written Rejoye thou barren that bearest not and cry thou that travellest not for the desolate hath many more children then she that hath an busband Now we brethren saith he as Isaac was are the children of the promise But as then he that was borne after the flesh persecuted him that was borne after the spirit even so it is now Neverthelesse saith the Scripture Cast out the Bond-woman and her son for the son of the Bond-woman shall not be Heire with the son of the Free-woman And then he concludes in the last verse So then Brethren we are not children of the Bond-woman but of the Free We that is those who believe are not now tyed unto Ceremonies nor live in the forme and shaddow of the Heavenly things or in bondage to external and worldly rudiments resting in them Rom. 2.28 29. as the outward Jew did for he is not a Jew that is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart and of the spirit and not that of the Letter And this kinde of doctrine the Iew and he that Idolizeth his outward formes could not endure but as then so now this divine teaching and the Teachers thereof could never be endured but have been persecuted in all ages and most of all by these who have pretended most strictly to worship God according to the rule of his word these ever had and ever will have a contrariety thereunto the children of the Bond-woman are alwayes at enmity and have a continual hatred against the children of the Free-woman And these are Hagar as the Apostle there saith in verse 25. Gal. 4.25 For this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to Ierusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children if men go no farther but here stick in shaddowes and formes and the outward worship of that at Ierusalem though it be never so glittering and glorious yet all this is but mount Sinai and gendreth to Bondage But saith our Saviour John 4.21 The houre commeth and now is that enither in Ierusalem nor in this mâ—untaine shall men worship the Father but the true worshippers shall worship him in spirit and truth These two mountaines alwayes stand in opposition one to another because the one is to bring men into Bondage and the other is still labouring to set men free The one kinde of worshippers are altogether busied and exercised and are very zealous for worldly Ordinances and external worships duties and formes an conclude that those who submit and take them up zealously and constantly are the true worshippers and exclude all other Now the other worshippers who worship the Father in spirit and truth they see and bear witnesse against these outward formes as rested in as generally all the other worshippers do whatever they say and their great Zeal for them is because they derive suck and draw life from the exercise of them But the other know there is no power no life no excellency in them neither could they any longer live or depend upon them but they see that their life power righteousnesse freedome is in those things which are from heaven heavenly in the spirit 1 Cor. 15.48 not in the letter they receive their nourishment and influence from the Heavenly Ierusalem not from the outward and external not from carnal Ordinances as the Apostle calls them but they suck the brest of the true mother whose milk is spirit and life And here they live and here they feast and here they dwell and have not their life nor content nor their abode with the Bond-woman which in them is cast out with her children for she can never inherit the blessing nor the life nor the power nor the liberty but is with all her children alwayes in Bondage And the Apostle appeales to all Believers their own experience Gal. 3.2 Did ye ever receive the promise by the workes of the Law that is by whatever man as man could do with all his learning power strivings acquirings c. but only by the hearing of Fath So that you may see from thesr and many other arguments the Apostles drawes this exhortation by way of conclusion in the verse now read Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not intangled againe with the yoake of Bondage Some of the Galathians had seen and felt this true liberty which he had cleared out to them and they had lived in it and enjoyed it But some false Apostles crept in after his departure and told them they must still hold the formes of the Law Heb. 9.10 and they must be circumcized and observe outward and carnal Ordinances Now the Apostle very earnestly presseth them to stand fast in their liberty received and not to suffer themselves to be intangled with those yoakes of bondage for Christ is their liberty and Christ alone is their life and their freedome their peace their joy their salvation and herein to stand against all those who would set up any thing with him and upon that account the Apostle calls them carnal Ordinances though appointed by the Lord himselfe And 't is a wonder the men of the Letter which stand so much for outward formes do not cry out BLASPHEMY and HERESY All those other things being included in naming Circumcision because that was the most high absolute and unquestionable Ordinance ordained by God himselfe to Abraham and which none could remove or abolish but the Son himselfe the Heire himselfe who being come to Age must inherit and take possession of his own of his Inheritance Kingdom and Glory And shall any servant resist and keep out THE LORD Heb. 1.12 Matth. 3.3 The Heire of all things and all these things say Prepare ye the way of the Lord for whom all things were made and created and all other excellencies and glories whatsoever are but to Vsher in this great and mighty King and shall any Harbinger or servant say he will not or he must not remove or be so impudent to say that the inheritance is his No sayes the Apostle I testifie to every man and I Paul say unto you if ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing and ye are under the Law Gal. 5.3 4 and under bondage and he is a debtor to do the whole Law and Christ is become of none offect and ye are fallen from grace This is that which so much moved the Apostle that they being once set free had tasted of the liberty which came by Jesus Christ that they should be againe intangled with the yoake of bondage That they who had received the new teaching and Christ to be the Teacher should now hearken to false teachers Ibid. 3.3 and having begun in the spirit should once think to be made perfect by the flesh as if Christ were not enough but they must joyne with
