barke the outside of the Oake hereby he may get as well some sap from Christ whilst he thus hangs upon him in an outward way as may somewhat helpe to make him greene keeping life in him for a time as doth the sap he hath from his owne roote and hereby his life is partly from his owne roote which affords him so much sap as gives him strength to cling to this living Oake and partly from that sap which by clinging to Christ in an outward way he draw's from him Yet because this soule hath not Christ for his roote but what nourishment he getts from him is onely in an outward way by an outward cleaving to him clinging about him to which he is assisted and enabled by that strength that is afforded him from his owne roote the old Adarâ— Hence it comes to passe that at one time or other this cleaving soule which receives not his strength life nourishment from Christ by vertue of a reall union with Christ as his roote but by vertue of an outward cleaving and sucking from Christ doth dye and wither therefore I say a difference there is betwixt clinging to Christ and thereby sucking for a time some sap from him and union clinging is not union neither is the coming of sap that way the same with that sâ—p that comes by vertue of the union of the Tree the sap the Ivie getts is forced from the Oake into it selfe by clinging about it and violent sucking but now the sap that comes from the roote into the Tree that ascends in a naturall way So where union is with Christ as the roote the soules feeles the sap its strength holines c. flowing into it from Christ in a secret yet wonderfull naturall way so that it flow's into it without the soules striving and struggling to force this sap to its selfe but it comes in a naturall way it flow's up secretly and in a manner indiscernably into it the soule begins to feele it selfe full of sap but knowes not how it was filled hardly now this being come into it then it causeth this soule to put forth dayly new branches leaves buds and fruit but where it is otherwise though sap may be had from Christ yet it is but a forced thing a thing extorted by outward clinging and as the Ivie when it s owne roote doth not afford it sufficient sap to make it cling to the Oakes dyes so this soule when it s owne strength the strength received from old Adam by which it clings to Christ in an outward way shall faile it that it can cling no longer it will dye and wither notwithstanding for some time whilst its owne strength served it to cling close it did receive a kinde of life and nourishment from him FINIS The Promise of the Father ACTS 1.4 Waite for the Promise of the Father The whole verse runs thus And being Assembled together with them commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but waite for the promise of the Father which saith he you have heard of me WHat promise is this which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when he is now ascending into heaven doth give a strict and speciall command to his Disciples to looke at and waite for calling and entitling it The promise of the Father To that I answer This promise is no other but the promise of the holy Spirit and that is cleare from the following words which saith he yee have beard of me This promise of the Father that they were now commanded to waite for it was that promise that Christ had been minding them of sometime before Waite for the promise of the Father which yee have heard of me which I told you of and minded you of before now what was that promise that Christ had been minding of his Children of againe and againe not long before this time If we looke into Johns Gospel we shall finde that the promise of the Spirit Christ did againe and againe pitch the faith of his Disciples upon and that Immediatly before his death before he was taken from them John 14.16 17. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you And ver 26. But the Comforter which is the Holy-Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you So againe Chapter 15.26 But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father he shall testifie of me So againe Chapter 16.7 8 9.10 verses Neverthelesse I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I goe away for if I goe not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you and when he comes he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of Judgement Of sin because they beleive not on me of righteousness because I goe to my Father and yee see me no more Yea this is cleare in the verse following our Text For John truly baptized with water but ye shall be baptized with the Holy-Ghost not many dayes hence So that that great promise which Christ had been minding his Children of a little before which he points at here which saith he yee have heard of me it was the promise of the Spirit and it was not the Spirit in that speciall way of working in glorious miracles and interpreting of Tongues and the like but indeed it was the promise of the Spirit in generall for he referr's to that promise of the Spirit which they had heard of him which was as a Comforter as the leader and guider into all truth as a Testifier of the Love of Christ to the soule as a bringer to remembrance of whatsoever Christ had said unto them as a glorifier of Jesus Christ in the hearts of his Children he shall glorifie me so that it lookes to the promise of the Spirit in generall when Christ saith it s that yee have heard of me Quest 1. But why doth Christ call it the promise of the Father doth not Jesus Christ himselfe promise the Spirit doth not Christ say I will send you another Comforter is it not the promise of Jesus Christ himselfe as well as of the Father why doth he then call it the promise of the Father Ans 〈◊〉 Because Christ himselfe as Mediator hath the promise of the Spirit from the Father Isai 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold mine Elect in whom my soule delighteth I have put my Spirit upon him c. And it s fulfilled to Christ Isai 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me saith Christ for he hath anointed me to preach
and leading promise that stood out before all the other promises and that was the coming of the Messiah and unto this promise all the Types shaddowes Ceremonies and services of the Law did looke they ran into this promise so the Saints and people of God in the times of the new Testament have a great and leading promise also but this great promise of the old Testament is no promise to them for it s accomplished Christ hath come and dyed and is risen againe and we looke not for him to come and dye any more to satisfie his Fathers Justice but now there is I say a great and leading promise in the new Testament which the Saints fix their eye upon above all other promises and that is the promise of the Spirit as the Saints under the old Testament look't cheifely to this promise of the Messiah O when will our Messiah come when will the Redeemer come when will Christ come why so the Saints under the new Testament have this as their great expectatior O when will the Spirit come when will the Spirit come down more into our hearts O when shall we be more fill'd with the Spirit and be enabled to walke in the Spirit and to live in the Spirit and have all our teaching from the Spirit and all our strength and life and whatsoever we have from the Spirit this is that that the Saints should have their eye fixed upon under the new Testament and so the Observation at this time shall be this Obser That the promise of the Spirit is the great New Testament promise it 's the great promise that the Children of God in the times of the new Testament are to be looking up to God for the fulfilling and accomplishing of In the prosecution of which point I shall follow this Method all moulds and methods they are but things wherein we are to seeke the edification one of another First I shall shew you That the promise of the Spirit is a great promise Secondly That its the great New Testament â—romise Thirdly Why the Lord held forth his Spirit to his Children as the great promise why he would have them looke more upon that promise than upon any other promise Fourthly I shall apply this blessed truth to our hearts First The promise of the Spirit it 's a great promise a very great promise so it is First If we doe consider The thing promised the gift given by vertue of this promise What can be a greater gift than for God by promise to give himselfe to a poore soule for the Father and Son to give themselves to a poore soule Now the promise of the Spirit it 's the gift of God himselfe the promise of God himselfe we have God giving himselfe by promise the Father giving himselfe and the Son giving himselfe for these three are one where the Spirit is given all are given and where the Spirit comes and dwells there 's the dwelling of the whose the Father Son and Spirit all the blessed Trinity now what a wonderfull gift is here is it not a great promise then Secondly It 's a great promise If we consider the Promise-Maker wee make account of the promises of great men this is a promise made by the greatest in Heaven and earth the Father and the Son are the greatest My sheepe saith Christ heare my voice and I give unto them Eternall life and none shall plucke them out of my Fathers hand and my Father saith he is greater than I Here are the two greatest in heaven the Father and the Son and they make this promise the Spirit proceedeth from both as the gift of either the Father promiseth it and therefore it 's called in the Text the promise of the Father the Son promiseth it John 16.7 Neverthelesse I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I goe away for if I goe not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you Thirdly It 's a great promise If we looke to the way or meanes of conveying this promise to the soule The greater and more difficult meanes a man must use to fulfill some promise made to us the greater and higher account we have of his promise the worth of a mercy may sometimes be measured by the meanes through which it is brought about Now doe but looke at the difficulty's this promise comes thorough It comes upon the account of Christs Intercession for it in heaven I will pray the Father and he shall send you another Comforter before this promise can come forth in the fulnes and glory of it Christ must strip himselfe of his glory come downe from heaven to earth be made a reproach dye a cursed death and after this goe up to heaven againe and there pray and plead and all before this promise can be given forth so that it 's a promise that comes through all Christ's doings and sufferings and Intercessions before it can be given out in the fulnes and glory of it I will pray the Father he shall give you another Comforter It 's therefore a great promise Fourthly It 's a great promise If we doe but consider The great things that are laid up in this promise First All our spirituall peace and comfort is laid up in this promise all that inward Joy and peace comfort that a poore soule hath it 's all lodg'd up in this blessed promise hence the Spirit is call'd the Comforter because all our comfort if it be true it comes from him there 's a Joy which men have for a season as that of the Stony ground which men may have by the common working 's of the Spirit but it 's not that comfort and Joy which the Spirit workes in the hearts of the Saints in a speciall way as the comforter all the true Joy and comfort that Saints have they have it in and from this promise hath a soule comfort in a way of sence from the sencible feeling of the gifts and graces and operations of the Spirit of God in his heart This comfort if it be right it comes from the Spirit and so it 's laid up in this promise It 's the Spirit of God that must come and worke in us and that must discover his own workings in us that must worke our grace and make us to feele our grace and make us to know that that which we feele it is grace for if the Spirit of God doe not come in and beare witnesse to what we feele there will be no true comfort that we can have that way have we comfort in a way of faith in hanging upon the generall promise A poore soule finds nothing all is dry and dead and all comfort he had formerly in duty 's and ordinances is gone now he lookes up to the promise and draw's in comfort from God altogether in a way of faith when all is dead within This comfort of faith is also from the Spirit
against me And seeing the Lord hath given me an opportunity to testifie the truth for the Cause sake wherein I suffer and which the Author of these Sermons did own to his death I hope no inconvenience can arise from this brief Apology thus briefly represented to the little Remnant of the Womans Seed who in these dayes of Hypocrisie and Apostacy keep the Commandements of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ One word to my Fellow-prisoners in this glorious Cause from the Word of the Lord and it is a part of those glad tydings which they through Grace may bee abundantly refreshed in the remembrance of as I have been in this long time of Oppression THERE REMAINETH A REST FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD. A Sabbatisme so the Word is an holy solemn Rest and it hath reference to the World to come even the state of the Saints in the Thousand years This hath been in all Ages good news to so many as being pilgrims and strangers for the Lords sake in this present evil world have been alwayes hated reproached oppressed persecuted tormented slaughtered by the four great cruel wild Beasts Dan. 7. Oh what a voluminous Martyrology would that be which can comprehend all the cruelties bloody Massacres and despiteful dealings with the Saints of the most High which have been perpetrated upon this earth since Cain slew his brother Abel which can exemplifie in punctual narrations of truth all the Methods Stratagems Pretences and Policies which Persecutors have and will make use of for the suppressing of that spirit which with boldness doth justly contradict them in their wickedness and Abominations It s not a work for a finite creature to undertake none are sufficient Historiographers of these things but the Three who bear Record in Heaven where there is a Book of Remembrance written for those which feared Jehovah and thought upon his Name in their Generations Blessed be the Name of the Lord our God and our Father how sweet is his presence in a prison to his suffering servants Moses esteemed the reproaches of Christ greater Riches than the treasures of Egypt And wee from the overflowings of Divine Love have such glorious Incombs that we would not exchange the least of them for all the gold and silver which is coming from the West-Indies to the New Court. As the noble Marquess Galeacius Caracciolus when Golden Temptations were presented Let their money perish with them saith he who account all the gold in the world worth one dayes communion with Jesus Christ in the holy Spirit Dear Brethren in Bonds for the Lords sake How is it with you Have you cheerful lively spirits Do you live in the sense of the love of God shed abroad in your hearts by the holy Spirit which is given to you Doth your faith grow exceedingly Doth your love and zeal abound more and more for the Lord Jesus and his Interest What ripeness and readiness of spirit soul and body do you find to arise to come forth and to march in the honorable Expeditions of the Lamb against the Beast Are you prepared to follow the Lord fully Oh let us for I desire to be of that number let us never give the Lord rest till he burn with fire that Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth together with all her Daughters and until Jerusalem the New Jerusalem be established the praise of all the Earth We cannot but wait and hope till the Spirit cloath 〈◊〉 as it did Amazia 1 Chron. 12.18 that we may speak saying in a mystery Thine are we David and on thy side thou Root of Jessai peace peace be unto thee and peace be unto thine Helpers for thy God helpeth thee And I make no Question but â—re it be long there will be a coming to our David day by day to help him untill it become a great Host like the Host of God and so to turn the Kingdom of Saul unto him whose right it is according to the word of the Lord. For do the Kings of the Earth at home or abroad think of setling and establishment at this time of the day Alas poor creatures their glass is almost run out The God of Heaven is numbring their Kingdoms and finishing them The God of Heaven is weighing the new and old Tyranical Monarchies and will find them too light The God of Heaven will work Divisions in their Kingdomes and will give them all to his Son and his Saints It is true their ghostly Fathers and their Court-Chaplines do put this evil day afar off and perswade their Majesties their Highnesses and their Excellencies c. that we are possessed with on evil spirit of Sedition and Emnity against Government but we dare say to our Father who sees in secret and tryes the reins that they Lye and speak not the truth for he knows who knows all things that the desire of our souls is to be under the best Government that ever was or will bee in the world We confess we groan to be delivered from that Bondage which we are in under the Tyrants of the world we would not have the Beast nor any of his Horns to exercise such cruel domination over us as in time past because we had a little reviving from our former yokes by the out-stretched Arm of the Almighty and it was sweet unto us and we long for a full possession wherefore let us oh let us beleeve and the Lord increase our faith that we shall take them captives whose captives we are and we shal rule over our oppressors We shall meet and magnifie the Lord together and those followers of the Lamb who have prayed and wrestled in prayer for us and for the present it will be of use to look into those good works and comfortable words which this servant of the Lord who lived and dyed in the testimony of this truth doth spread before you who purposed to visit you and to incourage your hearts and to strengthen your hands in God yea and to be refreshed by you I mean you who are removed far off and thrust into holes and corners contrary to All Rules of Righteousness But though he purposed Jehovah preverted who doth all things according to the counsel of his own will and it becomes us who remain alive and have through grace received a Kingdom which cannot be shaken to serve the Lord in our Generation acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire And now oh that those precious truths handled by him might through the blessing of the Almighty become spiritual nourishment to us in our captivity The first Kingdom is founded upon the New Covenant Christ Jesus is the onely foundation c. It is good we shouldbe put in remembrance of these things though we do know them and are through the rich supply of the spirit in some measure established in the present truth I might inlarge but I shall not detain you nor the other Readers any longer but
