satisfied for the sins of the World and so became the Saviour and Redeemer of Mankinde He was acquainted therefore by me with some passages of the Fifty third of Isay and as I remember with that wonderful Prophesie of the Ninth of Daniel where the death and satisfaction of the Messiah or Christ are so clearly and evangelically expressed Mr. Gunning pursued the work that was begun with great industry ability and diligence shewing him that his Religion had no warrant of truth in it having neither the testimony from reason not from heavenly revelation made known by miracles or any such heavenly evidence which give abundant witness to the truth of Christianity and when he vainly pretended as it seems he had been informed that there was a Prophesie in the Scripture that another people should come to inform the World after the Christians which it seems was a misprision of that place in Daniel 9.26 The people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the City and the Sanctuary c. we shewed him as I remember the true interpretation of the place that it was a Prophesie of the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus Vespasian and the Roman people And having obtained of him that Christ was a true Prophet and that all that he spake was truth and that the Gospel of the Evangelists was true The Divinity of Christ and his being the Son of God was proved unto him out of the first of John the first verse c. if my memory fail not and out of the words of our Saviour who declared himself to be the Son of God But that that especially prevailed with him was drawn from that acknowledgement that the Mahometans have of Christ that he was the Spirit of God from whence it was shewed him that since the Spirit of God could be none other then God himself that Christ then must needs be God as the spirit of man is principally the man himself which although it is to be warily understood and so as not to make any confusion between the persons of Christ and the Holy Ghost yet it was Argumentum ad hominem ex concesso and he seemed thereby to be convinced of the truth of his Divinity and of the falshood and contradiction of the Mahometan Religon that acknowledged Christ to be the Spirit of God and yet denied him to be God And two persons being granted it was now easie to prove the third which Mr. Gunning laboured in by setting forth the divine reason of the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Essence After these things he seemed to be left without reply or contradiction in a sort and therefore was earnestly sollicited to be baptized by urging the command of Christ for that purpose which he seemed not to deny but was held off by delays and some reluctancies of spirit which we endeavored to remove by shewing him the great danger that hung over him if he should refuse to yield to those convictions that were upon him and urged the examples of divers in the Scriptures that were speedily baptized upon their conversion At last he was perswaded so as with great earnestness to desire it as hath been before declared And now nothing remained but to prepare him for the blessed work of his solemn admission into the Christian Church To which purpose he was committed to me at Chelsey for his instruction and that he might be commended to God in prayer with the help of Mr. Samois who did the Office of an Interpreter amongst other discourses I had with him I pressed him hard to look to his sincerity and shewed him that if he should deal falsly with God he might provoke him to great judgments And I drew up an Exposition of the Apostles Creed for him which I intend if it shall be thought fit to publish for the good of him and others Upon the Friday before the Lords Day on which he was to be baptised I brought him into Mr. Gunnings Congregation at Excester-house and after that delivered him unto him for some further preparation of him When the day came and the holy and solemn business of his Baptism was to be performed in Excester house Chappel I having been before this work of conversion turned out of my interest in the Parish Church of Westminster upon the occasion of my being so bold as to give the Congregation and the Parliament-men a Sermon in the Abby where after two Psalms sung out in the expectation of a Minister none came to supply the place that I saw or knew of a full and chearful Congregation being there assembled Mr. Gunning officiated and after the first part of the Service ended the Convert came in in his Turkish Habit and at his enterance into the Congregation desired several times that he might be admitted to the Baptism of the Christian Church which being granted him and these honorable and worthy persons the young Countess of Dorset the Lord Gorge and Mr. Philip Warwick being Witnesses at his Baptism He having made confession of the Christian faith in the Apostles Creed and having answered the questions concerning the Christian Covenant and Profession for himself which have been usually