now are and the earth shall be burnt up with the works thereon even the earth that now is and that answers to the earth drowned with the flood in the days of Noah the graves shall give up their dead and they that sleep in Christ in bodily death shall be together with such as live to that day caught up into the air to meet him and be ever with him whom now in this body they are though Saints absent from 1 Thes 4.15,16 with 2 Cor. 5.6 and one shall not prevent another in possessing that Kingdom or the Kingdom in that administration Abraham Isaac and Jacob are not made perfect without us nor shall any then living prevent those that have died in the faith long since and received not the promises at their dying Heb. 11.13,39,40 They are lyers and Antichrists then that tell thee they have those things already when as many of the Saints or such as shall be so are yet dead in their spirits yea dead in sin It s true at that great appearing of the Lord Gifts shall cease and Tongues and Prophesying nor shall any man need in that Kingdom to say to one another know the Lord for all the subjects of it shall then know him when we are all come together in the unity of the faith and in the acknowledgement of the Son of God unto a perfect man but till that time as we have clay tabernacles bodies of flesh for our spirits to inhabit in so shall we need outward mediums for our helpfulness suited to our condition and Christ being ascended hath also given gifts unto men and appointed the ministration of his holy Apostles and Prophets with the Evangelists Pastors and Teachers to teach his Saints by for the work of the Ministry for the perfecting of the Saints and edifying of the body of Christ and to preserve us from being blown away from Christ by every Winde and blast of Doctrine even untill that time that we all come together as is said before unto a perfect man Hold thou these things fast then and be not shaken in minde by any mans words or writing or by spirit as if that Day of the Lord was always to some or other come come in the Apostles time to them or in this time to these as it must be if there were any morning light in these mens doctrine It s to be feared rather that these are introducing a more notable Apostacy from Christ that must precede or go before that his coming See I pray thee 2 Thes 2.1,2,3,4 c. I might insist upon that saying here That the worlds at an end in and with them for such like expressions drop from some but I hope that 's so evidently false to any in their right minds in that they yet live in the world eat and drink marry and are given in marriage as other men yea follow the fashions of the world too in trimming up themselves and seeking the riches pleasures and fulness of the world so as that Religion rather seems at an end with some of them that little credit will be given them therein Sect. 10. Of Sobermindedness and Humility TAke heed also my Brethren of those evils before spoken of that lay open the soul to the power of Satan and especially of spiritual pride highmindedness and curiosity think not of your selves because of your parts strength wisdom visits attainments above that is meet nor lift up your selves by those things that are given you There is an insobriety and spiritual pride that many times men of parts yea believers are prone to fall into to over-wean their own abilities Did not Peter err that wayes when he was confident that though all denied Christ yet he would not and we see what became of that thought it made him presume to put himself into the temptation more then the rest and when he was tried he proved as weak or weaker then the rest A haughty minde often goes before a fall Pro. 16.18 Men proud of their abilities and puft up as if they were some body in their attainments are nigh to falling for he that lifteth up himself shall be abased but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted Luke 14.11 God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble 1 Pet. 5.5 And yet how prone men of parts or such as attain to much favour with God are to be puft up we may note in this that when God had rapt up Paul into the third heavens he presently after sent him a prick in the flesh a messenger of Satan to buffet him that he might not swell in a fleshly doting upon himself for the abundance of visions and revelations given him 2 Cor. 12.7 Flesh hath an inclination in it to swell even by occasion of those things that God priviledges a man in by his Spirit therefore it needs to be sometime taken down Paul was not without some feeling of it and therefore could the better warn others of it Not to be highminded but to fear Rom. 11.20 especially seeing our standing is by faith and faith receives all from and lives upon another and not upon astock in a mans self It s a vertue carrying the soul to lean wholly upon God in Christ his Wisdom Strength Mercy Truth Faithfulness and not upon its own sufficiency parts attainments in it self c. Now as he that lives upon God must needs live surely so he that lives upon his own fulness though he think it is God in himself he lives upon must needs live dangerously because upon an empty broken Cistern there are no persons in greater danger to fall into the temptations of Satan then such for they that live on high in themselves are like the drunkard on the top of a mast being drunken with a conceit of their own sufficiency they reel and stagger too and fro and fall down into the gulf of error and wickedness for by how much the more the heart exalteth and prides it self in its fulness so much the less it mattereth to lean upon Gods Word and mind his Directions and the less it mindeth Gods Word the more empty it is of the Strength and Wisdom of the Spirit that therein worketh and so the more apt it is to close with delusions especially with such swelling words of vanity and deceit as best suit with and nourish such conceits of self-fulness pride and high thoughts of self putting men upon bold presumptuous adventures as if they could fly up into the heavens and as if they had now no further need of Churches or Gods spiritual weapons no further need of Praying Hearing Scriptures Conference any thing they are ready to dare the devil to tempt them and sit loose from Christ as able to go on alone without his mediation but alas this is their folly for leaving him they are soon over-reacht by Satan who can easily hold them fast especially when he hath perswaded them there is no such thing as a Devil or Satan Take heed
word before he was made flesh here the person neither was nor is the word There was Death according to the flesh so there is in the Saint but not so here as there for Christ died to take away Sin and was made an offering for sin but not so the Saint the Saint dies because of sin in him according to the flesh that being quickened in the Spirit he might more gloriously live to God but his Death in the flesh makes no expiation for sin nor is he the propitiation for any others therein He also rises again with Christ but not for such end as Christ he rose for our Justification but not we for any others but to enjoy the benefit of that that we have in him yea in this also there is another vast difference between Christ and the Saints that in the Saints are these three things 1. The substance of man consisting of body and soul 2. The flesh old man or sinfull disposition in them and 3. The Spirit or new man that lusts against that flesh but now in Christ though there was flesh of Adam and that subjected to infirmity because of our sins and Spirit or divine nature as the word of God yet in him there was no sinfull disposition no guile was found in his mouth nor was sin in that regard of inherency ever known to him in that he died it was for our sin the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him and through his stripes we are healed Isa 53.5 To say nothing that he is the Head also and the Saints his members and not the head He the Advocate for them the Great high-priest above them and over them they his house and people in which there is evident distinction between him and them and dissimilitude which as well as the similitude is to be minded diligently that we errâ— not But to return to the estate of the Saints according to that twofold consideration in which there is resemblance viz. as of Adam and as in Christ Sect. 2. Of the state of Saints as in the flesh COnsider my Brethren that though ye be Saints yet ye have still a relation in your persons to the first Adam you have yet a fleshly earthly substance made of the dust and that must go to the dust again an humane soul also breathed in of God to animate that earthly substance and this in your naturall and animal being which is neither of the essence of your Saintship nor yet annihilated by it you are Saints not by carnall earthly generation but by divine and heavenly Calling of God and by your insition into Christ the holy one who unto us is made of God wisdom righteousness holiness and redemption And you that are thus called and thus made Saints are yet according to your visible and natural substance and subsistence sons of Adam mortal men and women and according to this view and consideration acknowledge your selves in the flesh yet in a state of great weakness and imperfection both in regard of mortality and Death reigning in your members filling you with aches pains faintness weariness sicknesses till you be brought down to the dust of Death to which you also are appointed with other men it being the portion and lot of men as men and so of the Saints also as they are men as also in regard of sin the corrupt and cursed principle of flesh within you not wholly as yet outed by grace though conquered and put under and fastened to the crosse that it might be destroyed it hath yet such an existence in your flesh and nature that it much clouds the minde in seeing the things of the Spirit much dulls the heart in and withdraws the affections from the cleaving to and eager pursuit after them yea subjects you to uncomly unsaintly practises and behaviors in your walkings mingling your prayers with mistakes diffidence impatience dulness your minds with worldly earthly affections your walkings one to another with uncharitableness passions offences rashness c. though this flesh is in some more mortified in some less in some shews it self more one way in some another some are more covetous then others some more uncharitable some more passionate c. and this is found in Saints as they are sons of Adam they inherit from him by Nature their earthly substance with its infirmities weaknesses corruption and sinfulness Not to mention that according to this consideration there are among Saints many external differences as of male female young old rich poor Ruler Subject Master Servant Jew Gentile English Scotch Dutch French c. all which with many other like distinctions and differences in the flesh their grace or saintship doth not annihilate nor are they therewith to be confounded nor are they or their infirmities of sin or frailty to be wholly disregarded as if there were no such things in them or incident to themâ— Such their state after the flesh is a state of imperfection Sect. 3. Of their state after the Spirit BUt then according to their spiritual Being as born of God and as in Christ and so as Saints there their condition is far otherwise In Christ they are compleate Col. 2.10 He their Head and the root of their Saintship is altogether perfect and absolute in him no death no sorrow no crying no infirmity pain sickness mortality no sin corruption or corrupt weakness Old things are passed away behold all things are become new 2 Cor. 5.17 He is altogether holy righteous wise spiritual divine immortal the Elect of God the Son and Heir of God in whom dwels all the fulness of God yea of the Godhead bodily So that there is no defect or want in him for them either of life wisdome righteousness holiness glory or of any thing good for them He is a place of broad Rivers and Streams in which they may swimm and their estate as in him is a state of great glory and perfection comming unto him ye are come to sonship to life to immortality to righteousness to redemption and whatever may conduce to or advance your happiness and being in him ye are all this A new creature partakers of Christ a chosen generation a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation Kings and Priests unto God members of Christ and in and with him called Christ because anointed with the same holy Unction and to the same glory and dignity only in subordination to him as the members to the head the younger brethren to the first-born among many brethren for in all things he is the first and hath the preheminence And as thus looked upon and considered in the Spirit ye are above sickness weakness sin c. they have no room oâ— place in this new state or condition Nor is theâ— herein any distinction of male female master servant bond free rich or poor but all in Chriâ—… are one new man according to this spiritual being righteousness sonship holiness with aâ— the priviledges of Christ are alike their portion
us and other we expect and waite not for come come and let go that your fleshly knowledge of and faith and hope in that Jesus Christ the man that was born without you according to the letter and you shall enter into the love with us and shall find all these things that ye there read of done within you you are now exposed to tryals and walk sometime sadly and you are tyed to this and that ordinance but we are past all those things and quite beyond them and we are come to inform you of this our perfect condition in which there is nothing that God reckoneth sin to us nor are we in any bondage but peace and liberty is all our portion You are in hell in darkness but we in heaven in light into which we are come to draw you these and such like are the hony combs that drop from their lips the flatteries with which they entice and lay in wait to deceive the yong and unstable ones boasting of their own peace liberty and high attainments of infallibility and promises of the like betterness to others that will follow them with an undervaluing of others attainments and simplicity of faith that they have in Christ Jesus till they corrupt them from it And indeed whom would not such fair speeches catch and carry away Who would not long to lick at such hony drops and kisse the lips that are so delicious who would not beleeve such fair flourishes when they tell them also they are their experiences especially when they that hear are unsetled and impatient to follow their Jesus through tryals and wait upon him for his glorious happinesse many strong men have fallen by her saith Wisdom and few or none that turn in to her are able to get out again but are so in wrapped in her snares and find so much pleasantness in her deceits have such strong fancies and delusions of joy peace liberty heaven happiness here already God giving them up thereto with such a free run to serve the flesh too that they follow on still as an oxe to the slaughter and as a fool to the stocks till a dart strike through their liver for though this strange womans guests are in the depths of hell yet they are not sensible of it they know it not till Christ by the brightness of his coming and breath of his mouth shall awake them and fill their souls with horror This is the way by which they beguile the simple and unstable souls colouring over their words with here and there a snatch from the Scriptures as Satan also did in his temptations and confessed Christ for his own ends and purposes though in their hearts they slight the Scriptures in generall picking out here and there a line which they wrest and pervert to their own destruction as they will alledge that there is no new thing under the Sun to prove that Christ shall never come otherwise then as he doth come daily and was never otherwise 〈◊〉 childe and weak but as he is at present they will tell you that Paul saith henceforth know we Christ no more after the flesh to prove that the beleeving on Christ as he was made flesh dyed rose and ascended c. is but a fleshly faith and knowledge of him and to justifie themselves for their not so beleeving they will alledge that Flesh and blood shall not inherite the Kingdom of God to prove that Christs body was not taken up into heaven that body which he bade his disciples handle and see that he had flesh and bone in and to prove that our bodies shall not rise again and be made glorious and immortall as also to the same purpose they alledge that the body returns again to the dust and the Spirit to God that gave it they will bring that Christ in you the hope of glory not as the Apostle preacht it but to prove that there is no being of Christ without and distinct from men and that Christ is nothing else then some spirituall frame within and many such like abuses of the Scripture they do make to perswade to the belief of their assertions such as yet bear some reverence to the authority of Scripture and indeed some of them in their Writings and discourses begin with very taking considerations and some true speeches arguing that they have met with spiritual light but have been led away from or perverted in it through Satans subtilty they will speak against a notional Faith and against idle speculations of Christ without power and urge that Christ must be in men and they conformed to Christ and partake of the holy Unction c. and all this way fair and good but then with them or at the close of them they usher in these perverted strains of slighting Scriptures Ordinances Faith in Christ crucified c. yet with such subtilty that there needs a good measure of spiritual understanding and good vigilancy to descry them for by reason of those preceding Truths they begin withall many are unaware caught and taken yea they would deceive if possible the very Elect. Such is the way of the whorish woman such her Panders the messengers of Satan transforming themselves into Minsters of Righteousness to pervert the Passengers towards Wisdoms House into their deceptions but now what is the danger of being snared by them and of falling in to this temptation is nextly to be spoken Sect. 7. Of the danger that attends mens falling into this Temptation THe danger that attends the being taken iâ— these snares or rather the end and issue 〈◊〉 such men as are overcome thereby is altogetheâ— inexpressible but those expressions of it that thâ— holy Ghost hath left us upon Record are such aâ— may well affright us from once listening theretoâ— and fill the hearts spirits of with those inuttâ—rable horror that are guilty thereof The rewarâ— or Wages of sin in general is death Rom. 6.23 and the ruine of all that know not God and thaâ— disobey the Gospel is exceeding horrible viz. to be punished with everlasting destruction from thâ— presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2 Thes 1.9 to be debarred for ever from the enjoyment of the presence of God in which is fulness of joy and where are rivers of pleasure for evermore Psal 16,11 and to be shut up in perpetual misery and darkness but yet the expressions of their ruine and misery that run into these snares of Satan are such as evidently assign to them a first portion the holy Ghost being very full and frequent in setting forth the nature and consequents of these kinde of sinnings with answerable aggravations of their punishments for he tells us that these persons that run into these snares do not onely neglect a greater salvation then any formerly in the Law propounded Heb. 6.2,3 but also they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame Heb. 6.5,6 He was once crucified for
