side All this was done unto his body which was humane besides his troubles in the spirit when he was in an agony in the garden where his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground Now never were any mans sorrows like unto the sorrows of Jesus Christ yet for all this their malice did not change the stream of love which was in Jesus Christ for when they were a thrusting him out of the world and he was going unto God his Father then this Child Jesus which was the Man Christ and anointed of God above all his yellows prayed Father saith he for give them for they know not what they do for they are ful of the seed of the serpent Yet nevertheless O righteous Father saith Jesus Christ A ful Redemption by Christ for al men if all men had but faith to beleeve I have finished a sufficient Redemption for the whole world if thou O Father wilt but give them faith to beleeve it or to give a true credit unto that report for it is finished And thus Jesus Christ bowed his head and took his leave of this cruel people and this wicked world together as you may read Luk. 23.34 John 19.30 Now these blind Jews and Lawyers Sect. 5 and zealous Pharisees together with the blind devotion of the chief Priests and the rude multitude they all looked upon an outside Christ or a fleshly Christ or Christ the Son of God vailed with flesh so that they did not see within the vail the most holy of all therefore they fel upon him and judged him to be forsaken of God and so they marred his visage and despised him and saw no comeliness or beauty in him that he should be more desired then another man Isa 52.14 Isa 53.2 2 4. Now the man in whose heart the Child Jesus is born such a man or woman sees within the vail and sees Christ spiritually sees Christ as God-man ful of divine amiableness and sweetnesses of beauty and unspeakable comeliness of the spiritualnesses in Christ when he was vailed with his flesh but much more now Christ is ascended far above all heavens to fil the souls of men ful of spiritual gifts unutterable and ful of glory Eph. 49 10. Psa 68.18 Now the soul of such a man or woman is sick of love for the delightful in-comes of a spiritual Christ now unvailed which is not to be seen visibly for he is invisible and not to be seen now but by the eye of faith for by faith Moses saw him that was invisible Heb. 11.27 Now a man in Christ is a new creature and Christ being born in a man makes him partaker of the Divine Nature as the Apostle speaks Now Christ is our life and our life is hid in God Col. 3.3 4. Now the life which a true christianized man or woman that is a true beleeving man or woman or a true beleeving man in his young age as wel as in his old age now the life which they live it is not they but Christ liveth in them and as a Father he doth translate them into the substance of the Gospel which is Christ the inheritance of the Saints in light but no new light mark this all you that mock and jeer at new light Gal. 2.20 Col. 1.12 13. Now Christ being in a Christian and a Christian in Christ Christ becomes the Christians School-master and doth Gospelize him and make him a new creature and he doth spiritualize him and make him heavenly and Christ-like that is like unto himself Now a true beleeving man or woman are the auditors or the hearers and the holy Ghost is the preacher or the speaker and the heart of a true beleeving man is the place where this sweet Spirit of grace doth preach or make known the Lord who is our salvation Eph. 4.20 21. 1 Jo. 2.27 28. Now the Lord is that Spirit that doth all in us and for us And in the glory of the Lord every true beleeving man or woman is changed into the image of Christ for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily and a true beleeving man or woman is comple at in him Now all this is done by the Spirit of the Lord who is both Lord and Christ read 2 Cor. 3.17 18. Col. 2.9 10. Now you wil object and say Object that I seem to make more Christs then one whereas I say that the child Jesus is to be born in the heart of a man or Christ the Son of God for man who is the Son of God in man he is to be formed in the hearts of men or Christ to be born in the heart of a man which is God with us or God in us Mat. 1.21 23. Luk 2.26 27. I answer Answ there is but one God and Christ one Christ who is above all and through all and in you all and when this Christ doth appear in thy heart O man or woman then thou shalt also appear with him in glory for grace is glory Eph. 4.6 Col. 3.4 11. One word more to prove that there is but one true Christ Sect. 6 by way of simile Simile There is but one natural Sun in the Firmament that doth shine upon this world and all men and creatures do live in this Sun and do partake of its light and heat or else they would dye and vanish away and this Sun doth live in men and in all creatures with his light and heat but men and creatures are distinct from this Sun and apart from it so that every man or creature is not a Sun as this natural Sun in the Firmament which I have spoken of but every man and creature doth partake of the fulness of this Suns light and heat and so they are nourished And so likewise in the last place I shal prove That every true Christian or true beleeving man or woman is not a Christ neither are they Christs as you did object and say I seemed to make more Christs then one yet a true beleever is one with Christ in union and communion light and life And first of all for union I in them and thou in me I wil saith Christ that they be with me where I am to behold my glory Joh. 17.23 24. Secondly For communion of the fulness of Christ Every true beleever receiveth grace after grace unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Joh. 1.16 Eph. 4.13 Thirdly The light of the Lord is my light saith the soul of every true beleeving man and it is my joy and delight to walk in this light and his salvation is the strength of my life of whom shal I be afraid Psa 27.1 Fourthly Christ is my life saith a true beleeving Christianized man in whom I live and move and have my being and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who is God with us or God in us and his name
and there dye and sin must be so destroyed Rom. 6.5 6 7 8 Heb. 2.14 15. Now thou must know O man this Cross of Christ to be within thy heart as wel as to know by hear-say the Cross of Christ which Christ was crucified on nigh unto Jerusalem for thou hast as many enemies in thy heart against Christ spiritually as Christ had enemies in and about Jerusalem Now as I said before we must dye upon this Cross of Christ and be buried with Christ nay we have need of this Cross of Christ every day for it is a Christians glory and joy to have this Cross of Christ for by the power of this Cross we dye to sin we live and arise more purely unto righteousness then ever we did in the first Adam and by the power of this Cross of Christ the world and sin are crucified unto a Christian dayly and a Christian is crucified unto sin and the world and himself dayly and liveth a new creature in the new Creation in Christ and with Christ spiritually and that continually Rom. 6.3 4 5. Gal. 6.14 15. Now if we dye upon this Cross of Christ then Christ takes the soul down into his grave and there he puts off the old man and brings the soul up in a new Creation and this is called a putting off the old man which is corrupt and a being renewed in the Spirit and a putting on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4.22 23 24. And this is called a translating us into the kingdom of his dear Son Col. 1.12 13. And this is called a passing away of old things for all things are become new 2 Cor. 5.17 And this is called a being changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Corinth 3.18 Now this is a very glorious condition for a Christians comfort Sect. 5 to be made conformable unto the death of Christ for if we be made partakers with Christ in his death then for certain we shal be made partakers with Christ in his resurrection Rom. 6.5 8. 8.11 Phil. 3.9 10. But first we must be crucified and dye with Christ and lose our selves in Christ and be found again in him by the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of God who is the holy Spirit read 1 John 1.3 For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever Amen Rom. 11.36 And now true beleeving man or woman thou that hast walked through the vale of Death and art arrived at the haven of Life which is God in Christ now this God is thy God in all his several appearances he is both thy God and thy Jesus and thy Christ And now beloved Christian God wil dwel with thee nay in thee and thou shalt reign with him Blessed and holy is he that hath his part in this first resurrection And now loving Christian seeing thou art come into this haven of rest here I wil bid you farewel for there shal be no more death to you neither sorrow nor crying neither shal there be any more pain for thy God wil wipe away all tears from thine eyes and the Spirit wil shew thee great things coming out from God and the glory of God shal be thy light which is a light most sweet and clear and there shal be no night with thee nor in thee and thou and the whole Church of God shal be but as one Temple for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb and there shal be no more confinement neither to places nor persons and the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are a Temple for thee and the whole Church of God to worship in And thou and the whole Church of God are like unto a City that hath no need of the Sun When God comes in his great appearances of glory then you have no need of the dark Moon-lights of men for the glory of God doth lighten you and you are as a City which the Lamb is the light of read Revel 20.4 5 6. Rev. 21 3 4 9 10 11 22 23. Now a Christian Sect. 6 that hath but low and fleshly appearances of God is ready to say as Martha and Mary did Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not dyed Now such have but low comforts because they think God to be in this place and not in that place as Martha and Mary did But a Christian that knows Jesus Christ to be the only wise God knows him to be omnipresent in every place and knows all his wants and hears all his cries and groans and he can say as Christ did Father I know that thou hearest me always John 11.42 Now the Gospelized man and the Christ baptized man he knows the one God who hath made divers appearances at several times in the flesh but now in these last times his appearances in our flesh are in a spiritual way and this most men cannot disgest for it is foolishness to them 1 Cor. 2.13 14. God hath made divers appearances in the flesh as for instance those three Angels which Abraham ran to meet and they did appear to him as men Gen. 18.1 2 3 4. And these Angels do signifie the Trinity as some say and so likewise those two Angels that Lot did meet and converse withal as men Gen. 19.1 2 3 4. And so likewise that same astonishing appearance of God in the fiery furnace with the three children to make good his promise read Dan. 3.24 25 26. Isa 43.2 3. And so likewise now in these last times God who is the Father of all doth appear as a second who is a Son and a Savior of all Isai 43.3 4. And thus God was found in the fashion of a man and was made in the likeness of other men and so he became our Jesus in this office Phil. 2.6 7 8. And as he was second so he was sent of the first in the likeness of sinful flesh to condemn sin in thy flesh and to forgive thee thy sin And this is that which the Jews stumbled at for they did not see Jesus Christ as God to forgive sins therefore they crucified the body which God gave unto Jesus Christ Rom. 8.3 4. Heb. 10.5 6 7. And so likewise this is a great mystery for the only one God to manifest himself in our flesh and to become our Christ and our high Priest to offer up himself as a sacrifice without spot unto himself and that through the eternal spirit which spirit is the only blessed God 1 Tim. 3.16 Heb. 9.11 12 13 14. Now God comes in these latter days in his great and most excellent appearances and that is spiritually in all his ordinances What is the water to thee in Baptism if thou find him not baptizing thee with his Spirit What is the bread and wine to thee in the Sacrament if thou see not his Table spred with spiritual graces
94.7 8 9 10 11. Gen. 1.31 1 Iohn 3.8 Rom. 8.28 Psal 103.14 15. Hosea 13.9 Psal 30.5 Isai 27.4 Hosea 14.4 Gen. 3.8 Tit. 3.4 5 6. Psal 110.3 Revel 22.2 4 5 16. 1 Iohn 3.9 Matth. 12.28 29. 2 Cor. 7.1 Luke 18.9 Rom. 7.18 Colos 2.14 Gal. 6.14 Col. 1.27 29. Gal. 6.14 Rom. 7.15 Rom. 7.25 Iere. 23.21 30 to the end 1 King 22.11 12. 2 Pet. 2.1 Matth. 24.24 25. Phil. 3.20 Ephes 2.20 21. Iohn 14.2 Isai 33.17 Phil. 3.20 Gen. 5.24 Heb. 11.5 Psal 9.10 1 Iohn 4.1 2 3. Isai 1.11 12. Isai 58.2 3. Iere. 7.4 8 14. Iere. 5.30 31. Phil. 3.4 5 6 7 8. 1 Corinth 1.18 19 to the end 1 Corinth 13.4 5 6 7 8. 1 Iohn 3.11 12 13. Iames 4.1 Mark 7.21 22. Revel 12.1 Gen. 2.2 3. Heb. 4.9 10. Matth. 17.5 Iohn 17.23 24. Hebr. 2.11 12 13. I Shall speak a word of the freeness of the pardon which is in general Sect. 1 held forth unto all men Isai 55.1 2 7. This is the ground I confess of every ones coming that comes aright If the pardon be free to every one then I am within the number Now this pardon of sin which we pray for it is not to be made now for it was in God with Christ before the foundation of the world Rev. 13.8 Eph. 1.4 5. Rom. 5.8 Psa 68.18 Rom. 8.3 Heb. 9.22 28. And so much in general of the pardon of sin Now I shall speak a word of this pardon in particular And here lyes a scruple and here lyes everlasting comfort I know Object says some this pardon is held forth to all But yet for all this I cannot beleeve that it is for me I answer Sol. If you know it by the hearing of the ear naturally and earnally and by the seeing of the eye sensually and according to your natural sense and no more then you cannot know it nor beleeve it by these for your good because it is spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 Secondly I answer A man may have a true knowledg of the pardon of his sin and yet have the comfortableness of it withdrawn for a time Now here comes in a right panting and breathing and praying not for the pardon of sin for that is sure in God but here is a praying for a comfortable evidence and the sweet manifestations of the Spirit of God to my soul or in my soul O Lord saith David pardon my sin Psalm 25.11 Now David at this time did know that his sins were pardoned You will ask how I know that Quest He himself said Answ That God had made with him an everlasting pardon or covenant ordered in all things and sure and this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow saith he 2 Sam. 23.5 And I know the Lord changeth not for he hath said it Mal. 3.6 Now David was a strong man in the Lord and yet he was up one while and down another while Up when the Spirit of God did act the grace of Faith in him then he did flourish like a green bay-tree and then his mountain was strong but when the sweet Spirit of God did withdraw it self then David was troubled Psal 30.7 Now a poor soul in its winter season when its fruits are in its roots Sect. 2 is kept by the power of God as in the secret chamber of God and lives upon a word of promise when it doth not see the spirits fruits at that time it beleeves that God is faithful though he doth not shine upon it and cause it to grow 1 Pet. 1.5 7. Isai 43.1 2 5. Now a poor soul not having the heat and sunshine of the Spirit is discontented though it may have its eye fixed upon its pardon which is sure and stedfast O saith Mary Magdalen they have taken away my Lord And so saith the poor soul Iohn 20.13 O Lord saith David let the light of thy Spirit shiâ—e into my soul and that will make me more glad then corn and wine increased Psal 4.6 7 8. One smile from thy fatherly countenance O Lord one beam or glance of the refreshings of thy sweet Spirit O let me hear of spiritual joy and gladness and then I shall follow thee all the day long My soul panteth for thee the living God I cannot live but in thy light restore my wonted joys My heart and my flesh fail me But God is my rock and my well-spring of joy and he never faileth and this is all my joy Psal 51.8 12. 73.25 26. 36.8 9. The poor soul once being possessed of this spiritual dew it begins to speak of the excellency of Christ while the Spirit of grace sitteth as king in my soul and hath spred his table full of divine Graces upon which my soul doth feed and while the King sitteth upon his throne in my soul saith the Church my graces send forth a pleasant smell While the king lodgeth within my brest saith the poor soul he his sweet as a bundle of myrrhe to my soul And the king saith I am fair and there is no spot in me because of the comeliness which he hath put upon me and he saith that I am fair and have doves eyes read Cant. 1.3 12 13. Eze. 16.14 Cant. 4.1 Now a poor soul being brought by the king into the banqueting house on the day of the Lord nay in the day of the Lord and upon the Lords day I mean Christ who is the Lords day Psalm 118.22 23 24. Now Christ is the king of this day and the day it self in which every true believing soul doth abide for ever any Christ himself is the house into which the poor soul is brought and Christ himself holds his banner of love over a poor soul and makes it glad in himself Cant. 2.4 Now Christ and the soul have sweet communion together Sect. 3 and Jesus Christ tells the soul of his Fathers great love unto it before the foundation of the world and that he hath chosen it in him and blessed it with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in himself And Christ tells the soul that it shall stand in him for ever before God and be holy and without blame before him in love Ephes 1.3 4. And Christ tells the soul that he came out of the bosom of the Father to be its ransom and to pay its debts to the law and to sin and to hell and the devil and the grave John 1.16 17 18. Isai 53. read the whole Chapter Hosea 13.14 1 Cor. 15.54 55 56 57 58. Heb. 2.14 15. And so likewise Christ tells the soul he will inable it to beleeve all this Heb. 12.2 And so Christ tells the soul he will make it fruitful in good works before God and men that they may glorifie God on their behalf Eph. 2.10 Matth. 5.15 16. And Christ tells the soul he hath done all for it that it stands in need of and that he is all unto it that it wants