answered by the Godfathers and Godmothers at the Baptism of Children and being commended to Gods Grace and Mercy in the prayers of the Congregation with such alterations as were necessary for the extraordinary case he being stripped of his Garment to his Waste received his Baptism upon his knees with great humility and was named Philip. The Baptism being performed by Mr. Gunnings permission I preached upon the occasion and took my Text out of the Fifteenth Chapter of St. Luke at the Seventh Verse being the words of our Saviour I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in Heaven for one sinner that repenteth more then for ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance Of which Sermon it may be there shall be a further account given hereafter And if God and Angels rejoyce surely it is the duty of all good Christians to keep consort with them and by the loving and charitable entertainment of this our Convert to give enconragement to others to come in unto Christs fold In the afternoon of the same day he came in another Habit after the English fashion which was charitably provided for him by reverend Doctor Bernard of Grayes-Inn and then Mr. Gunning preached a learned Sermon upon Psal 68. Vers 31. as it is in the Liturgy translation The Morians land shall soon stretch on t her hands unto God And so the comfortable solemnity of that happy day was ended Our new Convert having since declared that he found extraordinary joy and solace in his soul at the time of his Baptism He for the present lives in Holborn at the house of the honourable and vertuous Lady Hatter and is I conceive much improved in the Christian knowledge as appeared by a discourse he had lately at Chelsey and I hope will prove an eminent Christian
obscurities both of the greater and lesser World but because it is that business of our life which is least understood by us and of which we are least the Masters and therefore since Ars est de difficili bono The proper subject of Art is that which is useful and difficult It requireth some skill to state this question aright And first it will be requisite to know what these Dreams are Methinks I may call them certain Meteors of the lesser World which appear in the humane night of the Microsm or little World of man Some kind of stragglings that the faculties of life have with the chains of slumber under which they are bound and as it were some breakings out from the Prison of sleep some agitations of the mind within it self raised either by some strong impressions that the Memory hath received which are so bright that they break through the cloud of sleep to the illumination and stiring up of the Fancy or imagination or by some earnest or active affections that are in the Appetite or Iraescible Faculties of the Soul which draw as it were the Pictures of those things upon the table of the imagination wherein they delight or wherewith they are moved clothed either with their hopes or fears which make their Dreams either pleasing or terrible or by some either natural or diseased and accidental predominancy of some humors The vapours whereof arising with some violence and thickness dispose themselves as it were into some kinde of figure like the clouds in the Heavens according to their several tempers and complexions or by the influence of the Heavens or temper of the Air or by the operation of evill Spirits or by good Angels or by the influence of God by his holy Spirit And this will lead us in the second place to the consideration of the several kinds of Dreams distinguished by the several causes thereof Which are thus distinguished and that very well I think Less de justitiâ l. 2. c. 45. dub 9. by Lessius in the Book before cited de Justitiae Some saith he proceed from the singular providence of God to which those may be reduced that are by the operation of good Angels Some from the procuration of the Devil or evill Spirits Some from the constitution of the Heavens or disposition of the Air. Some from previous cogitations in which I shall include those that proceed from the Affections or inclinations of the Mind And some from the affection as he calls it or as I had rather say from the temper and complexion of the Body Those that proceed from God either immediately or by the ministration of his good Angels are good and true and move to good and are sent unto good purpose and though these were more frequent and eminent in those times that went before the perfecting of the Canon of Scripture as were also Apparitions and extraordinary Inspirations yet there is no cause to doubt but that there may be and are sometimes as extraordinary divine inspirations So divine Dreams whereby God is pleased to impart himself either immediately or by the ministration of his Angels unto his people either to discover some secret or future things unto them or to encourage or give approbation unto some good things which they have in hand or design or that he would set them upon or to admonish them