a deformed one but a Virgin without wrinkle without spot when the Church is sanctified by the Spirit of Christ and nothing in your hearts but love fear and holiness then you have this beauty that is without spot or wrinkle sin does sully the soul but grace taketh away spots and wrinkles Likewise 2. The Church is compared to a Woman for her affection their affections ordinarily are more strong 'T is said of Jonathan his love did exceed the love of women The Holy Ghost compareth the Church to a Woman to signifie that all the members of Christ have a very ardent love and affection to Christ No love so strong as the love of a Saint to Christ and therefore 't is said That many waters cannot quench it There are few will be beggered for the sake of another or banished or hanged upon a Gallows for the sake of another burnt at a stake for anothers sake and yet the love of a Saint maketh nothing of all this it rejoiceth to see its goods spoil'd for Christ to think it self worthy to be whipt for Christ to go up a ladder and to be thrown down with a rope about its neck for Christ Water cannot quench a Saints love neither can fire hinder a Saint from Christ neither things present or things to come can sepaparate from Christ You would all be of this Church pray look that you have affections suitable for Christ You may have a time to try your affections if you want affections you are none of this Woman 3. The Church is compared to a Woman for her fruitfulness the Church of Christ is a fruitful Church that is the society of the Lord Jesus do bring forth daily children to God and as like the Father as they can look The Church does meet together to preach the Gospel and to pray and praise God together and God does so bless them with the Ordinances that they do convert sinners unto God they bring souls that were aliens in their mind they bring them to acquaintance with God The Church is always travelling and bringing forth and God does bless her to bring Sons and Daughters to himself and when they are born they are like Christ patient as Christ was patient meek as he was meek humble as he was humble and heavenly as he was heavenly Whoever pretend to be a Son or Daughter of this Woman and do not bear the Image of the Lord Jesus Christ they are bastards Barrenness under the Law 't was counted a very great curse So take this note to find out the Church of Christ upon earth and in England look upon the several societies professing the name of Christ see which look the most like him have they affections to Christ is there a beauty in their lives are they barren do they convert sinners to them Some cry with a loud voice The Temple of the Lord are we but I pray see if they are fruitful Are they travelling and bringing forth and have they Sons and Daughters brought forth daily to them or little conversion among them they are not fruitful they have not Sons and Daughters born to Jesus Christ and by that you may know where to find Christs Church Lastly The Church is compared to a Woman because of her weakness the Woman is the weaker sex she is not made for fighting but in case of danger for flying for this is the nature of the Church it is not of a domineering boisterous spirit but a womanly spirit modest humble and meek Where you see a people pretend to be this Woman pouring out malice and wrath a domineering people are they like this Woman that flyeth in time of danger but not from Christ vers 3. And there appeared another great wonder in Heaven behold a great red Dragon and that 's the Devil and the Dragon stood before the woman to devour her child as soon as it was born But what was the end did she fight no there were Angels stood to contend for her she took up no arms thought not upon fighting but presently the Angel rescued her vers 7. And there was war in Heaven Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon and the Dragon and his Angels fought and prevailed not That is the host of Angels did contend with the Devil and his Angels and would not permit him to destroy her and she fled into the Wilderness vers 6. And she fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days She fled into a Wilderness but in a secure state she was secur'd in her Wilderness and God lookt after her and we are in this thousand two hundred threescore days She is a weak Church but strong in Christ and if so my brethren though you be weak and meek as a sheep and compared to a Woman the weaker sex yet notwithstanding fear not for I cannot stand to speak of all the things in this Chapter Great wings were given her to fly with the whole earth stept out to help her and swallowed up the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth and the Angels helped her Well now let us come to the attire I have shewn you the reasons why she is compared to a Woman and we will begin at her head and so come down to her foot On her head a Crown of twelve Sâ—arâ— and her body was clothed with the Sun and under her foot the Moon What was this Crown of twelve Stars if you do but mark the H. Ghost through this book of the Revelations you will find him take a great deal of