but he will swallow up their weakness in his glory and here he will exercise his Omnisciency here he will exercise his Omnipotency Do you not know that the Saints shall judge the world saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 2. Reject this and reject Scripture as I said before By this union between God and the Saints and Gods manifesting himself in his Saints exercising his kingdom exercising his universal Judicature in them the Saints shall judge the world Do ye not know that ye shall judge the world and judge Angels There is no right judge but the Lord and there is no man that is fit to judge till the Lord be risen in him The spiritual man judgeth all things so far forth as he is spiritual he judgeeth all things so far forth as he is carnal he is not fit to judge any thing The carnal judgement condemns the Spirit passes judgement upon God rejects God The Saints are growing up into the Omnisciency and Omnipotency of God God is now despised in them but God shall be glorified in them God bears their weakness but they shall be cloathed upon with his power Christ is in every Saint and the Father hath committed all judgement unto him who doth not judge by the sight of the eye or the hearing of the ear Isa 11. 4. So Paul did not judge now by the sight of the eye or hearing of the ear that is bodily he neither went by common fame neither did his bodily presence help him to discern the business but he was present in spirit and in the light of God in the wisdom of God in the power of God he did see and did judge I already have judged though absent in body yet present in spirit There is no true judgement that passes upon mens Consciences but by the spirit Men that can only judge by the outward appearance can never judge righteous judgement you cannot judge righteous judgement till you are led within the vail till you see principles till you not onely see what is done but see upon what grounds it is done till you see the root of the matter The Apostle cares not for mans judgement He that judgeth me saith he is the Lord. All the people of God they are Princes they are Kings God hath called us to his own kingdom and to his own glory as the Apostle hath it And therefore Rev. 3. 12. it is said I will write upon them the Name of my God and the name of the City of my God and I will write upon them my new name so God will bring forth his glory in his people Paul expressing what he hath done he calls unto the whole Church to joyn with him and assures them they shal have his assistance his assistance and the power of the Lord Jesus When you are gathered together and my spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus Do you judge as I have done The power of the Lord Jesus will lead you to it and you shall come forth in that power actually to deliver him to Satan You see by the effects this was not bare words this was not a bug-bear But that is it we see in Churches and Congregations among us that take upon them this it hath no effect no power And therefore if they have to deal with a Saint he pities them is sorry for them wishes they had more light if with one that is not a Saint he jeers them he scorns them But here is reality this Incestuous person felt hell in his Conscience saw he was in the power of the devil he was even swallowed up with sorrow Therefore the Apostle calls upon them to relieve him and this is to save him q d. look now if the flesh be destroyed then bring out the spirit and comfort him you ought to relieve him Here you see the power of the Lord Jesus he commands hell and death he commands Satan Take that that is thine and then give up that thou hast nothing to do withal Destroy the flesh deliver up the spirit This makes sport for wicked men to come out with thundring and lightning in the absence of power This should set us to mourn for the spirit How little is the manifestation of the spirit in our own Consciences How much less can we manifest it to others It is then time for us to mourn after the Lord. And if we were come to mourn after him we should soon come to rejoyce with him and make our boast of him SERMON III. 1 COR. 5. 1 2 3 4 5. It is reported commonly c. IN the name of our Lord Jesus Christ when you are gathered together and my spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Iesus In the name of the Lord Jesus and with the power of our Lord Iesus This is no vain or idle repetition all business of this nature is done only by the name and the power of Jesus Christ But if you please to make some difference take it thus In the name of the Lord Iesus Christ that is owning the Lord Christ professing him calling upon him Wih the pwer of the Lord Iesus Christ that is let not there be a bare mention of him but let there be the power In the power of our Lord Iesus There is much mention of the name of Christ among us taking upon us great things by that name when it is but taking it in vain where no power appears In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ when you are gathered together and my spirit What 's this same spirit of Paul That by which he was present as he said before I am present with you in spirit This I look upon as the Divine nature which Paul did partake of the spiritual man born of God in which God doth act God guides and acts his people in this spiritual man flesh is acted by Satan there is the power of Satan and Hell but here is the power of the Lord Jesus in Spirit My spirit that 's the seat of God in a Saint And my spirit with the power of the Lord Iesus Christ to deliver such a one unto Satan there is the Sentence and Judgement But before we come to that I shall observe two or three things In the name of our Lord Iesus Christ c. First There is no dealing in the Consciences of men neither our own nor others against sin and Satan when they shew their power there in the power and wisdom of man unless we go forth in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ it is to no purpose T is only the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that delivers the Consciences and Hearts of men fron sin and Satan therefore the Apostle saith Iudge nothing before the time till the Lord come Saul was not to fight with the Philistims till Samuel came To go forth against
earth if I have told you earthly things and ye believe not saith Christ how will ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things There are higher and there are lower administrations wherein God appears Are we acquainted with them Do we know them God speaks on earth from Mount-Sinai and he speaks from heaven at Mount-Sion he spake from Mount-Sinai and he was refused yet there was a shew of entertaining All that the Lord saith unto us will we do but O said the Lord that there were such an heart in this people that they would obey my voice They said they would obey but their hearts turned back again to Egypt God speaks on earth and who doth hear who doth not refuse he speaks with a loud voice on earth he manifests his glory and every one seems to hear seems to stoop and bow before him but they are all lyars God speaks from heaven he speaks in the spirit he speaks in a low and still voice as it were afar off in a far Country and from this far Country he sends to his Subjects to see if they will own him but they say We will not have this man to reign over us God comes in a full manifestation of himself and then every knee stoops and bows to him some sincerely others feignedly and lyingly as it is said Thine enemies shall be found lyars When God shall make us Mount-Sion when he shall awaken the spiritual man when he shall quicken the new man that lieth as it were dead in us then we shall hear then we shall obey There is nothing so much concerns us as to know the voyce of God to hear him speak My sheep hear my voyce and the voyce of a stranger they will not hear John 10. God speaks and God gives an ear to hear him speak He that hath an ear to hear let him hear Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire mine ears hast thou opened then said I Lo I come in the volumn of the book it is written of me I delight to do thy will Psal 40. 