by promise he shal bruise the head of Goliah cause the Champion of the Philistims to sink in the head of their Army and though they may rise again and bruise his heel yet a stone shal be directed from a sling and shal sink in at Goliahs forehead and he shal fal 2 Chron. 18.19 20 21 22 33 34. 1 Sam. 17.47 48 49 50. And so a man going along the streets Nochance but providence doth all a flie comes into his eye and troubles him and so a tile fals from a house and hurts him Now none of these be accidents in respect of God but through our weakness we cal them so but God hath his design in them all Sect. 9 Now God which made heaven and earth and the sea the round world and all things that are therein Acts 14.15 This God is a wonder-working God and his blessings are unto the the utmost bound of the everlasting hils Gen. 49.26 Now this wonder-working God Psal 107.8 15 21 31 42 43. made and wrought curiously his first Creation that we might behold him in it as in a glass far more curiously then any Artificer can make a curious Watch Lord saith David thou hast wonderfully made me and curiously wrought me out of the dust of the earth or belly of the earth thou hast fashioned me Psa 139.14 15 16. Now all this makes way for the appearance of Christ yet nevertheless man being in this honor abideth not Psal 49.12 Now comes in that which God neither created nor made and that is sin Now God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good or very lovely Gen. 1.31 Now God made not sin Sin is none of Gods Creation but a vail over it for sin is very evil and very ugly and sin hath drawn a vail of deformity over the whole Creation that was given to the first Adam Now Adam and Eve seeking themselves and to advance themselves in eating the forbiden fruit they met with sin and sin deceived them both and before they were aware they had slain a man I mean Christ Gen. 3.1 5. And Cain did the like Gen. 4.8 And thus you see what a curious piece of work the first Creation was Instance in Adam while he lay in his form of a man upon the earth before the Lord without life and after the Lord had breathed into him the breath of life he was a very curious piece but he continued but a very short time for he forgot the Law of his God and the Command of his Maker Gen. 2.7 16 17. And so sin and the devil broke in upon him and so in him sin brought shame sorrow pain and grief upon all Gen. 3.7 8 16 17 19. And this is that which the Apostle speaks of and saith The whole Creation groaneth and traveleth in pain until now to be delivered Rom. 8.21 22. And thus you see how sin hath caused a jarring in this earthly and natural Creation 1 Cor. 15 44 45 47. Instance in Adam and Eve and Cain Job So that nowhere is nothing but an earthly sound Every one stands weeping for Christ though they know him not and earthly musick and every man is groaning in the grave of his earth and stands weeping until the Lion of the tribe of Judah teach him to know the time of restauration and the time of refreshing and the time of the new Creation whereby they shal see the heavens that were first made to perish and wax old as a garment and as a vesture God wil fold them up or as a painted-cloth is taken down and folded up so shal these first Heavens and this first Creation be changed But the Heaven of God or the Heaven in God this was never made but was before time and shal swallow up time into eternity and this Heaven shal never fail and when the Lion of the tribe of Iudah shal unloose the seals of the Everlasting Gospel and shal teach men to sing the new song even the song of the Lamb that was slain by Adam and Eve in the eating of the forbiden fruit and so by Cain in slaying of Abel By this Lamb I mean Jesus Christ who shal change men from the first Creation which is ful of sin and misery into the Liberty of the Spirit of the Lord which is the new heaven read these three Scriptures Revel 5.5 8 to the end Hebr. 1.10 11 12. 2 Cor. 3.17 18. But you wil say Object God might have prevented all this misery in the first Creation which you have spoke of My answer is Answ God could have prevented sin if he would for coming into his first Creation but God suffers sin or permits sin to be there therefore God sees sin Psal 94.7 8 9 God permits of many things for his own glory 10 11. God did not create sin nor make it for sin is very evil and that which God made was very good Gen. 1.31 Therefore Gods design is to destroy sin for he sent his own Son into the world for that purpose 1 Ioh. 3.8 Sin shal work for good Rom. 8.28 And Gods design is to bring forth his own glory through all in making a new Creation and bringing forth Jesus Christ God in his first Creation considers the weakness of men in sining that they are but dust Psal 103.14 15. Therefore he saith you have destroyed your selves but in me is your help Hosea 13.9 Now if God look away but a moment mans capacity takes it for anger Sect. 10 Psal 30.5 Then God comes and saith Anger is not in me fury is not in me I wil love you freely for I am love it self Isai 27.4 Hosea 14.4 And though thou hast crucified my Son yet I wil come to thee in the cool of the day that is Christ my son is the day and with thee in him I am wel pleased The Godhead is the womb out of which every good perfect gift doth proceed and my Sons blood shal be a cool plaister to heal thy heat of sin Gen. 3.8 By the washing of regeneration from the womb of the new birth and the renewing of the holy Ghost by which thou shalt be born read Tit. 3.4 5 6. Now the Godhead is the womb of the morning and Christ is the first child in that womb Psal 110.3 And Christ is the bright morning Star in that womb read Revel 22.2 4 5 16. And all those that are Christs are born out of that womb and God sees no sin in himself therefore God sees no sin in that which is born of himself for that which is born of God with reference to Christ cannot sin because it is born of God and is the seed of God 1 Ioh 3.9 And this is the new Creation in which God sees no sin or sees no sin in them or in that Now here God sees no sin in the new creature because it is his seed upon consideration it may be found where sin
hand of the Gospel moveth the heart of a man to a godly sorrow The goodness and the kindness and mercy of God applyed to the hearts of men that leadeth men forth to a true repentance and a right breaking of heart Now when the love of Jehovah doth break into the heart of a man or woman then the soul doth cry out and say the loving kindness and the goodness of God hath conquered my soul and the Lord draws my soul after him with the cords of love and how then shal I return again to folly seeing Jehovah hath taken hold of my soul with his love Now the rough hand of the Law as it is unskilfully handled by the most of our learned Men that know not Christ handle the law roughly rather hardens the hearts of men and sears them up in their sins then it mollifies and softens the heart because the Law is a strict rule holy jvst and good not given for men to do and live thereby Now the strict rule of the Law in the letter meeting with a crooked siner these two fal to variance as Cain did with Abel Now this carnal siner looks upon the Law as too strict that if he offend in one point he is guilty of all and so lies lyable to a curse for not continuing in all things which are in the book of the Law to do them Now this siner looking upon the Law out of the hand of Christ his heart begins to harden against God and he becomes an enemy against God and is not subject to the Law of God Rom. 8.7 And if it were possible this carnal minded man would destroy both God and his Law for the very same reason that Cain slew his brother 1 Joh. 3.12 And thus a man comes to be seared up in his sins when both he and his minister look upon the Law carnally and not in the hands of Christ as we in our days have many pretenders for the Law and many that rest in the Law and not in Christ and yet make their boast of God and seem to be Teachers of others and yet not able to teach themselves and yet make their boast of the Law and remain carnal in the Gospel and can hardly tel how to speak any thing of Christ Sect. 9 Now these rough handlers of the Law are like unto Esau cuning men of the field men that love red pottage and see no beauty in Jacobs heritage but despise it How can these men apply savory meat unto a poor hungry thirsty soul whom they hate for the blessing wherewith it is blessed in Christ And Esau said in his heart Now Esaus heart being ful of the seed of the serpent he said he would slay his brother Jacob as Herod would have done Christ Now by savory meat I mean the sweetnesses and the refreshings of Christ unto a poor weary soul which these men by experience know not as you may take an instance of the Jews and Pharisees Instance great zealous talkers of the Law of God and the Worship of God Nay they made their boast of God and yet they did not know Jesus Christ though he was present amongst them but dealt roughly with him according as they did see the Law as you may read at large Rom. 2.17 21 23. Gen. 25.27 30 34. 27.41 Iohn 9.13 14 15 16 29. Have not we many now in our days which hold forth the Law as the chief Priests and Pharisees did that is quite out of the hands of Christ and they tel the people they know not the Law but they must beleeve it as they hold it out unto them for the chief Priests and Pharisees told the people in Christs time That the people who know not the Law are cursed And thus the Law did seem to be rough by their unskilful handling of it out of the hands of Christ as we also may do at this day Iohn 7.45 48 49. How the Law in the hand of Christ turns to be Gospel Christ is the living law of God and the onely rule for a Christian and doth the greatest work as for instance Saul in his height of malice when he was going to Damascus the light of Christ did shine round about him and changed his evil heart He did not hear the voyce of thundering and lightning at Mount Sinai but a gentle hand and a soft sweet voyce speaking unto him and saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me in my members Now Saul was not afrighted out of his wits but said Who art thou Lord and the Lord said I am Iesus whom thou persecutest but thou shalt do so no more for I will make thee a Minister of grace and though Saul trembled yet his heart was possest with love to the Lord and to those that he had persecuted for saith he Lord what wilt thou have me to do for thee and for them that I have so wronged Now this is a Gospel-change Acts 9.3 4 5 6. 26.16 Sect. 10 Now if this work of the Gospel had been wrought in the hearts of those that might have prevented bloodshed or in those that were so exceeding mad to shed the blood that was shed in Guildhal-yard but it seems they were of Sauls minde Men in our times like unto Saul and the chief Priests and Pharisees thinking that they might do many things nay any thing against a man or a woman under the name of Independents or Sectaries that is to put Christ and his members out of their Synagogues and City nay further even to kill Christ in his members or Christ and his members together and in so doing To think that they do God service These things are done and the cause is they neither know God nor Christ these are Christs own words as you may read Acts 26.9 10 11. John 16.2 3. But I am of Stevens minde and shall say Lord lay not this sin to the charge of this City Acts 7.58 59 60. Now the Law being in the hands of Christ and the Spirit of Christ who is the onely blessed God and the efficient cause in changing of that which we call Law into Gospel Thus God in Christ saith unto every soul I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other Gods before me Exod. 20.2 3. Now this Law is brought by the Spirit of Christ Christ makes way for himself in the hearts of men into the heart of a man or a woman and there it is planted and ingraven Jere. 31.33 34. and Christ puts in the finger of his sweet Spirit in at the hole of the door of the heart in at the hole of the lock as it were and his Spirit is the key that opens the heart and Christ with his finger puts back all the barrs and bolts that stand between him and the soul and Christ looks into the soul and takes away all drousie distempers and waters the soul and refreshes it with his sweet graces Christ is a sweet Law
brim-full of this grace of Christ that he may love the brotherhood that is the union between Christ and his Church and that we may have all the fear of God and then we shall honor the King Jesus Christ and honor all men The King as supreme and Governors under him 1 Pet. 2.13 14 17. Now this grace of Christ will move the Kings heart to be like a nursing father and to say as David said But these sheep what have they done But these thousands of poor harmless subjects that have been stain in England and Ireland what have they done I shall easily be intreated now to part with any thing or to do any thing to preserve those my poor subjects that are alive that they may have a firm and a lasting peace and live quietly all their days And thus Davia reasoned with the Lord as you may read 2 Sam. 24.17 24. Now this grace will help us to do more then a Covenant of our own making Therefore let us pray to God that he would be pleased to pour into the hearts of the King and Parliament abundance of his grace that they may be like unto Solomon in dividing of their great affairs for the peace of the kingdom and that with speed even as Solomon did with the two harlots in seeming to divide the childe the right mother came to enjoy her own childe Now amongst all your divisions the Lord teach you to maintain the priviledg of free Subjects and that every man may enjoy his own in peace Now if the wisdom and grace of Christ be in you it will teach you as it did Solomon To give the living childe to the right mother and this will make you famous 1 King 3.16 26 27 28. Now what hath been said Sect. 9 must be done with speed delays are dangerous the Kingdom is weary it begins for the kick and there are many evil tongues abroad the Lord keep us that we may not be devoured like unto Germany For the prevention of which the Lord teach you and inable you for to keep one right Fasting day to the Lord which is to loose the bands of wickedness and to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every yoke and deal your bread to the hungry and bring the poor into their possessions again and to relieve the naked and hide not your selves from your own flesh for matter of opinion and if you take away from the midst of you the yoke the putting forth of the finger and the speaking of vanity by some of the ignorant and sottish Clergy and those that stand to do justice and do none read Isai 58.2 6 7 9. Zech. 7.5 6 9 10. Now when the grace and Spirit of Jesus Christ doth come all these things will vanish away as the mist doth before the Sun and then your light shall break forth as the morning and the health of the Kingdom shall spring forth speedily and your righteous judgments shall go before you and the glory of the Lord shall be your rereward and when you cry the Lord will say here I am to help you Now God in Christ he is the good Physitian that brings health and cure to Kingdoms and Cities and bids the inhabitants dwell in peace and go forth with their flocks for he will satisfie the weary souls and replenish every sorrowful soul And when a Kingdom or a particular person do arise and behold this then their sleep will be sweet unto them as it was to Jeremiah Isai 58.8 9. Jere. 31.24 25 26. Now some will object and say Object That I seem to upbraid the Clergy with speaking vanity and with being full of ignorance and sotishness I answer Answ nay rather the Prophets and the Apostles they answer for the speaking of vanity and using deceit by the most of the Prophets in their time which stole their words from their neighbor and say God saith read Ezek. 13.7 8 9 10. Jere. 23.30 31 32. 14.18 50.6 A Ministry not built upon Christ in the Spirit doth not profit the people for they seek themselves and not the peoples souls read Ezek. 34.2 3 4. And so likewise these Prophets and Priests and people for the most part are possessed with ignorance and sottishness as you may read and consider well of it Jere. 4.22 5.30 31. If I go forth into the field saith the true Prophet then behold the slain with the sword And if I enter into the City then behold them that are sick with famine yea both the Prophet and the Priest go about into a Land that they know not Or make merchandise As the Margent of the Bible reads it as the Margent reads it against a Land and the sottish people acknowledg it not Iere. 14.18 Now you will say it is true Sect. 10 there were such Prophets Priests formerly but you hope there are none such now I shall answer you nay rather the Apostle Peter shall answer you There were false prophets formerly saith he and there will be and are false teachers among you even at this day which come to you in sheeps clothing saith Christ and use fair and enticing words and yet are ignorant and sottish concerning me saith Christ himself Beware of such teachers for they are blinde guides saith Christ 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. Matth. 7.15 21 22 23. 15.13 14. A Ministry built onely upon Letters I mean the Letter of the World and so speak or preach external words which may be got by natural industry and art But this learning onely and no more with it will neither profit themselves nor the people Now such kinde of learning as this the most part of the Episcopal or the Prelatical Clergy hath and some of the Presbyterians together with some of the Independents but especially the Minister of the Common-Prayer Book Mistake me not The Auditory of the Common Prayer Book for the most part are like little children that learn to say their lesson after their Master and so they are weak in knowledg like young children I speak not against any thing that is good in that Book but I speak of the unsufficiency of such a Minister or Ministers and then of the peoples weakness and ignorance in a customary way like unto little children they go to School to learn their letters and after a short time it may be they can say over an Epistle and a Gospel by rote and understand but little or nothing at all and it may be they can say over some Prayers without book when their Minister it may be cannot do so much And this hath been the custom and the rejoycing of the most people in this Kingdom and it is so now at this day in this City In some Parishes they rejoyce in that easie Common-Prayer Book I call it easie because a childe of six yeers old may read it over And this they rejoyce in as the publike Service of God when it may
strive together and therefore he is bold to tell him that did the wrong Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow to which the guilty person returns an angry answer as though Moses were of his mind to kill his brother wilt thou kill me as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday every man 's afraid of his brother now thus it is in the Egypt of this world in the which the most even of professors are as yet found doing that one against another in the face of Christendom and to the shame of Christianity which the Egyptians do one against another yea that which the Egyptian did against the Hebrew And therefore as none was found so fit a man as Moses a man mightily preserved but the meekest man in all the earth to bring these dissenting brethren out of Egypt and be their Captain to lead them through the Wilderness so none will or can in any age be found and therefore not in this but one that is as Moses was a man of a meek and quiet spirit I mean Christ himself brought forth in them that beleeve none but he in the Spirit will ever be able effectually to bring the Church of God out of the Egypt it is yet in and free it from under those infinite numbers of Taskmasters that lye in wait like foxes to have dominion over it Foâ— what hath the Nation done hitherto in a manner I mean in relation to Religion but built Pithom and Raamses two treasure Cities to spiritual Pharaoh the King of spiritual Egypt the name of the one being by interpretation as they say os defectionis vel gehennae the very mouth or gate of hell the other importing a thing as evil Commotionem tineae the eating of the moth the name of the one in plain English is A Form of Godliness the labor and strife of these times accompanied with her sister or rather her daughter City scituated next unto her yea lying in her bosom The want of the power of it if called by her name Negative but her positive name is The superfluity or the overflowings of evil I have therefore prayed that God would take of this spirit of Moses I mean that meek and quiet that sweet and saving that high holy and healing Spirit that sometimes rested in our Lord in the form of a Dove and is in the same similitude in the heart word and life of his members as appears in this man and this discourse and put it upon and pour it out in great abundance upon the heads and hearts of all sorts of men especially the leaders of the people in the Land for the reconciling and uniting them to God the fountain of peace and sweetness and one to another that the voyce of the turtle rara avis a rare bird may be heard again in our land that every one may sit under his own vine and under his own figtree that the voyce of war may be heard no more amongst us This we see evidently was the drift of this author and this book The last thing is the opportuness of its coming forth for it may serve to check those proud waves that are now arising I mean calm those unruly passions that are this day found boyling up in the spirits of most men and factious to the endangering and unquieting of all How sweet and welcom at such a time as this would that prevailing mighty voyce of our Saviour be which indeed is heard in this man and in this book of them that have cars to hear I mean that Peace be still which may save the ship we are all in as it did that wherein the Apostles were with Christ in expectation and hope of which I remit all to wait on him and rest Yours in the service of the Gospel R. B. IF Verse becomes a tract so grave as this As Psalmes in Scripture shew that treat of bliss Then let 's awake and to Jehovah sing For here 's a Dove that doth the Olive bring To England and the Ark of God in it The waters sink that would have drowned it The mountains hills and stately trees appear That overwhelm'd with inundations were A resting place on earth there 's yet for God The Sea 's dried up by h's wonder-working rod. All sects and sides before him silent are He quiets all and makes an end of Warre R. B. The Authors Request Courteous reader for the better directing you in the reading of this book look into the plainness of the Table in the which many things remarkable may be found presently and let me desire this one thing of you and that is to read the Table of Contents all over which you shall find at the end of this Book R. P. A LOOKING-GLASS FOR A Proud Pharisee Who is Very Zealous and yet very Ignorant CHAP. I. The Spiritual Opening and Application of these Scriptures VIZ. JOhn 8.33 Joh. 8.36 Mat. 16.6 Mat. 15.1 9. Rom. 10.2 3. Isa 63.3 Isa 59.16 2 Sam. 16.1 2 3 4. compared with cap. 19.26 27 28 29. Col. 1.18 Mat. 20.2 13 14. Rom. 9.31 32. Rom. 9.32 Luk. 16.15 Den. 9.4 Ps 101 5. Isa 65.5 Joh 9.28 29. Joh. 5.39 40. Mat. 17.5 Joh. 7.49 1 Cor. 1.27 28. Mat. 9.2 Luk. 5.29 30 31. Isa 53.2 Rev. 3.17 Eph. 1.7 8 9. Prov. 8.18 Rev. 3.17 Prov. 8.19 20. Luk. 16.14 Mat. 21.31 Heb. 11.31 1 Cor. 1.27 28. Act. 13.46 48. Mat. 6.7 Eccles 7.16 Mat. 5.17 Mat. 6.5.6 Mark 12.38 39 40. Rom. 9.32 Luk. 18.9 10 11 12. 1 Chro. 29.14 1 Cor. 15.8 9 10. Luk. 18.9 10 11 12. Isa 65.5 Dent. 8.17 CHristian Friend I have made bold to present you with some Scripture cautions they are such as our Savior gave to his Disciples and the Prophets gave to the high-conceited Jews who boasted of a freedom by Abraham which is without Joh. 8.33 and called God Father and yet knew not the Son of God whose freedom is within which is best of all Joh. 8.36 Now do ye Pharisees says Christ make clean the outside of the cup and the platter but your inward part is ful of ravening and envy and yet you think you are righteous and despise others Luk. 11.37 38 39. Luk. 18.9 The kingdom of God cometh not with observation or with outward shew Luk. 17.20 21. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly saith the Apostle And there are now which say they are Christians and are not but are Antichristians Rom. 2.28 Rev. 2.9 10. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Read these Scriptures and consider wel of them Rom. 2.29 The first Caution is Mat. 16.6 Sect. 1 Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadduces which is called Vers 12. the Doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadduces Pride and hatred do proceed from those that are ignorant of Jesus Christ yet these Pharisees
