with God 't is heart-Adultery to go out after any creature to go out after any creature but in God is Adultery and if this be Adultery every one if we should look into our own hearts will be careful and afraid to throw stones at an Adulteress you know the story in the Gospel whosoever he be that fears God he hates and detests all evil yet he sees it in his heart and though he be free from gross acts yet he will be far from insulting over any that are left to defile themselves with gross acts The desire of any creature it is Adultery Flesh can do nothing but commit Adultery All Flesh hath corrupted their way but it doth not break out alike but all are alike in the root to make out after any creature is Adultery And again The friendship of the world is enmity unto God Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity to God and he that is a friend to the world is an enemy to God This is that other Scriptures hold forth The love of mony is the root of all evil Love not the world nor the things thereof whosoever loves the world the love of God is not in him 1 Joh. 2. 15. They are enemies to the Cross of Christ that mind earthly things Phil. 3. about the end enemies to the Cross of Christ what is the business of the Cross of Christ to crucifie us to the world and the world to us you admire outward things and love outward things you have friendship with them you are enemies to the cross of Christ and therefore ungodliness and worldly lusts are joyned together Tit. 2. The grace of God that brings salvation unto all men hath appeared teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts c. We cannot serve God and Mammon friendship of the world is enmity to God and therefore let every one consider what his heart most ayms at and what his Prudence and Wisdom and Providence is what that is that the world does so admire and extol Is it friendship with the world or no So long as thou dost well to thy self men will speak well of thee but thou dost well to thy self indeed when thou seekest after the Lord thirstest after him and lustest after him and desirest him and in all desires in which thou art carryed out towards any thing but him thou expressest enmity to him thou lovest not him There is no going from God but to the creature thou art the creatures if thou have left God he that is a friend to the world is an enemy unto God What is friendship with the world when that we seek the creature for it self we are in love with it we do not seek God but seek it when we put our rest in it cannot be without it must have it put it in Gods place we must have such a thing and the other thing we cannot be without it A pitiful thing to live in enmity to God O when God comes forth how shall we be devoured and destroyed before him But there are that will be friends with God and the world too let them look to it how they make it out the friendship of the world is enmity to God And now the Apostle is shewing here how the Scripture discovers this same evil that is in our hearts Vers 5. Do you think the Scripture saies in vain The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy Does the Scripture say in vain the Scripture says nothing in vain but the Scripture speaks much in vain to us while that we do not mark it nor attend it We all speak for the Scripture how the Scripture is of God the Scripture is Truth and the Word of Truth we speak well of it but the Scripture doth not speak well of you It says The spirit that is in you lusts to envy There is nothing but evil in our hearts We shall never understand the Scripture till that we understand it in our own hearts Do you think that the Scripture says in vain The spirit in you lusteth to envy Where does the Scripture say this It says Every thought of mans heart is onely evil and that continually The Scripture it tells you the evil is in your hearts and there is no good in your flesh and let it not be in vain the Scripture tells you if it be in vain now and you do not entertain it and hear God will come and you will finde it so How many carry the Scripture a witness and testimony against them Does the Scripture say in vain there is evil in you and the spirit in you lusts to envy The devill is in your hearts and he reigns there Does the Scripture say this in vain You will not hear it now to heed it and believe it you shall feel it one day that the Scripture does not speak in vain The greatest contenders for the Scripture and the Authority thereof are the greatest despisers of the Scriptures for they make the Scriptures speak as Ahab would make Michaiah speak well of him speak nothing but good and will not observe that the Scripture speaks in discovery of our evil but this is to reject the Scripture to catch here and there a piece to serve our turn and abuse them and wrest them as the devil did so the devil in us does Do you think the Scripture saies in vain The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy But the Scriptue tells us not so I but the Spirit of God tells us in the Scripture In the Scripture there is a cleer discovery of evil in our hearts Vers 6. But he gives more grace To finish in a word What is the meaning of that Why I conceive it is to prevent an Objection which might arise from the foregoing words For if the spirit that be in us lust to envy and if that be to serve the devil and that is all in our wars contendings and fightings what shall we do it is in vain to speak Nay for he gives more grace There is more grace then there is sin And where sin hath abounded Grace shall abound much more there is one greater in you then he that is in the world He gives more grace Why God he comes forth in his people and he makes them able to deny themselves and this wicked one that lusts to envy He gives more grace Wherefore he says God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble Here is Pride seen in contention and war and when we submit to God and depend upon him we are well Submit your selves therefore to God He gives more grace to the humble And he gives thee grace to be humble If any man be humble it is his Grace and what is that Humility and Grace Submit your selves to God be at his dispose let him measure out that he knows convenient for you and do not you lust after this thing and the other thing but let God come out to you Feed
in time There is nothing that is but it hath been Grace coming forth is nothing but the Childrens coming out of their minority from under tutors and governors The Saints coming from under the Law and out of the flesh There is a time appointed of the Father for this this is the time of grace grace hath appeared and we receive the adoption of sons God tels us we are his begotten his inheritance and he is ours Grace comes forth and appears by degrees and there was never but some appearances of grace But a low appearance of grace is counted as no appearance in respect of a higher That appearance before Christ in the flesh is counted no appearance in respect of that which came forth with Christ in flesh That appearance with Christ in flesh is not appearance in respect of that which comes forth with Christ in the Spirit When he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation to them that wait for him He appears now to salvation but now he appears in sin and weakness and this is not appearing in respect of that which shall be the glory is no glory in respect of that which is coming that is at the dore God brings forth himself out of the dark he hath put himself into the dark and he comes up by degrees he lyeth under vails and coverings and hides his face There is everlasting mercies but they are hidden Your life is hid with Christ in God and God reveals this by degrees There is grace not appearing and salvation not appearing where it is And there is wrath and destruction not appearing also where it is they will both come forth And till these do come forth it is very irrational for any to judge that that which now doth not appear is not there and will never appear It is the comfort of them that wait for grace and cannot see it I know thy poverty saith Christ to one of the Churches in the Revelations but thou art rich Rev. 2. 9. There is nothing to be done for our salvation and glory but the bringing it forth the making it to appear We have a life but 't is hid and vail'd and so we are said to be dead as 't is in Col. 3. 1. Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in glory Grace hath appeared teaching us 'T is a blessed thing to know the teaching of grace There is the Laws teaching and Graces teaching there is a Letter teaching and the Spirits teaching In the first teaching we are ever learning but never able to come to the Knowledge of the truth but are still led about with lusts Here is onely a profession and nothing but a form but there is the teaching of grace which is the writing the Law in our minds and putting them in our hearts Here is the Covenant of grace the Law of grace when we are delivered up into the Doctrine as the Apostle expresseth it Rom. 6. 17. the form of Doctrine into which you were delivered as 't is in the Margent We are delivered up into the Doctrine we are formed and fashioned and moulded into it There is an appearance of God in Majestie in Mount Sinai that makes servants and slaves and bondmen that saith Do or you dye Do or you are cursed And there is an appearance of God from Mount Sion in love and grace The God of grace or the grace of God hath appeared and he teacheth us his ways and he makes us sons and he brings forth his own nature in us 'T is our life our meat and drink to do his will and finish his work The everlasting Covenant in blood comes forth and makes us perfect to do his will Here is the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Iesus that frees us from the Law of sin and death 'T is a sad thing to be only under a Letter and under a Voice to have nothing but a Letter and a Hearsay Nothing but a voice and direction without here is nothing but enmity within But the word is nigh thee in thy heart when we come to this teaching this inward teaching this Law of the Spirit All other teaching without this inward teaching doth but put us into a Dream into Fancies and we think and seem that we eat and drink but when we awake we shall find our souls hungry and thirsty But this grace of God that teaches effectually delivers us up into the Doctrine moulds us into the form of that which is taught The God of grace appearing to us we are turned into his Image from glory to glory by his Spirit 2 Cor. 3. latter end Let 's all look after this teaching this inward teaching They shall be all taught of God Let us look after the teaching of Christ who spake with authority and not as the Scribes Let us look for power and life and light from God And let 's deal with man for nothing else but that we may hear God by him and see God in him and be able to say God is in you of a truth The grace of God which brings Salvation hath appeared teaching us grace and favor it is exceeding winning God doth overcome all our evil by good Love is mightily constraining She had much forgiven her she loved much Let favour be shewed to the wicked he will not learn righteousness in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly as 't is in Isa 26. 10. Thou after thy impenitent heart treasurest up wrath and dispisest the goodness of God that leads thee to repentance Bounty is leading to repentance but the God of grace and the grace of God it sets up repentance in us Let us go forth then in grace and in love And so let us be winning and working upon others Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly c. Many men will say if I deny my lusts all the lusts of the world here 's an end of my life What shall I do How shall I live Thou shalt live the life of God It brings death upon this life this Worldly life and brings us to live in hope Looking for that blessed hope It is a foolish thing to a carnal heart to think of suffering it self to betaken off from the present enjoyment of the world the satisfying his lusts to live upon hope But the hope that is in God is firm and sure and surerer then the World The World passeth away and the lusts thereof and they that have their life in these things find nothing but shame and Death but this hope never makes men ashamed Which hope we have as an anchor of the Soul both sure and stedfast and which entereth into that within the vail And here le ts take notice of this That the grace of God that brings Salvation is made out in teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts Every one
