that are Professors in deed and not in shew onely hold fast your good Profession let not Satan drag you out of your Profession into earth Hold fast and repent if thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief saith Christ and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee Rev. 3. 3. Watch ye therefore when the master of the house cometh lest coming suddenly he finde you sleeping And what I say unto you I say unto all Watch Mark 13. 35 36 37. Watch therefore for ye know not at what hour your Lord will come Matth. 24. 42 43 44. But know this that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken up Therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh Surely Jesus Christ is not far off but will steal in upon us unawares when we look not for him Therefore watch with oil in your lamps And to encourage you to watch consider that place of Scripture in Luke 12. 37. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall finde watching verily I say unto you that he shall gird himself and make them to sit down to meat and will come forth and serve them And if he shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and finde them so doing blessed are those servants But if that servant shall say in his heart My Lord delayeth his coming the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him Luke 12. 45. If it be thus Be patient unto the coming of our Lord be ye patient also for the coming of the Lord draws nigh it is at hand James 5. 7 8. It was nigh in the Apostles times it is neerer now For ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Heb. 10. 36 37. Certainly he is not far off but will steal in upon us when we never expect him If it be so wait and look for Christ's coming Ye come behinde in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord 1 Cor. 1. 7. Looking for and hasting to the coming of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the element shall melt with fervent heat 2 Pet. 3. 12. Look for him from the clouds expect him to come down in a cloud of darkness into your spirits for he will break thorow your darkness and turn it into light Wait who knows but that he may come down in a cloud of darkness into your hrarts If it be so Little children abide in him that when he shall appear we may not be ashamed at his coming 1 Joh. 2. 28. For as the days of Noe were so shall also the coming of the Son of man be For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noe entered into the ark and knew not until the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be Matth. 24. 37 38 39. The very God of peace therefore sanctifie you wholly and I pray God that your whole spirit soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord 1 Thes. 5. 23. If it be thus Then Occupie till Christ come God hath given every one of us a Talent let us improve our Talents and let us not say when Christ comes as one of those Ten did Lord here is thy Talent which I have kept laid up in a napkin for I feared thee because thou art an austere man that thou takest that up thou layest not down and reapest that thou didst not sowe but let us give him his own with overplus Luke 19. 20 21. Let us not be as one of those Husbandmen to whom God committed his Vineyard till he came that when God should send one of his servants or his Heir for the fruit of his Vineyard that should beat or wound any of his servants that he sends or kill the Heir and cast him out of the Vineyard lest he come and destroy us Luke 20. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear nor dark There are three things in these words to be enquired into First What that day is It is the day of God's coming of his appearance as appears by vers 5. Secondly What is meant by light here I may be taken either for a natural or spiritual light Thirdly What is meant by that expression The light shall not be clear nor dark The meaning is It shall be a medium betwixt both part clear that is precious and part dark that is darkness not altogether clear nor yet altogether dark we cannot say that it shall be clear nor yet can we say it shall be dark but it shall be betwixt both But it shall be one day Or The day shall be one that is to say One perpetual day The Prophet's meaning is that there shall be continual light in the Church of Christ under the Messiah though sometimes more dim and dark then at other times yet ways some light Or one perpetual day may be taken thus In which there shall be no darkness at all Rev. 22. 5. And there shall be no night there and they need no candle neither the light of the sun for the Lord God gives them light And they shall raign for ever and ever Or it may be taken for a singular day to wit of Christ's death when the Sun was darkened at noon Amos 8. 9. And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord God that I will cause the sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day Which thing God did and so remained three hours see Matth. 27. 45. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour Or it may be taken for the day of Christ's coming and the reason of it are the words following Which shall be known to the Lord Of that day and hour knows no man no not the angels in heaven but my Father Mat. 24. 36. Not day nor night It shall not be day neither shall it be night What then shall it be It shall be somewhat of either But it shall come to pass that at evening-time it shall be light When we look for nothing but darkness to approach when dark night draws on then light shall break forth when we look for darkness then behold glorious light See Isai. 60. 19 20. The sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light
