cens'ring and unseemly Words That neither Truth nor Righteousness affords For this you have been spreading in my Way The Snare of ill Report unto this Day And yet as if you were resolved still The Measure of this Mischief up to fill By publick ways according to your Pow'r My Name to injure and my Life devour Of which I must confess I 'm not afraid For all that can by you be done or said Yet for your good I would have you take heed That you in ill no further might proceed Lest in your Wills you make the Prophets die Whilst you their Tombs do seem to beautifie For in the Form that Truth appeareth in At last must be reveal'd the Man of Sin This must be either granted or deny'd If granted why are you dissatisfy'd With my kind Admonition to beware Of what you may be or in danger are If you deny 't it 's evident to me You in the Danger more intangled be To be in Danger and yet rest secure Makes Danger greater and the Snare more sure For those that of their Danger knowledge have Some means perhaps may use themselves to save But those that are in Peril not aware Before the Hazard's known they 'r caught i' th' Snare Still their Condition's worse who do reject Good Counsel given them and disrespect Their faithful Monitors yea them abuse For it as well as their Advice refuse And mostly this the Prophets true have found In every Generation to abound And as the Wise Man said There 's nothing new So in our Age this Case is found too true But to the Matter to return again If you deny the Danger it is plain You have not known the Man of Sin as yet I' th' Temple of God as a God to sit Nor have you known him out of Heaven cast Which is a Work that must be done at last For had you seen or scap'd the Danger here You 'd seen 't so great all might a Caution bear He 's first cast out as Evil this hath been In every Reformation truly seen At last like good he is forth to be cast No Reformation yet this Act hath past A Murderer to give up to be slain To a just Law no Mystery doth contain For 't is decreed he that takes Life away In Malice for that Fact his Life must pay All this is but according to the Law And 't is but just that we the same should do And 't is but just that we the same should do But when we offer up the Good 't is clear In this great Act a Mystery doth appear When God again requireth us to give That which we truly did from him receive As this is offer'd up to him again We Nothing are and he doth All remain When what we had is back unto him given That did bestow 't our Hope 's only in Heaven Our Conversation's there and then the Lord We may expect will graciously afford Whate'er we need that we may learn thereby Not on our selves but on him to relie When Isaac must be our free Sacrifice ' Ere we can be obedient true and wise In giving up or holding back the Hand Doth what is rightly call'd a Myst'ry stand If we give up we plainly come to see Christ both the bottom and the Top must be And that the pure in Heart only possess True Knowledge of the Myst'ry of Godliness Such also find what doth a Christian make Is that of which no other can partake As this perceived is such cease to strive For what can't make nor keep their Souls alive They now endeavour in each Mind to raise The love of Truth that such may truly praise The Works of God as he appears within To lead unto himself destroying Sin This Work can no Man for another do Nor can one Man God for another know Him I must know my self if known at all Me to redeem and bring out of the Fall Him I must fear or love if him I know Or be enabl'd his Commands to do For if I love him not I cannot keep The Precepts appertaining to his Sheep Nor if his Fear or Love 's not in me rais'd Can I perform an Act by which he 's prais'd But if in me his Fear or Love doth stand I shall obedient be to his Command This Holy Fear Man's Precept cannot teach No outward Rule this high Command can reach For God to know in Christ's Eternal Life It cometh not by Form nor stands in strife Particulars may this great Work have seen But in a gen'ral way 't hath never been Nor can be known until our Elders shall Cast down their Crowns and let them freely fall Nor can they throw them down until they 've known The offering up of Isaac as is shown Which cannot be till 't can be truly said That God is All and they as Nothing made Till this is known as it hath ever been Division will successively be seen For God will turn and overturn again Until He come whose right it is to reign But since we read and likewise often hear Of Sin there is a Myst'ry to appear We should not think it in what 's simply evil In that there is no Myst'ry of the Devil For into this he leads as to his own Here he is ill and this his ill is known In this there is no Myst'ry of Sin For 't plainly wicked is and so hath bin Herein he is not chang'd from Sins beginning Sin added unto Sin is still but sinning This he brings forth as he 's the Root of Evil And in this Work he 's properly a Devil But he can change his Blackness into White Appearing as an Angel of the Light And then like Truth he will direct unto Such Acts as God commanded we should do We several Presidents might here produce Of which we shall the most familiar chuse The Pharisees gave Alms the Act was good And it as a Command they understood Of God to help the Poor But they were found To give Alms chiefly from another ground Before they gave the Trumpet 's Sound was heard And this was done to purchase the Reward Of Praise herein they did not rightly do For th' Act being good prevented not the Woe Pronounc'd by him that was the Truth and knew Tho' th' Act was good their Spirit was not true In worship and religious Exercise In outward Points what seemed to suffice For giving God his due they did practise And did in making Converts most transcend For Sea and Land they compass'd for that End Thus seem'd they in external things exact And could not touched be for any Fact Yet as their chief Design was to appear Blameless in outward things they termed were By Christ Sepulchres fill'd with Rottenness Garnish'd and cover'd with the finest Dress In this they lookt like Good and not like Evil And yet by truth were found as of the Devil Their outside was not blam'd it was their Sin That they did not the Work i' th' Heart begin Nor
