Shepherd of Israel and changeth not And to do so is another sure Link in this Golden Chain for having once tasted of that greatest of Love which laid down its Life for its Friends and afterwards to backslide is desperate and doubtless hasty or common Oaths between Friend and Friend cannot be the far end of David's intent Swearing to a Friend and changeth not Vers 5. Not giving his Money in Usury nor taking a reward upon Innocencies who doth these things shall never be moved PSAL. 15. VER I. Lord who shall sojourn in thy Tabernacle who shall dwell in the Mountain of thy Holiness 1. THIS Psalm consists of a Question an Answer thereto and an Aplication The first our Prophet makes in his own Name in the next he by a Prosopopoeia personates God or rather God inspired him to reply in his own words and so also in the Aplication The Question proceeds from a Mind which had as it were a Prospect a far off of the beauty of Holiness and as one sick of Love breaks forth Lord Who shall enjoy this The Answer prescribes the Means of attaining And lastly the Aplication further obligeth the inamoured Soul to a diligent persevering pursuit after it's desired according to the Rule of the Answer He doing these things shall never be moved as if he should say I see the Object set before thee is pleasant in thy Eyes but the Way is strait and thorny and therefore lest thou shouldst faint by the way I tell thee it is as lasting as beautiful Be faithful to the End and thou shalt receive an Immortal Crown of Glory 2. Hence first we observe the Wisdom of the Teacher who perceiving that Human Nature is in its purest naturals so slothful to Good and its affections so bent to things beneath as it cannot be perswaded to set forth in a fervent constant pursuit of Good and Beautiful except it first perceive that there is a Way of attaining it and the Attainment a full Recompense for all its painful Labour and perhaps Tears therefore our Prophet whom God had chosen to be a Leader an Instuctor and Example to Men in these few words expresseth both and in others more at large for verily this is the burthen of most of his Spiritual Songs 3. Secondy We assume that forasmuch as here he first holds forth that Principle which inflames the Soul with the desire of Happiness and proceeds by chalking out the Way until he arrive at the far End the City that cannot be moved therefore the intermediate means by which it must be journied on from that to this must be of high and heavenly extract I say if the terminus a quo be Lovely and the terminus ad quem unutterable Glory it necessarily implies that the Posts and Marks by which the Course is directed should be such Vertues as Heaven not Earth the will of God and not of Man set forth even such as bruise and break cleanse and purifie heal and make the Sons of God perfect and the hand of our Lord in them all 4. Now therefore if according to the usual reading some Expressions sound flat in respect of the great End promised and are in the Letter no more than Natural Man sees in his onw Glass and may go far in the Practise and yet never attain the promised Immobility we may suspect that either we fall short in interpreting the Letter which is pure and perfect in it self as Silver tried in the fire or that under a vail or figurative speech it reserves Hidden Treasures such as Zabulon Deut. 33.19 at his going forth and Issachar resting in his Tent shall suck out of the Seas and are yet God so willing hid under the Sand. And tho I fear that Zebulon shall not set Sail in this our Day or Lot but the Blessing is reserved for future Times yet it being manifest this Spirit hath a Centurie since began to move in the Lamp and still rides on prosperously yet it is to be hoped that this Treatise may find candor if it do sometimes depart from the usual Reading for it pretends not that it doth attain the very mind and sence of the inspired Writer But believing David was eminent amongst them who prophesied of the Grace which was to come to the gospel-Gospel-Truth and enquired diligently after the Salvation through the sufferings of Christ and that what was revealed to him was as the Apostle testifies 1 Pet. 2.10 12. not for himself but that he might minister to them to come after the things of the Gospel sent from Heaven by the Holy Ghost it only aims to make words then delivered in a Mystery or Shadow of good things to come to speak in Gospel-Language and to answer in Harmony to the more plain Doctrines of the Apostles supposing that both minding the same thing both must mutually be the best Interpreters of each other 5. Now though the Answer is the great Oportet in respect of the Rule of pious walking with God yet it behoves we first enquire into the Intent of the Question because the understanding thereof makes much for receiving of the Answer which consists of two parts and both of Mystery The first representing the Beauty of Communion with God under the outward Vail of the Tabernacle which by an Allegory answers to the Substance of that which ought to be the care and study of Christian Believers And the Second refers to the Mountain of God which cannot be confined to the bare Letter nor yet tho there is something of Allegory in it doth it in express particulars represent Gospel-Ordinances as Tabernacle-Worship did but rather some first and great Fundamentals of Religion of both which we shall speak And first of the Tabernacle because first in the Question 6. The Tabernacle was the first Institution given by God in Ceremonial-Worship for until Moses there was no imposed Precepts requiring a particular High Priest or Place of Worship or Altar or Things appertaining to such Ordinances as stood in touch not taste not handle not nor any outward Sign save Circumcision which was given to Abraham rather as a Badge of a Propriety in God Almighty El Shaddy than a Rule of Worship for it was but once celebrated upon a Man and that before he had done good or evil And until then there was no appearance of a select or peculiar Church and for a long time after about 300 years it continued in one Family and was not compleatly set forth before Moses received the Pattern in the Mount For tho from the beginning Sacrifices were used as appears from Cain's and Abel's also from Noah's Abraham's and first Patriarchs amongst whom Melchisedeck Priest of the Most High was and doubtless had both People and Sacrifice yet we neither find Command or Rule from God how they were to be celebrated as if in that Infant-Age of the World God was pleased with an Infant-Worship voluntary as he vouchsafed to inspire the natural Mind and Conscience in
