Apostle to do to judge He was neither Officer nor member of that Congregation To this we have to say that the Apostles were members and Officers of every Congregation in every Church The Apostle Paul was the Minister of the Gentiles the Apostle of the Gentiles of the Gentile Church the Apostle Paul went forth in the spirit and the spirit hath power in every Church in every Congregation The Apostle went forth in the power of Christ and every Church shall bow to him he is their King he is their Lord and all the Churches if they be true Churches they are one body and that Church or Congregation gathered that doth divide Christ and shut up it self from other Saints and from the General Assembly is so far forth an Antichristian Church That particular Assembly that doth not own the universal Assembly and the general Assembly the Apostle speaks of in Heb. 12. is so far forth Antichristian That Church which is nothing but form that hath no power of God in it manifested in the Conscience against spiritual wickedness that Church which doth not own all Saints under any form that Church so far forth is not of Christ the Church of Christ owns all forms and all Saints The Apostle had to do here for the spirit hath to do every where the spirit is free he comes forth in the spirit to whomsoever he comes forth he shall be owned he comes forth in power he comes forth either to life or to death he comes not forth in vain This for the Apostles right if any say What had he to do here Obj. But the Apostle is absent how could he judge he hears a report 'T is commonly reported but common report is a horrible lyer the devil is the Prince of the Ayre and he is in it Every man makes his report according to his humor it gathers still is changed still is transformed still We have experience hereof dayly how then could the Apostle judge I saith he have judged already Sol. Why he gives an account of that in these words absent in body but present in spirit When we are more in the spirit we shall be better able to understand and explain what this presence in spirit is When we are not so much in the body as we are when the body is not so much our home but we are more in the Lord and the Lord is more our home we shall be able to pronounce what this is to be present in spirit But a little now according to that we have received present and absent absent in body present in spirit We have the same speech 2 Col. 5. Absent in body present in spirit joying and beholding your order c. Well what is it to be present in spirit A natural man will interpret it according to his measure and his line and will not suffer it to be extended further then this he thought of them or he was with them in thought he knows no other presence of spirit then this and will allow no more And so we interpret all the matters of God according to our comprehension we make that our standard But the spiritual man goes further He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit The Apostle was present with the Lord who is everywhere In communion with the Lord he was there and did see and so did judge As in that place Elisha saith to his servant Gehazi 2 King 5. 26. Went not my spirit with thee when the man turned back again to thee He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit Elisha he saw in the Lord it was not onely his thoughts went with Gehazi but he was present with him in spirit and saw what he did and told him what he did Went not my heart with thee when the man turned to meet thee saith he is it a time to receive mony and to receive garments and Olive-yards and Vineyards I in them and they in me saith Christ in John 17. that they may be perfect in One. God takes up his Saints into his own omnisciencie and clouds himself in his peoples weakness and ignorance There is a Union between God and his people God in them and they in him through this Union they see as God doth and through this Union God he sees as they do Here Paul sees as Elisha doth that which is distant from his body his body is absent but he is present in spirit There is the spirit that sees all knows all Yet as to the Vnion which he is in with us he is ignorant and he hears and hearkens and lisps and speaks as he is taught Joh. 16. 13. When the spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself He that is of himself shall not speak of himself the eternal truth the everlasting God that is of himself shall not speak of himself Whatever he shall hear that he shall speak He that teacheth you shall hearken in you learn in you be as you Here is the condiscending of the spirit of truth so that Scripture is not to be interpreted or explained but by that mystery of union which is a mystery the world doth not know cannot understand He that knows all things so condescends that in that union with us he knows nothing and learns with us and by that union with him we are lifted up into his Omnisciency We in his light are present in spirit when we are absent in body Thus God is in Christ and is made sin for us that we may be made the righteousness of God in him we in his strength he in our weakness Reject this and reject Scripture The Apostle here he sees and he judges in the Lord he is absent and yet he judges Doth the Apostle go upon common fame He is but a fool that does so there is no wise man would do it But he is present in spirit and through that spirit by which he was present he had a capacity to judge Being present in spirit saith he I have seen and judged alread God comes down into our confinement and he lifts us up into his enlargement And take notice of it here are some hints of it here in one that had the first fruits of the spirit how that God will bring forth his Omnisciency his wisdom and his power in his Saints and people God hath chosen his people to his own kingdom and glory The glory thou hast given me I have given them saith Christ in the seventeenth of John God will bring forth his Omnisciency and his Omnipotency in his people in believers The Apostle describes his coming 2 Thes 1. viz. to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that do believe Where do you look for him You look up that he should come in the clouds He comes in the clouds indeed he comes in the flesh of his Saints a despised people a reproached people he is covered in their weakness