my Mind Truth to receive where-ever we it find Whether it shall express'd or written be In Verse or Prose it is the same to me Altho' 't is true there 's many do decry Writing in Verse and think it Levity Yet well I know God may the Mind prepare Important Truths in Verses to declare Nay well I know before true Verse be made All roughness of the Mind must be allay'd A smooth and equal Temper must be found ' Ere Words can have right Number and true Sound The Temper is as Forms which may be true And yet in that Men Evil may pursue And Words apply unto another End Than Truth directs to speak or did intend Hence it appears Verse may be good or ill According to the Subject and Man's Will On this Account I shall survey thy Lines And Matter thou deliver'd has in Rhymes But first observe if thou wilst write again 'T is requisite thou keep a milder Strain For I will not hard Words with hard repay Nor Force add unto Force to gain my way 'T is Truth I seek and it shall be my bound According as God's Gift and Power 's found I 'll not say of my self in that respect As thou once said at Brigg I am Perfect But this I 'll say in me the Truth did spring Before for Truth I acted any thing Yet I 'll not say that all I 've said and done In Weight and Number with the Truth will run But this I 'll say where wrong to Truth I 'll yield Before without it I would gain the Field Therefore come forth i' th' Method that is true And do thy best my Failings to pursue As Wooll well pack'd by yielding I 'll resist The greatest Force in which thou can persist For in the main I do for Truth contend And in the Truth that War must have an end With my last Letter I shall first begin Because I find thou takes it as a Sin Or as a Crime in me or great Offence So plainly unto thee to write my Sense To me 't is plain thou takes it in this sort By the detracting Words thou dost retort Affirming that I rage I rave and roar With storming foaming and a number more Words too severe and hard to have relation To what thou calls A friendly Salutation For which I know no Cause in what was writ So thinks that thy Mistake hath caused it In this thou hast not been so kind to me Nor to thy self if thou mistaken be As to set forth the Matter or that Thing Whence these hard Words and grand Displeasure spring I am therefore in no Capacity My self nor thee where wrong to rectifie In short I 'm right or wrong in what is done If right thou dost too hard upon me run But if I 'm wrong thou still art found to blame That didst not now partic'larize the same For gen'ral Charges all Men will declare To prove one Evil thing invalid are Nay 't is a Maxim That Deceit doth lurk In Gen'rals and doth there obscurely work Thus gen'ral Charges are like Deeds o' th' Night Where Men decline the Scrut'ny of the Light In short by those hard Words which thou hast us'd I apprehend my self to be abus'd But if thou think this Charge thou can'st retrieve By answering mine which I do not believe Yet that thou mayst incourag'd be unto it I promise so submit when thou canst do it Mean while I shall proceed t' observe the rest Which in a gen'ral way is still exprest Which seems to me no edifying way Because the Truth doth almost undiscerned lay First with the State of Rest thou dost begin Enumerating many Virtues in That Sate which as thou statest them appear Not plain but intricate thou speakest there Of th' Fold of Rest in th' heat o' th' Day to be Plac'd in the Rest which can't with Truth agree For in true Rest there is no Day too hot This clearly shows that in it thou art not In it no Inequalities there are But all its Parts are congruous calm and fair And where each Part 's alike equally sure There needs no Fold of resting to secure For thus a Fold into a Fold is got Which is improper or else needeth not The Fold of Rest is only in the Way For Travellers to rest in th' Heat o' th' Day For their Refreshment when too much opprest By Heat i' th' Way and travel for the Rest By Fold of Rest we then may understand The Shadow of the Rock in th' weary Land Thou sayest the Angel in the Rest doth stand Which leads the Flock into the Holy Land Thy Words as may be seen imply no less As each observant Reader will confess Which if good Sense and understood by me The Rest and Holy Land do not agree Nay they are not one State but differ wide For sayst the Angel from the Rest doth guide Into the Holy Land by which thou hast Rashly thy self into Confusion cast For sure the Rest and Holy Land are one And 't is as sure i' th' rest the Angel leadeth none That th' Angel leadeth in the Way I grant But in the Rest that 's true there is no want I know 't is glorious for in it I have been On the Lord's Day and then have plainly seen Those true Dimensions there by which I know A right Account of it