would find out something by which it might be done Others are willing enough to continue in Sin and Drunkeness Whoredom Lying and Hypocrisie these are a sort of Fools that make a mock of Sin and that swim in the stream of pleasure and what care they so long as they make a profession of Christianity But I am speaking of a People that are strugling under their corruptions that would mortifie Sin and serve God in Holiness and Righteousness and do Gods will on Earth as it is done in Heaven and do it not in form but would have power to do it And they try several ways to have it done it is not done many have been at this work till Gray Hairs are upon their Heads and it is not done Now God hath given Christ to make Reconciliation now how can we that have the Love of God extended to us But extend our Good-will to our Friends and signifie to them that all the travel and pains they are at and all the Prayers they make that all will do nothing till they have their Faith fixt upon Jesus that is able to save and deliver them and save to the uttermost all that come to God by him But here some will object and say It is true what you say But is it needful to preach such Doctrines to us for we all believe in Christ that is the only Mediator and Saviour We know that Christ Jesus is the only Mediator and that unless he Commend us to God we cannot be Accepted of him This is our General Doctrine therefore what need it be urged and pressed upon us that are come into the the Faith already Let me search into the matter it is of greater concernment than to search into a Bargain of Worldly things men would fain have others open and discover to them wherein they may be Cheated to prevent their being Imposed on in a wordly bargain I hope then they will hearken to know how and wherein they may be deceived by themselves and deceived by others in matters of Eternal concernment There are no Protestants but they reject any Mediator but Jesus Christ and believe that no Mediator can Reconcile them to God but Christ alone and they say he is the Object of their Faith I would ask them this Question Whether they believe in Christ at a distance or as present really present with them If their Faith be Historical and at a Distance that they believe in Christ as one born of the Virgin Mary and was Crucified and Dead before they were born and Arose again and Ascended into Heaven and is set at the right hand of God if the reason of my belief be I have heard of this Relation of Christ Or whether the reason be because by his Spirit he hath visited me in this Age The one is I believe because good men have told me so but the other is I believe because by this Spirit he hath promised to send to lead me into all truth he hath visited me Now whether I am aware of such a Spiritual visitation by this quickning Spirit which is the Lord from Heaven and not only the Lord in Heaven Whether I am aware of such a quickning Power and Vertue which I have received upon my Spirit that he is not only at the right hand of God on high in Heaven but that now he is come to knock at the door of my heart and hath raised in me a Life as opposite to sin as his was Now if I be aware of a secret touch of his quickning vertue upon my Soul whereby he hath begotten me into a Life opposite to sin so that if sin remains it remains as a Burthen and Oppression upon me so that I am a sufferer forasmuch as I am quickned and made sensible of a better life of a godly Life I would fain be at it and live in it but Iniquity Lust and Corruption lies in the way He that hath quickned me so far as to bring me to a sense of the Burthen of sin my Faith tells me he will take the Burthen off else my faith will do me no good if that Corruption still prevail upon me if my Faith tells me this it will tell the wickedest Man in the World as much But if my faith tells me I am a sinner and my sin consists of this and the other evil thing I do and am inclined to do it tells me again that he that hath quickned me and brought me to a sense of sin he can take the burthen off from me Here now is a true Faith that begins in Conviction and ends in true Conversion this is the word of Faith which was delivered to the Saints and which we are to Preach They said of Oâ—d that the word of Faith which they had to Preach was that which was nigh in their mouth that they might heaâ— it and do it I have something nigh that reproves me for sin if I be Obedient to it then Faith giveth me victory over that which is sinful for which the word reproveth me and as I see Faith gives me victory over any Corruption which I have been strugling under Here I am incouraged to fix my Faith upon him that hath thus quickned me So that this is the difference between Faith in Christ at a distance and Faith that quickneth me by Gods Spirit that Spirit which hath been so much slighted in our days by the highest Notionists in our Age they have supposed it to be a meer fiction some have mocked and derided and others have been discouraged to speak of the Spirit of Christ and his operations upon the Soul some have declared it both in the Press and Pulpit that they have had no experience of the touches of Gods Spirit upon their Souls But our experience hath brought us to another degree of knowledge We know and you may know if you please and that before you sleep that there is a way opened God hath made a way for his Spirit to reach the Spirits of men to signifie immediately to their Spirits without means herein thou dost wrong and herein thou mayest have life and seek after it Now the Spiritth at thus worketh is the Spirit of Christ the Spirit that proceeds from the Father and the Son that Voice in Man that tells them they might believe and be saved When he comes saith Christ He will lead you into all truth How shall the World know this is he He shall convince them of sin If there be any convincement that ariseth in Man of this and the other sin it must be from the way the holy Spirit hath upon their Spirits he hath a way to speak to men and every one that is a Lover of their own Souls are bound to hearken unto that voice In the latter days saith the Lord When I shall raise a Prophet in the midst of you whosoever will not hear that Prophet shall be cut off All Commentators agree on this Text that that
