he shall have yet less for there must be somewhat or else that could not be taken away and then that is taken away from him that hath not that is to say that little which before he had There is some little left remaining to prove and try him still whether he will abuse or improve that very little The truth of all this is evident by experience for there is none so very ungodly and wicked but there are in them some small sparks or seeds of Goodness some principles of Righteousness and Truth do remain in them Tho' with many all this is in a very imperfect manner yet they have also some general Principles of God and of the things pertaining to his Kingdom and of future life and immortality By this little God doth prove them whether they will keep his Commandments or not and whether they will understand and seek after God Psal 14. 2. and follow on to know the Lord. By that tincture and conception and small knowledge they have of him already if they did once begin to do either then he would give them more grace and knowledge So it is with the indifferent middle-size of People yea and with the best sort of Christians at this day God is before-hand with all of them for even they do not live up nor act according to all and the utmost which God makes known unto and requires of them and also gives them strength to perform It is agreeable with the method and wisdom of God to do nothing which is superfluous or more than needs must nor yet is he wanting in what means are absolutely necessary I will cry unto God the most High unto God that performeth all things for me Psal 57. 2. Which he doth by little and little and by unexpected ways He sees where his own People for there is a fault and defect in them even in them do not obey those secret motions of the Spirit which he doth already instill into them and there he ceases to infuse further motions because the former were quenched 1 Thess 5. 19. despised or disobeyed and so they are forgotten by the person who had them as also God hath withdrawn them Whereas if they were cherished and obeyed and complied withal God would give them much more abundantly and they would have it in full measure and running over By doing the several acts of good and duty we are more enabled and strengthned to do so still and yet better and more abundantly in the kind So by performing acts of Zeal we grow more zealous for these things are kept up by the use and exercise as contrariwise upon the omission neglect they do languish and utterly wither away Agreeable hereunto the Spirit speaketh Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die Rev. 3. 2. Thus it is as to the several Graces and Gifts of the Spirit and as to the good Works which are wrought in us they are all to be acted and employed on their several objects and as every opportunity is to be had for by only keeping them within and folding up these Talents in a Napkin they serve as nothing they grow listless and subject to decay and perish As they said in Acts 19. 2. We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost so it is with many Men and Women at this day They do not so much as know and perceive whether there be any such thing as motions and workings of the Holy Spirit albeit God hath shewed it unto them by having put some measure of the Spirit in them For there is a residue of the Spirit Mal. 2. 15. and a measure of the Spirit John 3. 34. and there is a taking off of some of the Spirit and a giving or dividing of it unto others Numb 11. 25. For all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit dividing to every Man severally as he will 1 Cor. 12. 11. Thus it is that where God doth put his Holy Spirit in Man and Woman there is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee Isai 64. 7. They do not stir up and actuate the Spirit that is in them What Advice Paul gives unto Timothy Neglect not the Gift that is in thee 1 Tim. 4. 14. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the Gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands 2 Tim. 1. 6. is proper and necessary to every Christian Soul that they do not neglect any but stir up all the Gifts and Graces which are in them For want of which as it is a general failure amongst all Professions and sorts however they are distinguished or named it comes to pass that there are no such Christians now among us as was in the days of the Apostles and in the primitive Times Where is now that fervent burning zeal for God and Christ and for all the Commandments without exception or preferring of one thing before another Where is that diligence and constancy in his Worship Where is that lively Faith in God with that willing subjection of themselves to the Cross Persecution Suffering and Trouble for the Word and Truth 's sake Where are those now-a-days that are not afraid of the face of Men and of the blast of the terrible ones which with them of old Time was as a storm against the Wall Isai 25. 4. making no impression much less causing them to yield for they did remain unshaken and stood their ground still Or who is there now that doth not regard the Persons of Men Or if they do refrain from giving flattering Titles yet do they not secretly accept Persons By which Adverb Secretly the Holy Ghost doth find them out Who doth now come up to that unfeigned Love of the Brethren so as to love one another with a pure heart fervently Where is now that sounding of the Bowels and that most earnest sensible Compassion one to another which we read they then had Where is that laying down their Lives for the Brethren and the following them to Prisons and to Death They did formerly minister relief unto their Fellow-Christians tho' they were forbidden so to do by their Persecutors Where is now to be seen that selling of Lands and Possessions to distribute to every Man according as he has need as was in Acts 4. 34 35. What is now become of that plentiful Alms-giving and abundant liberality which was shewed forth in those first and purest Ages Is not that plainness and simplicity and godly sincerity which was then in the hearts and practices of all the faithful almost now gone off from the Earth but only here and there some imperfect footsteps thereof are to be seen in a very few Is that good Zeal of the ancient Jews now any where to be found who would hazard and lose their Lives rather than they would suffer Statues to be set up before the Gates of the Temple or eat Swines flesh
