P. 67 The ignorance of the people taxed in not being able to try their Ministers P. 68. Who they be that creep into houses and lead captive silly women P. 68. That discord among brethren ariseth from the Ministers of this age 69. § 6. Who they be that bind heavy burthens and lay them on mens shoulders P. 69 70. Dr Gouge his complying formerly with the Archbishop reprehended Page 70. To rule with force and violence doth ill become Ministers P. 71 72. § 7. A word to Ministers and people to unite them into one band of love by the Spirit p. 72 73. The story of Abraham and Lot of Jacob Joseph and his Brethren excellently opened and applied to these times p. 73 74 75 76 77. What men pretend that mind persecution p. 77. § 8. A sweet prayer to God for Vnity p. 80. § 9. Arguments to perswade to Vnity p. 82 83. § 10. Where and what is the power of the Church p. 84 85. Who are Evangelical Preachers and that none profit the people but they p. 87 88. § 11. That most Ministers seem to read Christs advice Mat. 6.31 backwards p. 89 90. Who are Elders according to God page 90. Three sorts of corrupt men in a parish page 91 94. That Jesus Christ is the mind of God page 94. That most of our Protestants are fit matter to make Papists p. 95. CHAP. V. THe Scriptures insisted on set down p. 100 101. § 1. A most excellent and spiritual instruction given to the Eldership in the Church of God p. 101 108. The Church is a school and Christ the alone teacher in it p. 104. The Church in the Apostles time had many young men in it that were full of the Holy Spirit p. 105. Many hungry people in the Church whom nothing can satisfie but Jesus Christ p. 106. Great use of Elders if right in the Church of God P. 106. Religion without love is Pharisaism Page 107. How the Religion of the most is Popish P. 108. That there hath been much hypocritical fasting in these times P. 109 § 2. A true fast to the Lord is a feast to men P. 110. The most content themselves with the shel but neglect the kernel of Religion P. 112 113. The holy Spirit is the love-token of Christ in the hearts of the faithful P. 115. § 3. What food the Saints live upon Page 116. § 4. Too much confidence placed now adays in Church-fellowship Page 117. A just reproof of such P. ibid. What is the Churches foundation 118 Vpon what the Christians lean 118 The commonly called Anabaptists reprehended and that justly 119 120. They justifie the parishes they seem to condemn Why the Anabaptist and Presbyterians disagree P. 121. That Anabaptists are mistaken in the foundation of Church-fellowship 122 An excellent reason against rebaptizing P. 123 124. § 5. A modest debate with a moderate Anabaptist P. 124. That the soul enjoys all things in Christ P. 125. Vpon what account the beleever is conversant in external observations P. 125. § 6. Of the baptism of infants and that they have faith and may be admitted as well as others thereto P. 126 127. A whisper in the ear of an Anabaptist and Presbyterian P. 128 The same Lord is now a Cloud to the Egyptian world but a pillar of light and fire to the spiritual Israel 129. § 7. The plea of an unbeleever 131. Of the confession of sin and how few confess sin aright P. 132 133. The beleever hath joy from the Cross of Christ in the confession of sin 134 The death of Christ most divinely opened P. 134. Several Objections answered made against confession of sin with joy p. 135 136 137. CHAP. VI. THe Scriptures insisted on set down page 138 139. § 1. What the most of our Elders and Pastors are and what they are able to do p. 140. Who seek the good of King and Kingdom p. 144. § 2. That there is no steers-man in the Church on the heart of a true Christian but Jesus Christ. p. 145. Christ the guide of a Christian in his active and passive obedience to Magistrates p. 146 147. A wise caution given to Magistrates and why page ibid. § 3. Several objections answered touching the discerning of true teachers and false by their fruits p. 147 148. That the unlearned beleever doth and knows more then the learned that beleeves not p. 149. Those that have been with Jesus and in whom Jesus is alone understand the Scriptures p. 149 Christ the Covenant of God p. 150. What learned men they be that are unfit for the ministry p. 151. Christ is the day of Gods rest p. 152. That many talk of Reformation that are ignorant of the pure Religion page ibid. § 3. What the pure Religion is 152. The most of the learned in Christendom do agree in pleasure ease and profit p. 153. Many zealous for Presbyterian Government care not for coming to the Elders and why p. 156. That one place for worship is not to be preferred before another ibid. Whether it be decent for Ministers to go all in black p. 157. Of humane learning of what use and profit it is p. 158. A word of