dare not stand in his Own condemnation he dare not let this light shine on his works because They know they are evil Therefore they hate it preach against it cry out upon it as damnable doctrine and call the Professors thereof Seducers Familists Quakers Jesuits any thing to make them the most odious to the sonnes of men and they themselves resolve to smother it in themselves and will not be guided or directed by it they are resolved not to be weake not to be poore not to be fools not to be vile but make the world still think that they are wise strong holy sober grave regular in all they do and obedient to the very smallest and strictest rules of Christ and he that shall tax them or conceive or declare otherwise of them is to them a Fiend a Serpent a Divel Lastly from this ONENESS of the Deliverer we may conclude As there is but One Deliverer so there is but one way of Deliverance though there may be in the world thousands of inventions of men some worshipping this way and some that some after one form and some after another yet this is certain there is but one Deliverer and one way of Deliverance Eph. 4.5 As the Apostle saith Ephes 4.5 There is a unity in the spirit which is the bond of peace There is one body and one spirit One Lord that is One Deliverer one Faith one Baptism that is one way of deliverance One God and father of all who is above all and through all and in all One Saviour and One way of salvation and there is no more And this way is Christ in man bringing forth the light of God to empty kill and destroy the glory and wisdom of man to make a man as poore as Job having lost all and lying upon the dunghill full of boiles scabs and sores from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet and as miserable as Lazarus with his sores which the dogs came and Licked and to make them lie begging for he smallest crums to relieve them Whosoever thou art if thy deliverance be not wrought this way let me tell thee freely thou wert never yet dilivered however thou flatterest thy selfe to the contrary You may talk of forms and disciplines and dippings and of eating and drinking with Christ and breaking of bread and of Baptismes and all other externall things But this alone is the true Baptisme and the true eating of Christ his body and the drinking his blood This is the One way wrought by this One deliverer and whoever he be that lives in multiplicity of forms and diversity of worships or holds these things forth as Christs way without this Baptism of the spirit he holds forth a lye and a delusion and misery and wrath and desolation of spirit will come in the end for this is that one and only way which Jesus Christ hath used in all the Saints from the beginning of the world and will doe to the end to bring man low in himselfe that he alone may be exalted As there is but One God and Father of all but one Husband who is rich unto all so there is but one Church but one Spouse but one body and this one Spouse body or Church they are all joyned married or brought home to Christ but in this one way And there is but one power but one wisdom but one strength whereby all the people of God were and ever shall be delivered Beloved what a stir does all the world make about setting up a world of severall inventions with variety of washings rules dippings forms and every individuall fellowship say we are in the right way our way is the best and we are neerest the rule and the Primitive practise and our way is the way of peace and rest such and such they miss the rule of the word in this and in that but our way is the most exact and most perfect of all All which is no other but that which Christ foretels shall come when they say Loe here is Christ or Loe he is there but Christs command is Goe not after them for the Kingdom of God comes not with observation Luke 17.20 nor consists not in outward observations nor in eating or drinking nor in dipping in water Col. 22.21 22. nor in meats and drinks nor in obeying the commands and rules of men As touch not taste not handle not which all perish in the using for All things of that nature are far below those spirituall things in which consists the Kingdom of God which is righteousnesse peace joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 and in being Baptized with the spirit and with fire There is but one eating of Christs body and drinking his blood and this is no other but what is given by Jesus Christ himselfe 1 Cor. 11.24 and whoever eats not nor drinks not of this He it is that eats damnation not discerning the Lords body And though men eate and drink and break bread together never so often and be never so constant and observant therein yet the Apostle says plainly This is not to eat the Lords body but t is onely the eating the Hidden Manna that can nourish to everlasting life Rev. 2.7 T is onely the eating of the Tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God that can make us live for ever And of this bread all the Saints doe eat And what one Saint is fed with the same are all Saints and what a Sint lives by he eates daily and this is his food and nourishment the bread that feeds them is not eating for an houre or the like but for ever t is his daily food by which he is nourished and fed to the Kingdom of God He does not one day feed like a Saint and another day like a divel He does not onely examine himselfe to eate a little bit of bread and drink a sup of wine but he daily examines himselfe and he daily and continually eats of this bread 1 Cor. 10.17 and drinks of this cup for they being many are one bread and one body for they are all partakers of that one bread and what ever they doe and when ever they eate Luke 22.19 1 Cor. 11.24 they doe it in remembrance of him They live upon Christ in all things they see Him to be their life their motion their rule and ruler their righteousnesse wisdom redemption They see there is not one creature acts or moves nor is there one change of providence but they see Christ do it more truly then they see the creature doth it They see him the Soveraign Lord and Commander ruling and doing all things as in themselves so in the whole creation of Heaven and earth and this is that they live by and feed upon They have such meat to eat Joh. 4.32 which none knows the vertue of but only they who eat it such meat it is the world knows
is that it may be removed from all people that others may see that which he sees and enjoy that which he enjoyes that Christ may be a mountain to them as he is to him a rock to them as he is to him a feast to them as he is to him And they can say truely and name this mountaine Jehovah-jireh onely in the mount of the Lord can this be seen Abraham could not sacrifice his Son till he came up into this mount once come in to this mountain then the soule can part with all things for the love of Christ nothing is so dear as Christ And this is the conclusion wrought by the Spirit in Abraham Jehovah-jireh saith he in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen there is no seeing any of these things nor there is no true feasting till we come into this mount of the Lord. What was that going up of Abraham to the mount Moriah think you In the truth of it it was no other thing but this his going up from himself and out of himself forsaking all things for this one thing and comming up to this mountain of the Lod where the Lord alone was all in all Beloved know this for truth there is no wisdome no rightousnesse no strength c. nowhere else but here In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen and nowhere else There is no self-denial no true repentance no conquering of the least sin no true peace no joy no love no wisdom but onely in this mount whatever men pretend that they are wise or holy and the like 't is all but deceit and a delusion till we come up to the Mount till this Vaile be removed we can never bind the strong man we can never cut off our right hands or pul out our right eye til then Matth. 