for a reward And whosoever take upon them to be Prophets and do complie with the World are lying Prophets as he was All true Prophets that Prophesied of Christ saw him and he was in them Abraham saw my day saith Christ and t was Christ himself that preached in the days of Noah as Peter hath it But Iohn was much above the Prophets seeing Christ at a nearer distance then they did A Prophet saith Christ Yea I say unto you and more then a Prophet Iohn made a greater noyse a greater stir and bustle in the world then the Prophets before They came forth with power but they witnessed in sackloth in comparison of Iohn The Prophets before Iohn had nothing like that respect that Iohn had There went out to him all Iudea and Jerusalem Yea the Saduces and Pharisees went out to him and yet see how he takes them up O generation of Vipers who hath forwarned you to flye from the wrath to come See how he deals with Herod With what Majesty that its said Herod feared him They were dazled at his light and scorcht with his fire He was the greatest before Christ He came in the Spirit and power of Elias There are witnesses to Christ in the flesh and there are witnesses to Christ in the Spirit There are witnesses to his first coming in the similitude of sinfull flesh and there are witnesses to his second coming without sin to Salvation And the nearer to him the clearer sight of him the more transformed into his Image the more powerfull will be the witness He that is a true Prophet or a true witness doth not only tell us of truth or of Christ but he doth appear truth and appear Christ Here is truth here is Christ here is the Spirit There is no true Prophet or witness of Christ but he seeth him come But What! is Christ come He is come and he is coming The hour is coming and now is He is and he was and he is to come He is come the Lamb slain and he is come the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah So far forth aswe are true witnesses we see him amongst us we can poynt him out This is He. We see him in Faith Christ dwells in our hearts by faith We see him in hope Christ in you the hope of glory We see him the wisdom of God and the power of God We see him such a one as cares not for man Master we know that thou art true and carest not for any mans person We see him one that takes away sin It is he that is our righteousness and holiness It is he that is the true light It is his day coming that shall darken the Sun and the Moon It is he that makes the whole Creation to shake It is he that commands Devils and Hell Principalities and Powers In that degree we see him and have communion with him in that degree we witness to him He is coming and he is come without sin to Salvation He is amongst us and in the midst of us and if you see him not if you know him not it is because you are in darkness He is come and Iohn is come that bears witness of him Who is Iohn that bears witness to him He that calleth you from man to that one Master He that is decreasing before him and rejoyceth in it He that is dying into him and seeking to rise in him that is sending all Disciples to him and confessing him and professing that all were Thieves and Robbers that went before him that had drawn Disciples after them That Ministry that is calling us off from man from the glow-worm light of this Creation from mans parts and gifts into the Spirit that 's the Ministry we should look after This same Iohn came out of the wilderness He came not in a fleshly garbe He came not in that which commends him to man He feared not man nor his terror He cared neither for Herods glory nor the Pharisees applause He was leading men above the excellency of this creation and bidding them look beyond it He comes not into the Ministry upon the old account by the way of Succession or Election by mans laying on of hands or call of Churches but by the Spirit He comes of the Priesthood but not in the ordayning way When his parents were old when their bodies were dead when his Father was dumb when mans Ministry had been tryed then he comes forth not in the wisdom of man but in the power of the Spirit He comes out of the wilderness in Spirit So Christ is among us in the Spirit These are the mighty witnesses and this is that which makes them mighty Seeing of Christ This is the Ministry we should look after Look after such witnesses and look to be such witnesses to be seers indeed and not in a bare notion as Balaam was to see him in us and our selves in union with him to hold him forth to hold forth the truth to hold forth righteousness and to be able to say Here it is The Ministry of those that profess themselves the Ministers of Christ and yet do not see Christ the world takes hold on it and runs into it and so it comes to nothing The Ministry of those that see Christ by the power of Christ doth stop the mouths of Mockers and Scoffers that say Where is the promise of his coming Why he is come and he is coming That is the true Ministry that sees him and this is that which will grow exceedingly terrible to the world This is such a Ministry as the world is not able to stand before As Christ comes nearer so the Ministry of the Spirit will be more burning and shining more dazling and tormenting to the world and if any oppose it O what burning and tormenting then Burning and shining is the demonstration of the Spirit and Power The Divine nature in us is that fire from the Altar that never goeth out That fire that shall change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body that fire that shal put out and darken the glory of the world And that is the reason of the Ecclipse of the Sun which Naturalists cannot find out the greater light coming the Lord himself the Sun of righteousness appearing the light of gifts of parts and of natural reason presently disappears and vanisheth They are but as the light of a glow-worm to the Sun There is a fire of passion kindled by the fire of Hell The fire that Sampsons Foxes carried away in their tayls as it s said Wickedness burns like a fire The fire of the Spirit putts out this fire A burning and a shining light The manifestation of God in his servants is fire and light its burning and shining and the nearer God approaches the hotter the fire the more shining the light Burning and shining In burning there is great suffering there 's torment there 's slaying and offering up there 's assimilating In shining