thee but forgetting things Above thou hast set thy self in the earnest pursuit of these beggarly shadows of Happiness prizing a moment of false Pleasure more than an Eternity of true Joys Was it not of Mercy therefore to reprove thee and stop thy career to utter Perdition and could I do it with more tenderness than by hedging in thy ways that thou mightest not follow thy Paramours in whom thou vainly trustedst but being forsaken and left comfortless by them thou mightest hope for no Peace in any but my Father who hath loved thee and now hath sent me to speak to thy Heart And for the truth of these things I upbraid thee with let thy Conscience and Inwards give record let them also tell thee if he hath not dealt with thee in great Love And as for me knowst thou not that for thy sake I left my Heavenly Mansion put on the form of a Servant and died an ignominious Death and can greater Love be shewn than for a Man to lay down his Life for his Friends Have I not in my wounded Side hid thy Life from the Avenger and secured thy Soul's fair hope and heap of Treasure there so that thou couldest not finger or imbezil it among thy Paramours as the Prodigal did his Portion Now therefore because hearing of me by the Ear was not enough to perswade thee I now manifest my self to thine Eye that thou mayest perceive thou art poor and naked destitute and hitherto blind and counsel thee to cast away thy rotten Rags and to take of me Gold tried in the Fire for where I love I rebuke and to humble thy self before my Father for the Humble he loveth and the Meek and poor in Spirit are his delight but the proud haughty Merit-monger his Soul abhorreth and therefore he killeth that he may make alive he bringeth to the Pit that he may raise up the Beggar he lifteth up from the Dunghil that he may set him among free-born Princes Remember therefore the Battel and do no more and Me even Me he hath anointed to preach good Tidings to proclaim to Mourners and them sitting in Darkness and shadow of Condemnation the acceptable change 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Lord and if thou art one of these thou art one of mine and I will not lose one of them nor leave a Hoof belonging to them behind me but will give thee Beauty for Ashes Oil of Joy for Mourning a Garment of Praise for Heaviness And now I say If this Soul shall not reproach its Captain and Shepherd and without wrong to its Inwards say with Job I see thou knowest all things no Thought is hid from thee for the very Deceits of my Heart which I saw not thou hast ripped up I have bin proud and foolish uttering what I knew not I formerly heard of thee by the Ear but now my Eye seeth thee full of Grace and Truth yea my hands seem to handle thee as it were the Word of God made Flesh And therefore I abhor my self and repent in Dust and Ashes Lord I believe help thou mine Unbelief I say whilst it is even yet speaking its Darkness shall be made Light and its Mourning turned into Joy But the Soul that will not hear but still runs after its own beggarly Superstitious Righteousness it shall lie down in Sorrow as it is written Who among you feareth the Lord that obeyeth the Voice of his Servant yet walketh in Darkness and hath no Light Let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Behold all ye that kindle a Fire compassed in Sparks walk in the Light of your Fire and in the Sparks you have kindled This shall ye have of my Hand in Sorrow ye shall lie down 18. Now touching these things I know well they shall sound to some as Romances or as a Tale that is told for how shall he that hath seared his Conscience beating the broad way without remorse perceive those Warrings which are between the Law of the Mind and Members But there may be some who love Christ and are Friends to his Cross who may not be able to take a right measure thereof for tho 't is in every Mouth Let us take up the Cross and follow Christ into his Death yet all have not learned what that Cross and Death is but esteem such worldly Afflictions as are common to all Men a part thereof bewraying a carnal Perswasion in themselves that to have a share in the Riches and Honour of this World is part of God's Covenant and Promise and therefore if any outward Cross befal them and they take it patiently they think the Promise due to the Cross of Christ is theirs when indeed they have suffered nothing but what all Men as well they who swear as they who fear an Oath receive from the common Events of Nature and indeed are far distant from the true death of the Cross For tho they that with Mary have chosen the better part have much freed themselves from such Incumbrances as the Worldly Cross brings yet neither Mary nor any other Saint is free from the Real Cross of our Lord for the wise Man in respect of Nature doth he not die as the Fool and one event unto all Is not Sickness Poverty loss of Goods by Land or Sea the lot of all walking in this Vale of Tears Are not the Wife Son Brother or Friend of the Just Man mortal as well as of the Unjust And therefore for a Professor to hope that he or his should be by a Miracle freed from common Calamities were proud and presumptuous for his Hopes must be because he thinks himself more Righteous than others and deserves better things at God's Hand which is before the Holy God as a Sacrifice of Swines Blood Wherefore I say That Cross which is the common Fate of all Men is not the Cross of Christ First Because most of these Crosses were incompatible with the Natural Life of Christ for he who lives above all natural Concernments is above the Cross of Nature and therefore no such Cross could befal Christ except indeed the Death of the Body be a part thereof but what is the true Cross he took and bare in the fulness thereof and the like must all they that follow him in their measure do as he taught Luke 9.23 And he said to them all If any Man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross daily and follow me for who so will save his Life shall lose it but whoso will lose his Life for my sake shall save it Secondly I say the worldly Cross which befalleth Reprobates as well as Elect cannot be Christ's Cross because to it the Promise of Eternal Life belongs in which the Reprobates have no right and therefore such things as the Regenerate have in common with natural Men cannot be the Holy Cross Yet do I not hence affirm that this Cross shall not fall upon the Wicked