heaven and those Ordinances are but as dishes in which that food is presented or the way in which we are to seek and look for it for men to live upon their acts about and attendence to them then is to idolize them or lift them into an higher place then God hath appointed them and to make a Christ of them neglecting and missing Christ himself the life and fulness of them And such an abuse of them or of our selves in them is as far from pleasing God as the setting up devices of our own as is to be seen Iai. 66.3,4 from resting in the form of godliness without or with denial of the power of it men are to be taken and did these men say no more they were to be commended therein but when they take advantage from this truth under pretence of taking men off from resting in Forms to withdraw them from the Ordinances themselves as if they are to look after a power without a form therein they do foolishly being deceived and deceiving therein they set themselves against the Lord Jesus who commanded them yea exalt themselves above him and above God in him Even as they that throw by the Acts and Ordinances of Parliament though never so lawfully convened and pretend themselves to be above them do therein throw by their Authority and set themselves above it and sure they that do so with Christ do deny the Lord that bought them and exalt themselves with the man of Sin above all that 's called God or that is worshipped as if God and Christ had no authority or power to bind them Perhaps they will tell thee that as some persons may not be concerned in some Acts of Parliament and so they may be above it because it doth not reach them and all Laws or Acts though of that authority yet when repealed men are not under them and yet no lifting up mens selves against or above the power that made them so there are some persons who are above those Ordinances of Christ because he did not intend them for them or to be of any binding force to them or that though they have been in force yet now their date is expited he hath disannulled them To the former part of this objection agree those sayings of some that they are under a higher administration time was when they were under them and found use of them but now they are so no longer they are useful for Novices but when Christ hath given his Spirit unto men and so they have him they have no more need or use of them To the former agrees that conceit that as the Laws of Moses were in force some time till the coming of Christ in the flesh but after that gave place to him and God then changed his administration so the Ordinances of Christ were in force so long as Christ was in the flesh but when the Spirit of Christ was given or Christ laid aside his flesh and came in Spirit then no more use or need of them The latter of which contains notable deceits and falsehoods for neither did the Law of Moses cease to be of force when Christ came in the flesh but was in force till after his Resurrection untill the pouring out of the Spirit or his coming in Spirit as they call it though the Ordinances of Christ were instituted before that time also nor did Christ put off or lay away his flesh but raised it again that the word of Prophesie might be fulfilled that said Thou wilt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption which the Apostle Petrr tells us was fulfilled in that That the flesh of Christ saw no corruption Acts 2.31 Though he laid aside his weakness and form of a servant yet not the substance of his body which he shewed to his Disciples to have flesh and bones in it after his Resurrection and in which he ascended filling it with the glory of God as before it had the experience of mans low condition Besides Christ poured out his Spirit upon his Disciples to that end that they might teach and subject the Nations to his Institutions and they were so far from expiring then that then was the beginning of their impouring Plain it is that our Saviours Commission in which he injoyns and authorises his Disciples to disciple the Gentiles or Nations Baptising them and teaching them to observe all things that he had commanded them Matth. 28.19 did both begin then to take place when the flesh or body of Christ being taking up from them the Spirit was poured out upon them for till then they were to and did tarry at Jerusalem in expectation of the promise of the Spirit to fit them for the works of their Commission Acts 1.4 and the Ordinances therein spoken of were ordered to be in force to the worlds end for so long as he expresly tels them they should have his assistance and spiritual presence in the work of their Commission And so I am with you saith he to the end of the world And the Supper of the Lord is said to be for shewing forth of the Lords Death till be come 1 Cor. 11.29 for which coming the Church prayeth and therefore surely is so to pray till â—e come But here some have another glorious but deceitful evasion for granting that they are of force till the end of the world till the coming of Christ they reply To us he is come and with us the world is at an end we are already in possession of him raised judged and in heaven And here seems to be the heighth and strength of delusion and this is that with which they strengthen the former part of the above-mentioned objection namely That they are attained to a heigher administration then to be under them To discover their delusion in which let this first be premised that these expressions are capable of a double understanding the one more inward and spiritual and as a first fruits of or earnest of the other a coming of Christ in the power of the Spirit to the soul raising it up in the knowledge of himself and God in him from its spiritual death in sin to a spiritual life the life of God justifying of it and giving it an escape from condemnation taking it out of the state of the world and deading it in its principles and affections to the world and the world to it And here Christ is to and in the soul its life and hope of glory and sets it in heavenly state with himself in regard of hope and some experience of the powers of heaven And this is a thing that comes now to one soul now to another as men are brought in to depend on him But now there is another sense of those phrases and that most usual in Scripture namely to denote the great Day of the Lord the coming of Christ in glory and power bringing all his Saints with him executing vengeance upon all that have done ungodlily and fully
he then conversing with them and instructing them and as he was so doing he was taken up out of their sight into heaven and they stood gazing up after him Luke 24.51 Acts 1.9 which things are not applicable to Christ within them Again it s said He shall come not in but with his Saints Jude 14. accompanied with them and they shall be all caught up to meet him together in the air 1 Thes 4.16,17 But in the spiritual coming of Christ in the Saints there is no such being caught up into the air there to meet him besides that thought denieth and destroyeth the Humanity of Christ and all its unspeakable glory upon its â—nexpressible sufferings for it springeth from such a conceit that there is no spiritual glorified body of Christ for him to come in but onely the mystical his people and it leadeth to the denial of all that glory that the Saints shall have in their bodies by and after the resurrection of them yea then we destroy the faith which witnesseth that even that that is gone up to heaven from the earth and is no longer in the world with his Disciples but is contained in heaven shall at the time of the Restitution of all things descend from thence and come again even Christ in that his sometime dead but now raised and glorified body to judge the world in righteousness and that then they that have here suffered and been put to death for righteousness sake and for their testimony to Christ shall be raised up again out of all their death and be by his glorious and divine power presented alive set free from all their mortality and corruption that now cleaveth to them and receive the great and full reward of all that patient waiting upon God and warring against the Beast the World Satan and Sin which untill then is laid up and reserved in heaven for them Acts 3.13,14,21 Then shall it be that they shall have no more pain sorrow crying or death but shall be compleatly like him even to Christ whom they have honored and whom then they shall see as he is and not onely have glory but appear in glory to all with him but not till then as some wrongfully understand or apply the things so spoken Thence need of Patience and Faith throughout all the dayes of warfare and therein to follow the steps of the Fathers who all died in Faith not having received the Promises for indeed God hath so ordered for the full performance harvest and full possession of these great Promises that one Saint of Christ shall not prevent another Abraham and Isaac shall not be perfect without us nor we without them the then living shall not prevent or be before them that long since are faln asleep and as to their bodies are dead Heb. 11.40 1 Thes 4.15 Therefore also they are grosly erroneous and to be avoided as destroyers of the faith who say that the Resurrection is now made or is already past and the day of the Lord even of that his discent from and coming in the clouds of heaven so much spoken of in the Scriptures is already come to them 2 Tim. 2.17 and they are in glory and have already as much fulness of it as is ever to be had by any These are the mockers fore-spoken of that contradict the tenour of the Apostles Doctrine These are of them that say they are Apostles but are not but are found to be lyars Revel 2.2 And therefore thou who ever thou art that art called to and believâ—st in Christ fly thou from them and gird up the loyns of thy mind to waite with long-suffering and patience for the great Harvest the salvation to be revealed at the great appearance of the Lord Jesus and the resurrection of the just knowing that those that deny these things are of the same strain with the ancient Hereticks long since condemned by the Apostles and given over by them to Satan for blaspheming but mind thou the faithful and true sayings of God and wait for them offering up thy very body also a sacrifice to God holy and acceptable by Jesus Christ to do and suffer his Will knowing that thy labour shall not be vain in the Lord thou shalt receive it in a far better state then thou layst it down in for him and therein also the reward of all those things here wrought and suffered for his Name Sect. 4. Of the Resurrection BUt because it hath been the old trick of Satan and a master-piece of his subtilties to stagger and subvert men as much as he is able about the Resurrection And because it is so fundamental a point and so properly Christian that the denial thereof overthrows the whole Christian Faith and Relâ—…ion and makes it worth nothing therefore I shall yet add something further for thy help against the cunning sleights of those instruments of the wicked One which are now as busie as ever to pervert thee herein That the dead shall rise the Scriptures are so full and plain and particularly the confutation of the Sadduces by our Saviour himself and the Apostle Pauls discourse about it to the Corinthians that there seems to be no possibility of denying it by any that pretend credit to the Scriptures and yet some such do it by eluding and perverting those Scriptures to other senses or other Scriptures that they conceive make against it as others do it upon grounds of Reason as they conceive against the Scripture I shall say something to either of them The Scriptures they pervert are such as that of Solomon The body goes to the dust and the spirit to God that gave it Eccles 12.7 which is nothing it all so much as in appearance or shew against the Resurrection of the body all those that plead for and believe the Resurrection of the body manimously affirming that the body must go to the dust the spirit or breath be gathered up again to God which is all that the Text says but we believe too that they that sleep in the dust of the earth even the dead bodies shall arise again out of the dust and both bodies and spirits united be presented before the Judgement Seat of Christ to receive the things done in the body whether good or evil Joh. 5.29 Isai 26.19 2 Cor. 5.10 which that Scripture hath no shew of a denial of nor that that one thing befalleth a man and a beast as the one dyeth so dyeth the other c. Eccless 3.19 for besides that Solomon there doth but tell us what he said in his heart not what God said to him we deny not that as to the bodily death men and beasts are both subject thereto but we say that they are not alike as to Resurrection nor doth Solomon either speak of or deny the Resurrection in that saying he onely speaking of what befalls men in the flesh here not of what their state shall be for ever hereafter That which they most insist on is
that in 1 Cor. 15.50 That flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven neither doth corruption inherit incorruption which they indeavour to wrest and abuse to the denial and overthrowing the whole business of his discourse in that Chapter professedly to prove the Resurrection of the body not considering that 1. The Apostle says not thus Neither flesh nor blood shall inherit the Kingdom of God but flesh and blood copulatively together now flesh and blood is used in Scripture to signifie a natural man in his corruptible unrenewed estate and sometimes a body subjected to weakness and infirmity Heb. 2.14 whose natural life is in the blood and so nourished by a constant supply of blood from food received from without and indeed men shall not be such in the Resurrection to have their life in their blood as now and so corruptible and weak But this we expresly finde that the Body of Christ after the Resurrection by his own affirmation was flesh bones though spiritualized Luke 24.39 his blood was before shed for remission of our sins as the blood of expiation and surely to a raised body and immortalized blood is no more essential then our hairs are of the essence of a body mortal I would say rather that as the corruptible body in this state of corruption may be and subsist without hair or the like excrements so is it very conceivable that a spiritualized body shall subsist without blood its life not being then therein nor to be maintained by a continual supply and course thereof but immediately by the divine Spirit and Power of God Therefore it s a very inconsequent Argument to say because flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God therefore the body of Christ had no flesh in it upon its Resurrection directly contrary to his own assertion Luke 24.39 or that his body in which was flesh and bones was not assumed up into heaven or that mens bodies which now are flesh and blood shall not be raised and in their raised state be glorified or thus A natural body while such shall not inherit the Kingdom of God therefore this natural body shall not be raised and in its rising made spiritual and so be a subject of his Kingdom That speech then doth but point to the condition of the body when raised that it shall not be such as now it is a body of infirmity flesh and blood but it denies not that the body shall rise even as the foregoing similitude of the grain of Corn doth demonstrate that he meant for there he says Thou sowest not that body that shall be and yet we know its the same in another form or rather that that springs up namely the blade and ear and corn in it springs from that very body or bare grain that was sown or that bare grain that is sown by dying revives again in another and better form so also is the Resurrection the same dead body that was sown rises yet not the same in regard of its form and manner of being It s sown in corruption it s raised in incorruption the same it that was sown rises again though in a better manner more glorious powerful spiritual then when it was sown 2. The Apostle plainly expounds himself ver 51 52 53. when he says we shall not all sleep that is rest or lye in death but we shall be all changed Now there is a great difference between a being changed in our bodies and having them annihilated or for ever lost for that the change shall be in the body is plain in Phil. 3.31 He shall change our vile body and make it like to his own most glorious body and that this change shall not be the creating a new body that is totally distinct another from this in which we now live and die is also plain in this that if the Resurrection was the living again of the Spirit in another body then this body that dies should or might yet lye in the grave notwithstanding that resurrection in another body and so the body of Christ in which he died should have been sound in the grave still when the Disciples went to the sepulchre to imbalm him but the Scripture plainly tells us that they found it not there and of that the Angels said He is risen he it not here Matth 28.6 He might have been risen and his body there too if what was put off â—nd laid down in the grave was never reassumed 〈◊〉 raised again out of it but some other body given in stead thereof Nay indeed that conception is inconsistent with the tearm of Resurrection for Resurrection is not a creation of a â—ew or another body but the rising again of â—…at that was dead or faln as all know that understand the force of the word Resurrection Yea that also would be point-blank cross to what the Apostle yet adds further the dead shall â—e raised incorruptible and this mortal shall prit 〈◊〉 immortality and this corruptible must put on incorruption he said not that the spirit that lives and goes to God shall appear again in a new body that never was in being before an incorruptible body made of nothing or of some other materials but the dead shall rise incorruptible yea this mortal this that now is subject to death this very body shall put on immortality and this corruptible not another that never was corruptible or corrupted but this body that 's now corruptible that now hath its life in its blood and dyes corrupts shall put on immortality and so shall triumph over the grave O grave where is thy victory which they could never have ground for if the conquest of the grave should be perpetual and never restore the dead bodies that it had swallowed So that its clear by the Apostles own words and by what we read of Christ raised to which ours are to be conformed that this Scripture also is abused As for the liftings up of their understandings otherwise they are partly conceptions of impossibilities of such a thing as if the bodies were so torn and corrupted and the ashes or reliques of them dispersed that its impossible it should be raised which is an impious conception for it chargeth God with weakness and impotency as if any word was impossible to him well therefore did our Lord tax the Sadduces with erring upon these principles that they knew not the Scripture nor the power of God Vain Earth-worms who are we that we will undertake to measure and put bounds to his omnipotency and make that an impossibility with him that we cannot fathom in our narrow apprehensions Of the like nature is that foolish conception that the world will not afford room enough for so many millions of men that should be raised up as if he that made all things by his Power when as there was yet nothing could not either reduce all the dispersed parcels of his dead creatures into one body again or finde room