Ordination ibid. That all men in the Church of God have liberty to exercise p. 159. A word touching Order p. 160. Who are and what the true Ministers of Christ must expect of men p. 161 § 5. That the Apostles order cannot be observed in our parish Churches without offence p. 161 162. The good gift of God to men in the Church is Jesus Christ p. 162. The Scriptures as a box of ointment are full of Christ p. 164. That this Author was a hearer of Mr Edwards p. 165. A vindication of some reproached by Mr Edwards p. 166. The Author no Sectary p. 166 167. That the Religion of most is but traditional p. 167. That there is much form and little power of Religion in these days 168 The Ministers that are for persecution put to silence by an argument of their own p. 169. Many Citizens reprehended for changing their Common-Councel men p. 170 171. The corruption of the several Wards and Parishes p. 172. Doctor Bastwick reprehended p. 172. That old preachers are not always the best p. 174. § 6. That as Christ proceedeth and cometh forth from God so doth a true Christian proceed and come forth from Jesus Christ p. 175. § 7. Who the silly women be that are lead captive p. 177. Three characters by which to know the false Prophets of this age p. 178 179. CHAP. VII THe Scriptures insisted on set down page 180 181. § 1. A word in season to two sorts of Elders p. 182. Bad Elders like unto a bad Nurse p. ibid. He that is an Elder in Jesus Christ is a good Elder p. 183. The fleshly Elder fills the ear but feeds not the heart p. 184. 'T were to be wisht that the Elders had the gift of discerning spirits p. 185. Vnder what delusion the Papists are p. 186. § 2. How the Protestants resemble the Papists p. 186. That a Synod or Councel may erre p. 186 187. How far Antichrist hath crept in among us in England p. 188. How difficult it is to get right Cedars in a parish to build a Church on p. 190. The superstition of the common Protestant p. 191. From whence the ignorance of the people doth arise p. 192. Why 't is so hard a thing to get and keep a good preacher in a parish p. 193. How few men will stand when Christ appears p. 194. Why all things are out of course both in Church and State p. 194. § 3. The fountain from whence the true and the right Elders do proceed p. 195. The fountain of Israel and the welspring of learning is God himself in Christ p. 196. That many men have but grosly abuse school Arts and humane learning p. 197. The way to God few men know p. 198. Humane learning and School Arts grow in Natures gardens p. 199. § 5. Of right and good Elders 200 How the hireling and the true shepherd differ p. 201 202. What all things are without the Spirit 204. CHAP. VIII THe Scriptures insisted on set down p. 204 205. § 1. A cordial Petition for our sickly times p. 208 209. A vindication of those called by the foolish name of Independents 210 § 3. Ten Independents drawn up into a file 1. the Devil 2. Judas 3. the cheif Priest 4. the Pharisee 5. Cain 6. Pilate 7. the young man in the Gospel 8. Dives or the rich man Luke 12.9 9 Adam 10. Eve p. 211 212 213. How Christs lodged himself in Davids heart p. 214. How Christ is a crucifying in his members all Europe over p. 215. Vpon whom the Independents have their dependency p. 216. § 4. Whence 't is honest men are called Sectaries p. 216 217. Mr Nye falsly reputed a Jesuite by some p. 218. A Rhyme to reproach the Independents taxed p. 219. The ten heads under which Mr Edwards ranks the Independents or Sectaries 219 220. R. B. THE CONTENTS Of this BOOK Being the second Part Directing to the Chapters Sections and Pages where they are spoken to § 5. THe love of God and the blood of Jesus Christ are a soveraign medicine to take away sin past present and to come p. 221. What alone is able to quench the flames of hell in any mans soul 222 The fit man that undertakes with God for man p. 223. How unjustly men are charged with the name of Antinomian p. 224. The person of Dr Crisp and several other men instanc't in 224 225 226 A word of Mr Burgess at Lawrence Church p. 225. The pretended Law-defenders the greatest Law-breakers p. 228. § 6. A word of Mr Calamy p. 229. The filthy names on