his Neighbour the party loseth by it and the Devil reioyceth at it Thus we know the Life of Righteousness is brought forth through the Spirit of Truth and outshines all and will reach Gods witness in them that are afar off and bring them near and happy and blessed are they that are found in this Divine work conforming their Lives and Conversations according to the new Creature Peace be upon them And upon the whole Israel of God There is a Minister that abides with you that goes home with you it is his Testimony that you must stand or fall by If any one should be a false Professor and be cryed up if he be not sincere he hath not Peace though he flutter a while and makes a shew the Worm of guilt Gnaws him and Torments him such as these have not Peace with God nor fellowship with the Church Though they seem to be a live yet they are Dead as it was with the Churches in Asia they had a name to live yet they were Dead though they have an empty Name such a one is a living Man or Woman are esteemed Friends to the Church but though they are commended and cryed up and have a Name to live yet they are Dead there are a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their Garments they walk with me in White saith Christ for they are worthy I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art Dead See what Christ the Bright Morning Star could do he could look into a Meeting and see whether few or many had only a name to Live or were really alive if they were Dead as to Sincerity and Truth though they had been among the Church they would help to break it down but not to build it up You that have his Divine life still stirring in you and feel the operation that first quickened you to God prize this principle of the Divine life above all What is there can rob you of it Value not the Friendship of the World Alas What can it Amount to Count it as Dung in comparison of Christ Jesus look upon all things with a sound Eye Peace with God is of that concerment that you cannot be happy here or hereafter without it the Friendship of the World I can be without and the customes and fashions of the World I can be without I can spare these things but the Favour of God I cannot be without and growth in Grace and the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and a sincere Profession of the Gospel I cannot be without these things My Friends though you do not make a shew and Flutter in the World as some others do yet your glory is within they that are living Members of this Divine body the glory and beauty and brightness of such appears in the sight of God If you grow in grace you will be a Comfort one to another and as the Apostle speaks You are our Epistle written in our Hearts knâ—wn and read of all Men. The Lord preserve and keep you simple keep you in all Sincerity in that Truth that hath wrought in your own hearts that you may have acquaintance with your teacher that he may not be driven into corners for you may do it and stop his mouth and silence him too If you let your Perverse will Rule you may slay the Just but there will come a Day of his Rising then down go you Whatsoever Men may get by it at present when Truth riseth when the just one that was slain hath a Resurrection in them then most certain down they go While you have an opportunity in your Hands and an Interest in the Covenant of Life walk with God according to the Counsel and Dictates of his Holy Spirit that you may be brought to an heavenly Fellowship and to partake of the Good things that God hath prepared for his Children My Friends Pray prize your seasons let no Day slip for fear you may miss a Day at last wait upon the Lord and let his fear and a Holy awe be always upon your Hearts Then peace will be upon you and there will be acceptance of all that you do Mark the Perfect Man and behold the upright for the End of that Man is peace when he can reflect upon his past Life and say I have walked before the Lord with a perfect Heart and done that which is good and well pleasing in his sight and have not turned aside to the right Hand or to the left but the standard of Truth hath been the guide of all my Spiritual and Temporal Actions If truth hath been thy guid here then Truth shall be thy Portion hereafter If Truth guide thee in thy way then thou shall rejoyce with the Saints and receive an Inheritance with the People of God and enjoy that glory and felicity which God hath prepared for them that Love him His Prayer after Sermon EVerlasting Glorious Eternal God of Life whose kingdom ruleth over all thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom a Glorious and Blessed Day hath dawned wherein thou art making thy self known to the Sons and Daughter of Men and thou hast opened an Eye in a Remnant which the God of this World had blinded to see the Glory of it For though we have lived without God in the World yet thou art near to us and thou hast called us to Repentance and inspired our Souls with a desire to thee and to the Remembrance of thy name Praises and Everlastings Thanksgivings belong unto thee who art the Author of our Salvation who hast reached out thy Hand and laid hold upon us and sought us out when we sought thee not and hast made known thy Power and love for our Redemption and Salvation and thou wilt make it known more and more to every upright and sincere mind O Powerful Father of Life how hath thy Power and Goodness been Revealed on our behalf for thine own Name sake Thou hast stood by us in all our Tryals and Exercises and we have â—ound thee a God nigh at Hand and thou hast brought a Remnant to desire nothing so much as the Injoyment of thy Presence thou hast brought them to be sensible that without thee they can do nothing therefore in all our Assemblies and Meetings we desire to be Acquainted with thy Power to hear thy Word which speaks Life to our Souls by which we may live And Dear and Powerful Father the Continuation of thy goodness among us doth greatly engage the Hearts of thy Children to offer up Praises and Thanksgivings to thee Thou hast inclined the Minds and Hearts of thy People to wait upon Thee and hast opened their understandings to receive thy Heavenly Truth and those rich and Heavenly treasures which thou offerest them and hast provided a Cup of Salvation to refresh the Poor and needy Soul O Living God of Life reach forth thy Hand to support and save those that are Breathing after thee that are sensible