6 7. God is speaking and the Devil is speaking happy are they whose ears God hath opened that can distinguish that know the voyce of God from the voyce of a stranger See that ye refuse not him that speaks There is nothing in man but what refuseth to hear God speak but what refuseth God himself whether he speaks from earth or from heaven That man doth hear God speak that doth know the voyce of God it is the spiritual man the new man that is born of the Spirit The carnal man the natural man cannot possibly hear God speak he refuseth God The wisdom that is in him is enmity to God He is not subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be But they that will not know his voyce they shall know it They that will not yield to it shall be broken by it it is a terrible voyce When he shall come and speak from heaven those whose hearts are not brought to a compliance with him shall be destroyed by his presence He will come in flaming fire to render vengeance to them that obey not the Gospel Next we may take notice of the effects of this voyce whose voyce then shook the earth but he hath promised saying Yet once more I shake not the earth only but heaven also When you meet with shakings and violent motions then know what the matter is Why the Lord is speaking Heaven and earth are shaking at this time Do we see the Lord and hear the Lord We are fallen into shaking times His voyce once shook the earth but now it shakes not only earth but heaven Haggai 2. This Scripture shews what is to be expected the shaking of heaven and earth and then the desire of all nations What is that Why it is Christ he is called the desire of all nations All nations desire him though they do not know him and when he is come he shall fill Sion and Jerusalem he shall fill his Saints and people the City and the house built of living stones shall be filled with Glory he will fill all things Eph. 4. 10. When Christ came forth in flesh there were shakings in heaven and earth When Christ came forth in Spirit upon the Apostles and primitive Christians what a shaking was there then of heaven and earth What strange workings were there in the hearts of men through the light and evidence and demonstration of spirit that went abroad That was the beginning of this last shaking after that God was pleased to draw in and to retire that the wicked one might return again to shew what he was that Antichrist might appear and set up his trade under the name of the Spirit and when the man of sin is fully revealed then the Lord will come forth again and by the Spirit of his mouth and the brightness of his coming will he utterly destroy him and that will be a terrible shaking indeed Yet once more I shake not earth only but heaven This shaking is begun Are we sensible of it What wars and rumors of wars are there What overturnings Let us see whether we be not under the appearance of this shaking shaking of earth shaking of heaven shaking of Forms of Religion of Churches All that is earthly shall be shaken that the earthliness being removed the true body may be brought forth anew in the Spirit How many in these times hove lost their wisdom and their righteousness that they looked upon as great gain was ever such confusion as there is at this day Yet once more I shake not the earth only but heaven It is certain we are come to it but are we sensible of it God is shaking us out of fleshly and formal Religion out of mans Religion and mans Righteousness he is destroying the old man and bringing forth the new man he is destroying the old earth and heaven and bringing forth a new earth and heaven wherein righteousness shall dwell He hath promised saying yet once more This terrible shaking cometh forth in a promise It is a mercy a blessing a deliverance It is the Redemption of the people of God Lift up your heads for your Redemption draweth nigh When Paul and Silas were in Prison and in the Stocks at Midnight there was an earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison and that became their deliverance How many of the Saints will lie in Prison and in the Stocks at midnight till this earthquake come and shake them out Then shall come the desire of all nations By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation How will God answer us Why saith he I must remove all this corruptible frame I must create a new heaven and a new earth I must shake the Civil Estate and the Religious Estate I must shake off old Adam I must shake out Antichrist Christ must go away in his appearance in flesh that he may return again
returns the life of God in you revives us according to the Divine nature It is the grace of God that brings Salvation that only cures us of distemper and makes us perfect men in Jesus Christ It is Jesus Christ is the only perfect and sound man the wisdom of God and we are sound when he is formed in our hearts brought forth and raised up in us The Apostle attributes this sound mind to the grace of God God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power but of God and of a sound mind The Spirit of Jesus Christ is a spirit of a sound minde While we have not the spirit we are under a cloud we are in a distemper and in weakness even in the purest state of flesh God finds weakness and folly in his Angels he hath not put trust in them There is no sound and perfect state but the state of God all that are born of God are born into that state and he is their wisdom Jesus Christ the wisdom of God and is made so to us of God Of the Prodigal t is said when he came to himself he remembred his fathers house Paul says that he was mad against the Church 1 Tim. I was exceedingly mad how came he changed the grace of God was exceeding abundant towards him which is in Christ Jesus This revived his soul The grace of God that brings Salvation teaches us to live soberly It makes us sober indeed it makes us mad in appearance Paul says he was mad before the grace of God appeared Festus told him he was mad after the grace of God had appeared There is a seeming madness and a seeming sobriety Sobriety is madness unto mad people Mans sobriety is madness unto God and Gods wisdom is folly and madness unto men The spirit of God coming upon the Disciples there 's a multitude that cry these men are full of new Wine they are drunk they spake truer then they were aware of 'T was new Wine indeed they had drank but such wine as they knew not of and that which they look't upon as Drunkenness was true sobriety and they but then came into their wits to a sound mind There was a Spirit of Power and Glory then came upon them and the Spirit of fear it was vanishing away When Christ began to manifest himself his kinred said he was mad They went forth to lay hands on him and said he was mad As the grace of God does appear in us and to us it makes us signs and wonders in Israel It is from the Lord of hosts It takes us off from following our own reason and it leads us in a way that men do not walk in The way of the Spirit is not the way of men it transforms us out of the World and changes us by the renewing of our mind The mad world thinks us mad when we begin to be sober There 's Gods wisdom and mans wisdom mans wisdom is foolishness to God and Gods wisdom is foolishness to man Solomon says of man that folly and madness is in his heart till the wisdom of God come in there is nothing else and he that is in the height of madness his madness is not seen to himself madness is continually there here is madness that he stumbles at God There is no such madness as is discovered by the wise and prudent man when he discourses in matters of Religion There was not such a mad and frantick man to throw fire and arrows of death as Paul when