daily in our souls Did he heal the lame and cast out Devils then He doth the same in our souls And whereever he doth them he doth them so as they shall never be Blind more never Dumb more never Deaf more the devil shall never possess thee more The whole letter of the word is but Christs Body and therefore we must not be content with that and rest in that When once we have the Substance of Christs actions there is no more use oâ— the signes we must labour to find out the Truth that is hid in this shell and to find the treasure the pearl that is hid in this field seek for THE WORD as our Saviour prayes Father sanctifie them with thy truth Thy WORD is Truth Mosâ— men henâ—e think when they read the letter of the word they think they read Gods word No no this is not the truth that Christ calls truth for he himself is the Word the Truth and the Life He is the meat and the marrow of which that is but the Bone and the shell Search the Scriptures for in them ye think to have eternal life for they testifie of me I am the substance I am the SOUL of them And they do but testifie of Me they are not the life the soul Yet I prize the letter as high as any man but I must not prefer the Handmaid before the Mistress Yet much ado there hath been among many men about this Letter of the word who pretend to know much in Gods word as if they knew whatever were to be known They are gone so far and are come to such perfection as they think that they can resolve any point in Divinity give the interpretation of any place of Scripture and many large voluminous works have been published to the world and filled it full of their Expositions but God knows how many of them have kept a deal ado and much blustring to little purpose And in our dayes and in our Nation what talk is there everywhere of Gods word when indeed and in truth most men are ignorant of Gods word and all is because they take these Literal black letters to be The word of God you are deceived Is it The Word of God because it is English or Latin or Greek or Hebrew can we tell whether ever God spake in any of these languages or if he did These Letters cannot be The word of God If any way The word be taken in vain it is this way when men think God speaks to them And they hear him when they read the letter You are deceived in this The letter doth but bear Witness to the truth Christ is the Truth and the letter gives Testimony to him See what the Evangelist sayes The Word is Joh. 1. In the beginning was the word Bibleswere not then and the word was God This is That Word so magnified both in the old and new Testament To which all their Sacrifices and Prophesies pointed to in shadows but the Substance of them is Christ as the Apostle saith Heb. 10. The Law is but a Shadow of good things to come But Christ he is The Word He is The Truth He is those good things promised throughout All the Scriptures The letter is but the Shadow the Signes the BODY and Substance is Iesus Christ. And if it be so then let me say thus much more to you Never any man ever yet Saw the Truth nor ever any man Heard the truth nor ever read the truth Those that onely read the Letter they are ignorant of the word for the truth is the word and the word is the Spirit It is the Spirit That discerns the word through the letter and it is the Spirit that applyes it where ever it works it is the Spirit onely that knows the truth And t is the Spirit onely that fructifies and thrives by it and lives in it The word heard or read is but the Bark the Outside the Sheath the Lanthorn but the Sap the Life the Sword the Light that is within And this is Onely Christ Co-Essential with the Father This is that word which the Scripture speaks of which is able to make the man of God perfect for as the Apostle saith The Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did for do you what you can yea keep the whole Law according to the letter yet this cannot make us perfect But this word this truth we now unfold is the Sure the real the true the eternal word against which The gates of hell shall never be able to prevail Have ye what ye can of the letter except ye have also Christ the substance thereof the letter will but deceive you for you have but the shadow and therefore you must needs be deceived for you to think you have the substance when you have but the shadow It is not any outward thing we can do will do us any good it is the Spirit the word it self that doth the deed Yet I must tell you more That this word and Christ and the Spirit All dwell Among us dwell In us and we know them not as Iohn 1. 10. He was in the world and the world was made by him He dwels among us and yet the world knows him not nay He came among his Own and his Own received him not These are strange expressions what may be the meaning of this Divine high-flowen Eagle for that is his Embleme I conceive it was to shew that he soared and flew higher in Divine contemplations of truth and in the knowledge of the Mystery then all the rest of the Evangelists This was he of whom it is said The Disciple whom Iesus loved and this is he thaâ— Leaned on his breast at supper This was he that had all those divine visions and Secret mysteries revealed to him in the Isle of Pathmos who writ the Revelation and was therefore called IOHN the Divine I conceive his meaning is when he saith He came and dwelt among us and yet the world knew him not although it was made by him was this that God in Jesus Christ dwells in every creature but the creature comprehends it not Because the light shineth in darkness and the Darkness cannot comprehend the light It is in him as the Apostle saith that we live move and have our being and yet we know it not because we are compassed about with darkness nay we are Darkness it self Is it not a strange thing that He should be in Us be so near us and be our light and our life our sun and our shield and yet we not know him we not be acquainted with him But He Shines in Darkness what 's that that is All creatures are darkness to him God in himself is light of lights infinitely far above and beyond all creatures if he put forth himself in the making of any creature that creature is infinitely below him the highest of creatures is
truth or to speak precisely is to speak at once the truth that is the whole truth and nothing but the truth as for example if I tell you this is a Church this is not a precise truth for in saying it is a Church I neither tell you whether it be built of wood or stone or brick I neither tell you it is little or great I neither tell you whether it be high or low c. which I not doing do not tell you the whole truth Or if I tell you I saw a man I tell not his age nor stature nor complexion nor kindred nor riches nor bigness c. which is not the whole truth I shall unfold this to you these similies I use for your good God onely is able to speak such a truth A Precise Truth at once in one word as shall include all this God could have spoken such a word as should have included the whole truth in one word but where should he have found Auditors that were able to have heard him where had been our ears to have heard such a word or our understandings to have understood it you know a great noise deafs us and abundance of light blinds us if there be too much light it may as well blind a man as too little now you know truth is the object of the understanding as light is of sight so if there be an excessive truth spoken to us it destroyes it splits the understanding as the people of Israel they were not able to hear God speak but they must dye for it and Moses himself complains that he was afraid and trembled we are not able to hear God speak if he should speak to us as he would if we could hear he should speak us all to pieces he should speak us to nothing Oh let not God speak to us lest we dye We should cry out Oh do not speak to us as thou art in thy self for we are men but let Moses speak to us and we will hear him O Lord speak to us as men as we are able to hear Beloved the not knowing of this truth and our receiving the word and understanding it according to the Letter hath the been the ground of all the Errours of all the schisms of all the rents in this poor Church of ours But to go further and to give you a little further light I know the Scripture in the Letter speaks of election reprobation and predestination But if we take it according to men we are much deceived As for example when I say this man is like such another man And though he may be so in some things yet not in all and far be it from us to think because God speaks according to the manner of men that therefore we conclude his wayes are like our wayes or his thoughts like our thoughts but whatever God sayes of himself those are sentences and expressions spoken but by way of similitude to make us understand and not that we should think that the almighty infinite God to be like weak man so when he speaks of any of these things of election or reprobation or his foreknowledge there is indeed such a kind of thing in God 't is true but it is true as God intends it and not otherwise It is said also that God made a Covenant and the Scripture speaks of Gods knowledge but do you think that Gods Covenants are like the Covenants of men or his knowledge like means God forbid and wo be unto that man that takes it contrary to Gods intent and meaning so also we read of Gods hatred and of Gods love but his love and hatred is not like mens love and hatred Are my wayes like your wayes or my thoughts like your thoughts As if he should say will you wrest my word and take it according to your own ways will you take me according to my literal words away away As high as the Heaven is above the Earth so high are my thoughts above your thoughts And when God sayes he repented doest thou think that he repents as man repents He does repent it is true but according to his own sense and meaning not according to thine Alas alas we poor ignorant low narrow-spirited creatures as we are not able to comprehend God so neither can we Gods word we can see but a glympse and a little glimmering of the Truths of God As Elias he could not apprehend God nor discover him neither in the thunder nor in the lightning nor in the mighty rushing nor in the fâ—re though God was in them all but when God came in a still soft voice then he could apprehend God heard him and saw him and then he came to see that God was also as much in all the rest though he saw him not but he being as also we of a low soft and tender nature and so much children that he could not endure to hear the mighty God but in a still soft and tender voice the thunder and the fire and the mighty rushing is too terrible too destructive to our weak natures For in God there all things coincide even contradictories coincide in him as the Vision of God shews at large in some Chapters So when God promiseth here To him that overcometh will I give him to eat of the hidden Manna we must not take Gods meaning according to the Letter nor think it was or is that Manna that God rained from Heaven Num. 10. But by that expression he would win us to consider the heavenlyness and excellency and the rareness and the welcomness of that Manna that feeds the soul and what spiritual food is How welcome was it to the Israelites at first though afterwards the commonness made them loath it O lack I am but newly entred into my Text and now the time cuts me off I have opened the Windows to let in light into the Chamber into this Subject and the time bids me shut them again and I now must let it alone till another opportunity which is contrary to my purpose and full intent which was to have discovered what God hath revealed to me concerning these deep points now so much controverted and wherein there have been such errours and general mistakes even among them who have thought themselves very knowing in the Scriptures For vain man would be wise though he be born as a wild asses colt And he in his foolish wisdom and in his humane Reason would fain frame and square out God like unto himself that so he might as he thinks well near fathom comprehend him within the poor weak and narrow bounds of Reasons Line or Rule So much for the present Covetousness Anatomized AND THE Generality of Covetousness JER 6. 13. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to Covetousness and from the Prophet even to the Priest every one dealeth falsly Preached at Putney BEloved this speech as it is
such mighty miracles should be done daily and we not see them Truly the fault is in our selves not that Miracles are ceased but our eyes are blinded and we cannot see them and therefore it is we say There is no miracles now adays Miracles are ceased you are deceived for there wants not either power or willingness in God to shew thee as great miracles as he shewed them and he is as willing to shew his face to thee as to Moses and the Patriarchs but thou wantest that measure of faith that they had to see him thou art so deep set in the earth and so buried in unbelief that he can do no mighty works in thee as it is said concerning our Saviours working miracles in his own Countrey Matth. 13. 58. The next thing is the Vision it self And the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush and the bush burned and was not consumed and Moses said I will turn aside and see this great sight why the bush is not burnt and when he turned aside to see God called unto him and said Moses Moses and he said Here am I and he said Draw not nigh hither but put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place where thou standest is holy ground c. Here is now a large field before us Here is a vast Sea before us and like the river and holy waters in Ezekiel at the entrance into the Sanctuary which though at first it took a man but to the ancles and then to the knees yet at length it became a vast Sea to swallow up all those whose vessels are large enough may now lanch out into the deep But first Put off your shoes from off your feet before ever you adventure into this holy ground that is put off all self-conceit of your own understanding all conceit of your own knowledge or of your own abilities to discover those depths that are hid in these words The ground you are now going to set your feet on is marvellous holy ground it is not for every unclean beast to touch this mountain it is onely a Moses may or can ascend this mountain if you bring with you the judgment of flesh and blood or your own abilities to search these mysteries and to judge of these things I must tell you Other men shall see miracles but you shall see none Paul shall see the vision when they that are with him shall not see it Strip your selves therefore of all manner of conceits and confess you know nothing and give up your selves to be taught of God neither regarding me that speak to you nor your own abilities to judge of these things cast away all things of that nature for you have to do with God not man if you see no Miracles I believe you may blame your selves and your too great wisdom for now adays men are too wise to learn any thing And I for my labour look for no other recompence from such wise men but that they shall turn again and all to rent me But in the entrance into this 2. Verse here is one thing which I before touched at and that is why it is said the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses and in the verses following it is said to be the Lord God that called to Moses how can it be God and yet an Angel I finde not one Interpreter unfold this Mystery but either slides or slubbers over this thing wherein indeed there is such a depth of truth included as is able to make the man of God perfect and wise unto salvation and to build him up in all good works And to that end know That every Creature is an Angel of Gods being considered as Angel or Messenger for so the word imports it is a name not of nature but of office and every creature is sent of an Errand they all come out from him and when they have done their errand they return to him again And the sole business every creature comes about and is sent for into the world is to glorifie and magnifie God I say the whole work the business all creatures have to do is onely to magnifie and praise our great God after it hath done its errand and sung an Hymn to God Almighty then it departs and returns to him again For All creatures do sing his praise in whatever they do if not the praise of his goodness yet as much to his praise the glory of his justice the most senseless creature that is is a Messenger from God An Angel of his sending the winds the sea the flames of fire the earth the air the lions and all beasts and what creature you can name they are all his Angels and do his pleasure Balaams Ass was made an Angel to him when his eyes were opened But Because I say these are Angels I would not have you presently conceive that there are no other Angels above us not so but what they are we know not they are such as God Almighty hath appointed them to be and because we cannot know what they are let us not say there are none for they being in a sphear above us we are ignorant of them ignorant of their Nature and cannot Comprehend it As bruit beasts they are in a sphear below us and although they have not Reason in that degree that man hath yet they have some reason yet man is called the Reasonable creature though even beasts have something like man yet because he is so many degrees above these creatures he is denominated The reasonable creature as if nothing had any reason but him but it is otherwise Now these creatures are not able to understand though they have some reason the life and happiness of a man because they are so much below man So neither can man created in a sphear so far below Angels know the life happiness being and nature of Angels though something they may know yet far short of what they are But every creature hath his happiness in his own sphear a fool he is called a fool not because he hath no reason in him but because he is so far short of that understanding that is in other men There is reason in a kinde in all the creature in beasts and trees c. their life doth express reason though themselves understand not their own reason for they grow and increase and therein they express reason for God doth not in any creature work unreasonably but Man being made as it were The Master of Reason he is led altogether by reason as he is a man and what is above that he is not able to judge of because he never knew no life above it no happiness above it And therefore man if he go about to define those Angels that are nearer to God then himself he must make use of that which is within the compass of his own sphere therefore he would fain define them by
