He knows His own glory and praise Infinitely Beyond our apprehensions but as I said He is more praised and glorified As to us and by us And in this sense are our Saviours words here that he hath now All power given him in Heaven and in Earth in regard there is a great deal more light come to us and he is revealed unto more for Christ as he saith Ioh. 1. 9. He is the true light that enlightneth every man that comes in to the world As you know He was once made known to the Jews and the Genâ—iles lay in darkness but now he is made known to the Gentiles and the Jews are in darkness like Gedions fleece They were wet when all the ground about was dry which was the time that the Jews had the knowledge of God and Christ but then again all the ground was wet and his fleece dry The fall of the Jews was the rising of the Gentiles as the Apostle expresseth Rom. 11. 12. The Gospel it first shined to the Jews and afterwards to the Gentiles which was All the rest of the world And our Saviour saith That he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel And he commanded his Disciples when he first sent them out Go not in the way of the Gentiles but go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel He did very strictly tye himself to the Jews so that hardly any others could get any mercy from him They never got any but they got it very hardly and very sparingly as the Centution Luke 7. he would not go himself immediately to Jesus knowing how unwelcome they were to him and what harsh answers he gave them therefore he went by the Jews and got the Priests and Elders to go to him And they also were fain to use many words to perswade him t is said they were fain to perswade him instantly commending him for a good man and that he had done them much good and had built them a Synagogue and at last Jesus went with them c. And so likewise the woman of Canaan how hardly did she get mercy from him and how oft gave he her a repulse and beat her off and would not be overcome till her faith prevailed with him and she got it by force it is wonderful to see how our Saviour tyed himself to the Jews again it s said God wrought salvation in the midst of the earth Great is thy God saith the Prophet Isa. 12. 6. in the midst of thee or in the heart of thee Historiographers say that Ierusalem is in the very midst of the earth that it is the very Navel of the world And Christ began his miracles and preached first at Ierusalem and from thencâ— sent out his Disciples into all the world from which Observation we may apply thus much to our selves that whensoever Christ teacheth any man to Salvation That when he preacheth Healthfully and Savingly in the soul he preacheth first to the heart begins there sets that right and from thence His word is derived and sent forth to all the members of the body Christ and his Disciples first began at Ierusalem and then afterward their Commission was to go into all the world he tyed himself very strâ—ctly to the Jews before ever he would suffer them to go to the Gentiles This truth I would commend to you as a Stable Maxim of truth All faith and holiness is first to be preached to the heart before we go about to rectifie the members and the actions which in this regard may well be called Iews and Gentiles Religion if it begin not at the heart is nothing worth it is but a folly to preach to the eyes and to the ears to the hands and to the feet before we preach to the heart we must observe Christs rule first begin at Ierusalem and then go into all the world first preach to the Jews afterward to the Gentiles God onely speaks to the heart and Teacheth that to begin with the Outward man that so they may teach the heart is the way of man not of God Great is thy God in the midst of thee in thy heart do but rectifie that and the actions cannot be amiss make the tree good and there will follow good fruit Can you expect figs of thorns or grapes of thistles nay can you by all your manuring watching and dressing or forcing them cause them to bear such certainly no therefore see the folly of many men in our daies they think by their pains and by their Discipline to force men into Religion into faith good works and Spiritual actions When thereby they have onely restrained the outward man And with them they pass for Excellent Christians Alas alas Either saith our Saviour make the tree good and his fruit good or else make the tree evil and his fruit evil whatever fair pretences their actions may have and though they seem Good to men if the heart be not reformed they are but Golden Vices Botten Nutmegs and rotten apples gilded over Gilded Sepulchers they neither have a good root nor tend to a right End fair without but false rotten and stinking within they are carried on by Self to base carnal fleshly ends self is both the Rise and End of their actions and they no better then thorns and thistles and fit for nothing but to be burnt up As the Apostle saith The fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is Great is thy God in the midst of thee Satan it is that preaches first to the out-parrs He it is that preaches to the outward man by Laws by Credit by Honour by Riches by Praise and you know what verdict Christ gives of this preaching and of this learning Verily I say unto you you have your reward ye do it that ye may be seen of men and ye are seen of men ye have your reward ye restrain your hands and your feet from evil because you would not come under the penalty of mens Laws and you do escape them verily Herein you have your reward and you do your good works for the praise of men and you have it Verily I say unto you you have your reward And though you may think highly of such works and of your selves for them yet there is nothing of God in them and to him they are no better sacrifice Then cutting off a Dogs neck or the offering up of swines blood as the Prophet Isaiah saith this is nothing but One sin casting out Another for self-advantage this is nothing but Belzebub casting out Devils by Belzebub and yet he hath nothing less possession for it is nothing but the old man working within his own sphere and to his own advantage ye do it that ye may be counted honest among men and ye are accounted so ye would be and are esteemed great professors verily you have your reward Many such like ends you
