thee to bee with thy Father in the bosome of thy bridegroom the presence chamber of thy Lord and Love would it bee a mercy to thee to weep no more fear no more suffer no more bee tempted no more sin no more to bee uncloathed of corruption and be cloathed upon with immortality and incorruption then bid death welcome Blessed souls when you come a shoare and see the light the love the joy the rest the glory that is on the other side you will then more fully understand what this meaneth Death is yours Hee knew something who said I cannot tell you what sweet pain and delightsome torments are in Christs love I often challenge time that holdeth us asunder I have for the present a sick life much pain and much love-sickness for Christ O what would I give to have a bed made to my wearied soul in his bosome O when shall wee meet O how long is it to the dawning of the Marriage-day O sweet Lord Jesus take wide steps Come over the Mountains at one stride O my Beloved flee as a Roe or a young Hart upon the Mountains of separation O if hee would fold the Heavens together like an old Cloak and shovel time and daies out of the way and come away CHAP. VIII The Kingdome in the Covenant 8. GOd hath put the Kingdome into this Covenant Matth. 5.3 Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Luke 12.32 It is your Fathers pleasure to give you the Kingdome Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City of God I might here enlarge in describing the glory of this Kingdome but when I had said all I must at last leave it within the Vail and therefore shall only tell you from the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him c. Ephes 1.18 When by the Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation the eyes of your understandings are opened yee shall know what is the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints CHAP. IX All the means of salvation in the Covenant both outward and inward in special the blessing of a new heart LAstly God hath put into the Covenant all the means of salvation And all things on their parts necessary to the obtaining the everlasting kingdome 1. All the outward means of salvation Ordinances Word Sacraments and Prayer Officers Prophets Apostles Evangelists Pastours and Teachers Ephes 4.11,12 1 Cor. 3.22 2. All the inward means of salvation Every grace every duty their obtaining the one and performing the other and perseverance in both These are all comprehended in the second part of that great promise They shall be my people Which though it be properly the matter of their own stipulation yet for this also the Lord himself undertakes You shall be my people Two things are hereby signified 1. I will account you and reckon you for mine You shall have the priviledge and the blessing of my people I will set you apart and separate you to my self out of all the tribes and kindreds of the earth and will avouch you for my portion and peculiar possession I will set you as the apple of mine eye as a seal upon mine heart and upon mine arm I will mark you out for the people of my love of you will I take care for you will I provide with you are my delights over you will I rejoyce with you will I dwell and you shall dwell with me for ever 2. I will not only reckon you for my people but I will undertake for you that you shall consent to me accept of me own me follow me and cleave to me as my people I will not only separate you to my self but I will fashion you for my self I will sanctifie you and guide you and teach you and help you I will fulfill in you all the good pleasure of my will I will work all your works in you I will avouch you for my people and you shall avouch me for your God You shall love me fear me obey me I will keep you from falling and preserve you to my heavenly kingdome Particularly the Lord hath promised to give them 1. A new heart 2. An heart to know the Lord. 3. One heart 4. An heart of flesh 5. An heart to love the Lord. 6. An heart to fear the Lord. 7. An heart to obey the Lord. 8. An heart to persevere to the end 1. A new heart Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you This new heart I take it is the genus of all the following graces and therefore the less shall suffice to be spoken of it here A new heart that is not physically new in regard of substance but morally onely in regard of qualities This new heart signifies both another heart and a more excellent heart 'T is said of Caleb Numb 14.24 that he had another heart And this other heart is declared to be a more excellent heart than was in the rest of the people Whilest they either followed not the Lord or but haltingly hee followed the Lord fully Prov. 17.27 A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit There is another heart that is not a new heart Nebuchadnezzer had another but no new heart the heart of a beast for the heart of a man an evil heart grown worse is not a new heart but the old heart grown older We read 1 Sam. 10.9 that when Saul was anointed King God gave him another heart this was a more excellent heart than he had before and yet not the heart here promised He gave to him another heart that is the spirit of government the heart of a King for the heart of a private person a more publick raised heroick heart the heart of a King fitted to the station and office of a King The excellencies of this new heart are not natural but spiritual excellencies as will appear more in the handling of the particular graces promised and are such as fit them for their new state work reward 1. For their new state Christians are made the children of God vessels of honour a royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people and God gives them an heart answering the dignity of their high calling 2. For their new Work a Christian hath other work to do than other men whilest their business lies all here below in this earth in their fields and vineyards c. Christians work lies above with their God and their Jesus and within about their nobler and immortal part their work is spiritual and such is the heart that 's given to them 3. For their new reward God intends better things to them a better portion a better hope better comforts joyes delights here and a better inheritance hereafter and he prepares them better hearts to receive these better things he will not put his new