there 's light Quickning Comforting Directing and there 's Majesty and Glory and all the burning of the Lord comes forth at last in shining and Glory There is no shining without burning The day of the Lord burns like an Oven And he shall sit as a Refiner of Silver The tryal of your faith is much more precious then Gold The manifestation of God the Ministry of the Spirit is full of variety of operation Killing Saving Tormenting Refreshing We are the savour of death unto death to some and the savour of life unto life to others We should look what acquaintance we have with such a Ministry with burning and shining light Whether we have dealt with fire with burning and whether through that we have come to know what belongs to shining There is the Divine nature to be brought forth bright and shining The worlds part is to be burnt and dazled the Christians part is to have flesh consumed and the Divine nature to come forth in glory If any be in the fire let them hope to shine Have ye that in you that will endure the fire When I am tried I shall come forth like gold 'T is the righteousness of God only not of man that will endure this tryal 'T is the Divine nature only that can stand before devouring fire and everlasting burnings When this day breaks forth all the righteous Pharises and Formalists will be found to be the sinners in Sion that are affraid This manifestation of God is terrible to the world It is a marvelous light He hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light It is not the light of this world It is another Spirit then that of this world The world marvails at it and despises it because it is death and destruction to them For a while they Master it but at last it prevails against them and they see there is no standing before it In Low manfestations of God the people of God appear as Incendiaries and are so indeed This old world is to be purified by fire as the other was by water How was Herod scorcht and dazled with this fire The world prevails against it for a while and beats it down and then it riseth higher and higher till it prevail over the world Christ appeared in fleshly eyes there and riseth again in Spirit and after a long apostacy is rising again the second time If we be of God and have the Divine nature in us we shall rejoyce not onely in the light but in the fire They shall glorifie God in the fire Ye were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light Let us a little consider of these words Ye were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light the light did in part please you there is some compliance and closing of carnal hearts and worshipers with the spiritual Ministry and true appearance of God The world strikes in for some time into the way of Christ and the appearance of God Herod heard John gladly and reformed many things he liked the light well but he could not endure the fire there is that which is held forth in the spirit that pleaseth the natural man salvation and glory and eternal joy but when they hear of going into the fire and what they must part withal then with the young man they go away sorrowful The stony ground sets forth a sort of people that hear the word with joy but because they have not much root they are scorcht and burnt up by the Sun of persecution and wither away many take up the profession of Christ and when they hear of salvation and glory its good news to them but when they hear what it will cost them that all must come through sufferings and offering all to death that they may receive all again by a Resurrection this they like not and so fall away for a little while they can bear God company but so soon as they see the cross in the way they turn aside There are some lusts and corruptions that some men are not enclined to while the fire of God comes forth against these in others they are well enough while God comes forth against some sort of men they can bear well enough while John came forth against the Sadduces and Pharisees Herod liked it well but when the fire of God breaks forth against their own lusts as against Herod It is not lawful for thee to have thy brothers wife they can bear no longer And there are lusts that fight one against another for there is enmity in Hell when the fire comes forth and fights against a lust in another we like it well but when it strikes at our own lusts we cannot bear it And sometimes we fall out with the world and are tyred in the greatness of our way and then we can entertain something of Christ and of truth Worldly men can go along with Christ for worldly designs but if their design be spoyled no longer walking with Christ It concerns every one of us that have taken up a profession that are complying with such a Ministry as we look upon to be a Ministry of the spirit to look inward and to consider whether we have the love of the truth in our hearts whether we are able to bear the charge to the journeys end and to hold out in all weathers There are many builders that lay a foundation but they are not able to go through with the charge of finishing These are foolish builders that expose themselves to laughter and scorn Ye were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light in the manifestation of God through John but it was onely for a season here was not the love of the truth here was not the divine nature here was not that which will abide therefore it was rejoycing in the light onely for a season how doth it concern us to look whether we have the love of the truth in us whether we have the testimony of the Father that we love the truth There is a Jew that is one inwardly and there is a Jew in the spirit there was a Jew that was one outwardly in the flesh that which is for a season onely is because it wanteth root there is a Christian indeed and a Christian onely in appearance and shew what a goodly shew doth the Corn on the stony ground make but when the burning comes it withers away when the Sun of persecution ariseth such shall be discovered how hard it is to know a Christian indeed until the fire comes until the salt comes Every man shall be salted with fire and every work shall be tryed by the fire How doth it concern us to see that we have our foundation in God that we may be able to stand in that day We may be great and glorious in mans eye and yet in the day of the Lord prove no better then chaffe or stubble that the fire takes hold on and consumes what discoveries have we daily