only humane learning led him in the practice of Religion The madness of men appears in calling evil good and good evil in running after shadows and leaving the substance in walking against the very light of their consciences to run into the world when they know the world is but a vain shadow in tempting God when they know he is stronger then they The grace of God makes a man sober And there is this ground for it Reas Because God is the only wise God To the only wise God If God be only wise then every man must be a fool but man will be wise says Job though he be born like a wild asses colt and here he discovers greatest folly Whosoever yields God that title The only wise God he does deny it to himself unless it be in Christ unless it be by grace if the grace of God hath entered it teacheth us to live soberly God hath let Satan enter upon this Creation that mad Spirit that carries us to destruction setting up himself in it and striving with God though he shall never prevail as God breaks in and throws out Satan wisdom comes and madness goes and therefore every one that looks upon himself as sober and would be counted so let him consider whence this sobriety comes hath the grace of God appeared that brings Salvation Is it from God or from man There is not such a mad man as a worldly wise man dealing in Religion The foolishness of God is wiser then men and the weakness of God is stronger then men and the wisdom and excellency of men is foolishness to God He takes the wise in their craftiness their light is nothing but darkness whosoever they be that have not the madness of man and flesh discovered to them do not yet know sobriety All that the world calls sobriety and wisdom it will appear but madness in the day of the Lord The wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God what folly is this what do you get by enmity to God Flesh is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be If you be truly wise and sober it is by the grace of God appearing that hath brought Salvation And whosoever is indeed made wise and sober by this grace of God appearing he must look to be accounted mad and foolish True sobriety must needs be accounted madness of those that have it not I and the sons whom thou hast given me are for signs A man instructed by God by a strong hand Noah was lookt on for a mad man and condemned by the world and he that is made sober by God he knows what the sobriety of the world is the world does not know what his sobriety is and he can carry himself boldly before the world in that it counts madness and folly knowing that it will justifie it self and bring confusion on all their wisdom That 's the first The grace of God that brings Salvation appearing is that only that teaches sobriety Secondly The grace of God that brings Salvation appearing is that only that teaches true Righteousness It teaches us to live soberly and righteously Till the grace of God that bringeth Salvation appears we do not know true righteousness all the righteousness that we practise before is but the shew of righteousness Till the new man be brought forth there 's no true holiness but he is created after the Image of God in righteousness and true holiness Ephes 4. 24. Paul
true bread Joh. 6. Christ the true vine Joh. 15. But will you have flesh too Here is fat things and marrow My flesh saith Christ is meat indeed and my blâ—od is drink indeed That is my life not onely my natural life but my life which I had with the Father slain and buryed is meat indeed the words that I speak are spirit and life saith Christ where spirit and life is not this is not received What is this flesh and blood but the divine nature dwelling in you for a while as it were dead and buryed in flesh afterwards raised and quickned in flesh and you hath he quickned as it is Eph. 2. 1. This discovery of our true life and this life brought forth in us is the true meat the true drink the true flesh the true blood and this same flesh and blood of Adam is meat and drink too for that being slain the grave is opened where the true life lies Obj. You say God is the feast Christ is the feast and that the Lod will make the Feast That the Lord shall make the feast and that the Lord shall be the feast how can this be Sol. His manifestation his bringing forth himself is making the feast his Death and Resurrection brought forth in us is making the Feast then we feed on his flesh and on his blood as the Scripture speaks This is a feast and this feast hath fatness and sweetness in it to a spiritual man and the rich mans table and the delicacies are but crusts and scraps and parings to this Feast The Feast lies in Abrahams bosome the common life of all Saints one with Abraham gathered into the bosome of Abraham the same life that Abraham lived He that eats of this bread shall hunger no more he that drinks of this water shall thirst no more There is musick and dancing in this feast also as we may see in the Prodigals entertainment upon his return to his fathers house but the elder brother did not understand it Luke 15. The Lord is this feast and wheresoever the Lord is not after a little while there shall be nothing but hunger and thirst where the Lord is not there are but dreams The hungry man dreams that he eats and drinks and when he awakes his soul is empty as it is in Isaiah He that hath not entertainment with the Lord He that dwells not in Abrahams bosom shall hunger and thirst and languish and fade away to nothing Mark that Scripture in Isa 65. 11 12 13. Ye are they that forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain that prepare a table for that troop and that furnish the drink offering unto that number Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold my servant shall eat but ye shall be hungry behold my servant shall drink but ye shall be thirsty behold my servant shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed ye worship many Gods ye shall have many troubles The mountain is and is not the Feast is and is not it is set out but not fully the hour cometh and now is already we are the Lords Feast and he is ours everywhere but in the Lord shall be hunger and thirst dearth and barrenness he that can receive it let him receive it There are that have devoted themselves to the Law and the letter of Scripture there are others that have all their life in the creature God will shortly draw all life into himself and all they that run after other Gods shall starve and famish they and their Gods Obj. But you will say There is something in the Text that seems to contradict this for it is not said He shall make unto all people a feast Sol. To all people that is to all sorts of people In the spiritual Feast there is neither Jew nor Gentile neither male nor female but all are one in Christ Jesus Here is a repetition of the provision in this Feast A Feast of fat things a Feast of Wine on the Lees of fat things full of Marrow of Wine on the Lees well refined the Lord is a Feast a continual feast when you have feasted never so well ye shall finde him to set forth himself a better feast a richer feast for there is infinite variety in God the Lords death is the Feast his Resurrection the life that comes by it It follows in the seventh verse And he will destroy in this Mountain the face of the covering and the vail that is spread over all Nations The Lord in this Mountain in his appearing will destroy the face of the covering In the Mountain a Feast in the Mountain the face of the covering destroyed The carnal Jew looks for the fullfilling of the letter the spiritual Jew looks for the spirit Abraham Isaac and Jacob sought a Country not an earthly one but a heavenly we pitch upon figures and vails and enter not within the vail These outward things are a vail a Table made a snare but when we are turned to the Lord the vail shall be taken away All mans teaching wisdom c. makes the vaile the thicker those