one Spirit In the verse before he had said What know ye not that he who is joyned to an Harlot is one Body For two saith he shall be one Flesh. v. 16. Here the discourse is clearly of the Body As the earthly Marriage maketh two Bodies one Flesh the Heavenly Marriage maketh them one Spirit The union between our glorified Lord and our Bodies in the Resurrection is as immediate and entire as between our Saviour and our Souls so that these also are Spirits and one Spirit with him Is not his Body then first a Spirit Doth not the Union between the Divine Nature and his Blessed Body make that a Spirit and one Spirit with itself The glorified Body and Soul of a Saint are one Spirit They are one Spirit with the glorified Body and Soul of their Jesus with the three Persons in the Trinity with all Beautiful and blessed Spirits All are one Spirit Yet are they all distinct Spirits If the distinction were taken away the Harmony the Beauty the Musick the Marriage-joy and Marriage-love in Heaven were all lost Obj. But you will say how can this be Are not Body and Spirit contrary How then can a Body be a Spirit Ans. Flesh and Spirit are every where in Scripture opposed one to the other but not so a Body and a Spirit Those very Terms on which the Contrariety is set so frequently by the Holy Ghost between Flesh and Spirit shew that the Heavenly Body the true Body the Body of Life and Glory is a Spirit I shall instance only in a Twofold Opposition one where the Flesh and the Spirit are set as Life and Death the other where they are set as the Truth or Beauty itself and the Vail upon it 1. The First is Rom. 8. 6. To be carnally minded is Death but to be Spiritually-minded is Life and Peace In each of these Words Life Peace all Joys of Life and Immortality are expressed by the language of the Spirit Both together are Joys heaped upon Joys Blessedness upon Blessedness to express the Infiniteness in which they rise up ever New though there can be never any thing more Or the Circle of Eternity where all Fulnesses of Life and Joy run one into another multiplying themselves upon themselves endlesly Life is the Flourishing State of Things a Perpetual Spring The Happiness of Princes the Blessedness of the Divine Nature is sum'd up in Life Live O King The Lord liveth Peace is the whole Gift and Legacy of Christ to His Saints My Peace I leave with you My Peace I give unto you It is All the Good that goeth along with His Presence and Appearance in His Immortal state Hee stood in the midst of them saying Peace be with you when He appeared to them after His Resurrection Peace is the Plenary Rest of all Parts and Faculties of the whole Person in a perfect Union with and full Fruition of their proper Objects in Perfection The Greek Word for Peace signifieth the Band of all Perfections the Circle of Eternity All things within and without linked together in the Golden Chain of a Blessed and Divine Harmony making an Ornament of Beauty for the Soul to put on making a Musâ—ck to charm the Soul into the Divine Sleep of the sweetest and deepest Complacency The Hebrew Tongue expresseth Both Perfection and Peace by one Word This is the Name of him who was the Eminent Figure of Christ in Glory Solomon This is the Name of Jesus Himself as He sitteth upon the Throne of the Divine Nature in the Kingdom of the Spirit Isa. 9. 6. The Prince of Peace Some translate it very properly The Prince The Peace or Perfection Shalom But to apply this to our purpose The Image of things as they stand in the Spirit is in it self the Appearance of things in this Image is to those who see it Life and Peace that is Eternity of Blessedness Heaven it self But the Image and Appearance of things in Flesh is not onely Dying or Dead It is Death itself The Life of Nature and of Flesh is a Shadow onely of Life and the Death of the True Life which is in the Spirit This universal Image of things which we call the World comprehending the whole Creation in all its Beauty is no more than the Grave in which the Spiritual Image lyeth sleeping the sleep of death 2. The second Opposition between Flesh and Spirit is that of the Truth and the Vail upon the Truth Job 4. 24. Our Saviour saith The Father seeketh such Worshippers as worship Him in Spirit and Truth Spirit and Truth are here joyned in the same sense as Spirit and Life go together Job 6. v. 63. The words that I speak they are Spirit and they are Life The Spirit is the Truth and the Life The Flesh is a Dead Counterfeit as a Picture is the Counterfeit of a Man being neither the Life nor the Truth 1 Joh. 6. 6. The Spirit beareth witness For the Spirit is the Truth The Spirit is the last and onely Witness For the Spirit is the Truth itself the Universal and Eternal Truth There are two Maxims in Philosophy that All Truths and the Essences of things are Eternal The Truth then and Essence of a Saint's Body and of Christ's the true and essential Body is a Spirit in the Eternal Spirit It is not Living but Life it self The Body of Flesh is a Vail upon this True Body which is an Immortal Spirit So it is expresly named Heb. 10. v. 20. where Christ is said to have entred and made a living way for us into the most Holy Place by the rending of the Vail that is His Flesh. The true Body is a Spirit and Spring of Immortality in the most Holy Place the Eternal Spirit When it cometh forth from thence into the open streets and fields of this Creation it casteth over itself the Vail of this Fleshly Body In Death it rendeth and casteth off this Vail of Flesh so it returneth pure and naked in the Resurrection into the most Holy Place into the Eternal Spirit again where it ever stood after an unchangeable manner in its simple and unvailed Beauties So is that Mystery of the Gospel accomplished in the blessed Body of our Saviour No one goeth up into Heaven but he who come down out of Heaven the Son of Man who is in Heaven Qu. But you will ask me now What becometh of this Body of Flesh in the Râ—surrection Ans. What becometh of the Seed of a Plant in the Spring and the Summer The Plant first contracteth its Parts and Powers its Beauties and Sweetâ—â—sses under a Vail while it maketh itself a Seed Then again it breaketh this Seed casteth off the Vail discovereth by degrees its entire Form with all its Flowers and Fruits As before the Plant was hid and imprisoned in every poâ—nt of the Seed so is the Seed now Flourishing and rejoycing with all its several vertues and pleasant Forms in every part of the Plant. We read
practices do exceedingly vary and differ from the different degrees and waies of their light within and their educations and customs without The Apostle tells us Rom. 14. One Christian believeth that he may eat all things Another who is weak eateth herbs Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not And let not him which eateth not judge him which eateth For God hath received him One man esteemeth one day above another Another esteemeth every day alike Let every man be fully assured in his own mind He that regardeth the day regardeth it unto the Lord And he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he doth not regard it He that eateth eateth to the Lord for he giveth God thanks And he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not and giveth God thanks Both these are different and contrary in their Notions Opinions and practices And yet in that difference and contrariety do both serve the same Lord and are accepted by him They both in their several opinions Notions and practices have the same apprehensions of the glory of God the same reference and regard to it the same aim and intention of Soul to make themselves a Spiritual sacrifice to him Nor does this hold only in the lesser matters of Religion but in the greater also Besides that Babel and confusion of languages that variety and contrariety of opinions which are in the Christian World about things of a lower consideration What disputes what controversies what contradictions do we see at this day among good men concerning the most substantial and vital truths of the Gospel How even among the best Christians themselves are some of the greatest points of Christianity darkened and perplexed with Clouds of disputes with diversity and uncertainty of opinions with different and contrary explications What Principle of Christianity how clearly and expresly soever it has been revealed to us in the letter of the Scriptures has been universally received and explained alike by all good men Do we not every where see those very Persons who have as we have reason to judge entertained the same Divine Truths in the inward power life and Spirit of them do yet discourse interpret and preach them in Notions Opinions and Forms very different and contrary to one another Do we not every where see good men puzling and confounding each other with their own explanations of those very things in the life and power of which they are all agreed Have we not upon this accompt seen some of the best of men such strangers to and so jealous of one another that they have been unable to bear one another Look abroad lay aside all thy prejudice fondness and partiality And then tell me if thou dost not every where meet with the same ingenuity modesty humility and meekness of Soul The same desire and diligence in the search after truth the same goodness holiness of heart and life The same Love to God and his waies the same sincerity and integrity the same purity of intention aim and end in persons that appear to thee and to one another of very different and contrary minds and practices in matters of Religion Their Souls are vitally quickened and informed their conversations beautified and adorned with the same Spiritual truths Which by their explications of them they seem not to understand yea to contradict I have some where read a story of a blind man who could distinguish and judge of all metals or pretious stones by weighing them in his hand I am perswaded if we had learn thus to judge of Spiritual things not by the beauty of some outward form and appearance or an agreeableness to our own Notions and Opinions But by the weight of an inward Principle and the Power of a Divine life We should discover a most harmonious agreement in the Essential and radical Principles of Divine truth and goodness among those who seem most of all to oppose one another in their Notions and Opinions If we did but know how to get into to open and interpret each others Souls How to weigh not only words and phrases but Spirits as God is said to do Prov. 16. 2. We should quickly find that we differ more in words then in thoughts and in the Notions of things then in the things themselves Our Spiritual wisdom holiness strength and happiness do not lye in our Notions and Opinions of Spiritual truth but in the truth itself St. Paul excellently distinguishes and explains this matter 2 Cor. 4. 6 7. Where speaking of the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ he tells us we have this treasure in Earthen Vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us That Spiritual truth which is the shining forth of the glory of God in the Person of Christ the first the supream the universal truth is the heavenly treasure The several Notions and forms in our understandings by which this truth appears to us are but a part of the Earthen Vessel which holds this treasure How weak is it to lay the weight of such a treasure upon such a Vessel subject to so many frailties flaws and cracks How unworthy is it to ascribe the excellency of that power to our selves which belongs wholly to God Sure I am it is not the Vessel that makes us rich but the treasure which is in the Vessel Thus again The same Apostle speaking of the same thing in another expression tells us 1 Cor. 4. 20. The Kingdom of God is not in word but in power This Kingdom consists not in the excellency of our notions and apprehensions of our words and expressions concerning Spiritual things But in the inward Vertue Vigour Life Power and Spirit that is in the Nature of them to change the whole man into one image of glory with themselves Spiritual knowledge is not a notional verbal and talking but a real living and practical thing Divine truth is better understood as it opens and unfolds itself in the holy and heavenly mind and life of a good man then by all the Systems of Divinity and good Books in the World Thy Brother has it may be several Notions and opinions of Spiritual Truth very different from thine But he is really sanctified through the same truth He has purified his Soul in obeying the truth through the Spirit He is become a living Edition of the truth it is written in his heart it shines forth in his life he has so learned the truth that he knows it as it is in Jesus although he cannot yet receive it as it is in thee nor thy notions and representations of it His Soul his life is dyed coloured and figured with it the truth is transforming his whole being into one beautiful and blessed image with framing fashioning his whole man according to itself This must needs be a better proof that he is truly one with thee in the same truth then the highest complement
Spiritual Iudgment No man no Church has here any other Spiritual Power and Capacity besides that of Christ and his Spirit in them And how rich full and sufficient soever the several Churches of Christ may at this day esteem themselves to be without him yet sure I am there is nothing more speaks the absence of Christ and his spirit And their poverty emptiness and weakness then that hasty rash sleight partial blind and bold judging and censuring one another which every where abounds in the present Christian Churches Whilst in some of them the greatest acts of spiritual judgment that can be done on Earth as a great man long since complained are made to lackey up and down for Fees and become the most ordinary process that is And in others which pretend to be more refin'd to attend upon outward forms inward Opinions our own parties interests and passions As if instead of judging nothing before the time until the Lord comes The Spirit of man would so determine every thing that no knot should be left for him to unty nothing remain for him to judge But blessed be God the causeless curse shall not come All the judgments which are fondly and proudly made in mans day shall be cancell'd in the day of Christ. Your Brethren as God speaks by the evangelical Prophet to those that tremble at his Word That hated you that cast you out for my name sake said Let the Lord be glorified But he shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed Be perswaded then to do as God has done Leave all judgment to the Son to his manner and measure of appearing in thee Wait still for his coming who is to set judgment in the Earth to bring it forth in thy Spirit Be first able to say Thou art full of Power by the Spirit of the Lord and of Judgment before thou takest upon thee to declare unto thy Brethren their transgressions mistakes follies and errours Do not venture to step into the Throne of Iudicature till he whose place it is lead thee up lest thou find thy self ere thou art aware in the Chair of Scorners instead of the Seat of Judgment Judge nothing till Christ comes lest thou shouldest then be judged by him as an evil doer and a busie body 'T is true the Spiritual Man is said to judge all things But that Word that State that Work do all of them import a distinct and critical discerning of things such must thine be of all things before they can be rightly judg'd by thee Thou mayest indeed speak evil of what thou knowest not but thou canst not fairly judge it till thou doest thoroughly understand it As a spiritual man read these following Discourses and as such give thy judgment of them Remember still that every Truth is not spoken at once to every good man nor any Truth opened to him in its full glory at the first sight but as Luther speaks we are enlightened by Beam after Beam It is said of some things our Saviour did and which were done unto him Joh. 12 That his Disciples understood them not at the first but when Christ was glorified when he took away his fleshly presence and came in more spirit then they were acquainted with them What I do says Christ to Peter Joh. 13. 7. thou knowest not now but thou shalt know hereafter And in Joh. 16. 12 13. He tells his Disciples he had yet many things to say unto them but they could not bear them then howbeit when the Spirit of Truth was come he should guide them into all Truth When St. Paul was a little beforehand caught up into the World to come the Text says 2 Cor. 12. 4. that he heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter that could not that might not be spoken Such things as would no dâ— ubt â—ave offended the best men then alive if he had declared them Good Souls have their several Orbs and Sphears of Spiritual Light and Life all below are comprehended by them above and lie in their Bosoms but the lesser Circle can by no means contain the greater A Soul got no further than the first Heavens cannot hear cannot receive the discoveries and enjoyments of one in the third If a Truth be very raised and spiritual it is not the first Beam of Christ himself can shew us that Truth And if I by my glimmering light shall go about to examine and judge things spoken in a clearer day I shall be subject to many mistakes and in great danger of rejecting the Truth because I do not understand it In my Father's house saies Christ are many Mansions 'T is true of his house of grace here below as well as that of glory above Let every Christian then say of his present state and measure This is my present Heaven my present Mansion here my God is pleased to meet me thus he dispenseth himself to me here I will wait until I am called up higher and if another comes and speaks things beyond my present understanding and experience I will judge no man's Light Life and Liberty in the Lord being constant to this that as Christ in the flesh came to his own and his own received him not so also may Christ in the Spirit Instead then of judging and censuring what thou doâ—st not yet understand be faithful to that which thou already knowest answer thy present light with a suitable life so shalt thou grow up not only into all the Discoveries Truth and Mysteries which are in this and all other spiritual â—ooks but into him also in all things who is thy Head Hast thou received any one ray any one glimpse of spiritual Light into thy Soul watch it cherish it walk according to the direction and instinct of it and this Beam shall quickly swiftly grow up into a glorious day in thy spirit For the path of the Just is as the shining Light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day Secondly It is possible thou mayest here meet with some few things very different from some of thy beloved Sentiments for our Author intended in these Discourses to tell thee his own thoughts not to guess at thine My Requests in this case are such as these not to make thy self overwise not to think thou knowest any thing not to abound in thy own sense not to lay too much weight upon thy own Iudgment nor too little upon thy Brother 's not to overvalue thy own Notions and Opinions nor to undervalue his not to forget that modesty and sobriety of mind which every good man ought still to preserve towards himself nor that moderation forbearance indulgence allowance and respect which not only charity but reason and interest oblige thee alwaies to express towards all good men that differ from thee For we all stand in need of and have a right to such a tender behaviour from one another To impress a little such Requests as these upon
thy mind let me briefly offer to thy larger thoughts upon them these few Considerations 1. It is possible for us then to have wrong Notions and Opinions of Spiritual Truth when we think we have the rightest How easily do we mistake an Object and the true colour of it when we see it through a dyed and colour'd Medium The Staff that is streight in the Air seems crooked when it is seen under Water through the grossness and inconstancy of that Element Such are all our views our reports of Divine Truths whilst we take in and give forth the Copies of them through the thick colour'd and spotted Glass of our Natural Vnderstanding Thou confessest thy self to bee a poor fallible creature thou bemoanest daily thy Ignorance before the Lord and beggest of him that thou mayest understand thy own Errours Be not then too hasty in charging thy Brother with false Notions whilst thou thy self art not exempted from mistakes Do not think thy self an Infallible Iudge of his Errours whilst thou art but a Fallible Discerner of Truth for thy self 2. It is impossible for us to have clear Notions and Opinions of Spiritual Truth whilst we are in this dark and distant World We now see but through a Glass darkly We are in a confused state We can better make a shift to puzzle and perplex the Notions of another than we know how to disintangle and extricate our own The Sun appears not to us in his true brightness and glory but as a red bunning fire when we see him in the mornings and evenings through those earthly vapours and mists which interpose Such Fogs are still gathering between the God of Truth and our Vnderstandings whilest they dwell below We are as yet but like the blind man in the Gospel who upon the first touching of his Eyes saw Men like Trees How fond and obstinate should we think that man who going forth in the twilight when it is impossible clearly to discover and distinguish any thing is however very confident he sees and reports all things aright All our Notions of Spiritual Truths here below are at best but as a Twilight in which Light and Darkness meet How unreasonable is it whilst thy own Light is shaded with so much Darkness to think there is no mixture of Light in thy Brother's Darkness 3. It is impossible for us to have full and comprehensive Notions and Opinions of Spiritual Truth whilst we are in this separated and divided state Our knowledge here below is not only dark as was said before but partial St. Paul with excellent reason puts these two together 1 Cor. 13. 12. We now see through a Glass darkly we know but in part or in division It is indeed the partiality of our knowledge which causes and encreases the darkness and difficulty of it and turns it into a Riddle That will be plain easie and pleasant to us when we come at once to see the whole body of Divine Truth when we shall in one view behold the entire frame and universal harmony of it the connexion proportion consent and sympathy of one Truth with another and of each Truth with every Truth which being now seen alone puzzles perplexes intangles and labyrinths us Spiritual Truths are now Aenigma's to us because we know but in part in division All our Notions and Opinions here can be but broken things but little pieces of Truth We are all running away with scattered bits and scraps of Spiritual Truth every one fondly calling his own share the entire Purchase But we know not how to put things together Some are zealous for one others for another part of Divine Truth whilst we contend for one we are apt to let go another whilst we are seeking after one we lose another We continually mistake one another and the Truth in each other through our partial discovery of things We have so much light so much knowledge as through the darkness and ignorance mingled with it and prevailing over it serves us to wrangle dispute and quarrel with our Brethren but not enough to receive and comprehend them We have indeed a Notion of the Indivisibility of Truth and are sure of it in the Theory but we know not how to make it out in our practice It is true that is not Truth which cannot dwell with any with every Truth but all Truth is not yet thus reconciled in the head of any Good man on Earth although it be so in every Good man's heart he is in love with all Truth but has not yet found out all its Alliances the whole compass and circle of it Truth is one in it self but it is broken into I know not how many pieces as it is in us and those pieces through the darkness mixt with them in our spirits fighting one against another The next state will give us a clear and comprehensive view of things all the divisions of Truths and of Spirits will then be at an end Those Truths those Spirits shall then be reconciled and run into the Embraces of one another that seem now to stand at the greatest distance and defiance Then the Darkness shall no more predominate over the Light nor employ it thus unnaturally to contend against it self but the Light running together from all parts and every where mingling with it self shall swallow up all the Darkness But we have now only a glimmering prospect of this happiness It is impossible to attain here to a full view of the whole face of Truth which is great and glorious as God All our present Notions and Opinions are too narrow too contracted to take in those innumerable Raies and Beams of Divine Truth which are every where scattered and dispersed among all the Children of Light Thou hast but one little part of it in all thy Notions and Opinions thy Brother has another part in his Instead of undervaluing his share it becomes us much better to acknowledge the shortness of our own and to say of God with Job upon another occasion not much different Job 26. 14 Lo these are parts of his waies but how little a portion is heard of him 4. The same Spiritual Truth may communicate it self to us in various different and contrary Notions and Opinions The whole state of things all along throughout the Christian World is a sufficient proof of this matter It is somewhere well observ'd by our Author to this purpose as they say in Philosophy The Essences and kinds of things are unmoveable and ever the same However there be an infiniteness of uncertainty and change in the Individuals by the variety and change of outward accidents So if you compare one good man with all other good men in all ages you will every where find the same New Nature the same inward savour and rellish the same Divine Principle and God-like life in them all Whilst the inward forms of truth and goodness upon their understandings and the outward expressions of them in their conversations and
he can pay to thy own notions and Opinions concerning it can possibly be Holiness is the Character and seal of the Spirit of Truth The result of this consideration is plainly this That we should not lay too great a stress upon our own notions and Opinions nor despise our Brothers That we should make the image of God and not our own likeness the reason rule and measure of our Brotherly Love Observing still in all our Christian converses that excellent League which our Saviour himself has established He that is not against us is with us Whilst we see the same truth vitally influencing and quickening the Souls and spreading itself throughout the lives of good men of different and contrary sentiments let us no longer judge another by his comprimising with our own sense of things but his agreement with us in the substance power efficacy and Spirit of the truth Thus the primitive Christians judged before the iniquity of the times and a worldly interest corrupted the simplicity and quenched the first and purer warmths of Religion No man was then censured for his Opinion that lived well although there were very strange notions then commenced So much and so justly did those better ages of Christianity prefer a God like life to the rightest notions and Opinions Nor did they want the highest Example Authority and Reason in this matter God himself having told them and us He is no respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him Act. 10. 34. And again Rom. 14. 17. The Kingdom of God is not meat and Drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost and he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men That is shall be justified in the day of all Divine and humane Principles Whatever his outward form or inward Opinion be Whether he eat or eat not Keep a day or keep it not So it be to the Lord to Charity and to Aedification 5. All the truest and best notions and Opinions we can have of Spiritual truth here below are to be done away when we arrive at that state above So the Apostle expresly tells us 1 Cor. 13. 9. 10. We know in part and we Prophesy in part But when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away We shall then lose all our present Notions and Opinions of Spiritual things not in a blackness of Darkness and Death violently breaking in upon and overspreading them But in the brightness of an unmixt and eternal light arising upon and comprehending them in iâ—self They shall all be blotted out not as water quenches the fire But after such a manner as the Beams of the Sun do put it out by drawing up the finer and more fiery parts into themselves They shall be put out not as a Candle is by the Extinguisher But as the darknesses and shadows of the night are swallowed up by the light of the morning Or rather as the several colours of light in the first dawning of the day are afterwards drunk up into the pure and perfect light of the encreasing day It is yet but a morning light with the most enlightned Souls here on Earth In the first breaking of the day the Light you know appears to us in a variety of colours one after another Till at last as the day comes on all those colours are changed into an unstained and pure light Such are the discoveries of Spiritual things to our understandings whilst our true day is yet but Springing All our Notions and Opinions of them are as so many colours of light growing clearer and clearer unto a Noon day brightness Now all these colours vanish Now all our mistaken dark mixt short and disproportioned notions and apprehensions break up into a light which has nothing of privation mixture imperfection or shadow in it But till then it is impossible for us to have such Notions Opinions of Spiritual truth as can admit of no change or emprovement We are here in a growing travelling state And whilst we are so motion is better then rest We can now no more stint and fix our sense of things then we can hinder and stop our own growth Or keep day out of the World when the Sun arises It is not here our reproach but our praise to be still changing our minds to be still transformed in the renewing of them that we may prove what the good and acceptable will of God is To change for emprovement to alter our minds for the better is not our inconstancy but our virtue This is only to change as all things do when they encrease nothing speaks us more rooted fixt and established then such a change Thou art not it may be of the same mind at this instant thou wert in a few daies past neither dost thou know what mind thou shalt have to morrow The spirit of man changes Opinion every moment And what one reason brings in this hour a stronger may carry out the next Nor will the good Spirit if thou art indeed acted and informed by it suffer thee to rest in thy present light and much less in thy remaining darkness Thou art not yet so knowing so good as thou shouldst be if thou canst be satisfied with thy self and thy present Notions of things Art thou not waiting for Christ to touch thine Eyes a second time Dost thou not pray for his Spirit to lead thee into all truth Can'st thou be contented to lose thy share in the riches of that glory thou art yet a stranger to Thou thinkest it may be that thou understandest all mysteries and hast all knowledge but still all thou canst attain to here below is but a little part of what is yet to come And will be done away when that which is perfect appears Why then dost thou lay so great a weight upon those Notions and Opinions which thou hadst not the other day which thou mayst lose to morrow and which are finally to be swallowed up Why should an obscure dark intricate curious unnecessary uncertain and fading Notion and Opinion be imploy'd to the prejudice of that Charity that shall never fail All our Notions and Opinions are changeable temporary transient and perishing things They pass away and confute themselves whilst we are contending for them but Love is a lasting permanent and Eternal Duty and perfection This shall remain when all our Notions and Opinions of one sort and another shall for ever cease to be Shall either sink down into their first darkness out of which they sprung Or rise up into and happily lose themselves in their Original Light 6. Let us seriously consider how mischievous the want of that moderation I am pleading for â—has all along been to Christians and to Christianity it self What depths of inward filthinesses have the differences and animosities of good men about Opinions discovered in them and
of the Earth But this Soul in this Divine Principle sees God Himself with the whole Troop of the Sons of God God-like Forms ascending out of every Point of the Earth and the lowest parts of things Use. Conviction Consider with thy self after this manner Am I Chang'd If I be not I stand in the Circle of Vanity Darkness and Woe I am gone forth from my Center outward into a Waste Wilderness whither no clear Line of Light or Life stretcheth itself where are no Sparks of peace or joy which are not scattered into wild Distractions torn in pieces and devoured by Confusion Am I still wandering in this World I am already upon the very Brink and Precipice of Things Whither do I wander Whither shall I fall when I die Is there yet any thing beyond this World further from God and Goodness besides the Place of Devils There are Four Discoveries of a Chang'd or Unchang'd State 1. Discovery Have I seen a Resurrection in myself Our Conversion is made the same thing with the Resurrection of our Saviour Coloss. 3. 1. If ye be risen with Christ. When Jesus rose again He returned to that Glory which He had with God before he was in Flesh. His Resurrection was a Return not to that Life which he had in the World this was part of his Death but to that Life which he had before This among Earthly Men. So when we Turn to God we Return truly to our selves We perceive our Selves now to be our Selves and all below this to have been a Shadow of us or a Disguise upon us The Conversion of Man is call'd an Awakening Ephes. 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest stand up from the Dead My God is a Light in which all Things are seen ever as they were from the Beginning My Jesus is a Life in which all things are the same Yesterday before the World as they shall be to Morrow and for ever My Soul Art thou awakened into the Light the Life of thy God thy Jesus If thou art what seest thou Thou seest thy true and substantial Being thy proper Person appearing thou seest all things in their first Principle in their right state thou seest every Inferiour Person which thou hast been cloth'd with and each Lower State of Things in which thou hast acted any Part as Dreams of a sleeping Man in the Night out of which he awakens the same that he was when first he lay down and they vanish as Airy Images The Gospel declares the Mystery that was hid in God from the beginning of the World Ephes. 3. 9. If you have not beheld present things things to come Heaven Glory your future State as it was in the Mystery of God from Eternity you are still buried under the Ruines of this Confused World beneath which that Mystery lies hid 2. Discovery Can I tell the Difference between Flesh and Spirit A Converted and a Regenerate Condition are thus distinguisht by Walking in Flesh or Spirit Rom. 8. 4. The Eye guides the Feet How can I walk after One and not the Other if I know not how One differs from the Other The Light shined in Darkness but the Darkness comprehended it not The Flesh is the Darkness which understands neither the Spirit nor itself The Spirit is the Light in which both are understood and discern'd Say thus to thy Heart My Heart Canst thou tell a way to possess all Things in one point in a Unity of Life Hast thou lookt on all Things at once and seen them in a Harmony of Beauty Hast thou taken in the Tunes and Motions of all Things Created and Uncreated in a Concent of Pleasures Didst thou ever yet descry a glorious Eternity in each winged Moment of Time a Bright Infiniteness in the narrow points of every dark Object Then thou knowest what the Spirit means that Spire-top of Things whither all ascend harmoniously where they meet and sit together recollected and concentred in an Unfathom'd Depth of Glorious Life From hence thou lookest down and seest all Flesh as a heap of Single Dusts Dark though falling from the midst of a bright Flame Divided though laid together He that knows no Spirit but that which breaths thorow Flesh and feeds on the Air. He that understands the highest Spirit but as a Fleshly Fancy exalted is yet Flesh condemn'd like Nebucchadnezzar to graze on the fading Field of Flesh till he know this Flesh to be that Darkness which covers all Truth and the most high Spirit to be the only Light which discovers all things and itself 3. Discovery Have I seen a Night upon this World One Day passeth not away for another to succeed except a Night come between My soul is not yet born again out of the Light of this World into the Day of Christ if she hath not gone thorow a Night a Night of Eternal Darkness upon all Earthly Contents Thou canst not look down upon Fleshly Things with a Delight from the Throne of Christ except thou hast lookt upon them as a Prospect of Horrour from the Cross of Christ. Jesus Christ threatens Jezabel and her Companions to throw her into a Bed and great Tribulation Revel 2. 22. He never comes into the Bed of Eternal Repose with Jesus Christ as his Spouse that hath not been in a Bed of afflictions and Flames with his Jezabel the Flesh. 4. Discovery Have I tasted the Sweetness of a Life within in my own Spirit Hast thou not made a Retreat into thine own Depths Hast thou not seen the Beauties that shine in this Glass Then art thou far from the Depths of the Divine Spirit and the Glories that disclose themselves in that Glass Solomon tells us Prov. 20. 27. That the Spirit of Man is the Candle of the Lord in his Bowels if the Spirit of Man within be but a Candle what then is this Sensual State without Neither Life nor Death nor Light nor Darkness but Shadows of Life and Death between both But who can think he hath receiv'd the Beams of the Sun when yet he hath not seen a Candles Light We read of a Strumpet Prov. 7. 11 12. That her Feet abide not in the house but she loves to be abroad While the Feet the Affections of our Souls are ever gadding and our eyes gazing in the broad ways of Sense while they love not to dwell in the Habitation of their own Spirits they make themselves Strumpets to every unclean Spirit I have ended the First Head of this Doctrine the Conversion or Change it self I am now to pass to the Second the Circumstances of this Change 2. Part The Circumstances of the Change These are Two 1. Circumstance A Universal Motion in all the Passions 2. Circumstance A General Alteration in Practice 1. Circumstance A Universal Motion in all the Passions These are moved at the time of our Conversion for the most part in this Threefold Order 1. Order 1. Griâ—f 2. Shame 3. Fear 2. Order 1. Hope 2. Desire 3. Rage 3.