to avoid some things that would be hurtful unto them or displeasing unto him and these Dreams must needs be of great concernment and consideration Lessius de justitiâ l. 2. c. 43. dub 8. Deus saith Lessius illa nunquam immittit nisi ad aliquid significandum quo hominem moneat vel instruat And as they are of great concernment and consideration so it is a point of great wisdom to know them The Marks or Characters whereby they may be discerned are observed and observeable to be these 1. When they bring with them either some certain declaration of words whereby God declareth his will or that which he would reveal or admonish a man of or some certain representation which hath some likeness or analogy unto the things whereof the mind is to be informed or whereunto it is to be disposed thereby which if it do clearly and perspicuously present that which the Dream intends it is called saith Lessius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a Vision if obscurely and enigmatically it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Dream So that from hence we may collect indeed three sorts of Divine Dreams First By word or clear declaration as was that of Ioseph wherein he was admonished not to forsake the holy Virgin Mat. 1.20 Matth. 2.13 19. and was warned to fly into Egypt and to return from thence Secondly By clear presentation of the object or by Vision as was that of Paul Act. 16 9. Thirdly By way of Typical or Enigmatical representation Gen. 37. Gen. 40. Gen. 41. Dan. 2. as were the Dreams of Ioseph Gen. 37. of the Butler and Baker of Pharoah Gen. 40. of Pharaoh Gen. 41. of Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 2. c. Indeed some may seem to be compounded of two Gen. 31.10 or of all these as the Dream of Jacoh Gen. 31.10 And yet this Mark of it self is something too wide to distinguish this sort of Dreams from others of the worser sort For there is none of these ways but Satan and evil Angels may by Divine Permission make use of but this will shut out confused headless extravagant Dreams from being of this sort 2. The second Mark therefore is this when they move unto that which is truly and eminently good or from the contrary evill and have nothing in them that stands opposite to the Truth or Holiness of the Word of God or sound Reason nor that addeth any thing to Gods Word as a new way of righteousness or salvation nor inclineth to exceed the limits or bounds of a mans Calling or Vocation unless in some extraordinary case and warranted by some extraordinary evidence I accumulate all these together for brevity sake Act. 16.9 See how S. Paul gathered his Dream to be from God Act. 16.9 3. When they are of a wise sober of a just and orderly frame and composure without any tincture of lightness gingling or vanity in them or in the analogy that they have unto the things which they seem to imitate or represent 4. When they come unto those that are good people Judg. 22 c. Gen. 20. Gen. 31.24 or unto others in the behalf of them as they did unto Balaam on the behalf of Israel and unto Abimelech on the behalf of Abraham and unto Laban on the behalf of Jacob as also to Pharaoh Nebuchadnezzar c. Yet I do not say that this is proprium quarto modo But it is that that when it is present concurs to the probability of the Dreams coming from God although the contrary is not concluded by the absence of this Mark for we cannot
say but that God that sendeth his rain upon the just and unjust may also give admonitions by Dreams tending to the temporal good of those that are not gracious or unto the spiritual good of those that are yet wicked that they may be made gracious by embracing them or left inexcusable in rejecting them or for some other ends that are secret and known onely unto God at least not unto us or bringing unto such wicked men the menaces of judgement and destruction as the Dream of Pharaohs Baker and Nebuchadnezzar 5. When they come unto us being in an holy temper and disposition of spirit not being in intemperance or any other sinful distemper of mind 6 When they come in some great necessity or strait or in some extraordinary case or to admonish of some weighty matter tending to some end that is clearly excellent and good for God doth not use strenue nihil agere nor to use extraordinary means but to some great and extraordinary purpose or else in some great necessity 7. When it leaves as an holy and humble so a great and strong and certain impression upon the Mind moving it not upon carnal but spiritual Principles and motives for the Spirit may be known much by the Arguments he useth 8. When the Design hath nothing in it unmerciful or uncharitable nothing violent or rash not tending unto self ends or the satisfaction of a worldly or carnal mind 9. By the effect and consequent of it in the soul as Lessius hath it Vt si inde remaneat illustratio animi consolatio sive promptitudo ad â—bsequium Dei If there remain after an holy clearness and consolation in the Spirit an encrease