the death of it and if we be nothing but sin then t is our death How many be there whose life is death and their Covenant agreement with Hel is all their stability And when we come to think of ungodliness wickedness departing from God one man propounds this to himself another that to be a prophane swearer this is a course of ungodliness to be a beastly drunkard this is ungodliness to be a filthy unclean person this is ugodliness 'T is true all this is ungodliness this is base this is filthy but is here all No all worldly lusts all going out in desire after any piece of this Creation is ungodliness There is a Civil ungodliness that is modest and handsome unto the world and that is it they call providence and prudence which is nothing else but base distrust and denying God 't is nothing but Idolatry as the Apostle calls it nothing but adultery Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity to God and then there is base and deboist ungodliness that breaks out in drunkness and whoredom and fraud and rapine and theft Nothing but the breaking forth into scabbs and boiles and blanes and botches But there is that poyson within which we see not There is the Itch as well as the Scab and Boil Itching after the world and the things thereof is ungodliness After the worlds account only what is hurtfull to the society of men is reputed ungodliness what sinks men in their peace in their wealth in their estate in their credit So the world looks upon sin as to such and such evil fruits as are hurtfull to this present state of flesh It doth not look to the offence of God to the going out from God to the leaving God It doth not know the life of God it knows only sin as it is any way prejudicial to the life of sense It doth not know sin in the root of it Let us learn so to know sin even in the root of it and that is worldly lusts hence it proceeds This is ungodliness leaving the Creator and setling our selves in the creature and setting up the creature in the place of God How many be there that are condemning uncivil courses as they are to be condemned but condemning them so as they justifie themselves as the Pharisee doth God I thank thee I am not thus and thus I am not like this Publican this harlot this drunkard Look into thy heart what thou art before God Make inquisition after worldly lusts there the root of all ungodliness the root of that thou condemnest in the Publican in the Harlot in the Drunkard This love of the World and turning from God to the world this breaks out in him look how it works in thee Perhaps thou art more civil more modest thou carriest thy self so that thou art not so unmanly For there are worldly lusts that do unman a man and make him like a beast and there are worldly lusts that are very glorious things with men But thy heart and inside are as bad as this and as great an abhorring in the sight of God God hath chosen to himself the man that is godly The Godly man is he that cleaves to God rests in God trusts God believes in God that hath all in God This is godliness let us receive this truth which is acccording unto godliness SERMON III. TITUS 2. 11 12. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope c. THe last thing we spake to was from the consideration that ungodliness and worldly lusts are joined together whence it was observed that all ungodliness lies in worldly lusts Ungodliness is going from God and going to the creature the friendship of the World is enmity to God is Adultery Idolatry the Devil is the God of this World going out after these things is going out after sin and ungodliness Lying thus it is impossible for a man for a son a meer son of Adam to escape ungodliness only he that is born of God only Christ that came from heaven and we through him do it Now as grace teaches what us to avoid and shun what to go from so it teaches us what to make to We should live soberly godlily and righteously in this present World to these words now Here is the lesson that grace teaches us that brings Salvation To live soberly righteously and godlily here is the place and time when it teaches us this lesson where in this present world It teaches us to live soberly righteously and godlily There is no sober man that is not a righteous and a godly man There is no righteous man that is not a sober and a godly man It teaches us to live soberly righteously and godlily And there is no sober man but he whom the grace of God that brings Salvation hath taught to be sober and there is no righteous man but he whom the grace of God that brings Salvation hath taught to be so And there is no godly man but he whom the grace of God that brings Salvation hath taught to be so Now a little to Dilate upon these three 1. That the sober man is only he whom the grace of God that brings Salvation hath taught to be so We know not how to live soberly till the grace of God that brought Salvation hath taught us What is sobriety what is it to live soberly Sobriety is opposed to two things to Madness and to Drunkenness Madness is Drunkenness and Drunkenness is Madness There 's Drunkenness by drink by Wine and Drunkenness by passion and pride there 's drunkenness by cares of the world and drunkenness by heaviness There 's fury and wrath and there 's joy too in making over much and sometimes this same drunkenness by fury and wrath and by joy do usher the grace of God that brings Salvation The grace of God it must bring us into sobriety through distempers discovering our weakness and our distempers together with the curing of them This same Drunkenness that is opposite to sobriety take it in the lump all together it is our state in the flesh with the Devil We come out of the life of God into the flesh come into the dark into a distempered state It is a bewitching drunkenness that is upon us There is a pure state of flesh that is not without distemper in comparison to the life of God There is a corrupt state of flesh that is pure distemper Our true life if we be of God is the life of God and the glory of God and all that comes short of the glory of God is distemper All have sinned and come short of the glory of God And so Madness hath seized upon all and all are under distemper till the grace of God that brings Salvation appears which
in you Christ in you dead Christ in you alive He is alive that was dead then you live Because I live ye shall live also Look if ye know this life You are in him that is true and he in you that is true he is risen and you risen with him ascended with him and set down with him in heavenly places FINIS THE MAJESTY of GRACE OR The Soveraignty of SALVATION SERMON I. TITUS 2. 11 12. For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world c. VER 15. These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority Let no man despise thee IN the beginning of this Chapter the Apostle is directing Titus how to carry himself in his Doctrine towards all Sexes and Ages of men But speak thou the things that become sound doctrine That the aged men be sober grave temperate sound in Faith in Charity in Patience The aged women likewise that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness c. Young men exhort to be sober-minded Exhort Servants to be obedient to their Masters c. And here he laies the ground and foundation of it which is an encouragement to Titus to set upon this preaching it should not be in vain For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us c. The grace of God shall teach with thee therefore be thou a Minister of the grace of God be thou bringing forth this grace of God which hath appeared that hath appeared in us and hath appeared in thee Thou hast a Ministry of the Spirit go thou forth in that and bring up men from the grave of ungodliness to the grace of God do thou bring forth that redemption which is come forth in Jesus Christ do thou bring forth Jesus Christ in those to whom thou preachest And what do we unless this grace go with us The grace of God which is also The God of grace unless God be in grace it is such a grace as may be received in vain I laboured more abundantly then they all saith the Apostle yet not I but the grace of God which was with me and in me The grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all men hath appeared Therefore exhort all men and teach all men and make a proof where this grace of God will further appear it hath appeared teaching us see whom it will teach besides I shall speak to the words as they lie in order and as I shall conceive may be most profitable for us The grace of God The kindness of God the favour of God as it is called in the next Chapter After the loving kindness of God appeared c. The grace of God or the God of grace Grace without God will be abused but grace from God and with God is Salvation The grace of God is God in Christ The Scripture that tels us in one place of the grace of God tels us in another place of the God of grace and the grace of God doth give God himself unto his People I am thy exceeding great reward The grace of God that bringeth salvation There is Grace and there is Salvation the Scripture speaks of but grace is not all nor salvation is not all Salvation will not satisfie him that hath the God of grace but he must have glory as well as salvation it will not satisfie an heir of heaven to be safe only but he must have a Kingdom It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you a Kingdom We must take the Scriptures in their extent There is one place speaks only of grace there is another tels us of God One place speaks only of salvation another tels us of glory God will give grace and glory Each single Scripture doth not express the whole mind of God They that will take the Scriptures by pieces and not the whole Scriptures must make account to be deceived The grace of God that brings salvation God in grace brings salvation and is salvation and there is no salvation but where the God of grace is come Gods appearing in his love owning us and manifesting himself to be our portion this is salvation In his favour is life Whosoever doth not believe the wrath of God abides upon him His anger and absence is death and destruction every man is under destruction and death till the grace of God come to him till that appear If you look for salvation where is the grace of God or the God of grace appearing The grace of God is salvation and salvation is the grace of God or the God of grace The grace of God that brings salvation There is grace that doth not bring salvation there is the grace of God in these outward things there is the grace of God in gifts this grace bids us look after salvation this grace leads unto repentance but here is the grace of God that brings salvation and that is salvation it self Here is God in grace come to us here is the grace that turns the heart from the world and sin and hell This is salvation The grace of God that brings salvation There is no salvation by Works there is no salvation by the Law salvation is by the grace of God by that grace that makes us to do the works of God by Gods working in us by Gods taking us into himself All our works are wrought in God It is the Scripture expression The grace of God that brings salvation unto all men The Apostle spake before of aged and young male and female of Servants and Governours teach them all for the grace of God hath appeared to all and for all It is come to every mans door brings salvation to all to all that God doth make any reckoning or account of the holy seed Of others it is said Thou puttest away the wicked like dross Psal 119. There is a generation of men that are in no better esteem with God then those creatures begotten of corruption Thou puttest them away like dross These are the seed of the Serpent You are of your father the Devil and his works will you do It is a poor languishing controversie that in which so many are exercised about Vniversal Redemption Let every man look whether salvation be come to him and whether he hath entertained it and embraced it and if so let him rejoyce Let every man make his Calling and Election sure and let him be a good Minister of this grace of God to others leave disputing and jangling and begin to live By denying ungodliness and worldly lusts live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world And be a pattern and example Make thy self a pattern of good works Let thy light shine before men that they may see thy good works and glorifie thy Father which is in heaven Salvation to all hath appeared Grace ever was but it appears