their father which is in heaven Til this time Iesus Christ was crucified dead and buried but when once this Lion of the Tribe of Iudah begins to rouse up himself then it shall appear that there is now a King born that will bear rule that shall be such a Messiah spiritually as the Iews expected temporally a Potent and Mighty Prince whose Government shall be upon his shoulders His Name being WONDERFUL Counsellour and Prince of Peace And now all those Accursed Iews which â—rucified him and made him to serve shall now be made to serve him as the Prophet saith You have made me to serve with your iniquites Now all those headstrong lusts those Kings and Rulers of the Earth which cryed Let us break his bonds in sunder and cast away these cords from us He shall now rule them with a rod of iron and crush them in pieces like a potters vessel So that we shall live no longer the life of natural carnal men in the vanity of their mind to fulfil the lusts of men and the will of flesh and of the world but they live the life of spiritual men we shall then shew that we are the Off-spring of Christ Till you become to this whatever you think of your selves there can be nothing well done for before this we altogether think our own thoughts do our own actions go our own ways For all the imaginations of mans heart are onely evil continually But before this great and not able day of the Lord come the Lord will set signs in the heavens and in the earth and there shall be great stirs and wars and rumors of wars and the Inhabitants of the earth shall be troubled amazement and terrour shall seize upon them because of these things And when thou seest these things come to pass I say within thee then look up for know your redemption draweth nigh When you see the red Dragon watch against the woman shall be delivered of her man-child spoken of in the Revelation that he sends forth whole floods of water out of his mouth to drown her then know the child is born But before this time when you see the woman in travel and hath great pain and cryeth out extremely and hath bitter pains I say Bitter pangs then you may know the child is near delivery that is when this beloved old man our own will as the Scripture terms him who was never by us denyed anything himself desired but all was carried smoothly according to his own desire and now to be crost and contradicted Oh â—his is great pain to him Oh he cryes out like a travailing woman Oh he would by no means forsake himself his own will his own pleasure his own profit Take up his cross and follow Christ What forsake all that is dear to him this is death to him Oh! when you hear your flesh cry out Oh! would to God I had never been born then I had never seen this day Oh! let me dye let me dye I am weary of my life when ye hear him like Iob bitterlycurse the day of his birth Oh Beloved this day is a terrible day to flesh and blood it never saw such a day Oh it s a bloody day it comes with a terrible confused noise of the warriors and garments tumbled in blood as the Prophet speaks it was never so haled and puld this way the flesh tother way the spirit it was never so torn in pieces But know Beloved when these pains are upon you that the child is at the birth near to be delivered Beloved these things will be if ever Christ be born in the soul And when it is so that the flesh hales one way and the Spirit another Oh then it behoves you to pray That so your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath nor in the harvest Oh Beloved pray that these things this Seed do not dye without fruit that in the midst of this biting bitter winter you do not fly but bide by it and indure and wait the fruit that in the midst of winter you may enjoy your Sabbaths a day of rest peace lest that when other men enjoy their Sabbaths their harvest you have nothing but winter bitterness trouble and want and no fruit to refresh you Brethren I beseech the Lord that you may prove try and examine your selves by these things see if this day hath overpast ye hath your woman had pains and bitter agonies have you suffered such contradiction between the flesh and the spirit that these wars and terrours and rumours have struck through the very soul of you that you have felt it as bitter as gall as bitter as bitterness it self for saith our Loâ—d Luk 21. 22. Then be the dayes of VENGEANCE that all things which are written may be fulfilled insomuch as you may say of your selves Call me not now Naomi pleasant but call me Marah bitterness for the Almighty hath dealt bitterly with me This work being gone through you may be sure the child is born to you and to you a Son is given else not Tell me of what you will of education and good nature and the still work of Gods Spirit except this work be done in you so that you can speak of the work thereof experimentally you do but befool and delude your own souls And this work being gone through and the child born then as I said before he grows and increases in age and perfection every day He is not grown to a man in a moment but by steps by degrees He that hath this work brought about in his soul he need fear nothing he is in a free and safe condition all the men upon earth nay the powers of darkness cannot hurt him although the Dragon the Devil Sin Lusts the old man Self Lucifer Adam the Serpent c. these with all their fiery darts for when I name one I name all as I opened them to you upon another occasion for I opened near 20 of his names severally for these names and many such the Scripture gives him to set out that evil one within us which the most part of men are little acquainted with although they hug them in their bosomes eat drink sleep work play with them all these I say although they send forth whole floods of water after the woman yet they cannot drown her 〈◊〉 this work delivers and frees men from the powers of darkness this work brings down the strong holds disarms the strong man and sets the soul free Saves it delivers it carries it above all waves The next remarkable action Christ did he was circumcised That is He submitted himself to all outward Ordinances because he knew that all powers were ordained of God and so far forth as they tend to God and tend to love and peace we ought to submit So then we are then circumcised with Christ and Christ is
