promise of the Spirit It s the Spirit it s the Spirit that shall bring to your remembrance saith Christ whatsoever I have said unto you The holy Spirit of God comes and makes the soule to remember all the words of the Lord Jesus Christ all the promises in the blessed book of God that concernes our sanctification any peice of it any thing belonging to it or that concernes our consolation or any peice of it or any thing belonging to it they are all lodg'd up in this great and glorious and blessed promise of the Spirit of God as in the promise of the Messiah are lodg'd all the promises of our Justification and every peice of it so in this promise of the Spirit is lodg'd up all the promises of our sanctification consolation Justification flow's out of the one and holines peace and comfort out of the other is it not then a great promise O it s a glorious and most blessed promise I had thought to have shewne you how it is the great New-Testament promise the great promise that we are to looke for under the new Testament but I shall not be able to come to that at this Time The Lord therefore set that upon our hearts and as there is much lodg'd up in this promise so O that our hearts were now all taken with it that we might all looke up unto God for the giving out of this Spirit methinkes none should goe home now and say I will not regard this Spirit I doe not see any thing in this Spirit much lesse that any should goe away and jeere at the Spirit laugh at the Spirit and make a mocke of it O far be it from our soules that any here should doe so but let us every one looke after this Spirit Lord come and give out of thy Spirit to my soule come and give out of thy Spirit to my soule Lord I have been a Rebell an Enemy a wretch an opposer but let thy Spirit come and subdue my Corruption let thy Spirit come downe and bring up my heart to thee O thy Spirit Lord to subdue this wretched distemper in me that have been a mocker and jeerer at thy Spirit Poore soule do'st thou want a word of conviction to be thoroughly convinced before the Lord O say now O Lord send thy Spirit to convince me now O Lord let thy Spirit convince my soule of sin let thy Spirit convince my soule of righteousnes let thy Spirit come and shew me how I have not beleived in Christ how that I have taken up other things besides Christ as my foundation and laid other foundations besides the foundation of God let the Spirit of the Lord come and shew me how many righteousnesses I have set up instead of the Lords righteousnes If the Spirit of God should come to our hearts now not a man or woman here but would goe out and say O I am a poore wretched creature I thought I had had wisdome when I came hither but I goe out a foole and I thought I had had strength when I came hither but I am weakness it selfe and I thought I had had parts and gifts but I am nothing I thought I could have beleived and acted faith upon God but I can doe nothing nothing of my selfe if the Lord come to convince by his Spirit it will be thus indeed There are many legall convictions and men goe away hardened after them and they are ten times worse hast thou man or woman been convinced of that and hast gone away mightily affected and yet can'st thou come againe and sit here and sleepe O beg of the Lord to give out his Spirit to convince thee and to doe all thy workes in thee and for thee hast thou been a long time doubting and seeking what way God will owne what truth God will owne for his truth O labour for the Spirit cry for the Spirit for the teachings of the Spirit beg of the Lord to teach thee by his Spirit spread the promise before the Lord hast thou not said Lord Thy Spirit shall teach us all things and guide us into all truth Here 's thy promise Lord Lord now let me have thy Spirit to reveale thy truth to me and to shew me thy will and when the Spirit comes and teaches us we shall know principles in another way than we did before a Christian can see a cleare evident distinction betwixt those principles he fetches in from reason and those he hath from the Spirit of God enlightening his reason Now wouldest thou depart O beg of the Lord to come and give thee hâ—s Spirit and then being taught by the Spirit of God thou wilt stand to the truth the reason why men are this to day and another thing to morrow it is because they are not taught by the Spirit but their faith is laid in the wisdome of men and they take up things from men and doe beleive a thing because such a wise man speakes it and when a wiser than he comes and speakes otherwise then they will leave that and take up what he saith now saith the Apostle I came not to you with the enticeing word of mans wisdome but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that your faith might stand not in the wisdome of man but in the power of God as if he should have said I know how apt you are to take up things in the wisdome of man and not in the light of the Spirit of God but cry out Lord let me have nothing but in the power of God and from thy Spirit upon my heart in the demonstration of thy Spirit this will hold a man will stand to this he will say I did not receive this truth by the light of my reason but by another light hereupon the soule will hold to truth As the Saints in Queene Mary's dayes could not dispute but yet they would dye for the truth they had their principles in the light of the Spirit and in the power of the Spirit Now how many now aday's have their faith founded in the wisdome of men and not in the power of God If God should come and sift men you will never hold if you will not learne of the Spirit but have things onely from your reason How many have spoken gloriously of the truths of the present age and when it comes to some tryall when there comes suffering and their owne Interest calls off to the other side turne their backs upon it that which men have had onely from their reason will not lead them through Temptation if Temptation come that man will give away his truth rather than part with his Interest his honour or profit or the like a man that hath reason will gather up a great deale in the notion but if the Lord doe not teach us by his own Spirit we shall not hold O beg this every heart for himselfe and for all the children of God at this day that we might not