of us talk of grace and Salvation If we be partakers of grace and Salvation indeed then we are delivered from worldly Lusts in some degree We are taught by it to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts We are taught by it likeness to God and not to be fashioned to this world To deny ungodliness is to deny every thing that is not like God Not to walk like men the Apostle condemns the Corinthians that they walked like men It may be 't is a strange thing to hear we should not walke like men Like whom should we walk Like the Devil Like beasts So some do No you should walk like God The grace that brings Salvation It doth not bring you to satisfie sensuality to satisfie Lusts nor to follow the creature but it brings in power it brings in and raiseth up the life of God whereby we deny these Lusts whereby we famish these Gods of the Earth God saith he will famish all the Idols And this God doth when he riseth up in us he famisheth in us the Love of the World the love of flesh This grave and hell he starves them both This grace of God that brings Salvation leads up into Heaven into God into the Spirit and satisfies and fills us in the other World And we deny our Lusts after this They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and Lusts They have done it and they are doing it 't is as good as already done for there is that power in them which will do it a greater power then is in the World 'T is the Circumcision in heart by the Circumcision of Christ 'T is dying with Christ and being buried with Christ 'T is dying to this fleshly State to this glory and these contentments It is the consecrating us to God so that he becomes our delight he is our Joy he is our riches We sought them in the flesh we sought them in the World Then we sought Corn and Wine and Oyle now nothing but the light of Gods countenance this is grace and this is Salvation And the world and the flesh which is generally sought after by us it is a vail of death It is a vail upon Christ a covering upon the life of God It is the grave and the prison of the Saints it is Babylon and the Northcountry into which we are carried The North-country far from the Sun far from light far from life When we come into flesh we are buried here we are estranged from our own life which is the life of God And the grace of God appearing that is as it were the Sun drawing nigh When the Sun comes in the Spring and Summer the face of the Earth is renewed We come into the nature of wrath but as grace returnes again so this life appears and comes forth this Sepulcher is opened and this vail is rent and the Earth gives up her dead and no longer covers her slain The flesh and World and glory thereof riches and contentment are a vail and covering upon the life of the Saints For God is life and Salvation union with him that is life indeed and the appearing of this union is life manifested That which the World and natural men do call death is indeed the swallowing up of death as 't is called Isa 25. He shall take away the vail and the covering that is upon the face of all People He shall wipe off all tears and shall swallow up death in Victory The World and flesh is a Vail and is a Vail of tears when this Vail is rent by the comming of that which is called death then life-comes indeed and death is swallowed up in it God who is our life appears Grace and Salvation is not leading us into contentments of the flesh into the abundance of the riches of the Earth 'T is not satisfying of lusts but the killing of lusts 't is bringing forth the Spirit bringing forth the life of God Godly in this present World By this will appear how far Salvation is from most men Salvation is far from the wicked as David hath it because they keep not thy Statutes Little do wicked men think there is no Salvation but in keeping Gods Statutes but that is the truth of it Salvation is conformity to God to be made like to God to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and the love of the World is enmity to God This is Salvation and the same is destruction to wicked men Worldly men they have their life in the Vail their life is in the World and in the flesh When God appears and throws off the Vail there is nothing to be seen by them but death and destruction And what is the second death that the Scripture speaks of but the appearance of God The manifestation of God 't is the second death 't is everlasting destruction to them that know him not that have no life but in the flesh and in the world When God appears here ends their life and here begins destruction they are destroyed from his presence That which is life and Salvation indeed is death hell and destruction to a worldly man and if he speak his heart he will say if this be salvation let me have none of it I know not what it means I know no other life but this in the flesh What saith the Apostle The life I live I live by the faith of the Son of God t is not I live but Christ that lives in me though I live in the flesh yet I do not War after the flesh though I live in the World I am not conformed to the World but transformed On the other hand the life of the World is give me Corn Wine and Oyl ease in the flesh honour in the World the life of the Saints is lift up the light of thy countenance make me after thine own heart form me according to thine own Image fashion me to thy Will teach me to deny my self It is feeding hell and destruction to satisfie worldly lusts it is life and salvation to deny these to crucifie these therefore le ts be acquainted with grace and salvation what it is Le ts not deceive our selves with names of things le ts not call evil good and good evil put light for darkness and darkness for light Le ts not call wrath and destruction grace and salvation Whoever thou art that only looks to the world and flesh and outward things thou dwellest in wrath and destruction Thou hast vexation here and the Gospel makes thee mad for it puls thee from these things and with the more power it comes forth the more hell works within thee Now begin to learn what is salvation it is to have power to deny these lusts to crucifie the flesh to be taken out of sensuality to be redeemed from among men Is this a strange thing to you then salvation is strange and grace is strange 'T is to be conformed to God to know what his good and acceptable
and Godliness There 's the life of man and the life of beasts and the life of Devils and there is the life of God when the grace of God that brings Salvation appears And now for the time and place where this lesson is taught and where this Sobriety and righteousness and godliness is brought forth in this present World a little of the time and I have done In this present World In this place in this time the World the present World the mad World the unrighteous World the ungodly World the World that lies in the wicked one in the power of the wicked one in this time of darkness and hour of temptation in this Kingdom of the World and Kingdom of Satan God he hath let Satan possess himself of this World and of this Creation and God is here trampled upon and oppressed by Satan and his Instruments and he lies under foot as madness and unrighteousness as filthiness and the Devil and the World they stand up and boast of sobriety and godliness they stand in the power of the Creature and the glory of God is shut up in his Servants Notwithstanding all this power and rage he appears in his servants in this present World He teaches us to oppose and confront and adjudge the World and the wickedness of it I have made thee a fenced City and a wall of brass says God against the princes of Judah The grace of God enables a man where it appears he fears not faces he fears not Hell he sees him that is invisible Moses feared not Pharaoh It sets us above all scorn and all reproaches in this present World We must needs be signs and wonders signs to be spoken against we are contented to be so we can bear it The grace of God that brings Salvation teaches us so Persecution comes and troubles come we can take up our Cross and we can follow Christ This sobriety which the grace of God teaches and this godliness and righteousness exceedingly enables a man to be contented to be scornd and spit on My life is not dear to me says the Apostle that I may finish my course with joy and the Ministry I have received Endure the afflictions of the World says Paul to Timothy by the power of God And when the grace of God hath broken forth and I have seen him that is invisible what 's this World when God hath set it up only to make a fool of it God uses the Devil and wicked men and enemies to make fools of them and we see God standing behind then what cause is there to fear in this present world under their very nose to their face to their teeth The grace of God teaches us to live soberly righteously and godlily God out of the mouths of babes and sucklings ordains strength God suffers himself to be brought into a very seed by the Devil and the World and thence he rises up and the lower he suffers himself to be brought the more glorious is he in the Conquest The Kingdom of heaven comes to be like a grain of mustardseed it is a very little seed and it is hid in the earth a little leaven is hid in three measures of meal that nothing is seen but the power of darkness the Kingdom of Satan and sin this little grain of mustardseed springs up and though all the power of the World rise against it it prevails and is glorious Here 's two or thre things I would but hint at by way of application Vse 1. The grace of God teaches us to live soberly righteously and godlily in this World First of all this shews how much out they are that think to carry Religion so that they 'l sleep in a whole skin will carry it like a Talent bound in a napkin The grace of God teaches us to live soberly in this present World 'T is as possible to carry fire about us and not to be burnt If it be true Religion it will be burning Is that Religion that lies under fleshly lusts and worldly lusts From the Devil it came and to him it must go it hath his life in it God is not in it but one that is truly Religious he may for a time think of hiding and concealing himsel as Nicodemus came to Jesus by night but where godliness is in truth it will he like new wine that will vent or break the vessel God hath not given light to put under a bushel but to set on a candlestick 2. Again There are many professing Religion that excuse themselves that the times are evil and therefore they cannot do this or that If the grace of God hath taught thee it shall teach thee in evil times to appear soberly and righteously There is a love grows cold as iniquity abounds this is not the love of God that like fire grows hotter in the coldest weather God had Saints in Nero's house he had them in Sodom and they shined there and appeared there and opposed this world this present World 3. And again Some are putting off this day This is for heaven say they this is not for the present It seems grace and Salvation is not come to such they that are not here in heaven will never be in heaven One Scripture that may conclude us in this is No man ascended into heaven but he that came down from heaven If ye are not in heaven while ye are in the world you 'l never be in heaven The grace of God that brings Salvation hath appeared Heaven hath appeared to you and heaven is in you you are in heaven and that same heaven shall be interpreted into you and an entrance shall be given more abundantly If you say this is a hard Saying to live soberly righteously and godlily to convince the world to challenge the world to dare the world what a life must we live what suffering must we meet with You are appointed thereunto God hath given us another hope a blessed hope that is that follows Looking for that blessed hope at the appearing of the great God and our Saviour Iesus Christ The grace of God that brings Salvation it will be a strong help to you even in persecution for the joy that is set before us we shall bear up against all the persecutions we meet with in the world under all reproaches all burdens under all scoffs and sufferings The grace of God brings Salvation Let the world do what they can do let hell do what it can do I 'le be a sanctuary to them says God The grace of God teaches us to live soberly and righteously in this present world even in the midst of enemies It lifts up our heads even here before men and enables us to judge the world and condemn the world and so shall all do that are heirs of that righteousness which is by faith And thus much for this time FINIS The Authors last Testimony The brief heads of a Sermon Preached by Mr. Goad at Mr. Wallis his Funeral