said of him then of God But let us see what is he to us and in us for it is the Devil within us that doth us all the hurt for if he were not in us all the Deviâ—s without us could do us no hurt till gotten within us and so entertained by us were he not in us he were no Devil to us and therefore I say little or nothing of the essence of the Devil But as he is in his workings and effects and therein we daily find him too much and too rife amongst us and his work and nature is to be a lyar from the beginning A Seducer His nature is 1 To accuse Man unto God 2 God unto Man 3 Man unto Man 1 God unto Man as Gen. 3. Hath God said Ye shall not eat of the tree c. but in the day thou eatest thou shalt die Tush Ye shall not die for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evil What a most horrible lye was that He may well be called the father of lyes Ioh. 8. 44. that he should be so impudent to accuse the infinite good and Almighty God Of strait-handedness or Envy towards them and that he was not so good towards them as he might be and that he had created them blind and in simple condition and had tyed them from eating of that tree lest they should better their condition lâ—st they poor miserable crawling worms should come to be like the Eternal Omnipotent Wise God and that God did forbid them that tree out of envy for fear they should be as wise as he because he onely will be the wisest Oh horâ—ible impudence Again Secondly he accuses Man unto God as Iob 1. God asked him if he had taken notice of his servant Iob Satan answered Doth Iob serve God for nought thou blessest him and therefore he serveth thee but do but put forth thy hand and touch him in his estate and he will blaspheme thee to thy face That is do but take away his estate and he will curse thee as fast as he now blesseth thee and serveth thee Again Thirdly he accuses Man unto man From whence comes all strife and debates and contention is not he the cause as the Apostle saith from whence come wars and dissention come they not hence even from your lusts which war in your members Rather then the Devil will accuse himself he will accuse Man yea the Scripture Nay God himself if any thing go against him then all is lyes the Man lyes the Book lyes the Scripture lyes God lyes and all lyes All this he will not stick to say that they all shall be lyars before he will accuse himself The eighth name is Antichrist 1 Ioh. 4. 3. And every spirit that confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God but this is the spirit of Antichrist of whom ye have heard how that he should come and now already he is in the world You will say Nay now we are sure we are all free of this he is far enough off us he is at Rome if there should be an Antichrist among us he should soon be discovered and had up into the High Commission Court and there be censured but we are no Antichâ—ists for the Apostle saith That whosoever he be that confesses not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh the same is Antichrist now we all confess this he came into the world 1600 years ago and he was begotten by the Holy Ghosâ— this is part of our Creed born of the virgin Mâ—ry suffered under Poâ—tius Pilate c. but thinkest thou that this confession with the mouth is enough But I would ask thee Is Jesus Christ come in the flesh with thee is he come into thy flesh that Châ—ist is Born in thee risen in thee that he is glorified in thy members Then thou art no Antichrist but if he be not thou needest not go far to find Antichrist I know well the general Vote is that the Pope is Antichrist well let it be so that he is externally and chiefly at Rome and that the Pope shall be destroyed and then Antichrist is fallen I will not for my pâ—rt contend let most voices carry it but take heed you do not so long look for Antichrist abroad and at Rome so that thou neglect one at home And it may be when Antichrist is destroyed we look for a thousand years of peace and then the Church shall be without spot or wrinkle and Christ shall rule in his Kingdom in peace and there shall no enemie oppose But all this you think will be when you are dead and gone you wish you could see those dayes And so likewise when you pâ—ay daily His Kingdom come and his will be done you think that will be in those dayes of peace or else when you are dying and can have your wills no longer when you have striven so long and God will have his will then you it may be will say thy will be done and thy kingdom come but then is Gods Kingdom come and Gods Will done when Châ—ist is come into thy flesh that he lives in thee and rules thee That all thy actions are in imitation of thy Saviour Doing the same things as our Saviour would do in thy case were he upon earth and let â—e tell you till then all your prayers and all your external duties are in vain they all turn into sâ—n But if you shall ask What armour wâ—ars this Antichrist I answer The armour of Antichâ—ist is Multitude there are many Antichrists 1 Ioh. 2. 18. Little children it is the last time and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come even nâ—w are there many Antichrists whereby we know that it is the last time Nothing so common as Antichrist if a man do but put his hand into his bosome he shall find enough of Antichrist there and there are so many Antichrists in the world that a man can very hardly find a true Christian every man hath an Antichrist within him insomuch that we had need do as the Prophet Zachary sayes Search Ierusalem with lights for Antichrist is in every place the houses are full of Antichrist the Pulpits are full of Antichrist the Communion-table is full of Antichrist all places are full of Antichrist Oh beloved There are many throâ—g about Iesus Châ—iâ—t Yet but very few touch him as the woman with a bloody issue to get vertue from him If there were but one Antichrist as we think the Pope is the Antichrist he were easâ—ly found but the armour of this Antichrst is Multitude nothing almost through the whole world but Antichrist we are all born and live Antichrists therefore destroy Antichrist and you must destroy all the world if we are saved it is by Gods infinite power and mercie for we are as the Apostle saith Iude 23.
