his coming in the spirit for his Truths to open and empty themselves upon us these with that fervency and uncessantnâ—sse as served to some in stead of prophesies of these things shortly to be to their great comfort and encouragement to expect theÌ„ And now is all that truth we expected come to a new forme of government whether Presbyteriall or Congregational Is this all the new light we lookt for to see to cast our cities counties into Classes and Provinces or to put new names of Pastor and Teacher upon our Ministers instead of the old names of Priests and Deacons I say is this all that comming of Christ in spirit we wanted desired expected Hath this mortified our lusts quickned our hearts beautified our ways that we are at rest Are these the changes that speak the day of Christ so notable so terrible that it is said Who may abide the day of his coming Shall the Refiners fire and Fullers sope find onely a few superstitious Ceremonies to purge out of our Parish Assemblies Is this the shaking of heaven and earth to shake men out of an Episcopal Prelacy into a Presbyteriall Or say it were out of a Presbyteriall form into a Congregationall which is but a step further may not have not these changes beene made salvo nomine with good credit and advantage to the makers O my brethren these are but the delusions of your adversary the Devil wbo if he cannot content you with his old trash he will turne merchant of reformation and cheat you with the superficies of it and he doth it by some such slights as these either he drawes a veile and casts a mist before our eyes that we can see no further than the letter and so think when we have attained that we have the prize or if he can not blindmen so farre but that they see a mystery and glory in spirit under the outward form and letter farre surpassing it then he tells them as once the Iewes when the second Temple was to be built the type of our Iesus his second appearance t Hag. 1. 2. The time is not yet But be not deceived the kingdom and government of Jesus Christ is not outward formal shadowy but u Luk. 17. 21. inward reall and powerfull It is in Spirit and within you not in the persons of men or Ministers without you it is that that shall destroy vv Heb. 9. last sin out of the world and all the fruits of sin and shall replenish the subjects of it with holinesse and happinesse And this Kingdome comes not with observation how else should x Luk. 17. 20. it come as a snare on all those that dwell upon the earth The first and second appearance of Christ are not so much distinguished in time as in excellency and glory And that of Christs second appearance which is now but as a cloud of a hand-breadth shall cover the heavens All things make for this appearance of Christ the symptomes of it are upon the world witnesse y Hag. 2. 6. the shaking of heaven and earth the confusion and unsetlednesse that dwels on the face of all our affaires the security of the world their z 2 Pet. 3. 3 4. scoffing and enmity against the Spirit and Christs second appearance But above all the * Isa 1. 30 2. 6. 3. 1 5 7 12 14. wants and disappointments of the children the bride in the hitherto provisions appearances Therefore lift up your heads O ye Saints for the day of your redemptio draws nigh Now as concerning my publishing these discourses the world hath been witnesse of many hard speeches against me let the world now beare witnesse of the Cause I thank God it is with mee a light matter to bee judged at mans day I confesse that in much infirmity of the flesh have I delivered this Testimony but I obtained this grace of the Lord to be faithfull And here you have them in no better dresse then as they were delivered weigh not words but the thing and consider the scope If any prejudicately stumble at the truth at his own perill be it I may perhaps be clearer in the expression of some things in this Preface than in the Discourse which being compared together may bee helpt One thing I must add in this place That whereas I say pag. 126. That a man can be under but one administration at a time either of flesh or spirit my meaning is That in that degree that a spirituall administration takes place the fleshly administration gives place In that measure that Christs second appearance dawnes on us we are drawing from under his first appearance Besides this I know nothing liable to any dangerous mistake with the unprejudiced But the time is short and I have little satisfaction in publishing disputing or wrangling out these things I desire to be enjoying them and as I enjoy to forget and presse forwards The Lord Himselfe will shortly preach Himselfe with clearnesse anâ— authority and all that cloud of Envie that is upon his appearance shall not hinder him Even so come Lord Jesus Amen The Table of the Sermons SERM I. The foundation of a Christian all laid in his being nothing in himself Iohn 14. 6. I am the Way the Truth and the Life no man commeth unto the Father but by me pag. 1 SERM. II. Somthing of the mystery of the â—ather and of Christ Ioh. 18. 