they would give more reverence and respect to it It is this that brings those that Preach Christ to Preach him in those terms and under those Denominations that he is nigh them We do not doubt of Christs being born of a Virgin in the Land of Canaan and that he wrought Miracles and Preached many Godly Sermons and that he was Crucified Dead and Buried and Rose again from the Dead for these things are certainly true we would have him our Saviour in this Age we would have a nearer knowledge of him and a sense and feeling of the virtue of that Power by which he saved them that lived in former Ages He is not a Christ and a Saviour of one Age only but of all Ages to this Day from Adam to the last Man that shall live upon the Earth That Age and Generation that knoweth not Christ will not be saved by him if there be any Age wherein he is not known There is no other Name under Heaven by which you can be saved if you ask where is this Saviour Say not in thy Heart who shall Ascend into Heaven that is to bring down Christ from above or who shall Descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the Dead The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy Heart that is the Word of Faith which we Preach He is nigh thy Soul he is the Lord of Life and a Quickenning Spirit If I know that Quickening Spirit after this I know the Lord Christ when he comes to work in me by his Power changing my Heart and translating me from Death to Life then I know the true Christ God hath manifested in all Ages that it is the Duty of People to come to the knowledge of the Son of God for he hath sent forth his Spirit for to teach us and to lead us into all truth For when Christ was with his Disciples he told them that he would pray the Father and he should send the Spirit the Comforter and when he came he would be known by his Divine and Inward Teachings and Operations guiding and leading them into all Truth that was his work to them But what shall other Folks do He will be made known to others too When he comes He shall convince the World of Sin So that his work to his Disciples was to lead them into all Truth and his work to the Woâ—ld is to convince the World of Sin Who will deny but that there is a Spirit in our Age as well as in other Ages that will convince men of Sin Is this the Spirit of God that convinceth the World of Sin or is it the Spirit of the QUAKERS only When People come to consider really and truly how they may serve God aright they will find there is no serving God aright unless they come to Christ the Mediator that in and by him they may put up suppplications to God and through him they may expect at the hands of God Peace and comfort and there is no other way nor never will be The Jews they had another way they had an outward way of serving God this stood in divers Offerings Sacrifices Washings and Observations this was a way of worship of Gods own institution to that People but what came of it When the Apostle came to grasp it he said The commers thereunto were not made perfect What were the transgressors of it then They that would sin on and continue in sin and not bring a Goat or a Ram or other Oblation they that did observe it and came up to the point of the Law they did bring their Offering when they were convinced of their Sin If a man sinned he was to bring a Hee Goat and to bring it to the Door of the Tabernacle but when he sinned the conscience of sin the guilt of sin remained upon him For it was impossible saith the Apostle that the Blood of Bulls and Goats should take away the Sin For if the Blood of Bulls and Goats and the Ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the Unclean Sanctifieth to the Purifying of the Flesh how much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit Offered himself without spot to God Purge your Consciences from Dead works to serve the Living God When there is no hope of attonement and reconciliation with God by all those offerings under the Law he tells you of one offering of the Son of God himself through the Eternal Spirit by which he became a a Propitiation for thus will it do If I believe that Christ offered an Holy Offering to the Father for my sins I believe he offered his Body and that through the Eternal Spirit that he might be a propitiation for sin and take away sin and have Power over Sin and Death and conquer Death and Darkness the Apostle drives the matter farther you must come to the inward Work of this outward Offering this Eternal Offering that was in due time Offered to God you must come to know the Operation of it by the sprinkling of the Heart from an evil Conscience so that there was to be an Applicatory Faith for the offering of that The way to a Saviour was not made by Man no more than the way of Salvation by Christ was found out by Man No more than the Application of the benefits is effected by man Where it pleaseth God to call a People by his Grace he calleth them to his Son not by this and the other Form No man cometh to me saith Christ except the Father which hath sent me draw him The first thing that a Man or Woman comes to be aware of is the secret sense and feeling of the Lords Divine Power upon the Heart to seek Christ Jesus As soon as they feel this and embrace it this will be a Token of the Love of God I hope all this Congregation will acknowledge that they have sometimes felt his drawings and that they have not embraced and closed with them so well as they ought When the People are aware of these drawings Inwardly to Holiness and Righteousness and are sensible that they should with care and intention close with them for the good of their Poor Souls and that it concerns them to be happy in the other World that World that is to come and therefore resolve to be led by these drawings of the Spirit of God these are not weeds that grow in the Field Naturally These are sparks of Divine Fire kindled in the Hearts of Men by God himself No Man comes unto God till God cometh to him and touches him and gives him sense and motion these are the motions and stirrings of Gods Holy Power in the hearts of many that are wicked and Abominable Yet the Lord doth not despise the work of his own hands but reacheth to such When the Lord meets with these that Despise not but highly Prize this wonderful Grace and Close with it and are Glad of it such a one