honourable and noble they are Kings and Queens and Princes and they shall appear so Verse 15. And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens c. Athens was an University where were learned men See the Apostles entertainment here wheresoever he came else his entertainment was persecution but here he hath little besides scoffs and jeers He had more to do here with the wise heathen then with the professing Jews and 't is observable what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 1. We preach Christ crucified to the Greeks foolishness to the Jews a stumbling block The wise Greeks looked after wisdom the Jews after a sign Christ crucified was foolishness to the Greek and a stumbling block to the Jew Here Paul deals with the Greeks which say What saith this babler What strange Doctrine is this Verse 16. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the City wholly given to Idolatry His Spirit was stirred in him There is body soul and spirit as the Apostle hath it in the Thessalonians What is this spirit but the partaking of the divine nature as Peter calls it The new man born of God in which God doth act This spirit lieth dead and is asleep further then God doth quicken and act it This spirit is the seat and Temple of God where God moves the devils business is in the flesh there he works his work the spirit is entire unto God here God appears sometimes and sometimes he does not We cannot do any handsome work in the Gospel without a stirring in spirit we cannot sail without a gale we cannot stir in a calm He was stirred in spirit It is the spirit of God that stirs the spirit of his people Sometimes there is a discovery of Idolatry the spirit of the Saints is not stird Sometimes God saith as of Ephraim He followeth Idols let him alone Here was a whole City in Idolatry and Pauls spirit is stirred to deal with them if it may be to help some of them out of it the spirit of God will strive with some and it will not strive with others 't will give over striving my spirit shall no longer strive with man as 't is in Genesis Here the Lord was pleased to appeare to some of them When he saw the City wholly given to Idolatry That which is given to Idols is given to devils Here was a City given to the devil this learned City this seeing City is wholly in the devils hands wholly given to Idolatry given to Satan He is the God of the world the wisdom of the world and flesh worship him and Jesus Christ in whom the true God makes his appearance is crucified by the world Verse 17. Therefore disputed he in the Synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons and in the Market daily with them that met with him He disputed with them There are some to be disputed with and some to be let alone He disputed with the Jews in the Synagogue and on the Market day Paul is a market-man What doth Paul in the Market Paul in the Market hath no worldly design Paul is a spiritual man in the Market as most men are carnal in the Congregation Paul's design was Heaven and God in the Market and many a ones design is the world and flesh in the Synagogue The Saints in the world they are not worldly carnal men are worldlâ— even in the Church Spiritual men in their dealing in outward things are spiritual 't is God that they look at and 't is him that they seek Carnal men even in prayer and all their worship are carnal and make use of God onely for the world and flesh Verse 18. Then certain Philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoicks encountred him and some said What will this babler say Othersome he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange Gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection Certain Philosophers Students in this University lovers of wisdom some of the Epicureans those that were taken up in a search after true pleasure true contentment true rest we do not look upon that Sect as making after fleshly or beastly lusts it was a gallant study And some of the Stoicks those that studyed the subduing their passions a brave study but both of them fruitless and nothing but labour in vain without the spirit Paul comes to them with that Ministery it had pleased the spirit to communicate to him They that are Ministers of the spirit cannot minister the spirit to whom they will but as it pleaseth the spirit to go forth by them These encountred him and some said What will this babler say This is the repute that all those have that minister the spirit and that they must look for that will hold forth onely the learning of the spirit among the wise of the world a spiritual man must reckon to be looked upon as a fool a trifler a babler Whatever natural wisdom cannot understand and reach the pride that is in it will scoffe and jeer at What will this babler say Thus the language and expression of the spirit is unto the world the wise of the world The wisdom of the world is enmity to God Some said He seems to be a setter forth of strange Gods Why Gods in the plural number Paul held forth one God and the onely God as he shews afterward This God is strange unto wise and learned men they look upon him as setting forth strange Gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection Like enough they looked upon him as holding forth Jesus to be one God and the Resurrection another Carnal men are very apt to have gross mistakes when they hear of spiritual things Jesus and the Resurrection Mark how these are joyned together I am the Resurrection and the Life saith Christ So far as any man doth know Jesus he lives in the Resurrection All the knowledge of Jesus that is saving is above the world above the natural man It is life eternal to know Jesus and this is the Resurrection And this Resurrection is above the reach of all the learned and wise men of Athens The natural man comes not into it it lieth within a veil therefore he that preaches Jesus indeed must needs be a Barbarian and a babler to a meer natural man Whosoever doth preach Jesus in the spirit he must not look nor think to be generally understood For my part if all I hold forth concerning Jesus should be commonly understood I had very good ground to question whether I preach Jesus or no. Verse 19. And they took him and brought him unto Areopagus saying May we know what this new Doctrine whereof thou speakest is Here was some ingenuity he was not barred up indeed it was their profession their business at Athens to tell or hear some new thing as ver 21. May we know c. Paul might answer them I cannot tell whether you may or
sacrifice wherein is somewhat killed somewhat burnt and consumed and that is the world and lust and somewhat which is offered up to God that lives in God that lives in the fire and that is the spiritual part Christ in us It is a sacrifice and it is offered up by the fire of the Spirit sanctified by the Holy Ghost The world doth not know praise yea there may be many true Saints that yet do not know that which is their life for this same life of the Divine Nature doth not presently discover it self We grow up in this spiritual life by degrees as we do in the natural life T is impossible to offer this sacrifice but in the Spirit but by Jesus Christ By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually There is no man can praise God but by Jesus Christ To offer by Jesus Christ is to offer in the Spirit of Jesus Christ in the power of Jesus Christ in the life of Jesus Christ in the light of Jesus Christ and when we shall see and understand what it is to praise that t is an offering up of our selves unto God a freewil offering then we shall easily grant that this cannot be but by Iesus Christ There is nothing in us but enmitie unto God we have no sacrifice but for the Devil and for hell T is by Jesus Christ that we offer unto God let us look whether our praise and thanksgiving do come by Iesus Christ or no if we cannot see Iesus Christ with us and his Spirit leading us let us be sensible of it and abhor our selves in all we do and let us wait when he will come forth and lead us into the presence of God when his power shall be manifested in us when we shall see and know that we walk in the light as God is in the light T is time to be looking after power and life we have been long in a languishing Religion the workings of the heart the prayers the sighs and groans of the Saints after Jesus Christ tell us he is at the door T is time we should be weary of a profession and of a Religion which we cannot make forth to the world and sometimes cannot make forth to our selves Shall we not wait for the time when we may make it out that we are of God and walk with God by shewing forth the light of God the life of God the power of God the praises of God and the wonders of God surely we are called to shew forth his praises Now is Christ buried in us he is covered in us he walks in our rags and dirt and filthy garments how should we wait till that voyce comes forth Take away his filthy garments from him By him let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually And that is the next thing we are to take notice of Continually God will bring his sanctified ones by Jesus Christ into a continual thanksgiving and praise to his name There is a continual offering up of the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving unto God by real Saints by true born Christians It is a continual work though they are not always sensible of it the new man is always in it he is of God and he is only for God Every true Saint shall do it manifestly shall do it sensibly Continual praise and thanksgiving unto God this is that that we are sanctified unto by Jesus Christ he hath made us Kings and Priests unto God Priests to offer up spiritual sacrifice The sacrifices and offerings in the Temple were continual the Priests did stand and watch by night in the house of the Lord you that by night stand in the house of the Lord. By him let us offer to God the sacrifice of praise continually There is nothing is called for in the new Testament but it is done all his Commandments are Promises It is the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus this is the new Testament The higher and greater the commands are the better it is for it tells us what God hath done for us and what he will bring forth in us There is that in us in a seed which he is calling up T is a pitiful thing for a spiritual man to complain of the height and weight of any Commandment for God enjoyns us nothing but what he will bring us up to for he shall work all our works in us and so ordain peace for us All the Commandments and Exhortations of the Gospel are the Saints glory for God will bring us up to every one of them By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually Flesh and Blood will say a heavy task a hard saying the Spiritual man he saith Let us go up at once God will do it as Caleb saith Thou hast the words of eternal life saith Peter whither shall we go Thou wilt bring forth all in us Let us offer up the sacrifice of praise continually A Saints work is continual offering up himself to God It is the work of the new man of the spiritual man Behold I am thy servant it is the work of Christ in us the breathing of his soul to God It is written in the volumn of the book Lo I come to do thy will Sanctification by Jesus Christ is that we should be holy and alway the Lords This is the sacrifice of praise continual self-denial continual dependance upon God continual readiness to suffer and do his will continual acknowledgement of his love continual setting forth his praise and glory continual holding forth his vertues and his praises A true Saint a true born Christian is a house of prayer You also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God c. 1 Pet. 2. Now some weak Christians that do not know their own estate that do not know that seed that is in them will be making objections against this How can this be as Nicodemus said when Christ told him of a mans being born again So in like manner when they are called upon to be in continual thanksgiving and praise as here it s said By him let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually How can this be saith a worldly man how can this be saith a weak Christian who is in great part worldly and carnal What continual praising and what in all estates in all conditions and what shall I never pray must I always praise when shall I pray Why he that bids thee praise continually bids thee also pray continually The Apostle decides this Controversie in the fourth of the Philippians Let your requests be made known unto God with thanksgiving pray continually and praise continually What shall we never read shall we never hear shall we never work sleep eat drink yes but all with thanksgiving Whether you eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God If you know