that which is Natural then that which is Spiritual so it is true in this First is the Servile State in Religion then the Son-like So we read Gal. 4. 7. Now are ye no more Servants but Sons Thus the Son-like State is the second step or Remove in Religion But it will be necessary for me to open the Servile State first that the Son-like may be the better understood 1. State Servile This State hath Four Signs 1. Sign Fear 2. Sign Dependencies 3. Sign Forms 4. Sign Solicitude 1. Sign Fear A Saint in a Servile State serves God chiefly from a Principle of Fear Rom. 8. 15. Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear St. Paul doth not speak here of a Sinful State in Nature but of a Servile State in Grace This will appear clearly if you compare this place with the fourth Chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians You shall see in both Places the Twofold State of a Servant and a Son in Religion described alike almost in the same terms Rom. 8. 15. Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again Galat. 4. 1. The Heir while a Child differeth nothing from a Servant v. 3. Ye were in bondage to worldly Elements V. 7. Now are ye no longer Servants Rom. 8. 15 17. But the Spirit of Adoption whereby ye cry Abba Father Now are ye Sons if Sons then Heirs Galat. 4. 6. He hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our Hearts whereby we cry Abba Father 7. Sons and Heirs c. Thus the Spirit of Bondage is a Spirit sent forth from God in the ministry of the Law Therefore the Apostle saith Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage This Spirit begets men to God but it is in a Servile-State by and to Fear Fear is the Seed and Fruit of this Spirit So a man by it becomes a Son to God but by the Bond-woman So he is partly a Son partly a Servant or rather a Son in the State of a Servant But I must further explain this Fear by 1. The Distinction of Fear 2. The Object 1. The Distinction of Fear There is a Twofold Fear 1. Fear Slavish 2. Fear Filial 1. Fear Slavish This Fear comes before Love and is cast out when Love comes 1 John 4. 18. Perfect Love casteth out Fear But what Fear is this That which is Slavish So it is added Fear hath Torment A Slavish Fear is to the Heart as Fire is to Gold Gold is wrought by the Fire to a softness and fitness to receive the King's Image then it is taken out of the Fire So this Fear subdues the Heart to a yielding temper to receive the Impressions and Image of God in Love Then it is cast ouâ— 2. Fear Filial This follows after Love flows from it is as sweet and desirable as Love itself The Scripture saith in one Place Who would not fear thee This Fear is a Plyantness of the Soul to God yielding to him form a near sense of his Greatness and Goodness both in one It is like the Bowing of some Flowers towards the Sun being toucht with his Influences and Beams Revel 14. 6. An Angel in the midst of Heaven preacheth the Everlasting Gospel What is the Everlasting Gospel The glad Tidings of Eternal Love in God to the Creature This Angel at the seventh v. cries aloud Fear God This Fear answers Love and Ecchos to it in the Heart Love saith God is thine Fear saith I will no more be mine own Love saith God will come down into thee and fill thee Fear saith I will sink down out of my self and give way to God The Filial Fear is proper to the Son-like State It is the Slavish Fear which is the Sign of that Servile State of which we now speak A Son-like State hath Love for its Eldest Child Fear for its Youngest A Servile State hath Fear for its First-born Love here is a Younger Brother In the Son Fear is the Motion of Love In the Servant it is the Motive to Love The Servant is the Son of the Bond-woman The Son is born of the Free-woman The Soul in a Servile State of Religion ascends out of Flesh towards God So Fear is First and Love riseth out of Fear as Fire out of Smoak The Soul in a Son-like state descends comes down from God as a Bride ready trim'd So Lâ—ve is First and brings forth Fear as a pure Flame breaths from it a fine Air. This is the Distinction of Fear This the Sign of a Servile State a Slavish Fear 2. The Object of Fear This is exprest by the Holy Ghost Heb. 2. 15 Those that were held in bondage by the Fear of Death The Jews were under the Law in a Servile State under a Slavish Fear This Fear had Death in its Eye for its Object Death hath two things in it Loss and Pain Loss of Life with all the Sweets and Comforts of Life Pain in the Labours and Pangs at the parting of Soul and Body Thus a Slavish Fear hath a Twofold Object 1 Object Loss 2. Object Pain 1. Object Loss A Christian in a Servile State fears the Loss of God more than God The Fear of God makes a man sink out of himself into God Fear of Loss of him makes a man apt to sink into himself in Despair A Servile Christian fears the loss of Gods Favour more than the loss of God the loss of the Fruits of his Favour which are Peace within Prosperity without more than the loss of his Favour 2. Object Pain A Spiritual Son-like Saint fears the Departures of God the loss of Divine Enjoyments more then all Pains or Tortures But the Servant in Religion is not any thing so much sensible of the loss of all the joys in Heaven as he is struck with trembles at the pains of Hell Iohn the Baptist was a Figure of the Servile State He presseth his Exhortation with such Reasons as these The Axe is laid to the Root of the Tree Save your selves from that wrath which is to come Iesus Christ was the Head and Figure of the Son-like State He moveth by other Arguments The Kingdom of God is at hand Light is come into the World Come to me and have life in abundance I have done with the First and most apparent Sign of a Servile State Fear 2. Sign Dependencies A Servile Christian seeks God chiefly by outward Assistances Gal. 3. 24. The Law was a School-master to bring us to Christ. A School-master ties Children to their set Times Rules Exercises till they can speak a Language judge of Truth converse with wisdom naturally from inward and free Principles So the Law which is the Mistris under whom we are in bondage teacheth us to seek Communion with God at peculiar Times The Forming of our Spirits according to God by particular Rules The Deriving of Truths Strengths Comforts from God by several Performances This is our way of Life till the Seed of Life be come up
Dreams all peace from thy waking hours filling them wâ—th Tumult and Sorrow till Life become more hateful to thee than the most hateful Death I chose Strangling rather than Life saith Job Chap. 7. 15. What can help or comfort thee at such a time as this When an evil Spirit over-whelms all the Creatures to a man what can the Creatures do 5. Spirit of God I cannot express I tremble to think this God can make his own Spirit a stream of Fire and Brimstone in thy Spirit If. 30. 33. The breath the Spirit of the Lord a stream of Brimstone God can himself be an everlasting Burning upon thy Immortal part Who can lie down with everlasting Burnings Can all thy Tears or Pleasures quench these Burnings Well might Moses cry out Psal. 90. 11. Who knows the Power of his Wrath. According to thy Fear so is thy Wrath. You may read the latter Clause thus As is thy Wrath so should the Fear of thee be There is an unsearchableness an Incomprehensibleness in the Wrath of God No Creature can take it in but is swallowed up by it Let men fear God according to his Wrath. Let men fear to make him their Enemy or if they do let them meet so potent an Enemy betimes while he is yet on the way that they may cast themselves at his Feet with Submission Repentance Fears and Tears If you harden your Heart by Insensibleness or sensuality he can multiply the Stroak of Sorrow upon thy Heart seven times seven times more still seven times nay seventy times seven endlesly till thy Heart be ground to the smallest Dust and so lie under his Feet If thy Soul be as high rough untractable as a Whale or Sea He can tame and calm thee by Griefs If thy Soul were a Leviathan arm'd with impenetrable Scales over-looking every lofty thing God can make his Sword which is his Spirit to approach thee he can put hâ—s Hook into thy Nostrils draw thee forth out of thy swelling Seas of Lust and Pride lay thee Panting and Languishing upon the dry Shore before him Thus ends the Third Persuasive 4. Persuasive Fear what God will certainly do to punish and purge Sinners 1 Cor. 3. 13. The Fire shall try every man's work Mark 9. 49. Every one shalt be salted with Fire That which is the highest Principle the Supreamest Power in every kind will subdue all other Powers and Parts of things to itself So it is said of Christ Philip. 3. 21. According to thaâ— working whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself If this Principle of power meet wâ—th any thing suitable to itself it cherisheth and hâ—ightens that till it be perfectly like perfectly one with itself Thus every Sacrifice is seasoned with the Salt of Divinity But where it meets with a Contrariety it conflicts and contests with it making the Conflict as fierce and lasting as the Contrariety till â—t have consumed it Thus every man shall be Salted with Fire Thus is Fire among the Elements Thus is God among the Creatures as a Fire Salting every man's Person trying every man's Work If he meet with any holy work he rests upon it in the Secret of his Glory as a Fountain of Beauty and Blessings If he meet with any pure and sweet Spirit like hâ—mself he closeth with it in all manner of gentleness and softnâ—sâ— as Two Flames embrace one another But where he meets with opposition he rageth He bâ—rns upon dark unclean untractable Hearts as Fire in the Iron-works till he hath poured them forth into the Temper and Mold of his Spirit and Image Take heed then of feeding upon fleshly Pleasures withâ—ut Fear as St. Jude speaks O men and women what do you while you live upon the World and in Sin As the Woman said of her self in the story of the Kings 1. King 17. 12. I am gathering sticks to bake a Cake for me and my Son that we may eat it and die This is your posture You are every where wandring and busied to gather the Greatnesses and Pleasures of this world that you may feed with these your Fleshly part fat and strong as a Sacrifice that the Fire of Divine wrath may come down upon you and devour you I shall conclude this whole use thus If there be a God which hath brought forth all the Sweet and good things which are before us here which now move Desire or Delight in us sure this God is Almighty and can yet heighten this Goodness this Sweetness to an Infinitâ—ness as well as an Endlesness Fear then for a Drop to lose the Sea for a Tast the Feast thy share in such Delights for the short temptation of a Darling-Sâ—n If there be a God which hath contrived and sent abroad all the Evils which now afflict affright amaze mortal men sure this God is this way too Almighty and can extend these Sufferings till there be no Bound to them in our sense no end of them in our Eye Fear then to dare this God by your Dalliances in Fleshly vanities If there be a God who is pure just true sweet meek sure he loves such things as these and hates the contrary sure he will set himself â—gainst all proud impure false fiery Ways and Spirits till he have conâ—â—unded them or consumed these things in them Fear then to be sound before the Eyes of this God without the Righteousness and Spirit of your Saviour as a Garment fast and close giâ—t to you Fear to be seen by him in your Nakedness For his Eyes are a bright and hot Flame which will dâ—scover thy Shame and burn thy Flesh as the Whore's in the Revâ—lation with Fire I have spoken of Two Signs of a Servile State in Religion Fear and Dependencies There Remain Two more Forms Solicitude 3. Sign Forms There are Two Sorts of Forms which the Holy Ghost mentions in the Scripture 1. Eternal Forms 2. Temporary Forms 1. Eternal Forms Philip. 2. 6. Jâ—sus Christ is said to be In the Form of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in that Form He thought it no Robbery to be equal with God This Form is the Substance itself Spirit and Truth This is the Essential Form which is no Shadow but One with the Substance no Appearance Separable from Truth but that Appâ—arance which is Truth no Letter or Outside but One Spirit with the Spirit having Life in itself St. Paul speaks of this Fâ—â—m Rom. 12. 2. Re ye transformed in the Renâ—wing of your Mind 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Again Rom 8. 29. He hath predestinated us to be conformed to the Image of his Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is an Inward and Spiritual Fâ—rm It is the Evangelical Form which is seen by Evangel'cal Eyes which is fâ—lt as well as seen being â—ower as well as Form 1. John 1. 2. 2. Temporary Forms The Apostle speaks of these Fâ—rms 1 Cor. 7. 31. The Fashion of this World passeth away St. Paul useth the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
from God Now being brought under the Law thou art near to Him When thou shalt be brought up into the Light of the Gospel thou wilt see thy self in Him 4. Priviledge Peculiar Worship The Covenants the giving of the Law The Service of God pertained to the Israelites Rom. 9. 3. Thou art an Israelite a Kinsman of Christ and all the Saints nay a Brother according to the Flesh if thou hast the Work of the Law upon thy Heart The Covenant nay both Covenants in the Letter in the Outward Dispensation and Administration belong to thee Thou hast a Right to all the Ordinances and to every Instituted Service of God The Promises in the Proposal of them concern thee in the First Place Go then to the Sacraments Pray Read the Word Hearken to the Promises whatever thy Troubles or Terrours be These are appointed for thee to keep to Comfort to carry thee on till Christ be revealed in thee 5. Priviledge The Pledge and Type of Spiritual and Eternal things Rom. 9. 4. The Promises The Fathers Christ according to the Flesh. When thou feelest the Bondage of the Law to lie heaviest upon thee thou hast this to comfort thy self with All the Saints of old in whose Loyns the Life and Heirs of all Grace and Glory lay lived in this State and were subject to the Law even until death Jesus Christ Himself was born of Legal Parents and made under the Law Besides The Law is a Fleshly Image of all the Joys of the Gospel and the Spirit and Heaven The Law holds them forth all not in the Type or Image only but in the Prophecy of them as being certainly to come Moses and the Prophets go together and Moses himself is One of the Chief of the Prophets As Christ according to the Flesh was an Israelite so the Law is the Beauty and Glory of Christ in the Flesh testifying of itself and its own coming in the Spirit Sit down then under thy Fig-tree under the Shadow of the Law with good Nathaniel till thy Vine be grown up There look on Him who seeth thee Behold that Glory which looks forth in the Law as in a Fleshly Image of itself Feed thy self with the Expectations of his Shining out whom this Image prophesies of to thee When he discovers himself thou shalt know that He was in Covenant and Communion with thee even when thou wert under the Fig-tree 6. Priviledge You may have a Precious Seed in you While you are Legal you are in Bondage to many Fears and Terrours You weep for you say you can discover nothing of Christ in you It is true the Seed is not come up yet but it may be Sown You come not Rejoycing and bearing your Sheafs with you yet you may be those who go forth weeping and carrying your Precious Seed with you When Darkness would drive you to Despair then take to your selves the words of St. Paul Gal. 3. 23. Before Faith that is the Revelation of Christ in my Flesh I am kept under the Law under Terrours and Rigours Shut up in Darkness and Fear from all Comforts or Confidence unto the Faith that Appearance of Christ which shall be revealed but now is hid as a Seed only in me Though thou canst not yet with good old Simeon sing over Jesus Christ in thine Arms a Song of Peace and Rest to thy Soul yet thou mayst with Mary have him in thy Womb. This Burthen which thou bearest and goest with so heavily may be the Burthen of the Lord the Immortal Word in thee These Pangs which thou feelest may be not to the Death of thy Soul but the Birth of a Son a Saviour whose coming forth shall make thee to forget all thy Sorrows and Rejoyce because a Son is born unto thee by which Birth thou art no more a Servant but a Son I have now done speaking of the Servile and come to the Son-like State in Religion 2. The Son-like State This is known by a Four-fold Property 1. Love 2. Life 3. Spirituality 4. Resignation 1. Property Love I shall shew this in two places of Scripture 1. Scripture Galat. 4. 6. Because ye are Sons he hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father St. Paul in these words toucheth four Things which will much open this Point and this Particular 1. The Sonship of a Saint 2. The Concealment of this Sonship 3. The Discovery of it 4. The Effect of this Discovery 1. The Sonship of a Saint This is the Union of a Saint in one Spirit with him who is the only begotten Son of the Father Jesus Christ. It is the Fellowship of the Person of a Saint in one Life one Image with the Person of his blessed Saviour The Apostle unites these two our being Sons and our having the Spirit of his Son And that which St. Paul in this place calls The Spirit of His Son he calls the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8. 15. That Spirit which is the Spirit of all the Sons of God 2. The Concealment of this Sonship The coming of the Spirit into our Souls doth not make us Sons but manifests us to be such We are First Sons and then the Spirit of his Son is sent forth into our Spirits So we read plainly Because ye are Sons he hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your Hearts While we live in sin and slavery we are in truth Sons though we be as Princes in disguise Yet ever God retains in himself the Root and Image of our Persons as of Sons So our State of Sonship is twice hid once in the Secret of divine Glory again under the Shadow of our Flesh. 3. The Discovery of this Sonship This is by the sending of the Spirit into our Hearts This Spirit is manifold Ephes. 4. 3. Keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Where the Unity is kept by a Bond there a Multiplicity is clearly signified 1 Cor. 12. 13. We are all baptized by one Spirit into one Body Christ and his Saints are there spoken of All these together are one Body of Divinity and Glory Each particular Saint is a Member of this Glory a Son or Child of this Divinity Each one hath the same Spirit which comprehends all the Persons of our Saviour and his Brethren God in his own time sends down this Spirit upon every one of his Sons When it comes it discovereth in itself thy Saviours Person and thine in one Light Life and Form in one Relation to God as being both Sons The Spirit shining forth in thy Spirit shews itself at once One with God and One with Thee So it becomes both the Witness and the Evidence of thy Relation to God as of a Son to a Father Therefore St. Paul teacheth us Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Sons of God The Spirit is the Brightness of the Godhead which as it descends into our bosoms opens the Godhead to
that if we speak of Wisdom He is Wise if we speak of Strength He hath power if we speak of Glory He is beautiful if we speak of Joy and Delights He is sweet But oh that there were such Hearts in us to set up this God in our Spirits for the supream Wisdom Power Beauty Sweetness I will divide this Exhortation into Three 1. Exhortation Seek the Knowledge of God As our Saviour once spake passionately over the Jews O Hierusalem Hierusalem if thou hadst known the things of thy peace In like passion doth my Spirit breath forth this over you that now read it O Man O Woman If thou knewest the One thing of thy Peace the Knowledge of thy God This is the Chief the only thing the Allthings of thy Peace For when thou knowest him thou knowest Love in truth the Life of Love and this is Eternal Life John 17. 4. This is Eternal Life to know thee Press the knowledge of God upon thy Spirit by these Three Motives 1. Motive The Knowledge of God is the Inlet of all Grace and Comfort Rom. 10. 14. How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard If Faith be the mother and nurse of a Spiritual Life the knowledge of God is the Father and the Food of Faith and of that If Faith be the Fountain that sends forth the Streams of Divine Strengths and Consolations the Knowledge of God is the Sea that supplies this Spring Rom. 10. 17. Faith cometh by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of God The Word of God is the Image of God which is Jesus Christ. This Word represents itself Three ways Eternally Internally Externally 1. Eternally the Word of God represents itself to Glorified Spirits That Knowledge of God which is begotten upon the Spirit by this Representation is call'd Seeing For it is a Representation in a clear Light as before a man as face to face 1 Tim. 3. last Seen of Angels 2. Internally to men on Earth by the Principles of Natural Reason or by Supernatural Principles from the Spirit or from the Written Word 3. Externally by the outward Creatures by the Senses and Objects of Sense These two last ways of Representation are call'd Hearing or Report For they are Representations of God conveyed thorow the darkness of our Natures as a Voice speaking from behind us from behind the wall of our Flesh. When God is pleased thus to give his Word to put forth a Discovery of himself thorow our dark Principles as by the Hearing of the Ear in our Souls then God in all that he appears to be appears to be Love This Sense of God thus imprest upon the Heart unites it to God makes it to believe him trust itself to him repose itself on him rest in him leave its desires and hopes with him that as He lives so this Heart may live as he works and carries on his own Desire so he may work on this Heart and advance the Happiness of it Thâ—s Faith cometh by Hearing Hear then what Nature without you speaks aloud of God that He is good true just full and free Listen to that report which is made of God by all your Senses by all the things of Sense in the several Languages of their Beauty Power Plenty Pleasure Variety Listen to the inbred voice of your own Reason Hear the clear report which that makes of God that there must be One the First and so the Best of all above All in All gathering up all into himself the Beginning and the End of All. Listen to Supernatural Principles If you cannot hear or understand the language of the Spirit yet hearken to the sound of the Written Word which cries in your Ears God gave his Love and Glory to man before he gave a Being to the World When man had made himself Miserable God gave Himself to misery and death for man God all along quite thorow Time to Eternity carries on this work of making himself wonderful in man and Man a wonder of Blessedness in Him He that stops not his Ears against these sweet Reports of such a God a God of Love cannot but be charmed by them A man that hears this will beleive he will at least cast himself on God and say Whither-ever thou goest carry me with thee Where ever thou stayest be thou my Rest. To thee only O my God to thee entirely O my Love do I trust my self This is the first Motive to the knowledge of God 2. Motive The Knowledge of God emproves and exalts the Soul Psal. 90. 14. I saith God will set him up on high because he hath known my name None can tell but they who have tasted what a Divine Height what a Height of Divine Strength and sweetness there is in the Knowledge of God I will set him on high the word in Hebrew signifies I will seat him in a strong Castle situate on a high Rock Such a Castle is the Knowledge of God for Air Prospect and Strength As a man grows in the Knowledge of God he feels himself lifted up into a Divine air in which purity peace pleasure Angels breath he perceives himself walled in with an assured safety and rest which nothing can reach nothing can shake The Knowledge of God opens a man's Eyes to see Fields of Glory and Rivers of pleasure in the midst of which he is every where together with Horses of Fire and Chariots of Fire which continually plant themselves between him and every Enemy 3. Motive The Knowledge of God preserves a man from Evil. Gal. 4. 9. After that ye have Known God or rather are known of him how come ye to turn back to those weak and beggarly Principles to which ye desire to be in bondage These Beggarly Principles are the Principles of this world in which we lye by nature as in a Prison â—n a House of Bondage where Sin binds us Shame covers us Death feeds upon us What shall deliver us from this Prison this Slavery The Knowledge of God will do it and that alone can do it When God puts forth his own Image in us he then owns us and makes us to know and own him Thus we know and are known by this Image of God living in our Spirits As the Serpent of Moses devoured the Serpents of the Magicians So this Image of God in our Spirits swallows up all the Images and Shapes of this inchanting World which are as Serpents tempting and stinging us casting forth the Poyson of Sin and death upon us This Image presents us with Heavenly Forms plants us in itself cloths us with itself so furnisheth us with Treasure and Armour Now having thus known God and the sweet Freedom of his Love how can we desire or bear to be again in bondage to our former Vanities 4. Motive the Discovery of God shews us all that our hearts cau wish to see Psal. 37. 4. You have this Counsel given you Delight thy self in the Lord and he shall give thee
by two Illustrations and one Distinction 1. Illustr Then a thing is truly Right when it answereth to its Idea that is to its First Principle and Pattern in God God himself in the Fulness of his Person is the Principle and Pattern of Man Righteousness is the Image of God in Man Coloss. 3. 10. The New man which is the Righteous man and the Righteousness of man is said to be Created in Knowledge after the Image of Him who hath created Him There is a Twofold Image of God one Earthly the other Heavenly The Earthly Image of God in Man is the Righteousness of Nature The Heavenly Image is the Righteousness of the Spirit or in the Spirit 2. Illustr Then a thing is truly Right when it answereth its End in God God is the End of all things Prov. 16. 4. God made all things for Himself The End of Man is the Possession and Fruition of God as his only Portion of Being Beauty Blessedness Psal. 16. 5. The Lord is my Portion saith my Soul This then is the Righteousness of man his Union and Communion with God to live in Him by Him with Him to Him For this reason is Christ said to be made of God Righteousness and Sanctification to us 1 Cor. 1. 30. Because in the Person of Christ it is that God and Man are made One one Love one Life one Likeness Distinct. There are two sorts of Righteousness 1. Imputed 2. Inherent 1. Righteousness imputed You may read of this Philip. 3. 9. That I may be found in Him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is of God by Jesus Christ. There is a Righteousness of the First and of the Second Adam That of the First Adam is our own the Righteousness of the Law It riseth out of the Earth it is but a Shadow at best the Gilding of an Earthen Vesâ—el a Reflection upon a Brick Wall That of the Second Adam comes down from Heaven is of God is the true Gold the sure substantial everlasting Righteousness As when a Cloud is placed in that part of the Sky on which the Sun shoots forth his Beams the Cloud is over-spread by those Beams and made Glorious in their Glories So are there four Things in this Imputed Righteousness 1. The Person of Christ as the Sky or Heaven 2. The God-head as the Sun shining in this Sky 3. The Cloud poor man drawn up from the Earth into the bosom of his Saviour by his Union with Him 4. The Glory of the God-Head falling upon him encompassing and clothing his whole Person in Jesus Christ. This is that Righteousness which is of God by Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 12. 26. St. Paul teacheth us that if one member be honoured all the members rejoyce together with it When a Crown is set upon the Head of a King it puts a Royalty and Majesty upon his whole Person The Head of Man is Christ the Head of Christ is God The Glory of the God-Head in Christ is the Crown upon the Head of the Heavenly man this puts a Royal Beauty of Holiness the Majesty of that Divine Righteousness upon every mystical member upon each Soul how mean soever that is united to Jesus Christ in one Spirit thorow believing The Beauty of the God-head shining thorow the Humane Nature of Christ thorow his active and passive Obedience thorow his Wounds and so falling upon that Soul which hath cast herself into the Arms of her Saviour this is the Imputed Righteousness of man Take this Caution concerning this Righteousness It is said to be imputed not because it is not truly Ours and in us but because it is not Primarily Ours but by our Union with another Person The Colours in the Rain-bow are said to be Apparent not Real because the Rain-bow is not their Spring though it be their Seat but they are reflected from the Sun shining on the watry Cloud So this Righteousness is said to be imputed to us because it is First seated in Jesus Christ and then reflected from Him on us Yet it is a true Righteousness it is truly immediately on our Persons in our Persons as Jesus Christ is It is therefore said to be imputed because it is not ours Primitively but Consequently because Christ is ours yet not as Absent from us but Present in us possess'd by us 2. Righteousness Inherent 2 Cor. 3. last We all as in a Glass beholding the Glory of the Lord are Translated into the likeness of the same Image from glory to glory as by the Lord the Spirit The Lord Jesus at once enters into a Two-fold Relation to man one of a Sun shining all over him the other of a Root growing up in him We see his Glory in our selves as in a Glass we bring the face of Glory with us We have the Glory in our selves and are our selves the Glass There is the Sun shining which beautifies and justifies a St. We grow up into that Image by the Lord the Spirit of that Glory planting itself in us There is the Root growing which purifies and sanctifies us Our Saviour when he discovers Himself appears at once without us and within us Without us he riseth upon us as a Light of Loveliness Es. 60. 1. Rise out of the Dust and shine for thy Light is come the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Within us He riseth as a Light of Life Galat. 1. 16. When it pleased the Father to reveal his Son within me This is our Righteousness Imputed and Inherent This Righteousness is the Crown Robe Scepter of Royalty in the Kingdom of God 1. The Crown So St. Paul stiles it 2 Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which God the righteous Judge shall give me in that day The Righteousness the Glory of God resting on Man is that Crown which both entitles him to and enstates him in the Kingdom of God As a King ever possesseth his Crown though he wear it only on high days at solemn meetings of the people so a Christian may have this Crown though laid up while he is on Earth But he doth not appear with it openly till that great day the Resurrection when the whole world shall meet 2. The Robe The Righteousness of God and Man is the Imperial Robe which both as Kings are cloth'd with Es. 61. 10 He hath covered me with a Robe of Righteousness as a Bridegroom dâ—cketh himself with Ornaments Behold a Royal and a Bridal Robe It is Righteousness which puts upon the Spirit the beauty of a Bridegroom the Majesty of a King That Soul which shines forth in Righteousness makes itself a King not by Right only but Choice too by Love as well as Law Psal. 45. 4. 5. In thy Majesty ride prosperously because of Truth Meekness and Righteousness c. Thine Arrows stick in the hearts of thine Enemies the people fall under thee This was sung of the Lord Jesus Righteousness cloth'd him
with so sweet a Majesty that he pierc'd the Hearts of His Enemies with Arrows of Love Such a King is every Spirit which is Brother to this Jesus Righteousness sits upon him and shines from him as a Garment of Light Truth and Wisdom it shews as wrought into a Harmony of Courage Justice Temperance it sparkles with Tempers of Goodness Gentleness Meekness Humility These things like Arrows wound the stubbornest Hearts with a Liking and a Love that a man's bitterest Enemies bow to him 3. The Scepter Psal. 45. 6. It is said to our Saviour The Scepter of thy Kingdom is a Righteous Scepter Righteousness is the Scepter of Strength in the Kingdom of Christ by which all things are swayed and governed Psal. 16. 7. If a mans ways please the Lord his Enemies shall be at peace with him Holiness or Righteousness is such a Harmony such a Musick between God and Man as all things hear and obey They that make use of hellish Charms make the Picture of a Person in Wax and as they work the Wax by the Fire so they work upon the Person Goodness hath a Heavenly Charm in it For a Righteous man hath in himself the Heavenly Image of God which is the First and radical Image of all things By this Image he hath a power upon all things Thus Righteousness is the Crown Robe Scepter in the Kingdom of God 1. Use. Learn to hate Sin by the Rule of Contraries For if Righteousness cloath you with the highest Honour Worth Strength of Kings if it crown you with the Glory of God if it carry you up to the Life of God then what doth Sin Sin by the Rule of Contraries puts upon you the Baseness Badness Weakness of Slaves Sin wraps you up in the Shape sows in you the Seeds of Devils Let us then look on Sin in this Five-fold View As it puts on us 1. Weakness 2. Badness 3. Baseness of Slaves 4. Shapes of Devils 5. As it plants in us Seeds of Devils 1. Sin puts upon us the Weakness of Slaves Gen. 49. 3. 4. Reuben thou art my First born the Beginning of my Strength Excellency of power O Man O my Soul consider what thou wert in thy Beginning A Divine Flame shot forth from an Angels Bosom into this lump of Clay not to abide imprisoned in it but to feed upon it as fuel so to return and make its way upward making all things that resist its prey and nourishment What is it that hath thus enfeebled and cool'd thee and chang'd thee from Fire into Water Sin hath done this Now thou lyest spread upon the Earth swayed by every weak Breath or Spirit that blows upon thee unable to contain thy self casting thy self into the Figure and Shape of every Object on which thou touchest Thy Swordâ— hath thus weakned thee Man was the Reuben of God the First-born in the first Creation the Excellency of Dignity and Power the Head of Strength He was the Chieâ— Image of the Divine Nature made to be the Spouse and Queen of the God-Head the Onely One of her Mother The Rest of the Creatures were to be as Concubines only particular inferiour Images of God The Soul foolishly forsakes the Bosom of her God to throw herself into the Embraces of these Concubines so she defileth herself and them so she dishonoureth her King and Husband in both so pours forth her self loosely upon the Ground as spilt Water 2. Sin puts a Badness into men It puts into us a Three-fold Badness of Folly Filth Fury 1. Sin fills us with folly Sin so far befools thee O vain Man as to despise deny Blessedness Beauty Eternity there where they are in God the First the Fountain the Substance of all Beings and to seek them there where they are not in Fleshly shadowy fleeting Trifles This is that Folly the Head-Spring of all Sin which St. Paul complains of Rom. 1. 21. They became vain in their Imaginations their foolish Heart being darkned This was the Folly The Eternal Substance and Fulness was darkned and disappeared in their Spirits which brought forth instead thereof empty Images So St. Paul explains it at the 23. v. Changing the glory of the Incorruptible God into an Image made like to Corruptible Man and Birds c. What degree of Folly is this to refuse to acknowledge or own the true God who is Eternal Life and to make each painted perishing Vanity a God to us while we make it the Object and Spring of our Hopes and Happiness But thus it is most just that they to whom the true God is but as an Idol an empty name to them each Idol each empty Appearance should be their God This is the First Badness in Sin Folly 2. Sin fills a Man with Filth Carnality and Corruption signify both the same thing in Scripture To be Spiritual is to be Holy to be Fleshly Sinful To be Carnally minded that is to be Fleshly-minded is Death but to be Spiritually minded is Life and Peace Rom. 8. 6. Is there any thing more foul than this for a Soul which was made as a Spirit for Spiritual Joys and Glories so to mingle itself with Flesh as to see receive rellish nothing but by Senses of Flesh so to drown itself in Flesh as to be uncapable of conversing with taking conteâ—t in any but Fleshly objects This is the State of a Sinful Soul Thus is she over-spread with Flesh as one great Spot The Interpreters of the Proverbs teach us that the Young Man there is the Soul which is naturally Immortal ever young ever flourishing the Matron the chast Spouse that woes this Young Man Divine Wisdom the Heavenly Image of the Divine Nature The Strumpet this Worldly Image of things O say now when thou Sinnest Alass How do I dishonour and defile my self I who should who might live chastly constantly sweetly with the Eternal Image of Glory my God my Spouse mine own I pour forth my self into the lap of Strangers of Unconstant Whorish Flattering Fading Beauties in Flesh. O Filth O Shame That Spirit that should tread upon the Stars ride upon the Angels rejoyce with God everlastingly that Soul labours and sweats in Dust and Death as a Slave rowls in the Mire of Flesh like a Beast rakes in the unsavory sinks of all various Lusts as an unclean Spirit 3. Sin fills a man with Fury Solomon in his Proverbs tells us of One that throws about Fire-brands and Swords and saith Am I not in jest Prov. 26. 18. 19. This is Solomon's Foâ—l which is a Sinner Can it be that any should make Ruines and Reproaches their Delight nay their Devotion too Jonah said once He did well to be angry even unto Death Can it be that any should cherish a Rage to the Death Destruction of Men Kingdoms and Souls and then think such a Rage Religion such a Fury Zeal and that these things they ought to do Can it be that any should draw Tears and blood from others from
if thou hadst not the peace of God in these these could be no Blessing thy Soul with them would not thrive it would be but as Pharoah's lean Kine that devoured the fat ones and were still as lean All thy notions and Mysteries would be but a tinkling noise an empty sound vanishing without any profit or lasting pleasure But Herbs the lowest administrations the darkest discoveries of Christ together with peace is a Feast of fat things and Wine upon the Lees which though it have not so clear manifestations yet may have as sweet and strong consolations Obj. But now some good Soul may cry out Alass this shuts me quite out of the Kingdom of God by this I have nothing of the Glory of God or of His Grace in me or of his Blessing going along with me for I have no peace My Tears are my Drink Day and Night Ans. Thou art no good Judge in this cause For thou mayst be deceived two ways and this is the Two-fold Answer which thou art to make to thine own Soul 1. The Kingdom and the Peace of God may both be grown up to a good degree in thee though thou discern them not 2. The Kingdom and the Peace of God may be sown though they be not grown up in thy Soul Ans. 1. First the Kingdom and the Peace of God may be grown up to a good degree in thy Soul though thou discern them not Mar. 4. 27. The Kingdom of God is compared to Corn which while a man Sleeps and Rises Night and Day Spring and Grows up he knows not how The Image and Peace of the Lord Jesus may be springing and well sprung up in thy Spirit while thou sleepest in the Darkness of some Temptation and hast no sense at all of this Spring and Growth though it be continual and flourishing within thee This is hard to believe or understand how it should be Yet thus the Lord tells thee that his Kingdom which is Peace puts forth itself in the Ground of thine Heart and prospers and grows a tall plant there while thou hast no sense of it but sleepest though thou knowest not how Our Saviour distinguisheth this growth of the Kingdom of God in the Soul into a Three-fâ—ld State v. 28. The Earth bringeth forth fruit of herself First the blade then the Ear after that the full Corn in the Ear. The Earth is the Lord Jesus in his Earthly or Fleshly Image as he is the Ground out of which we all Spring forth in our First State or Image He in us of Himself sends forth and shoots up his Kingdom naturally in our Souls as Trees set or planted in Him The full Corn in the Ear the Ear the Blade signify a Three-fold Evangelical State of a Saint on Earth in the Body The First is the Royal or Kingly State of which I am now speaking The other Two are distinct degrees of the State of Sonship or Child hood as it is different from the State of a Servant which hath the Kingdom of God only Sown not yet grown up in him 1. First is the full Corn in the Ear. This is the Royal State in which the Mysteries of the Gospel are displaid the Spiritual Person of the Lord Jesus in all his Proportions is form'd and puts forth himself in the Soul with a fulness a fulness of Spiritual Light Peace Strength and joy Yet all this clearness and fulness is under a vail in the Husk still of Flesh. It is the full Corn in the Ear not thresh't out by Death and winnow'd by a Resurrection but still standing in this World Thou mayst have this State in thee and yet not see the Corn for the Husk but mistake and mis-interpret Christ in thee because thou seest the Flesh still and feelest thy self shaken with Winds and beaten with Storms as being still in the open Field of this world 2. The Second State is the Ear. Thou mayst have the Blessing Grace and Glory of the Lord Jesus running up in thy Spirit to a good height with great store of Sap thou mayst be now near to a kind of perfection in Spirituality Yet all this may be in a form of Darkness Emptiness and Confusion Take heed of judging the State in which thou art the power and vertue in thee by the appearance For so doing thou mayst call Light Darkness because it shines in the Dark Be not like a foolish Husbandman that should look upon his Corn in the Field when it were new Eared and should complain that all his hopes were cast away that he had Straw or Grass instead of Wheat because he yet sees not the Corn formed in the Ear. 3. The Third State is the Blade Do not deny the Kingdom of God with the Peace thereof to be come up in thee because thou canst not discern it It may be truly come up in thee but perhaps 't is yet in the Blade in tender weak low appearances hardly shewing itself above the Clâ—ds of the plowed Earth the trouble of thy broken heart hardly distinguish't from weeds the workings of the Flesh in thee Now take this Three-fold Caution 1. Caut. First take heed of over-seeing or undervaluing the full Corn because it still in the Ear or Husk Do not cast away from your self the Praise of Christ and Joy of Spirit which belong to a strong and reigning Christian because you have Strong and raging Temptations as being still in the Flesh. 2. Caut. Secondly Refuse not to acknowledge Jesus Christ in the Ear because you have not yet the full Corn. 3. Caut. Thirdly Deny not Jesus Christ to have appeared in you because he is as yet only in the Blade or tender Herb. Thus I have discours'd upon the First Answer to a Doubting Soul Ans. 2. The Second Answer is this The Kingdom and Peace of God may be sown though they be not grown up in thy Soul You must distinguish between the Devil's Madmen and God's Mourners 1. The Devil's Madmen are such as throw abroad Swords and Fire-brands in the midst of their own Spirits and say Are we not in Jest They toss Vanity up and down in their Souls and Lives they brandish and blaze their Pride Passion and Lusts. These are their Peace and Kingdom their Pleasures and Glories But they have no sense of the Peace of God and his Kingdom They understand not how they drive these far from their Souls and kindle the Fire of Hell-torments in their Hearts while they roul themselves in carnal security and Fleshly Pleasures Against these this use is directed and the Terrours of God are discovered 2. But Secondly there are God's Mourners holy Souls which can take no Joy in any Worldly thing because they have no sense of the Peace of God in their Spirits These good Hearts are cloth'd with a Garment of Heaviness but that Garment is as a vail only upon the Beauty of Jesus Christ which is of a Truth in their Hearts though as yet it be hid from