soule moves it s all laid up and lodg'd in this great promise the Spirit of God gives forth all the strength the soule hath Eph 3. the latter end We are strengthened with all might by his Spirit in the inner man all the strength or might that a poore soule hath in the inward man it s all from the blessed Spirit of God if a soule hath strength to stand up against Satan truly it s from the Spirit of God The Lord shall tread downe Satan under your feete shortly If the Spirit of God withdraw and leave the soule but an houre Satan will tread him downe and trample upon him but if the soule be a conqueror an overcomer it s by the blessed Spirit all the strength we have whereby we are victors over any Corruptions it s by the blessed Spirit is there the mortification the killing of any corruption in our soules its from this Spirit If ye through the Spirit doe mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live it s not the worke of our faith it s not in our owne power we may struggle and strive and labour and toile but the least corruption is too strong for the strongest Christian in his owne strength but now the Spirit that mortify's the deeds of the body so have we strength to performe any duty any worke to heare to speake the word of God truly this is not our owne it s of the blessed Spirit for if the Spirit of God doe but leave a poore soule it cannot speake it cannot pray it can doe nothing the strength that acts the people of God it s not from themselves therefore one while they have a heart full of the groanes and breathings of the Spirit and a mouth full of words to spread before God and at another time they have not a groane in their hearts nor a word in their mouths and they may pump and they can bring up nothing this shews the strength of Christians is not from themselves but from the holy Spirit of God therefore a Christian that can at all times command his strength to pray or preach it s to be feared that that is the strength of man and not the strength of God the strength of the creature and not of the Spirit the strength of parts and of old Adam The Lord let 's his Children feele that they have not strength sometimes sometimes they have sometimes they have not that they might live all their whole life onely in dependance upon God what experience had Paul of this I know how to want and I know how to abound and can doe all things but how through Christ that strengtheneth me yet another while Paul could not speake his mouth is shut up therefore pray for me saith Paul to the Saints pray for me that I may have a doore of utterance so we are not sufficient of our selves to thinke any thing I am nothing saith Paul yet by the grace of God I am that I am all my strength is laid up in the blessed Spirit it s not in my selfe it s the Spirit of God that is our strength so all our strength is laid up in this promise Fifthly All our boldnes to the Throne of grace it s laid up in this promise Can a poore soule goe to God and cry father father Abba father why truly its the Spirit that enables him so to doe Because you are sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba father and that is the reason why a Saint one time can goe to God and say father father he can speake it out another time he cannot goe and speake out father it is because the Spirit that makes the soule to cry Abba father it s not in the power of the creature but our boldnes with the Father it s the gift of the Spirit of God it s this blessed Spirit of Adoption whereby a man can run to God as a child unto his father Sixthly All our helpe and assistance at the Throne of Grace it s laid up in this promise Wee know not what to pray for Rom 8. as we ought but the Spirit helpeth our infirmities and the Spirit maketh Intercession for us with groanes which cannot be uttered its truth a child of God doth not know what he should pray for what he should speak or utter to God or what he should most need but the Spirit of God comes helpes our Infirmities our worke in prayer is not to thinke what we should speake but to lay our selves downe before the Spirit Lord come thou by thy Spirit and mannage all our worke for us we are to spread our selves before the Spirit of God and let the Lord come and speake all in us and the Spirit helpeth our Infirmities with groanes not with words the Spirit helpeth a Christian many times when the soule cannot bring out a word the soule is full of groanings groanings that cannot be uttered groanings that have so much in them that they cannot be uttered the soule many times is put by words and is confounded through fulnes for there is by the holy Spirit of God the representation of a multitude of wants together and of a multitude of mercy's together and the soule would faine breath out all to God and he cannot speak them out all but he sends them up all to God in a groane together therefore saith the Apostle It helpeth our Infirmities with groanes that cannot be uttered a poore gratious soule comes and ly's before God and cannot speake a word O but it sends up a groane to God and though it cannot utter one word to God yet it may send up twenty petitions in one groane Seventhly Our speeding at the Throne of Grace our presenting such things there onely as are the will our father it s from this blessed Spirit When we come to pray of our selves we doe but aske our owne Thoughts and spread our owne wills before God but if we could come and lay our selves alway's under the Spirit of God and be willing alway's to be led and guided by the Spirit of God there would come forth alway's the will of God and not the will of the creature He that searches the heart knowes what the mind of the Spirit is because he makes Intercession for the Saints according to the will of God let the Spirit pray and it shall be the will of God though we are poore creatures and doe not know the will of God yet when the holy Spirit comes and draw's forth the heart it speakes out the will of God O therefore let us come and lye downe under the motions of the Spirit and the guidance of the Spirit He that searcheth the heart knowes what the mind of the Spirit is he doth not looke so much what words and what brave expressions and how these things are utter'd but he know's what the mind of his spirit is when God comes and looks upon his Children he doth not hearken
what brave words come out but what the mind of the Spirit is therein the great thing God lookes after is what the Spirit groanes after what the mind of the Spirit is so that all our boldness at the Throne of Grace all our helpe and assistance and our speaking so as to put up such Petitions onely as are the will of God it s all lodg'd up in this blessed promise of the holy Spirit Eightly All our Assurance and Evidence from heaven it s lodg'd up in this promise hath a poore soule any assurance any hope any Evidence O here it s lodg'd the Spirit is our earnest and evidence He hath given us the earnest of his Spirit as the giving one an earnest is an assurance of the bargaine so the Spirit of God is the earnest which assures the Children of God of their glorious Inheritance with the Saints in light The Spirit is called the first fruites the first fruites were the assurance of the harvest 's coming they are the beginnings of the harvest so the Spirit of God in the hearts of Gods children is the first fruits its the seale wherewith the children of God are sealed After ye beleived ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise and grieve not the holy Spirit of God wherewith you are sealed to the day of redemption that comes and seales up heaven to them and glory to them the Spirit comes and witnesses to them and with them that they are the Children of God Rom. 8.16 The Spirit of God beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the Chidlren of God He saith before Ye have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but ye have received the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba father As if he should have said we have not the old Covenant spirit the old Testament spirit the spirit of bondage to feare but the glorious new Covenant spirit which helpes us to goe to God and call him father what can be a more glorious witnesse and evidence to a Christian than this yet this spirit alone cannot beare witnes therefore he saith in the next verse The Spirit it selfe beareth witnes with our spirit that is with this glorious Gospel-new-Testament spirit the Spirit of God himselfe comes and witnesseth with this Gospel-spirit with this spirit of Adoption that we are the Children of God this sweete Gospel-spirit that is wrought in us it would not witnesse alone but the Spirit of God comes and puts his seale upon it and saith O this is a true worke of mine a true worke of the father in a child so it beares witnes with our spirit Ninthly The being and the Habit of Grace it s laid up in this promise the Spirit of God its the roote and principle of all grace in the Saints those habits of grace within are but the off-spring of the Spirit in the soule Grace it s not a thing naturall a thing that we bring into the world with us but a thing created and begotten now the creating and begetting principle it s the holy Spirit the Spirit it is that doth create and beget all grace were not the Spirit first given there would be no habits of grace in any all grace in the hearts of the Saints it s from this blessed Spirit and therefore it s laid up in this glorious promise Tenthly All the Acting of every grace it s laid up in this promise also the acting of faith and patience and humiliation and all grace as we have not the principle or habit of grace from our selves but from the blessed Spirit so every act of grace it s from the holy Spirit also as the Lord saith of his Vineyard I will keepe it and water it every moment God keepes his Vineyard and waters it too and he waters it every moment or else it would wither and decay so the Lord keepes us and our grace and waters us every moment else we should decay the Spirit of God it is that comes and waters us and waters all our grace though the soyle be never so good the fruite is not brought forth if there be not dropping from heaven upon it so let the soule be good and the plant of grace in the soule yet if the Spirit doe not come and continually drop upon and water our hearts there will be no fruite brought forth every soule therefore that is able to put forth any grace he hath this from the blessed Spirit O what a wretched thing therefore is it that there should be such a thing in the world as the slighting of this blessed Spirit that any man in the world should slight and contemne this blessed Spirit wherein all our grace is and the acting of every grace lyes in it and it s the exceeding greatnes of the power of the Spirit that makes every grace to act looke upon faith in the first acting it s not wrought by us but by an exceeding great power even the same that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead when he lay under all our sinnes and his Fathers wrath it s that power that workes the first acts of faith that exceeding greatnes of power that helps us to beleive and so it is in all other grace and the people of God doe know that their strength is not in themselves nor their growth in themselves I cannot be holy I cannot walke humbly by any strength of my owne I cannot beleive I cannot love the Saints nor love God or the cause of God by any strength of my own I cannot doe it of my selfe all the acting of my grace its from the blessed Spirit of God Eleventhly All those convictions that are wrought in the soule they are from the Spirit of God all the conviction in the soule whether of sin or of righteousnes it is from the Spirit of God If a poore soule come to be convinc't of sin that he is an unbeleiver it s the Spirit of God must convince the world of sin because they beleive not in Christ if a soule come to see all his righteousness nothing whether it lye in the workes of the Law or in the very acts of beleiving that all is nothing it s the Spirit must convince the soule of righteousnes men run from one peice of righteousnes to another from confession of sin to vowes and promises and thence to Reformation and so to higher things but this doth not convince till the Spirit of God come and convinces the soule and then it saith Lord I am nothing I have nothing I can doe nothing I am empty O that thou wouldest come and fill me with thy holines all that can be done by man and the utmost of reason and parts and the utmost demonstration of truth to the eare can never doe this till the Spirit of the Lord come Twelfthly All those hints of truth those remembrances of truth those bringings of the blessed word and promise of Christ to our mind they are all laid up in this
Mr. Tillinghasts EIGHT LAST SERMONS I The Fifth Kingdome or Kingdome of Christ founded on the New Covenant one Sermon on Jer 33.20 21. II Signs of the Times two Sermons on Matth. 16.3 To which is added six Signs as they were in his Notes III Christ the only Foundation one Sermon on 1 Cor. 3.11 With the prosecution of the point as it was in his Notes IV The Promise of the Father two Sermons on Act. 1.4 V The evil of the Times one Sermon on Mal. 3.16 17. VI Look to your Aims and Ends one Sermon on Matth. 11.7 To which is added The Idols abolished being his Notes on Is 2.18 Matth. 3.2 Repent yee for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand LONDON Printed by M. S. for Livewell Chapman at the Crown in Popes-head Alley 1655. A PREFACE TO THE READER THe Lord upon my frequent remembrance of the depth of the Riches both of his Wisdome Rom. 12.33 and of his Knowledge hath given me many and manifold occasions to break forth in the words of the Apostles sudden exclamation How unsearchable are his Judgements and his waies past finding out Yea such hath been the tenor of his dispensations and of the Appearance of some of them of late years from out of those unsearchable depths as may well induce us in the midst of such musings to cry out in the words of the Song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty Rev. 16 3. Just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who will not fear thee Oh Lord and glorifie thy Name But Oh ye faithful followers of the Lamb who shall be able to fathom and to measure the depth and heighth the breadth and length of those judgements which are yet to come upon the people and the Princes of the earth Wo Wo to the worshippers and admirers of the Dragon of the Beast and the false Prophet how terrible will Jehovah be unto the little Horn the last power which lifts it self up against the Saints of the most High after the expiration of the two and forty months How will this little Horn which goar 's our sides and pusheth us into corners roar when the Judgement shall sit and they that is the Saints shall take away his Dominion Dan. 7.26 to consume and to destroy it unto the end And with what consternation of mind will the proud Nimrods of the world flye before the Lamb and his followers when the mighty Hunters themselves shall be hunted from Mountain to Hill by the little handful of those who ar redeemed from the earth And whitherwill ye rune for shelter Oh ye Tyrants Who shall be your Lord Protector in the Day when Jehovahs fury shall be powred out like fire Nâ—humâ— 6 And if the Rocks are thrown down by him what will become of Reeds If the Sons of ancient Kings be hurried out of the world to their own place for their oppressions and persecutions for their contempt of God his Word and his Works what will be the portion of the New Monarchical Tyrants who are but of yesterday and have not had time to take root in the earth neither shall ever be able to confirm or establish their Domination But to contract and call off my mind from expatiating upon this point It cannot but be confessed That the sudden loss of so blessed an Instrument in the hand of Christ in such a juncture of time may well be matter of astonishment or of great grief to those poor souls who beginning to halt betwixt two opinions found present help and strength administred to their feeble knees by his Ministry and having also their eyes anointed with Gospel Eye-salve for the discovery of the present and other Truths It was no marvel that they became so sensible of the usefulness of such an Interpreter in that populous City as the deceased Author of the insuing Sermons And indeed We Prisoners your Brethren and Companions in Tribulation and in the Kingdome and patience of Jesus Christ could not refrain rejoycing with you for the hopes you had that he should have been as an Arrow or a polished shaft in the hand of a mighty man even the man Christ Jesus in such a day as this But as the heavens are higher than the earth Isa 55.9 so are the Lords ways higher than our wayes and his thoughts than our thoughts We are taught to say It is the Lord 1 Sam. 3 18 let him do with us also as seemeth good to him for indeed we are not our own 1 Cor 6.20 we are bought with a price whether we live or dye we are the Lords Rom. 14 8 and therefore we are obliged to glorifie him in our bodies and in our souls But to proceed to a brief Narrative of some particular passages and circumstances which may be of use for the Christian Readers who are far remote from the City to know It is to be remembred That this Servant of the Lord had waited for some space of time viz. about a year of daies to understand the mind of God in reference to the work which was upon his heart to do for the Lord Jesus at length perceiving his way to be plain before him he came up to the City of London where it pleased the Lord to put a period to his dayes within a very short space after he was arrived But how diligently he improved his time and his talent I need not declare for it s well known to thousands that he laboured as if it had been for his life to promote that glorious Cause which was once the joy of the Saints generally throughout the Nation although now it be almost forgotten by the most and the concernments of Christ and his people in the midst of a generation of Revolters and Backsliders from the work of God in their day Three principal businesses he had upon his spirit to dispatch The first was to speak his mind freely to the Great Man as they call him which accordingly after solemn seeking the face of the Lord with some Brethren he did and did bear his Testimony to his face in the first place in the presence of divers witnesses in such a way of plaineness and pity towards him who was guilty of such open Abominations that undoubtedly it will be of use hereafter to the stopping of the mouths of all Court-flatterers who are one of the worst sort of creeping Vermine in the world purposing moreover to proceed to an higher and more publick Testimony as God should give him a spirit and opportunity thereunto In the next place like another young Apollos Act. 18.27 28. being come to the City he helped them much who had beleeved the present Truth through Grace for he mightily convinced many and that publickly that the Kingdome of Christ is not only a Spiritual Kingdome but an outward visible Kingdome as his words are that this is a branch of the New Covenant That this