foot in these times the cause of much evil p. 231. That Christ is the rule of a Christian p. 232. A sweet prayer to the Father Son and holy Spirit opening that mystery p. 234. An excellent simile opening the mystery of Christ p. 235. Whence the Christians comfort doth arise even from the anointing of the Father p. 236. § 7. That the heart of a true Christian is the City of God and the consolations of the Spirit the river that runs thorough it p. 237. § 8. Christ a spiritual tree rooted in God of which the Saints are branches p. 238. How Christ led Philip and every one that beleeves through himself to the Father p. 239. That the Spirit of Christ is God 240. That a Christian is not in Christ after a carnal manner p. 241. Why a Christian weeps as Mary by the ordinances when handled after a carnal manner p. 242. An excellent advice to a troubled soul p. ibid. § 9. A true preacher what he is ib. The Spirit of Christ the Saints resting place p. 243. The Saints life what it is ibid. That the Saints cannot live as they list p. 244. That they that beleeve work from and not for life p. ibid. The Apologie they that beleeve make for themselves p. 245. What is the pardon of sin p. 246. The condition of a man in trouble about the pardon of sin p. 247. What is the refreshing of a weary soul p. ibid. Davids Prayer Psa 51. opened 248. The great business of assurance spoken to p. 249. An objection touching general Redemption and free will p. 250. Where the Church is to be found 251. What is free will in man p. 252. Who alone hath free will p. 253. CHAP. IX THe Scriptures opened set down P. 255. § 1. By what a man is encouraged first to come to God p. 256 257. Touching a particular assurance some objections opened p. 258. § 2. Christ the day in which every true Christian abides for ever 261. § 3. How Christ opens himself in the heart of a true beleever 262 263. How Christ vindicates a Christian from the slander of men p. 264. § 4. Christ hath done all for and doth all in the soul p. 265. How God sees no sin in his p. 266. What was the better part of which Christ spake p. ibid. Of the Cross of Christ in the heart of a Christian p. 267. How the soul
actions 352. The City Remonstrance the cause of much evil 353. A sweet saving word to these troubles of the Land 354. That a man may be very zealous yet have neither faith nor love 355. How men are mistaken touching Church-fellowship 355. A word to the plunderers of Christians in these times P. 355. § 8. A word to the sottish and ignorant people of these times 356. Nothing but the grace of Jesus Christ can heal the Land 356. That our Phisitians King Parliament and Army have let the Kingdom blood but none but Christ can heal it 357. What will do the King good and in him the Land ibid. That the grace of God will do more then a Covenant of our own making 358. A word to the Parliament that they as Solomon give the living child to the right mother ibid. § 9. 'T is necessary that something be done with speed for the settling of the people 359. One right Fasting day would set all right ibid. Who are the obstructers of peace and truth in the Land ib. Vpon what account the Author upbrayds the ignorant and sottish Clergie for speaking lyes 360. Who hath made merchandize of the people Page 361. § 10. As there were in times past so there are now false teachers among our chief rabbies many ibid. VVhat is the learning the most of the Prelatical many of the Presbyterian and some of the Independent men lean on 362. Of the people devoted to the Common Prayer ibid. A miserable thing to be learned in the Letter only 363 That Jesus Christ is now come in the Spirit 364. That there is no other interpreter of the Scriptures but the holy Spirit 364. CHAP. XII THe Scriptures opened set down 365. § 1. There be three sorts of Ministers VVho preach for applause 367. Of Ministers that cannot expound the Scriptures Page 368. The Scriptures are a box of precious ointment but the most want a key to open it 369. § 2. Who be the true Ministers of Jesus Christ 370. Imitating Ministers who they be 371. How the people are deceived by their pretended Ministers 372. That the most Ministers feed themselves and not the flock 373. § 3. A word to the Common Prayer-book Ministers ibid. A Note agreeable to these times 374 Who they are to whom the Book of God is sealed 375. Whence ignorance and enmity doth arise 376. § 4. Of the common sort of hearers ibid. Of the nature and mystery of prayer 377. A spiritual