thou dost not show And if a right Account thou cannot give 'T is evident in it thou dost not live And if thou lives not in 't then in a Dream Where there is nothing truth that so doth seem No wonder for thy Rest seems in the way In which is chiefly known the Working Day And they who take their Peace and Rest up here Exceeding great in their own Eyes appear Their Acts and Words and Forms they magnifie As outward things above their Value high Of their Injoyments wondrous Noise they make As if they could by Force the Kingdom take They none can know nor can they well agree With any but of that Fraternity They see not how the Rains and Dews do fall Nor how from God the Sun doth shine on all Their Way and Form becomes to them a Snare Which God at first might for their Good prepare That they might through its use look for the Seed To whom the Promise is in time of need But such seem Rich and Wise and nothing want Whilst they are Blind and Poor and Ignorant As this is seen if any disapprove And show 't it will their Indignation move To persecute such in an unjust Hate As Troublers and Disturbers of their State But 't is no News it 's not their Fault alone Self-Righteous Men in every Age have shown The same to such as happ'ned to displease By troubling them in their false Rest and Ease But as they 're mov'd and troubl'd soon 't is plain They never yet did the true Rest attain Nor whilst their Voice is heard so loud i' th' Street Did they with the strait Gate yet
if you could but mind Might you not see the same and truly find But where the Bricks are fallen down and gone Are you resolv'd to build with hewen Stone Let me advise that be not done in pride For if it be you 'll lose when you are try'd Thou sayst Nor must thou more that wicked Leaven spread Nor in the Courts of Holy Temple tread What Temple 's this I pray thee well explain Whose hallow'd Courts I must no more profane What is its Form and where must it be found If Holy it shou'd stand on Holy Ground I ne'er of truly Sacred Temples heard But those that in Jerusalem were rear'd And of Jerusalems I find there 's two Yet which of them it is thou dost not show So leaves me as before uncertain where The Temple is of which thou speakest here Jerusalem above I certain am No Temple hath except God and the Lamb And yet thou hast not proved how thy Word With that most Holy Temple can accord For when thou sayst your Walls do want repair Don't think that there th' Courts of this Temple are I also find by seeking thus about You from the Courts above can't shut me out Your Power 's below and yet what Temple 's this Whose outward Court we find unmeasur'd is Limits and Bounds will you presume to set And measure that which God did not think fit Do you not hereby think your Form shall hold God by his Spirit as they did of old To whom the Prophets cried from the Lord When unto them they uttered his Word On that Occasion and in that respect In these plain Words or unto this effect Heaven's my Throne Earth as my Footstool lays Where is the House that you for me will raise Or where 's the Form Way or Place of my rest In all external Things to be exprest The World I form'd and its Foundation laid And every thing that 's in it I have made The Rivers Lakes and Seas and every Fountain With ev'ry Hill and Vale and ev'ry Mountain I 've made the Beasts that do upon them feed The fleecy Flocks and all the winged Breed The Fish I 've made that in the Waters move And these together do my Grandure prove And as I 've made them all they on me wait If I stood need I need not it relate To Man for mine they 're all and ever were And yet at all times empty do appear When Man has offer'd them to me as Merit Without a broken and a contrite Spirit A broken Spirit trembles at my Word To this I always did my Grace afford To this Man 't is that I did ever look And have of him at all times notice took And what from first has been by me preserr'd Unto the last I 'll have the same regard The Subject's high and I had much to say But time at present calleth me away Some things thou mayst observe I 've spoken to And query'd others that thou mightest show The Certainty of what thou did intend In these thy Words which I unto thee send And as thou didst another once direct That thou observe the same I do expect Whene'er thou writes or speakest be so plain As that the meanest may thy Sense attain Thus where thy Sayings are obscure to me I do expect they should explained be In the preceding part I 've noted some And more shall be adjoyn'd in what 's to come What Seamless Garment's this which you do wear And who are these that in it do appear When that is done I pray thee next descend To shew how I this Seamless Garment rend What Government of Truth do I withstand Demonstrate fairly under thy own Hand For how should I from Error guide my Feet If I don't know 't nor thou dost let me see 't What is this Power unto which I 'm bound And am against it in rebellion found The Charge is high remember thou produce Good Witness else th' art guilty of Abuse For to thy Charge Not Guilty I dare plead That I to tryal with thee might proceed What wicked Leaven is' t I must not spread Moreover where and what 's this Holy Seed And what 's my Creed I pray thee well explain By which I would lead back that Seed again What cleansing Wind is this whence doth it blow That Filth as Chaff out of the Church can throw What Filth is this that doth so light appear That with that Wind the Church of it you clear And once for all let it be understood What I