Kingdome shall very shortly begin to break in peeces and consume all these Kingdomes Insomuch that the spirits of many precious ones were revived their minds inlightened Insomuch that methoughts I heard one Disciple that had been ready to faint and quail saying to another Disciple in Jonathans language See I pray you how mine eies have been inlightned because I tasted a little of this Hony This word of the Lord concerning the glorifying of his Son in the sight of all Nations is sweeter than the hony or the hony comb Oh dear hearts you who heard a proof of Christ speaking in him Tell me Did not your hearts wax warm nay did they not burn within you while he spake of those things to you and while he opened to you in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power those Scriptures which do so neerly concern the King of Saints and his Cause at this day His next design was to travel from Prison to Prison where any of the Servants of Christ were shut up and accordingly made an entrance upon that work in coming to this Castle to visit us as not being ashamed of the testimony of the Lord nor of us his Prisoners 2 Tim. 11.8 but appeared very willing to be partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel of the Kingdome according to that measure of the power of God which should be given him even to suffer bonds in the maintenance of that Cause and glorious Truth which formerly had been owned but is now rejected by the General and his Men of War Insomuch that he would in private discourse with some friends declare That a Prison was like to be his portion ere long And no question if he had lived to have inlarged upon the signs of the times and the Spirit of God had come upon him with power the Supreme single Person at his Head-quarters at White-hall with the advice of his Cabinet Councel would after grave and mature deliberation have found it very necessary absolutely necessary to have suspended and silenced such a Preacher as neither knew how to hold his peace nor yet to pipe to the tune of the New Instrument for we must know that this New Monarchy is founded upon NECESSITY Necessity is the Father and Mother Necessity and Policy are the Nurse and the Guardian of this young Government Alas poor creature it was born in a Consumption and besides that hath had many Convulsion fits since it came into the world insomuch that its Friends and Physitians have had much ado to keep life in it at several critical hours since its Nativity And beside we shall find that Maxime true Nullum violentium est perpetuum violent Motions will quickly work Commotions Confusions and Destructions Let none take offence at this Language for I cannot forbear vilifying the Kingdomes of the fourth Beast when my thoughts are upon the magnifying of the Kingdome Power and Glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. Isa 37.22 And if the Virgin Daughter of Sion without any disparagement to her holy modesty might of old be allowed by God himself to despise the great King of Assyria and to laugh him to scorn I know no reason to the contrary but one of the Lambs followers may without breach of rule in an holy triumph of Faith express contempt of the Kings of the Earth who are all of them the lovers of the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth But to return from this digression of Necessity Both Friends and Foes may easily conjecture how warm an incouragement it would have been to all of us to be refreshed with his company in the several Prisons where wee and our Brethren are shut up if it had pleased the Lord to say Amen and so have given the word for the undertaking of his intended spiritual Summer-progress for wee found him to bee indued with such a Spirit and to have so much acquaintance with the Lord and his Word concerning the present oppressed Truth and Work that undoubtedly the Glorious Cause wherein we are ingaged would have been so much the more inquired after and searched into by many of the Saints But the Counsel of the Lord must stand By conference also with him here in my Prison-chamher I understood how long since and upon what occasion the Lord had taken him by the hand and brought him into his spacious Galleries to walk and take a prospect of that part of Christs Kingdom and glory which is now ready to bee revealed in these last times So that I now plainly discern this in regard his day was to be so short he was thereupon spirited from the Lord to do much work in a little time for those Generation-works of his his Books so called together with his knowledge of the times are no question a special product of Providence in this season and may serve for the rouzing up and quickening of such as are upon their watch to look about them that they may not be surprized And for the rendring unexcusable that Generation of drousie Professors and Apostate pretenders which this Nation swarms with at this day Neither let it seem strange to thee whosoever thou art that readest this that the learned Rabbies and the Orthodox Doctors of these times are so exceeding dumb as to this point for first consider It is not the high-way to Ecclesiastical promotions it is impossible they should get or keep any great Church-livings if such Doctrine should be preached by them or imbraced by the people as these Fift-Kingdom-men desire and indeavor to leaven the land withall And then secondly It is according to the tenor of Gods working in the Generations before us such mysteries use to be hidden in their first discoveries at least from the wise and prudent and were revealed unto Babes that so no flesh might glory in his presence Wherefore let no man find fault that the Lord takes such unlikely Instruments to break the Ice to prepare the way nor yet take offence at that diversity of Opinions and Apprehensions which is and will be found for a little while among the Assertors of this Doctrine of Christs Kingdom in the approaching glorious ministration of it It is true such a thing is intimated and handled by this Author in his second Sermon concerning the signs of the times at the 52 page c. But this will occasion the true children of the true light to search the Scriptures daily whether those things there discussed be so or no I confess I have some hope to be successful in reconciling the matter betwixt those good men by communicating ere long to publick view if not prevented what I apprehend to be the mind of God in that particular In the mean time I desire the Lords little remnant whom he hath reserved to himself in this general Apostacie waiting for the breaking forth of the next dispensation from under this dark cloud to entertain these Sermons of this Disciple lately deceased taken in short-hand from his lips
recommend you and all those who worship not the Beast nor his Image who will not receive his Mark in their Foreheads or in their right hands to the special Protection and Benediction of him who sits upon the Throne to whom and to the Lamb who was and is worthy to take the Book and to open the seals thereof be blessing glory and power for ever and ever AMEN I am Brethren honored and beloved in the Lord by the good hand of God upon me Your Fellow Prisoner in the most glorious cause upon earth CHR. FEAK From my Watch-Tower in Winsor Castle this second day of the sixth moneth 1655. Upon the Author and these his posthume Papers NOw if I could set forth aright And give a view to clearer fight Of that sweet grace which in his Breast Had taken up its quiet rest How would poor souls come in to him Who fram'd his heart and did begin To beautifie with rarest art That inner man his hidden part But here I fail for suddenly His light 'gan shine and by and by It was not his nor ours and we Left in the dark how can we see London thou had'st him last in thee He came to die and do'st thou see What pearls of price he left behind O have them have them still in mind His Books thou had'st before and here His Pulpit-Breathings just so near As broken pen could take them From smiling lips that spake them Go little Book and give a taste To all that love thy Tillinghast Of sweetest Truths And blest let be To Sions Sons his Memory H. F. A Funeral or Elegiack Verse Breath'd at our Friends Interment on his Herse I t is the Father Will that now is done O ur hopes when set on Creatures are soon gone H enceforth let 's learn to set our hope in God N ote well this providence and hear the Rod. T he Lord can comfort us as by our Brothers I n doubling his sweet gospel-Gospel-spirit on others L ike precious Faith Light Self-denial Love L et Saints surviving seek for from above I oy 't was to him to do his Masters Will N ow of his Masters Joy he hath his fill G reat testimony to the Truth he bore H e minded Sion till he spake no more A nd spent himself in seeking to allure S aints that divided were to peace and sure T o peace he 's gone that ever shall indure R. D. Errata PAge 2. line 20. for hold thus much read hold forth thus much p. 4. l. 15. r. wrapt p. 7. l. 23. r. equivalent p. 23. l. 17. r. Priest of the new Covenant he is made with an oath p. 72. l. 5. r. of the world p. 115. l. 15. r. this is not c. p. 13â— l. 5. r. could not be THE FIFT KINGDOME OR Kingdome of Christ founded upon the New COVENANT JEREMIAH 33.20 21. Thus saith the Lord If you can breake my Covenant of the day and my Covenant of the night and that there should not be day and night in their season Then may also my Covenant be broken with David my servant that he should not have a son to reign upon his Throne and with the Levites the Priests my Ministers THe three foregoing Chapters and this they have a looke unto the last times and they doe more particularly relate unto the times in which God will gather together Israel and Judah as in the 14 vers Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will performe that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah I say the Prophesie lookes to the time when the Lord will unite the ten Tribes which are called the house of Israel and the two Tribes which are called the house of Judah and will performe all those good things that he hath promised to them in that day when they shall againe be united together Now among the many blessed things the Lord hath promised unto his people in that day this indeed is the chiefe and the great mercy God hath promised A KINGDOME for thus saith the Lord David shall never want a man in the 17 vers to sit upon the Throne of the house of Israel We have a kingdome promised unto the people of God a Throne at this day and that is shadowed forth under the kingdome of David Davids kingdome was a Type of Christs kingdome and indeed whereas this kingdome here promised is shadowed forth by that of David it doth hold thus much That the kingdome is not onely a spirituall kingdome but an outward visible kingdome for such a Throne and kingdome Davids was Now in the words that I read to you the Lord gives assurance unto his people that he would make good this promise and the assurance that the Lord gives unto his people is grounded on the Covenant made with David and lest there should be any doubt about the Covenant made with David the certainty of it the Lord tells us that the Covenant made with David was as certain as the Covenant of the day and night If you can breake my Covenant of the day and my Covenant of the night that there shall not be day and night in their season then may also my Covenant be broken with David my servant Why now the Covenant of the day and night hath been unalterable from the first Creation unto this day there hath been day and night in their season why so saith the Lord my Covenant with David it s an unalterable an unchangeable Covenant and upon this Covenant this Throne and Kingdome I now promise to you is founded Quest If so be you aske What that Covenant is that was made with David Answ It s Answered If we doe but say it was an unchangeable Covenant that Covenant is the new Covenant where it s spoken of it s spoken of as an Everlasting and an unalterable Covenant and indeed this Covenant that the Lord doth here speake of is no other but that new Covenant as is cleare from other Scriptures 2 Sam 23. David when he was ready to dye in his last words he doth make this his Comfort Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an Everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow So that the Covenant made with David it was an Everlasting Covenant it was a sure Covenant it was a Covenant that David had founded his very Salvation upon therefore it could be no other but the new Covenant the Covenant of grace And so likewise the Prophet Isai 55.3 ver he saith there I will make an Everlasting Covenant with you even the sure Mercy 's of David The Covenant of David it was an Everlasting Covenant Now this Throne and kingdome which is here promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah and also to all the seede of Abraham as well the
that thing for which others suffer and specially Saints who it may be would never else have minded the notion are very Inquisitive into the thing which they see Brethren suffer for and hereby they attaine light thus God taketh the wise in their owne Craftiness It was said in the Primitive times The blood of Martyrs seede of Churches Did not Queene Mary by her cruelty make those who before were averse to it ready and willing to receive the Protestant Religion Did not the Bishops loose themselves this way and by driving some few out of the Land multiply the number of the oppressed people within it Saints suffering for truth are the loudest and most powerfull Sermons of all others See what Paul saith to this Phil 1.12 13. But I would ye should understand Brethren that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the Gospel So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the Pallace and in all other places Eighthly The Eight signe is Signe 8 The Defection and Apostacy of Eminent leading men in the Churches from their first light and Principles Christ makes it one signe of his second coming the Starr's falling from Heaven Math. 24.29 that is Eminent men as Pastors and others in the Churches falling and saith Christ When you see this know it is neere even at the doore When you see Pastors and Officers of Churches casting off the Churches and running to Colledges when you see men that have pleaded and Apologized for the power of Churches in opposition to Lordlines over them when you see these become Tryers and usurp Authority over all the Churches and people of Christ in the Common-wealth know that it is neere even at the doore Ninthly The ninth signe is Signe 9 The great dread that is upon the spirits of all men that are Enemies of such a thing rising in the world as a fift Monarchy What a dread at the time of Israels coming out of Egypt was upon the Canaanites and this dread is at the end of the forty yeares we doe not reade of such a dread at their first coming out but when the worke was just coming forth of their taking possession of the promised Land then the feare and dread fall's upon them It s observable that from the time that David was anointed king a dread of him though Saul had all the forts and strength of the Nation was upon the spirit of Saul And what a dread is there upon the spirits of those that oppose the worke this kingdome of Christ at this day its visible enough a dread already from the Lord is fallen upon them Tenthly Signe 10 A Tenth signe is Gods wonderfull withdrawing himselfe from such as oppose this truth and worke in respect of those common graces and assistances he hath formerly afforded them in other worke How did God withdraw from Saul so soone as ever David was anointed Before he could deny himselfe and refuse a kingdome Afterwards before another shall come into his Throne he will slay innocent David be it right or wrong and all the Priests of God to boote Before though he had cause and was stirr'd up to it he will by no meanes persecute afterwards though he had no just cause all things considered he puts the Lords Priests to death Before he was a very meeke man in all his actings afterwards he acts like a Mad man And the very Reason is this Reason Davids kingdome was now rising and Saul being in heart an Enemie to it the Spirit of the Lord withdraws from him and this withdrawing was the Immediate forerunner of Davids kingdome the most Eminent type of Christ's pleaded for at this day Now let us Consider whether it be not thus at this day let us looke to men that sit upon the Throne and men that call themselves the Ministry is it not as evident as the Sun when it shines at noone day that the Spirit of the Lord is withdrawne from both I say in respect of those common gifts and assistances they have formerly had whil'st they stood in the cause of God Are there not men this day in England that persecute Saints for laying open their evills and Apostacy's who time was would not persecute them themselves nor suffer others who would have done it to doe it Are there not men who time was feared none they had their faith as their best guard who now are so far from their former faith that they are become Magor-mishabib feare round about Looke to men who call themselves the Ministry could not many some yeares since preach often with life and power now it s a great matter and truly they are not able to doe it to preach once in a fortnight and when they doe preach that life they once had is so gone that Christians that heare had they not the same names and faces would not know them to be the men once the time was that they were able to speake a seasonable word whensoever occasion was offered but truly now they are able to speake no more than they have written in their paper or got by heart as the Schoolboyes doe Is it not evident I say the Lord is withdrawne from them This is a manifest signe the worke is at hand When Davids kingdome was rising the Spirit of God departs from Saul and had not many Bishops in Queene Maries dayes much life and so the Presbyters in the beginning of these times But observe when the worke of God began to rise against the one and the other the Spirit of God went off from them and fell upon that party that bore witnes against them FINIS Christ the only Foundation 1 COR 3.11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ THe Time is but short and therefore I shall wave speaking any thing touching the context or the explication of the words there 's no difficulty in them but there 's a plaine usefull Truth ly's plainely in the words which I shall give you That is Doct That the Lord Jesus Christ is the onely foundation That I may the better open this truth to you for your edification I shall cast those things which are in my thoughts into this Method namely To shew First What I meane by Christ's being a foundation Secondly In what respect the Lord Jesus Christ may be called a foundation Thirdly What Jesus Christ is the foundation of Fourthly Who it is that lay's Jesus Christ as a foundation Fifthly How the Lord Jesus Christ is laid as a foundation And then Sixthly and lastly When Jesus Christ is laid as a foundation in the soule I shall give but a hint of the first 1. Quest What wee are to understand by Christs being a foundation Ans Wee well know the foundation it s the bottome of a building that upon which the weight and stresse of any building ly's in every building there 's the structure it selfe and the foundation the structure it selfe