even from within from your lusts and then he discovers the pitiful condition that the power of these lusts puts them into it makes them war and fight and kill and yet they cannot be satisfied Ye lust in the second Verse and have not ye kill and desire to have yet cannot obtain ye fight and war yet ye have not because ye ask not And so here Lust puts them upon tryal of every thing to satisfie it self it will try heaven and try hell it will pray and it will fight and it will kill and gets as much by fighting and killing as by praying and as much by praying as by the other for lust shall never attain any thing by prayer Ye ask and ye receive not in the third verse because ye ask amiss to consume it upon your lusts and then he shews what these lusts are in the fourth Verse Worldliness earnest going forth after the creature we must have this and we must have that Give me children saith Rachel or else I dye Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God where he discovers what these lusts are and what this lust makes them Enemies to God Adulterers and Adulteresses pretending Religion and Friendship with God yet look to the world make after the things thereof and then he mindes them of the Scripture that discovers these evils in all mens hearts in the fifth verse Do you think that the Scripture saith in vain The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy All this rashness comes from your lusts and the Scripture hath told us that there is this evil in our hearts when he hath discovered the evil then he is giving direction what to do in the sixth verse and so on there 's the power whereby to act He gives more grace the Scripture saith The spirit lusts to envy we are all carried to envy Then to what purpose is it to endeavor any thing that is good might some say Why he gives more grace and therefore what is to be done submit your selves to God and leave lusting leave desiring put your selves into the dispose of God say Here we are do with us what thou wilt make us rich or make us poor teach us to be hungry and teach us to be full Do thou feed us with food convenient we will not be our own carvers Submit your selves to God he will be careful of us when we submit our selves to him Resist the Devil and he will flee from you The Devil is in Lust and so long as you serve lust you serve the Devil submit your selves to God and then God will be for you and you shall have power over the Devil you shall be no more captives to him Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you So long as lust preys and strives for its own satisfaction here is no comfort to you all that is the friendship of lust but draw near to God bring clean hands and pure hearts Now ye are double-eyed you look to God and you look to the world you make a fair shew to God but your hearts are set upon the creature purifie your hearts and purifie your hands this is Jame's plain dealing with his own kindred the Jews We will run over some of these particulars as the time shall give leave and as we shall conceive to be most profitable Ver. 1. Wars fightings contentions brawling quarrelling This was a piece of the evil that did work among the Jews the Jews were scattered afflicted yet so many as lived together could not live in peace All the world was against them and their own hands were against one another Their afflictions could not reconcile them one to another nor make them friends oft-times an enemy abroad makes peace at home and we then fall to quarrels and divisions among our selves when we are secured from abroad But we see outward affliction doth nothing upon a man but discover and bring forth what is within even as a Tempest at sea it discovers what is at the bottom there is mud and filth and then the sea foams it up If there be good in the heart affliction brings it up if there be evil it draws out that afflictions and troubles in carnal hearts work nothing but baseness and make discoveries of what evil is within working murmuring quarrelling in bitter spirits When we are wroth and angry then we fall one upon another and he that is weakest he shall bear most This same people of the Jews were the people of Gods curse there was but a little remnant that should be saved but a remnant that were spiritual The Apostle in 1 Thess 2. 15. thus describes them they neither pleased God and they were contrary to all men T is James his work here as it was Pauls if it were possible to save some of them and to pull them out of the fire wars and fightings quarrellings among brethren and that under strangers and enemies oppressing them and they professed servants of God and owning the royal Law of Love Thou shalt love the Lord thy God and thy neighbor as thy self this was very foul The design of God in that people choosing them and dealing with them heaping blessings upon them chastening them with afflictions instructing them from heaven his special design was besides gathering out his Elect from among them to shew the nature of man how stubborn how rebellious how incorrigible his neck like an iron sinew his brow of brass altogether irreconcileable carrying Leopards spots that will not be washed off the Blackamoors tan that will not be scour'd God he suffered them till there was no remedy as you see 2 Chro. latter end In Isa 5. he asks What he should do or what he could do more to his vineyard that he had not done His design therefore was to discover unto us what our nature is to discover that evil spirit that the Scripture says is in every man that the Scripture may not say it in vain as else it should And therefore let none of us boast against the branches as the Apostle hath it There is the same envy in us the same evil the same rebellion though it may not be altogether so discovered If there be any good in any of us it comes from God Every good and perfect gift is from above that that is truly good it comes by our being born of him by partaking of the sap and the fatness of Christ Wars and fightings Quarrellings they do not become Saints profest Saints they do not become those that own the Spirit of God The Spirit is unity The unity of the Spirit saith the Apostle Eph. 3. 3. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit There is one Lord one Faith and this Spirit it keeps us in unity though it trains us up in different Administrations it keeps us in unity by causing us to do that is set down in Ephes 2. 4. With all lowliness meekness and long-suffering
world and flesh have all their rest and contentment here in the creature they have left the Creator and are turned to the creature They have forsaken the fountain of living water c. The Lord comes out of his place to punish them The Lords coming out of his place his appearance is destruction to all them that run a whoring from him After indignation hath been upon the Saints then it comes upon the world Iudgement begins at the house of God Wel what shal the end of thē be that obey not the Gospel The righteous is delivered out of trouble and the wicked comes in his place saith Solomon Behold the Lord comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity Assyria and Aegypt and Babylon are the scourge of God upon his people When his people are chastised then he throws his rods into the fire I will punish the stout heart of the King of Assyria Isa 10. And it is a righteous thing with God saith the Apostle 2 Thes 1. to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you that are troubled rest with us It is the glory of God after he hath lent his power to his enemies to take it into his own hands and to plague them to bring them under his feet While the world is rejoycing indignation shall pass from the people of God upon the world The world I count all earthly minded people that have their joy in the creatures The friendship of the world is enmity to God If their eyes were open they would little rejoyce considering what would be the end of this the end of this mirth would be heaviness God comes forth and all their Candles go out no more the voyce of the Bridegroom in thee every one that hath his life in the earth and in the creature is treasuring up wrath to himself against the day of wrath and so much Joy and Glory as they have had so much sorrow and torment shall seise upon them The Lord is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The Lord shall turn his hand upon the world after he hath purged his people And this is also to be taken notice of here That there is hope unto the people of God that the bitter cup is passed from them and the indignation is going off them when God begins to take the world in hand when indignation begins to seise upon them Hide thy self for a moment till the indignation be overpast for behold the Lord comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth It will not last long when God hath the world in hand he is come out of his place to punish them therefore lift up your heads You that wait for God and have your hope in him lift up your weak hands and your feeble knees when God begins to afflict the world he is drawing it off from his people their yoke is breaking when the worlds neck is going into it when God begins with Aegypt then Israels warfare is accomplished when the rods are throwing into the fire then the childrens chastisement is at an end And according unto this truth the Saints have a pleasant prospect upon the world in all the trouble and distress of it In Famines Earthquakes Pestilences Wars in all the confusions and distresses thereof then they that wait for God that love him and his appearance are called upon to lift up their heads for their redemption draweth nigh Luke 21. 28. And here is the ground of it in the Text God is come forth to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The indignation will soon be over Hide thy self for a moment A moment and all thy trouble will be at an end all thy deaths will be dead the worlds death is coming now and deaths death is coming now The Lord is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth Out of his place That expression cals for our observation and it hath a word before it Behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth And this is that is held forth to us here That while the inhabitants of the earth do live in jollity and prosperity God is as it were withdrawn out of the earth gone into his place God is everywhere and what is Gods place He is every-where but now he is pleased not to manifest himself here in the earth in the world It is a kind of withdrawing into a place going into a hole hiding himself and as it were leaving things in mens hands to rule by Satan leaving the earth and men to do their will and their pleasure There is the same expression in other Scriptures beside this Micah 1. 3. Behold the Lord comes out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth The Lord is in a retiring place as it were it is a Metaphorical speech he is everywhere he doth not appear that that we see is man and here is the Devil in them and lust in them and violence in them a time of great jollity great rejoycing great prosperity to the inhabitants of the earth What is this time God is gone into his place he hides himself he is retired He saith I will go down and see if it be so in Sodom according to the cry of it He went down and by his appearance set Sodom on fire he retires is not seen and the fool saith there is no God The heart of worldly men saith God sees not neither doth he regard God is gone into his place le ts the Devil and sin range everywhere and do what they will There is that expression in the Gospel The Kingdom of heaven is like a certain Nobleman who went into a far Country to receive a Kingdom and return So God is as it were gone into a far Country to receive a Kingdom and who hath the Kingdom now Satan hath the Kingdom man hath the Kingdom and death hath the Kingdom sin hath the Kingdom there is little to be seen in the world but these The Spirit of God was abroad mightily in the Apostles time after Christs Ascention and then he was pleased to draw in again that the man of sin might come forth and shew himself as the Apostle hath it 2 Thes 2. He that lets will let till it be taken out of the way That was that glorious manifestation of light and power in some of the people of God in those times and that did let and the man of sin could not come forth but that shall be taken out of the way and then he should come forth and this same taking out of the way was as much as Gods going into his place And so much doth that expression hold forth of Gods being in heaven according to that of the Apostle The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the unrighteousness