that feed onely upon the vail upon outward things in which God appears their life shall be destroyed when others are fed and feasted Here take notice of divers particulars I shall onely give you some hints do you judge of them First of all this Observ 1. That all the Worlds feastings are with a vail and their faces covered The spiritual man so far forth as he feasts it is with open face though yet but as in a glass 2 Cor. 3. whilst we have any joy but in the Lord it is in the vail We eat death in all our feasts we swallow it down but we do it not in victory that oppresseth us oftentimes Observ 2. This outward appearance is the face of the covering There is no man sees my substance but that face that he sees is the face of the covering Cease from man and you cease from the face of the covering and so it will follow that there is no judging by outward appearance while you judge by outward appearance you do not judge righteous judgement Observ 3. When the Lord comes forth to feast to feed to refresh his people he comes forth even in that to destroy He shall make a feast of fat things and he shall destroy and all in the mountain There is no feast without death The Saints salvation comes out of destruction He kills and makes alive By terrible things wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation He that will lose his life shall save it and he that will save his life shall lose it Christ is perfected through sufferings No man shall see God and live Our God is a consuming fire out of the Cross of Christ comes our joy whereby the world is crucified unto us and we unto the world If this be a parable unto you is it not because you lie under the vail because you are without God chuseth his people
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
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
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
honourable and noble they are Kings and Queens and Princes and they shall appear so Verse 15. And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens c. Athens was an University where were learned men See the Apostles entertainment here wheresoever he came else his entertainment was persecution but here he hath little besides scoffs and jeers He had more to do here with the wise heathen then with the professing Jews and 't is observable what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 1. We preach Christ crucified to the Greeks foolishness to the Jews a stumbling block The wise Greeks looked after wisdom the Jews after a sign Christ crucified was foolishness to the Greek and a stumbling block to the Jew Here Paul deals with the Greeks which say What saith this babler What strange Doctrine is this Verse 16. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the City wholly given to Idolatry His Spirit was stirred in him There is body soul and spirit as the Apostle hath it in the Thessalonians What is this spirit but the partaking of the divine nature as Peter calls it The new man born of God in which God doth act This spirit lieth dead and is asleep further then God doth quicken and act it This spirit is the seat and Temple of God where God moves the devils business is in the flesh there he works his work the spirit is entire unto God here God appears sometimes and sometimes he does not We cannot do any handsome work in the Gospel without a stirring in spirit we cannot sail without a gale we cannot stir in a calm He was stirred in spirit It is the spirit of God that stirs the spirit of his people Sometimes there is a discovery of Idolatry the spirit of the Saints is not stird Sometimes God saith as of Ephraim He followeth Idols let him alone Here was a whole City in Idolatry and Pauls spirit is stirred to deal with them if it may be to help some of them out of it the spirit of God will strive with some and it will not strive with others 't will give over striving my spirit shall no longer strive with man as 't is in Genesis Here the Lord was pleased to appeare to some of them When he saw the City wholly given to Idolatry That which is given to Idols is given to devils Here was a City given to the devil this learned City this seeing City is wholly in the devils hands wholly given to Idolatry given to Satan He is the God of the world the wisdom of the world and flesh worship him and Jesus Christ in whom the true God makes his appearance is crucified by the world Verse 17. Therefore disputed he in the Synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons and in the Market daily with them that met with him He disputed with them There are some to be disputed with and some to be let alone He disputed with the Jews in the Synagogue and on the Market day Paul is a market-man What doth Paul in the Market Paul in the Market hath no worldly design Paul is a spiritual man in the Market as most men are carnal in the Congregation Paul's design was Heaven and God in the Market and many a ones design is the world and flesh in the Synagogue The Saints in the world they are not worldly carnal men are worldlâ— even in the Church Spiritual men in their dealing in outward things are spiritual 't is God that they look at and 't is him that they seek Carnal men even in prayer and all their worship are carnal and make use of God onely for the world and flesh Verse 18. Then certain Philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoicks encountred him and some said What will this babler say Othersome he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange Gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection Certain Philosophers Students in this University lovers of wisdom some of the Epicureans those that were taken up in a search after true pleasure true contentment true rest we do not look upon that Sect as making after fleshly or beastly lusts it was a gallant study And some of the Stoicks those that studyed the subduing their passions a brave study but both of them fruitless and nothing but labour in vain without the spirit Paul comes to them with that Ministery it had pleased the spirit to communicate to him They that are Ministers of the spirit cannot minister the spirit to whom they will but as it pleaseth the spirit to go forth by them These encountred him and some said What will this babler say This is the repute that all those have that minister the spirit and that they must look for that will hold forth onely the learning of the spirit among the wise of the world a spiritual man must reckon to be looked upon as a fool a trifler a babler Whatever natural wisdom cannot understand and reach the pride that is in it will scoffe and jeer at What will this babler say Thus the language and expression of the spirit is unto the world the wise of the world The wisdom of the world is enmity to God Some said He seems to be a setter forth of strange Gods Why Gods in the plural number Paul held forth one God and the onely God as he shews afterward This God is strange unto wise and learned men they look upon him as setting forth strange Gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection Like enough they looked upon him as holding forth Jesus to be one God and the Resurrection another Carnal men are very apt to have gross mistakes when they hear of spiritual things Jesus and the Resurrection Mark how these are joyned together I am the Resurrection and the Life saith Christ So far as any man doth know Jesus he lives in the Resurrection All the knowledge of Jesus that is saving is above the world above the natural man It is life eternal to know Jesus and this is the Resurrection And this Resurrection is above the reach of all the learned and wise men of Athens The natural man comes not into it it lieth within a veil therefore he that preaches Jesus indeed must needs be a Barbarian and a babler to a meer natural man Whosoever doth preach Jesus in the spirit he must not look nor think to be generally understood For my part if all I hold forth concerning Jesus should be commonly understood I had very good ground to question whether I preach Jesus or no. Verse 19. And they took him and brought him unto Areopagus saying May we know what this new Doctrine whereof thou speakest is Here was some ingenuity he was not barred up indeed it was their profession their business at Athens to tell or hear some new thing as ver 21. May we know c. Paul might answer them I cannot tell whether you may or