Divine Nature he cannot accept or regard them So also if this be so then is there not onely holiness within flowing from A Natural principle of a new Nature but there will be All External glory there is the Ark of the Covenant overlaid all over round about with pure gold to shew that from this spring and fountain cannot but proceed all purity and holiness in our external actions then they cannot but must shew forth the vertues of him who hath called them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God Then there is such a power and such a burning desire in the soul they must shew forth their good works that they may glorifie their father which is in heaven neither can this be attained really till we be admitted within the vail True it is while we are in this worldly Sanctuary we may do many External good actions as to our selves and other men And also Good in themselves but they are not done for this End to shew forth the vertues of him that hath called them nor to glorifie their father which is in heaven but t is to glorifie themselves and to set up themselves Either for praise or esteem or for fear or for hope of advantage c. they serve not God as the Devil said of Iob for nought not for love of Holiness not for that Excellency that is in its self but to get something by it they use it as men do a bridge to carry them over to some desired place to some self-happiness or advantage and were it not for these the man were dead and you should find if the heart were searched throughly and theâ—e ends hopes and fears removed the man would stand stone-still But the other man he who is ascended and gotten within the Vail He works freely and naturally He cannot do otherwise though there were neither fear of hell or punishment or hope of the reward yet he must work And he will work this is that I still say Let but the heart be set to rights let the man be regenerate and partaker of the Divine nature and then with such a man you need not keep such a stir with Laws and Precepts and Rules and Disciplines He hath that within which will not onely inform and teach but reform and compel by the power of Love For saith the Apostle the Righteous are a law to themselves Beloved this is the service God loves He loves A cheerful giver He cannot abide that which comes forced and grudgingly and as a forced imposed task that by sinister respects they must be held to it but I say this man needs no such thing but turn him loose at all turns he hath an Informer and a Reformer in him Those that are led by the Spirit are not under the Law Gal. 5. 18. but under Grace and under the power of love and of a free mind for the Law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient This man is no longer under the law but is Dead to the Law that he may live to God and not unto himself for self is in him conquered and dead and Christ now is alive and exalted and set in his throne to reign for ever and ever In the third place there was the Pot of Manna which Manna God gave the Israelites in the wilderness some of which by the providence of God was preserved many hundreds of years together until the time as it is thought and affirmed by some of their last destruction by Titus and Vespatian He that hath gotten within the vail he hath gotten food sufficient to nourish him for ever He shall Never hunger more nor never thirst more as in that of Rev. 21. He that lives according to this new liâ—e he is â—ed with Hidden Manna He eats of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God His comforts are pure and ravishing and full of Everlasting delights his waters Everâ—low â—low and never cease there is in his belly a spring Ever springing up to everlasting life In the next place there was Aarons Rod that budded that was laid up by the pot of Manna Those that are accepted to look into the Holie of Holies Their fruit is alwayes flourishing and green their good works never dye but they ever after bring forth fruit like a tree planted by the rivers of waters that bringeth forth fruit in his season his lease shall not wither and whatever he doth it shall prosper and not onely shall they bring forth fruit but Ripe fruit in their age Psal 92. 12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God they shall bring forth fruit in their old age they shall be fat and flourishing These men They are never satisfied with God They are never weary they shall run and not be weary nor faint they never have enough of Him his comforts are always fresh to them flourishing and green They are never satisfied with the knowledge of God This is such Manna such Meat The more they eat the more they may The more God communicates himself to them they are the more Hungry the more thirsty the more Vnsatisfied They have overcome and are still Overcoming they go on Conquering and to Conquer they are still conquering and subduing all their Enemies and getting their sins and lusts under their feet And so long as there is Any To overcom and conquer they can never Rest till they have brought All under Every high thought and Every strong hold and Every imagination That exalteth it self against the Power Kingdom and Soveraignty of Jesus Christ. Within the Holies of Holies There was also The Cherubims of glory Overshadowing the Mercy-seat and we may say as the Apostle there Of which things we cannot now speak particularly Those glorious Cherubims they looked face to face beholding one another Overshadowing the Mercy-seat Beloved were you but once come to this sight you should behold God Glorious and Amiable Full of love and mercy and tender Bowels All wrath And All frowns blown clean away We then shall behold in Him Not so much as any shadow of Anger but there will be a most sweet and amorous beholding of one another He wil love and delight in us we shall love delight in him we cannot look so delightfully upon him as he will upon us there will be Nothing but Amorous imbraces and we shall then see How Sure All his mercies are to them that love him and that they are The Sure Mercies of David we shall find in Our Hearts All his promises made good and we shall then call him Our God and Our Iehovah making good and giving Being as to all things So to all his promises that we shall say feelingly Not One hath failed of