Truth that is after godliness EDVV. HIDE Junior CHAP. I. Some sweet Discoveries of CHRIST in us out of Rom. 10. 6 7 8 9 10 Vers 6. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart Who shall ascend into heaven That is to bring Christ down from above 7. Or who shall descend into the deep That is to bring up Christ again from the dead 8. But what saith it The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved IN the Thirtieth and One and thirtieth Verses of the Ninth Chapter to the Romanes there are two Nations spoken of that is to say the Gentiles and the Jews The Gentiles were those which followed not after righteousness yet had attained to righteousness even the righteousness which is of faith and the Jews otherwise Israel were those which followed after the Law of righteousness but had not attained to the Law of righteousness The first reason of it is set down in verse 32. Wherefore because they sought it not by faith as the Gentiles did but as it were by the works of the Law The second reason of it is Because they stumbled at that stumbling stone v. 33. As it is written Behold I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed Jesus Christ is a great stumbling block and rock of offence to those professors that do not openly nor professedly but as it were seek righteousness by the Law Quest But what is it to seek righteousness as it were by the Law Answ. It is to seek righteousness partly by believing and partly by doing Those that do so stumble at Christ and know not what to make of him and are offended at him and in the end they split themselves against him just as those glorious professors the Scribes and Pharisees did by reason of their not knowing him Now in the first Verse of the tenth Chapter to the Romanes Paul tells his brethren the Jews what a hearty desire he had and how he prayed that they might be saved Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved And the reason of this prayer he tells them vers. 2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge They were mighty zealous for God but it did not proceed from true knowledge as the Scribes and Pharisees were mighty zealous and strict in keeping the Sabbath praying giving of alms and the like but it proceeded not from a right knowledge it did not proceed from a true principle And there are many Zealots in our days Oh how full of zeal they are for God in praying speaking preaching and the like but yet not agreeable to true knowledge And the reason of this is in the third verse For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God As the not seeking righteousness by faith keeps those from attaining to the Law of righteousness that follow after the Law of righteousness so ignorance of Gods righteousness makes many go about to establish their own and so by that means do not subject to God's righteousness In the fourth verse Paul sheweth that Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth which the glorious Israelites Scribes and Pharisees follow after thinking to be justified thereby The righteousness of which Law Moses describes in the fifth verse that the man which doth those things shall live in them Which saying Satan many times makes use of against poor souls thereby to stir them up to follow after the righteousness of the Law And he makes use of it thus Saith Satan If you do the things that the Law commands you you shall live by them this is Scripture saith the devil If you perform the Law you shall live for there is life wrapped up in keeping of the Law And poor souls set upon the keeping of it and trouble and perplex and wear out themselves and the more they strive to keep it the further off are they from keeping of it And the devils design in it is to keep poor souls from submitting to the righteousness of God the devil knowing well that as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them Gal. 4. 10 11. And that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by Faith Now in the 6. ver. which is that I intend to speak to Paul describes the righteousness of Faith But the righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart Who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above c. The words are the voice of the righteousness which is of Faith they are what the righteousness of Faith speaketh and there are in the words these things to be considered First What Faith is Secondly What the voice of the righteousness of Faith is Thirdly What it speaks Fourthly To whom it speaks The first thing to be considered is What Faith is that is what the Faith of Christ is as it is in the original It is a supernatural divine work of God upon the Spirit which enables the soul to believe above all that natural Faith and Hope that is in the soul and above all fear and questionings and against all grounds that are in the soul to the contrary it is that which letteth us into God into the righteosness of God it is the key that unloks the Cabinet where righteousness is and lets us in into the mysteries of the kingdom Gal. 3. 7 9. Know ye therefore that they which are of Faith the same are the children of Abraham and are blessed with faithful Abraham Or faith in this place may be taken for Christ Gal. 3. 23. But before Faith came we were kept under the Law shut up unto the Faith which should afterwards be revealed The second thing to be considered is what the righteousness which is of Faith is It is the righteousness which is by believing But what is the righteousness which is by believing It is the righteousness of God But you will ask me What is that See in Rom. 3. 25 26. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God to declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which