of vigor and readiness to godly obedience and holiness A spiritual effect is a sign that the Spirit was at work 10. It may be known saith Lessius by a certain inward taste and relish in the Soul which I conceive is not to be expressed nor can be understood by those that have it not nor can well be described by those that have it But this Mark because it is hard to be discerned and may be counterfeited by him that knows how to appear in the form of an Angel of light is to be attended unto with great humility sobriety prudence and caution and is to be examined by the compliance that it hath with the former Marks Especially we must see that that taste and relish do not encourage us to any thing that is evil or sinful or discharge us from duty or carry us on in worldly or carnal designs or things that are frivolous and vain but where it agrees with the rest it may have the force of a strong assurance Aliter enim saith the Author before-named afficiunt mentem somnia divinitus immissa aliter aliunde provenientia 11. When all the rest being agreeable it agreeth with some work that God hath in hand and hath something in it that seems to be above humane invention and hath an excellent agreement in the several parts thereof presenting the same or several things is composed in a wise method and order and is approved by the event and exact consequence of things 12. And lastly When it comes unsought and unexpected nor hath any foundation in the fancies or apprehensions of him that dreameth it but presenting things above his knowledge or above his ordinary or usual affections Filliucus Quaest Moral Tract 24. c. 5. n 123 124. divides the Marks of Divine Dreams into two sorts 1. Those that may deceive 2. Those that are more certain Of the first sort are these 1. The truth of them in the success for the Devil may speak truth in some things that he may deceive in a greater matter 2. The profitableness of the matter of them 3. That they are of good acts and seem to induce thereunto for he doth sometimes transform himself into an Angel of light 4. That they signifie future contingencies or internal thoughts or mysteries of Faith for all these things the Devil may discover by conjectures out of the affections of men and out of the Scriptures Of the second sort are these 1. If no filthy or dishonest thing happen in the Dream 2. If it be probable that it proceeded not from natural causes 3. If it leave the mind well disposed to devotion 3. If the matter of the Dream induceth not to evill or to vanity or curiosity but to good 4. If the mind after the Dream be more apt and prompt unto good works 5 If it render the mind certain that it is from God In case of doubt he holds it safe to beleeve it to be from the Devil Secondly Those that proceed from the Devil and evil Angels are always evill at least in the design and end of them and are to be rejected Of these Baldwinus setteth down these several Marks Baldwin l. 3. c. 6. de cas cons circa divinationem whereby he would have them concluded to be from the Devil or evil spirits 1. When they tend to the investigation or discovery of things secret or future the knowledge whereof conferreth not to any profit or true or solid good but unto vain estentation of knowledge or to the commission of some evil then saith he we may well judge that such Dreams are infused by the Devil for the vanities of Science and evil designs or contrivances are the works of the Devil 2. When they tend to the leading of men from the holy Word of God to wicked doctrines or opinions which are painted over with the pretence or colour of Revelations and divine Visions when they are indeed the meer delusions of Satan transforming himself into an Angel of light Such saith he were the Dreams of the false Prophets of old tending to Idolatry and of the Anabaptists who excused their Seditions and absurd opinions and practises by Visions and Dreams and it were well that our Quakers and others that are carried away into strange Fancies and irregular practices in this our Age and Nation would try their pretended inspirations and Dreams by this rule See Deut. 13.1 c. 3. It is a sign that Dreams are from the Devil and wicked spirits when they are such as inflame and stir up men unto lust to hatred or revenge or the like evil affections whereby the Bodies also of those that sleep are defiled and wherby they are indisposed to prayer and the offices of piety to God or charity to one another 4. When Dreams come upon superstitious seeking and expectation of them Less de justitiâ l. 2. c. 45. dub 8. Quando quis saith Lessius divinationem per somnia quaerit certo modo vel ritu se componendo ad somnium hoc enim expresse est invocare Diabolum When any man doth purposely seek divination by Dreams composing himself thereunto by superstitious Rites or Ceremonies for this is expresly to invocate the Devil See Coelius Rhodig l. 27. antiquarum lectionum Thus saith he