29 30. we can never forsake our selvs we can never deny our own power wisdome and holinesse Here now is this mountain of strength here it was that Abraham staggered not through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God Rom. 4.17.20 Here he 〈◊〉 and was fully perswaded that he that had promised was able to performe that though Isaac were sacrificed yet God was he who could quicken the dead and calleth things which are not as though they were Herein was Abraham the father of the faithful and Isaac the seed of many Nations and all the faithful are his seed in this And his going up to the Mountain is no other but what is done by all the faithful that litteral mountain was not the truth but onely the figure of this strong mountain Jesus Christ he is that mountain spoken of Esai 2.2 called there the mountain of the Lords house Esa 2.2 which shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the Hills and all Nations shall flow unto it Jesus Christ is that mountain who is unalterable unmovable unchangable never to be shaken nor never to be removed and to be established on the top of all mountaines above all the mountaines of man the mountaines of mans wisdome of mans righteousnesse which were esteemed by men never so high never so strong yet this mountain shall overtop them all and be established above all Beloved none come to know these things but those in whom they are wrought in whom the Vaile of the covering is removed men may pretend to these things and be very confident they enjoy them when indeed they are under the Covering to this very day This is that stone also that Daniel speaks of Dan. 2. which was cut out of the mountain without hands which smote the Image which was so terrible in the form thereof Dan. 2. he head being of fine Gold his brest and armes of Silver his belly and thighs of Brass his legs of Iron and his feet part Iron and part clay Now the stone cut out without hands smote this terrible Image and it self became a great mountain V. 25. and filled the whole earth However this may be applicable as by some it is to the outward Monarchyes in the world one succeeding and overcomming another yet all those things are but figures of the truth for those things are not done without hands but the truth is done in spirit whatever it is that men set up to shelter themselves under any form any religion to defend themselves from the wrath of God from the guilt of sin from seeing themselves odious with all their righteousnes and rags All things of that nature are Images and are such Images and so Terrible that no man is able to break them to peices 't is only The Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands can bring them down or break them to peices These Images are diverse and of several tempers and conditions some are of Clay that is some are of low rudiments poor and mean things that Men set up and rely upon and shelter themselves with all their good meanings and good hopes and the like and these may be esteemed but as the feet of this Image others goe higher and they depend up on things of more worth and strength that seem to be made of Iron they cloath themselves with moral vertues and put confidence in them and these they thinke will defend and save them But there are some that goe higher then all these and they pretend to cloath themselves with the garments of Jesus Christ himselfe and the graces of the Spirit and in these they glory and this glisters like Gold but it is not Gold and they seem to have faith but have not faith and love but 't is not love and patience but t is not patience c. And they are no other but Images and Idols upon which many men professing Religion and under the strictest formes and fellowships rely and shelter themselves under and think these will defend and protect them from hell and destruction and Gods wrath these things cover them and cover the wickednesse of their hearts that they cannot see themselves how vile they are how infinitly wicked in the sight of God Esay 30.1 these cover themselves with a covering but not with the Lords spirit Wo be to all such for these poor souls do most pitifully and miserably delude themselves these instead of putting on the rich and glorious robe of Christs righteousnesse doe cloath themselves with the stinking loathsome abominable and divelish righteousnesse of man I and they preferre it before the excellency of the Lord Jesus Christ and of these Christ himselfe saith verily such can never enter into the Kingdome of Heaven but Publicans and Harlots and the vilest of sinners shall enter into the Kingdome Matth. 21.31 when they shall be shut out For these are those that have put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face as the Lord saith by Ezekiel and have set up their Idols in their heart Ezek. 7.19 14.4 c. and yet
White Stone with a New Name which none can know but such as receive it They see themselves delivered I and are at rest from themselves They see their owne wisdome their owne power their owne holinesse to be as it is nothing but sin and hell and misery and a delusion And this they rejoyce in to see this Pharaoh overwhelmed in the sea this makes themselves sing the song of Moses and the Lamb and to see all this to be done not by their power nor by their wisdom nor by their watchfulnesse nor by any endeavours of theirs but that the whole work in every part of it was Christ alone that t is he alone that is mighty to save he that is also glorious in apparel Esa 63.1.2 and travelling in the greatnesse of his strength none assisted him no man stood by him but he alone made bare his own arme that so he might have all the glory These things seen and accomblished in themselves is their feast of Fat things their Wine on the Lees their keeping the Sabbath their day of praise and Thanksgiving They have none to praise nor to speak well of but of him alone They find that he alone was their deliverer and he was their Captain and their Conquerer that he alone was their leader their guide their teacher And that all teachers were but Deluders Southsayers Lyars and Deceivers but onely Him they can call no man Master and Father upon earth Mat 23.9 for one is their Master and Father which is Christ alone As Paul saith he received not his Gospel of man or by man Gal. 1.12 but by the revelation of Jesus Christ so they receive not their power not their wisedome nor their teaching of or from man but onely by and from Jesus Christ alone Then also Vse 2 in the next place let us farther make this Use of this point to take notice of the misery and desperate condition of all men by nature what a deluge of destruction is upon them because of the face of the Covering of all people because they seek help and strength and riches and glory and wisdome in other mountains besides this Mountain because they find strength and wisdom and rest and rejoycing and feasting in their own mountains And the more comfort and delight men take in their own wisedome or holinesse or the like so much the more miserable so much the farther from the Kingdom of Heaven when men look upon themselves as being strict or holy more then others because they are under such and such forms such rules and are so comformable to the word and mind of Christ and here solace and feast themselves Luk. 17.21 and cry