Life as he did to leprous Lazarus after he had lain four days in the Grave And lastly having done all thou canst call thy self Unworthy Servant know that thy Obedience or Works cannot profit God but only that Obedience is better than Sacrifice and a humble contrite Heart better than Rams or Rivers of Oil and in so doing thou shalt work Righteousness The sum of all is Judg condemn the Works of proud Nature roul upon Christ work in Humility and account all dead without the quickning Spirit and so shalt thou attain the second step towards the Rest of God in his holy Mountain Thus with the Heart thou mayest believe to Righteousness and with thy Mouth confess to Salvation thou shalt believe and not be ashamed thus mayest thou call on the Name of the Lord and be saved But in vain doth the slothful Soul expect a station in the holy Mount for the Believers Prerogative and that a great one too is that having presented his best Fruits how light soever in the Ballance of Justice they be he may by Faith lay hold on the Righteousness of Christ and calling it his own take what Sums to make up his Accompt his Faith can bear away for in that only is this Mans abundance stinted for if he strain at a Gnat such will his portion in Righteousness be and if his Faith can carry away a Mountain rather than he want Spiritual Food Jordan shall overflow its Banks So that as an Object an Eye and Light make up the pleasing Sense of Seeing so commanded Duties Obedience and Christ compleat the Works of a Believer for as an Object is vain without an Eye and both without Light so are Duties or Commands without Obedience and both nothing without Christ And as the Light is that which gives life and vigor to both the other so Christ is the Life of our Works and Duties And lastly even as the Light profiteth not without an Eye or Object so verily Christ is of no effect where Obedience and the Precept or Rule of working are sacking So as David's Answer thus far in Gospel-Language is He that walks in the Consumption of his own Righteousness yet holding fast the Rule of Obedience by Faith in Christ makes his Works perfect 3. And speaketh the Truth in his Heart Psal 24. saith He that is pure of Heart I say 't is He that speaketh Equity which are all univocal This is the third Link of this Golden Chain for before we can work Righteousness in the School of Christ 't is impossible to speak Truth in the Heart because all other Righteousness is Lies and Vanity But for the understanding of this it behoves that we first mind in what sence the Heart is taken in Scripture-Language not as a meer Bowel or Member of the Body but allegorically as the Body bears the Image of the Soul so the Members of that answer to the Gifts and Graces of the Soul Now in Scripture 't is sometimes taken in the better part sometimes in the worse as the Source of all evil for not rarely some effects are ascribed to to it consonant to the Conscience or Mind and doubtless it hath some affinity with it and yet is not altogether the same because some things imputed to it are incompatible with the Conscience as Dissimulation Flattery Forgetfulness of God c. I judg thus the Conscience is the most Divine part of the natural Man and hath the most immediate Converse with God and the Heart answers to those Faculties in the Soul which have immediate converse with it above and also with Sense and sensual Affections beneath capable of receiving Leaven from the Wisdom of that or Folly of this and consequently is that before which Life and Death also Will or Arbitrement are placed for the Conscience refrains all Commerce with Sensual Affections except as a Judg and Reprover of their Exorbitances but the Heart doth not and therefore the Scripture saith The Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 near thee in thy Mouth and in thy Heart Which shews the Heart is a Faculty where the sound of the Word within is heard and again it ascribeth to it Imaginations Thoughts Passions Affections and Desires Love and Hate Appetite and Dislike Anger and Patience Grief Joy Fear and thence 't is accordingly as 't is leavened a great promoter of Vertue or Vice And therefore to order it aright so as it may learn to speak the Truth is the next part of our Warfare and ought to be an especial care in all who seek rest in the holy Mount as also 't is written Prov. 4.23 Before all keep the Out-goings Buddings of thy Heart for in it are the Issues of Life and consequently of Death also for between these there is not a third choice and therefore if it issue not Life it must bring forth Death And the keeping of the Heart as it is necessary so it is difficult because as is written it is deceitful above measure Jer. 17.9 desperately supplanting who can know it And again It is the Source of all evil Thoughts Murders Mat. 15.19 Adulteries Thefts False-Witness Blasphemies Now I say before we can successfully atchieve this great necessary Task three things are necessary First the last before spoken of namely to ascribe all Righteousness to Christ for as long as a Man believeth he has any of his own his Heart is a Liar and the Truth is not in him The second is to discover wherein its Falseness and Craft consists for these are hidden and not easily discerned from the specious pretences of Truth For if the Heart be so bold as it dare openly and avowedly tempt to known Sin this is not to be accounted any part of its Deceit but bold-faced Wickedness but there is its Deceitfulness namely when it obtrudes Evil under the Mask of Good or Impiety for Piety or Idolatry for pure Religion The third is to be diligently conversant in the use and management of those Helps God hath vouchsafed us to discover and undermine its Stratagems which are many but I comprize them under three General Heads The Word or Precept the Conscience and Experience The Word is the Law and Touchstone the Conscience Judg and Executioner and sometimes acts as a Witness Experience is a strict observer of its haltings also a Sollicitor mannaging the Evidence against it and it s own Reason Lusts and Satan are its chief Advocates The Law which is pure holy and manifest in all Essentials it defames as unreasonable and the written Word as obscure and dark nor will it stick to say the Wisdom and Morals of Aristotle and Seneca excell it The Conscience which will never lie flatter or play the Hypocrite it often deludes with false Glosses of the Law and Word Experience it rejects and at first easily because but weak at its first setting forth and perhaps brings but a single Witness but at length will so multiply and manage its Evidence as that the