Ghost In them for all Scripture was given by inspiration 2 Tim. 3. 16. after they were once set apart by God to write the holy Scriptures they all spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost as Dan. 12. 4. God commands Daniel Shut up the words and seal the Book even till the time of the end These holy men being once set apart for this use they prophesie Beyond themselves and out of course and latter and after-times shall make known that which they themselves which wrote them knew not for they spake as inspired by God but Christs words are alwayes absolute and perfect truth he knew and saw very well what he said there is nothing useless in his words there is no Tautologies as we call them no vain repetitions when Christ speaks they are words of weight words of power they carry vertue with them as for instance if ever the winds blow and the storms arise in thy soul Then thou shalt find experimentally and feelingly that One word from Christs mouth will do thee more good then all the words and all the power of men To Still those winds and storms those who have experience here of know it full well as we see when the ship was like to be Overcome by the winds and storms and Christ was asleep you may see there how One word from him Ceased them No more but Peace and be still and t is the same in the soul and Psal. 107. 29. He maketh the storm a calm so that the waves thereof are still These words we have now read All power is given to me in heaven and earth They signifie that Christ is God equal with the Father but there seems to be a great difficulty in the words in that Christ never said before he was ready to leave the earth All power is given unto me in heâ—ven and earth The question is What power had Christ now committed to him that he had not before what new power received he that when he was to leave the earth and had given his Disciples a Commission and it was to be sealed at the day of Pentecost that he should say now and never before All power is given me in heaven and earth what addition of power had he now which he had not before if he be God equal with his Father and he saith many times The Father hath committed all judgement to the Son and again Before Abraham was I am and many such like words which shews he is God and of Equal power and Authority with his Father and yet he saith in the 14 of Iohn The Father is greater then I Can God receive any new Access of power No certainly but these words are so hard and difficult to reconcile that in the daies of Arius it filled the Church full of Errors and Heresies the Church fell much at Odds for many from hence denied the Divinity of Christ because they could not reconcile these Scriptures And by the way if he be Lord of all power then he leaves none for man to claim to himself But that I may answer this doubt and make it clear I will lay down two grounds First Although God receive no new power in himself yet he doth receive power by being made further known unto man And Secondly By mans being made further known unto him First By his being made further known unto man the revealing and discovering of God unto man making himself more known the manifestation of this is said To Adde power to him but not That any thing can be added to him who is infinite if there could he were not infinite and He were not God But know this whatever attribute God hath ascribed to him it is in regard of his creatures not in regard of himself for there are no such things in God Neither in regard of his incommunicable or communicable Attributes as Eternity Infiniteness Omnipotency Immensness c. Or in regard of his communicable as Wisdome Iustice and Mercy and Patience c. as if these were several things in God for God is One and cannot be more for when he is said to be any of these Iust or Good or Severe or the like these are all One and the same thing in him they are but Attributed to him that we may conceive of him it is but spoken of him according to the several workings of God on the creatures As for instance the Sun makes the Roâ—e to smel sweet and pleasant and it makes the Nettle to sting it makes the fields to grow and cast a Pleasant savour but it makes the Carrion and the Dunghil to stink and all this variety is by one and the self-same Sun the same light and heat doth divers things causes divers effects in the subjects Says the Rose it makes me fragrant and sweet and says the Dung-hill but it makes me stink and be unsavoury says the Wax it makes me soft and pliable but says the clay it makes me hard and obdurate yet the Sun doth not do one thing to one and another thing to another Even so Beloved it is with our God One man He finds God A comfort and a rejoycing to his heart another he finds God A Terror and an Amazement to him One he finds God A sweet guide and direction to him and thereby and therefore he draws nearer to God loveth and embraceth him Another apprehends God an enemy to him and this makes him run away from God Is God therefore thus various no no He is the self-same God to the One and to the Other and the self-same action in him is to the One and to the other He that is a Hammer to the Hard heart he is also mollifying and softning Oyl to the Penitent soul He that is A comfort to the fatherless and widow he is as an Enemy A Revenger and a consuming fire to the obstinate and rebellious And yet for all this Our God is always the same he is not nor cannot be changed in him is no shadow of change And therefore we cannot imagine that he can grow greater or less in regard of himself but as To us he doth that is if he manifest himself more to us more within us in our souls then he is said to be greater and if he lessen the knowledge of himself As to us then he is said to grow less And in this sense also he is said to come nearer to us and go further from us As also he is said so to do when he expresses as to us more or less some act of justice or mercy or any other artribute then I say he is onely said to be so in regard of us To grow greater or less to come nearer or depart further but He in himself is for ever blessed and perfect Unchangeable Immoveable always the same we can no way Touch him or Alter him but it is onely We the Creature is Altered and he is altered to us as to
it your pleasure I should be committed yea Doctor you are committed for your bold carriage and for afâ—ronting the Court in your language most grosly and not to be born So the Court being rising the Messenger jogging him to come away he said but do you hear my Lord are you in good earnest must I go to prison indeed I think you are but in jest Well Doctor replied the Bishop you were tooâ—awcy â—awcy but we will pass it by for this time expecting better carriage from you hereafter And coming another day in the morning to the Bishops house privately to speak with him many waiting in the Hall before he was ready he made known his dâ—sire to the Secretary but it seemed the Bishop had no mind to speak with him and there he waited sâ—veral 〈◊〉 being called in and dispâ—tchd he thought himself Slighted and spake again to the Secretary to mind the Bishop of him at last he told him hâ— had told him twice and he thought the Bishop would not speak with him for he seemed displeased with him for naming him thereupon the Doctor still waiting and seeing the last man called in went after him without order the Bishop staring him in the face said How now Dr. Everard what do you mean by this who sent for you no my Lord replied the Doctor I might I see have waited long enough before I should be sent for but it is my dâ—ty to wait upon you without sending for And then further urged his expectation of his Articlâ—s and his trouble in attending and plainly told him he looked for no favour at hâ—s hands let him have but Iusticâ— which he had little hope of he had so little already and he desired no more and withal told the Bishop of his 〈◊〉 him and that if he would boast of his standing in his 〈◊〉 he was not behind him but if he would have sâ—attered and complyed as some did he might have been a Bishop as well as he and that he knew well enough whereat the Bishop stormed and flung away in a rage But to go on But such was his expâ—rience of truth and errour and also in distinguishing the spirit and the life fâ—om the dead and killing letter having alwayes had the same searching spirit as in other things so in diviâ—ity chiefly so that he had run through most mens judgements that differ to discover and divide between truth and errour â—nd had it so pleased God he had lived till now he would have been of singular use as a means and instrument in the hand of the Lord to have drawn aside the curtain from before the glory of the Holy of holies and to remove the dark vail still upon the heart and the scales of ignorance from the eyes for therein was his affection his excellency and the delight of his heaâ—t above all things he giving lâ—rge testimony to the truth of the Letter and yet making it but the Letter thereby giving the lye to any who did or shall ignorantly charge him with Familism but firmly estâ—blishing that he then laboured to draw men higher that they might 〈…〉 as he clearly saw most men did and so do still So also he would have had marvâ—llous faculty in reconciling differences between honest and well meaning Christians and would have clearly told them what they both meanâ— and how thâ—y might agree and reconcile whereas since through misunderstanding they have quarrelled extremely though but about shadows for the most part both meaning well but through ill managing have abused and reproched each other most unchristianly and making the difference more and wider then iâ— was or is So that a man may ask as the Apostle doth in another case 1 Cor. 6. 5. Is there not a wise man among you but brother goeth to Law and contâ—ndeth with Brother nay what censuring and bitter 〈◊〉 have they searched for and invented to reproâ—h each other even before the ungodly to make one another 〈◊〉 to all men witness those 〈◊〉 of mischief by Mr. â—dwards and others who intended and promised such fruit every moneth a most wicked bold and presumptuous allusion to the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God spoken of Rev. 22. but it is far better that the Lord hath cuâ—bed and prevented such intentions These Sermons we had much ado to keep out of the Bishops fingers the Pursevant upon search for any thing of his missed them very narrowly But God preserveth and bringeth to light in his due time all things designed for use according to his own purpose And these had been communicated sooner but that we waited for a fit time we conceiving time now more ripe and more fit to propagate such spiritual and more raised truths Professors of Religion formerly living more in externals having not so deep a sight of such things as these and of the greatness of heart-sins and of those deâ—ilements within and of those secret wickedensses in high places which the Auther setting himself against 〈…〉 labouring with all his might to unbâ—ttom 〈◊〉 and litteral Professors from their false foundations whom he observed and discovered to build the main stress of their Religion upon Form 〈◊〉 and generals and very few of them seldome ever came to see thâ— disorder of the inward frame of their spirits and of the defilements of the inner man yet he finding most men approving and commending though bâ—t sâ—ch yea most Ministers and Preachers sowing pillows under the Elbows even of such Professors especially 〈◊〉 withall they lived inoffensively to men in their lives anâ— withal retaining and expressing a 〈◊〉 esteem of them they thought them goodly converts and they passed for 〈◊〉 Christians for those that put not into their mouthâ—r they prepare war against them Therefore seldom or never never of late did our Author go thâ—ir way and tread their baths but purposely avoided them which paths the saw led men to be at best but novices in Christianity and to be fed alwayes with milk being not able to 〈…〉 stomacks would so turn at 〈◊〉 which state also they might come and yet be nothing at all therefore his labour and endeavour was to lay the foundation and to root them sure and stedfast and then to build them up and to cause them to grow up and come on to perfection which they cannot but do if truly â—ounded upon the true corner-stone Jesus Châ—ist he laboured to sit them for strong meat as the Apâ—stle saith Heb. 6. 1 2. Leaving the principles of the Doctrine of Christ let us go on unto perfectâ—on not laying again the foundation of Repentance Faith Baptism and laying on of hands of the Resurrection and of the eternal judgement but as the Angel commanded Iohâ— To come up hither and to look for those 〈◊〉 those 〈◊〉 and full things that wâ— may come to be in the spirit upon the Lords day as Iohn was which things are held forth to all
knew him in the â—lesh in his latter dayes for those savoury and experimental Truths wrought in you by the power of Christ which he was an instrument to bear so clear witness unto And I for my part if I had the most precious Balme or the most Odoriferous ODOUR in the whole Earth I could freely pour it forth upon the NAME and Memory of that man as upon any English man I ever read or heard or ever were acquainted with But I have it not and he needs it not for he is far above all things of that nature or the most precious things the whole Earth can afford For He Resteth with Christ. But that which makes me now remember Him is That Mystical and Divine Exposition he gives of those 2 or 3 verses in the 15 Iosh. 15 16 17. being very suitable to the MYSTERY we are now unfolding I will read you the words and then I will give you the Interpretation in His own Words for I cannot give you a better And although the Men of the Letter or the Masters of the Letter will not cannot endure an Interpretation but what the bare Letter bears but presently they cry out ERROR and HERESIE according to their wonted manner In vilifying that which they do not apprehend but we leave them to themselves I pray give ear The words are these The Holy Spirit speaking concerning Caleb And he went up to the Inhabitants of DEBIR And the Name of DEBIR before was Kiriathsepher And Caleb said He that smiteth Kiriathsepher and taketh it to him will I give ACHSAH my Daughter to Wife And Othniel the Son of Kenaz the Brother of Caleb took it And he gave him Achsah his Daughter to Wife Saith he Kiriathsepher signifieth The City of the Book or The City of the Letter And Debir signifieth THE WORD And Caleb A good heart OTHNIEL The Lords Opportunity and Achsah The Rending of the Vail So that the Dr. reads the verses in English thus And A good Heart said He that smiteth the City of the Book or the City of the Letter He onely shall marry Achsah and have the Rending of the Vail And Othniel The Lords fit Opportunity he onely smites This City of the Letter and takes it and to him alone are the Scriptures made DEBIR The Word from whence he draws most Heavenly and Divine Conclusions c. But I refer you for your better satisfaction to the Book it self And return to our business in hand To all Those Blessed and Precious Souls Wheresoever Scattered Throughout the World Yet united in One Spirit Which Rejoyce in the Revelation Of the Mystery of Christ Being also reconciled unto God In One Body By the Cross He Having slain the Enmity thereby And do or may Comprehend This LANGUAGE To Them Is the Word of This Salvation Sent In all Humility Greeting A light to lighten the Gentiles And To be the Glory of the People of Israâ—â— To make known among the Gentiles The Manifold Wisdom of God And The Unsearchable Riches of Christ. THE RENDING OF THE VAIL OR Some Rayes of Glory from The HOLY of HOLIES MARK 9. 50. Have Salt in your selves In one Sermon Preached at Islington at the Publique Meeting-Place MY beloved now you are here gathered together in this place I beseech you hearken diligently to what shall be now â—poken I will use no other Preface then a word or two from that saying of our Saviour in the Paâ—allel place to this Luk. 14. 35. from which he makes this conclusion He that hath ears to hear let him hear Let him now hear the word of him by whom he shall be judged at that great day Let him now hearken to that word which shall certainly one day either sooner or later rise up in judgement against him Let him hearken to the word of him who spake as never man spake for his words are like the wine he made at Cana no wine like that wine nor no words like his words fot the best words that ever man spake had somewhat of Self and Carnal ends in them but in his words there is no tincture no concourse or tast at all of the Creature no Allayes of humane weakness but they are all words of grace and peace the words of spirit and life insomuch that all that heard him wondered at the gracious words that proceeded frrom his lips who in all his words never sought himself nor his own glory as men do but the glory of him that sent him Nay hearken I pray you to his word that could have spoken far beyond all that ever he hath spoken had he but had Auditors fit to have heard and understood him I beseech you therefore silence yourselves a while I mean your own Wit and Reaâ—â—â— and your own blind understandings And let there be silence in Heaven for half an hour that you mâ—y learn to know what it is to have salt in your selveâ— that you may have salt in you that you be not spewed out of Gods mouth as unsavoury and loathsome to his stomach It were far better you had never heard then that these words should prove unprofitable to you But as you are here in this your so great zeal to hear and in such thronging and â—locking together this day to whom should we address that our zeal and meeting may not be in vain for as the woman of Samaria said to our Saviour Iohn 4. 11. so may we say The Well is deep and we have nothing to draw with mans reason and understanding cannot reach Truth ad quem ibimus then whether shall we go saith Peter Iohn 6. 60. and he answers it there himself truly O Lord Tu habes verba vitae aeternae Thou hast the words of eternal life Therefore let us pray with the Disciples Mat. 13. 36. O Lord declare thou to us this Parable And I humbly pray and beseech that God who opened the mouth of Balaams dumb Ass that he would be pleased to open my lips and then my mouth shall shew forth his praise for the instruction of those that are his servants here And I pray God you may rouse up your attention maugre fulness drowsiness wandring thoughts custom in sleeping and the like The things that I intend through Gods assistance to open to you and answer are these three Questions O Lord In lumine tuo lumen Psal. 36. 9. In thy light we shall see light And by no other light Then Let us see 1. What salt is 2. What it is to have salt 3. What it is to have it in our selves 1. What salt is Christ saith in the Verse before my Text That every one shall be salted with fire and every sacrifiâ—e shall be salted with salt We must first find what fire is and then we shall know what salt is This fire is Christ and that very properly as you may see he is so called Isa. 10. 17. The light of Israel shall
