to him why because there is a vail upon them the Covering of all Nations some things more or lesse excellent some righteousnesse some holinesse some duties some reformation some forms some shadows and These are the Covering by reason of which he neithr sees nor tasts death nor hell nor destruction In Christ there is all life all rest all peace all discovery of good things but if man remain in himself and dwel in his own mountain there is all darknesse and all deformity nothing but death trouble bryars thorns but it never appears so till but death trouble bryars thorns but it never appears so till the vail be taken away till then man is never stript of himself never turned outward but all is under this Covering and while so he blesses himself and saith I am safe all is well there is no death nor hell can come neer me I am a reform'd man I walk exactly I presse after the strictest rules of the word I am under the purest Ordinances here now Gen. 3.6 man eates death and tasts of the forbidden tree and the tree is sweet to him and to be desired But now when Christ comes into the soul really all these thoughts are cursed damned thrown to hell and the man becomes vile abominable in his own fight instead of seeing himself an heir of glory as before his thoughts are clean altered the vail the Covering is removed and he now sees himself an heir of hell a poor deluded undone creature He sees THE ASSE the flesh must not goe up into the mountain with Abraham but must be left below let that bear the burden as fit and meet it should let it bear the wrath of God it must be destroyed it must be condemned it must goe to hell All the glory of man all the excellency of nature all the holinesse of man the wisdom of man all must be left below with the Asse the flesh at the bottom of the hill and there must be a going out of our selves a loosing of our selves that we may goe up to the mountain and there be feasted and there see visions there see strength there see glory there see power there see riches righteousnesse and all good things then man shall see how he called evil good and good evil Esay 5.20 darknesse light and light darknesse there he shall be feasted with all delights there he shall see how wisdom hath furnished her table Prov. 9.2 there the scales are removed here he beholds Jacobs ladder here is the valley of Achor here he enjoys his hopes here he sees visions and the third heavens opened and here he feeds upon the hidden Manna c. But know this Rev. 2. that all these thing are not done at once but by degrees as man leaves the Asse behind so he ascends the mountain as man goes out of himself so he enjoyes Jesus Christ and is made one with him as man is made nothing so Christ comes to be made all man becomes all in Christ and nothing in himself so far as man utterly denies himself so far he eats of these fat things when he see himself oppressed with sin or wrath or hell he presently runs to this mountain when he is parched with drought he runs to this rock to this fountain of living waters Jer. 17.13 below in the valley in himself he can find no comfort nothing but wrath and death and darkensse and destruction there 's is nothing but the bottomless pit there 's nothing but madness and folly nothing but lies and vanity there 's nothing but fears and frights horrors and amazements and the smoak of the bottomlesse pit he now cries out Wo is me Rev. 9.2 did I so much delude my self to think my self to be wise holy c. when as there was nothing but folly and an infiniteness of madnesse And now he sees that there is in him Antichrist indeed the beast with seven heads and ten horns and himself bearing the mark and image of the beast And all this the soul sees by faith for faith is the souls eye when Faith goes up from its self and looks upon Jesus Christ there it sees all riches all glory all wisdom all unchangeableness all purity all life all rest all in all in a word it sees him to be unutterable unspeakable and in him things not able to be uttered not fit to be uttered but only to such as are admitted into the same condition for others cannot comprehend these words they are paradoxes and riddles They see themselves to be nothing but sin and horrour and there is the bottom or the foot of Jacobs Ladder and they see also Jesus Christ with all his riches glory power wisdom righteousness there is the top of the Ladder these things are only to be seen in this mountain When Saints by faith look down into what they are in themselves they see there is a bottomlesse pit of smoak and darkness blackness of darkness darkness that may be felt Exod. 10.21 and they see the smonk covers the face of the whole earth there he sees in this valley such a bottomless depth of sin and Misery that he is ashamed of himself and ashamed that others should see him to be so Now while the vail is untaken away all the endeavour all the wit all the power of the naturall man is to keep on this covering to keep it from being rent he would by no means have it removed he would upon no terms see himself as he it