is he may have common light and common assistance which though it is not saving yet it may be such light and such assistance as may be from the Spirit such as he hath not in himselfe light into truth beyond what he can attaine meerely by his reason and aâ—â—â—ance in some dutie beyond what he hath from his owne strength therefore such falling away are said to doe despite to the Spirit of grace Heb 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath troden underfoote the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace Fourthly He may tast a sweetness in the word of Christ so far as he may say O it is a good word Heb. 6.5 And have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come So Mat. 13.20 But he that received the seed into stony places the same is he that heareth the word and anon with joy receiveth it The seed in Stony places heares the word and with joy receives it But what word is this which makes the heart joy againe why the word of the kingdome ver 10. When any one heareth the word of the kingdome and understandeth it not then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sowen in his heart this is he which received seed by the wayes side and that is the Gospel word not that of the law Such an effect therefore may the very Gospel word beget in men Fifthly He may as to flashes at sometimes feele something of the joyes that are above his heart may have some kinde of sudden Ravishments with the Joyes of heaven as though they were his Heb 6.5 And have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come all this may be in a man who as yet is without union with Christ who as yet hath no more worke upon him than what he hath attained by his owne strength first running in his owne strength to the Law and finding no helpe there may then run in his owne strength to the Gospel and then conceiving because now he is got off from the Law and hath seene the emptines of all his legall trusts rests and hath got some light into Gospel truths and hangs as he thinkes upon Christ and the Covenant of grace onely though yet all this his hanging is but an act of his own a hanging upon the outside of the Arke he judgeth that though his condition was bad before yet now it must needs be good and from this conception of himselfe he is it may be holpen somewhat to reforme finds sweetnes in thoughts of Christ because he thinkes he hath now layd hold on him and Christ must needs be his he hath Joy in hearing Gospel truths and feels at a fit as 't were a kind of heavenly Joyes in himselfe and yet for all this in old â—dam still and the fruite he beares though it seeme glorious comes not from union with Christ as the foundation of all but from union with the old Stocke and hence it comes to passe that in the end all the fruite drops withers rotts goes to decay Hence it is seeing many that attaine all these things fall away in the â—nd that some so boldly stand for and maintaine falling away from â—race for indeed what can be more like grace than the aforesaid things but yet their Position is false and ariseth from the not distinguishing of workes Legall from workes Gospell what ever may be in man by vertue of a legall worke that is a worke wrought in a man either by legall Principles or by legall strength working upon Gospel principles all that a man may fall from because all that may be and the soule not upon the soundation Christ and therefore the building may fall What ever a man comes by either by old Covenant light or by old Covenant strength all that he may loose for the old Covenant is a fading thing 't is such a Covenant as may be broken Heb 8.9 Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I tooke them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt because they continued not in my Covenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord. And though God by vertue of that Covenant stands in some kind of relation as I have said to persons under it yet such is the Tenour of that Covenant that if they doe not keepe Covenant but rebell God will cast them off and not regard them for all that and therefore the Apostle for those words in Jeremy although I was an Husband to them reads and I regarded them not Now so much seeming grace may be in a man by vertue of old Covenant light or old Covenant strength acting upon Gospel light and principles that it is the most difficult thing in the world to distinguish it from true grace therefore so many that seemed to have true grace fall away and then men when they see it and finde Caveats in the word to persons going far upon Gospel principles to take heed least they fall away Conclude men may fall away which indeed is false for no soule truly in Christ can ever fall but persons may run thus far and yet still in the Stock of old Adam and such may fall Hence also some conclude falsely free-will not distinguishing betwixt workes flowing from Legall light and strength and that flow from Gospel light and strength To the first man hath a power and by his owne strength doth all and because many goe so farre in that strength which they feele to be their owne as that they thinke themselves to have true grace and to be living members of Christ which as indeed it is not so hence they conclude man hath a power a will in himselfe to receive Christ which is not so man hath a power to repent obey believe in a legall way and he hath a power to lay hold on Christ as tendered in the Covenant of grace in such manner as a man may be saâ—d to hang on the outside of the Arke but a power to receive Christ in Truth so as to be in him this he hath not this is the free gift of God and no person in the world ever can or shall thus receive Christ but he onely to whom it is given Quest But you will say if a man by Legal Principles and Legal strength may goe thus far wherein lyes the difference betwixt the true Saint and this seeming Saint An The maine and essentiall difference ly's here in the roote the one â—nd the other grow's upon The seeming Saint may have many glorious things but the roote upon which all he hath or doth stand's is the old Adam The true Saint perhaps may have fewer and lesse glorious branches than the other but the roote of what he hath or