oppose that is sincere and good As Truth is plain so it is also free To answer such as in sincerity Do seek the Truth by what they do inquire Which as above to know is my desire Thou wilst therefore by what is done be try'd As it is by thee granted or deny'd For as we friendly mutual Freedom take 'T is likely we may further Progress make To see the Things of Truth and more may learn Of Things that differ which may us concern For ev'ry Diff'rence is not really evil Except 't is aggravated by the Devil Nay there is diff'rence in a Sense that 's good If it could be but truly understood For God regards and doth his Love impart To ev'ry true upright and sincere Heart The outward cannot th' inward sanctifie Nor can our Souls for God be form'd thereby 'T is for the inward not the outward's sake God doth of Mankind truly notice take For there 's no Form that can acceptance find If there doth want Uprightness in the Mind But where the Mind to God-ward is sincere In any Place to such he draweth near For God hath left the outward Court unmet That we should not impeded be by it Nor that it should for th' future any more Be Cause of Envy as 't was heretofore So the right Use that should of Forms be made In them 's to wait for him on whom Help 's laid The Seed of old to Mankind promised To succour him and bruise the Serpent's Head If all in doing this could well agree There is no Diff'rence that can evil be O happy Time when this is brought about The Good is kept and Evil is shut out Then God with Love and Peace the Soul doth fill And unto Man there 's nothing but Good-will Here Man by Int'rest unto Love is bound And in that Case all gladly would be found Thou seest I call on thee to write again But mind thou be in thy Expressions plain For from dark Writing which the Intellect Cann't comprehend no Profit we expect Of many Things we have begun to speak And that which I from thee at present seek Is that thou willst proceed distinctly on From Point to Point until the whole be done For if thou 'l here in friendly sort assent I 'm well assur'd it will have good Event But if thou wilt reject what I propose And as before shall write then may I lose My Labour and Advice in this Assay But my Reward thou canst not
take away Where the Term You thou chanceth here to find It noteth Thee and others of thy Mind Those that are free I do not int'rogate Nor do I charge them to be in thy State My Words therefore I would not have thee stretch Beyond what I intended them to reach For if thou seekest my Intent to find Take the best Sense and thou wilt have my Mind But if to this thou shalt contrary do It is as thou wouldst not be done unto A noted Error do not thou stand in For that at last is finished in Sin Whate'er thou findest wrong do not defend For that 's no proper way the Fault to mend In what thou thinks thou' rt sure there modest be And then no doubt but still we may agree Thus in a friendly Mind I take my leave And rest thy Friend if thou can it perceive SOME REMAINS OF JOHN HOGG PART II. TO write in Meter was not my Intent Until some Verses were unto me sent Which Matter when consider'd in my Mind The Author I believ'd some Fault would find If I did not my self to him address In the like way he did himself express And lest the Matter he should disrespect For want of writing in his Dialect I thought it better if I could but find Clearness in Verse to write to him my Mind Than otherwise and then it did appear As I consider'd it most plain and clear For on that Consideration this I found It was not Modes of Speech it was the Ground From which Words sprung or came with the Intent That they were brought forth and abroad were sent This was the Matter for we truly find Th' Abuse of Things doth never change their Kind Seeing God hath in the World made nothing Evil All Misuse and Abuse is of the Devil Yet what is Evil made by his Abuse May be at other Times put to good Use In speaking gen'rally this holdeth true And I would give to ev'ry Thing its due For Instance What can we more Evil show Than Words when from an evil Ground they flow And yet what Word is there so evil made But to good Use the same may well be said And what is here by me to Words apply'd It may in Verse and other Things be try'd For writing Verse I need not his Excuse Because himself hath put it first in use And therefore since he did me here precede My Way 's no other than what he did lead And no Man can another justly blame When he himself 's a doer of the same But thinking others may read hear and see What we have written besides him and me For them it is that I apologize That as they understand they may be wise Not to condemn before they prove the Way Of Words in Number which is my Assay For if there be for ev'ry Thing a Time A Season then there is to write in Rhime This all should note and no Occasion take Against the Matter for the Methods sake For unto me 't seems clear and manifest That weighty Truths may be in Verse exprest And such as find 'em there and them refuse Because o' th' Form the Truth they do abuse Try all things and retain whatever's good Speaks ev'ry Case where Truth is understood Or may be found If such will but apply Their Minds to search and things for Truth to try But if some will not try and yet condemn This seems to be rash Foolishness in them Or else I judge that such conceited are And then of Fools more hopes there is by far For Fools according to their Folly do And that 's because they do no better know But as deny'd of Reason therefore may Be more excused