he repent not he may likewise perish Lastly The Elders at Bethlem trembled at Samuel's uncouth coming to their City because they from God upon some weighty importance And hence we ought also to fear when any great and unusual Providence brings us a Message or Warning from God And now this Fear is always good and wholesom upon such occasions and periods and as the Apostle saith helps to work out our Salvation in fear and trembling and therefore is a Branch of that Fear which is the Badg of our Honour upon them that have it The third Fear is Magor properly a sojourning Fear or a doubtful hanging Distrust such as usually are upon wary Men pilgrimating in strange Countries Thus David feared in Gath Jacob with Laban So in our Psalm Who shall fear or sojourn in thy Tabernacle And this Fear in due temperament is good but in excedency hurts and in Scripture is taken in both Sences In the worse when a Man fears the Lord in distrust still fore-dooming Evil or Judgment and is cast down with such common Afflictions or cross Providences which often exercise others for their good like a froward Child apt to offend but so impatient and fearful of the Rod as the Father fears to correct it lest it should harm it self by Grief and so it neither is pleasing to the Father nor at free Peace with it self And this usually follows such as by Nature are of a mournful Spirit yet may be tempered either to a well-pleasing solemn Wariness or cockered to an offensive Morosity for it being once persuaded as it easily is that a severe solemn mournful Life is the best way to lop off Vanity or whatever thing seems in its own Glass vain it straight counts this pure Religion and falls to such a rigid Course of Life as God requires not at its hand And so this Severity having obtained a good Report with many fearing God it hasts to voluntary Humility and grows so morose as it censures all not of its own length and measure But it is best when Judgment begins at home and to wash our own hands clean before we reprove others of Spots is meet Now this is a Grievance arising from the defect of vile in its own eyes And tho I judg to relieve and help the poor is much better than to censure or judg others by our own measure and that a cheerful Mite is better than a rigid Penny yet doubt I not but that these are of them to whom Honour is due But now this Fear in its equally-weighed temperament is an excellent Corrosive against proud Flesh which Nature of course brings forth keeping the Body under and bringing it into subjection always sensible of Infirmities at home still fearing its own Heart is hatching some Evil which it perceives not and fearing lest it being ripe should suddenly break out and surprize it unprepared for the Assault In every Bush of the spacious Field of Nature and in them especially that loam pleasantly to Sense it suspects a Temptation lies and rather chuseth to avoid it by stealing by in some secret Path than to rouse it up to provoke it and to hope to overcome it by proof of Arms. By this wary Fear the Steps of the strong Man are established It taught Noah being warned of God to prepare an Ark to the preservation of his Family It taught Nehemiah and his Associates to build the Walls of their City with a Sword in one hand and Trowel in the other It is worthy of much Honour but especially when it hath learned in the good days which God vouchsafeth it to eat its Bread and to drink its Wine with a merry Heart and to acknowledg that this is the Gift of God 15. The last Fear is Jara a reverential Fear never out of season but ought perpetually to be kept alive in our Hearts as the Fire which came down from Heaven was upon the Altar Neither can it ever exceed to Loss because never without a mixture of Love for where we reverence there we love and Love will not give place to a tormenting Fear And this is it our Prophet intends and calls Jara often elsewhere celebrating it in lofty Characters Jara saith he is the beginning of Wisdom the initiating or matriculating Grace into the Society of the People of God to them so fearing God is near he pitieth them he will not suffer them to want any thing that is good he will bring them out of all Evil besides numbers more throughout the whole Scripture which would be too long to insert And therefore in a word it is the Key to Wisdom the Moderator and Spur of a Christian Life always inviting to Vertue restraining Sensuality promoting Piety calling forth to Duties pressing hard after Vertue and like Salt seasoning our Conversation and Discourse the Hammer and Anvil of Sin and the Mark of God in the forehead of the Saints 16. Next we enquire Why David makes Fear and not rather Love Faith Charity some of the more established and more exalted Vertues the Ensign of this Honour But the reason is plain namely That he which is greatest might be as if he were least and the more eminent old improved Gift might honour and help to nurse up the initiated Infant Secondly Because this is the most comprehensive Badge of Sonship none in Christ who want it thence shewing that God would have his whole Church to render mutual Honour one to another no Member no not a Hoof so mean but the greatest ought to honour it young or old Infant or decrepid wise or simple gifted or not gifted it matters not if they have the Mark they must be honoured And to one vile in his own eyes it will not be difficult to do it because already persuaded that this simple plain Candidate hath laid right the true Foundation of Wisdom will in a short space out-strip him or at least walk more humbly and faithfully according to his Light than he himself shall do But to another wise in his own Eyes it is difficult Art thou learned canst thou plead well for the Truth divide a Text speak a word in season to weary Souls Then bless the bounteous Giver and be not high-minded but know because much thou hast received much therefore thou owest But a poor Widow comes to ask counsel of thee finding some defect in her self but wants skill to utter it she would gladly pray but cannot speak six words together in good coherence except she have the Lord's Prayer by heart or an old Prayer-book in her hand she would gladly understand but reads and perceives little yet in the mean time gives good testimony she fears the Lord oft goes to her Closet shuts her Door saith little but weeps reads and sometimes trembles at the Word not that she understands but reverentially fears the awful Majesty of the Lord thereof Now this I say is an Object of our Honour perhaps more humble and despised in her own Eyes