among Divines That a man in the first worke is meerely Passive aâ— a childe when first conceived and formed in the wombe is meerely passive it doth nothing so it s with a Soule in the first worke it therefore doth nothing in laying Christ as a foundation but Christ is first by the father laid as a foundation in the soule and then the soule Acts it beleives it repents it obey's c. And indeed it s a thing Impossible to conceive that man by any act of his either his faith repentance obedience c. should lay Christ as a foundation seeing the creature is a finite thing and all his acts are like himselfe finite but Christ is the Infinite God now how can a finite hand or power moove an Infinite thing how can that which is finite bring downe that which is Infinite and lay it as a foundation the laying Christ therefore as a foundation is not the act of the creature but of God onely Quest 5. But how doth God lay Christ as a foundation Answ 1. By razing all other foundations one soule as I said before builds upon his Legal convictions mournings humiliations another upon his resolutions vowes Covenants his acts of revenge upon himselfe his reformation Another on his Joyes Comforts his disposition of heart that sometimes he finds to a duty and his sincere aymes as he thinkes therein Another upon his particular words given in sometimes to beare him up under straits's sometimes to encourage to his duty and upon his faith in these c. Now when God comes indeed to lay Christ as a foundation in any soule if a soule have such foundations God will shake them all yea raze them to the ground So that now the soule will see and say my convictions mournings humiliations resolutions vowes covenants acts of selfe-revenge reformations are nothing nothing as to evidence Gods love to my soule I may be miserable perish and be undone for ever notwithstanding this my priviledges Church-ship participation of ordinances are nothing I may be a cast-out for ever notwithstanding these my comforts joyes good fits to duty good aymes therein as I thinke are nothing as to build any hope here for I may be deceived and gull'd in all these and perish eternally notwithstanding these my words given in in straights when I have been going to some worke and my faith laid upon these are nothing as to assure me God is my father I may be under a mistake in all these Now is the soule stripped bare and naked and become truly poore in spirit for whereas before it thought it selfe rich and had many things convictions humiliations vowes reformations comforts joyes particular words faith in these which it could muster up as evidences of Gods love to it now it sees it hath nothing at all it cannot bring forth one thing that can evidence to it it is a childe of God or got beyond the hypocrite And now it lies Lord a Christ or nothing a naked Christ or nothing I have tryed all foundations now they are nothing they are all shaken to pieces razed to the ground Thus the soule hang's as 't were betwixt Earth and heaven or Hell and heaven rather not knowing what will become of him but a little glimpse he hath that Christ can save him yet and some inward groanings there are O Christ or nothing Christ now to be my Comfort my wisdome my righteousnes my sanctification c or nothing Secondly By making an Inward discovery to the soule that all that which it hath sought to the Law for is laid up in Christonely and to be had from him Now the soule sees that whereas before it ran to the Law for conviction of sin repentance obedience faith Comfort c. that all this is treasured up richly in Jesus Christ and it must have these things if it will have the true and not be put off with counterfeit ware from Jesus Christ onely now the soule begins to looke after a new conviction of sin repentance saith obedience Comfort c. And whereas it thought before that it had all these now indeed it sees it had them not what it had was onely counterfeite ware the true ware being to be had onely from Christ out of his warehouse now it cry's Lord give me the wisdome of Christ the sanctification of Christ that faith that repentance obedience Comfort that is in Christ and flow's from him now begins Christ to be all and there is nothing that hath any credit with the soule but what is Christs it cares not for repentance faith Comfort c. if it be not Christs But as before it said I am nothing my convictions humiliation reformation comfort faith c. are nothing now it saith otherwise Christ is all Christ is my wisdome my righteousnes my sanctification my repentance my faith my Comfort my obedience my strength to stand c. that is I looke for all these no where but in and from Christ Thirdly By enabling the soule to make a direct actuall close with Christ for all these This is that coming which followes the drawing hearing learning of the father John 6.44 45. No man can come to me except the father which hath sent me draw him Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the father cometh unto me But note that this latter is not so properly laying of the foundation for the foundation is laid in the two former as the uniting of the soule to the foundation or the soddering of the soule and foundation Cementing them into one in order to spirituall growth and fruitfulnes for the foundation Christ being by the father planted in the soule his wisdome righteousnes sanctification c. being laid at the very bottome of all it is necessary that now to the end that this wisdome grace holines c. might shoot up into the soule and cause the glorious buddings forth of Gospel light grace and holines in it that there should be a soddering of the soule and the foundation for as the tender graft partakes of the sap that is in the stocke by such a union with the stocke as makes the graft and stocke grow into one so the participation of that light life grace Righteousnes Holines of which the blessed foundation Christ is full is conveyed into the soule by such a knitting of this foundation and the soule together as makes them inseparably one now flowes up out of the foundation that wisdome grace Holines that is in it into the soule and the soule which before was emptied of all and had the sap of old Adam that wisdome righteousnes holines c. which springs from old Adam let out hath the new Adam sending up his living sap into it and now the soules faith repentance obedience c. are all such as this new sap sends forth that is it is all grace of another kinde its faith is of another kind to what before it had its repentance and obedience
is a reall difference betwixt those fruits of Sanctification that spring from the Law and those that come from the Spirit in the Gospel but in regard the Legall worke hath the counterfeite of what ever the other hath therefore the discerning of the true from the false and counterfeite is a most hard thing For First Doth the Gospel-worke cause sorrow for sin so doth the Legall too The Terrors of the old Covenant made Ahab mourne Judas repent c. As the Gospel worke may make the heart soft dissolve it into teares so may the Legall too dissolve the heart into teares soften it greatly for a while Secondly Doth the Gospel worke produce obedience make a soule run to God upon his knees dayly so may the Legal too Isai 58.2 Yet they seeke me dayly and delight to know my wayes as a nation that did righteousnes and forsooke not the Ordinance of their God They aske of me the ordinances of Justice they take delight in approaching to God Ishmael was a praying child God heard the voice of the Lad. Secondly for Reformation Doth the Gospel work cause that so may the Legall too what did Herod Thirdly Doth the Gospel worke produce grace so may the Legall too though not true grace yet grace like the true First repentance See before Secondly for selfdeniall Ishmael shewed a great example of selfdeniall Gen. 25.9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the Cave of Machpelah c. So Saul 1 Sam. 11.12 13. And the people said unto Samuel who is he that said shall Saul raigne over us bring the men that we may put them to death And Saul said there shall not a man be put to death this day Thirdly for delighting in holy duties in the wayes and ordinances of God Isai 58.2 Yet they seeke me dayly and delight to know my wayes c. Fourthly for zeale for God and his wayes Paul before conversion was full of zeale and the Jewes Rom 10.2 For I beare them record that they have a zeale for God but not according to knowledge Fifthly for faith Psal 106.12 13 14. Then beleived they his words they sang his praise They soone forgat his works they waited not for his Counsell But lusted exceedingly in the wildernes and tempted God in the desert Isai 48.1 2. Heare yee this O house of Jacob which are called by the name of Israel and are come forth out of the waters of Judah which sweare by the name of the Lord and make mention of the God of Israel but not in Truth nor in Righteousnes for they call themselves of the holy Citty and they stay themselves upon the God of Israel the Lord of Hosts is his name For there is a faith of the Law as well as of the Gospel so long as a man can obey and performe the condition the Law will give him a faith Thirdly Doth the Gospel worke bring a man into Relation to God and Christ so may the Legall too into some kinde of relation Jer 31.32 Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I tooke them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt which my Covenant they brake although I was an Husband unto them saith the Lord Fourthly Doth the Gospel worke beget peace and Comfort so may the Legal too for observe so far as by the legal worke a faith may be begotten and some kind of relation held forth in that worke so far there will be peace and comfort Fifthly Doth the Gospel worke make a man to abandon all his shelters in himselfe and fly for refuge to Jesus Christ and the Covenant of grace So there may be something like that in the legall worke also for marke it A soule by the light of truth being throughly convinced that all his duties obedience his faith Comfort c. that sprung from the Law is nothing and that Salvation is onely to be had in the Covenant of grace and a naked Christ held forth therein may hereupon quit his trust and reliance in these and now run in his owne strength as before he did to the Law so now to the Covenant of grace and to a naked Christ for refuge I say in his owne strengtst still As a man when the flood was upon the earth might have hung upon the outside of Noahs Arke and yet have perished so a man may run thus far in his owne strength and hang upon the outside of Christ as it were and yet perish And yet all this though what a man runs to is the Gospel yet no more than a Legal worke a worke performed in a mans owne strength and not in the strength of Christ for note as a true Gospel Saint doth Evangelize the Law that is he goes to the Law labours to obey that in Gospel-strength the strength of Christ So a Legalist may legalize the very Gospel that is take hold of Christ the Covenant of grace close with Gospel principles in his own strength When he is convinced he is a miserable sinner and that his repentance his reformation his comfort his faith c. that springs from the Law cannot redeeme him but his onely remedy is in Christ and grace he may run to that and hang upon Gospel notions and principles for helpe Nay he may not onely run to these but attaine some fruit hence First He may attaine some kinde of reformation which it may be he could not attaine by the power of the Law 2 Pet. 2.20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord Saviour Jesus Christ they are againe entangled therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them than the beginning And Heb 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath treden underfoote the Sen of God and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and bâ—th done despite unto the Spirit of grace We read of a sanctification that even hypocrites attaine by the blood of the Covenant which is a wonderfull thing for a reformation to be wrought through the beamings of some Gospel light upon the soule Secondly He may have some kind of tast of sweetness even in Christ himselfe Heb. 6.4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy-Ghest The heavenly gift is Christ himselfe John 6.32 33. Then Jesus said unto them verily verily I say unto you Moses gave you not that bread from heaven but my father giveth you the true bread from heaven for the bread of God is he which cometh downe from heaven and giveth life unto the world Thirdly He may in a kinde be made a partaker oâ— the Spirit Heb. 6.4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy-Ghost that
is he may have common light and common assistance which though it is not saving yet it may be such light and such assistance as may be from the Spirit such as he hath not in himselfe light into truth beyond what he can attaine meerely by his reason and aâ—â—â—ance in some dutie beyond what he hath from his owne strength therefore such falling away are said to doe despite to the Spirit of grace Heb 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath troden underfoote the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace Fourthly He may tast a sweetness in the word of Christ so far as he may say O it is a good word Heb. 6.5 And have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come So Mat. 13.20 But he that received the seed into stony places the same is he that heareth the word and anon with joy receiveth it The seed in Stony places heares the word and with joy receives it But what word is this which makes the heart joy againe why the word of the kingdome ver 10. When any one heareth the word of the kingdome and understandeth it not then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sowen in his heart this is he which received seed by the wayes side and that is the Gospel word not that of the law Such an effect therefore may the very Gospel word beget in men Fifthly He may as to flashes at sometimes feele something of the joyes that are above his heart may have some kinde of sudden Ravishments with the Joyes of heaven as though they were his Heb 6.5 And have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come all this may be in a man who as yet is without union with Christ who as yet hath no more worke upon him than what he hath attained by his owne strength first running in his owne strength to the Law and finding no helpe there may then run in his owne strength to the Gospel and then conceiving because now he is got off from the Law and hath seene the emptines of all his legall trusts rests and hath got some light into Gospel truths and hangs as he thinkes upon Christ and the Covenant of grace onely though yet all this his hanging is but an act of his own a hanging upon the outside of the Arke he judgeth that though his condition was bad before yet now it must needs be good and from this conception of himselfe he is it may be holpen somewhat to reforme finds sweetnes in thoughts of Christ because he thinkes he hath now layd hold on him and Christ must needs be his he hath Joy in hearing Gospel truths and feels at a fit as 't were a kind of heavenly Joyes in himselfe and yet for all this in old â—dam still and the fruite he beares though it seeme glorious comes not from union with Christ as the foundation of all but from union with the old Stocke and hence it comes to passe that in the end all the fruite drops withers rotts goes to decay Hence it is seeing many that attaine all these things fall away in the â—nd that some so boldly stand for and maintaine falling away from â—race for indeed what can be more like grace than the aforesaid things but yet their Position is false and ariseth from the not distinguishing of workes Legall from workes Gospell what ever may be in man by vertue of a legall worke that is a worke wrought in a man either by legall Principles or by legall strength working upon Gospel principles all that a man may fall from because all that may be and the soule not upon the soundation Christ and therefore the building may fall What ever a man comes by either by old Covenant light or by old Covenant strength all that he may loose for the old Covenant is a fading thing 't is such a Covenant as may be broken Heb 8.9 Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I tooke them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt because they continued not in my Covenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord. And though God by vertue of that Covenant stands in some kind of relation as I have said to persons under it yet such is the Tenour of that Covenant that if they doe not keepe Covenant but rebell God will cast them off and not regard them for all that and therefore the Apostle for those words in Jeremy although I was an Husband to them reads and I regarded them not Now so much seeming grace may be in a man by vertue of old Covenant light or old Covenant strength acting upon Gospel light and principles that it is the most difficult thing in the world to distinguish it from true grace therefore so many that seemed to have true grace fall away and then men when they see it and finde Caveats in the word to persons going far upon Gospel principles to take heed least they fall away Conclude men may fall away which indeed is false for no soule truly in Christ can ever fall but persons may run thus far and yet still in the Stock of old Adam and such may fall Hence also some conclude falsely free-will not distinguishing betwixt workes flowing from Legall light and strength and that flow from Gospel light and strength To the first man hath a power and by his owne strength doth all and because many goe so farre in that strength which they feele to be their owne as that they thinke themselves to have true grace and to be living members of Christ which as indeed it is not so hence they conclude man hath a power a will in himselfe to receive Christ which is not so man hath a power to repent obey believe in a legall way and he hath a power to lay hold on Christ as tendered in the Covenant of grace in such manner as a man may be saâ—d to hang on the outside of the Arke but a power to receive Christ in Truth so as to be in him this he hath not this is the free gift of God and no person in the world ever can or shall thus receive Christ but he onely to whom it is given Quest But you will say if a man by Legal Principles and Legal strength may goe thus far wherein lyes the difference betwixt the true Saint and this seeming Saint An The maine and essentiall difference ly's here in the roote the one â—nd the other grow's upon The seeming Saint may have many glorious things but the roote upon which all he hath or doth stand's is the old Adam The true Saint perhaps may have fewer and lesse glorious branches than the other but the roote of what he hath or