for a Fault than they Who have a Talent given yet refuse Their Talent to improve exchange or use How can they further plead Excuse when try'd Than he that did i' th' Earth his Talent hide Or what can such expect from Judgment just But like him be deprived of their Trust But who so blind as him that will not see Or foolish that 's resolved so to be And now to touch the Matter shall descend Of which to write at present did intend I find the Author in a gen'ral way Condemns me and great Fault doth on me lay Advising me that I may back return With speed and for my past Offences mourn But Faults he sheweth none therefore to me All I have acted must condemned be And forasmuch as he declares A Doom Is from some People like on me to come Some have it seems a Combination made Against me and some evil Project laid But that I may prevent that bad design Note this I pray The Work was none of mine What I have done it was at God's Command Or I at least do so it understand Good Conscience then in this Case I may plead And where no Evil is that you shou'd heed Lest rashly you your selves precipitate Into an Act which you may rue too late Perhaps you 'll say that all you do's in Love Which thinks no ill yet that doth nothing prove What Rule give you that I may certain be In what you say there 's no Hypocrisie But if you think you 're true how must I know That you may not mistake in what you do Produce the Rule by which the Truth you 'll shew And see if I cannot as good give you What tho' some seem in good will to begin That is not much the Syrens also sing Whilst their intent is with deluding Charms To draw the Saylers into fatal Harms Such as are wary when the Charms they hear Keep on their Course or do a better steer And by that Caution get entirely free O' th' sad Mishap wherewith they menac'd be But such as unto them an Ear shall lend May in quick Ruin surely find their End If this a Fiction be yet it is clear A noted Truth in'ts Moral doth appear For thus did th' Serpent to our Mother Eve When his design was only to deceive Therefore we are not suddenly to lay Our Hands on Man tho' he may sing or pray But wisely to consider of the End As well as Friendship that such may pretend Especially where we 've believ'd or learn'd That God's Command may be therein concern'd If Judah's Prophet this had carefully Observ'd on his Return from Bethel he By the old Prophet had not been deceiv'd Nor by the Lion of his Life bereav'd The Story 's mournful if we heed it well Because a Prophet by a Prophet fell As Judah's Prophet was sent by the Lord ' Gainst Bethel's Altar to declare his Word So in that place he was not Bread to eat Nor by the Way he thither went retreat Nor doth't appear but that he did intend God's Mandate to observe unto the end For all the Arguments the King cou'd use To make him stay to eat he did refuse Nay tho' to do 't he promis'd a Reward Yet that like th' rest he still did disregard And by another Way
for the inside took such wholsome Care To make it like the outside clean and fair For had they wisely made their inside clean At first their outside would as fair have been And what was said to th' Pharisees of old Unto such like at all times may be told But if objected this was under th' Law And nought to them that do the Gospel know We answer 't is as much in this our Day As 't was in by-past Ages every way For when the Devil can no longer keep in Sin In likeness of the Truth he always creepeth in In ev'ry Age yea and in ev'ry Nation Where any thing of zealous Reformation Was well begun to be advanced on Against the evil Works that he had done 'T is true he this resists with all his Pow'r At first Appearance and would all devour That him withstand in his pernicious Way But when the Pow'rs too great for him to stay The Reformation nay it still proceeds Against his Force and Wrath and Evil Deeds Then there 's no hope for him to keep his Ground By doing that which still is evil found And doubtless if he had no other Way His Kingdom might have ended e'er this Day For he has often been cast forth as Evil By th' Pow'r of God in Christ which doth the Devil Destroy in th' Heart and Soul and cast him out Yea and as sinful treads him under Foot And when cast forth he must without remain Except by Craft he can return again For he can ne'er re-enter 't is confest In the same Hue wherein he 's dispossest For there the Mind is chang'd the House is swept His Goods are spoil'd and he hath nothing left Which he can call his own or come unto Therein his Hellish Wrath or Pow'r to show Here he 's dethron'd and now no Pow'r hath Man to molest or trouble in his Wrath. For with a Sword he'as got a deadly Wound And Marks thereof are on that Body found He as an Evil Spirit is cast out And like as such he rangeth round about In all dry places seeking after rest But none can find whilst he is disposest Therefore resolveth to return because If he abide without he surely knows That Torment which shall be his final Doom Before the time is like on him to come This to put off at present he 'll assay Not by an evil but a Truth-like way For as the House is cleansed he must hide His Filth and enter lik't or be descry'd But if prevailing he like Truth get in Their last State 's worse than when they did begin And of all Reformations ne'er was one But was by this Device prevail'd upon By which he has kept up his War and Strife For Forms and Rules that never could give Life He comes not now as with a rushing Sound But rather like one speaking out o' th' Ground