for the Spirit of God enables us to act this faith we are not able of our selves to put forth the least act of faith the soule cannot when he wants sence put forth the least act of faith but it 's the Spirit of God the exceeding greatnes of the power of the holy Spirit that comes and raises up the power of a poore soule the Spirit of God comes when the poore soule is quivering and shaking and trembling under Temptations and comforts strengthen's stay 's supports refreshes and establishes the heart and the soule so all the comfort peace joy and consolation of the soule it 's from the Spirit it 's all lodg'd up in this promise Secondly All our spirituall light and teaching is from hence it 's the office of the holy Spirit to be the teacher of the Saints He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance he is the Saints Comforter and he is the Saints teacher all our light and teaching it 's laid up in this promise there 's a vast difference betwixt the knowledge men have in their heads which we call notion and that knowledge which men have from the Spirit which the Apostle pray's for and calls the Spirit of Wisdome and of Revelation if we have any true light it 's from the holy Spirit as all outward light by which wee see naturall things it 's from the Sun and if the Sun were out of the firmament there would be no light to see created things so the inward light by which we see things as they are spirituall things all this light is from the holy Spirit and if the Spirit of God doe but withdraw from the heart all it's light is but a heape of darknes so the light of the people of God it 's not in themselves and their knowledge it 's not in themselves sometimes men may beate out knowledge and light by their reason and parts I but there 's another kinde of light in the first of the Cor the 24 and this is from the holy Spirit of God The Spirit of God it is the enlightening principle True reason it 's the light of man but it s as real a truth that the Spirit of God is the light of reason therefore we have a speech in Job There 's a spirit in man but the inspiration is of the Almighty giving him understanding that is there 's a rationall spirit in man that can beate things out in a rationall way that can discover and draw conclusions and Inferences and the like but it must be the Inspiration of the Almighty that must give him understanding a man can have no true light no true knowledge if there be not a light enlightening this light if there be not the Inspiration of the Almighty enlightening his understanding if the spirit of man be not guided by the Spirit of God the Spirit of God enlightens the naturall spirit and the naturall understanding of man there 's a spirit in man but the Inspiration is of the Almighty giving him understanding we have as much need of the light of the Spirit to understand spirituall things as you and I or any other have need of the light of reason to teach and discover to us naturall things If a man had not the light of reason he were a naturall foole and a man cannot make out naturall things but by a naturall light so where the Spirit of God is wanting though a man hath never so much reason yet that man is a spirituall foole and he cannot make out spirituall things without the light of the holy Spirit and it was upon this account the Apostle Paul speakes so gloriously to the Corinthians he went to preach the Gospel to consound the wisdome of the wise Where is the wise and where is the Scribe and the disputer of this world Who can understand the Gospel by the brave witts and quicke apprehensions of the world and the sharpest witts if they could not reach these things where is their wisdome no saith the Apostle this is another manner of wisdome than the world knowes For after that in the wisdome of God the world by wisdome knew not God then it pleased God by the foolishnes of preaching to save them that beleive The wise men of the world by their owne light reason and parts could never know God God would have the knowledge of himselfe come into his Children in another way though they take up truth in a rationall way as men and doe not lay all upon Impressions and revelations yet they receive these things from God by the teaching of the blessed Spirit of God and that hath demonstration going along with it I preach not in the enticeing words of mans wisdome saith the Apostle but in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and the more we can learne things in the evidence demonstration of the Spirit of God the more light there will be in our reason for the Spirit of God enlightens the spirit of man if a man have a great deale of understanding and be unacquainted with the way of the Spirits teaching he knowes nothing and understands nothing The naturall man understands not the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discern'd discern'd by the light of the holy Spirit therefore saith he We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is of God that we might know the things that are given to us of God as if he should have said there are blessed things given us of God glorious things given us of God such things as are worth ten thousand worlds given us of God but how shall we know these things why not by the spirit of the world but by the Spirit of God By this Spirit of God we know the things that are freely given us of God it 's the Spirit of God that enlighten's us Thirdly All our Inward life and motion it s laid up in this promise There 's no motion that can be in our soules which may be called spirituall life or spirituall motion if it be not from the holy and blessed Spirit of God the Spirit of God to the soule of man is as the soule is to his body what is the soule to the body the principle of life and motion if the soule be but out of the body the man is presently but a carkase and there 's no stirring moving breathing or acting so the Spirit of God is to the soule if the Spirit of God be gone from the soule there 's no motion no stirring no acting a living Saint this houre a dead blocke the next houre one that hath a great deale of life from God in this duty is so dead and low as if he had no life at all in the next so the life of the Saints is not in themselves but it s in the Spirit of God and so it s laid up in this promise Fourthly Further All the spirituall strength by which the