Loe here is Christ and there is Christ in this form or that fellowship and think therefore they are in a safe condition but it will go ill with all others Esa 65.5 stand farther off I am holier then thou The dangerousnesse of these mens condition I say you may discover from the present point when they make any other thing their rock or their mountain but Christ alone when they think they can guide themselves provide for themselves teach themselves these are in a very miserable condition these are those of which Christ saith go not after them for they are deceivers and deluders Luk. 17.20 for the Kingdome of God cometh not with observation as they say by observing this rule and this form or that fellowship or any way that man hath found out to cover himselfe withall All these are but fig-leaves which will not bear out the wrath of God these are but mens Coverings which cover themselves with a covering as they think from all evil and wrath Esa 28 20 but 't is not the Lords Spirit The Bed is too broad and the Covering is narrow it will not defend them from the Lords fierce wrath These are they that have kindled a fire to warm themselves at Ibid. 50.11 but they shall lie down saith the Lord in the fire that they have kindled and in the sparks that they have gathered together And for all their forms and prayers and duties and ordinances and holinesses and washings and baptizings and receiving the Sacraments and the like yet this is that they shall receive at my hand They shall lie down in sorrow for when you did all these things did you them at all unto me and not unto your selves did you at all fast unto me though ye pretended to seek me early and to seek me daily and did delight to know my wayes as a Nation that did righteousnesse and as if they forsook not in the least the ordinances of their God and take delight in approaching to God yet for all this saith the Lord to the Prophets Cry aloud Esa 58.1 lift up your voices like a Trumpet and shew my people their Transgression and the House of Israel their sins All these things will not deliver thee from wrath but thou rather then any other shalt lie down in sorrow and Publicans and Harlots for all your holinesse and strictnesse shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven before you Mat. 21.31 11.22 And it shall be easier with Tyre and Sydon in the day of judgement then for these that have done these and these things in his name yet for all this will Christ say depart from me I know you not ye workers of iniquity there was nothing but iniquity in your righteousnesse in all your duties in all your forms and professions you of all other I will not know you of all others depart from me you of all others are workers of iniquity you above all shall lie down in sorrow and in the sparks that you have kindled you thought your selves better then others holier then others when you are indeed and in truth the vilest and worst of all others Therefore most desperate and most miserable are these above all in as much as they thought themselves before all when they think because of their holiness because of their conformity because of their moderation because of their abstinence because of their meeknesse because of their gravity therefore they are better then others here is the great and unspeakable delusion of their own hearts For grace and true religion never teacheth any man to think highly of himself but to think highly of Jesus Christ grace debaseth man more and more and brings him to see the Bottomlesse deceit and delusion of his own heart It teacheth men not to think better and better of themselves but worse and worse and makes men not to desire praise or high esteem from others but it would have Christ have all the glory and praise and it selfe to be less and less and worse and worse it its own esteem for the more grace the more light which discovers more and more the infinite and bottomlesse vilenesse and delusion of their own natures Beloved this is the true teaching which comes only and alone from Jesus
whether this way of man do not set him at a farther distance from his true rest for if man think he can come to Christ by any thing of himselfe by any Religious actions and performances then from this it must needs follow that he sees not his own weakness nor wickednesse nor there is no sin nor wickednesse nor misery made manifest unto him And he makes lyes his refuge Esa 22.15 and under falshood he hath hid himselfe and drawn way his heart from the living and eternal God to depend upon the lying and deceitful power and wisedome of man and digged to himselfe broken Cisterns Jer. 2.13 So that Secondly this will follow that this man hath made a Rock to stay himselfe upon for if thou thinkest that thy actions and performances will bring thee neerer unto God then other men or that any thing can draw thee neerer but the meer hand and spirit of the Father is not this I say to set up something against the power of the Father Is not this to set up errour against truth and darkness against light and Antichrist against Christ for here it is manifest that there is nothing but the power of the Father to draw men unto Christ Now seeing thou hast made Lyes thy delight and vanity thy trust see what is pronounced against thee for all thy confidence and strong opinions of thy safety and security Cursed is the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his Arm and whose Heart departeth from the Lord. Jer. 17.5 So I say this meerly leads man from a denyal of himself to a setting up of himselfe from a waiting and depending on the power of God to a depending and hanging on the wisedome and power of the flesh now when the soule has made experiment of this in it self to finde see and feele it really in his own heart that no hand drawes to the Father but the Spirit onely Oh then this will make the heart of man lament and say what a hard heart have I I cannot goe one step towards my Saviour Mark 10.51 this makes him cry out and say come Lord Jesus and open my blind eyes that I may receive my sight and thou Son of David haver mercy on me and there is none but thou alone can cure my leprosie and save my spirit or else I perish I perish for ever and this is that which makes man to have the true circumcision and to worship God in the Spirit Phil. 3.3 and have no confidence in the flesh Then if it be the Fathers power and spirit that onely draws men unto Christ Vse 2 Then neither man nor Magistrates can draw or drive them thither the work of the Father is his own work and he hath not substituted any other in his place for he will not give his glory to another neither suffer his holy name to be polluted Esa 42.8 Now if it be thus that unlesse the Father draw man unto Christ man cannot come then it must needs be lyes and vanity for any of the sons of men to take upon them and say they can and they must act something either to draw or drive men unto Christ we know this hath been the undertakings of all ages and times Joh. 16.2 but what was the fruit of it Under pretence of doing God good service they have shed the blood of the Saints that it might be fulfilled that not a Prophet perisheth OVT of Jerusalem Luk. 13.33 for still in all ages who have more persecuted the Gospel and the