Bespeaking Peace in the most humble wise That his Deceit and Cunning can devise Like Gibeonites appointed to be slain But by their Crast did still i' th' Land remain And tho' they were to servile Labours put Yet from God's Service were not wholly shut Thus to re-enter and regain his place He 'll change his Voice his Habit and his Face He 's still a Foe but looketh like a Friend That is advising unto some good end This way he Man beguil'd in the Beginning When he did teach him first the way of Sinning For having then in Man no place or part By Force he could not enter but by Art But by his Craft he enter'd in and then Of an upright he made a sinful Man Again he 'll celebrate the righteous Praise Of those he caus'd to fall in former Days Like as he taught the Jews to beautifie The Prophet's Tombs and make their Master die Again he 'll over-value every thing That 's outward and from Truth did seem to spring As they that did to th' Brazen Serpent give That undue Honour which we may perceive Was by th' inspir'd Penman on record Left that to us Instruction't might afford Here Forms of Worship he will magnifie And 'bove their Value will extol them high And this he doth that he may make a Snare Of what God may permit or did prepare For good to Man that he might fitted be To wait and hope for the great Mystery Of God in Christ which fully doth perfect All Laws and Forms added in that respect Of this we have a Figure in the Jew Whose Form and Law by God ordain'd were true Yet were they added only to abide Till Christ did come this cannot be deny'd For whom they should have waited in its use Then should they have committed no Abuse Against their Prophets nor against their Lord But them receiv'd and obey'd his Word But when their Form they valued too high Thro' subtle Workings of the Enemy They could not see it was to have an end So evil did whilst they did it defend By keeping it they did oppose his Will Who gave it and did come it to fulfill Thus the true Prophets they could not receive Nor in their Saviour when he came believe Thus that which was for a good End brought in Became to them a Vail a Snare and Ginn And as it was in this Form to the Jew It hath or may be in all Forms that 's true For ev'ry Form that 's true has the like use And may therefore meet with the like Abuse And Forms have all been true that did commence According to God's powerful Influence Upon the Minds of Men to Reformation In every Age and every Generation For since that Day and Time the outward Court Was left unmet there many might resort To worship God in various Forms or Ways As Truth appeared to them in their Days But all that found acceptance did agree In this one Point to wit Sincerity For ne'er was Form that could acceptance find Where there did want Sincerity i' th' Mind But where the Mind being right gives God his due Forms hinder not that morally are true Nay they may help and introduced were To stay the Mind and check Sin 's full career They can't perfect the Mind they may prepare In a right use to wait for Christ the Heir To perfect Man and into Heaven guide This only to the Seed can be apply'd Which unto Man of old was promised That he alone should bruise the Serpent's Head This Forms cannot for they did but begin Or added was when Man was found in Sin And what was not before Transgression shown Must be fulfill'd before its end is known Nor can they be fulfill'd but as we find Christ by his Spirit to conduct our Mind Thus as there 's divers Forms yet as they tend To Holiness they seem to have an end And therefore as they in this Case agree Men never should about them angry be Nor strive to wrath or envy which is best Or which should be preferr'd above the rest Of every one there may have been some use And of
and Fellowship they rend Yea oft proceed in their litigious Jars Till Wrath exerts it self in open Wars And there they seek each others Blood to spill This contradicts our Blessed Saviour's Will Who came not to destroy but Peace to send And Good-will unto Men this was his End What then to be his Will be signify'd As Gospel to Mankind doth still abide But some one Form alone to re-ordain Which Men in strife about it should retain Was to re-build what he before took down As in the Scripture is expresly shown With Men such Buildings do sometimes agree But cannot with th' Eternal Deity With him all Wisdom and all Pow'r doth dwell He can Effects in all their Causes tell He doth foresee them e'er they come to pass So could not be deceived in this Case From hence we may believe he would not lay The Ground for Envy which to take away He came and Power had that to prevent To make it then could not be his Intent Now if he did no more one Form erect Unto all Forms he hath a like Respect As Forms directing unto what is Good In which Sense this is to be understood And this to us doth certain Truth appear Since only they 're accepted that 's sincere This Doctrine is not strange nor is it new For it hath been in ev'ry Age as true It 's not more Truth because it is more seen For what 's a Truth as true has always been Yea even in the Jewish State at height Their greater ne'er condemn'd a lesser Light For ev'ry Man that feared God and wrought True Righteousness in ev'ry Age throughout The World Acceptance gain'd as Peter taught But God with his own Form a Fault did find In that it never could perfect the Mind And as that Form could not the Mind perfect No other Form can do 't in that respect The taking down of that doth plainly show That all should wait a