it thinking by his blowing to make it burn because there wants a principle but when fire is put to it the blast of the Bellows is and may be profitable so is it here As the Apostle John in giving instructions says to the Churches I write not these things to you because ye know not the truth but because ye know it and that no lye is of the Truth 1 Joh. 2.21 So I may say I give the following with the foregoing exhortations to you not because ye have no ability to discern of them or principles to lead you to them but because ye have because the Spirit of God hath begun to write his Law within you Object But what need for man to exhort when God himself works and writes hiâ— mind Answ I answer man therefore exhorts because God works for he works in one to exhort another and he writes by Exhortations oâ— Declarations made by men to one another foâ— God is in his people of a truth 1 Cor. 14.25 Epheâ— 4.6 In all the Saints and through all thâ— Saints In every of them working inlightning supporting gifting them and through them all speaking and acting through his gifts given tâ—… one to and in another so as that the body make an increase to it self in love through the Spirit divine power and working of God that dwell therein though the Saints are Christs Epistlâ— written by the Spirit or Finger of God yet that Spirit is ministred by the Saints that is in the exercise of their divive gifts to one another Ministred by us written by God 2 Cor 3.2.3 Wâ— are as the Pens with which God writes upon the heart though the Spirit of God is the hand that guides us and his Word and divine gifts the inke that fills us and makes us capable of leaving Characters and Impressions upon one another in our Ministrations we can indeed minister thiâ— writing no further then that hand of the Spirit uses and impowers us and that divine Ink fills us but so far we may therefore let no man despisâ— Prophecying 1 Thes 5.20 or slight Exhortation presuming that God immediately without the ministrations of his gifts in and by others will do all in him God hath not dispenced all his fulness to any one member except the Head but to all together in union with the Head that through each he might supply other Therefore let no one member swell against and despise other much less God in his brother nor let him that is to administer as particularly that exhorteth be negligent therein as if his administration or exhortation could add nothing to his brother or as if his brother had no need thereof Rom. 12.8 for God is in and with his divine gifts and administrations and as God in me may make his operations through me profitable to my brother so doth my brother need that addition of helpfulness from God that be tendreth him by me both because he is not full of himself without me and therefore cannot say He hath no need of me 1 Cor. 12.21 and also because he hath a principle in him that resisteth and fighteth against that of God that worketh in himself and that principle so strong and subtile and he so apt to yield to it that he needs anaddition of watchfulness and helpfulness from God through others as though the fire be apt and fit to set the wood put to it on a flame yet if there be much moisture in the wood to damp the fire the fire will need help from the blast of the Bellows to strengthen and excite it against that moisture or an increase of fire to be put to it that the strength of it multiplied may operate more strongly Saints are not all Spirit though in a degree they be spiritual they have a law in their members as well as in their minds a law of sin opposing grace as well a law of grace opposing sin Now the law of sin is more natural to them and is much excited and stirred up by many outward occasions sollicitations provocations examples threats c. from without so that ostentimes the Saints listen to it rather then to the Law of Grace in them therefore also an addition of spiritual Grace by and through the communication of the gifts and measure of grace given to other Saints is needful that spirit in its forces uniting it self together in the Saints as well as the flesh unites its forces together that it may be able to resist and overcome it the charmings of the flesh backed with its outward objects motives and provocations are often ready to lull the soul asleep and make it deaf to the teachings of Grace and then the operations in and through a waking Brother may be of use by way of Doctrine Admonition Exhortation and Councel to awaken it and make it give better attention to the whisperings of Grace within it self though the Apostle told the Philippians that God wrought in them to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 yet he neither ceased to exhort them nor intimates that its needless for them to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling but indeed upon that ground exhorts them thereunto It s God that works in you to will and to do of his good pleasure O stand in aw then fear to smother those â—nward operations of grace within you fear to grieve and resist him yield you up your members â—n that strength of his that worketh in you to â—ffect finish or work out what he there workâ—th you to nor is it for any to say God is Almighty and if he works in us we will take no are we cannot fail to work out his workings â—re Almighty and cannot be resisted and frustrated for though in himself he be Almighty and can and often doth work so almightily that â—one can or shall resist him yet his way of working in the soul in the excitings and moveings of his Grace are neither always nor ordinaâ—ly in that Almighty way He is Almighty that works but he works not always so Almightily as that his workings may not be resisted He is Almighty in all his works it s his Almighty power that effecteth them the very growing of the corn or grass is the Product of his Almighty power but yet he doth not work so almightily therein but that man by substracting or removing some secondary cause or instrumental medium through which that power is put forth may usually hinder the growing of this or that particular grass or corn as by drying up and hindring the moisture from it or inclosing it from the Air and heat of the Sun c. and yet man is not therefore stronger then God for God could maugre all that man can do make it grow but he dispenses his Power usually according to the capacity of the medium through which and subject unto which he conveys it and he doth not usually alter the course of his ordinary way to shew
condition it s an easie thing to be circumvented by him such high expressions such glorious speeches such enticing and swelling words though full of vanity to a spiritual discerning because they have not the bread of Life the foundation of our hope in them with whom are they not taking The consideration of which having pressed me forward to the writing and publishing of this small Treatise in which though I be but weak I have endeavoured according as by Covenant I am bound for the rooting out of Error and heresie in my place and calling though not primely upon that consideration to prevent the spreading of this grand infection that though I have little hopes of reducing those that are corrupted yet I might be a means to stablish some that are wavering and prevent their falling I have chosen as to the Saints in general so to you in particular to Dedicate and present it out of that respect I bear to you and the good that 's in you and sense of obligation upon me toward you Desirng God ever to guide and preserve you And you yet to account me Ladies Your Servant in the Gospel JOHN HORN Lin Novemb. 2. 1650. To the Congregation of the first born yet warring on earth whose names are written in heaven and particularly to those of them that I minister unto at Lin c. grace mercy and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord. Brethren YOu cannot but know that the Church of God is in Scripture resembled to a natural body wherein are many members united to each other and to one head and by one Spirit growing up in exact unity now as in the natural body there may be many infirmities and many things are liable to offend and hurt it so also is it in this mystical sometimes it may be subject to distempers by nauseous crude undigested humours the want of thorow closing with and drinking in divine truths or the drinking in untruths may occasion a surfeit and aversation from truth sometimes flatuous and windy humours of pride high-mindedness and lying spirits getting into some of its members may distemper it sometimes feavourish heats of violent headiness instead of wel-tempered zeal for God and godliness may inflame it and sometimes the cold aguish or palsie humours of deadness in benummedness to Spiritual motions in its tendency to its spiritual and supream end may so seize upon it as much to impair its strength and to appearance bring it nigh to death But God whose Temple it is hath provided for it against such distempers and dangers both meat and medicine to feed and cure it As Christ himself is the prime and great tree of life in whom the word is so united to the humanity that the humanity was ever in all times of Winter blasts and Sommer droughts refreshed and upheld thereby and made glorious fruitful and his fruits are good and prosperous fit to feed and his Leaves full of vertue to heal the Nations So is every one that through grace is brought to believe in Christ and gathered up into unity with Christ and lives upon the word of Christ Psal 1.3 as a tree planted by the waters side Jer. 17.7,8 Even one of those trees of life that grow upon the banks of that great river of the knowledge of God in Christ that proceeds from out his sanctuary and runs from beside the Altar or sacrifice of Christ and under the threshold the Gospel and its Ordinances holding forth Christ Ezek. 47.1.2.12 whose fruit is for meat and its leaf for medicine The lips of the righteous feed many and their fruit is as a tree of life Prov. 10,21 and 11.30 the doctrine they receive from Christ is a wholsome doctrine 1 Tim. 6 3.4 and full of healing by which they are more and more rooted into and united with Christ till they all grow up into such a close and full union with him that the many trees on the banks of that river Rev. 22.2 be made perfectly but one on both sides of that river Eph. 4.13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith and acknowledgement of the Son of God unto a perfect man Now I knowing that in this body there are at present as at other times not only many inward weaknesses but also many things from without indangering it yea that many parts of it are sorely laid open to infections from divers that seem to be of it or converse with it though I be less then the least of all Saints yet according to the measure of the gift of Christ given me I have endeavoured to administer that that I have from the head which may make for its strength and nourishment yea and to hold forth such of his Leaves supplied to me by his good hand as may either prevent or cure the infections feared desiring that we may all so press after further knowledge of and growth in Christ as that yet we may be kept from imbracing false Christs and from being snared by the poison of those false Prophets who instead of hastening mens growth up into Christ which they pretend do secretly and subtilely corrupt men from the simplicity that is in Christ as if a man by stretching of a twig to make it grow longer should pull and sever it from the body of the tree upon which it groweth As for the mind to be without knowledge is not good so he that hasteth with his feet sinneth Prov 19.2 I desire that what I present to you in love and for your good may be taken in good part and soberly considered by you and that what you see to suit with and proceed from that good spirit of God that is but one and the same in all ages and gives unity to the body in all its memberly differences may be received and held fast by you and if in any thing you see either further or better then I impart of your measure also to me that we may grow up together by that which every joynt supplieth all holding fast and not letting go the head from whence we receive the right and true spirit that will give us to increase So shall our feet abide within the gates of Jerusalem and the Lord himself shall dwell amongst us shall judge rule and teach us and in his teaching we shall not be vainly puft up with a carnal mind like those bodies that are puft up with unwholsome humours but grow solidly fat and well-liking and shew that he is gratious and that there is no deceit or unrighteousness in him To him and the word of his grace which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance I commit you with my self being The meanest of your Brethren and companions in the way of Salvation J. HORN The Contents Chap. 1. A Description of real Saints Pag. 1 Sect. 1. Who are not such ibid. 2. Who are p. 7 Chap. 2. Of the estate of Saints p. 11 Sect. 1. More generally their
his Sacrifice sanctifieth men and makes them Saints or holy unto God it being the anointed one Christ himself that is their sanctification by being in him they become separared from the world and are made Gods lot part and portion a people holy to him Saints then are a people created in Christ Jesus or begotten and born to God in the Knowledge and faith of his Son by the power of the Spirit a people born of the Promise of God or word of Promise that is the Gospel concerning Christ raised from the dead and the salvation that is in him Gal. 4.24,25 Acts 13.32.33.1 Pet. 1.3 and 3.31 The manifestation of God his Mind Love Grace and Goodness therein being that water in the Word flowing from beside the Altar of God of which it behooves that men be born through the power of the Spirit working therein or else they cannot inherit the Kingdom of God Ezeck 4.7 That 's the Free-woman the Jerusalem that is above the mother of us all by this a man drawn to Christ quickened up and devoted to God in him is made a Saint of God So that in this Saintship there are these two things to be minded 1. That God in the word of the Gospel concerning Jesus Christ and his Death Resurrection and Mediation hath shined in his love to the soul and thereby hath begot and in some measure quickned up a man to a lively hope a hope in God and that founded upon nothing of his own nor any fruit of the Law in him whether sorrow humiliation reformation legall conversion work indeavour frame or vertue found in him but only the grace and love of God as manifested in Christ Christ dead for him and risen for him and glorified of God for and to him received into his heart by faith is there become the hope of glory to him the sight or belief of Christ crucified for him drew him in to beleeve not his conceited act or fruits of beleeving made him judge Christ crucified for him 2. That the love and grace in Christ thus apprehended by him and giving him hope changes him into the likeness of Christ principles him God-ward puts a law of love into his heart and carries him after God and so devotes him unto God to Christ to be his and for his praise So that in a Saint of God there is neither a hope bottomed upon his changing and endeavors nor yet a dead hope without a change but a change and renovation springing from his hope and that hope from grace discovered in God by Jesus Christ in the power of the spirit he hath his life in love and lives to the God of Love And every such soul as from the grace of God in Christ is quickened up to hope in God and in that hope given up to be God's Christ's whatever difference may be found otherwise in the flesh or in some opinions not essentiall to the faith is a Saint of God whether for the Scripture makes this difference 1. Children weak and as it were but embrio's Christ not yet formed in them Gal. 4.19 their apprehensions of Gods love in his Son but weak and small and so their hope and faith but little and weak wavering staggering not as yet setled and confirmed and made strong in Christ who therefore are to be tendred and more warily walked toward and as it were nursed up with wholesome words like milk and not roughly dealt with lest they be broken and lest by any abuse of our liberties or any other way they be scandalized and offended or 2. Young men such as are strong and have overcome the wicked one have endured temptations and have the word of God somewhat setled and abiding in them and therefore ablet to bear and not so soon stumbled nor in so great danger of miscarrying or 3. Farhers men well grown and long experienced and so more usefull for begetting and training up others in the knowledge of Christ 1 Joh. 2.14.15 And to all such as thus by the word of the Gospel and the grace or love of God therein discovered to them in the Death and resurrection of Christ have been emptied of themselves and their filthy confidences and rejoycings and are begot to hope in God and framed to the love and likeness of God in some beginnings or in further growth do I bend my following words with the severall counsels and instructions therein given CHAP. II. Sect. 1. Of the estate of the Saints ANd first of all I desire you to minde the state in which you are which admits of diverse distinct considerations For a Saint is in a measure proportioned to Christ and there is a great deal of likenes between them though also mixed with much unlikeness Christ had a twofold nature and discent each of which had its distinct properties of God and of man the Son of God and the Son of man according to the flesh and according to the Spirit according to the flesh of the seed of David according to the Spirit the Son of God and so declared to be with power in the resurrection from the dead Rom. 1.2.3 According to the flesh the Jews knew whence he was and stumbled at him according to the Spirit they knew him not whence he was nor did acknowledge him according to the flesh he was put to Death and died according to the Spirit or in the power thereof he was raised again He was a man a man anointed of God with the holy Ghost and power So is every reall Saint or Christian he is to be considered as a man and as a Saint as of Adam as in Christ of God according to the humane nature that he hath by generation in the flesh and according to the divine nature which he partakes of in the Spirit He is neither all flesh nor all Spirit but hath something of both though yet neither in the same way had Christ his flesh as he hath neither hath he the Spirit in the same immeasurable fulness as Christ had so that in that regard there is also disproportion between them the very flesh or body of Christ was so of God that it was not by immeditate humane generation and he was so the Son of God in the Spirit that he also was and is God and all the fulness of gifts and grace was and is in him not so the Saint he hath his flesh by humane generation as other men and he hath a measure of the gift of Christ in one way or other but no one hath all nor can communicate to others as Christ can The man Jesus Christ was the Son of God by union with the word so are the Saints but not in the same manner there the word was made flesh and the person so made is yet called the word here the word is united to the soul by faith yet so as it s not made to be flesh or man nor the person in whom it is is made the word there he was the