good Tidings c. Jesus Christ himselfe as he stood in our stead doing our worke and acting in our nature so he did receive the promise of the Father himselfe the Spirit and therefore it s called the promise of the Father Secondly In respect of the Antiquitie of it Because the Father had promised it long before this time so it s the promise of the Father Christ had promised the Spirit to his but it was lately and so it was a new promise not many dayes old made but a little before his death but the promise as it was the Fathers promise so it was antient made many hundred yeares before though now to be fulfilled for the Time of the old Testament was the time of the Fathers administration now in this time there were many promises of the Spirit to be afterwards fulfilled as in Joel 2.28 And it shall come to passe afterward that I will powre out my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your danghters shall Prophesie your old men shall dreame dreames your young men shall see visions Zach 12.10 And I will powre out upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of Grace and of supplications and they shall looâ—e upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his onely Son and shall be in bitternes for him as one that is in bitternes for his first-borne And therefore this promise as it was the Fathers so it was antient and for the Antiquitie of this promise because it was most antiently the Fathers therefore it may be called the promise of the Father Thirdly It 's the promise of the Father because of the times and seasons of the giving out of this promise for the times and seasons are in the hands of the Father so Christ tells his Disciples in this Chapter But the Father hath kept them in his owne power Fourthly The maine reason is That hereby Christ might strengthen and confirme the faith of his Disciples and Children in waiting for this premise we have need of all that can be to strengthen our faith and therefore Christ calls it the promise of the Father the Disciples might conceive ô is the Father willing we should have the Spirit we know how willing Christ is he hath said he will send us a Comforter we are sure we shall want nothing that Christ can doe for us but is the Fathers heart as free to give out the Spirit when Christ comes to heaven will not the Father hinder it Christ therefore entitles it rather the promise of the Father than his owne as if he should have said doe not thinke poore soules that my Father is unwilling to give out his Spirit that he is an Enemy to your peace comfort Joy or the coming of the Spirit of grace no the Fathers heart is as full and as free as you can conceive mine to be for its the promise of the Father Quest 2. But why doth Christ pitch the faith of his Disciples now at the time of his ascension upon this promise rather than upon any other could he not bid them as well to waite for some other promise as for this Ans 1. Because there was no promise so suitable unto the state and condition that the people of Christ the Disciples of Christ his followers were now come into as this promise no promise is so suitable to a poore soule in the time of Christs absence as the promise of the Spirit Christ had been personally present with his Disciples some time and he had comforted cheered warm'd and quickened them and when his personall presence was to leave them no promise could be so sweete comfortable and acceptable to answer their condition as this promise of the Spirit therefore Christ gives them this promise as most suiting them if any thing could hold them up against the rage of the world and the malice of the Devill now in his absence it would be the promise of the Father therefore it was the most suitable promise Secondly Because this promise it was now in the very nicke of fulfilling The promise was antient but now the very time of fulfilling of it was at hand the time of giving out of more abundance of the Spirit was drawing on now it s the way of God with his Children when the promise is upon the nick of fulfilling then will God be putting on his Children in a more especiall manner to be waiting and seeking and looking up to him even for the fulfilling of that promise Therefore when the seventy yeares Captivity in Babylon was run out then God stirr'd up the heart of Daniel and he falls downe before God and prayes and urges the promise and beleives when the time was even expired when God comes to give forth his promise when the fulfilling time is come then God puts his people upon waiting for it So afterwards when Jerusalem was to be built when the time of fulfilling was come then the Lord wonderfully stirr's up the heart of Nehemiah and he falls downe before the Lord crying O that Jerusalem might be no more a Citty without walls and indeed it s a great argument though not a demonstration to convince men yet its such an argument as carry's much weight in it to the hearts of the Children of God when they are put on in a more speciall manner to waite upon God for the fulfilling of this or that particular promise for the doing of this or that particular worke though the times and seasons are many times hid to us yet they are in the Fathers power and they are all knowne to him and when they draw nigh God doth usually make that worke to run over the heart of his Children and sets them a praying and seeking and beleiving and waiting for that worke and it may be they can hardly tell how it comes to passe that they are so put upon it but it comes from a secret way of Gods dispensation towards his Children when God sees that the worke is ripe and the thing is heare at hand that it may come when his Children are in a waiting posture he will forerun it over the hearts of his Children ere he bring it visibly forth before the world But though this be a real truth yet I doe not take it to be the speciall reason here why Christ doth put them to looke for the fulfilling of this promise rather than any other but the chiefe reason I take to be this Thirdly Because the promise of the Spirit it s the great promise that the Saints and peaple of God in the new Testament dayes are to have their eye fixed upon and are to be found waiting upon God continually for the giving of it forth it s that great promise the Saints are to be looking up to the Father for in the new Testament Times under the old Testament the Saints had a great bundle of promises but there was one great
for the Spirit of God enables us to act this faith we are not able of our selves to put forth the least act of faith the soule cannot when he wants sence put forth the least act of faith but it 's the Spirit of God the exceeding greatnes of the power of the holy Spirit that comes and raises up the power of a poore soule the Spirit of God comes when the poore soule is quivering and shaking and trembling under Temptations and comforts strengthen's stay 's supports refreshes and establishes the heart and the soule so all the comfort peace joy and consolation of the soule it 's from the Spirit it 's all lodg'd up in this promise Secondly All our spirituall light and teaching is from hence it 's the office of the holy Spirit to be the teacher of the Saints He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance he is the Saints Comforter and he is the Saints teacher all our light and teaching it 's laid up in this promise there 's a vast difference betwixt the knowledge men have in their heads which we call notion and that knowledge which men have from the Spirit which the Apostle pray's for and calls the Spirit of Wisdome and of Revelation if we have any true light it 's from the holy Spirit as all outward light by which wee see naturall things it 's from the Sun and if the Sun were out of the firmament there would be no light to see created things so the inward light by which we see things as they are spirituall things all this light is from the holy Spirit and if the Spirit of God doe but withdraw from the heart all it's light is but a heape of darknes so the light of the people of God it 's not in themselves and their knowledge it 's not in themselves sometimes men may beate out knowledge and light by their reason and parts I but there 's another kinde of light in the first of the Cor the 24 and this is from the holy Spirit of God The Spirit of God it is the enlightening principle True reason it 's the light of man but it s as real a truth that the Spirit of God is the light of reason therefore we have a speech in Job There 's a spirit in man but the inspiration is of the Almighty giving him understanding that is there 's a rationall spirit in man that can beate things out in a rationall way that can discover and draw conclusions and Inferences and the like but it must be the Inspiration of the Almighty that must give him understanding a man can have no true light no true knowledge if there be not a light enlightening this light if there be not the Inspiration of the Almighty enlightening his understanding if the spirit of man be not guided by the Spirit of God the Spirit of God enlightens the naturall spirit and the naturall understanding of man there 's a spirit in man but the Inspiration is of the Almighty giving him understanding we have as much need of the light of the Spirit to understand spirituall things as you and I or any other have need of the light of reason to teach and discover to us naturall things If a man had not the light of reason he were a naturall foole and a man cannot make out naturall things but by a naturall light so where the Spirit of God is wanting though a man hath never so much reason yet that man is a spirituall foole and he cannot make out spirituall things without the light of the holy Spirit and it was upon this account the Apostle Paul speakes so gloriously to the Corinthians he went to preach the Gospel to consound the wisdome of the wise Where is the wise and where is the Scribe and the disputer of this world Who can understand the Gospel by the brave witts and quicke apprehensions of the world and the sharpest witts if they could not reach these things where is their wisdome no saith the Apostle this is another manner of wisdome than the world knowes For after that in the wisdome of God the world by wisdome knew not God then it pleased God by the foolishnes of preaching to save them that beleive The wise men of the world by their owne light reason and parts could never know God God would have the knowledge of himselfe come into his Children in another way though they take up truth in a rationall way as men and doe not lay all upon Impressions and revelations yet they receive these things from God by the teaching of the blessed Spirit of God and that hath demonstration going along with it I preach not in the enticeing words of mans wisdome saith the Apostle but in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and the more we can learne things in the evidence demonstration of the Spirit of God the more light there will be in our reason for the Spirit of God enlightens the spirit of man if a man have a great deale of understanding and be unacquainted with the way of the Spirits teaching he knowes nothing and understands nothing The naturall man understands not the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discern'd discern'd by the light of the holy Spirit therefore saith he We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is of God that we might know the things that are given to us of God as if he should have said there are blessed things given us of God glorious things given us of God such things as are worth ten thousand worlds given us of God but how shall we know these things why not by the spirit of the world but by the Spirit of God By this Spirit of God we know the things that are freely given us of God it 's the Spirit of God that enlighten's us Thirdly All our Inward life and motion it s laid up in this promise There 's no motion that can be in our soules which may be called spirituall life or spirituall motion if it be not from the holy and blessed Spirit of God the Spirit of God to the soule of man is as the soule is to his body what is the soule to the body the principle of life and motion if the soule be but out of the body the man is presently but a carkase and there 's no stirring moving breathing or acting so the Spirit of God is to the soule if the Spirit of God be gone from the soule there 's no motion no stirring no acting a living Saint this houre a dead blocke the next houre one that hath a great deale of life from God in this duty is so dead and low as if he had no life at all in the next so the life of the Saints is not in themselves but it s in the Spirit of God and so it s laid up in this promise Fourthly Further All the spirituall strength by which the
promise of the Spirit It s the Spirit it s the Spirit that shall bring to your remembrance saith Christ whatsoever I have said unto you The holy Spirit of God comes and makes the soule to remember all the words of the Lord Jesus Christ all the promises in the blessed book of God that concernes our sanctification any peice of it any thing belonging to it or that concernes our consolation or any peice of it or any thing belonging to it they are all lodg'd up in this great and glorious and blessed promise of the Spirit of God as in the promise of the Messiah are lodg'd all the promises of our Justification and every peice of it so in this promise of the Spirit is lodg'd up all the promises of our sanctification consolation Justification flow's out of the one and holines peace and comfort out of the other is it not then a great promise O it s a glorious and most blessed promise I had thought to have shewne you how it is the great New-Testament promise the great promise that we are to looke for under the new Testament but I shall not be able to come to that at this Time The Lord therefore set that upon our hearts and as there is much lodg'd up in this promise so O that our hearts were now all taken with it that we might all looke up unto God for the giving out of this Spirit methinkes none should goe home now and say I will not regard this Spirit I doe not see any thing in this Spirit much lesse that any should goe away and jeere at the Spirit laugh at the Spirit and make a mocke of it O far be it from our soules that any here should doe so but let us every one looke after this Spirit Lord come and give out of thy Spirit to my soule come and give out of thy Spirit to my soule Lord I have been a Rebell an Enemy a wretch an opposer but let thy Spirit come and subdue my Corruption let thy Spirit come downe and bring up my heart to thee O thy Spirit Lord to subdue this wretched distemper in me that have been a mocker and jeerer at thy Spirit Poore soule do'st thou want a word of conviction to be thoroughly convinced before the Lord O say now O Lord send thy Spirit to convince me now O Lord let thy Spirit convince my soule of sin let thy Spirit convince my soule of righteousnes let thy Spirit come and shew me how I have not beleived in Christ how that I have taken up other things besides Christ as my foundation and laid other foundations besides the foundation of God let the Spirit of the Lord come and shew me how many righteousnesses I have set up instead of the Lords righteousnes If the Spirit of God should come to our hearts now not a man or woman here but would goe out and say O I am a poore wretched creature I thought I had had wisdome when I came hither but I goe out a foole and I thought I had had strength when I came hither but I am weakness it selfe and I thought I had had parts and gifts but I am nothing I thought I could have beleived and acted faith upon God