her upon itself as upon a Bed of Rest. By this time we see what the Holy Ghost means by the Heart and the Bed Let us now return to that place of that Psalmist for the opening of which we have brought in all these Scriptures Psal. 4. 4. Commune with your own Heart upon your Bed and be still that is discourse not with your Spirit as it lives in this Body upon these Outward Appearances For so it is one with the Strange Woman it is a Strange Heart it is a Fountain that makes itself common and defiles itself it is not your own Fountain alone your own Heart but a wandring false lying Heart Retire your self into your Chamber in which the Candle of the Lord shines that is into your Spirit as it hath the Spirit of God for the Spring of Natural Light and Life in it Here wait quietly and silently for the openings of the Spirit of God in the secret Voice of Nature within you But stay not here Silence this Spirit too draw your self yet more inward into the Spirit of the Lord Jesus as He is the Inward Man within the more inward than the secretest Retirements of the Natural Spirit Here cast thy self upon thy Bed in thy Heart and commune with thy Heart upon thy Bed This is thy Bed and thy Heart both in one Here lay thy self at Rest upon this Spirit which is the Comforter advise with this Spirit which is the only Counsellor the Spirit of Truth So be thou still let thine own Spirit the Spirit of this World and Nature in thee be silent He that thus hearkens in Silence what the Lord will say shall certainly hear him speak Peace to his Saints The Spirit of God in thy Natural Man may speak of Wrath to thee and God will confirm that voice of Wrath in the Spirit of thy Natural Man And so here thou canst find no Bed to comfort thee But go a little beyond thy Natural Man and thou shalt meet with the Spirit of God as it is in its own Freedom and Fulness in the Lord Jesus Here is a Bed ready prepared for thee Now silence thine own Spirit for ever and hear no more what the Spirit in thine own Spirit speaks but what this Spirit speaks as it is here in Jesus Christ and this Spirit will certainly make thee to hear the voice of Joy and Gladness Thus the Lord giveth his Beloved Rest not in themselves but in Himself I have now finished the First Part of Spiritual Peace which is Silence the Silencing of a Three-fold Spirit the Spirit of Wrath from God the Spirit of the Devil the Spirit of Man 2. Part Satisfaction The Second Part of Spiritual Peace is Satisfaction This consists in Two Things 1. A Sweet League with all things 2. A Satisfactory Rest in this League 1. A Sweet League with all things There can be no Satisfaction where there is any thing wanting and not made up or any thing Crooked and not made straight as Solomon speaks Eccl. 1. 15. There is no Satisfaction where there is Division or Contention Jobs Friends promiseth this Satisfaction to Job Job 5. 23. Thou shalt be in League with the Stones of the Field and the Beasts of the Field shall be at Peace with thee v. 24. And thou shalt know that thy Tabernacle shall be in Peace Behold a League wiâ—h all things below thee Beasts and Stones Principles and Appearances of Life descending are the Beasts The Stones are the Principles and Appearances of Darkness descended to the lowest the Dead Images of things Behold a League here with all things above thee thy Tabernacle shall be in Peace The Powers above thee are thy Tabernacle The Angels are thy Tabernacle God is thy Tabernacle Thou shalt dwell peaceably in these These shall be in Peace not in stormy or fiery Appearances upon thee Behold a League with all Times with Eternity Thou shalt know that thy Tabernacle shall be in Peace Thou shalt not fear what is to come because all Times to come shall be in Covenant with thee Whatever Times come to others still thy Tabernacle thy Angel thy God shall be peace upon thee and this thou shalt know before hand This is that League with all things which Jobs Friend promiseth to him without which there can be no Satisfaction or Peace Quest. But you will perhaps ask me how this League is made Ans. I answer that it is made by living in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This Spirit in you is this League or Covenant For the Spirit is the Unity and hath the Band of Peace in itself Ephes. 4. 3. The Lord who is the Spirit is call'd the God of the Spirits of all Flesh Num. 16. 12. and 27. 16. This place agrees with that Luk. 20. 38. God is the God of the Living not of the Dead for all things live to Him As our Saviour said that Little Children had their Angels which beheld the Face of God in Heaven So it is most true that each Fleshly Appearance hath its Spirit in which it lives with and to God Every Beast or Stone hath its Angel in which it is comprehended after a living manner and by which it is governed Every Angel hath its Spirit in Jesus Christ in which itself is again comprehended after a Divine manner and by which it is entirely managed Thus the Spirits of all things are in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The Spirit of every Creature which is the Scepter that sways it the Lawâ—giver to it is in the haâ—d of the Spirit of Christ and goes forth from between his Feet If then thou wouldst be in League with all things and at Peace with them be thou One Spirit with Jesus Christ so all Things and Times shall be One Spirit with thee and this Unity of Spirit is the Bond of Peace To be Spiritually-minded is Life and Peace Rom. 8. 6. If thou wouldst live comfortably take hâ—â—d of dwâ—lling in the Fleshly Tabernacle in the Fleshly Savour and rellish of things Let thy understanding and Soul abide in the Spirit of God So thou shalt converse always every where with lively and lovely Objects All things round about thee within thee without thee shall have Life and a Harmony a Tuneableness with themselves and with thy Spirit a Peace-fulness in their Life All things shall have an Angelical Life and Sweetness to thee as they have to the Elect Angels All things shall have a Divine Life and Sweetness to thee as they have to God This is the First thing in which Satisfaction consists a Sweet League with all things 2. A Satisfactory Rest in this League This is the Second Thing in which the Satisfaction of Spiritual Peace confists Es. 14. 3. And it shall come to pass in that day the Lord shall give thee Rest from thy Sorrow and from thy Fear and from thy hard Bondage wherein thou wast made to serve Poor Soul while thou livest in the Darkness of Fleshly things
what all this means by another a plainer Parable John 12. 24. If the Corn dye not it abides alone But if it dye it brings forth much fruit The â—lâ—shly Appearances of Christ are the Talents un-multiplyed the Corn abiding alone While they so continue they are solitary melancholy bearing little fruit of Glory to God or Joy to the Soul But then the Soul casts these Talents into the Bank then she sows this Corn when she resigns them to God when she crucifies them and dies to them by the power of the Death of the Lord Jesus in her Now the Soul hath them within her rising again in the Spirit after a Spiritual manner Now she receives them again with an increase of Holiness Peace and Joy Now the Lord Jesus saith to the Soul Well done good and faithful Servant thou hast been faithful in a few things in poor low and dark manifâ—sâ—ations Thou hast submitted them to my will and yielded them up to the power of my Death I therefore will make thee ruler over many Thou shalt no more be subject to low and single Appearances Thou shalt reign in the power plenty and variety of more Glorious Manifestaâ—ions Enter thou into these high and Spiritual Discoveries of God in which thy Lord and Saviour now enjoys Himself So the Kingdom and Ioy of the Lord shall be thy Kingdom and Ioy. Application Use. 1. Examination There is nothing of more concernment to us than to distinguish and discern aright our Joys Sensual and carnal Joys are apt to make us sensual and fleshly ignorant and brutish as the Beasts Delusive Joys make our Souls as Devils in the form of Angels of Light Spiritual Joys when they are truly such make us most like to God The Delights of Nature and sense are indifferent things lawful if they be lawfully used They are therefore to be taken with much moderation and caution as the Wine that St. Paul speaks of to Timothy Drink not alwaies Water but drink a little Wine for thy healths sake Delusions and false Raptures of Spirit are a sweet Poyson which are taken in greedily and kill so much the more speedily The Soul is naked open free simple in her joys she mingles herself inwardly and deeply with the Spirit of her joys As Herod offered to the half of his Kingdom to Herâ—dias when she pleased him with dancing before him It is then a thing of great moment to understand the nature of our Joys that we may know when to admit and to reject them How and to what height to cherish or check them I will propound Four Tryals of our Joy 1. Tryal The First Tryal is this Spiritual Joys ever spring from a Spiritual sense of the Love of God towards us Rom. 5. St. Paul speaks of his Joy v. 5. Rejoycing in the hope of the Glory of God He goes on discoursing of the growth strength effects of this Joy Then v. 5. He shews you the Ground of his Joy The Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost that he hath given us Spiritual Joys can give an account and a reason of themselves There are Three things which go to make up the Reason of Spiritual Joy when it is Right 1. The Love of God not any Loveliness of our own or the Sweetness of any Creature 2. The Discovery of this Love in an open manifest way with a Fulness and Clearness like a Liquor that is poured forth and spread abroad 3. The Holy Ghost making this Discovery and evidencing it by his own presence and power in the Soul This is the Reason which Spiritual Rejoycings and Gloryings give of themselves The Love of God shed abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Ghost which he hath given us Are your Joys ignorant sudden and violent such as spring from no appearing cause and can give no account of themselves Whence do your Joys arise from a Sense of the Love of God or from a Reflection upon your Selves upon any thing of or in the Creature Whence have you your Sense of the Love of God Is it wrought upon you by Fancy by the strength and frequency of Imagination or by the Persuasions of your own Souls or by the Reasonings of your own Hearts consulting with themselves and with the Letter of the Scriptures without the Holy Ghost by any of the Words or ways of mans Wisdom or Power without you or within you If your Joys be such as these you have reason to suspect and fear them least they be from the Father of Lies and not from the Father of Lights from the Fountain of bitterness and enmity not of sweetnes and Love 2. Tryal The Second Tryal of your Joy is the Effect of it Spiritual Joys increase Spiritual Strength in the Soul as they increase themselves Nehem. 8. 10. Go your ways saith Nehemiah to the People Eat the Fat and Drink the Sweet and send portions to them for whom nothing is prepared For this day is holy to the Lord. Be ye not sorry for the Ioy of the Lord is your Strength Thus the Lord Iesus speaks to the Soul in the Ministry of the Gospel Go your ways Feed upon the Fat of my Glory Drink the Sweet of my Love Sond forth Portious and Manifestations of this Glory and Love to them who have nothing of it yet prepared and set forth in their own Spirits This day is holy to me in it you are to live altogether to me and in the Light of my Appearances Then let not your Hearts be heavy nor your countenances sad For my Ioy shall not weaken or betray you My Ioy shall be a Presâ—rvative against Corruptions a Strength against Temptation the Power of a new life carrying you up on high into further Communion with God and Conformity to him There is a Threefold Joy that takes to itself often the name of being Spiritual 1. A Joy flowing from our natural temper and Complexion from sparklings of Blood or Flashings of melancholy is many times mistaken for a Spiritual Joy But this Joy dissolves it makes the Soul airy light and loose it exposeth the Soul to Vanity and Sin 2. A Iâ—y brought forth by an Evil Spirit of Delusion carries the Appearance of a Spiritual Joy This swells the Soul makes it vain-glorious confident secure in itself In this State the Soul easily falis into Temptation â—asily falls in the Temptation 3. Spiritual Joy truly so called This Knits the Union between Christ and the Soul more close and strong It gathers up the Soul more fully into the Spirit of the Lord Jesus St. John saith He that dwells in Love dwells in God It is as true He that dwells in Spiritual Joys dwells of a Truth in the Lord Jesus Vanity Lust Passion Pride come to the Soul in other Joys and find her fittest for them But when they come to the Soul in her Spiritual Joy so far as she is in that Joy they find nothing in her nothing to comply with
Sing This is Spiritual Musick the working of Spiritual Joy to Shout and to Sing We read of a Two-fold Song which Spiritual Persons sing Revel 15. 3. They Sing the Song of Moses and of the Lamb. The Song of Moses is the Law the Song of the Lamb the Gospel When the Children of Israel had passed thorow the Red Sea and saw their Enemies lie dead on the Shore then they Sung the Song of Moses who drew them out of those Waters according to the Signification of his Name When the Soul hath escaped out of the Sea of Blood mingled with Fire which is the Dissolution of her Natural Principles in Troubles and Terrours by the Baptism of the Spirit when shee sees her Spiritual Enemies slain on the Dry Land of Christ Spiritual Appearance then she Sings the Song of the Lamb who was dead but is alive and lives for ever the Song of Peace Singing naturally with the outward voice is the highest and fullest Activity of the Natural Spirits So Singing Spiritually and with the Inward Man is the highest Activity of the Spirit in our Spiritual Part. This Spiritual Musick or Singing which is the working of the Wine of Spiritual Joy in the Soul consists of Three Things 1. The Heightning of the Soul towards God 2. The Tuning of the Soul to God 3. The Exercise or Entertainment of the Soul upon God and with God 1. The Heightning of the Soul towards God This is one Piece of that Activity of Spiritual Ioy which is the true Musick of the Soul In that place cited before Psal. 65. 13. Singing and Shouting are put together 1 Thessal 4. 16. The Lord Jesus is said to descend from Heaven with a Shout This Shout is the Awakening and the Elevation of the Soul or Body towards the highest State of things by the Powerful breakings forth of the Glory of God upon them Psalm Psal. 57. 7. David had said I will Sing and give Praise Then he calls upon himself v. 8. Awake up my Glory awake my Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake right early Some say Davids Glory was his Tongue but then sure it was such a Tongue of Fire as sat upon the Heads of the Apostles a Tongue of Spiritual Manifestations and Heavenly Glory like a Flame enlightning and heating both at once Man is the Glory of God saith St. Paul 1 Corin. 11. 7. The Spiritual Man is the true and Spiritual Glory of God The Natural Man is but a Shadowy Glory David calls upon his Glory to awake as distinct from himself and then he saith I shall awake like that of St. Paul Galat. 2. 20. I live not but Christ in me there is the Glory awakening itself and the Life that I live is by the Faith of the Son of God there is himself awakened in that Glory Then the Soul sings when the Life of Jesus Christ which is her Glory awakens itself in her and awakens her together with itself into the Light of God to a Contemplation of and fixing upon his Beauties Now the Soul is above her ordinary Pitch as Waking is above Sleeping Now she sits above herself upon the top of her Spiritual Principles as a Bird upon the Top-branch of a Tree Singing in the Sun-shine the highest Light of Divine Discoveries This is the First thing in this Activity or Spiritual Musick 2. The Timing of the Soul to God In that fore-mentioned Psal. 57. 7. David speaks of awakening three distinct Lives His Glory His Psaltery and Harp Himself The Glory is Jesus Christ in the Soul Self is the Soul The Psaltery and Harp those Heavenly Principles and Powers which as Ministring Spirits go forth from Jesus Christ into the Soul suiting fitting and tuning the Soul to her Saviour Revel 15. 2. St. Iohn saw the Saints that had gotten the victory over the Beast stand upon a Sea of Glass mingled with Fire and the Harps of God in their hands Then in the next verse they Sing The Sea is this Creation especially the Invisible the Angelical Part of it In this State it is a dark troubled foaming Sea But in the Kingdom of Christ it shall be a Sea of Glass a Chrystalline Sea clear calm fresh taking in and holding forth the Lord Jesus the Image and Face of God as a Glass as a pleasant Stream The Fire with which it shall be mingled shall be the Spirit of God and of Glory resting upon the Creature The Saints standing upon this Sea shall have the Harps of God in their hands Angels are the Trumpets of God This State of the Saints which is here described is their Angelical State when they shall be like the Angels These Harps of God then are Angelical Tempers and Principles which Jesus Christ brings forth and puts into the Soul as Harps into their Hands by which they are tuned and fitted made ready for Him to sing to Him Thus the Soul is tuned to God being put into a Spiritual and Heavenly Temper like an Angel beholding the Face of God and in a readiness to Sing forth to Sing aloud his Glory Coloss. 3. 16. St. Paul speaks of Spiritual Songs which they were to Sing with Grace in their Hearts This is that which David calls his Harp This is the Harp of God in the hands of the Saints the Grace of God in their Hearts This is the Tuning of the Soul to Christ the Receiving of Grace for Grace from Christ the winding up of Grace in the Heart to a pitch of Conformity and Communion with Jesus Christ like the Tuning of two voices or Instruments one to another that so Christ and the Soul may make Musick each to other and have their Joy fulfilled in one another So much for the Second Thing 3. The Exercise and Entertainment of the Soul upon God and with God This is the Third thing in the Souls Singing for Ioy. David saith in one place I will Sing of thy Righteousness and in another I will Sing of thy Power The Spiritual Joy and Musick of a Saint is to fly abroad among the Excellencies of the Divine Nature to enlarge and act his Spirit to the Height upon the Beauties and Brightnesses in the Face of God the Uprightness Truth Perfection in the Heart of God the Freedom Fulness Fruitfulness Infiniteness in the Spirit and Life of God David hath often expressions to this purpose I will Sing to thee I will Sing to the Lord. So St. Paul speaks Making melody to God The Holy Soul Sings of God to God Spiritual Joy is the Free letting forth of the Spirit with God concerning God It is often the Work and Delight of a Holy Soul to open her mouth wide to take in to the utmost the contemplation of God the communications of his Greatness Fulness Sweetness Glory and then when she is fullest to pour forth herself again into the Ear and Bosom of her God You may see this in the Psalmist Psalm 45. 1. My Heart is enditing a good matter I
we are out of the Body St. Paul speaks to the Colossians as being Risen with Jesus Christ Col. 3. 1. If ye then be Risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the Right Hand of God 2. Answ. We may in this Life attain to a State of Royalty and Joy Comparatively We may come to that Degree of Liberty Power Peace and Pleasure in Holiness which may be a Resurrection into the Kingdom of God and Heaven compared with lower Degrees of Grace thorow which we pass St. Paul speaks to the Galatians But now after that ye have known God or rather are known of God how turn ye again to the weak and beggerly Elements whereunto ye desire again to be in Bondage Galat. 4. 9. Here you have described a Two fold State of Grace on Earth The First is in these words After that ye have known God or rather are known of God This knowledge of God is in the Spirit and Truth There the Apostle expresseth it rather by a being known of God or as some interpret it a being made to know by God The sense is the same which is this The coming in of God after a Spiritual manner and making himself in the Spirit One with our Spirits so that God in the Power of his Spirit is the Principle by which we know and God in the Appearance of his Spirit is the Object which we know Now we know God not an Earthly Figure only of God Now we are known of God For we are taken up into the Light and Spirit of God Now we are made to know by God For it is God who both knows and is known in us It is the Light and Spirit of God in and by which we know The Second State described is in these words How turn ye again to weak and beggerly Elements The Principles of this Creation are these Elements which are weak because they cannot hold forth God to us but in a very uncertain way full of Fear and Doubt They are Beggerly because they can convey to us very little of the Riches Fulness Greatness Grace Glory of God When we first come to the knowledge of God for the most part we know him after this manner by the Rudiments of the Flesh the Elements of this World And so long we are in Bondage carried on by Fear and Hope in a Servile way seeing very little Glory enjoying very little Freedom in our Religion You that are in this Condition whose Fears are your Food whose Tears are your Drink by Day and Night Up and be travelling forward thorow this Shadowy Vale you may come to such a State of Holiness even here in this Life as will be a Heaven compared with this Wilderness in which now you wander When you shall attain to a Spiritual understanding of Things you will think your selves come forth from a Prison-bonse in which before like Samson you were made to Grind with your Eyes out into a Palace where you sit and reign like Kings in a Divine Light Liberty and Joy Thus we may while we live here attain to a State of Royalty Comparatively in respect to the former State of our Spirits in an Inferiour Degree of Holiness 3. Answ. We may enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth in the First-fruits of it Rom. 8. 23. St. Paul saith in the name of those Saints that were as he was Not only they that is the Creature but we also who have the First-fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan in our selves waiting for the Adoption that is the Redemption of our Bodies The First-fruits of the Spirit is the Kingdom of God in the First-fruits For the Kingdom of God is in the Holy Ghost And where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty These First-fruits are not from that Life which the Soul hath in the Body For in that Life the groans for the Adoption But they are from that Life which she hath above the Body in her Spirit of which she hath some Glympses Reflections and Fore-tasts as she is in the Body And these are her First-fruits The Body is as yet Un-redeemed from a Double Darkness that of the Flesh and that of the Devil The Soul as she lives in the Body hath her Communion with God in the Elements of one in the Enmity of the Other as kept under by a hard Master and opposed by a cruel Enemy both at once 4. Answ. We may on Earth enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and the Joy of our Lord by Faith 2. Corin. 5. 6 7. We are alwaies Confident knowing that while we are at home in the Body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk not by Sight but by Faith St. Paul plainly signifies that our Presence in the Body necessarily imports and carries along with it an Absence from the Lord Jesus But this is in respect to the Presence of Vision and Sight not of Faith While we are in the Body we may have that Presence of the Lord by Faith which we shall have by Sight when we are out of the Body This Body is an Image which bears a Representation of the Divine Body or Image of Things in the Spirit but together with a Darkness hiding that Divine Image which is Christ and a Contrariety opposing it The Lord Jesus by his Spirit shews forth himself in this Bodily Life to us so that we see him in the Fleshly Image as in a Glass under a Fleshly Vail as in the Dark thorow the Contrariety of the Fleshly Appearance as in a Riddle Yet we see Him we enjoy his true Appearance in the midst of all these Difficulties And while we see him we see all these Difficulties reconciled and subdued in Him we our selves live in Him Thus we enter into the Kingdom and Joy of Heaven by Faith even while we are in the Fleshly Body to Sight When we dye then the Fleshly Body and Image is swallowed up in Eteranl Darkness Our Souls then come Home to Jesus Christ they enjoy the Heavenly Appearance of Things in its own Likeness Face to Face by Sight no more by Faith no more in a Glass or in a Riddle because the Fleshly Body is taken away but yet in the Dark still not with a Perfect Clearness or Fulness though with a Nearness and Likeness until the Body be re-assumed out of that Darkness as a Divine Body Then as in Christ so in us the Fulness of the God-Head shall dwell Bodily in its own Body which is our Body risen again out of Flesh and Nature into the Spirit Till then we have the Fulness of the God-Head dwelling in us in a Contrary Body before Death We have have it dwelling in us without a Body like an Appearance or Apparition like a Soul without a Body in Death I will attempt to make the Answer to this Question more plain and perfect by a Two fold Distinction 1. Distinct. The Spiritual Man hath a Three-fold State 1.
to the capacity of this so is the capacity of the Will and Affections of the whole Soul of Man The Love of Christ is too strong too great for them all All the Powers of Man are here overcome They cannot take it in Let ' them then cast themselves into this depth of Sweetness and say Because we cannot take thee into us do thou take us into thee 2. Spring Beauty This is the second ground of Joy in the Person of God Hâ—s Beauty David speaks of this Psa. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the Beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple Three things are remarkable in these words concerning the Beauty of the Divine Nature 1. David was a King a King in the East where the Pomp and Glory of Courts excelled that of these Western parts of the world as much as Courts here ouâ—shâ—ne the Countrey Yet David could have for ever left his Court for the Temple and the Glories of that for a sight of those Beauties which are in the face of God 2. David was a Husband and a Father he was sweet enough in both Relations an Affectionate Husband a Tender Father Yet David could have been content never to have seen Wife or Children more so he might have seen continually the Beauty of God 3. The Soul of man hath a Seminal Infiniteness by which her desires grow endlesly She therefore is delighted most with those things which least bound her which still draw forth fresh desires by opening fresh delights The Spirit of Man loves that best which makes the utmost Satisfaction an Engagement upon a farther pursuit Such is the Beauty of God David prays that he may be in the Temple to behold it and to be searching still The Loveliness of the God-Head actuates that Seminal Infiniteneâ—s in the Soul giving her the sweetest rest by suffering her never to rest from fresh Enquiries in her fullest Discoveries There are Two things in the Beauty of God which will make thee glad at all times if thou turn thine Eye towards them 1. The Beauty of God drowns all other Beauties Luk. 5. 39. Our Saviour tells us No man having drunk old Wine straightway desireth new for he saith the old is better If thou once drink the old Wine of Eternal Beauties in the face of Jesus Christ thou canst not miss or desire the new Wine of any Creature Loveliness while the relish of that Beauty is upon thy Spirit For thou wilt say The Loveliness of my Saviour is far lovelier and all other Loveliness is not lovely compared with this which so much excels it 2. The Beauty of God draws all other Beauties into itself Elibu saith Ioâ— 34. 14 15. If he set his heart upon man if he gather unto himself his Spirit and his Breath All Flesh shall perish together and man shall turn again to dust All Creatures are moulded out of Darkness as out of Dust. The Beauty of each Creature is a Spirit or Blast from God shining upon this darkness which makes thee different Flesh of all kinds As the Sun-beams put out the fire by drawing up the finer fiery parts into themselves So God sets his face on man draws in the Spirit of Loveliness to that face of Loveliness in himself Then the fleshly form fades and the Dust remains alone Keep thine Eye upon this Loveliness in the Person of thy Saviour So thou shalt never mourn for the loss of any lovely thing which was as the Light of thine Eyes to thee For thou shalt meet with every lovely thing with every relish of Beauty in this Beauty as a man meets with the taste of the Sugar in the Wine into which it was melted and dissolv'd 3. Spring Power No man can ever want Matter of Rejoycing in any Case that understands and considers the Power of God Our Saviour said to the Sâ—â—dduces that denied the Resurrection Ye err not knowing the Scriptures and the Power of God If you err and exceed in Grief at any time it is because ye know not the Power of God For if ye did ye would see there the Resurrection and Immortality of all your Desires Hopes and Joys When our Saviour was entring into the blackest Cloud of sufferings that ever came upon any Creature He comforted himself in the Power of God Mark 14. 36. Abba Father all things are possible to thee With this he comforts his Disciples in that great matter of their Salvation Matth. 19. 26. With men this is Impossible but with God all things are Possible The Power of God can do Three Things 1. It can change One contrary into Another and make them to Embrace each other 2. It can call back time that is past 3. It can give a Being to Things that have been and have ceased to be any more 1. The Power of God can change One contrary into Another and make them both to Embrace each other Psal. 139. 11 12. If I say the Darkness shall cover me even the Night shall be light about me When thy Soul saith the Darkness of this Affliction will over-whelm me and quite swallow me up then can the Power of God make that Night of Affliction to be a Light of Comfort and Joy round about thee Yea the Darkness hideth not from thee saith David to God but the Night shineth as the Day No Darkness no Mid-night of Sorrow can hide or lock up itself or a Soul from the Power and Glory of God These will dwell together with the deepest darkness and the blackest night These can make themselves One with them and so make them to shine equal with the cheerfullest day of Prosperity The Power of God can pierce into the thickest Cloud of Grief It can bring in thither all the Love Excellency Delight of the God-Head It can make the Darkness of Grief a bright Light to discover all these and lay them open to the view of your Spirits David goeth on The Darkness and the Light are both alike to thee O Wonderful Union of Contraries O Unsearchable Power O Powerful Matter of universal Joy God is the onely Truth and the Measure of Truth Darkness and Light are both alike to him who is the first and last As Light holds forth Darkness and makes Manifest all Excellencies in itself So Darkness holds forth Light and is a manifestation of all Glories an Image of all Images of Beauty and Pleasure before God Light hath its own proper Appearance and is seen by God in its own distinct Shape as it is in itself Yet in the seeing of it all Things are seen So doth Darkness appear before God in its darkest and rightest Form and all Lights of Comforts Holiness Truth appear together with it in the same Appearance Blessed are they that abide in God or are like to God For no Darkness hideth any Joy from them
attaining to a state of Spiritual Joy 3. Mistake That Spiritual Grief and Joy are inconsistent and cannot stand together You shall perceive this as a Principle laid down in the hearts of many Christians by the Reply which they will make when they are pressed to Joy as a Grace and to continual Delight as a Duty Woe is me saith one how can I have any Joy who have so many corruptions and sins to mourn for continually Alas saith another should I rejoyce or take any delight who am still called to mourning and heaviness by private Afflictions or publick Calamities I answer all these that they err not understanding aright the Scriptures and the Power of the Spirit of God in the Soul They erre in supposing that Joy and Grief in the Spirit do hinder and not help forward one another I will endeavour the Removal of this Mistake by Two General Rules and then by Particular Application of these Rules The Two General Rules are these 1. Rule Take heed of separating those things which God hath ioyned 2. Rule Take not any mourning to be holy which hath not a holy mirth mingled with it 1 Rule Take heed of separating those things which God hath joyned Solomon saith That God hath set One thing over against another We may read it God hath set One thing By another or For another God often sets several things One By another to compleat each other and we set them One Against another to fight and destroy God is One Gal. 3. 20. But the name of the Devil is Lâ—gion For he is many God by Beholding all things in One Light by Possessing all things in One Life by Enjoying all things in One Love is One and Blessed for ever The Devil by Dividing becomes a Destroyer the Principle and Seat of Destruction Jesus Christ is the Mediator He makes things distant to meet in him He gathers up all things into One Ephes. 1. 10. Jesus Christ by Reconciling divers Appearances of God divers Administrations in Man makes his Church to be of many Members One Body and of all things makes One Beauty We by setting One Appearance or State of the same thing One Administration or Gift to sight with another make the Church a Babel and the Common-wealth a Field of Blood The Spirit is a Band of Unity Eph. 4. 3. Unity is in the Spirit Division is in the Flesh. The Spirit by binding up various Operations of the same Grace various Illuminations of the same Truth in One Band of Unity makes us Spiritual in Judging and Living We first breaking off the Parcels of Truth and Properties of Grace then oppose them So we become carnal apt to miscarriages in our selves and contentions with others Take heed then of separating those things which God hath joyned He is a growing Saint a God-like man among men who hath a Spirit Reconciling and Uniting Persons Things Duties Graces Factions Affections Parties Properties This is the First Rule 2. Rule Take not any mourning to be holy or spiritual which hath not a holy mirth mingled with it Be angry and sin not saith the Apostle Let not the Sun go down upon your wrath Eph. 4. 26. So saith the spiritual man I will mourn and not sin The Sun shall not go down upon my Griefs The Sun of a Saint the Sun of the Soul 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ who hath the Light of Life The shining of his Face upon the Soul makes it cheerful fills it with beams of Joy glads it more than store of Corn and Wine can glad any carnal heart Spiritual Joy is the Sun-shine of Christ's face in the soul. The Bridegroom shall be taken from them and then they shall fast and mourn in those daies saith Christ of his Disciples Luk. 5. 35. Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom of the Soul as the Sun is of the Earth His Presence and Appearance in the Soul is the Joy of it Every thing is sinful in us which casts down the Light of our Saviour's countenance in our Spirits 'T is Sin to grieve the Spirit of Christ that is to straiten it and hinder it from rejoycing and putting forth its Joys in us If the Passion of Grief or Anger gather to a Thick Cloud so as to Darken the bright Face of the Lord Jesus in us it becomes a Corruption and Transgression We are commanded to Rejoyce evermore 1 Thes. 5. 16. Rejoyce in the Lord always Phil. 4. 4. Our Spirits are to be playing and sporting themselves uncessantly in the Light of our Saviours Presence It is from the Devil and the Flesh whatever interrupts this Joy these Sportings The Rain-bow was the Covenant of God in the Cloud that the Waters should no more cover the Earth Genes 9. 6 15. The Rain-bow is ever set in a Black Watery Cloud But it is begotten by the Reflection of the Sun-beams upon that Cloud mixing their chearful Beauties with its Melancholy Blackness Grief is then alone a Grace in thy soul when the Sun shines upon the watery Cloud When the Glory of Christ mingles its sweet Beams with thy Grief and makes a Spiritual Rain-bow in thy Soul Then is there the Covenant of God in the Cloud of thy Grief This Over-spreading of a Spiritual chearfulness upon thy Sorrows is a Sign from Heaven that the waters of Sin Despair and Wrath shall never quite cover the Image of God in thee I now come to the Particular Applications of these General Rules I will do this under Two Heads 1. Spiritual Mourning 2. The mixture of Mirth with it 1. Head Spiritual Mourning I will here set before you the Nature of a Holy Grief in these Four Particulars 1. The Matter 2. The Manner 3. The Measure 4. The Mystery 1. The Matter of Spiritual Mourning is Evil in all the Kinds and Degrees of it Eccles. 3. 3 4. Solomon couples Two Verses fitly together A Time to Kill and a Time to Heal a Time to break down and a Time to build up A Time to Weep and a Time to Laugh a Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance These Times answer one another The Killing Time is the Weeping Time the Healing Time is the Laughing Time The Time of Breaking is the Time for Mourning and the time of Building is the time for Dancing Man is Gods Cymbal or Harp Our Affections and Passions are the Strings upon it It makes good Musick when it keeps Time with the Administration of God When the Lord brings forth Good Things for us then he toucheth our Sweet Affections and awakens them When he brings any Evil upon us then he strikes upon our sharp and sad Passions to make them sound There are Two Sorts of Evil The Evil of Sin and of Misery Moses expresseth both these Evils by a Contrariety Levit. 26. 23. 24. If ye will walk contrary unto me I also will walk contrary unto you The Evil of Sin is the Contrariety of Man to God The Evil of Misery is the Contrariety of God to Man Sin is
Mourning at the highest then say my Soul there is yet a Sight of God higher than this into which if thou couldst raise thy self thou shouldst find all their Love and Delight It is a Rule among Divines that there is no Supream Evil. Evil hath its Root in the Subordinate Manifestations of God in his Clothings and Disguises Travel on to the Naked Person to the open Face of God and thou Travellest beyond all the Fountains and Heads of Grief or Evil. 2. Rule Understand well that the Object of all Sorrow is the State of Things in flesh not in the Spirit The Law is the Ministry of Death and Condemnation 2 Cor. 3. 7. Sin comes in by Occasion of the Law Rom. 7. 8. The Law is the Occasion of Sin and the ministry of Death by reason of the Flesh Rom. 8. 3. What the Law could not do that is to make us Holy or Happy thorow the weakness of the Flesh. The weakness of the Flesh is the Ground on which all wickedness and woe is wrought The Flesh is the Shadow the Vail Hebr. 10. 20. Whatever evil is the Object of thy Grief so grieve as knowing it to be in the Shadowy part in the Out-side of Things only 'T is but a Leprosie in the Skin Job calls the Fleshly State of Things in themselves and not in the Spirit but Skin Job 19. 26. So doth the Devil in the Proverb Skin for Skin The Inside the Substance the Spiritual and Life-part of those Things over which thou so sadly breakest thy heart is Peace The Altar for Sacrifices was without the vail all thy Evils are without the vail let thy griefs then abid without the vail like the Servants of Abraham at the Foot of the Mount But let thy Spirit enter within the vail and let Isaac only go thither with thee the Child of Mirth and Laughter The Sea and Storms are without the Vail only in the Shadow The Anchor and the Rock Rest is within the Vail in the Spirit and Truth of Things 3. Rule Grieve so as having thy Head still above the Clouds of Grief in a clear Light of Peace and Joy Thy Head is Christ thy Head is thy Heavenly Principle thy Life hid with Christ in God Colos. 3. 3. This is your Head hiding itself in a Divine Light and Glory above all Storms and Changes Divide your self then in your Sorrows Let your grief be upon your Inferiour parts but let your Head be in Joys And as your Inferiour Parts are subordinate to your Head So let the Joys of that be as the head of your Griefs They that are washt need to have their Feet only washt said our Saviour Let your Feet only be washt with Tears And then remember that the Anointing of Glory and the Oyl of gladness is upon your Heads So mourn as that you may be like the Description of Christ Revel 1. 14. 15. that your Face may shine like the Sun in its Strength while your Feet are in the Furnace Feel your God stroaking your Head with his right hand while his left hand is striking your Feet with an Iron Rod of Affliction See how Job in a Tempest of Miseries yet Glories in his Head lift up above the Storm Job 16. 18 19. O Earth cover not thou my Blood and let my Cry have no place Also now behold My Witnes is in Heaven and my Record is on High When thy Tears and Blood run down upon the ground when thy Cries fill the Earth then raise thy self like Job and say even now behold My Head is in Heaven now I have a Life in my Heavenly Principle which is an Eternal Record of my Glory and Blessedness This testifies of a Beauty and Joy to me in these very Sorrows 4. Rule Let the Heavenly Principle as it lives in the Earthly be the Spring of your Sorrows Let not thy Griefs be an Oppression to the Spiritual Man in thee but an Oblation from it Thy Griefs will be an oppression to it if they proceed not from itself Originally For then its Joys in the Flesh are taken away from it by another by the Fleshly Principle Thy Griefs are an Oblation by the Spirit when they flow Primarily from the Spirit For then itself layeth down its Joys as Christ speaketh of his Life The Blood which our Saviour shed is called in Scripture the Blood of God Though the Blood ran thorow the Humane Nature Yet the Person or Principle that bled in that Nature was God Our Divinity ordinarily teacheth us this that Christ was Man that he might Suffer God that he might Merit His Blood had been of no value with God if it had not been the Blood of God In like manner your Tears cannot be Heavenly and Divine if they be not the Tears of the Heavenly and Divine Principle in you Though the Earthly Principle be as the Earth in which these bitter Waters bubble up and run along yet the Heavenly Principle must be the Spring in this Earth out of which they arise Otherwise they will be of no use to you nor value with God 5. Rule Let the Mourning of your Earthly Principle be a Subordination and Submission to your Heavenly Principle This makes your Sorrow a Sacrifice when without this your Mourning is but Murmuring Heb. 10. 5 6 7. Jesus Christ is brought in speaking to God his Father Sacrifice and Burnt-Offering thou wouldst not but a Body hast thou prepared mâ— Then said I lo I come to do thy Will O God Thus the Heavenly Principle speaks the same Language in every St. Thou wilt have no more Sacrifices of Beasts The Time is past in which thou hast taken pleasure to have the Inferiour Earthly Principle to be Sacrificed to and by the Superiour Heavenly Principle while thine Image was present only in the Type and Shadow But now thou hast prepared a Body for me thou hast brought me into the Earthly Principle that I should make a Burnt-Offering of my self to thee as of my own Body They were to bring no Strange Fire to the Sacrifice but to wait till Fire from Heaven fall down upon it and consume it In like manner is the Earthly man to lay itself on the Altar by the Power of the Heavenly Man and to wait till that bring forth a Flame of Sorrow upon it The Earthly man should say alwaies to the Heavenly I mourn that I may do thy Will and not mine own Est quaedam flere Libido There may be a Lust in weeping and so there is when the Outward Man fulfils his own will in weeping and not the Will of the Inward Man which is one with the Will of Christ and God 6. Rule Let the Earthly Principle as it is in itself be only a Slave to you in your Griefs If the Flesh have a Power of its own to make you Grieve to qualifie or measure your Griefs it will bring the Curse of the Serpent upon you it will make you to go upon your Belly
Superiour and Inferiour One above Another below In that above is the Fountain of Pleasure from thence the stream descends which makes that below ever-green and flourishing with delights Eden signifies Pleasure or Delight which name in another word is given to Christ as he was eternally in the bosom of the Father Prov. 8. 30. I was by him one brought up with him Delights from day to day Jesus Christ in his Heavenly Image in the Substance and Essence of the eternal Light is Eden the Paradise above In his earthly Image the sweet Shade where all his Beauties seem at once to sleep and spring he is the Paradise below There is he the Eden and the Fountain in the midst of Eden Here the Garden watered by the River going forth from Eden A good Heart hath in itself both these Paradises the Fountain and the Stream Eden and the Garden Cant. 4. 15. The Lord Jesus calls his Spouse A Fountain of Gardens a Well of living Waters flowing from Libanon The holy Heart is both the Fountain which makes all things Gardens Paradises which way soever it flows and those Gardens too It is both Libanon with the Fountain in it and the Gardens below in the vallies in the midst of which the Living Waters from this Fountain run along Reasâ—n The Heart is that Spirit which is the first Spring and Principle of Life in man Prov. 4. 23. Keep thine heart with all Diligence For out of it are the Issues of Life All the treasures of this World its Light Forms Vertues operations are first in the Sun From thence they flow forth in various Streams all round about him while yet they are still comprehended in him as being not only their inmost Center but also their outmost Circle of Light and Life So is the Heart or Spirit of Man an Invisible Sun in the midst of him far more great or glorious than this which we see in which all forms and acts of Life like Beams rise up first and fullest from whence they are dispensed and dispersed The Hebrew word to keep imports a double sense 1st Diligently observe thine Heart what Spirit or Principle it is by which thou art acted Such as this is such is thy whole Life If thy Heart be a Substantial true pure Spirit thy whole way and work all thy Joyes are Substance Truth Light Immortality as the Visions of God If the Heart which is in thee be shadowy thy Life is vain and empty the dream of a shadow Is thy heart corrupt and polluted then are all thy Streams poisoned death lurks and sports itself in them with an innumerable company of Devils 2. Keep that is preserve thine own thy true Heart with all diligence Abide in Christ and his Love as the only root of Life from whence alone spring the sap greennesses flowers fruits of true Sweetnesses Beauty and Blessedness Watch day and night that no other Spirit put forth itself in thee for every other Principle besides Christ and his Love will certainly prove a Counterfeit and instead of a Heart out of which the Issues of Life ought to be a root of bitterness There is a Twofold Heart 1. Natural 2. Spiritual 1. There is a Natural Heart This is the supream part of the natural Soul the Angelical Spirit in Man 1 Thes. 5. 23. St. Paul prayes The very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole Spirit and Soul and Body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here we have the natural Man divided into three parts which are equally capable of being sanctified or by defilement made subject to blame 1. Spirit 2. Soul 3. Body The Spirit is as the Fountain the Soul the Stream of Life The Body the Channel in which this Stream runs along The whole Man is one Beam sprung immediately from the Divine Glory The upper end of the Beam where it is fullest and brightest immediately united to and rooted in the supream Light makes the Spirit The lowest point least and darkest almost vanishing into the Shade with which it mingles its light where it toucheth the Earth is the Body The Soul is the middle of that Beam partaking of both these dividing and uniting them like the Firmament between the Waters above and the Waters below the Angels being the Waters above the Firmament and Corporeal Lives those below The Spirit is the Angel in Man or Man in the Similitude and Society of Angels the invisible Image the first Treasury of all his Natural Beings Beauties and Life which afterward descends and distinguisheth itself into the varieties of Inferiour Acts and Appearances St. Paul therefore in the forementioned place calls it their whole Spirit The Body is the Outward and Visible Image the Shadow below of this above The Soul is the Life by which the Spirit descends into the Body maintains communion with it and gathers it up again into itself According to these Distinctions and Descriptions Solomon discourseth Eccles. 12. 7. Then shall the Dust return to the Earth as it was and the Spirit shall return to God who gave it The name of God there signifies Gods or Angels for whom it is frequently and expresly used in the Holy Scripture The Jews say it properly imports the Divine Nature as it is cloathed with the Angelical God in the midst of all his Holy Angels coming forth into the Creation descending to be the Head of it It is an English Proverb If men could live without the company of Women men they should converse with Angels This is true when the Spirit which is the Head and the Man in us withdraws itself from its Shadowy Image the Body which is as the Woman it finds itself in the Form of an Angel and in the Society of Angels From the Angelical State and Company it descends into the Body Thither it returns again when it leaves the Body This is the Natural Heart the Angelical Spirit in Man made in the Similitude of God as he cloaths himself with the Angelical Image as with a Garment of Light and so vailing his naked unaccessible Glories comes forth to be the Head of Angels This Spirit is the Immediate Seat of the Divine Presence the Glory the Angelical Throne Here the precious things of the Sun and the Moon of the Invisible and Visible Image of the Divine Nature here the Riches of the whole Creation appear together in their fullest Lustre and most beautiful Order The Letters of the Latine Name for Heart Cor make the first Letters of those word Camera Omnipotentis Regis which being interpreted are the Chamber of the Almighty King It is a common observation that the Heart of Man is Triangular which therefore cannot be filled with the round World but only with the Trinity This Heart of which we speak is properly Triangular consisting like the Angels of these Three Essence Understanding and Will the proper and Immediate Type of the Trinity which as it can be