Mr. Tillinghasts EIGHT LAST SERMONS I The Fifth Kingdome or Kingdome of Christ founded on the New Covenant one Sermon on Jer 33.20 21. II Signs of the Times two Sermons on Matth. 16.3 To which is added six Signs as they were in his Notes III Christ the only Foundation one Sermon on 1 Cor. 3.11 With the prosecution of the point as it was in his Notes IV The Promise of the Father two Sermons on Act. 1.4 V The evil of the Times one Sermon on Mal. 3.16 17. VI Look to your Aims and Ends one Sermon on Matth. 11.7 To which is added The Idols abolished being his Notes on Is 2.18 Matth. 3.2 Repent yee for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand LONDON Printed by M. S. for Livewell Chapman at the Crown in Popes-head Alley 1655. A PREFACE TO THE READER THe Lord upon my frequent remembrance of the depth of the Riches both of his Wisdome Rom. 12.33 and of his Knowledge hath given me many and manifold occasions to break forth in the words of the Apostles sudden exclamation How unsearchable are his Judgements and his waies past finding out Yea such hath been the tenor of his dispensations and of the Appearance of some of them of late years from out of those unsearchable depths as may well induce us in the midst of such musings to cry out in the words of the Song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty Rev. 16 3. Just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who will not fear thee Oh Lord and glorifie thy Name But Oh ye faithful followers of the Lamb who shall be able to fathom and to measure the depth and heighth the breadth and length of those judgements which are yet to come upon the people and the Princes of the earth Wo Wo to the worshippers and admirers of the Dragon of the Beast and the false Prophet how terrible will Jehovah be unto the little Horn the last power which lifts it self up against the Saints of the most High after the expiration of the two and forty months How will this little Horn which goar 's our sides and pusheth us into corners roar when the Judgement shall sit and they that is the Saints shall take away his Dominion Dan. 7.26 to consume and to destroy it unto the end And with what consternation of mind will the proud Nimrods of the world flye before the Lamb and his followers when the mighty Hunters themselves shall be hunted from Mountain to Hill by the little handful of those who ar redeemed from the earth And whitherwill ye rune for shelter Oh ye Tyrants Who shall be your Lord Protector in the Day when Jehovahs fury shall be powred out like fire Nâ—humâ— 6 And if the Rocks are thrown down by him what will become of Reeds If the Sons of ancient Kings be hurried out of the world to their own place for their oppressions and persecutions for their contempt of God his Word and his Works what will be the portion of the New Monarchical Tyrants who are but of yesterday and have not had time to take root in the earth neither shall ever be able to confirm or establish their Domination But to contract and call off my mind from expatiating upon this point It cannot but be confessed That the sudden loss of so blessed an Instrument in the hand of Christ in such a juncture of time may well be matter of astonishment or of great grief to those poor souls who beginning to halt betwixt two opinions found present help and strength administred to their feeble knees by his Ministry and having also their eyes anointed with Gospel Eye-salve for the discovery of the present and other Truths It was no marvel that they became so sensible of the usefulness of such an Interpreter in that populous City as the deceased Author of the insuing Sermons And indeed We Prisoners your Brethren and Companions in Tribulation and in the Kingdome and patience of Jesus Christ could not refrain rejoycing with you for the hopes you had that he should have been as an Arrow or a polished shaft in the hand of a mighty man even the man Christ Jesus in such a day as this But as the heavens are higher than the earth Isa 55.9 so are the Lords ways higher than our wayes and his thoughts than our thoughts We are taught to say It is the Lord 1 Sam. 3 18 let him do with us also as seemeth good to him for indeed we are not our own 1 Cor 6.20 we are bought with a price whether we live or dye we are the Lords Rom. 14 8 and therefore we are obliged to glorifie him in our bodies and in our souls But to proceed to a brief Narrative of some particular passages and circumstances which may be of use for the Christian Readers who are far remote from the City to know It is to be remembred That this Servant of the Lord had waited for some space of time viz. about a year of daies to understand the mind of God in reference to the work which was upon his heart to do for the Lord Jesus at length perceiving his way to be plain before him he came up to the City of London where it pleased the Lord to put a period to his dayes within a very short space after he was arrived But how diligently he improved his time and his talent I need not declare for it s well known to thousands that he laboured as if it had been for his life to promote that glorious Cause which was once the joy of the Saints generally throughout the Nation although now it be almost forgotten by the most and the concernments of Christ and his people in the midst of a generation of Revolters and Backsliders from the work of God in their day Three principal businesses he had upon his spirit to dispatch The first was to speak his mind freely to the Great Man as they call him which accordingly after solemn seeking the face of the Lord with some Brethren he did and did bear his Testimony to his face in the first place in the presence of divers witnesses in such a way of plaineness and pity towards him who was guilty of such open Abominations that undoubtedly it will be of use hereafter to the stopping of the mouths of all Court-flatterers who are one of the worst sort of creeping Vermine in the world purposing moreover to proceed to an higher and more publick Testimony as God should give him a spirit and opportunity thereunto In the next place like another young Apollos Act. 18.27 28. being come to the City he helped them much who had beleeved the present Truth through Grace for he mightily convinced many and that publickly that the Kingdome of Christ is not only a Spiritual Kingdome but an outward visible Kingdome as his words are that this is a branch of the New Covenant That this