of men Rom. 1. 17. The wrath of God is as it were in its place now kept up The wrath of God is nothing else but the manifestation of God God manifested to them that walk contrary to him his manifestation is wrath God manifested to Bryars and Thorns set in battle against him is consuming fire Now this wrath of God seems to be shut up in a secret place it shall be revealed from heaven it shall come forth out of its place All the glory rejoycing and prosperity of earthly men Earthly minded men in the creature you have your life in the earth your joy in the creature and your rest here you have this only while God is in his place while he is withdrawn but when he comes forth indignation comes upon you wrath comes upon you like Sorrow upon a woman in travail and you shall not escape Now you slight God care not for him say he sees you not say in you heart there is no God he will be upon you on a sudden and when he doth appear every knee shall bow to him and his enemies shall be found lyars And God doth appear purposely that it might appear what man is if the Majesty of God did appear no man would blaspheme him no man would slight him but now he is in a kind of absence and withdrawment he is in his place Now the world appears in riot and the evill servant drinks with the drunkard and beats his fellow-servants and saith My master will not yet come When he comes forth who shall stand before him Who shall stand before devouring fire Who shall stand before everlasting burnings All earthly-minded people they will vanish away they will come to nothing Even as darkness stands by the absence of light and when light comes it is destroyed so the darkness of this world and the joy of the wicked it hath its place while God is withdrawn when he appears and is manifested when he takes off his Vail that is upon him they consume out of their dwelling Let God arise and his enemies shall be scattered Set the Bryars and Thorns against me saith God who will do it I will burn them together I will go through them and burn them and it is but going through them and they are burnt There is everlasting destruction from his presence Darkness wickedness sin cannot stand but in Gods withdrawing and this is the reason of sin and hels rage God is gone into his place when he comes forth again these are like dust before him There are that have their time only in Gods absence and who are these They that live upon the world they that are satisfying their lusts they that have nothing but that which is seen that put their trust in it have all their life in the creature these have all their joy here in Gods absence and are just like the wild beasts as we have a description of them in the Psalms Man goes forth unto his labour till the evening and the evening comes and the beasts go abroad after their prey And this is the time of mens satisfying their lusts while God is in his place while God is not manifested My master defers his coming saith the evil servant And here is the reason of the dreadfulness of the mention of the day of Judgement unto an earthly heart a carnal heart O how terrible is it The thought of Doomesday the Judgement day the Throne set the Books opened The reason why this is so dreadfull is because that then all their sport is at an end all their joy is done they had it in the flesh but there shall no flesh glory in his presence All the glory that is in flesh shall dis-appear when the glory of God appears The day of the Lord is darkness and not light unto all that live in the world This is mans day Mans day which is Gods night and Gods day is the worlds night If you have your life in the earth when God comes forth there is an end of your life The Saints are dead till the Lord comes forth this is the reason why they wait for this day O that the Lord would come They love his appearance they long for his appearance they wait for his Kingdom Thus the Spirit of God in Scripture doth decipher out Saints and Disciples unto us They waited for the Kingdom of God They love and long for his appearance As he appears down goes sin his appearance sets a flame unto sin even the sin and lust that is in us and when that is burnt up there is nothing but glory nothing but glory that remains He is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth that is those that have their life and rest in the earth They have this life and rest and joy only while God doth not appear when he appears and comes forth nothing but blackness and darkness nothing but destruction from his presence as it is in 2 Thes 1. Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and admired in them that believe Now he is dishonoured and reproached then he shall be glorified The Lord is come out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain When the Lord is discovered when he discovers himself there is a discovery of every thing there shall be no longer hiding The earth is disclosed God is light and there is an end of darkness when light comes forth The earth shall disclose her blood and shall no longer hide her slain What is this blood and this slain which the earth hides and covers for the time and which it shall disclose It is the Lords blood Do we not read in Scripture of the Lords blood Acts 20. The Church he hath redeemed by his own blood The blood of the Lamb the Lamb slain There are two things to be observed here First this That the Lord of life lyeth slain and buried in the earth and this is his place spoken of before When he comes out of his place the earth discloses her blood and discovers her slain The Lord lyeth slain and buried in the earth Another thing is That the Lord by his own power will rise up and discover and manifest himself and say I am he that was dead but am alive and I live for evermore and I have the keys of hell and death The Lord lyeth slain and buried in the earth the earth is the grave of the Lord this Creation is the Lords Sepulchre it is the Lords Monument and it hath this inscription written upon it Behold the place where the Lord lies the Lord lyeth slain in the earth and this is his place where he is hidden he is every-where but he is as
it were dead and slain Rev. 5. John saw the Lamb as it had been slain he is as it were slain but he lives all this while and he raigns and rules but there is nothing seen but the Kingdom of Men of Devils of Death of Hell The Lord he is slain he comes forth at times and makes appearances and as he looks up still he is knockt down and the world cries Devil and Blasphemy In all the appearances that hitherto he hath made he hath been slain the Devil hath possessed all the Mountains that ever he raised up the seven Mountains the Whore sits upon them That the Apostle hath Heb. 6. They crucifie afresh the son of God and put him to open shame God makes his appearance and still he is crucified still he is slain whilst he riseth in flesh still he is killed If you ask who it is that kils him His enemies kill him sin and hell his friends kill him therefore Christ saith Father forgive them they know not what they do These are the wounds I have received in the house of my friends He kils himself he gives up his life for that which Pilat and Herod did they did by the determinate Counsel of God Awake O sword against the shepherd that is my fellow I lay down my life of my self and no man takes it from me saith Christ he gives up himself It is the blood of God in us that redeems this earth Thou hast redeemed us by thy blood There is no man shall live but he in whom God is dead in whom he lyeth slain for a while or as it were slain and by this God comes forth in a more glorious Kingdom His Kingdom is more glorious when he comes out of death into it comes upon Death comes upon Hell and all the powers of it God is pleased to make himself enemies that he may appear to be above them God is slain his blood is shed in Christ and Christ in the Saints he suffers still I fill up the sufferings of Christ saith the Apostle Here he dies and here he rises And this it may give us some light and instruction touching sin in the knowledge whereof we are exceeding defective All have sinned that the Apostle saith and sinned the utmost of sin Slain and murdered the Lord of life And think of it what you will you never see sin in a true light till you see your selves murtherers and betrayers of the Lord of glory the Spirit convincing of sin it convinceth of this and this is that that earthly-mindedness doth the earth in us this love of the earth this love of the creature it kils the Lord and buries the Lord it keeps down the Lord. Do you not know saith Iames that the friendship of the world is enmity unto God And you that know God and love God mind what you do whilst you go out after the earth Here is killing the Lord and burying him keeping him down Either we are crucifying God or else we are crucifying the world and the world is crucified unto us one of these two We are crucifying God while we do not look and long for his appearance all living in the earth being at home in the body is crucifying the Lord. The Devil is the god of this world he is a murderer and so are all those that serve this world murtherers and betrayers of the Lord of life The earth buries him the earth covers him the Princes of this world crucifie the Lord of glory You that profess to know the Lord of glory see what you do whilst you are climbing up in the world making after the greatness and the glory thereof the earth hides his blood and covers him here he is buried worldly lusts fleshly lusts these kill and flay and bury God in you keep down Christ in you This is the reason why the world makes so little account of God and makes no more of God then a fancy they have slain him and they have buried him and they raign but he will rise and then wo to the inhabitants of the earth The Devil is come among you and then you shall see the Devil the Devil is among you but you do not see him then you shall be delivered up to him It is a comfort to them that they cannot see God that their souls long after him and they love him but they cannot see him Why He is not discovered where he is he lyeth dead a great while He lyeth dead in the hearts and souls of his People And it should make us beware of passing judgement upon any That they are not the Lords and the Lord is not in them because he is not at present manifested he lyeth dead there is his blood and it may quicken though it be now as dead And it should make us very wary of judging any persons those that walk in the greatest opposition unto God God may lie dead in them and when he rises in them that shall suffer for him that did before persecute him and whosoever he be that lives he hath seen God dead in him and now he is raised This is indeed the conversion of a sinner it is the quickening of Christ in the heart He is dead in the earth here is his blood and he will rise up the earth shall discover her blood shall no longer hide her slain he will come out of his place he hath come forth in many appearances and hath been killed again but he will come forth in his own body and he will stand in the earth and rising from the dead he dies no more death hath no more dominion over him and he coming out of the grave will bring forth all his with him of which we had a type in the coming of the people of God out of Aegypt and out of Babylon they brought forth all the riches out of Aegypt returned with all the vessels out of Babylon When God brings us forth out of death and hell he will bring us forth with all the goods and all the riches that death and hell have robbed us of The earth shall no longer cover his blood And it cannot be it is impossible he should see corruption it is his blood and therefore must recover it is the Lamb but as it were slain he rules still he rules amidst his enemies he rules in death in hell but is covered is not seen He shall live and his people shall live with him And look we into our hearts what we find of the death of Christ of the resurrection of Christ of fellowship with him in his sufferings and the power of his resurrection This is that Pauls heart did beat upon Phil. 3. 10. We know him and the power of his death and fellowship of his sufferings Look what we know of him and look for his revealing in us When it pleased God to reveal his Son in me Know ye not that Christ is in you Prove your selves whether you be in the faith Christ