of Jerusalem knew the Commandments of God and were strickt in their Traditions and yet none broke the Commandments of God more then they for they were blind and yet they said we see and so they supposed to draw nigh to honor God but it was with the mouth and the lips their hearts being far from me saith our Savior as you may see in Mat. 15. from ver 1. to 9. For in vain do they worship me saith our Savior that break my Fathers Laws and teach men so to do Sect. 2. Take heed and beware of an outside and a seeming shew of zeal for God as those had in Rom. 10.2 3. For I bear them record saith the Apostle that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledg For they being ignorant could not find the way to Gods righteousness so went about to establish their own works and so submitted not to Jesus Christ Sect. 3. Take heed and beware of being partners with Christ and laying claim to do something with him as many do in these our days laying too much weight upon their prayers and fastings and all other holy performances Mistake me not I prize them highly when Christ is all in them For he is alone and of the people there was none with him Isa 63.3 No intercessor Therefore Christs arm brings salvation and deliverance alone in all straits Isa 59.16 Take heed and follow not the example of Ziba in that unjust act of dividing with his Master as you may read 2 Sam. 16.1 2 3 4. verses compared with cap. 19.26 27 28 29. Christ is our Master we must not divide with him for in all things he wil have the preeminence Col. 1.18 Take heed likewise of making a bargain with him for the laborer had his peny but it was with this answer Go thy way as you have it in Mat 20.2 13 14. But to conclude with that woful miscarriage of the Jews in Rom. 9.31 32. But Israel which followed after the Law of Righteousness hath not attained to the Law of Righteousness What is the reason because saith the Apostle they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law partly by their works partly by Christ O! it is a sweet and a precious work of the Spirit of Christ for man and woman to be brought wholy from themselves and set wholy upon Christ the root of Jesse out of which root doth flow Light and Life Rest and Peace the Spirit of Knowledg and a right Understanding and of the fear of the Lord and unfained Love flowing forth to the Lord Jesus Christ and to all the Saints To conclude Take notice of those words in Rom. 9.32 but as it were by the works of the Law as it is to be feared many in these days do and so stumble at Jesus Christ Consider what is said but God must give thee understanding Take heed of Self-Righteousness Sect. 4 a disease which is ancient for Moses complains of it in his time and Christ tels the Pharisees of it in Luk. 16.15 Ye are they which justifie your selves before men but God knoweth your hearts Speak not thou in thine heart for my righteousness the Lord hath done this for me Deut. 9.4 The righteousness of Christ the riches of his goodness leadeth man to Repentance but the conceited righteousness of man lifteth up the heart but the heart that 's lifted up is not right the heart that 's lifted up is ful of several vanities as a high look private censures disdainful behavior Psa 101.5 Vain thoughts about their sacrifice as those in Isa 65.5 Which say Stand by thy self come not neer to me for I am holier then thou these are a smoak in my nose saith the Lord a fire that burneth all the day Beware of carnal confidence Sect. 5 and be not like to those Pharisees in the 9. of John which rest upon the Scriptures and not upon Jesus Christ as you may read in the 28 29. Verses And they reviled him that was blind and said Thou art his Disciple but we are Moses Disciples We know that God spake unto Moses as for this fellow meaning Iesus Christ we know not say they from whence he is Search the Scriptures saith our Savior for they testifie of me for in them ye think ye have eternal life by working out as it were your salvation and ye wil not come to me that ye might have life freely Ioh. 5.39 40. The Father himself which hath sent me hath born witness of me Mat. 17.5 This is my beloved Son hear ye him But you have despised me and those that follow me Joh. 7.49 1 Cor. 1.27 28. I bring good tydings to the world I open the blind eyes of the body and of the understanding I set at liberty those that are bound up in prison by their sins and bid them be of good cheer Mat. 9.2 I break the heart and bind it up comfortably again I come not to cal the righteous but sinners to repentance The goodness of Christ to be amongst sinners makes the Pharisees murmur Luk. 5.29 30 31. The whole need not a Physitian but they that are sick For which of these good works do you persecute me and those that follow me You know not the gift of God for all your zeal for God and I know you that ye have not the love of God in you For I came out of the bosom of the Father and ye hate me but do not think I wil accuse you to the Father there is one that accuseth you even Moses in whom ye trust Take heed how Sect. 6 and what ye see for the Iews said we see but saw no form or comeliness in Iesus Christ whose beauty they desired not Isa 53.2 Take heed likewise how and with what you are rich Thou sayst I am rich Rev. 3.17 but thou art miserable poor blind and naked and thy garments wi not cover thy nakedness There is a poor rich man but God has purposed in himself the poor in spirit that are in this world shal be made rich with the riches of his free grace Eph. 1.7 8 9. And these Riches are in me saith Iesus Christ Prov. 8.18 yea durable riches and righteousness So likewise there is a rich poor man as you may see in the forenamed place Rev. 3.17 Thou sayst I am rich but thou art poor without me saith Christ Though thou hast great possessions in the world as the young-man in the Gospel came to Christ rich but went away without him therefore he was poor as many men and women in the world that be rich but not from the Creation of Christ Iesus in them Christ Iesus comes down from heaven loden with spiritual riches and sends forth his voyce and cries My commodity is better then gold yea then fine gold I wil lead you in the way of righteousness Prov. 8.19 20. Now Christ Iesus comes amongst the Scribes and Pharisees and the Iews and the Lawyers and the
he wil hang upon every thing to save himself so the Iews for the most part did hang upon their own performances and so the Pharisees in Christs time and so to this very very day as for instance in Isa 58.3 Wherefore have we fasted and done so much say they and thou seest not wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledg of us Now the Lords answer is this These be but your bodily exercises and wil profit you but little It is not a form of godliness but the powerfulness of Gods Spirit in you and that must teach you to profit Isa 48.17 Now in the next place you have the Lords description of these outside professors in these words Yet they seek me dayly and delight to know my ways they ask of me the ordinances of justice they take delight in approaching to God Isa 58.2 Now they reply from this in these words Wherefore have we humbled our selves and prayed why saith the Lord your performances which you have woven are but as the spiders web which shal not be garments to cover you for you are like unto the spider that leans upon his house but it shal not stand neither shal you cover your selves with your own works Isa 59.6 compared with Iob 8.13 14 15. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me saith the Lord when you have not faith and love in your inward parts I delight not in your vain repetitions and luke-warm discourse it is an abomination unto me saith the Lord because they are your Idols or a false Christ of your own making if Christ the Son of God be not all in all in the heart of a man or woman then the heart is ful of Idols and false Christs Isa 44.16 17. So the most part of the world are ful of heart Idolatry and false Christs Beware of Covetousness Sect. 3 which is Idolatry Eph. 5.5 And I wil say to my soul soul thou hast much goods take thy rest Luk. 12.19 now here is a false Christ For there is no rest but in Christ Psa 116.7 Now it is a good thing to throw down outward Idolatry and Superstition but in the mean time if our hearts be as Temples ful of Idols and of false Christs what have we done Is not this that which the Lord complains of and cals it an abomination unto him and saith he is weary of their performances because they bring them and their prayers and their civil walking and their good meaning unto him and leave Christ behind them Therefore saith the Lord When ye spread forth your hands I wil hide mine eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I wil not hear you that is I wil not regard you Isa 1.11 12 13 14 15. CHAP. III. The Spiritual Opening and Application of these Scriptures VIZ. Lev. 10.1 2. Rev. 8.3 4. Prov. 15.8 Mark 11.13 Rev. 22.2 Gen. 3.7 Ezek. 16.8 Mark 15.16 24. Joh. 6.63 Ezek. 36.22 Rom. 8.26 Mark 10.17 18 19 20 21. Joh. 14.6 Joh. 4.23 24. Joh. 1.4 5. Rev. 3.7 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. 2 Cor. 3.6 Jam. 3.10 13 14 15 16. Gal. 5.22 23. 2 Tim. 1.7 Joh. 5.39 40 41 42 43 44. compared with Joh. 12.42 43. Psa 50.19 20 21 22. Mat. 5.17 Mat. 9.3 4. Luk. 7.33 34. Mat. 12.24 25. Joh. 5.16 18. Joh. 9.16 Joh. 18.30 Joh. 11.47 48. Joh. 12.19 Joh. 15.18 19 20. Joh. 18.30 31. Mark 15.8 9 10 11 12 13. Joh. 19.14 15 16. Joh. 5.39 46 47. Jer. 23.21 Jer. 14.12 13 14. Acts 24.2 5 6. Acts 19.23 24 25 26. Acts 17.18 19 20. Gen. 9.22 23 24 25. Acts 22.22 23 24 25. Revelation 17.7 9 12 13 14 15. 2 Thessalonians 2.3 4 7 8 9 10 11. Zachariah 2.7 Zachariah 1.19 20 21. Acts 26.11.22.3 4 5. Acts 22.3 4 5. Acts 26.9 10 11. Acts 8.3 4. Exod. 7.10 11 12. 1 Kings 18.21 22 23 24 25.38 Leviticus 9.24 Ieremiah 14.12 13 14 15 16. Ezekiel 13.10 11. Ier. 6.13 14. Zach. 10.2 3. Jer. 23.28 31 32. Mat. 24.24 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5. Phil. 1.15 16. Act. 4.20 2 Cor. 4.13 Phil. 3.2 18 19. 3 Joh. 9 10 11. Psa 15.3 Luk. 11.35 NOw to give you the reason of what hath been said of the Pharisee or outside professor Sect. 1 is this God the Father wil not accept of any thing out of Christ his Son or besides Christ instance in Nadab and Abihu which took fire but not from the Altar and so offered strange fire And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they dyed before the Lord Lev. 10.1 2. Secondly Christ is that golden Censer in which the prayers of the Saints are Thirdly Christ as God is that golden Altar upon which the prayers of the Saints are offered Fourthly Christ is the first and the only accepted with God and hath in himself much incense and in him are all the prayers of the Saints acceptable and sweet before God and by him alone are all the prayers of the Saints offered up to God as a sweet smelling savor Rev. 8.3 4. Now it is otherwise with a Pharisee or an outside Christian for they come to God alone by themselves and bring their prayers and performances and good meanings to God without Christ and leave Iesus Christ behind them and so they offer strange fire as Nadab and Abihu did And so likewise they have no golden censer for their prayers nor sweet incense to offer with their prayers nor any to offer their prayers upon the golden Altar but themselves for they know not Iesus Christ whose place it is to offer up prayers to God for he is the only accepted of God and if they seem to know him yet they wil not give him the preeminence in all things instance in those Iews Rom. 9.31 32. But as it were by the works of the Law that is partly by Christ and partly by their own works They would come to God but to come to God without Iesus Christ is as if the stubble should come to the flaming fire to be agreed and to come to God with a half Christ or to be halfes with Christ is plain Popery for it is to deny Iesus Christ the preeminence in all things as you may read in Col. 1.15 16 17 18 19. And thus they foolishly strive to be something of themselves with Christ in all things that they do and Christ not to be all in all things for them but themselves as it were to do something of themselves and so their prayers become as vain babling as Christ speaks Mat. 6.7 for Christ wil be all in all things to a man or else he wil be nothing at all to a man and then as Solomon saith The prayers of such a man and all things that he doth are an abomination to the Lord but the prayers of the upright are his delight Prov. 15.8 because he sees the Son of his delight to be all in them Sect. 2 Now I shal make
a comparison of the Pharisee and of the outside Christian which I shal make good by four places of Scripture And the first place of Scripture is in Mark 11.13 concerning the Fig-tree And Christ seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves he came if haply he might find any thing thereon and when he came to it he found nothing but leaves Here are three things remarkable with relation to a Pharisee or an outside Christian The first is Christ sees a Pharisee afar off he sees into their hearts he sees them proud afar off he tels them they are as graves ful of rottenness Luk 11.42 43 44. Secondly Christ comes to the Pharisees and they reject him Joh. 11.47 48 53. and took counsel together to put Christ to death Thirdly Christ finds nothing in a Pharisee but leaves and these leaves are not for the healing of the Nations as is spoken of in Rev. 22.2 But rather a bringing in of judgment and a wounding of a Nation as Adam and Eve did by seeking themselves in eating the forbidden fruit they brought sin upon the Nations of the world and so became naked and they sewed fig-leaves together to hide their nakednes Gen. 3.7 And this is the Pharisee's way But I wil shew you a more excellent way The Lord God himself made coats of skins for Adam and Eve and covered their nakedness and in his goodness said The seed of the woman meaning Christ should spread his skirt of love over them and cover their spiritual nakedness Gen. 3.15 21. Ezek. 16.8 And thus much shal serve by way of comparing the Pharisee to the Fig-tree that had leaves but no fruit for Christ The second comparison that I shal make of the Pharisees is this They are like to those Soldiers that led Christ away to crucifie him and after they had done then they did strive for his garments Mark 15.16 24. The Pharisees caused Christ to be put to death and I beleeve that there are Pharisees now that though they cannot reach the person of Christ yet they can reach the members of Christ to kil them in their outward comforts and in their good name and in reproaching of them for if they have done so to the green tree what wil they do to the dry tree and if they have put Christ to death they wil proceed to put Lazarus to death also Joh. 12.9 10 11. And yet they wil strive for Christs garments I mean they wil strive for the ordinances of Christ and seem to take delight in them as a man doth in his garments as you may plainly read in Isa 58.2 And yet they are like dying men whose garments can neither warm them nor keep life in them If Jesus Christ be not the life and the heat in all his ordinances though you lap your selves about with them as with a garment yet you may perish for want of heat for it is the Spirit of Christ that gives forth heat and makes men lively It is the Spirit that quickneth saith Christ the letter profiteth nothing Joh. 6.63 Jesus Christ tels the Pharisees that they are miserable and naked Rev. 3.17 No say the Pharisees for we have the ordinances of God and our duties and these are as garments to cover our nakedness Now this is a strain of spirit that doth rest upon most people and Ministers as one may hear in these expressions Since we have begun these morning Exercises saith one God hath given us in 70 victories but mark what the Lord saith these victories be but the effects therefore ascribe not too much to your prayers but consider the cause Not for your sakes O house of Israel nor for your prayers be it known unto you but for mine holy Names sake are these victories given unto you Ezek. 36.22 Yet I wil be sought unto saith the Lord. O! Sect. 3 it is a sweet thing to pray when the Spirit of Jesus Christ teacheth and helpeth us to pray then we shal set the Crown of praise upon the head of Christ alone for the Spirit it self helpeth us so to do Rom. 8.26 But it is a bad thing to set the crown of praise upon the head of our prayers and performances O that we could do our duties out of love to Christ alone and then take our hearts and our hands off from them and have our eyes fixed upon Christ alone and not upon our duties for why should we be like the Hen that when she hath done her duty she tels all about her Simile The Pharisee seemeth to be much for the praise of God yet hath but little or no acquaintance with Jesus Christ Give God the praise saith the Pharisee to the blind man that was cured and as for this Follow meaning Jesus Christ we know not from whence he is Joh. 9.24 29. A Pharisee doth not really know Jesus Christ therefore he doth carnally complement with Christ Iesus Good Master saith the Pharisee what shal I do that I may get heaven Why saith Christ thou knowest the Commandments and yet thou canst not spel my Name in them therefore thou art miserable poor and naked No saith the Pharisee I am not so for I have observed all those Commands that thou didst bid me from my youth to this day Wel saith Christ I see into thy heart and that is not right to me for all that thou hast done Mark 10.17 18 19 20 21. And this web saith Christ which thou dost trust unto shal be as a spiders web and shal not cover thy nakedness and this staff which thou dost lean upon shal be as the spiders house But it shal not stand though thou shalt hold it fast it shal not endure Job 8.13 14 15. Though a Pharisee seem to come to Christ yet at the same time he doth thrust Jesus Christ away from him Now the third comparison Sect. 4 that I shal make of the Pharisee or outside Christian is this Now a Pharisee is like unto a Papist in two things The first is this A Pharisee is one that seems to worship God zealously but hath no knowledg of Iesus Christ I bear them record saith the Apostle that they have a zeal of God but not of Christ Rom. 10.2 3. and so they are ignorant of the true way which God wil be worshiped in which true way is Iesus Christ Joh. 14.6 I am the Way and the Truth saith our Savior And God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him or inables such and then they worship him spiritually in Christ Iesus Joh. 4.23 24. Search the Scriptures saith our Savior to the Pharisees for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they testifie of me And ye wil not come to me that ye might have life Now a Pharisee or an outside Christian searches the Scriptures as a Papist searches his beads by number and by tale and when they have done they