Ministry the people are much offended with 378. § 5. Of the Ministers that have the mystery of God manifest in them 379. What alone will be able to make the heart of the King willing to yeeld to the Parliament 380. What will do the Parliament good 381. What is the glory of the King and Parliament 382 What alone is able to settle the three Kingdoms England Ireland and Scotland 382. § 6. A word to and of the Army 383 The Christian trusts God with his liberty 384. § 7. The strife betwixt Martha and Mary well opened and applied 385 386. The carnal Christian as Martha and Mary knows Christ as after off but the spiritual sees him nigh at hand 388 389. A note of great concernment 388. § 9. How the Almighty God vails himself that he may manifest himself to and in men 390. Christ is the living Word of God ibid. How God humbleth himself to do good to men 391. Whether Christ suffered in his divine nature an excellent similitude to open it 391. How God went in Christ before the chief Priest and Pontius Pilate yea into the grave with him 392. Sect. 10. The fellowship of Christs sufferings sweetly opened 393. How Christ is crucified in man and who have a hand in it 394. CHAP. XIII THe Scriptures spoken to set down 395. Sect. 1. How many men are zealous for God and yet have Christ in contempt 397. That many think they do God service in killing those in whom Christ appears 398. Sect. 2. That Christ hath as many enemies now as he had when he dyed at Golgotha 399. When Christ is born in the heart of men there is a Councel called there against him P. 400 Who be those that sit in councel in the heart of a man against Christ 402. That every man hath a Judas in his heart to betray Christ 403. Who it is that gives sentence against Christ in the heart of man ibid. § 4. How the Cross of Christ is in the heart of man and what is crucified thereon 404 405. The spiritual and first Resurrection opened 405. The vertue and power of Christs Cross in the heart of man 406. How Christ takes the soul into the grave with him ibid. § 5. What a blessed thing it is to be conformable to Christs death 407. A word to him that is arrived at the haven of life which is God himself 408. Here the Author takes his leave of the Reader 408. § 6. That the whole Church together are a Temple for God and the Lamb to dwell in ib. The true Christian enjoys God every where 409. Of the Gospelized man ibid. Of the various appearances of God to man P. 410. Of carnal Ordinances which profit not without Christ 411. That neither the learned nor unlearned will have cause to jeer at these expressions because after this manner Antichrist is disthroned 412. How God is Father Son and holy Spirit first and last 410 412. § 7. That the Christians see Christ as the Angels do 413. How the unity of the Spirit is kept in the Church through the knowledg of God 414 S. 8. How all good is from God 415 God wil renew the heart and make it as a chast virgin to bear Christ in the Spirit as well as the virgin Mary did bear Christ in the flesh 415 God comes down into every low condition to comfort a poor soul 416 S. 9. A note of great comfort to a poor soul 417 Ecclesiastes the first and the seventh sweetly applyed 418 The Authors Testimony concerning himself P. 418. S. 10. What the names of Errour and Heresie is a vail unto 419 Whence it is that many feed on hay and stubble in stead of Manna 420 Whence Errors and false christs arise 421. That Christ and his Ministry are still found together ib. That a Minister not rooted in Christ shall be rooted up 422. CHAP. XIV THe Scriptures opened set down 423. Christ is the best thing in the worst times ib. What 't is neither King or Parliament Army Synod or City can neither give nor take away 424. The vanity of mens strivings in these times about matters external and circumstantial in Religion 425. Presbyterians and Independents like unto the four beasts Revel 4.6 7 8. ib. Two sorts of Presbyterians The first like a Lion The second like a Calf 426. Two sorts of Independents the one like a man the other like an Eagle 426. The Lion-like the Calf-like and he that had the face like a man are offended at the Eagle-like Christian ib. The strife betwixt Presbyters Independents and Prelatical men 428. How they have not all the same food 429 Who they are that feed on Angels food ib. What gives fulness of comfort when a man lies on his death-bed 431. How all relations fail but that of a man to God in Christ ib. That a flood of the grace