be for a fire and his holy one for a flame and it shall burn and devour his thorns in one day And he is FIRE in three regards In regard of Burning Heat Light First The nature of Fire is to burn Fire cannot burn it self take notice of that fire cannot burn fire but all things else it will burn and consume So doth Christ he is that fire that burns up all our works and whatsoever is not himself and his own work INUS he consumes and annihilaâ—es The Light of Israel shal be for a fire and his holy one for a flame it shall burn and devour his thorns and his brâ—ers in one day Know this the more sin the more fire the greater burning Mal. 3. 2. Who may abide the day of his coming who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like refiners fire and like fullers sope Christ is this fire and let me tell you this burning and consuming is for your good it is that out of the old ashes of the old man you may have a new life a new resurrection Examine thy self hath this fire cut off thy hands and feet and pulled out thy right eye hath it consumed thy young men 〈◊〉 hath it burnt up thy OLD heaven and thy OLD earth that so ye may enjoy a new heaven and a new earth 2 Pet. 3. 7. Nay further let me aske thee hath it thrown all thy gods in the fire hath it burnt up all thy idols yet I tell ye this burning is not unto death but unto life as Christ said of Lazarus This sickness is not unto death but be sure that as the Lord Jesus Christ burneth up and woundeth so he healeth and maketh alive again I would and I heal Secondly the work of fire is to heat so Christ after he hath destroyed and burnt up all our actions then he breathes into us a gentle warmth and heat of his own Spirit to cherish and revive us again that so we may no longer live our own lives but the life of Christ. Thirdly The nature of fire is to give light when That day dawns to us that Christ comes into the soul we shall find He brings light with him and this is called Christs day Our first day is our own day that is a day of darkness a day of gloominess and thick clouds but the day of the Lord is a terrible day our flesh trembleth for fear of thee for who shall abide the day of thy coming and who shall stand when thou appearest for thou art like refiners fire and like fullers sope When Christ comes into the soul he comes not onely with light to discover but like fire to burn up all that building that we have made to our selves and that we have raised by our own power and breathes warmly and gently by his Spirit his own life until by degrees he brings a glorious light into the soul He then turns us from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God And all this is done by one and the same act in God although those acts be divers and distinct in the creature that is the same act in God which comes to the obstinate and perverse and hardens them which comes to the humble and meek and softens them the same act in him Hardens and Softens as the Sun doth wax and clay That same God which was darkness at the bottom of Mount Sinai was light in the top of the Mount He is the same God in himself to all but he works diversly in regard of the creatures He is the same God in a frozen and hard heart as he is in a repenting and bleeding soul but to the one he appears not but in wrath and vengeance ready to take revenge on them for their sins but to the other he appears in mercy and love and marries himself to them he communicates to them his sweet loves and their wills are swallowed up in his and these onely are they that can say in truth Not my will but thine be done but the other they cannot forsake themselves their own will their own ends but this is but by the way And this you see in brief what the fire is Our God is a consuming fire But now what is the salt I know it is divers wayes taken and expounded Some take it to be wisdom and discretion in speech and for proof they cite that place of the Apostle Let your speech be alwayes gracious seasoned with salt for so Solomon saith A wise man may hold up his head before Princes and they give this reason As salt keeps things from stinking so doth wisdom so salt and season a mans words that his words may not be unsavoury to wise men so that he is not laught to scorn Others take it for holiness and sincerity in life and conversation as our Saviour saith Ye are the salt of the earth Mat. 5. 13. that is say they when by their living well speaking the Truth in their words and expressing holiness in all thir actions this seasons their lives maketh them savoury before God and men So also they interpret that of our Saviour Mat. 5. 13. Ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savâ—â—r wherewith shall it be salted it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men when men live not as they profess they are unsavoury and men tread such mens profession under their feet and therefoâ—e say they He admonisheth them to strive for integrity of life and soâ—ndness in doctrine and constancy in suffering for these things honour their profession and seasons them with salt and makes them savoury to God and to men But to be short and without any more circumstances that we may come to the matter intended The fire and the salt are both one and that is Christ himself as I have told you He is the fire so He is the salt as the Apostle saith Heb. 2. 11. Both he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all one So Jesus Christ he is the fire that salteth and the salt wherewith it salteth as is exprest in the verse before the Text. Indeed I confess the Apostles also were called Salt Mat. 5. 13. Ye are the Salt of the earth saith Christ himself not that they were the Salt themselves or the salt indeed but they were those which uttered the salt they taught salt as I may say and where rathâ—r as we may call them Salters those which sold and uttered the true salt which is CHRIST to the world But I say of them as the Apostle Paul saith 1 Cor. 3. 4 5. While one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo who is Paul or who is Apollo but Ministers by whom you believed neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God c. and in another
beloved our Apostle sleights all away with all these things I count them nothing they are dross and dung I desire to know nothing I seek for no knowledge you can name as if he should say you it may be account me ignorant in regard of some among you well all is one esteem of me as you will seek to undervalue and to crush me what you please I determined I resolved before I came I would know nothing hearken to no knowledge but the knowledge of Iesus Christ and him crucified that is whether you knew this in experience or no whether you had that knowledge that would crucifie and bring to nothing all your great learning and your great parts Now that I may come to unfold and unlock those precious truths that are hid and folded up in these words by the gracious assistance of that Meek Lamb that was slain for us I shall endeavour to open these three principal things that ly plain in the words 1 What manner of knowledge this is that the Apostle so Highly sets it up even above all knowledge so that he himself was contented to be accounted nothing so he could but gain more of that among them or bring them to the knowledge of it 2 What is the subject of this knowledge that is Jesus Christ. 3 What it is to know Jesus Christ crucified as it is here meant He knew it was not enough to know Jesus Christ Externally nor to know him so Crucified No though they had been eye-witnesses of it yet this knowledge was nothing for sayes the Apostle Henceforth know we no man any more after the flesh no though we had known the LORD CHRIST himself Yet I know if I should ask any of you or take you one by one and ask you If you knew Jesus Christ You would presently answer me to this and tell me a large story that this was your faith and that you did confidently believe That in the fulness of time God sent an Angel to the virgin Mary to tell her that of her body Christ should be born and he was conceived in her by the power of the Holy Ghost the most High came upon her and overshadowed her she conceived without the aid or help of man and she brought forth her first-born son which was the Messiah and that he grew up in age and stature and in favour with God and man as the Scriptures express of him And also that wise men came from the East to see and worship him and at twelve years old he came up to Hierusalem with his parents and went into the Temple and disputed among the Doctors and then ye heard no more of him till he was 30 years old and then he was baptized of John at Jordan then he began to preach and then he was questioned for his doctrine despised derided 〈◊〉 that he wrought many miracles and taught such doctrine that many wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth And at last he was apprehended examined scourged buffeted spit upon crowned with thorns and was crucified and dyed upon the cross and the third day rose again and shall come again at the end of the world to judge the quick and the dead This is your faith this is he in whom you believe and this is your Saviour Well but give me leave to tell you you may know all this and a thousand times more and yet not know Iesus Christ nor know him crucified It is another manner of knowledge that our Apostle here determined to know all this faith will do you no good for this is no more then the Devils know Although it be all truth undeniably true this History of him is most certainly true and in defence whereof we ought to spend our lives and bloud And I say also they do well that teach this and who have learned it themselves and teach their children and servants to know it But if you learn this and no more yeâ— know not half so much as the Devils know This you may know also that God is a great and a mighty God the Devils know him to be so that he is a wise and omniscient God the Devils know as much and more The Devils believe all this I and tremble at the knowledge thereof as the Apostle saith They believe and tremble Iam. 2. 19. And because it is said in the Gospel This is eterâ—â—l life to know thee the onely true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent Doest thou think this is that knowledge St. Iohn means And because thou knowest that he is a merciful God the Devils externally and in general know as much That he is long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth to those that fear him and what else thou canst say of him they know as much and far more This is not therefore most certainly that knowledge that is there called Eternal liâ—e for such an Eternal life the Devils have and a better But many are so far from Eternal life that they know not so much as the history the bare letter of the Scriptures Although they that do know the history never so exactly in that they have every letter and word thereof without book and have gathered it into never so short an Epitome by their labour and industry yet these may be far from the Mystery the life and marrow of the word But what shall they do then how far are they from the mystery who have not attained the bare shell the bare history and outside Those indeed must be known though in themselves they do us no goodâ— for they are but the way to the Mystery and without the History we cannot have the Mystery for we cannot come to Believing without Hearing for how can they believe him of whom they have not heard We must not therefore cast away the letter because that is the Book which brings us the Word though they those letters be not the living word and in themselves do us no good if we go farther yet we cannot have the kernel without the shell These outward letters to the eye and to the ear are a means to convey the True word to the heart And therefore if you think you have Gods Word when you have gotten the knowledge of the letter or of whatsoever the outside or the letter bears without the mind and meaning you are deceived This knowledge will deceive you it will be but as a broken reed that whosoever he be that relyes thereon it will run into his hand deceive and destroy him This is Truth if ye will believe it from our Saviours own mouth The flesh profiteth nothing it is the Spirit the mystery the marrow that giveth life It is the mystery the Spirit that is eternal life The letter and the shell cannot nourish it must be the mystery and the marrow That which cannot possibly be known in the superficies in the outside in the flesh in
doing so and if there was at any time any good in thee know that is none of thine that is his own work and no praise belongs to thee at all Now what sayest thou Davids heart smote him when he had numbred the people so should ours in numbring our sins Nay farther consider that not onely all thy own sins are laid upon thee but all the sins of all the men in the world that ever were are or ever shall be Because thou art of that Body of that Race A member of that sinful body and race proceeding from our first Parents which stained the Race and House in the very root by rebellion and Treason And that all this hath been in doing by thee almost this 6000 years so that when thou wert but six dayes old thou wert a 6000 years sinner when thou wert little above a span long thou wert an Everlasting Transgressor As in the body of Christ All the Members have right and interest in all the excellencies and graces of the whole body the Faith of Abraham the Zeal of Iosiah the Patience of Ioh the Meekness of Moses and adde to that whatever virtue is in the head Christ which is in Heaven They are all thine Thou sharest in all so that we may then say Thou art all fair my Love there is no spot in thee So thou being of that sinful race and body thou hast right and thereby art intitled to all the vilest sins that ever were committed in the world As it was said concerning those that crucified Christ that God might bring on them all the sins that ever were committed from the bloud of the righteous Abel What canst thou now say for thy self O wretched Off-spring of the race of flesh and bloud but that Nebuchadnezzars Oven should be heat seven times hotter will it not be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement then for thee What canst thou say is not Tophet prepared of old and prepared for thee O thou foul and leprous creature The pile and fuel thereof is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone shall kindle it Esay 30. 33. Hast not thou by thy so often sinning Even trod the bloud of the Covenant under thy feet and done despight unto the spirit of grace hast not thou chosen thy sins and lusts before thy Saviour and hast therein cryed out for a Barabbas to escape and concerning Christ hast cryed crucifie him crucifie him What will ye crucifie your King I say you crucifie Him cruciâ—ie Him His Bloud be on us and on our children c. Yet thou condemnest Iudas when thou readest how Villanously he betrayed and sold his dear Meek and precious Master I ask thee Who now hath sold his Master what for 30 pieces nay for the pleasure of one darling sin which will for ever destroy thee And thou condemnest the Devil who sinned but once and was thrown down from his place and thou condemnest Adam who eat but once of the forbidden fruit and was immediately cast out of Paradise and will not that weight of sin that as a TALENT of Lead lies upon thee make thee once groan or complain many aggravations by circumstances might be presented before thee for circumstances alwayes aggravate nay sometimes create the sin Friend What sayest thou to this charge if thou canst say nothing to me then what shall I say to thee Then thus Onely the blood of Jesus Christ purgeth from all sin if thou hast not right and part in that all thy sins lie upon thee And what ever he performs in thee that God accepts and nothing else for be assured what ever prayers what ever sighs what ever groans thou puttest up to him he loaths all but what his Son makes but all His requests are heard and granted I know you can in words have present recourse to that saying That though we are sinners indeed and grievous sinners yet the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin I know that this very word were it spoken by Christ himself is enough indeed to silence Death and Hell and all the powers of darkness and is armour of proof against all Satans fiery darts and it is a most undoubted truth bâ—t then say I it is Christ himself must pronounce this saying to thee The blood of Iesus Christ purgeth thee from all sin If Christ pronounce these words then art thou indeed for ever acquitted but if thou sayest this of thy self to thy self and by thy self thou art not acquitted I know if Christ speak these words it is present death to all sin and unbelief they are the utter destruction to Sin and Sathan but if spoken onely by thy self they do but harden thee in sin they do but give new life to sin Thus much have I spoken to thee that thou mayest come to this first work of Humiliation namely Condemnation of our selves But O my Dear Brethren what are my words if Christ speak not by me he must preach his own truth to thee And this I say except thou first come to this work of Condemnation thou wilt never come to the second which is Annihilation not to any of the rest For every step is one above another These steps are ascending for as Solomon prayed that God would hear the prayers of all those that came and prayed in that house of the Lord and did see the plague of their own heart 2 Chron. 6. for except they saw that their prayer was in vain so say I not that it is in vain to pray but it is vain to trust to faith in vain to trust to Christ it will do no good except you see the plague of your own heart for thou mayest pray long enough and believe in Christ long enough if thou doest not see thy just worthiness of being destroyed if thou doest not see just cause of censuring and condemning thy self to the lowest Hell and that thou seriously confess That hell was not made in vain but that it was justly made And for thee and that it were just and righteous that God should cast thee thither nay not onely so but that you feel your souls in the Bitter agonies of Hell already and that the Torments thereof are seized upon you then there were hope That thy spirit would be saved and delivered Till thou art come to this never tell me of the blood of Christ That it purgeth from all sin but thou art none of them to whom it belongs for thou hast neither part nor portion in this matter If ye suffer with Christ then also shall ye be saved by him and reign with him SERMON VII ROM 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together BEloved I will trust your memories for that which I have delivered before out of these words and come immediately to the second of these six steps which I have
