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A27583
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The blessing of Moses on the tribe of Asher opened and applyed in a mystical and spiritual sense, to every saint, and servant of Christ in a sermon on Deut. 33.25 ... / by T. Beverley.
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Beverley, Thomas.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing B2124; ESTC R20407
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18,576
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36
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in the first Epistle of John 5 Chapter 4 Ver. saith he Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World and this is the Victory that overcometh the World even our Faith Who is he that overcometh the World but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God Let us therefore lay hold upon the Arguments of the Gospel upon the Strength and Power of Jesus Christ in the Faith of his great undertaking In that Faith let us go out and Conquer let us go out and prevail O! how would it raise us above this World above the fears of it above the delights of it above the pleasures of it if we had but the Power of this Faith if we had but this Victory of Faith in us and upon us In the Third Place it would enable us to tread even upon Death it self upon all the Afflictions that are in our way to Heaven and upon that King of Terrors Death it self For though indeed we apprehend Death to be nothing but a Privation of Life in the General yet we know as we are Christians it is an Inlet into Eternity Even Nature starts at it as it is a Cessation and putting an end to the life and motion and action wherein we are conversant now it looks much more dreadful to us as it opens into Eternity But if we were but shod with Iron and Brass we should find these Shooes of Iron and Brass would carry us through and we should be able to tread even upon the sharpness of Death and the Grave we should find the great Power of Jesus Christ enabling of us because he has overcome Death Even as he has overcome the World so he has overcome Death We should never leave trying and proving this Armour of God upon the Feet of our Souls till we find that we can walk even upon Graves and upon our own Graves among the Tombs and not be affrighted when we find we are carried thrô and thrô and that we master and tread down as we go We should I say not only come and die when we must die but before-hand we should be armed at these very points we should find our Shooes herein to be of Iron and Brass Observe how triumphant David speaks in the 23d Psalm Yea though I walk through the Valley of the shadow of death Where I don't know what may lye in my way what may rise up against me I do not know what are the Secrets what Ambuscades there are in the Valley of Death I don't know what Powers are appointed and prepared to Destroy Yea in the 4th Verse though I walk through the Valley of the shadow of Death I will fear no evil for thou art with me c. This would bear us through and carry us with great Resolution and with undauntedness of Courage For the great expression of our Action you know in Scripture is very much in our feet in our walking Now therefore to have our Feet thus shod it would enable us to get up above these things to be aloft over the things that are so dreadful and terrible to Flesh and Blood Hab. 3. 9. The Lord is my strength and he will make my feet like Hinds feet and he will make me to walk upon mine high places And therefore I can sing I can set a Song to the Chief Singer on my stringed Instruments Because I have such an Assurance such an Elevation and Exultation of Soul in the Lord I will rejoyce in the Lord Ver. 18. and glory in the God of my Salvation although the Fig-tree shall not blossom c. Although there be no outward appearance of Good O how timerous how Cowardly are we how ready to be affrighted at any appearance of Death that in all our Discourse we cannot endure the thing Dying But were our Shooes but of Iron and Brass it would be easie the way would be plain before us we should be able to strike through every thing and to the overcoming of it And then In the Last place Our Shooes being of Iron and Brass we shall be born up even when we have pass'd out of the Body For though indeed we do not know the things that are beyond Death none have come back to give us an Account how it is with Spirits when they have left the Body I say none have come to give us Account only the Word of God that assures us and tells us that we shall be upon Precipices when we go out of the World if we are not apprehended by Christ Though undoubtedly Satan hath way-laid the way of Spirits going out of the Body with all the Incumberances he can possibly As I told you before it was the method of former times in War they took care to lay whatever could incommode their Enemies Feet with Stakes of Iron and Brass that might make the passage very difficult So undoubtedly that lost and undone Spirit that Envious Spirit that great Adversary of Souls does whatever he can do to way-lay Spirits going out of the Body and entering into the State of Eternity and going up to the Throne of God and the Throne of Christ he does whatever he can do but these Shooes of Iron and Brass shall carry us through Jesus Christ himself hath taken care to remove him out of the way so far as is necessary and the great Action of the Spirit of a Saint going upo to Christ and going up to God it shall be sustained and maintained by him and he will arm us wherein soever we lye open to Disadvantage and to Danger There will Christ more peculiarly provide for I make no doubt there is no one single motion of the Spirits of Saints but Christ hath so guarded and so taken care of as that very motion that we read of Eccles 12. 