Grace than thou and therefore thy Boast is not of Grace but pretended Merit and thy false Heart hath betrayed thee and thou in danger of being a Cast-away for when thou shalt say Lord have not I prophesied and cast out Devils in thy Name the Answer 't is to be feared may be Verily I know it not For assure thy self this one Ejaculation from the humble contrite Fool Lord be merciful to me a Sinner uttered in sence of Sin and Faith in Grace shall make a stronger Battery on the Gates of Heaven than a whole Quiver full of thy opinionated Abilities And therefore in this Case we ought again to bring our Hearts before the Judg and to know it is not enough before Men to cry out Unclean unprofitable a Worm a Wretch with the loudest but to teach our Hearts to speak this great Truth in secret between God and themselves their Consciences bearing witness And therefore let us beware lest we be not like Solomon's Buyer crying in the Market-place It is naught it is naught but being come home boasteth in secret of a rich Purchase for this is but confessing Christ in outward shew and our Hearts in the mean while far from him Wherefore when we come from Duties and especially when we hope we have performed best we ought to call our Hearts under examination and yet to suspect they will dissemble Art thou a Speaker and hopest that thou hast taught or spoken well to the Hearts of thy Hearers or prayed in Spirit yet let not thy Heart puff thee up but stop its Mouth by convincing it that it was not thee that spake but the Holy Spirit of Christ in thee and that out of a heap of Stones even of the Walls of that Auditory God can raise up a better Son and Teacher than thou art Art thou a Hearer and hast been attentive was thy Heart warmed in Zeal and Love so as it leaped for Joy at the words of the Salutation Then let it not boast but teach it to speak this great Truth That it was not in its Merit that thou thus heardest or didst understand but Christ in thee and that it was his Spirit that bare witness with thy Spirit that the Word is true and that thou art a Son of Adoption and in so doing thou shalt not unravel thy Joy but make it great sure and lasting But on the contrary if thou ascribe to it thy hopes are as the Grass upon the House-top it shall dwindle and wither away as it is writ Cursed is he that trusteth in Man or maketh Flesh his Arm for out of his Heart shall the Lord depart And Blessed is he whose hope is the Lord he shall be as a Tree planted by the Waters neither shall cease from yeelding Fruit. What shall we say to these things shall we bolster up our Hearts in proud and lying Hypocrisy or rather suspect them and watch over them as the most deceitful things in the World and yet have in them the Issues of Life and Death Weal and Wo trying them by the Word the Law the Conscience the Judg and setting Experience upon them as a Spy Informer and Sollicitor and at length teach them to speak the Truth namely That they are vain and deceitful above measure their Righteousness Loss their Merits a Shadow and that to God the Glory is due and to them Confusion of Face And so to attain the third Qualification which will entitle the Soul to a resting place in the holy Mountain of God Vers 3. 1. Not casting Reproach upon his Reproacher Now in the rendring of this and next Clauses also I confess I have departed from the Footsteps of the Flock for I think none do so read the English He that backbiteth not the Vulgar deceiveth not with his Tongue which seems not so agreeable to Gospel-Language because to backbite openly is only by the Tongue which tho restrained yet then the Heart not taught to speak the Truth may backbite more secretly and desperately and therefore I say Backbiteth not at all no not his Backbiter The learned Munster differs not much from us in effect for he reads Transgresseth not with his Tongue which comprehends all Backbiting and Reproach by it And indeed not to offend with the Tongue is a great and essential part in true Piety Hence it is said of Job that he offended not with his Tongue tho provoked thereto by his reproaching Friends And hence supposing the Hebrew will bear it as well as the other I read Not reproaching his Reproacher being well assured it is in fuller harmony with the Gospel-Precepts and a surer Step towards the holy Hill of Jehovah for saith our Lord Love your Enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you pray for them that despitefully use and persecute you And in this sence I take our Prophet I grant indeed not to backbite a Neighbour is a good profitable Precept because the natural Man is prone to abuse Friendship but yet is it no more than Morality writ in the hearts of all People and Nations by Nature And indeed as usually read here Backbite not with thy Tongue the Precept is dressed in the slenderest attire Divinity can well shape for it for without all Controversy 't is but a slender Morality not to reproach a Neighbour or Friend who hath not reproached us but may have done us good for even half-debauched Nature would nauseate such an Action and they not so doing may yet fall short of the holy Hill But not to reproach a Reproacher to render Good for Evil is Saint-like nay Christ-like and may as far as any Grace lay claim to the Promise And if it be said It was of old Love your Friends and hate your Enemies and David spake ac-according to the then Institution yet I say admit it were a Command yet doth it not affirm that not to backbite at adventure was more than a Moral Vertue but indeed I suppose Hate your Enemies was not by a Command but Permission as Bigamy was because of the hardness of hearts for assuredly it was not our Prophet's practice for he hated only the Enemies of God and not his own upon his own account for he spared Saul's Life twice and rendred him Good for Evil and in the case of Shimei the Son of Gera he said Let him curse So Solomon Doth thine Enemy hunger give him Bread doth he thirst give him Drink And therefore in this sence I proceed to the Text. 2. Now hitherto the Precepts of our Prophet do chiefly belong to the first great Commandment in such Matters as lie between God and our Consciences but now he comes to such as refer to the second between Man and Man and yet still is this a Link of the same Chain For until the Heart be taught to speak the Truth it is impossible to keep the Heart from lying and reproaching because Out of the abundance of the Heart the Tongue speaketh And again With