strange Gods Answ. No no God forbid that I should Intice you to Idolatry or to serve strange Gods Nor are these things beloved neither querks or quillets or new devices for do not think I durst bring you here any thing but what my God hath Bid me speak and what he puts in my mouth to speak They are no devices of my own but I assure you they are rich Iewels taken out of the precious cabinet of God They are Chrystal streams from God the fountain of them clear as chrystal proceeding from the Throne of God and of the Lamb. They are things that I have not brought here presently upon the phansie of my own brain but things that I have seen and known by some experience thereof in my self Things that I have long long debated in my own soul and in serious consideration before ever I durst deliver it to you as a message from my Master But Beloved if you for all this do count these things Foolishness Gods Spirit will And doth call you Fools Do not do by me as the Gergesens did by Christ because he did but onely separate them from their swine they went out to meet him and besought him to depart from their coasts Notwithstanding all the good he might have done them in his miracles And in curing them and their diseases they slight all this because they had lost their swine So Because I desire to separate you and your swinishness asunder you and your beastliness asunder you and your earthliness asunder you care not for it what ever good and benefit this may be to the healing and curing of your souls And if I do cast pearles before swine And they turn again and all to rent me I cannot help it The Lord hath opened my mouth wide towards you And I beseech him to open All our Hearts As he did Lydia's But to the Old man this Doctrine is very Harsh and flesh and Blood will not endure it But to the New man this Yoak is easie and this burden is Light And no wonder though a body made and bred of and with these carnal things as it is I say no wonder though nothing please it and relish with it but what tends to These things No marvell though we shut our ears against this spiritual Divine Doctrine for as it is said Heb. 10. 36. Ye have need of Patience that after ye have done the will of God ye may receive the promise so indeed may I say herein We have need of patience That we may be Thus moulded to Gods will That we may be as pliable to his will As wax is to the seal and then we shall be sure alwayes either to please God or God shall please us or both Then All shall be at peace Then shall there be no more war between God and us Then we shall have Endless peace As in the Revelation a 1000 years there is put for Eternity for from whence came wars saith the Apostle Iames come they not hence even from your lusts And again we lust and have not we desire and are not satisfied because we ask it to bestow it on our lusts Now he that hath attained the practice of this LIFE I speak of He is alwayes satisfied but so far as we come short when we desire any thing and God gives it not Then we fall at wars with God And censure his proceedings Having Harsh thoughts of Him The Apostle Iude among all the grievous sins that he speaks of He reckons up Murmurers complainers That is Mistakers of Gods doings and he brings the example of Corah whom the earth swallowed up quick for that very sin But we Because the earth hath swallowed us up quick already therefore we murmur and complain And as Christ said to Peter Why doubtest thou O thou of little faith so say I Why murmur you Oh you of little faith Why do you murmur against your infinite Good God and most gracious Father who hath promised you ye shall want for nothing why dare you not trust him And why do you accuse your God of Untruth and strait-handedness what displeases you Oh ye of little faith let me but reconcile you together As he thinks well of you and intends well to you So do yoâ— esteem alwayes well of him and of his doings Do you not believe That God He is your Father and if you account your selves His children he will give you All good things Mat. 7. 11. Then he content To let him be wiser then you O but I know you will say to me God forbid but we should do so he knows what is best for us better then we This we have been taught long ago this is a Received Truth This is plain in the Word And in our Catechisms which we learned when we were Children And what do we do with the word if we believe not All this let us throw away our Bibles let us burn our Bibles if we do not believe and sent to our seal that this is true And if I should ask you Do you not believe that God is your Physician Yes And will you direct your Physician what order he shall take with you And will you tell him what is fittest for you Surely then if you mistake any thing that God does to you or direct him what he shall do whatever your confessions be with your mouths you proclaim your selves Wiser then God Doth not he know when to give you health and when sickness when to give you wealth and when to give you want when to give you honour and when to give you dishonour doth he not know when to give you peace and when to give you war Doth not this Great Master of the whole World know how to give to al his houshold their meat in due season I know you acknowledge all this And that God if he saw it good can give you your desire for he can do as he pleaseth And he hath the disposing of all these things And that it is in vain to rise early and go to bed late and eat the bread of carefulness for he alone giveth his beloved sleep And our Saviour sayes Mat. 6. 31. Take no thought what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things for sufficient for the day is the labour thereof and care not for the morrow the morrow shall care for it self But if you confess Also Believe These things then might I save my labour But your practise shews you do not For if God do not give that which thy flesh desireth yet thou oughtest to be content Obj. I but Sir shall I not labour and be industrious in my calling Answ. Yes by all means or else the Apostle saith you must not eat and it is commanded Eccl. 11. 6. In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening let not thy hand rest But This thou art to do
see what fruits follow any other smiting The heart that seeks liberty to it self it abuses the Scriptures It comes in privily to spie out our liberty that it may be an occasion to the flesh I say a Caleb must smite this City and not a heart that seeks for liberty to satisfie its own will and its own desires for such Smiters there be too many that would cast away the Letter of the Word They would have no Law to rule or curb them but this is not a good Hearts A Calebs or an Othniels smiting But to it I say viz. to this Good Heart Let it smite the Letter and spare not nay I counsel ye Take it and Tear it And Rend it all to pieces as we do meat else ye get no nourishment for in the Letter lies the nourishment hid there is no getting out the Nourishment and vertue without we do as it were Tear it with our teeth and Chew upon it to get out all the vertue As cleane Beasts Chew The Cud and that by a power given from above and the more we can tear it and chew it in that sense the more and the better nourishment it gives Nor do I bid you do it as of your selves by your own power but by the wisdom and power of God who will enable you to find the Treasure if you dig for wisdom as for gold And search for it as for Hid Treasures With a resolved heart To dig for truth for truths sake and not for self and for sinister ends and advantages but out of love to truth thus I say let a good heart use the Letter of the word and spare not Take it Strike it Smite it Tear it all to pieces not because he hates the Letter but as men do by meat they tear it champ it chew it between their teeth not because they hate meat but because they would get all the nourishment out they possibly can Beloved in this manner Strike Kiriathsepher In the Name of God and the Almighty prosper ye Go on and the Lord of heaven give you good success that he may enable you to get out Those pure waters of life proceeding from the Throne of God and of the Lamb That Hidden Manna that may nourish you to Everlasting life that ye may have that Treasure that Pearl hid in the field that white stone and that New Name that ye may be enriched with gold purified seven times as David in that 12. Psalm sayes the Woâ—d of God is Do you think he means the Letter No no but That thou mayest have That white raiment to cover they nakedness and that eye-salve to anoint thine eyes that thou mayest see then also art thou Him that overcometh to whom it shall be given to sit with him in his Throne even as he also overcame and is set down in his Fathers Throne Then shall ye come to be marryed to Achsah Calebs daughter Then shall Othniel Gods fit time or opportunity give you possession of this City Kiriathsepher that it may be unto you The Word of God That the Vail being Rent you may look within and see the glory of the Holie of Holies and that you may behold The Beauty of the Lord and may visit His Temple and there fall down and worship and desire there to be for ever and for ever AMEN Shadows vanishing SOME Rays of Glory appearing The two last SERMONS on JOSH. 15. v. 16 17. And Caleâ— said he that smiteth Kiriathsepher and taketh it to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife And Othniel the son of Kenaz the brother of Caleb took it and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife THE last Sabbath I told you that part of this Chapter was as the One Cherâ—b and that in 2 Cor. 3. was as the other Cherub which as the two Cherubims lookt directly face to face to each other so doth this Chapter look forward to that and that turns it self and looks face to face upon this that is the One is the interpretation of the Other and you may remember as a Prologâ—e to our Text we gave you a brief Epitome of the History of Moses his sending the twelve Spies to discover and view the Land of Canaan whereof Ioshua and Caleb were two of the twelve and they bring news of the goodness of the Land with the other Ten which Ten All but Caleb and Ioshua they brought up an Evil report though they All confessed the Land was Excellent and good and abounded in plenty of all things flowing with milk and honey yet they said it was impossible to get it or conquer it for the men were mighty sons of Anack Giants and the walls Thick and high The people hearing this began to murmur Then Caleb and Ioshua standing up they clear the slander and encourage the people and for this confidence and saith of theirs they two onely entred the Land all the rest being about Six hundred thousand that murmured died in the Wilderness and not one entred the Land And as we related the History we raised some observations and endeavoured to bring the History home to our selves and shewed how these things were daily in fulfilling spiritually and really within us Then we came to our Text where I also told you that this Text as I have now read it It is Hebrew and reading it but as it is printed is still Hebrew But as I then told you we may not nor will not deny the Truth of the History and of the Letter but we must take heed we rest not in the Story and go no further for the Word of God Endureth for ever There is a secret in the whole Letter of the Word which lasts to Eternity which is accomplished not onely in that time and of that man of whom it is written but fulfilled as well and as Really in all times in all ages in all men ever after and before As Ambrose said of Ahab and Nabal These Histories are old in time but new in practise for there are many such persecuting Ahabs and many such churlish Nabals So may I say of this History and the rest of the Scriptures Old in time but ordinary in use To this very day Caleb proclaims Whosoever shall smite Kiriathsepher and take it he shall have Achsah his daughter to wife This was done Once in the Letter but Ever doing in the Spirit for the world of God lasts for ever as David saith Thy Word O Lord endureth for ever Often in the 119. Psalm and elsewhere They are such things as not onely instruct one age one season but every age and every season that follow it The meaning and the mind of God we must look at and not to the bare History hear what the Apostle Paul saith Bodily exercise profiteth nothing or rather hear it from our Saviours own mouth The flesh profiteth nothing but the Spirit giveth life Caleb here signifieth A good 〈…〉 or the City of
thoughts and all his former thoughts were banished Even so doth this man behave himself when once God hath spoken to him and discovered himself to be so near He doth as David sayes he did Set the Lord alwayes before his eyes then he minds God and observâ—s his workings his out-goings and incomings he alwayes then puts God forward in him He must do all Before He was the forward man and who but he All Gods acts in him he arrogated to himself and as he thought the actions were His done by His power wisdom and parts so he took home The glory and praise of all to himself But now Upon Gods appearing to him this man is Undonâ— slain crucified Then he can with all his heart let God Be all and Do All Speak in him Move in him Live in him Work all his works in him and for him He now minds God in whatsoever any creature saith or doth to him He no longeâ— lives his own life but the life of God t is true He lives as the Apostle saith Yet not He but Christ in him He now As a New man Hath no words but the words of Christ no thoughts but the thoughts of Christ made One spirit and life with Him and so he becomes throughout A changed Man A New man But the other he that is not aware of God He that is a Reprobate who knows not That Christ is in Him He takes no knowledge of all this but does what he list and as he thinks He speaks his own words and thinks his own thoughts and All their thoughts words and actions All their aims and endeavours tend to the fulfilling the desires of the flesh Either more gross and open or else more subtile and refined and more hid from the eye of the world Their desires and aims are How they shall procure such a benefit to themselves such an estate or how he shall be delivered from the danger of the times and he is full of carking and caring how his flesh shall be provided for and the like And truly beloved it cannot be otherwise for whatsoever is born of the flesh is flesh and whatsoever is born of the Spirit is Spirit for it can never act without its own sphere and compass were we born of the Spirit we could not but dye to the flesh and seek the things of the Spirit then all his thoughts for the advantage of the flesh Cease and he is altogether fot Increasing and Perfecting This life of God begun in him let God live more and more and himself less and less As John Baptist saith he must increase but I must decrease This is his life now which before was his death and contrary his death is his life God is now A welcom Guest Yet Not that God is more or less there you being alwayes Gods Temple as well before you see him as when you see him for Christ cannot Alter his lodging in the reality of it This is a certain truth Nothing can make Christ depart in regard of his Essence and Being but to you he may depart and so you are to understand all such expressions for if you think and as some preach that God comes and goes from place to place from earth to heaven oâ— from heaven to earth departs and returns and that you can stay Him and change Him or make him return These are all childish fopperies in this ye do as it were Create another God to your selves and make the true God an Idol but it is spoken in refâ—rence to the Creature in regard of our sight and apprehensions As To you He is departed and dwels above far remote And indeed and really he is as having no being and is as no God to thee However thou mayest flatter and deceive thy self Until thou hast smitten and taken Kiriathsepher and marryed Achsah Calebs daughter Till there be power given To rend the vail But then you shall see Him who is the truth of all things The substance of all things and not before for whatever you can see are but Shaddows and not the Truth As in this my body you cannot see the Internality and the Truth of it for the truth and Substance of it doth not consist either in the coldness or in the hotness for it hath been hotter and it hath been colder neither in the Oldness nor Youngness for it hath been younger and may be older neither in the heaviness nor lightness for it hath been lighter and may be heavier nor in no accidents you can name Then if so none hath ever heard or seen or spoke that which is the Truth of me for my Substance cannot be seen but onely Accidents the truth consists in things internal and t is the like for any other thing you behold besides And so likewise such is the Word of God it consists not in any thing you can hear or see or can perceive or comprehend for Gods Word is as himself Mighty Incomprehensible Omnipotent c. not included in any place His Word is the Being and life of all things the Letter cannot possibly contain the Eternal Majesty of the Word it is not the Word of God till it be expounded to the heart and made a word of power and quickning in the hearts of his people The Word is Eternal and was before any Letters or Scriptures were and shall be for ever when all those things Cease Gods speaking is His creating Let it be done there can be no resisting sayes David whatever he commanded it was wrought God Hath spoken As many Words as he hath made Creatures But He hath spoken One Great and mighty word and that One WORD includes All those Words and that One Word is Jesus Christ the Onely begotten of his Father and the first born of every creature all the rest of the creatures are but as so many Letters of this GREAT Word for he is called the Word He being in the bosome of his Father He was Unspoken Unuttered Unpronouncedâ— there was not then any one creature in heaven or earth but God was ALL there was then Neither Father Son nor Spirit as divided But He being Once pronounced He is the Word Spoken then immediately there is Father Son and Spirit For these are expressed Several or TRINE onely in relation to the creatures which to me is clear for there is not diversity in God but God is one and in Himself cannot be more and I hope it is clear to you If any should think or say unto me the words of Pilate Oh Sir What thing is truth I must answer thus truth is not possible to be either spoken or heard for God onely is truth and nothing else can be now it is impossible to see or hear God saith our Saviour No man hath seen God at any time for we cannot see him and live we must depart Out of the nature of man and return into God and be one with God Else we can never know