always in pangs of Love to bring it forth and form it in us But to conclude this Reason This Holy Spirit this Spirit of Unity and Unity of the Spirit is the Spiritual heart of which we speak St. Paul Ephes. 3. expresseth it by being rooted in Love This is that Root which we have in the eternal Love of God in that Love which is God in God as he is Love This is the new Heart which is bred and cherished in the bosom of the Father These Heavens above us comprehend in their Circuits all things here below which as learned men teach us are figures images of their vertues sent forth from them But they have fixed in themselves innumerable Bodies of Light and Glory far exceeding all things here They say that these Heavens are Circular because that round Figure is most caâ—acious and beautiful as being an Image of the Unity of Angelical 〈◊〉 How great and glorious a Circle then vastly transcending the Heaven of Heavens is this Divine Unity this Spirit which is the new heart of a Saint All the Heavens and this earth lie within the compass of it as Light shadows which it casteth from it self But as for those Treasures which are proper to it which are fixt in it how infinitely more innumerable how infinitely richer are they The mind of Christ with all the Beauties and Brightnesses there the deep things of God with all those Lights and Joys unfathomable to every natural Eye and Heart lie within the Circuit of this Spiritual Principle A great Philosopher call'd the Angelical Spirit in man which is his Natural Heart the Flower of the Soul It is so indeed as the Blossoms upon Fruit-Trees but the Divine Spirit the Spiritual heart is the Fruit 1. Use. Seek this good heart which hath so good a Treasure in it That you may seek it with all affection and diligence take these Three directions Believe the Truth of this Principle Consider the Preciousness of it Understand your Propriety in it 1. Believe the Truth of this Principle When the Apostles asked the Christians in Samaria whether they had received the Holy Ghost they answered that they had not so much as heard whether there were a Holy Ghost or no. Is not this the temper of many amongst us of most of the sensitive and natural Spirit in us all We do not so much as believe that there is a Holy Ghost much less that this Holy Ghost is poured out upon any Soul as a Heavenly Anointing from above or dwells in any heart as the Principle of a supernatural and eternal Life He that comes to God must believe that God is and that he is a Rewarder of those that diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. Fix in thine heart with an unshaken faith these two Radical Truths from which all the fatness and sweetness of the Tree of Life is derived into our Spirits 1. That God is 2. That there is a Union between God and Man in One Spirit Say frequently to thy self It is true It is the first Truth upon which all other Truths are built that there is a supream incomprehensible Being which shines through all and fills all the Fountain and Measure the End Perfection and Blessedness of all Beings It is as true that this ever-glorious God descends in Jesus Christ to sow himself by his own good Spirit as a Divine Seed in the heart of man below that by the unvailing of his original Excellencies he shines as a spiritual Sun from above into the Soul to quicken awake and call forth this Seed in the vertue of which the Soul springs into a new and heavenly Being comes to God by the fresh Participations of his life grows up into his Likeness pleaseth him is possess'd and enjoy'd by him possesseth and enjoyeth him with an unexpressible fulness of all mutual and Divine Pleasures When the Merchant in the Gospel found a Pearl in the Field he went and sold all to purchase this Field If you have discovered this rich Pearl of the Divine Nature as a Root at the bottom of yoâ—â— Spirits go exchange every Principle Power and excellency to give 〈◊〉 self up to the conduct activity fruitfulness enjoyment of this alone 2. Consider the preciousness of this Heavenly Principle Es. 6. 13. God compares his people in the greatest desolations to an Oak whose Substance is in it when it hath cast its leaves so saith he the Holy Seed shall be the Substance thereof Consider here three Precious Things in this good Heart which is the Seed and Principle of Grace in us 1. This Spiritual Principle is a Substance Solomon complains of all things under the Sun the Eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the Ear filled with hearing He brings this as an Argument and effect of their vanity All things here are Shadows only and so empty unsatisfactory endlesly raising expectations and desire but never answering them When this Spirit which is far above the Sun is received by thee when this becomes the Principle of all thy faculties which sees in thine Eye hears in thine Ear understands and wills in thine heart when this is the Treasury from which all Objects come forth to act those faculties then thine Eye will be satisfied with seeing substantial Beauties thine Ear will be filled with substantial Melodies thine Understanding will sit down to a Heavenly Feast of substantial Lights and Truths thy Will shall lie down to a Sweet and Eternal rest in a bed of substantial Embraces and Joys in the midst of the Substance and Essence of Goodness itself 2. This is the Holy Seed The Heavens over our Heads are pure They are free from that gross and dark Matter with which all Forms of things are mixt here on Earth This Purity of theirs is their Transparency Light Lustre Harmony Vertue Incorruptibility Yet they are Corporeal and Bodily their bright Beauties shall be turned into Darkness and Blood The Angels are purer far than these Heavens They have no Cloud Clog or Dross of Bodies Yet are they mixtures of Light and Shade Their Glories are vails upon the true Glory They wax old as a Garment and are changed Their Nature is subject to stains and falls But this Principle which is the Seed and Heart of a Believer is purer than the Heavens or the Angels It is the Spirit of God the true Light in which there is no Darkness Simple incorruptible Unchangeable 3. This Principle is durable It is a Fountain springing up in the Soul to Eternal Life John 4. O precious Treasure Eternity is defined to be the full and unbounded Possession of all Good at once in One. Pearls have their price because they have their lustre in a lasting Substance This Holy Seed is the onely Pearl of price both for its Lustre and for its lastingness The Will of Man naturally moves to good The greater the good is and the more clearly it appears to us so much the more natural and powerful are the motions
So may we to our Beloved in every form in the Ghastliness of Death fall down ravished with the greatness of his Glory and cry out My Lord and my God Every thing of our Jesus seen into the depth and inside of it or in a right Light is an Heaven of Heavens John 1. 14. The word was made Flesh and dwelt among us and we saw his glory the glory as of the Onely-begotten Son of God 3. The last and highest consideration of our Saviours Beauty is as he is God One with the Father the Onely true God This is the Head of fine Gold of solid Gold to which all his other Beauties are as the Locks and Curles of his Hair blacks as a Raven Shadows and Foils Can. 5. 11. This is your Beloved and this is your Friend O believing Souls I shall now give you a Proof from Scripture and Reasons concerning the whole Person of Christ after this explication of his Beauties in particular Forms and States Man was made in the Image and Similitude of God of the whole Trinity For so Divines expound that Gen. 1. Let us make man in our own Likeness of the Three ever-blessed Persons in the God-Head Some make it a consultation of the Deity in the Assembly of all the Holy Angels to make man an Image where all their various Excellencies should meet in the Unity of his Person to make Man a Musical Harmony of which every Angel makes a part only Upon either of these Interpretations Man is the most beautiful of all Creatures having the perfections of all Summed and Sealed up in himself to make a compleat similitude of the Divine Nature like mystical Letters in the Living Word of which the First Adam is a Figure In the 1. of Ezek. The living Creatures full of Wings and Eyes by which the Angelical Nature is represented among their other manifold Forms which appear in every particular Angel is the Form of a Man This Humane Form is the Image of God the Beauty of the Angelical Essences and the proper Essence of man Let us then enlarge our Doctrine and confirm it in its Latitude If Jesus Christ be fairer than the Sons of Men He is the fairest of all Things Proof Câ—n. 5. 9 10. The Spiritual Bride which is the Church in general and each believing Soul in particular testifieth of Christ by the Spirit of Truth that He is white and ruddy the chiefest of Ten Thousand We have here the Beauty of Christ set forth first Absolutely then Comparatively First Absolutely He is white and ruddy The Hebrew word for white signifieth smooth clear shining brightness like that of the Body of Heaven in the fairest and calmest day That for ruddy imports the purest and most sparkling red like that of a Ruby The same Word for the substance is set for the richest Ruby Lament for the Ground out of which the First Man was made Gen. 2. which say the Jews was the fairest Composition of all the finest parts of the Earth with its most precious vertues far beyond the finest Gold The same word also is used for the First Man in his First Make when he was the fairest Flower in Paradise The most perfect white is the purest Light which hath no Darkness in it The purest red is the most exact mixture of Light and Shadow In General these words import a compleat beauty in the Person of Christ. a beauty suitable to us fitted to the Eye of our Faculties our Sense and Understanding It is the manner of Men to express the most perfect beauty of a Face by pure White and Red. We have also a signification that the choicest beauties here are Shadows only of Jesus Christ. White and Red in the loveliest Face below is the Type and Figure in that glorious Person it is the Truth the Original Divines call the Creatures with all their Excellencies Vestigia Dei the Foot-steps of God If the Print of Christs Feet in the Dust make such Beauties in Flesh and Blood in these Heavens in the Angels what are the Beauties of his own Divine Person 1. In Particular 1. White is the Unity of Light in its simplicity This is the Person of Christ Red expresseth the variety of Light and Darkness with all their Degrees and Mixtures as they lie in the Unity of a pure and simple Light This is Light in its several Forms and Dresses This is the high and Universal Harmony which maketh all sorts of Musick and Beauty thorow all things in Heaven and Earth as it sendeth forth Sounds and Glympses of itself any where This hath all things in itself in their several perfections This maketh every thing in itself a Divine Musick and Beauty to the Spiritual Eye and Spiritual Ear. 2. White is the God-Head in Christ making a Day of Beauty whiâ—h hath no night going before it or coming after it Red is the Lord Jesus as he is God-man where the Day and the Night make one entire Day of perfect Beauty the Night sweetly shadowing the Day the Day shining beautifully thorow the Night Here Beauty hath all its Charms and Sweetnesses of its Mornings and its Evenings 3. White is Christ in Glory Red is this Christ this Glory descending to the Depth of all Sufferings Red is the Colour of Blood Nothing is more apt among Natural things to delight and ravish our Souls than the Musick of an excellent hand carried down in just degrees by soft and melting strains to the lowest and there as it were quite silenced then on a sudden carried up again to a Sprightly and Triumphant height How agreeable how delightful a Spectacle is this to the Eye of the Spirit to see the Lord Jesus who is Glory itself descending with beautiful Conformities to the Wisdom of the Father with sweet meltings of himself into the Will of the Father thorow all degrees of Sufferings into the Silence and Darkness of Death itself then in a moment to spring up into Glory and Immortality by the Resurrection from the Dead What believing and loving Soul when she seeth these beautiful goings of her Jesus on the Earth on Mount Golgotha in the Grave would not gladly go â—own with him in the Fellowship of his Sufferings into the same Grave as inâ—â— a Spiritual Marriage-bed to come forth immediately in the glorious Mornâ—â—g of the Resurrection as a Bridegroom out of his Chamber I have hitherto spoken of the Absolute Praise of Christs Beauty in this Scripture He is White and Ruddy I am now to speak of the Comparative Praise He is the chiefest of ten thousand Ten thousand is a particular number set for All. The Hebrew word signifieth the greatest number it is applied to Angels Psal. 68. 18 The Chariot of the Lord is ten thousand Angels are understood The Angels are the fairest of all creatures Our Saviour is the fairest of all the Angels The word Chiefest is in Hebrew a Standard-bearer The Standard-bearer carries the Banner The Banner is the Mark and
persecuteth him that is born after the Spirit In the First of these verses Jerusalem above is said to be the Mother of us all In the Second these All us are expounded to be the Children of Promise In the Third verse the same persons are described by being born after the Spirit This Phrase of being born after the Spirit is fully explained by that of Jesus Christ from whence it seemeth to be taken John 3. That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit To be born after the Spirit and of the Spirit signifie both the same thing Is it not then evident that the Jerusalem above which is free which is the mother of all the Spiritual Seed is the Eternal Spirit after which a Saint is born that is of this Spirit and in the Image of this Spirit where there is Liberty 2 Corin. 4. Now lay the Third Scripture by these two Heb. 12. 22. We are come to Mount Sion the Heavenly Hierusalem the City of the living God to the Millions of Angels the general Assembly to the Church of the First-born written in Heaven to the Spirits of just men made perfect to God to Jesus Christ. Before we Saw Hierusalem above and the Spirit now we see Mount Sion and the Heavenly Hierusalem to be the same Is it not then an infallible demonstration that Sion and the Holy Spirit are One as the Type and the Truth Can any other be the living City of the living God where all the Holy Angels the First-born of the Father the Spirits of all Saints as well on Earth as in Heaven Jesus Christ in his Mediatory Kingdom the Father upon the Throne of Judicature meet and appear together in the full liberty of Eternal Light Love and Joy besides the Unity of the Spirit which is the Sweet and Sacred band between the two Glorious Persons in the Trinity between all pure Spiritual Divine Beings above and below This is the Spring and Immortal Seat of them all 2. We have in this place another Person set forth by this bright and lovely Character the Perfection of Beauty We may discover our own Beloved and Bridegroom the Lord Jesus under this Title if we bring to it the Lights of two other Scriptures shining like this by his Appearance in them In Heb. 1. 3. He is stiled the Brightness of Glory Is not this the same as to say The Perfection of Beauty 2 Corin. 4. 6. God hath shined in our hearts unto the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face or Person of Jesus Christ Can Face answer Face in a Glass more exactly than these Two Scriptures answer one another In both you have God God shining in one you have God shining from the Perfection of Beauty in the other God shining with a Light of Glory in the Face or Person of Christ. God in all the Creatures whether they be Visible or Invisible casts forth Shadows only of Himself Then he appeareth in the Perfection of Beauty when he appeareth in the Person of Christ as Light in the Body of the Sun 3. But why are these two so joyned as if they were the same Thing from Sion the perfection of Beauty I will not examine whether we may not disjoyn them in reading by putting in between them and or in Particles frequently understood from Sion and or in the Perfection of Beauty God shineth This needeth not There is plainly a difference between the English and the Hebrew The Hebrew runneth word for word thus From Sion from the Perfection of Beauty God hath shined So you have the Three Persons of the ever-blessed Trinity clearly distinguished and united in this shining of the God-Head The Father shineth from the Spirit his holy hill of Sion from the Person of Christ the Perfection of Beauty These Two Persons are placed here as One in Another a Globe of Light in a Globe of Light and the Father shining from them both to awaken in us this great and glorious Truth that the Persons of the Sacred Trinity have their Perfection in each other and are ever undivided when they appear nakedly in their proper Forms The whole Trinity is the Crown of Beauty upon every one of them In particular Jesus Christ never appears as the Perfection of Beauty but when he and the Spirit appear both in One 2 Cor. 3. from the 14th to the end you read of a vail upon the Face of Moses the Person of Christ in the Type then of a vail upon the Hearts of the Jews These are both the same vail For the vail is never upon the Person of Christ properly and simply but upon the Eye of our Spirits as the Cloud is never upon the Body of the Sun but upon our Corporeal Eyes For as that doth in the midst of its world so doth the Person of Christ in the midst of all things ever comprehend and contemplate himself and all things in the simple and pure Light of his own naked Beauties But then in the same place we read that the Vail is taken away in Christ and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty that is freedom from the Vail Christ is seen unvailed in his naked Glories It is added Now the Lord is that Spirit Then mention is made in the last verse of beholding the Glory of the Lord with open Face that is Eye to Eye the naked Eye of our Souls to the naked Eye of his Beauties every Spirit being all Eye The verse is closed thus as by the Spirit of the Lord or more agreeably to the Greek as of the Lord the Spirit I have alledged all this to make it plain to you and to seal it upon your understandings and memories that Jesus Christ is then only seen in his true Person and shape without a vail when he is seen in the Spirit when Christ and the Spirit are seen as two distinct Persons in One. Sion the Type of the Spirit signifieth Vision Hierusalem the Figure of the same Spirit the Heavenly Hierusalem is by interpretation the Heavenly Vision of Heavenly Perfection and Peace The Lord Jesus is the Perfection of Beauty the Heavenly Harmony of all things the Peace of all Hearts and Desires The Person of the Spirit is the Heavenly Vision of this Heavenly Perfection By the way observe that the Holy Ghost speaks in this 50 Psal. of the Day of Judgement the Second and last Coming and Appearance of our Lord and Saviour after which he shall go away and disappear no more See here what manner of Appearance this is in what State in what Form the King of Glory comes to the Marriage of his Bride and to reign upon the Earth He comes in a Spiritual and Divine Form in the Person of the Spirit The Eternal Spirit is an anointing of Beauty upon the whole Person of our Beloved He again is a Sun of Beauty looking forth in the Person of Spirit Nay the
murmurings whisperings hard thoughts evil speakings or any such thing Heaven is not now open upon you neither do you see Jesus as he comes up out of the Baptism of his Sufferings into a Resurrection of Glory with the Eternal Spirit in the Form of a Dove in a Form of Love resting upon him The Priests in the Temple were Morning and Evening to trim the Lamps in the Golden Candlestick by pouring in fresh Oil that the Light might not go out by day nor by night Your Persons O ye Saints are the Temple your Spiritual and Divine part the Golden Candlestick the Heavenly Person of your beloved is the Light in the Lamps of this Candlestick If you would preserve this Light of Glory continually shining in you be continually pouring in from that vessel of Love the Heart of the Father fresh Love which is the Golden Oyl of the Spirit in which the Life and Light of the Divine Nature burneth and shineth eternally But to conclude my discourse concerning these Three Sins The Scripture saith Covetousness is Idolatry We make an Idol of every Image besides the Lord Jesus alone which we set up in our Hearts as real and excellent to bow down our Souls to it by our esteem and affection Every Idol hath its Devil in it St. Paul saith plainly What the Gentiles Sacrifice to Idols they Sacrifice to Devils You cannot eat of the Table of the Lord which is his Glorified Person to feast upon the Delicacies of his Beauties set before your Spirits there and eat of the Table of Devils which is this world to feed upon the Dainties of the Flesh here You cannot drink of the cup of the Lord which is his Spirit to take in the Wine of Spiritual Sweetnesses from this and drink of the Cup of Devils which is the Spirit of this World to swallow down the riches and pleasant things of that 2 Pet. 2. 13 14. We read of Spots at the Feasts of the Saints who are those that have Eyes full of Adultery St. Jude expoundeth those Feasts to be Feasts of Charity that is Love-Feasts which were Joyned with the Supper of the Lord. The Appearances of Christs Person in the Visible Angelic l Divine Images are our several Love-Feasts An adulterous Eye in the moral sense which looketh upon any visible Object after an undue manner is a Spot upon the First Love-Feast The adulterous Eye in a legal sense which looketh upon any Fleshly or visible Figure of things is a Spot upon the Second The adulterous Eye which setteth its Love upon Created Forms on Earth or in Heaven is a Spot upon the Last and best Love-Feasts All these Spots are Clouds upon the Person and stains upon the Beauty of Christ which at once dishonour and grieve him darken and defile us making us unworthy and uncapable of his blessed Appearances to us As an adulterous Eye of Lust so the blood-shot Eye of Wrath is unable to look upon this Heavenly Object or to bear the brightness of his Glory I will wind up this Use with this solemn adjuration and charge If there be such a Person as our Jesus if this Person have such unsearchable Treasures of Beauty and Joy in it if the presence and appearance of this King in his Beauty as a Bridegroom as a Spiritual Sun in the hearts of the Saints be no dream or fancy but the very Spirit and Truth and Life of the Gospel I adjure and charge you all his Saints by the Hinds and Roes of the Field by the lovely Person of your Christ by the pleasantness of his Appearances in you that laying aside Covetousness casting away all Filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit putting off all Wrath Malice Envyings and evil speakings you fix your Eye upon fill your Souls with the Beautiful and blessed Person of the Lord Jesus This is your own Fountain Drink waters from this Fountain alone Behold your selves one another all things in the Light of this Person of these Beauties as they lie here as they are comprehended in this fairest greatest and most Divine Image of all Loveliness Christ is the Truth The Appearance of things in the sweet Light of his lovely Person is True This is that Truth which if you walk in it shall dwell with you for ever shining with a precious and living lustre in the darkest places of Sorrow or Death In this Truth live at peace live in love within your selves with one another with all things So the God of Peace and Love shall be with you Amen Reas. 3. I now come to the Third Reason of the Doctrine our Lord Jesus is the fairest of all things because he hath all the parts of Beauty compleat and entire in his person That work with my own Spirit and with all Spirits which is my design and delight is to woo them for Christ and espouse them as chast Virgins to Christ. Eccles. 12. 10. We read that the Preacher sought out acceptable words and the words which he found out were upright Solomon was a figure of Christ in glory King in the Hierusalem above This Glorious Person is the Preacher the Text and the Sermon Acceptable words in the Original Language are words of delight as you may see in the Margin If ever it be fit to seek out pleasant and delightful words it is on this Subject when we treat of the Lord Jesus and his Beauties If ever it be necessary to take care to speak right words it is now when we speak of him whose Person is the Center from which all the lines of the Gospel of Evangelical Truths Graces Comforts Glories Spirits are drawn into which they all run in which they all meet My endeavour therefore is that all my discourses may be steps from one Scripture to another that by the explications and applications of these I may enlighten your minds to the sight and warm your affections to the love of these Blessed and Heavenly Beauties There are four Parts of which all Beauty consisteth 1. Variety 2. Harmony in the variety 3. Light in the Harmony 4. Life in that Light These four meet all eminently and transcendently in the highest degree in the Person of our Saviour 1. There is all variety in the Person of Christ. Colos. 1. 19. It pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell Observe how St. Paul cometh to this total Sum at the foot of the Account to this Conclusion of all Fulness in Christ. From the 15 th v. to this you have the whole Compass of Things in Nature Grace and Glory From the 15 th to the 18 th you have the Circuit of Nature in the full extent of the Creation with its Creator First there is God as he is the Author of Nature Jesus Christ is the Image of the Invisible God v. 15. Then you have the whole Creation He is the First-born of every Creature or of all the Creation The First-born is the Excellency of Dignity the Excellency of Strength Every
moveth as always carried on in the Chariot upon the Wings of this Harmony A Caution Naturalists report a Serpent to be often bred of the Brain and Marrow of a mans back when he is dead So too often that Serpentine Spirit which feedeth upon the dust of sensuality and beareth an enmity to the Holy and Heavenly Dove is engendred from the sweetest and most substantial Truths which are as the Marrow and Brain of Divine Wisdom when they are become corrupted and dead notions in dead and corrupt Spirits How are these two glorious Principles the Golden Pâ—llars on which the Whole Gospel is established That all Fulness dwelleth in Christ That every thing of Christ in Christ is altogether lovely â—mproved by many unto the grossest Pollutions and greatest Profanenesses But these are willingly ignorant that as God is the God of order and not of confusion so all variety lieth in Jesus Christ in that perfect Harmony which is the Beauty of Holiness and the excellency of the Divine Wisdom All natural things stand in Christ in a double Harmony one with another and with the Divine Nature as faultless Figures of that purity and glory in the Eternal Spirit So Jesus Christ is both in one the Image of the Invisible God and the First-born of every Creature Colos. 1. 15. Then this Beautiful Nature of things in Christ is made a Sacrifice upon the Altar of the Cross in Death that it may put off the Negative Imperfections the Shadowy Darkness Slightness Confinement Mutability inseparable from a meer Figure Thus is this State of things subject to a double Law without it and above it one of its Pattern on the top of the mount above Nature the other of Death that it may by putting off itself in the Shadow put on its truer self in the Eternal Original Thus we read that Christ as he was the First-born of the whole Creation became the First-born from the Dead Colos. 1. 18. Thus thorow Death being purified by the Blood of the Lamb the Creature passeth out of that Shadowy State by rending the Vail of Flesh where it is in Bondage into the Liberty of the Sons of God where it is a Royal Law of Life of Love and of Liberty to itself in the Spirit of God and of Glory The Heavenly Person of our Lord Jesus is a Circle within a Circle 1. The first and innermost Circle is the First Image of God in Nature This comprehendeth the whole Creation This is made up of its Day and Night Light and Darkness All things of Light of Truth and Goodness are embraced by a Light of Divine Love All things of Darkness of the evil of sin lye in the Darkness of Divine wrath where the Evil of Sufferings as a Secret Fire consumeth them 2. The Circle which immediately infoldeth this is that of the Death of our Saviour Here the First Image entreth into a Divine Shade where by degrees it loseth it self and vanisheth as to its former appearances in the Figure sinking into its Eternal Seed The Spirit of Glory in this Divine Shade is the Blood of Christ purifying the Heavenly Things in the Creature by washing away the Earthly Forms This State the Jews call the lower Paradise the Paradise under the Earth For as a Seed hath in it self all the Beautyes and Sweetnesses of the whole plant under the vail of a naked Grain so here all things are as Spiritual and Divine Plants full of all Beauty and Sweetness under the covert of this Purple Perfumed Shade of our Saviour's Death to which the Holy Ghost was an anointing of all precious Spices and a Lamp shining in the midst of it This Spirit is also as a Fountain from Eden running along in the midst of this Paradise like a River and Gardens under ground in the Secret of the Earth The third Circle is the Kingdom and Glory of Christ. In this the two other Circles are seen the First thorow the Second as Faces in a Glass of Glory Here the Heaven of the God-Head is open'd and all things appear as Angels of God ascending and descending in the Person of Christ. This is the Spring of the Spirit in which all created Forms flourish like green Leaves and flowry Blossoms in the Tree of Life never to fall or fade the Eye of the God-Head as a rising Sun shedding for ever sweet Beams of Love and Life upon them 4. The last and greatest Circle the Crown of Life and Beauty is the Glory of the Father This is the Autumn and Season for Ripe Fruit. Now is Jesus returned thither where he was at first Now is he revealed who was from the Beginning God is the first and the last all in all All things see and enjoy themselves all things are seen and enjoyed in their unchangeable Originals This is that Spiritual and Heavenly Form of Christs Person into which he is ascended in which he is as on the Throne of the Father which endureth for ever and ever in which he hath gathered up all things into one This is that Head of our Lord Jesus which is of the finest and solidest Gold Thus we have seen the Order in which all things lie in our Saviours Person according to which he descendeth first and then ascendeth within himself The Unity of this first and highest Form which is the Supream and largest Circle the outmost and inmost to all the rest as their Root and their Crown in the bosom of which all the rest lie as Colours and Figures in the Light This so goeth down into the other that it maketh all one and resteth itself entirely upon each point of every one and enfoldeth the whole in itself so that all have the Truth and the true manifestation of their Being and Beauty only as they lie in this pure and perfect Light Every inferiour Circle or Form of things is comprehended in the Superiour and hath there a double Appearance 1. In plain So it is a native Flower in that Mystical Garden a fair feature in that Face of Beauty a Spirit of that Spirit in that Spirit one Spirit with it 2. In Perspective Thus the lower is seen in the higher as at a distance as at the end of a Cave as it was in itself as passed away according to that fashion of it Coloss. 2. 17. St. Paul complaineth of those who intrude themselves into Heavenly mysteries which they have not seen not holding the head These as St. Jude speaketh are Sensual that is men acted only by a natural and common Soul not having the Spirit So in those things of our Lord Jesus which they know as brute Beasts they corrupt themselves They have not anointed Eyes to see the Harmony and Spiritual Beauty of all things in the Person of the Lord. They discern not how the Original and first Glories by fit steps shoot forth themselves into Figures and Shadows how they lie hid as the immortal Seed and Substance in them how like the Invisible and
Fountain of wisdom above with the voice of our Faith to seek it as Silver in every thing round about us the pure mettal in the oar of the Creature by the Flame of our Love to dig for it as hidden Treasures within our selves below the Foundations of this Creation by Humility and the Cross This is the Comprehensiveness of the Knowledge of our Saviour 2. The Second Excellency in this Knowledge is the Efficacy This divideth itself into three Branches It worketh Grace 1. Universally 2. Powerfully 3. Kindly 1. The Knowledge of the Lord Jesus worketh Grace Universally It worketh all Grace together in a sweet Harmony John 17. 3. In a bosom-discourse between himself and his Father where he is most naked sweet and free the Lord Jesus saith to his Father This is Eternal Life to know thee the only true God and Him whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ God is True the Truth as he is God He is the True God as he is the Onely One Jesus Christ is sent forth from him as he is the Brightness the Effulgency the Outshining of his Glory his essential Image Thus is he also one with him The Father cannot be perfectly known by him if he be not perfectly one with him This verse hath in it a figure called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One thing expressed as two like that a Cup and Gold for a Golden Cup. So here to know the only true God and Jesus Christ sent forth from him is to know that God who is the Unity and Truth in Jesus his essential Image in which he comprehendeth and cometh forth into all manner of various Images the outgoing of his Divine Essence in Eternity and Time Eternal Life is the whole Work of God upon the Souls of the Elect from the Beginning to the End the Divine Life begun in Grace on Earth compleated in Glory in Heaven I have formerly said that Knowledge maketh the Spirit One with that which is Known How should this endear the Knowledge of our Blessed Lord and quicken us to follow hard after it The true Knowledge of our Beloved maketh us One Spirit with Him and transformeth us into His Image which is the whole Armour of God put on at once the compleat frame and fabrick of all Grace rising up at once in the Heart All Graces are One in the Person of Christ. By taking him in and being made One with Him we take in All Grace and are molded into All Grace in One according to the measure of the Revelation of our Lord Jesus in us The want of having this Pattern upon the Mount Jesus in His Heavenly Form in the Eye of our Spirits is the great reason why the Tabernacle of God goeth up so imperfectly and brokenly in us One Saint is careful of his way but goâ—th sadly on another is chearful but careless One is sweet and slight another serious and soure censorious One is zealous and ignorant another high in his Light and loose in his Life Particular rules and precepts are like a Watering-pot which a man carrieth up and down in his hand watering his flowers and plants singly and slightly While one is watered the other withereth The Discovery of our Saviour in His Spiritual Person to the Eye oâ— our Spirits is as the gentle Rain from Heaven which at once watereth thy whole Garden and descendeth to the Root of every Truth Grace and comfort in thee Grow saith St. Peter in Grace and in the Knowledge of Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. l. l. Grace indifferently universally in the whole Nature and Kind is inseparable from the Knowledge of Jesus Christ. These two mutually breed and feed each other All Grace in the entire Frame and Harmony is the similitude the Image of Christs Person as it is in Glory formed in us As Christ riseth and shineth forth upon us this Image springeth up groweth clearer and fairer As this Image cometh to perfection so Jesus Christ is seen more perfectly in it as in a Glass If you be compleat Christians grow at once proportionably in all Grace in Light in Life in Love study the Heavenly Person of your Bridegroom grow in the Knowledge of him As the Eye of the Husband should be the Looking-glass of the Wife by which she adorneth her self so let this glorious Person of thy Beloved be that Spiritual Glass in which thou O Queen O Believing and loving Soul dressest thy self 2. The Knowledge of our Lord Jesus worketh Grace powerfully Psal. 19. 5. The Sun cometh forth like a Bridegroom out of his Chamber and a strong man to run a race His going forth is from the end of Heaven to the end thereof nothing can hide it from his Heat St. Paul testifieth to us Rom. 10. 18. that the Lord Jesus is the subject of the Spirit in this Psalm When he cometh forth from the Chamber of Invisible and Spiritual Glories in his Resurrection He cometh into the Soul at once as a Sun for Light and Glory as a Bridegroom for Love and Beauty as a strong man for Life Power and Progress When he riseth and shineth out in us he encompasseth our whole Person and Life from one end to the other he searcheth out every corner in both There is nothing so close so dark so corrupt so hard so unclean so dead so comfortless that can hide itself from the convincing enlightning consuming softning cleansing quickning comforting heat and power of his Appearance Every Beam of the Sun is a Figure of the Sun sheweth the Sun itself and carrieth along with it three Things Light Heat and Influence or Vertue Such is every Spiritual Truth in the Soul It is a Beam from the Person of Christ. It beareth a Figure of his Person and setteth his Person open and naked like a clear Sun before the Soul drawing the Eye of the Spirit to that and terminating it alone upon that Each Spiritual Beam each Glance every Discovery of Christ bringeth with it into the Soul a Light of Knowledge a Heat of Love a Convincing Converting Melting Transforming Chearing Sanctifying Spiritualizing Glorifying Influence and Power Go then in all thy pantings in all thy Prayers by night and by day cry to this Blessed Person Arise O Sun shine O Light that my Soul may become a Spiritual Garden that my Garden may flourish with all Spiritual Plants of Truth Grace and Joy that all my Spiritual Plants may give forth their smell and vertue by thine Appearance 3. The Knowledge of Christ worketh all Grace and maketh it most kindly Psal. 110. 3. The Spirit saith to Christ in the day of thy power thy people shall be a willing people in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the Morning the Dew of thy Youth The word Power signifieth also Armies Willing hath a twofold sense a natural pleasant Freedom and a Princeliness The Morning is the Person of Christ in the Glory of the Spirit who is called in Scripture the Day-spring the Light the Sun-rising When this
who hath only a Shadowy life in a Shadowy Body wherein is he to be accounted of Cease from every thing of Nature and the Creature It was at best a Shadow What Excellency then hath it to be esteemed of and reckoned upon What stability or Strength to be trusted to and relied upon Can you â—ill your Embraces with an empty Shadow Can you hold fast in your Arms a flying Shadow Will the Eye of your Spirit be satisfied with seeing Light your heart be filled with Life shall your Soul feed upon Substance in a Shadow This is the first voice from Heaven sounded in the very essence of a living Soul 2. O living Soul cast thy self into the Bosom of thy Saviour and cleave to him Dost thou not now perceive plainly that he is thy Root thy Substance thy Life thy Strength thy Fulness thy Light thy Righteousness thy Perfection thy Glory in a word thy true self when thou art in thy best state a Shadow only of him according to the first Creation Is not this the Beauty of Nature in thee and thy Moral Righteousness to bear the Figure of him and his Tabernacle in thy Person Is not this thy Spiritual Glory thine everlasting Righteousness to be taken up into him and to be cloathed with him to have thy Shadow drunk up into his Light Is not this the Life Strength and rest of both states to be united to him to be acted by him in that Union to be resigned again to him in and thorow all Actings or Sufferings Let us consider what wretched things we were in death if it were not for Jesus Christ. How would our poor Souls when they were thrust forth and cast out of these Bodies wander eternally naked empty in the dark and desolate driven up and down with the Storm without burnt upon within by the unseen Fire of Divine wrath But now Jesus Christ hath been to all his Saints from the Fall the Seed of a glorious Body into which they retreated passing from hence and were at rest as in a Bed of Love which was green and springing Since the Resurrection our breath of Life in Death and in the Fall of this frail Body drops into the Bosom of that Heavenly Body of our Beloved as the ground of Divine Life and Glory from thence to grow up into and flourish in an Immortal Body of its own like unto it and by a Divine Union joyned with it in Eternal Embraces Quest. 3. In what sense the Lord Jesus is here said to be a Quickning Spirit Ans. To this I answer three things 1. The Person of Christ as it comprehendeth both Natures Divine and Humane both parts of the Humane Nature Soul and Body is a Quickning Spirit 2. The Humane Nature is expresly spoken of to be a Quickning Spirit The last Adam was made a Quickning Spirit Again the Second Man is the Lord from Heaven v. 47. 3. The Body of our Lord is principally intended under this description of â— Quickning Spirit This appeareth by the whole Scope of the Apostle in this place which is to shew with what Bodies the dead Saints are raised and come again v. 35. This is manifested by the Context All the foregoing all the following verses treat of this Subject the Body in the Resurrection Mention is made of a Natural and a Spiritual Body in the verse immediately before v. 44. The same are again brought in immediately after v. 46. Then the force of the Comparison and Opposition maketh this plain It is a sure Rule Comparisons and Oppositions must speak of the same thing to the same point and in the same respect We have endeavoured to prove that the living Soul chiefly and emphatically marketh out the Body of Adam in Paradise when his Body had more of Life and was more a Soul more Angelical than our Souls are now Therefore the Quickning Spirit opposed to the living Soul must especially design the Body of our Jesus in Glory Lastly other Scriptures say the same thing John 3. 6. That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit That which is born of the Spirit is not only Spiritualized heightned and adorned with Spiritual qualities like the Picture of a Man with Lines and Colours or the Statue of a Man richly gilded One is a Stone the other a piece of Canvas still But it is a Spirit substantially and essentially It is a Spirit not as a Soul or an Angel is a Spirit but as that Spirit is of which it is born after the same manner in which That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh substantially and Flesh of the same kind with that which bringeth it forth As the Father and the Son have both the same humane Nature in a humane Form The humane Nature is one in both But the humane Form is distinct in each and maketh them two Persens so the Divine Nature of the Eternal Spirit springeth up in a Divine Form in that which is born of it The Eternal Spirit bringeth its Birth forth in a Divine Form and at once together with that itself with its own Divine Nature and Divine Form dwelling in it as the Root the Life the Form the Fulness the Fruit the Perfection the Truth the Glory of it the Spiritual Temple the God in the Temple both Spirits in the same Form both mutually Temples to each other both one Spirit Thus it is made a Spirit in the same Form with its Mother-Spirit the Eternal Spirit itself It is made a distinct Spirit It is made one Spirit with the Fountain Spirit It is made a Quickning Spirit having the Fountain of Life and Spirits in itself Now the Body of our blessed Saviour in the Resurrection is new-born from above of the Spirit of Life It is therefore a Spirit of Life a Fountain-Spirit a Quickening Spirit The Resurrection doth not gild doth not spiritualize the Personal or Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. It maketh them Gold within as well as without It maketh them all throughout pure and fine Gold a Spirit of Glory In this Creation and in natural things all excellencies are Qualities Accidents all Beauties are no more than skin-deep In the new Creature in Spiritual Things every excellency is a substance every Beauty is the Essence and Person itself there a Spirit is not excellent or Beautiful or Immortal But each Excellency each Beauty Immortality is that Spirit The Person the Spirit is the Excellency the Beauty Immortality itself Each distinct excellency is a distinct Spirit and all Excellencies all Spirits are one in each one making that a full Assembly the whole Quire in itself They all dwell together and are made perfect in one This is the New-Creature the Spiritual Birth the Resurrection from the Dead How happy and blessed are they who have their part in this Birth in this Resurrection There is another Scripture to this purpose 1 Corin. 6. 17. He that is joyned to the Lord is