to see himself undone to be nohing but emptiness and misery this kindles the fire of hell in him what he that thought himself so holy so full of goodnesse now to see himself to be so far deluded as to be all sin and all darkness and all hell he that thought himself to be a lover of God and a lover of righteousnesse to be no other but a hater of God and a bater of true holines and a hater of the truth Oh now by all means he would cover and hide this monstrous Image from himself and others he would not for all the world see himself nor have others see him thus vile and thus miserable but the contrary to admire himself to magnifie himself as good excellent and holy but when Jesus Christ comes he wil in despight of all mans wisdom and cunning and power discover him to himself he shall whether he will or no behold his own shape see himself in his own colours Then he cries out Ob miserable man that I am who shall deliver me â—â—m 7.24 Lord help me I am undone I am a man of polluted lips and with Peter Lord help or I perish I shall fink for ever into this bottomlesse gulph from whence there is no redemption He sees now the vail rent and himself lost for ever and that such is the bottomlesness of this gulph that he is in that nothing can redeem him thence but only the blood of
the things which are purified with better things then the blood of Bulls and Goats nothing could purchase nor purifie these things but onely the blood and the death of the Son of God Here the soule comes to fee clearly and to handle and experiment and tast the Heavenly things themselvs which were from the beginning 1 Joh. 1.1 which we have heard and which we have seen with â—ur eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life Then the soul truly falls in love with Christ then it eyes him and surveys him then it magnifies and adores him then it loses it selfe in him and dotes upon him then is he all beauty and all perfection to it and then it loseth self-seeking and self-interest and self-glorying and the like and sees him onely to be the Lord of life life alone glory alone riches alone mercy alone light alone pretious alone and nothing in Heaven or earth to be desired but him alone Then it can say experimentally and feelingly with David and not complementally as most professours do Psal 73.25 26. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none in the earth that I desire in comparison of thee And my flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever This soule is indeed the Temple of God and hath in it the true light Majesty and Glory of God but all other men do but play with shadows and are but exercised about the patterns of these things which are to come and have not the things themselves notwithstanding their confidences and strong conceits And now this light being in thee this is to be thy guide this is to be thy teacher thy Master and no other can be till this come in the Scriptures themselves nay Christ in the flesh and all things whatever ye can name are but Dark lanthorns without these divine teachings for he is only a light and a guide a Master and Ruler unto spiritual men and he is only Riches Peace Power Love Glory onely unto these men 't is not those that can talk much of him and who have high notions and speculations of him that can love or adore him truly but onely those who thus enjoy him He that walks by any other light or any other guide then by the light of the Tabernacle Esa 5.11 he walks in his own light and in the sparks of his own kindling and they never did Esa 5.1 nor never can receive other at the Lords hand but to lie down in sorrow But this is to lean upon the highest and purest wisdom to depend and rest on him who is only Alsufficient this is to be taken off all other things all other sufficiencies which are so to other men They can really see there is nothing in man nothing in the world but that all are full of emptiness and vanity and deceit this man sees and really knows all this other men talk much of them as if they were to them the onely excellencies and that all below them are nothing but shadows and delusions but secretly in their hearts they do not think so and their practices tell us otherways their eager seeking them their close holding and hugging them plainly declares that they lye with their tongues Psal 78.36 and dissemble in their hearts And they teach to others that which they never yet touched with one of their fingers And to them the things themseles to act in them to live by them Luk. 11.46 are those heavy burdens which the Pharisees laid upon other men shoulders but not touched them themselves He that is guided by any other light or by any other teachers he forsakes the light the life and glory of Christ and goes down into Emptinesse Darknesse Misery Sin and the delusions of his own heart He that thinks the Scriptures to be a light and a teacher or a rule or a guide without this Heavenly and Divine Teacher in him he depends upon that which can never teach nor guide aright without him and therefore when men talk so much of