keeps the Sabbath Holy being void of skill and Will is subject onely to God In Him to go Out Work Will know Both How What When and Why he pleaseth Now The Whole World lyeth in This Death and Sin for that it doth nothing else but kiss iâ—s own hand That is Adore the Purpose Counsel Invention and wisdom of it self To this purpose are all things Intended Aimed Drawn and Bent Even the Holy Scripture and Words of God Namely to be consonant to Our Reason and not to cross Our Wisdom Course and Way But all these things must be Overthrown and unlearned again if we will see God For therefore do the Scriptures so Vehemently urge us to becom Children and Fools Vomiting up again all the Art and knowledge of this Forbidden Tree To be purged by the strength of the Tree of Life and consequently let Every man in this case look and observe Himself narrowly what he doth And He shall find all this True in his Own Breast THE Gospel-Treasury Opened OR The Holiest of All unvailing The Second Part. Containing I. Two Sermons on Psal. 68. 17. intituled Militia Coelestis or the Heavenly Host. II. Two sermons on Cant. 1. 7. Where Christ feedeth and where his flock resteth III. A Sermon on Rev. 2. 17. Of eating hidden Manna IV. Heads of Sermons on Ier. 6. 13. Covetousness anatomized or the generality of Covetousness V. A short Exposition on Psal. 148. The Plus Ultra of the creatures VI. The substance of several Sermons on Luke 7. 40. Milk for babes meat for strong men VII Two Sermons on Exod. 3. 1 2 3 4 5 6. The mysterie or the life and marrow of the Scriptures VIII The substance of several Sermons on Mark. 1. 25 26. True and divine Exorcism or the Devil conjured by Iesus Christ. IX A Sermon on Mat. 28. 18. All power is given to Jesus Christ in heaven and in earth Also added I. Dionysius the Areopagite his mystical Divinity II. Grave and notable sayings in Latin and English III. Sayings of a certain Divine of great note IV. Taulerus his holy glass or example of our Lord Iesus Christ. V. Another short instruction by the same Author VI. A short Dialogue between a learned Divine and a beggar LONDON Printed for Rapha Harford At the Bible and States-Armes in Little Brittain 1657. Militia Coelestis OR The Heavenly Host Two Sermons upon Psal. 68. 17. The Chariots of God are twenty thousand thousands of Angels The Lord is among them as in Sinai in the Holy Place Out of which the Bishops pretended matter of high accusation against the Author in their High Commission Court Preached at Giles Cripplegate when those masking Chariots and great shews were presented and acted at the Court the Temple and in the City after which there was so much running to be Spectators He chosing Texts on purpose constantly as his manner still was and being our Saviours practice in the Gospel he making use of present things most in use and most affected to take men off from admiring such vanities or rather to take an advantage by them and thereby improving them to raise up the mind to real Glories which have so few Lovers and Followers Saith our Saviour Matth. 11. 17. But we have piped unto you and ye have not danced we have mourned and ye have not lamented And again saith he Wide is the Gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction and many there be that go that way but strait is the Gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it Mat. 7. 13. SERM. I. AS this Psalm was undoubtedly Davids so it is more then probable the occasion of penning it as you may see at the bâ—ginning thereof was upon the removing of the Ark to Ierusalem the City of David from the house of Abinadab 2 Sam. 6. At which time David with the rest of the people of Israel played on all manner of Instruments and danced before the Ark Whereupon Michal his wife Sauls daughter despised him for a fool An extasie of joy seizing upon his spirit he enjoying so much of God in it caused him to leap and dance before it She hereupon takes upon her to reprove censure and revile him and in her heart scorned him sayes the text v. 16. But David being lifted up filled with divine joy slighted her and told her he would yet be more vile And the reason of this conjecture is because this Psalm begins with that very Proverb that was appointed to be said at the rising of the Ark out of its place Num. 10. 25. Arise O Lord and let thine enemies be scattered let them that hate him flee before him I dare not offer at any Method in the whole nor at any connexion in the parts For I find that all your curious Dichotomizers do but dream play with the Scripture feeding themselves with fancies and not truth For sure I am the onely method that holy men of old observed was to speak as they were moved by the holy spirit 2 Pet. 1. 21. But these words we have now read they being a clause in this Psalâ— I take them as a Melchizedeck without Father without Mother Heb. 7. 3. so having no dependance We will come to open the words as having a sufficient sense lying within themselves There be many Expositions on this place which I will not trouble you withall for men speak according to men but the Scriptures were written by Gods spirit dictated by his own finger for holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy spirit 2 Pet. 1. 21. We must therefore labour to find out if it be possible what is Gods mind in the Scriptures whatever men say I may call this Text as it is Luke 2. 13. Militia Coelestis the Heavenly Host There was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God or as Iacob did the Angels Gen. 32. 2. when he saw the Angels he said This is Gods host for there is in them both greatness and terribleness which is proper to the Angels of God But that we may give you the parts of the woâ—ds There are four things represented in them 1 Their Nature they are called Chariots 2 Their Number they are said to be twenty thousand or thousands of thousands that is they are innumerable or numberless 3 In regard of their Names they are here called Angels 4 In regard of the Commander of all these numberless number of Chariots and Angels and that is God himself The Chariots of God are twenty thousand even thousands of Angels â— Their Nature they are called Currus Chariots The mention of Chariots is as ancient as any History either sacred or profane they being used both for peace and warre In the first Book of Moses Gen. 41. 43. there is mention made of Pharaohs triumphant Chariot for Ioseph he that exalted Ioseph And again in
not onely represent and point to but they are also those which hide and blind him from our sight Isa. 12. 6. Cry out and shout thou inhabitant of Zion Great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee He that is an Inhabitant of Zion will upon the sight of God in any Creature fall down before him in a holy extasie and amazement of spirit fall down and worship him The seeing him to be so Infinite and Great and filling all things that they must with the Prophet in an holy ravishment and extasie as being made drunk overcome and swallowed up cry out and shout Great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee The word in the Original signifies in the inmost inwardest part of thee When this Divine Being shall arise discover and rouse up it self before the poor soul that never saw him before Oh! how amazed ashamed confounded is it in it self This seeing of God is onely peculiar to the Saints God is onely manifested in them and to them but not at all in Reprobates but he is hidden and removed from their sight and believing though not at all out of them The Chariots of God are 〈◊〉 thousand yea even thousands of Angelâ— the Lord is among them as in Sinai You see I hope by this what sweet and glorious truths are couched in these few words These words I think many of you have read oftten but how few have 〈◊〉 them You may see now by this Doctrine what a glorious privilege the Saints have to have Christ dwelling in them by faith so that they see not onely that their bodies are the Temples of that great Holy One but they by faith see him filling and dwelling in all Creatures And know this that God is not revealed or manifested but onely in and to the Saints not effectually and operatively though notionally and in words men may acknowledge these things but they are not inwardly thus filled amazed overcome and swallowed up with the glory of the Lord even as the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle For they can and must say and cry out of all 〈◊〉 Oh! How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts my soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God when shall I come and appear before God! A day in thy 〈◊〉 is better then a thousand elsewhere I had rathâ—â— be a Door-keeper in the house of my God 〈…〉 dwel in the Tents of wickedness Those are 〈…〉 wickedness where God is not seen and 〈…〉 in 〈◊〉 and have their habitatioâ— the Tents of â—edar But that man that enjoyes God thus his soul is filled with the fulness 〈◊〉 â—reatness of his presence even as the house 〈…〉 with the odour of that ointment Ioh. 12. 3. How was blessed Mary taken with those sweet drops that fel from her Saviours lips Luk. 10. 39. who made it her whole business content happiness nay whos 's All it was so she could but sit at his feet stare in his face hang upon his lips and hearken to his honey-dropping healing words Oh! blessed is that man that thus seeth thee trusteth in thee no marvel that these men undervalue all the afflictions and all the glory of the world and see that they are not worthy to be compared with this glory revealed in them as the Apostle saith concerning afflictions Rom. 8. 18. All glories are nothing all afflictions are light and vain compared to this fulness of God filling all things The next thing considerable is their number they are said to be twenty thousand even thousands of Angels many Interpreters differ in the explanation of this number but I having viewed al or most of their judgments I conclude that here a certain number is put for an uncertain as it is often in Scripture as Numb 10. 36. when the Ark was set down and rested this Proverb was appointed to be said at its seting down Return O Lord unto the many thousands of Israel there is put an uncertain number but in the margin you may see the word signifies a certain as well as an uncertain number and an uncertain as well as a certain either of both Which Interpretation gave Hierome and Novatianus the hint to say in plain words twenty thousand or thousands of Angels that is they are innumerable infinite immense And I think that interpretation is best and most agreeable to the manner of the Scriptures expressions and to the meaning of the word here used and elsewhere For the Hebrew word Ribboth signifies ten thousand in all numbers and Ribbaboth is interpreted 2 Sam. 18. 7. ten thousand and Rebaboth the plural number is rendred Numb 10. 36. the many thousands of Israel which come all from the Verb Rabbah multiplicavit and Rabmultus which gave Hierome and Novatianus that hint before expressed Then the Chariots of God are numberless that is no man can number them not but that God can number them and call them all by their names as David sayes of the Stars Psal. 147. 4. for any number that can be numbered is but like the number of the Beast Rev. 13. 18. which is according to the number of a man but God numbereth all things for as he made all things in weight and measure so in number Wisd 11. 17. Suppose as great a number as can be numbered as great as can be called or named yet Gods numbering is beyond all thought and to us it is impossible to number them If all the words that ever I spake or ever shall speak were unmbered if the minutes that are past since the world began were numbered this is beyond the number of a man But God can number all things he hath made all things both in number weight and measure but himself is the plot the standard the measure of all and the measure scales and weights are all his own for he numbers not according to the number of a man nor he weighs not as man weighs It sufficeth therefore that the number of his Chariots are as the number of his wayes both in difficulty and number no man can find them out they are unsearchable and past finding out so that we may well with the Apostle Rom. 11. 33. cry out Oh How unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out He weighs the World in a ballance but what is all the world to him t is but as the drop of a Bucket and as the dust of the Ballance and as the drop of the morning dew to the Ocean yea infinitely far less inconsiderable T is true that in Esay 40. 12. He measures the waters in his fist and metes out the Heavens with his Span and comprehends the dust of the earth in a measure but the Omer Ephah are both his own And t is true he telleth the number
can be more true And some others I know there be which will believe none of all these things but they will dwel in the Letter and think all the things spoken thereof are some visible and Ocular glories as the Disciples while they were weak and but babes they pleased themselves with apprehensions of their Master his being a temporal King and that he should sit upon his Throne they all should sit about him and Zebedees children nothing would serve them but That the one might sit at his right hand and the other at his left And such childish apprehensions have many yea most men They please their fancies hopes and imaginations with these things viz. That the glory of heaven shall be onely hereafter and that glory to consist in Thrones and Crowns and Scepters in Musick Harps and Viols and such like carnal and poor things compared to that glory and though they talk and prattle that grace is glory begun and glory is grace perfected yet how farre wide are they in this practise and how harsh and uncouth is this Doctrine to such men but it is the rejoicing of my soul that I speak to some that have seen and felt farre farre more then my tongue is able to express for these things are known not so much by mans teaching as by feeling and enjoying them and by the Teachings of God But indeed and in truth there is so much Litteralness even among great Professors and most Teachers that they are alwayes but at the very Beginning of the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ And if those that profess and think themselves able Teachers do stick here and go no further how can they be a means to bring others on toward perfection I tell you Beloved this dwelling in the letter is that which hath been the occasion of so many Errors Rents and Differences as hath been in the Church The truth is known by none but by those that can come to the truth In thy light we shall see light You that are of the truth you have received the Anointing and that Anointing teacheth you all things Not as if any individual man knoweth all things But Ye Ye the Church Ye the Body Ye know all things as I have shewed you at large upon that Text. Take the compleat Body of Christ both past present and to come adde to them the Head then we may not onely say Thou art all fair my Love there is no spot in thee but thou art altogether Amiable and YE know all things Beloved one runs away with one interpretation and another with another as the Apostle saith Every one of you hath a Doctrine a Psalm an Interpretation a Tongue a Revelation But let us mind this Anointing what that teacheth us let us labour to see that we must be All taught of God that we may come to have the Mystery and the Living sense and this will instruct guide lead and conduct us aright and safely that we shall not only SEE these hidden things but we shall know yea know undoubtedly that they are the Truth the life the Way as Christ saith of himself Did men but see things and were led by the Spirit and by the Truth they would not run away with such poor weak carnal and empty notions and interpretations as they do The Book of the Revelation is a most Divine High-flowen Revelation of most glorious and most Divine things and yet because men rest in the Letter as they do in the rest of the Scriptures we see how low and empty and poor they carry on their works what carnal apprehensions men please themselves withal yet I deny not in the least the truth of the Letter far be it from me I do not deny but those things may be fulfilled according to the Letter But therefore shall we rest and dwell there shall we not seek the Truth of all shadows Not that I would have men neglect preaching the Letter or whatever can be found out externally to be fulfilled but let us not rest there but seek for the Anointing for the Spirit promised by Christ that may lead us into all truth even into that truth which Christ spake of when he said I have many things to say unto you but as yet ye are not able to bear them But I will send the Comforter and he shall lead you into all truth And of which Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 3. 1 2. And I Brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal even as unto babes in Christ I have fed you with milk and not with meat for hitherto ye were not able to bear it neither yet are ye able for ye are yet carnal that ye may come to see those things God reveals by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the DEEP things of God for he that is spiritual judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man for who hath known the minde of the Lord that he may instruct him but we have the minde of Christ as there the Apostle in that of 1 Cor. 2. expostulates concerning the Hidden Mystery of the Scriptures which we cannot have except it be freely given unto us of God He that is taught these things hath the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God he hath even this Scripture fulfilled in him And the childe grew and waxed strong in spirit filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him Here you may see the reason and what Christ meant when he said Mat. 19. 14. Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God And yet Lev. 21. 20. there t is forbid that any Dwarf of the Tribe of Levi should approch to offer sacrifice to God How shall we reconcile Gods Commandment and Christ his practise Truly thus I suppose Christ in that saying holds forth by little children such as are in an humble meek lowly and in a growing condition and coming on to perfection for saith he He that receiveth not the Kingdom of God as a little childe he shall not enter therein But for Dwarfs whose growth is stinted they are at their highest and will never grow taller I mean such who profess themselves tall Christians but are not so much as little children nor cannot endure to grow taller nor hear of new light or a new Birth or that any should know more then they this is hateful to them for they think they have been brought up with the Scriptures they have bin at the University sat at the feet of Gamaliel Exercised in the holy Scriptures from a child studied al points in Divinity searched out the judgment of most Authors Have Epitomized the quintessence of all their judgments and shall we tell these men of new light they cry New lights are old Errors Do you think that these men are true Disciples or fit to be