brings us into the Spirit and now our way is above all the righteousness of man above all the wisdom of man above all the contentments of the flesh Ungodliness and Worldly lusts Here take notice of this that ungodliness lieth in worldly lusts Godliness is being like unto God Ungodliness is fashioning our selves to the World Ungodliness and worldly lusts are one So far as we are in worldly lusts we are in ungodliness You cannot serve God and Mammon The Apostle calls the love of Mony the root of all evil 1 Tim. 6. 10. Mony stands for any thing of this World of this life the love of that the lust after that is the root of all evil The same that James tell us Jam. 4. 4. The friendship of the world is enmity unto God and those that love the World and go after the things thereof he calls Adulterers and adulteresses Love not the world nor the things of the world saith John For if ye love the World the love of the Father is not in you 1 Joh. 2. 15. The Lord complains Jer. 2. 13. My people have committed two great evils for which be astonished you Heavens and horribly afraid And what are those two great evils They have forsaken me the fountain of living water and have hewen unto themselves broken Cisterns that will hold no water They run from the Creator to the Creature They have turned the glory of the invisible God into an Image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts They have set up the creature in my place and made it their fear and their joy and their delight and their love And so the Apostle in Phil. 3. Speaks of those Whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who mind earthly things They that mind earthly things are ungodly in the Scripture sense God that made Heaven and Earth is not their God but the things that are made Their belly is their God all they seek is for their belly who craves it of them All ungodliness lieth in worldly lusts Fashioning our selves unto the World is the defacing of the Image of God It is a turning away from the good and holy and acceptable will of God as 't is in Rom. 12. And the ground of this is plain and obvious to every one that will see it Whither can a man go forth from God unless it be to the creature there is the Creator and the Creature he that goes from God must go to the creature Whither can he go else Ye have forsaken me and digged to your selves broken Cisterns There is no going from God and godliness but to worldly lusts There is no stirring anywhere else All ungodliness lieth in worldly lusts worldly desires going out to the Creature All going forth to these is going forth to the Devil who is the Prince of this World as Christ calls him The Prince of this World comes saith Christ All that sue to the World sue to him worship him The Devil is served in every desire that goeth forth from God In all opposition to God the Devll is set up We use to reckon of three enemies to God the Flesh the World and the Devil The going out to the World is for the flesh the serving the flesh and the World is serving the Devil What is offered in sacrifice to Idols is sacrificed to Devils and the Apostle calling us to the mortifying of fleshly and worldly lusts mentions Covetousness among them which he calls Idolatry and Covetousness which is Idolatry Ungodliness lieth in worldly lusts that is in loving the world and desiring the things of the World Love not the World nor the things of the World Quest But you will say Is every desire of any worldly thing ungodly Answ If you will hear the Scripture and let that be judge harken while I propound some Scriptures unto you which shall shew you what lusts they are What desires after the World they are in which ungodliness lieth Consider that in Heb. 13. Let your conversation be without covetousness be content with such things as you have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Desiring any thing more then you have is covetousness and worldly lusts and is a denying of Godliness If you be not content with that you have you are covetous and there is ungodliness God is rich in himself content in himself full in himself and if you partake of the Divine nature you shall have riches and fulness in him I am God Alsufficient saith he to Abraham I am thy exceeding great reward walk before me and be perfect q. d. thou hast nothing to do but to approve thy self to me whatever thou wantest here it is I am God alsufficient Looking after any thing but me is looking from me and is ungodliness Again consider that Scripture in Mat. 5. Take no thought what you shall eat or what you shall drink or what you shall put on after these things do the Gentiles seek All this is ungodliness 't is ungodliness to take thought what you shall eat what you shall drink or what you shall put on Now what is godliness Seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof Here you shall have supply So far forth as you look from God his Kingdom and the righteousness thereof you are of the world you are ungodly 't is your little Faith O ye of little faith why do ye take care Seek nothing but the Kingdom of God if there be any thing else it shall come into you with it 'T is godliness to seek God 't is failing of godliness when you seek any thing else but God when you turn to any broken Cistern whatsoever when you see not God before you there turn away or else you turn from God Love the Lord your God withal your heart withal your Soul with all your strength Let nothing of the world have any place in you Let God fill your hearts his train filled the Temple What concord is there between Christ and Belial between God and Mammon I have learned to abound and to want to be full and to be hungry Phil. 4. In every state I am instructed I know what to do and I am content godliness is contentment and that is Great gain We have content in God and nowhere else If we seek anywhere else we seek trouble and vexation and disappointment Man doth not live by bread but by every word of God What a foolish thing 't is for man to seek life frombread let him seek God everyword of God So Christ put off the Devil when he bid him of stones to make bread he tells him man could not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Consider that Scripture mans life doth not consist in the aabundance of those things he possesses or that Scripture All things are lawfull but I will not be brought under the power of any thing I 'le
be under the power of none but God I want none but God I 'le seek to none but God Consider that of the Apostle in 1 Cor. 7. Let them that are married be as if they were not married and they that use the world as if they used it not All going forth to the creature to the world to any piece of it t is ungodliness t is going from God If you cannot be content with God alone t is ungodliness You deny his alsufficiency 't is little Faith this is want of godliness Your Father knows what you have need of you have nothing to do but to please your Father he will supply these things Seek his kingdom these things shall be sent into you So All going forth unto any part of this Creation is ungodliness it is going from God Here is the root of all ungodliness discovered going from God to the creature You will be rich and you must have this and you must have that there is but one thing necessary and if you think any thing else necessary t is denyal of God t is ungodliness You will say this is a hard saying and who can bear it When Christ had told his disciples that it was easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven who then can be saved say they Surely not one that trusts in riches for that is a denying of God Who shall be saved then who is there shall take off his desire from every creature that shall take off his heart and make it over wholly unto the Lord that shall desire nothing but the Lord and say I have none in Heaven but thee nor in earth but thee mark what Christ answers there to men this is impossible but with God all things are possible That which is called for of us is impossible to man but to God all things are possible even this is possible The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus will free us from the Law of sin and death God calls us to that which is above mans strength to yield to His belly cleaves to the ground and dust is his meat being beguiled by the Serpent and his looking towards God is meerly Hypocritical But God brings forth Christ in him raises up that substance that holy seed and that seeks him alone Vnless you be born again you cannot see the Kingdom of God So that it is impossible to please God except you know a better Righteousness then mans Righteousness Vnless your righteousness exceeed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Man will not see the extent of sin because he will not see his own condemnation in it but that man that is of God he sees that the power of God is his and the holiness of God is his And he hath a nature that shall rise up out of the creature and throw off all its dust and earth that is upon it and cleave perfectly to God And he delights in the greatness of the commands that God gives Look how great the command is so great is his inheritance there is nothing God commands but what he hath promised His Law he writes in the heart Whatever God commands he gives the higher God commands the Spiritual Man likes them the better God will work all this in me to this shall I rise in and through God Christ in me is able to do this It is God worketh in me to will and to do of his own good pleasure I 'le work out my Salvation Man dealing with the Scripture is lessening sin as much as may be by saying this is not sin and that is not sin May not I do this and may I not do that may I not take care how I shall live And then he comes to his distinctions of a tormenting care and a necessary care there must be a providence This is true providence to seek God You are to know your Father to please him and to deal in outward things as he leads you and no farther If you want it shall be good for you he will teach you to want and to abound to be hungry and to be full Godliness is beyond mans reach and he cannot comprehend it t is beyond what he can attain unto by nature and if you will have a right scantling of sin look upon it as the Apostle sets it out All have sinned and come short of the glory of God All falling short of the glory of God is sin We shall be brought in Christ into the glory of God and then we shall be brought quite out of sin Vse For the Applying of this Let this direct us in our account of sin and of ungodliness Let us reckon according unto this rule all worldly lusts all going forth from God to the world is ungodliness Where is the godly man There is no flesh can stand before God There is the man that is born of God though he lieth in flesh he will come forth and will be able to stand before God when fearfulness surpriseth the Hypocrite There is the new man that is created in true holiness shall stand There is an Hypocritical holiness an Hypocritical godliness that runs to the world and runs to the flesh making their belly their God they mind earthly things and yet they hold forth themselves high in godliness But the Scripture holds forth all going forth to the creature but in the Lord to be ungodliness It must needs be ungodliness to go out from God and it must needs be a denying God and his all-sufficiency to go out to anything but him Therefore let this teach us to mend our account and to correct our reckoning in matter of sin and matter of ungodliness If we be free from Cheats and Robberies and gross defraudings we lick our selves whole we wipe our mouth we are of the godly party so long as thou dost well for thy self men will speak well of thee when as there is raking after the world scraping riches and wealth together and we are ready to die for this thing and the other thing adding house to house and land to land I know not how to live without this Thus hell and the grave in us will never be satisfied alway craving And this is wisdom Prudence Providence This is to be a wise man in the account of men Men cry up this But dost thou acknowledge the Scripture then consider how that censures it Why do you take care Why do you look after any thing but God is not he alsufficient doth he not know what you need have you any thing to do but to look after his Kingdom Cannot you trust him O ye of little Faith is unbelieving godliness with you is not denying God ungodliness Therefore Le ts look into our own hearts and learn what to count ungodliness Sin lurks and is loth to be discovered the discovery of it is