reason but herein man shews himself a fool for those Creatures above us are super-rational but man thinks there is nothing above Reason because he never knew any thing greater 'T is as if a toad or a horse should undertake to define the nature of a man he could not but he must of necessity make himself the measure of his judgement what he had not in himself he could not judge excellent So if men define Angels they would measure and define them according to the excellencies of a man But all those invisible Blessed Creatures that are next unto the Burning Throne of Almighty God what are they Alas if we should go about to define their nature as some have done we should prove our selves ignorant yea fools yet thus much we may safely say of them That the nearer to God they nearer to the spiritual nature of God because they are further off from matter though they have matter are bodies yet they have but so much matter as to distinguish them and separate them one from another God he is a pure spirit onely form without any manner of matter and all the Creatures the further off from him the more matter and the nearer the less For example If ye have observed it Angels are pictured with compleat bodies yet to shew that they are further off from matter then man therefore they have always wings and Archangels they being nearer God then Angels are pictured with bodies cut off by the middle with wings but Cherubims having less matter and nearer God himself then either are pictured oâ—ely with heads and wings but Seraphims being furthest of all from man and nearest of all to God they have no bodies at all but onely represented by a certain yellowish or fiery colour All this is to shew the very same thing that I am now unfolding to you it is a thing remarkable though it may be you have took no notice of it For the present let this be enough to limit our ranging thoughts in these mysteries In man matter prevails above the form because the form is limited and bounded by the matter that though the form be quick and full of agility yet the matter hinders it it cannot do what it would but in these Angels form is predominant over the matter that wheresoever the form would be the matter is obedient Then let us lay this for a ground for a maxime undeniable That all Creatures from the highest to the lowest are to God As a sweet-tuned Instrument They all harmoniously and with a joynt consent Sound forth his praise all the Creatures praise him from the highest and sweetest Treble to the lowest BASE of the immovable Earth they all express and sing aloud aloud and Harmoniously His praise It is the main business all Creatures do and shall do for ever to sing praise and Hallelujah to God on High this is the business the Commission that all these Embassadours are sent about Even the very destruction of evil Angels and wicked men do aloud sound forth his praise and glory for ever and ever Thus this name of Angels hath all this while detained us from answering our question Why God is here called an Angel and likewise in many other places as Iudges 6. It is said an Angel appeared to Gideon and afterwards ver 15. it was the Lord. The reason is this and included in that I have now said If we look upon any one Creature so far forth as it is a Creature it is infinitely short of God for God is nothing that we can see or imagine and therefore as long as you see or imagine any thing you are short of God for as the peace of God passeth all understanding so doth God himself and there is not one Creature but God is the peace thereof For whatsoever it be be it never so glorious and splendent a Creature that falls within the compass I will not say of a mans understanding though the soul be a spiritual and a divine thing but let it be within in the understanding and mind of an Angel above us that same is not nor cannot be but an Angel for God passeth all understanding both of Men and Angels none know what He is but his own Blessed Self Whatever comes within the conception of any created Being that is but a finite thing and falls infinitely short of the infinite God If an Angel should appear to me and tell me that he was God in that I can but either see him or hear him I know forasmuch as I hear him or see him or can imagine him under any form or name or expression that He was but a Creature be it never so high an Angel and if I should fall down and worship Him I were well worthy of blame with S. Iohn who would have fallen down and worshipt that Angel that had shewed him all those things for it is But our fellow-servant though it appear in never somuch glory for all the imaginations of Men and Angels poor drops as they are fall infinitely short of God Almighty But if in any Creature you strip it of all manner of form and imagination and behold God the Essence and Substance thereof as One Infinite Eternal Essence as abstracted from all manner of Creatures then I may with fear and reverence fall down before or take occasion by any Creature to adore God If we can behold God thus then the whole Scripture commands us to praise and magnifie him Then praise him in the Sun and praise him in the Moon Then praise him in â—ll the works of his hands not praise the Sun nor the Moon nor the works of his hands nor any Creature but praise Him As suppose there were a Religion that it were lawful to worship the Sun as I instanced last day if the worshippers should fall down to a bean of the Sun instead of the Sun should not he be an Idolater So he that shall fall down to a beam of the Divinity as included or represented in any Creature doth not he sin But if through that Creature we have recourse onely to him that is in the midst of the bush in the midst of the Creature Seeing God to be the existence and being thereof and fall down before him herein I do no more but that which is commanded If I look through the body of that Creature which body veils God from me then I will praise The High and Holy One in his Holy place then will I praise him in the firmament of his power and in all the work of his hands Then A Gods name praise him in a tree praise him in the wind and in all Creatures for the life of every Creature of every tree is Christ Jesus the Son of God and his first begotten of all his Creatures The power of the wind is Christ Jesus the life of a man is Christ Jesus c. But now if I fall down to a Man or