Christs Disciples by him to be led into al truth is this voice the voice of the Spouse which continually looking upon her own ignorances and infirmities cryeth Oh thou whom my soul loveth tell me Teach me where thou feedest where thou restest at noon But you know what the holy Ghost saith He that is wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a fool then of that man And indeed we much wonder to see a Dwarf because that if he live to he never so old yet he is but of a childes stature and will never increase or grow higher What are such Christians if they may be so called but Monsters like those silly women the Apostle speaks of always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth who cannot indure strong meat to make them grow tall men in Christ but are still feeding themselves and others with nothing but milk with the Principles and Beginnings of Christ But those Plerophoria's Those Fat and full things of Gods House though they talk of them yet they never reach them And those that do speak of them give them an offence and get their hatred and hard sentence He must be a Familist or a Seâ—tarie or an Antinomian or some such like and to say the truth in few words they censure others and applaud themselves and though they have been long Teachers yet they themselves had need be taught the very lowest things in Christianity And Children they finde their Auditors and children they leave them You see our Saviour grew up in wisdom and stature and the grace of God was with him being filled therewith He stood not at a stay but increased he grew from the Law to the Gospel he submitted to the Law in all things and fulfilled all righteousness but he rested not in the Law but grew up to the Gospel he begun at Circumcision and submitted to the Law and was obedient even unto death and he rested not there neither but he also ascended and rose again to Life and Glory So S. Paul to avoid offence because of some that were weak in the faith he circumcised Timothy Acts 16. 3. because of the Iews for they all knew that his Father was a Greek yet afterward he saith Circumcision is nothing nor uncircumcision but a new creature And again when Paul saw that they began to rest upon Baptism he slighted it and undervalues it when men begin to make the Shadow the Substance or the Image the Truth He undervalues them although being rightly used he practised and used them himself So they be but used as Means and Schoolmasters and Tutors to bring us to Christ But if they instead of bringing us to him keep and bar us from him away with them If we begin to admire them and cry up them and make our duties and the Sacraments themselves though appointed by Christ himself to be our Saviours we are to slight them and disesteem them in that regard as Paul did the holy Law it self in that Epistle to the Galatians and elsewhere For all these Ordinances are for no other use but that they may be as steps to him as guides to him who is the truth and the substance nay Paul went so high that he not onely undervalued the Law or Ordinances or Duties if they hindred from Christ but he attempted to draw aside and undervalued and slighted the very Person and Body of Jesus Christ in that case If men rest in any outward priviledge or enjoyment they keep us from Christ. Beloved be not offended see what himself saith 2 Cor. 5. 16. when some slighted him who it may be knew or heard Christ personally and began to prefer the Shadow before the Substance he undervaluing all but a New creature he bursts out in an holy defiance of all things else besides it let it be Moses or Christ Jesus himself in regard of his body and external presence or knowledge Henceforth know we no man after the flesh one would think he had spoke there generally and inclusively enough but he boldly addes Yea although we have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth know we him no more as if he should say tell not me of outward Priviledges or Ordinances I seek a proof of Christ in you shew me the New birth the new CREATURE is Christ formed in you this is that onely that I travel in birth for and for nothing else And so likewise to instance in Baptism which some think is come in the room of Circumcision Well let it be so we will not contend about that Christ removing that burthensom and legal Ordinance but for Christ the substance we ought and must contend for to the utmost yet some there are that would have Baptism administred after such manner that it is as burthensom yea more burthensom to some then Circumcision you know what I mean as to instance the unseasonableness of weather sometimes the weaknes and sicknes of some bodies besides that of Circumcision was onely for the males not for Females as the Ordinance of Baptism is with many other reasons too long to stand upon therefore more burthensom then Circumcision they speak of plunging over head and ears as if it were an absolute injunction because the Apostle saith Rom. 6. 4. Buried with him in Baptism therefore they must be plunged Truly there is a great deal of sâ—ir more then need for Baptism is but a type and shadow of the true Baptism and I conceive and to me its clear that the Apostle there sets the shadow against the substance one to set out the other for Christs Baptism was his humbling himself and emptying himself and submitting to his Fathers will in his whole Passions and sufferings which is the thing Baptism holds forth For to Zebedees children when they desired to sit one on his right hand and the other on his left he saith Can you be baptized with the Baptism wherewith I must be baptized intimating that they were not able to pass through such a sea of sufferings as he was to pass through they not knowing what they said or what Christ meant they answered We are They thought submitting to Baptism was but a small thing neither indeed was it taking it onely as external But because the Apostle saith Buried with him in or by Baptism therefore a great deal ado there hath been in several ages of the Church by some affirming Baptism is no Baptism except they be plunged or ducked under water a very childish and weak conclusion without any true ground yet mistake me not I do not say childish in regard of the Appointment but in regard of Resting and dwelling therein and not going on toward perfection it self And truly with some men herein lies the top or quintessence of their Religion making such ado about Shadows and Figures and Resemblances while they let the Truth the Substance and the Thing pass and regard it
not forasmuch as they are so zealous and hot about Forms but if they are by any drawn up to speak of the Substance they are as men lost cold and heartless which is a plain evidence to me that they prefer the Shadow before the Substance being meerly exercised about childish things and are not willing to come up to the Truth to the Excellencies and Glories of what Baptism and other Ordinances signifie And there is no telling them of a more excellent way as the Apostle saith They see all excellencies in the Shadow none in the Substance Whereabouts think you is these mens Religion and truth of Grace Truly my Friends this sticking in the Letter is that which hath been the bane of all growth in Religion and an occasion of so many disputes and differences therein which I do not wonder at for Children can do no other then quarrel about trifles and things of no great worth Not that the soul should slight or undervalue Ordinances or any other duty Beloved I am fain to use this caution the oftner because ye are so subject to catch and carp I say Let all those things have their due time place and esteem but to rest in these is the worm the Gourd But this I say when the soul by these Ordinances or in these or whatever you will name shall come to see and enjoy God Her Portion when she is in the pursuit of her Beloved she undervalues and leaves all things of this nature behinde and presseth after the mark the Price of the high calling of God in Iesus Christ And to this soul in this condition I may boldly say what 's Duties what 's Ordinances what 's Christ in the flesh I beseech you give me leave what are all these when the soul embraces the truth of all these things Can that soul at that time leave its Beloveds arms and prize the Shadows the Handmaids above or equal to him But I grant that those that never came to these Embraces these swallowings up these overcomings This spiritual drunkenness may censure and revile a soul that may say indeed and in truth he is above these What do you think Paul thought of these things when he was caught up into the third Heaven I grant also Beloved that the most elevated triumphing and most raised soul lives not always in this condition these things and these raptures and these embraces come but seldom and the soul comes to fall lower and have more use of Ordinances but she uses them as Handmaids so as to conduct her to her Beloved Beloved I would have you ponder these things well If ye set up Ordinances c. so as to build and Rest in them ye do make Idols of them or at the best you play the Babes and the Children with them by Resting always on such Crutches and Go-bies and never come to be Yong-men much less as Fathers in Christ Paul and Peter Iames and Iohn they would have always enjoyed those Raptures Paul in the third Heaven and the other in the Transfiguration But the one had a prick in the flesh and the others came down again from the Mount and in these declinations and lower enjoyments I would not for a world forbid men to use means not onely in regard of themselves but of others who may by those come to have the same enjoyments making them no more but means and not the end And so much more I will say to satisfie you that I have great cause to mistrust those spirits whether they come the right way to God or into such Raptures that leap into them on a sudden without use of means or Ordinances But out of a Blinde and Prophane condition come suddenly into these enjoyments for God doth usually make use of these means yet I may not limit nor direct nor circumscribe the Soveraign Almighty yet usually faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word preached But herein lies the general abuse of these truths and of these enjoyments that because some may and do come thus to enjoy God and forsake Ordinances at a season at the very time of such enjoyments therefore some having gotten this in notion have presumptuously affirmed that they are above these and so far abuse themselves and shew an ill example to others that they have quite forsaken the Assemblies and the use of any Ordinances Beloved all these things are an offence and hereby many a soul by this delusion of Satan drowns it self in perdition And yet I may say more then all this and say properly too he that uses them and rests not in them lives above them and in this sense living above Ordinanceâ— is most properly taken and is a truth though much abused viz. That man hath not his comfort his Life in them this man lives above Ordinances I do not say he must forsake all Ordinances as men take it usually But to have our Life and enjoyments in the Truth and Substance and against this Doctrine the gates of hell shall never prevail And this I will say more those that come into such pretended enjoyments in this extraordinary way that for the most part they never hold on in a Christian course but abusing this light run out into fleshly liberty But the right enjoyment of God is such a hedge to a man that he cannot but love God and seek to honour him with all his might But I conceive all these things are but to lead us to Jesus Christ and therefore to put more in them and depend more on them then ever was intended is an high abuse of them Concerning Baptism we see Paul rejoyced and said 1 Cor. 1. 16. I thank God I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius and the Houshold of Stephanus for Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel and withal blames them there that they set their eyes on him or Apollo or Cephas or whatever it was either Men or Means or Duties or whatever that they once did begin to settle upon and rest in to make the cross of Christ of no effect All these things were they never so high in esteem among the Famousest Teachers and Professors he laid them aside and undervalued them If Baptism be set in the room of Jesus Christ and men content themselves though in a true observation of it or of the Lords Supper according to Christs rule or in Fellowships or Gatherings together then we make Idols of them and set them in the room of Christ and Christ the Truth and Substance is slighted and neglected So also you know that at the beginning of the Primitive Church when it was weak and in its infancy and could not digest strong meat the Apostles by consultation fed them with milk and such Doctrine as they were able to bear And all was to this end that they might use such things as Help to shew them Jesus Christ as Act. 15. 28 29. It seemed good to
of Professors I would the rather press this point in consideration of two respects 1. That ye may know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the methods of Satan in men to make men to stand still not to grow for he can be content to let men have a Religion and a supposed true Religion and to use Ordinances and Duties and Rules of worship to be content in them but if he can keep them from growing as he may very easily for all the use of them his Kingdom is never like to be by them much shaken Therefore as he sometimes tempteth men to despair by making children to measure themselves according to the rules of the Perfect so more often to security and blessing themselves in an unsound condition by making those that think themselves strong men yet still to measure themselves by children that because some or many are weaker and darker then they therefore themselves are grown men and tall Christians This is no other but Satans method that though they have a Religion yet they shall be never the better for it 2. Another reason why I would commend the knowledge and consideration of this point is for fear lest some being deceived in their own judgments they should also deceive you making you to rest upon a reed of Egypt which will deceive and destroy you And whilst they never leave the Doctrine of the Beginnings of Christ nor regard going on to perfection Heb. 6. 1. they propound unto you all as one common Faith which they ought to do so one common measure of faith which they ought not to do as though there were no different degrees of grace and proportions of faith And as I said Babes and Sucklings they pretended to finde you so such and no other they will leave you but the Apostle saith Rom. 12. 6. Having gifts differing according to the grace that is given unto us Whether prophesie let us prophesie according to the proportion of faith c. And verse 3. Let no man think of himself more highly then he ought to think but to think soberly according as God hath deal◠to every man the measure of faith For as there are Babes in Christ which can bear but weak and small beginnings of truth and faith who can bear but the first principles So also there are young men in Christ which are growen up to more ripeness and strength of faith actings and sufferings So also know there are Fathers in Christ as 1 Iohn 2. I have written unto you little children I have written unto you young men and I have written unto you Fathers Why Fathers because ye have known him that was from the beginning But in these days children will turn Teachers and look upon themselves as Fathers before they are hardly born or not scarce out of their swadling bands conceiving they know all things when indeed they know very little if any thing rightly especially not experimentally but quite out of their own line making use of things in another mans line as the Apostle speaketh and boast thereof as if they were their own experiences when as indeed they have little or none but what they have catched up from other men And as there are degrees of grace and proportions of faith so they should be preferred according to their degrees and proportions And not do as the common way now is to prefer the smaller matters of the Law before the greater and weightiest and to say they are more excellent if not in word yet in practice As 1. Preferring faith acquired before faith infused 2. Implicit before explicit faith And 3. Formed faith before all these in observing the outward and formal part of Religion as hearing praying receiving the Sacrament c. when as these are but poor things without the truth and substance these are but The Beginnings of Christ and to rest in these is but to be always children As if you should bid a Taylor make a garment for a man and he should take measure by a childe and if he be to make a garment for a childe to take measure by a man what a disproportion were this Therefore in all the ages and degrees of Christians we must observe what things and what garments best fit them that garment that will fit a child wil not a man that which will fit a man will not fit a child therefore there must be consideration had to distinguish times seasons Under the Law they were led by outward and visible things riches and honour and prosperity and health and long life and such childish things And are not most men now so even great Eminent professors that are still under the Paedagogie of the Law outward prosperity and are led by these things And these are the chief things they seek and make petition to God for which indeed we do allow to children to draw them on to a use of prayer but this garment though it may fit a childe yet it will not a grown man in Christ. But they are to seek first the Kingdom of God and to rest quietly in the will of God whether these things shall be added or no When I was a childe saith the Apostle I did as a childe I spake as a childe c. and I prayed as a childe but when I came to be a man I put away childish things Those that are come to be grown men in Christ for these outward things they are indifferent they see no such excellency in them as all worldly men do and even as children in Christ may through their weakness do the same But let us now put away childish things and be ashamed to lie crying and whining and begging for Bables and Rattles for riches and honour and beauty and favour of great men and such like things how unseemly is it for a man to cry or strive for childrens things O that I had such a Preferment and good Lord let me have such a place let me have such a house I must have such a purchase of Land Oh that I had my health again my wealth again not but that these prayers are lawful but to seek these things in our chief desires so that if you had but these things then you would be fully pleased and as quiet as Lambs let who will look after the souls portion and inheritance Truly Friends after all these things do the Gentiles seek All the men of the world gape for these things and see an excellency in nothing else but these men that are grown up in Christianity I tell you worldly men prize them not so much but they do as little and they see seek and pray for those things which are of a more excellent nature viz. things Divine and Spiritual these they finde worth praying for These are those better things which Mary chose which could never be taken away they see the vanity the uncertainty the vexation of the other things but the excellency