of an innumerable company of heavenly Angels or with the testimony of many and great miraculous operations that standeth opposite to the dictates and revelations and rules of God and his Holy Spirit in the Scriptures or intendeth to add any thing thereunto as a way or means to attain unto salvation is to be utterly rejected and abhorred as an accursed delusion as likewise whatsoever tends to the discharging of us from any duty or to move us to any impiety impurity or to uncharitable or evill thoughts of others without ground or to any kind of wickedness whatsoever or to any thing that exceeds the bounds of our peculiar Callings unless in some extraordinary case or necessity See Deut. 13 1 2. Deut. 13.1 2. and that notable Scripture that all Quakers and pretended Enthusiasts may do well to ponder and study Gal. 1.8 9. Gal. 1.8 9. Though we saith St. Paul or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you or as it is in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Preach any other thing unto you besides what ye have received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him be accursed which is repeated again at vers 9. with such an earnest reduplication as I think will hardly be found again in all the Book of God or at least very rarely which should admonish all to take the more notice of it it being a Scripture of that weight and force that is able if rightly understood and embraced to over-throw all pretence of Apostolical Authority whsch the Church of Rome boasteth of and of Angelical authority or divine Revelation which is the delusion of the Enthusiasts of our days to inforce us to admit of any thing that is contrary to that saving Truth of the Gespel which is registred in the Scripture and was of old embraced by the people of God or that proposeth any other way unto salvation then that which is to be found therein Eighthly which will follow upon the former All Dreams and so likewise all pretended Enthusiasms Inspirations and Illuminations whatsoever are to be tried and judged approved or controuled by the revealed will of Almighty God in his holy Word Isa 8.19 as also by the rule of sound Reason and Prudence and if they bring not a testimonial of conformity thereunto they are by no means to be received See Isa 8.19 And here by the way give me leave to take notice of a very evil and unwarrantable course that hath been taken up if I be not mistaken by too many in these days and hath received too much countenance from those that are very highly obliged to the contrary so that it hath been made the colour of great miscarriages whilst some have taken upon them to seek unto God by fasting and prayer for his direction and counsel in weighty affairs and concernments and neglecting to consider or embrace what advice God hath laid down for their case and purpose in his Law they have sought and expected a return or answer by extraordinary motions and suggestions or inclinations which may sort better with their perhaps evill interests and designs And so whilst they have carried the Idol or stumbling block of an evil interest in their heart and in just judgment from God are left to receive an answer agreeable thereunto either from their own erring spirit or the delusion of Satan they have taken his evill suggestions or those that have proceeded from their own corruptions or at least have seemed to take them for the holy counsel of the Almighty I am perswaded it would be little less if at all less pleasing to God for them to go to an Heathen Oracle then to go to enquire of God upon such terms I wish that the serious reading and meditation of the eleven first verses of Ezek 14. Eze. 14.1 to 11. might be rightly understood and made good use of for the reformation of this and such-like great miscarriages Ninethly As all wicked Dreams are to be abominated and some to be earnestly repented of which flow from our own corrupt inclinations and affections So vain and foolish impertinent confused Dreams such as Dr. Jackson saith arise from the Garboiles of the fantasie Dr. Jackson in his ΜΑΡΑÎΑΘΑ or Commentaries upon Christs session at the right hand of God c. Sect. 3. ch 9. sect 11 Eccles 34.1 2 3. and of which he thinks that of Ecclesiasticus 34.1 2 3. is most true are to be sleghted and those that move unto superstitious fears that would discourage from trust in God or from our chearful walking with him in duties But yet lastly Those Dreams that without affectation offer themselves unto us in a sober and calm temper and are of a wise and orderly of a just and pure of an holy and religious frame and method not contradictory but consonant to the holy word of God and sound Reason and tend to nothing but that which is just and holy within the bounds of our Vocation and to the glory of God especially when they come so clothed with opportunity and circumstance as that they conduce to the encouragement or promotion of any good work that belongeth unto us or that God hath undertaken or is doing upon us or by us upon others or of any good and gracious