of our Lord Jesus running into the hearts of King and Parliament wil only heal the Land 432. § 4. The blessing of a right Magistracy 433 Sect. 5. What moved the Author to undertake this work 434. Boaz field in the which the Author as Ruth gleaned 435. Sect. 6. Of what sort of readers 't is the Author looks for acceptance 436. Of the sweet refreshing the Author had in writing this book ibid. That the writing of this book cost the Author no labor or study 437. The Author gives the glory of all to God 438. How God dealt with the Author as Boaz dealt with Ruth 438. That God opens the mouth of the soul and fills it as the mother deals with her child The Conclusion of all is Christ the fulness of all ERRATA PAg. 66. read sold their pot to pay their tythes P. 138. l. 5. r. thy P. 156. l. 10. supply not P. 182. l. 12. r. margent of the Bible P. 303. l. 5. supply have P. 328. l. 20. supply put P. 329. l. 1. r. unto P. 374. l. 27. r. as Possibly some other faults and false pointings have escaped which the Reader is desired to correct as he shall find them FINIS
is Emmanucl Mat. 1.23 Now every new born child of God and every Christ-like man doth live and walk and talk in the Son of God who is the fountain of life and light and is the divine Sun of righteousness who doth shine into the hearts of true Beleevers Now as I spake before of the new born children or true beleevers to be in the Sun of righteousness the fountain of life and light and that God is in them it doth not follow that they are so many Gods or so many Christs no there is but one God who is Christ Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord Deut. 6.4 And there is but one Lord Christ Who is God blessed for ever Luk. 2.26 Yet though these be not Gods nor Christs which have been spoken of yet they are shining Stars in the Heaven of God and they are Kings with crowns of glory in the hand of the Lord A true beleeving man is as a shining star and a royal diadem in the hand of Christ and a royal diadem in the hand of Christ who is the hand of God and thy God Isa 62.3 Nay more they are as streams flowing from the fountain of life and as rivers run back again into the sea from whence they came even so do the Saints return into God in Christ from whence they came and there they solace themselves in the ocean sea of divine pleasures and they are abundantly satisfied with the drink of that river for there they stand admiring of God and praising of God and rejoycing in God Now as the men of this world do walk up and down in the light of the natural Sun in the Firmament Sect. 7.3 even so do the Saints in light walk up and down in the light of the blessed God who is the spiritual Sun that shines into their souls And in his light they see light for there is a fulness of light read Psa 36.7 8 9. Ioh. 1.4 5. And every Saint or true Beleever hath his part or portion which is a fulness to him and in him yet every true beleeving soul is apart from God and doth behold his face in righteousness Psa Saints are not Gods nor Christs but sparks of the divinenature 17.15 And though a true beleeving soul be in so neer a union with God and so close a communion with Christ and such an unsupparableness of oneness between God and the Saints as you may read Ioh. 17.21 yet they are not Gods and Christs unto themselves nor unto others as you did object and say that I seemed to make them so but they all say as the Apostle said Though there be many that are called gods yet say they to us that beleeve there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and for him and to us there is but one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him and in him 1 Cor. 8.5 6. Now this is the poor souls rest that all things are done by the hands of Christs for its good and this is the weary souls great comfort that Christ is a City of rest for it to be in and this is the great joy of an oppressed soul that Christ is the King of that City to whom it wil run together with an innumerable company of the first born which are inrolled in heaven and these run to God as a bride prepared and adorned for her husband Now these poor jeered ones and hared for Christs sake and separated from their company are reproached by zealous men and their names cast out as evil yet these persecuted ones in this storm have great cause to rejoyce for their rest is in heaven Luk. 6.22 23. And they as loyal subjects run unto their King Jesus for protection and this King is their loving friend