25. Hitherto I have spoken to you in parables the time commeth when I will speak to you no more in parables but I will shew you plainly of the Father pag. 33 SERM. III. The Truth as it is in Iesus Iohn 17. 19. And for their sakes I sanctifie my selfe that they may be sanctified through the truth pag. 66 SERM. IV. On the same Text. SERM. V. The dying and the living Christian Rom. 14. 8. For whether we live we live unto the Lord or whether we die we die unto the Lord. SERM. VI. On the same Text. SERM. VII Solace for Saints in the saddest times On Canticles the first ERRATA Page 39. line 9. for the use of a parable read the nature c. p. 102. l. 1 2 3. for so in each line read see p. 114. l. 10. for fulfilled r. satisfied p. 118. l. ult for eternall title r. externall p. 119 at Reas for this Reason r. the Reason p. 122. l. 19. for enquire r. enquired p. 126. l. 9. for first read next l. 13. after fleshly supply appearance In the first Sermon on Genesis there is bitternesse for betternesse I know not the page THE Foundation of a Christians ALL Laid in his being Nothing In Himself GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and was not for God took him YOU have here the Phoenix of his days one that doth make the Holy Ghost as it were to make a digression a digression in the story you have a word here that is like a Star in the mids of the
that will cause blood when we make a necessity of the same things to be wrought in us as were wrought in Christ Iesus For as God hath sent Christ into the world so did Christ send these his Disciples into the world that is as God did send Christ into the world to make known himself so Christ Iesus when he hath fulfilled his Ministration in the flesh he sends out Beleevers I say he sends out Beleevers upon the same design to make out God and his glory to the world So that then this is a sure and satisfying ground why the same glory of the Father must work in Beleevers that wrought in Christ because that Beleevers are sent out upon the same errand and design that Christ was sent about As thou hast sent me into the world so have I sent these into c. Beleevers hold forth God in a spiritual discovery to the world that is they hold forth that glory of the Fathers working and discovering it self in them in a spirituall way which Christ held forth in a fleshly way My meaning is Beleevers are not lift up upon a material Cross as Christ was and do not suffer without the gate as Christ did but their Old man is crucified spiritually and they are raised and quickond by a lively hope spiritually This is the Reason that Christ saith As thou hast sent me into the world so have I sent them into the world Therefore sanctifie them with thy Truth thy word is Truth And for their sakes saith he I sanctifie my self This is as it were the making up of the Reason and the meaning of it is this saith Christ Herein doth thy design come to its period and perfection even in the Sanctification of my Members Herein thy design Oh Father is come to the birth and is brought forth for while this design works only in my person it is not at its term and period till it come to work in their persons for I am but as it were an intermediate forme and person in whom thou dost discover thy self for the present with relation to the like discovery in them through the spirit afterwards And therefore saith he For their sakes I sanctifie my self that c. As who should say If it were not in relation to them there should be no such thing as my dying and suffering and rising again It is but in relation to their Sanctification that the same glory may work in them in the Spirit conformable to this pattern of mine in the flesh And thus you have the meaning of the words For their sakes I sanctifie my self c. That which I shal insist upon at this time is the last word of the Text Through thy Truth So that the Observation that I would ground thereupon is this Doctr. That that Glory of the Father which works in the body of Christ the Saints is the Truth of that same Image that did appear in the head of that body Christ Jesus It is called an Image in 2 Cor. 3. ult we all as in a glass behold the Glory of the Lord there it is equivalently called an Image for your face in a glass is but an Image of your face but it follows more expresly And are changed into the same Image from glory to glory But stil I desire you to carry that along that a Beleevers crucifying is not a fleshly crucifying as Christs was but his Old man is crucified by spiritually discoveries This is the Truth and the other is but the form Now I must explain my self here You wil ask me whether that same work of God that is wrought in the hearts of Beleevers be their eternal life their happiness and salvation Whether that be their Righteousness for there is a great prejudice against Doctrines of this kind as if we did take away from Christ and give to that work of God within us that honour that is due to Jesus Christ Answ Now I conceive that neither the Actions of God in Christ I mean of Christ dying and rising nor the like Actions of the Spirit in us conforming us unto