design in hand or to the taking us off from any sinful doubts sloth or impediments that lie opposite thereunto and lie open to any such holy and prudent interpâ—etation as they may well be presumed to come from God especially falling out in extraordinary matters or for the setting forward of more then ordinary designs so they are to be prudently regarded and weighed so as to take encouragment and admonition from them and sometimes they may intimate unto us things that are to come CHAP. IX An Application of what hath been said unto the Converts Dream together with the Interpretation thereof IF we now compare what hath been last spoken with the Dream we have in hand we shall finde it to be of good and warrantable consideration for our purpose it being such as first came in the transaction of a rare and extraordinary matter or business The conversion of a Turk being such as hath been rarely seen I mean of one that hath been born and bred in that religion Secondly It hath no stamp but of sobriety purity prudence and holiness upon it Thirdly It came not upon any superstitious expectation or preparation thereunto Fourthly it excellently complieth with the holy Word and sound Reason Fifthly It exactly answereth in all the parts thereof unto that holy business that was then in hand and had been in motion the very evening before for the conversion of the soul of him that dreamed it to God and for his admission to the Ordinances Priviledges and graces of the Gospel Sixthly The interpretation thereof is clear and easie for the most part yea wholly indeed without any unreasonable straining or crossing of any one part of it against another it is
bosom such poor sinners returning unto him and of the great treasures of his goodness and Bowels of his mercy that he is ready to open and pour out unto them And by way of Application I shewed him that he was in the several parts of that Chapter he was the lost sheep that Christ was even now seeking in the endeavors of his Ministers for his Conversion that he might bear him upon the shoulders of his heavenly strength and mercy unto the Fold of his Church He was the lost peece that had been trodden under the feet of the spiritual adversaries and defaced by the filth and pollution of error and sin which the Lord was now about to recover into his treasury He was that wandering and wretched Prodigal that had been feeding upon the husks of error and vanity and that was brought unto great misery whom the tender Father though he saw him afar off at the great distance of the errors and imperfections that were in him yet would run to meet if he would but turn to him with sincerity and would entertain him with great love mercy and joy would fall upon his neck and kiss him with thckisses of divine love would put the Ring upon his finger would marry him unto himself and give him the pledge of his everlasting love would put the best Robe upon him even the Robe of the righteousness of Christ for his justification and of the ornaments of the holy and heavenly graces of his Spirit for the sanctification of his soul Would kill the fatted Calf would feast him with the mercies graces and comforts of the Gospel in Christ Jesus who died for his salvation Would refresh him and solace him with the heavenly musick and harmony of Divine Peace and his heavenly love c. And thus the Lord was pleased to fasten another chain of his Divine Providence upon his Soul and added unto that dream in his sleep another testimony of that watchful care that he had over that business we had in hand for his good CHAP. XI A Discourse concerning this last Observation and for the justification thereof by the proposal of divers examples of Admonitions given and taken from Providential occurrences of the like sort out of Scripture and other Histories BUt this observation will perhaps be accounted frivol us and superstitious by some and may be abused by others and therefore I crave leave a little to say something for the vindication of it from the first and to give some cautions for the prevention of the second And first That it may not be thought frivolous or superstitious that we have taken notice of that Providential occurrence I shall give you some warrant for the justification of our observation both out of the Scripture and other approved Authors First We finde the divine providence in a kinde not much unlike this commended unto our consideration in the holy Book of God such was that that fell out unto the Eunuch when the like work of conversion was drawing near upon him and that in order to the promoting of that like gracious design that God had upon him Act. 8.27 to 34. Act 8.27 to 34. where it was so ordered by the divine wisdom and Providence that that place of Scripture Isa 53.7 Isa 53 7. was then in reading by the Eunuch when St. Philip was sent by the Spirit of God to draw near unto his Chariot by the explication whereof from the mouth of St. Philip he was converted to the Faith of Christ and was baptized