God that the Truth and the word of God it self is hid and coucht under mighty parables for without a parable spake he nothing unto them and indeed without parables can we not have the truth As we cannot have meat without excrements for in all the meat we eat there is abundance of excrement to a very little nourishment the greatest part though never so refined and decocted is excrement And so I say of the Letter the Letter compared with the Spirit is but the Shel the Excrement the outward Husk of the word and we have a great deal of excrement and Husk and Shell that doth us no good at all to a very little meat for you know excrement doth not nourish at all that comes away again and goes into the draught as our Saviour saith yet we may not abhor nor undervalue the Excrement of the Word because it is Excrement for we cannot have the meat thereof without Excrements for that which is Excrement doth but serve to convey the nourishment into the body God could not possibly speak to us nor convey his word but by the Excrement of the Letter as he hath done Something must be presented to our eyes and ears externally that we may conceive what is done internally for if Almighty God should have spoken as he would have spoken we should not have been able to have heard him for he should have quite undone our understanding As the Sun shines to us and gives us light at such a distance and through so many elements ayr and clouds and Mereors and many such interruptions so many thousand miles of distance which keeps his own perfect and full lustre glory and brightness from us for if it should not do so we should be quite blinded and our sight destroyed by it for we have much ado the strongest-sighed man that is to behold and look upon the Sun at that distance as it is what should we do then if these things and such a distance interposed not themselves between our sight and the Sun So if our great and Almighty God should speak to us in a spiritual way and as himself would speak if he should shine into us in the least part of his own splendor and glory all our sights all our apprehensions of him would be quite put out he would utterly destroy our sight and we should be quite swallowed up for we cannot possibly see God nor hear God but onely in that way that he hath already spoken to us But happy is that man who gets not the excrement but the nourishment of the Scriptures And I pray you for all this which I have said To magnifie the Spirit above the Letter let us be so far from throwing away the Letter that you rather infinitely bless God for it and be very thankful to him that he hath so far condescended to stoop so low to our weak capacities that we may come as we are able to receive the knowledge of him who is our happiness and eternal life O praise his infinite goodness for ever that the Mighty Strong Infinite Wise Creator hath been pleased so far to abase himself as to deal with us as with Babes for we are no better That HE the Mighty Jehovah is become weak to the weak that he hath made himself a Babe to us Babes Oh! be amazed and astonished at it for ever and fall down continually before his footstool with all trembling and fear St. Paul who was but a man tells the Corinthians that he could not speak unto them as spiritual men how then could God himself speak to them as spiritual or they to bear His words If we cannot bear the words of a weak frail man how is it possible to bear the words of God Himself As the Poets fain of their God Iupiter and his Wife Iuno a certain woman desiring of Iuno that she might but lie with Iupiter in all his glory and majesty she answered O woman thou hast asked thine own destruction but she persisting in her desire and having her request granted presuming upon her own strength And as soon as ever Iupiter drew near she was presently made in to powder Shewing thereby thus much unto the people that the true God was infinite and incomprehensible For let me tell you they intended as much as ignorant as you conceive them to be though to the common people they spake after this manner Covertly by similitudes and comparisons For there was not one of all the learned but knew that such a One must the true God be Neither let us be so simple as to think that they thought these to be Gods Or that their Gods and Goddesses were so wicked as to be Adulterers or the like They were not so sottish but they hid and couched the Truth under these shadows So God Almighty even Our God who is the true God if he should speak unto us as he is in himself what creature could stand before him he would speak all the world to powder to nothing for if he had pleased he could have spoke All Truth in One Word but where had been Auditors to have heard or understood that word As when the people murmured against Moses and Aaron and were divided against them and for them They thought that all the people of God were holy and Moses and Aaron took too much upon them and God could speak by them as well as by Moses and Aaron but as soon as God began to shew himself in his power and majesty they all trembled and were not able to stand before him and again when the people thought they would go up to the mountain as well as Moses Well saith Moses if ye will do but as soon they drew near to the foot of the mountain and the storms began but to arise and they heard the thunder and the lightnings and the terrible noise and the trumpets sounding louder and louder then they began to tremble and fear and prayed that God would not speak unto them lest we dye said they but let Moses speak to us for we can Hear Him Brethren know this for an undeniable truth that in Gods word there is such a depth of light and of glory Such ravishing profoundness That will serve all the men that ever were are shall be yea all the Divines and People of God through all generations nay and adde to them all the Angels in heaven to pry and dive into through all eternity and yet shall never be able to find out the bottom and the Vast stupendious depth thereof But as I say God is pleased for our capacities to give us these things hid under a vail That he may give us The Norishment He is faine to give us with it the Excrement which he would not do if we could receive the Nutriment alone For saith the Apostle Till this day while Moses is read they have still the vail over their heart In the outside of the Letter you see
nothing but the Vail of Gods word and the truth is concerning some God hath commanded Make their eyes heavy and their ears dull lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them that in seeing they may see and not perceive and hearing they may hear and not understand That is And I will be bold to give the interpretation That seeing the Letter they may not see the Life that hearing the words they may not understand the Living sense Having premised this let us now come and take inpieces some part of these words nowread that we may come to eat of the bread of life and of the hidden Manna that is as yet fast locked up and except God open our hearts as he did the heart of Lydia it is and will still be A Book Sealed up to us And Moses kept the sheep of Iethro his father in Law the Priest of Midian and he led the stock to the back-side of the desart and came to the mountain of God even to Horeb What may be the meaning that the Holy Ghost doth describe Moses to be a Sheep-keeper setting down so expresly that particular and still all the Patriarchs are described to be Sheep-keepers certainly there is something to be observed and learned from Shepherds because Shepherds are oftner mentioned then husbandmen and not onely the men preferred before them but all their actions also are preferred before the others Cain was a Husbandman Abel was a Sheepkeeper they both offered sacrifice one of his cattel the other of his ground but the Shepherds offering was preferred before the Husbandmans and so all the Patriarchs are commended for being Shepherds and following that trade and David he followed the Ewes great with young and from that imployment was taken to feed Gods people and to be King over them 2 Sam. 7. 8. I took thee from the Sheepcoat to be Ruler over my people Israel Well we need not to instance any further What may be the meaning of the Holy Ghost in all this in one word I will tell you what a Shepherd is A Shepherd is one that lives meerly and most properly by the providence and blessing of God upon his Trade for they fructifie and increase onely upon Gods will blessing and providence He acts not much but resigns up his will all he hath to God onely depends altogether upon that but a husbandman is he who with his expectation of Gods blessing joyns his own endeavours plowing sowing reaping changing his ground rising early and going to bed late Well I pray is there any hurt in all this No I forbid them not to do so but this I say a Shepherds life is preferred with God far before a Husbandmans because he that hath given up all to God all that ever he can do or say or think his whole man is Resigned to God confessing that they are nothing that they can do nothing and from their very souls acknowledge and not in words onely they have no wit no reason no will no understanding their whole man all that they are or can do is wholly resigned up to God and his will Nor will they joyn any of their works with Gods but let God act all do all think all speak all in them This is the life of a true Shepherd who hath his eye single on God and looks to him in every thing let him increase his stock or decrease it he is all one he is nothing grieved at the one nor lifted up with the other because he accounts nothing he hath his own Nor doth he think That he lives by his own taking care or by his own industry but depends meerly on the blessings of God and the works of nature but the other They moil and Toil themselves They must do something and this ye cannot beat out of them they must joyn their wits and their doings with Gods and do not ascribe all to God while they do it As do the other And therefore Shepherds are accepted with God far before Husbandmen the one doth think verily his own care and industry is the staff of his life They cannot deny all give up all that they are and can do They cannot but think say what ye will but they have some power some wisdom some understanding some ability to bring about their actions but the other The truly Resigned man he sees and acknowledges as the truth is That God alone doth All And that His is all the power all the might all the wisdom and he hath nothing at all he will not by any means obscure or darken Gods power nor his wisdom nor his praise as the Husbandman doth Though perhaps they may say in words it is their endeavours and the blessing of God thereupon and then they think they have made up all when indeed in their hearts in their thoughts and in their practises they do not give God his praise and glory but sacrifice to their own nets to their own wisdom power and parts And in effectwith them T is MAN alâ—nâ— doth All. You may see then how this mighty truth is hid under a mystery and is couched in two or three words how Moses doth but as it were by the way glance at it by the by and if God open your eyes you may see how this secret warp and woof runs through this Web So this Mystery runs secretly along through the whole Scriptures unseen And take notice of this that above all men the Egyptians cannot endure this kind of men and such as live this kind of life for saith the Holy Ghost Shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians It is a life so contrary to them that they hate them deadly and esteem them The silliest and ridiculousest and most improvident people in the word But it matters not God prefers them sbove All kind of men insomuch that he is pleased to stile himself The God of shepherds the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob very often because they were these kind of Shepherds most certainly to these men God ever did and ever will speak most familiarly and to these onely he will to Shepherds reveal himself and His Secrets above all the men in the world the other are too much buried in themselves and their own wayes to have God shew them any of his secrets Let us then learn to be Shepherds rather then Husbandmen if we desire to be acquainted with God for it was Mary whom Christ commends who had chosen the better part which could never be taken from her And not Martha who is troubled about many things Although he doth not discommend or altogether condemn Martha for such things must be done yet know this Mary hath chosen the better part which shall never be taken from her Mary is far to be preferred before Martha because she yields and resigns up
all and sits attentively at Christs feet while Martha runs up and down is troubled how to entertain Christ externally and how to bring the world about she thinks she must mingle her own endeavours and her discretion with Gods blessing And without question Martha was offended with Mary These kinde of men laugh and deride at those that have given up their wills lives to Christ after this manner To be taught of him because they are more slack and are not altogether so busie eager as they are as they conceive But give me leave and see in all the Scripture How many Prophets and Patriarchs God hath chosen out of these men and still preferred them to draw nearest to himself consider of it seriously and the Lord give you understanding in all things We go on And he led his flocks to the back side of the desart to the Mountain of God even to Horeb and the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire c. But why must Moses come to the backside of a desart before God would appear to him even to teach us thus much That till a man hath for saken all the world all the Towns Houses Dwellings Riches Honours Glories c. All the hurryings of the world and tumblings up and down and is come into a Lone and silent Desart where all things have forsaken him and he them until then we can never finde Jesus Christ at least forsaken them All in affection I say God will never shew himself to any man familiarly till then He that comes to Christ with his childe in his hand or with his wife in his hand or with father or mother or riches or credit or the like Christ will hide himself from such a man You wil think this strange but you know what our Saviour saith He that for sakes not all father and mother and wife and children and houses and lands and all for my name sake he is not worthy of me that is he that hath not resigned up the love of father and mother and wife and children for the love of Christ and loves Jesus Christ with all his minde and with all his might and with all his strength So that you have willingly and gladly let go out of your eye and out of your desires all manner of comforts and delightful pomps of the world and all the rare buildings and contentments and whatever the world esteems excellent or can afford so that you have forsaken all and are gotten into the desart retired from all contents but God himself There God will reveal himself to you and never before for if you love any thing whatsoever in the first place ye love not God nor Jesus Christ with all your heart minde and strength for if All were set upon him where would there be any to spare to set upon any creature you know Elias must travel fourty days into the wilderness then God revealed himself to him Beloved so long as your affections run after any thing after any one lust we cannot hearken to God Almighty in such a case if a man should speak unto you with the wisdom of of Solomon nay if God himself should speak unto you the very words of Spirit and Life it were impossible any man should hearken to him for our lusts so long as they live and rule make such a clamor and such a noise within us that God cannot be heard for this lust cryes I would be beloved another cryes I would be honoured another I would be rich another I would have my health c. therfore before ever we can hear God speak al these lusts must be cast out silenced put al the minstrels out of doors and let Christ and his attendants enter alâ—he that so all those lusts which make such a noise inâ—us and draw the soul another way may be put to silence what saith Iob I heard a voyce in silence that is when every thing was silent in the soul then Iob heard a voyce for be assured our lusts cry lowder and make more noise in the soul then all the trumpets in the world can do to deaf the ears of the body nay all the Artillery in the world were they all discharged together at one clap could not more deaf the ears of our bodies then the clamourings of lusts in the soul deaf the ears thereof so that you see a man must go into the silent desart or else God cannot be heard speak for it is the whole care of the natural and old man how he may be pleased which way he may satisfie his unruly desires how he may be rich or honoured c. though not one of you by taking care can adde one cubit unto his stature Beloved which of you by all your care and pains and rising early can adde the least tittle or the least jot unto his health or wealth or honour or credit in any thing no not one hairs breadth but all you have be it little or much it is meerly by the will and providence and special ordering of God alone thy taking thought cannot adde one whit one jot to thy heap to thy wealth to thy credit Not thy not taking thought cannot diminish one jot But I know flesh and blood can never believe this though God himself hath spoken it and till our eyes be opened by him these things are to us As a fountain sealed or as a garden walled about ye cannot believe them because they are spiritually discerned they are meer riddles and Nonsense The ridiculousest things that your ears can hear as when our Saviour Mat. 6. the latter end dehorts from serving of Mammon for if they do serve it they cannot serve God For who can serve two Masters but seek first the Kingdom of heaven and all other things shall be added take no thought for your life what to eat or drink or put on And he there sends Man a reasonable creature to learn of the fowls of the Aire who neither sow nor reap not gather into barns yet our heavenly Father feedeth them And then sends them to the Lilies of the field to see how they grow which neither Toyl nor spin yet Solomon in all his glory was not arayed like one of these And tells us this caring and taking thought is not for Christians for that is the way of the Gentiles who know not God After All these things do the Gentiles seek But see Beloved and it may be some of you may be convinced too what a boundless truth Moses hath here couched under two or three words that which he doth but only glance at and glide by take notice what a little touch he gives at such a mass of Endless and unconceivable truth When you have forsaken in one word your selves that is all that your eyes can see or your ears can hear or your heart can think and stript your selves of all
