life of it bryers and thorns are with thee the Canaanite is yet in the Land thou sojournest in Mesech and hast thine habitation in the Tents of Kedar and thou hast a Mesech and Kedar within thee thou hast Armies within thee of fleshly lusts which fight against thy soul thou goest mourning daily because of the oppressour those spiritual wickednesses which lie in thine heart and warre in thy members thou often groanest and cryest out to thy God libertie libertie redemption redemption Oh this proud heart oh this vain heart oh this earthliness oh this fleshliness this sloathfulness this enmity and rebellion against the law of my minde and my God when I would do good evil is present with mee I cannot I cannot do the things that I would I can with no peace serve or enjoy my God and my soul my duties are either prevented or polluted my comforts are either wasted or made quite to vanish and disappear when I would serve my God I must away to serving my belly or my back or my friends when my soul is a little gotten upon the wing and soaring in the upper Region it is presently checked pulled down again to the earth O my pinioned imprisoned soul woe is mee wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from the body of this death Why yet comfort thine heart the enemy flyes upon thee as a flood but the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him thou complainest thy Gold is become drosse thy wine is mixed with water yea with mudd and dirt yet hee will turne his hand upon thee and purely purge away thy drosse and take away all thy tinne Though these bryers and thornes bee set in battel against thee yea and against him also yet hee will go through go through them hee will burn them together Isa 27.4 Thou complainest that thy garments are defiled thy glory is stained thy beauty is marred the Image of thy God is so defaced that there 's but here and there a spot of it left upon thee thou art black but not comely whilst thy Lord sayes thou art all fair O my Love thou cryest out I am all foul O my Lord thou wouldest be holiness to thy Lord but thou art an offence to him holiness is still thy love and thy desire and thy longing but it flies from thee it is rather thy wish then thy hope thou canst weep over but thou canst not weep out thy deformity thine Iniquity is still marked before the Lord. If there bee a little Grace in thee yet there is such a weakness in its sinews such a paleness in its face that it is not like to live or if it live Oh! how little hope that ever it should thrive or flourish Thus thou complainest thus thou goest mourning and sighing and sinking and fainting in thy minde and now and then venturest out a desponding Prayer Lord pitty Lord look upon my sorrow and my sin Lord wash mee Lord help mee Why the Lord God hath sent thee his help out of his Sanctuary and his strength out of Zion The eternal spirit is come down on purpose to give battel to the flesh to subdue thine inquities and bring all those that rise up within thee under thy feet Thou mistakest thy self and thine enemies if thou thinkest they will bee conquered by one blow of thine arme this kinde goeth not out so not by might nor by power much less by weakness and by flesh by any weak attempts of thine own but by my spirit saith the Lord. 'T is work for a God to relieve and cleanse such an heart to turn such an Hell into an Heaven what thou canst not do being weak through the flesh behold hee comes down to do it for thee thou hast proved thine own weakness now try everlasting strength he stands at the door and knocks hear his voice at the door wilt thou bee made clean wilt thou bee made whole wilt thou bee delivered open to him and with him deliverance comes in he stands at the poole stirring the waâ—ers for thee put in thy Cripple soul and bee healed of all thy diseases say to him Lord if thou wilt thou canst make mee clean and thou shalt soon have this answer I will bee thou clean 3. As a Spirit of Truth and Direction John 16.13 hee shall guide them by his Counsel he shall lead them in the way that they shall go Isa 30.21 They shall hear a word behinde them saying this is the way walk yee in it when they are turning to the right hand or to the left He shall lead them into all truth to prevent mistakes and into all righteousness to prevent miscarriages nay more hee shall not bee onely their Starre but their Strength too hee shall guide them on and help them on they shall bee led by the Spirit bound in the Spirit pressed in Spirit they shall bee excited assisted carried on in the power of the Spirit in the way that they should go he will cause them to walk in the Statutes of the Lord. Whatsoever thy way wardness and thy wandrings have been whatever thy feebleness and fickleness bee whatever false lights and false-waies are before thee whatever temptations thou meetest with to turn thee aside out of the right way whatever doubts hence arise in thine heart I shall one day or other perish from the way and bee a lost sheep at last yet his conduct shall bee prosperous and the event shall bee sure hee shall so guide thee by his Counsel that he shall bring thee to Glory Hee shall gather his Lambs with his arme and carry them in his bosome and gently lead those that are with young 4. As a Spirit of Comfort and Consolation hee is so called John 16.7 The Comforter If I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you He shall come unto them and abide with them to supply the absence of their Redeemer to support them under their affliction to witness their Adoption to seal them up unto the day of Redemption and to bee the earnest of their Inheritance Ephes 1.13,14 John 16.14 Hee shall take of mine and shew it unto you Hee shall take of mine that is not only of the Truths those treasures of Wisdome that are in mee though that bee specially intended but of my Love my Righteousness my Holiness and all those treasures of Grace and Mercy that are laid up in mee whatever there is in mee that may stand you in any stead yeild you any relief or support the Comforter which I will send you shall bring it down to you hee shall take my Blood and the Pardons it hath purchased for you my Bowels and the Compassions that are working in mee towards you my Prayers and Intercessions I am offering up for you hee shall take of all those treasures of Grace and everlasting Consolations which are laid up for you with mee hee shall take of