raised his Son from the dead There are divers sorts of faith spoken of in Scripture There is a believing from the relation of another Ioh. 4. 42. As the Samaritans did meerly upon the report of the woman but afterwards they believed because they had seen Christ and there is a believing as I said before that is not accompanied with salvation which Simon Magus had and there is a believing that is accompanied with salvation Heb. 10. 39. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the soul This is the belief that is intended here Now that faith that saves is the faith of Christ which consisteth in yeelding up hearty obedience and subjection to this truth that God raised Christ from the dead We have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that hath been delivered unto us Rom. 6. 17. This believing in God that he raised Christ from the dead is nothing but a souls lying down under the power and authority of it and saying It is so It is so Lord Lie down therefore under the power of this truth that God raised his Son say it is a truth and thou shalt be saved it is a truth Lord it is even so thou art saved Quest But you seem to make no difference between confession of the mouth and belief with the heart Answ. Yes but I do Faith in the heart believes this is a glorious truth that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and that Christ is within us Confession with the mouth declares and publisheth nothing but what saith in the heart believes is truth CHAP. II. The Parable of the rich man's flocks and herds and the poor man's ewe-lamb unfolded out of 2 Sam. 12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Vers 1 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David and he came unto him and said unto him There were two men in one city the one rich and the other poor 2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds 3 But the poor man had nothing save one little ewe-lamb which he had bought and nourished up and it grew up together with him and with his children it did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup and lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter 4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him but took the poor mans lamb and dressed it for the man that was come to him 5 And Davids anger was greatly kindled against the man and he said to Nathan As the Lord liveth the man that hath done this thing shall surely die 6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity 7 And Nathan said unto David Thou art the man IN the first verse of this Chapter there is the Lord sending Nathan unto David with a Parable in his mouth It was the Lord that sent him unto David and that put the Parable into his mouth to declare to David From part of the first verse to the fifth verse Nathan makes known the Parable A Parable you know is to be taken otherwise then is set down in the letter of it and is much like an Allegory The first words of the Parable are these There were two men in one city the one rich and the other poor The City are the Saints see Heb. 12. 22. But ye are come unto mount Sion and unto the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels And Eph. 2. 22. Matth. 27. 53. Rev. 21. 2 The rich man is David who had exceeding many flocks and herds The poor man is Christ see Eccles. 9. 15. There was a little citie and few men in it and there came a great king against it and besieged it and built great bulwarks against it Now there was found in it a poor man and he by his wisdom delivered the city See likewise 2 Cor. 8. 9. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for our sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be made rich See Psal. 34. 6. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles And in another place he is called The man Christ Jesus Now the rich man's and poor man's living in one city was their enjoying each other and having fellowship with each other in the city of God The rich man's flocks and herds are those exceeding many spiritual blessings that God had blessed David with which are those blessings that God blesseth many of his people with see Ephes. 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ The poor man's ewe-lamb is the beloved disciple of Christ as John was see Luke 13. 23. Now there was leaning on Jesus bosome one of his disciples which Jesus loved This ewe-lamb the poor man bought with a price even with that price he bought the rest of his people with 1 Cor. 6. 12. Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirits which are Gods And then that in 1 Cor. 7. 23. Ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men Jesus Christ did not onely buy this ewe-lamb but nourished it up himself with the milk of himself it grew up together with him that is Christ brought it up with himself as he was brought up with the Father see Prov. 8. 20. And it grew up with his children that is with Christ's children Who are those Such that are of faith and so are blessed with faithful Abraham and are Gal. 3 7 9. Those which are born of the free woman that is born after the Spirit or by promise It did not grow up with Christ alone but with the rest of his children who grew up with him And it did eat of the poor man 's own meat and of the poor man 's own drink which is Christ himself That which nourished the lamb and which the lamb fed upon was the meat and drink of Christ which is his flesh and blood See in Joh. 6. 53 54 55 56. Then Jesus said unto them Verily verily I say unto you Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood you have no life in you Whosoever eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life For my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwells in me and I in him That which Christ fed this Lamb with was Life and Spirit which is his flesh and blood O glorious food Friends it is the best food Christ hath or that he can feed a soul with Christ did not onely buy this
