fade It is before this Newness of Christ at it secretly beames forth into the Creation that Old things shake and fal away Thirdly Jesus Christ comes first in his Desirablenesses to beleevers to those among the Nations who desire him This seemes to be signified by that expression The desire of al Nations shal come He shal come under that formality as the Desire of the Nations The Saints in every Nation stand for the whol Nation in the esteem of God they being the Corn in the heap the rest of the nation as the Chaffe Esa. 43. 4. The Lord saith to his people Since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honorable and I have Loved thee therefore wil I give men for thee and people for thy life or as it is in the Margin for thy person Those whom the Lord loves in a Nation are the only Figures there the rest are Cyphers which signifie nothing of themselves James 1. 14. The Children of God are said to be a Kind of first fruites of his Creatures So are they the first fruits of every Nation As the first fruits were presented to God every year at the Tabernacle or Temple by the hands of the Preist in the stead of the whol Lump so the beleevers are presented to God in the spirit by Jesus Christ as filling up the place of the whol Nation Upon this account when the prophet hath said The desire of al Nations shal come he adds He shal fil this House with his Glory Under the Gospel and in the spiritual truth which answers the Judaical Tipe the Saints are the House of God 1 Corin. 3. 16. Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God When the Lord comes to work his wonders in the world he first comes into his Church into the spirits of his Saints fills them with that spiritual Glory shining from his own person which is the sign of his outward commings forth before he comes and the inside of them when he is come From hence as from his Temple he shines forth by degrees upon the world from these as the first fruites he sends forth a blessing to the whol Lump of the Creatures Fourthly When these shakings begin to break forth from the Spirits of the Saints into the World they are swift and spreading Yet a little while And I wil once more shake Heaven and Earth As when a stone fals into the Water the Circles in the Water made round about it do in a moment Multiply and as they Multiply grow wider each than other So when Jesus Christ comes with the Newness of a spiritual Glory into his House which is the heart of a Saint from thence he spreads himself in the newness of his Power and mighty works over the Nation round about from thence enlargeth himself in a wider Circle to the Neyghbouring Nations so he goes on til he ouerspreade with his Changes not the Earth only but also the Heavens and al this in a very little space as fire catcheth or the lightning flyeth Now let us look home Our Changes since the beginning of these times have truely been so quick and thick that they may wel appear one continued shaking You then in this Nation whose Souls love the Lord Jesus is your Desire come while others as Cyphers do bear the empty shadow of the outward work in these new and Extraordinary Motions is his presence his person his operation precious and of great value to you Doth he fil you who are his house with the freshness of his light and Glory while others stand without at a distance seeing a throng of changes and wonders but know not what is the matter Where then are your cryes of Joy The voyce of our beloved Behold he comes leaping over the Hils passing with swift changes over the powers of this world he comes consuming al old things the old Heaven and Earth with the heat of his presence but changing his own and al things unto them into the newness and Immortality of the Spirit making them new together with a New Heaven and a New Earth round about them Thirdly The freshness of our Changes Prov. 25. 4 5. Take away the dross from the Silver there shall come forth a Vessel for the finer Take away the wicked from the King and his Throne shal be established in Righteousness The former of these verses is an Allegory explained in the latter Both have a Mystical sense pertayning to every Saint and Typical concerning Jesus Christ Take away the Dross of Corruption out of the Heart from the Silver of Grace and the Saint wil be a King in the Spirit upon a Throne of Glory founded on the Righteousness of God and his Spirit in Jesus Christ this King wil be a pure Silver Vessel for God the finer to set on his table and fil with the Treasure of his Divinity Take away the dross of Corruption from the Silver of the Divine Image in the Creature then wil the whol Creation be a Vessel of honor for the Father to fil with his Wine then wil it be a Throne founded on the Eternal Rock on which Jesus Christ shal sit down as a King This extends it self to Nations and Priuciples also Let us