Christ are our salvation or eternall life but the making out of eternal life they are only the Manifestation of that grace that was given us before the world began If you ask me then what is our happiness and our life I conceive that God alone is our happiness God in union with us Mark it not only God loving us for love is but an expression to us Love is a sweet thing among the creatures and we know what love is from one to another but the Love of God to us is but the making out of a kind of spiritual Union that is between God and a Beleever So that to say that the Love of God placed upon us is our happiness is too weak and too low an expression but this is our happiness that we are in God and in Jesus Christ and that the Father and the Son is in us and is our Righteousness and our Strength in Union with us This is our happiness and eternall Life Now I say all the Dispensations of God are but to make out these things unto us Give me leave to illustrate it to you by going a little about This was our Lot and Portion from the beginning God was our Portion and God did maintain our Lot as Psa 16. And God was become in Union with the creature This was in the beginning of the Creation and this was in the Person of Christ Iesus as an Earnest of the whole but this same Union and this great happiness that the creature might be sensible of it and that it might come home with the greater advantage as it were and we might have the more lively taste of it therefore did God ordain all those intervening administrations therefore he makes the first Adam as a figure of Christ and therefore he bestows but a little grace on Adam or makes him mutable that he might fall that the Love of the Father might be the more manifested to us which we could never have seen nor admired so much if we had not been thus led about unto it And this is the end of Christ in the Flesh and Christ in the Spirit and so I shal come to shew you the difference betweene Christ in the Flesh and Christ in the Saints for if we give glory to any other then unto Christ we shoot beside the mark we give it to Christ stil but there is Christ in the Flesh and Christ in the Spirit both these agree to make out the Father and here is the difference of that work of God within us from that work of God in Christ This latter is the Truth of the former Sanctifie them through thy Truth that is do thou act those things really in them which are done in a figure for them upon me There is the Truth I desire to cleer up this to you by some famiâ—â—ar experience You know that Jesus Christ is said
to do So after a time Christ leads us from a knowing of him after the flesh as representing things to us to know him within us as a quickning Spirit Consider how ☞ much it concerns you not to shut your eyes against this but examine it and try it because the truth is you will make slow advance til you are past through the fleshly Administration and are under the Spirit Look into the 28. Isa 9. Whom shall he teach knowledg and whom shall he make to understand Doctrine them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts Pray mark it There is a question and there is an answer Whom shall I teach knowledg and whom shall he make to understand doctrine there 's the question The answer is them that are weaned from the milk c. This same milk and these same breasts are the foolishness of God whereby he had made out himself to us according to our infirmity they are the fleshly Appearance and Discoveries of God these are the brests and this is the milk and till we have proceeded further we are in the flesh And as you will count it a shame for an old man to lie sucking at the dugg so you are in an uncomely posture to be always sucking the brest and always under rudiments and to know no more of God then he holds forth in an Image without you This is not your interest to rest here and therefore I beseech you to wait upon God for the humble he will teach in his way And although I have met with some objections against this and more may be raised from the Scripture that may seem to make against this yet they are made clear to me therefore wait upon God to clear them up to you If be this taken from me I profess I know no hope that I have of my calling for what is our hope but the hope of the high calling God cals us to fellowship with himself and hath manifested this by his Son Weigh these things in the Ballance and consider that Christ comes in Clouds and not in clear Discoveries at the first the Lord give you understanding in all things THE Dying and the living CHRISTIAN ROM 14. 