repentance This is clear from the Parable If it be so then this may serve to discover the truth of this How that God many times takes such a mystical way of speaking that he makes the poor creature condemn himself pass sentence upon himself in the person of another as he made David It makes me wonder at David's being caught by God and what he said when the Prophet said unto him Thou art the man Friends if you have committed adultery murder fornication or some secret sin or the like God hath a Parabolical way and manner to make you pass sentence upon your selves in passing sentence upon others if he intend good to you There is no hiding of your sins God will finde them out David little thought that he was the man the Prophet spoke to and that he passed sentence upon himself in the person of another God can catch us some way or other if he intend good to our souls he will shew us that we have sinned as he did David some way or other If it be so it speaks the wisdom of God O how wise is our God for our good Though haply we think him not to be so O the depth of the wisdom of God! his ways are past finding out in this thing in convincing of sin in such a parabolical way We many times speak against his wisdom and ways because we do not comprehend them there is no searching of his ways they are past finding out the more we search into them the more we lose our selves in them The fifth doctrine is this That that which convinceth a man of sin is Gods saying unto him Thou art the man This is cleer from the words If it be so Then you that take your fill of sin that commit sin with greediness when God comes to say to you souls You are the men and the women that have sinned against him what will you do then And you that are proud self-conceited high-minded and the like God will finde you out and discover to you that you are the men and women that have sinned against him and wronged your own souls To confirm this Doctrine consider that in Act. 2. 3 6. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ Whom they had crucified When God had said unto them that they were those which crucified Christ that they were the men which did it when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and cryed out What shall we do to be saved And in another place It was ye that denyed Christ in the presence of Pilate that denyed the holy One and just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you it was ye that killed the prince of life whom God raised from the dead Act. 3. 13 14 15. The God of our Fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew and hanged on a tree him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins When they heard that they were cut to the heart and took counsel to slay them Act. 5. 30 31 33. The Apostles saying unto them in the Spirit of Christ that they were those that slew Christ they were the men that did it that cuts them to the heart and makes them take counsel to slay them VVhen God speaks to a soul Thou art the man that hast sinned that hast slain Christ either he will cry out VVhat shall I do to be saved or else he will inrage and take counsel against the people of God The VVord of God is like a two edged sword and will cut one way or other If it be so Then O that God would say to you as he did to David you are the men and women that have killed the poor mans Lamb VVe are ready with the whorish woman to wipe our mouthes and say VVe have not sinned but when God comes to discover sin we shall see we have sinned been proud vaunted and gloried in our selves what we have been done or can do that we have spoken honourable of those that admired us and poor and base and contemptible of those that did not admire us and cry us up CHAP. III. The three Witnesses in heaven with their testimonies and the three Witnesses on earth with their testimonies explicated out of 1 Joh. 5. 7 8. Vers 7. For there are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth the Spirit and the Water and the Blood and these three agree in one IN the fifth verse of this chapter there is a Question propounded with an Answer annexed to it The Question is this Who is he that overcometh the world The answer is this But he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God this is he that came by water and bloud even Jesus Christ not by water onely but by water and blood And it is the Spirit that beareth witness of this The reason is because the Spirit is truth Now these two verses which we are to speak to are a reason of part of the sixth verse There are in the first verse of the words these things to be considered First Who the Witnesses are that bear record in Heaven Secondly What Heaven is in which they bear testimony Thirdly What the Witnesses Records are Fourthly What the Witnesses Oneness is There are in the second verse of the words these things likewise to be considered First What earth is Secondly Who they are that bear witness in earth Thirdly What their testimonies are Fourthly How the Witnesses agree in one The first thing to be considered in the first verse of the words is this Who the Witnesses are that bear record in Heaven They are three great mysteries the Father the Word and the Spirit the hugest mysteries that ever were which no natural eye can finde out all the parts learning and gifts of men are here lost And besides they are of such infinite vastness that they swallow up all other mysteries whatsoever The very marrow of Godliness and Christianity consists and lies hid in the knowledge of these Three it is the right understanding of these Three that makes the soul truly godly All happiness and glory lie involved in these Three the Father Word and holy Ghost Quest But you will ask me What is the Father what is the Son and what is the holy Ghost Answ. The Father is God the Son the same God and the holy Ghost the same God though in a different manner Quest But why is God called the Father why the Son and why the holy Ghost Answ. He is called the Father with respect to two Creations First the Old Creation Secondly the New Creation First he is called the Father with respect to the Old Creation he is the Former Begetter and Framer of the heavens