take a view of our selves in the Glass of this Truth If we look to the great Parliament from the beginning of it was there not a Silver there a precious Mettal of excellent principles and Eminent persons But this Silver was mingled with the Dross of much Carnality and Corruption Hath not every change since that time been as a fire to take away the Dross from the Silver Hath not every succeeding form of things when it hath come first out of the fire of the fore-going Change bin as a Vessel for the finer with a greater Preciousness Purity Beauty Lustre Life and usefulness unto God How then is that day of the Lord risen upon us which is to try al things How should our mouths be filled with laughter and praises for this New thing which God doth this New day which God bringeth forth from Heaven Say now to Hypocrites Woe to you But say to the Righteouss It shal be wel with you For the Beams of this day are a Manifesting light a Refining fire to al but they are withal to the Saints a covering gloy and a Cherishing Love Our King is come forth into our Land not only to march through it with his troupes but to establish his throne here in righteousness and to sit down upon it O Dross Dross melt away before the presence of the Lord For his Eyes are a flame of fire They are stil Kindling fresh Furnaces of Change Fourthly The Life in these Changes from which they flow Rom. 12. 11. you have the knot of a three-fold Precept held forth Not slothful in business fervent in spirit serving the Lord This is likewise a Divine Character upon the Newness of extraordinary Times Works and Persons When the Lord hath any fresh
Re-union Do you not in the secret of your hearts in your secret Meetings bleed forth your souls before the feet of your Savior at every breach in his Body as at a Wound or the Cutting off of some Member in your own Body As Jacob lamented over the loss of his Children Joseph is not Simeon is taken away from me you would have Benjamin also all these things are against me So you mourn such Brethren left us at such a change these Saints are not with us in this change and there are others ready to divide themselves from us at the next turn of affairs al these things are against us As the spirit of God spreads it self over the deep of darkness at the beginning of the Creation like a Bird over her naked yong ones till they be hatcht up and fledged to form it to a beautiful and harmonious World Light and Order Do you not after the same manner perceive the Spirit of Vnity on your souls stretch forth it self over all your fellow Members that lie in a Chaos in a Deep of Darkness Division and Confusion As Iesus Christ once wept forth these Words over Jerusalem As a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings How often would I have gathered thee but thou would'st not So he weeps so he speaks the same words in your Souls to all his divided Brethren in these Nations as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wing how long have I called and waited and longed to gather you up into the Vnity of my Spirit that you might not by your scatterings become a prey to the Kite but hitherto you will not Joseph when he thought fit to speak roughly and deal severely with his Brethren with much difficulty concealed his affections was forced to make hast into a private room to weep Hath this been your temper when the wisdom of State or the season hath made it seem necessary to you to handle any one of Christs Flock roughly have your Bowels been turned within you hath it been hard and grievous to you to act this strange part and to hide your affections have you inwardly and privately melted into tears while you have openly thundered out hard speeches Do you not much more contend with God by Spiritual Wrastlings to have the hearts of all his People that differ from you than you do by outward force or policy with them to have the upper hand of them If these things be thus go on and prosper When Esau came with an Army against Jacob his Brother Jacob wrastled with God at Penuel which signifies the Face or Vision of God he conquered his Brother the most excellent way like a Prince in conquering God and carrying away a Blessing by Conquest Esau when he met him instead of drawing his Sword upon Jacob embraced him and offers him those Bands for his Guard which came forth Enemies Could one Jacob thus subdue the Heart of rough Esau and shal not many Jacobs by their strong cries in the Ears of God and tears in his Bosom prevail with God for a Victory of Love over the Hearts of many Jacobs only disguised and concealed under the rough hairy Garments of Esau Yes the hour is coming in which you shall come forth hand in hand in Spiritual Dances and answer one another with Spiritual Songs saying These our Brethren were lost but now are they found in our arms These Brethren were dead one to another but now behold they live together in the Vnity of the Spirit As Joseph and his Brethren so shal you after long Concealments be discovered one to another in a Light of Heavenly Love then shal ye fal one upon anothers Necks and weep for joy then shal you say We meant evil but it was the Lords contrivance who hath turned all to good Thus shal ye receive one another into the Glory of God as Christ hath received you Fiftly The Spirit of Grace is a spirit of love to Jesus Christ It makes his person alone and the Glory of that to be the Mark and Price of our calling Phil. 3. 