and here he is in drudgery hunger and thirst have I not a father saith he I 'le go home to my Father He came to himself This is the quickning and awaking of the Spiritual Seed the new man the new creature in us that is born of God knows God and can never be at quiet as long as flesh and sin do raign It lusts against the flesh This mourning brings in power from God whereby to discharge it self from the evil that oppresses it Godly sorrow saith the Apostle works repentance unto Salvation never to be repented of In spiritual mourning there is a kind of dying of flesh and denying of flesh an owning and honouring of God The man goes out of himself I am undone He goes out to God Crying My destruction is from my self but in thee is my help I am not able to deal with these enemies with Sin Hell and Death Now help me Lord. This is the travail of the Soul with Christ until he be formed in us Spititual mourning Godly mourning it is the mourning of the Spirit in us with sighs and groans not to be expressed There is worldly mourning and there is Godly mourning There is fleshes mourning and Spirits mourning Fleshes mourning is for Affliction for trouble Take away this plague saith Pharoah The Spirits mourning is for sin I have done foolishly take away my sin saith David Fleshes mourning is sins mourning it would be delivered it would not be plagued The Spirits mourning is against sin take away the plague of the heart Spiritual mourning is to lament after the Lord. 'T is said of the children of Israel They mourned after the Lord 1 Sam. 7. towards the end of the chap. This is what the new man doth the Spiritual man the heavenly man in us the new creature when he is awakened when he is quickned which indeed is the conversion of a sinner the awakning the new man in him and this new man being the seed of God cannot endure to abide in filth in the dark but is making out making from whence it came making to his Father making unto God in mourning in a deep sense of its wretched condition in darkness in weakness in the power of lusts O miserable man who shall deliver me from this body of death I thank God through Jesus Christ Here was a mighty proof of the Corinthians delivering their own hearts and delivering this person that the Devil had much power over I had an intent to have enlarged this further but I will rather break off and may goe on at another time SERMON II. 1 COR. 5. 1 2 3 4 5. It is reported commonly c. HEre is a great and foul sin that doth veil a dear Saint a sin not named amongst the Gentiles such a sin as the Gentiles are ashamed of is found in a Congregation of Saints It is there and they do not see it nor take notice of it they are all asleep the whore hath put her cup to their mouths and they are all drunken with the world and pride Ye are puft up and have not rather mourned That is it we were upon in the morning That security and spiritual drunkenness may befall Saints The devil may get in among them in the basest practises and they not take notice of it but dream of righteousness and glory This Church were all asleep Saint Paul he awakens them he mourns and awakens them he comes to them in the spirit and sets them a mourning and so they go forth together in the power of the Lord Jesus and quit themselves and this poor deluded soul among them from the snare of the devil The Apostle before he brings them to judge this incestuous person he judges the whole Church and brings them to judge themselves and that is it that must be first we must be judged before we can sit in judgement Before we come forth in the judgement of the Lord against others we must be brought before the Tribunal of the Lord. The Apostle charges the whole Church with sin and delivers them first to Satan and then with them delivers this person from Satan He shews them that they are in the snare of the devil This is to be delivered unto Satan and this was the delivery of this incestuous person unto Satan A spiritual discovery that he was in Satans hands He was in Satans hands before but now the spirit of God came forth unto him by Paul and the Church to discover it to him and so he was delivered unto Satan and after he delivers the whole Church to Satan and after delivers them from Satan and then goes to work with them to deliver up this person to save him They were all partakers of his sin in that they were not sensible of it but were puft up He tells them what did rather become them what concerned them and that was to mourn ye have not mourned rather this is that you should be found in spiritual mourning Through spiritual mourning the power of God comes upon the Saints to discharge their own hearts and their Congregations from sin and wickedness This kinde saith Christ goes not forth but by fasting and prayer He speaks of a child possessed of the devil The Disciples could not cast him out and they ask Christ the Reason This kinde saith he goes not forth but by fasting and prayer By spiritual mourning by earnest contending with God by the power of the spirit in mourning and wrastling with God as Jacob did who had power with God we shall obtain power against sin Hos 12. He wept and he made supplication c. You will never have power against sin unless you have power over God You will never overcome the wicked one unless you first overcome God and God is overcome no way but by his own power in mourning and supplication 't is his power made out when flesh is denyed and he is owned 'T is by his own power his hands are bound Let me go saith God I will not let thee go saith Jacob until thou bless me He wept and he made supplication as you may see in that fourth of Hosea This same mourning out of which God comes forth in power against sin it is the spirits mourning the spirit in the Saints in Sighs and Groans It is the reviving and quickning of the new man that lay dead in the flesh who seeing himself thus besmeared thus imprisoned thus captivated with sin and Satan he is breaking out of it he cannot have rest in that state he sees he is not at home Whither am I carryed from my Fathers house saith the Prodigal when he came to himself It is the travel of the spiritual man as Christ expresses it Joh. 16. 20. in which the man-childe is brought forth the spirit as it was here in Paul and in the Saints which being brought forth was able to deal with Satan and with hell to send Satan to Satan and hell to hell What doth hell