which God will bottle up or in a Groan mayest offer up a well-pleasing Petition which could not be uttered in words therefore be not deceived of thy Birth-right for 't is not to abolish the Duty that this befals thee but thy whorish Pride and Deceit for formerly thou boastest in thy many and pleasant words proceeding from head to head in method and tho when thou hadst finished thy deceitful Heart said it is naught it is naught yet in secret boasted with the Pharisee I thank thee I am not as this Man I pray without Book now I have obliged God to do me good in blessing and confessing him in Spirit but learn thou That the sighings of the Poor and needy God will not forget And this being fully set upon thy Heart God will enlarge thy Mouth again and thy Tongue shall be like a Hind let loose Hast thou given Alms and thy Heart recoileth upon thee that it was not in pure Charity but to stop the mouth of a guilty Mind or to obtain a better Reward for thy self yet by no means withdraw thy hand but even now whilst this Sentiment is upon thee make haste and go and give again more largely than before for thy Mind cannot tax thee now that thou givest for base ends whilst thou believest such Gifts bring no Blessing but rather a Curse Perhaps thou hast heard or read a gracious Promise and thy Soul found no relish in it yet hear and read again if it be but for the Commands sake and that Obedience is better than Sacrifice And again consider the Promise is here it cannot fail because the Promiser is faithful and just to forgive Sins if we confess them But thou wilt say Truth but the Promise belongs not to me because I cannot believe This indeed I grant is a strong pang but no strange thing for thou must also resign the Promises as Abraham did for in sacrificing the Promised Seed he resign'd back the Promise for if in Isaac's both Abraham and all Nations must be blessed then with him sacrificed and as yet without Seed must the Promise cease and in it all Hopes save in the Promiser alone therefore this is the great Point and there remains nothing but that thou give it back in Abraham's Faith which is in assurance that thou shalt receive it again and not in a Figure but Essence for indeed it is but required of thee in the Figure Besides there is not a Promise in the whole Book of God but thou hast put thine own construction upon it mis-shaping it to the purpose of thy legal and carnal Heart and so believed in it so as in truth thou didst not believe in the pure Promise of God but in an Idol thy Invention had form'd out of it and it is but this Idol thou must offer up for the Fundamental Promise is The Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpent's Head and as thy Fathers mis-shaped it so hast thou they thought he would do it in Power and Might but it was fulfilled in Infirmity and Death in due time as thou knowest and now the Promise being Believe baptize and be saved thou thoughest a formal Baptism with some few shreds of thine own Righteousness would carry thee up to Heaven on Eagles Wings but thou wast mistaken God's Ways are not as thy ways nor his Thoughts as thine for thou must baptize in his Death all thy Righteousness must go into his Grave thy Merit must become as rags and thou and all thy Vertues must stand still as Israel did at the Red-Sea while he treadeth down the Seed of the Serpent under thy feet for he will make good his Promise but not in thine but his own Way and therefore indeed thou givest it not up but thy own mis-shapen construction of it and therefore yield it freely and know nothing beside thy own unworthiness but him and trusting in him abhor thy self repent in Ashes and the thing is done as a ripe Fruit thou shalt drop into the Land of the Living And here let me interpose one word of Advice to them in whom this Confusion and Division have taken hold that is when Brother and Sister-Gifts begin to accuse and criminate each other then stop thine Ears against the Accusation but if any accuse it self then hear with tender compassion for if my Experience deceive not That is Satan in the form of an Angel of Light And thus is Christ teaching us to judg our selves that is If Faith stand up and perswade that it hath laid hold of the Promises aright and without doubting believed but Obedience Prayer Charity c. have stoln the Wedg and Babylonish Garment and troubled Israel in this then be assured this is not Faith but bold-fac'd Presumption rigged forth by Satan in the out-side form of Faith and therefore send him out of the Camp in the Vally called Achor unto this day And so if Obedience Prayer Good-works or any Gift stand up upon such-like terms reject them as Accusers of their Brethren perswaded by Satan to act his part but if Faith accuse it self or being accused by others as the Acan is ready to confess the Fact I have sinned these are innocent I had a great trust in the Army I carried the Shield but fiery Darts falling as thick as Hail I fainted and fled away I am the guilty Jonas cast me over-board and ye shall live Now in this state call every Grace to its station let the Rowers row hard let the Steerage be plied and call to him whom the Wind and Sea obey but if the troubled Conscience still foam and the Spirit bluster from on high and no hope to bring it safe to Land there 's no Remedy over-board it must but yet shall not perish for out of the Belly of Hell it shall cry and be heard and after a while perhaps three Days and three Nights it shall sing to the Lord a New Song Thou hast brought me from Corruption my Soul fainted in me and I remembred thee my Prayer came before thee They that observe lying Vanities forsake their own Mercy And thus do thou with every Gift which hath its more immediate Life in God as Faith Hope Love c. such I say as if a Man could give his whole Substance for it would be contemned But if a practical Gift commanded by God as an Offering from thee fall under this Self-condemnation then neither be so hasty to call others to its assistance nor yet to cast it out because he that so commanded hath also given it a certain Talent to perform at least in some measure but rather stir it up to take an Oar into its own hand that is if Prayer say I am formal I profit not I have no life in me If Charity say I am a Merit-monger and my Alms hypocritical If Fasting say I am vain-glorious and Pharisaical cast us over-board and be safe do not humour them at all in this but encourage them to ply afresh