7. The Dust returning to the Earth as it was and the Spirit to God that gave it Now what are as I said before the Ambuscades What are the secret Linings of the way as we speak in Terms of War lining all the Avenues of the way we know not Satan hath lined them all with what may utterly spoil and deterr our motion up to God But Jesus Christ having first armed us with Shooes of Iron and Brass he himself will be found in the way and he 'll sustain our passage and cover our passage and bear up all our motions unto God And so I have opened the first of the great Expressions of the Blessedness that Moses expresses of Asher Thy Shooes shall be Iron and Brass Of which all the Mines that were in the Lot of Asher in that part of his possession they were but Types to set out this Almighty Power this Almighty strength of God unto Salvation And therefore I shall close this Head of Discourse with that in the 4th Chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians 7th Verse saith he The Peace of God which passeth all understanding As he calls him the God of peace Rom. 16. so here The Peace of
the Infinite value of it the Infinite Security of it that it holds God and all his Saints together that they can never be Divorced they never shall be separated This I say the Interposal of Christ it is so fast so stable so firm a thing that all that can be spoken of it is not any way equal to it All the Discourses though they are never so wise and good betwixt the Creator and the Creature betwixt Infinite Mind and the Intellectual and Rational Creature though they are express'd never so well in the main and never so true though men are never so Great and Wise in these Discourses they cannot come near the high sense of the Expressions of our Lord in this Great Point who hath Loved us and Reconciled us and in whom the Creature lost in it self is united Spiritually to God in him Men do not enough consider that Indissoluble Centre of Union our Lord Jesus Christ who can never be removed out of the Centre and that all the Lines run and meet in him To consider this and to understand this I say I do not know who is able to express the thing as it is to declare the thing plentifully as it it is The Secret of this point of Wisdom I am fully assured is double nay a thousand-fold to all we know and to all we can speak It is summ'd up admirably in that 17th of John that I have heretofore mentioned in such Discourses as these and always I am ready to mention it is so great And I have declared unto them thy Name and will declare it that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the World may believe that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Ver. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the World That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us c. Ver. 21. 23 24 26. Now in these things the Union by Vertue of the Interposal of our Lord Jesus Christ is so great that I say we do but quibble in comparison Men do but quibble when they talk of Union between the Creator and the Creature except they consider this great Intervention the coming between of the Lord Jesus I doubt not take the Holiest Saint in Heaven if there were no Interposer between God and them but they might be lost though they are in the present Happiness and Blessedness of the Enjoyment of God Here is the Lord Jesus coming between Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my Glory which thou hast given me c. This is our great Security and this is that that makes our Shooes indeed to be Iron and Brass and that as our Day is so our Strength shall be I come therefore to the Last Particular and that is to shew that there must be a Time when this shall be Triumphant I say there must be a Time of Glorious Appearance For the World dares Contradict this now the World dares laugh at it they dare to take upon them to say This is nothing but Fancy this is nothing but Talk this is nothing but a high flight of Expression or as they call it a Cant a High Cant of Talk a high Enthusiasm a heated Fancy therefore I say there must be a Time that shall out-face all these Taunts that shall out-look them for Scoffers can look against Saints now and they can say as they in Nehemiah said What will these pitifull people do what will these silly feeble folk do to speak of things at this rate Do we not see how their Faith and their Confidence staggers at every turn Are they not in fear And does not their Faith sink