Iacob as it seemeth being gone from his Fathers house and travelling all alone had many sad thoughts he knew not what to do nor what entertainment he should have where he went and it was a long journey and Iacob was to go from his Fathers house where he had been brought up in the knowledge of God and was to go among Heathen Idolaters These thoughts much perplexing Iacob at night in the open field laying his head upon a heap of stones he fell asleep dreamed This Dream which whatever it seems to be in the History In the mind and meaning of God it was the fittest that could have been revealed to him Behold saith the Lord v. 15. I am with thee and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest I will not leave thee And Iacob being taught by God and not by his own wisdom presently makes the right use of it Thought he I had thought that I had left God behind me In my Fathers house onely but I see God goes along with me God is in this place and I was not aware Had I been aware God had been with me all this while and that where ever I go he is still with me I would not have been afraid Now What shall I fear Seeing God is with me in all my Iourney and where ever I am What need I be careful To see God Thus Really present with a man what will he nay what can he be afraid of though there were a thousand deaths before him God being so near a man And to see and believe this really it would make him not afraid though he were to enter into a Sea of molten lead who would be afraid if God were thus present with him to back him to defend to preserve to protect and to encourage him as here he was with Iacob It s no marvel Paul went thorow al so bravely having such a one to back him Now Iacob whatever he thought when he left his Father and knew not what should become of him nor whether he should go nor where he should stay Now all these thoughts are vanished for now He sees God is with him whereever he is withal the Creatures he meets with And that they can neither do me good or Hurt Except He Order it Then also thought he He being so near me I am sure all my prayers shall reach him and he knows all my wants And what hath Iacob lost now He hath forsaken father and mother and house and home he hath bidden them all Farewel and now he hath God instead of All who I am sure will suffer me to want nothing and he is able and willing to relieve me He was with me yesterday and I saw him not and he is with me to day and will be to morrow and for ever And so I say of this vision of Moses this vision that he had here of Christ for it is no other Whatever it seems to be To him at this time it was the suitablest and the fittest that could be revealed to him For Moses was to be sent to Pharaoh a great King and He was but a Shepherd such a one as was An abomination to the Egyptians Gen. 46. 34. And besides He was an Exile a banished man out of Egypt for he was fain to fly thence for killing a man and being come thither again he might be questioned for his life for Pharaoh sought to slay Him for that very thing And besides all this he went to intreat for almost half the people of his land to depart from him and they must carry all their goods and all their substance with them all their cattel and all their jewels they would not leave a Hoof behind And besides all the Kingdom depended upon their making of bricks therefore no wonder though Moses made so many objections as he did no marvel he asks Who am I that I should do this thing Who would have thought it possible for Him To have brought it to pass The thing was of such admiration and attended with so many difficulties And the vision was The Wonder which made Moses turn aside to see it Not that the Bush Burned for oftentimes Trees in a violent wind standing close together have been known by rubbing and rushing together to fall on fire and by many other occasions but in that it Burned and was not Burnt Therein was the Miracle Who ever saw Trees on fire and not consume who ever saw a forrest on fire a whole day and the wood not burnt Now I say This represented Christ so fitly so oppertunely on this occasion as could possibly be It may be you may say unto me This was a great miracle but I see no great matter in it for this occasion But though you see nothing yet Moses saw enough in it to bear up his mind against all those weighty objections I before named You will say it may be 'T is true in the sequel of the story God fitted Moses with miracles for to bring about this great work 'T is true the Egyptians had ten miracles and the Israelites Three and here Moses but One but This One Miracle had such strength in it that it perswaded Moses The work was possible But wherein was the strength of this argument unto Moses Suppose I could not tell you Suppose God had not Revealed it unto me what would you do But Be not careful God will Expound and Reveal it to us He that taught Moses the Text Taught him the Comment and the meaning Nay He that was the Text was the Comment to him The Text is common to all it is a well that stands open for all to draw water at and men expound every one as they understand but the True Comment is a spring shut up a fountain sealed And truly He that wrote the text must give the interpretation or we shall never find it But be not careful God will be merciful to us not onely to shew us the vision in the letter but the meaning thereof and it may be here is some one poor word that will give us light to find it It is here said God appeared to him Out of the midst of the Bush from this word Ouâ— we have a hint of the meaning he appeared to him outwardly by a burning bush but inwardly he taught him the meaning Out of it All visions are Typical and represent and intend something equivalent to the outward representation Having a Reach beyond the External Signe leanding us to the Thing signified It is certain Christ â—esus is He that all Visions tend to HE is the substance of all the Types Shadows Sacrifices HE is the business that the whole world was ever and onely is About or ever shall be He hath been is and shall be the business of all ages in one kinde or other they have been still busied in setting forth HIM to us by all Means and by