when there is no such thing We have done so a long time and the people have been deceived we have done it and have effected nothing but take heed of continuing this practise Remember when the Spirit was abroad what befell them that used this practice In the nineteenth of the Acts The Exorcists took upon them to command the evil spirit in the name of Jesus We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth and the evil Spirit answered and said Jesus we know and Paul we know but who are ye And the man in whom the evil spirit was leap'd on them and overcame them and prevailed against them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded God hath winked a great while but he will not bear as he hath done When he comes forth again men shall not take his name in vain as they have done That which concerns us to do is to sit down in silence and mourn as the Apostle hath it here and plainly to confess and acknowledge that that power of the spirit that hath appeared doth not appeare now We do not finde that able Ministery of the New-Testament now that hath been We plainly see that Scripture 2 Thes 2. fullfilled of the Spirits drawing in that the man of sin might be revealed and truly the man of sin hath been so much revealed and the darkness hath been so great as we have not seen the darkness but now that the spirit is returning we begin to see where we were we begin to see what fools and mad mens parts we have acted how we have gon forth in the name of spirit and brought forth nothing how we have made our selves ridiculous to those that did observe and mark what the effect was but now we see it is the time of the Apostasie indeed and shall look forth for that power of the spirit that hath been abroad in the Primitive times that shall return again and not onely bridle and keep down Antichrist but destroy the man of sin till we shall see this power come forth let us sit down in silence for in all our own acting and talking we are but Sorcerers and Enchanters without this power There is now a low administration of the spirit and we wait when the spirit will be more manifest we are looking after him when he will come and this is that that concerns us to do to sit down in silence and mourn The people of Israel mourned after the Lord when the Ark was in the Philistines hands it hath been so now for these fifteen hundred yeers When we lament after the Lord surely then the time is that the Lord is coming forth again When we acknowledge what man is that we have no strength Out of weak we shall be made strong and the Lord whom we look for will suddainly come into his Temple If we were out of our pride out of our puffe out of our vaunting and were come to lie in the dust to put our mouths there and say we have no strength God hath left us O Lord when wilt thou return again to us When we are thus mourning surely then the time is coming that this power will come forth again and that in a greater manifestation then ever it yet appeared Out of weak we shall become strong It is not in any mans wisdom or strength to cast sin out of his own heart or out of any Church or Congregation When we see we cannot do it and sit down and mourn that the Lord would come and be present with us as he hath been formerly surely he will come This is that we ought to do Ye ought rather to mourn All our teaching perswading and exhorting is to be in great humility in a sense of our own poorness and weakness and of Gods long withdrawing waiting for any appearance of his though but a low appearance God hath been working and acting all this time of Antichrist but in great obscurity and under ground and now we are looking when he will come forth again for the brightness of his coming is that which will destroy that man of sin 2 Thes 2. You ought rather to have mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you 'T is the Lords work and not mans And let 's compare this rule with our practice particularly Men when they see the devil got into their hearts and would be rid of him what do they do They fast and pray and go forth in the strength of this duty and the other duty But what is to be done Why wait until power come wait till the Lord come wait that the evil one may be cast out and do not think you can cast him out your selves And in Churches what is done We look that the Officers and Elders should rid us of the wicked one and that the major part of the Church and Assembly their Vote should do it and what the major part of the Church concludes that we look upon as the work of the spirit and so there is sentence past but where is the power Nay going a long with the sentence oftentimes you cast out Christ and cast out the truth and so come to another kinde of Popery a new kinde of Popery while you set up in the place of the spirit any man or any Assembly of men what ever they be you set up a Pope Our work is to mourn if the spirit be not present if he be present to go forth in his power and in his might And then the effect will be the devil will flee and sin will flee O how glorious things are Churches that hold out the power of the Lord Jesus O what prisons are Churches where there is nothing but forms nothing but lust and Satan and the world and flesh that act and rule under them O how glorious things are Churches in whom Christ hath a Throne and where we see spiritual power But where do we see it now Churches that are the light of the world and the salt of the earth where shall we finde them It is not by any power or wisdom of man whereby sin is cast out of any particular heart or out of a Church or Congregation You ought rather to have mourned Paul he had mourned and he professes elsewhere in what deep sorrow he wrote unto them 2 Cor 2. In deep sorrow and abundance of tears he wrote unto them being sensible of this condition in which they were and the spirit of power came forth in his mourning to awaken them to set them a mourning and to cause them to come forth in power to save the spirit of this defiled person by the destroying of the flesh That which is Pauls part follows in the next words v. 3. For I verily as absent in body but present in spirit have judged already as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed The Apostle judges and he judges being absent First What had the