sweet here 's a sacrifice indeed be fill'd with the spirit singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. That same Praise and fruit of the lips that hath not a root in the heart continues not but what saith the Text Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually There is a seed in the stony ground that comes up fast There are that speak good words and goodly words Let the Lord be glorified Your brethren that hate you said let the Lord be glorified yet no continual sacrifice this fruit will be quickly blasted He that is a Lyar wants a good Memory Nothing that is violent is perpetual No worship of God continues but that which is made natural to us We may come forth and act parts but there will be discovery of what is in the bottom and though we hold forth God sometimes to others the devil will shew his head James met with such Can a fountain send forth sweet water and bitter Can a fig-tree bear figs â—nd thorns Can there be blessing and cursing Every one that pretends to Christ let them look what they have by Christ By him let us offer c. If you are sanctified by him you are made willing to go forth to him in his reproach If you are made willing to go forth to him in his reproach you will be no reproachers If you be made willing to bear the strife of tongues and filth of tongues and dirt of tongues you will keep your tongues from casting dirt or filth on any When the Grace of Christ is manifested to a soul there is a discovery of all the filth it lay in and out of which it is recovered And there is a sense of it goes along with it such a one was I foolish disobedient Now I le speak evil of no man There is nothing these times call for more in way of admonition then that which concerns the tongue Look to your tongues they are slippery members in slippery places and he is a perfect man that doth not offend in his tongue If we will judge of our selves there is as much evidence will come in by the tongue as by any thing By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Look how we carry our tongues If the Law of God be in our hearts there will be wisdom in our tongues Nothing will bewray us and discover us like our speech There is nothing that we need to be warned of and call'd out of more then strife of tongues If our tongues were set to love as they are to foment hatred and division we should have more peace then we have Who is it that looks upon himself as call'd to inherit a blessing Refrain thy tongue from evil saith Peter Therefore when you are reproached reproach not again when you are defamed do you bless this is the Law of God If you will profess Christ hold forth the Law of Christ and wait for this Law in the spirit of life Wait for Christ to come forth in your tongues to be the salt to season your hearts and so from your hearts to season every part of you to make your tongue the glory of God To make it your Lute and Harp to set forth his praises Look when God will restore a pure language O that God would set our hearts to learn a pure language How shall we learn a pure language Come into love come into Christ and be learning to bear evil language whisperings and backbitings and surmisings and evil reports and defamations and take up all the dirt and filth that men will throw upon you and do not thou throw any spot upon any but bless and love and overcome evil with good and heap coales of fire upon their heads This is the spirit of the Gospel And let us at last begin to live Gospel We have talked of Gospel a long while let us once see it where is it let us labour to bring it forth to be as Christ he made no noise his voice was not heard he went about doing good saving healing with humble comforting words Doing good Let us learn this let us wait for his spirit the spirit of the Gospel and that is the spirit of light The Gospell-Believers motion from Mount SINAI to Mount SION HEB. 12. 18. to the end of the chapter For ye are not come unto the Mount that might be touched and that which burned with fire nor unto blackness and darkness and tempest And the sound of a trumpet and the voice of a word which they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more But ye are come to Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels To the general Assembly and the Church of the first-born which are written in Heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect And to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel See that ye refuse not him that speaketh c. THe Apostle in this Epistle shews that all Legal administrations were but a passage things that God did lead his people through and which they shall leave behind them being but shadows of good things to come and not the very image And then he shews where these things do land us whether they do deliver us up where we set foot when we are passed through them We are come unto Mount-Sion For we are not come unto the Mount that might be touched and that burned with fire nor unto blackness and darkness but ye are come to Mount-Sion c. The former administration hath brought us hither It was a School-master unto Christ Now we by the spirit do wait for the hope of righteousness by Faith In ver 12. The Apostle is calling Christians unto cheerfulness Lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees by shewing that we are not under a weak administration but under one that is strong and mighty Ye are no more servants but sons Ye are come to Mount-Sion to the City of the living God to the joy and strength of God The joy of the Lord shall be your strength therefore lift up the hands that hang down No more weakness now ye are come to a kingdom that cannot be moved So this piece of Scripture sets before us a true Gospel-state would you know a true Gospel-state what it is why here it is set down negatively and affirmatively It is not that but it is this 1. First it s set down Negatively ver 18. Ye are not come to the Mount that might be touched This is not the Gospel-state this administration is terror fear and bondage 2 Secondly it s set down affirmatively ver 28. But ye are come to Mount-Sion Not to that but to this Not to Mount-Sinai but to Mount-Sion But ye are come
when the people undertook to obey it the Lord pittied them O that there were such an heart in this people that they would obey me It was a manifestation to discover sinfulness and weakness death and the curse and so to usher in a manifestation of life and power But now ye are come to the Gospel state ye are come to Mount-Sion ye are come where God dwells ye are come into a comforting and chearing presence ye are come to the Mount that may be touched without fear or terror It may be touched There are spiritual senses as 1 Joh. 1. 