possession till hereafter It s laid up for the Saints to be given out when they shall all be come together in the unity of Faith and acknowledgement of the Son of God unto a perfect man in the mean time Christ is in them the hope of glory There is yet an aliquid ultra yea a maximum ultra in the Saints injoyments the best is kept till the last as it was with the wine in the Wedding Joh 2.10 in regard of full injoyment Abraham and the Fathers died not having received the Promises Heb. 11.13 and in that regard one Saint shall not prevent another but all together possess their fulness fully God in wisdom gives out here but a glimpse of that glory or a transfiguration only that the Saints might alwayes have a Loadstone before them still the stronglier to draw them after him a prize in their eye the thoughts and hopes of which may whet on and hearten them in all their deepest sufferings they neither have the fulness of possession here in their bodies which are vile and weak and exposed to sufferings nor in their spirits which are yet too narrow to contain all their happiness Saints think not your selves yet perfect in your attainments or injoyments of your portion lest you grow proud and sloathful but press yet further on there is more before you then yet you are aware on you must go over Jordan before you can possess the whole land of Canaan you may have tasted some of the Grapes and first fruits of that pleasant promised possessionâ— yea perhaps some have set foot in some borders of it for in this matter also there is difference between Saints some have injoyment of more then others but on this side death think not to have all you are called to inherit though you haue right to all yet not possession yet of all nor doth your right extend to a present full possession Here you have and shall have enough dispensed to you to whet you on further and prepare you for the fuller injoyment bless God in Christ for that and in his strength pass on yet to what is laid up for you to be injoyed by you in the full revelation of himself unto you Heb. 4.3 you are entring happily but have not as yet entred or set down in your full rest your bodies are yet exposed to infirmities and sufferings your Spirits too are subject sometimes to ebbe as well as flow if they be awake and undeluded they have their further reachings and pressings after God in this regard then your state is yet imperfect as 2. Again in regard of the effects of your being in Christ in conformity to him in holiness as well as in the fruition of your happiness Union begets assimilation as ye come to know him that 's true and to be in him that 's true so ye come to like him and be made like to him but as your knowledge of him is not in the fullest degree of its perfection so neither is your likeness to him It s indeed the property of true reall faith and union with Christ that as there-through we behold him we are changed into his likeness from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3.18 and in that Saints differ from other men other men change themselves by looking into the Law of works and endeavouring to conform themselves thereto or else rest in a notion and are not changed or not changed into his likeness nay many from their changes think to behold his glory but the Saints having first a true sight of his glory his glorious grace and love in the glasse of the Gospel or Law of liberty are thereby changed into his likeness but not all at one but gradatim by steps from glory to glory when Saints shall see him fully they shall be fully like him but not till then And that you are not in this respect as yet perfect I suppose there are none of you in a right mind but will confess seeing you cannot but see the witnesses thereof in you for whence else arise delights in earthly riches honors apparellings approbation whence passions and contentions whence high thoughts of your selves and secret distrusts of God when tryed by him or the like yea whence diseases and distempers of body but because ye are not yet perfectly like him there may be and are differences here too according to your different measures of knowing him and rootedness in him and eying of him but none of you but may yet go on to more perfection It s true the Apostle saith so many as are perfect let us to be thus minded Phil. 3.15 that is as vers 13.14 not to judge our selves perfect or to have attained but to press on still forward Asa was perfect in his heart all his dayes and yet he imprisoned the Prophet of God and did not trust as he should have done in God but sought unto the Physitians and not unto God 2 Chro. 15.17 with 16.10.12 his perfection was in that he judged him the only true God and turned not in his heart after another God after Baal or any other as some before him had done but in this his perfection he walked not perfectly as to his seeking to and walking with that God but sinned greatly against him as is fore-mentioned A man is said to be perfect when upright in that measure he hath not guilefull double halting between two opinions owning no other God then the Lord. So Asa was perfect and so the Apostle in the place quoted mentions perfection so many as are perfect be we thus minded Phil. 3 15. and many are in that sense perfect whole-hearted for God and Christ but in that sense I mean it not when I speak here of imperfection but as of that to which nothing can be further added a perfection in degrees in that sense I say the Saints are here in a state of imperfection they have not yet that perfect conformity to Christ in holiness as they may and shall attain to when they perfectly apprehend him and the glory in him not only if we say we have not sinned but also if we say we are so perfectly renewed that we have no sin for Christ to purge out and further cleanse us from we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 Joh. 1.8.10 However perfect our state is in Christ Jesus the head and as reckoned after him though righteous as he is righteous yet we that are so reckoned have in our own persons yet sin abiding in us though we be not in it nor so looked upon yet it is in us and if it be sowen unto it occasions chastisements too unto us that we might deny and be purged from it oh ye that are in Christ Jesus deceive not your selves as if because perfect in him ye were perfect in your selves too and had nothing more in which to be conformed unto him Sect. 5. Of the state of Saints with reference to enemies against them I Have
the same spirit and inward principle with them yea they depart that they might be manifest that they were not of them Yea some of understanding may fall too to try the rest and to purge them yea of the Princes of the Congregation and renowned of the Assembly some are sometimes perverted not having had the Word mixed in their heartâ— with Faith nor living upon the Word but upon sensible feelings and experiments as many such the Rebels of the Israelites had had Such are in likelihood then to be discovered that they being purged out by some way or other they that live by Faith and are sound in the Word might be approved the more and the less by such indangered Besides That all is not gold that glisters in the Saints even they whose hearts are right and bottomed on the VVord have flesh mixing it self with Spirit and polluting the things of their spirits even their faith hope confidence love c. all in which that proceeds from and is generated by the flesh is but flesh all that that springeth not from the VVord and Spirit and is not of the infusion and operation of the Spirit is but flesh and amongst a great heap of Oat there is many times much dross in a great deal of joy and peace and faith appearing there is much flesh Now God orders temptations to his that the fire thereof might purifie them that that which is flesh might be purged out and that that is good and spiritual might be the more approved and shine the brighter be made the more solid and compacted and better able to endure after-encounters Yea herein also he gives them the larger experiences of his power and faithfulness and makes them instruments of his greater glory and fitter for the receit of their inheritance Thence that of James Chap. 1. Vers 2 3. My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience and let patience have its perfect work that ye may be entire and wanting in no good thing And that in 1 Pet. 1.7,8 That the trial of your faith much more pretious then that of gold may be found to praise honor and glory at the appearance of Christ Jesus Let us not therefore beloved think strange of any fiery tryal whether of fiery persecutions from men or of fiery darts of temptations from Satan that comes to try us as if some strange thing had hapned to us 1 Pet. 4.12 It s Gods way with all his pretious mettals with all his Saints he brings them not into his Treasury before he have tried them and purified them he gathers not his Corn into his Granary till he hath fanned it Indeed the proper Son of God Christ Jesus had noâ— dross in him but he was tryed and tempted for our incouragement while we know that wâ— have a merciful high Priest for us that hath broken the power of the adversary in his personal incounters and was in all things tempted as we except that he had no sin and so is meet to succour us in our temptations for him and to give us victory over them Heb. 2.17,18 and 4.15.16 Yea he was tempted that it might be manifest that there was no dross in him and that he might shew us the way of overcomming but if He was tempted that needed not any trial or purgation as pertaining to himself and if all the Saints have used to pass through temptation and God hath good ends in it sure then it behoves us to be circumspect and expect it prepare and arm our selves against it watching and praying that we not fall into it Matt. 26.41 The rather considering what an adversary we have to incounter with Satan that is full of diligence and malicious vigâ—lancy to harm us of whom and whose subtilty and wily industry I shall shall say a little to you Sect. 2. Of Satan and his subtilty SAtan is the more perilous adversary to us because of his extream subtilty force and vigilancy the two former from the nobleness of his first created being which by how much the more high spirituall it was by so much the wiâ—keder it is become being fallen for wickedness is never so dangerous as when it meets with power and knowledge to improve it his vigilancy to harm us proceeds from his degeneration and inward wickedness and hatred against God and us His subtilty is noted in his name of Serpent and by those phrases that tell us of his wiles and methods as his malice in that he is called the old red Dragon full of wrathfull poyson his strength by the name of Lion and his diligence to improve all these against us in that he is said to go about like a roaring Lyon as if he should say like as a Lyon hungry and roaring after his prey useth all diligence to catch it so this grand adversary of the Saints goes about compassing the earth and prying into all occasions dispositions and wayes for opportunities to do them mischief He seekes and he walkes about seeking whom he may devour making it his business and trying all one by one as it were sifting men as wheat is sifted in a seive if he cannot catch this man he will try another and if not this way then another there is his eager and violent diligence in this his mischievous way and of his subtilty to try all wayes and conclusions and to winde us in and ensnare us there is no room to doubt seeing as we said before he is a Spirit and so hath the more insight into us bodies can discern but bodies with their animal senses but Spirits especially when not impeded with bodies can pierce deeper and see something far into dispositions and Spirits Men of a subtile Spirit can discern much into others tempers and dispositions how much more Satan that is a Spirit and can come nearer to our Spirits he can discern very much of mens dispositions and suit his temptations unto them He is an Artist in his way and can lay a long train of temptations so deeply and politickly that none can espy him scarcely If he see men not wholly taken off of the world but that the flesh with its affections and appetites after carnall objects are somewhat stirring in them he can find out wayes enough to enslave them if God permit him yea and so he catcheth many in his snares inveigling them to give themselves to seek after the promotions ease liberty applause and pleasures of the world and so by degrees he deads them to or withdraws them from the mark of the price of the high calling of God and he can tell how to put on notable visions and pretences as of necessity betterness and more fitness to serve and glorifie God more advantage to the word and way of God many such fine devices to circumvent men so as they suspect little harm in what he leads their Spirits out to till they see themselves in
headlong for God saith not Ye need no miâ—stration or instruction by any men because of the unction in you for then it had been needless for the Apostle to have writ to them he might as well have spared that pains in regard of them but he says they needed not that any teach them but as that anointingt taught them â—hat that suited not with it but was besides it and â—ew to it another doctrine and light then that â—hey had received from the beginning not agreeâ—ng with that such teaching they had no need of â—n abiding in what they had received and been â—aught they should be saved I have instanced these two places that none might mistake them and abuse them as I know some do and to prevent your falling into the â—emptation of Satan when comming to any in such a way Surely my friends if you think whatever spirit comes unto your hearts and hints in â— otions and doctrines or conceptions or brings â—ny Scripture or Promise it s the Spirit of God â—e are much mistaken and may quickly be led â—nto a delusion as many that attend to such moâ—ions and flashes of joy and light and have not â—he Word of God abiding in them with underâ—tanding usually are I wish there be not too â—any of you that have had some gratious opeâ—ations upon your hearts and of you that acâ—ount your selves Saints and in a sure conditiâ—n taken in this snare of Satan learn so to lean on God as not to live upon means and run out inordinately after them where God affordâ— them not nor yet to despise his wayes and means when afforded presuming that God wiâ—… keep you safe and leave you right without them believe in God but do not tempt himâ— And where both of these are escaped beware oâ— the third in which 3. He set upon Christ to worship him that 〈◊〉 might have the glory and dignity of the worlâ— given him a strong and impetuous temptationâ— and oftentimes takeing where the other two arâ— avoided as they that are like the seed in Thornâ— ground go further then the other two groundâ— A temptation to Coveteousness Vain-glory anâ— Ambition to be great amongst men and this being suited to our sense and natural inclinations taketh often with those that have attained to much Satan knowing how to make all attainments contribute something to pride and highâ— mindedness which the more it s fed the more 〈◊〉 setteth open the soul to entertain such advantâ—ges as suit therewith Against this the Apostâ—… John writing to children young men and fâ—thers opposes this advice and counsel Love nâ—… the world nor the things of this world for the loâ—… of the world and of the Father stand not together 1 Joh. 2.16,17 But because this is not so subtâ—… though oftentimes more catching then the foâ—mer from its pleasingness to flesh as also because I toucht upon it before in the preceding Chapter I shall not inlarge so much upon it this being not faln into so much for want of discerning as by love of carnal worldly injoyment of earthy satisfaction or excellency and so needs â—ot so many words to discover it as to perâ—wade men not to listen to but avoid it Sect. 4. Of the main drift of Satan in all his Temptations THe subtilty and sedulity of Satan may appear by what is said as also some of hâ—… wiles and methods but now what is his driâ—… and design in tempting would be a little furtheâ— considered it s far otherwise then the mind anâ— end of God in suffering him to tempt God aimâ— at the triall and purging of us and so at our benefit but Satan at nothing less then to devoâ— us by alienating our souls from God in the knowledge and enjoyment of whom consisâ— our happiness And because he knows that Goâ— is not to be known and enjoyed but only in anâ— through Christ even that Jesus of Nazareâ— who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh though the Lord of David as being the Son of God according to the Spirit because he is the only maker up of the breach between God and man the only propitiation foâ— our sins by and in the vertue of his Death anâ— Sacrifice the onely Mediator of God and maâ— the onely way unto the Father by whom as bâ— hath offered up himself through the eternal Spirit a spotless Sacrifice we may have access unto and acceptance with him the onely bread of Life that God hath given us from heaven to feed upon the great Witness and Evidence of Gods Love and Goodness to us the express Character and lively Image of his Person in a word the only Saviour appointed of God to us in the vertues of his once offered Sacrifice able not only to justifie us at the first but also perfectly to save us therefore he makes it his main business in order to the alienating men from God and depriving them of eternal happiness to turn or keep men out from believing on him even as the Serpent beguiled Eve so doth this wicked one indevour to beguil souls now corrupting their minds or thoughts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the simplicity that is in him from their single looking to God in and through him Now how did the Serpent beguil Eve but by perswading her that their living by faith in the Word of God and in observance of the way of God was a blind low kind of living but would she be ruled by him and listen to his counsel they should attain to a much better condition live a life of Knowledge like to God and not in such a subjection to and dependance on God even so as the Apostle intimates 2 Cor. 11.2,3 Satan now seeks to deceive by insinuating into mens thoughts that the Death Sacrifice and Mediation of Christ are but low simple things fit only for Novices and new beginners to live upon and the living by faith in him and in submission to his Doctrine and Ordinances a poor despicable way of living that keeps men in blindness and subjects them to many exercises and temptations from which would they listen to his counsels he would soon free them and bring them to a more godlike condition Thus withdraws he mens souls from Christ and leads them either wholly to sleight and trample upon him to loath the feeding constantly upon him as if he was as the murmuring Israelites said of their Manna but a light bread and to account the blood of the Covenant but a common poor thing and so to itch and covet after some more sensual satisfaction or else to joyn something else with him as the matter of their souls feeding and bottome of their confidence towards God and way of approaching to him as if there was not the fulness of God in him or as if he was not compleat nor had done so much in and by his one once offered Sacrifice as that in and with the vertues of it he is perfectly furnished for leading