the Scriptures and misse this light they are but in darknesse and meerly delude themselves and others While Adam in the state of innocency beheld this light in him he adhered to it alone he saw no other light no other fire no other guide this was the Tree of life to him this was Riches Glory Fulnesse Gen. 3. all in all but he casting his eye upon the tree of knowledge of good and evil this false light misled him and led him down into darkness death blindness irrecoverable misery and never to return to the tree of life and this was by following the counsels and teaching of his own heart and indeed this is the condition of all the sons of men not one excluded no not one can return for there is a flaming cherub turning every way to keep the way of the tree of life And there is none can remove this Cherub but only the Son of God man with all his wisdom and power can do nothing in it he with all his excellencies is gone down for ever into the pit of Darkness Job 10.21 never to return Now only Jesus Christ is the new and living way the gate to life the true Teacher the only guide the only VNDERTAKER for all those that shall return He alone saith to Adam Where art thou hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee thou shouldest not eat Gen. 3.9 and in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die Jesus Christ alone is he that discovers man to be naked to see himselfe undone and miserable by following his own will and wisdom he alone can set up a light in the soule to shew man his folly and madnesse he alone can set before him Hell Death the Curse Damnation and Destruction And if man goe about to return in his own light or by his own wisedome he sets himself but more into misery and darknesse and even Publicans and Harlots shall sooner return then these men Mat. 21.31 Ibid. 23.15 who in their own and others eyes are the wisest of men the highest the holiest of the sons of men And these men for all they take so much pains and are so strict over themselves as they would be thought to be and require it of others yet they are no other but those Pharisees and Hypocrits which compass Sea and Land to make if possible ONE Proselyte and when he is made Gen. 2.25 they make him two-fold more the child of Hell then before While Adam lived in that state wherein he was created in the Light of God and in the Glory of God in the Wisdom and Life of God man was not ashamed though he was naked for the glory and light of God was in him which was his life excellency and glory but when he went hence and followed other Counsel Ch. 3.6 the whispering
Christ no hand can help him but only the infinit bottomlesse mercy of the Son of God He sees now nothing in Heaven or earth no righteousnesse of men or Angels could suffice for his ransom but Jesus Christ alone the Son of God himself must lay down his life to redeem him out of the nethermost hell Now Christ revealing this to him he hereby ascends up into this mountain and there he feasts and there he hath all his wisdom all his power all his life all his meat Jer. 17.13 all his living waters here he now hath all his teachings he now sees Christs mountain exalted upon the top of all mountains above the top of all mans mountains of wisdom power holinesse c. though they have been raised in mans esteem never so high and esteemed as the mountains of the Lord he sees his knowledge now meer folly his wisdom darkness his righteousness sin his power weaknes his glory shame his Heaven Hell this he sees in himself and he can see nothing else but this misery and this blindness upon the face of the whole earth every man is under this darknes is under this Covering the face of the Covering of all Nations Christ went up to the mountain and taught the people Mal. 2.2 The truth is this is that mountain where Christ alone teacheth all other teachings are folly and ignorance till we hear the word at his mouth Here in this mountain the soule beholds visions and receives the manifestations of Christ and the mysteries of the kingdome hereit sees from the bottom to the top of Jacob Ladder Mat. 24.15 here he sees the Abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet that had it not been for the love of Christ the meer power and hand of Christ he had been gon for ever lost for ever swallowed up in a mystery of iniquity but when Christ brings him into this mount then he sees himselfe escaped then he sees Sodom and Gomorah all on a flame all self flesh and al mans wisdom and righteousnes burnt up and the smoak thereof ascend as the smoak of a furnace and then he can say experimentally Jehovah-jireh Gen. 22.14 In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen Saints can testifie of these things because they have seen and felt them done in themselves and t is that which their hands have handled of the word of life 1 Joh. 1.1 they can give testimony to the wisedome of Christ to the power of Christ to the righteousnesse of Christ to the evrlasting and unexpressible goodnesse of Christ as it is expressed and put forth in their hearts they