pleasure in this number twelve and he does always use it when he speaketh of the true Church the new Jerusalem it had twelve Gates and the Tree of life in the midst of this new Jerusalem this Tree of Life bore twelve sorts of fruits this you have in the last Chapter And in the midst of the streets of it and of either side of the river was there the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the Nations Why twelve Gates for the City and twelve fruits upon the tree and twelve Stars upon the Crown of this Church what is the meaning of this I will tell you what it is You know Jesus Christ when he went about to gather this Church out of the world he did chuse twelve men that were his Apostles and these twelve men he did acquaint with the whole mystery of the Gospel all the things that he would have them teach the world he gave them in commandment and they were to be under him the Fathers to beget this Church And Christ calleth them lights Ye are the lights of the world because they were to deliver forth this Doctrine of the Gospel this light from Heaven these truths that lead men like tapers through this dark Dungeon
to the palace of God they were to be the lights to them Now these twelve Stars are the twelve Apostles And she had a Crown of twelve Stars that is she was a Woman that professed faith in the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles she owned those truths that the Apostles preached and would receive no truths as matters of her faith but what the Apostles did teach and by this she was to be known in the several Generations of the World so that by this character of a Woman with a Crown of twelve Stars the Holy Ghost hath given you a note by which you may find out this Church those societies that believe what they taught and worship God according to what worship they delivered that is the woman with a crown of twelve Stars but if you see any society of Christians and you â—ind more Stars thanS twelve a star of vain Philosophy or humane tradition or a star of rudiments of the world look upon them as none of the stars that Christ hath put in the Womans crown therefore when Christ commissioned the Apostles to preach the Gospel he gave not liberty to Paul or Peter or any of the twelve to lay any Commandment upon his Church but what they had from his mouth in the last of Matthew and indeed they are as it were the last words he spake to them vers 19 20. Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Well what shall we teach teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you No more no more let them believe than what I have delivered to you let them use such Ordinances in Worship as I have appointed you and no more they were not to exceed there commission it was as dangerous for them to do it as any Ambassador to exceed the commission of his Prince and therefore the Apostles when they were brought before the Rulers and Governours and they charged them to teach no more in the name of this Jesus say We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard how can we chuse but teach the things which we have seen Christ do and reveal the miracles that we see wrought and how can we chuse but preach the Doctrine that we received from his mouth They did not say how can we chuse but do that which we have seen invented by others no if they had taught any thing else Christ would not have born them out and therefore in the Election of a new Apostle in Judas his stead they made choice of one to bear witness of what Christ had said and done and all the Churches of Christ from that time they are to keep close to those Doctrines the Doctrines of the twelve Apostles and by this they shall be known to be the Woman if they still keep the Crown that hath but twelve Stars And now you may know what to think of the Church of Rome and of the Turks and what to think of the Jews Some have not the twelve Stars others have as the Pope hath them but he hath added others have the stars of humane tradition of the rudiments of the world I give you but the general note for I will only give you rules in finding out the Church and when you have found it keep close to her if you would find the Church ask what Doctrine she holds and whether there be any thing added not one star added but keep close to the Crown that hath just twelve stars in it Now let us come downward And she was clothed with the Sun and you see the Holy Ghost hath picked out the most glorious thing in all the Heavens to resemble the beauty and loveliness and majesty of the Church there was not any thing in the world to resemble the luster and majesty and beauty of this Church and therefore he goes up to Heaven and putteth a Crown of Stars upon her head and clotheth her with Sun beams and she was clothed with the Sun what must this Sun be why in the Heavens you know the Sun is the greatest of lights and its influences are most marvellous and there is but one Sun Why what is there in the Kingdom of God that the Sun is most likely to shadow forth I answer it must be the Lord Jesus Christ and he is compared to the Sun in Scripture as in Mal. 