that is the gift He that prayeth and he that offers up prayer are all but one incomprehensible being and therefore Christ saith of the Father and himself that they are one I and my Father are one Till we come to understand things thus we shall miss of the truth and run into a thousand errours Thus much for the first verse of the words The first thing to be considered in the second verse of the words is What earth is in which the Water Blood and Spirit witness Earth is the mixt and compounded state of Saints in which they live in this life which is an estate part of flesh and part of spirit part fleshly part spiritually in which state there is such a lusting and fighting of the spirit against flesh and flesh against the spirit that a Saint cannot do many times the things he would but is led captive into the law of sin The second thing to be considered in the second verse of the words is Who they are that bear witness on earth They are three the Spirit VVater and Blood But you will ask me VVhat the Spirit is what the VVater is and what the Blood is The Spirit is God and the Lord is that Spirit Now God is the Spirit as I said before in reference to the discovery of truth and leading into truth or he is called the Spirit in respect of his Omnipresency or because of its Invisibility a spirit cannot be seen The second thing to be spoken to is VVhat the VVater is It is that which came out of the side of Christ when one of the souldiers with a spear pierced his side The third thing to be spoken to is VVhat the Blood is that beareth witness in earth It was that likewise which issued out of Christ's side See both these in Joh. 19. 34. The next thing to be considered in the words is VVhat the VVitnesses testimonies in earth are and in this there are these three things to be considered 1 VVhat the witness of the Spirit is 2 VVhat the witness of VVater is 3 VVhat the witness of Blood is 4 How they witness The first thing to be inquired into is VVhat the witness of the Spirit is or what it testifieth It testifies of Christ See Joh. 15. 26. But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father he shall testifie of me and make known me I say The Spirit testifies of Christ it witnesseth Christ to the soul 1 It testifies of the sufferings of Christ 2 Of the glory that should follow those sufferings First It testifieth the sufferings of Christ it witnesseth them to the soul it makes known what Christ hath suffered and the fruit of those sufferings and witnesseth the truth thereof to the soul 1 Pet. 1. 11. Secondly It testifies of that glory which should follow those sufferings VVhat is the glory That glory which Jesus Christ is in at the right hand of the Father VVhat is that See in Joh. 17. 5. And now O Father glorifie me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was which was with his own self Now the Spirit testifies of that glory and witnesseth it to the soul There is always glory following after affliction and the more affliction the more glory Our light afflictions which are but for a moment are not worthy to be compared with that glory which is to be revealed in us All which the Spirit testifies The next thing to be considered is VVhat VVater witnesseth It witnesseth mystically Sanctification Purity VVashing Cleansing doing away sin The third thing to be considered is VVhat Blood witnesseth It witnesseth Salvation Redemption Justification Life though in a mystical sence Object But may some say How can VVater witness Sanctification washing cleansing of the soul And how can Blood witness Salvation Justification and the like seeing the VVater and Blood of Christ was long since spilt upon the ground Answ. I shall answer this by asking another Question How did Abel being dead speak Rev. 11. 4. The fourth thing to be inquired into is How the Spirit VVater and Blood witness They witness mediately that is by means The last thing to be inquired into is How the Spirit VVater and Blood agree in one Thus They witness to one thing what the Spirit witnesseth that VVater witnesseth and what VVater witnesseth Blood witnesseth and what VVater and Blood witness that the Spirit witnesseth which is love If it be thus Then this may serve to inform us of this truth That God hath not left us without three VVitnesses in earth God would not have us be without three by reason that he tenders us so much he knows our frailties that we are ready to be set upon by Satan and to sink in our Spirits for want of VVitnesses he hath given us three to confirm us and establish us in our mixt state of flesh and blood lest we should be discouraged and so faint away in our spirits because of those corruptions and flesh which are within us he hath given us his own Spirit and his own VVater and Blood to bear witness to our souls of loving kindness and mercy sanctification pardon of sin righteousness and the like If it be thus Then do not say you shall not be Sanctified and made clean VVater witnesseth Sanctification and Purity to the soul Do not say you are not nor shall be justified that your sins are not pardoned Blood speaks it that your sins are pardoned and you justified If it be thus Then set to your seals to that which the Spirit VVater and Blood testifie the not receiving what they witness is the cause of abundance of trouble and sinkings of the spirit Listen therefore what VVater and Blood or rather the Spirit in water and blood witnesseth and it will force you to submit to its testimonies and those that have received their testimonies have set to their seals that God is true CHAP. IV. Some sweet Discoveries of those glorious things that are spoken of the city of God out of Psal. 87. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Vers 1. His foundation is in the holy mountains 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Jacob 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee O city of God Selah 4. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me Behold Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia this man was born there 5. And of Zion it shall be said This and that man was born in her and the Highest himself shall establish her 6. The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people that this man was born there Selah 7. As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there all my springs are in thee THere are in the first verse of this Psalm these things to be considered First what is meant by foundation here Secondly whose this foundation is Thirdly