can give no testimony of man of any goodness wisdome power c. in themselves but they know Christ to be all in all he see man and himselfe and all things of man to be nothing but a pit of darknesse a lump of sin a gulf of misery without the least wisdome goodnesse or power but whatever is good or strong or holy in him t is not himself t is not of man but of an from Christ alone he sees experimentally that he hath as of himselfe no power no strength to resist sin no repentance no minde to hate or resist the least sin but the contrary He findes a cursed hellish demned unbeleeving heart full of evil and that continually Gen. 6.5 a heart instead of loving God it fights against God in stead of doing good to his Neighbour really he seeks not his good but his own ends in all he doth that he doth nothing at all for God but himselfe is his supreame and ultimate end so that his highest and best actions are loathsome defiled abominable Now the soule seeing these things to be really thus Then all his strong high towering conceits fall down before the light wisedome power and excellency of Christ and he sees that there is none of all these through all the whol earth but in Christ alone no wisdom at all but his no power at all but his no righteousnes at al but his and no creature to receive any glory but hm alone then he falls down and cryes out O'wretched man that I'am who shal deliver me from that body of death Rom. 7.24 who shal deliver me from this bottomless gulf who shal deliver me from this monsterous fiend my own self Rom. 9.3 he now sees the Locusts of the bottomles pit covering the face of the whole earth every one running after his own ways and following his own laws every man setting up new Gods every man setting up the Image of his Imagery and the abomination of desolation in himself every man making himself his own god and seeking to be somthing and making the eternal glorious God to be an Idol and nothing He sees himself with the whole earth besides saying with the builders of Babel Gen. 11.4 go to let us build us a Tower and a City whose top may reach up to Heaven that we may not be seattered and destroyed they will save and deliver themselves from hell wrath and destruction by their own power by their own wisedome by their own inventions by the brick slime and morter that they have made Now the Lord looking down from Heaven to see what the Children of men are doing and he in himselfe sees how God hath said Let us go down and confound their language God in them hath discovered the evilnesse of their wayes the evil of self-seeking self-glory of their selfe-wisdome selfe-power self-righteousnesse and they in whom or to whom the Lord discovers these things all this contrivance and all this work n them is made BABEL Confusion a heap of Lyes t is all deceit destruction and misery but in Jesus Christ he hath righteousnesse indeed life indeed power indeed heaven indeed And then he can adde and say with the Apostle Thanks be unto God who hath given us victory through Jesus Christ O death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15 54.55 Oh grave where is thy victory then hath this corruptible in him put on incorruption and this mortal put on immortality and then is brought to passe in him the saying as it is written death is swallowed up in victory Herein the Saints finde Jesus Christ to be their joy to be their feast to be their mountain to be their glory to be their All. In this mountain they finde and receive all these good things and are fully satisfied and that they are to be had nowhere else If they look anywhere else they know there is nothing but sin corruption death hell mortality and the grave And they having found this mountain they finde themselves escaped delivered from all those things And now they sit down with Abraham Isaac Mat. 8.11 and Jacob in the kingdome of Heaven They have found Abrahams bosome they have found the tree of Life in the midst of the Paradise of God they have found the Hidden Manna Rev. 3. they have received the
had or John or any of the Apostles if thou experiment not the same things without question this is the truth and the life whatever the men or the Masters of the Letter or of the City of the Letter say unto you The words that I speak unto you saith our Saviour they are spirit and they are life Joh. 6.63 they are not onely a dead Letter to the ear and to the understanding but they are quickning spirit declaring true death and true life in us The Scripture in every part there of holds forth either evil or good death or life light or darknesse heaven or hell the Temple of God or the Temple of Idols Christ or Belial that is either man in his lost miserable blind dark undone and helish condition or else Christ the Saviour the life the light the glory the happiness the Redeemer of man Now if we have not experience of either of these two in our selves all reading hearing preaching praying sacrificing is in vain 2 Cor. 3.6 and the Scriptures are no other to us but the killing and deadly letter Lastly we will name one more