Job 1. 14. The Word was made Flesh. The true and Spiritual Body which is an Immortal Plant in the Heavenly Paradise according to the Almighty Power and Mysterâ—ous Will of the Eternal Word in which it standeth and Flourisheth maketh itself into a Body of Flesh. Again by the same Power in the sweet and glorious Mystery of the same Will it maketh this Flesh a Spirit If you ask now where it is it is Singing and Triumphing throughout all the Divâ—ne Powers throughout all the â—nnumerably various Forms of Eternal Life Beauty and Joy in the Heavenâ—y Body â—or that which was Flesh is now Spirit As the Tabernacle was removed into the Temple when the Temple was built up and set there as a part of the Sacred Mysteries in that Holy Place so the Spiritual Body when it is raised taketh up into itself and comprehendeth in itself the Vailing Form of Flesh as a Beautiful Form in that Divine Mystery which it finisheth in itself Qu. But you will say now perhaps How is this done by what Power and in what manner is the Body of our Lord in the Resurrection made a Quickning Spirit Ans. I answer that it is done by vertue of the Personal Union between the Divine and Humane Nature in Christ. The Person is the Word the Eternal Spirit This Word the Soul the Body of our beloved Jesus are all one Person so all one Eternal Spirit the Fountain of Life As the Soul is said to be all in the whole Body and All in every part of it so is the Person in Christ the Immmâ—rtal Word All in the whole Humane Nature and All in every part of it either Soul or Body The Union between the Divine Nature in our Bridegroom and his glorified Body is equally immediate and entire as between that and his Triumphant Soul The Humane Nature subsisteth and standeth in the Divine as a Tree in its Root But this Union in the days of his Flesh is as that between the Tree and its Root in Winter The Resurrection is our Saviours Spring-time and Summer Every living Root in Spring ceaseth not to send forth its Sap into the Tree until it have brought forth the Tree into that Form and laden it with those Fruits which are proper to the Root In the Resurrection the Divine Nature riseth up with all its Sweetness and Fatness all its Vertues and Powers into the Humane Nature till it have spread and fashioned it entirely into its own Form till it have laden it all over with the precious Fruits of its own excellencies Joys and Glories In every power part and point of Soul and Body though never so mean so small the Fountain of the God-Head openeth itself the Fulness of the God-Head poureth forth itself that as the Waters cover the Sea so every distinct Part or Point appeareth as a distinct Sea of the Divine Life Joys Loves and Glories without bottom or bound This O shadowy Man O faln lost Man is thy Jesus thy Life thy Saviour Look to this Jesus with an Eye of Faith with an Eye of Love live by Him live in Him live to Him Triumph thou because of this Jesus Look to Him as 1. Thy Principle 2. Thy Pattern 3. Thy Price 4. Thy Portion 1. Look to this Jesus who is All-Beautiful with the Beauty of the GodHead itself as thy Principle I am the vine ye are the branches He that abideth in me and I in him bringeth forth much fruit Without me ye can do nothing saith Jesus Christ Job 15. 5. The Tree first comprehendeth the Branch in itself then sendeth it forth supplying it continually with its own Life and Sap. By the vertue of this Life Sap the Branch taketh hold of the Tree sucketh in continually fresh and vital nourishment by which it flourisheth and bringeth forth much fruit What shall I say for thee who yet partakest not of the sweetness and fatness of this Spiritual Tree of Life and love Thou canst bring forth no Fruit thou canst do nothing towards thine own fruitfulness Without this Jesus thou canst do nothing O that thou didst understand thine own Emptiness and the Fulness of Sap in this Vine How truly All things Angels Men All the Creatures can do nothing are nothing without this Jesus that Spirit which is the onely Truth the onely Lfe in and thorow All I will pray over thee with inward bleedings of Divine Love from my heart O that Jesus thy Root who comprehendeth even thee also in the Fulness of His Heavenly sap and vertue would bring thee forth by a new birth as a Heavenly branch in Himself O that He would continually milk forth from His Breast the streams of His Life into thee Thus He abideth in thee Now do thou now wilt thou by Him abiding in thee abide in Him Shoot forth thy self into Him as roots do their Sprigs and Branches into the Earth beneath by the actings of thy Faith upon him Draw his Spirit and Grace into thy self Be green be fair and flourishing in the Eye of Heaven Bring forth much Fruit for thy self thy Saviour thy Heavenly Father all Angels and blessed Spirits to feed upon in Eternity 2. Look to this Jesus as thy Pattern What thou hast seen done in his Soul and Body by the Union between these and the God-Head the same Glory shall be brought forth in thy Soul and Body also by the Union between him and thee if thou in thy Soul and Body adhere and stick to his glorified Soul and Body as they are full of the Eternal Word dwelling in them and resting upon them The Angels reproved the Disciples when Christ was taken up into Glory because they looked to a visible Heaven to see their glorified Lord still with Eyes of Flesh Why stand you here gazing up into Heaven This same Jesus who is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven I say to you in another sense stand and look upon your Jesus as he ascends This is your Pattern As you have seen him in his Humane Nature go up out of all Fleshly and Visible Images into an Invisible Glory as you have seen him taken out of the sight of every created Eye in the white Cloud of the most excellent Majesty of the Father which is the Heaven of Heavens so shall the same Jesus in like manner come again in your Souls and Bodies descending into them upon those Spiritual Heavens and changing them by degrees from Glory to Glory till they also put off every thing of Flesh and disappearing to every natural Eye be made perfectiâ—n the same Spirit to be for ever together with him there where he is and like him 3. Look to Jesus as thy Price The Lord taketh notice of the low thoughts and disesteem which the Jews had of him by that which they gave for him thirty pieces of Silver This saith he by the Prophet is the Price at which they valued me
Glory In the Hebrew you may read every Thing as well as every One. So the Margin hath it every whit of it that is of the Temple uttereth Glory Such should we ever be as those who see the essence of Beauty who hear the Soul and Spirit of Musick who tast take in and feel the pure the primitive Life of all Sweetness and Joy in the Glory the God-Head itself inhabiting every part and point every passage motion of Things in this whole Creation as in a Temple How would our Persons and lives shine with a spiritual Lustre how sweet would the Musick of our Spirits and Conversation be if we did thus take up and bear this Natural Image as the Tabernacle and the Star of our God our Beloved Jesus Figures made by the Eternal Spirit to worship and enjoy him as St. Stephen speaketh Acts 7. 43. Eccles. 3. We read that there is to every thing a Season and a time to every purpose under Heaven v. 1. To be born and to die to plant and to pull up v. 2. To kill and to heal v. 3. To weep and to laugh v. 4. To love and to hate for war and for peace v. 8. He hath made every thing beautiful in his Time or in its Time v. 11. And whatsoever God doth it shall be for ever v. 14. In the Tabernacle and Temple every part every pin answered to the Pattern on the Mount which were the Heavenly Things themselves in the Spirit in Eternity All objects all actions in the Temple the Beasts the cutting their throats the taking off their skins the taking out their Entrails the cutting them in pieces the boyling the burning them were sacred Figures of Divine and Immortal Glories to which the Musick of the Levites round about upon the walls with their Instruments and voices kept time Thou O Man art set in this world as a Priest in this Temple Behold Both the Intellâ—ctual and the Bestial part in it Love and hatred War and Peace Joy and Grief Light and Darkness Weeping with Howlings Laughter with Shouts Life and Death with all that is delightful or dismal belonging to them all these Heavenly and Divine Mysteries Every one answereth to a purpose in the Heart of God to a Pattern in the Eternal and Essential Form of God Every one answereth to the Musick of the Holy Angels which stand in Quires in the uppermost parts of this Creation as the Levites upon the walls of the Temple The basest the bloodiest Persons and Offices those that kill and those that are killed bear the Figure of Jesus Christ like the Beasts for Sacrifice or the Sacrificing Priests in their linnen Garments stained with Blood Every thing is beautiful in his Time The Time of every thing is Divinely set by a Divine Pattern in a Divine Proportion by a Divine Power Thus each thing is cloathed with a double Beauty 1. The Divine Harmony of the Universal Image in Nature resulting from and resting upon each particular fitly set with a sacred proportion and contrivance in its own Time and in his Time that is by a Divine Hand in a Divine Time 2. An exact and ravishing Harmony with the Eternal Image of the supream Glories in God As line for line feature for feature colour for colour motion for motion from a Face in a Glass answer to the Beautiful Face which beholdeth itself in the Glass so is God and this world the Face in the water and the living Face Beauty itself by looking upon the water at once Figuring itself upon it and beholding itself in it all being reflections of its own Glorieâ— Obj. But you will say we see not now this resemblance of the Divine Glory in the face of the Creature Ans. What God doâ—h he doth for ever v. 14. As Jesus said to Peter of the washing his Feet What I do thou knowest not now but thou shalt know hereafter that may be applied here The work of God in this World and Time is for Heaven and Eternity to be understood and enjoyed there When we shall come into the presence of the Life and the Original then shall we look again with another manner of Eye upon the Picture and have an unexpressâ—ble pleasure to behold one in the other As the Tabernacle when its season was past was taken into the Temple So when Time and this world are past away Time and this world from the Beginning to the End shall be taken up into their first Patterns into Eternity God shall call every thing to the least dust or moment by its name and no one shall be wanting There shalt thou see the Beauty of the whole and of every part in the light and life of its Glorious Original Then shalt thou know what God hath done from the Beginning of the world to the End Thou shalt now possess and enjoy all with unexpressible pleasures when thou shalt thus meet them again in a new Light to be for ever with thee In the mean time as Christ said to Martha Believe and thou shalt see the Glory of God Thy Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life and that now and that within thee in thy Spirit John 1. 14. The Word was made Flâ—sh and dwelt tabernacled among us and we beheld his Glory the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth O Man O Christian open the Eye of thy understanding open the Eye of thy Faith see this world the Tabernacle the Temple of the Eternal Word behold all things full of the Grace and Glory of his Person in Shadows and Images formed by himself behold himself in the truth of all this Grace and Glory in that height of Glory which is proper to his own Person as he is the only begotten of the Father dwelling with thee in this Temple behind the Vail of every Shadow and Image Behave thy self as in the House of God Walk in the midst of all Creatures and Occurrences as in the midst of so many Divine Mysteries as a Priest in the Temple In purity in peace in wisdom in love bear in every state the Figure of thy Jesus and his Glories converse with it in every thing walk in it at all times See thy Glorified Jesus himself together with his shadow make him the mark of thine Eye and thine Heart terminate all the workings of thy Spirit upon him as the Truth and Substance So wait continually for the breakings forth of the glory as a Heavenly Flame thorow the Shadow upon thee to take thee up into itself And thou as thou ascendest carry up the Shadow with thee 4. Lesson Live abstracted from this world in the world Distinguish and separate thy self from the Natural Person Life and Image which are all the Shadow and no more that thou mayst stand in an Immortal Person a Life of Glory the Essential Image which is the Truth The Lord Jesus saith I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away For
if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send Him to you Joh. 16. 7. Jesus Christ in the Shadow in the Flesh is the Crucifier and the crucified Jesus Christ in the Substance in the Spirit is the Comforter and the Comforted How expedient is it for us in the midst of these Shadows to withdraw our selves into the Life and Truth that when all things there are dying upon the Cross all things here may be Comforters and Comforts which continue for ever The Lord Jesus saith to the Father Sacrifice and Burnt-offering thou wouldest not have but a Body hast thou prepared me that is to be offered up in the place of all Sacrifices Hâ—b 10. 1. We read v. 1. that the Law hath a Shadow only of good things to come Jesus and all His Members have the Shadowy Body of this Natural Man and the First Creation fitted for them only to sacrifice themselves in these to the Eternal Truth that thus they may return on high into That All Shadows are under the Law The Law hath Shadows only of Good things to come All Sacrifices are under the Law The Gospel is a Feast Spirit and Life How wise how blessed is he who gathereth himself up entirely out of Nature and Flesh into the Invisible Glory of the Spirit In which while Flesh is suffering as a Sacriâ—ice by Fire he seeth all Flesh Suffering and Sacrifices to be Shadows only Shadows of Immortal Joys and Himself already in those Joys triumphing over and comprehending those Shadows in the Beautiful and Blessed Truth These are the Lessons from the First Principle which was that this World in its pure Naturals falleth as a Shadow from the Glorified Person of our Saviour 2. Principle The Presence and Appearance of the Person of our Lord Jesus and His Glory is withdrawn from the faln and corrupt World The Devil is called in the Scriptures The Prince of Darkness and The Prince of this World This World the World in this faln state is Darkness Darkness is the Privation of Light The absence of the Sun from the Earth is the Cause of Darkness Our Saviour in Glory is the Light the Sun of the whole Creation While He goeth away with His Beams into a far countrey to shine in the Invisible World He leaveth all behind Him in the Dark Three Lessons naturally flow from this second Principle 1. Lesson Believe not any Appearances of things in this World Darkness in the language of the Holy Ghost signifieth Deceit The Lord Jesus saith of Himself I am the Truth Truth hath lest the World together with Jesus Christ. Blessed is he who having the Possessions or Powers of this World in his Hand the Smile or Frowns of it before his Eyes the Griefs or Joys of it in his Heart can with a good assurance say Have I not a Lye in my Hand and in my Heart Are not the Apparitions of the Devil the Father of Lyes before me 2. Lesson Love not the things of this World James 4. 4. Ye adulterers and Adulteresses know ye not that the Friendship of this World is enmity with God It is not now the Seed of the Woman which is a Divine Loveliness and Love in the Person of our Heavenly Bridegroom which springeth up in all the Forms and Fruits of this World Yet a little while saith He to the World and ye shall see me no more No! It is the Seed of the Serpent in Deformity and Enmity in a Contrariety to all Spiritual Beauty Goodness and Truth which groweth up every where Your Love to any part of this World is Unclean and Adulterous By it you leave the pure and sweet embraces of your own Glorious Husband to ly down infolded in the treacherous Twinings of the old Serpent the Dragon 3. Lesson Walk not after the Fashion of this World Rom. 12. 2. Be not conformed to this World While the Lord Jesus was with this World it was His Shadow He figured His Beauties upon it He acted it with His Spirit His Name was as an Ointment poured out upon it He spake to us and conversed with us there But now when He is absent the beautiful Figure is gone the Darkness with all its confusions and cursed Fruits remain The Spirit of Darkness ariseth in it with all his Hellish Forms of Deceit Defilement and Wrath If thou cloath thy Spirit with any Worldly Image thou puttest on a filthy Garment which will pollute thee thou puttest on a fiery garment which hathâ— the burning poysons of Hell hidden in it which will cleave inseparably to thee torturing and consuming thee with a hidden inward and uâ—quenchable flame This is the Second Principle 3. Principle Jesus Christ hath reconciled all things hath gathered up all things into One hath made all things New with the Spiritual and Eternal Glory of the Father as the World standeth in the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead and in His Glorified Person as a New Head to it with a New Name Lesson You then that are Christ's live victoriously and triumphantly in this World Abide in your Head â—There you see all this World lying conquered captivated comprehended in a new and endless World of Life Love and Glory Rom. 5. We rejoyce saith St. Paul v. 2. And not onely so but we glory in tribulation v. 3. Because the Love of God is shed abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto us v. 5. O Christians live in Joy Live in Glory live in perpetual Triumph For by the Resurrection and Ascension of your Jesus the bitterest Enmities the blackest Extremities are Forms Floods of Light and Love in that Sea of Light and Love the Holy Ghost breaking forth from the sweet and glorious Deep of the God-Head in the Heart of the Father Rom. 8. v. 57. In all these things famine nakedness sword mentioned before we are more than conquerours through Him that loved us v. 58 59. For nothing life nor death nor Angels things present nor things to come nor height nor depth shall be able to sparate us from the love of god wlâ—â—â— is in Christ Jesus Dear Soul dwell for ever in this good Land of Life and Love thy Saviour in the Spirit Nothing here can separate thee from the Divine Love Every thing then that cometh to thee in life or in death must come in that Element of Love it must come in a Lovedress it must be Love itself in a Lovely Form Every thing that toucheth thee here must touch thee with the Heavenly kisses and Embraces of Divine Love Otherwise there would be a Separation between Love and thee In thy glorified Jesus is the Love of God that Love which is God the God-Head of Love O blessed Habitation O Happy and Heavenly Countrey thine own Countrey indeed What so much our own what so near us so much One with us as Love Here Love in its God-Head filleth all in Spiritual Forms in Forms of Glory and of God
then of Fornications Her End is to have her Flesh burnt with Fire and into the same bed of flames will God cast all those that commit fornication with her 3. Step. By loving this world thou makest thy self an Adulteress with the Devil This World as it stealeth thine Heart from God is a Composure of Lyes The Devil who is the Father of Lyes maketh thy Soul his Strumpet upon which he begetteth these false Forms of things Thou breedest these young Devils upon thy Knee and as thou sportest thy self with them thou suckest in by their Kisses the poyson and fire of Hell into all thy veins The Devil first wooes thee in a Counterfeit shape of false Beauty Glory Power Joys When he hath gained thee he breaketh forth upon thee in his own shape of endless Terror and Horrours There is nothing truer than that the Love of this World is a Spiritual Adultery with the Devil and the Head of all Adulteries of all Defilements There is nothing more sure than that Carnal Adultery in all the degrees of it the Similitude of this most powerfully calleth up into us and upon us the Spirit of this World the Prince of Darkness the Devil with all His Dark Deforming and Destroying Powers O ye sons and Daughters of men who dwell in the midst of the snares and nets of this great painted Adulteress be aware of your danger Abide in your first Principle your Root your first Husband the Eternal Love of the Father in Christ. Abide in your own Habitation the Bosom of your own Bride the Eternal Beauty the Essential and Immortal Image of the God-Head in Christ. These Loves shall be a Fountain of Life to you above to preserve you from the snares of Death below 4. Step. By the Love of this World you turn the Love of God into Wrath and fury If you be the Friends of this World you are the Enemies of God saith St. James Why do you provoke the Love of God Will you contend with Almighty Love Are you greater than that Love is the Right Hand of God's Strength His God-Head lieth in His Love God is Love This Love is strong as Death cruel as the Grave What art thou O Worm to stand before it to bear its rage O choose rather to lye down as a Bride in these everlasting Burnings and Devouring Fires of Love to be cherished changed refined and glorified by their tender and divine Embraces than to set thy self as Bryars and Thorns against them to be consumed by them Thus I have done with the First Description of Divine Love A Union between God and the Soul as the Beloved and His Love in One Spirit of Purity Immortality Joy and Glory 2 Descrip. The Love of God is the Will of God This is a Universal Truth that in every Spirit Love and the Will are One This appeareth in their Nature their Object their Operation 1 The Nature of the Will and Love are One The Will is defined to be the Inclination of the Spirit as it tendeth and bendeth itself to this or that this way or that way Love is stiled The Weight of the Soul As heavy things by their Weight so Souls by their Love are carried to their proper Center 2. The Object of the Will and of Love is the same It is a rule that The Powers and Habits in Spirits are distinguâ—shed by their Objects Every Principle and Faculty is the Object in its Sâ—ed The Object is the Form and Perfection of the Principle The Object of the Will is Goodness Appearing The Object of Love is Loveliness Loveliness and Goodness both consist in Suâ—tableness which hath its Ground in Unity If there be any Difference between Goodness and Loveliness it is this that as the Flower of Light is the Sun-shine and as Jesus Christ is the Efâ—ulgency the Shine of the God-Head the Brightness of the Glory of God so Loveliness or Beauty is Goodness shining â—ut to attract all Hearts to it Thus Loveliness the Object of Love and Goodness Appearing the Object of the Will agree entirely in One. 3. All their Operations are the same The Affections and Passions are the Motions of the Will All these are Love's Summer or Winter Love in the Seed is Desire Love budding and blossoming is Hope Love in the ripe Fruit is Joy Anger Fear Grief and Hatred are Love in its Opposition to its Enemy which is Enmity alone Love flying from or contending with that which standeth in its way to or would rob it of its Beloved Object But this is spoken in General onely concerning the Will and Love In Particular let us see how the Divine Will and the Divine Love appear to be the same in the Holy Scriptures The Will of God is distinguished by Divines into the Revealed and the Secret Will of God One is the Divine Will in Outward Signs onely The Other is the Good-Pleasure of God in His Heart and in Eternity 1. The Revealed Will of God is Love 1. Tim. 2. v. 1. c. In the first v. of this Chapter you have a Divine Rule that All manner of Prayers be made for All Men. This Rule is pressed by a particular Application of it to Kings and all in Authority v. 2. All in Authority what ever their Persons are or their Right v. 3. The Reason of this Rule is laid down For this is Good and Acceptable to God our Saviour This Universal Love wound up to the Highest strain of Spirituality and Divinity in us is a Vein of the Supreme and Divine Good let forth from the Heart of God where the Fountain of Good is and circling thorow our Hearts into his Heart again by Prayer Therefore is it acceptable to God Our Wills are never so in tune to the Divine Will and in consort with it as when the Spiritual motions of our Hearts in the Bosom of the Father are strains of Universal Love The Root of this Reason is discovered v. 4. God will have all Men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth Love is said to consist in this To Will good to any one If this be love to Will good to any Then is it the best and highest love to Will the best and highest good Behold then The revealed Will of God is a Revelation of love to the height God will have all Men to be saved God willeth the highest end which is the best good to the lowest and worst of Men to all Men. That this end may not fail he also willeth the means to the end that all Men should come to the knowledge of the Truth The Ground in which this root of love liveth is the Unity of God and Christ. For there is one God and one Mediatour between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus The highest Unity Is the largest Universality It is in Spirits as in these Heavens which we see the highest are the widest All beneath them lie in their Bosoms The whole nature of things is
love For the Divine Nature the Original is love This love throughout the whole nature of things is as a Pyramid made up by degrees of different Unions till it end in the highest and most indivisible point of Unity The Unity of God is that Fountain of love out of which all things proceed The secret force of this Unity is that stream of love which runneth thorow the Heart and Veins of Every Creature in the Person of Christ which is the golden Pipe with its several branches laid thorow the whole Creation from the Beginning to the End There is one God and one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus Thus the revealed Will of God is love 2. The secret Will of God is love Fury is not in me Who would set the bryars and thorns in Battel aray against me I would go thorow them I would consume them Wrath is not in God It is without him only as a Cloud upon the Sun The heart of God is Love Wrath is but the work of his Hand and that his strange Work like nothing within a disguise only The Face of God and the proper light of it is love Wrath is vizor a mist before his Face and no more Fury in God is love by the opposition heightned to a flame to consume all vanity and enmity that setteth itself before it or against it O that I had a voice powerful enough to reach all the Souls wandring thorow the whole Creation and to call them together to take this Cup of Salvation into the hand of their Faith to set it to the mouth of their Faith and drink deeply of it As the Wine of this Cup goeth down into your Spirits you will find it to go down right How sweetly and how fully will it touch satisfy and fill every faculty every desire every Seed of life with its proper good The Cup of Salvation which I hold forth to you is this Divine Truth the Sum of the Gospel Preached by Angels in their Songs at the Birth of our Jesus The Will of God is love Hear this and believe it O ye Souls the Inclination of God the supream Spirit and Fountain of Spirits is to you The tendency and the bent of the Divine Nature is to make your joys full by the possession of all good in itself and to fulfil his own joys in you For the Will is the Inclination of every Spirit and the Will of God is love Hear this and believe it O ye Souls God is carried with the whole weight of his God-Head to you as to his Center to rest eternally in you and to rejoyce over you For love is the weight of every Spirit and the Will of God is love The Will of God in the Freedom Absoluteness Infiniteness of it is love Now I live saith St. Paul if ye stand fast in the Faith 1 Thes. 3. 8. St. Paul speaketh not this in his own Spirit but in the Spirit of God God in his own Spirit speaketh it with a greater force and fuller sense to every one of you if you believe me and take in my love which is my life now have I a new Love a new Life a new Joy and Heaven in you As you grow in this Faith my Life and Joy increaseth in you If you stand fast in it my Joy and Glory is as firm in your hearts as in Heaven itself If you will believe all the Declarations of God from Heaven the revealed Will of God is Love If you have any Inward and Divine Touch of the secret Will of God all the breathings of his Heart are Love O take in the Love of God that his Love may become a Divine Immortal Seed of all Love and Loveliness in you But now let us hearken to the groans of some poor ones among these multitudes of Souls who parched and burnt up with their Sins Sorrows who benighted in the Darkness of their unbeleief yet among all these Millions of streams of Love which flow forth upon their Spirits from the heart of God among those Millions of Beams of Love which fall from the Eye of God upon their hearts dare not take in any one No though they thirst for Divine Love more than for Life yet shut up their Spirits against all Approaches or Appearances of it as delusions Obj. These Souls sigh forth this great Objection against the Love of God You say the Will of God is love the object of every Will is some good the object of all love is some loveliness What loveliness can there be in me to draw the heart of God to me to be in love with me who am only loathsom by my lusts and deformed by my passions What good can be found in me to attract the Divine Will to center itself in me by love when no good but all evil dwelleth in me Answ. 1. Dear Soul who thus reasonest for thine own sufferings against the love of God I shall give thee three Answers in the behalf and in the name of Divine love O that love itself from the heart of God would drop its Sweetness from its own mouth upon thee and seal it upon thy Spirit while I am speaking for it to thee First Thou wert made in the Image and Likeness of God Gen. 1. All Loveliness consisteth in Suitableness Suitableness in Similitude and Likeness There is nothing which draweth Hearts and Love which attracteth all things so powerfully as Similitude doth Similitude is a kind of Unity and Likeness Oneness Similitude is described to be one Form in two matters or subjects Let this O drooping Soul raise thee to look upward to that Heaven of Eternal Love which ever holdeth thee in its Embraces and shineth round about thee The Divine Image and Similitude is thy proper Person thine Nature thine Essence it lyeth indeed captivated in chains of Darkness dishonoured and defiled by thy lusts wounded and mangled by thy passions oppressed with guilt slain by unbelief in thee Yet this Divine Image is in thee It is thy true self according to the first Creation Dost thou ask now what that good is which attracteth the Divine Will to thee by the love of it God is in love with his own Likeness in thee He seeketh his own Birth His Spouse in thee sprung forth from himself to be his Joy in the midst of all the Creatures to be Queen where ever he is King in the whole Creation This Divine Image in thee this thy Divine self is that Pearl in the Field for which God giveth himself that he may purchase the Fields This is that good to which the heart of God is carried with all its weight of love to redeem it to revive it to raise it out of the Dust that it may shine again in his Glory and sing of his loves The Lord Jesus telleth us Mat. 24. 28. Where the Carkass is there the Eagles will be gathered together The Scriptures represent the Spirit of God in its low
which Eternal Love bringeth forth to itself within itself as its own Essential Form and Image This Glory this Life-Image of Love is that which it is forming in every Aegypt Sea Wilderness and Canaan The Heathen represented the Nature of this thing by Venus the Mother of Love the Seeds and Life springing by a Cupid Love the Child of this Mother Gen. 1. 2. It is said that the Spirit of God moved upon the Waters The Paraphrase upon that Scripture maketh it to be an allusion to a Dove which is the Bird of love sitting upon her Eggs and hatching her young ones The Holy Spirit is often in Scriptures represented by a Dove Eternal Love is of a Truth that Almighty Spirit which at first sate upon the whole Creation to form it and moveth upon it thorow all times to cherish and govern it Love is the Mother of all above All things are the Off-spring of Love a Race of Seminal and Springing Loves Mercy Love runneth along with the whole with each particular of the whole thorow the length of Eternity itself This is still the Burthen of the Song For his Mercy endureth for ever 2. The Works of Grace These are the second sort of Divine Works and these also are the Works of Love These are divided into three Ranks 1. The constant abode of the Soul in the Heart of God Who remembred us in our low estate v. 23. Thou O broken Heart Art sinking by ignorance by unbelief by thy fall from God thou art sinking still deeper into the Darkness and Filth of this World and thy Lusts. Still thou sinkest into the Power and Horrours of the Devil Now thou sayest the Lord hath forgotten me he hath cast me off for ever Yet he remembreth thee in thy low estate Still thou art in his Thoughts thou art in his Heart as a Pillar in the Temple of the Divine Nature which is Love never to go forth Thy Person is ever before him with a Sweet and deep Impression upon his Spirit never to be rased out What hath done this It is Eternal Love This is the Light of the Divine Mind which continually presenteth thee to it in the dress of its own Beâ—uties This is the sweet force of the Divine Will which holdeth thee fast in itself which beareth thee in its Arms thorow all conditions and will not let thee go for ever This is the Reason why He remembreth thee in thy low estate For his Mercy endureth for ever 2. The bringing us back into the Bosom of God This is the second Rank in the Works of Grace And hath redeemed us from our Enemies For his Mercy endureth for ever v. 24. It is Eternal Love in the Bosom of the Father which hath sent Jesus Christ forth from thence for us and to us that he may be our Sacrifice our Ransom and our Redeemer It is Eternal Love in the Person of Christ which cometh down from Heaven to make itself a Sacrifice for us to the Justice and Wrath of God It is Eternal Love in the Person of our Iâ—sus which descendeth upon the Earth as a Field of Blood to undertake the Fight with the Powers of Darkness that he may reskue us and redeem us from all our Enemies on Earth and in Hell It is Eternal Love in the Person 〈◊〉 Iâ—â—us Christ that gâ—veth itself a Price for us that one Pearl in which Hâ—â—ven and Earth with all the treasures of the Creature and Creator lie to puâ—chase us to itself It is Eternal Love in the Person of our Heavenly Bridegroom that giveth itself to us to cloath us to form us to act us to be a Crown of Divine Glory upon us to be a Fountain of all Spiritual Loveliness Life Grace Purity and Joys in the midst of us Thus it redeemeth us from our Captivity and Shame Thus it maketh us a Bride fit for itself coming forth ready trim'd out of the Heaven of its own Embraces 3. The nourishing of us in the Bosom of God This Work of Grace cometh in the third Rank Who giveth food to all Flesh For His Mercy endureth for ever Mark how these answer one another Mercy Food All Flesh For ever Eternal Love is both the Feeder and the Food If God give Food If everlasting Mercy Eternal Love in the Divine Nature and Form give Food This is Food indeed not the Flood of a Shadow or a lie My Flesh is Meat indeed my Blood is Drink indeed saith our Lord Jesus The Lord speaketh not this of his Humane Nature For of this he saith in another place The Flesh profiteth not but the Spirit quickneth It is Eternal Love which is the Flesh of Christ the strength and substance of the Divine Nature It is Eternal Love which is the Blood of Christ the Life and Sweetness of the Divine Nature This is that Meat indeed and Drinâ— indeed which Love giveth for Food to all Flesh in its Bosom to nourish it to Eternal Life I have passed thorow the second Sort of 〈◊〉 Works the Works of Grace 3. Works of Glory O give thanks unto the God of Heaven For his Mercy endureth for ever v. 26. and last The Psalm begun with Goodness as its ground of Love v. 1. It closeth its Musick with Heaven as the Crown of Love The natural Heavens the Heavens of the first Creation are not intended here These were mentioned in the body of the Song and pass away These are the last and highest Heavens the Heavens of Glory the high and holy places of Eternity These Heavens are all made of Love All the precious and incorruptible Substance all the unexpressible and pure Sweetnesses All the Divine and unfading Beauties of these Heavens are Eternal Love All the Praises given to God as he appeareth in these Heavens with all his Saints and Angels all his Joys and Glories round about him are attributed to Eternal Love the Root the Flower the Fruit the only reason and rellish of all O give thanks to the God of Heaven For his Mercy endureth for ever For his Love is Eternal The midst of Solomons Chariot is pavâ—d or flameth with Love Cant. 3. The Center of Heaven is a Love-fire All the Spirits and Spiritual Glories of it are Immortal flames of Divine Love 2. Argum. Love is the end of all Things with God This is the second Argument to prove Love to be the proper Name of God and full expression of the Divine Nature Love appeareth to be the last end of all things three ways 1 All the Works of God end in Love 2. All the Attributes and Exâ—ellencies of God serve his Love 3. God resteth in his Love 1. All the Works of God end in Love Psal. 145. v. 9. His tender Mercies are over all his Works The word Mercies cometh from the Belly the inward parts the Womb. It signifieth the very heart of Love where it first liveth and never dieth where it lyeth warmest and hath the strongest pulse It signifieth Love in its Center and
Believing Soul seeth and smelleth the Heavenly Flower of Comforting Love living and flourishing in this Root of Eternity the Divine Unity The Spirit himself whose Unity is the Band of all Peace and Joys is now with thee and in thee a Comforter the Fountain of all Living Comforts 5. Believe and Faith will set in thine Eye this Glorious Unity as the Crown of Glorifying Love Jesus Christ saith expresly among his last Words John 17. 22. That Glory which thou hast given to me I have given to them that they may be One as we are One. This is the concluding and crowning Glory This is the Glorifying Love Love in Glory the Unity made Perfect The Father hath given Glory to Christ by giving him the Being of his heavenly Person which is the Glory and himself in that Being a Glory in that Glory Jesus giveth the same Glory to us himself and his Father to make us One Glory with themselves that the Unity may be the Glory and each in the same Spirit may be a Unity of Glories O! believe Can any thing be desired sweeter sâ—rer greater by any Soul than to be one Love one Glory with Jesus Christ and his Father Faith planteth thee into this Love into this Unity 3. Argum. Faith by planting thee into the Unity of God bringeth thee into the Light of God The Eye of Faith seeth the Truth of Things as it is in Jesus and Jesus as He is in the Unity of the Spirit Ephes. 4. 21. If yeâ— have been taught in Him as the Truth is in Christ. Ephes. 4. 3 4 5. Keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Band of Peace One Body One Spirit One Lord. The Light of Faith is the Light of the Divine Unity as the Light of Sense is the Brightness and Glory of the Corporeal Unity which is One Sun This Light discovereth the Truth of things in the Secret of the most sacred Unity in the Lord Jesus as He is One in the Unity of the Spirit How different is the Appearance of things to Sense and to Faith What different Lights shine in the Diversity of flesh and in the Unity of the Spâ—rit In the latter of these are seen all beautiful and pleasant things all things in Beauty Pleasantness in Heavenly Immortal Forms And this Sight alone is the Truth Believe so shalt thou see thy self in Christ in One Glory Thou shalt know that this which thou now seest is the Truth thy True Person and Form Now thou shalt cry out with Joy and Wonder Behold I am fair I am altogether fair It is easie for me now to believe that I am my Beloved's and that His desire is toward me while I see my self in this Glass of Christ's Glorified â—erson in this Circle of Glory the Unity of the Spirit Believe So shalt thou see all the Saints in One Glory with Christ and shalt know that this is the Truth of every Saint Then shalt thou stretch forth thine arms to them and say How is my heart enlarged towards you Ye are as I am all look like Princes the Sons of the great King My joy is fulfilled in You all Believe For when thou behevest thou shalt see all the Works of God in a Vision of Truth and Glory Thou shalt see them in Christ as Christ is One in the Unity of the Spirit All shall appear to thee like the Joynts or white Circles of the Thighs of the Spouse Cant. 7. 1. Jewels the Work of a curious Arâ—ificer Mâ—ster-pieces of Divine Love they shall be all to thee as the hands and fingers of thy Beloved Rings of Gold with a precious stone set in them Circâ—es of Divine Light and Life figures of the Supreme Unity with that Glorious Unity itself set in them to enrich them Believe O what a Paradise in the third Heavens is a Believer caught up into when first the Eye of Faith is opened in him Yea as often as it openeth itself in him He beholdeth all Forms of Things as they are in Truth this Truth as it is in Christ this Christ as he is in the Unity of the Spirit With what pleasure like that of a Resurrection from the Dead when all things that ever we conversed with rise together with us into the same Glory doth a man now look round about him and say O all ye Appearances of Things that ever were or are to be Are these your Forms your true Forms Is this sight of you which I have now in the Divine Unity the only Truth Then the Believing Soul stretcheth forth her hands to them all and cryeth out with wonder and delight my Father my Mother my Husband my Wife my Brethren my Sisters my Children all the delights of my Eyes all the Sweetness and Joy of all Relations are ye all Use. 4. You who are planted by Faith into the Divine Unity shew the Fruits of this blessed Root in Purity and Love 3. Let a Divine Purity shine in thy Life O Christian. The Unity of God is his Simplicity The Simplicity of God is his Purity The Purity of the most excellent things is their freedom from mixture The more they are themselves the more they shine the more pure and precious they are Live and walk in the Unity of the Spirit Galat. 5. 25. Behold thy self and all things converse with all as they appear as thou meetest them in thy walks in this circle of the Divine Unity Sleep not the sleep of Sense or Flesh lest thou be hurried in Dreams into the Land of Darkness where the Light is Darkness where there is no Order no Unity Awake into the Light of this Blessed Unity So shalt thou be ever with God So shalt be ever like God 2. Be unmoveable in Love God is Love because he converseth with all things in the Light of his own Spirit alone which is the Light of Lovelâ—ness and Love Be thou a Child of God a Child of this Light and so a Child of Love Be a Priest of Divine Love Be ever within in thine own Spirit as a Temple of Holy Loves filled with the Glory of that God which is Love Know nothing any more in any Appearance besides that which sheweth itself to thee in this Temple by the Light of this Glory Object Here an Objection cometh in our way which may arise in every understanding against all this discourse which we have had concerning the Divine Unity and Divine Love Doth not God see Sin and hate Sinners Ought not we to do so Ans. I answer affirmatively the Divine Nature both in God and in the Children of God discovereth the deformity of Sin by a most clear Light and hateth it with a most perfect hatred I shall confirm and explain this Answer by four particular Answers 1. Ans. Sâ—n is a privation of Holiness which is the Beauty of Spirits as Darkness is a privation of Light and every Evil of some Good Privations are known only by their contrary habits God and all Holy Spirits see