1. That which we have heard which we hame seen which our hands have handled of the word of life that declare we unto you that you may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ and so it s the Mount that may be touched We are come to the City of the living God We are come where God dwells we are come to communion with God and one with another in the spirit we are come where God is in the midst of his people He hath quickned us who were dead in sins and set us down in heavenly places in the heavenly Jerusalem If we are come to the heavenly Jerusalem we are past the wilderness we are come to our rest There remaineth a rest to the people of God and that 's the heavenly Jerusalem of which the earthly Jerusalem and Canaan were but a Type This heavenly Jerusalem is the mother of us all And to an innumerable company of Angels Not onely to be administred unto by Angels as under the legal dispensation but to administer unto Angels for to them is made known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God And to the general Assembly and the Church of the first-born We are come to the General Assembly we are above particular Churches though we walk in them yet we are not bound to them nor bound in them We are come to the Church of the first-born who are written in Heaven We are come to those that are in Christ that partake of the divine nature in which God lives and acts and whom God fills who are born of the spirit who are sons and heirs together with Christ Who are written in Heaven There was a first-born written in earth in the letter in flesh Let Israel my son go for he is my first-born said God to Pharoah but this was after the flesh We are come to God the Judge of all We have boldness towards God We are above the judgement of men yea above the judgement of our own Consciences It is a very small thing to me saith the Apostle to the Corinthians to be judged by you or of mans judgement yea I judge not mine own self 1 Cor. 4. 3. We are passed from death to life and we are come to God the Judge of all we can stand before God the Iudge of all We are come to the spirits of just men made perfect We are come to see and to acknowledge the spiritual and divine nature whereof through exceeding great and precious promises we are made partakers we are come to see and to be the spiritual man the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness we are come to the holy one born of the Holy Ghost to Christ formed in us who is not tainted with any pollution who sinneth not nor can he commit sin Though he dwell among devils and death yet he partakes not of their filth and guilt but shall overcome and destroy them all And to Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant We are come to Iesus to the truth as it is in Iesus to the power and wisdom of God which is Iesus we have the Law written in our hearts We are come to Iesus instead of Moses who is the Mediator of a better Covenant If we be Christians indeed we are not come to a Law that hath onely a sound of words written on stone but we are come to a Law written in our hearts we are come to Iesus the Mediator of the new Covenant We are come to the efficacy of his mediation And to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel The blood of sprinkling It is an allusion taken from those sprinklings under the Law all which pointed to this We are not come â—â— corruptible blood we are come to the blood of sprinkling that is incorruptible That speaks better things c. It speaks and what doth it say It makes intercession for us it makes intercession in us and the Lord he is with us by a word of power speaking and commanding sin and death Satan and Hell out of our souls This is the Doctrine The glorious state which is the true Gospel state it is the state of every true Believer though it may be many do not know it it is a state in the spirit and it is revealed by the spirit This is the Gospel state and therefore if you profess the Gospel do not sit down below it Let us all be making to it let us not stay at Mount-Sinai but let us pass on to Mount Sion Let every one of us look whereabouts we are whether we be under a spirit of fear if we be this is Mount-Sinai or whether we be under a spirit of love of power and of a sound minde if we be this is Mount-Sion Are we in earthly or in heavenly places Take notice that there are three states 1. One is in Egypt under the bondage of sin Satan death and hell 2. Another is leading out of Egypt in the wilderness at Mount-Sinai leading up to Adams perfection to a perfection in nature but there is no resting here This is but a shadow Christ in the flesh came in this natural perfection but he dyed to it and in it and rose again to the life of God 3. A third state is the spirits of just men made perfect Here is rest and stability Here is the kingdom of God do not sit down below this for if you do you sit down at best in natural Reason in a shadow in a lye Some sit down in the filth of nature but do not ye sit down no not in the excellency and perfection of nature Look to the high calling of God in Christ Iesus unto which ye are called But I pass over from the Doctrine and come to the Vse which the Apostle makes in ver 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven God speaks once and twice and we hear him not God is continually speaking He speaks in every creature he speaks in every providence he speaks in every administration do you know his voice He speaks on earth and he speaks from heaven See that ye refuse not him that speaketh God speaks from
in you Christ in you dead Christ in you alive He is alive that was dead then you live Because I live ye shall live also Look if ye know this life You are in him that is true and he in you that is true he is risen and you risen with him ascended with him and set down with him in heavenly places FINIS THE MAJESTY of GRACE OR The Soveraignty of SALVATION SERMON I. TITUS 2. 11 12. For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world c. VER 15. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority Let no man despise thee IN the beginning of this Chapter the Apostle is directing Titus how to carry himself in his Doctrine towards all Sexes and Ages of men But speak thou the things that become sound doctrine That the aged men be sober grave temperate sound in Faith in Charity in Patience The aged women likewise that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness c. Young men exhort to be sober-minded Exhort Servants to be obedient to their Masters c. And here he laies the ground and foundation of it which is an encouragement to Titus to set upon this preaching it should not be in vain For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us c. The grace of God shall teach with thee therefore be thou a Minister of the grace of God be thou bringing forth this grace of God which hath appeared that hath appeared in us and hath appeared in thee Thou hast a Ministry of the Spirit go thou forth in that and bring up men from the grave of ungodliness to the grace of God do thou bring forth that redemption which is come forth in Jesus Christ do thou bring forth Jesus Christ in those to whom thou preachest And what do we unless this grace go with us The grace of God which is also The God of grace unless God be in grace it is such a grace as may be received in vain I laboured more abundantly then they all saith the Apostle yet not I but the grace of God which was with me and in me The grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men hath appeared Therefore exhort all men and teach all men and make a proof where this grace of God will further appear it hath appeared teaching us see whom it will teach besides I shall speak to the words as they lie in order and as I shall conceive may be most profitable for us The grace of God The kindness of God the favour of God as it is called in the next Chapter After the loving kindness of God appeared c. The grace of God or the God of grace Grace without God will be abused but grace from God and with God is Salvation The grace of God is God in Christ The Scripture that tels us in one place of the grace of God tels us in another place of the God of grace and the grace of God doth give God himself unto his People I am thy exceeding great reward The grace of God that bringeth salvation There is Grace and there is Salvation the Scripture speaks of but grace is not all nor salvation is not all Salvation will not satisfie him that hath the God of grace but he must have glory as well as salvation it will not satisfie an heir of heaven to be safe only but