of their Sorceries and Inchantments and so conclude and t is a very great one In that they take upon them the very Office and place of Christ they think themselves and call themselves Teachers and Divines and men must come to them as to the Oracles of God and they are the Priests lips which shall preserve knowledge come to us and hearken to us and we will direct you and teach you what means and what rules and ordinances ye shall use and which is the way to Heaven when as Christ saith plainly call no man Father nor no man Master upon earth for one is your Master and one is your Father Luke 14.11 c. Joh. 6.44 which is in Heaven but he that is greatest among you let him be your servant And whosoever shall exalt himselfe shall be abased and he that shall humble himselfe shall be exalted And saith again No man can come to me but by the Father and except the Father draw him And again I am the way the truth and the life And yet they say come to us joyn your selves in fellowship with us and conform to us and walk with us for we have the best means we will shew you the best way we have overlookt and examined all other Church-fellowships and none like ours we are squared according to the primitive pattern and to the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 2.16 and the word it self justifies all our rules and our way of worship And they say moreover we have the word of the Lord with us and for us and we have the mind of Christ with us we have a dream and we have a revelation and we have seen a vision when indeed they have seen nothing but have stole the word of the Lord from others and borrowed of their neighbour of this and that Authour and have searched what this man saies or that man writes of such and such points and then come and cry the word of the Lord when the Lord hath not spoken in them nor to them but boast of things without their measure 2 Cor. 10 14 c. 1 Joh. 1.1 speak not the things that they have seen and heard and that their hands have handled of the word of life but as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 10. Who seek to commend themselves boasting of other mens labours and experiences and not of their own boasting beyond their line of things not distributed to them 2 Cor. 10. Vers 15. Ezek. 13.6 7. and yet will say The Lord hath spoken and this is the Word of the Lord and yet never found it The Word of the Lord in them or to them neither have they seen any thing nor the Lord hath not spoken unto them And therefore what ever they may say they cannot make it out to the hearts of others but they talk of it at random and by guesse and they say t is so and it must not be questioned for all other received Orthodox men forsooth have said it Are these Prophets think you of the Lords sending have these received the Word at his mouth Ibid. 3.17 No no but they are furnished by their learning and parts and acquirements and so of and from Man And so likewise not onely is the Prophet deluded but the people also for they have joyned themselves with these Prophets and there they will stick and their faith is pind upon their sleeves Oh such a man he is a sound man and he cannot erre and they will heare no where else And so this Prophet as thou takest him to be becomes Thy Pope and thy Holy Father for to him thou givest heed and him thou followest and obeyest And this is the great inchantment in our times when men forsake Jesus Christ the true and only Teacher and depend upon men This is a great mischiefe and a grievious plague but the world is not sensible thereof but blesse themselves in this great evil What say they shall we forsake our Ministers shall we let the Gospell and the preaching of the Word fall to the ground God forbid As though men upheld the Gospel and men could teach the Gospel It is then Gospel to thee when Jesus Christ makes it glad tidings in thy heart and when there is nothing in Heaven and Earth more wellcome to thee and when thou hast forsaken and laid down thy selfe to receive it But till we come to see that there is no other father no other Master but Jesus Christ in all the world in heaven or earth we are certainly inchanted and deluded and are under a spirituall CHARM But be it so Object then what reason is there that we should heare you or receive what you say T is true if I should say otherwise in regard of my selfe Answ I should also be a deluder a lyer and a charmer and a Southsayer I would by no means you should look at me or regard me as if I could doe anything I desire to be no other but as a dead instrument used by the Lord and would not be thought of or esteemed any thing I am no more fit to speak then any of you all if God will speak by you ye may all prophesie one by one as the Apostle saith God forbid that I should think my selfe better then any other Saint of God or think my selfe more honoured by standing in a high place above you the Lord hee knows my heart An hill or a mountain in the field were as fit for me any place I passe not but onely for conveniency of Hearing So the Lord wil but set up himselfe and magnifie his own name which he will doe let my praise my glory lie in the dust and I would be no more stirred and disquieted in spirit with any such thing then a man that is naturally dead And therefore let them look to it Math.