them and bought them and that he willingly condescended to out of his love to them but now these crucifie him again to themselves and put him to more grief as it were by their wicked and wilful departings from him and so in the most hainous sort ill requite and deny him Nay they are said to trample him under foot and count the pretious bloud of the Covenant by which they Were sanctified a common thing and to do despite to the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10.2.9 That bloud that was the bloud of God pretious bloud not to be reckoned amongst corruptible things as silver and gold Acts 20.28 1 Pet. 1.18,19 that they account as prophane or common ordinary blood nothing better then the bloud and sufferings of an ordinary man and whatever the Spirit speaks therethrough they despightfully and reproachfully blaspheam so great is their sin and he tells us their punishment is like to equalize it for they in so sinning put themselves besides the benefit of Christs sacrifice there remains no longer any sacrifice for them that can make in their behalf any expiation Heb. 10.26 thy have neither Father nor Son to be their protection or to afford any safety to them 2 Joh 9. Whatever they may dream of taking Satan for their glorious God and King and his delusions for lighâ— and consolation and however they may boaâ—… of God yet God they have not he is no way ingaged by any Covenant or Promise now tâ— them they having trod Christ under foot anâ— wickedly departed from his bloud and from hiâ— Doctrine they bring upon themselves swift distraction 2 Pet. 2.1 and the very blackness of darkness is reserved for them for ever Jude 12. though now they talk of greater light and Satan make them as Wandring Comets Jude 13. having 〈◊〉 fixed abiding station in the Son of God nor filled with the divine beams of his Light yet they must go out in darkness yea into the blackness of it the most horrid darkness the worst and depth of misery must be their portion this is the end and will be the issue of their delusion thither tend the steps of this whorish woman or spirit of error her house inclineth unto death and her paths unto the dead Pro. 2.20 Yea the dead are there and her guests are in the depth of hell Pre. 9.18 I will not here run into any curious search oâ— discourse about hell what it is it is sufficient to know that it is and will be a state of unspeakable horror torment misery and confusion in which men shall partake with the wicked one and his Angels in the weight heaviness and everlastingness of their destruction in the depth of which the Spirit of God â—ells us are the guests of the foolish woman the spirit of Error opposed to the Spirit of Truth called Wisdom I will not say nor do I think that all have been â—…ibling at these baits of Satan and parlying with him in these temptations nor that all that have through weakness been overtaken and catched in some degree of them are irrecoverably gone into this condition no some such may be pulled either by compassion or by fear and dread as brands out of the sire Jude 22,23 and God may be merciful unto them because they did it in weakness and through violence of temptation but all that willingly yield up themselves hereunto and persist therein till they be one with Satan and his Instruments are like to partake with them in the blackness of their portion and to have their latter end Worse then their beginning 2 Pet. 2.20,21 Sect. 8. Who are in danger to be snared herewith and by What steps THere are divers sorts of people in more speciall danger to be snared with these deceits and they that are snared are carried to the heigth of it by divers steps worthy our noting It s good indeed for every one to be cautelous and not secure yet there are some in greater danger then others and that are more usually taken in it In general all such as have not thâ— Word of God abiding in them or so rooted and deeply entred with understanding intâ— them as to dwell in and keep them through temptations as is noted Matth 13.19 such 〈◊〉 the Word had not root in fall away in a time 〈◊〉 temptation for indeed it s the power of Goâ— that keeps men and that keeps us by Faith aâ—… Faith is not but of the Word of God so thâ—… letting go the VVord is the departing frâ—… Faith and the departing from that is the beiâ—… loosed from that saving Power of the Spirit 〈◊〉 God Now all they in whose hearts the VVorâ— hath but a little superficial place their hearts being stony so as they give not through and intiâ—… credit to it are soon loosed from it and so 〈◊〉 great danger of falling and this Peter implieâ— 2 Pet. 3.16 when he saith They that are unlearned and unstable unlearned he means not 〈◊〉 Arts Sciences and Languages which suffice noâ— to this business but that are but smatterers dâ—… of hearing not of understanding in the Mysteriâ—… of God or in the Word of his Truth and whoâ—… hearts are unstable and unsetled not throughâ— perswaded but halting between two opinionâ— easily blown away and removed these wâ—… the Scriptures to their own destruction and fiâ— away into the error of the wicked and so inâ—… perdition More particularly 1. Such as are slothful in the VVord of Goâ— that cry not for wisdom that give not diligent â— eed to understanding that follow not after God with earnestness but neglect that great â—alvation set before them and of which they have â—ad some views and nigh drawings to them such â—s take not up well pleasedness in Jesus Christ â—hat way of Gods appointing nor have pleasure 〈◊〉 the Truth Knowledge is not sweet unto â—hem and so not heartily cleaved to by them â—or fruitful in them they receive the Grace of God in vain in that regard rest in the form â—nd in some illuminations and tasts but give not â—iligence to atrain the power of it they add â—ot in their Faith Vertue force or efficacy and 〈◊〉 that Knowledge or a further growing up into â—he Knowledge of Christ and his Truth and to â—hat Temperance and sobriety c. but abiding â—arren and unfruitful in that Knowledge and â—rofession of Christ that they have in a time of â—emptation they fall off and wither are lopt off from the Vine and men gather them into their â—ocieties and perverse wayes and doctrines strong delusions take with them that they might be damned that had pleasure in unrighteousness and not in the Truth the righteous Truth of God that they might be saved 2. Such as believe not upon the VVord and its faithfulness but upon their sensible feelings and visits whose faith is built upon sense more then upon the Authority and Power of Gods Word thus the Israelites of old who had maâ—… sensible experiences of Gods
shadow and type of some spiritual thing in us which is the true Saviour indeed of us Nay he upon this ground teaches men peremptorily to deny that there was ever such a one as that Jesus and that he is to be believed in and though men believe not in him yet shall they not be damned whatever the Scripture seems to say to the contrary And so for the Resurrection of the body it leads to turn that into an Allegory and to say however the Scripture seems to speak of such a thing yet it but seems so for it s to be understood only of a resurrection of the Spirit out of a sad and dark condition into a state of light and gladness Nay the very Being of God and our walking towards him the instructions reproofs and precepts of Grace must at length be so looked upon too as but figurative for I have met with such as have not sticked rashly to affirm that no line in Scripture but hath its spiritual meaning distinct from what the letter speaks which is the way to deny the true God and his Worship yea to make nothing of corporal adultery fornication theft drunkenness and whatever evil the letter of Scripture reproveth so that this will lead a man to be like a wild horse in a fenceless Pasture to run whither Satan shall delude his fancy and stir up his lust to lead him Therefore beware my Brethren of this temptation and of those that shall intice you to fall thereinto by sleighting the open sense of Scriptures themselves and indeavoring to draw you from it too Take the Apostles directions Remember the words of the Prophets the Commandments of the Apostles of our Lord and Saviour 2 Pet. 3.2 so look for the Spirits opening the mind of God as to hold to the words which he hath declared himself in and think not that he will declare himself to thee in any such new form as to evacuate and make a fable of what he hath fore-declared God raised up and gave to his Church Prophets and Apostles as was noted above to declare his minde and leave his Doctrine so to the Church as that we might not be tossed too and fro with every winde of doctrine But how should their Dispensations of their Knowledge of Christ as left to us by them be usefull to keep us from such tossings if they have given an uncertain found and left their Writings like a Weather-Cock to be turned this way or that with every winde if they have given us hâ—dden expressions and left them at liberty to be interpreted by whatever other spirit can declare to us another mystery then what they seem therein to have delivered Dear souls let us take heed to what is written for our instruction If the touchstone given us be made uncertain what are we better in trying mettals if the Compass given us to say by fail or be uncertain how shall we steer aright by it to our desired Haven Suffer not we our selves then to be baffled out and spoiled by Satan and his instruments in this matter remember it was the written Word and in the sense that the words seem to hold forth withour wresting straining or allegorizing with which Christ opposed Satan in his temptations learn we to do so also if we will go on safely and not be cheated of the inheritance As for that objection of some as of T. C. that the Scriptures have come through the hands of Papists and therefore probably they may be corrupted it s a very weak one as concerning the Original Languages in which they were first written for neither have they only had the keeping of them but those of the Prophets and old Testament the Jews have also and both them and those of the New Testament the Witnesses against them and their evils have had in all Ages as also the Greek Churches not all subject to the Pope and his Faction and yet those Copies they have in nothing of weight if at all differ from the Copies in the Latine Churches nor is there any probability that the Roman Church hath corrupted them not only because they could not do it but others of other Churches yea so many as were faithful Witnesses against its errors within it self must needs detect her falshood and cry shame of her but also because then they would have corrupted them in those places which reprove and detect her own errors Verily if they ever dared to corrupt them they were very fools to leave untouched the places that make against their own errors yea and yet more if they would corrupt them to speak against their errors if ever they spake otherwise more conformably to them for there as they keep them in their original languages we find testimony born against all their errors as against the Lordly dominion assumed by the Pope against their adoration of Images Invocation of Saints and Angels Purgatory Justification by Works and what not so that the preservation of the Scriptures to witness against their corruptions is a notable argument of Gods care of them and that they are not corrupted by them for if they had corrupted them they would undoubtedly have done it in those things in which they make against them But no more to that Let none of those vain assaults of Satan prevail with you to let go the Sword of the Spirit the Record of God in the Scriptures with which ye should oppose him but the more he indeavours it the more fast hold it and the more closely cleave unto them mind we that of David Thy Word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it Psal 119.140 and that ver 126 127. It is time for thee Lord to work for they have made void thy Law therefore I love thy Commandments above gold yea above fine gold the more men slight the Scriptures the more mind we them and cleave we to them there can be no greater folly then for a man to throw away his weapon because his enemy desires to have it wrested away that he might the better harm him Sect. 6. A Caveat against their abuses of Scriptures by wresting them beside their meanings I Know its an ordinary objection against heeding the Scriptures that all Hereticks too will alledge Scriptures to maintain their Heresies which as its true in it self so is it rather an iâ—…gagement to mind the Scriptures more diligently and stick to them more closely then therefore to neglect them it being certain that no Scripture contains in it any error but men do err in their collections from it and that is certainly an error that contradicts the sayings of the Scripture So we find that when Satan himself the father of Heresies set upon Christ with Scripture It is written He shall give his Angels charge c. Christ did not thereupon betake him to some other weapons and let go the Scripture but by cleaving to it repell'd his temptation from the abuse of Scripture indeed here it becomes
though they have despised the simplicity of Gods Wayes appointed for their salvation But ye beloved beware of such conceits as such are led with and keep ye close to God in making known your requests dayly and as the Apostle exhorts in every season watching thereunto that ye may find the leadings of the Spirit and Grace of God with you therein and know what to ask of him and that ye may hear what answers God will again return to you not giving over your requests because ye are not presently supplied or helped in the things ye ask but herein exercise Faith and Patience and be strong and persevere till God hath blessed you Remember Jacob who wrestled with God weeping and making supplications unto him and prevailed Remember also that Christ our Lord hath left us many instructions to importunity in prayer with many incouragements thereunto that we might not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 18.1 be out-evilled made to faint by his seeming delays and denials of us though he may try us yet calling upon him in his way according to his Will he will not deceive us Indeed if we regard iniquity in our hearts if we set up an Idol in his Temple and pollute his Name he will not hear our prayers he will have us lift up â— uâ—e hands and clean single true hearts and then he will be found of us It s true in many things we sin all and he is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity and we are in our selves too unworthy to have audience by him and too unable to do any thing fit to be presented to him but in that he hath also provided incouragement too for us we have an Advocate and a high Priest with him who hath prevented us with his Love in offering up himself for us an offering of a sweet smelling savour unto God and it s his work to intercede to God for us for us I say in special that come to God by him to take away our sins and perfume our prayers with the odours of his Sacrifice and so make them acceptable unto God yea he mediateth the New Covenant for the called Ones that the holy Spirit may be given to them to work their works in them and that they may receive the inheritance promised them Having then such invitations faithful promises and every way great incouragements let us not put off this business to some pretended illuminate Elders but let us go with boldness true hearts and full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled with the blond of Jesus from an evil conscience and bodies or whole conversations washed with pure water the pure water of his Word and the grace held forth to us therein and call upon God in and by Christ for our selves and one another that he may help and save us Had we an al sufficiency in our selves we should not need to go for help to God but we are not God nor hath God put the disposal of himself and fulness into our hand but reserves it with himself in Christ ready to give it forth to us in submission and supplication to him for it so that we have need also as well as incouragement to call upon him Pray then for help for your selves and pray for one another and for all the Saints and in special that they may be enabled to stand and for me also the meanest of all Saints that I may so declare and walk on in the Mysteries of the Gospel as I ought God will not onely hear you for your selves but for one another and without his hearing and helping the other parts of his spiritual Armor will be too heavy for you you will be as unable to buckle them all on and go forth in them as David was to go forth in Sauls armor but call upon him and he will help you yea and be armor of proof to you Sect. 8. Of Brotherly Communion YEa yet further my brethren that we might yet be better enabled to resist Satan and his temptations and to go on with patience and chearfulness in the race set before us let us go on together in love and unity not forsaking the assembling of our selves as the manner of some yea of too many is God hath called us together unto Christ as to a head and in him hath compacted us together as a body giving us a common interest in the priviledges of Christ and useful gifts differing according to his goodness that we might both have need of and be useful one to another each supplying to other out of that measure given to it from the Head in the faithful loving exercise of themselves in which God giveth forth his blessing even as the body natural thrives while the members compacted together do minister to each other nourishment and spirits without stop or interruption but when the blood and spirits have not free access and recess to the several parts and members it decays grows diseased and ill-affected and often falleth into sickness and death so is it here while the unity of the Spirit is held fast in the bond of peace and brotherly love abides and each in love seeks the love and profit of other all grow up together to a perfect man yea and all together become as a City compacted and at unity within it self and so more strong and able for offence and defence against all that would annoy but being disunited either through Factions and Divisions or through a willing careless neglect of each other and the administrations of the Lord to all by every each one they become weak and feeble and Satan gets great advantage against them to infect them one by one and to devour them for in loose sitting one from another â—or divisions each member contents it self with that measure given to it self or to a few and deprives it self of that strength life nourishment and spirits that might be administred by many Now though God be al sufficient to preserve and strengthen one alone where he by his Providence necessitates it to be so or in a hidden day such as that of Elias when the Saints appear not to or know not one another yet where he hath given opportunities of communion and mutual edification and that through pride negligence envy or arrogance is despised and slighted there souls receive not that measure of his fulness and sufficiency that otherwise they might for he that so sleights and despises sleights and despises the way that God hath appointed and ordained for us to waite upon him in and he that despiseth his Way despiseth him that appointed it and out of his way in a mans own way will he will not meete with blessing nay out of Gods way and in their own seem it never so right to men in their own eyes they may and usually do meet with delusion it being a just judgement of God upon the pride and folly of men that seeing they refuse the simplicity of his they should