Government also The truth is I have much mused upon this Charge of his for of all the men in the world I admired and do still wonder with what face HEE could find fault with me and with what conscience HE could accuse me and impute this as a crime worthy of close imprisonment when he knew in his own soul that he had pulled down whatsoever I had preached down from first to last except his own new Instrument which was not then published to the world neverthelesse to close prison I must go And yet do not know any colour of Reason or of Law for that usage unto this moment neither is it possible I ever should for that imprisonment was contradictory to all principles of Reason Justice and Conscience All that can be said is this he presumed to give the Congregation to whom he was preaching several Characters of the Little Horn upon that very day when the people cried or should have cryed if they did not God save His Highness taking the Lords name in vain after the old mode in King Charles his dayes There hath been also I understand from very many friends who come to visit me in Prison a great noyse at Court from whence it is spread up and down the City and Country that I sunk under him when I was brought before him and had not a word to say for my self and Mr. T. was perswaded I was convinced and would forbear to preach as formerly c. and this his said Secretary will witness this businesse is frequently repeated in my absence being twenty miles off in prison I commend the Master and the Man they would make the Saints my friends beleeve strange things against me when I am far enough out of the hearing But the Lord knows I never was conscious to my self of any thing in that kind neither did I give occasion for any man so to judge and report for the truth is this I was not affraid either of his looks or his threats in the least from first to last neither was I at all convinced by any thing that he said that I have done any evil in the sight of the Lord or of man in whatsoever I preached concerning the Little Horn which as I judge was the cause of mine Imprisonment on his part nevertheless This I must needs say and it is truth When I heard the General speak at such a rate concerning IMPULSES upon occasion of somewhat I had a little before toucht upon magnifying the fruits of such Impulses as came upon his own spirit as all excellent and glorious I began to wonder and thought it somewhat strange to hear such language savouring of self-exaltation but when I heard him vilifie those Impulses which other Saints had experience of judging their Impulses to be from the Devil condemning that spirit by which they spake saying Wee had forsaken the Head Christ and were under the Ministration of evil Angels c. My Countenance I verily beleeve was very much changed because of that great trouble which fell upon my spirit in hearing such words bordering as I then conceived upon Blasphemy Hereupon casting my eyes up towards the wall over against me and shaking my head with much grief of heart to hear him I considered in my self whether I should reply to him concerning those grievous expressions of his or not and even as I was resolving in the negative these words came into my mind or were put into my mind with power Answer him not a word Answer him not a word Whereupon when he had done speaking I kept silence and did not return a word that I can remember from this passage I am apt to think they supposed I was convinced by what had been spoken by him and had nothing more to say for my self and thereupon have spread this untrue report but they were and are deceived in that matter But at the end of three dayes and an half I was set free not making any promise or yeelding to any terms which were propounded to me I supposed they were not able to justifie what they had done for This Imprisonment was contrary to the Law of God and of the Land yea and contrary to his own Oath which he had solemnly taken but five dayes before in the presence of many witnesses and so I have done for the present with my first Imprisonment As for the cause of this second Imprisonment It is as far from my knowledge as the former unless it be for bearing my testimony publickly against the open and notorious Abominations of the times wherein the General and his Army are so involved together with the Parochial Church-men and the Luke-warm Professors that certainly there will overtake them a most sore visitation from the Lord which will destroy their Refuge of lyes and tear their Instruments all to peeces If this be to be vile I will be more vile If I must suffer Persecution Imprisonment and reproach for this the will of the Lord be done I am made more than a Conqueror through him who hath loved mee Shall not I be as bold to plead for the Lamb against the Beast as they are to plead the cause of Antichrist against the Lord Jesus God forbid I was indeed after I was apprehended this second time brought before a Committee of the Council as they called it where they caused to be read in my hearing some passages of a Sermon at Alhallows two dayes before and would have me to answer whether I had spoken those things which some of their Pursevants or sneaking Spies had brought unto them It put me in mind of the persecuting Prelates who laid snares to intray the Servants of God in their faithful preachings to the people I told them I would neither affirm nor deny any thing but when they brought the Accusers and the witnesses face to face I would give them an Answer and so we parted After four or five dayes they sent me to Winsor Castle and here I have been nineteen Months and more and know not when I shall come to a Trial they are a long time methinks in preparing the charge against me surely they are to seek it for I was in prison before their Law was published And where there is no Law there is no transgression Now I would willingly know of such as reproach me as an evil doer and therefore I suffer justly what is my transgression and what is my sin for if I am an Offender as Paul saith or have committed any thing worthy of death I refuse not to dye or otherwise to be punished according to my demerits in case I have transgressed any Law of Righteousness whatsoever Wherefore I humbly conceive that mine Imprisonment doth not render me uncapable of writing to the Lords people and therefore these things not being intended for any but the followers of the Lamb I shall desire them not to condemn me before they find me manifestly convicted of those notorious evils which are reported