this discovers to us who is that ONE Tree that the Father onely hath planted And that is only the Root of Jesse which Isaiah speaks of Esa 11.10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an Ensigne of the people and to it shall the Gentiles seek and his rest shall be glorious Which the Apostle applyes particularly to Jesus Christ Rom. 15.12 Rom. 15.12 There shall be a root of Jesse and he shall arise to reigne over the Gentiles Rom. 15.12 and in him shall the Gentiles trust Then what wickednesse is this in the sons of men to think that any thing they plant shall stand or that they have any holinesse love purity goodnesse power wisedome or the like Esey 64.6 And why are menstruous rags termed graces For whatever is out of Jesus Christ and whatever is not planted in man by the Father and so rooted in the Father and in the eternal and ever blessed Being must be rooted up And take that for a second use and know it for certain Vse 2 for you must receive it as an undeniable truth that no other Tree ever did doth or shall stand but onely this and indeed this is the Tree of life in the Garden of Eden Gen. 3.24 Gen. 3.24 Rev. 2.7 And that spoken of Rev. 2 7. In the midst of the Paradise of God and there is no other Tree growes or encreases or prospers but onely He neither is there any True fruit but what growes out of this root and therefore for men to say either in word or practice that there is any other wisedome any other fruit any other power any other righteousnesse is to rob Christ of his honour and to give that to man which alone is due to him No no there is no other plant but He none loved of the Father but He he is the choise and chosen Olive whose fruit is onely accepted and our actions onely as they are his actions if we be in him we then are branches in this Tree and so the root beares us and not we it as most men assert in their practice that they must do and they must work and they must conforme themselves to Christ what 's all this but they to bear the root and not the root them and they to bring forth Christ and not Christ them And therefore men should be more cautious and understand and minde what they say and do When they say I will do this and I can and I must performe this and that duty Alasse poore creature what canst thou do and who is it that beares thee canst thou bring forth God and Jesus Christ and the Spirit or rather doth not he beare and bring forth thee hast thou any thing of thine own but evil hest thou any fruit unto holinesse Rom. 6.22 any flower or blossome that can be accepted which is not received from this Tree and from this root why then doest thou so much look upon thy selfe and talk of thy selfe and why doest thou boast and glory as if it were thine own and thou hadst not received it In this thou dishonourest thy head Christ 1 Cor. 11.4 for he that can do any thing either pray or preach or prophesie or do any thing in the Church of God with his head covered he dishonoureth Christ who is the head who ought to have the sole glory of all good or all grace of all power wisedome righteousnesse Ibid. v. 5. But let the woman be covered all weaknesse and sin be laid upon man but let the husband have all the glory all the praise for the Spouse of Christ hath no riches but in his riches nor no righteousnesse but in his righteousnesse nor no glory but in his glory And therefore in all your sayings actings speakings carriages expositions exhortations see that ye never dishonour your Husband Psal 29.2 96.8 give him the glory due to his name and take shame and confusion of face to your selves do not so much as once think that man can do or act or believe or repent or work or do any thing of this nature for ye belye him and dishonour and blaspheme your husband what do you in all this but forstake the Tree of life which is healing to the Nations Rev. 22.2 and turne to the Tree of knowledge of good and evil which is so strictly forbidden to all the sons of men as much as to Adam from whence they continually eate Death and Damnation And they can do no otherwise while they forsake their Father and Husband and run a whoring after their own inventions Psal 106.39 Beloved what a do is there in the world everywhere about mans doing and mans working and he must strive and he must improve grace he must cherish this plant and do something that he may be accepted and he must watch and he must water and he must Lop and Prune this Bough and the other Branch and by his power and wisedome and watchfulnesse he must cut off this sin and the other evil And this is the great Religion of the world in all Ages And alasse what does he all this while by doing of these things in his own name and by his own wisedome and power he does but undoe himselfe for what else can he doe but bring misery and sin and darknesse upon himselfe