freeing not onely the spirits of the Saints from thraldome in a first fruits but their bodies also from death and corruption which is called the redemption of our bodies Rom 8.23 When every eye shall see him c. Rev. 1.7 When all that are in their graves shall come forth some to the resurrection of life others to the resurrection of condemnation c. Joh. 5.29 When all the Saints together shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and be for ever with him 1 Thes 4.16,17 Now as these men deny this his glorious personal coming turning all so well as their wits will serve them and their Father help them into an Allegory so in these two things they grossly err 1. In thinking that persons to whom Christ hath come by his Spirit and whom he hath raised and quickned up to a lively hope as in the first sense are thereby above Ordinances and not bound to attend them for indeed then are they fittest to use them and will be most profitable or profited in attending on God in them Besides we finde the Apostles and other Primitive Believers of another way and judgement when the Spirit was poured upon Cornelins and his houshold that exempted them not from the outward Baptism Acts 10.48 nor were the Apostles themselves exempted from solemn prayers and fasting breaking of bread Preaching the VVord c. even after the holy Ghost was poured upon them and Christ by his Spirit dwelt with them as is plain in Acts 4.24,31 and 6.4,6 and 13.1,3 and 14.23 yea Wo to me saith Paul even after the holy Ghost was shed abundantly upon him Tit. 3 6. if I preach not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 and the Bread saith he that we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ and the Cup that we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 yea in 1 Cor. 12.13 We are all baptized saith he by or in one spirit into one body and have been made to drink into one Spirit and Chap. 6.11 they were washed justified sanctified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God but what were they all above Ordinances therefore no matter for observing them No such matter but they are yet ordered about their eating the Lords Supper yea and such as whose election in the sanctification of the Spirit is affirmed are exhorted by the Apostles to Prayer to attend on Prophesying to stand fast hold the traditionâ— such as the Supper of the Lord is called 1 Cor. 11.25 received from them either by word or writing 2 Thes 2.13,14,15 Many other like passages thou mayst finde in the Apostles Writings which they writ to preserve the Churches from sin and error which may discover the falseness of that conception Yet 2. They err much worse in that confounding the coming of Christ in Spirit to the spirits 〈◊〉 men in particular with the great Day of the Lord when he shall come to the destruction of ungodly men and the utmost salvation of all that have believed on him the Kingdom of God in the hearts of men in this Day of which Christ spake to the Pharisees Luke 17.20,21 that it comes not with observation and that it is in men yea in the Pharisees working and tendring it self to their hearts though rejected by them but filling those that receive it with righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost with the glorious Kingdom of Christ which he â—s gone to receive and which shall be set up or made manifest in the world at his great coming when he shall judge the quick and dead 2 Tim. â— 1 of which he spake to his Disciples Luke 17.21,22,23 they apply to themselves as already â—…ne in and upon them those things that are proper to that great Day of his destroying the â—…eat hope and expectation of the Saints which 〈◊〉 that great and glorious appearing Tit. 2.13 denying and mocking at that his visible and glorious coming yea and where their principle 〈◊〉 somewhat throughly improved denying the Resurrection or Redemption of the body and â—…ying the Resurrection all thats to be hoped â—or or met with is here accomplished which we â—…all speak more fully to in the proper place and â—…casion Onely now I would have thee minde that they are strongly deluded herein and that they are of those that our Saviour there doth warn us of that say Lo here lo there see here in us and to us Christ is come and the day of the Lord is revealed with us or with such and such persons the Judgement is over the mystery is fulfilled the world is at an end and we are iâ— possession of our glory though others yet are not Believe them not saith our Saviour neither go after them for that coming of the Soâ— of man shall be as visible and evident in a moment as the lightning that shines from one enâ— of the heavens unto the other end thereof iâ— shall be open and manifest to all Luke 17.22 23. Every eye shall see him even those that havâ— pierced him and all the families of the eartâ— shall wail over him Rev. 1.7 As the bringing in and alteration of former dispensations or administrations of his Kingdom have been witnessed and evidenced by notorious Demonstrations oâ— Gods Authority and presence so shal this last alâ— teration be more visible and notorious then thâ— rest When God gave the Law of Moses he did iâ— in a solemn manner with the voyces of thunderings and lightnings the shaking of the earth c. by which he owned and confirmed it as of him and when he took away that administration and brought in his onely Son and the Ordinance of the Kingdom in its present external administration he owned and attested his altering the former and bringing this in by the gift of tongues and by many wonders and signs and divers powerful works and distributions of the Holy Ghost Heb. 2.3 And when the time of the restitution of all things which God hath spoken of by the mouth of his Prophets shall come and when he shall send his Son Jesus Christ again Acts 7.21,22 whom the heavens till then must contain to take an account of all men how they have submitted to him in the former administrations of his Truth and Grace amongst them and to render to every man according to his works shall that be hidden and done now to this man and then to that no man sees how without any poblike evidence to the world No no that shall be most powerfully and to the world with greatest solemnity declared so as none shall be thereof ignorant but all flesh shall see his salvation unto is people together and those that have rebelled shall be with wondrous terror delivered over to their eternal destruction The heavens shall be on a flame or the elements melt with fervent heat 2 Pet. 3.7,10,12 even these heavens and elements and the host of them that
sufficient to contain all those bodies in These are the shallow objections of vain brains that think God can do nothing that they cannot reach to in their reasonings against which for your defence against them let me say but with Paul Why should it seem a thing incredible to you that God should raise the dead Acts 26.8 Another way in which they lift up their understandings to deny this truth is by inventing and devising how to turn all the Scriptures that speak of the Resurrection to a more spiritual sense namely to speak of the Resurrection of the Spirit with Christ or as they understand from some sad or corrupt frames to Joy and Love and Light and I know not what they please to talk of whence many of them say they have here attained the Resurrection it s now made in his life and they have experimented it all that is to be injoyed But this error as it cannot consist with many places treating of the Resurrection as when it s said There shall be a Resurrection both of just and unjust Acts 24.15 and those who are affirmed to be risen with Christ in their spirits are yet minded of a further Resurrection yea even those who are now dead while they were putting to death by their cruel persecutors and refused deliverance in expectation of a better Resurrection Heb. 11.45 so the Apostle Paul hath directly noted in Hymeneus and Philetus as an error destructive to the Faith of many 2 Tim. 2.17,18 So that we cannot without open and manifest discarding and revolting from the Doctrine of Christ delivered to us by him intertain or imbrace such an evil conception Press on therefore my Brethren in minding the Love of God in delivering of his Son to Death for our offences and raising him again for our Justification so to experiment his Divine Power and Spirit quickning up your spirits to him to hope in and depend on him and to live to him as that you may therein prove a conformity to him in Resurrection in Spirit here and be filled with a lively hope of the Redemption of your bodies too from the bondage of corruption in the Resurrection of them hereafter and let not the faith thereof go for then you wil also â—…corrupted from the hope of the reward that 's â—omised and is then to be received the time of â—…unerating the services of our faith and love â—…e towards God and his Name being at the â—…e of the justs Resurrection Luke 14.14 and 〈◊〉 ye be corrupted there you will also grow â—…less and negligent in those services yea and â—…ll into all licentiousness Know that what ever evil and mischief may â—…e befall you in your bodies for the Name of Christ and however you may and must yield up â—bodily death yet he that raised up Jesus our â—…nd will also raise us up and bring us with him 〈◊〉 Cor. 4.14 If we abide in the Faith of him â—oted and stablished and be not perverted â—…om the Gospel and the hope of it that hath â—een preached therein to us and if this Knowâ—dge abide in you and the hope thereof be â—inded by you it will make you that you shall â—ot be barren and unfruitful but to be stedfast â—nd to abound in the Work of the Lord knowâ—ng that your labour shall not be in vain in the â—ord Sect. 5. Of Heaven and Glory BUt now to say what that great Reward and Glory is and shall be is above my ability is not yet manifest what we shall be but a great reward in heaven it is an heavenly not 〈◊〉 earthly reward a reward of and from God noâ— of and by men not worldly The new Jerusalem or the glory of God coming down from heaven upon men and taking men up into heaven where now also they that are Saints indeed and walk as such have their conversation What heaven is I shall not curiously inquire Its that place and state where Christ in his Humanity is for as its the subject of bodies I caâ—… and account it a place though as of the Spirit more properly its a State as when it s said Thâ— Christ is gone into heaven it s therein signified both that his body or humanity was taken up from the earth above the visible heavens where also he is contained and from whence also he shall again descend and be met by the Saints in the air as also that he is there in a glorious state of Soveraignty Power Majesty Fulness far above all creature earthy glories yea and faâ— above all heavenly creatures glory out of which glory he shall not descend at his coming for he shall come in it but from that place of his body he shall I know Mr. Collier makes heaven to be God onely and Glory but as in some other things so in that he slipt not a little into errors for in God he was while he was on the earth Knowest thou not that the Father is in me and I am in the Fatheâ—r saith he to Philip Joh. 14. while he was not yet ascended Neither had there needed any visible translocation or change of place for going up into heaven if it had been â—…ely to be in God nor doth that phrase far above all heavens signifie far above all gods but far above all these aery starry visible heavens To say nothing that Mr. Collier handsomly slips â—ver the speaking to the heaven that Christ aâ—…ended to and which is to contain him and â—…ys not one word to that Text in his Answer 〈◊〉 if he knew not how to elude it But to pass from that I grant that heaven doth not onely signifie place but also a state of glory or of diâ—…e spiritual influence operation government and advancement and this we are specially to â—…nd in it and look after and not spend our thoughts vainly or curiously about inquiring of 〈◊〉 as a place meerly as I might also say of hell â—…ough the bodies and substances of men condemned shall be in place yet the condition of â—o and torment is in that word rather pointed 〈◊〉 in which such shall be and as in a taste or first fruits as it were may now be But to return to what I was saying about heaven and the glory thereof while we are withdrawn in our hearts from base and earthy walkings designs affections c. and are in our hearts aâ—…ed by the Word that was revealed by and comes unto us from God and by the Spirit of God and of Christ the heavenly one and are minding and looking after the priviledges and excellencies thereby witnessed and led to we are said to converse in heaven and so we read of an army warring in heaven Rev. 19. which is nothing else but the Saints of God in the heavenly and divine Power and Spirit in which spiritually they live and breath making opposition against Satan and his instruments and so in like manner the high surpassing pure spiritual consolations streamings forth and abiding rivers of
according to some other more mystical way that the Scriptures had not declared if the testimony of Paul be valid as they seem to make it in the other place which they wrest to their harm then listen to him explaining himself in that place and the rather because he tels us in holding those things fast not according to some more spiritual understanding as is pretended but according to his preaching and declaration of them we shall be saved to wit from running into erroneous conceptions such as that of the denial of the Resurrection there by him faulted and by consequence from loose and evil practises and which is the issue of both from eternally perishing for indeed it is an undeniable truth that according to the judgement men make of Christ so is their judgement of other things they that believe not the first fruits of our nature really to have died and to be raised again and glorified in the person of Christ they deny the resurrection of the rest of the lump or body of Christ and of mankind in general and they that deny that must needs deny the judgement with its rewards and punishments following then what will hinder that piece of Epicurism Let us eat and â—rink for to morrow we shall die for take away the Resurrection and the judgement as we have said before and you take away the life of all Religion If then thou shouldest ever be so far corrupted as under pretence of not knowing Christ after the flesh to make nothing of and to be waved from the Doctrine of Christ as in the flesh dying for us and by the power of the Spirit raised again in that his body from the dead thou art in the way to fall from all Christian Religion and into all profaneness and Atheism there being so great a connexion between the foundation Doctrines as those concerning the person of Christ and the things suffered by and done to him of God are and the superstructures as the things that are to be done to and in us are and so great a dependency of these latter upon the former that if the former the fundamental be shaken the latter will soon fall but if the former stand firm the latter will be upheld by them or we rather in the faith and practise of them his Death being the foundation of all our hope his Resurrection a certain pledge of ours and an argument of the judgement in which all shall be judged by him and his glory the forerunner and pledge of that that shall be manifested on all that love and waite for his appearing Acts 17.31 Chap. 6. Concluding with exhortation for the Saints walking worthy of their calling Sect. 1. That exhortations are usefull and needfull to Believers TO all this that 's before said I shall add onely some exhortations and directions to you to walk as becometh Saints that you may glorifie God who hat hitherto called you preserve your selves in his Love and be useful unto others which I beseech you to suffer and think not that in exhorting you hereunto I put a burthen upon you that you are not fit to bear or that I put you under the Law Christianity consists not onely in Speculation but also and that rather too in divine vertue and action wherein God deals not with his Saints with Herbs and Plants that have no sense nor â—ason as they are intelligent reasonable creaâ—res so he governs them by his Word and Spiâ—…t and puts them upon an exercise of those faâ—…lties given them that they might not appear to â—eidle and to no purpose in them He doth not â—… take all upon himself to do in them that they â—re thereby left without all action nor doth he â—act them by force and violence transporting â—…em beyond themselves that they need no adâ—ce counsel or exhortation It s true they are â—ot under the Law of Moses either the types â—ad shadows to be instructed to wait for Christ 〈◊〉 come nor under the precepts and injunctiâ—ns as ministred by Moses to be shut up under 〈◊〉 and curse much less to be left to seek to obâ—…in righteousness by endeavouring after them â—ot yet neither are they without Law to God â—…ey have a royal thoughtâ— not a rigid Law a Law â—f Liberty and Freedom of spirit to serve God â—hough not a Law of bondage under sin and death 〈◊〉 law of grace they have in them and the soveâ—…gnty and government of God over them they have the Spirit to guide them and the Law of the Spirit which is to be obeyed by them that which the Grace of God received by them requires again of them and leads them to both towards God and man Grace and Love from God as well teaching and obliging to duty as Mosaical precepts and indeed the believer hath no other Law but such as springs from Grace and leads to answer Grace The Law of Christ which is a Law of Love even of Gods Love in him and that 's a Royal Law indeed for it giveth first what it requires again of us It gives power and spirit for acting as well as puts an obligation and ingagement upon us so and so to act The Spirit writes it and prompts to walk as we receive to work out as he works in us and to yield up our members and powers to him that he may write in us and act forth by us his whole pleasure and confirm us to his minde and yet we are not to put a fancy upon his writing the Law in us as some do that strain their wits to shew how God writes all the Bible over in man the Books of Genesis Exodus Leviticus and so on the Creation of the world of heaven earth light firmament herbs plants fishes fowls beasts and man himself and so of the Paradise woman tempter c. which yet they cannot strain cleaverly to their purpose in all matters but are fain to catch at here there a picce as their wits serve them and let the rest alone This is to turn the Truth of God into a fancy and secretly to withdraw the heart from giving glory to God in the belief of the Truth of the sacred story But this writing the Law in man is his framing the heart unto his own Heart and Will putting into it heavenly principles and dispositions of love and holiness and whatsoever the Law requireth That denying ungodliness and wordly lusts we may live godly soberly and righteously in this present world Tit. 2.11,12 nor yet because God writes thus in man do they put too much upon man that exhort to these things for we may the better exhort to them because men have principles to act them no man would exhort a dead man to walk because he wants a principle to inable him but to living men such an exhortation is agrecable though it be God that makes themwalk or that hath printipled or inabled them thereunto no man would blow upon wood without fire put to