make both good looke the 21 22 verses of the 7 of Daniel I beheld and the same Horne made warre with the Saints and prevailed against them untill the Antient of dayes came and Judgement was given to the Saiats of the most high and the time came that the Saints possessed the kingdome And againe looke into the 25 26 27 verses And he shall speake great words against the most high and shall weare out the Saints of the most high and thinke to change times and Lawes and they shall be given into his hand untill a time and times and the deviding of time But the Judgement shall sit and they shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end And the kingdome and Dominion and the greatness of the kingdome under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most high whose kingdome is an Everlasting kingdome and all Dominions shall serve and obey him So that observe the very people that the little Horne warr 's against in the day of his raign that very people at the ending time of his Dominion shall take his Dominion from him but they are Saints I say Saints must be considered under that notion in taking the kingdome and Dominion of the little Horne as they are considered in the little Hornes warre against them why if we consider that in the time of the little Hornes warre against them he doth not war against them as they are nations but against Saints as Saints therefore when the ending time of his Dominion comes Saints as Saints not Saints as the body of nations for there was never yet a nation made up of Saints but Saints as Saints cul'd out shall execute the vengeance of God upon this little Horne that hath warr'd against them and troden them underfoote so long Thirdly Reason 3 That generation of men shall destroy the kingdome of the Beast in the time when his kingdome is to be destoyed that did beare witnes against the Beast for Christ all the time his kingdome stood this is grounded upon the cleare truth of the 11 Chapter of the Revelation which tells us that the witnesses for 1260 dayes prophesied in the end of this time they are kil'd by the Beast they rise up againe and rising up they knock the Beast downe for Immediatly thereupon the tenth part of the Citie fell and there was a great earthquake and there were slaine of men seven thousand and great feare fell upon all the rest and they gave glory to the God of heaven This is done by the rising witnesses therefore that generation of men that have borne Testimony against the Beast in the time of the Beast's kingdome that generation of men when his time runs out shall give the deadly stroake to the Beast and his kingdome but that generation of men that have borne their witnesse hath not been in the world it hath not been the nations of the earth for all the world saith John wondered after the Beast and all the Hornes and that with one mind and with one consent give up their power kingdome to the Beast and therefore not the powers of the world but they that have borne witnesse against the Beast all the time of his kingdome and they are the poore despised handfull of Saints that have been in the world that have borne their testimony against the Beast and therefore they are those who at the expiring time shall come forth and give the deadly Blow to the Beast Fourthly Reason 4 The Angel that enlightens the earth with the glory of the truth of the Lord that is that Angel or Instrument that shall ruine Babylon Revel 18.1 And after these things I saw another Angel come downe from heaven having great power and the earth was enlightened with his glory The Angel that enlightens the earth with the glory of God carry's on the worke against Babylon but the earth hath not been enlightened with the glory of God by the generation of the world but the world hath been enlightened by the generation of the faithfull that God hath revealed his truth to they have been the light enlightening the world with the glory of Gods truth and this Angel that enlighteneth the earth with the glory of God he gives the deadly blow unto the Beast there where light comes forth God will carry on the worke by those hands Fifthly Reason 5 Those which have had a Bloody Cup fil'd to them by the Beast all the time of his kingdome those shall give forth a bloody Cup double to the Beast when his kingdome doth expire that is grounded upon Revel 18.6 Reward her even as shee rewarded you and double unto her double according to her workes in the Cup which shee hath filled fill to her double Whence I reason thus the Generation of men that have had the bloody Cup fil'd to them by the Beast all the time of his kingdome they shall fill the bloody Cup to the Beast in the ending time of his kingdome for reward her as shee hath rewarded you and give her blood to drinke give her double according to her workes But they that have had blood from the Beast all the time of his kingdome have not been the nations of the earth as nations for the Beast sits upon the nations the waters upon which the whore sits are nations and peoples and multitudes and tongues The Beast is strengthened by the nations that oppose the Saints and tread underfoote the holy Citie but they have been the Saints that have had the bloody Cup from the Beast The Horne made warre with the Saints I saw the woman drunke with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus Now they that have had the bloody Cup shall give the bloody Cup they that have been thus dealt with by the Beast shall thus deale with the Beast they are the Saints and therefore the glorious worke is carryed on against the Beast it shall be done by Saints as the leading Instruments I shall speake yet a little more to this because many begin now to thinke that this worke must be carryed on thus and thus by States and Kingdomes Sixthly Reason 6 Another argument to prove this is The worke of God against Rome shall be so mannaged as there may be singing of Hallelujah's in the Churches for the carrying of it on this is cleare from Revel 19.1 After these things that is after the ruine of Rome spoken of in the foregoing Chapter I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying Allelujah Salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lordour God here 's singing of Hallelujah's upon the destruction of the Beast but now if this should be done onely by the clattering of a company of nations falling upon the Beast and ruining him what singing of Hallelujah's would there be in the Churches for this what would there be more in this than in the worke