have not found Iesus Christ there It is a great mistake and the most in our days are subject to this mistake They think the meer having of the letter of the Scripture is sufficient for them to have eternal life so in some sort they become Idolaters even with the Scriptures themselves What is the Scripture to thee if thou mistake it In them ye think ye have eternal life but thy darkness comprehendeth not the light that shines in them as you may read in the Gospel of John 1.4 5. For what is the body without a soul Or what is the Scriptures to thee if thou hast not the key of David to open and unfold them unto thee Rev. 3.7 Or what is the Word to thee if thou hast not the Spirit of God by which it was given to open the mystery unto thee that is in it and then that Spirit wil teach thee to profit by the Word and wil instruct the in righteousness 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. And thou canst not take liberty to sin as the great out-cry goes now in our days but so much for that Mistake me not my advice is to account it a very great mercy to have the Word of God amongst us but ten thousand times a greater mercy to have the Spirit of the Word among us our Teachers and then that Spirit would heal our divisions and shed his love abroad in our hearts and then we should not bite and devour one another as we do and this is the crown of Pauls rejoycing to be made an able Minister not of the letter but of the Spirit for the Spirit giveth life and worketh love in our hearts 2 Cor. 3.6 O Lord Sect. 5 how little of thy sweet and peaceable Spirit is abroad in the world amongst Ministers and people if we consider the bitter envying and strife in mens hearts which is brought forth in contention and reproaching one another Now I shal speak as S. James speaks My brethren these things ought not so to be James 3.10 13 14 15 16. Is this the Spirit of Iesus Christ No in no wise For the fruit of the Spirit of Christ is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness meekness temperance Gal. 5.22 23. For these gifts the Spirit of God works in the hearts of the Saints as the Apostle speaks For God saith he hath not given us the spirit of fear and of error and heresie and division but of power of love and of a sound mind as you may read 2 Tim. 1.7 You Pharisees saith our Savior you search the Scriptures but ye wil not come to me For how can ye beleeve in me when ye receive honor one of another John 5.39 40 41 42 43 44. compared with John 12.42 43. and you shal find that not to be of the Pharisees simple judgment one shal have no place amongst them no not so much as to be the Beadle of a Ward not to be one in their way is as much as to be put out of their Synagogue as for instance in the blind man And they cast him out Iohn 9.32 33 34. And so you may instance in Lazarus But the Chief Priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death For he was a cause that the people went to meet Iesus Christ as you may read in the Gospel of John Chap. 12. Vers 10 11 18 19. Have not we many chief Priests and Pharisees now in our days as wel as there were in Christs time that sit and consult against their brethren as you may see in John Chap. 11. Vers 47 48. Instance if you wil in Mr Edwards a mighty man in the Scriptures and yet hardly knows Jesus Christ like to Nicodemus Joh. 3.1 4. He is something like to Tertullus too who disputed maliciously against Paul a notable Orator and one that had learned a leaf past grace and could talk nimbly but to little purpose as Mr Edwards doth read Acts 24.1 2 5 6. But now if Mr Edwards had an ear to hear what the Lord saith he would tremble Thou givest thy mouth to evil saith the Lord and thy tongue frameth deceit Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother thou slanderest thine own mothers son Mr Edwards have you not done these things doth not your conscience accuse you yet The Lord wil reprove you Mr Edwards consider whether you have not forgot God read Psa 50.19 20 21 22. Mr Edwards I shal refer you to one place more Have you heard of the doctrine of Iesus Christ Now the doctrine of Christ is First For Information Without me saith Christ ye can do nothing pleasing to God Joh. 15.5 Secondly It is for Exhortation to you Mr Edwards beware of being like to the Scribes and Pharisees Mar. 12.38 which neither loved Christ nor his followers Mistake me not I am no favorer of Sectaries yet I can with patience look upon them til God doth change their hearts In the third place I advise you not to be like an unskilful man to pluck up the wheat in stead of tares And in the fourth place Beware of being like unto the Scribes and Pharisees in loving to be chief and to have the uppermost places and to have domination and beware that you be not like the Pharisees and Lawyers that lode men with burdens grievous to be born and for a pretence make long prayers and so devour widows houses that is you oppress the weak and poor by your power and self-seeking Read if you please Mark 12.38 39 40. and Luke 11.44 45 46. Master Edwards be not angry with me for quoting these Scriptures unto you for they are the words of our Savior to the Pharisees and to the Lawyers and they were as wise men as your self Mr Edwards and as zealous read Joh. 5.16 17 18. and yet they made no conscience in seeking to kil Jesus Christ as you do not under the name of Sectaries to kil the Saints in their good name and in their reputation by your reproaches which you lay upon them and then you cal for the Magistrate to punish them and imprison them But God hath given the Parliament wisdom above such spirits as you are Mr Edwards for to restrain you or else what is it that you would not do and so the chief Priests and Pharisees likewise were very skilful in clothing Jesus Christ with a filthy garment of their reproaches and then they made the people out of love with him and then Barabbas must be let loose and Christ must go to suffer As for instance in their reproaching of Christ The first is this They thought Christ was come to destroy the Law Mat. 5.17 The second is this They said Christ was a Blasphemer Mat. 9.3 4. The third is this They said Jesus Christ was a gluttonous man a wine-bibber and did resort to ungodly men and to sinners Luk. 7.33 34. In the fourth place They said that Christ was a Conjuror This fellow say they doth cast out devils by
you M. Edwards like unto those in the Acts that cryed out against Paul when he had spoken of Jesus Christ And do not you so cry out Mr Edwards against these men saying Away with such fellows out of the Kingdom for it is not fit that they should live amongst us read Acts 22.22 23 24 25. And in your tenth head you charge them under the name of Sectaries with hypocrisie under pretences of piety and holiness pag. 61. M. Edwards do not these ten heads which you have layd down to accuse your brethren though falsly come forth from you like unto those ten horns which came out of the seven heads and these seven heads are seven mountains and this is the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carryed her Read Rev. 17.7 9 12 13 14 25. The Lord teach us to know this mystery and a false Prophet for there is a mystery of iniquity as wel as of godliness as the Apostle speaks in 2 Thes 2.2 3 4 7 8 9 10 11. Now in the next place M. Edwards Are not your ten Heads which you have produced in your 61. page like unto the horns which the Prophet Zechariah speaks of and wil you push the Church with these horns and scatter Israel and Iudah Here you may see a power that did scatter Israel or here you may see a mountain of power that wil scatter Israel But who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel that is before Iesus Christ thou shalt become a plain Zech. 4.7 For the Lord hath shewed me four Carpenters saith the Prophet Then said I What come these to do And he spake saying These are the horns which have scattered Iudah so that no man did lift up his head but these are come to fray them or to cut them off and to cast out the horns of the Gentiles which lift up their horn over the Land of Iudah to scatter it Zech. 1.19 20 21. This was the Prophets glorious vision concerning the power of Christ which is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of our Lord Iesus Christ And he shal bring forth the head stone of Reformation in the hearts and spirits of men and then we should serve one another in love and rejoyce with shoutings crying Grace grace unto it Zech. 2.6 7. Mr Edwards I think you are but little or nothing at all acquainted with these sweet workings of the Spirit of Christ But with the former places which I have named I think you are very skilful because you give your mouth to reproaching and your tongue is like unto a horn that gores your neighbors and brethren and this you do as it were out of zeal pushing the members of Christ up and down like unto Saul Being exceedingly mad against them he persecuted them even unto strange cities Acts 26.11 Acts 22.3 4 5. And yet for all this Mr Edwards you say you are a Minister of Jesus CHRIST which seemeth very strange But Mr Edwards Sect. 8 I pray you from whence had you your ministerial gifts I beleeve you wil say either from Cambridg or Oxford and there you learned your Arts and the Tongues and you can talk of the Fathers by roat and by your Logick you mistake and cal white black that is you cal Truth Error Mistake me not I highly prize the use of Tongues and all humane Learning in its place but this wil not prove you to be a Minister of the Gospel but only a Minister of men and so sent out from amongst men The Lord teach the people this mystery Saul was a Minister of the Gospel if this rule be true before he knew Iesus Christ and the Gospel for he had all humane Learning and yet was no Minister of the Gospel as he himself confesseth I was brought up saith he at the feet of Gamaliel a learned Rabby and taught according to the perfect manner of the Law of the fathers and was zealous towards God as ye all are this day And I persecuted this way unto the death binding and delivering into prisons both men and women as also the high Priest doth bear me witness read Acts 22.3 4 5. Acts 26.9 10 11. Acts 8.3 4. And thus you may see what it is to be a Minister sent out only from men A Minister sent out from men is a Minister of Terror and not of Tenderness a Minister of the Law and not of the Gospel a Minister of the Letter and not of the Spirit And so likewise in the next place Ministers sent out only from men may be able externally to prophesie and to work miracles as those Ministers do that are sent out from God as for instance the wise men of Egypt did cast down their rods and they became serpents in like manner as Aarons rod did but Aarons rod had the preeminency Exod. 7.10 11 12. And so likewise Ahabs false Prophets externally did the same things that the true Prophet of the Lord did These false Prophets did chuse one bullock for themselves and cut it in pieces and laid it on wood in like manner as Elijah the true Prophet did but they had no heavenly fire but Elijah the true Prophet called on the name of the Lord and he was answered by fire from heaven but the false Prophets had no answer from Baal Therefore they were mad before the Altar and the God that answered by fire he was God read 1 Kings 18.21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 38. Levit. 9.24 And thus you may see how far the false Prophets may go in external performances they may run when God doth not send them Jer. 14.12 13 14 15 16. and so seduce the people Ezek. 13.10 11. and heal the hurts of the people slightly And this they do in seting the old Adam up without the strength of the new Adam Jer. 6.13 14. And for this the Lord cals them idols speakers of vanity diviners false dreamers that comfort in vain Zech. 10.2 5. And use their tongues and say the Lord he saith but this doth not profit the people The Prophet that hath a dream let him tel a dream and he that hath my Word faith the Lord let him speak my Word faithfully What is the chaff to the wheat saith the Lord Jer. 23.28 31 32. Take heed M. Edwards the false Prophets are like unto chaff but the true Prophets are like unto wheat The Old Testament declares that the false Prophets ran up down amongst the true Prophets Consider those Scriptures forenamed And shal we think to be free now in the time of the Gospel No saith our Savior There shal arise false Christs and false Prophets Mat. 24.24 and they wil have a shew of godliness like the Pharisees but they cannot see the power of it and so they become proud and covetous false accusers fierce despisers of those that are good striving after high matters loving of pleasures and profit read 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5. M. Edwards I pray you
that could preach no better then a Cobler and yet had two or three hundred pound a year he would say he was an Officer in the Church and who should controul him Now in this case amongst them the Officers would not cast out the Officers but they all conspired against the people to keep them in bondage and if they did but stir then they had them up into their Courts and they were very chargeable But I hope it wil not be so now We use to say there are two things that make a Minister a Cal of God and a Cal of men and if the Cal of men be able to instate them into a place then that power that puts them into place is able to put them out of place again I mean the whole Congregation have power in themselves to put out of place either Minister or Church-Officer if need so require But to prevent the charges of our new Courts let us consider what the Apostle saith Is it so that there is not a wise man amongst you if there be then consider among your selves and if the case be difficult then if you please you may take the advice of your neighbor Church and so end the difference among your selves and never trouble the Courts and this wil be a means to save the peoples money 1 Cor. 6.5 6. Those that bear office in the Church ought to be meek and wise and able to end all sorts of differences in the Church I shalgive you but one instance more and that is this The chief Magistrate of a City doth not move as of himself but with the advice of his Society or the Common Councel which the people by their right do chuse unto that place and the people by their right do put them out of that place again and no doubt but for very good reason And so likewise the people have a right and a power in the Church as we as the Minister and the Church-Officers but every one in their place But I confess there is a mighty mist of ignorance before the eyes of all men and we do but grope as it were and are feeble in our way and we are not strong in the Lord and in the power of his might and how then shal we find out Gospel Ministers and Church-Officers which have discerning spirits And if this gift of discerning be wanting then it may be we shal take an enemy into our bosom and cast out our friends and then both the Ministers and Church-Officers wil be at a loss among themselves Now the Lord help us out of this way and for the most part of the people in a parish they have a vail before their eyes and how few in a parish are there that can make out a right knowledg of Jesus Christ how unable then are such people to chuse Church-Officers It may be they wil chuse ignorant men instead of knowing men and blind men instead of seeing men And then it wil come to pass as our Savior said If the blind lead the blind it is very likely they may both fal into a ditch Mat. 15.14 But you wil say what may help the people against this ignorance I answer The clear spiritual and Evangelical preaching of the Gospel For unto this wil all the Nations flow And many people wil say Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and he wil teach us of his ways for out of Zion shal go forth the Law And we shal have the swords of our enemies beaten into plow-shares and then we shal learn war no more read that Evangelical Prophet Isaiah 2.2 3 4 5. And so Jesus Christ doth inable his Apostles to be Evangelical and those that be his Ministers he doth inable them to deliver the spirituality of the Gospel for they have received that freely and they cannot but freely give that out again And so likewise Christ doth send forth his Ministers and bids them Provide neither gold nor silver in their purses neither two coats neither shoes nor yet staves to lean upon and so to be Independents but lean upon him and depend upon him for he wil provide for them and go before them and move the hearts of some men and they shal find favor and be refreshed by them for their labor and so they shal not need to make a bargain for a hundred or two hundred pound a year for this is to be an Independent but they shal be depending upon him as he is their Lord and Master and as they teach others to live the life of faith so they ought to be ensamples to live the life of faith in the use of that imployment which God hath set them about Mat. 10.9 10. He that hath the faith of Jesus Christ is a son of peace and doth not make a sale of the Gospel but is content with that which is given him and with that which is set before him Luk. 10.4 5 6 7 8. In the time of greatest trouble Sect. 11 some men seek to make their mountain strong and to make themselves great both in purse and in power when they are but only called to advise but we wil read backwards the words of Mat. 6.31 32 33 34. First seek the things of this world and then seek the things of heaven afterwards In the time of Christs great trouble when Judas had his hand upon the Table to betray Jesus Christ Then his Disciples were foolishly striving among themselves who should be counted the greatest But mark now how Christ cals them and tels them it shal not be so amongst them for they were his Disciples and it shal not be so amongst those that are my Ministers saith Christ for they shal be gentle as a nurse amongst her children My Ministers shal not strive nor be rough-handed for this is the Heathens way and the false Prophets way But ye my Disciples and you that be my Ministers indeed ye shal not be so but he that wil be great among you let him be in the lowest place and he that wil be as the chief among you let him be as one that is a servant Luk. 22.23 24 25 26. To conclude The Elders which are amongst you saith the Apostle see that ye have a store-house spiritually furnished to feed the flock of God not Pharisaically but Evangelically to teach and exhort and to admonish with all long-suffering and gentleness for the servants of the Lord must be gentle not striving to assume unto themselves above what is writen neither impose nor constrain that which cannot be received but with doubting Now in such cases as these there is need of that gift of discerning for in most parishes there are three sorts of people The first sort is such as in some degree or other they be like unto Judas now Judas betrayed the Truth of God into the hands of sinners and that with a kiss Now Judas did not love Jesus Christ therefore he did betray him with