to abide in my house for ever o o Ioh. 8.35,36 Whatever love or care children may look for from their father that may you expect from me p p Mat. 6.31,32 and so much more as I am wiser and greater and better then any earthly parents If earthly fathers will give good things to their children much more will I give to you q q Luke 11.13 If such cannot forget their children much less will I forget you r r Esay 49 15. What would my children have your Fathers heart and your Fathers house Å¿ Å¿ â—ob 7.17 Ioh. 14 2 your Fathers care and your Fathers ear t t 1 Pet. 5.7 Mat. 7,9 your Fathers bread and your Fathers rod u u Luk. 12.30,31,32 Heb. 12.7 these shall be all yours He promiseth his fatherly affection You shall have my fatherly affection my heart I share among you my tenderest loves I bestow upon you w w 1 Iohn 3.1 Ier. 31.3 Esa 54.8 His fatherly compassion My fatherly compassion As a Father pittieth his children so will I pittie you x x Psa 103.13,14 I will consider your frame and not be extream to mark what is done amiss by you but cover all with the mantle of my excusing love y y Psal 78.39 His fatherly instruction My fatherly instruction I will cause you to hear the sweet voice behind you saying This is the way z z Esay 30.21 I will tender your weakness and inculcate mine admonitions line upon line and seed you with milk when you cannot digest stronger meat a a Esay 28,13 1 Cor. 3.2 I will instruct you and guide you with mine eye b b Ps 32.8 His fatherly protection My fatherly protection In my fear is strong confidence and my children shall have a place of refuge c c Prov. 14.26 My Name shall be your strong Tower to which you may at all times flie and be safe d d Prov. 18.10 To your strong hold ye prisoners of hope e e Zec. 9.12 I am an open refuge a near and inviolable refuge for you f f Ps 48.3 Deut. 4.7 Ioh. 10.29 His fatherly provision My fatherly Provision Be not afraid of want in your Fathers house there is bread enough g g Ps 34.9 Luk. 15.17 I will care for your bodies Cark not for what you shal eat drink or put on Let it suffice you that your Heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all things h h Mat. 6.25 to the end Luke 12.22 to the 34. I wil provide for your souls Meat for them and Mansions for them and Portions for them i i Ioh. 6.32 to 59. Ps 15.12 Lam. 3.24 Behold I have spread the Table of my Gospel for you with priviledges and comforts that no man taketh from you k k Esay 25.6 Mat. 22 4. Prov. 9.2 I have set before you the bread of life and the tree of life and the water of life l l Joh. 6.48 Rev. 2.7 and 22.17 Eat O friends drink abundantly O Beloved But all this is but a taste of what I have prepared You must have but smiles and hints now and be contented with glimpses and glanses here but you shal be shortly taken up into your Fathers bosom and live for ever in the fullest viewes of his glory m m 1 Thes 4.17 His Fatherly Probation My Fatherly Probation I will chasten you because I love you that you may not be condemned with the world n n 1 Cor. 11.32 Prov. 3.11.12 God the Son to be a husband to us My Son I give unto you in a Marriage-Covenanâ— for ever o o Esay 9.6 and 42.6 2 Cor. 11.2 I make him over to you as Wisdom for your Illumination Righteousness for your Justification Sanctification for the curing of your Corruptions Redemption for your Deliverance from your Enemies p p 1 Cor. 1.30 I bestow him upon you with all his fullness all his merits and all his graces He shal be yours in all his Offices I have anointed him for a Prophet Are you ignorant he shal teach you he shal be eye-salve to you q q Esay 49.6 and 42.16 Rev. 3.18 I have sent him to Preach the Gospel to the poor and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised r r Luk. 4 18. I have established him by Oath as a Priest for ever Å¿ Å¿ Psal 110 4. If any sin he shall be your Advocate He shal expiate your guilt and make the Atonement t t 1 Joh. 2.1,2 Zech. 13.1 Have you any sacrifice any service to offer bring it unto him and you shal receive an Answer of Peace u u 1 Pet. 2.5 Heb. 13.15 Present your Petitions by his hand him will I accept w w Ioh. 14.13.14 Having such an High Priest over the house of God x x Heb. 10.19,20,21,22 you may come and wellcome come with boldness Him have I set up as King upon my holy Hill of Sion He shal rule you he shal defend you y y Esay 9.6,7 Mat. 1.21 He is the King of Righteousness King of Peace and such a King shal he be to you z z Heb. 7.2 Jer. 23.6 Eph. 2.14 I will set up his Standard for you a a Esay 49.22 I will set up his Throne in you b b Psal 110 2. He shal reign in righteousness and rule in Judgment and he shal be a hiding place from the wind a covert from the tempest and the shadow of a great Rock in a weary Land c c Esay 32 1â—2 He shal hear your causes judge your Enemies d d Esay 11.3.4,5 and reign till he hath put all under his feet e e Psal 110.1 1 Cor. 15.25 Yea and under your feet for they shal be as ashes under you and you shal tread them saith the Lord of Hosts f f Mal. 4.3 Yea I will undo them that afflict you and all they that despised you shal bow themselves down at the soles of your feet g g Esay 60. â—4 Zeph. 3.19 And you shal go forth and behold the carkasses of the men that have transgressed against me for their Worm shal not die neither shal their fire be quenched and they shal be an abhorring to all flesh h h Esay 66.24 God the Spirit to be Counsellour and Comforter to us My Spirit do I give unto you for your Counsellour and your Comforter i i Ioh. 16.7 Rom. 8.14 He shal be a constant Inmate with you and shal dwel in you and abide with you for ever k k Ezek. 36 27. Iohn 14.16,17 I consecrate you as Temples to his Holiness l l 1 Cor. â— 16,17 and 6.19 He shal be your Guide he shal lead you into all truth m m Gal. 5.18 Ioh. 14 26. He shal