spake or wrote it It was not the Blood of Bulls or Goats nor the Blood of a Ram that could purge away Sin from their Consciences And after the Apostle had opened the Mystery of Divinity who had a Divine and Spiritual Skill in unfolding the Restoration of Mankind he declared plainly that when the Offering was made by Aaron for Sinners even then there remained still a Conscience of Sin for it was not possible that the Blood of Bulls and Goats should take away Sin so that their outward performances and their outward services they did but point out the Mediator they had a pointing finger as it were to the Real True and Everlasting Mediator Christ Jesus who is made a Mediator betwixt God and Man that by and through him man might be again Reconciled to God So that now in these Gospel days wherein God is opening the Mysteries of Life and Salvation to the intent and purpose that the Sons and Daughters of Men might be restored again unto their Primitive Enjoyment of the Favour of God Now in these days it is the Duty of all Christians and of all that are seeking the welfare of their Immortal Souls that they have their Eyes and their Hearts unto Jesus as unto one that is able to Reconcile them unto God To him it is committed to him Wisdom and Power is committed and to him Authority is committed that he should be an Everlasting High Priest and that all the Services and all the Worship and Religious performances that People offer up to God should be in his Name that so by him they might be Recommended to God For none will ever find Acceptance with the Father unless in all their performances they have an Eye unto him So that it comes plainly to pass according to that short and confident Assertion of the Author to the Hebrews That without Faith it is impossible to please God But it is possible to Offer Sacrifices without Faith and possible for People to perform Religious Services without Faith as woful Experience have taught us in our days That many have been exercised in a kind of a Religious Service and Worship that never in their Lives had Faith enough to believe the things that they pray for And they are without Faith For when People Pray to God to send his Holy Spirit into their Hearts that they may keep his Commandments to their Lives End they have not Faith to believe it And when they Pray Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven This is a Religious performance but I question whether it be done in Faith if not it is but an Increasing in Sin an Addition to Sin Where is the Man that is exercised in praying to God that believeth that ever such a thing is like to come to pass Go where you will in this or the other Nation and Inquire of People about their Faith they believe there is no possibility of Extirpating and Rooting out of Sin while they live upon the Earth therefore all their Prayers for it are vain and their Faith a vain Faith and it is high time in such a day as this when men are Faithless and Unbelieving to preach up the object of Faith the Lord Jesus Christ People are of divers Faiths and of divers Beliefs but we have found by experience that they do them no good they do not bring a thing to pass that of necessity must be brought to pass ere they can be Reconciled to God their Faith doth not cleanse the Heart nor extend so far as to believe that ere they shall be cleansed In all the Worship and Religion that they perform they come not to this Faith that they shall be made clean All that is done is but in sin and uncleanness they cannot bring a clean Sacrifice out of an unclean Vessel And our Lord Jesus Christ saith concerning this Subject An Evil Tree cannot bring forth Good Fruit. But there must be good Fruit brought forth how must we do it Make the Tree good and the Fruit will be good When that Mens vain janglings about Religion and Religious fancies must come to an end Then all that Religion will appear to be in vain and will not answer the end for which it is performed till men believe that it will make the Tree good and cleanse the Heart and Transform men by Renewing the Spirit of their Minds So that Religion it must begin within And it is not our changing our forms of Worship from one form to another and taking up this and the other Opinion that doth change our hearts Sad Experience doth teach us that men may carry over their old Lusts into a new Religion we can carry over our old Inclinations into our new Opinions For though the form of Worship be changed the Heart remaining unchanged and the Lusts unmortified their Religion is in vain let them be of what persuasion they will Now the remedy of this great Calamity that hath overspread all sorts of People for there is no sort of People but there are those among them that are under this great Calamity of holding the profession of Godliness with an Ungodly mind and the profession of Truth with a false and treacherous Spirit Now for the remedying of this there is but one way that all Mens Eyes be brought off from having their Eye unto their Performances and to the Doctrines and Tenents that they hold and do as the Apostle saith Fix their Eye upon Christ and look upon Jesus that is the first thing that must begin our Religion for Christ must be the Alpha of our Religion as well as the Omega of it If I begin not there let me begin where I will I begin wrong Let me begin at the most serious and sound Doctrines and at the most Apostolical Religion If Christ and his Apostles were here upon the Earth if I walked among them if I believed all they said and did I should begin wrong if I did not fix mine Eye upon Jesus Christ that is the taker away of sin and is the sanctifier of the Soul by his Spirit There must be the first beginning and there must be the conclusion he is the Author and the finisher of all true Faith There are Authors of other Faiths Men have different Faiths and their Creeds and Articles And they have exposed and imposed them too but this is the worst of it none of them are right let them be exposed and imposed with never so much force and violence none of these will cleanse the heart but that Faith which is delivered over by Christ Jâ—sus that hath the quality of cleansing and purifying that is the Faith when all is done that will do the work that is it that will save and sanctifie and do the business that all the World is about every one would have a Reconciler with God and Sin rooted out and be as God would have them be this is the publick profession of Christendom at least they