so In-stil this Wisdom and Fâ—igned Goodnese into the Nature of Adam that the Serpents Seed and Wâ—rd was in Adam made a corporal Man So that now the same thing may be said of them both And as they that are born of God and in whom the word of God is made Man or Flesh are called Gods and One Spirit with God so all men being Sprung of flesh and bloud before they be Born again and before they are Planted into Christ and Born of the Spirit are justly called Devils and the Devils Children and off-spring Therefore that which is Humane onely is evil and that which is Devillish is Humane Again What is the fall of Adam but the wisdom of the flesh and the fruit of the Forbidden Tree What is that Old Dragon that came out of Hell and Drew down from Heaven with himself with his Tail a great part of the Stars of Heaven But onely the wisdom of this Tree Which extols it self against God and would it self be God and place his Seat with the Highest I pray What else Are the thoughts of the flesh What is Sin What Arrogance but the Fruits and Wisdom of this Tree What are the Decrees of all men and the bent of their Reason against God Their Devises Light Books c. but the cunning of the Devil from this Tree Eaten What is all the worship of Idols The false Religion of all the wicked Iews Turks Gentiles Mamalukes and all false Christians What are all their Leagues Conventicles Ceremonies But the Apple of this Tree Which counterfeiting The Tree of Life sheweth to be pleasant fruits but are such as are death it self No man can sufficiently express The general worshipping of Idols wherewith All the corners of the World and the Hearts of men are stuffed How common it is to all men Who is he that Adores not Himself and saith to his Own Hand Reason Knowledge Honesty Art and Wisdom Thou art My God In thee I Hope In thee I Trust They do not I grant say thus with their mouth but their Whole life and their Idolatrizing mind saith as much by their deeds Here Here it is that all Mortal men deny God and testifie it by their works For if they think there be A God why do they not leave Vengeance to God Why are they so Anxiously careful Why do they so exercise mischief and fraud and so deceive one another Why do they make War and Strife right or wrong for mine and thine Why do they so Lye Deceive and Flatter one another Why do they forget God and His sayings making no account of his Commandements Wherefore do they labour Night and Day to Get and Heap up Riches Truly all this is because they believe not That God hath any care of them or will or can Revenge for them And therefore it is necessary that they Help and Revenge themselves Otherwise they might look long enough unto Gods Hand but be overcome and starve before Roasted Geese flye into their mouthes as they say and before he will avenge them on their Enemies And they might be killed ten times over and they might all beg their bread if they will have ought to do with God and truth in good earnest No they must not be wanting to themselves but make their own Markets by Lying Deceiving Cousening and Usury This This they are assured will do them good and inrich them Whereas his commandments would come too late for to Help them and fail them at most need and the Word of God is an insufficient Help in Adversity Therefore it pleaseth them To kiss their own Hand To speak Bigge words And to Admire themselves for who else is Our God saith the Whole world by their Works Of that Great Idol of Mans Wisdom and Knowledge How men kiss their own Hands and the whole world doth diligently Worship Onely it SELF and the works of their Own Hands That is the Inventions Arts Counsels of their own Reason and Wisdom VVHat Other thing is the Worship of Idols Superstition Witchcrast Evil Doctrine and the Ordinances of men Then the Wisdom Reason Inventions Crafts Actions Instincts and Prudence of men Therefore the worshipping of Idols is but to fashion such a form like unto God not according to his word as He Teacheth Figureth and Formeth Himself In us But according to our opinion and Judgement of God Moreover what is sin Other then Our own Will Wisdom Counsel Sown in the mind of Adam and in his posterity by the Seed of the Serpentâ— Consider the Purpose Course Life of All mankind where how thou wilt and it is nothing but Humane wisdom Here Will every man be his Own God Lead Teach Govern Actuate Revenge Defend Excuse Inrich Himself and the like and every mans own Head Will and Reason is instead of A God unto Him Though the sin and fall of Adam be nothing but Humane Affectation of The Cunning Reason and Wisdom of the flesh Which is therefore worthily called by God Folly and Enmity against God yea Death it self and Devillish Wisdom All men ought with Christ to bring Man to nothing and by daily lesâ—ening and depressing Him to make him An Ass A Fool and a Child But now it is clean contrary All men build up The Man that he may prove Wise Glorious and Famous Here are so many Cart-loads of Arts to the end The wretched and unprofitable Man may become Great Eminent Praised and Excellent And may obtain many Places Titles and Names Here young men are purposely inslamed with a desire of Glory that they may not be content to sit in the lower form but may Domineer in the Pulpits and Teaching-places And to the end there are Artificers imployed to make the Scholars Accute Witty Knowing in all kinds of Crafts and Exercises and in all Exercises Arts and Literal Deceits Whereby it appeareth clearer then the Light That the world is contrary An Enemy to God Here Every body Kisseth his own Hands and Adoreth the Wisdom of his own Wit This he accounteth instead of God his Way and Word and indeed which is of all things The greatest and Onely sin and that very fall of Adam And the fountain whence all other sins do flow as Iob confesseth For this is to be obedient and addicted to serve Himself to Admire and Adore Himself to follow his Own will Briefly to be His Own Being glad and willing to be somewhat and to do to Omit and to know somewhat in himself and not to be utterly void of all Name Wâ—ll Work and subject onely to God this is the Onely and most deadly Sin Yea rather the Sink and Mother of all Sin For the Delight Will and Wisdom of the flesh is Death it self and a man is thereby no more profitable better nor religious then a Swine in his death But so far forth as he doth Nothing knoweth Nothing Willeth nothing but bears and suffers and sees God making Holy-day In Him This man