sin when the Lord is not with us it hath this issue nothing but foiling nothing but scorning nothing but reproach and shame With the power of the Lord Iesus To mention the name of the Lord Jesus and not to have the power of the Lord Jesus is nothing but prophaning that name taking it in vain 'T is nothing but a bug-bear All mans power it is on the body it is not on the Conscience It is impossible man should deliver himself or his brother from one error from one sin all that he can do is to restrain and lock up sin all that man can do in matter of error and sin is to bring forth Hypocrisie It is Gods prerogative to fashion hearts and to know hearts Psal 13. He fashioneth their hearts alike and understandeth all their thoughts And this is that God will make all the Churches to know Rev. 2. the latter end All the Churches shall know that I the Lord search the heart and try the reines If the Churches go forth with Carnal weapons to deal with the Devil and sin in their own power they shall know that this is the Lords prerogative It is only he that searches hearts and tries reines They shall find they have done nothing whatever they have seemed to themselves to have done They shall find they have confirmed and settled the Devil in his habitation while they have seemed to throw him out I have the keyes saith Christ of Hell and of death The keys are the power the power of man is not able to conflict with Sathan and Hell Christ hath received all power in Heaven and Earth And Christ manifested in us we shall go forth against principalities and powers and against the Rulers of the darkness of this world with the power of the Lord Jesus The weapons of our warfare are not carnal saith the Apostle but mighty through God The new Testament is the Ministry of the Spirit and so t is an able Ministry God hath made us able Ministers of the new Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit Letter and man and noise of words could never yet scare the Devil This we spake of before taking occasion from the Apostle calling the Corinthians to mourn which doth tell us they had no power of themselves 'T is a professing they had no power We cannot rid our Consciences or Congregations of sin But if we wait power will come in And when we once come out of this delusion of the Devil to see we have no power to see how the Spirit of power hath withdrawn from us and hath been absent a long while we shall begin to mourn after him and he will visit us and then we shall know what power is again We shall know what the Kingdom of God is that is not in word but in power We have hitherto known little of any Kingdom but in word When once we are sensible of this want of power and of this withdrawing of God that the man of sin might be revealed we shall mourn after him till he turn to us again 'T is by the power of the Lord Jesus only This is allowed and granted everywhere as a principle but how little do we act according to our Principles The Spirit of God only can throw out error and sin this is granted But the will of man and the actings of man this shall be called the Spirit of God The pride of man comes forth which is nothing but the Devil the name of the Lord Jesus that is put upon it To walk and act according to that Principle the Spirit of God Not we but the grace of God We live not but Christ in us 'T is looked upon as that which tends to confusion as that which lays by all mans gifts Object 'T is said then what will ye throw off your Ministers your Teachers Sol. The Apostle saith We have but one Master but one teacher that is Christ that is the Spirit Ye have the annointing that teaches you all things and need not any mans teaching 'T is not mans teaching we look after now if we understand ourselves but we look if we can find the name of God the power of God in the speakings of men God holds forth his anointing in man gives us a proof of Christ in man But take mans Ministry and all Ordinances if the Spirit be not there if the anointing be not there they are of man they are nothing So you see it is the power of the Lord Jesus only that rids Consciences and Congregations from sin In the name of the Lord Iesus when you are gathered together with my spirit and the power of the Lord Iesus In the second place take notice of this That the Lord Jesus and his power is in all Saints as well as in Ministers The Apostles Spirit joynes with them when they are gathered together The whole Church men and women the simplest as well as the wisest the weakest as well as the strongest with the power of the Lord Jesus The power of the Lord Jesus goes with you if you censure him and therefore my Spirit shall be with you In the name c. So the power of the Lord Jesus is in every Saint acts there and manifests it self there at the pleasure of the Lord Jesus It is the Spirit that makes Ministers and those Ministers that are made by the Spirit do minister the Spirit And that is ministring the Gospel when we Minister the Spirit But if we have only the Letter of the Gospel we have that that is no better then the Law If we be able Ministers of the New Testament it is in the Spirit I am a Minister of the New Testament so far as the Spirit speaks in me and by me and I would not be owned any further And all my work is to prove if the Spirit of God will go forth into any heart while I speak I know that Paul is nothing and Apollo is nothing If we be a sweet Savour of Christ then we are something In whomsoever the spirit stands up and speaks that person for that time is a Minister a true Minister The Spirit doth not regard Sexes the Spirit regards not Age Learned or unlearned 'T is not Age nor Sex nor any Major part can Minister Spirit but whom the Spirit pleases Obj. The Spirit will not teach by a woman For it is said let not a woman speak in the Church Sol. Where the Spirit doth not teach 't is but a womans teaching So far as we speak and speak not by the Spirit the woman speaks who is commanded silence And my Spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus The Apostles Spirit would own the meanest of the Saints and the power of the Lord Jesus in them There are in whom the Spirit acts and Ministers more constantly and there are in whom he doth Minister occasionally there are whom the Spirit of God hath made Overseers Acts 20. Look to the flock over which the