true Professours thereof then those who shew most Zeal and profession of it Christ and all the Prophets and Apostles and generally all the Martyrs have suffered upon this account that upon them might come all the blood shed upon the earth Mat. 23.35 Gal. 4.29 from the blood of the righteous Abel to this veâ—y day and that the bond-woman alwayes persecutes those that are from above Now I say for the Magistrates to say they can propagate the Gospel and keep back errours alas what is all of this nature but high presumption against the power and absolute Authority of Jesus Christ and taking the government of the Church out of his Hand and proclaiming themselves wiser then He But I shall but propose to these poor selfe-wise Creatures these one or two things Are they able to rule themselves and to keep errours out of their own hearts I suppose no man so ignorant of himselfe as to deny or affirm that he can the nature of man being so depraved that he cannot resist really one sin as it is sin And moreover is it not a truth that if the Lord watch not the City the watch-men watch in vain Psal 127.1 And yet thou that couldest not keep one sin out of thy own heart how canst thou undertake to watch over the Church of God and keep out Errours and Wolves that they come not in Alas poor ignorant man this is thy pride and the vanity of thy heart 1 Sam. 17 28. Psal 121.4 for 't is the Lord alone that keops Israel and he neither slumbereth nor sleepeth Againe dost thou not say that thou art a Christian if so then thou wouldst believe that he is a God Alsufficient I am God Alsufficient walk before me and be thou perfect Gen. 17.1 Is he alsufficieÌ„ntly Wise and Strong Holy Good Merciful c. then is not this the manifestation of thy absolute infidelity when thou thinkest he will not take care of his own Church Or else thou concludest thus if he be Wise enough yet he hath not Power enough and therefore thou must help him And is he not Alsufficiently Good and will he not take care of his own cause Never feare but he will I and take so much care Mat. 16.18 that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it And againe is it not said that it pleased the Father Col. 1.19 that in him should all fulness dwell And that in all things he might have the preheminence and saith he plainly Joh. 5.22 Mat. 28.18 Esa 9.6.7 the father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement unto his Son And that all power in Heaven and Earth is given unto him And again to us a Son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulders And that of the Increase of his Government and peace there shall be no end upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdome to order it and establish it with Iudgment and Iustice even for ever And that the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this And againe Col 2.3 that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him Now is all the power of the father given into the Hand of Christ And have not we all said the Pope is not the Vice-roy nor Vicar of Christ and does not every man throw dirt upon him and yet we can get into the POPES place and sit in his seat
doing this work we may see the manner of his working and proceeding with the sons of men in the following words I will cut off thy Horses out of the midst of thee and I will destroy thy Charets this is one part of his acting He will cut off his Horses and destroy his Charets that is whatever it be that man rides on or trusts in or thinks to be delivered by all his helps or refuges all his hopes or confidences that are below or less then Jesus Christ himself hee will cut off and destroy though his confidence be never so great and that wherein he trusts be never so strong and his Charets never so many In that day when the Lord wil arise they shall be all cut off all utterly overwhelmed like Pharaoh and his Charets in the Sea Let it be what it will wherein thou trustest Exod. 14. and thinkest to sit safely in the midst of all wrath and storms if thou puttest trust in riches honour power of men wisdom parts or any thing thou hast chosen and thinkest thy self ever the better or safer for them all these shall be cut off from thine hand Nay though thou art in the very Chariot of Religion Mich. 5.12 and highest profession of the truth and hast chosen to thy selfe the purest forms and Ordinances as thou callest them and Church-felloships washings breaking of bread or any thing else in thine hand which can be named except Jesus Christ himselfe whereby thou hast quieted thy spirit and hast thereby gotten to thy selfe a peace and a rest all is a delusion and an Idol It may be Thou when thy conscience began to accuse thee and wrath appeard to amaze and affright thee thou saidst within thy self I must now do something that I may deliver my soule from this guilt I must quench this flame for I am not able to bear it I will run to this duty and take up that form and observe such and such rules and then I shall do well and I shall secure my self from wrath and hell As the Pharisees what think you drove them to the Baptism of John certainly it was this fear and this guilt upon their spirits For saith he to them O Generation of Vipers Mat. 3.7 who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come bring forth fruits meet for repentance as if he should say when ye were affrighted and terrified you thought comming to my Baptisme would secure you but you are but Vipers for all this and this submitting to Baptisme doth not declare true repentance But know the Ax is now laid to the root of the Tree Vers 10. and every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire And further you boast of being the children of Abraham and the seed of the faithful and because ye are members of the true Church but all this is to little purpose for God is able of these stones to raise up Children unto Abraham So that you see for all your Forms and Fellowships wherein you trust you shall be in that day of the Lord stript naked of all your garments and of all your refuges all those Horses and Chariots which you thought should preserve you and carry you out of all danger they shall all be broken and cut off and thy soul plunged into the bottomlesse pit Psal 38.3 and thou shalt have no rest in thy bones because of thy sin and by reason of thy misery for thou shalt not know which way to turn thee for all thy Idols and all thy Images shall not in that day be able to help or deliver thee Jer. 4.4 for the wrath of the Lord shall burn as an Oven and then thou must stand naked before the presence of the Lord who is a consuming fire Heb. 12. c. to burn up and consume every thing but Himself And not onely so but as it follows in the next words I will cut off the Cities of thy Land and throw down all thy strong holds As when outward enemies came upon the people of Israel and invaded their Land and the Lord had said they should go into captivity then nothing should be a defence to them but the enemy should break into their strongest places and their Cities should not secure them nor any of their strong holds which they had made for their defence do them any good This now was true in the Letter but this is also as true in the Mystery in the living and spiritual sense When