beloved Teacher making him so happy in the Children of his Youth as he shall not need to be ashamed when he speaks with his Enemy in the Gate Let Doctrine pour forth the great Holy Name so in the sweet Odours of healing Ointments as the Virgin-Sisterhood may be sick of Love and reply Draw us that we may run after thee And so let them increase in Graces and Gifts as the Peace and Comfort thereof may make Obedience desirous to learn again and Obedience its Dutifulness may allure Doctrine to read study the Word and to enquire into the choice Treasures hid therein The sum is Hear and learn that thou mayest obey and so obey as thy great Teacher may delight to entrust thee For as thy Obedience is perfect so shall the Holy-Ghost the Spirit of Truth enlarge thy Knowledg and so whilst Obedience is weak so shall thy Knowledg be And all this in Love namely lest the Servant great in Knowledg and weak in Obedience should be beaten with many Stripes And better is it never to learn than so to learn as not to obey 10. And here we observe that in the Dispositions of Religion which God at sundry times and in divers manners hath given the last whereof was spoken by his Son some consisted more in the Gifts of the Man or Doctrine and Knowledg as Mountain-Worship did others in the Gifts of the Woman Obedience and Form And lastly the Gospel stood in more equal disposition of both yet so as in all the pure and undefiled Religion of St. James was strictly required as from the before-recited Texts are manifest which is enough to shew how well-pleasing that Foundation is from whence they arise namely Contempt and Vileness in one's own Eyes And consequently to be conversant in that part of Obedience wherein chiefly these Vertues are required is a high Duty Secondly It is observable that in all those Lapses of the Church of old which brought Wrath upon them the neglect of these Duties was still laid to their Charge Thus Esay and Hosea reproved Judah and Israel before the Captivity Zachariah a little before the Restoration and our Lord also a little before the Scepter departed pronounced Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees upon this account All which confirm that Religion without these is a dry formal and unprofitable Service 11. And hence it behoves all Professors in this our day to examin their own Hearts lest they may have warped a little from this sound Form of obeying towards Pharisaical Leaven in their own Righteousness preferring a Gift of Knowledg of Teaching Expounding to the under-valuing of this Duty of Vile in our own Eyes Nay sometimes Men pretending to high Gifts running tatling from House to House who in the end have discovered themselves to be Boasters in meer words for a long time ride on Horse-back while others great in Humility Mercy Patience and Charity have been esteemed no more than good formal Christians And verily this I fear is a sore Evil and perhaps a common Vanity in our Land I have in my time heard some esteemed true Israelites thus bemoaning themselves That verily to wonder Knowledg Preaching Praying and Doctrinal Religion had spread the Cord of their Tent but in the mean time they rather were puffed up than humbled and Meekness Mercy brotherly Love and Charity lagged strangely behind We hear of good things by Whole-sale but the Retailers of Good are few But there is as Solomon saith a time and season to every Purpose of God under Heaven a time to speak and a time to be silent a time to learn and a time to obey what we have learned and the hand of God so in all as through his wise disposal all shall work together for good to them who love him and are called according to his purpose For first in the Gospel's setting forth both Doctrine and Obedience set forth together as Work-fellows equally yoaked together to the great increase of the Church but in process of time the Doctrinal Gifts began to shrink up and the Traditions of Man encroached upon the inspired Word blind Obedience began to speak and to usurp Authority over the Man teaching and setting forth the most gross and formal parts of her Form as pure Religion So Religion consisted in Zeal and Zeal in an ignorant benummed Obedience And now this having filled up Iniquity to a full measure of those Bounds God set them he in tenderness to his Church awaked the Spirit of Doctrine Teaching and Understanding and touching the Hearts of some chosen Instruments they began to enquire into the Touchstone of Truth Law and Gospel how far the imposed Innovations by the See of Rome had Divine Authority and finding that by this means many gross Idolatries were discovered and laid naked and that by reading preaching and expounding the Word Light sprang forth to many sitting in darkness and consequently perceiving in all this that abused Obedience placed the Snare and Knowledg breaking forth cut it off they did so far set their Affections and Interest upon the Doctrinal Part as the chief Streams of their Devotions and Labours turned into those Channels a little more to the Umbrage of Obedience than is now tho not perhaps then necessary But now Knowledg having for a long time even a whole Century rid on prosperously I hope the time is come that God will also yoak this together again in equal Fellowship and stir up his own to a more full Obedience in that part which is pure and spotless as by his Spirit he reproved the Church of Sardis Rev. 3.2 Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die for I have not found thy Works thy Obedience perfect before God Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent I come as a Thief in the Night But still to keep the Scales in equal Ballance and Hearing and Reading be by no means neglected we say That none can in seriousness hear or read too much but what we press after is that as by these Faith and Knowledg increase so pure and spotless Obedience may grow up with them And therefore seeing Doctrine and Teaching must precede Obedience let no Pretence delay us to hear and to read First because every new discovery of any Duty before unknown or not understood is like unto one of Jacob's new digged Wells flowing with living Streams of wholsom Water that is Every Precept Promise Admonition or what else is writ for our Instruction manifested is by faithful and upright Obedience made a replenisher of the Soul with good things Again our Saviour who was in all things tempted like us did upon every temptation stop the mouth of Satan with a Scripture-Text as Man lives not by Bread only and Thou shalt not tempt c. and he being our Example it behoves that we be ready at the same Weapon The Souldier that knows his Enemy will assault him but is ignorant whether by