God is in that if they should be cast into Prison they would be hindred from his Publick Worship or from doing the Work which God hath sent them on this Earth for to do Herein again they may be quieted and satisfied that if they should suffer according to the Will of God 1 Pet. 4. 11. He doth not require Impossibilities but accepts the Will for the Deed when he sees it is a real Intention which would come forth into Act accordingly if there was power and opportunity He may make it up in the Day of Recompence for the same Good as they would have done if they haâ— been in full liberty and power of action As Goâ— is glorified in the Action so likewise he is glorâ—fied in the manifold variety of the Condition oâ— his Creatures And all the Churches shall know thâ— I am he which searcheth the Reins and Hearts and will give unto every one of you according to his Worâ— Rev. 2. 23. Besides what doth appear fortâ— through them in the uppermost sight he dotâ— search for so his Word imports to know whaâ— is yet further hid or wrapt up or infolden in theâ— to render unto every one according to what â—â— Work was or would be Now let all the Churches that is according the signification at this Day the People of the seâ—â—ral Opinions and Ways of Worship be examined and ask'd What have their Works been through their past Life What have they done for God The best and utmost answer that they can give is That they have constantly attended and frequented his Ordinances of Worship from their youth up They have heard read and spoken of many good words and precious truths They have given Alms according to their ability and they have spent much time in Prayer unto God they have shewn forth Bowels of Compassion and done what kindness they could for their Neighbour at all times Such an account of their Stewardship as this they may give in But have they managed and traded with all the Talents which the Lord of Heaven and Earth had committed unto them Have they served God at all times with all their Power and with all their Strength and with all their Mind and with all their Soul Have they not omitted secret Duty at many and sundry times I do not mean that which is open and manifest in the sight of the World but what is known between God and their own Consciences Have they performed the Commandment of the Lord and executed his Judgments Which Words Perform and Execute as it is in the Scripture-meaning 1 Sam. 15. 13. Ezek. 18. 17. doth import to do the thing throughly Jer. 7. 5. and according â—o the utmost as is required How many secret â—otions of God's Spirit in them have they quenched despised and disobeyed How many carnal Reasonings Excuses and Fears have kept them off from such and such things which they ought to have done How many things have been done out of respect compliance flattery and pleasing had to Man which were not consistent with the pleasing and approving of themselves unto God only Even in matters of Religion how often have the Commandments and Traditions of Men been more carefully and zealously observed than the immediate Commandments of God Himself How often hath more Heed and Obedience been given unto such Orders and Rules of Man's Devising and Wisdom or to the meer Saying of such and such Preachers than to what the Holy Ghost enjoineth or the Spirit it self teacheth I do not lay these things open to judge and upbraid my fellow Christians but that both they and my self may see our Errors Failings and Neglects in order to amend and avoid such for the time to come Neither do I this by way of accusing my Brethren to inform or make intercession against them before God to lessen his present Favour and future Recompence in that there is so little good and so much ill deserving in their best godly Performances For thou O Lord knowest and understandest these things long before and much more O Lord thou knowest alâ— things thou knowest that I love thee John 21. 17 And so it is contrariwise Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that such and such People do offend displease and provoke thee Whatever are the surmises of the Ignorant or the Imaginations of the wicked and ungodly Multitude God knows the sinfulness of Sin with the utmost malignity and evil deserving thereof more than the most invidious and rigid Person as they call him can lay it open and declare it A thought doth arise in some Hearts as if by writing Words of Truth God was hereby put in mind or the thing was hereby made worse before him than really it is and from hence doth spring up some part of that Root of Bitterness and Enmity against the Truth whereby many are defiled But herein they do err not knowing the way of Knowledge how it comes and is conveyed into Man for as a Conduit Pipe is dry and hath no Water in it self but what it receives or comes from the Fountain or River so we are meer Creatures and have nothing but what we have received As Christ said in whom are hid all the measures of Wisdom and Knowledge A Man can receive nothing except it be given him from above so it is certain that we know nothing at all but what God knows long before and he doth send and infuse it in a secret and invisible but yet both sensible and intelligible way into our Minds and Understandings So we cannot put God in mind of â—any thing but he doth put us in mind Accordingly it is one Office of the Spirit to bring things to our remembrance As for making things worse than they are this seems to be some what like unto him who accuses our Brethren before God day and night But here it is to be understood that Satan and the fallen apostate Spirits are Creatures of God and were made by him Tho' it