in your Sins whether I go you cannot come O Friends lay these things to your Hearts what have I to do but to tell you that the Love I have in my Soul to you all makes me desire in my Heart that you might be saved This is the Will of God that you might all be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth Blessed are they which know the Truth the Truth as it is in Jesus Truth in the inward parts hath a speaking Voice and if thou hearken to it it will tell thee that thy state is nought Canst thou believe the Truth when it tells thee so That thy state is nought and that thou art like to go to Eternal Destruction unless there be Repentance and Regeneration to prevent it Canst thou believe this Doctrine when it sounds in thy own Heart If thou canst not Believe it Unbelief will be thy Ruine The Spirit of Truth is come to convince the World of Sin because they believe not in Christ he tells them their Condition and they will not believe him The Spirit of Christ convinceth men of Sin and they believe him not The Spirit of Truth convinceth thee of thy Sin but thou believest him not Thou Lovest thy Pleasure and thy Profit and thine Honour then thou Lovest not God with all thine Heart and then thou art not a Christian but out of Covenant with God Art thou sensible that thy condition is bad were it not best to get it mended After we are convinced of our own sinful state Is it not our best course to seek to have it mended Who shall mend it Saith one I have done all I can to mend my Life and I cannot mend it I have concluded so in my younger years I have Fasted and Prayed and spent time in Hearing Reading and Meditation and did all in my own Power and all to mend my state but I could not mend it and as I grew up in years Sin and Corruption more prevailed and there was no help and I came so far as to believe there was no help and that if God did not help me I was undone to all Eternity I many times wisht that I had never been born I went to Ministers and Meetings and to all sorts of separate People and to all manner of Ordinance and to all manner of Means to mend this bad Heart of mine to see if I could get a Power that would give me Victory over my Corruption but my Arm was never so long as to reach thereunto it was far out of my Power and Reach Many have sought to get this Power of Reforming their Hearts and Lives to attain it by their own hands by their own endeavours but they could never do it they could never better their condition nor bring forth fruit worthy of amendment of Life I wish that every one was come to that pass that they knew not which way to turn them that they were come at last to their Wits end they will come to it sooner or later the sooner the better I have done all I can I can do no more I am at my Wits end and know not what to think concerning my Eternal State I know not what to judge of it I strive against my Lusts and Corruptions but for all that they prevail upon me Temptations come before me but I cannot conquer them O I am glad when People are come to that pass that they know not what to do but to despair of their own Arms of their own Strength and their own Wit and despair of all other help in the World I am glad of that But I am not Preaching up Despair of Gods Grace and Mercy but let me tell you when Men Despair of their own doings and of all outward means and helps then they are fit Objects for the mercy of God and not till then When the Lord looked and saw that there was none to Save and Deliver then his own Arm brought Salvation God will not save tâ—ll then God will not reveal his Power till Men have done with their own Power they will never Trust God while they think they can do something for themselves All the Forms of Religion of the several People of this Nation will do them little good without the Power What is the meaning of that Principle that have such Masses and Prayers and Performances What is the meaning of it let us search to the bottom They say we are Sinners when we Pray to God for his Blessing and for Salvation by Christ there is this at the bottom They think these Duties and Performances will be very helpful to their state helpful towards the knowledge of it to speak plain English these are their Gods If I speak of Prophane and Wicked People I would say their Lusts is their Gods But when I speak of Righteous People that are meer Formalists then I say their Duties as they call them are their Gods When they have done all they can do nothing for them then they have no Gods at all they are Godless And if God doth not help them they are undone to all Eternity When poor Creatures are Cast out as it were into the open Field to the loathing of their Persons not salted at all nor swadled at all but lying in the Guilt of their Blood When I passed by thee saith the Lord and saw thee polluted in thy own Blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy Blood yea when thou wast in thy Blood I said unto thee Live When I passâ—d by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was a time of Love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy Nakedness yea I sware unto thee and entred into Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine What was it a time of Love when I was such an Obeject in my own Eyes that I thought I was the most miserable Creature in the World One that could not make a good Prayer nor Dispute for Religion nor Perform any Duty a Poor Creature Cast out into the open Field to the loathing of my Person Lost all that I Gained my Name was from among the Living my Days were passed over in Sorrow and I said there is nothing but Darkness and Death and Misery for me I used all means and tryed all things save only a living Trust in God a trust in God alone and that Flesh and Blood cannot do Flesh and Blood cannot know him therefore Flesh and Blood cannot trust in him Alas said I I cannot trust in the Lord I cannot cast my Soul and all my Concernments my Fame and Reputation in the World I cannot cast all upon the care of the Almighty I cannot know him nor trust in them how can I do it No body can do it They that know my Name saith the Lord they will put their trust in me never a truer word was spoken but how they should know God and trust in him I know not When thou comest once