keeps the Sabbath Holy being void of skill and Will is subject onely to God In Him to go Out Work Will know Both How What When and Why he pleaseth Now The Whole World lyeth in This Death and Sin for that it doth nothing else but kiss iâ—s own hand That is Adore the Purpose Counsel Invention and wisdom of it self To this purpose are all things Intended Aimed Drawn and Bent Even the Holy Scripture and Words of God Namely to be consonant to Our Reason and not to cross Our Wisdom Course and Way But all these things must be Overthrown and unlearned again if we will see God For therefore do the Scriptures so Vehemently urge us to becom Children and Fools Vomiting up again all the Art and knowledge of this Forbidden Tree To be purged by the strength of the Tree of Life and consequently let Every man in this case look and observe Himself narrowly what he doth And He shall find all this True in his Own Breast THE Gospel-Treasury Opened OR The Holiest of All unvailing The Second Part. Containing I. Two Sermons on Psal. 68. 17. intituled Militia Coelestis or the Heavenly Host. II. Two sermons on Cant. 1. 7. Where Christ feedeth and where his flock resteth III. A Sermon on Rev. 2. 17. Of eating hidden Manna IV. Heads of Sermons on Ier. 6. 13. Covetousness anatomized or the generality of Covetousness V. A short Exposition on Psal. 148. The Plus Ultra of the creatures VI. The substance of several Sermons on Luke 7. 40. Milk for babes meat for strong men VII Two Sermons on Exod. 3. 1 2 3 4 5 6. The mysterie or the life and marrow of the Scriptures VIII The substance of several Sermons on Mark. 1. 25 26. True and divine Exorcism or the Devil conjured by Iesus Christ. IX A Sermon on Mat. 28. 18. All power is given to Jesus Christ in heaven and in earth Also added I. Dionysius the Areopagite his mystical Divinity II. Grave and notable sayings in Latin and English III. Sayings of a certain Divine of great note IV. Taulerus his holy glass or example of our Lord Iesus Christ. V. Another short instruction by the same Author VI. A short Dialogue between a learned Divine and a beggar LONDON Printed for Rapha Harford At the Bible and States-Armes in Little Brittain 1657. Militia Coelestis OR The Heavenly Host Two Sermons upon Psal. 68. 17. The Chariots of God are twenty thousand thousands of Angels The Lord is among them as in Sinai in the Holy Place Out of which the Bishops pretended matter of high accusation against the Author in their High Commission Court Preached at Giles Cripplegate when those masking Chariots and great shews were presented and acted at the Court the Temple and in the City after which there was so much running to be Spectators He chosing Texts on purpose constantly as his manner still was and being our Saviours practice in the Gospel he making use of present things most in use and most affected to take men off from admiring such vanities or rather to take an advantage by them and thereby improving them to raise up the mind to real Glories which have so few Lovers and Followers Saith our Saviour Matth. 11. 17. But we have piped unto you and ye have not danced we have mourned and ye have not lamented And again saith he Wide is the Gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction and many there be that go that way but strait is the Gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it Mat. 7. 13. SERM. I. AS this Psalm was undoubtedly Davids so it is more then probable the occasion of penning it as you may see at the bâ—ginning thereof was upon the removing of the Ark to Ierusalem the City of David from the house of Abinadab 2 Sam. 6. At which time David with the rest of the people of Israel played on all manner of Instruments and danced before the Ark Whereupon Michal his wife Sauls daughter despised him for a fool An extasie of joy seizing upon his spirit he enjoying so much of God in it caused him to leap and dance before it She hereupon takes upon her to reprove censure and revile him and in her heart scorned him sayes the text v. 16. But David being lifted up filled with divine joy slighted her and told her he would yet be more vile And the reason of this conjecture is because this Psalm begins with that very Proverb that was appointed to be said at the rising of the Ark out of its place Num. 10. 25. Arise O Lord and let thine enemies be scattered let them that hate him flee before him I dare not offer at any Method in the whole nor at any connexion in the parts For I find that all your curious Dichotomizers do but dream play with the Scripture feeding themselves with fancies and not truth For sure I am the onely method that holy men of old observed was to speak as they were moved by the holy spirit 2 Pet. 1. 21. But these words we have now read they being a clause in this Psalâ— I take them as a Melchizedeck without Father without Mother Heb. 7. 3. so having no dependance We will come to open the words as having a sufficient sense lying within themselves There be many Expositions on this place which I will not trouble you withall for men speak according to men but the Scriptures were written by Gods spirit dictated by his own finger for holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy spirit 2 Pet. 1. 21. We must therefore labour to find out if it be possible what is Gods mind in the Scriptures whatever men say I may call this Text as it is Luke 2. 13. Militia Coelestis the Heavenly Host There was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God or as Iacob did the Angels Gen. 32. 2. when he saw the Angels he said This is Gods host for there is in them both greatness and terribleness which is proper to the Angels of God But that we may give you the parts of the woâ—ds There are four things represented in them 1 Their Nature they are called Chariots 2 Their Number they are said to be twenty thousand or thousands of thousands that is they are innumerable or numberless 3 In regard of their Names they are here called Angels 4 In regard of the Commander of all these numberless number of Chariots and Angels and that is God himself The Chariots of God are twenty thousand even thousands of Angels â— Their Nature they are called Currus Chariots The mention of Chariots is as ancient as any History either sacred or profane they being used both for peace and warre In the first Book of Moses Gen. 41. 43. there is mention made of Pharaohs triumphant Chariot for Ioseph he that exalted Ioseph And again in