in the way as he went God making use of that Providential occurrence to promote his commersion to the Gospel-truth meeting him in his passage Act. 9. as he met St. Paul in his journey In the Fourth of Luke Luke 4.16 17 18 c. we read that our blessed Savior being in the Synagogue at Nazareth there was delivered unto him the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and when he had opened the book he found the place it may not improbably imply that upon the opening of the Book he found that excellent place of Scripture Isa 61.1 2 Is 61.1 2 c. wherein is contained our Saviors annointing and commission for the sulfilling of that great Office of the Savior of the World offered it self by Providence first unto his view that it might give him the occasion of that holy discourse that he made then unto the people shewing how that very place was fulfilled in him that day before their eyes Whether he looked for it or fell upon it by providence is uncertain saith one of our late Commentators I confess it is not very certain but yet the words do unto me seem most probably to imply so much that he fell upon it by Providence especially in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. In the opening or upon the opening of the Book he found the place where it was written I am sure enough we may safely think so for as all things that seem most casual even to the falling of a Sparrow nay of an hair from the head are under the care and guidance of the divine providence Mat. 10.29 30. Matth. 10.29 30 so we may assure our selves that that Divine Providence is especally watchful for the ordering of all things even the smallest matters that can be thought of in the world to serve that great design of the bringing of Gods people to salvation by Christ Jesus That Greek sentence is excellent which Mr. Down hath he telleth us not from whence in his Treatise about Lots in gaming 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They that speak of the laying of stones tell us that the great stones cannot be well placed without the smaller So saith he also in the Government of the world for the better erdering of the greatest things God takes care of the smallest also Something very observable of a nature near unto our case we may find in the sixth of Esther ver 1. where we finde a multiplied Providence in the ordering of matters in esteem casual for the diversion of that cruel design that Haman had for the procuring of the death of Mordecai when the Gallows was made for poor Mordecai and the next morning that great Favorite that thought he had the key and the stern too of the Kings heart in his mouth intended to sue out the Commission for his execution whose life was the blast of all his comforts God orders the matter so by the ministry of an Angel as one supposeth that the King could not sleep that very night for we may assure our selves no man can at any time sleep when God hath any thing to do with his waking for the good and benefit of his people not the softest beds not the darkest night nor the weariest journeys or labors in the day nor the plentifullest cups nor the warmest cloaths nor the quietest heart nor the strongest opium can prevent or disappoint such a purpose of the Almighty God kept Ahasuerus waking
concernment of his Soul in the embracement or rejection of the truth no less then in his eternal greatest good or evill and to bring him into dislike or at least into a doubt of that erroneous and impious way that he embraced as being uncorrespondent and unsatisfactory to that which is and needs must be the aim of every wise and serious man in the choice or embracement of any Religion which is a well grounded hope and succeeding attainment of the salvation of his Soul in another world and here in this life the peace of a good Conscience next to the glory and honour of God which as it was shewed him could not be found without a remedy for sin which exposed unto Gods wrath and to eternal death and condemnation And that there could be no remedy for this deadly disease but by a satisfaction to Gods Justice That Mercy and Truth might meet together and Righteousness and Peace might kiss each other which remedy or satisfaction was not at all offered in that Religion that he embraced He said that God gave pardon upon repentance but it was shewed him that his repentance and the repentance of all others was imperfect and no man was so cleared thereby from sin but that there would still need a satisfaction for the failings even of repentance and of the best ordered life that is to be found amongst men in this life That this satisfaction is clearly and fully offered in the Christian Religion in the blood and sufferings and righteousness of Christ Jesus who being God and Man and the eternal Son of God became a fit Mediator between God and Man and offered himself a sufficient Sacrifice unto the Divine Justice for the sins of the whole World The benefit whereof as it is proposed in the Gospel unto