8. For whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we dye we dye unto the Lord. HERE is the Unity of Beleevers in their principle and the Destruction of Beleevers in their Forms All Christians in what form soever whether they be bond or free it is to the Lord there 's their Unity but there are bond and there are free there are Jews those that are under the Law there are those that are without Law there are such as do live to the Law and such as do dye to the Law there is their Destruction I have already observed this point unto you Doctr. That God is in all forms not only in distinct forms but in opposite forms Whether we live we live unto the Lord or whether we dye we dye unto the Lord. He that regardeth a day and he that regardeth not a day the Lord is in the light aâ—â— in the principles of the one as well as of the other The Lord is guide and leader of him that observes a day and of him that observes not a day This seems to be a contradiction a Paradox God is but one the Truth is but one 't is true but there are several steps and degrees of this Truth We shall never come to be all one and the Name of the Lord will never be one among us untill God is come forth in his most spirituall appearance and untill he hath brought us all to acknowledg that appearance but in order to Gods making out himself in his spirituall appearance in his naked discovery and with an open face he doth manifest himself in forms and under vails and he doth put off one form after another put off a more gross and put on a more fine put off a more thick and put on a more thin and spirituall and subtile vail God is in all forms but comprehended of no form if he were comprehended in any then he would not be in a diversity of forms There 's the great mistake of Christians and this same dark principle is that which makes us so to clash one against another We know not the mind nor the manner of the Lord we think if he be in our form he can be in no other form God is in a variety of forms and appearances that so no flesh may glory in his presence God will not be tyed to one form always for then that would be lookt upon as more then a form I have already gone through three things in the handling of this point which for the help of your memories I will only name to you the expounding of it the bounding of it and the grounding of it For the bounding of it thaâ— is the only thing I shal now remember you of Is God in all forms Then every superstitious wretch will take sanctuary here I answer thus far That whatsoever form any man doth conscientiously take up that is a form of Scripture-cognizance and doth walk in it to the Lord being perswaded it is the Lords mind He hath acceptance with the Lord For this is the bound the Holy Ghost sets in the Text He that regards a day regards it to the Lord. Is a man sincere in what he doth Doth he it to the Lord Doth he take it up because he thinks it is the Lords mind And doth he serve the Lord and not any lust Not a lust of honor and the applause of men Or the profit and commodity of this world Or the preferment of the time Why if he doth it to the Lord who art thou that judgest him The Scriptures hold forth unto us severall forms as God hath put on severall forms in his appearance to his people and the Scriptures are the records of all these and direct us unto them Now whosoever in the sincerity of his heart takes up any of these and walks in them as unto the Lord he is accepted of him Now the Use I made of this shall not be repeated but there is one Use more behind I exhorted you the last time that you should hold it forth that you do observe all your forms unto the Lord and every one bring forth his proper fruit whether you be in forms or whether you be above forms Thus the holy and happy man is described in the first Psalm He brings forth his own fruit in his season Look what season and administration you are under see you bring forth your proper fruit Those that are in forms see that your forms be advantage ground to rise up to the Spirit Those that be above forms let them bring down the glory of God and the Spirit upon all forms wherein they converse with men and as God hath brought them forth in the Spirit so let them bring forth every action and form
wherein they walk in the Spirit Use But the main Use which I intended and that for which I did in a main part pitch upon these words is to reconcile Beleevers in their different walkings and administrations Indeed it is sad that there should be any falling out that there should be any difference as Reconciliation doth import Let there be no strife among you for you are brethren Let us not judg one another as the Apostle saith here Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not If so be that Christians do not judg themselves in their forms why should we judâ— them And if so be that we do not judg one another why should we think that we are judged one of another for there 's the quarrell many times Such a man cannot walk in a different form from me but I think presently he condemns me and accounts me fleshly and carnall It is a sign that thou judgest thy brother in his form that dost think that he judgeth thee in thy form For such as we are our selves such we judg others to be Let us not judg one another for God hath received him that eateth and God hath received him that eateth not Where is the unity of the Spirit that the Apostle speaks of Ephes 4. Is there no unity but where there is uniformity Because we have not still one form have we not therefore one Father one Lord one Baptism or one