Doth your baptizing old men or women avail any thing I indeed baptize you onely with water saith Iohn Mat. 3.11 Joh. 1.26 And this you do and mightily lean upon this weak shadow or figure and it is to be feared that many amongst you are like unto those in the Acts where Paul asked them If they had received the holy Ghost and they said unto him we have not so much as heard whether there be any holy Ghost Acts 19.2 3. Are not you carnally minded about the ordinances of God for the most part of you as the Apostle speaks in 1 Cor. 3.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Doth not the most part of you rest in outsides of Religion being but very little acquainted with the truth and power of Religion as it is in the Spirit What difference is there between parishes and you from which you dissent They for the most part rest in a meer outside form of godliness read 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5. and think they were baptized when they were young and if they hear Sermons then they may be admitted to the Sacrament as they think by the Minister or Elders and if there be no more but this it is a meer outside shew and a form that wil not profit and is it not so with many of you that are called Anabaptists If you be but admited by those that say they wil baptize you then you lean much upon this and say now you are within the door but beware for many go in at this door and return out again with litle profit mistake me not I prize the ordinances of God and therefore I speak of the formality that most use in and about them I shal ask one question Are you acquainted experimentally with the Baptism of Jesus Christ upon your spirits even the sprinkling of clean water upon you and this wil purge your corrupt natures Ezek. 36.25 And this water wil refresh thy parched soul Isa 44.3 And this water wil be as a Wel of Living Water for to comfort thee in all thy straits Joh. 7.37 38 39. He saith John shal baptize you with the holy Ghost meaning Jesus Christ Mark 1.8 Now you that are called Anabaptists and you Presbyterians if you were acquainted with the Baptism of Jesus Christ that would clear up your judgments which I conceive are very dark for God is Love and if you were acquainted with this Baptism it would teach you to love one another read 1 Joh. 3.18 19 20 21 22 23 24. But one of you prays against the other which is not wel One word more to you that are rigid Anabaptists for you make a division in the body of Christ for Christ and his members are one 1 Cor. 12.12 13 14. And those that are one with Jesus Christ you judg not fit to be members or one with you if they be not of your judgment or opinion But we being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread 1 Cor. 10.17 And by one Spirit saith the Apostle we are all baptized into one body 1 Cor. 12.13 And those that are joyned to the Lord are one spirit with the Lord 1 Cor. 6.17 And wil you slight those or separate your self from those that God hath joyned to himself This is not wel judg not according to externals be not over rigid in censuring Cease to be legal learn to be spiritual and then you wil love one another for salvation doth not depend upon diping or sprinkling or plunging or washing read Gal. 6.15 Sect. 5 One word to you that are moderate Anabaptists Do not the publick professors of this Kingdom both Ministers and people for the most part rest in an outside and a visible form of Religion I know you wil answer Yes I ask is it not so with the most part of those that are of your opinion Do they not rest too much in the form and shadow not being acquainted with Christ crucified who is the power of God and the wisdom of God and the salvation that God gives to men 1 Cor. 1.13 14.23 24. The Baptism of water for profession is nigh at hand and both young and old receive it But the Baptism of the Spirit is far off and few there be that have it but those that have it do not go back again to the shadow because Christ the Sun doth shine who is the Substance Mary Magdalen after she had seen Christ was risen from the grave she did not return back again to look Christ in the grave Joh. 20.11.16 17 18. Now you that lean so much upon the Baptism of water if you have no more that wil profit but little But moderate and Christian friend the Baptism of the Spirit of Christ wil teach us to profit in all conditions It wil teach us to know the world to be passing away and all the glory of it to be but as grass It wil teach us to dye to the world with Christ upon the Cross Gal. 6.14 15. It wil teach us to go down with Christ from the Cross into the Grave and there to see sin the devil the world the grave and the old man conquered and subdued and Jesus Christ triumphing from the Cross to the grave and in the grave and this is the Christians dayly work if they have faith read Col. 2.12 13 14 15. And so this blessed Spirit wil baptize every true Beleever every day more and more into the resurrection of Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 3.21 Now a true Beleever being raised up from the grave together with Jesus Christ is made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Iesus Eph. 2.5 6. And this is the Baptism that wil profit us and answer all our doubts and fil our hearts ful of the joy of the Lord that is Christ the bridegroom of the soul and the soul standeth to hear the voyce of Christ and greatly rejoyceth in that Jesus Christ is the spiritual Loadstone that draws up the soul to himself in whom the soul centers and finds its rest and in him the soul spiritually injoys all the ordinances and with Jesus Christ comes down again to all external ordinances and becomes weak to the weak that he may gain some and so likewise Iohn Baptist did rejoyce in Christs Ministry for he saw that to be glorious and said Christ should increase and the glory of his Ministry should run up into Christs Ministry He must increase saith John but I must decrease Joh. 3.29 30. Now you that rest so much upon water the Baptism of an outward profession and slight all those that are not of your opinion and you contend much for the time when and the manner how this ordinance of God must be administred Not to young children you say but to men and women of years because a young child cannot make a verbal Confession of Faith it is true indeed but a man or a woman in years may learn by education to make a verbal Confession of
take it patiently and not answer them again Loving and Christian Presbyterian friend I shall take my leave of you onely I shall ask you one question which is of great concernment Do you and those of your opinion know the pure Religion the pure Religion which is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie and the fruit of righteousness is sown in the prince of peace and those that have this fruit are sons of peace read James 3.17 18. Sect. 6 Now I shall give you the reason and ground of the abilities of those that I have spoken so much of Christ proceedeth and cometh forth from God John 8.42 16.27 17.8 And a true Christian he doth proceed and come forth from Jesus Christ as the branches do from the vine John 15.4 5. And as Jesus Christ told Philip the words that he spake and the works that he did it was not he that spake the words and did the works but it was his Father that dwelleth in him that did speak the words and do the works John 14.9 10 11. And so a true believing Christian he saith it is not he that doth but it is the strength of Christ that doth inable him for to do all that he doth Phil. 4.13 And the life that he lives it is not he but Christ that lives in him Gal. 2.20 And thus Christ is formed in a Christian and a Christian is formed in Christ Gal. 4.19 And he that is joyned unto the Lord is one spirit with the Lord 1 Cor. 6.17 And being baptized into one body all are made to drink into one spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 And thus a true believing man hath fellowship with God and with Jesus Christ 1 Iohn 1.3 And thus a true believer being one with Jesus Christ gives all praise and honor unto Jesus Christ Revel 5.8 9 10 11. One word more concerning false Prophets Sect. 7 and how one shall know them Beware saith our Saviour of false prophets which come to you in sheeps clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves Matth. 7.15 Q. Quest. But how shall one know the false Prophets from the true Ministers of Jesus Christ A. Ans By their fruits ye shall know them saith Christ Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles Matth. 7.16 I shall name three things by which you may in part know them And the first is this They with fained words make merchandise of men 2 Pet. 2.3 And with cunning craftiness and a sleight they lie in wait to deceive Ephes 4.14 And thus they creep into houses nay into mens purses nay into the house of mens judgments and affections and these are they that creep into houses and lead captive silly men that are as weak as silly women these silly women that are here spoken of are unsufficient in nature for to discern the things of God 2 Tim. 3.6 Mistake me not I do not mean those that preach now in houses for this was the Apostles practise Read Acts 5.42 But there are others that creep into houses witness the whole Clergy of Rome a ministery but not of Christ and these are they that lead captive whole Kingdoms and Cities and the people must not say what do you and if they put not into their mouths they will prepare war against them and though these crafty ones cry peace yet they will bite with their teeth Micah 3.5 And so they become like unto wolves in sheeps clothing Matth. 7.15 But I hope it will not be so amongst us The second thing whereby you may know the false prophets from the true Ministers of Jesus Christ if you have ears to hear is this You may know them by their preaching for they preach but according to the notions of the brain onely by nature and by art and so spoil men with vain philosophy and deceit which is not after Christ the head and so they beguile men with a voluntary humility of worshiping they know not what Coloss 2.8 18 22 23. And so they and those that they teach are both natural and carnal Now the natural man perceiveth not the things of God but after a foolish manner 1 Corinth 2.14 And a carnal preacher and hearer are both of them at enmity with God and Christ and with the members of Christ Rom. 8.7 8. Iohn 16.2 3. But I hope we shall have none such amongst us The third thing that discovers the false prophets from the true Ministers of Jesus Christ is this If you have an eye to see what light they see by it is no new Light for they jeer at that but the light that they see by is as old as old Adam onely natural as the heathen Philosophers were and they were great Scholars Now these pretending prophets and preachers That run when the Lord doth not send them and yet they say he saith Though they steal the word they speak from their neighbor read Iere. 23.21 30 31. Now the light that these false prophets and preachers walk by it is the light of nature and the light of the nation and the light of morality and they have a word to speak for Christ and they have a word to speak against Jesus Christ when time shall serve and they are most conversant in outward external observations for Christ and none more forward then they for to persecute or betray Christ and his members when time doth serve Instance in Iudas Iohn 18.2 Then they came with their lanthorns and their torch-lights for to seek for Iesus and Iudas was in the midst of them Iohn 18.3 Now it is the nature of false prophets and preachers for to be grievous wolvish to the flock Acts 20.29 And though the prophets and priests be bad for the most part and speak falshood in the room of truth yet there is a sort of people to be found in all ages answerable to these false prophets that will receive error instead of truth nay they love to have it so read Ierem. 5.31 Who would think that there were such prophets and people in the world it is to be feared that there are such prophets and people even now amongst us CHAP. VII The Spiritual Opening and Application of these Scriptures VIZ. 1 Peter 5.1 2 3. Micah 2.5 6 11. Deut. 32.8 9. Matth. 15.1 2. Mat. 27.1 John 11.47 53. 2 Tim. 3.5 1 Cor. 2.14 2 Tim. 4.5 22. Gal. 6.12 13. Gal. 4 17 21. Acts 6.3 5 6. 1 Tim. 5.17 1 Cor. 12.6 10 11. Matth. 26.59 Acts 5.21 28 40 Act. 24.1 2 3 4 5. 1 Cor. 2.14 Isa 56.10 11 12. Jere. 5.30 32. Micah 3.5 11. Ezek. 34.2 3 4. Phil. 3 2 18 19. Matth. 6.9 10. James 3.9 2 Cor. 12.14 Matth. 25.8 Psalm 82.5 1 John 4.20 21. Psal 4.2 6. Gal. 5.26 Psal 68.26 Psal 87.1 Revel 21.2 3 4. Psal 87.7 John 17.8 John 1.18 1 Cor. 2.16 Joh. 17.18 26. 1 John 1.3 John 16.13 14.
zeal and piety they endeavor to make honest godly men seem odious to the world Instance in Mr Edwards read his first Gangraena pag. 61. 172. and there you may find him reproaching of honest godly men under the name of Sectaries and he draws them up into ten heads And the first is looseness of life and liberty of conscience The second is Covetousness and Self-seeking The third is policy and subversion The fourth is seeming activity in the prosecution of that way And the fifth is Tumultuousness Disorder and Confusion The sixth is Destruction of Government The seventh is Insolent Pride and Arrogance The eighth is Unhumane incivility or to that effect And the ninth is to have power to carry on all before them and throw down all that stands in their way But me thinks this is a beam that sticks fast in Mr Edwards own eye and a thing that he strives hard after himself And the tenth thing is what they do saith he they do it in hypocrisie under pretences of piety and holiness And this is a garment that M. Edwards would have all men to be clothed in that do not look like himself or tread in his steps THE LOVE of GOD AND THE Blood of Jesus Christ Are a soveraign medicine to take away sin past present and to come 1 JOHN 1.7 9 10. Christ is the Rule of a Christian or the Law he walks by Gal. 6.15 16. Psa 1.2 J Cannot but speak a word or two of the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which is a Gospel of free grace and the alone means to break a hard heart and the only means to melt a frozen soul and the only cordial to comfort a sick soul and the only staff of love to stay up a drooping spirit O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thine help saith the Lord Hosea 13.9 I wil heal thy backsliding I wil love thee freely saith the Lord The Lords free love unto al his people Hosea 14.4 I even I am he that bloteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake saith the God of Love and I wil forgive thy iniquity and I wil remember thy sins no more Isa 43.25 Jer. 31.33 34. Now he that knows the Lord for his own good knows the Lord after this manner and beleeves the report that God in Christ hath made of himself That he is a God that delighteth in mercy and that he hath cast all the sins of his people behind his back and he hath cast all the sins of his beloved people into the depths of the sea of his Sons blood which is able to quench the fears and the flames of hel in any mans soul 2 Cor. 5.19 Mich 7.18 19. Exodus 34.6 7. Isa 38.17 The learned world knoweth not this manner of Gods love 1 John 3.1 Neither do they know that fit man the one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.5 Who hath carried all their sins into a Land of forgetfulness a Land not inhabited this is a fit man of the Lords sending out Levit. 16.21 22. This is a ransom that the Lord hath found and he wil be gracious through him Job 33.23 24. And this Messenger is sent to bind up the broken hearted and to proclaim liberty to the captives Isa 61.1 Luk. 4.18 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Now in these days and in this time saith the Lord The iniquity of Israel shal be sought for and there shal be none and the sins of Judah and they shal not be found any more Jer. 50.20 For the Lord hath laid all our sins upon the back of Christ Isa 53.6 7. And Christ hath nailed them to his cross and buried them in his grave and we are compleat in him Col. 2.13 14 15. And sin shal not condemn those that beleeve for Christ is risen again to save and sanctifie and glorifie those that are one in him Rom. 8.33 34. and he hath made them clean every whit Joh. 13.10 But if I speak after this manner Sect. 5 I shall be cloathed with that reproachfull name of Antinomian of which name our Pulpits have rung of late time and by this means some people have got a habit of a proud and a high look and a scornfull eye against their neighbours and with disdain they will turn away from them as from one that had a plague sore upon him if it be their lot for to meet in the streets this I my self and others have experience of For under the name of an Antinomian that will have no Law of God to walk by as they say and live as they list and pray for no pardon of sin under this name which is a false one many honest godly men seem odious to those they live by I shall instance onely in five men which they say have and do preach Freegrace which is an occasion to open a gap to all licentiousness And the first man is Doctor Crisp a man that was famous and eminent for vertue and an able Minister of the Gospel of Grace and one that made the Law of Faith and Love his rule for to walk by 1 Joh. 3.23 24. Now this man was brought upon the stage for an Antinomian and Master Burges at Lawrence Church did dispute learnedly against him but to little purpose as one that would take up the weapons of a dead man to fight with him when he was dead The second man is young Master Simpson a man unblameable in his conversation and a man eminent in the work of the Lord but counted an Antinomian and so looked upon as contemptible The third man is Master Peter Sterry such a man as there are but a few in respect of the great number that are called the Ministers of England yet this man lyes under two reproachful names as Antinomian or Familist or else jeered at by some for a Free-grace Preacher This Peter Sterry is a man approved to be an Evangelical Heavenly Divine Preacher of the Mystery of the everlasting Gospel Now no ministery but such a ministery can be a soul-comforting ministery because it is full of Light and Life Peace and Joy in the holy Ghost But no new light as some cry out but an old light of Jesus Christ John 1.1 2 3 4 5. which was before the foundations of the earth were laid read Prov. 8.22 23. Now the fourth man is one like unto Mr Stirrey and that is Mr Saltmarsh a man eminent to declare the King in his beauty and that is Jesus Christ who is the rose of Sharon and the lilly of the valleys And as an apple tree among the trees of the wood is excellent even so is Christ among his sons and Christ is the pearl in the field and as a shadow of a great rock in a weary land and all this Christ is to them that know him and such can tel how to speak to his praise The fifth man that I shal speak