an Angel to worship him I sin or if I fall down to Jesus Christ as included in that man or in any Creature I sin likewise But if in men and beasts and trees and in all I behold God 〈◊〉 Immutable Incomprehensible Incircumscriptible Essence so I may praise God and take any occasion to fall down before him and say O thou God That Fillest Heaven and Earth O thou God that Fillest and movest every thing and thou thy self art not moved nor changed in all things I see thee who art One and for ever the same If you shall now ask me how you may behold God thus I will tell you In every Creature is a beam of the Divinity which is an Angel and that Angel be it never so small beholds The face of God Almighty that beam that lives in me or thee that beam I say sees the very face of God And therefore saith our Saviour Christ Take heed ye despise not one of these little ones for their Angel always beholds the face of your Father which is in Heaven Although you see not the Sun when you behold a beam that comes in at the window yet if you do but lay your eye in that beam you shall see the Sun it self So though you cannot see God Almighty in any Creature yet if you do not despise any of these little ones They behold God and if you lay your eye in that beam you shall come to behold God himself and then in the name of God praise God even with all your might and with all your strength then you can never praise him enough in all his Creatures Only take this along with you Thar so long as you are capable to see touch or understand what you see so long you see not God it is but a Creature but if you let that little spark guide you That Angel within you it will bring you to the very face of God For God is in the Midst of the bush in the midst of the Creature yet he is not The burning bush though he be in the Creature yet he is not the Creature So long as he appeared to Moses under any form he was but an Angel The Angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses in the midst of a burning bush And if Moses had worshipt that burning bush he had been blamed as well as S. Iohn But God is Hid he is Vailed from our sight by Accidents He is not in the Out-parts but he is Within Beloved if God would be pleased to unfold these things to you and me and make us understand them aright I know that Then neither heights nor depths nor Angels nor Principalities nor any thing should ever be able to separate between us and these blessed truhs nay nothing could hinder us from union with this Our ever Blessed God for these are such infallible Truths such glorious Truths Against which the gates of hell shall never prevail When Iacob was to go three or four hundred miles from his Fathers house He saw a vision in his first nights sleep and it was a Ladder that reached from heaven to earth and the Angels of God went up and down ascending and descending on it and at the top of the Ladder stood God himself What do you think was the meaning of that Ladder We deny not the truth of the Story for let that heart that hath such a thought consume for ever in endless flames but let us labour to find out the mind and meaning of God in all his words God stood at the top of Ladder what God is in himself we meddle not with we have nothing to do with that O blessed God! be thou what thou art thou hast said I AM that I AM and we say so too THOU ART that THOU ART Holy and Blessed be Thou in what thou Art for ever and ever And as Thou art in Thy Self we neither know thy Name nor thy Sons Name But the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us Christ Jesus is the Substance and Being of all things Hee is Hee in whom all Types and visions ended This Book of God is a great Book and many words are in it and many large Volumes have been drawn out of it but Christ Jesus Hee is the Body of it Hee is the mark all these words shoot at Hee is the Truth and Substance of all those Types Shadows Metaphors Allegories Parables and Paradoxes Hee is The MARROW in that Bone and the Kernel in that SHEL There cannot one Creature come into the world nor go out of the world not one Angel ascends or descends upon that Ladder but it comes from God and by Jesus Christ He is the Substance and Being thereof and there is not One Creature but doth the Errand God sends him on And therefore David ascribes the very worst of actions to him when Doeg curst him he said Let him alone for God hath bid him He knew no Creature could move towards him to do him either good or hurt but what God bid it do And therefore saith he in whatever befel him I held my tongue and spake nothing because thou didst it Beloved know this the interpretation of visions is from the Lord as Ioseph said to Pharaoh It is not in me to interpret dreams or visions but God shall give Pharaoh an Answer of peace And so say I of this A vision it is and we shall find it no where expounded but God hath set it down It is thrown amongst us and writ for every one to read some take it one way and some another As Pilate said What I have written I have written he that can find the interpretation let him Beloved we spent much time the last Sabbath but we could not get from under the cloud nor espy the bright pillar of light and comfort to discover the meaning of the VISION but you know I was forced to leave my discourse as to the Vision it self Muâ—â—led up in those Sacred and Holy discontents which yet are like physick though a little distastful yet exceeding whollom My beloved is a garden walled about and as a fountain sealed up And saith Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of dreams and visions is from the Lord. There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets And he that Ploughs not with his heifer shall not find out his riddle He which sent that vision to Iacob taught him also how to interpret it For in the bare relation of the vision what is in it to comfort Iacob in the condition he was in And so here to what purpose was this vision shewed to Moses what concerned this the business in hand as you may conceive Beloved He that can find out Gods meaning in these visions shall find Hidden Manna to nourish him But he that thinks by his wit and by his policy and by his own strength to find it out be sure shall find nothing but a bone to choke him
pious and precious proverb All things must be comprehended and keep Sabbath there must be no going up no running out nor no work done Seeing God desires not Our works but Our Sabbath and that himself in us Free and None Hindring him a MASTER and a GOD may Work Know Love Praise Pray Hear Crown and Reward HIMSELF in us Beloved without all doubt this is the ONE and Onely thing that pleaseth him And he commands All Flesh that in Divine matters it never Stir it self or desire any thing And therefore it is that I in this Book have Robbed man of all and Rejected him with all his Best Ware and most Precious Riches that he had in Divine businesses viz. Of all his Will Knowledge Wisdom Goodness All these must we Unlearn from all these must we Fast and keep Holy-day as from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil from whence Death is eaten And therefore there is in Heaven meer Peace Gladness Felicity as where there are Eternal Sabbaths and no Will but Gods Will Light Knowledge Art Wisdom in all his Saints whereby he doth Illustrate and Enlighten them And Christians do pray in the Lords Prayer that the same thing may be upon earth and that the will of God may be there done as it is in Heaven where no man Doth Wills Knows Speakes any thing but God who will have and in Christ hath Appointed this Sabbath also upon Earth This God grant unto us all Amen A most clear Glass and lovely Example of our Lord Iesus Christ which as he practised in himself so he propounded unto us to be followed and it may serve for an EPILOGUE or Perclose of this Book out of the 106 page of Iohn Taulerus his Works printed at Colen in Folio 1548. VVHosoever desireth to order his life according to the most Acceptable will of God and to be Partaker of his grace without any impediment ought warily to look into this Instruction following of the life of Christ which containeth all good things and to express it in his life and conversation Therefore every good and religious Christian ought in all things and above all things aâ—d at all times with all the strength of his soul in all his thoughts words and works purely to love and intend for God who is the eternal happiness and blessedness of all men as his own Portion which that he may the better do he shall most strictly observe himself within and in silence hearâ— what the Lord saith within him and avoiding all Imployments and Multiplicity he shall rest with God in unity He shall Shut up all his Senses in quietness Continually Praying and Calling upon God His eye being Fixt on him in all his actions He shall enjoy His Presence in every place time and thing He shall be A perpetual inhabitant of himself and shall Especially love Truth of heart and peace of conscience He shall be milde and Humble in heart as well as in word and be Divine and God-like in his life and conversation Taking Patiently All things at the hand of God He shall Praise Thank Honour and intend him in all his works He shall be always Endued with a certain humble Abnegation ordering of himself to what God wils shall submit himself not only to God but to All creatures avoiding those hateful vices Pride Envy Wrath and Arrogancy Moreover perpetually considering and marking the Goodness and Perfection of God He shall wonder and be astonished at the great love and faithfulness of God toward him and contrariwise at his own Unthankfulness and Infidelity judging himself from his heart The Least and Unworthiest of all men He shall more diligently take heed of his own Sense Estimation and of all the wickedness of his nature neither shall he think More of Himself then he hath from or of Himself which is indeed Nothing He shall alwayes take in hand a certain New life and exercise himself in New virtue and in New Truth He shall be Sober and Sparing in words but Plentiful in Holiness of life and shall desire to be Left and Despised of all men as men He shall much weigh Small sins and shall think The least defect not light He shall take so great care of Himself that he be never frustrated of the presence of God in his soul and that other men may be by him provoked to better things he shall do all his works in the most Perfect manner and shall Satisfie those things which he comprehends in his understanding He shall by his good will do nothing in this life to repent of hereafter He shall have In daily Adversity either within him or without him perpetual patience and in continual Multiplicity A Recollected mind he shall not 〈◊〉 either to Have or to Will any thing Proper in this world but be ready to distribute to others wants nor to have any Election oâ— Choise in things but receive thankfully The goodwill of His Father in every thing He shall admit nothing within himself but God continually He shall diligently Eschew and withdraw himself from all men as men and shall preserve himself Naked and Free from all Inwardly-received Images and his soul Untangled from all Accidents whatsoever that he may continually receive The Influence of His Heavenly Father into his soul. He shall often behold and Exercise himself in the Most worthy Life and Example of our Lord Jesus Christ As in a glass considering well How like or unlike He is unto Him and He shall in himself give an Ensample and Testimony to all men Of A Better life then This He shall be True in all his words Religious and Mature in His conversation He shall contemplate His beginning and Original From whence He and All things flowed forth and shall Strive with all diligence To return into the same again Finally tending diligently What He is whether He Ought what He Doth and for What cause he doth every thing and shall most constantly persevere in virtue and truth even unto Death And all this not by any power of his own but by Christ He alone Working all these things in him and not Himself nor Any His own Industry or Acquiring Another short Instruction taken from the same place in Iohn Taulerus his works pa. 107. VVE shall most certainly Attain The Various and Numerous exercises of this Book yea whatsoever can be written of a Perfect and Divine-like Life viz. by this means if we withdraw our selves from the love of all frail and mortal things if we study to attain an humble Resignation and inward Nakedness and embrace Onely God by faith and love in the bosom of our souls and hide our selves wholly with our Souls Spirit Body Heart and Senses in his Most Holy Humanity and labour by a certain lively imitation to become comformable thereunto and Finally by His life and merits Inhere and cleave continually and perpetually to his Divinity Whoâ—oever is enabled by Jesus Christ to do These things doth doubtless Obtain all
as the best and most excellent ibid. Two Sermons on Exod. 3. 6. the first six verses Moses kept the flock of Iethro his father in Law and he led them to the back side of the Desart And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush c. THis is one of the grâ—atest miracles in the whole Scriptures p. 232. This History and Miracle concerns us now as much as the Israelites then p. 233. The Spirit magnified above the Letter p. 237 The truth couched under parables p. 240. The infinite condescension of God to become weak to the weak p. 242. The depth of the true word is imployment for Men and Angels for Eternity p. 244. Why Moses and the Patriarchs are taken such notice of that they were Shepherds p. 246. What the life of a true Shepherd is and why preferred before Husbandmâ—n p. 248. Moses led the flock into the desart before God appeared to him so must we foâ—sake the world or God will not manifest himself p. 250 c. Whether Miracles be ceased now oâ— no an ignorant question p. 253. Greater miracles done in accomplishing the truth of miracles then in the type or shadow p. 254. Yet this a mighty miracle in the letter but the mystery a miracle far transcending p. 255. How suitable Iacobs Vision of the Ladder reaching to heaven was to him and so this miracle to encourage Moses so the great work he was to go about p. 255. Why the Almighty is somâ—times termed an angel and why angels were worshipped in the Old Testament and St. Iohn forbidden p. 258 God not more present in heaven then in earth p. 260 c. God is to be worshipped as present in all places and in all creatures p. 265. The error of the Papists in worshipping Images condemned and why ibid. Hence a ground to interpret that saying of our Saviour Their Angels alwayes behold the face of their father c. p. 268. The use and Application from the foregoing truths p. 269 c. The second Sermon on the same Text. THe life of a Shepherd and of a Husbandman further explained p. 27â— The life of a Husbandman not condemned but a Shepherds life prâ—ferred before it p. 276. Going into the Dâ—sart not meant of forsaking all things actually but in aâ—fection and using them as if we used them not p. 280. The reason of all mens unquietness p. 283. The way to understand the vision is to put off our shoes from our feet as Moses and what that means p. 285. Men as men can comprehend nothing but what is within their own sphere of reason p. 288. Something about the name and nature of angels ibid. Every beam of the Divinity is an Angel p. 294. Christ the Substance of all types and visions p. 296. The true interpretation of visions and types from God alone p. 297. He that can see God thus cannot so far fear any creature nor any cross or death it self p. 298. The wonderfulness of the vision opened p. 300. Making known Jesus Christ is the business of all creatures of all men and all ages p. 302. The substance of this vision is Jesus Christ he is that fire that burns and changeth all things but not himself ibid c. He weighs the mountains and measures the waters he alters all things yet preserves the substance entire so that nothing is lost p. 304 c. How Gods will and theirs harmonize and coincide to whom God hath shewed this vision p. 308. They cannot find fault with anything God doth but they see one spirit moving and guiding all actions of men and creatures through heaven and earth p. 310. Vain man as his ignorance so his wisdom is to stoop and bow before the Almighty p. 311. He that looks no further then the letter of the vision he sees not these mighty things p. 312. But he that doth he sees Jesus Christ not onely changing all things but how at last he shall change our vile bodies ta make them like his glorious body p. 315. The substance of several Sermons on Mark 1. 25 26. And Iesus rebuked him saying Hold thy peace and come out of him and when the unclean spirit had torn him and cryed with a loud voyce he came out of him THe Text divided as Paul diâ—ides a man into body soul and spirit p. 318. Six morall observations onely named from the soul or letter of the Text not stood upon ibid c. Nothing absolutely evil but sin and nothing perfectly good but God p. 323. Obâ—â—r 7. That Christ is stronger then the Devil though he seem weaker and lets the Devil sometimes prevail in the world more then himself p. 324. Distinctions in the will of God as Revealed Secret Permissiv Ephes. 4. 17 18. Luke 10. 42. Phil. 3. 8. Heb. 4. 12. Gal. 6. 14. 1 Pet. 4. 15. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Jer. 17. 9. Ephes. 4. 21. 2 Cor. 3. 6. Exod. 26. 33. 2 Cor. 3. 14. 1 Cor. 6. 5. Rev. 22. 2 Ephes. 6. 12. Ezeâ— 13. 18. Mich. 3. 5. Heb. 6. 1 2. Rev. 1. 10. Isa. 5. 20. Isa. 2. 22. James 5. 17. Rom. 7. 18. Gal. 2. 20. Acts 3. 12. Rom. 7. 20. Acts 26. 18. Psal. 26. 9. Dan. 9. 7. Mat. 7. 2. Mat. 7. 11. Jer. 31. 33 34. Luke 14. 35. Luke 2. 12. Luke 4. 22. Rev. 8. 1. Rev. 3. 16. John 4. 11. John 6. 60. Mat. 13. 36. Num. 22. 28. Ps. 51. 15. Mat. 9. 49. Isa. 10. 17. Mal. 3. 2. Mat. 5. 29. 30. 2 Pet. 3. 7. Joh. 11. Isaiah 20. 3. and Joel 2. 10. Acts 26. 18. Exod. 19. 16. Hos. 2. 19. Mat. 26. 39. Heb. 12. 29. Col. 4. 6. Prov. 16. 21. Eccl. 8. 1. Mat. 5. 13. Heb. 2. 11. Mat. 5. 13. 1 Cor. 3. 4. 5. 1 Cor. 1. 13. Mat. 5. 14. Joh. 1. 9. Joh. 8. 12. Lev. 6. 13. Lev. 2. 13. Num. 18. 19. 2 Kings 2. 21. Ezek. 16. 4. Job 16. 4. Gen. 27. Mat. 3. 17. Mat. 1. 24. Mat. 13. 34. Prov. 15. 23. Psal. 119. Rea. Hos. 13. 9. Luke 10. 34. Reas. 2. Psal. 38. 5. 2 Pet. 2. 22. Reas. 3. 2 Chro. 13. 5. Numb 18. 19. Mal. 3. 6. Psal. 102. 26. Ps. 139. 4. Rev. 3. 14. Heb. 1. 3. Col. 1. 17. Heb. 3. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 51. Mat. 18. 1â— Psal. 104. 3. Col. 1. 15 17. 1 Cor. 7. 31. Heb. 13. 8. Heb. 6. 19. Joh. 1. Rev. 19. 13. Col. 1. 15. Object Luk. 14. 34 35. Maâ— 9. ult Answ. Exod. 16. 18. Prov. 30. 4. Job 12. 7. Gen. 28. 17. Psal. 18. 11 c. Psal. 18. Eph. 6. 12. Psal. 15. Psal. 24. Hab. 1. 2. Rom. 10. 7. Ioh. 1. 26. Gen. 18. 27. Psal. 12. 4. Job 12. Isa. 20. James 4. 13. Isa. 9. 9. Hos. 13. 9. Rom. 12. Mat. 24. 49. Ioh. 9. 41. Mat. 24. â—0 Isa. 2. 18. Gen. 19. 35. 2 Cor. 13. 15. Isa. 46. 10. Jer. 48. 11. Psal. 62. 11. 46. 2. Job 42. 5. Jude 1â—