and he is the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne of grace before whom they stand with boldness and much confidence as you may read at large Heb. 12.22 23 24. Rev. 5.4 5 6 7 13. Now I shal make two Uses of Comfort which wil be useful unto a poor soul in every sad condition And the first Use is this Christ is the life of the oppressed soul First Use of comfort and the actings movings of the soul if the soul be spiritually sensible it saith thus Though I live it is Christ that lives in me and moveth me and acteth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Col. 3.4 Gal. 2.20 Now the Faith of the Son of God it is Christ God-man who is the substance of our effectual faith Now a poor soul having the substance of faith within it self the effects follow as in the case of Mary towards Lazarus even so a poor soul in its sadest conditions hath its head lifted up until Christ speak in the soul and then the soul is quickly upon the wing and riseth hastily up to meet Jesus Christ its Lord as Mary did and then the poor sad soul saith Lord if thou hadst been here my brother my husband my child had not dyed nor my estate which is so neer unto me and so comfortable unto me had not wasted nor been taken from me and I left in such a sad condition Now Christ seeing the soul in this sad condition why Christ himself groans in the Spirit and is troubled with the poor soul and weeps and again groaning in himself he troubled himself and labors to bring into the sad souls divine consolation to refresh it Sect. 8 And whereas some soul doth object and say If Christ had been with it its brother or its comfort had not died Now Christ answers the soul again as he answered Nathaniel The soul is weak in faith when it saith Christ is far from it When thou wast under the fig-tree I saw thee O thou poor soul when thou wast under such a sad burden then I saw thee and when thou wast in such a sad condition then I was with thee and when thou wast so much dejected and cast down even then I was with thee and held thee up that thou shouldst not faint I was never absent from thee O poor soul and the many tribulations which thou hast been under it is not as punishment unto thee but for a tryal of thy faith and for the exercise of thy graces Fear not O thou poor soul for sin shall not condemn thee for it is I thy Christ thy Jesus that died for thee yea rather that is risen again and is in God ever speaking good of thee and for thee O thou poor soul and my Father heareth me always Rom. 8.33 34 35. And I and my Father will send a comforting spirit into thee for to cheer thee up and at that day thou shalt know that I am in my Father and that thou art in me and that I am in thee Joh. 15.26 Joh. 14.19 20. Now this soft
and there dye and sin must be so destroyed Rom. 6.5 6 7 8 Heb. 2.14 15. Now thou must know O man this Cross of Christ to be within thy heart as wel as to know by hear-say the Cross of Christ which Christ was crucified on nigh unto Jerusalem for thou hast as many enemies in thy heart against Christ spiritually as Christ had enemies in and about Jerusalem Now as I said before we must dye upon this Cross of Christ and be buried with Christ nay we have need of this Cross of Christ every day for it is a Christians glory and joy to have this Cross of Christ for by the power of this Cross we dye to sin we live and arise more purely unto righteousness then ever we did in the first Adam and by the power of this Cross of Christ the world and sin are crucified unto a Christian dayly and a Christian is crucified unto sin and the world and himself dayly and liveth a new creature in the new Creation in Christ and with Christ spiritually and that continually Rom. 6.3 4 5. Gal. 6.14 15. Now if we dye upon this Cross of Christ then Christ takes the soul down into his grave and there he puts off the old man and brings the soul up in a new Creation and this is called a putting off the old man which is corrupt and a being renewed in the Spirit and a putting on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4.22 23 24. And this is called a translating us into the kingdom of his dear Son Col. 1.12 13. And this is called a passing away of old things for all things are become new 2 Cor. 5.17 And this is called a being changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Corinth 3.18 Now this is a very glorious condition for a Christians comfort Sect. 5 to be made conformable unto the death of Christ for if we be made partakers with Christ in his death then for certain we shal be made partakers with Christ in his resurrection Rom. 6.5 8. 