one God Eph. 4.6 cometh down from heaven into Christ not by measure but in the fulness of God to dwel in the body of the tree of life which tree is Jesus Christ John 1.32 33 34. Joh. 3.34 Col. 2 9. 1.19 Now the sweet Spirit of God is the head and life of this tree and this tree is the head and life of the branches which are surely graffed into this tree Now God is the head of Christ and his life and Christ is the head of the Church and their life Col. 3. â— 4. Now Jesus Christ being man united unto God and God dwelling in this man Christ now Christ being man and so weak saith this of himself I saith he can of mine own self do nothing as I hear I judg and I seek not mine own wil but the honor of the Father which hath sent me John 5.30 And thus Christ reasons with Philip that he might lead Philip through himself unto the Father that he might give God the Father the honor of his love for Christ thus Christ seeks the honor of his Father Now Christ being the spiritual tree of life and Philip a branch of this tree the spirit of life runs through this tree into all the branches and causeth the branches to bring forth the fruit of praise to God And thus Christ and his members do seek to advance the glory of the Spirit of life which is God as you may see by these words Have I been so long with you saith Christ to Philip and yet hast thou not not known me He that hath seen me hath seen the Father And how sayst thou then Shew us the Father Beleevest not thou that I am in the Father and the Father in me The words that I speak unto you I speak not of my self Mark this But the Father that dwelleth in me he speaketh the words and he doth the works Beleeve me Philip saith Christ that I am in the Father and the Father in me Joh. 14.8 9 10 11. And thus Christ the tree of life bears and brings forth honor to his Father and thus the branches of this tree bring forth fruit and give the honor of it wholly unto God instance in Paul The life saith he that now I live it is not I but it is God in Christ that lives in me Gal. 2.20 And thus the sweet Spirit of God cometh down into the head of the body which head is Christ and so down into the branches which are the body of Christ and the Church of Christ which Church is created in Christ Jesus Eph. 2.10 God is a Spirit John 4.24 If I be lifted up from the earth saith Christ I wil draw all men unto me Joh. 12.32 that is Christ who is God in the Spirit shal draw men with the Spirit up into Christ and they shal be all taught of God the Father who is a Spirit and learn of him spiritually to come to Christ John 6.44 45 46. And thus you may see that a Christian in deed and in truth is not in Jesus Christ or for Jesus Christ after a carnal manner or after the rudiments of the world or after the laws of mens making Col. 2.8 18 19 20. But as the Apostle Paul saith We saith he worship God in the spirit and we rejoyce with the spirit in Christ Iesus and have no confidence in the flesh or fleshly ordinances Phil. 3.3 Carnal reason and fleshly wisdom may and do handle those things which we cal the ordinances of God and it may be very learnedly and with a seeming shew of zeal and piety and yet for all this be but carnal and fleshly and like the grave where Mary stood weeping An allusion because she could not find her Lord Christ there now Christ was risen and gone and she sought the living among the dead John 20.11 12 13. Luk. 24.5 And so a poor soul stands by the ordinances that most men handle Observe weeping because it finds them dul and cold and dark And if one ask the poor soul why it weeps it answers as Mary did I weep because I cannot find my Christ here These men cannot tel me of my beloved Lord whom my soul loveth Let me advise thee a little An Advice O thou poor soul thou must go a little beyond these dark and dul watchmen I was saith the Church but a little passed from these watchmen but I found him whom my soul loveth I held him and would not let him go such is the love of the soul unto Jesus Christ that it cannot be satisfied without Christ read Cant. 3.3 4. Such a man is the only man for a sick soul that beleeves what he speaks A true preacher and speaks what he hath seen and learned of Christ read 2 Cor. 4.13 Eph. 4.21 Now the man in Christ Sect. 9 with the spirit of Christ speaks spiritually of God in Christ and the Spirit of Christ is the Saints rest or resting place for unto that the Saints flee as a cloud and as the doves to their windows for shelter and for food Isa 60.8 The Spirit of God is the original good The Spirit of God and the only sweet good unto the spirits of men The Lord Iesus Christ saith the Apostle be with thy spirit 2 Tim. 4.22 Thus the sweet Spirit of God comes down into the tree of life which is Christ and so into the branches that grow in this tree of life Christ is the tree out of which these branches grow and come forth Iames 1.17 18. The Saints life Every true beleeving man and woman is a branch in Christ the tree of life and the sweet Spirit of God is their life that they live by and move by and act by Acts 17.28 And it pleaseth the sweet Spirit of God to give this title to the branches in Christ That they might be called trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord by the rivers of his sweet Spirit that he may bring forth fruit in his season read and compare Isa 61.3 9 10 11. and Psa 1.3 together And thus the sweet Spirit of God works all the Saints works in them and for them Isa 26.12 13 19 20. And thus the holy Spirit of God doth write his Law in their hearts even the Law of Faith and Love which they account of great use Secondly They live not as they list but as the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus doth constrain them and so in its love it doth direct them read Isa 30.21 Thirdly We are to do nothing for Christ as the most people in the world do to this day for this were to go down to Egypt the flesh for strength to get Christ but this wil be to no purpose or vain labor Now in this case Our strength is to sit stil saith the Prophet read Isa 30.7 Christ is a gift of God John 4.10 and not for us to get of God or from God We are not to work for
life but we are to work from a principle of life which is in Christ Jesus A right knowledg of this and the exceeding great and precious promises and the in-comes and the in-dwelling of the Divine Nature in our nature and in our hearts Now this is the seed in the tree of life which wil cause us to â—ease from our selves whose breath is in our nostrils and we shal cease from our own doings For wherein are we to be accounted of Now in this day and at this time The loftiness and the haughtiness of men shal be made low and the Lord alone shal be exalted in that day read and compare 2 Pet. 1.3 4. Isa 2.17 20 21 22. together Now when the grace of God in Christ doth abound in your hearts saith the Apostle That wil make you that ye shal neither be barren nor unfruitful in the works of the Lord nor in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ read 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8. Now this wil stop the mouths of your adversaries that say that you say Christ hath done all for you and you need to do nothing Now I know you wil answer and say as Christ said to Philip The words that you speak The Saints defence and the works that you do it is not you that do them but it is Christ who is God that dwelleth in you that doth all in you and for you and by the strength of Christ you do what you do and Christ shal have all the praise Ioh. 14.10 Fourthly You are accused of saying That you need not pray for the pardon of sin Of the pardon of Sin Now the Love of God and the Blood of Jesus are the pardon of sin and the pardon for sin and the sweet Spirit of God is the Messenger that brings the Manifestations of this pardon unto the soul nay into the soul and makes it glad In my love I have bloted out thy sins as a thick cloud saith the Lord. Isa 44.22 And with my Sons blood I have writen a pardon Rom. 5.8 9 10 11. Heb. 9.22 28. Now this pardon lies in the Covenant ordered in all things and made everlastingly sure though I do not as yet beleeve it or at sometimes I do not so clearly see it or feel it in my soul Read and consider 2 Sam. 23.4 5. Hebr. 10.16 17 18 19. Now in time of Trouble The time of Temptation or in time of Ignorance when men do not beleeve or in time of Desertion when God doth withdraw himself or hide his face or in the time of men being weak in faith then they are apt to think that there is no pardon or that there must be one got made for them but there is one ready for them before they pray for it or cal for it Isa 42.6 7. Now the love of God and the blood of this man saith the Apostle meaning Christ who offered one sacrifice for sins from the foundation of the world 1 John 4.9 Heb. 10.12 14. Rev. 13.8 Now this is the pardon that is ever ready for poor siners to come unto and it is able to save them to the uttermost Hebrews 7.24 25 26. Now we are not so much to ask for the pardon for that is sure and stedfast in the heaven of God but we are to ask much more for the manifestations of this pardon in our own souls and that by the Spirit of God and this wil make the lame man leap as an Hart Isa 35.5 How the soul is refreshed 6 7. and make the sick man wel and heal all our doubts and expel our fears and make us holy and heavenly before God as for instance saith Ieremiah The Comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me Lam. 1.16 And so in David Lord saith he I know my pardon is sure but there is a cloud before me and it Lord saith he take this cloud away Davids prayer Ps 51. opened and cause me to hear the joy and gladness that I had wont to have in and with the Spirit of Christ O Lord restore this joy and let me have thy free Spirit to comfort me and uphold me O Lord let thy holy Spirit be constantly in my brest or in my heart that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce The absence of thy Spirit O God is as the breaking of bones and the presence of thy Spirit O God is as marrow and fatness and as wine upon the lees And thus it was in David Psa 51.8 9 10 11 12. And thus it was between the Church and the Spirit of Christ in her union and communion with the Spirit of Christ I am thine and thou art mine saith the soul to Christ I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine And this we know saith the Apostle by the Spirit of God which he hath freely given unto us Cant. 6.3 1 Cor. 2.12 13. Now the question is not whether there be a pardon or not a pardon but whether I saith a poor soul have any interest in this pardon or no The perplexities of a poor soul wanting assurance I know not And if I had saith a poor soul or if I could but get saith another poor soul the assurance of the pardon of my sins then I should tread the world under my feet I know saith another poor soul that there is a pardon but whether it be for me or no it is not as yet revealed unto me but if it were revealed in my soul then it would be as a crown of life to me as David said Lord saith he thou hast crowned me with loving kindness and with tender mercies Psa 103.4 10 11 12. Now the word Pardon which is so much spoke of amongst us and prayed for by us it is apparently known to be and to be generally held forth unto all men for Christ hath spread as large a plaister as Adam made the sore Rom. 5.18 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6. And life and death good and evil blessing and cursing are set before men therefore chuse life O men for why wil ye dye O ye sons of men Deut. 30.13 14 15 19. Ezek. 18.31 Now you wil say I am for general Redemption and for free wil. I answer An Objectionmade and answered I am for that which God is for It is not in faln man to direct his steps to God Jer. 10.23 All men in Adam went out of the way from God and are to be found in a way of sin Rom. 3.11 12 18. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots No it is their nature we have a proverb That custom is a second nature Man at the first falling into sin sin is become a custom and so is become a second nature and so men drink in sin as a fish drinks in water John 8.44 The Ethiopian cannot change his skin no more can a man change himself that is accustomed to sin Ier. 13.23 A man in his sins is dead
to true living actions Eph. 2.1 4 5. Now God in his time of love came the second time to man and said unto him Live and this was a more high and excellent life then that which the first Adam had read Ezek. 16.6 7 8. Now a man in and by nature may give credit unto God and thus the Heathen Philosophers did And so men may naturally give credit to the Scriptures and thus the most men do and no more But now to beleeve Evangelically That the most high God came down and became Christ and was manifest in our flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 Heb. 2.14 and was made in the likeness of man and was found in fashion as a man Phil. 2.6 7 8. And he was our pardon and our ransom to free us from sin and from hel the grave and hath raised us up together with himself that we may be where he is and that is in God Col. 3.3 Now if you would find God you must look for him in Christ and there you shal find him reconciled to his Church in Christ Now if you ask Where the Church is where you may find the Church you may find the Church and God both together in Christ 2 Cor. 5.17 18 19. Now this is a great mystery to know Emmanuel God with us or in us Mat. 1.23 receiving us up into glory with his Son or in his Son 1 Tim. 3.15 16. Now faln man hath not free wil to beleeve this great mystery he may hear the report of it but he cannot see it For flesh and blood hath it not to reveal unto him Mat. 16.16 17. But the man that is raised up in Christ the new man he sees and beleeves this great mystery 1 Cor. 2.12 13 16. and doth acknowledg No free wil to good that it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runeth but of God that sheweth mercy Rom. 9.16 And Faith is the gift of God in his new Creation that the boasting of free wil which is natural earthly and a work of the old Creation may be abased Eph. 2.8 9. Now free wil in faln man is to do evil continually every imagination and thought of his heart is evil nay the very purposes and his desires every day are evil and thus the earth is corrupt before God and all earthly men Gen. 6.5.11 12 13. read the whole Chapter The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord as the Sun in the Firmament is Prov. 20.27 Now the spirit of man being darkened by that sin of eating of the forbiden fruit and so degenerating from its first principle of light remains now in a dark light like unto that of the Moon which is a light for the night which a man cannot see by to do the works of the day Gen. 2.17 Now mark This is a way through which God doth produce bring forth his greatest light into the world to renew and restore men again Now faln man in that estate hath not free wil to do good but he hath free wil to do evil constantly And the reason is because such a man is at enmity against God Rom. 8.6 7 8. Now free wil to do good doth only belong to the most high God for evil he doth none Whatsoever the Lord willed or pleased mark this that did he in heaven and in earth in the sea and all deep places Psa 135.5 6 7. Therefore Free wil belongs alone to GOD. because he is above all and there is none equal with him he may lay mercy on whom he wil lay mercy and whom he wil withdraw his mercy from such a man hardeneth presently Instance in Pharaoh Rom. 9.17 18. Object Now you wil say unto me saith the Apostle Why doth God as yet find fault or complain for who hath resisted his wil Rom. 9.19 Nay but O man Answ who art thou saith the Apostle that repliest against God There are secrets with the Lord concerning this thing which thou canst not reach unto with thy natural reason nor compass in thy carnal understanding For what if God be willing to shew mercy to one and not to another and give no account of it Is there any equal with him for to call him to an account and to judg him if not then be still O vain man for he doth what he will and which way he will for to bring forth his own glory and the riches of his grace Rom. 9.20 21 22 23. And thus much of freewil in the blessed God and of freewil in sinful man CHAP. IX The Spiritual Opening and Application of these Scriptures VIZ. Isai 55.1 2 7. Revel 13.8 Eph. 1.4 5. Rom. 5.8 Psal 68.18 Rom. 8.3 Heb. 9.22 28. 1 Cor. 2.14 Psal 25.11 2 Sam. 23.5 Mal. 3.6 Psa 30.7 1 Pet. 1.5 7. Isa 43.1 2 5. Joh. 20.13 Psal 4.6 7 8. Psal 51.8 12. Psal 73.25 26. Psal 36.8 9. Cant. 1.3 12 13. Eze. 16.14 Cant. 4.1 Psal 118.22 23 24. Cant. 2.4 Ephes 1.3 4 5. John 1.16 17 18. Isai 53. the whole Chapter Hosea 13.14 1 Cor. 15.54 55 56 57 58. Heb. 2.14 15. Heb. 12.2 Ephes 2.10 Matth. 5.15 16. 1 Cor. 1.30 Matth. 9.2 Revel 2.9 10 11 13. Luke 6.22 23. John 16.32 33. John 15.5 Psal 119.32 Psal 110.3 Rom. 7.22 Psal 1.2 1 John 5.3 1 Cor. 6.17 19 20. Phil. 2.13 2 Pet. 1.8 Heb. 2.9 10 11. John 17.4 5 6. Iohn 19.30 Iohn 4.10 Ioh. 15.5 Dan. 9.24 Psal 17.15 Revel 14.1 2 3 4 5. Psal 149.4 5 6. 1 Cor. 15.47 48 49. Luke 1.35 Gal. 4.19 Psal 27.4 1 Iohn 3.9 Luke 10.42 Luke 18.19 1 Cor. 15.50 Rom. 7.18 Gal. 5.17 Gal. 6.14 Rom. 7.21 22 23 24 25. Col. 2.13 14 15. Heb. 2.14 15. Rom. 7.4 Tit. 2.11 12. Mark 10.17 Luke 18.11 12. Rom. 9.30 31 32. Psal 27.1 3 5. 1 Pet. 2.3 7. Psal 45.1 2. 1 Tim. 1.12 13 14 15 16 17. Psal 27.13 14. Tit. 2.11 12. Cant. 2.4 5 6. Cant. 8.13 14. Psal 16.11 1 Iohn 4.8 1 Iohn 4.8 9 10. Ioh. 17.6 Ioh. 6.68 69. 2 Sam. 23.2 4 5. Psal 27.1 3. Iohn 15.26 Psal 27.4 5. Ephes 3.16 17 18 19. Rom. 5.5 Iohn 16.13 14 15. Iohn 17.21 22 23 24 25 26. Psal 103. read the whole Psalm Revel 22.1 2 3 4 5. Psal 36.7 8 9. Acts 17.28 Revel 14.4 5 6. Psal 87.6 7. Psal 68.26 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16. Heb. 12.18 21 27 29. Heb. 1.10 11 12. 2 Pet. 3.10 11 12 13. Isai 33.14 Exod. 3.2 3 4. 1 Cor. 2.11 12 13. 1 Pet. 1.5 7 8. Heb. 13.8 Psal 1.4 5. Psal 50.19 20.21 Habak 1.13 Heb. 2.14 15. Revel 22.16 2 Chron. 18.19 20 21 22 33 34. 1 Sam. 17.47 48 49 50. Acts 14.15 Gen. 49.26 Psal 107.8 15 21 31 42 43. Psal 139.14 15 16. Psal 49.12 Gen. 1.31 Gen. 3.1 5. Gen. 4.8 Gen. 2.7 16 17. Gen. 3.7 8 16 17 19. Rom. 8.21 22. 1 Cor. 15 44 45 47. Revel 5.5 8 to the end Hebr. 1.10 11 12. 2 Cor. 3.17 18. Psal
Ministers do fall in with these two and make up their conclusion with the Jews in the ninth of the Romans But as it were by the works of the Law Together with thy help O Christ we look for a blessing and for heaven and for what we have Rom. 9.30 31 32. Now for want of Preaching of Free-grace Sect. 5 A Simile we know not where the strength of Sampsâ—n lyes I mean Christ and so we begin to set up our selves as it were to be partners with Christ and thus the people are at a loss Now on the other side Free-grace teaches a man for to deny himself and to give God in Christ the preeminence alone and to say it is no more I but the Lord is my light and my life and my strength and in this will I be confident and this Free-grace causeth to grow Psal 27.1 3 5. Now he that hath tasted of the sweetness of Free-grace cannot but speak of it because it is the onely means for to break a hard heart and the onely cordial for to comfort a sick soul 1 Pet. 2.3 7. Psal 45.1 2. 