such a remarkable way at such and such a time and thereupon he lays the foundation of his hope if you lay too much upon this your faith will be but upon a providence and this will not be a sure foundation there may be a great deceit in this for Satan may give in a word as well as the Lord a soule may take in a word from Satan as well as from the Lord himselfe besides a word may be given in of the Lord too and yet this not an evidence of our Eternall commition therefore when we conclude our Eternall condition from the giving in of a word we erre in this for this is no foundation to it Hagar had an Angel of God from Heaven speaking to her Thou God seest me saith she and have I also here looked after him that seeth me yet she was an out-câ—st and under the old Covenant the Lord therefore grant that we may not lay our foundation in these things the word of God is a good foundation but if we lay it upon the giving in upon the providence it s a false foundation yet I say the Lord doth often goe in this way with his owne Children very frequently but here 's the mistake when we lay too much upon the providence you may have a word given in day after day and yet be all this while upon a false foundation Jesus Christ is a foundation in opposition to this foundation Fifteenthly Jesus Christ is the onely foundation in opposition to acts of beleiving the act of beleiving is not the foundation but Jesus Christ is the foundation in opposition to this many there are which when they see themselves cast as I may say as to the righteousnes of the law when they see that all the workes of the Law and the righteousnes of the Law will not helpe them but that life and blessednes is alone in Christ in the Gospel and heare the Lord calling upon them to come and beleive in Christ they run to Jesus Christ and hang upon him in an outward way and lay their foundation in the act of beleiving there is a faith of a mans owne as well as a faith of God's there 's a faith of the Law as well as a faith of the Gospel many a man hath laboured by his workes for righteousnes and Justification and when he sees all his working will not bring him in righteousnes and justification then he flies to faith as that which will helpe him and so he beleives in his owne strength and rests upon the Act of beleiving but it s not the act of beleiving that is our righteousnes it s not the act of beleiving that is the foundation of the soule a poore soule may hang upon the outside of the Arke as in the dayes of Noah men might have come and clung upon the outside of the Arke and yet have been cut off except they had come into the Arke that would not have saved them but they would have dropt off so when men by an outward act of beleiving hang upon Jesus Christ in an outward way they may hang a while but at last they will drop off when men make this a foundation they are upon a false foundation See how far men have gone in beleiving and yet it hath come to nothing if you looke into the 106 Psalme the 11 12 13 verses we reade there of a generation of men beleiving it s said The waters covered their Enemies there was not one of them left Then beleived they his words they sang his Praise They soone forgat his workes they waited not for his Counsell Here was beleiving and such beleiving as caused them to sing and yet who are they they are such as forgat his workes such as waited not for his Counsell such as had leaneness sent into their soules such as lusted and contemned God and envyed the Saints Moses and Aaron such as the breath of the Lord came upon and devoured them as wicked ones and yet there was beleiving Then beleived they his word men will lay a great deale of faith sometimes on Experiences and wonderfull providences why lay as much faith as you can upon these and all will faile when the day of Tryall comes men may say God is our God and we are the people of God and he delivered us The waters covered their Enemies there was not one of them left What a wonderfull providence is this and here they fall a singing to God and yet Rebells and Enemies to God and cut off by God by and by this is not the foundation therefore no not the Act 's of beleiving If you looke into Isai 48.1 2. we reade of a generation of men that did beleive and yet notwithstanding fell short Heare ye this O house of Jacob which are called by the name of Israel and are come forth out of the waters of Judah which sweare by the name of the Lord and make mention of the God of Israel but not in Truth nor in righteousnes for they call themselves of the holy Citty and stay themselves upon the God of Israel the Lord of Hosts is his name They made mention of the Lord and stayd themselves upon the God of Israel what is that staying Look into the 26 of Isaiah and you shall finde its beleiving in the third verse staying is beleiving here are a generation of men that stayed themselves upon the God of Israel but not in truth nor in righteousnesse it was not in Truth nor in righteousnesse for all this now I say it s not the act of beleiving that is the foundation there 's a false faith as well as other things therefore if men make this the foundation the acts of beleiving they may be out too Jesus Christ is the onely foundation in opposition to this foundation Sixteenthly Jesus Christ is the foundation in opposition to conviction of Righteousnes this is that which is indeed a higher and a farther step than all that yet I have spoken of for men may goe all the way that we have gone and yet not be convinced of righteousness as his worke may be his righteousnesse so his faith may be his righteousnesse he may goe through all these things and yet not be convinc't of righteousnes this is a high foundation Christ is the foundation in opposition to conviction of righteousnes When a poore soule is wearied out of all when he comes to see that he is a poore miserable lost soule and that it s not all his confession of sin his mourning his sorrow his Teares his vowes his resolutions his revenge upon himselfe his Reformation no not his faith it s not any of all these things will helpe him nor that can helpe that soule ly's crying O Lord I can doe nothing I cannot pray I cannot mourne I cannot shâ—d a teare for sin I cannot beleive ô that thou wouldst helpe me and strengthen me to beleive now a soule is come to this to be convinc't of righteousnes