him O hope we then in him at all times and in this hope pour out our hearts before him for he is a refuge for us and will not fail us He that hath made us Saints will not be wanting to give us a Saints portion But lean we not to our understandings for he that trusts his heart is a fool Prov. 28.26 for it s so deceitful and desperately wicked that it will deceive him Jer. 17.9 His Word is sure and worthy to be taken but our own wisdom with the conceptions thereof are foolishness and tend to ruine and who so trusts in any thing else below God a curse will befall him Jer. 17 5,6 4. In this love of him and trusting in him yield up thy self also unto him to be his to do his work mind his Name and Glory that he may be known loved and his Kingdom inlarged give up thy heart to him to be the habitation of his Holiness by his Spirit not the habitation of sin lust pride vanity Satan c. but the temple of the holy Ghost that he may dwell there and subdue and mortifie thy lusts and corruptions in and for thee and quicken thee up to God to â—alk before him holily and yield up all thy members also to be instruments of working righteousness unto his glory Whatsoever thou â—ost in word or in deed do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus with an eye to him and as thereto warranted by him and to the praise of the grace of God in him This is love that we keep â—is Commandments and his Commandments are â—ot grievous 1 Joh. 5.3 I might inlarge unto many particulars which for brevities sake I shall â—…ss over and leave thee for further direction to the word of Gods Grace and to the Apostles writings Sect. 3. The Saints worthy walking towards each other 2. IN regard of one another I have no other Commandment but that that ye have received viz. That ye love one another that ye love as brethren sons of the same Father even God and of the same Mother the new Jerusalem and Covenant of Grace and that he let brotherly love be exercised and in its exercise continue that ye love one another as members of the same body not every man minding his own things and aiming at his own particular good onely but each minding the good of other in that that may be for profit and edification communicating of the grace given and abilities afforded to each other in the Lord as may make for the edification add good of all watching over instructing exhorting reproving helping and comforting one another as need is and opportunity is afforded receiving owning and delighting in the fellowships and helpfulness of the mutual exercises of your graces and gifts in the Lord as receiving owning and delighting in the Lord who is in all his holy Ones and Saints and this without hypocrisie and simulation without partiality or faction not preferring one before another for outward worldly respects of riches honors places learning parts c. nor despising one another for poverty reproaches infamy in the world weakness in faith and spiritual gifts or for difference in judgement about doubtful questions Rom. 14.1 but each receiving other for the foundation sake held fast and for the grace discerned and professed cheerfully serving one another in love Indeed its meet that Saints put difference between themselver as such and such as have erred and departed from the foundation of Faith and deny the Lord that bought them as we shall see by and by but where men are all believers through grace and have the love of God in the gift of Christ and his mediation for their bottom and foundation their lesser difference in other things should not make them unsaint one another and fight against one another but such ought to own one another and with sobriety and singleness not for love of victory or factiously to upâ—old a party to discuss things in which they differ and so far as they can to agree and if in any â—hing any be otherwise minded then the rest there with patience to wait and forbear one another and yet in communion and communication of graces to own and walk as brethren one with another not judging and despising one another for what they differ in those things they â—…ffer in not being of that nature and weight as â—o disunite from fellowship with the same Lord. And this is further to be noted that the brotherly love that is to be exercised stands not in an â—…differency and neutrality to let every man be â—f what way he will and do what he will withâ—… reproving or shewing them the evil thereof no more then natural love amongst brethren 〈◊〉 the flesh consists in letting ones brethren sink 〈◊〉 swim be sick or well wounded or whole â—odigals or thrifty without looking after them 〈◊〉 taking any care of remedies reproofs or any â—ay of help for them that 's by God himself â—counted hatred to see our brethren sin not â—prove them Levit 9.17 it argues little love 〈◊〉 the souls of one another so to do It was not â—…om love in Cain to say Am I my brothers â—…per Gen. 4.9 Love leads to watchfulness oâ—… one another or in case of straying or of danger to stray to warn another which yet is to be done with wisdom so as it may best tend to prevent evil or withdraw therefrom for we are to put difference between those that sin of weakness and through temptation whom we are to handle gently and tenderly forbearing and waiting for them yea bearing their burthens and those that are more wilful and resolute in their strayings and evil walkings whom we are to save with fear and rebuke more sharply and openly yea in all things we ought so to order our selves as we see may best conduce to their good with whom we have to do having a special care of and regard to those that are weak in faith helping and furthering them and no wise if possible offending them so as to turn them aside through their weakness from the way of the Lord but indeavouring that they may be preserved in the faith and grow up therein till they with the rest of the body attain the inheritance promised in Christ Jesus Were this love more practised and walked out in and the exercise thereof accepted it would prove very advantageous to the Saints and Satan would not so much prevail upon them to weaken and divide them yea this waking together in love and wherein we have attained walking by the same rule and speaking the same thing would much conduce to the glorifying of God and we should therein meet with much blessing We are brethren why should we fall out by the way to our heavenly Canaan quarrelling and contending about place preheminence and diffeâ—ences in doubtful Disputations not clearly deâ—ermined in Scriptures is a good consideration for all agreeing in the same foundation And O that we all
might willingly be exhorted to this â—s not to bear with them that are evil and would pervert souls from Christ so neither to fall out â—nd make rents from those that are built upon â—nd sincerely and peaceably seek the glory of Christ Sect. 4. How to walk towards Seducers and the Secuced 3. BUt now for those that have not Christ for their foundation but are bottom'd upon their own works yea and would bottom Christ â—pon them too hindring souls from coming â—…ghtly to Christ and that bring another Gospel then that of Christ tending to deny and overthrow the Gospel of Christ but chiefly those that have apostatized from him the case is otherwise They that divide from Christ the elder Brother are not to be owned as brethren but divided from yea and looked upon in their endeavors to draw others to themselves as enemies to our souls Wolves that come to devour deceitful workers and so we are to avoid them The Apostles looked not upon the zealous Jews and Pharises opposers of the grace of Christ as their brethren in Christ nor upon the false Apostles that perverted the Gospel of Christ mixing it with the Law and withdrawing men from the sincerity of the Gospel of Christ much less those Apostates and Blasphemers Hymeneus and Alexander and Philetus men that denied the Resurrection and affirmed it to be now made or past denying the Lord that bought them and subverting the faith of divers 2 Tim. 2.16,17 If such as these plead for a brothers portion of love from the Saints in those their wayes they are much mistaken brotherly love with them would be as bad as Jehosophats familiarity and correspondency with Ahab which the Lord reproved and punished in him 2 Chron. 19 2. And as the Churches tolerating the Baalamites and Nicolaitans which he hated Rev. 2.14 20. Men are much out in thinking that those that are evidently and upon due trial false Apostles and of the Synagogue of Satan ought not to be so reputed but walked towards and loved as dissenting Brethren How shall the members of the body hold unity with the head that are at one with members separated from the head and disclaim all influence of spirits from it Who ever come unto us we are to try them yea though they come as Angels of Light and Messengers of Righteousness and finding them deceitful workers to beware of them 1 Thes 5.21 Phil. 3.2 So the Wisdom of God speaking of â—he spirit of error under the notion of a foolish and whoorish woman opposed to the Spirit of Truth under the notion of Wisdom or the wise â—oman bids us beware of her and come not neer â—he corner of her house Prov. 5.8.3 nor give ear â—o her sweet and specious inchantments not to â—ut our selves â—…shly into her way and company 〈◊〉 presuming on our own strength to preâ—…rve us much less entertaining her as a friend â—nd companion meet for us and our Saviour while on earth in the flesh left it as a Caâ—…at to us to beware of false Prophets who though â—hey come in Sheeps clothing to us yet inwardly are â—…vening Wolves and seek to devour us Matth. â— 15 He would not have us out of charity to â—…dge all sheep and correspond with them that â—ome to us in the appearance of sheep but wariâ—… try them and discerning Wolves in that haâ—it to flee from them as we are not rashly to account and walk towards all as Wolves that men account so so neither to imbrace all that profess themselves sheep I know the VVolves will plead for charity towards them but what foolish Shepherd would out of charity listen to the VVolves so pleading or what silliness would it be in real sheep to joyn themselves with â—hem because they pretend as sheep a desire to graze with them that 's bad charity to another that layes me open to destruction my self The Jews of old regarded not such a pretended charity in Sanballat and Tobiah desirous to build with them the Temple of the Lord because they discerned them to be no friends to their work but sought by subtilty to hinder it and destroy them Ezra 4.1 It s indeed the common plea of such and of some weak sheep of Christ who are in danger that way to be worried by them what ever a mans principles be yet we ought to permit them and not speak harshly or at all against them but let every man injoy his own minde which is a notorious gross and false position Indeed as we have said where men build and are built upon the same foundation even Jesus Christ there we may and are to tolerate difference in doubtful disputations where the matters of difference are not evident and plain in Scripture and but matters of meer indifferency and lesser moment But that all should be tolerated in the Church of God of what ever opinion and doctrine though destructive to the fundamentals of the faith and no sharpe reproof may be given them is as bad a principle as to tolerate the Devil in his possession of men oâ— to tolerate all vice and wickedness without 〈◊〉 punishment of them yea in â—oâ—…e casâ—s 〈…〉 worse for there are some pâ—…nciples 〈…〉 doctrine as bad or worse then any evil of practise amongst men because some doctrines may naturally lead to all evil practises As that there is no difference to be put between good and evil sin and righteousness that all actions are alike approveable to God the opinion of good and evil is to be destroyed out of men that sin is nothing but an imagination that this or that is sin that all men live or believe how they will shall have eternal salvation that there shall be no resurrection c. Beside that evil doctrines may poyson more secretly and are less dreaded oftentimes then gross actions because they have â—ot so horrid an appearance many times to the eye of men We find Christ commending some Churches for their patience when yet he presently subjoyns by way of praise too that they â—ould not bear evil persons Rev. 2.2 such as seduced the people from him faulting them that bare with and permitted them Revel 3.15,16 yea that were but lukewarm for him and against them as those that mattered not what men hold or teach how destructive to Christ and Christianity so they would think well of them and let them alone such Christ threatens to spue out of his mouth so far is he from allowing and approving them Yea he tels us he hates such wayes himself Rev. 2.6 and sure he leads his people to be like him How canst thou say Christ is in thee when what he declares himself to hate is patiently tolerated and not reproved by thee The Apostles not onely bid us hold them as execrable and account them accursed that preach beside what they have preached or that introduce another Gospel though they come like Angels but they have also themselves given them over to Satan 1 Tim 1.20 and
God made to rule day is but one and its the Sun and yet that light is after one manner in the body of the Sun and after another in the glorious ray and beam the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or shining forth of the Sun in another manner yet in the air illuminated by the beam from the body of the Sun and yet all these but one light not three lights yet that one light hath a threefold manner of subsisting the Sun is not one light and the ray or beam of the Sun another and the clearness or bright shining in the air illuminated through the beam a third but one day light or light of the Sun The Sun is the fountain and generateth or begetteth its â—ray or beam and worketh by it whatever it doth by way of illumination heating quickning c. yet is not the body of the Sun its ray or beam Again the ray is begotten and generated in a sort by the Sun and yet its cotemporary with it It evidences the Sun lives by its dependence on the Sun is in the Sun and the Sun in it after a sort so as that it doth nothing of it self without the Sun nor the Sun without it which comes down from the Sun and is not the body of the Sun nor subsists of it self without the Sun Again the clearness or light difâ—used into the air proceeds from the Sun the fountain of light by with in and through the ray or beam yet is it neither the body of the Sun nor its ray for it is and may be where the ray is not but is intercepted as to the proper substance of it as in a cloudy day or in a room where the Sun beam comes not and yet these cannot be divided one from the other for this clearness cannot be but from and by vertue of the ray and of the Sun So that if either of them were taken away and removed from the Horizon the luster or illumination in the air ceaseth and they cannot be but this is and follows too Here is an unity of light in a threefold way of subsistence by which we may darkly see into the glorious mysterie of Trinity in Unity which no similitude can fully illuminate the Father is as the fountain of the Deity and to the Son or Word as the body of the Sun to its beam not to be seperated from each other or divided so as the one can be without the other though the Father is first in order of nature he of whom are all things and doth all by and nothing without the Son or Word as the Sun doth nothing without its beam The Word or Son in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 1.2 The brightness or offâ— shining of the Fathers glory Lumen de lumine light shining for discovering and leading up to the fountain of light always with the Father and yet came down from the Father and doth all from him and yet is not the Father but the Son yea and forther as the beam of the Sun may be contracted and as it were so incorporated in a burning glass or the like so as the glass by vertue of the beam and the beam by the glass worketh otherwise then either glass or beam by themselves could have done and yet neither the light nor the body of the Sun is to be so contracted but only the beam so was it with the Son or Word he was imbodied or incarnate in the nature of man and the man Christ Jesus by vertue of the Word so contracted as it were or incorporated in him did such glorious things and got such a glorious conquest over sin death and hell as man of himself â—ould never otherwise have done or gotten nor was the Word in and by it self perfected for and yet neither the Father nor the holy Spirit was so incarnate or made man and yet further the Son had all his vertue in himself from the Father and in the Spirit without which he â—ould do nothing as the ray contracted derives all its vertue that it shews forth in and through the glass from the body of the Sun without which it could neither be nor do any thing The holy Spirit is the power vigor and divine verâ—…e proceeding from the Father that fountain of divine glory from and through the Word by which we have and enjoy the benefit of the Sun and its beam when both of them are otherwise interpreted and clouded out of our sight I mean the Father and the Son even in a day of temptation and spiritual hiding of himself in his more glorious shinings But these things I bring onely to shew that there may be such a thing evidenced even to reason and sense as a three-fold way of subsistence of the same created being that so we might not stumble at that which the Scripture hints to us so abundantly about the Trinity in the Unity of the divine Being Concerning which I needed not to have multiplyed so many words were it not that the old Serpent not abiding in the truth is so prevalent in blinding men and corrupting them from the unerring Oracles of Divine truth to listen rather to the shallowness of their own purblind reason For the Saints are not without experience in themselves did they well mind it of this distinction in the glorious workings and operations of God in and upon themselves in their believing they prove the Father calling them to himself by the Son in the power of his Spirit they have believed the love of the Father in sending forth his Son and in the word of his Gospel they have felt his power and Spirit drawing and inabling them to believe in Christ and to approach by and through him unto the Father according to that Eph. 2.18 We both that is Jew and Gentile have access through him to wit Christ by one Spirit unto the Father namely to call upon him trust in him and have fellowship with him Indeed they that depart from the Son they both lose the operations of his divine Spirit and fall from the right worship of the Father into Heathenism or such philosophical speculations of God and of his Being as were found with the ancient Heathens that had not the light of the Gospel to instruct them and no marvel then if they fall from or deny the mysterie of the Trinity as in the Apostolical doctrine is held forth with those divine operations that should evidence the truth thereof unto them But now to return again to the matter whereto I was exhorting viz. the doctrine of the Gospel to be held forth to men as it supposes the Being of God and he but one though thus distinguished so is it not only the bare affirming him to be but one or in that Unity so as before to be distinguished that 's to be delared but his Name according to that Unity and distinction the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost viz. how God