to exalt the Spirit and in this we wrestle against Principalities and Wickedness in Heavenly Places Then Satan's Interest was to uphold Vows Merit in Touch not taste not c. to persuade that the Spirit was a meer Chymaera or Sound only heard in deluded Ears and now he cries up the Spirit as all pure and perfect that it doth not nay cannot lust after Envy upright in all its ways and no Word or Work or Way holy or acceptable without it be its simple Act and so the Reason Sense and Body are esteemed vile things and the Service odious to God And thus Satan wrests to every extreme our Minds and Christ in his Bounty so defeats this old Serpent the Deceiver as in the first Warfare presumptuous Flesh is beaten down and under the Gospel the Spirit apt to be puffed up is humbled that all things both in Heaven and Earth in Soul and Body might bow to the exalted Name of Christ yea that every thing which is proud or exalts it self may be brought down and that he that glories may find nothing to glory in save Christ alone and lastly that the Spirit upheld in its Humiliation by the Spirit of the high-exalted Name may uphold the Body and the Body minister to the Soul until it become a fit Temple for the holy Spirit to dwell in and that Christ at his coming may find us perfect in Soul in Body and in Spirit 9. And lest some might take it amiss that now in our Gospel-day the Worship whereof consists in Spirit and Truth we should speak of a Warfare against the Spirit and of an acceptable Service from the Body I shall explain my self a little further First I say our Lord doth not teach that this Worship is of Spirit only but Spirit and Truth and against them united there is no Law For this In Spirit and Truth implies a Worship where the very Spirit of Truth is present and assisting the Spirit of Man and helping its Infirmities which Spirit also dwelleth in us and is that which raiseth up Christ and also that quickens our mortal Bodies and therefore to subdue this Spirit were to reject God and Good in as deep Rebellion and Blasphemy as the Angels reserved to Blackness and Darkness ever did But there are two other Spirits one of God and yet is not his very immediate Spirit aforesaid of which the beloved Apostle thus Believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits if they are of God for many false Prophets and consequently Spirits are gone forth Hereby we know that Spirit which is of God the Spirit that confesseth Christ is come in the Flesh is of God That Spirit which confesseth not so is not of God but of Antichrist Whence observe two Spirits one of God another not of him Secondly Consider that Confession which distinguisheth these Spirits namely Christ in the Flesh which cannot be meant of an historical Confession because also confessing must have had that Spirit of God and verily it is incompatible with the outward Profession to deny the History as far as concerns Flesh and Blood nor amongst those various Delusions touching his Nature which went abroad few or none held that Opinion Again the Spirit which denies this is the Spirit of Antichrist Now Antichrist doth not deny Christ in the Flesh but rather supposeth that he is extant as Flesh in the Bread to this day And lastly to make this the Caracter were to make Antichrist a Pagan which he is not but rather the Spirit which historically confesseth both God and Christ and sets up it self against them And this is that Spirit which in this Warfare ought to be made to bow the Knee And forasmuch as the Apostle affirms that this Spirit is of Antichrist the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition the best way to discern it is to apply to a fuller description of them 2 Thess 2.4 Who opposeth God and exalteth himself above all called God or that is worshipped So that he sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God And now this must be a Spiritual Wickedness set in high Places usurping Authority in the Temple of God which Temple we are and the Spirit i.e. of God dwelleth in it 1 Cor. 3.16 And again Chap. 6.19 Your Body is the Temple of the Holy-Ghost in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own for ye are bought with a Price Wherefore glorify God in your Body and in your Spirit which are God's And now I ask what this which is spiritual Wickedness can be but the Spirit of Man lusting after Evil deluded by the Spirit of Satan whose first and original Crime was to make himself equal with God and shall again once more shew his foolish Pride as in the description of Antichrist is further shewn Ibid. vers 9. Whose Coming is after the working of Satan with all Power and lying Wonders and with all deceivableness of Vnrighteousness in them who perish because they received not the Love of the Truth that they might be saved And for this Cause God gave them up to strong Delusions that they should believe a Lie and that they might be damned who believed not the Truth but had pleasure in Vnrighteousness And besides this Text the holy Writers give sundry Admonitions to beware of the Pride and Deceitfulness of our own Spirits Jam. 4.5 Do you think the Scripture saith in vain The Spirit which dwelleth in you lusteth to Envy Which is a double Proof First as from James secondly as another Scripture cited by him tho perhaps we find it not So our Lord Ye know not what Spirit ye are of 1 Tim. 4.1 In the latter times shall come seducing Spirits and Doctrine of Devils 2 Cor. 7.1 Let us cleanse our selves from all Filthiness of the Flesh and of the Spirit perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God Mal. 2.15 Therefore take ye heed to your Spirits and let none deal treacherously with the Wife of his Youth see also ver 16. Where the Spirit refers to the Man or Spirit of Teaching and the Wife to Obedience as in the Allegory afore-mentioned and from the Context is as much as The Spirit and Wife are one Flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the end they may bring forth Seed or Children to God and therefore let the Spirit beware it deal not perfidiously with the chast Form of Obedience that is go a whoring after strange Forms So as a Man's Spirit is as his Heart deceitful setting up spiritual Wickedness in high Places and dresseth them in so specious Forms of Light as who can find them out For doubtless to discern its workings from those of the Holy Spirit is me judging above measure difficult and few or none who do not sometimes mistake that for this And therefore we ought to take heed to our Spirits and above all to supplicate the Father of Spirits whom foul Spirits obey that himself would watch over them For in vain do the