4.2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings that is Christ Jesus shall arise with healing in his wings the wings of the Sun-beams Christ is here compared to the Sun well but how may this Sun be said to be a clothing is there any ground for it why yes the Apostle Paul does use an expression wherein he holdeth Christ as the Churches clothing and so put the comparison that one compareth Christ to the Sun and the other where you find Christ compared to the clothing of the Church and then you have this truth to wit the Church is clothed with the Sun i.e. with Jesus Christ Nom. 13.14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ Here you see plainly the Apostle does compare Christ to a garment and does exhort the Church to clothe themselves with Christ and though Christ does not call himself a garment yet he does invite the Church to him that he may clothe her Rev. 3.18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou maist be rich and white raiment that thou maist be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou maist see Well pray say you how may the Church be said to be clothed with Christ In two respects 1. In as much as they are clothed with the righteousness of Justification and this in and by Jesus Christ 2. As they are clothed with the divine nature with the nature of Christ or with the righteousness of Sanctification they that have these two righteousnesses upon them they are clothed with Christ they are clothed with the Sun 1. When you have the righteousness of Justification for so this Woman had the Church is a justified woman a pardoned woman and so are all the members of this Church all her iniquities are all blotted out all hand-writings of Ordinances are all cancelled all nailed to the Cross of Christ all wrapped up and buried and shall never rise up in judgment against them this is a clothing by which her nakedness is clothed why Oh thou poor creature that lyest open to the wrath of God to the storms of his displeasure thou hast no pardon till Christ pardoneth thee the Woman is clothed with the Sun that is with the righteousness of Justification that Jesus Christ hath purchased for her If you see a Church boasting of a righteousness of their own a Pharisaical righteousness a Legal Righteousness a righteousness of their own this is not
such things declare plainly that they seek a countrey XLIX Further there from the story of the Woman of Canaan who acted faith on Christ for the cure of her daughter whereupon Christ said unto her O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee as thou willest and immediately her daughter was made whole He infers that Saints should not have slight and superficial thoughts of these outward mercies but should know these mercies come or stream from the same fountain as spiritual mercies do and can we think that sweet and sowr water come from the same fountain Oh get your hearts into an admiring spiritual praising frame for outward mercies Upon which he put this Question What is the reason that Saints find it such an hard thing for them to get their hearts into a praising frame for the receit of mercies meerly external Ans First Examine thy soul whether thou dost not set thine heart too much upon some external mercy as learning parts estate and this perhaps may be the cause why God doth not spiritualize thine heart in the reception of that food and health thou hast And here we may allude to a place of Scripture If then thou regardest iniquity in thine heart the Lord will not hear thy prayer So if thou dost idolize one creature too much God in punishing of thee will not raise thine heart to praise him for another mercy Secondly Another reason may be because thou hast not studied Christ in such mercies so as to acknowledg thou art made partaker of them by his procurement Thirdly Because thou hast not constantly liv'd upon God for the giving of them in and if God should keep some of them from thee thou couldst praise God as well as for the giving of them to thee being not regardful of thy dependance upon him for all thou hast Fourthly Examine your selves whether or no you pray'd for these mercies which you now receive and for which you find your soul indispos'd to thankefulness Assure your selves there is no greater motive to a mans thankefulness to God than when he looks upon mercies given in as a fruit of prayer Of this you may have an instance Rom. 1.8 9 10. saith Paul there I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the world And what is the reason Vers 9 10. For God is my witness whom I serve in my spirit in the Gospel of his Son that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers making request c. L. As he had early impressions upon his heart to Sabbath-sanctification so they continued to the last For several years as some of his nearest Relatives have observ'd it was his usual practise when he rose out of his bed on the Lords-days in the mornings with a cheerful heart and voice to sing a Psalm or some part of it or spiritual Hymn for the putting of himself into a spiritual frame for the work of the day or to repeat those eucharistical