8.11 Phil. 3.9 10. But first we must be crucified and dye with Christ and lose our selves in Christ and be found again in him by the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of God who is the holy Spirit read 1 John 1.3 For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever Amen Rom. 11.36 And now true beleeving man or woman thou that hast walked through the vale of Death and art arrived at the haven of Life which is God in Christ now this God is thy God in all his several appearances he is both thy God and thy Jesus and thy Christ And now beloved Christian God wil dwel with thee nay in thee and thou shalt reign with him Blessed and holy is he that hath his part in this first resurrection And now loving Christian seeing thou art come into this haven of rest here I wil bid you farewel for there shal be no more death to you neither sorrow nor crying neither shal there be any more pain for thy God wil wipe away all tears from thine eyes and the Spirit wil shew thee great things coming out from God and the glory of God shal be thy light which is a light most sweet and clear and there shal be no night with thee nor in thee and thou and the whole Church of God shal be but as one Temple for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb and there shal be no more confinement neither to places nor persons and the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are a Temple for thee and the whole Church of God to worship in And thou and the whole Church of God are like unto a City that hath no need of the Sun When God comes in his great appearances of glory then you have no need of the dark Moon-lights of men for the glory of God doth lighten you and you are as a City which the Lamb is the light of read Revel 20.4 5 6. Rev. 21 3 4 9 10 11 22 23. Now a Christian Sect. 6 that hath but low and fleshly appearances of God is ready to say as Martha and Mary did Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not dyed Now such have but low comforts because they think God to be in this place and not in that place as Martha and Mary did But a Christian that knows Jesus Christ to be the only wise God knows him to be omnipresent in every place and knows all his wants and hears all his cries and groans and he can say as Christ did Father I know that thou hearest me always John 11.42 Now the Gospelized man and the Christ baptized man he knows the one God who hath made divers appearances at several times in the flesh but now in these last times his appearances in our flesh are in a spiritual way and this most men cannot disgest for it is foolishness to them 1 Cor. 2.13 14. God hath made divers appearances in the flesh as for instance those three Angels which Abraham ran to meet and they did appear to him as men Gen. 18.1 2 3 4. And these Angels do signifie the Trinity as some say and so likewise those two Angels that Lot did meet and converse withal as men Gen. 19.1 2 3 4. And so likewise that same astonishing appearance of God in the fiery furnace with the three children to make good his promise read Dan. 3.24 25 26. Isa 43.2 3. And so likewise now in these last times God who is the Father of all doth appear as a second who is a Son and a Savior of all Isai 43.3 4. And thus God was found in the fashion of a man and was made in the likeness of other men and so he became our Jesus in this office Phil. 2.6 7 8. And as he was second so he was sent of the first in the likeness of sinful flesh to condemn sin in thy flesh and to forgive thee thy sin And this is that which the Jews stumbled at for they did not see Jesus Christ as God to forgive sins therefore they crucified the body which God gave unto Jesus Christ Rom. 8.3 4. Heb. 10.5 6 7. And so likewise this is a great mystery for the only one God to manifest himself in our flesh and to become our Christ and our high Priest to offer up himself as a sacrifice without spot unto himself and that through the eternal spirit which spirit is the only blessed God 1 Tim. 3.16 Heb. 9.11 12 13 14. Now God comes in these latter days in his great and most excellent appearances and that is spiritually in all his ordinances What is the water to thee in Baptism if thou find him not baptizing thee with his Spirit What is the bread and wine to thee in the Sacrament if thou see not his Table spred with spiritual graces