he must have a Kingdom It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you a Kingdom We must take the Scriptures in their extent There is one place speaks only of grace there is another tels us of God One place speaks only of salvation another tels us of glory God will give grace and glory Each single Scripture doth not express the whole mind of God They that will take the Scriptures by pieces and not the whole Scriptures must make account to be deceived The grace of God that brings salvation God in grace brings salvation and is salvation and there is no salvation but where the God of grace is come Gods appearing in his love owning us and manifesting himself to be our portion this is salvation In his favour is life Whosoever doth not believe the wrath of God abides upon him His anger and absence is death and destruction every man is under destruction and death till the grace of God come to him till that appear If you look for salvation where is the grace of God or the God of grace appearing The grace of God is salvation and salvation is the grace of God or the God of grace The grace of God that brings salvation There is grace that doth not bring salvation there is the grace of God in these outward things there is the grace of God in gifts this grace bids us look after salvation this grace leads unto repentance but here is the grace of God that brings salvation and that is salvation it self Here is God in grace come to us here is the grace that turns the heart from the world and sin and hell This is salvation The grace of God that brings salvation There is no salvation by Works there is no salvation by the Law salvation is by the grace of God by that grace that makes us to do the works of God by Gods working in us by Gods taking us into himself All our works are wrought in God It is the Scripture expression The grace of God that brings salvation unto all men The Apostle spake before of aged and young male and female of Servants and Governours teach them all for the grace of God hath appeared to all and for all It is come to every mans door brings salvation to all to all that God doth make any reckoning or account of the holy seed Of others it is said Thou puttest away the wicked like dross Psal 119. There is a generation of men that are in no better esteem with God then those creatures begotten of corruption Thou puttest them away like dross These are the seed of the Serpent You are of your father the Devil and his works will you do It is a poor languishing controversie that in which so many are exercised about Vniversal Redemption Let every man look whether salvation be come to him and whether he hath entertained it and embraced it and if so let him rejoyce Let every man make his Calling and Election sure and let him be a good Minister of this grace of God to others leave disputing and jangling and begin to live By denying ungodliness and worldly lusts live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world And be a pattern and example Make thy self a pattern of good works Let thy light shine before men that they may see thy good works and glorifie thy Father which is in heaven Salvation to all hath appeared Grace ever was but it appears
in time There is nothing that is but it hath been Grace coming forth is nothing but the Childrens coming out of their minority from under tutors and governors The Saints coming from under the Law and out of the flesh There is a time appointed of the Father for this this is the time of grace grace hath appeared and we receive the adoption of sons God tels us we are his begotten his inheritance and he is ours Grace comes forth and appears by degrees and there was never but some appearances of grace But a low appearance of grace is counted as no appearance in respect of a higher That appearance before Christ in the flesh is counted no appearance in respect of that which came forth with Christ in flesh That appearance with Christ in flesh is not appearance in respect of that which comes forth with Christ in the Spirit When he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation to them that wait for him He appears now to salvation but now he appears in sin and weakness and this is not appearing in respect of that which shall be the glory is no glory in respect of that which is coming that is at the dore God brings forth himself out of the dark he hath put himself into the dark and he comes up by degrees he lyeth under vails and coverings and hides his face There is everlasting mercies but they are hidden Your life is hid with Christ in God and God reveals this by degrees There is grace not appearing and salvation not appearing where it is And there is wrath and destruction not appearing also where it is they will both come forth And till these do come forth it is very irrational for any to judge that that which now doth not appear is not there and will never appear It is the comfort of them that wait for grace and cannot see it I know thy poverty saith Christ to one of the Churches in the Revelations but thou art rich Rev. 2. 9. There is nothing to be done for our salvation and glory but the bringing it forth the making it to appear We have a life but 't is hid and vail'd and so we are said to be dead as 't is in Col. 3. 1. Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in glory Grace hath appeared teaching us 'T is a blessed thing to know the teaching of grace There is the Laws teaching and Graces teaching there is a Letter teaching and the Spirits teaching In the first teaching we are ever learning but never able to come to the Knowledge of the truth but are still led about with lusts Here is onely a profession and nothing but a form but there is the teaching of grace which is the writing the Law in our minds and putting them in our hearts Here is the Covenant of grace the Law of grace when we are delivered up into the Doctrine as the Apostle expresseth it Rom. 6. 17. the form of Doctrine into which you were delivered as 't is in the Margent We are delivered up into the Doctrine we are formed and fashioned and moulded into it There is an appearance of God in Majestie in Mount Sinai that makes servants and slaves and bondmen that saith Do or you dye Do or you are cursed And there is an appearance of God from Mount Sion in love and grace The God of grace or the grace of God hath appeared and he teacheth us his ways and he makes us sons and he brings forth his own nature in us 'T is our life our meat and drink to do his will and finish his work The everlasting Covenant in blood comes forth and makes us perfect to do his will Here is the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Iesus that frees us from the Law of sin and death 'T is a sad thing to be only under a Letter and under a Voice to have nothing but a Letter and a Hearsay Nothing but a voice and direction without here is nothing but enmity within But the word is nigh thee in thy heart when we come to this teaching this inward teaching this Law of the Spirit All other teaching without this inward teaching doth but put us into a Dream into Fancies and we think and seem that we eat and drink but when we awake we shall find our souls hungry and thirsty But this grace of God that teaches effectually delivers us up into the Doctrine moulds us into the form of that which is taught The God of grace appearing to us we are turned into his Image from glory to glory by his Spirit 2 Cor. 3. latter end Let 's all look after this teaching this inward teaching They shall be all taught of God Let us look after the teaching of Christ who spake with authority and not as the Scribes Let us look for power and life and light from God And let 's deal with man for nothing else but that we may hear God by him and see God in him and be able to say God is in you of a truth The grace of God which brings Salvation hath appeared teaching us grace and favor it is exceeding winning God doth overcome all our evil by good Love is mightily constraining She had much forgiven her she loved much Let favour be shewed to the wicked he will not learn righteousness in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly as 't is in Isa 26. 