before the Testament or Covenant is here expressed by Promises The Law is compounded of Precepts and Promises dependant upon those Precepts as condition of the Covenant to be performed mutually on both sides of prohibitions and threatnings annexed But as the Sun is a Body streaming forth freely by a knot of Beams So is the Gospel a knot of Promises which are all Love in so many clear unmixt Beams shooting themselves freely forth from the fulness and force of Love alone in its Head-spring the heart of God Obj. But you will say Are there not Precepts set down Conditions imposed Duties required high and hard things to be performed in an Evangelical State Ans. It is most true The Gospel hath its Precepts Conditions Duties and these all high hard raised to a pitch of Spirituality and Heavenliness beyond the reach and sight of any natural Spirit But these all depend upon the Promise and not the Promise on them All Evangelical Graces and Duties are Children of the Promise The Promise is as the Hierusalem above free the mother of all living Principles and Performances We read 2 Pet. 1. 4. That we have given to us great and precious promises by which we are made partakers of the Divine Nature You who believe not hear and believe You who believe but faintly and weakly hear that your Faith may be encreased You who are strong in Faith hear and believe yet more Hear how all the difficulties in believing in the whole life of Faith from the Beginning to the end the Promises are Pipes of pure Gold laid into your Hearts from the Heart of Christ in Glory By these from that flourishing Olive Tree the Divine Nature as the best Oil floweth in upon you freely and perpetually When a Gardiner would set choice Plants Flowers in a barren sandy Soil he first bringeth in fresh and fertile Soil to lay upon it Then he planteth in this good ground which he hath made his Flowers and Trees which now flourish and make that barren Earth a rich and pleasant Garden So God findeth thy Spirit O Man barren and sandy a Rock No Spiritual Plant no Truth or Grace of the Gospel can take root or live here But be not thou discouraged by all this by the hardness of thine Heart the barrenness and enmity of thy Spirit to the Heavenly Seed which it killeth as often as it is sown in it Look to the Promises God by these will bring in the Divine Nature With this as a good and Heavenly ground he will overlay and enrich thy Spirit Now God will plant every pleasant Truth every Evangelical Grace in thy Spirit Now they shall all prosper they shall unfold their several Beauties send forth their sweet smell and bring forth much fruit in thee For this new Earth of the Divine Nature shall send forth its Fatness and Sweetness into them and make them to grow When a Prince goeth his progress his Gests are set down before he leaveth his Court which way and how far he shall Travel every day where he shall lodge at night His Servants with Furniture and Provisions from his Court wait upon him all along A Promise is a Declaration and Obligation of Divine Love which it maketh of itself which it layeth upon itself free and immutable Whoever thou art that hearest this believe in the Promise Believe freely in a free Promise This Faith will make thee the Prince of which I speak Thou art now a Prince come forth from Heaven to take thy Progress thorow this world and so return home to Heaven again All thy Gests by day and Rests by night are set down Eternally in Heaven in the Book of Love there which is the Heart of God and from thence in a Promise which is Eternal Love or the Heart of God transcribed to be read by thee The day of a Saint is the Light shining from the Face of God The night is the drawing in and darkning of this Light All thy motions by day with every Circumstance O Believer O Heavenly Prince are described exactly in the draught of Divine Love the Promise Thou goest as it is written of thee there The Holy Angels thine own Servants from thy Court in Heaven attend thee in all thy way with Heavenly Provisions and Minister unto thee as is appointed there Thy resting-place every Night is ordered in the Promise The Blessed Angels go before thee They take up thy lodging for thee They make it ready with Heavenly Furniture They make thy Bed for thee They are a Guard round about thee for the fear of the night All things are done as was set down before in the Bosom of Eternal Love opened in the Promise Thus the Gospel is All a Promise The Promises are Love shining forth by its own Brightnesses and Beams Love is that name of God which is an Ointment poured forth Love is the Divine Nature freely flowing and diffusing itself like Live-Honey As a Bottom of Silk is unwound and wrought out into divers beautiful Figures in a Garment of Needle-work such is thy Life thy whole Story O Saint Divine Love spun forth from the glorious Heart of God as Silk from the curious Worm is wound up into a Bottom in the Promise This rich Bottom worketh out itself into all thy motions and rests into all thy Changes and Chances thorow thy whole course as into so many exact and shining Figures of Eternal Glories Thus Love maketh itself the entire History of thy Life of that History and Life it maketh for thee a Garment to wear in Heaven becoming the Bride of the great King You may see something by my description of this first Pillar on which the Gospel standeth how God is one in the Covenant of Grace and that high Heavenly Unity the sweet Spring of all the Grace and love of the Covenant You will see this breaking forth more like the day dawning by degrees upon you as I shall set before you the other two Pillars of Evangelical Truth 2. Pillar The Promise of the Gospel is to the Seed and to that Seed as to One. To Abraham and to his Seed were the Promises made He saith not to Seeds as to many but to his Seed as to One. v. 16. The Seal of the Promise upon the Seed is the Unity God will not give his Glory to another The Love and Grace of God in the Gospel is his chief Glory Therefore is Evangelical Love to the Evangelical Seed and that for the Unity sake The Seed every where in the Father in all the Off-spring is one with itself Love and Unity are ever inseparable The Strength and Sweetness of the Relation between the Father and the Child is the Unity Love is at its height in a Father because there is the Head of the Unity The Unity here is the Spring of Love From hence its streams run along into all relations with the sweeter and stronger force as they are nearer to this Spring God is Love God
Entire Eternal the first and highest Unity in which all Unions lie together undivided compleat making up one Sweetness which hath the names and rellishes of all sweetnesses which giveth name and rellish to every sweetness which is above all names and rellishes unexpressible incomprehensible This is the Love-spring in the Trinity of Divine Love This is the Father in the Trinity of the Divine Nature Use. 1. Give all Glory to Free-Grace Ascribe all Riches to it Set your Love upon it This is the Fountain of Divine Love in the Bosom of the Father This is the Fountain of Israel This is the Fountain of the God Head This is your own your only Fountain O Saints All your streams of Life Grace Comfort Glory arise out of this Love-spring in Eternity which is the heart of the Father This is the Fountain this is the Father of Jesus Christ your Fountain and Father in him He that hath drunk the Waters of Life and Love from this Well will never thirst more after any other Waters or drink of any other Spring We read in Numbers of a Well in the Wilderness which the Princes digged with their Staves and sung to it Spring O Well O wandring Souls behold your Well which is before you in every Wilderness The Prince of Life your Jesus hath dig'd and opened it for you from the depths of the God-Head with the Staff the Scepter of his Spirit Look to no other Fountain But sing continually to this Spring O Well Spring O thou heart of the Father Spring in mine heart Spring with streams of Divine Truth Spring with streams of Divine Strength Spring with streams of Divine Joy Send forth thy streams over all my Soul and Body Make all my powers and parts to sing like the Garden of Eden O thou Fountain of Gardens My Prince hath dig'd and opened thee in my heart O thou heart of the Father with the Staff of his Spirit Open mine Eyes O Blessed Spirit that by thee I may see this Fountain which by thee is opened in me It was at the Fountain that Jacob and his beloved Rachel first met The Daughters of Laban came thither to water their Flocks But the Well had a great stone upon it which they could not move Jacob rolled away the Stone and watered their Flocks for them From thence they brought Jacob to their Fathers House knew him for their neer Kinsman and were marryed to him It is at this Fountain of Free-Grace that the Lord Jesus and the elect Soul first meet Sin Death and Wrath make the Stone which cover this Spring The Lord Jesus rolleth away this Stone that thou and all thy Fathers Flocks with thee all the Principles and Powers of Life in thee may drink of this Well Here the Lord Jesus looketh upon thee and loveth thee Here he maketh himself known to thee to be thy Brother and taketh thee to be his Bride From this Well he goeth home with thee unto thy Fathers House into thine heart into thy natural Spirit and thine Earthly Image in these to marry thee to himself to make the fruitful to Eternal Glory to enclose this door of thy natural Spirit with Boards of Cedar a Divine Beauty Sweetness and Incorruptibility to build upon the wall of thine Earthly Image a Palace of Silver into which he will invite his Father the Holy Angels all glorified Spirits to feast and inhabit with himself and thee There was often contention for Wells between the Servants of Abimelech and the Servants of Isaac These digged them and the others stopped them up Contend O Believers for this your Well of Free-Grace Suffer no Aegyptians or Philistines to stop it up by casting in the Earth or Stones and Rubbish of Free-Will of any Wisdom Work or Worth in the Creature As Earth cast into a Spring defileth it so by every thing of the Creature mingled with the Waters of this Fountain they lose their clearness their sweetness their vertue Keep this Spring of the Fathers heart of Free-Grace pure So shalt thou see a clear shining deep of Divine Sweetnesses without any Bottom the Glorious Deep of Eternity itself In the clearness of this Spring shalt thou see thine own Face From the freshness of this Spring thou shalt drink in perpetually new Floods of all living Sweetnesses With the pure Waters of this Spring thou shalt preserve thine heart ever new ever soft ever flourishing with all Joys ever fruitful in all Graces O Saints Keep this Love-Spring the Fountain of Free-Grace open keep it pure in your Spirits Use. 2. Learn this Divine skill O Christians which comprehendeth all the rich mysteries of the Gospel in it Rise up new every moment with all things round about you out of this Fountain of Love in Eternity the Bosom of the Father Return again every moment with all your troop into this Fountain of Love the Bosom of the Father Lay your selves down for ever here Here alone is Jesus Christ in his naked Beauties nakedly embraced Seek see and enjoy all your pleasant Relations all pleasant Unions in this Unity of Divine Love the heart of the Father as in their proper Fountain Here is the Truth here is the Life of them all in their Original Here they are unchangeable Here they are as Sun-beams before they come forth descend divide grow shadowy and fading As we keep Flowers fresh by setting their stalks in Water So say of all your Relations in their shadows on Earth of all your sweet things with their Sweetnesses Who is their Father Answer thy self The Fountain of Love Then keep them with their stalks in this Fountain So shall they be ever fresh ever sweet to thee 2. Person The Love-Birth God is Love The three Persons in the Trinity are Love in a three-fold Form and Property or in a threefold Distinct and opposite Relation to itself within itself for the enjoyment of itself in the secret of Eternity abstracted from all Creatures infinitely before them and above them I have spoken of the first Person in this Trinity of Divine Love the Father the Fountain of Love in Eternity I come now to speak of the second Person The God-Head in the second Person is Divine Love in its Eternal Birth and Image The Fountain of Divine Love which is the Father bringeth forth from itself within itself an Eternal Birth the compleat Image of itself the Supreme Loveliness and Beauty This is our Jesus in the Bosom of the Father I shall endeavour to draw the Curtain from before this Blessed and Glorious Birth of Divine Love the Beloved the only one of all Holy and Heavenly Spirits I shall endeavour to set this most desired and most pleasant Person our Lord Jesus before the Eyes of your mind by five Characters or Marks The second Person in the Trinity is 1. The Birth or Image of Divine Love 2. The First 3. The Fairest 4. The Freshest 5. The Fullest Birth and Image of Divine Love 1. Character The Lord Jesus is
see the high and gloriouâ— Trinity the adored and amiable mystery of Eternal Love the three Beauâ—tiful and Blessed Persons of this Trinity of this mystery the Father 〈◊〉 Fountain of Love the Son the Fathers Lovely Birth Bride in their Love-union on their Heavenly Marriage-Bed figuring themselves and shining wilâ— the naked substantial Glory thorow the Figure You will say to the sweetneâ— of every Flower to the Beauty of every prospect in your walks this is thâ— Love-union between the Father and the Son this is the fruit of the Marriage-Bede on which the Father of Loves and his Lovely Image his Son aâ—â— his Bride lie eternally embracing each other This is thâ— perfume this is thâ— lustre of the holy Spirit You will say of every Sickness Sorrow and Death Here also is the Love-union These also are Love-Births Love-Images froâ— the Marriage-Bed of Love in Eternity These also are Doves with Wings 〈◊〉 Silver and Feathers of Gold from that Mother-Dove the Holy Spirit 〈◊〉 Love-Marriage between the Father and the Son in the most holy Triniâ—â— Use. 2. Give Glory to the Persons of this blessed Trinity to this mysteâ—y of Divine Love continually Dost thou perceive any good principle in Grace or nature putting forth itself in thee Give thanks and say This is the Father the Fountain of Diviâ—e Love opening himself and springing in 〈◊〉 Dost thou feel any sweet Appearance of Truth or Goodnes Light or Love in thy Spirit Rejoyce and say this is the Son the Love-Birth the Love-Image the Lord Jesus rising up from his Fountain the Bosom of the Father in me If there be any Vertue any Power any Pleasantness any Joy any Life of Love lift up thine heart and hands on high say This is the Love-union the Love-knot in the most high and Holy Trinity this is the Holy Spirit the Marriage Bed of the Eternal Bridegroom and Bride the Father of all Loves the Image of all Lovelinesses This is thy high and Heavenly Marriage-Bed which is now Green flourishing and fruitful in me Use. 3. Let this be the mark at which thou aimest O Believer to be taken up into this Love union into this Eternal Marriage-Bed to be one with the Father and the Son as they are one in the Unity of the Spirit I have now finished the last Argument for the confirmation of that proposition God is Love The Argument was this The mystery of the Trinity is a mystery of Divine Love Let me conclude this Argument with one general Use. Use. Hold fast the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity Study it with humble pure Spiritual understandings with the Scriptures in your Eye as your mark to guide you in your way with the Holy Ghost in your heart as your Light of Life to discern your mark your way and your end It is a deep and Divine contemplation that of a Learned Acute and Heaâ—enly Person God hath two Boxes in which he hath laid up his Jewels the â—ncarnation and the Trinity God hath opened one Box the Incarnation There we have seen rich and sparkling Jewels in the union between the Diâ—ine and Humane Nature here below God manifested in 〈◊〉 But O! What â—ewels shall we see what Loves what Glories what Unions when God shall open his other Box of the Trinity when we shall see God justified in the â—pirit The Trinity is the Supream the Soveraign mystery of the Gospel the â—undation of fair Colours upon which all evangelical mysteries are built â—e Fountain in Eternity from which they slow Then shall we understand 〈◊〉 mysteries when God shall take the vail from before this which is the entire 〈◊〉 clear-shining Face of the God-Head Here is the Supream Unity the Founâ—â—in of all Love Life and Light Here is the variety of Love and of Life 〈◊〉 its fairest Light in its first and fullest Image Here is the Love-union the 〈◊〉 Treasury the curious Spring the golden Band of all Unions Motions â—easures and Joys Blessed is he who with Eyes washed in this Fountain looketh into it seeth himself and all Divine Mysteries there Unvailed So Austin wished to have seen Christ in the Flesh. O how much more Divine and Blessed a Spectacle is it to see Christ in the Spirit that is in the Glory of the Trinity the Three Persons in One with all their Eternal Beauty fully and freely displayed Pray for Wait for Look up continually into the Heights and Lights oâ— the Spirit for this sight I have now brought to an End my last Description of Divine Love which is the Divine Nature God is Love I will seal up this Sweet and Soveraign Truth of the Gospel with One Use. Use. If you will be Children of God be Children of Love God is Love Love is the Divine Nature in God and in all His Holy Ones 1. Beware of Lust the Corruption of Love 2. Beware of Passion the Contrariety to Love 1. Beware of Lust the Corruption of Love The Corruption of the best Thing is the Worst All Lust is Love degenerated Love Corrupted Love is the Best of all things Love in its purity at its Height is the Godhead in God Lust is the Formality and Essence of the Devil as he is a Devil St. Jude teacheth us that fleshly Lusts are the similitude of that First sin of the Faln Spirits which made them of Angels Devils Ixion in the Poets loved a Goddess in the place of whom he embraced a Cloud formed into the Shape of a Divine Beauty Thus he became the Father of the Centaures half Men half Beasts Then he was cast into hell where he is fastened to a Wheel turning continually round on which he is tormented day and night This Pâ—rabâ—e is meant of thee O Lustful Spirit Thou wert made for Divine Love fâ—r the Love of the Divine Beauty Thus hast changed this Love into various Lusts. Thou defiâ—est thy self with Shadows Clouds of Darkness formed into the Empty Snapes of Beauty Instead of the Divine and Humane Nature in the Blessed Harmony of an Immortal Union all thy Births all thy Production are Horrid hateful monsters Man Beast and Devil all in One Spirit in One Person Thy end is the Endless Circle of thy Lusts and of the Divine wrath as the Wheel of Eternity a Wheel of Fire holding thee fast tied to it and torturing thee without any Rest or Period 2 Beware of Passion the Contrariety to Love Sampson tied Foxes together by their Tails with Firebrands between them So he sent them forth to burn up the standing Corn of the Philistines in the Fields O men when ye fall from the Wisdom of God into the Subtlety of the Serpent you become Foxes not Men. Your Lusts your Carnal Interests are your Tayls by which you are tied together in all your Unions and Commerce your Passions are Fire-brands fastned to your Tayls Thus the Devil sendeth you forth to deface and consume the Beauties the Peace the Comforts each of other of the whole Creation round about you
without any Reserve without any Division of the Heart Simplicity is Unity The Intentness of the Mind upon One Thing The heart of God All the Thoughts of his heart All the Powers of the Godhead All the Divine Attributes are united and intended upon This One Thing alone Love poured forth on the Person of the Lord Jesus Simplicity is without Alteration or Composition The heart of God is single in this Natural unchangeable This is the One Thing the Onely Thing of God's heart This is the Sâ—mplicity of the Divine Operations from Eâ—ernity to Eternity The Effusion of Love in the Person of Christ There may be many Shadows many Vails many Windings But this is the Simplicity the naked Face of the Divine Design of the Divine Work from the Beginning to the End as it lieth in the heart of God 2. Upbraiding none To upbraid is to object some Evil as an Argument of withholding some Act of Love or exercising some Act of Wrath. John 1. 2. 9. Jesus Christ is called the Lamb which taketh away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tollit taketh up beareth the Sins of the World When the Father was to pour forth his Love upon Christ he did not reproach him saying Thou hast the Sins of all the World upon thee Thou hast upon thee Millions of Whoredomes Adulteries Incests Treasons Witchcrafts Murthers Idolatries Rebellious Blaspemies Horrid Profanenesses Apostasies Spiritual wickednesses in Heavenly Angelical Divine Forms the proper Sins of Devils Thou hast many Davids Amnons Absaloms Manassehs Mary Magdalens many Peters many Judas's in thee and comest thou to me for Love How can I give thee my Love Instead of this when he is Baptized into that publick Ministry in which he professedly beareth the Sins of all the World before Men and Angels in which he beareth the Person of the greatest Sinners that ever were in the open Eye of Heaven Heaven openeth upon him the God-Head descendeth upon him visibly in a living Form of Love in the Form of a Dove a voice cometh to him from the Father This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased St. Paul saith Love thinketh no Evil. Solomon saith Love covereth All Sin When the Father should express Love to Christ in the Person of a Sinner he doth not object thy Unloveliness thy Filth thy want of Love thy enmity neither to deny Love nor to make the manner of expressing love lâ—ss sweet less lovely No. As the Seâ— when it floweth covereth all the Sand on the Shore round about with Multitudes of deep Waters so God when he poureth forth his love in Jesus Christ drowneth Eternally the innumerable multitudes of thy Sins with mighty and unfathomable Seas of Love which never return to leave them naked or bare to any Eye any more for ever God poureth forth his Love in Jesus Christ freely that is 1. Naturally 2 Nakedly 3. Indifferently 1. God poureth forth his Love in Christ Naturally Mat. 3. 17. This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Every Faculty or Power is carried forth naturally to its proper object Jesus Christ is the proper object of the Fathers Love The most perfect work of Nature in every thing is to bring forth its like Then nothing so Naturally so Powerfully attracteth love so delighteth aâ— this similitude doth The most perfect and perpetual Act of the Divine Nature in the Father is to bring forth the most perfect Image of himself in the Person of Christ then to pour forth himself in all Divine Loves and Pleasures into his Bosom Pleasure accompanieth all natural operations Pleasure naturally drawetâ— every Spirit Jesus Christ draweth the Heart of the Father all his love entirely to himself because the Father is pleased in him He is the Rest and Joy of his Father Three Things follow upon This â—aturalness of the Father's Love in Christ 1. Sweetness 2. Force 3. Duration 1. Sweetness That is ever Sweetest which is most Natural Live Honey is most esteemed because it droppeth Naturally of its own accord from the Honey-Comb Thou who hungrest after the Love of God lye down in the arms of thy Jesus There Love will drop and fall from the Heart of the Father into the Mouth of thy Spirit as Freely as Naturally as Sweetly as 〈◊〉 Live Honey from the Hâ—ny-Comb 2. Force That which is Natural hath the Greatest Force in it Every Natural Agent worketh to the utmost of its Power Thou who wantest Love be found in Jesus Christ. As the Sun every moment poureth forth All hâ—â— Beams from every part of him because he shineth Naturally so will the Father pour forth himself in Millions of Loves from every Point of his Hearâ— of his Godhead he will pour forth himself in All his Loves he will poâ—â— forth himself All in Loves upon Thee in Jesus Christ. For the Father as Naturally loveth in Jesus Christ as the Sun-shineth 3. Duration Nothing violent unnatural continueth Psal. 30. 5. His angâ—â— endureth but a moment In his favour there is Life Clouds and Storms 〈◊〉 not long They are a violence upon the Air and Praeternatural to it Calmâ—â— Serenities and Clear Sunshines are its Natural State Clouds and Storms of wrath are a Force upon the Divine Nature Strange to it a Disguise upon it The Blessed Calms Serenities and Sun shines of Loves of Love are its proper State Comfort thy self then O afflicted Soul The rain will be over the storm will be pass't away The sweet and clear the Golden the Glorious smiles of Love will return after the Storm and Rain These will rest the Last in the Face of God and upon thy Spirit Wrath is but for a moment at longest the moment of this Life this Shadow this short Dream of Lifes The Truth of Life the Perpetuity of Life Eternity is for Love 2. God poureth forth his Love in Christ Nakedly John 3. 34 God giveth him his Spirit without Measure The Spirit is Love in a Living Person in its Eternal Substance in its Native Seat in its Unlimited Freedom as Light in the Sun God saith to the Lord Jesus I will not stand to measure out my Love to thee Take it All. I will not give thee a Jewel out of my Cabinet but my Cabinet of Jewels I will not give thee an Apple of Love off from the Tree but the Tree of Love with all ripe and pleasant Fruits of Love hanging upon it I will not give thee some Spice from the Island but the Island of Spices the Land of Loves where they grow and increase eternally I will give thee the Infinite Eternal Spirit of Love himself where all the Treasures of Love â—re without number measure or End The Face of Divine Love in Jesus Christ hath no Vail upon it though â—ever so thin no Cloud upon it though never so fine No. Its Love shineth â—orth in Jesus Christ with a naâ—ed face in its Strength with all its Beauties â—ll its Sweetnesses Thou who art weary who art heavy laden with any
round about you Then shall Worldly Christians Hypocrites Temporary Believers all who have lived in the Lusts of the Flesh or the Letter onely of the Gospel take hold of climb up upon the outside of the Ark the outward Fleshly Form and Appearances of the Eternal Word the Lord Jesus Then shall they too late cry to be taken into the Spirit which alone is Truth which alone hath Immortality But they shall be rejected They shall lose their hold drop off into the flames and perish there I will conclude all with that Scripture John 14. v. 30. 31. When Jesus Christ perceived that the hour and Power of Darkness were now come upon him he saith The Prince of this World cometh Arise let us go hence Thus saith the same Jesus now in the Hearts of his Beloved Ones to his Spouse The Prince of Darkness The hour and Power of Darkness of dread of Destruction of the Devouring Fire cometh Arise let us go hence out of the visible things of the Flesh into the Invisibility of the Spirit The Ark of Pure Gold Paved with Loves 3 Property Plenty This is the Third Property in the Effusion of Divine Love upon the Glorified Person of Christ. It is poured forth plentifully I will divide this Head by Streams flowing from it 1. The Fulness of all Love is poured forth in Iesus Christ. 2. The Person of Christ is all Full of Love 1. The Fulness of all Love is poured forth in Jesus Christ. We read Colos. 1. 19. It pleased the Father that all Fulness should dwell in him that is in Jesus Christ. All Fulness and so the Fulness of All Love had its Seat its Bed in the Bosom of our Saviour But the Pleasure the Will of the Father which is the Highest Pleasure Pleasure in one Substantial most Perfect Eternal Act is the Well Spring which sendeth forth this Plenitude of Divine Love into Christ. The Words lye so in Greek that they may be properly rendred according to the rules of Grammar after this manner All Fulness was well pleased to dwell in him God is the Fulness which filleth all in all He alone is in any Place in any Spirit in any Creature Repletive so as to fill it God is Love God then is the Fulness of all Love Nothing attracteth and draweth so powerfully as Pleasure doth God who is that Love which is all Fulness the Fulness of all God who is the Fulness of all Love poureth forth himself to the Full to the last drop if we may so speak of that Love which hath neither First nor last Beginning nor End in the Lord Jesus For in Christ he poureth forth himself with Pleasure which is the highest of all Pleasures The Effusion of Love is itself a Pleasure Then the Beautiful and Blessed Person of the Lord Jesus is the most pleasant Channel the most pleasant Seat and Palace of Divine Love This Fulness of Divine Love in Christ shooteth forth itself into Three Branches 1. Love in all States 2. Love of all Kinds 3. Love in all Degrees 1. There is in Jesus Christ flowing forth from the Father a Fulness of Love in all States There are Three States of Divine Love in our Blessed Saviour There is 1. Preventing Love 2. Assisting Love 3. Finishing Love Divine Love in Jesus Christ hath these Three States and a glorious transcendent triumphant Fulness in every State 1. There is in the Lord Jesus poured forth from the Father A Fulness of all Preventing Love 2. Tim. 1. 9. St. Paul teacheth us that God hath saved us not according to works which we have done but according to his own Purpose and Grace given us in Christ before the World was Before thou hadst any thoughts of Love to Jesus Christ before thou hadst any Being in This World before the World was there was a Love from the Father in Jesus Christ to Thee to Thee whoever thou art that liftest up the Eye of thy Spirit the Eye of Faith to see thy true Self thine own Person in this Dwelling-Place this Palace of Divine Love where thou hast bin hid where thou hast had thine abode thorow all generations from Eternity Christ in the Glory of the Father the heart of the Father in Christ. This Preventing Love well understood removeth Two Objections out of the way of many hearts to the Bosom of their Jesus Object 1. Broken-hearted Sinners distressed Souls frequently plead thus against themselves We cannot think that Jesus Christ hath any Love for us because we cannot believe his Love Answ. Hear O broken-hearted Sinners O Distressed Souls Hear and believe Jesus Christ hath in himself from his Father the Fulness of all Preventing Love He beginneth to you in Love He beginneth with you He giveth you Faith to believe his Love To you it is given to believe The Son of Man cometh and giveth you an understanding to know the True God by his Proper Name of Love 1. John 5. 20. The Preventing Love of God in the Bosom of Christ cometh to Thee poureth forth itself in thy Bosom giveth Thee a new Eye to see the Divine Beauty a new Ear to hear the heavenly Melody a new heart to take in rellish and understand the Spiritual Sweetnesses Fulnesses Joys of this First Love Love in its Fountain in the Fountain of Eternity This New Wine of the Everlasting Kingdom giveth itself to Thee with a New Bottle a New Spirit which will take in and hold this precious Liquour Not one drop of it shall ever fall besides this Bottle or be spilt out of it Object 2. But still thou poor troubled trembling Soul thinkest the glad Tydings of the Gospel of Pure Preventing Love too good to be true Thus thou arguest against thy self If I were but moderately evil or morally good if I could in any degree comply or close with Jesus Christ when he offereth his Love and himself to me then might I have some hope that I had some place in his heart But if the Lord Jesus himself should shine forth with the Sweetest Vision of Preventing Love in the midst of my Fleshlinesses Filthinesses hardnesses Enmities and should say to me as the Angel to Mary hail thou that are greatly Beloved Hail thou that are freely Beloved I should not onely wonder at this Salutation but believe it all to be a vain Dream of my deluded Fancy Answ. Let me tell Thee a Story A beautiful Aegyptian Youth when his Friends desired to take his Picture desired them to take him up seven daies after his death and then to take his Picture Thou the most defiled the most deformed Sinner wert once beautiful once in the freshness and flower of thy Youth in Paradise It is true thou art now dead dead of the most loathsom disease dead by the most killing and corrupting Death dead in sin Yet now after that thou hast bin many years dead Jesus Christ in his Glorified Person cometh like a Bridegroom from heaven not onely to take thy Picture but
Principle the Bottomless Pit out of which they arose But the Musick to which the Spiritual Spouse moveth in these Retirements and Returns is the Love of the Spiritual Bridegroom like the Silver Trumpets of the Sanctuary in the Wilderness to the Children of Israel sounding a Retreat and a Rest or a March and a Progress Obj. But you will say If there be nothing to be done by us to what purpose are all Duties Prayers Attendances on the Word If nothing can be done by us in the Acting and Improvement of Spiritual Principles to what end are all Admonitions Exhortations Instructions Promises in the Holy Scriptures Ans. These are all Assisting Love descending from the Bosom of the Bridegroom above into the Lap of his Bride below in various forms like the Sun-shine Showers from Heaven falling upon the Bosom of the Earth They are the same Assisting Love ascending again by various degrees in various Shapes or Growths like the Flowers the Corn shooting up out of the Ground Hos. 2. 22. It is promised that God will hear the Heavens the Heavens shall hear the Earth the Earth shall hear the Corn and Wine and the Corn and Wine shall hear Jezreel Jezreel is the Seed of God All the Ordinances all Forms all Motions not of Grace alone but of Nature also are the Commerce and Traffick of the Divine Nature with itself as it is the head of Fine Gold above all and the Hidden Pearl the Precious Seed at the bottom of all In every Step of things in every Form in every Language of Heaven and Earth of Grace and Nature in every Ordinance God seeth the face heareth the Voice answereth the Cry of Jezreel his own Seed his own Son Jezreel seeth the Face heareth the Voice answereth the Call of God of its Father Jezreel is the Dove whose Face is Lovely whose Voice is Sweet to the Heavenly Bridegroom although it be from the Holes of the Rock and the Hollow places of the Stairs from the lowest the darkest Dispensations from the nethermost parts of the Earth from the meanest Ordinances from an Inward an Outward Prison or Grave The Heaven the Earth the Corn the Wine Duties performed Ordinances enjoyed Graces Acted the Word published All are the Green Flourishing Fruitful Bed of Preventing or Assisting Loves on which the Lord Jesus and his Spouse embrace each other In Ordinances the heavenly Bridegroom pipeth or mourneth to Jezreel the Divine Seed his Sister-Spouse In Duties or Graces Jezreel danceth or mourneth to him again Thorow all these Assisting Love sweetly shineth or soundeth from above sweetly again reflecteth and Ecchoeth back from the Spirit of a Saint below This is the Answer in its First Step. 2. Step. The Reason given by the Philosopher why the Heavens which we see over our heads move so regularly so harmoniously so constantly from the begining of the world hitherto is this They have Assisting Forms Intelligences Angels which move them which turn them round Many Souls sweetly touched with the Allurements of Divine Love in Christ fear to come to him to cast themselves into His Bosom by Believing They distrust their own strength and constancy for their continuance in a holy temper They doubt they shall fall back with greater guilt and shame to themselves with greater reproach to the name of the Lord Jesus Many weak Christians are day and night tormented with like fears and doubts that they shall fall away at last by the force of some Corruption or the Difficulties in the waies of Holiness Dear Souls be not discouraged from believing or in believing be not kept off from the Bosom of Christ be not disquieted in His Bosom by any fears or doubts You have a Good Angel for an Assisting Form you have an Assisting Form brighter and more glorious than the highest and brightest Angel more powerful than all the Angels in Heaven You have the Assisting Love of the Lord Jesus present with you in your Spirits by day and by night This doth move this will move and turn about your Hearts your lives regularly harmoniously constantly in all the Circles of Divine Graces Truths Joys Glories according to the Laws and Patterns in the Supreme Mind in the Heart of God thorow all times Eternally Preventing Love is the Golden Chain which draweth thee to the Embraces of Christ. O run when thou feelest thy self so drawn Assisting Love is the Golden Chain that tyeth thee fast and close immediately inseparably for ever in these embraces Rest with Confidence and full Assurance in these embraces feed with desire and delight among the Lillies here lye down to sleep in these embraces Thy sleep will be sweet to thee 3. Step. Learned men and Divines teach us that the Preservation of the world is continuata Creatio a continued Creation In every moment of Time from the Begiâ—ning of the world to the end the Divine Act of Preserving and Governing the world according to the Present form proper to it for that Season is entirely the same with the Act of Creation In every moment from the Begining of the world to the end the whole world with all things in it rise up into the form designed for that moment in the Eternal Law of the Divine Wisdom out of the nothingness of the Creature out of the Omnipotency of the Creator as freely as freshly as fully as Absolutely as in the first Moment of Its Being So is it and much more clearly sweetly gloriously so in this Creation of God the Creation of Grace Assisting Love is no other than Preventing Love Continued A continuation of Preventing Love They say A line is One Individual Point in motion This is most true All Assisting Love the whole Life of Grace and Glory in a Saint is One Individual Unchangeable Point of Preventing Love Eternal Love in Motion spreading itself within Itself to an Infinite Circle In every moment of a Saint's spiritual Being from his first Conversion to Eternity the Act of Assisting Love in Preserving in Governing thee is the same with that first Act of Preventing Love in Regenerating thee In every moment of thy Spiritual Being from thy first Conversion to thy Glorification in Eternity thy Spiritual Man the Divine Nature in thee riseth up into the form of that Moment answering Its Pattern in the Heavenly Image the Glorified Person of Christ out of thine own Nothingness out of the glorious fulness of the God-head in Christ as freely as â—reshly as sweetly as absolutely as entirely as in the first moment of the New-Birth in thee I will conclude this Second State of Divine Love in Christ Assisting Love with that of the Greek Epigram thus translated fer Fatum sin ferre recuses non minus te feret Fatum Bear thy Destiny If thou refuse to bear it thy Destiny will nevertheless bear thee and carry thee along Cast thy self O believer into the Bosom of the Assisting Love of thy God in Christ to be born up and carried along in it But
of that Sacrament pointing out the Truth figured in that Type The Lord Jesus is a Husband to Thee in his own Blood Thou must also be a Spouse to him in thine own Blood St Paul saith Ye are dead to your first Husband by the Dead Body of Christ that ye may be married to another to him who is risen from the Dead Rom. 7. 4. You must come thorow the Death of Christ into his Marriage-Bed You cannot lye down in the Embraces of his Love in Glory except ye be first married to his Crucified Body and united to that in the Embraces of Death Flesh and Blood saith St Paul cannot enter into the Kingdom of God into the Kingdom of Spiritual Love If a Fleshly a Natural Spirit striveth to enter into the Love of God in the Glorified Person of our Lord Jesus it â—alleth short of the Truth the Life it attaineth to a Similitude only The Love and Glory of the Father of Christ of Heaven to the most raised Spirit of this Creation is an Enchantment Delusion a Dream This Gâ—ace of God in the Figure this Divine Love in a Dream is for the most part turned into Wantonness Lust. So men become in the heighth of the Purest Notions of the Sweetest Images no more than Filthy Dreamers The Death of Christ in the New Birth in Purity and Power of the holy Ghost is the Angel with a Flaming Sword turning every way which keepeth the Entrance into the True Paradise the Way to the Tree of Divine Love as well as of Divine Life The Eternal Spirit is the Flaming Sword Death here in its outward form is an Angel ministring to this Spirit He that dieth by this Sword and Flame in the hand of this Angel cutteth off burneth up all Fleshly Forms and Lives is in the same moment new-born into a Divine Immortal Spirit In this Spirit he entereth into the Paradise of Love in the Third Heavens above the Heaven of Sense or all things Visible above the Heaven of Reason Angels all things Invisible Intellectual of the First Creation in the Glorified Person of Christ. Here nothing entereth which hurteth or defilâ—th But be not discouraged when ye hear of a Baptism in Death before the Heavens open and the Dove Divine Love descend to rest upon you to give you rest in itself It is Love itself which is the Baptiser which leadeth you and goeth down with you into Death It is a River of Love which is the Jordan the Death into which you go down and are baptised We are baptised St. Paul saith in the forementioned place into the Similitude of Christ's Death The Death of Christ was Death in Truth a Substantial Real Death The Death of Christ in a Saint is Eternal Love Eternal Life in the Likeness and Form of Death a Similitude onely of Death in a Substance of Immortal Love and Glory in the Person of our Jesus ascended Use. 4. Take heed of mingling the Lusts of the Flesh with Spiritual Loves Jealousy is the Rage of God as well as of Man It burneth to the Foundations of the Earth A Fly bred out of Dung so infested the Eagle that it forced him to lay his Eggs for safety in the Lap of Jupiter the Heathen-God The Fly mounteth up aloft carrieth up some Dung with it letteth it fall into Jupiter's lap He arising and shaking the Dung out of his Lap shaketh ouâ— the Eagle's Eggs with it which fall broken to pieces upon the ground This is a Fable The Moral is good Thou art a Saint Thou layest the Births of the Divine Spirit in Thee thy Graces Hopes Joyes with thy self in the Bosom of Divine Love O take heed that thy Flesh that Dung-Fly mingle nothing of its Filth with these Births of the Spirit in the Pure Bosom of Heavenly Love If it do assure thy self that Love will cast all the Filth all Flesh out of its Chast and Spiritual Embraces As that falleth to the Ground thou also wilt fall with it and have many a broken bone many a broken heart We read in the Revelation of the Dragon and his Angels in Heaven together with Michael and his Angels But they fought there till the Dragon and his Angels were cast out Thou O Believer art a Heaven in which God dwelleth as Love where all the Angels as Angels of Love where all Forms of things are as Heavenly Angels of Pure Love round about him ministring to him Shall there be now seen in this Heaven in thy Person O Believer silthy Lusts furious Passions the Dragon and his Angels together with the Lord Jesus Divine Love and its holy Angels How hateful how horrid a Wonder What a Prodigy is this If it be so let there be no rest in the Heaven of thy Spirit let there be a continual Fight until the Dragon with his Angels the Fleshly Spirit with its Lusts and Passions be cast out When the Unclean Dog and the fiery Dragon are no more Thy Lamb will feed and lye down to rest thy Turtle will make its Nest and enjoy its Mate its Beloved in quiet Nothing shall disturb or make them afraid in all the Paradise of Divine Love Use. 5. Comfort your selves O Believers You travel thorough the Valley of Baca Baca signifieth a Mulberry Tree and Weeping You travel thorow a Valley of Tears a Mournful Valley where all the Trees that grow are Mulberry Trees Emblems of Grief and Wo. You are frequently overspread with the black Shades of Fear Unbelief Doubt Distrust Despair You often fall into the hands of violent Robbers Evil Spirits in the forms of various Temptations Corruptions Passions These spoil you leave you naked wounded desolate You dig up pits in Duties Ordinances But many times no Rain no Descent of the Spirit from Heaven filleth these Pits Yet be not discouraged all you who believe the Love of God in Jesus Christ. Strengthen the feeble Knees You shall go on from Strength to Strength from Light to Light so you shall come every one of you at last to a Clear Sight to a Compleat Fruition of the God of Gods on Mount Sion of God in his Supreme Glory in the Nakedness Purity Simplicity Unity of the Eternal Spirit Lift up the feeble hands These weak Graces of yours mixt interrupted with so much Corruption These weak Persons Bodies and Spirits wearied wounded stained with so many Sufferings Sins and Sorrows shall be crowned with perfect Glory For why Pure Love Almighty Love That Love which is itself God over all Blessed for ever This Love comes forth casting off all vails pouring forth itself from all its Eternal Springs in all its Infinite Fulnesses in the Glorified Person of Christ This Love hath begun and shall it not make an End As Certainly as it hath laid the Foundation and you have cried to it Grace Grace Pure Love Preventing Love as Certainly as it hath gone on to build you up thus far and still you have cried to it Grace Grace Pure Love