14. As water wil ascend as high as it first descends so the spirite which is often compared to water is like water in this if it come down from Christ it wil carry the ayme and affections of the soul to Christ That which is the first Principle is the last end If it be Jesus Christ who hath been the first principle of motion in our hearts he wil be our only End we shal terminate and rest no where but in him When Jacob had served an Apprentice-ship of seven years for the Love of beautiful Rachel he was marryed by Laban to bleare-eyed Leah Did this satissie Jacob No He chose to endure the hardship of another service for seven years more to suffer the heats by day and frosts by night in the open fields that he might gain his first Love If it were a Conjugal Love to the person of Christ which moved us to undertake and undergo the hard service of so many years in difficulty danger in a field of warre Blood and Death we cannot now lie down and take up our rest in the Embraces of the blear-eyed Beavty of this World though it be given to us in marriage and be exceedingly fruitful to us No We shal begin another service of as many years more in prayers in conflicts in sufferings of al sorts til he whom our Souls love come and give his own person into our Armes As the Spouse in the Canticles Cant. 3 4. We shal never cease til we hold his glorified person in our Marriage-Embraces never to let him go more until we bring him into our Mothers house into this visible World to make al things new and to raigne here as he doth in Heaven It is not this that a Saint seeks thorow Seas of water and Blood to rob the Nations of their Gold but to communicate to them this God It is not this which is his joy and tryumph to see his enemys drowned in the Floods but to let in the Rivers of Christs blood upon them to over flow them and that they may die the Death of Christ only When Alexander drew neer to Jerusalem with his conquering Army he was met by the High Priest in all his Ornaments his Garment his Girdle his Ephod his Urim and Thummim of Gold Silk Sky-color Purple White all sorts of precious Stones with the most Holy Crown upon his Head which was the Figure of the Glory of Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father in Heaven as he is our true High Priest Alexander seeing him said In this very form did that God appear to me in a Dream by night in Macedonia who commanded me to pass over into Asia and undertake this War Upon this account he used the Jews with all Kindness and Honor My end in bringing in this Story is to make this Application of it If we have had any glimpses in our Spirits of our dear
al Created Nature What new what strange things what Miracles may we look for now in the government of the world especially when the Church is concerned seeing that our Lord Jesus in this Capacity as he is at the Right hand of God set above al Rankes and orders of the whol Creation is made Head over al things for the Church Jesus Christ could work no Miracles in one place because of the unbeleefe of the Inhabitants Our unbeliefe in that we see not the Lord Jesus as Esaiah saw him by a Spirit of Prophesie fitting upon this Throne of the divine Nature high and lifted up above every Principality and Power is the Reason why we have no more Miracles no more of his new and extraordinary Works in the midst of us It is our unbeleefe that we do not see and acknowledg those wonders which he hath wrought and is stil working while he fils the whol earth with his glory from his Throne John 6. 57. Jesus saith He that eats me shal Live by me even as I live by the Father Revel. 10. 9. 11. The Angel give St. John a Book to Eate and then tells him that he must prophesie before many peoples and Nations and Tongues and Kings If we did eate this spiritual and Heavenly Person of Christ which is the Book of Life that Word comming forth from the mouth of God on which alone man Lives If we did by faith in the vnity of the spirit take in concoct digest turn into Nature and Nourishment these Evangelical truths concerning the Person of Christ above al given to his Church the Headship of Christ over al for his Church how certainly then and how speedily should we be fed with Honey from the Rock we should live in our own Persons in our private publike Capacitys upon a constant dayly Stream of Miracles comming down from the Father we should draw down and carry forth waters of life from the depth of the Godhead before the Kings of the Earth and into the midst of the Nations Thus much for the First Argument taken from Jesus Christ Arg. 2. The Second Argument is drawn from the Holy Spirit As the way of God is in Christ having his New name written upon his Person so the Way of Christ in his Church and in the world for his Church is in the Spirit and after the Newness of that Rom 7. 