expressions or salutations of the heavenly host recorded Luke 2.14 Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good-will towardmen By this means his spirit was much rais'd and â—e shew'd himself not less zealous for the well-performance of the Lords work than he then was for the due sanctifying of the Lords-day not only in the Congregation but in his Family and amongst his Friends For hearing some of them on that blessed day talking about worldly matters he fairly rebuk'd them with kindness saying John when in the Isle of Patmos was in the spirit on the Lords-day He had acquainted us in his experiments on Saturday night the middle of June 1651. when before he went to bed he did by the spirit exceedingly heighten the free-grace of God to him of a dream of his saith he there I dreamed that some Scholars were playing at Ninepins in our Chappel on the Sabbath-day My thought when I saw them Oh! how was my spirit moved I ran amongst them kick'd them down and said Hath England lost so much blood for such sins and will you take no warning And this I utter'd very affectionately Such dreams as these lik'd me well and from thence I often gathered the frame of my spirit On a Sabbath sometime after this he records I was not in the day in so spiritual a frame as I desired my thought mine heart knew little of God which I was desirous to have been my trouble but towards the evening reading Gal. 4.9 But now that ye have known God or rather are known of God c. How kindly did that place work on me as eye-salve to my faith as fire to my love The word was this or rather being known of God It seems that was the precious word which did rest so sweetly upon the heart and so deeply affect this choice Servant of the Lord on the Lords-day when he us'd to have his heart greatly rais'd in singing of Psalms in his family and would say to his Wife and Relatives Do not you find a sweetness in this day Oh! certainly it is the sweetest day in all the week LI. In all his Relations he was a man greatly beloved and singularly useful by prayer counsel and various other ways of doing them good We have him on Feb. 25. 1652. recording an experiment which his Relatives had to his dying-day an abundant proof of His own words are At morning mine heart was melted and so at evening in a special manner Ch how evidently God made out my faith to me both for my self and others especially for our family and my other Christian friends and the Church in general for bringing peace to her Verily of a truth the spirit help'd me in that prayer I was much broken in heart and had a deep sense of the love of God A little after he adds I was much in melting humility let it be one of the evidences of thy Saintship for I never saw humility more apparent before Oh! praise thou God and never cease One of his nearest Relatives remembers he would often say in self abasement If it were possible I could do as much work for God as any man did upon earth I would not care whether it were known there were such a man as I am in the world So little regard had he to the applause of men in what he did and so little regard had he to the rewards of men that when some had told him of some small presents that such and such neighbours had presented to some of his brethren in the Ministry and thereupon asked him Whether they had been with him He answered no And subjoyn'd he was not sorry he was pass'd by in that way saying I am heartily glad I had not their presents so that I might receive my reward from my Master For I am never better pleased than to think after I have done his work that Jesus Christ hath all my reward in reversion for me yea and he would
a Copy of it for his satisfaction He was also in hand with an Answer to Mr. Lamb's Stop to Separation shewing the weakness of his arguings We find also some solid reasons of his own practise in dissenting from the present National Ecclesiastical establishment in the point of Conformity And that he was drawing a parallel of Mr. Medes and Dr. Hammonds Expositions of the Revelation with an Examination of Dr. Hammonds And somewhat more particular he was writing concerning the Millemium and the right stating of it as he apprehended carrying it always with great mildness and kindness towards those Brethren from whom he did in any thing dissent about these controverted points lest any unseemly heats amongst Evangelical Ministers should occasion people to have less regards to those undoubted truths and essentials of the Christian Institution wherein they were cordially agreed But though he had made some progress in these and other things yet he did not live to finish them However the last doth appear to be pretty well compleated We shall conclude having prayed that these now published may do good to souls especially those who desired them with that of the beloved Divine Rev. 14.13 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them An ELEGY on the Lamented Death of the Reverend Mr. THOMAS WADSWORTH sometime Minister of St. Mary Newington-Butts and after for a short time of St. Laurence Poultney London October 29. 