and plunge himselfe deeper in the pit For when man is bid to do any thing repent or believe or watch or pray Phil. 2.12 1 Pet. 1.10 or to work out his salvation with feare or trembling and make his calling and election sure what doe you think it was ever meant that he should do these of himselfe or do them out of Christ No no there was never any such thing intended by the holy Ghost But say they man hath received a power and a Talent from Jesus Christ And of this he must take care and use it Object and imploy it to his Masters use I answer t is false Answ there is no such thing for a Christian enjoyes nothing out of hrist nor done apart from him but all in him and his works if right 't is Christ doth them in him and not he yet how ordinary is it with men to put man to do and why is not he so and so And men are so senslesse that they are not sensible that man is dead in trespasses and sins though they acknowledge it in words yet in truth they deny it and declare that they know not what they say For Ephes 2.1 can any other thing raise the dead but onely the voice of the son of God Though Jesus Christ hath said That every plant that the heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up John 5.28 yet for all this say they man must be doing and planting and he cannot wait the Lords time and this is the reason why men have so little experience of the true work of God because
escaped from the snare of the Hunter Hast thou really seen thy selfe lost undone made miserable hast thou seen that thy self was in Captivity and that thou wast deaf and dumb and blind and lame that thou wert shut up in darknesse and death and that there was none in Heaven or Earth able to help thee in the least but thou seeing thy selfe so miserable and hopeless that thou wert at thy wits end and no help at all appeared If this have not been thy condition though thou couldst speak never so excellently of the Letter and the History and though thou submittedst to the highest forms and to the soberest and most strict course of life being constant and austere in observing of thy rules for hearing and reading and set times of prayer and constant examining thy self to keep thy selfe up the stricter to thy Rules alas poor soul all this is nothing though thou couldest speak with the Tongue of Men and Angels 1 Cor. 13.1 and pray with such sweet words and language as might ravish all the men on earth If thou doest not finde Christ Jesus in thee breaking every bond and loosing every yoak and that no other in Heaven or Earth could do it but he thou wert never yet delivered but art still under wrath death and bondage The chief thing that every soul is to mind in reading and hearing is to examine whether the same thing be wrought in them whatever we find in the Letter if it be not made good in us what are the words to us we must see how Christ is crucified and buried in us and how he is risen and raised from death in us the chief thing I say is to look into our own breasts All generally that hold forth a profession of Christ they say in words that Christ is the Deliverer but that is not the thing but is he a Deliverer to thee Is that glorious MESSIAH promised Rom. 11.26 and the Deliverer out of Sion come with power into thy soul hath he exalted himselfe there and hath he made bare his arm and been a glorious CONQVERER in thee hath he taken to himself his great power to raign in thee Rev. 11.17 Is he King of Kings and Lord of Lords in thee c. Beloved all preaching and reading and praying and duties is to this end to examine thy inward man and thy spiritual condition Thou joinest thy self in fellowship and walkest conformable to all thy rules and thou art washed and thou breakest bread with them and thinkest herein thou hast obeyed the commands of Christ alas this is nothing if Jesus Christ have not joined thee to himself and made thee a member of him what good doe all these things for by all these outward actings thou dost not discern the Lords body To discern the Lords body is to eat him to be united to him to be made one spirit with him that so he may be made experimentally a Saviour and a Deliverer in thee That he hath taken thy soul out of the mire and clay Ps 40.2 and out of the horrible pit thou canst say experimentally and by feeling that it was an horrible pit and that there thy soul stuck fast and thou hadst no hope ever to get forth and if Christ hath set thee free thou knowest full well no power could do it but only his Eph. 1.19 only the same power which raised Jesus Christ from the grave and no lesse And thou whoever thou art who hast experience of this work thou art in one of these two conditions either thou art set free and delivered by the power of Jesus Christ or else thou seest thy self in the pit in straits in misery in a hopelesse condition and art sighing and groaning for deliverance and waiting when Christ will deliver thee And if thou beest but in either of these two conditions thou art in a safe and good Condition but if thou hast been in this misery and condemnation and thou hast