greater Truth to know For best of Forms could only regulate The outward Man they reach no higher State The Branch they may cut off as 't springeth out But have no pow'r to reach unto the Root And tho' thus far they may be termed Good As outward evil is by them withstood Yet must there a more sublime Way be known As by our Saviour's Words is plainly shown Who told us That except we 're born again We in the Kingdom can no Place obtain No outward Guides can e'er compleat this Work For under that an Hypocrite may lurk Like Truth the Devil did get into those Who had God's Form but did his Pow'r oppose For ne'er was Form tho' 't was exactly Good But hath at last the Pow'r of Truth withstood Not from their Nature nor from their true Use But from their Weakness and their blind Abuse Thus outward Rules as set up to serve God Tho' they may disser in their Form and Mode All in the Ground agree alike in kind As they are made a Guide unto the Mind The highest State such can but Legal find So then their proper Use in them 's to wait To know the Gospel and the Legal State Tho all God's Dealings we may Gospel call Which he doth use to bring Man out o' th' Fall For what God addeth Man for to restore That we may put upon the Gospel Score And thus the Law the Gospel did begin But Gospel is o' th' Law a finishing For those Distinctions are to us as true As they were unto Israel or the Jew Since what was done i' th' Jewish Dispensation As Figures unto us they have relation For what God did that was not to remain It is the Substance that such Acts contain Which we should look for and inquire it out To find how our Salvation's brought about It was the Seed of Abr'am that God chose According to the Flesh and unto those He gave his Form that from Mount Sinai came And Christ came in the Flesh to end the same For as that Form measur'd and stinted was It could not end until it came to pass The Son of God from Heaven did descend An higher way to shew that Form to end He came not to destroy it but fulfill For Righteousness that was and is his Will And as he did then he doth now supply The lower Rules with Rules that are more high His Government goes on and doth not cease From good to better he doth it increase Whoever finds this Truth and in him trust They bring forth in external things what 's just Things strictly honest such both speak and do Not by compulsion of an outward Law Nor by Constraint but by a ready Mind For such are now to Good by Love inclin'd This last Appearance doth the first contain For in the last the Substance doth remain God's Work with Man doth in Progression run From less to more until the Work is done And when the Summ's computed at the last It comprehends the whole of what is past This nobler way that by our Lord was shown Was to the Jew and Gentile to be one And all Mankind in their whole Multitude He did in Jew and Gentile then include And of those twain doth one new Body make As of his Law and Gospel they partake The Jew as to the Flesh he did reject That in the Spirit he might him elect And he did Abr'am's fleshly Seed refuse That after th' Spirit he his Seed might chuse Thus all vain-glorious Boasting's laid aside None may in the defective Flesh confide For by Gods Spirit must Man's Works be try'd There none can on external Things relie That he 'll to all as to the Jew deny The Jew now inward is and so 's his Law Yea and in Spirit must he Gospel know For Law the Gospel it doth yet precede That Men might Gospel-everlasting read God's Holy Law in th' Hearts of every one The Substance is of what was writ in Stone For Moses Law we may a Transcript call Copy'd in Stone from this Original Christ to the outward Jew i' th' Flesh has been But so hereafter will no more be seen By them he was in that appearance slain Tho' in himself he alway did remain As now he is of him we ought to have Knowledge if him we know as from the Grave He rose to know Christ only as the Jews Is t' hear of him yet the right Way refuse To see him only as they did of old Is him and not his Myst'ry to behold The outward Law was needful good and true But by misuse became a Vail to th' Jew Which to this Moment doth obscure their Mind Nor can't be rent away but keeps them blind 'Till they are turn'd to Christ and know thereby 'T was the Messias they did crucifie Christ came i' th' Flesh 't was absolutely good For without that could not be understood The Mystery hid from the World's Foundation In all Mankind in every Generation This coming also may a Veil be made Which unperceiv'd draws on a gloomy Shade
enjoy The promis'd Land for he did there destroy Their Adversaries and supply'd their Want With House and Vineyard which they did not plant And these mirac'lous Dealings did effect That all their Time they paid him due respect They walkt with him magnify'd his Name And with loud Praises eccho'd forth his Fame But when a new Gen'ration did arise The good Land to enjoy they did not prize It truly nor the Mercy of the Lord Who to their Fathers did that Land afford His Law they did forsake and quickly swerv'd From God's true Worship and base Idols serv'd All this and more it seems did come to pass Because not sitted as their Fathers was They heard how their enslaved Fathers groan'd Whilst truckling under Phar'oh's proud Command This did they hear but did not understand The Wonders God perform'd i' th' Fields of Zoan They might have heard of but had never known The Fame of Phar'oh's Host might reach their Ear But being unseen it could not cause true Fear Nor bring them