Christ is given me both in heaven and in earth The Father comes forth in Christ and Christ comes forth in the Saints Christ comes forth in the flesh lower then the Angels He makes him lower then the Angels he comes forth as a servant while the son is under age he is kept as a servant he is made of a woman made under the Law at last the Father comes to own him as his son and Christ owns him as his Father When the time appointed of the Father comes he sends his spirit into our hearts saying 'T is your Fathers pleasure to give you a kingdom Christ hath the keys of hell and death and he exercises these keys in his Saints We at present do not know how he exercises these but we shall know how when we feel the want of them when we see our weakness and darkness and mourn after the Lord. God hath suffered the devil hell and sin to be a kinde of Cloak and covering upon himself but when he pleaseth he will come forth and command them The Saints need not the worlds power and force to go to the world for power is to go to the devil for power The Saints have power with God and therefore must needs have power over Satan And this power the Saints obtain by mourning as the Apostle hath it in the second verse Ye ought rather to have mourned Iacob wept and made supplication wrastled with God and so prevailed The Saints indeed they are great persons but few there are that know themselves We are the sons of God but the world doth not know us God hath brought forth himself and brought forth Christ in his Saints and people but that was but a first fruits to shew what he will do fully He shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in them that believe The spirit of God was withdrawn that the man of sin might appear This is that believers should do they should be looking after this power the power of the Lord Jesus What a poor thing it is to spend our time in an outward powerless profession onely If we are Christians and of Iesus Christ we cannot do so The kingdom of God is not in word but in power Do we profess Christ Where is the power of the Lord Iesus Why do lusts and corruptions reign in our hearts Why have Satan and the world such power over us Where is the power of the Lord Jesus Where is the spirit of Eliah as Elisha said when he had seen his master taken up into heaven and had received his mantle and had a promise of a doubling of that spirit Christ is taken up into Heaven He hath told us greater works then he did in that flesh should we do in his Spirit Where is that spirit Where is that power by which devils were made to tremble and submit to him 'T is time we should begin to know our selves that we are of God that we are the Temple of God the body of the Lord that we are the fulness of Christ and that in us he will manifest himself and 't is that we should look for We should be weary of a formal outward languishing profession and so bringing forth the Lord Jesus we shall make his name known O that thou wouldst bow the Heavens that thou would'st come down and make thy name known that Hell and Death and Satan and all the powers of darkness might melt before thee Resist the devil saith James and he will flie from you What is that power by which the devil is resisted 'T is the power of Christ the power of the Lord Jesus is with his people though not yet manifested we should wait for it and not rest contented with the name but look after power to command hell and death those that have commanded us We are comforting our selves that Christ hath done this for us 'T is true he hath done this for us he will do it in us The Apostle bids us stand to it in Eph. 6. You wrastle not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers therefore put on the whole armour of God If you be true Israel you are able to deal with God and then the devil and the world are not able to stand against you Do you believe this Then wait for it The next thing I shall commend unto you is this That we must be delivered to Satan before we can be delivered from Satan For the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. And if this stick in your stomacks and will not go down let me offer it to you in an old expression of Divinity as they call it that is That God leads his people to Heaven by Hell We must be delivered to Satan if ever we will be delivered from Satan Satan hath carryed all the seed of God captive in the flesh 'T is under the law of sin sin and death hath captivated the whole seed of God here this seed lieth as it were dead in a swound and in this state we dream of nothing but life and happiness great enjoyments when we are captives to Satan at his pleasure God he quickens this same seed this divine nature and then they see where they are see how they were deceived what a fools Paradise they were in then they have no rest till they be delivered This is to be delivered from Satan to see that we are in Satans power So it comes to this That there must be a discovery of our state under the power of darkness before we be delivered from it Deliver him unto Satan destroy him that he may be delivered destroy him that he may be saved kill him that he may be made alive convince him of sin then of righteousness Deliver him unto Satan is quicken him and enlighten him that he may see where he is in Satans power And whereas before there was peace when the strong man kept the house it was because he did not see Satan but now he sees him there is nothing but trouble there is no rest till he be delivered This is nothing but what the Apostle saith you hath he quickened that were dead in trespasses and sins Dead in trespasses and sins here is the seed of God under the power of Satan The spirit quickned sees whereabouts it is sees that it is in hell among devils lusts death and flames and it cannot abide here The Prodigal came to himself that was the quickning of this divine seed he was well enough before at the swine-trough till he comes to himself O then he cannot endure it he cannot live here any longer We must be delivered to Satan before we can be delivered from Satan And the ground and reason of this lieth thus God hath let all his seed fall under the hands and power of death and Satan and he would never suffer this state unless he meant they should be sensible of it unless he did