hath it entred into the Heart of Man to conceive the things that God hath prepared for those that love him That Wisdom and Knowledge that Joy and Peace and Consolation that passeth all understanding He will reveal and Communicate by his Spirit to them that love him and trust in him and rely upon him and receive teaching from him he will feed them with Food in due season he will bring the former and the latter Rain and they shall be as Trees planted by the River of Water and bring forth Fruit in due season and their Leaf shall not Fade or wither This hath been Londons wonder and Englands wonder How comes it to pass that such a Peoples Leaf hath not Withered nor Faded as many have done Our Root was by a River If we had stood in our selves if our dependance and support had been upon Doctrines Tenets and Commandments of Men then our Leaf would have been upon the Ground as well as others but because we have been upon Our Root Christ Jesus that is always Green both in Summer and Winter therefore our Leaf hath not withered to the Praise of God and the Honour of his Name be it spoken He hath preserved us for we have no Power of ouâ— selves no more than others but we trust in God and have received Power from God to stand as witnesses for him We have trusted in the Lord and he hath stood by us and delivered us when we were compassed about with Dangers and Distresses If we continue to trust in him still he will bring us through all our Tryals and Troubles and he will be with us and never leave us nor forsake us if we take him for our God we shall never need any other We read that Senacherib King of Assyria sent Rabshekah to Jerusalem to Hâ—zâ—kiah with a great Army saying What Confidence is this wherein thou trustest and he spake also to the People and cryed with a loud Voice hear you the Words of the Great King of Assyria let not Hezekiah deceive you for he shall not be able to deliver you neither let Hezâ—kiah make you trust in the Lord saying the Lord will deliver us Hezekiah he went and prayed to the Lord saying O Lord of Hosts God of Israel that dwellest between the Cherubims thou art the God the God alone of all the Kingdoms of the Earth thou hast made Heaven and Earth incline thine Ear O Lord and hear open thine Eyes O Lord and See and hear all the words of Senacherib which hath sent to Reproach the living God c. And we Read that after he had presented his supplication before the Lord The Angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the Camp of the Assyrians one hundâ—ed fourscore and five thousand and when they aâ—ose eaâ—ly in the Morning behold they were all Dead Corps Thus you see what came of it aâ— last and thus it hath been in our Day they thâ—t trust in the Lord he will deliver them and they shall never be ashamed nor Confounded but as for all other Gods they that trust in them shall be confounded and covered with shame and they and their Gods will perish together And now my Friends I beseech you all to have respect to this great duty of putting your whole trust in the Lord who is the Living God and he will be always present with you and work in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure he will support and preserve you in all your Tryals and sufferings that you may be Vessels of Honour to bear his Name in the Earth and to sound forth his Praise to the following Generations His Prayer after Sermon MOST Glorious infinite Powerful Father who hast Created us and given us Life and Breath and lengthened out our time to this Day and hast long waited to be Gracious to us and art still waiting upon the Sons and Daughters of Men holding forth the hand of thy love and offering thy Grace and tendering Salvation unto them and hast brought a Day of Visitation upon the Inhabitants of this City and Nation Glory Praise and Thanksgiving be to thee O Lord that by thy Power hast inclined the Hearts and Consciences of the Sons and Daughters of Men to submit to thee and bowed their Necks to the Blessed and easie Yoke of thy Son Jesus Christ that they may do thy will on Earth as it is done in Heaven They that are Traveling and distressed and Afflicted in their Souls because of their bondage do thou arise living Father and reveal and discover thy Power to them shew them the exceeding greatness of thy Power that they may trust therein and be safe make bare thine Arm for their Salvation Those that are slumbering in their Profession let them be awakened and bring to thine Heavenly Kingdom those that have passed through thy Refining Fire and whom thou hast Cleansed and Sanctified Powerful Father of Life carry on thy work among thy People every where gather them that are scattered and bring back to thy self those that are wandering and out of the way and seeking the living among the Dead Lord teach them and let them hear a Voice behind them and guide them to thy Holy Mountain that they may be brought to the path of Life and to the place which thou hast provided for thy little Flock to meet and Feed together Offering unanimosly the Sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving which thou hast ordained and appointed in thine House Blessed and Powerful Father all thy little ones be pleased to surround with thine Almighty Power and where ever they are let them feel thy preserving Hand delivering them from the Evil of the World We pray not that thou should'st take them out of the World but to preserve them from the Defilements and Pollutions of it That a Holy People may serve thee the Holy God and bear thy Holy Name upon their Hearts That that above all may be exalted and magnified and humble Thanksgivings and Praises may be given unto thee through Jesus Christ for all thy love thou hast manifested and for thy abounding mercies and renewed favours which we have received at thy hands to thee living Father through Christ Jesus thy well beloved Son in whom thou art well pleased be all Honour Praise and Dominion rendred by us and all thy People from henceforth and for Ever and Ever Amen Sermon IV. The Standard of Truth Preached at Grace-Church-Street May 29. 1692. THERE is an Universal Standard of Truth that God hath set up over all the Sons and Daughters of Men he hath given the Knowledge of it in and through Jesus Christ he hath dealt it out to them that they may be capable of joyning and adhering to the Truth and to be delivered from Eternal Condemnation This Standard and Measuring Rule is revealed and manifested in every Man and Woman by the Light that shines in their Hearts by which they are able to discern and to give a sound and true