into Trouble Grief or Pain Nor did they know at all when they were slain They heard but saw not how God did divide The threatning Billows and the Channel dry'd They sometimes heard of God's most glorious Fame When on Mount Sina ' in the fiery Flame But did not know and see him so appear And therefore wanted that true Sense of Fear Nor knew the Travel through the Wilderness Which feelingly their Fathers could express No Wonder now if then they did decline That Vertue which did make their Fathers shine There was awanting that true Exercise By which God taught their Fathers to be wise For 't is in Scripture found if duely sought True that God's Fear in Exercise is taught Nor did he any in his Path advance But through deep Troubles had their Enterance At least none persevered to the End But were on God thus fitted to depend None truly can from hence we may discern God's Love or Fear by outward Precepts learn The Scripture is a Record which doth hold The Story of God's Noble Acts of old What are we better if we know no more Than what God did for others heretofore We may believe 't undoubted Truth What then The same may be believ'd by wicked Men Yet they 've a secret Sense which none can find But such as unto Good are well inclin'd This Myst'ry's vail'd in them to all Mens Eyes Who seek not Wisdom or doth it despise The History most certain Truth contains But th' Substance in the Mystery remains Which as 't is found the Scripture's made our own As in the Fulness others have them known Thus Egypt's King with the Egyptian Land A Figure of the Evil one doth stand As in the Darkness he doth rule the Soul And by his Power doth poor Man controul As likewise Israel in their Bondage great A Figure is to th' Soul which now doth meet With Bondage in the Spirit and thereby As truly for Deliverance doth cry As Israel did to God who them did hear And now as well as then he doth appear To quash the Devil's Pow'r and break the Chains Would press the Soul in t ' everlasting Pains The Pow'r's the same which now the Soul doth save That unto Israel then Deliverance gave The Difference is only as apply'd In th' outward then but now it must be try'd In th' inward Man where we the Truths behold Which Scriptures do in mystick Figures fold Nor is the captivated Soul resign'd And yielded up by Satan till he find God by his Judgment hath his First-born slain By him begotten in Man's Heart to reign When Man at first God's righteous Law transgress'd He on the Soul his Image then impress'd Which slain in us we do begin to tread The Ways that from his damned Borders lead But tho' his First-born in us God may kill Yet he that it begot remaineth still His Pow'r's not broken so but he 'll pursue The Soul to take its Bondage to renew As Phar'oh with his thund'ring armed Force Pursu'd the Isra'lites to stop their Course So Satan finds the Soul in such a case As straitned Israel flying from his Face For tow'ring Rocks are seen on either Side Before's a Sea devouring deep and wide And the Egyptian Host behind doth stay Seeming to wait for nothing but the Day No less than Death does in their Looks appear Which almost kill as well as puts in fear Now Israel's Straits such come aright to know And do partake of their Distress and Woe If such consult they find they must account The Danger greater than they can surmount Now 't is our Duty to stand still and wait To hear what God will speak to dissipate Our Fears as Israel did and so we find Our Angel-guard removed to behind For he that lately did before us stand Is now betwixt us and this armed Band To them he 's Dark but unto us a Light Who keeps them from us in this doleful Night If this we can but see 't may ease us from Our Fears until the Morning-watch shall come When God commands the Rod to check the Pride Of the insulting Waves and them divide And smooth a Passage o'er th' untrodden Sand Fenc'd with prodigious Walls on either Hand So for our Safety Sea is made dry Land When thus the Channel of the Deep we find Safe unto us God fills our joyful Mind With Praises great our Hope encreaseth more That we shall now ascend the farther Shore Which when attain'd and on its Banks we stand And do behold the Sea that God made Land We see the Waters which to us a Wall Of Safety were upon our Foes doth fall With Fury great for God doth them destroy And turns our Sorrow into cordial Joy The Work is true as thus it doth begin And Moses Song such learn aright to sing The Subject is a full Deliv'rance gain'd From all Impediments that us detain'd When we desir'd th' Egyptian Land to leave Which we must know God granteth to perceive Before we can unto him sacrifice What he approves as pleasing in his Eyes For as when th' Israelites in Egypt liv'd With Marble-hearted Phar'oh's Taxes griev'd They could not sacrifice no more can we Whilst chained by our Sins in Slavery The Devil will no more let 's worship God Than Egypt did until he feel his Rod But when deliver'd like them we proceed To follow him as he our Souls shall lead Now do we wait that we may know aright God in our Hearts his Mind and Law to write Which may the Knowledge of his Will assord Thus he becomes our Master and our Lord. Now do we wait that we may truly find His Tabernacle finish'd in our Mind According to the Pattern and Account Which he delivers from his holy Mount For in the Wilderness he doth appear His Tabernacle of Witness to rear Within our Souls to shew us his Intent When we must Journey and when pitch our Tent. Like Israel he conducts i' th' Wilderness To