but I can doe nothing nothing of my selfe if the Lord come to convince by his Spirit it will be thus indeed There are many legall convictions and men goe away hardened after them and they are ten times worse hast thou man or woman been convinced of that and hast gone away mightily affected and yet can'st thou come againe and sit here and sleepe O beg of the Lord to give out his Spirit to convince thee and to doe all thy workes in thee and for thee hast thou been a long time doubting and seeking what way God will owne what truth God will owne for his truth O labour for the Spirit cry for the Spirit for the teachings of the Spirit beg of the Lord to teach thee by his Spirit spread the promise before the Lord hast thou not said Lord Thy Spirit shall teach us all things and guide us into all truth Here 's thy promise Lord Lord now let me have thy Spirit to reveale thy truth to me and to shew me thy will and when the Spirit comes and teaches us we shall know principles in another way than we did before a Christian can see a cleare evident distinction betwixt those principles he fetches in from reason and those he hath from the Spirit of God enlightening his reason Now wouldest thou depart O beg of the Lord to come and give thee hâ—s Spirit and then being taught by the Spirit of God thou wilt stand to the truth the reason why men are this to day and another thing to morrow it is because they are not taught by the Spirit but their faith is laid in the wisdome of men and they take up things from men and doe beleive a thing because such a wise man speakes it and when a wiser than he comes and speakes otherwise then they will leave that and take up what he saith now saith the Apostle I came not to you with the enticeing word of mans wisdome but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that your faith might stand not in the wisdome of man but in the power of God as if he should have said I know how apt you are to take up things in the wisdome of man and not in the light of the Spirit of God but cry out Lord let me have nothing but in the power of God and from thy Spirit upon my heart in the demonstration of thy Spirit this will hold a man will stand to this he will say I did not receive this truth by the light of my reason but by another light hereupon the soule will hold to truth As the Saints in Queene Mary's dayes could not dispute but yet they would dye for the truth they had their principles in the light of the Spirit and in the power of the Spirit Now how many now aday's have their faith founded in the wisdome of men and not in the power of God If God should come and sift men you will never hold if you will not learne of the Spirit but have things onely from your reason How many have spoken gloriously of the truths of the present age and when it comes to some tryall when there comes suffering and their owne Interest calls off to the other side turne their backs upon it that which men have had onely from their reason will not lead them through Temptation if Temptation come that man will give away his truth rather than part with his Interest his honour or profit or the like a man that hath reason will gather up a great deale in the notion but if the Lord doe not teach us by his own Spirit we shall not hold O beg this every heart for himselfe and for all the children of God at this day that we might not
know things by the Spirit of man but by the Spirit of God for the spirit of man will get a great deale of knowledge and let it out againe O that the Spirit of God condemn'd by many in this generation might be honoured by us art thou a poore soule hast thou no strength nor life to duty do'st thou say I come to pray sometimes and would faine have my heart in heaven and keepe my faith up and be full of groanes but I cannot speake a word nor utter a groane but am just like a blocke O come to the Lord and say Good Lord give me of thy blessed Spirit I have sat often and heard in a customary and formall way and so have I pray'd but Lord give me thy Spirit to heare and thy Spirit to pray and thy Spirit to doe all in my soule O then you should finde strength and assistance and helpe and such helpe as the soule cannot Imagine so hast thou not boldnes can'st thou not call God father say now Lord thy Spirit let the Spirit of Adoption come into my heart Lord fill my heart with thy Spirit that I may cry Abba father if thy Spirit come downe into my soule I shall cry father it will helpe my Infirmities and tell me what to say I would goe to God but I know not what to say nor what to lay before God nor what to aske O Lord thy Spirit now to put words into my mouth and thy Spirit to put groanes into my heart so a poore soule that goes about doubting and saith I am undone such and such are happy and blessed they are the Children of God but I shall perish for ever whosoever goes to heaven I shall goe to hell O goe to the Lord and say Lord I cannot see thy seale upon this my affliction good Lord come and give me thy Spirit that earnest of glory and seale my Spirit for glory and witnes by thy Spirit with my spirit that I am thy childe O let every one looke after this every one mind this we are here but a little while we run through the world and little thinke of Eternitie and then at last we cry out O that I had look't after God his Spirit O that I had now the Evidence of the Spirit I have follow'd pride and vanitie and wantonnesse and the world and how I might be rich O that I had now the Spirit of God I would give ten thousand worlds if I had them that I had but the witnesse of the Spirit and the Evidence of the Spirit O Christians doe not mind the great things of God of Religion and of their soules but we have gotten Religion in a forme and as an art like a trade in the world men thinke they do enough if they doe but now then say over a prayer and read one of the Psalmes or the like O you will wish another day O that I had Jesus Christ O that I were sealed with the Spirit of God if you want this the day of Christ will be a bitter day to you so is your heart dry and withering pray to God to come by his Spirit and water you every moment it may be your hearts are a little stirred when you are under a Sermon but you goe away againe and forget all now say soule say to the Lord my conscience is touched now good Lord as I goe out of this place water me and as I goe home water me and all the weeke water me and every moment Lord water me till I come againe there 's need of this beg of the Lord for it and pray to the Lord to give his Spirit for this end for the Spirit of the Lord doth this so hast thou had many sweete promises many times and thou forgettest them cry Lord thy Spirit thy Spirit to bring all these things to my remembrance all the glorious promises O that I might remember them all and that by the holy and blessed Spirit O that day is not farre off that God will come downe with more abundance of this Spirit it will fall upon our hearts O therefore thinke of these things ponder something and goe away with these groanings in your hearts O father give thy Spirit thy Spirit to my poore soule The Lord worke with you I have spent many words but its God that must give you his Spirit looke up for it and if you will helpe all faults heale all divisions cure all distempers in the soule bring the soule to Joy unspeakeable and full of glory get this Spirit it will give such peace to the soule as shall passe all understanding The Lord give more of it to every one of us FINIS The second Sermon ACTS 1.4 Waite for the Promise of the Father THis promise it s no other but the promise of the holy Spirit and our Lord Jesus is pleased to entitle it the Promise of the Father that his Disciples and Children might be as throughly apprehensive of the Fathers willingnes to give forth the Spirit as they were confident of his The last time I shewed you that this promise was a great promise I shall now the Lord assisting goe on and come to the second thing Secondly That the Promise of the Spirit is the great new Testament promise I say the promise of the holy Spirit is the great new Testament promise here are two things to be cleared and proved First That the promise of the Spirit is a new Testament promise Secondly That its the great new Testament promise First That its a new Testament promise my my meaning is not that its a promise proper and peculiar unto the new Testament Times so as that we are to conceive the people of God that lived under the old Testament Administration had not the Spirit we must not so conceive of the thing for the people of God in the time of the old Testament they had the Spirit Holy men of God saith the Apostle Peter spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost and therefore they had the holy Spirit with them and if they had it they had it in a way of promise and therefore it s not a promise so peculiar to the new Testament times as that the Saints of the old Testament had not this promise as well as we nay the Saints and people of God under the old Testament they had that very same Covenant in which this glorious promise of the Spirit is held forth and given that we have the new Covenant it runs downe even from Adam as I may say to the end of all things the new Covenant it runs through all the times of the old Testament and its this Covenant the new Covenant that gives forth the Spirit and they had that Covenant running through all that long time they had therefore the Spirit given forth to them But when I say the promise of the Spirit is a new Testament promise we are to understand it thus That its a promise that
doth in a more especiall manner relate to the new Testament Times though it was a promise that had a fulfilling even in old Testament times yet it hath in a more especiall manner a fulfilling to the Saints in new Testament Times the people of God in the times of the old Testament they had the Spirit but they had the Spirit as I may so say in the beginning or in the dropping of it but now the people of God in the new Testament Times they have the powring of it forth looke to the promise of the Spirit in new Testament Times and the promise runs to the powring it forth that is more abundance of it the people of God in the times of the old Testament they had the promise of the Spirit but they had not this promise as their great promise for as I told you the last day they had another promise which was their great promise they had the promise of the Messiah as their great promise but now the people of God under the new Testament Administration they have the promise of the Spirit as their great promise they have not onely the promise of the Spirit but they have it as the greatest promise of all other made to them under that administration Now these things being premised which I thought meete to doe that there might not be a mistake and that none might exclude the people of God of old from the Spirit I shall shew you That the promise of the Spirit is a new Testament promise and this will appeare from two things First All those severall promises that we find in the old Testament of the more full giving forth and powring out of the blessed Spirit did not relate to those times but to the new Testament Times for their fulfilling I shall shew you this in two or three places In Ezek 36 27. among many pretious promises of the new Covenant this is one I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes and ye shall keepe my Judgements and doe them but to what time doth this more especially relate why it doth relate as you may see if you looke into the foregoing verses unto the time when God will gather together his Antients the Jewes out of all Country's vers 24. For I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all Country's and will bring you into your owne land it doth in a more especiall manner looke to the time of the Jewes coming in for the compleate fulfilling and accomplishing of this promise then will it most evidently be seene that the Spirit of God is the guider and leader and teacher of his Children then will the promise of the Spirit in the fulfilling of it be more visible And so likewise in Joel 2.28 29 verses And it shall come to passe afterward that I will powre out my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall Prophesie your old men shall dreame dreames your young men shall see visions And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those dayes will I powre out my Spirit To what time doth this relate Compare the second of the Acts and you shall there find that Peter tells us now is this word fulfilled in your eares Acts 2.16 17 verses But this is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel And it shall come to passe in the last dayes saith God I will powre out my Spirit upon all flesh c The fulfilling of it is under the new Testament Administration and truly though that in the first powering out of the Spirit there was a glorious fulfilling of it in part yet I take it the compleate fulfilling of it and that which is specially aymed at in the Prophet Joel doth relate not to the first but to the last of the new Testament times for Joel speakes of those times when he shall bring againe the Captivity of Jacob and Jerusalem and Joel speakes of a more universall powring out of the Spirit upon Gods sons and daughters than was before so as that at the beginning of the new Testament times there was a fulfilling of that promise in part yet it hath in a more speciall manner a looke to the last times in which the people of God upon the account of this new Testament promise may waite for the promise of the Father and expect more of the blessed Spirit to be given forth to them to be powred out upon them So likewise Zach 12.10 And I will powre upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall looke upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourne c. But when is this why it is if you looke into the 14 Chapter in a time when all nations shall be gathered against Jerusalem and when God will destroy all nations that shall come against Jerusalem and in that day when there shall be great mourning among the Jewes upon their coming in in that day this blessed promise will have a glorious fulfilling all those pretious promises of the powring forth of the Spirit that we read of in the old Testament they looke to the new Testament times Secondly That this is a new Testament promise doth appeare from the words of Christ himself If you look into John 7.38 39. He that beleiveth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his Belly shall flow Rivers of living water But this spake he of the Spirit which they that beleive on him should receive for the holy Ghost was not given because that Jesus was not yet glorified Observe the giving forth of the Spirit is made a consequent of Christs glorification of Christs being glorified at the right hand of the Father and therefore the more full giving forth of the Spirit it s a promise to the new Testament times But then Secondly How doth it appeare that this is the great new Testament promise the promise of the Spirit is a new Testament promise Gods people in new Testament times they looke for it but how doth it appeare this is the great promise to be of all other promises the greatest under this dispensation I Answer There are three great promises that we have in the booke of God three promises that may be called the greatest of all first there 's the promise of Christs first coming Secondly There 's the promise of the coming of the Spirit and then Thirdly There 's the promise of Christs second coming These are as I may say the greatest promises that we have in all the booke of God The promise of Christs first coming that was a promise that did belong to the old Testament Administration as I shewed you the last day The glorious promise of Christs second coming that is to have its fulfilling and accomplishment in the time of the new Jerusalem that the people of God doe hope and waite for which coming of Christs personall appearance his