for eyes They that see pitty the blinde Wee have a little Sister that hath no breasts wee have a poor Brother yea a world of them that have no eyes What shall we do for our poor brethren in the day that they shall bee spoken for Oh! bee eyes to thy blinde bee a light to thy dark souls let them that dwell in darkness see thy great light Sinners those whom you persecute do thus pitty do thus pray for you Lord that their eyes might bee opened will you say Amen to their prayers or will you say Lord regard not their word wee desire not the knowledge of thy waies Christians bee marvels You that have seen marvellous things bee marvellous persons set the world a wondring for some thing Let your light shine let the light which hath shined into your hearts shine forth in all your paths let the Spirit of Light within you bee a Spirit of Glory resting upon you Once you were darkness but now are yee light in the Lord Walk as Children of the light Bee yee holy harmless the Children of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked Generation amongst whom yee shine as lights in the World Beclouded Christian thou goest on bemoaning and bewailing thy self complaining that thou art still blinde the light hath shined into thy darkness but thy darkness comprehendeth it not thine eye is yet but tender at least and thou canst see but little but little of Christ the Sun is but as a sparke to thee but little of sin that Mountain looks yet but as a Mole hill It is neither clear nor dark neither night nor perfect day thou hopeedst that long e're this thy scales would have fallen off the vail would have been removed but they abide upon thee thou waitest for light but behold obscurity for brightness but thou walkest in darkness thou goest on adding darkness to darkness the darkness of sorrow to the dimness of sight Thou fearest that the Gospel is hid from thee thou doubtest 't is still night because 't is not yet noon with thee But hearken as little as thou seest of Christ doest thou see so much that thou prizest and lovest and cleavest to him above all as little as thou seest of sin doest thou see so much that thou loathest and shunnest it above all things doest thou walke in that little light thou hast dost thou love long wait cry for the light Send forth thy light and thy truth lift up the light of thy countenance Sun of Righteousness shine upon mee why are the wheels of thy Chariots so long a coming when Lord Make haste my Beloved O might I once see thy face as the Sun looking over the Mountains Is this thy voice are these the breathings of thy soul Bee of good comfort these are the glimmerings and groanings of that Holy Spirit within thee which hath already delivered thee from darkness and will bring thee forth into his marvellous light thou shalt know if thou follow on to know the Lord. Arise shine thy light is come the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Though yet as to thy sense it bee neither clear nor dark neither night nor perfect day in the evening there shall bee light 2 As a Spirit of Holiness and Sanctification hee is given as an Holy Spirit and as a Sanctifying Spirit therefore Sanctification is called the Sanctification of the Spirit 2 Thes 2.13 he comes to change us into his own nature to make us partakers of his holiness hee is a Refiner's fire and Fullers sope Mal. 3.2 to purge and work and wash off the filth and corruption of our natures What it is said hee shall bee to the Church Isa 4.4 A Spirit of Judgement and a Spirit of Burning to wash away the filth of the Daughters of Zion and to purge the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof a Spirit of Judgement that is in the Rulers of Israel stirring them up to do Justice and execute Judgement that so the guilt of blood may bee taken away Isa 32.15,16 and a Spirit of Burning that is in the hearts of the people of Israel to consume and destroying the inward lusts of their hearts that no more such wickedness bee committed amongst them This hee is to every Saint A Spirit of Judgement to give Sentence against their Lusts to condemn them to the fire these must bee cast out to the fire with them away with them get yee hence yee Sons of the Bond-woman you may not bee Heirs with the Sons of the Free-woman The Spirit of the Lord first discovers and convinces of sin judges betwixt light and darkness grace and sin and then gives sentence away with these Lusts they may not bee suffered to live A Spirit of Burning to execute the sentence to consume them in the fire The Spirit of Sanctification is a spirit of Mortification Rom. 8.13 If yee through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body It is the Spirit that kills the Flesh profiteth nothing The Spirit implants the Soul into Christ gives it an Interest in his death brings it under the influence of his death Christus crucifixus est Christus crucifigens 'T is the death of Christ that is the death of sin these Theeves are Crucified with him Rom. 6.6 Our old man is Crucified with Christ that the body of sin might bee destroyed that henceforth wee should no longer serve sin Hell knew not what they did when they Crucified Christ Death with all its Armies were put to death with him The Spirit raises up another party in the soul a party against a party an army against an army brings Grace in to take up arms against sin Grace doth not onely fight against sinne but is in the very nature of it the death of sinne as the Generation of a new is the Corruption of the old form Humility is pride dead meekness is sinful passion and frowardnesse dead patience is impatience slain The Spirit excites and stirs up the soul against sin sets it a praying against it the Spirit of Grace is a Spirit of Supplication fetches down Hail-stones and Thunder bolts from Heaven to destroy these Amorites sets a watch against it presses the soul to deal wisely with it to keep it low by cutting off all provision from the flesh restraining and keeping it short of all those fleshly objects which would keep it in heart and so it 's starved to death It is true our greatest wisdome watchfulness abstinence self-denial and all external means alone will fall short of killing one lust it is the Spirit that killeth without it the flesh profiteth nothing all external attempts for the mortification of the flesh are but a fleshly mortification but if yee through the Spirit do mortifie pray in the Spirit watch in the Spirit curbe and keep short and keep under this body still taking in the assistance of the Spirit then it shall dye Christian thou livest in a weary Land and thou hast but a weary