common condition of suffering Doth not the world hate you if you be Saints And doth it not hate them also that walk in another form if they be Saints Let us not judg one another the strangeness that is among Christians because of forms is sad to behold How we are loosened one from another and how we are lost one to another if we once strike out of that path wherein we have walked one with another Is not this a denying a crucifying of the Lord of glory Is not this a disowning of Christ in one another Is not this a knowing one another after the flesh If you do good to them that do good to you what reward have you Do not even the Publicans the same So if you love them that are in the same form with you what thank is it Every man loves him that will say as he says and that will build up that which he builds up The Apostle saith That he that offends against a weak brother sins against Christ And is it not so He that judgeth his brother doth he not judg the Lord in his brother He that judgeth his brother by a form that overlooks the appearance of the Lord in his brother and sees his deficiency in such a form why doth he not now subject the Spirit as it were and subject the divine excellency of Christians and Saints to fleshly evidences and tryalls It must make out it self in this fleshly form and appearance or else there is nothing of God nothing of the Spirit The Reason why we agree not in severall forms is not because the forms differ but the fault is in our hearts God gathers up all forms and imbraces them in love and it is because we look not upon our brethren in their severall forms in the Spirit of God and of Christ that we do not imbrace them too The Devill carches away the spirituall Image and Appearance that is under every form wherein all forms agree and he fixes our eye upon the very outward form wherein the difference consists and so nourishes strife and discord among brethren That which the Apostle said of the Law the end is glorious the end of Moses Administration was glorious I may assume here the true face the true Image and the true and spiritual Appearance in and under every form is glorious and it is God and it is one and the same but the outward figure doth differ He that hath the Spirit of God and in that Spirit looks upon all forms he imbraces them all he reconciles all he walks with all with Jew with men under the Law with men without Law and doth not stumble nor is an offence All Saints are one body Now as in the body there are several members and each member differs as in a figure so in usefulness too yet are all usefull in their places So it is in the several attainments and administrations that Saints are under each doth differ from other in spirituallity and power and glory The Scriptures are a Record and Register of all those severall administrations that God hath brought his people under of all the severall forms in which God hath appeared to them and the Scripture bears witness to every of these and there is none of these but were usefull in their time in their order and place and the one doth lead unto the other in a way of ascending still and as the hand cannot say unto the foot I have no need of thee so neither can the highest administration say to the lowest administration I have no need of thee for there are still those that are benefitted by the lowest administration as well as there are some that are raised up to the highest administration The Nurse in a family where there are children is usefull in her place as well as the Steward of the house that looks to all the estate Milk is usefull to babes as well as strong meat to men Therefore as the members of the body do all of them do their office in their several places without disputing and murmuring The hand saith not because I am not the head therefore I am not of the body nor the foot because I am not the eye to see the way therefore I will not carry on the body in the way So should it be in the Body of Christ Let us every one in that station and calling wherein we are set in the body minister to the Lord whether as Nurses to give to the children or whether as Stewards to provide meat for strong men If we had a right understanding of things there would not be these breaches among us because we walk not all in the same way are not all in the same form It is the beauty of the body to have variety of parts The manifold wisdom of God is seen in it his word is purified seven times and he brings forth the same truths in more spiritual and higher appearances and higher and higher yet the same Lord is fulfilled over and over They that are yet in the low bough's may come to the top bough But here 's the Resolution of all Those that are yet below being not able to comprehend that which is above them and that which is more capacious then themselves they cannot bear witness to it nay they cannot bear with it But still take this for a certain truth the higher you go and the more God draws you up the more able you will be to comprehend and reconcile all underappearances and all lower administrations and to discern