1676. WELL may the Church now wash her wounds with tears When her best blood from every vein appears If the sound members be cut off so fast Sure the whole Body 'll pine away at last For when our dear Right Hands and Eyes are gone The sorry stump will seek Consumption And every one like that Disciple cry Joh. 11.16 Let us go Partners in his fate and dye The Ark is Israel's Chariot but when Death Pursues its chiefest Horsmen out of breath Well may our Wheels be taken off and we Be driven to despair of Remedy If God proceed to fill his Garner so With Lab'rers whom we need so much below Such chaff as we almost justly fear God hath no Isra'l to be gather'd here And if provoked Justice should begin To whet its â—word and thrust its Sickle in Oh dreadful Harvest when the Reaper claims The whole for fewel to Eternal flames God's naked Vineyard cannot but decay If skilful Dressers be thus call'd away And how can we expect but that they will When we 're thus barren in a fruitful Hill Laden with such Wild Grapes as vengeance hath Adjudged to the Wine-press of his wrath The firmest stakes in all our Hedg we see Pluckt up by the same hand successively And God's just counsel sure of us in store Is to lay waste and to replant no more Hedges of thorns there are not for defence But only set to gore our Innocence Wild-Bores of ' he Roman forrest may invade By us there can be no resistance made For at these Breaches they 'll come in and then Whose skill or strength shall drive them out agen The little Foxes spoil our tender fruit And who can take them ' nless the Keepers do 't Doctrine and Worship like two Clusters stand Exposed to be snatcht by ev'ry hand And they who boldly dare call evil good May give us poyson next instead of food Well may the Philistins now proudly boast When all our Champions leave the wounded Host Now that the danger 's greatest and they think In heat of War to give us blood to drink So we who hop'd to see Goliah's fall Follow our Leaders to their Funerall When such as these defie God's mighty Name Who shall stand forth to vindicate the same For they that knew it best have left us here To strive at once with Ignorance and Fear Suspecting Error 't is an easie crime In weaker eyes to shun the Truth sometime And when our light is gone men in the dark Will bring their Tinder to a Wild-fire spark When Reason climbs the Throne we stand in doubt Whether our Faith may cast this Hagar out But now those Eagles face the Sun whose flight Hath made their Faith to vanish into sight No Veil within that Temple therefore they Have open vision and perfect day These Palm-trees once adorn'd our Sion-Hill And though by Death cut down they flourish still But in another soil and Countrey where They only now a weight of glory bear And other pressures taken off they soare Above those skies they could not reach before No other Canaan now but that is known With Milk and Honey always overflown Rivers of pleasure run on ev'ry hand Like channels cut throughout this promis'd Land From future Evils they 're escap'd while we Survive to feel the threaten'd misery For 't is most certain when the Bridegroom's friends Are called home God's Marriage-Treaty ends Which after such remisness and neglect Is but what foolish Virgins might expect Thus what they feared and predicted too May be accomplisht in our final woe And though the Messengers are gone we find Their message in full force shall stay behind Like to that Church above Truth will appear To shame Despisers yet Triumphant here Among that throng whose souls have lately fled Out of their Bodies to embrace their Head This Man of God hath taken wing to taste Whether the best Wine be reserv'd till last There he is proving what he prov'd before Now in the Ocean then upon the Shore That Immortality of which each line Partakes and thereby proves it self divine Thus in his Book beside his own intent He rais'd himself a lasting Monument Wherein his Name shall live and Readers come Like devout Pilgrims visiting his Tomb. And as his Faith the fears of Death ' orecame So shall those Papers evidence the same For what he had by Reason taught long since He after learned by expertence His Agonistick Tortutes and his Pains Screw'd up his joyful foul to higher strains Of Triumph and when nature struggled he Obtain'd by Grace the greater victory Wonder and Pity both were mov'd in those Who were spectators to his pangs and throws Well might all such conclude that saw him then That dying Saints are somewhat more than men For when he smarted most by 's Father's Rod Still our dear Thomas cry'd My Lord my God As seeing now his wounded hands and side Whom he had preacht through weakness crucify'd Thus Patience had its perfect work at length Like one whose Conflict had increas'd his strength He triumph'd over all and did commit His soul to him that had redeemed it His Course so finisht he at last sat down And he that first won souls then won the Crown These Works now follow him while he 's possest Of 's full reward in Everlasting rest Faithful in all God's House like Moses still H' obey'd the Sov'raign Legislative Will Observ'd the Pattern in the Mount