other as yee are Sons there is more worke expected God lookes for more duty and more obedience from the Saints of the new Testament than he did expect from the Saints of the old Testament in the new Testament they have not so much tireing worke they have not so much burdensome worke O but if you looke to the spirituall worke as they come to higher light so God lookes for higher obedience therefore for Moses his ten precepts in the old Testament we have many spirituall precepts in the new the new Testament doth not set us free from holines and obedience but indeed the new Testament calls us to a more strick't holines and a more spirituall obedience ye are called to a higher pitch of holines and obedience under the new Testament and not freed from it the Lord hath set his Saints free from all that that was burdensome and that that was legall obedience under the old Covenant but they are not free from obedience indeed the Saints of the new Testament they are called to a higher pitch of obedience as one that is a son growne the father doth not lay such laws upon him as he doth upon a little Child you must not meddle with this nor doe that nor goe out of the doores nor run in the wet and dirty your selfe c. there are a great many lawes laid upon a child but now when once the son is growne the father lay's no such law's upon him but he doth expect that this growne son should doe him more service than the child there 's not the law 's upon him as was upon the child the son is free but yet notwithstanding here 's more worke call'd for at the hands of the son so it was with the people of God under the old Testament the Apostle tells us they were heires under age and therefore their state was nothing differing from the state of a servant though they were Lord's of all in the appointment of the father and were true heires yet because they were under age they were under such a rigid Governour and Tutor as the old Covenant that held them under the rod of a great many law's but now under the new Testament we are sons and being sons the people of God they should goe out serve God freely with another manner of spirit I doe not say we doe so for truly we are much to short of what we should be the Saints should goe out and worship God with a free spirit we are not set loose from duty 's but we are rather called to do more that in another manner in a free manner with a free spirit as one that is an apprentice he lives in a servile feare of his Master and doth a great deale of worke why now when this man comes to have his freedome doth he doe lesse no he doth more worke but he doth it with a free spirit he doth it with another spirit so it s with the Saints under the old and new Testament they doe more worke under the new Testament but with lesse feare than under the old Testament being delivered out of the hands of their enemies they serve him without feare in holines and righteousnes all their day's Fourthly Another ground and Reason of it may be this God hath greater discovery's of truth for the new Testament times and his people under the new Testament Administration than was for the times of the old Testament under that Administration and therefore the Lord holds forth the promise of the Spirit as the great promise under the old Testament the Lord brought forth truth by little and little precept upon precept and line upon line and here a little and there a little God brought forth truth after divers and sundry manners sometimes by way of vision dreames and voice and the like many way 's of Revelation But now under the new Testament God speakes out all his word he hath spoken in these last times by his Son he speakes forth all his mind to us at once now the more truth is spoken out the more need we have of the Spirit to enable us to understand this Truth for it s by the Spirit we are given to understand the truth 's of God as they are held forth in their beauty glory and fulnes and therefore because Christ under the new Testament Administration was to speake out all of truth the whole of truth that the Saints and people of God might be able to apprehend the blessed truths of the new Covenant as they are held forth to them therefore it is necessary that they should have more of the holy Spirit given forth to them under the new Testament Administration Fifthly Because the Saints under the new Testament are to conflict with greater Tryalls and more sore Temptations than Saints of the old and therefore the Lord gives forth mere of the Spirit Though the people of God under the old Testament met with sore Tryalls yet they were not comparable to the sufferings of the Saints under the new Testament the rage of the Heathen and Antichristian powers was greater than ever the world knew before now to beare up the people of God under this sad-black-long day that they were to goe through in suffering they had need of the Spirit therefore God gives forth the Spirit he doth promise that as the great new Testament promise Vse 1. If it be so That the promise of the Spirit is the great new Testament promise Then hence we see what that thing is that all of us should have our eyes and our hearts and our thoughts fixed upon and taken up with O that every soule would be looking for it crying for it Lord give me thy Spirit what ever the soule wants it may goe to God and say Lord give me thy Spirit This is the great promise in which all other promises are lockt up the promise of conviction the promise of strength and life all are rapt up in this why now we should goe to God in a more speciall manner for the performance of this promise Vse 2. O then what spiritualnes is there required of the Saints of the new Testament If in the old Testament Time when the promise of the Spirit was not given forth as the great promise if then spiritualnes was required O how much more is it required of the Saints and people of God under the new Testament if under the Administration of the letter there was required spiritualnes then how much more is it required under that Administration which is the Administration of the Spirit if the Administration of the letter be spirituall and saith to all the Children of God live spiritually under me First Saints now you are under the Administration of the Spirit It doth bespeake us to be spirituall to have spirituall hearts to be spirituall in all our duty 's in all our addresses to God Truly it s not so much the length of our duty 's the multitude of our
duty 's that God lookes at but that that God lookes at is the spiritualnes of the duty what shall I find of my spirit in that duty what shall I find of my spirit in that prayer what shall I find of my spirit in that word spoken what shall I find of my spirit in that soule God lookes at the spiritualnes of the duty and performance men may pray houres together and twenty times a day and yet not all this so acceptable to God as a poore broken expression and groane of another poore soule may be and truly you shall find God will not Judge as they doe if there be much of the Spirit if it be in poore broken expressions it s more acceptable unto God than a multitude of words and there be not much of the Spirit Conscience will not let men alone but they must pray but doe you looke if you have the Spirit in a duty for this God lookes at there are many that like to the rich men that cast into the treasury they are able to offer up abundance as to the bulke the outward part the outside of a duty and the abundance of their parts and gifts O but many a poore gratious soule that hath not those parts and gifts and abilities and cannot speake twenty words together so handsomely as some it may be can speake houres together yet this mans prayer may be more pretious in the account of God than all that the other doth many a soule can cast in much yet its little with God and many a soule cast's in little as to the outward appearance yet it s much with God as all the gifts of the rich men were little with Christ yet the two mites of the widdow it was much with him O that we might not looke so much unto the outward building as to what there is of the Spirit of God How spirituall was that holy man Paul in prayer what spirituall Petitions what spirituall groanes did he offer up he could never know when he had enough he must have all he must be filled with all the fulnes of God he must comprehend with all Saints what is the height and depth and length and breadth and must know the love of God which passeth knowledge all his prayers run in such a high way as one that never could know when he had enough then we are acceptable when all that we doe is fill'd with the Spirit Secondly As its good to have our prayers so fill'd with the breath of the Spirit so in our discourses we should be more spirituall the discourses of good people they are too empty there 's too little of the Spirit in them there are young Christians many men and women can tell when the Lord first wrought upon their hearts they could not endure to come into that company that would not discourse of that which was good and they cared not to heare of any thing but God and Christ and heavenly things but now they have been a great while in the Schoole of Christ they can goe a great while together and have no conference of spirituall and heavenly things I remember thy kindness saith God in the dayes of thy youth youthfull times were loving times then their hearts were warmed and then they were full of good speeches and discourses but now Saints can go up down meet one another and speak of nothing but about their trade c. We are lesse spirituall in our discourses whereas we should be more The two Disciples were in good discourse and as they were so Imployed Christ came to them by the way and made their hearts to burne within them so it is with Saints now when Christ comes and meetes his Children in spirituall discourses he warmes their hearts in a spirituall way yea Christ himselfe left us a patterne of this for it is said of him that after his resurrection he continued forty dayes speaking to them of the things pertaining to the kingdome of God the verse before the Text This was the discourse of Christ about the things of the kingdome about things appertaining to the kingdome of God and if we were risen with Christ we should delight to speake of the things of the kingdome of God but it s too little in our hearts Thirdly We should be more spirituall in all our Meditations It is reported of that holy Martyr of Christ Mr John Bradford that he was so spirituall and heavenly in his Meditations that ordinarily as he was at meate the Teares would Trickle off his cheekes upon the Table so if we would be spirituall in our thoughts and duty 's we must be spirituall in our Meditations a man that hath not spirituall Meditations will not be spirituall in any thing else for Meditation it feeds the soule with strength and life and the more spirituall a soule is in Meditation the more spirituall will it be in other things Fourthly We should be more spirituall in all our Conversation How spirituall was Pauls conversation Our Conversation is in heaven how few are there of us whose conversations are like his Take most men in the world and their conversation is in hell or the world one of the two either they are prophane and so their conversation is in hell or they are onely Civill or if more yet they are Covetous worldly carnall c. and so their conversation is in the world few there are that have heaven written upon their conversation heaven written upoÌ„ their thoughts words and actions c. Vse 4. If the promise of the Spirit be the great promise of the new Testament Let every soule take heed of under-vaâ—uing the blessed Spirit of God If it be the great promise of the Gospel it s a great sin to under-value him as in the old Testament those that would not believe the great promise of the Messiah were to be accursed as Pagans and Heathens so in the new Testament he that shall speake slightly of this great and glorious Promise of the Spirit is not a Christian but a Pagan a Heathen if he can speake slightly of the great promise of the new Testament he doth under-value it take heed of under-valuing this great promise of the Spirit men doe undervalue the Spirit divers way's First When indeed they have but a low Esteeme of the Spirit of God When a man hath a low esteeme of a thing that is of great worth then he under-values that thing so when a man hath a low esteeme of the Spirit of God he under-values the Spirit of God Secondly Men under-value the Spirit of God when they doe not cry unto God for his Spirit when a thing of wonderfull worth and excellency may be had for asking for and men will not aske for it it s an under-valuing of it saith Christ My father will give the holy Spirit to them that aske him Luk. 11.13 If your earthly fathers know how to give good things to their children that aske them
how much more shall your heavenly father give his Spirit to them that aske him Thirdly Men under-value the Spirit when they would set-up any thing equall with or above the Spirit when then cry up learning parts gifts or any other thing more than the Spirit this is an undervaluing of the Spirit though these things be good in their place and the best parts of pure nature yet they are not the Spirit and if we goe to set up any of these things with the Spirit we doe exceedingly under-value the Spirit of God The reason why the Lord is casting contempt upon learning and parts in our day's it s because men set them up equall with the Spirit looking upon these things as fitting them for the worke of God and not looking for the Spirit Fourthly Men under-value the holy Spirit of God when they dispise the little ones of Christ in whem the Spirit of the Father dwells When I love one Saint that hath the Spirit because of his greatnes he goes in silke and sattin and is honorable and therefore I love him and dispise another Saint that hath the Spirit because of his meannesse he goes in his leather-coate there 's little love to such a one now when Saints dispise meane ones in whom the Spirit of the father dwells there 's an under-valuing of the Spirit If any dispise one of these little ones it were better for a milstone to be hanged about his necke and that he were cast into the midst of the Sea why because there 's a dispising of the Spirit of the father that dwells in them every poore little and contemptible one of Christ's though never so poore in the world we must love them for if I desire to prize a Saint because of the Spirit in him then I shall prize the meanest Saint as well as the greatest Fifthly Men under-value the Spirit when they stop their eares against the Motions and Instructions of it if a man instruct me advise me or counsell me for my good I will not hearken to him but slight what he saith I undervalue the man in undervaluing his Counsell so we undervalue the spirit when we slight and will not hearken to the motions and dictates of the Spirit Sixthly Men undervalue the Spirit when they speak slightly and contemptuously of it when they jeare at the people of God saying You have the Spirit forsooth aye such a one prayes speaks by the Spirit c. Men know not what they say when they speak thus such slight words of the Spirit argues an undervaluing thereof If you did know the worth of the Spirit you would not speak thus Lastly Men undervalue the Spirit when in a a down-right way they persecute the Spirit when they hate a Saint and persecute a Saint for no other reason in the world that they can give but because he is a Saint and hath the Spirit in him O take heed of undervaluing the Spirit Last Vse Is the Promise of the Spirit the great Gospel Promise Then hence let us learne the duty in the Text to waite upon God for the Spirit Promises are to be waited for this is the great Gospel Promise this Promise of the Spirit here is not so much the Promise of the having of the Spirit for that many old Testament Saints had and the Disciples had before this time that Christ bids them waite for the Promise as the having more of it When ever you come to an Ordinance when you come to the Assemblies of the Saints say O Lord now give downe thy Spirit why may not thy Spirit be given downe to me now Thou did'st give downe thy Spirit formerly when the Saints were met together So waite in every duty for the Spirit to come downe be alwayes waiting for this Promise of the Spirit it 's an every-day Promise for though it be fullfilled in part yet there is more and more of it still to be given forth and will be every day till we come to heaven so as that there is no time in which we can say this Promise is so fullfilled to us as that we need no more to waite for the fullfilling of it There are some Promises have the time of their fullfilling and then the duty of waiting ceaseth but this Promise is every day fullfilling and this Promise will never be so fulfilled while we abide in this house of clay till we come to Heaven but there will be room left for waiting Which considered will answer that Objection which kills our hearts in waiting O I have waited so long and yet have not the Spirit Poore soule It may be thou hast not that measure of the Spirit thou lookest at thou wouldest have so much of the Spirit as to have no room left for waiting for any more but this Promise of the Spirit is not such a Promise it is a Promise as is fullfilled by degrees and will not be compleatly fullfilled till thou comest to heaven Thou mayest therefore have more of the Spirit than thou had'st before and thy desires after it and complaints more then formerly for the want of it argue thou hast it but thou hast not so much of it as thou would'st have and therefore thou complainest O soule blesse God for what thou hast and waite for more and in Gods time the Promise of the Father shall be fullfilled to thee according to thy desire We should be every day begging for the Spirit Lord give me more of thy Spirit Waite upon God for the Spirit that we may have more of the Spirit of God that we may be taught more by the Spirit instructed more by the Spirit assured more by the Spirit led more by the Spirit and sealed more by the Spirit and the Lord grant our soules may be filled with this Spirit and that Jesus Christ by his Spirit may dwell in us and take possession of us from henceforth even for ever FINIS The Evill of the Times MALACHI 3.16 17. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a booke of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his Name And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jewells and I will spare them as a man spareth his owne Sonne that serveth him THis Prophet as he was the last Prophet of the Old Testament so he lived in a time of great Apostacy after their returne from Babylon after the second Temple was built wherein men were growne cunning in Apostacy the Lord by his Prophet no sooner charges them with any thing but they justifie themselves saying Wherein have we done thus and wherein have we done thus as you may see in the 7 8 and 13 verses They were so cunning in their Apostacy that the Prophet could not charge them with any thing but they would shift it off and put him upon the Proof Then they that