hath manifested himself and is to be believed in in each of these as that this one God by his Word and Spirit having made and created all things for man and man in his own Image deserved and required to be obeyed and honoured by man but man sinning and therefore falling under his displeasure and making himself thereby unable to please him and unfit for fellowship with him by reason of that unspeakable pollution that hath overspread him God was yet pleased in the greatness of his mercy and freeness of his love to find out a way to recover us again and a way by which we might return back again unto him So as that both his justice and displeasure against sin might clearly be demonstrated and yet his goodness and love too toward sinful mankind be magnified which was by appointing and sending forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law so being found in shape as a man a reall man to bear in his body the punishment of our sin the sin of the world and so to give himself a ransome for all That this his Son the Word made flesh as was long before even from the beginning of the world fore-prophecied of him is now come already and hath taken upon him in the body that was prepared for him the burthen and cause of man and as a publike man given himself a ransome for All induring the Death and undergoing that sentence of curse and condemnation that by the offence of one came upon All men and that for All and hath in grapling with that death and sin overcome them so that God hath raised and justified him in the behalf of all so as he may also see the justificatian of all that do and shall believe on him To which purpose also viz. that men might in believing on him have him for their justification the Father hath glorified him in the nature and behalf of mankind making him Lord of all and his salvation to the end of the earth giving him all fulness of Authority and Power and filling him with all the fulness of the Godhead bodily even the fulness of Divine Spirit Power and Vertue yea also appointing and ordaining him as Mediator to stand in the Vertue of his Death and Sacrifice between God and men as the propitiation for them even for our sins that believe and not ours onely but also of the whole world 1 John 2.1,2 So as that with respect to him and what he hath done and suffered for sin he is good and patient and bountiful to the whole world not withstanding they sin yea and hath sent out his Gospel to be published to them all without limitation or restriction viz. that though this his Son there is forgiveness for them and he would have them saved and to that purpose come to the acknowledgement of the truth yea He to wit Christ is He in whom all the world or any of them may find favor and come into favor with God again so as to be at one with him namely by acknowledging his Truth and believing on him who also is appointed by his teaching them as a Prophet by his ruling them in righteousness and writing his Law in them and subduing their enemies as a King and Lawgiver and Judge over them and by mediating the new Covenant or Advocating and making intercession as the great High-Priest to the utmost to save all them of the sons of men that see and believe on him and so judge his and their enemies that that hate his Light and reject his â—endred mercy to condemnation to which end he shall at the time appointed of the Father come again and raise and judge both the one and the other as they have here behaved themselves towards him That as the Father hath put his Spirit upon Christ so they are to submit unto Christ in his Word and Ordinances and look unto and wait therein for this his Spirit upon him as he that is Power of God that is to bring down or effect in man that salvation that is in Christ Jesus set forth to them the Renewer Sanctifier Teacher Comforter and therefore to be heard sought after received and obeyed by men in the power of which they are to worship the Father through the Son and in the receit and indwelling of whom they shall finde and experiment the streams of that Fountain of Life that flows from the Father or rather that the Father is in and through the Son yea God himself by his Spirit to dwell in them and to set up his Kingdom in them in Righteousness Peace and Joy in the holy Ghost to the full possession and revelation of which in and upon them this Divine Spirit in such their listning to following after and obeying him will not fail to bring them Sect. 7. A Caveat against some mens preposterous mistakes about the Doctrines of Election and Reprobation THis then is the brief summ of the Doctrine to be held forth to the world in which we may hopefully expect and look for the assistance and operation of the Spirit to convince them of the good will of God toward them and therein of their sin for not believing on him Joh. 6.11 that hath done so much for them and is so appointed and fitted of God for saving them And of Righteousness both that all the righteousness they have of their own is empty and will not avail them otherwise no need for Christ to have died for them and also that in him is everlasting righteousness worthy to be looked after and certain in that their looking to him for it to be met with by them And of Judgement that their own self-justifications will not serve them nor their own self-condemnations so valid as remedilesly to cast them but to his doom they must stand by whom the Prince of the world is judged and they must receive their final sentence from him who is able in case of their believing on him to absolve them from all self-condemnings and in case of their disobedience against him and the Will of his Father to destroy them however their own thoughts and other men have hitherto justified them Yea in this Doctrine we may hopefully expect the holy Spirit to draw in and allure the convinced to hope in him and believe on him and therefore this hold ye forth to them and to the furtherance of this let all your conversations and walkings be directed as becoms the children of such a Father the members of such a Head as the Lord Jesus and as the Temples of the holy Ghost that they that are apt to slight the Word may yet be woon to glorifie it by the goodness of your conversation And beware I pray of that preposterous way that some run into who through mistake or unbelief of the Gospel delivered to us by the holy Apostles according to the commandment of the everlasting God and through the exercise of their own reason with the mistaking of some
therefore of this and of that other branch of insobriety that usually accompanies it viz. curiosity in our searchings and inquisitions after knowledge an over-reaching of our selves to see into secrets a peeping into the Ark a prying into things not seen being vainly puft up with a fleshly mind Col. 2.18 a thing that hath ever proved very dangerous and hurtful to them that have been addicted thereto what caught Eve at the first but a desire to be as God knowing good and evil and what makes men more to turn out from Christ then a not being content with his simplicity but affecting vain Philosophy or a desire to know and by reason to dive into things that are above our comprehensions whence else proceed those questions about the secret purposes thoughts and hidden counsels of God the curious inquisitions into his Essence and about heaven hell the state of souls departed and many other curiosities beyond what the VVord declareth of them questions which we may comprehend under those that the Apostle says tend not to profit but to pervert men and undo them he that walketh humbly as knowing nothing but infirmity and evil in himself and contents himself with things revealed receiving such Truths so as to walk in them and keep close unto them avoiding nice and hidden speculations he walks surely and shall be preserved from falling when others that climb aloft tumble down again Take we therefore the counsel of the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 5.8 Be sober be vigilant for your adversary the devil goeth about like a roaring lyon seeking daily Whom to devour Whom resist stedfast in the faith Keep close to the Faith and so to the Word of God the proper object of mans Faith but take heed of an insober prying into things besides it Be not drunk as not with pleasures cares fears sorrows from things below so neither with conceits of our selves desires of God-likeness beyond what is held forth in the faith nor with desires to know things that God hath reserved to himself neither yet be secure and careless through conceit of thine own strength and standing nor rash in closing with every hint doctrine or spirit that is presented to thee but be sober and vigilant sober in not out-running Gods VVord and Spirit vigilant in watching and examining every doctrine and spirit by comparing it with the holy Spirit and his Testimony and Law in his written VVord and the holy Unction already through the Gospel of Christ received lest Satan over-reach thee and finding thee out of the bounds of Gods way in which he hath ingaged his protection devour thee Verily in these last times its sad to see how men stagger to and fro and reel up and down wavering between this and that opinion like drunken men their hearts being surfeited and their heads made giddy with conceits of their own excellencies and abilities so that they think themselves able to swallow up all the most secret knowledge of God himself into their fancies but alas with the Dog in the Fable while they catch at shadows under desire of having all knowledge in stead of attaining their desires they let go and lose all that hath substance in it not comprehending things they deny them not comprehending heaven and hell the glory of Christs Humanity c. they grow into Antichristianism and Atheism and lose themselves in vanity Of these things therefore be thou warned to avoid them that they snare thee not and thou perish in them Take heed also of slothfulness in seeking after and unto God formality in contenting thy self with speculations of Truth without the power of it renewing the heart and so of presumpcion earthly-mindedness and the rest of the evils hinted at before that lay men open to temptations cleave thou close to God and to the VVord and Spirit of Grace and fight the good fight of Faith quitting thy self with courage in all encounters and thou shalt prove it a good fight indeed both for that its lawful honest and warranted by God and also for that thou shalt therein finde help from God to inable thee to it and carry thee through it yea and lastly thou shalt in striving lawfully be crowned after thou hast overcome thou shalt receive a large reward even a Crown of Righteousness concerning which promised reward and Gods faithfulness to give it in his season I shall nextly hint something to thee for thy further encouragement Chap. 5. Of the Reward of the Saints overcoming Sect. 1. That there is a Reward promised AS the faith of the Saints leans upon the VVord of God in general and so upon God himself as the original of that VVord and the things declared therein so their hope leans on and hath for its object the promises of God which hold forth the marrow and fatness of the feast of good things made in Christ and the consideration of them is very requisite for their patient encountering with temptations and enduring to the issue they being partly the things fought for and partly helps in fighting for they are of two sorts things to be given to and enjoyed by us in the combate and things to be met with in the issue of it according to that Fear not Abraham I will be thy shield to protect and defend thee in the way and thy exceeding great Reward Gen. 15.1 when thou hast overcome Under the first head are comprehended the promises of this life in the outward man and for the life of the Spirit in the inner man the promises of provision and maintenance such as this Fear the Lord ye Saints or holy ones for they that fear the Lord shall want no good thing Psal 34.9 And that Seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added to you Mat. 6.33 Whence that Let your conversation be without covetousness Heb. 13,5,6 Be not reaching in your desires after the world either in provision for sustenance or safety as if you were left to shift for your selves therein or as if your happiness consisted partly in having much thereof or as if God would not provide for necessaries or conveniences herein for your warfare here but be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee So that we may be bold and say the Lord is on my side I will not fear what flesh can do unto me Heb. 13.5,6 And for protection from enemies so as that they shall not harm or devour us such as that All the hairs of your head are numbred and the Lord will save them from the wicked and he will help them because they trust in him Matth. 10. Psal 37.41 the promises for their helpfulness in Spirit are such as these That he will sanctifie and cleanse them 1 Thes 5.23,24 VVrite his Laws and put his fear in them Ezek. 36.25,26 Fer. 31.32 c. that he will send the Spirit of Truth and put it into them as a Comforter
and to lead them into all truth Heb. 8.9,10,11 That he will pardon their sins accept them watch over them gather them in his arms lead and feed them c. Isai 27.2,3 and 40.11,12 Of the other sort are the full and finall deliverances of them from all adversity temptation opposition and evil giving them full firm and free peace and the possessing them of all the fulness of his glory in Jesus Christ the full and open knowledge of God in everlasting life to see as they are seen and be like to Jesus Christ in the enjoyment of fellowship with God and the consolations and satisfactions of God c. Concerning which consider a little first who are the proper heires of them to whom they are made and secondly what the time of their fulfilling Sect. 2. Of the Heirs or Object to whom the Promises are made THe heirs of the Promises of God even as the subjects of the Election to the injoyment of them is primarily Christ and then secondarily in and through him Saints by calling or Believers in him That Christ is firstly the Heir of the Promise is clear from Gal. 3.16,17 The Promise was to Abraham and his seed to Abraham by vertue of his seed he saith not unto seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ And again the Promise was fore-confirmed of God unto Christ He is the heir of all things and principally of the Promises of God especially those of eternal Life as he is the Elect of God chosen to be his holy One without blame before him for ever and the Son of his Love the receptacle of the fulness of his Blessing Secondly As any are of God called and by the grace discovered and working in the Call brought unto and into Christ so they become to be heirs in and with Christ reckoned after Christ as in Gal. 3.27,28,29 So many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ and if ye be Christs then are ye Abrahams seed and â—…irs according to Promise Abrahams seed not another but one seed still as in unity with Christ for ye saith he are all one in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female bond nor free c. The sons of the flesh either of Adam or of Abraham are not as such the sons of God nor inheritors of the Promises but they that are born of the Spirit and are in Christ Jesus they and they onely not the Law neither and its seed are the chosen of God to this great dignity to be heirs of his Promises Whence also it follows that men come to partake of and to enjoy the Promises by Faith in Jesus Christ In him all the Promises of God are yea and amen to the praise and glory of God 2 Cor. 1.20 A man abiding and continuing in him and his Word shall meet with supply and provision here so far as God sees good and needful for this life support also and spirit from God to inable him to the incounter and to give him the victory and shall inherit eternal glory On the contrary If any draw back his soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10.38 He deprives himself thereby of his own mercy if any man throw down his weapons and yield to Satan neglecting himself of or renouncing the Son of God to whom he was called and through whose bloud he was sanctified he puts himself out of the way of the Promises they are not to any Yea and Amen out of Christ but in him nor to nay simply as men but as men in Christ or as believing men In which believing we meet with the power of God to salvation 1 Pet 1.5 and not beside it The consideration of which is but a motive to draw us to eye Christ and to fight the good fight of Faith while we look upon it as the condition to which the Promises appertain and as men are therein the heirs of them and also a terror to drive or curb rather and bridle to keep in aw from listening to Flesh and Satan to depart from Christ and from the Faith seeing that is the way to deprive our selves of his Promises no room for diffidence here in this way of eying Christ nor yet for carelesness and presumption as if no need to eye him The promise of the Spirit runs thus If ye love me keep my Commandments and I will pray the Father and he shall send you another Comforter even the Spirit of Truth c. Sect. 3. Of the time of the full fulfilling of the Promises THe time of the performance of the Promises is various Some as we have noted are performed and to be met with here in our warfare viz. those of Provision and Protection c. but other promises are reserved till the victory be compleated till we have fought our fight and finished our course and even then also it may be and is as yet reserved or laid up for a further day Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day 2 Tim. 4.8 That great Day the Day of his appearance with all his holy Ones that 's the day of the full reward In the mean time it is true and we may find it so that upon particular combats and victories there may be and sometimes are particular rewards visitations confirmations inlargements of the Spirit to men upon abiding and holding fast the Faith in particular exercises but these are but a first fruits and earnest of the inheritance in comparison of the whole reward that is promised to be injoyed after all incounters are over and past Now beware that ye confound not these days of the Lords spiritual appearance in some particular visit to the soul with the time of his ful personal and glorious appearance when every eye shall see him and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him when he shall descend from heaven with the sound of a Trump the Archangel of God and the dead in Christ shall be raised 1 Thes 4.16 as some unwarily do running themselves into much error taking the first fruits for the full income and cuting off the hope of the Harvest that should carry them on and keep them from by-turning to the troubling of the brethren also and subversion of many of them 2 Tim. 2.15,16,17 Neither entertain ye such a conceit as some have vented That there shall be no personal appearance of Christ any more but onely a spiritual manifestation of himself in his people for that also is a doctrine and opinion cross at least if not destructive to the Faith The Angels told the Disciples when they saw him taken up that as they see him taken up from them so they should see him even so coming again Acts 1.10,11 But they saw him going up personally as the Scripture makes it evident for as a distinct person from them and not as by spirit in them was