Power in the Beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy Birth The words lie thus in Hebrew Thy willing People in the Day of thy Power oâ— thy Armies in the Beautiâ—s or Excellencies or Majesties of holiness or in thy holy Pure Beauties from the Womb of the Morning to thee the Dew of thy Youth You have here the Lord Jesus in Glory in his Kingdom in the Day of his Power with his Armies of Angels round about him in the Beauties of holiness in his Frâ—shest Beauties in the heighth of Excellency and Majesty in the Glory of his God-Head filling shining thorow overspreading his humane Nature You have him here in the Brightness Sweetness and Newness of his Eternal Sonship as he cometh â—orth Immediately from the Womb of the Morning the Bosom of the Father who is the Morning the Day-Spring of the God-Head Thus is Jesus Christ with the Dew of his Youth upon him as Fair as Fresh as unfading as a New-blown Rose in the Morning while the Pearly Dew lieth yet upon it Jesus Christ is now as a Bridegroom upon his Coronation Day or as a King upon his Marriage-Day Now his People are a Princely People all Fellow-Kings together with him Now the holy Soul is That Princess and Daughter which is his Queen all in Beaten Gold at his right hand The Willing People are Princes heavenly Spirits in Glory This is the Answer to the Second Question 3. Qu. What are the Chariots of the Princely People Answ. 1. The Chariots are the holy Angels Psal. 68. 17. The Chariots of the Lord are Thousands Ten Thousands of Angels God is in the midst of them as on Sinai in the holy Place You may observe in your Bibles that word Place not to be printed with the same letter as holy to signifie that it is not in the Hebrew but added by the Translatours The Holy may be here any of these or rather all of these in their Subordinations the Sanctuary or Temple the Holy Placâ— the Figure the Lord Iesus the Substance Life to this Figure the holy One the Saints the holy Ones the members of Christ Christ Mystical the Spiritual Temples Heaven the Everlasting Glory of the God-Head in which Christ resideth Sinai was a Type to all these These in their several degrees are Sinai heightned to Sion to the Perfection of the Divine Presence in the Beauty of Holiness and Love You may see too that As before Sinai is added The Hebrew lieth thus Sinai in the holy The Thousands and Ten thousands of holy Angels make all One Chariot in which God rideth Each Angel is also a Distinct Chariot The Chariots of the Lord are according to the number of the Angels But Each Angel comprehendeth in himself the whole Millions of Angels They are distinguished in their Essential Forms but undivided As the same Colours and Lines varied make all Beauties So all Angelical Forms in distinct Relations make up the Essence and Glory of Every Particular Angel God with the Thousands of his Chariots rested on Mount Sinai Sinai or Sion rather is in the Lord Jesus in the Assemblies of the Saints in the Person and Spirit of every Saint in Heaven in the Spirit thorow all the Heavens and the Earth in the Lord Jesus and every Saint The Chariot of Solomon is the Chariot of his Queen also The Bridegroom and the Bride ride together in the same Chariot Jesus Christ and his Spouse Jesus Christ and his Brethren his Fellow Kings Behold then the Chariots of the Princely People of the Immortal Kings of Saints in Glory in the Glory of Christ and of the Spirit whether in the Body or out of the Body They are the Chariots of God The Thousands andâ— Ten Thousands of the holy Angels These are in a double sense the Chariots of these Divine Princes 1. These Princes ride in them 2. God rideth upon them in these Princes as on Sinai as on Sion as in Heaven Answ. 2. The Chariot is the Divine Presence in the Light and Evidence of its own Appearance with all its Train of Glories and Angels as in Heaven with the Universal Form of things comprehended in it enlivened and enlightned by it as in the Glorious Person of Christ at the last day This Divine Presence descending and ascending resting upon and shining forth in the Prophets and Holy men of old in their Visions is described Mystically Ezek. c. 1. and called by the Jews The Chariot There are Wheels Living High Dreadful Glorious Shining as a Pretious Stone full of Eyes that is of Angels of heavenly Spirits I humbly offer it to be considered whether these Wheels be not the Elements these Globes of the Visible Earth and Heavens made New made Spiritual filled with Angelical Lives cloathed with Angelical Forms and Glories in the Kingdom of the Spirit and Mystical Person of Christ. Then the Horses which draw these Wheels are the Living Creatures full of Eyes If the Wheels may be understood to be the visible Part these Living Creatures may present the Invisible Part of the Creation in its Renovation by a Spiritual Glory flowing forth from the Fountain of The God-Head in the Glorified Person of the Lord Jesus These Wheels and Horses together may perhaps not improbably be thought to be the New Earth Above the Wheels and the Living Creatures is the Chariot itself a Firmament If I may pursue my former Apprehension with Submission to the Spirit of Truth in every Spirit I shall call this the New Heaven The heavenly Image the God-Head unvailing itself appearing in a New Glory This is the Firmament the Heaven born up and carried along by the Innumerable Company of Angels while Jesus Christ sitteth in it as in his Chariot Above this Firmament is the Similitude of a Man as Fire from his Loins upward and as Fire from his Loins downward This is our Blessed Saviour in the Union of his Divine and Humane Nature The Glory of the Divinity of the Eternal Spirit cloatheth both with the same Similitude of Fire which shineth with the Sweetest Light burneth with the greatest force of Love transformeth all things with an Almighty Power into One Pure Immortal Divine Flame with itself The Lord Jesus himself speaketh of his own Coming and Appearance in his Kingdom after this manner The Son of Man shall come in his own Glory in the Glory of his Father and in the Glory of all His holy Angels Our Saviour seemeth to have had the same Vision in the Eye of his Spirit which Ezekiel had The Jews distinguish the Angels into Angels of the Throne nearer to the Divine Majesty Angels of Service at a greater Distance The Glory of the holy Angels make the New Earth the Horses and the Wheels in the Chariot of the great King The Wheels the Visible Part of the Creation the Wheels are made of Angelical Glory But they are the Angels of Service in a New Spiritual Glory The Invisible Things of
the Creation the Living Creatures in the Chariot are the Angels of the Thronâ— in the Glory of the Kingdom of the Coronation and Marriage-Day The Firmament the New Heaven is the Glory of the Father The Chariot itself which containeth him in which he descendeth bowing down the Heavens as he descendeth The Lord Jesus himself in his own Glory is Distinct from all these Glories compreâ—endeth them and rideth forth in them This is that Image in which he shall appear at the last Day as a New Creator and a New Creation making all things New as the most Entire most Naked Image of the Invisible God in all his most Pure and most Invisible Glories as the First-born of the whole Creation in general and of every Creature in Particular as the Whole Creation in its Virgin-State in its Ideal Glory while yet it sprung up out of the Bosom of God and stood onely in the Bosom of God and was a Sister-Spouse to the uncreated Beauty This is that Testimony of Jesus which is the Spirit of Prophesy That Divine Presence that Word of God which came to all the Holy Men of old in the Light of which as in the Glass of Eternity the First and Supreme Truth they saw Visions dreamed dreams and spake of him This is the Chariot of the Princes of the Saints in the Glory of the Spirit 4 Qu. How doth the Soul of the Spouse make her as this Chariot of her Princely People or set her in it Answ. The Soul of the heavenly Bride is her Lord her Life her Love her heart her True Self her Beloved her Jesus He descendeth in his Chariot and taketh her up into it He appearing in his heavenly Image composed of the Glory of his Father his own Glory the Glory of all his holy Angels which is his Chariot as he appeareth in her translateth and transfigureth her into the same heavenly Image She also is now become a Chariot made up all of the same Glories with the same Jesus the same Queen the same Company of Princes riding together in it The Soul of the Bride is also Faith the 〈◊〉 of God the Divine Nature the Spirit in a Saint This Divine Life in a Saint by a Descent of the Lord Jesus upon it in a moment ere a Saint is aware he knoweth not how both taketh him up to set him in this Chariot and Transformeth him into it I have onely prepared you by all this for the Application of the Scripture opened by us to our present purpose that we may take in with a greater Sense with a Deeper Impression the Comfort and Joys of Finishing Love making Perfect its most Beautiful Works and Displaying its most pleasant Strengths in our Weaknesses Ere I was aware my Soul made me as the Chariots of my Princely People or set me in them Hearken to me my Brethren Is there not among you a Poor Believer a Mournful Saint which hath long prayed long sighed for a Clear Sight of Jesus Christ a Sense and Seal of his Love Sweet and Constant Communion with him To this Soul I now speak Perhaps after all this thou art embracing the Dunghil of Distrust and Despair Perhaps thou art sitting upon the Dunghil of some Fleshly Lust or Earthly Care of Covetousness or Lasciviousness Vanity or vexation Now in a moment which thou thinkest not of ere thou art aware Jesus Christ in the Divine Brightness of some heavenly Truth flashing like Lightning in upon thy Spirit may descend may discover himself in his Heavenly Image with his naked Glories naked Loves to thee Now are thou art aware he may make this heavenly Image at once a Laver of Precious Blood in which he washeth Thee white as the Light itself from every Spot a Chariot of heavenly Princes in which he cometh down to Thee upon thy Dunghil taketh Thee off from thy Dunghil to ride with him in the Fellowship of all Immortal Spirits while all the holy Angels bear Thee up and carry Thee on upon the Firmament of the Father's Glory at the side of thy Beloved whither the Mind of the Spirit is for Thee to go Ere thou art aware the Lord Jesus can change thy Dunghil can change Thee into a Divine Chariot of Eternal Spirits in which he will ride forth with Thee thou shalt ride forth together with him having his Loveliness in thine Eye his Love in thine heart thorow all Forms of things Light and Darkness Life and Death as thorow various Fields differing Regions of Spiritual Beauties and Delights in the Vast Continent the Vast World of the Divine Nature Thus comfort thy self against the Discouragements of Life with the Fulness of Divine Love â—inishing Love in the Glorified Person of Christ which maketh Perfect its Strength and Sweetness in Weakness and Enmity which giveth Thee the Desire of thy Soul thy Jesus most clearly most dearly into thy Bosom when thou lyest locked up fastest in the Bosom of the Strange Woman oâ— This Strumpet and this Witch the Hellish Darkness cloathed with Figures of Fleshly Softnesses Sweetnesses Lights and Treasures Gen. 28. 11 12. Jacob had pursued the Spiritual Blessing the heavenly Birth-right and had obtained the Promise the Purchase After all this he flyâ—th alone as a Banished Person from his Father's house He is benighted in an open field He lieth upon the naked ground He hath under his head for a Pillow a Cold Hard Stone Now Finishing Love maketh Perfect its Strength in this Weakness giving him now the Evidence the Pledge the First-fruits of that Spiritual Blessing that heavenly Birth-right which he had a Promise of and a Title to Now Heaven is opened to the Eye of his Spirit in a Dream A Ladder â—â—acheth from Heaven to Earth One End of it resteth on the Bosom of God above The other End standeth upon the Ground at his head below Angels descend and ascend upon the Ladder He awaketh and saith This is none other than the Gate of Heaven the house of God and I was not aware of it The Stone on which he lay is now anointed and becometh a Pillar and Altar a Figure of Jesus Christ in all his Divine Loves and Lovelinesses Jacob is in every holy One. Hear this you broken hearts You complain We have tasted something of the Sweetness of Preventing Love if this be Preventing Love to cast in upon our Spirits gracious hints and hopes of Spiritual Blessings and heavenly things when we sate in the Shadow of Death and did not so much as know or Believe that there was a Spirit a Heaven We have also tasted something of the Sweetness of Assisting Love if this be assisting Love to help us to carry us on for a wearisome length of time with sighs and groans unutterable to cry for the Revelation the Possession the Fruition of these Spiritual Blessings and heavenly things in the Foretast of them But O! where is Finishing Love Now instead of this behold we are benighted with Darkness of Spirit
Corruption These burthened Spirits groan for the Dissolution of this Tabernacle But how Not that we would be uncloathed but cloathed upon with our house from Heaven not to be found naked but to have Mortality swallowed up of Life St. Paul expresseth the meaning of the Unutterable Groans with which the Spirit of Supplications maketh Intercession in the Saints They would not be uncloathed of the Spiritual Image which they put on at the New Birth They would not be uncloathed of the Natural Image which they put on at their First Birth They would never no not for a moment be found naked of any thing of that Life Light or Sweetness Heavenly or Earthly which belong to either of these No they groan to have these cloathed upon with that their Buiâ—ding from above to have not onely their Immortal and Inward but their Outward and Mortal Part itself swallowed up into Life Life itself in its Purity in its Perâ—ection in its Spring which is Eternity 3. The Workmanship of God in a Saint is wonderful and indeed Divine in this Now he that hath made us for this or he that hath wrought us unto this is God St Paul assureth every Saint that his Groans are heard and answered from the Workmanship and the Workman We read in the Canticles that the Thighs of the Princess and Bride are as Jewels the Work of the hands of a Curious and Faithful Workman So the Word in Hebrew signifieth The Spiritual and Natural Life the Whole Frame and Composure of a Saint Inward and Outward all are Mysterious Jewels wrought by the Divine hands of God himself as a most Curious and Faithful Workman as a most Skilful and Firm Piece of Work They are by an Unexpressible Wisdom and Love framed unto this that the Substance of these Jewels should never fail the Vertue never decay the Lustre never fade no not in Death itself but then most of all grow bigger and brighter more Pure more Perfect more Powerful by being drunk up into Eternity as the Waters of a fine Spring are drawn and drunk up by the Sun 4. The Earnest of the Spirit Who hath also given us the Earnest of the Spirit The Eternal Spirit in the Immortal Soul and Mortal Body of a Saint The Eternal Spirit in which a Saint possesseth Soul Body things of Faith of Reason of Sense This Spirit is to a Saint an Earnest both a foretast and a seal of this truth that both the Soul and the Body of a Saint in Death are like the Spice in the Golden Censor or upon the Golden Altar in the Temple which is the Glorified Bosom of Christ. Both lose nothing of themselves but change into a more Spiritual and Divine Form in which they ascend and carry up all their Preciousness all their Pleasantness with them like the Pillar of Smoak from the Altar perfumed with all the Spices of the Apothecary in which those Spices themselves with all their Sweetness and Vertue go up refining and enlarging themelves till they rest and spread themselves in the Bosom of Heaven How Curious and Sure a Workman is Jesus Christ is the Love of the Father in the Death of a Saint O the Freedom O the Fulness O the Skill O the Faithfulness of Finishing Love in the Death of a Saint O Believers Preventing Love hath brought you out of Aegypt out of the Servitude to your Lusts and the God the Spirit of this World Assisting Love hath carried you along thorough this Weary Wilderness your Conformity and Fellowship with the Lord Jesus in his Sufferings Be of good Courage Your Cloaths shall not wax old Nothing of you shall fall in this Wilderness You shall certainly come into the Good Land the Land of Promise the Land of Rest the Land flowing with Milk and Honey with Life and Peace Immortality and Immortal Pleasures Finishing Love in the Glorious and Immortal Person of your Beloved like the Ark before the Israelites shall lead you thorow this Jordan thorow Death on the Dry Firm and Pleasant Land of Life itself Not so much as any single Drops of any Dark Waters shall sprinkle themselves upon any Parts of your Garment The clear Streams of this Beloved River shall stand on heaps on each side of you as Christal or Diamond Rocks as Lights Prospects and Guards of Angels while you pass When You are weakest under the Pangs of Death the Finishing Love of Christ in Power your Glorified Jesus in the Power of his Finishing Love shall rest upon you shall spring up in you at once to comprehend you and enlarge you to Cloath you upon and to transform you within Nothing of the Graces and Joys of your Inward Man Nothing of the Beauties and Delights of your Outward Man shall be divorced from you or darkened in you Like a Heaven of Stars they may pass under many Clouds But under all Clouds they shall go on shining still and increasing their Lustre When they seem to be extinguished in Death they shall be only drunk up into that Pure Light of Life which is Invisible to all Mortal Eyes by its Fineness and Fulness of Glory They shall disappear onely by the Degree of heightning He who hath wrought us unto this is God The Sweet Colours of a fair Summer-Morning in the Sky are so made that they fade not but go on changing to fair and fresher Colours still until they all vanish into Pure Light For These Colours are all the Light of the Approaching Sun figuring itself in divers degrees into Different Forms of Beauty till at last It Break up into the Full Glory of unmixt Light by the immediate Presence of the Sun appearing with the unclouded Brightness of his heavenly Body In like manner all the Excellencies Entertainments and Joys of a Saint in his Immortal and Mortal Part The Immortal and Mortal Parts themselves of a Saint thorowout are so framed by the Father of Lights and Loves that they can never fade nor pass away but in the moment of Death itself are cloathed upon from above with a Brighter a Diviner Form and are swallowed up into the Abysses the Incomprehensiblenesses of Eternity For God is Love A Saint is a Birth of Love A Seed of Divine Love springing up in his Outward and Inward Man Forming itself into a Body and Spirit into all the Powers Pleasures Objects Relations of Both. Divine Love is the Substance and the Sap The Matter and the Form in all A Saint in his Essence and Operations all Entirely is a Plant of Divine Love Death is the Ripening of the whole Plant all over into the Perfect Fruit of Pure Love of Finishing Love In this Form It can be seen felt tasted no more but by the Pure Eyes Embraces and Mouth of Divine Love God hath also given us the Earnest of his Spirit for this Tell me now you who have received the Spirit What do you see what do you feel when you are blessed from on high with any fresh Anointing
hand your Redeemer cometh This is the day of finishing love Jesus Christ cometh in this day to thee O Believer to consummate the Marriage and so all thy joys thy graces thy gâ—ories in thy compleat Marriage to himself The day of the Lord is said to be The Revelation of the Lord from Heaven As the natural day chaseth away the shadows of the night but is the brightness of the Suns beautiful and glorious Body making all things new in the pleasantness of his light to those Eyes that watch for the morning so is this day of the Lord a day of Clouds and Darkness to the Children of the night But it is to thee who lovest and waitest for the appearance of our Lord Jesus the breathing forth of all finishing loves the breaking forth of all finished Beauties from the beloved Person of thy Jesus appearing nakedly in all the glories of the God-Head from Heaven in thy Person in all things round about thee as the Sun of Eternity at once shining in every point of things making a new day of immortality and glory every where The Lord Jesus cometh indeed in flames of Fire But these flames are the Almighty powers and Supream glories of the eternal spirit of eternal love in its purity in its simplicity These are of a truth flames of fire to the enmity to the enemies to all flesh but they are to thee who livest in the spirit flames of finishing love of finished beauties presenting themselves to thee in all forms of things feasting themselves upon thee feasting themselves with thee making themselves a feast to thee I will conclude with that History of Elijah 1 Kings 19. 11. There passed before him a Whirlewind rending the Rocks removing the Mountains a Fire and Earthquake After these came a still veice The learned Jews say That all this was acted before the Prophet in a divine vision that the Whirlwind the Mountains the Rocks torn in pieces the Fire the Earthquake were Angels presenting themselves in those Forms as so many Divine Scenes that the still voice were all the Angels in a Quire making a heavenly melody Thy Royal Bridegroom cometh in every day of Judgment to make more than this true to thee O thou Dove thou Bride of the Lamb. He cometh in the weakness of all flesh round about thee to rest upon thee upon all things round about thee in the power of his finishing loves This is the great day of love and of the spirit in which he will make perfect the strength of his love and spirit while thou art trembling while all things are falling with a great noise round about thee as dreadful ruines in a devouring flame Now lift up thy head into that living and glorious light of the eternal spirit now lift up thine Eyes and thine heart unto that living and glorious light of divine love which breaketh forth from the face of thy Jesus within thee without thee on every side of thee This is the day of the anointing of thine Eyes with the heavenly Eye-salve of changing thee and the whole world to thee into fine Gold Gold tryed in the fire All things now appear to thee as indeed they are a divine vision in a light of Glory The whirlewinds Earthquakes Fires Deaths Ruines are all Angelical Scenes in the Spirit In them all thou seest the Dances thou hearest the still voice the calm charming soft Musick of all the Angels all the Spirits all the loves of God as on his and thy Marriage-day Thus finishing love maketh perfect the light the life the strength of the spirit and of love in thee in thy personal weakness in the universal weakness decay and ruines of all flesh of the whole Creation round about thee A skilful Painter is most discerned in laying his shadows By these he maketh his work softer sweeter more full of life and more taking Thus comfort thy self in all thy weaknesses darknesses and deaths Say thou now is my Jesus exercising his divine wisdom and skill in laying and placing his shadows Now upon these sad grounds will he curiously lay his rich and pleasant colours Now will he form and finish the glorious face of his divine beauties of his divine loves upon me Finishing love then appears then displayeth itself with greatest freedom fulness and sweetness when it maketh perfect its strength its beauties its joys its eternal light in our weakness deâ—ormity despair darkness death These are the rellishes to the Musick the shadows to the beauty of finishing love These are the times for finishing love when it is most beautiful I hâ—ve now made an end of my discourse upon the first rich branch of this divine fulness of love in Christ the fulness of love in all States I come now to the second branch the fulness of love in all kinds 2. There is pâ—ured forth from the Father in the glorified Person of the Lord Jesus a fulness of love of all kinds St. Paul saith that God the Father hath abounded in Grace towards us in all wisdom and prudence in Christ. Ephes 1. 6 7. There are three parts of wisdom where it is compleat 1. There is in wisdom a varâ—ety of things 2. A contrivance of this variety into one piece 3. A concurrence and meeting in one of all the several varieties in each part and point of the whole piece by the force of the Harmony The Father aboundeth in his Grace his love to us in all wisdom in Christ. here is fulness upon fulness He aboundeth He aboundeth in all wisdom Nay you have a threefold fulness an abundance an abundance in wisdom which itself expresseth a fulness a riches of variety but then there is superadded all wisdom all variety The Father is a plenitude of love â—of all kinds in all varieties pouring forth himself incessantly endlesly eternally in Christ. God is in Christ in his electing love in his creating love in his preserving love in his redeeming regenerating justifying adopting sanctifying comforting glorifying love God aboundeth with a fulness with a filling an overflowing fulness in all these in each of these several kinds of love in Jesus Christ. Enlightning enlivening softning sweetning healing cleansing defending delighting heightning crowning loves all are here and all are full here to infiniteness Come all ye Souls who want a sense of sin or mourn under a sense of sin for want of a sense of love come hither to Jesus Christ and have love love of every kind love suitable to your longings or wants and have it in abundance The glorified Person of Christ is a spiritual Garden Indeed it is a Garden invisible sealed up from the outward senses But by how much the more invisible it is it is so much the more real glorious and divine This Garden is ever present before thee It flourisheth in the midst of thee It is continually open to every humble believing Spirit In this Garden all kinds of divine love grow as so many flowers which are ever full-blown ever
the Sons of God The word led is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 acted As the Soul acts the Body as the principle of reason the Soul of Man as the nature of the Sun acts the Sun in its shinings in its motions thou also art acted by the Divine Spirit to which the Sun the Soul of Man the principle of reason are empty and weak shadows so far as thou in truth art a Child of Light and a Son of God the Father of Lights Let me here by the way touch a three-fold string in your Souls 1. A mournful string 2. A string of desire 3. The string of praise 1. Is the Spâ—â—it the principle of a Saint how then should we mourn thâ—â— this Spirit of Grace this Comforter is grieved that this Spirit of Light and Life is quenched by unbelief sensuality unkindness and neglect how should we mourn that this Holy Spirit this Spirit of Truth is slighted and spoken evil of as a Spirit of licentiousness or as a fancy and delusion and all this among Saints at least in profession when as this Spirit is the only principle of Saintship St. Jude in his Epistle speaketh of this as the Sin of Devils for which they are cast down to Hell and bound in Chains of Darkness that they did forsake their first state and their own habitation It is in Greek not their first state but their first principle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Saints is not this a Sin greater than that of Devils not only to forsake but to grieve and cast shame upon this first and most blessed Spirit which is your only principle a principle of Divinâ— Life Light and Purity your own habitation a habitation of Divine Rest and Glory 2. O all you who desire to be Saints or to grow in the new and Divine Nature of a Saint let your hearts burn by day and by night with continual longings for the Spirit This alone is that of which a Saint is bred by which he is nourished This alone is the Heavenly Root the Sap the sweet Dew Showers and Influences the warm and cherishing Sun-shine to every Spiritual Plant Cry therefore and wait for this Spirit wait upon it minister to it seek it suck it in by all means thorow all its own manifestations and ordinances of Nature or of Grace When this world was first made a beautiful frame out of a dark Deep the Spirit moved upon the face of the waters When Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Virgin the Holy Ghost overshadowed her and rested upon her In both places the expressions seem to allude to a Bird or a Dove spreading itself over its Nest to hatch its young Ones When the Lord Jesus was Baptized the Holy Ghost descended and rested upon him in the form of a Dove Dost thou indeed desire to have thy dark defiled dead heart made a new Creature to have Jesus Christ to be born or to grow within thee and to be Baptized yet more into Jesus Christ the Sea of all Heavenly Beauties Loves and Joys O then pray to the blessed Spirit to make thy Soul his Nest to move upon the face of thy Spirit to overshadow thee to descend and rest upon thee in his Dove like form 3. O all ye Saints sing the praises of the holy Spirits let the high praises of the holy Spirit be ever in your mouths Say to the Spirit this is the womb of Divine Life and Power which hath born us and brought us forth to be Children and Heirs to God these are the Breasts of Divine Life and sweetness which give us suck this is itself the Heavenly Milk of the Eternal word by which we live and grow Do you see any glympse of Evangelical Light and Truth do you feel any workings of Grace any sweet springings of Love and Joy Give Glory to the Spirit it is this blessed Spirit which now shines in you enlivens you and acts you The Children of Iracel in the Wilderness in a great want of water met with a Well then they sang to it in these words Spring O Well the Princes have digged it with their Sâ—aves When ever thou meetest with any fresh stream any sweet drop of the water of Life rising up within thee in thâ—s parched Land and weary Wilderness sing to thy Well sing to the blessed Spirit and say in thy Song my Well springeth my Jesus hath digged it in my heart with the Golden Scepter of his Gracâ— and Love Thus let every gracious thought gracious moving of thy mind will or affections put into thy mouth a new Song of joyful praises to the Spirit as the dear and inseparable principle of Life of Heaven of Eternity within thee thine ownâ— principle Thus much of the Principle 2. The two effects of this Principle are a Spiritual sense savour both comprehended in that expression to be heavenly minded How often doth my Spirit labour in the Bosom and power of the Eternal Spirit for these two things 1. That all Men were brought forth into this Spiritual Principle 2. That all who have the Spiritual Principle within them were continually acted by it How sweet would life be to them for the sight of their Eyes and rellish of their Spirit They that live in the Spirit see all things by a Spiritual Light It is indeed a pleasant thing to behold this Light Every glympse of it infuseth a heavenly joy into the Heart and scattereth all Clouds of grief or melancholy These see all things in a Spiritual Image that is in a Divine and Immortal Glory They tast the sweetness of a Heavenly and Divine Love in every thing Every thing presenteth itself to them in an Heavenly Appearance and every appearance of things entreth into their Souls with a heavenly taste and rellish far sweeter than Hony to the Palate All our converse with things of every kind of Nature or Grace of Sense or reason proceedeth from a union with those things in one Principle and is a communion with them in that Principle Such as the Principle is such are the Appearances and rellishes of things to us such is our converse with them All Appearances of things to Men or to Angels in every natural Principle to our senses or to our understandings are no more than shadows or dreams The Spirit alone is Truth When melancholy forms and Images of things in this world afflict our Spirits when the pleasant things here lift them up to vain joys and glories if the holy Spirit awaken himself and arise in us all these fly away all other appearances of things break up into an appearance of Eternal Beauty and Blessedness springing forth from this Spirit like the shadows of the night when the Sun is seen and a dream when a Man awaketh We are taught by natural Philosopy that the Images of things are seen thorow a Christalline humor in the Eye as a fine Glass If this Christal be dyed with any colour all things which we see appear
ever in Christ in Christ risen from the Dead a quickning Spirit in the Glory of the Father with the fulness of the God-Head and all fulness dwelling in him Now is the Body also of a Saint at rest in a sweet rest in a living rest For such is the rest of sleep It is in an immortal and glorious rest in a rest of Divine Love and Joys which though it bears the similitude of Death to Carnal Sense yet in truth is above all the degrees and delights of life here For such is the sleep in Christ. But I will open this Proposition to you more clearly and fully by that twofold relation which the Scriptures attribute to the Body of a Believer 1. Of a Member of Christ. 2. The Temple of the Holy Ghost Both these are affirmed by the Holy Apostle and the Blessed Spirit with an assured confidence as truths known to all and undeniable by any 1 Corin. 6. 15. Know ye not that your Bodies are the Members of Christ 19. Know ye not that your Bodies are the Temples of the Holy Ghost 1. The Body of a Saint is the Member of Christ. This relation of Membership implyeth three things 1. Union 2. Communion 3. Proportion or Suitableness 1. There is an union between the Body of a Believer and Jesus Christ an Union of Membership But to what Christ is the Body of a Believer united To Christ risen from the Dead to Christ in Glory So you shall read Rom. 7. 4. You are dead by the dead Body of Christ that you might be Married to another to him who is risen from the Dead Marriage and Membership are two distinct expressions of the same union between Christ and a Saint which for its dearness nearness entireness and inseparableness is unexpressible in as much as it comprehends the sweetness and vertue of all unions among the Creatures either Men or Angels and transcendeth them all But you have these two unions of Membership and Marriage between the Body of a Saint singly and expresly and the Lord Jesus joyned together by St. Paul who founds that of Membership upon that of Marriage 1 Corin. 6. 15. Know ye not that your Bodies are the Members of Christ Then he makes good that thus v. 16. 17. It is said those two shall be one Flesh But he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit The days of Christs life on Earth are called the days of his Flesh. He hath the name of a Spirit given to him as he is risen from the Dead as he is in the Heavenly Image and in Glory So St. Paul calls him in one place the Lord that Spirit in another place the quickning Spirit St. Peter saith of him he was put to death in the Flesh and quickned in the Spirit Thus the Body of a Saint is married to Christ is a Member of Christ. By this union it becomes a Spiritual Body a Spirit one Spirit with Christ. There is a threefold band of this union of Membership the same Spirit the same Life the same Image 1. The first band of Union in this Membership between the Body of a Believer and Jesus Christ is the same Spirit St. Paul saith 1 Corin. 12. 13. We all by one Spirit are Baptized into one Body The Unity of the ever-blessed Spirit is the sure and sweet band which tyeth one to another the glorious Head and all the blessed Members in the Body of Christ. But what sweetness lies in the universality of that expression we all are Baptized by one Spirit into one Body As the Soul of Man is all in the whole Body and all in every part of it so is that ever-blessed Spirit which is in the whole Heavenly Body of which the Holy Angels Glorified Saints Christ and the Father are Fellow-members one and the same whole and entire in every part of this Body of thine O Believer which in its lowest and most broken State is a Member of Christ. This union is so much more close full and sweet between the Members by how much more Spiritual the Body is by how much the more high and divine the Unity is in this Body by how much the more high and divine the unity of that blessed Spirit is in which the Father of Lights the Heavenly Bride-groom Glorified Saints all the Elect Angels dwell together in one 2. The same Life flowing from this one Spirit is the second band of this Union We read from St. Paul Rom. 8. 11. If the Spirit of him which raised Christ from the Dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the Dead shall also quicken your mortal Bodies by his Spirit dwelling in you This expression shall quicken signifieth not only an effect at a distance at the last day but a present effect immediately flowing from the indwelling of the Spirit in us For the union between the Spirit and our Bodies by which he dwelleth in them also as well as in our Souls is a vital union an union from which Membership springs This expression then shall quicken your mortal Bodies is like that of St. Paul in the same Epistle Sin shall not have dominion over you if you be not under the Law but under Grace Shall there expresseth an effect immediately and inseparably flowing from its cause a freedom from the dominion of Sin by being under Grace not under the Law The Spirit of Christ findeth our Bodies Natural and Mortal but by its enterance into them and inhabitation in them maketh them immediately Spiritual and Immortal by their union with Christ and by the pouring forth of his Life and Immortality into them 3. The band of union in this Membership is the same Image All the Members of every Body make up one Image in which each several Member bears a part As we have born the Image of the Earthly Man so shall we also bear the Image of the Heavenly So far O Saint as thy Body is a Member of the Heavenly Body of Christ it bears the same Heavenly Image This is the first thing in Membership the union 2. There is in Membership a Communion We read the 1 Corin. 12. 24 25 26. God hath tempered the Body together having given the more abundant honour to that part which lacked that there should be no Schism in the Body but that the Members should have the same care one for another and whether one Members suffer all the Members suffer with it or one Member be honoured all the Members rejoice with it There is a threefold Communion in the Body of Christ. A Communion of Cares a Communion of Sufferings a Communion of Joy and Glory 1. There is a Communion of Cares All the Members have the same care one for another As it is in the Natural Body the Head the Heart the Eye the Hand all are set on work for every other part for the little Toes as for themselves to defend or cherish it upon every occasion so is it in the Body of Christ. O
as out of Heaven and the Bosom of God This rests upon us takes us in cloaths us entirely universally with itself Thus we are never found naked not for any one the least moment All that life all those objects entertainments and joys which we possessed before in the Cloud in the Captivity of a mortal Image yea the very Image of mortality itself besides innumerable new and unconceivable Glories are all the very same things present with us in this Heavenly Building this Heavenly Body but after a new and more excellent manner We have our pleasant things a hundred-fold more pleasant We have our unpleasant things with an unmixed pure and perfect pleasantness as they stand within in the Divine Mystery and Love Thus desirable and delightful is death to a Saint which now indeed is no more Death but the flood the Fountain of pure Light Eternal Life the Divine Love breaking forth in his Soul and Body and swallowing up every thing of Mortality into itself Give me leave here to take occasion to shir you up to the love and pursuit of Spirituality in Religion by a short exhortation 1. Understand your loss How many precious and glorious truths of the Gospel What Heavenly and Divine growths in Grace How many sweet unexpressible consolations and joys in life and in death are we unacquainted with are we uncapable of for want of the Spirit and Spirituality I have many things to speak unto you saith our Lord Jesus to his Disciples before his Death but ye cannot bear them now Why Hitherto they knew Christ after the Flesh only The Spirit was not come which was to lead them into all truths and to be their eminent comforter I could not speak unto you as to Spiritual but as to Carnal saith St. Paul to the Corinthtans who yet were pussed up with a conceit of their knowledge 2. Consider the danger from the want of Spirituality St. Paul saith in one place that what the Law speaketh it speaketh to those that are under the Law The Law in Scripture is called the Letter which is the Figure and Image only The Gospel the Spirit which is the Life and Truth This then is the dreadful curse which the Law pronounceth upon those who live and worship God in the oldness of the Letter not in the newness of the Spirit that their Eyes their Ears their Hearts shall be closed made fat and hardned that seeing they shall not see hearing they shall not understand that they shall be taught line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little that they may fall backward and perish and never rise more because when Christ was presented to them in the Spirit of Life and Glory to be their rest and refreshing for ever they would not obey the heavenly Call O dreadful danger O deadly curse Hear this O Professors O Believers who are Carnal and not Spiritual Tremble and fear to be eternally imprisoned in the dark Image and killing Letter being for ever excluded from the marvellous light of God from the Eternal Life and from the most glorious truth itself of all Heavenly and Divine Things to wander perpetually in a barren Wilderness of Graves and of fiery Serpents never to enter into the rest of God nor the refreshing of the Eternal Spirit O Silly Men and silly Women that are ever learning ever hearing Sermons ever praying ever reading the Scriptures ever sounding forth the name of Christ and God yet at the end of one ten or twenty years still laden with the same diversity of Lusts and Passions still moving forward and backward upon the same Carnal and literal sense of things never coming to the knowledge of the Truth as the Truth is in Jesus as the Spirit is Truth 3. See the advantages of Spirituality as they are laid together 2 Corin. 3. At the latter end 1. Liberty Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty a pure freedom from the servitude of hellish Lusts and passions a pleasant freedom from fears cares consinements from the Law Death and Wrath a Divine Freedom from the vale of the Flesh the Law the Letter of things from every Earthly Created Darkning Dividing Principle Life and Image the liberty of a free access into the purity power rest joys glories immortality infiniteness of the Spirit and of the Divine Nature 2. A clear discovery evidence and seal of the new Birth in you We with open Face behold the Glory of the Lord. The open face there as appears clearly by the context of the words is the Spiritual and Heavenly Man within us unvailed appearing evidently with the Seal of his own Spiritual Beauties and Glories upon it in the openness and freedom of a Spiritual and Divine Light Where are doubts where are fears now concerning our condition they are fled away and vanish as the shadows of the night before the Sun rising and shining forth with open face 3. A clear vision of the Lord Jesus in Glory within thy self We all with open face as in a glass beholding the Glory of the Lord saith St. Paul It is in Greek beholding as in a Looking-glass where the Face that is seen is the Face of him who fees reflected upon itself O blessed State of a Spiritual Saint The Spiritual Man in him is a Divine and living Looking-glass in which while he beholds the face of the Lord Jesus in Glory he sees his own Face and the glorious form of his own Heavenly Person reflected upon itself The Person which sees the Heavenly Person which is seen and the Glass are all one Spirit All these dwell together see possess and enjoy one another in the same Life and Image 4. Spirituality brings a lively and lovely growth in all Grace We are changed saith St. Paul into the likeness of the same Image from Glory to Glory These words import three excellencies in the growth of a Spiritual Person 1. It is continual which is implied in that expression from Glory to Glory One degree of growth immediately follows another The Kingdom of Heaven which is the State of Spirituality and in the Holy Ghost is compared to Corn which grows by day and by night in Winter and in Summer It is growing every moment till it be ripe for the Harvest 2. Spirituality groweth by great increases Here the name of Glory is put upon the growths of Grace in a Spiritual State from Glory to Glory In another place St. Paul expresseth it by the increases of God that is swift great glorious divine increases as by the immediate springings of the Godhead and bearing the likeness of God in Glory 3. Spirituality makes the Glorified Person of Christ the Pattern the Measure the Mark and End of its growth So saith St. Paul Beholding the Glory of the Lord we are changed into the likeness of the same Image A Spiritual Person hath the Lord Jesus cloathed with a Spiritual Glory ever in his eye is continually taking him into
his Heart continually bringing him forth into his whole Person and Life with an increasing clearness and fulness As the Object is to the Faculty and to the Soul so is Jesus Christ to a Spiritual Person his Pattern his Object his Food his Feast which spreads itself quite thorow his Person and Life which all throughout turns into Life Strength Beauty Cheerfulness and Joy to him 5. A spiritual person in a sweet and sealing manner sees the Spirit himself presenting the Lord Jesus to him within himself in a spiritual Glory feels the Spirit himself springing up immediately within him in all sights of Christ in all his changes and growths into Christ. He sees and feels this Spirit to be Jesus Christ himself He sees and feels this Spirit and this Jesus to be in himself and one Spirit with himself So the verse forementioned runs We all with open face beholding as in a Looking-glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the likeness of the same Image from Glory to Glory as by the Spirit of the Lord or according to the Greek by the Lord that Spirit These are the sweet and blessed Advantages of a Spiritual State I will add some few and short Directions to this State 1. Look to the New Birth in You. See that you be born again that you be born from above that you be born of the Spirit that this which is born in you be Spirit Jesus Christ saith That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit This only is the New Birth Newness is only in the Eternal Spring the Spirit 2. Take care of your Union with Christ that it be a Spiritual Union that you be united to Christ as he is risen from the Dead and in Glory as he is a Spirit the King and Bridegroom of Spirits that you be united to Christ in the Spiritual Man that your Union be a Spiritual Marriage that you be one Spirit in the Unity of the Eternal Spirit which is Love 3. Pray for the Spirit for a Spiritual Understanding for the Knowledge of things in the Spirit as they are Spirit and Life and so alone Truth Suck in the Spirit by day and by night from the lips of Christ from the kisses of his mouth 4. Die to every thing of the Flesh that you may live in the Spirit Bear about in your Bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus that the Life also of the Lord Jesus according to the Spirit may be manifested in your mortal Bodies At the young Phoenix is said to spring new and fresh out of the Ashes of the Old One so doth the Spirit in the newness of an Heavenly and Immortal Glory spring out of the Grace of Christ. 5. Live purely live in Love These two Purity and Love are the principal fruits of the Spirit by which the Spirit himself is drawn down and held in our Hearts being fed and delighted with them Every kind and degree of impurity and enmity quencheth the Spirit and maketh him to withdraw himself into Heaven again The Scripture saith The Flesh lusteth against the Spirit to bring forth its own Beauties Delights and Fruits all over the Spirit of Man in the place of the Eternal Spirit The Scripture saith also That the Flesh envyeth against the Spirit The Flesh hath an envy and an envious malice to see the Spirit with its Eternal Glories Joys and Fruits to flourish in the Soul 6. Lastly Take heed of thinking that you know enough He that thinks he knows any thing knows nothing as he ought to know it saith St. Paul He that thinks he knows any thing knows things only after the Letter which is a knowledge of shadows only and a shadow of knowledge This is that knowledge which pusseth up which swels a man with a windy conceit of knowledge But that knowledge which is from the Spirit as its Fountain and in the Spirit as its air and element and of the Spirit as its only object this makes a man at the highest degree of his knowledge on Earth to be sensible that all his knowledge is but as the light of the night a light shining in a dark place not the day-star and the Sun itself risen upon him This man thinks himself at best as a door-keeper only or as the Hebrew word signifieth one standing at the threshold of the House of God who looketh in at a distance and hath only a weak glimmering prospect of the Glories there but is not yet entered into the Light of those Glories to behold them as they are to know them as he ought to know them and is to know them He therefore as a new born Babe from the Womb of the Spirit keeps his Eye ever fixed with wonder and pleasure upon the light of the Spirit and ever thirsts to drink in more and more the sweet milk of this Light The Subject of our discourse hath been the passage of a Saint by Death not only in his Soul but in his Body also into a State of purity pleasure perfection and immortality One of the objections against this was taken from common sense to which Death presents the Bodies of the holiest Persons liveless ghastly dissolving to dust We have answered this objection by a distinction between a twofold sense Carnal and Spiritual But this objection was enforced from the Body of Christ which was a rueful and bloody spectacle in Death which lay three days in the silence darkness and restraint of the Grave It is necessary therefore to say something particularly to the State of Christs Body in Death by the application of this distinction to that also I shall ground this discourse upon that Scripture Luke 12. 50. They are the words of Christ I have a Baptism to be Baptized with and how am I streightned till it be over This Baptism is generally and as I humbly conceive rightly interpreted to be the sufferings of Christ at his Death The Baptism of Christ and the accomplishment of that Baptism were both at the time of his Death The sense of this Baptism before it came was an unexpressible streightning or affliction and oppression to the Soul of Christ. He cries out how am I streightned The words thus opened afford this observation The Lord Jesus had his greatest trouble and his greatest Triumph at the time of his Death Then was this bloody Baptism and then was the blessed accomplishment of this Baptism I shall open this in seven Propositions whereof 5 set forth the trouble the other two the Triumph of Christ at his Death 1. Propos. It was the most glorious and eternal Person of God himself in two Natures Divine and Humane which was our Jesus 2. Propos. God in his own Person as the Divine Nature lived in our Nature here on Earth stood at once in a twofold Principle one Natural and Temporary the other Supernatural and Eternal 3. Propos. As this Eternal Person our Jesus with his God-Head in the Humane Nature stood in a Natural and Temporary