true bread Joh. 6. Christ the true vine Joh. 15. But will you have flesh too Here is fat things and marrow My flesh saith Christ is meat indeed and my blâ—od is drink indeed That is my life not onely my natural life but my life which I had with the Father slain and buryed is meat indeed the words that I speak are spirit and life saith Christ where spirit and life is not this is not received What is this flesh and blood but the divine nature dwelling in you for a while as it were dead and buryed in flesh afterwards raised and quickned in flesh and you hath he quickned as it is Eph. 2. 1. This discovery of our true life and this life brought forth in us is the true meat the true drink the true flesh the true blood and this same flesh and blood of Adam is meat and drink too for that being slain the grave is opened where the true life lies Obj. You say God is the feast Christ is the feast and that the Lod will make the Feast That the Lord shall make the feast and that the Lord shall be the feast how can this be Sol. His manifestation his bringing forth himself is making the feast his Death and Resurrection brought forth in us is making the Feast then we feed on his flesh and on his blood as the Scripture speaks This is a feast and this feast hath fatness and sweetness in it to a spiritual man and the rich mans table and the delicacies are but crusts and scraps and parings to this Feast The Feast lies in Abrahams bosome the common life of all Saints one with Abraham gathered into the bosome of Abraham the same life that Abraham lived He that eats of this bread shall hunger no more he that drinks of this water shall thirst no more There is musick and dancing in this feast also as we may see in the Prodigals entertainment upon his return to his fathers house but the elder brother did not understand it Luke 15. The Lord is this feast and wheresoever the Lord is not after a little while there shall be nothing but hunger and thirst where the Lord is not there are but dreams The hungry man dreams that he eats and drinks and when he awakes his soul is empty as it is in Isaiah He that hath not entertainment with the Lord He that dwells not in Abrahams bosom shall hunger and thirst and languish and fade away to nothing Mark that Scripture in Isa 65. 11 12 13. Ye are they that forsake the Lord and forget my holy mountain that prepare a table for that troop and that furnish the drink offering unto that number Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold my servant shall eat but ye shall be hungry behold my servant shall drink but ye shall be thirsty behold my servant shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed ye worship many Gods ye shall have many troubles The mountain is and is not the Feast is and is not it is set out but not fully the hour cometh and now is already we are the Lords Feast and he is ours everywhere but in the Lord shall be hunger and thirst dearth and barrenness he that can receive it let him receive it There are that have devoted themselves to the Law and the letter of Scripture there are others that have all their life in the creature God will shortly draw all life into himself and all they that run after other Gods shall starve and famish they and their Gods Obj. But you will say There is something in the Text that seems to contradict this for it is not said He shall make unto all people a feast Sol. To all people that is to all sorts of people In the spiritual Feast there is neither Jew nor Gentile neither male nor female but all are one in Christ Jesus Here is a repetition of the provision in this Feast A Feast of fat things a Feast of Wine on the Lees of fat things full of Marrow of Wine on the Lees well refined the Lord is a Feast a continual feast when you have feasted never so well ye shall finde him to set forth himself a better feast a richer feast for there is infinite variety in God the Lords death is the Feast his Resurrection the life that comes by it It follows in the seventh verse And he will destroy in this Mountain the face of the covering and the vail that is spread over all Nations The Lord in this Mountain in his appearing will destroy the face of the covering In the Mountain a Feast in the Mountain the face of the covering destroyed The carnal Jew looks for the fullfilling of the letter the spiritual Jew looks for the spirit Abraham Isaac and Jacob sought a Country not an earthly one but a heavenly we pitch upon figures and vails and enter not within the vail These outward things are a vail a Table made a snare but when we are turned to the Lord the vail shall be taken away All mans teaching wisdom c. makes the vaile the thicker those that feed onely upon the vail upon outward things in which God appears their life shall be destroyed when others are fed and feasted Here take notice of divers particulars I shall onely give you some hints do you judge of them First of all this Observ 1. That all the Worlds feastings are with a vail and their faces covered The spiritual man so far forth as he feasts it is with open face though yet but as in a glass 2 Cor. 3. whilst we have any joy but in the Lord it is in the vail We eat death in all our feasts we swallow it down but we do it not in victory that oppresseth us oftentimes Observ 2. This outward appearance is the face of the covering There is no man sees my substance but that face that he sees is the face of the covering Cease from man and you cease from the face of the covering and so it will follow that there is no judging by outward appearance while you judge by outward appearance you do not judge righteous judgement Observ 3. When the Lord comes forth to feast to feed to refresh his people he comes forth even in that to destroy He shall make a feast of fat things and he shall destroy and all in the mountain There is no feast without death The Saints salvation comes out of destruction He kills and makes alive By terrible things wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation He that will lose his life shall save it and he that will save his life shall lose it Christ is perfected through sufferings No man shall see God and live Our God is a consuming fire out of the Cross of Christ comes our joy whereby the world is crucified unto us and we unto the world If this be a parable unto you is it not because you lie under the vail because you are without God chuseth his people
in the fire of affliction Observ 4. Fourthly observe that the Lords sweetness and life lies now under a vail and covering that is the reason it is so little owned in the world A feast but not seen he that will see the Lord he that will feed at this feast must not look at the things that are seen but at things not seen which lie within the vail Obser 5. Again Fifthly take notice that there is no destroying the vail but by the Lords coming forth until the substance come forth the shadows are substances No perfect destroying the vail untill the Lord be fully come forth All the Ministers in the world cannot do it Observ 6. Sixthly Observe this That all people have a vail or a covering cast over them not one excepted He will destroy the vail of the Covering cast upon All people spred upon All Nations Though the Lord be not far from every one of us yet the Vail keeps us from seeing him and whilst we lie under the vail we grope and feel after him Till God destroy this vail we have foolish fancies and false apprehensions of God What wonder seeing All nations are under the vail All have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 3. 23. God suffered all nations to walk in their own ways They that remain under the vail judge their brethren that see further then themselves of Error and Heresie but they that have the vail destroyed by the Lord will not be harsh to their brethren that lie under the vail although whilst the vail and the face of the Covering was spred upon them they were so grosly ignorant as to cry out against others Error Heresie Blaspemy Observ 7. Seventhly Observe the twofold expression in the Text The vail and the face of the covering And it is not only Cast but Spred also There is exactness in it Quest If you demand what this vail is that the Lord will destroy I Answer This Creation in its purity and perfection You will say The Creation declares the glory of God Psal 19. The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth shews forth his handy work Sol. True but in a vail Christs flesh was a vail Heb. 10. 20. This Creation in its purity and perfection is a vail but when Satan the world sin and death have gotten root in it then its a thick a dark vail or a shadow of death To those that sate in darkness and the shadow of death is this light come All Gods manifestations in it are vails till he get above it and cover it which he will do He is sunk into it as a seed as he riseth up in it it is in a vail Quest But how comes this vail Who casts this vail Answ 1. The Lord He makes darkness and light he makes vails and open Manifestations 2. Satan hath cast and spred this vail 3. We have every one of us cast it and spread it and we are shrowding our selves under it as God appears and God is righteous and holy in it and we and Satan are in the same sin We are all running into the vail as much as we can But God will destroy the vail and then every eye shall see him Behold he cometh with Clouds and every eye shall see him He is not seen now but he shall be seen his manifestation is life and death Life to those that are of him who feel themselves under the vail death to those that rest and have their life in the vail There 's everlasting destruction from his presence and from the glory of his power We are a sweet Savour of Christ to God in those that perish To some we are a savour of life to others a savour of death That is the Ministry of the Spirit It follows in Verse 8. He will swallow up death in victory Observ 1. Destroy the vail and destroy death The taking away of the vail is the taking away of Death Death is dead Death upon a true account is nothing but a vail upon God who is our true life We live because he lives You heard before what this is even all this Creation in its purity and perfection but much more a vail a thicker and darker vail when sin and death and devil are gotten into it The Scripture expression is elsewhere The vail of the shadow of death Darkness and Death Light and Life are the same even Christs flesh was a vail Ordinances are vails No disparagement to Ordinances If God appear in them t is well Mans ministry is a vail if we see God in it it is but darkly If we be refreshed it is but in part This life and body is a vail while we are at home in it till it be changed and made spiritual till we be cloathed upon with our true life which is from heaven The Apostle saith While we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord While we are absent from the Lord we are absent from our life for our life is to be with him We are not perfectly quickned perfectly alive till we be cloathed upon with our life which is from Heaven Therefore take notice that the pulling down of this body is not properly death to the Saints but the destroying of death He will destroy the vail and swallow up death in victory So then that which we call life is not so indeed but death This body this present appearance is but the face of the covering and the rending of it is the swallowing up of death Let us mend our account if we can We have judged things by the outward appearance by the face of the covering by the vail now let us judge righteous judgement The flesh judgeth that to be life which the Spirit knows to be death Our friend is not dead but gone out of death into life Those that know not God but have all their life in the flesh in present appearances they live not indeed They that live in pleasure are dead whilst they live If God be our life then the less we are in these things the more we are in life If our life be in the vail when this vail is destroyed our life is swallowed up of deaths victory and the second death seizeth on us Refer this to the feast that the Lord makes it is himself that is the feast it is himself that makes the feast he dyes into our weakness and when through his death his life is manifested in us in a spirit of Love of power and of a sound minde then death is swallowed up in victory It goes into the draught we hear of it no more The Lords life manifested swallows up death in victory Death is sorrow and tears See if you can imbrace this account of death He that hath ears to hear let him hear He that hath not it may be will cry whimsey fancy and turning the Scripture into an Allegory Further it s said And the Rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth All the Saints Rebuke is whilst they are under the vail They are judged by the vail the world knows them not We live in the vail whilst we are in sorrow and tears whilst God who is our life is hid we are under the worlds Rebuke In the mean time we wait till God appear and whilst God appears not the world jears us saying Flee to your mountain Psal 11. 1. All the worlds joy is in the vail when the vail is rent then comes the second death then that is made good Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and Lazarus his evil but now thou art tormented and he is comforted And now have I walked in a vail and in a cloud unto you Do you not understand The time was when my self did not and it may be my weakness in expressing as well as yours in hearing It is my weakness that cannot put the vail from off your eyes Consider what hath been spoken that you may understand it rightly If it please God to bring it home as a seed sown to any of you I shall rejoyce I leave it to the blessing of God FINIS Isa 50. 1. Isa 2. 2.