us up to himselfe in that day when he makes up his Jewells O saith God to his Angels goe and gather up that soul for that soule is mine he is one of my Jewells O God will then shew what it is to owne him God will make it appear plainly then what we are and who we are And I will saith God spare him as a man spareth his owne Son that serveth him I will spare them and pity them O they have many weaknesses and infirmities what though yet saith God I will spare them 't is true saith God they have many weaknesses and have much frowardnesse O but yet I will pardon all and overlook all I will spare them notwithstanding all that I see what they drive at and what they aime at I see what their ends are they aime at my glory at my honour and they aime to be serviceable to me and would very gladly doe something forme well I will overlook and passe by all their weaknesses and infirmities and I will spare them as a man spares his Son that serves him though their brethren and friends will not pardon nor forgive their passions and their frowardnesse their weaknesses and infirmities yet saith God I will I will spare them O Saints here is our glory and our comfort that our father our God will spare us he will over-look our infirmities it 's true Saints we have many weaknesses much frowardnesse of spirit much passion many failings and many out-goings from God and we cannot manage that blessed cause we have in our hands with that wisdome and with that meeknesse and with that humility of spirit as we should O but here 's our comfort we have a sparing God an over-looking and forgetting God O Saints our father will spare us the father will overlook our infirmities he sees we aime at his glory and would doe service for him and that delights his heart and certainly this will appear to be the great sin of Saints one day that they cannot forgive and forget and over-look one anothers weaknesses and one anothers infirmities O but here 's the great comfort of the Saints in such a time that though they have many weaknesses and infirmities yet they have a God and father will spare them and pardon them Saints there 's sparing mercy in God there 's forgiving mercy in God there 's forgetting mercy in God there 's over-looking mercy in God O the good Lord keep our hearts close to him and help us to keep our white Robes about us and to walk in his feare alwayes O let us cast and venture our selves upon the rich grace of God in the New Covenant and love in Jesus Christ FINIS Looke to your Aimes and Ends. MATHEVV 11.7 And as they departed Jesus began to say unto the Multitude concerning John what went ye out into the wildernesse to see A Reede shaken with the winde IN the foregoing Verses we have John who is now in Prison sending some of his Disciples to Christ to propound a Question that he might receive satisfaction therein from the mouth of Christ himselfe The Question is Art thou he which should come or doe we looke for another In effect Whether art thou the Christ or not Or are we to look for some other yet to come that is the Messiah whom God hath promised by his holy Prophets to send unto his People It seems John though he had Preacht Christ and was his Harbinger his Fore-runner and had all the time of his Liberty spoken gloriously of Christ yet now when he is brought into a Prison into a state of temptation he is doubting As it doth befall the dear Children of God when they come into that state when they are under Temptation they doe then question those things which they believed in the day of their Prosperity and Joy So John when he was Preaching in his Prosperity and at Liberty he then held forth Christ but when John is cast into Prison John's faith is not strong now though it was very strong once yet it had need of confirmation from Christ himselfe therefore he sends to Christ Art thou he which should come or doe we looke for another Our Lord answers John's Disciples that came to him that they should Goe and tell John what they heard and saw And what things are those The blind receive their sight and the lame walke The Leapers are cleansed and the deafe hear the dead are raised up and the poor have the Gospel Preached to them Goe tell John of my works saith Christ Christ endeavours to convince him by his works and then he concludes And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me As if he should have said it will be a hard thing not to be offended in me it 's a very hard thing for a poor Creature not to be offended in Christ John himselfe that had Preacht Christ so much is upon the very brink of an offence and had much adoe to keep himselfe from being offended therefore Christ saith Blessed is he that is not offended in me I doe not wonder at John it 's a very blessed thing not to be offended in me my people shall meet with such Tryalls and Temptations in owning â—â—e that it 's a very hard thing not to be offended Having this opportunity put into his hands by John's Disciples putting this Question unto him Christ turnes unto the multitude As they departed Jesus began to say unto the multitude concerning John what went ye out into the willdernesse to see what were yee taken with A Reed shaken with the winde The multitude were much taken with John they cry'd up John as a great Prophet and indeed Christ saith that among all that were borne of women there was not a greater that then had risen then John the Baptist yet this great John John that had so much light John that had so much grace John that had Preached Christ so clearly John that the whole multitude followed this John when he comes into Temptation is but a Reed shaken with the winde What went yee out for to see a Reed shaken with the winde The strongest Christian that hath the strongest grace and most experience and most strength yet let him but enter into Temptation and he is but as a Reed shaken with the wind What went ye out for to see a Reed shaken with the winde But this is not that I intend to stand upon The word that I intend to speak to is grounded upon Christs Querie What went yee out into the wildernesse to see The multitude followed after John but alas they did not know him nor wherefore they went after after him So it 's with poore sinners they are apt to be taken with any thing a while but we doe not know our owne hearts our owne designes What went ye out into the wildernesse to see As if he should have said What was your end He put them upon their end to look unto their aymes in spirituall
the Lord of Hosts Sin shall be ashamed to appear When the Apostles Preached such a light there was of Gods glory that some sins were ashamed to appear in day time as Drunkennesse 1 Thess 5.7 They that be drunken are drunken in the night 2 He will so discover the glory of his owne greatnesse and Majesty that all other dignities shall be in a manner nothing As though you set up ten thousand Candles yet when the Sun ariseth the light of them all is nothing The Suns of the world shall have their light put out by the rising of the Sun of Righteousnesse 3 He will so discover the glory of his owne power as shall destroy the Idoll-strength his Arm shall appear to be all in all Men shall visibly see that not Creatures strength but Gods Arme is al See how they shall sing then Isa 12.1 2. And in that day thou shalt say O Lord I will praise thee though thou wastâ—angry with me thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me Behold God is my Salvation I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jebovah is my strength and my Song he also is become my Salvation God is my salvation Now men cry such a valiant man such valiant men have saved us but then the Song will be God alone is our Salvation 4 He will so discover his wisedome as shall wholly destroy Idoll Pollicy Men shall see Gods wisedome so visibly in discovering Plots c. as that they shall see all wisedome of man to be folly 5 He will so powre out of his Spirit as shall utterly abolish parts learning and all those things as they are an Idoll He will powre out of his Spirit upon the Sons and daughters of Sion that they shall thereby be more filled with truth and more able to utter the great things of God than all the Schollars of the world 2 By shaking all Idolls Vers 21. When he ariseth to shake terribly the earth He will terribly shake whatsoever hath been or is an Idoll whether honour or strength or parts or grace And how hath God been shaking all these amongst us How hath he shaken the honour of the world pluckt off Crownes from the heads of Princes and throwne Nobles out of their seats How hath he been shaking strength broken in a wonderfull way Armies by Land Navies by Sea How hath he shaken mens parts and wisedome brought wise men and learned men who made an Idoll of their learning and wisedome to so low an ebb in respect of esteem as they never were and just it is and they shall yet be brought lower till they learne to give God the glory Yea how hath he shaken grace and how many men of grace are fallen that we might learne indeed to cease from man whose breath is in his Nostrills Vse 〈◊〉 Is it so that God will abolish all â—dolls Then learne this That a day will be how much soever men now cry up their Idolls that they shall be ashamed to owne them Isa 1.29 For they shall be ashamed of the Oakes which yee have desired and ye shall be confounded for the gardens yee have chosen Men shall be in this day ashamed to cry up worldly greatnesse strength pollicy parts as now they doe They may have a love in their hearts to these things as Idolls still but shall be ashamed to owne them in the way they now doe Read vers 20. In that day a man shall cast his Idolls of silver and his Idolls of gold which they made each one for himselfe to worship to the Moles and to the Batts 2 Is it so Then let us take heed we doe not in this day set up Idolls To set up Idolls in this day God is pulling them downe makes the offence double We have seen the Lord powring contempt upon many Idolls already and he is now punishing us with the Idolls we have set up let us not goe about to set up more O let us take heed of spirituall Idolls the great Promise of the New Covenant is Cleansing from Idolls Ezek. 36.25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and yee shall be clean from all your filthinesse and from all your Idells will I cleanse you Plead it with God 3 Is it so Then learne this There shall be a day in which Saints shall have hearts to exalt God onely The wretched Idoll selfe shall be utterly abolished This is a good day 4 Is it so Then Saints seeing such a day shall come Let us labour for a spirit sit for this day when it comes Two things will work such a spirit in us 1 A Mortified heart to a mans owne things being dead to our honour wisedome parts c. 2 An enlivened heart to the things of God and his glory And O! that this Spirit were in us that the glory of our father could be more to us then all the world See those blessed ones Revel 5. they cry out with a loud voyce Worthy is the Lamb that was staine to receive power and riches and wisedome and strength and honour and glory and blessing We too often cry out our owne worthinesse with a loud voyce but they the Lambs power is the Lambs glory honour wisedome and blessing is the Lambs FINIS A TABLE OF The Chief Heads of the preceding SERMONS I. The Fifth Kingdome or Kingdome of Christ founded on the New Convenant In one Sermon on Jerem. 33.20 21. Preached at Ham. THE Text opened Page 1 2 Qu What that Covenant is that was made with David Answered Page 3 Doct That the Kingdome or visible Kingdome of Christ is founded on the New Covenant proved 1 From the first striking up of the Covenant betwixt the Father and the Son Page 4 5 6 Qu What are we to understand by Gods dividing to Christ a Portion with the great and the Spoyle with the strong Page 7 8 9 10 2 From the Promulgation of the Covenant Page 11 Who are the Seed of the Woman and what it is to break the head of the Serpent Page 11 12 3 From the Renovation of the Covneant Page 15 It was renewed with Abrâ—ham Page 16 What it is for Christ to possesse the Gate of his Enemies Page 17 It was renewed with David Page 21 Qu How doth it appear that this is the new Covenant Page 22 4 From the work it selfe where the work doth begin to rise in the world c. Page 25 Vse 1. Let men or Satan doe what they can for the crushing and keeping down such a thing yet a day there is when it will come forth and that in the spight of all the power of men and hell Page 29 2 The unworthinesse of the Saints it cannot it shall not hinder or deprive them of this mercy Page 30 3 It ought not to be strange to us if we should see a death upon this work when it seems to he coming forth Page 36 4 We should waite upon God patiently for the bringing of it forth
Page 38 5 This will be a sweet mercy when it comes Page 39 6 It will be a Spirituall thing ibid. II. Signes of the Times In two Sermons on Mat. 16.3 Preached at Great-Allhallowes THe Text opened Page 45 Obs That the Times of the Lords more glorious appearing and manifestation of himselfe they are such Times as have evident Signes set upon them proved Page 46 to 50 The Reasons of the Point First That God might thereby strengthen the faith of his Children Page 50 Secondly To leave his Enemies inexcusable Page 52 Qu What hinders men from seeing the Signes of the Times Answered Page 53 to 58 The Second Sermon Assertion THat the Kingdome of Christ his visible Kingdome or that thing called The Fifth Monarchy it 's two-fold or it doth consist of two parts namely The Kingdome of the Stone and The Kingdome of the Mountaine Opened and proved from Page 61 to 66 Three Reasons to prove That the cutting out of the Stone cannot be meant of Christs first coming Page 66. 77 Eight Reasons to prove That the Civill and Military Power is to be in the hands of the Saints with which they are to break the great Image to overturn the Thrones of Kings and that before the day of Christs appearance Page 68 to 79 Obj That it 's the ten Hornes that hate the Whore answered Page 79 Obj Christs Kingdome is not of this world answered Page 80 Ten Signes of the present Times from Page 82 to 98 III. Christ the Onely Foundation One Sermon on 1 Corinth 3.11 Preached at Pancras Soperlane Doct THat the Lord Jesus Christ is the onely foundation Page 99 1 Qu What are we to understand by Christs being a foundation Answered Page 100 2 Qu In what respect is Christ a foundation Answered Page 101 1 In respect of the fathers laying for a foundation ibid. 2 In respect of Gospel Revelation ibid. 3 In respect of his owne meetnesse Page 102 to 107 Where Jesus Christs meetnesse and fitnesse for a foundation is shewed in many particulars 4 In respect of Believers being built upon him Page 107 5 In opposition to all other foundations Page 108 to 127 Where we have seventeen false foundations mentioned in opposition to which Jesus Christ is a foundation The prosecution of the Point as it was found in his Notes 3 Qu What is Christ the foundation of Answered Page 129 to 135 4 Qu Who layes Christ as a foundation Answered Page 135 136 5 Qu How doth God lay Christ as a foundation Answered Page 137 to 141 6 Qu When doth God lay Christ as a foundation in the soule is it in the first work or change that is wrought upon the soule or afterwards Answered Page 141 to 158 IV. The Promise of the Father Two Sermons on Acts 1.4 Preached at Bishopsgate THe Text opened Page 159 160 Qu Why doth Christ call it the Promise of the father doth not Christ himselfe Promise the Spirit Answered Page 161 162 Qu Why doth Christ pitch the faith of his Disciples now at this time of his Ascension rather upon this Promise than upon any other Page 163 to 166 Obs That the Promise of the Spirit is the great New Testament Promise ibid. Proved by severall Considerations Page 167 to 182 Some Application of the Point Page 182 to 188 The Second Sermon THe Promise of the Spirit is the great Testament Promise 1 It 's a New Testament Promise Page 189 to 193 2 It 's the great New Testament Promise Page 194 Obj If it be the great New Testament Promise how comes it to passe that the Saints and people of God under the New Testament Administration have so little of the Spirit answered Page 195 to 198 Qu What is the way of the New Testament in which God will give out New Testament mercies Page 198 to 200 Why the Promise of the Spirit is the great Promise under the New Testament Severall Reasons for it Page 201 to 205 Vse 1. Hence we see what that thing is that all of us should have our eyes and our hearts fixed upon and taken up with Page 205 2 Then what spirituallnesse is there required of the Saints of the New Testament Page 206 to 209 3 Let every soule take heed of undervaluing the blessed Spirit of God Severall particulars shewing how men undervalue the Spirit Page 210 211 Lastly Let us learn the duty in the Text to wait upon God for the Spirit Page 212 213 V. The Evill of the Times One Sermon on Mal. 3.16 17. Preached at Great-Allhallowes THe Text opened Page 215 Obs That it 's the speciall worke and duty of Gods people when others and the generality of people cast off and Apostatize from the worke of God to speak often one to another Page 216 What those things are that Saints should be speaking one to another of 1 Of the speciall Sin and Evill of the Time Page 217 How shall we come to know the Evill of the Times Answered Page 218 to 222 2 Of the speciall work of God at that Time and what the speciall duty of a Christian is in such an Evill Time Page 222 to 227 3 Of the precious great and glorious Promises that God hath made of better times to come Page 227 VI. Looke to your Aimes and Ends. One Sermon on Mat. 11.7 THe Text opened 235 c. Doct That it 's a very good and a very profitable thing for soules to be very inquisitive into their owne ends in all spirituall actions Page 238 The Grounds and Reasons of the Point 1 Because our Ends and our Aimes are secret things Page 238 2 Because that a mans heart is where his End is Page 239 3 Because a mans heart is as his End is ibid. 4 Because God doth look at our Ends. ibid. 5 Because God will over-look many failings in our obedience if our End be right Page 240 6 Because there 's nothing our hearts doe so much deceive us in as our Ends. Page 241 7 Because a bad End is of such force as it will make that action which in it selfe is good to be bad and instead of reward it will bring judgement from God upon a man for doing of it Page 243 8 Because a good End will make that action which in the Interpretation of others may be bad good Page 244 9 Because all a mans comfort in suffering it will be as his End is Page 245 10 Because if a man have false Ends he will never be able to continue and hold out in a good work Page 246 How we may know our Ends. Page 246 to 248 VII The Idolls Abolished His Notes on Isaiah 2.18 THe Text opened shewing to what Time it relates Page 249 to 252 Doct There is a most glorious day a coming in which all Idolls shall be utterly abolished Page 252 Qu 1 What is meant by Idolls ibid. Qu 2 What Idolls will God abolish The Idoll of Prophanesse Page 253 The Idoll Pomp worldly glory and greatnesse ibid. The Idoll Strength ibid. The Idoll Pollicy Page 254 The Idoll Parts and Learning Page 255 The Idoll of Grace Page 256 Qu When is Grace made an Idoll Answered ibid. Qu 3 Why will God abolish Idolls Page 258 1 Because his designe is to exalt himselfe alone and this whilst Idolls stand cannot be ibid. 2 Because Gods soule hates Idolls above all ibid. Qu 4 How will God abolish Idolls ibid. 1 By the manifestation of his owne glory shewed in five particulars from Page 258 to 260 2 By shaking all Idolls ibid. Vse 1 Learn this That a day will be how much soever men now cry up their Idolls that they shall he ashamed to owne them ibid. 2 Let us take heed we doe not in this day set up Idolls Page 261 3 There shall be a day in which Saints shall have hearts to exalt God onely ibid. 4 Seeing such a day shall come let us labour for a spirit fit for this day when it comes ibid. Two things will work such a spirit in us 1 A mortified heart to a mans owne things ibid. 2 An enlivened heart to the things of God ibid. FINIS