men have made themselves defences and think they are secured from wrath and hell and all storms and no evil shall touch them neither will they be carried captive by Satan nor by the Prince of Darknesse and although by their wisdom they contrived these forts and strong holds and thought themselvs never so secure therin yet all of them shall be vain hopeless and helpless and nothing within them nor without them shall help them and the wrath of the Lord shall make them vile odious and abominable which before they got coverings for now whether they will or no they shall see themselves as they are and they shall not be able to have one good thought of themselvs but the contrary for this light of the Lord discovers their blackness their deformity and that there is no power nor wisdom can help them but onely the good will and the good hand of the Lord nothing but his meer goodnesse and they shall see that there is no power no goodnesse no mercy anywhere but in the Lord alone and if he doe not pitty them there is no mercy at all for them And not only so That men have their horses to ride on to carry them swift away that no danger may overtake them and Chariots wherein they ride and put their trust so likewise that they have Cities and Strong-holds for their security so that all the wisdome and power of man cannot make them more strong and safe to beare off the wrath of God but also saith he in the next verse Vers 13 I will cut off witchcraft out of thine hand and thou shalt have no more Southsayers Men have their Juglers and Diviners their Southsayers and their Witches All that witchcraft whereby men have deluded and deceived their souls in that day shall be discovered those false SEERS who cryed peace peace when there was no peace All that Witchcraft which men used in the things of God in setting up Images and forms and shadows and herein deluded men making them believe they were the things themselves And though they have wrought them up never so curiously and made them as neere the life as might be yet in that day they shall come to see they were but Images and dead things which could not help at all And now they shall no more live upon them or hang depend or call upon them for help or reliefe though they were made after the best pattern and never
and ORDAINE Ministers and they speak of giving the Holy Ghost but alasse I say all these are but resemblances and shadows they are not the true Ordinances of Christ and notwithstanding mens using of these things with so much appearance of strictnesse and exactuesse yet they have them not For they are in bondage still they were never yet delivered set free indeed nor never Baptized with the Baptisme of Christ never yet fetcht off their own bottoms never taken into Vnion with Christ who will undertake to give the Spirit and the Holy Ghost and yet never had it themselves and therefore all those things that these men use are nothing but shadows Outsides Shels and Carkasses of the true Ordinances of Christ You know many came to Johns Baptisme even of the Pharisees and yet they wre but a Generation of Vipers their consciences told them that John was a true Prophet Mat. 3.7 and they began to smite them and they thought it was a duty they were bound to that thereby they should prevent the wrath to come and they presently take it up as having power of their own to do any thing in Religion and here they thought themselves secure and that they had really prevented the wrath to come But the true Baptisme and the true Ordinanes and the true Worship are things of a farre higher nature There is a HEAVENLY Baptisme and a Heavenly Worship and an Heavenly Ord inance I saith John Baptize with Water but there is one that commeth after me Ver. 11 12. who is preferred before me He shall Baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire I must decrease but HE must increase My Baptisme is nothing I must stand by when he comes I baptize but unto repentance but He gives repentance and the Holy Spirit The Heavenly things are of a far higher nature These are but the pictures and the shadows the shells and the outsides the other the Life and the Power the Holy Ghost and the Fire it self Now they that receive these things are indeed the Children of the Free-Woman and are the true seed of Abraham All other are the Children of the Bond-Woman and are HAGAR who is in bondage with her Children to this very day For as it was with Hagar so is it now and hath been alwayes in all ages and generations The children of the Bond-woman do alwayes exalt themselves and are very sawcy and peremptory toward the children of the Free-woman why because they are Circumcised and submit to Ordinances and think themselves of the seed of Abraham therefore they grow proud lofty and censorious and usurp too much over the Children of the Free-woman even as their mother before the Hagar she despised her Mistress and lifted up her selfe more then was fit for her Therefore this is determined concerning her Cast out the Bond-woman and her Son for the Son of the Bond-woman shall not be heir with the Son of the Free-woman Gal. 4.25 When once the Handmaid who is in the house but by sufferance will exalt her selfe above THE MISTRESSE and her SON born after the flesh begin to persecute him that is born after the spirit then away with her cast out both her and her Sons too And farther know this that when the appearance of the power of Christ comes into the soul that is when the Bond-woman and her son is cast out then the soul doth not as some imagine and teach work out its own liberty nor is it made free by its own power Ibid 5.1 but Christ brings in this liberty with him and from this liberty the soule acts and works The children of the Free-woman do not work to be set free but because they are set free therefore they work freely and cannot but so work And herein lies a broad difference between the children of the Bond-woman and the children of the Free-woman When the sons of the Bondwoman hear of any thing that man is required to do presently they think to work themselves to it by their care watchfulnesse resolution c. But now it is quite contrary with the sons of the Free-woman they having a Principle of Freedom act and work from this the one worships God from an internal Principle in the power of the spirit the other from an outward compulsory cause and not from the power of love So likewise the one doth all his actions out of love to men doing good to all men in the world being willing to serve all out of love Pittying all Counselling all willing to help all so far as lies in them Imitating their Heavenly Father who doth good to all to the good and evil just and unjust Mat. 5.45 and meerly from a Heavenly Principle of mercy pitty and loving kindnesse and bowels of mercy But the other His Religion consists in outward forms in washings and dippings and conformity to Fellowships and whatever they do it is not from the power of love or from the nature of their heavenly fater in them but from some external cause from something without them from fear or hope either to prevent some danger or to procure something which they conceive in a general notion to be good for them to make them happy and the like because Hell they hear is a