good Tidings c. Jesus Christ himselfe as he stood in our stead doing our worke and acting in our nature so he did receive the promise of the Father himselfe the Spirit and therefore it s called the promise of the Father Secondly In respect of the Antiquitie of it Because the Father had promised it long before this time so it s the promise of the Father Christ had promised the Spirit to his but it was lately and so it was a new promise not many dayes old made but a little before his death but the promise as it was the Fathers promise so it was antient made many hundred yeares before though now to be fulfilled for the Time of the old Testament was the time of the Fathers administration now in this time there were many promises of the Spirit to be afterwards fulfilled as in Joel 2.28 And it shall come to passe afterward that I will powre out my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your danghters shall Prophesie your old men shall dreame dreames your young men shall see visions Zach 12.10 And I will powre out upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of Grace and of supplications and they shall looâ—e upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his onely Son and shall be in bitternes for him as one that is in bitternes for his first-borne And therefore this promise as it was the Fathers so it was antient and for the Antiquitie of this promise because it was most antiently the Fathers therefore it may be called the promise of the Father Thirdly It 's the promise of the Father because of the times and seasons of the giving out of this promise for the times and seasons are in the hands of the Father so Christ tells his Disciples in this Chapter But the Father hath kept them in his owne power Fourthly The maine reason is That hereby Christ might strengthen and confirme the faith of his Disciples and Children in waiting for this premise we have need of all that can be to strengthen our faith and therefore Christ calls it the promise of the Father the Disciples might conceive ô is the Father willing we should have the Spirit we know how willing Christ is he hath said he will send us a Comforter we are sure we shall want nothing that Christ can doe for us but is the Fathers heart as free to give out the Spirit when Christ comes to heaven will not the Father hinder it Christ therefore entitles it rather the promise of the Father than his owne as if he should have said doe not thinke poore soules that my Father is unwilling to give out his Spirit that he is an Enemy to your peace comfort Joy or the coming of the Spirit of grace no the Fathers heart is as full and as free as you can conceive mine to be for its the promise of the Father Quest 2. But why doth Christ pitch the faith of his Disciples now at the time of his ascension upon this promise rather than upon any other could he not bid them as well to waite for some other promise as for this Ans 1. Because there was no promise so suitable unto the state and condition that the people of Christ the Disciples of Christ his followers were now come into as this promise no promise is so suitable to a poore soule in the time of Christs absence as the promise of the Spirit Christ had been personally present with his Disciples some time and he had comforted cheered warm'd and quickened them and when his personall presence was to leave them no promise could be so sweete comfortable and acceptable to answer their condition as this promise of the Spirit therefore Christ gives them this promise as most suiting them if any thing could hold them up against the rage of the world and the malice of the Devill now in his absence it would be the promise of the Father therefore it was the most suitable promise Secondly Because this promise it was now in the very nicke of fulfilling The promise was antient but now the very time of fulfilling of it was at hand the time of giving out of more abundance of the Spirit was drawing on now it s the way of God with his Children when the promise is upon the nick of fulfilling then will God be putting on his Children in a more especiall manner to be waiting and seeking and looking up to him even for the fulfilling of that promise Therefore when the seventy yeares Captivity in Babylon was run out then God stirr'd up the heart of Daniel and he falls downe before God and prayes and urges the promise and beleives when the time was even expired when God comes to give forth his promise when the fulfilling time is come then God puts his people upon waiting for it So afterwards when Jerusalem was to be built when the time of fulfilling was come then the Lord wonderfully stirr's up the heart of Nehemiah and he falls downe before the Lord crying O that Jerusalem might be no more a Citty without walls and indeed it s a great argument though not a demonstration to convince men yet its such an argument as carry's much weight in it to the hearts of the Children of God when they are put on in a more speciall manner to waite upon God for the fulfilling of this or that particular promise for the doing of this or that particular worke though the times and seasons are many times hid to us yet they are in the Fathers power and they are all knowne to him and when they draw nigh God doth usually make that worke to run over the heart of his Children and sets them a praying and seeking and beleiving and waiting for that worke and it may be they can hardly tell how it comes to passe that they are so put upon it but it comes from a secret way of Gods dispensation towards his Children when God sees that the worke is ripe and the thing is heare at hand that it may come when his Children are in a waiting posture he will forerun it over the hearts of his Children ere he bring it visibly forth before the world But though this be a real truth yet I doe not take it to be the speciall reason here why Christ doth put them to looke for the fulfilling of this promise rather than any other but the chiefe reason I take to be this Thirdly Because the promise of the Spirit it s the great promise that the Saints and peaple of God in the new Testament dayes are to have their eye fixed upon and are to be found waiting upon God continually for the giving of it forth it s that great promise the Saints are to be looking up to the Father for in the new Testament Times under the old Testament the Saints had a great bundle of promises but there was one great