1 Tim. 1.12 13 14 15 16 17. Psal 27.13 14. Now on the other side he that hath not tasted of Free-grace but speaks of it by hear-say though he be never so learned a man yet he will be but a fumbler in speaking of Free-grace or a bungler as we use for to speak And to deal plainly I conceive that the most of our Ministers want both will and skill for to speak of the Free-grace of God in and through Christ for they speak but little of it and that is the reason that the most people are so ignorant of it and live so much in sin read Tit. 2.11 12. When grace doth appear sin vanishes away O the glorious truths of grace that lye under that black cloud of Antinomianism That reproachful name which causeth the people for to sin in speaking evil of that which they know not Now I shall reflect back Sect. 6 and speak a word of the souls being taken by Christ into the banqueting house where Christ doth acquaint the soul what the pardon of sin is and that its sins are done away both past present and to come of this I spake before Now Jesus Christ doth acquaint the soul that it shall have the evidences of his Spirit for to comfort it in time of distress when temptation doth come upon it and when the world doth trouble it and when worldly men do oppose it and if it doth begin to sink or to droup then it shall call but not for the pardon of sin for that is sure in God for it but it shall say with Peter help Lord send the evidences of thy Spirit to acquaint me of the sure mercies of David and thus the soul doth acquaint Christ with its wants and then the soul doth find the left hand of Christ to be under its head when it is in communion with Christ in the banqueting house which house is Christ himself and there the right hand of Christ doth imbrance me saith the soul Now these embraces that Christ gives the soul they are the sweet gayls of the Spirit which put all things out of doubt in the soul Cant. 2.4 5 6. Now it pleaseth Jesus Christ Christ like a mother draws a curtain sometimes to draw a curtain between himself and the soul as a mother doth sometimes in love to her child and then the child cries after her and thus the poor soul cries after the Spirit of Christ in all occasions to come and comfort it Make hast my beloved saith the soul to Christ and be thou like to a Roe or to a young Hart upon the mountains of spices Flee away make haste do not stay by the way saith the soul that longs after Christ No comfort like unto thine O my Love No love like unto thine O my Joy Cause me to hear thy voyce quickly that I faint not O my dear I hearken to thy voyce O sweet Spirit of Christ let me hear it and it sufficeth me though I dye and come to thee which is best of all For in thy presence is fulness of joy and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore Cant. 8.13 14. Psa 16.11 And thus he whose Name is Love 1 Joh. 4.8 doth descend and come down into the hearts of his people to manifest himself unto them and in them 1 John 4.8 9 10. John 17.6 And thus the blessed God doth manifest himself and make known things unspeakable and ful of glory and doth let into the soul high manifestations of his love which is the original of the pardon of sin Now if there come a black cloud at any time between the soul and the Sun of righteousness who is God blessed for ever yet the soul in this case can say as Peter said I am sure that my sun is in the living God and he wil speak words of eternal life unto me Iohn 6.68 69. For the Spirit of the Lord put his Word in my mouth saith David and hath made with me an everlasting Covenant which is sure I know and though my sun doth not always shine yet in him wil I be confident read 2 Sam. 23.2 4 5. Psa 27.1 3. Now here comes in the work of the Sect. 7 third Person in the blessed Trinity which is according to the promise of Christ Iohn 15.26 Now here follows the souls desires that hath tasted how gracious the Lord is first That it may dwel in the house of the Lord which house is Christ and there to behold the beauty of the Lord and to have it made out in his holy Temple which Temple is Jesus Christ Psa 27.4 5. And here to have the light of his fatherly countenance and the sweet smiles of his holy Spirit constantly upon its soul and to have the high manifestations of the love of God in Christ as the Apostle prays for Eph. 3.16 17 18 19. and to have the evidences kept close unto its soul Now Christ answers the soul Answ my Spirit shal come into thee and shal keep thee guide thee and shew thee things to come concerning me and he shal make me beautiful in thine eyes and he shal shed his love into thy soul which wil cause thee to love me Rom. 5.5 And thou shalt have all thy treasure in me saith Christ to the soul for all things that the Father hath are mine and I and my Father are one and thou shalt be one with us in my union and with me shalt thou have communion Iohn 16 13 14 15. 17.21 to 26. Answ Now here is the souls answer unto Christ O blessed God the fountain of Israel O my God thou hast turned all my prayers that I made for the pardon of my sin into praises or praising of thee O my God who hast forgiven all my sins Bless the Lord O my soul saith David and forget not to praise him for all
be neither they nor their Minister understands what he reads nor they what they hear No more then the Eunuch did that was reading the Prophet Isaiah but confessed he understood not that which he read Acts 8.30 31 34 35. Be not angry with me I pray you for I have not spoken to upbraid you for at my heart I am sorry for you for it is a miserable thing to be learned in the Letter onely or to be a Minister of the Letter onely and no more or to be a hearer onely of the Letter and not to be acquainted with Jesus Christ in the Spirit The Eunuch he read the Letter as the most in our times do and neither he nor they understand the minde of God in the Letter The Eunuch he read of Jesus Christ before he was come into the flesh As a sheep led unto slaughter and like a lamb dumb before the shearer so opened he not his mouth Now in our times we read that Jesus Christ hath come in the flesh and is gone again and now he is to be looked for in the Spirit and of this the most in our times are as ignorant as the Eunuch was nay some in our days will jeer at the Spirit which the Eunuch did not We indeed can read so many letters as to make up two or three words as Jesus Christ our Lord and this is as common as the Light and doth distinguish us from the Turks And though we may read the Word of God and the words of Christ yet I and our reading Ministers of the Common-Prayer Book nay our Preaching Ministers may remain as ignorant as the Eunuch did for he read but he understood not what he read until the Spirit said unto Philip go and guide him that he may understand what he reads Nay it is the Spirit of Jesus Christ alone that opens the understandings of men to understand the Scriptures as you may read Luke 24.45 CHAP. XII The Spiritual Opening and Application of these Scriptures VIZ. Phil. chap. 1. Acts 8.35 Mark 14.3 Acts 17.22 23. Jere. 50.6 2 Cor. 3.6 2 Cor. 12.14 15. 1 King 18.23 24 25 26 27 29 33 38. Phil. 1.15 16. 3.2 Jere. 4.22 5.31 Ezek. 34.2 3 4. Phil. 3.18 19. Luke 4.16 17 18 19 20 21 22. Nehe. 8.2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Matth. 7.21 22 23. Isai 29.11 12. Mark 14.3 Luke 6.45 46. 1 Cor. 14.14 15. Rom. 8.26 27. Rom. 7.4 6. Act. 2.13 15 16 17. 26.24 25. 1 King 22.26 27. Matth. 27.63 John 17.21 23 24. Ephes 4.23 24. 2 Cor. 6.16 Psal 25.14 Ephes 3.3 4 to the end Colos 2.9 10. John 1.16 17. Ezek. 2.1 2. Psal 82.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Jere. 31.23 24 25 26. Psal 85.1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11 12 13. Prov. 8.14 15 16. James 3.17 1 Pet. 4.14 15 16 19. Luke 3.14 Isai 9.6 Luke 10.6 John 11.27 Luke 10 38 39 40 41 42. Luke 10.40 41. John 4.24 James 1.17 John 14.10 11. Heb. 11.27 Col. 2.9 10. 1 Tim. 3.16 1 Joh. 3.9 Act. 2.24 Acts 2.36 Revel 1.11 1 Tim. 1.17 Joh. 1.13 14. Matth. 5.48 Colos 1.17 18. Revel 19.12 13. 1 Corinth 1.24 Colos 2.3 Matth. 1.21 Heb. 7.25 26. Heb. 9.14 Acts 20.28 Ephes 2.15 Psal 113.6 7 8. John 10.29 30. John 16.32 Iohn 11.42 Acts 2.22 23. 4.26 27 28. Iohn 19.10 11. Psal 35.19 20. 2 Thes 2.3 4. 1 Iohn 4.2 3. Acts 4.27 30. Luke 1.31 32 35. Mark 12.4 5 6 7 8. Acts 4.25 26 27. Acts 2.36 Iohn 11.47 48. NOw I shall crave leave for to whisper a word or two in the ear of those that are Ministers of the Common-Prayer Book or some others that can Preach yet are like unto them My two words are these There are three sorts of Ministers The first is The Ministers of Christ and those that he doth send are lively spiritual and soul-comforting Ministers And the second sort is the Magistrate Now these two sorts are true Ministers of God But there is a third sort of Ministers which lyes between the true Ministers and the Magistrate And these men are imitating Ministers like unto those that Paul speaks of in the first of the Philippians Some saith he read Christ even out of envy and some saith he preach Christ out of envy and strife and out of ostentation and for the applause of men or else they would not take that humming of the simple people as they do for when they have spoken a word that doth tickle their brain then the most of the people cry a hum and say O he is a brave Schollar And thus they read and preach in a plausible way and in an historical way full of legality Object but little or no spirituality Now I know that some will object and say That knowledg comes by reading but it seems that I would deny the use of such means as the reading of the Service Book I answer Answ Use reading by all means for Christ bids us search the Scriptures but a Minister onely of the Common-Prayer Book cannot search the Scriptures for he can but onely read them and so can I at home as well as he doth at Church But you will object and say Object Though I can read them at home yet there are thousands of men and women in this Kingdom that cannot read at all is it not fit then that they should come to Church and hear the Minister read over the Service Book and say some Prayers I answer Answ It is fit that they should come and it is fit that such as cannot read should not be so slightly put off as with bare reading of the Word but with reading and expounding and instructing out of the Word of God as Philip did to the Eunuch Act. 8.35 It is well if the Book be not sealed so that they cannot expound nor preach Jesus to the people If it should be so then I shall give my second answer That such men or Ministers as these Answ 2 are like unto a man that comes to a Market and brings a box full of very precious commodities and when the people come to hear of the commodities they desire for to see these commodities but he that should shew these commodities hath no key to open this box Now by this Box I mean the Scriptures the Word of God which is full of the precious graces of Jesus Christ But such men as I have spoken of have no key to open this Box they cannot break the bread of life to the hungry people they cannot do so much as Mary Magdalen did for she brake the Box of precious oyntment and poured it on Christs head Mark 14.3 Now the bare Letter of the Scriptures is as a Box and we have many men in this Kingdom that have got this Box and no more I mean the Letter of the Word which being drawn out into a form of the Common-Prayer Book These men are excellent outside men they can read the Letter of the
the burden Now when this grace and wisdom doth come from above it wil teach and move the Parliament to make haste without delays to take off the unsupportable burdens from this Kingdom which they groan so much under and this grace of God in Christ wil move them with speed though they lose something of their own to let the oppressed go free and to ease those that bear the heavy yoke and to loose the bands of wickedness in taking away the finger of oppression which makes men hang down their heads and bring the poor into their possessions again and give unto Caesar his due for why are the King and the Parliament faln from their glory It is the glory of a King and a State to have their subjects to flourish in peace and wealth Now when the Spirit of God doth enter into the King and Parliament The Spirit of God is the only curer both of King Parliament people as he did into Ezekiel then he wil set them both upon their feet and then they shal hear God speaking peace and rest unto his people and if they deliver the poor and needy and do justice to the afflicted and needy then they shal be most like unto God for God standeth in the Congregation and he judgeth and he seeth the King and he seeth the Parliament that both their foundations are out of course he seeth the foundations of this poor Kingdom of England and Ireland and Scotland out of course but now if the Lord would be pleased to help you both to do justice to the poor afflicted and needy and to rid them out of the hand of the wicked then both you and our King would flourish like a green bay tree then our Land would flourish with the goodness of God and yeeld her increase read these Scriptures and consider wel of them Ezek. 2.1 2. Psal 82.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Jere. 31.23 24 25 26. Psa 85.1 2 3 4 8 9 10.11 12 13. Now when Christ comes into the heart of the King and Parliament and people he wil set us all in the way of his steps in mercy and in truth in justice and peace read Psa 85.13 Prov. 8.14 15 16. And this is the fruit that grows from above It is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated ful of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie James 3.17 Now I shal speak a word unto the Soldiery or Army Sect. 6 which God hath made victorious and valiant your enemies being judges and those that seemed to be for you in the time of their need now would have you to be removed both from the King and Parliament and others there be that speak evilly of you and some speak enviously against you and can shew no reason for it I know many of you are godly religious men and for that you shal fare the worse in suffering reproaches A word in season to the despised Army and jeers and slanders being branded with the name of Sectaries and factious persons by some of our proud ignorant Clergy such as Mr Edwards was and by some simple people likewise who wil say as they say Suffer a word of advice now I pray you Let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evil doer or as a busie body But if you suffer and be reproached for the Name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you 1 Pet. 4.14 15 16 19. And if you suffer the loss of your Freedoms and priviledges of free subjects after you have purchased them at so dear a rate yet suffer all this with the spirit of meekness and commit your selves and your losses unto the Lord and he wil repay you And to conclude remember what St. John Baptist said unto the Soldiers Do violence to no man neither accuse any falsly and be content with your wages when you have it Luk. 3.14 Now let me advise you to trust God with the Liberty of your Consciences and your wrongs The grace of God through Christ is as falt and it wil season every condition and your reputations and you that are worthy God wil vindicate you in his own time And let it appear from you that the grace of God in Christ is the sweet and golden rule for a Christian to walk by to make peace because Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace Isa 9.6 And those that are his subjects are sons of peace Luk. 10.6 Now I shal return to the second use which I drew from the 11. Chapter of Iohn and I shal conclude with that of Martha and Mary Now though Martha had received Christ into her house nay Christ had entered himself into her heart as you may see by her confession Iohn 11.27 yet for all this Martha was cumbred and troubled and distracted about many things which were below Jesus Christ this is the condition of many a poor soul to be like unto Martha in being angry with Mary for sitting at Jesus feet and she heard his Word for Christ had allured her to chuse the good part or the most excellent way as the Apostle saith that is the most excellent way not to hear the voyce of the world but the voyce of Jesus Christ as Mary did Luke 10.38 39 40 41 42. Sect. 7 Now we have many Christians in these our days that are like Martha and if it were possible they would command Jesus Christ to send away those that sit at his feet and hear him who is the living Word of life and like unto Martha they would have Christ to send away those that are like unto Mary to serve with them in their low acquaintances with God as some of our learned are and others as wel as they that have but little and low knowledg of Christ and very little acquaintance with God and that is the reason why they cannot understand those that sit at the feet of Jesus nay in the bosom of Christ and do taste of his sweet graces Now those that are weak in Christianity like Martha do not understand why Mary sat at the feet of Jesus but they are ready to think much and foolishly to say they are looking after new light they have got some notion into their brain they are possessed with some whimsey or other some new doctrine hath taken hold on them now such poor silly men and women are cumbred and troubled about many things which are below Christ and are ready to say as Martha did unto Jesus send them away bid them come to us and serve as we do and be as we are Now mark for this is worth the noting The spiritual Evangelical Christian that is like unto Mary and sits close unto Jesus Christ even at his feet with his head in the bosom of Christ like unto his beloved Disciple and he doth taste of the spiritual sweetnesses which are in Christ who is God
What is an hours discourse though never so learned if God do not teach the Minister to speak spiritually God is come into the hearts of men with large and spiritual appearances I hope neither the learned nor the unlearned wil jeer me for using these expressions For by the light of these appearances God wil dis-throne Antichrist which is very much amongst us and this light wil expel all that which seems to be light and is but darkness and God wil set up his own true Christ which is himself and God alone wil be the light of men The Lord is my light saith David Psa 27.1 Sect. 7 Now the worldly wise men are much displeased with these spiritual appearances for it throws down their wisdom because it is fleshly and carnal The wisdom of the flesh charges the wisdom of God with folly and madness and saith it doth infect the world and therefore they take no delight in it they see no beauty in it why they should desire it But when the Spirit comes into the heart of a man and maketh his appearances then this sweet Spirit which is God who is Alpha and Omega and comes and doth the office of the third person and so he is the first and the last and so the poor soul is even at rest in the bosom of God Rev. 1.10 11 12. And there it is taught all truths by the Spirit who is God and the Spirit shews the soul glorious things to come and the Spirit makes Jesus Christ very glorious in the eyes of the soul and here the soul sees Christ and the Spirit and God the Father One and all that the Father hath is Christs and all that Christ hath is a Christians and Christ and a Christian are Gods Iohn 16.13 14 15. 1 Cor. 3.22 23. Now when God doth make these glorious appearances in our flesh then he doth teach us to justifie him in his spiritual appearances and to see him as wel as the Angels for we see by Faith the mystery of Christ and his Church which things the Angels desire to look into 1 Pet. 1.11 12 13. And we speak of this mystery unto men and it is beleeved by some men in the world and as Christ is received up into glory so he wil bring down his glorious wisdom and holiness into the hearts of his people And as Christ is wisdom even so he makes his children wise that they may justifie him who is wisdom it self for wisdom is justified of her children 1 Tim. 3.16 Luke 7.34 35. Now it is plain to prove that there is but one God and Father of all in all his appearances and through all the appearances which have been spoken of as Jesus Christ our Lord therefore we shal be inabled to keep the unity of the Spirit and to be at peace with God for there is but one body and one Spirit one Lord Iesus Christ who is the one God and he is first and last the beginning and the ending of all things saith the Lord Which is and which was and which is to come the Almighty Rev. 1.7 8. And there is but one true Faith which is in him and by him and from him which is the blessed God Acts 26.18 And there is but one true Baptism which is from him and by him and of him who is the only wise God and our good God Now this one Baptism made Iohn rejoyce and his joy was exceeding ful because of Christ which is the souls bridegroom Luke 3.16 17. Iohn 3.29 30. Sect. 8 Now this one sweet and blessed God is the Father of all and every thing that is good doth proceed and come out from him He is the original of all good He is the first cause of all good to the creature He is all in himself and to himself He is all to the soul and he is all in the poor soul He is all in all his appearances He is the Father of all and above all and through all and in you all read Eph. 4.3 4 5 6. Now it is as plain to prove that this one God did and doth come under all these appearances To us a Child is born to us a Son is given and the government shal be upon his shoulders and his name shal be called wonderful counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace God wil renew the heart of a man or woman make it as a chaste Virgin to bear Christ in the spirit as wel as the Virgin Mary did bear Christ in the flesh Now here is one and all and all and yet but one read Isa 9.6 And so likewise Behold a Virgin shal be with Child and shal bring forth a Son Now it is meant thy heart O man or woman shal be a Virgin to bear this Child as wel as the Virgin Mary And when God doth appear as the holy Child Iesus in a man then man doth begin to be happy and the name of this Child shal be called Emmanuel which being spiritually interpreted is God with us or God in us Mat. 1.20 21 22 23. Isa 7.14 Who is like unto the Lord our God who dwelleth on high who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth God comes down into every low condition to comfort a poor soul in high places and in low places Our God comes down into every low condition Is not this a great comfort for the poor souls of men He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifteth the needy out of the dunghil This is the good wil of our good God He leaves no contemptible place unsought to find out his people though it be in a dunghil He was with Iob upon the dunghil that he might set him and all his poor despised people as Princes even with the Princes of his people Psa 113.5 6 7 8. O the wonderful greatness of our God that hath made his Christ and given him to be the head over all things to the Church O the wonderful wisdom and endless mercy of our God who hath fited his Church to be his own body in Christ Christ being the head O what a sweet harmony and agreement there is between the head Christ and his members O poor drouping soul Sect. 9 lift up thine eyes A note of great comfort to a poor soul and behold thy God who is thy head from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God Col. 2.19 And now poor soul thou art so fitly framed together and so compleat in Christ that thou art become an holy Temple in the Lord In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit Eph. 2.21 22. Col. 2.9 10. Now when God doth teach a poor soul to live upon this it wil be as the lifting up the head above all waters above all temptations above all reproaches of men and above all