terrible place and full of Horrour and Destruction and Heaven is a place of peace joy and rest and there they shall live for ever in pleasure which shall never end upon these two grounds most men act and take up the strictest forms of Worship and hereupon they may be very constant and very zealous and sincere as they conceive when alas all these things are nothing at all so nor so for the truth is Hell they love and live in and yet know not that they are in it and that which is true heaven to the soule they hate and run away from as being the place of misery death and torments to them Therefore ye may see what a miserable delusion and cursed vaile is generally upon the Hearts of most men which call themselves Men fearing God and that which they call the Worship of God is no other but inventions of their own as they practice them and WILL-WORSHIP And though they keep a great deal of stirre about Ordinances and breaking of bread yet alas how far they are from the Ordinances of Christ let the effects of their practice and lives declare how little do they feed on Christ as they pretend to do He that feeds on Christ partakes of his nature and Christ in them turns the stock into his own Nature as Peter speaks Luk. 11.28 Ibid. 22.19 and they hear the word and keep it and these truly feed on Christ and do it in remembrance of him But these pretenders to Ordinances and outward duties they in stead of feeding on Christ or being fed by him they are fed indeed but by whom even by Satan himselfe for he makes them live and rest upon these shadows and
pictures and to have their dependance and life on them and to make IDOLS of them Ps 106.37 1 Cor. 10.20 21. and in this case saith David and the Apostle Paul They sacrifice unto Devils and not unto God And yet none more precise none more holy in words and gestures and in their Apish Imitations and carriages then they none pretend more justice and carriages then was it not thus with the Pharisees They made it a great matter to be outwardly just to men and stood much upon their praying fasting paying Tythes not keeping back so much as that of the smalest consequence Mint and Cummin yet what were they for all this but Hypocrits Dissemblers painted Sepulchres without Mat. 23.27 but full of rottenness and dead mens bones within But those that are indeed Saints and Members of the true body of Christ their minds are first changed and they have a new nature and from this they work and worship and do acts of Justice and Mercy The other whatever they pretend change but the outside and wash but the outside of the cup and platter Ibid. v. 25 but the inside is as foul and loathsome as ever they can be very strict in their performances and carriages they can make long prayers and seem very devout but then they must be thought to be Somebody and they must be honoured or else all the fat is in the fire as the proverb is and they must have the uppermost seats and grave greetings by the Name of RABBI RABBI and they must be thought to be the only holy men are mighty circumspect to keep their distances with all but whom they think wel of and hereby they think to keep up their honor and respect and they are very conversant in reading praying and expounding the Scriptures as they themselves understand them and this is their Holiness and their Religion and these things make them to be feared and honoured as they think and this makes them bold and this strikes an awfulnesse on the spirits of others and makes them TERRIBLE alas poor ignorant deluded soules these things may be called holiness and holy duties and their many words and long bablings they may be called prayer by themselves and others who are as blind as themselves who cannot see their pride and vain-glory and self-confidence and lifting up themselves and indeed men know them not for saith Christ Luke 11.44 Luk. 11 44 They are as graves which appear not and men are not aware of them but as for those who have the spirit of God in them and a spirit of discerning in them they see plainly that all this is vanity They see that all their highest and strictest zeal and performances are a meer sound of words without any real life to be no other but as sounding Brass 1 Cor. 13.1 or a tinckling Cymbal which vanishes and comes to nothing it being no more but air and emptimesse having nothing of truth or reallity in it The Pharisees long prayer was no prayer at all but was rejected when the poor dejected Publicans saying but a few words was esteemed a prayer and was accepted and he went home justified and not the other These Pharisees they are furnished at all times Luk. 18 13. they can preach and pray and do any thing they are fitted at all times they can at any houre command themselves they can pray either in the Chamber or in the Temple or in the Closet and keep their set rules and houres And this is their Holiness and all that do not follow their Modes and their Forms are loose and prophane and they can judge and censure a brother for a Mote in his eye but perceive not a Beam in their own eye Mat. 7 3. These are the men our Lord so much aimd at Mat. 23.26 33 and had so much to do to uncase and convince and him they so much hated because he had such a slight opinion of them and of their holinesse and because he censured them for Hypocrits and blind Pharisees nay the worst of all men yea worse then Whoremongers Thieves and Murtherers Nay he calls them Serpents But the other who worship God in the spirit and have their help strength and dependance on the Lord they see really their own insufficiency and they receive all by waiting on God they cannot speak nor preach nor pray but when he doth all this in them they will not be unjust to men because they have an inward principle that conforms them to the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 29.16 1 John 5.18 having a new nature they work all their works from that being good they cannot but do good but the other they do good things thinking thereby to make themselves good and to procure favour and acceptance But the sons of God know that whatever is not acted from the spirit of God working in such is no other but from the Devil is no other but Witchcraft Sorcery Inchantment c. In brief the one keep a great deal of stir and are very busie and exact about outsides and forms and times and places and the like when as the other see the vanity and folly of such things and having a principle of holinesse within from thence doe they act and work This they know is the true circumcision who worship God in the spirit Phil. 3.3 and rejoyce in Jesus Christ and have no confidence in the flesh and doing any duty from this principle of the new man or the new creature in them this they esteem to be an ORDINANCE because it is done with life and power and in the spirit of Jesus Christ and they cannot call any thing an Ordinance but only this whatever all the Wizzards Southsayers Diviners Inchanters in the world say to the contrary THE ROOTING up of every Plant not Planted by the Heavenly Father Preached at Alhallows Lumbard-street Matth. 15.13 14. But Jesus answered and said Every Plant which my Father hath not planted shall be rooted up Let them alone they be blind leaders of the blind And if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch THese words contain an answer of our Lord unto his Disciples For they having heard how the Scribes and Pharises were much offended at some things he had preached they being very strict for the outside and formal part of Religion and being generally taken for great Professours and our Saviour knowing their hearts knew that though the outside was clean aimable and beautiful yet the inside was foul stinking and loathsome for all their observances of washings and fastings and the like Hereupon our Saviour to undeceive the people concerning them calls the multitude together and tells them plainly wishing them not to be foold and deluded but hear and understand in the eleventh verse saith he It is not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man but that which cometh out of the mouth that defileth a man Vers 11 The