10. Thou after thy impenitent heart treasurest up wrath and dispisest the goodness of God that leads thee to repentance Bounty is leading to repentance but the God of grace and the grace of God it sets up repentance in us Let us go forth then in grace and in love And so let us be winning and working upon others Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly c. Many men will say if I deny my lusts all the lusts of the world here 's an end of my life What shall I do How shall I live Thou shalt live the life of God It brings death upon this life this Worldly life and brings us to live in hope Looking for that blessed hope It is a foolish thing to a carnal heart to think of suffering it self to betaken off from the present enjoyment of the world the satisfying his lusts to live upon hope But the hope that is in God is firm and sure and surerer then the World The World passeth away and the lusts thereof and they that have their life in these things find nothing but shame and Death but this hope never makes men ashamed Which hope we have as an anchor of the Soul both sure and stedfast and which entereth into that within the vail And here le ts take notice of this That the grace of God that brings Salvation is made out in teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts Every one
of us talk of grace and Salvation If we be partakers of grace and Salvation indeed then we are delivered from worldly Lusts in some degree We are taught by it to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts We are taught by it likeness to God and not to be fashioned to this world To deny ungodliness is to deny every thing that is not like God Not to walk like men the Apostle condemns the Corinthians that they walked like men It may be 't is a strange thing to hear we should not walke like men Like whom should we walk Like the Devil Like beasts So some do No you should walk like God The grace that brings Salvation It doth not bring you to satisfie sensuality to satisfie Lusts nor to follow the creature but it brings in power it brings in and raiseth up the life of God whereby we deny these Lusts whereby we famish these Gods of the Earth God saith he will famish all the Idols And this God doth when he riseth up in us he famisheth in us the Love of the World the love of flesh This grave and hell he starves them both This grace of God that brings Salvation leads up into Heaven into God into the Spirit and satisfies and fills us in the other World And we deny our Lusts after this They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and Lusts They have done it and they are doing it 't is as good as already done for there is that power in them which will do it a greater power then is in the World 'T is the Circumcision in heart by the Circumcision of Christ 'T is dying with Christ and being buried with Christ 'T is dying to this fleshly State to this glory and these contentments It is the consecrating us to God so that he becomes our delight he is our Joy he is our riches We sought them in the flesh we sought them in the World Then we sought Corn and Wine and Oyle now nothing but the light of Gods countenance this is grace and this is Salvation And the world and the flesh which is generally sought after by us it is a vail of death It is a vail upon Christ a covering upon the life of God It is the grave and the prison of the Saints it is Babylon and the Northcountry into which we are carried The North-country far from the Sun far from light far from life When we come into flesh we are buried here we are estranged from our own life which is the life of God And the grace of God appearing that is as it were the Sun drawing nigh When the Sun comes in the Spring and Summer the face of the Earth is renewed We come into the nature of wrath but as grace returnes again so this life appears and comes forth this Sepulcher is opened and this vail is rent and the Earth gives up her dead and no longer covers her slain The flesh and World and glory thereof riches and contentment are a vail and covering upon the life of the Saints For God is life and Salvation union with him that is life indeed and the appearing of this union is life manifested That which the World and natural men do call death is indeed the swallowing up of death as 't is called Isa 25. He shall take away the vail and the covering that is upon the face of all People He shall wipe off all tears and shall swallow up death in Victory The World and flesh is a Vail and is a Vail of tears when this Vail is rent by the comming of that which is called death then life-comes indeed and death is swallowed up in it God who is our life appears Grace and Salvation is not leading us into contentments of the flesh into the abundance of the riches of the Earth 'T is not satisfying of lusts but the killing of lusts 't is bringing forth the Spirit bringing forth the life of God Godly in this present World By this will appear how far Salvation is from most men Salvation is far from the wicked as David hath it because they keep not thy Statutes Little do wicked men think there is no Salvation but in keeping Gods Statutes but that is the truth of it Salvation is conformity to God to be made like to God to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and the love of the World is enmity to God This is Salvation and the same is destruction to wicked men Worldly men they have their life in the Vail their life is in the World and in the flesh When God appears and throws off the Vail there is nothing to be seen by them but death and destruction And what is the second death that the Scripture speaks of but the appearance of God The manifestation of God 't is the second death 't is everlasting destruction to them that know him not that have no life but in the flesh and in the world When God appears here ends their life and here begins destruction they are destroyed from his presence That which is life and Salvation indeed is death hell and destruction to a worldly man and if he speak his heart he will say if this be salvation let me have none of it I know not what it means I know no other life but this in the flesh What saith the Apostle The life I live I live by the faith of the Son of God t is not I live but Christ that lives in me though I live in the flesh yet I do not War after the flesh though I live in the World I am not conformed to the World but transformed On the other hand the life of the World is give me Corn Wine and Oyl ease in the flesh honour in the World the life of the Saints is lift up the light of thy countenance make me after thine own heart form me according to thine own Image fashion me to thy Will teach me to deny my self It is feeding hell and destruction to satisfie worldly lusts it is life and salvation to deny these to crucifie these therefore le ts be acquainted with grace and salvation what it is Le ts not deceive our selves with names of things le ts not call evil good and good evil put light for darkness and darkness for light Le ts not call wrath and destruction grace and salvation Whoever thou art that only looks to the world and flesh and outward things thou dwellest in wrath and destruction Thou hast vexation here and the Gospel makes thee mad for it puls thee from these things and with the more power it comes forth the more hell works within thee Now begin to learn what is salvation it is to have power to deny these lusts to crucifie the flesh to be taken out of sensuality to be redeemed from among men Is this a strange thing to you then salvation is strange and grace is strange 'T is to be conformed to God to know what his good and acceptable