seems hard to conceive and much more difficult to utter concerning the first rise and origin of Evil yet this may be safely and truly affirmed That what Knowledge and Understanding the miserable Spirits have they had it at first by Creation from God notwithstanding they have since spoiled corrupted perverted and turn'd it into Malice Envy and all manner of Evil They are evil wholly continually and throughout whereas Man is made up of a mixture of Good and Evil with some the Good is predominant and weighing down with others the Evil is so So that it is to be thought and supposed that God doth withhold all mean Communications and Influences of Goodness and of his Spirit towards evil Spirits which yet he doth day by day afford to the Children of Men and that more or less according as they deserve and improve it or neglect and abuse it So that let Satan do his worst as it is proverbially and truly said God is above the Devil so his Knowledge doth
Character is given unto him who is greater than Moses with a transversal of the same Words Jesus of Nazareth a Prophet mighty in deed and in word before God and before all the People Luke 24. 19. The Holy Ghost hereby signifying that he did actually more good than himself talked of and herein he did exceed Moses and all the Children of God For with them their Thoughts and Words do rise higher than their Actions For none ever did nor yet can obey and do more for God than he doth think or speak of But their Performances and Doings come short of their Words as both Words and Actions do come short of their Thoughts for many good excellent high great and glorious Things are thought of which are never spoken out But this is Man's fault and infirmity for every thing that is good and true ought to be spoken out and if possible the same is to be put into practice But where power is wanting or opportunity is not to be had there it should come forth into will and real endeavour so that in good and duty we should still go as far as we can If we seek out of the Book of the Lord and read we shall there find that the whole of Mankind is distinguished not into such Names as we give one another of Papist Protestant Church-of-England-man Presbyterian Independent Anabaptist Quaker Sabbatarian Socinian Dissenter or such-like but into Righteous and Wicked they that serve God and they that serve him not Mal. 3. 18. This serving of God is not calling him their God nor yet styling themselves the Children of Abraham nor yet the ranking themselves among the Members of a pure Church at this Day nor yet paying unto God Acts of Worship every morning and evening for whosoever keeps all the parts and times of Worship and yet will not obey one point of the Law of God when he doth all the rest he is guilty of all and an ungodly Man for all that But this is the Service of God to do all his Will and Pleasure for as to our matters according to the Flesh it is not the bare calling him Master or living in his Family or paying unto him outward Respect all this will not make them to be Servants indeed But it is the constant doing of their Business according to what they are bid and commanded from time to time The Spirit of God doth foresee there is a sort of People who goon in that Deceit of calling themselves of the Holy City and staying upon the God of Israel of worshipping God and speaking honourably of his Name These would take it ill if any one should say they did not serve God As indeed they do not tho' they serve with an Offering and weary themselves with Incense Isai 43. 23. Tho' they spend never so much time in outward Worship and take all the Opportunities and Seasons for it yet in the meaning and requiring of the Holy Ghost they do not properly and truly serve God unless they do confirm all the Words of his Law to do them The same Spirit doth caution us hereof and give us to understand as much by what is written Ye Ministers of his that do his pleasure Psal 103. 21. Hereby intimating that there are such who think themselves and are called by the World Ministers and Servants of God who yet do not his Pleasure Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things which I say Luke 6. 46. And yet more plainly this is signified by what the Spirit saith His Servants shall serve him Rev. 22. 3 This is brought in upon describing the manner of the New Jerusalem above which herein is opposite and different from that on Earth for many here are called Servants of God who do not in deed and in truth serve him Whereas such only who do in deed and in truth serve him shall be admitted there Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful Works and I will profess unto them I never knew ye depart from me ye that work Iniquity Mat. 7. 21 22 23. These things I have written not that I had ought as of my self to accuse my Nation of but to manifest from the Word which flatters none but declares unto all Men what his thoughts and ways are that though a form of Godliness is spread and diffused throughout the several Congregations and Places of this Island yet they all come short of the Power and substance thereof And as we do all look for the appearance of the Great GOD who shall render to every Man according to his Work both ye and my self are to be diligent that we may be found of Him without spot and blameless I speak not these things as a Man but they do proceed forth from the Word and Spirit of the Lord and from Him that gives Man Knowledge who sees all this and much more and is displeased As Wounds and Bruises and putrifying Sores are launced in order to a cure so these things are laid open before all the Churches which they may at least come to the sight hearing or rumour of that they may know such things have been written that according to the Commandment of the God of Israel they amend their Ways and their Doings Jer. 7. 3. if they intend to have the Favour of God now be accepted of Him at last and if they would dwell with him in the highest Heavens for evermore Amen saith my Soul come Lord Jesus come quickly FINIS