Lord Jesus Christ to whom thou hast given a Name above every Name and let his kingdom and glory be exalted over all and shine forth in the midst of us Blessed Father of Life give wisdom to our Counsellers that they may Counsel for thee Make known thy will and send help from Heaven to all that stand in need thereof and that wait upon thee for it Give them thy Holy Spirit that they may be guided in thy way let thy Son Jesus Christ have the stearing and Governing of all things and let Glory be rendered to thy great aad worthy Name and keep us in the Love of God and in Union one with another let the stroak of thy Power remain upon the Hearts of all whose Hearts thou hast touched at this time let them be bowed down always in thy Holy Worship and remain in a belief of thy truth and cease to do evil and learn to do well and walk acceptably before thee that so Transgression may be finished and Sin and Iniquity may be put to an end and that Truth and Righteousness may be set up and shine among us and that our Souls may rejoyce in thee that we may magnifie and praise thy Power and Glorifie thy Name for thou art worthy of all Honour praise and glory and humble thanksgivings for the manifestation of thy love and Power All which we desire to offer thee through Jesus Christ who art God over all blessed for ever and ever Amen Sermon VII The Inward Preacher Or The Office of Conscience Preached at Grace-Church-Street June 21. 1692. My Friends MAny have been sent among you that from Living experience have declared their Testimony for the truth that you might all be brought to wait for the testimony of Truth in your selves This is that which will stand you in stead to know the testimony of truth in your own Hearts to be for you Therefore you are to wait especially at such times as these to hear the Voice of Truth in your own Souls For whatsoever the Preacher preacheth if the Truth in thine own Heart doth not speak Peace it is not well with thee Whatsoever testimonies are born of the Truth it self it is the Truth that must bear testimony of thee That unerring Word that gives to every one an Infallible evidence of their Peace with God or against that which hinders them You know our labour hath been to perswade all People to hearken unto the Truth in themselves and to make it their business and travel and endeavour that they might have unity with the Truth in their own Hearts that their Consciences may not condemn them For such as you in whom God hath raised his witness and hath exalted his Truth for a Judge You are not Ignorant nor covered over with darkness as many others are you do not remain in doubt but you know the Truth and have an Answer of Peace in well doing and a condemnation in evil doing not Administred to you only by Preachers without but by the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit of God in your own Hearts This is that standing Ministry which God hath raised which can never be put down again but as each one may put it down in themselves I grant that Men may put it down You have read and had it plainly witnessed to you even killing the just and Crucifying the Lord of Glory and of spiritual Sodom and Egypt These things you have read of and you that are turned to the Light know the meaning of those sayings by woful experience for when ever you have turned aside from a due subjection to rhe Grace of God by which we are convinced then there hath been a piercing and Crucifying the Son of God a fresh and a vexing and a grieving the Holy Spirit by which you should be Sealed to the Day of Redemption then there hath been Anguish and Tribulation upon your Souls And if this be minded it will plant a fear upon the Heart and make you affraid to do the like again but where this Tribulation and Anguish is neglected and put off there a custome of Sin takes away the sense of Sin As you know many have had more Judgment at sometime upon them for a vain word or a vain Thought than afterward they have come to have for the most abominable wicked Action How come this to pass Was Sin ever the better Or hath it changed its Nature No but they are further off from the sense of the evil of it this is the word of Truth to which you must stand or fall this is the Stone that whosoever falls upon it shall be broken and tendered But if they stay till the weight of Truth fall upon them it will grind them to Powder They that will have a life of liberty let the Truth say what it will I will have my liberty and use my Tongue as I list I will be wanton and proud and envious and malicious though I know these things to be nought and the witness in my Conscience testifies that these things are wicked and contrary to the will of God yet I will have them whosoever comes to this Mind the Stone is near falling upon them and they will be ground to Powder they are like the barren Earth which beareth Thorns and Briars and is rejected and is nigh unto Cursing whose end is to be burned Therefore Friends I entreat you to hearken to the Word of the Lord it is a holy Word an old Word many have professed it There are some Preachers that will cry Hearken to the Word of the Lord in such a Chapter and such a Verse My Testimony this Day is Hearken to the Word of the Lord but where shall we find it some will say I tell you it is written with the Finger of God in your own Consciences and is either for you or against you Let your Profession amongst Men be what it will this Minister of the Covenant hath no respect of Persons or regard to Profession he will not excuse this or that Man because he makes a greater Profession of his Name than others this rather is his Judgment and his Condemnation shall be more swift and sharp upon him that makes a Profession of Christs Name If Judgment begin at the House of God what shall the end of them be that obey not the Gospel of God These that take upon them a strict Profession they do greater dishonour to God than those that cry out there is no Reformation there can be no Living without Sin these Profess what they do and they do as they Profess But when People come to Profess Holiness and Righteousness and Profess a Power also by which Righteousness is obtained but live not strictly according to their Profession these are they That cause the Name of God to be Blasphemed among the Heathen more than they that say there can be no living without Sin Now this Witness of God hath no respect to Profession but hath respect