Death This World with all its Powers and Principalities the life of this World the Cross itself and Death which had so long captivated the Lord Jesus with all the Powers Beauties Joys and Glories of his Heavenly Image binding them in Chains of Darkness within the Dungeon of this Earthly Image whose light is darkness are now themselves in the Person of our Lord Jesus in his Soul and Body together with his Captivity itself carryed up as he ascends and made Captives to that Heavenly Image which they held Captive Here in this Pallace of the Spirit and of Eternity where Darkness itself shines as the Light they are seen as the Captives of the Lord Jesus bound in Chains of Glory spectacles to all the Holy Angels and Blessed Spirits in which the Beauties of Christs Victory and Triumph as so many ravishing Wonders of an Incomprehensible of a Mysterious Power Wisdom Love Glory Divinity subduing all things entirely to themselves eternally shine This honour have all the Saints in their Deaths by the vertue of their Saviours Death by vertue of their fellowship with him and his fellowship with them mutually in their several Deaths all in each Death dying together Where now is the Melancholy of Death and of the Grave It is swallowed up into the Divine Pomp and Pleasure of a most Glorious Victory and Triumph O Saint What fearest thou in Death Or thou who fearest not to be dead why fearest thou to die If thou rejoicest in the Glory of thy departed Soul why mournest thou over thy Body as left behind in a naked and loathsome Prison The act of dying to both is the gaining of a Glorious Victory over the Life and Death the Powers and Principalities of this whole World The passage itself out of this Life is a Glorious Triumph to thy Soul and Body both which with all the Triumphal Ornaments of the Light of Life and Immortality ride forth in the Chariot of the Heavenly Image and the Eternal Spirit over the Spirit and all the forms of this Creation which lie conquered under your Feet In the very moment of your dying all the Powers and Appearances of Nature which rule in the Kingdoms of Sense and Reason are lost for ever so that their place where once they reigned in your Persons knows them no more You sit down upon the Throne of Christ and the Father together with them All the Births Images and changes of time are swallowed up into the bright the beautiful the most delightful depths of Eternity the unfathomable depths of purest Light Love and Joy immediately as Triumphant Conquerors and Kings you are encompassed with the ravishing applauses and shouts of innumerable Angels of Immortal and Glorious spirits springing up and shining forth in all the places of this World where its Light or Darkness Life or Death seemed before to stand You see all these with a Heavenly Musick and Songs of Triumph setting Garlands and Crowns of Victory on your Heads immediately as you pass out of the Light of this Life you see your selves received your Souls and your Bodies both with the most delicious kisses into the Eternal Embraces of the Father and of Christ in that Unity of the Spirit which is the unfathomable center of all Lights Loves and Joys of all beautiful and blissful Spirits created and uncreated All now for ever are filling full your Joys in themselves and fulfilling their Joys in you 4. Scrip. Heb. 2. 14. That he by dying might destroy him who had the power of Death that is the Devil and set them free who all their life time were subject to bondage by the fear of Death The word Power in this place signifieth properly a Prince with a Principality or Dominion This whole world is the Principality of the Devil For the Devil is called in Scripture the Prince of this world All Flesh every thing of Nature and of this Creation is comprehended under that name as it is distinguished from and opposed to the Spirit and the new Creation in the Spirit the Kingdom of God in the Holy Ghost and is the Principality of the Devil All Darkness every shadow every evil of Sin or Suffering of Corruption and the Curse of Shame Deformity Pain Grief and Wrath as all these are expressed in the Scripture and in common Language with every other kind or degree of Evil by Darkness are the Principality of the Devil For the Devil is called the Prince of Darkness Death is the Devils Principality who in this Scripture is called the Power or Prince of Death All this then hath Jesus Christ by dying destroyed in his own Person this World the Principles and Forms of Nature the Life and Images of Flesh every Darkness inward or outward of mind or sense Death itself For all these lie within the Principality of the Devil and are his Region his Kingdom without the bounds of this Dominion all things are Light Life Love Joy Immortality Spirit and Truth As it is Jesus who dies again in the Death of every Saint as the Death of every Saint is the Death of Christ acted over again in the similitude by the vertue of his Death so doth every Saint as he is one Spirit with Christ after the like manner by dying destroy the Principality the Kingdom of the Devil in his Person also For this is said to be the end of Christ in his Death that he might free all the Saints from the fear of Death O Believers Let your Saviour gain his end upon you and end of most tender Love Be no more in bondage to the fear of Death Let the Lord Jesus see the seed of his Death springing up in your Deaths a Glorious and Divine Seed of Life and Immortality springing up in the place of Death and swallowing it up into Victory Lay aside now for ever those melancholy and delusive Imaginations of Death as a separation of those tenderest Bosom-Friends Soul and Body a separation from your dearest Relations and entertainments the delights of your Eyes an extinguishing of the sweet Light of Life a dismal solitude a perpetual Darkness the Confinement of the Body to the nakedness coldness streightness and horrour of the Grave Dust Stones and Bones covering it and ratling over it Worms feeding upon it the Soul naked and alone taking its flight through a vast distance of empty air and space to another place These are the Forms and Appearances of Death to the Dead only Those who follow Jesus Christ in that living and shining way in which he went thorow Death meet with none of these appalling and affrightful Apparitions Let the Dead bury their Dead saith Jesus Christ to his Disciples but follow thou me Understand this O Believers that all Shadows all Forms of Darkness and of Death are from below Earthly Sensual Devilish from the Earth from the Natural Soul and from the Devil as St. James speaks All this Image and sense of things is that Kingdom of the Devil which together
with the King himself which the Lord Jesus by dying in himself in thee hath everlastingly destroyed in his own Person in his own Death and in thine by the vertue of his own As an Inchantment so is this whole Frame and Form of things dissolved so doth it vanish at the going forth of thy last breath If thou seek now for the region of Shadows and the Land of Darkness thou findest it no more for ever as he that would seek for the Night the Nightly Shades and Forms of things when the Sun is once risen Let thy Soul and Body both then rejoice together and rest in this assurance that in their departure out of this Life in the passage of Death they shall meet with nothing of loss nothing uncouth nothing unpleasant nothing of Darkness of Division of Death of the Devil but the most beautiful and blessed Face the most dear and delightful Embraces of the Lord Jesus as a Glorious Lover as a Heavenly Bridegroom immediately presenting himself immediately receiving them In the same moment do all things here disappear and all things appear again as they are reconciled into a most ravishing Harmony of Divine Beauty and Love As they are gathered up into their Head into their first Glory their Eternal Unity in the Glorified Person of Christ. 7. Propos. This same Jesus in his whole Person with his whole Soul and Body in the moment of Death by dying went forth entirely into the simplicity and singleness of his Supernatural and Eternal Principle and so into a State of pure Eternity unmixt Joy and Glory I shall endeavour to explain and confirm this Proposition by the fuller opening of a Scripture which I have often touched Psalm 16. 9 10. 11. Thus we read Therefore my heart is glad my Glory rejoiceth my Flesh also shall rest in hope For thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption Thou wilt show me the path of Life in thy presence is the fulness of Joy at thy Right Hand are Pleasures for evermore This is a Prophesy of Christ in his Death David as a Prophet speaketh concerning Christ and in the Person of Christ. So St. Peter interpreteth and applieth this Scripture Acts 2. 25. This then is the Triumph of Christ in Death over Death which Triumph consisteth of four Parts 1. The Subject 2. The Triumph 3. The Ground 4. The manner of the Triumph 1. The Subject of Christs Triumph This is threefold 1. The Soul 2. The Glory 3. The Flesh of the Lord Jesus 1. The Soul This seemeth to be that unseen and principal part of the Natural Man which in our common language is opposed to the Body as the Visible and inferiour part 2. The Glory hath a twofold acception Davids Harp and his Tongue were his Glory upon two accounts both as he was a sweet Singer a most skilful Musitian and also as he was the sweet Singer of Israel as his Harp and Tongue recorded the Praises of God and made all things round about him to resound the perfections and loves of the Lord Jesus Thus the Tongue of Christ was his Glory as he is the sweet Preacher in Jerusasalem the Heavenly Interpreter one of a thousand who sheweth to Man his Righteousness and his rest But again this Glory in David was the Spiritual Man the birth of the Spirit the Seed of God the Life of Christ Christ in David This Glory in Christ was the Spiritual Man the Heavenly Image the Divine Nature the God-Head For so Heb. 1. 1. Jesus Christ is said to be the brightness of the Glory of God as he is the express Image of his Person and Substance 3. The Flesh of Christ is his Body as it is distinguished from the Soul and is covered with a Vail of Flesh under which Vail it contains within itself those other two the Soul and the Glory This is the threefold Subject of the Triumph the Natural Body the Natural Soul the Eternal Spirit as it inhabiteth in these 2. The Triumph itself is exprest in those four words Gladness Joy Rest and Hope Gladness is the same with Joy The State of Blessedness in Heaven and Eternity is expressed by Joy The Lord Jesus saith to the Good and Faithful Servant Enter thou into thy Masters Joy St. Peter calls the Blessedness which we have here in believing and loving the Lord Jesus which is Heaven upon Earth a Joy Glorious and unspeakable As our Lord Jesus dyed the Humane Soul of Christ before imprisoned in a Fleshly Body went forth to be comprehended and swallowed up in that Joy which it could not take in nor comprehend because it was boundless and infinite His Divine Nature which in this Humane Soul together with it had been vailed by an Earthly Body now breaks forth and shines out into the freedom and full liberty of its own unconfined delights and unvailed Glories My Soul saith Christ is glad and my Glory rejoiceth The Triumph of Christ in his Body and his Flesh is set forth by Rest and Hope which two words import Life Sense a Sweetness and fulness of Life and Sense with Immortality The Sabbath in the beginning of the Creation as it figureth the perfection of a Sanctified and blessed State in Christ and in Heaven is expressed by Rest the name Sabbath signifieth Rest. The Land of Canaan as it was a Land of Rivers and Springs and floods of Water as it was a Land flowing with Milk and Hony and so a Type of that good Land that flourishing Land of the Spirit and of Eternity where the Fountains and full floods are of all Divine Goodness and Truth is expressed by Rest. Joshua who gave the Land of Canaan to the Jews is said to give them Rest. That perfect Cessation from all trouble that perfect Consummation of our Happiness in the quieting of all our desires by the full accomplishment of them that terminating of all our motions to good in their most wished for end the chief good which the Lord Jesus which the Gospel which Faith bringeth us to in an immediate entire eternal Union with God all this the Holy Ghost expresseth by Rest. Come to me and I will give you Rest saith the Lord Jesus He that believeth entereth into Rest saith the Epistle to the Hebrews Thus the Body and Flesh of Christ rest in Death These are the words as he dies in his Song of Death My Flesh also doth rest in hope The Hebrew word for Hope signifieth two things Confidence and Hope Confidence implies a double certainty 1. A certainty in the object which is the good in prospect or in possession hoped for or already enjoyed 2. The certainty of the Subject which is a sweet a deep a clear Sense and Seal upon the Soul of the certainty of the object of the certainty of that Good which it hath in fruition or expectation This twofold Certainty maketh that confidence or assurance which compleateth or crowneth the Souls
undivided Circle of Eternity always at once in every moment and cast of his eye he saw possest and enjoyed all pleasantnesses In this Face of his Father which is the Light of Eternity he saw his own Face as he passed thorow all changes Even then when he cried out that he was forsaken by his Father he beheld this forsaking of him himself thus forsaken in this Glass the face of his Father in the midst of all Pleasantnesses one of the Pleasantnesses one with all the Pleasantnesses there The Aâ—gels that take care of Children here below in the midst of this their work on Earth ever behold the Face of the Father in Heaven How much more is it true of that Person who is the Face of the Father who is one Essence and Substance with the Father who unites the Humane Nature to the Divine Nature in the Unity of this Person Shall not he much more see the face of his Father in Heaven while he is on Earth or in the Grave serving the little Children of his Father his younger Brethren as their good Angel This Face in which all Pleasantnesses are at their fulness at their heighth was that Joy set before Jesus Christ upon the Cross for which he enâ—ured the Cross and despised the shame I shall now conclude this discourse of our dying and dead Saviour of his sacred Body living and immortal in Death with those four thiâ—gs which were too wonderful for Solomon the way of a Ship upon the Sea of an Eâ—gle in the Air of a Serpent upon a stoâ—e or a rock of a man with a maid or as it is in Hebrew in a maid The most learned Jews teach us to understand this as the Mystâ—ry of the Messiah The most learned of the Christian Divines give us such a Gloss as this upon it while they make this place from the authority oâ— the Jews themselves to prove against them that the Messiah was to be born of a Virgin 1. The Man in the Maid is the Heavenly Man in Womb of the Virgin 2. The Ship upon the Sea is the Humane Nature in its Union with the Divine Nature Sailing along in its course of time and life here below upon the Sea of Eternity 3. The serpent upon the Sâ—oâ—e or the Rock is the deep and Glorious wonder of Death in the Person of Christ who is the Rock oâ— Eternal Life and God himself who lives for ever 4. The Eagle in the Air is the Humane Nature risen and ascending in the Spirit to the right hand of the father above all Heaven to the utmost heighths of all Joys and Glories of the Divine Nature and Eternity Before I leave this Subject I will point out one Use and Application of it When a Voice came with Thunder to the Lord Jesus declaring Love and Glory from on high upon him Jesus Christ saith to his Disciples Tâ—is Voice came not for my sake but for yours In like manner these glorious things are spoken of Christ in his life and in his death not for himself only but for all his Saints Christ and all the Saints are one seed To that one seed to all the Saints in Christ to Christ in himself and in all his Saints are all the Promises made All those pleasant things which we have spoken of Jesus Christ and of his holy Body in Death are true of him as his Humane Nature is joyned to the Divine Nature in one Divine and Eternal Person which is the most High God The same things are true in us also who believe in him by that Mystical Union which joyneth us to the Lord Jesus in one mystical Person and in the Unity of that Spirit which is also the most high God one with the Father and the Son While we live as Saints by the Faith of the Lord Jesus we live not but Christ liveth in us we live and we are Spiritual only as we are Spirits the Birth of the Eternal Spirit and one Spirit with the Lord Jesus in his Resurrection from the Dead All things in Heaven and on Earth of Soul and of Body of Life and of Death are Spirit and Life to us It is true that while we live on Earth a fleshly Spirit a fleshly Image in which Satan hath his Throne have a part in us not as our true selves but as our disguises our diseases our enemy as evil Dreams in our sleep These ofâ—â—n prevail over the Spiritual Man in us and captivate us to many sinful Lusts fears and Griefs But still the Spiritual man in itself which is our true self puts them under its feet and makes them Captives to the Light Love and Immortality of the Spirit The Spirit in us is like the Sua which when we think it under a Cloud or eclipsed by the Moon is so only to our Earthly Light but in truth and to itself it is upon its own Throne of Light triumphantly above the Clouds and the Moon comprehending them in the brightness of its own Glory But besides this in the moment of Death this fleshly Spirit and Image is for ever cast out of all power and rule in a Saint and is entirely subdued to that pure and Heavenly Spirit which is the true Saint which now withâ—â—t any interposing vail or interrupting interval perpetually sees the glorious Face of Jesus Christ in it self which is one Spirit with him and the Glorious Face of the Father in Jesus Christ. Yea one advantage of unexpressible Joy and Glory hath the death of a 〈…〉 of Christ. The Death of Christ had all the stings of 〈…〉 crâ—â—ture â—ver felt or can feel the guilt of Sin 〈…〉 Wrath of the Father all the Powers of Hell in 〈…〉 these stings are taken out of the death of a Saint Christ is risen all the Powers of evil subdued captivated and changed into mysteries of eternal Light and Love in the Glorified Person of Christ by the Virtue of his Resurrection A Believer living and dying stands in the Resurrection of Christ is risen with him in him A Believer is married to Christ as he is risen from the Dead His Life his Death thoroughout all things of them both are Divine Fruits of this marriage-bed brought forth in the Bosom of God to God Break forth then O ye Saints into singing both living and dying tune your last breath to this song of the Lamb and say like him I have set my glorified Jesus my Heavenly Bridegroom and the Father in him before me My glorified Jesus my Heavenly Bridegroom and the Father in him is at my right hand therefore shall I not be greatly moved Therefore doth my Soul rejoyce in Death my Body also sweetly rests in the Grave as in a Marriage-bed in the midst of all Divine delights as Flowers of Paradise strewed upon it It rests in the Bosom of my glorified Jesus my hope This sweet and sure hope is he that will never leave my Soul in the state of Death nor suffer his Holy One
may not yet be sprung up in thee like the ripe corn in the ear in the Ripeness and maturity of their own Spirituality and of the Heavenly Image Yet may they flourish in the Ear that is in a high and sweet Figure of Spirituality according to the purest letter of the Gospel which may have the Spirit itself for a hidden life in it and ready to reveal itself as the perfect Fruit. But suppose thou hast not attained to this yet sing for Joy the Spring and the Summer Season are come Harvest is not far off if the Kingdom of God which is Christ Heaven Paradise all in one and all in a Heavenly Glory be come up in thee into a Green and Living stalk Perhaps thou art yet subject to the Ministry of the Law Rejoyce in this if it Spring from the Seed of Promise if it flourish by the Virtue and Life of this Seed forming itself into this stalk although it lie vailed there This living Stalk this living Ministry of the Law hath not only an outward Glory and Lustre upon it but the inward Glory of the Spiritual Kingdom within it which sends forth this outward Life and Lustre which will itself also in its proper season sprout forth from it Dost thou fall short of this also dost thou see nothing in thy self of Letter or Spirit of Law or Gospel in any clearness of Life or Power by which thou canst make any comfortable Judgment of thy self Are not these mournings of thine that sence those impressions those desires affections endeavours the causes and companions of these mournings which come up so thick in the ground of thy Spirit by day and by night are not these that Kingdom of God that Jesus with Heaven and Paradise in the midst of thee before thine eyes as in the Blade or the Herb which can hardly be discerned or distinguished from common grass by common eyes In the mean time thou like Mary complainest that Christ is taken away from thee when he standeth before thee risen from the dead and talketh with thee though vailed under the form of a Gardener But let it be that no green things appears in the field of thy Soul it is naked cold and hard like the Earth in Winter Yet mourn not as one without hope This naked ground may be a flourishing field of Corn in the Summer time This naked and hard heart of thine may in its proper Season soften and flourish into an Heavenly Paradise by the springing up of Christ in it For even now in this disconsolate desolate state may God the Father and the Holy Angels from on high have their eye with Love and delight upon it from one end of the year to the other as seeing Heaven and Paradise with all their own Joys and Excellencies treasured up there in their seed which is Christ sown in thee 3. Ans. The Heavenly Image in thee who art born again while thou livest on Earth is subject to various Clouds and Storms It is always in a conjunction with the fleshly Image and the Spirit of the Devil These never suffer it to shine forth clearly and purely These often so cloud it and captlvate it that it can send forth no one sweet beam or spark to enlighten thee to any sensible discovery of it or warm thee with any sensible comfort in it The Law of God which is the Law of the Spirit of Life in which Spirit the Heaven and Paradise of a Saint are seated is within in the inward man in the mind But the Law of Sin which is the Spirit of this World where Death Hell and the Devil have their place and their Throâ—e is still manifest and Powerful in thy Members in thy outward man What wonder then if thine inward Man like the Face of Heaven and of an Heavenly Paradise with the Lord Jesus in his Spiritual Glory shining in them as the Sun in its purity and strength be discerned by thee very weakly and uncertainly when they are to be seen thorough so thick so polluted so troubled an Air of the natural Spirit in thy Members Nay what wonder is it if from the Morning of thy Life to the Evening of it such blackness of darkness cover the whole Face of these beautiful and Heavenly things in thee that they appear not at all to thee although they constantly shine in the same Glory and move in the same order in themselves to themselves within thee when as such Powers of Darkness have their seat in thine outward Man thorough which they are to appear 4. Ans. Thou perhaps O afflicted Soul with the eye of Sense and of Reason by the Light of thine own Spirit lookest to see the Kingdom of God with its Joys and Glories and Glorious Inhabitants in thee But these are Spiritual things and to be discerned Spiritually They are Spiritual Senses which alone can take in the Divine sweetnesses and Beauties of this Spiritual Paradise and Heaven It is the Light of the Spirit alone in which they shine forth and appear It is the Breath of the Spirit alone which makes their Spices to flow forth and give their smells Thou O dejected Soul mayest have thy Spiritual senses yet weak Like a new-born Child thou mayest behold and gaze upon the Light of the Heavenly Sun and yet not understand what that is which thou seest or that thou seest any thing at all Again the Spirit is free he breaths and gives his Light where he pleaseth when he pleaseth and in what degree he pleaseth The Garden of God may be in thee thou mayest be in the midst of this Garden and yet not aware of it because it is either a dark Season where nothing appears or a twilight of the Spirit only where the Flowers and Plants of this Garden appear like little Clouds or dark spots undistinguished 5 Ans. There are three ways by which the new Birth or the Resurrection from the dead evidenceth itself to the Soul 1. The Seal of the Spirit 2. The Witness of the Spirit 3. A Spiritual Instinct 1. The Seal of the Spirit is the clearest and compleatest evidence Of this you read Eph. 1. v 13. You are sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise The Spirit himself in his own person was the Promise and is the Seal St. John 14. v. 20. Jesus Christ in that Chapter promiseth the Spirit which he would send down when he was ascended to be in them He calleth this Spirit the Spirit of Truth and the Comforter Together with the promise of the Spirit he promiseth them that he would come again to them and that they should see him and have Joy and that none should take this Joy from them because they should never more lose the sight of him He promiseth likewise that at that day of the Spirit his Father and himself would come together and sup with them and lodge with them The rich and glorious ground of all this sweet mystery of the Divine Love and
Fellowship between the Father and Christ and the Spirit and the Saints in the Spirit at the coming of the Spirit is this 1. The blessed Person of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity is the beautiful band of that sweet and sacred Union in which the two other Persons the Father and the Son most nakedly most entirely at the utmost heighth of their Beauties and Loves possess and enjoy each other The same Person of the Spirit in the mystical and Marriage Union between Christ and the Soul is that sweet and sacred Unity by the Virtue of which the Father Christ and a Saint in the Purity and Perfection of all Heavenly sweetnesses and excellencies behold love and take Pleasure in each other as one Spirit By this you may see how the Spirit is the Promise and the Seal and what this Seal of the Spirit means The Lord Jesus fully expresseth it in the verse mentioned At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you This day is the day of the Spirit the day of the Spirits coming into the Soul and appearing there In the Revelation of this third Person the Holy Spirit when he shines forth in the Spirit of a Saint the Father Christ and a Saint are all seen together in one Glory the Glory of the Father in the Fellowship and Unity of this Spirit which is the Spirit of Glory This Union and this Vision takes the Saint up into itself fixeth itself in a Saint displayeth itself there by the immediate Brightness and Glory of that Heavenly Person the Spirit himself which is the Spirit of Truth This is the Seal of the Spirit this is the Banner of Love Thus he sets himself as a Seal upon the Heart of his spouse thus he spreads himself as a Banner of Love over her head in his Banqueting-house How clearly in this Day in this Vision and Unity of the Spirit doth the Beloved Spouse of Christ see Heaven and Paradise ten thousand Heavens and Paradises new-born and risen within herself herself new-born and risen into the midst of them and enjoying them all Dost thou mourn O dejected Soul that thou hast not received this Seal of the Spirit Alas how few have How hath this Seal been withdrawn since the Nations of the World received the mark of Anti-Christ Mourn thou together with all the Saints for the absence of the Heavenly Bridegroom in this Vision of his Glory and Seal of his Love But mourn not as without Hope Press forward to this Day of the Spirit and to the Brightness of the rising of the Lord Jesâ—s together with the Father upon thy Soul in the Person of the Spirit which is the Union of all Loves Joys and Glories as all Lights are United in the Sun This Day hath already dawned some few have seen the dawnings of it and rejoyced to see it when it hath shone forth upon the tops of their Spirits as the Sun in the pleasant morning of a Summers-day gilds the Tops of the Mountains 2. The Second Evidence is the Witness of the Spirit Of this Paul speaketh Rom. 8. v. 16. The Spirit itself beareth Witness in our Spirit that we are the Children of God This Witness of the Spirit may be more interrupted and be accompanied in the Soul with less Glory and a less triumphant Joy yet is it clear and sweet and sure although the clearness and the sweetness have their different degrees The Witness of the Spirit is as tho Voice of God in the Soul received and ecchoed to by the Soul The Seal of the Spirit is the Glorious Face of God unvailed in the Soul and by the kiss of its mouth Uniting it to the Soul so that it stamps its own Heavenly Image upon the Soul and Ravishing the Soul into one Life and Form of Glory with itself becomes its own Reflection there equally embracing and embraced enjoying and enjoyed in the Unity of the Spirit Thou who feest not the Seal of the Spirit upon thy heart open thy Spiritual Ear hearken unto the voice of the Spirit hearken to the voice of thine own Spirit These two by a sweet Consent and Harmony may testifie together the Love of God in thee Their voice may be low and not to be heard in the Tumult and noise of thy Fears and Doubts In the calmness quietness and rest of a meek and resigned Spirit hearken diligently and thou mayest hear this low voice Though this voice be low yet is it clear and sweet The Love and Peace and Joy of the Spirit the Spirit of Love Peace and Joy himself are in this low voice 3. The third Evidence is the Instinct of the Spirit which seems to be mentioned by St. Paul as a less degree of Evidence going before that of the Witness of the Spirit Rom. 8. 15. Ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby ye Cry Abba Father The little Lamb newly yeaned and come forth from the Dam in a great flock amongst many Lambs and Ews knoweth its own Dam discerneth its call from all others runneth to it keepeth by its side when it is in any fear seeketh and sucketh its Milk and the nourishment of its Life from it This is the Instinct of Nature which faileth not the Births of Nature Thus every Child of God hath much more a Spiritual and Divine Instinct which is inseparable from the Divine Nature in it The Spirit of God in it when the Light of the Divine Nature is most obscured is a Spirit of Son-ship or Childhood in the Soul by secret Impressions leading it inclining and carrying it to God as its Father giving it a secret sense and discerning of the Voice of God and of its Relation to God as by the instinct of the Divine Nature Consider this ye doubting fearful and distressed Saints consider this and be comforted Thou hast no clear sight of the Face of God Thou hast no clear Testimony of the Love of God in thy Spirit Thou hast no distinct understanding of thy Union with God or of the Nature of God or of the things of God Thou hast no Evidences by which thou canst satisfy thy own Reason thorow any discourse of Reason But thou art inwardly carryed in thy desires and inclinations to God to please him to be with him Thy Soul secretly hangs upon God and cleaveth to him Thou inwardly longest and thirstest to suck in from his Breasts the milk of Spiritual Life Comfort and Light In the day of thy fears and distress thine Eye looketh to God thine Heart cryeth and hasteth to him The call the voice of God in his Providences his Word and the inward motions of his Spirit touch thine Heart and turn thy Bowels within thee How often in the greatest doubts and distresses of thy Spirit dost thou sigh forth to God the name of Father Behold this is the instinct of the Divine Nature in thee This is the Spirit of Adoption by which thou art acted and by
Lord Jesus before Death and after it is much more large than that which is between a single grain of Wheat cast into the Earth and the standing Corn upon the ground full-ripe with many perfect grains of Wheat in the Ear than that between the single Seed of a Rose and a Rose-Tree full of fresh and flourishing Roses or the Seed of an Apple and a well-grown Apple-Tree laden with ripe Apples What Image could any man frame to himself or what conjecture would he make of a Rose-bush or a Rose by the single Seed if he had never seen the things themselves No more is it possible for us to take any measure of the Body of Christ in Heaven or at all to guess what manner of things it should be by his Body on Earth 1. John 2. 3. we read from the mouth of the Beloved Disciple who lay in the Bosom of Christ knew most of His Divine Secrets and was best acquainted with His Person in Glory that now we are the Sons of God but it doth not appear what we shall be but when he appeareth we shall be like him for we shall see him as He is Now we have the Seed of God in us now we have in us the Seed of a Divine and Glorious Soul of a Divine and Glorious Body But what this Seed which is sown in our Earth will be when it is a Tree in the Heavenly Paradise what this Glorious Soul and body will be when they are come forth grown up and perfected we do not at all know Only this aim we have We are sure that we shall be capable of an immediate Sight and Enjoyment of God without any Vail or Garment without any Representation or Distance as He is in His naked and simple Essence in His own proper and immutable Form This is an infallible Argument that then we shall be in the Form of God For otherwise it would be impossible for us to see it and take it in St. Paul illustrateth this difference between the Body of a Saint in its Life on Earth and in the Resurrection by two Comparisons the Varieties of Flesh and of Bodies All Flesh is not the same Flesh. There is one Flesh of Men another of beasts another of fishes another of birds v. 39. There are Terrestrial Bodies and Caelestial the Glory of the Terrestrial is One the Glory of the Caelestial is another There is one Glory of the Sun another of the Moon another of the Stars one Star differeth from another in Glory so also is the resurrection of the Dead v. 40. 41. 42. It is a very great mistake to think that the Apostle intendeth here to set forth the different Glories of Saints in Heaven He hath a far higher and nobler design This is his sence and the force of his arguing You must not think because we have Bodies on Earth and Bodies in Heaven that upon this Ground these Bodies must be of the same Nature and Kind or at all like one another How vast a variety of Bodies do we behold with our Eyes on this Earth and in this Heaven As great as the number of the Stars in the visible Heaven so great and incomprehensible is the Variety and Several Sorts of Bodies For every one of these differeth from the other Such yea far greater is the Difference between a Body when it is sown in Death and a Body when it is raised up A Body raised though be it still a Body doth more vastly differ from it self here than any two Bodies differ in the frame of Nature or within the Compass of the whole Creation The properties of a Body in Heaven by which it is distinguished from a Body on Earth are four as the Apostle reckoneth them up Power Glory Incorruptibility Spirituality v. 42. 43. The ground of these differences he layeth in that Primary and Radical One It is sown a Natural Body it is raised a Spiritual Body v. 44. The Sun doth not so much differ in matter and make from a Clod of Earth as a glorified Body doth from itself on Earth For both those are Natural here one is Natural the other is Spiritual Nay an Angel doth not so much differ from a Worm in its Essence and Image For an Angel is still a piece of Nature a part of the first Creation all which the Holy Ghost comprehendeth under the term of Natural But a Body risen from the dead is Spiritual of a new Creation for Matter and Form vastly different from vastly above every thing within the compass of this whole world in the visible or invisible part of it To conclude this Proposition observe how St. Paul begins this discourse with a quick touch Thou Fool Thick skales of folly do lie indeed upon the Eyes of our mind if we perceive not all things in this Flesh to be in a disguise of Sin Death Wrath the Devil by his Sorceries That which we call Death is the casting off the disguise In the Spirit we see and are seen with open Face Prop. 2. The Second Proposition which is the Second Story in my building raised upon this Scripture is this we may not compare the Body of Christ in Heaven with the Body of Adam in Paradise This Proposition riseth up plainly out of St. Pauls words v. 46. And so it is written the first man Adam was made a living Soul the last Adam was made a quickning Spirit Three things lie plain in these words compared with the Context 1. The Apostle-speaketh of Adam and Christ with a peculiar and principal respect to the Bodies of either The Subject which he now professedly handleth is the Resurrection of the Body He bringeth this up to its Principle and Pattern the Glorified Body of Christ. In the verse before he established this Assertion as a Pillar on which the whole Frame and Fabrick of Divine Truths here delivered doth lean There is a Natural Body and there is a Spiritual Body He strengtheneth that distinction by this Root and main reason of it in the verse immediately following And so it is written the first man Adam was made a living Soul the last Adam was made a quickning Spirit You seo clearly that this relateth to the Natural and the Spiritual Body 2. Adam is here spoken of in respect to his Paradisical Body Jesus Christ to his Heavenly Body The place from which this is cited is the History of Adams Creation as he was brought into Paradise Gen. 2. 7. As his Body was taken new and pure out of the Virgin-Earth before the fall and the curse The first man was of the Earth Earthy v. 47. such as the first Earth of which he was composed which was then say some far siner than Christal Gold or Pearl yea than the Sun is now Angelical Earth Jesus Christ in that Body which here is meant is The Lord from Heavâ—n 3. As much as a living Soul differeth from the quickning Spirit that is as much as a small Stream of
Life from the Ocean which hath its Fountain in itself which is therefore unconfined and infinite as much as a little Shadow from the Eternal Incomprehensible Truth and Substance such is the dissimilitude and disproportion between the beautiful Body of Adam in Paradise and the Blessed Body of our dear Lord in Heaven As the Earth in Essence and Appearance in Greatness and Glory in vertue and Comprehension differeth from Heaven not only this Heaven which we see not the Heaven of Angels above our sight but that Heaven out of which our Jesus cometh as Lord of all an Heaven higher than all created Heavens such is the difference between the New-created Body of Adam our first Father which shone about his spotless Soul as the Light about the Sun and the glorified Body of Jesus our first and last Lord and Love O all ye that hear and believe admire with me the insiniteness of the wisdom and love of our God who hath made the loss of Paradise by Sin so great a gain to us instead of that giving us our Jesus But we shall come yet more clearly to the mark at which we aim if we examine these words more exactly To that end I shall propound three Questions 1. Question What the general Nature of a Body is Answ. A Body is the compleat Image Instrument and Fulness of that Soul or Spirit to which it doth belong Col. 2. 17. A Body and a Shadow are set opposite one to another Which are a Shadow of things to come but the Body is of Christ or is Christs is the Body of Christ. A Body and a Shadow agree in being an Image But the Shadow is a confused useless emply Image the Body express Instrumental Substantial and full In the same Chapter a little before v. 9. we read of the Lord Iesus in him dwelleth all the Fulness of the GodHead bodily God is the Person in Christ the glorified Body of our blessed Saviour is the express Image of the God-Head God is seen there as a Man is at home in his house nakedly clearly familiarly constantly entirely in all Forms and Postures This glorious Body is the Universal and Immediate Instrument of the God-Head the Sphear of its Activity God judgeth all acteth all exerciseth all the operations of the Divine Nature and life here as the Sun runeth his race from the beginning to the end of it in his proper Orb and Heaven God dwelleth with all his fulness in this Body He delighteth to pour out into the Body of our Beloved and his Beloved all the precious Treasures of his God-Head Here he delighteth to possess and enjoy them in a Bodily Form in the Form of a Spiritual Heavenly and Divine Body As at the Incarnation the word was made Flesh. A Body of Flesh Iohn 1. 14. by emptying itself to nothing so now is the Eternal Word again in the Resurrection made a Spiritual Body by returning and rising up into all its Fulnesses in the same Body in which he had emptied himself The Lord Jesus speaketh of himself in Glory when he saith In my Fathers house are many Mansions John 14. 2. The Body of our Bridegroom is a Spiritual Palace in which all the excellencies and Off-springs all the operations and works of the Divine Nature have their several distinct Mansions and apartments We read of a Tree in the branches of which all the Birds of Heaven have their Nests The Spiritual Body of Christ is the Tree of Life and of Love which hath Branches enough and large enough for all the Birds of the highest Heaven the seven Spirits of God with all their Train all the variety of the God-Head to make their several Nests in them I may add also for all the Beasts of the Field all inferiour Forms of Things to lodge under its Shadow You who love the Lord Jesus and his Appearances doth not this move you doth not this make your hearts to spring and dance in your breasts to hear that your Saviour is cloathed with this Heavenly Body so full of Glory and of God Can we forbear now from saying to our own hearts and one to another these five short words 1. If we have formerly known any thing besides our Jesus let us now know it no more If we have hitherto known Christ after the Flesh let us know him so no more This is the only object worth all our knowledge and study Jesus in his Spiritual Body purer and brighter than the Body of Heaven in Paradise far beyond that in the height variety and compass of its Glories 2. How black doth every Sin appear in this Light of our Lords glorified Body When a Soldier was about to kill Cresus his dumb Son cryed out thou killest the King So cry to every Lust in thine heart thou crucifiest my Jesus in his Spiritual Body the Body of all Divine Beauties shining like a Divine Sun upon thee comprehending thee as the highest â—eaven In every Creature in which thou seest not the blessed Light of this Body in which thou doest not kiss it with the pure mouth of the Spirit in thee thou doest crucisy it 3. Is not this Bosom this Heavenly Body of our Beloved a Field of Lillies indeed the Field of all Spiritual Beauties and Divine Graces Shall we not like pleasant Roes be ever feeding here As Booz said to Ruth let us never go into any other Field to gather or to feed Is not this the Paradise itself in the third Heavens where all the Fulnesses of the God-Head are in a Body a Divine Body 4. How pure and Spiritual are we to be in Body and Spirit if we are to be Brides to this Lamb of God whose Body outshineth all the Angels and is raised to a degree of Spirituality far above them 5. Is this that Body of which the poorest believing Soul may say by the Law of its Spiritual Marriage my Jesus hath not power over his own Body but I have power over it to command its presence with me to delight my self in it as my Garden of Eden of pleasure to bring forth Fruit by it Is this that glorious Body of Christ to which these vile Bodies yours and mine are to be made like by that Power by which he is able to subdue all things to himself to the similitude of this Body of Divine Glories Is this the Body into which we are taken up and which we are at home with when in death we are withdrawn from these Bodies of our Pilgrimage here Qu. 2. What the force of this phrase is A Living Soul The first Adam was made a Living Soul Was he not made a Body as well as a Soul The Body seemeth to be so far from being concerned here that it is excluded Ans. This Word Soul hath Three Acceptions in the New Testament and so that which answereth it in the Old 1. It is taken for the Person composed of Soul and Body So Gen. 46. 26. All the Souls which came with