and thy God thy glory the Lord himself shall be unto us an everlasting light thy sun shall no more go down neither shall thy moon withdraw it self for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended See Revel. 21. 23. And the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof In the evening-time when we little expect light this everlasting glorious light shall break forth The Prophet further goes on to discover what shall be in that day And it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem Jerusalem here is to be taken for the City of God his Saints The living waters here are waters that have life in them which are the abundance of the Spirit see Joh. 7. 38. He that believeth in me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water These shall flow out of the Saints see Ezek. 47. from the first verse to the seventeenth Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house and behold waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward for the forefront of the house stood towards the cast and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house at the south side of the altar Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward and behold there ran out waters on the right side And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward he measured a thousand cubits and he brought me thorow the waters the waters were to the ancles Again he measured a thousand and brought me thorow the waters the waters were to the knees Again he measured a thousand and brought me thorow the waters the waters were to the loins Afterward he measured a thousand and it was a river that I could not pass over for the waters were risen waters to swim in And he said anto me Son of man hast thou seen this Then he brought me and caused me to return to the brink of the river Now when I had returned behold at the brink of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other Then said he unto me These waters issue out toward the east country and go down into the desart and go into the sea which being brought forth into the sea the waters shall be healed And it shall come to pass that every thing that moveth that liveth which moveth whithersoever the river shall come shall live and there shall be a very great multitude of fish because these waters shall come thither for they shall be healed and every thing shall live whither the river cometh And it shall come to pass that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim they shall be a place to spread forth nets their fish shall be according to their kindes as the fish of the great sea exceeding many But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed they shall be given to salt And by the river upon the bank thereof on this side and on that side shall grow all trees for meat whose leaf shall not fade neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary and the fruit thereof shall be for meat and the leaf thereof for medicine So that you see what these waters are they are such as are not passable healing waters waters of life See Joel 3. 18. And it shall come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drop down new wine and the hills shall flow with milk and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shittim The Mountains here are the Saints for they are so called in Scripture The New Wine which they shall drop down is new discoveries of the Spirit The Hills are the Saints likewise caught up into high enjoyments of God Their flowing with Milk is nothing but the Spirit breaking forth in an abundant manner in them in another consideration The meaning of that saying A fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord is this There shall be such a fountain of living waters that is of the Spirit flow forth from the Saints as shall not be dry See Revel. 22. 1. And he shewed me a pure river of water of life clear as crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb Which speaks the same thing onely it holds forth the pureness of those waters In the midst of the streets of it and of either side of the river was there the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and yeelded her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations Half of these waters shall go towards the former or Eastern sea and half of them toward the later sea or hinder sea The Eastern Sea here in the letter is the Lake of Sodom and the hinder Sea is the Mediterranean sea But take it in the mystery and the meaning is this By the former Sea are meant those that are forwardest in the ways of Christ by the hinder Sea those that are hindermost in the ways of Christ Or the former Sea and hinder Sea may be taken for the Gentiles The abundance of the sea shall be converted to thee See Isai. 60. 5. It speaks this clearly A general and large pouring forth of the Spirit In summer and in winter shall it be When it is Summer and when it is Wintet with a soul these waters shall never be dried up no not in the hottest time of Summer as your natural Summer-streams are And the LORD shall be King over all the earth He shall alone be acknowledged and worshipped he shall alone reign and rule none but the Lord In that day shall there be one LORD and his Name one That day is to be understood of the day of God's coming and of the appearance of Christ There shall be one Lord Now there are many Lords but then shall there be onely the true God acknowledged There shall be one Lord or The Lord shall be one Now he is twain then he shall be one And his Name shall be one Now Twain then One O what a glorious state will that be when there shall be but One Lord and One Name worshipped Then shall be no other Name professed but onely the Name of the Lord Though all people now profess another God and walk in the name of his God Micah 4. 5. yet they shall then walk in the Name of the true God alone Question What is it to walk in