City for they can neither give this good thing nor hinder the one thing needful nor take away this free gift of God which wil make a man free in troublesom times An Use of sweet comfort Now Christ is the good thing and the one thing needful and the free gift of God and the substance of Religion within a man and by his Spirit he wil be a Wel of living water springing up into everlasting life within the soul and spirit of a man And this wil be meat and drink spiritual which the world knows not of This wil refresh a man in the time of greatest troubles and the world cannot take this sweet food away Psal 27.4 5. Luke 10.42 John 4.10 14 32. And though men of all sorts be striving now for externals in matters of Religion meer circumstances shadows that wil flie away Yet amongst these men there are two sorts of men which may be divided into four sorts of men and these four sorts of men may be all the servants of Christ as those four beasts were which you may read of Rev. 4.6 7 8. And these four sorts of men may be divided into two parts comparatively as Presbyterians and Independents Now if you wil divide the Presbyterians into two parts you shal find them acting like unto those two first beasts which I before spake of And the first beast is like a Lion and the second beast like a Calf and the third beast had a face as a man and the fourth beast was like a flying Eagle Now the first part of the Presbyterians did not they begin to move Lion-like with majesty speed and roughness and did not some of them say as the chief Captain said of Paul Let him be brought into the Castle and be examined by scourging only they wanted power read Acts 22.24 25. The second part of the Presbyterians moves like a Calf that is more slowly more moderately and with less harm Now divide the Independents into two parts and the first of them moves and hath a face like a man that is more rational more temperate more condescending in the worship of God to do as he would be done by Now the second part of the Independents moves like an Eagle that is flying high even unto the third Heaven where Christ is where they see things unutterable and ful of glory and for this they depend only upon God and herein they are not Independents as some cal them But now the Lion-like and the Calf-like and he that had the face like a man begin to raise troubles and jealousies against him that is Eagle-like because say they he flies too high we cannot discern him nor agree with him But shal I now Sect. 2 as a friend give you a reason why you cannot discern him that is like an Eagle it is because you are dul of hearing and are unskilful in the word of righteousnes for ye are as babes for strong meat belongeth to them that are of ful age even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil as you may read heb 5.11 12 13 14. And thus our dul-headed Prelatical Clergy for the most part were wont to cal those that were Eagle-like Puritans and now at this time they cal them Roundheads and others there are that cal them Familists and Sectaries Now here are three that are striving in the world and make a great deal of stir about circumstances and things which wil change And the first is the Presbytery and they are striving for preeminence and for a form to sit easie on Now the second is the Independents which would fain have their own way but they shal suffer for it if some had but power Now while these two are striving the third party which is the Episcopal or the Prelatical party or Priests comes in with their long black gowns coats A ministry not coming out from Christ is not Christian but Antichristian that loves not the flock for they cannot feed the flock Mar. 13.21 22 23 1 Joh. 4.1 2 3. John 21.15 16 17. skarfs and girdles with roses at them as though they were singular above all other men and they bring in their easie common Service Book and an old Homily or a Sermon preached over and over and it may be never the better a piece of art which they for the most part study and this art doth consist of Rhetorick that is to be elegant and to speak plausible words though it may be they are but little acquainted with the lively part of divine Theology but only the Theorick they are fine Theoricians that is they can speak much of that which they can practise little or nothing of and with this the most people in this Kingdom are wel pleased Take an Instance Jere. 5.30 31. 4.22 And thus these three are striving for external things meer outsides circumstances fig leaves And thus these three feed upon low mean food but some of them I hope do feed upon true food though like babes weakly But for the most part of these three which I have spoken of they feed upon low earthly food as outside forms with little or no love in them or as it were A ministry that hath Christ in possession witnesseth a good profession of Christ in Faith Verity 1 Tim. 6.11 12 13. with gilded fig leaves and the like But now the Eagle-like or the man that is like the flying Eagle he is about the throne of God and feeds upon Angels food Isai 6.1 2 3. Now such a man doth the work of Angels because he is in the Spirit as John was on the Lords day which day is Jesus Christ Rev. 1.10 13 19. 4.6 7 8. Now such a man feeds upon delicate spiritual food in the heaven of God Sect. 3 which heaven is Christ Now such a beleeving man or woman takes no delight in the box except the pearl be therein It is not the beautiful box that such a soul takes delight in but it is the pearl Christ or Christ the pearl that the soul is fixed upon as you may instance in Mary It was not the two glorious Angels sitting in white that gave Mary content but she remains weeping and enquiring for her Lord Christ and when Christ began to speak to her he so spake to her heart that her soul ecchoed again to him and she said Master O Master thou art he whom my soul loveth John 20.11 12 13 14 15 16. Now the only good thing in troublesom times and in the hour of distress and in sad temptations is to have rivers of living Water living comforting water of life which Christ gives Now this water is the Spirit the Spirit of comforts or the gracious comforting Spirit read John 7.37 38 39. Now this sweet water of life is comfortable in sickly times but especially upon the sick bed when a man comes to lie upon his dying pillow then to have this sweet Spirit
which is God to lift up his head that he may look into heaven and see the glory of God and Jesus Christ the right hand of God opening himself to receive his poor weary soul O what a refreshing comfort is this unto a dying man to see the heavens of God in Christ opening A beleeving soul sees it self happy and compleat in God through Iesus Christ and the Son of man God-man standing with the souls of men which he hath made just and perfect and they standing as the right hand of God in Christ as a Queen in gold of Ophir All this you may have an instance of in Steven if you do but read Acts 7.55 56. And so likewise in the whole Church of Christ if you do but read Heb. 12.22 23 24. Psal 45.9 And thus a poor soul is received from misery unto glory even into Abrahams bosom that is into the bosom of Jesus Christ where it takes up its rest as Steven did but while the poor soul doth live in this world it shal find trouble For all that do live the life of God in Christ Iesus shal suffer persecution in this world 2 Tim. 3.12 All relations under the Sun variable as the relation to a wife to a family in Church fellowship in professed friends in parents and in children in riches and in outward contentments but in Christ all these are constant and dureable For a mans enemies shal be they of his own houshold Mat. 10.36 Nay in Church fellowship which is like an houshold if they differ in judgment read 1 Pet. 4.16 to 19. If it be so in a mans houshold and in Church fellowship as there is experience between the Presbyterian and the Independent I shal conclude and say as David said It is good for me to draw neer to God and to desire him to plant my confidence and my joy in him alone for in every external condition in this world I shal find trouble But my fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Iesus Christ and spiritually there I shal find good cheer read these Scriptures Psal 73.25 26 28. 1 Iohn 1.3 4. Iohn 16.32 33. Sect. 4 I shal speak now of a precious balsam and a sweet cordial that wil heal all our diseases in this Kingdom that is if the Lord would be pleased to raise a flood of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and cause it to run with a mighty stream into the hearts of the King and the Parliament this would enable them to bear one anothers burthens and so fulfil the Law of Christ that is to restore the poor groaning subjects in the spirit of meekness that they may rejoyce once again Gal. 6.1 2. Now he that ruleth over men must be just mark this ruling in the fear of God read 2 Sam. 23.3 Now my hope is and my desire shal be that God would be pleased through Christ his strong arm to make good that Prophesie in our days which is spoken of in the Prophet Isaiah That Kings may be nursing Fathers and Queens may be nursing mothers in these our days O that we might truly say once out of experience that we are beholding to them as nourishers or for their good nursing Isai 49.23 For this end God did set up Kings at the first as David and Solomon who were types of the spiritual King Jesus and fed their people with wholsom and sweet food that is with a peaceable life as good Magistrates and preserved them in all godliness against those that would harm them and disquiet them Psa 78.70 71 72. But of this we have had but little these many years instance in those domineering Bishops and the high Commission Court which was of long standing and persecuted godliness under the name of Puritans or some other names but I hope it will not be so now therefore let us follow the Apostles Exhortation That prayer be made for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty for he or they that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God 1 Tim. 2.1 2. and 2 Sam. 23.3 Courteous Reader Sect. 5 I shal speak a word or two in my own defence and so conclude Now my first word is When I first set my pen to paper it was not with any sinister respect or by-end but it was for the glory of God Neither was it for profit nor the applause of men for that to me is as a vain thing I speak the words of truth and soberness But seeing the customary and the outside Pharisaicalness which most men and women of all sorts use in matters of Religion Ministers as wel as others this I saw and was at a loss within my self but the Lord did teach me to consider of it and then I went to glean as Ruth did into the field of Boaz read Ruth 2.7 8 9. But the field that mine eyes was upon to glean in it was not the field of external Art nor the field of a great Library for that is to learn to speak other mens words which I disclaim But mine eyes were upon that only one field where I gleaned among the sheaves and that field is the Scriptures the only one Book which I had and no more and that is the Bible which is the Word of God Now courteous Reader I have gleaned and am satisfied and I commend that unto you which I have reserved and as Naomi did make use of the barley which Ruth did glean as you may read Ruth 2.18 so I desire that you may be wise to make use of what hath been said for your own good and I shal be glad Sect. 6 Now my second and last word is to the Christ-baptized man or woman for I speak unto thee O man or woman who art inwardly taught by the sweet Spirit of God hast that unction from the holy One which wil teach thee to know all things for that anointing abideth in thee anâ— teacheth thee all truths and thou shalt abide in him or it 1 Iohn 2.20 27. Therefore I speak to thee O man or woman who art baptized with the Spirit of Christ because thou art the best able to discern between wheat and chaff True Christian Reader when I first set pen to paper my heart was inabled to indite of matter concerning the Lord of Lords and I spake of things touching Christ the King and my heart was stirred within me as the water is when it bubbleth up or the water which the fire boyleth And I was made able by the sweet Spirit of God who did blow sweet gales of wind spiritually into my heart Ioh. 3.8 And I was so refreshed by them for they so comforted my heart that my tongue became as the pen of a ready writer The knowledg of the mystery of God in the flesh of Christ the Saints and the givings forth of the Spirit are not got by
the life of the Word Page 44. How the Jesuites Popes and Friers are Ministers of Christ P. 44. ◠7. The shepherds of these times would rule Christs sheep with an iron mace P. 45. Some named that were reproached in Mr Edwards book P. 46. Mr Edwards ten heads in his book like the ten horns Rev. Zech. P. 47 What it is that frays these horns viz. the Spirit of our Lord Jesus P. 48 49 S. 8. That Saul was a Minister upon the same account that many are at this day P. 50 51. A Minister sent out from men is a Minister of terror not of tenderness P. 51. How the false Prophets are mingled among true as heretofore so even now P. 51 52 53. The Confidence of most Preachers in these times is their library and books P. 53. Vpon what account there is much preaching to little purpose in these times P. 54. CHAP. IV. THe Scriptures insisted on set down P. 55 S. 1. None but beleevers able to prove approve of and reprove Ministers P. 57 58. S. 2. There is no cure for the world but free grace P. 59. Jesus Christ is a Saints spiritual magazine P. 60. S. 3. That in these days God begins to pour out of his Spirit upon all flesh P. 61. That upon this account beleevers speak more profitably then their teachers P. 62. That beleevers have a divine right and authority to try the doctrines of men P. 63 A Caution given beleevers not to be despoiled of their liberties in Christ P. 63 64. Many pretend falsly to a divine right in these times P. 64. S. 5. How the people have been and yet are abused by Clergy men 65 66 What divine right is and to whom it doth belong P. 66 67. The honorable Commissioners why not approved of by the Ministers P. 67 The ignorance of the people taxed in not being able to try their Ministers P. 68. Who they be that creep into houses and lead captive silly women P. 68. That discord among brethren ariseth from the Ministers of this age 69. § 6. Who they be that bind heavy burthens and lay them on mens shoulders P. 69 70. Dr Gouge his complying formerly with the Archbishop reprehended Page 70. To rule with force and violence doth ill become Ministers P. 71 72. § 7. A word to Ministers and people to unite them into one band of love by the Spirit p. 72 73. The story of Abraham and Lot of Jacob Joseph and his Brethren excellently opened and applied to these times p. 73 74 75 76 77. What men pretend that mind persecution p. 77. § 8. A sweet prayer to God for Vnity p. 80. § 9. Arguments to perswade to Vnity p. 82 83. § 10. Where and what is the power of the Church p. 84 85. Who are Evangelical Preachers and that none profit the people but they p. 87 88. § 11. That most Ministers seem to read Christs advice Mat. 6.31 backwards p. 89 90. Who are Elders according to God page 90. Three sorts of corrupt men in a parish page 91 94. That Jesus Christ is the mind of God page 94. That most of our Protestants are fit matter to make Papists p. 95. CHAP. V. THe Scriptures insisted on set down p. 100 101. § 1. A most excellent and spiritual instruction given to the Eldership in the Church of God p. 101 108. The Church is a school and Christ the alone teacher in it p. 104. The Church in the Apostles time had many young men in it that were full of the Holy Spirit p. 105. Many hungry people in the Church whom nothing can satisfie but Jesus Christ p. 106. Great use of Elders if right in the Church of God P. 106. Religion without love is Pharisaism Page 107. How the Religion of the most is Popish P. 108. That there hath been much hypocritical fasting in these times P. 109 § 2. A true fast to the Lord is a feast to men P. 110. The most content themselves with the shel but neglect the kernel of Religion P. 112 113. The holy Spirit is the love-token of Christ in the hearts of the faithful P. 115. § 3. What food the Saints live upon Page 116. § 4. Too much confidence placed now adays in Church-fellowship Page 117. A just reproof of such P. ibid. What is the Churches foundation 118 Vpon what the Christians lean 118 The commonly called Anabaptists reprehended and that justly 119 120. They justifie the parishes they seem to condemn Why the Anabaptist and Presbyterians disagree P. 121. That Anabaptists are mistaken in the foundation of Church-fellowship 122 An excellent reason against rebaptizing P. 123 124. § 5. A modest debate with a moderate Anabaptist P. 124. That the soul enjoys all things in Christ P. 125. Vpon what account the beleever is conversant in external observations P. 125. § 6. Of the baptism of infants and that they have faith and may be admitted as well as others thereto P. 126 127. A whisper in the ear of an Anabaptist and Presbyterian P. 128 The same Lord is now a Cloud to the Egyptian world but a pillar of light and fire to the spiritual Israel 129. § 7. The plea of an unbeleever 131. Of the confession of sin and how few confess sin aright P. 132 133. The beleever hath joy from the Cross of Christ in the confession of sin 134 The death of Christ most divinely opened P. 134. Several Objections answered made against confession of sin with joy p. 135 136 137. CHAP. VI. THe Scriptures insisted on set down page 138 139. § 1. What the most of our Elders and Pastors are and what they are able to do p. 140. Who seek the good of King and Kingdom p. 144. § 2. That there is no steers-man in the Church on the heart of a true Christian but Jesus Christ. p. 145. Christ the guide of a Christian in his active and passive obedience to Magistrates p. 146 147. A wise caution given to Magistrates and why page ibid. § 3. Several objections answered touching the discerning of true teachers and false by their fruits p. 147 148. That the unlearned beleever doth and knows more then the learned that beleeves not p. 149. Those that have been with Jesus and in whom Jesus is alone understand the Scriptures p. 149 Christ the Covenant of God p. 150. What learned men they be that are unfit for the ministry p. 151. Christ is the day of Gods rest p. 152. That many talk of Reformation that are ignorant of the pure Religion page ibid. § 3. What the pure Religion is 152. The most of the learned in Christendom do agree in pleasure ease and profit p. 153. Many zealous for Presbyterian Government care not for coming to the Elders and why p. 156. That one place for worship is not to be preferred before another ibid. Whether it be decent for Ministers to go all in black p. 157. Of humane learning of what use and profit it is p. 158. A word of