repentance and to all true penitent sinners so it is to be received onely from and in Christ Jesus and by the true faith of the Gospel Upon this discourse or to this purpose with some other which I cannot well now remember he seemed to be something startled and to doubt whether the ground whereon he stood was sound or no And as I remember expressed some desire that God would direct him to the Truth Some further Argumenrs were used to discover yet further unto him not onely the insufficiency but the impiety and vanity and great uncertainty of that Religion he had embraced as that which countenanced cruelty and oppression was carried on by violence and carnal ways and proposed low and carnal delights for the reward below the excellency of the spiritual Soul of Man Countenanced wickedness as Impurity and Revenge and proceeded from a person of a carnal and lascivious temper and conversation who pretended a more then ordinary Commission and allowance for lust as a priviledge belonging to him as the great Prophet That pretended indeed revelation from Heaven but had no testimony from God to commend it to the Souls of men but depended upon the bare assertion of Mahomet which if he be considered in the singleness of his person being a man subject to error as well as others especially if he be considered in his lascivious and wicked quality and condition is too sandy a foundation and of more then much too weak a credit that the venture of the eternal good and safety of one single Soul should be committed thereto much less of many millions or of the whole world That it was a Religion stuffed with monstrous lies and legends as may be seen by those things that have been set down Whereas on the other side the Christian Religion hath upon it the very stamp of Gods image which is his seal in the high excellent mysterious and spiritual wisdom too high for humane Imposture in any likelihood to invent since it is so far too high for humane Wisdom or Understanding even since it is revealed to conceive which is exactly answerable and uniform and correspondent to it self in all the members and parts thereof which all make up a sweet and excellent tune and harmony amongst themselves without any jar or discord between them and all the Writers thereof though being many and living in many and several Ages and places were forbidden thereby to conspire in falshood with one another wherein there must needs have been much boggling in matters so high above humane reason and comprehension if there had not been an infallible rule of divine Light and Truth to guide and unite them together at so great a distance Besides the wonderful and excellent consent that is between the Types and Prophesies and the fulfilled events thereof The former whereof are for the most part consigned over unto us by the Jews professed enemies unto the Christian Truth who maintain themselves and have delivered over unto us the predictions the completions whereof yet themselves now deny And so it is fulfilled of that blinded Nation of the Jews that is said by one I know not whom of them that it is Asinus portanus vinum bibens aquam An Ass that carrieth wine and drinketh water They carry the wine of the holy Prophesies and drink the water of their own foolish and malicious mis-interpretations and traditions It hath the stamp of the Divine wisdom and goodness upon it in that holy policy established in the bond of Divine and Christian Love whereby it unites all in the love of God and in a mutual love unto and a mutual charge of one another and of all men even greatest Enemies in all their concernments and in holy peace providing for all and carrying on all things with a heavenly and publick spirit so that if it were but generally embraced it would make the world happy and establish a kinde of Heaven upon Earth when every man should have a care of another as of himself in soul and spiritual good in matter of Life Estate Health Reputation and all other matters wherein their good is concerned whereby that wicked voice of Cain which crieth so loud in the hearts and practices of the world would be silenced and excluded out of the society of mankinde Am I my Brothes keeper since it maketh all men keepers of one another and teacheth all to take care of the publike good of all and thereby enlargeth the riches and content of all particulars teaching them to joy and delight in the good and blessing of others as well as their own It hath the stamp of Gods Holiness and Righteousness upon it in the utter opposition that it hath unto all sin in the admirable and perfect rules of Justice and Piety and purity which it establisheth both in regard of inward motions thoughts and affections and in outward carriage and conversation of life setting up the right mark before us which is Gods glory and eternal happiness in him to be pursued by all in all thoughts words and actions in all their Offices Trades and Vocations so bringing in the whole life of man to be an holy sacrifice