low and are they not afraid to Dye and are they not oftentimes under horror and trouble of Conscience How can these things be Now I say notwithstanding this there is a hold of things even now that can never be turn'd off There is a Consibulation as I may so call it a Clasp of things held by God and Jesus Christ now that can never be separated But it must come into a more Triumphant State and it must come to that that it must be visible And therefore as I have often said there is a Thousand years to make it so wherein there shall be a mutual Aspect of God on the Saints and of the Saints on God that shall be made visible to all And the Wicked shall grieve and look on and wonder to see and gnash their Teeth to see what a Union here is struck and Consolidated betwixt God and the Souls of his Saints through Jesus Christ It will be their Horror and Astonishment for ever And therefore Christ speaks in that 17th of John I named to you before that the World may believe Believe as the Devils believe and Tremble they shall be forced to believe saith our Lord that the World may believe that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me latter part of the 21st Verse That the World may know it and that the World may believe it This is that which God will take care to shew he 'll magnifie himself by at that Day Then shall all the Servants of God come out in their Shooes of Brass and Iron as I may so express it and they shall tread down every thing that hath been an Enemy to them they shall tread it down as the Mire of the street they shall come out Armed and trample the Nations in Anger and Fury for it is given to them even as to Christ they shall trample and Rule the Nations with a Rod of Iron This Honour have all his Saints This I speak God knows not for Language sake or for Expression sake but what I am fully assured of and what I have such Evidence of Scripture for that these things shall come into the greatest most open and manifest Appearance that can be And then shall be fulfilled what is written in the 7th of Micah 16th Verse The Nations shall see and be confounded at their might they shall lay their hand upon their mouth their ears shall be deaf They shall lick the dust like a Serpent they shall move out of their holes like Worms of the earth they shall be afraid of the Lord our God and shall fear because of thee O! how great shall this State of Things be I say how great shall it be And then saith he in the 10th Verse Then she that is mine Enemy shall see it and shame shall cover her which said unto me Where is the Lord thy God You shall see say the Enemies of Saints all this that you talk of what a dark Cloud it will set in When the Servants of God come to be in Affliction and come to Dye Why then sayes the Enemy where is the Lord thy God Where are these Shooes of Iron and Brass where is this Strength according to the Day where is the Lord thy God Mine eyes shall behold her I 'll look upon them I 'll laugh at them I 'll scorn them because I see no such thing But saith the Spirit of God Now shall they be trodden down as the mire of the streets All the Enemies of God shall be trodden down as the mire of the streets And as David in the 18th Psalm expresses with what Courage and Power and mighty Success he went out against his Enemies saith he Then did I beat them small as the dust and thou hast given me the shield of thy Salvation and thy right hand hath holden me up Ver. 35. Thy gentleness hath make me great Thou hast enlarged my steps under me that my feet did not slip My Feet were shod with Iron and Brass that they did not slip As you know Shooes of Iron and Brass they keep steady and firm not slippery I have pursued mine Enemies and overtaken them neither did I turn again till they were consumed I have wounded them that they were not able to rise they are fallen under my feet And so he goes on expressing it that he beat them small as the very Dust before the wind and there was none to save them Ver. 22. And I cast them out as the Dirt in the street And if you say But O! how shall this be to such Sinners as we are How can we look for such a thing as this is Do we not find that we are Men of the same Infirmities of the same Passions of the same Corruptions Therefore Micah goes on Micah 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage He retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the Sea Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworn unto our Fathers from the days of old Therefore let us all Encourage our selves that wait upon God for we shall renew our strength let our case be never so dark and gloomy let things be never so hard yet the knor of Union that is fastned betwixt Christ and us and so with God it shall secure us to hold out throughout Eternities of Eternities Let us therefore encourage our selves in regard of every thing in the Lord our God and wait for that great state of things that certainly is very near That that Day as it is often called in the Prophets In that Day and that Day Now that Day as I may so express it to you it is very near Let us therefore now Encourage our selves in the Lord our God c. FINIS