ceases to act and he made as dead as nothing as emptied to all things in themselves so that they cannot say nor think that they have any Wisdom Power or Goodnesse or that by them they can act any thing toward the worship or acceptance of the Father but are reprobate in themselves to every good work Thou who hast chosen any other Saviour Tit. 1.16 any other Deliverer any other Help but Jesus Christ where wilt thou appear when the Lord shall come to judgment then all thy Saviours will forsake thee and not one stand by thee When thou hast said of thy forms and fellowships and thy Ordinances as thou callest them These be thy gods that will save thee these shall give thee a Rest and peace Exo. 32.4 And though with your tongues you do not say thus yet this is the very end of thy cleaving to them to be rest for thy spirit here and to save thee from the wrath to come What is all this but to rob Christ of his Glory and to set the crown upon thy own inventions And t is true we in words say Christ is all in all yet in practice we must bring in something of man he must act and he must do something else he cannot expect that Christ should do his part how then is Christ all in all how is he the Author and finisher of faith These are therefore those which Christ and the Prophet speaks of Heb. 12.2 that have eyes and see not and cares and hear not and hearts which cannot understand Now if thou wert able I say to stand in this light of God and there rest quiet and sit down under hell and wrath and covered with damnation and the curse as being thy right and thy portion this were the way to come to life this is Christ his way for life alwayes springs out of death and light out of darknesse and fulness out of emptinesse and Alsufficiency out of nothingnesse and this is the great Mystery of the Gospel which the whole world and all litteral and great knowing Professors neither will nor can understand because they cannot endure this light of God to destroy confound and undoe them But they are seeking out any covering to keep them from this discovering light for they must be something in themselves and hate this making nothing and would by no means their deeds should be made manifest nor the foulness of their hearts laid open And know also this light is within thee if thou wouldst let it shine out there is a voice within thee saying This is the way walk in it So that thou needest not say in thine heart who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above Esa 30.21 Rom. 10.6 7. or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring Christ again from the dead but the righteousness of Faith saith the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart and this is the word of faith which we preach But man he is still looking to external actings and thinking he must be doing something to procure peace and life or else he thinks if he can but beleeve on an external Jesus Christ who died at Jerusalem and fetch Christ from the grave or bring him down from above this is his righteousnesse what 's all this but the righteousnesse of the Law which Moses describeth to be on this wise Ibid. v. 5. that the man which doth those things shall live in them And this covenant of works man can never get from under For the Law was given to shew man his weaknesse and inability to do the least and this never works effectually till Christ come in with his light to make man see himself as he is poor and wretched and blind and naked to slay man and to make him miserable to himself for he is miserable and lost and undone but he hates to see it or acknowledge it and by running from this discovering light man thinks to save himself and to avoid hell and wrath and the pit of eternal condemnation when indeed this very thing is his misery and death and condemnation That he must be something in his own esteem and he cannot lose his life yet all this is no other but seeking to make a covenant with death and hell but this Covenant will be broken and will and doth in time break in upon him to his everlasting condemnation and none of all his coverings shelters forms or any of his fortifications nor his strong holds will secure him or keep off the Deluge of wrath and vengeance due unto him Now Jesus Christ being as I said nigh thee within thee in thy mouth in thy heart he by his light Psal 91.11 if thou wouldest hearken to his teaching would direct and guide thee in all thy waies from whence come those secret whisperings and checks within thee when thou thinkst to doe this and that evil and it tels thee no do it not t is evill to wrong or hate thy brother to persecute him no saies this light Doe as thou wouldst be done unto Mat. 7.12 and thou oughtest not to doe the least hurt to any creature because thou wouldst not be hurt thy selfe He did evil thou wouldst verily think if he should doe so to thee and is it not the same in thee this very light in thy own breast is a sufficient judge and teacher if thou wouldst but still mind it and eye it and be guided by what it teacheth in thee This light would bring thee to see how weak thy strength is how much folly is in all thy wisdom what confusion is in all thy peace what rottenness of bones in all thy health what poverty in all thy riches what sorrow and misery in all thy joy and pleasure But this is thy condemnation that thou wilt not be condemned but as this light within discovers darkness thou art stil using thy utmist inventions to cover thy self and make thee seem otherwise namely Good holy wise righteous and worthy of all praise and admiration And this is the epidemicall misery of all the sonnes of men and He cryes out against this light and hates it and persecutes it and those that professe it and hold it forth No blacker divel to men then this light that would shew them themselves And in all ages those whom God hath made instrumentall to hold this light forth in experience they have been still hated and persecuted by the most and greatest professors of Truth no names black enough to smite them with nor no death bad enough for to cut them off by to expresse their unexpressible hatred and bitternesse to them to the utmost of their power what to take away their life their peace their glory their God their goodness nay the very crown of their glory Acts 22.22 away with such a fellow from the earth t is not fit he should live And all this comes from hence that man