6. But now we are delivered from the Law that being dead wherein we were held that we should serve in Newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter The Soul of man is here set forth as having two Husbands The first Husband is the First Adam the Flesh the Natural Man This being slaine by the death of the Lord Jesus the Soul is set free from him and from his Law which is a Law of sin and Death Her second Husband to whom she is married upon the Death of the first is the last man the Glorified Person of Christ as He is in the Resurrection from the Dead And now the Soul is subject only to the Law of this Husband which is the Law of Free Grace of Love raigning by Righteousness which is the Beavty in the Face of the God-head unto Eternal Life through Jesus Christ by Vertue of our Marriage-union with him the Love Righteousness and Immortality of God the Father letting it self forth upon his Person first then in and through him upon us unto our Justification Sanctification and Glory That we should serve As to Fear God in the old Testament and to beleeve in the new so in both to serve him comprehends al parts of Religion the whol Communion between God and the Soul by which God Ministers himself in streams of Truth Grace and joy to the Soul or the Soul Ministers to him by recejving him by recejving al from him by receiving him together with al and by returning it self and al things to him in Love humility obedience thanksgiving The two ways of this Service are the Oldness of the Letter and the newness of Spirit The Letter is that Law which is proper and fitted to the Principle of Nature the flesh the first Adam in his power and purity The Spirit is the Law of the New man the Heavenly Image and second Adam as He is risen from the dead and stands in a Root of Glory from thence blossoming and bringing forth fruit in al his Members The Letter is like unto a Cestern The Spirit is the Fountain The water in a Cestern hath its stint and set measure it is a standing water which hath no spring to quicken it it is apt to corrupt with standing and to dry away Such is the Law of the Letter It is shut up in an outward narrow form and measure it hath not its root in it self it grows old it darkens withers and dies away But the Spirit is a Fountain and as a Fountain hath a Five-fold Newness of Life of Lustre of Purity of Variety of Immortality But here now although it may seem to be a digression from my present scope yet give me leave by the way to interpose a Caution very proper for this discourse of the Letter and the Spirit which is that you mistake not the Ryot Excess and Inordinacy of the flesh for the Newness Freedom and Extraordinariness of the Spirit To assist you in this Caution take this Distinction between the Novelties and Extravagancies of the flesh and the Newness and Extraordinariness of the Spirit First There is a Newness in which there is somthing unchangable an inward Principle a hidden Nature a Life a Rellish which is ever the same however the outward operations and manifestations vary The Life of the Spirit is as a Tree The Tree is new in the Spring the Summer the Autumn having for every Season its fresh puttings forth of Leaves Blossoms Fruit ripe Fruit Yet the Tree is still the same hath the same Root Sap and Nature Secondly There is a Newness where all things are changed not only the outward puttings forth but the most inward Principle where there abides nothing of the savor This is like that change where the Rod of Moses being cast upon the ground was made a real Serpent and the Dust of Egypt being cast up into the Air became living Lice Now as they say in Phylosophy Species et Essentiae rerum sunt sempiternae et immobiles The Essences and Kinds of things are ever the same however there be an Infinitness of uncertainty and change in the Individuals by the variety and change of outward Accidents So in a Saint compared with himself through the whol time of his Regeneracy or compared with all other Saints in all Ages ther is the same new nature the same inward saver in the Principle in the Spirit although the inward forms upon the understanding may have great change according to the different degrees and wayes of Light as also the outward forms of life and Conversation may have great variety in