do in a Saint What doth hell in a Church Deliver him to Satan let Satan go to destruction it is his place it is his portion Thus spiritual mourning or the spirits mourning is that which brings forth the spirits power and this sets the soul free and sets a Church free Now we should look what we can finde of this mourning this mourning for sin this mourning after the Lord. This is not in flesh and blood to do All the mourning of flesh and blood is that sin may be supplyed All the prayers of a natural man are that his lusts may be furnished all his mourning and complaint is when sin suffers when godliness plays upon sin then he cries then he mourns The spiritual man mourns after the Lord as 't is said of the children of Israel they mourned after the Lord. The natural man mourns for Corn and Wine and Oyl The Lord speaks in the Prophesie of Hosea of the howling of the people Did you cry to me when you howled for Corn and Wine and Oyle But that which is the main thing to be observed here is that no power or wisdom of man or any company of men any Church any Rulers any Elders can set a heart free from sin or can cleer their Congregations from sin 't is God that must do it and therefore the Apostle saith Ye have not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you When that evil is seen in your hearts and in your Churches what are you to do know that you cannot deliver your selves you are to mourn until it be done for you you are to lament after the Lord. O that the Lord would come that power would come that he that is great stronger then the strong man that he would come We are to wait for the assistance of Jesus Christ Here the Apostle speaks of mourning You have not mourned as you should do you should mourn after the Lord that he would quit you of this sin that he would rescue you in the fourth verse it is plainly set forth In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ when ye are gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ It is not your power it is not mans power that shall rid you of the wicked one among you in your hearts or in your Congregations but 't is the Lord that must do it and therefore you must mourn after the Lord. If you be of God you will mourn after him and you will never be quiet until his power do come down to rescue you and deliver you This mourning that you may be eased of the wicked one shews that it is not in your power In the ninth of Mark Christ went up into a mountain where he was transfigured he took up one or two of his Disciples with him and the rest he left below vers 14. these Disciples left below were set upon by the Pharisees and that Sect to tempt them and to try them that if it might be they might have a victory over them a day of them now their master was away They bring to them a Father with his child that was possessed with an evil spirit that used him and handled him piteously that threw him sometimes into the fire and sometimes into the water but the Disciples were not able to cast him out here was great joy and rejoycing among the Pharisees the Pharisees thought they had had the day As they were exulting and baffling the Disciples Christ he comes down from the Mountain when he comes down he is told what the business is vers 17. O faithless generation saith Christ how low shall I be with you bring him to me and he cast him out In this story we may see how ridiculous we shall make ourselves when we offer to set upon Satan or deal with sin when we have not the Lord Jesus with us we make but sport for the Devil and sport for the world There is no going forth but in the power of Christ Dost thou see sin Canst thou go forth in the power of Christ against it If thou canst not sit down and mourn till that spirit come till that power come Sin and Satan are too strong for man and if we deal with them without God we do nothing but endeavour by sin to cast out sin and by Satan to cast out Satan To undertake any thing against sin and have not the Lord with us is altogether in vain therefore Moses saith Vnless thou go forth with us do not carry us out hence To go forth in mans power in the power of a letter of the Scripture only it is not safe God will not be offended with us if we will not go forth without full assurance of his presence with us If he give us some assurance we should desire to have better assurance It is the power of God in which we must go out against sin successfully We shall never have rest from sin and Satan till we cease from our own works There is no going forth against sin but in the power of Christ You ought rather to have mourned that he which hath done this deed might be taken away from among you Look upon hearts look upon Churches they are both the Temple of God the House of God let God rule in his own house he hath the power there The Reformation of our own hearts and of Churches it is by the power of the spirit of God It is not in man to direct his ways Man is weak he is corrupt man and Satan in this respect are one Now the question will be If there be no going forth against sin but in the power of the spirit where is this power that reforms Congregations where is this Ministery of the Spirit where are these spiritual weapons mighty through God to cast down high thoughts and strong imaginations The Answer is It is confessed that the power of the spirit of God hath been and is yet very little abroad and therefore we see men go forth against sin and Satan and effect nothing they make nothing but sport There is little savour of life or savour of death to be seen in the Ministery of men little binding or loosing little opening heaven or shutting heaven very little forgiving sins or retaining sins in mens Consciences we know very little but a noise and a form in these things Most men that take upon them to do this they are put to it because of the weakness of their Ministery whatever brags they make to go to the civil Magistrate to back them This same power of the Lord Jesus whereby sin and Satan are thrown out of mens hearts is now but in a very low manifestation and very rarely appears But what is to be done then Not that that is usually done we must not go out as vaunting that we have that which we have not as pretending the spirit and the power of Christ with us