of God obtain a Reputation to be true and just and holy and righteous all Men will expect Holiness and Righteousness at their hands What if I profess to be one of those People If I have not the Truth in my own Heart This reputation though I put it on as a Cloak to hide my Insincerity the want of that Truth takes away my Courage It is Truth in all Men in the World that hath a Power and it is the Power of Holiness and Righteousness that makes wicked Men affraid and therefore the Apostle argues upon that subject the Magistrate is clothed with Power what Power hath he The Power of Justice and the Power of the Sword What Sword hath he A Sword of Justice and he is a Terrour to evil-doers but a praise to them that do well It is true if I have done evil if I meet with a Man that is but my Equal if in buying and selling and Commerce I have wronged him and deceived him though he knows not of it Yet I am affraid of him I am fearful that he will discover me and find me out But if I speak the Truth and do that which is honest in the sight of all Men I shall not fear any Man there is no Nation under Heaven but there is a principle of Truth to be found amongst them in the Hearts of Men If I Act according to the principle of Truth in mine own Heart there is the same principle of Truth in all Men. If I walk up to the principle of Truth in my self I shall likewise walk up to the principle of Truth in all Mens Hearts if mine own Heart doth not condemn me all the World cannot condemn me If professors were resolved to answer the principles of Truth in their own Hearts and go through stitch in the profession they might live Couragiously Truth will Crown them with Victory But if they do not live according to the rule and standard of Truth they are like Salt that have lost its savour which is trodden under feet of Men. But where all are one in Truth they are gathered into the Truth and they will live according to it so far as they are convinced of it If you will give them a World they will not give away an Hairs breadth of the Truth which they have professed when Truth thus comes to have Dominion then Truth shall overspread the Earth and the kingdoms of the World shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ and righteousness shall rule and the Scepter of it be swaied over the Nations and they that Rebel against it shall be broken by it and they that are found in it shall have Dominion and they shall condemn Hypocrites and Dissemblers Now if you would grow up into this Dominion you have an opportunity for it because the Truth is Revealed in your own Hearts They who go about to walk in the Truth meerly from what they hear the Ministers of Truth Preach laying up in their minds a company of Doctrines Notions and Tenets they will stumble and fall but they that will hearken to the Truth in their own Hearts and regard the Voice of it in all their ways and undertakings these have a Minister at Home with them they have a Chaplain in their own House if there be any thing they know not and if they know not what to do they ask this Minister of the Sanctuary others they will ask their Ministers but your Minister is at Home with you Where hath God appointed any Man to rule over your Consciences no God hath appointed Christ only to guide and govern your Consciences to be the Author of Faith and the Finisher of it too You that are come to to the Dispensation of the Spirit of Christ keep to the testimony in your own Hearts then we have fellowship with one another in the Truth and we have cause to bless God for it that God hath so opened the Heart of one towards another that the suffering of one is the suffering of all and the Consolation of one the comfort and rejoycing of all But Alas Who is in this fellowship Only those that are in fellowship with the Truth in their own Heart are really so If a Man shall break fellowship with Truth in his own Heart he will make no bones of breaking fellowship with his Brethren As soon as Men break fellowship with Truth they are unruly Heady troublesom and make no matter of splitting and tearing and rending of fellowship with others How comes it to pass that thou hast done this thou didst not thus whilst thou feared Sinning against the witness of God in thine own Heart But when Men have once made Light of the great Minister of the Gospel in their own Hearts it is an easie matter to make light of all the rest if as Christ saith They have done so to the Green Tree no wonder that they do so to the Dry Tree If they despise me saith Christ do you think they will love you It is most evident in a great many at thiâ— Day they Dispute against Truth they have taken a Liberty to speak contrary to the Truth in their own Hearts then they cry down the Ministers of it Do you think any body doth so that keep their first tendernesâ— When they were first convinced the Power of the Lord rested upon them when the Power of God first wrought upon you and brought you to Yea and Nay and to plain simple Language and Habit this was with jâ—y and delight for Christs sake They that keep up this tenderness and simplicity of Mind there is no scattering nor rending or tearing among them they keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace and they are kept together in one Friends you have an opportunity in your hands see that you make use of it you may bear up and not be deceived by Men or Devils If you keep faithful to the Principle of Truth in your own Hearts Let what Reproach and Persecution soever come here is a Standard a Foundation and a Rule for you to be Governed by Every hour of the Day search your Hearts and try your Consciences by it As you do this and keep to the Rule of the new Creature of the Regeneration being changed from a Carnal Birth to an Incorruptible Birth If you he born of the Incoruptible seed the Devil cannot corrupt you Evil passions cannot corrupt you if you keep upon that Foundation that is Incorruptible in it self then nothing will corrupt you nor your ways and manners If you will then live according to the simplicity of the Gospel you will serve God and be examples to others in the Life of Holiness and Righteousness and hereby God shall be glorified This is that which will shine forth to the whole Nation and give a good Report to Truth But if any that Profess the truth be found false to their Profession and be found unholy and deceive and over-reach