used all means to put this off and sought out deliverance for thy selfe and by thy wisedome and strength and conformity and holinesse hast got thy selfe a covering by any thing under Heaven then Jesus Christ never was a Deliverer to thee but though thou thinkest thy selfe delivered yet thou art for all thy peace and for all thy Coverings under a worse bondage then before Therefore I say I would have every soul before me examine it selfe whether he be a true seeker of Deliverance which is to examine in which of these two Conditions he is in whether he hath been under these Terrors and death in hell and condemnation seeing himself lost and miserable and that instead of seeing any wisdom or power or righteousnesse in himself that he hath seeen and doth still see himself to be a meer sink of sin and a cage of unclean birds and that in him is nothing but weaknesse Rev. 18.2 wickednesse and all abominations And let me ask thee when thou wast in this condition whither wentest thou for help whether to dumb Idols that could not help that have eyes and see not and ears and hear not or to the living God in whom alone is help and deliverance And if thou art at present in this condition and distresse Joh. 5.4 thou art one that lies waiting at the pool till the Angel stir the waters expecting when Christ will put thee in Thou wilt not run to this duty and that form to ease thy self and to allay these Terrors and to quench these flames but if help come not there thou waist and there thou standest and remainest in this condemnation and goest up and down sighing and mourning all the day long and thou seest t is not in the power of all the Ministers under Heaven not in all the forms and rules that can be invented but only in the tender mercy and good will of Jesus Christ All other wayes thou lookest upon but as going out to Asher Hos 7.11 and to Egypt and to seek after dumb Idols that have a picture of eyes and ears and hands promising as though they could help but they can neither see nor hear nor help though to others they appear glorious and goodly things and they blesse themselves in using them yet to thee they are dead cold and helplesse so that now here thou waitest and sittest alone like the Pelican in the Desart Ps 102.6 and there thou mournest and bemoanest thy condition and with David thou hast no rest in thy bones because of thy sins Ibid. 38.3 Try thy self now in which is thy condition if in neither of these thou art in a most sad miserable condition indeed and so much the more sad because thou seest it not Or it may be thou hast cured thy self and healed thy selfe but art not cured nor healed Jer. 6.14 but the Prophets have healed the Daughter of my people slightly as the Prophet speaks have not throughly discovered their iniquity to turn
Christ mans teaching can never bring this about but this teaching and learning is from the Father from Heaven men learn this lesson onely in the Schoole of Christ Joh. 6.45 there God is made something and indeed all in all and man is nothing but an infinitnesse of sin and misery Let every one therefore examine himselfe by this rule and lay it close to his own heart if he feeds himself or glories or feasts himself with any other thing then this that he is brought to nothing that God alone may in him and in the whol earth be all in all let him be sure he hath not his teaching from this one Father Esa 29.13 and this own Master but his teaching is onely by the precepts of men And till a man be come to know this in experience whatever he thinks of himself and whatever acquired parts or holinesse he hath and though he be never so much admired by others he feeds but on the wisdome of the flesh and lives and depends on that the World adores for their gods either on the external lusts and pleasures of the world or else on Silver and God riches and honour Lands or preferments c. which cannot profit a man in the day of wrath Prov. 11.4 or else they feed upon their own righteousnesse their own duties on their leaving this sin Prov. 11.4 or that sin or as they suppose all sin all grosse sin and it may be conceive that their obedience is according to the rule and mind of Christ conforming strictly to the highest and perfectest formes and fellowships and resting in this they feed but upon husks and vanity and delude their poor souls as the Prodigall he would fain have filled his belly with the husks but no man gave unto him Luk. 15.16 none of all these things can satisfie they will not deliver nor keep off the wrath of God they will prove no covering no shelter at all but the wrath of God will break in upon them and make them appear wretched and miserable vile naked and abominable And that soule that is brought to this to be stript of all its garments and made naked and lost and undone as to it selfe and all things of man this is the happy Soul the blessed Soul The other all others put their trust in the arm of flesh and are departed from the fountain of life Jer. 2.13 from the living God and therefore are not nor cannot be blessed but are those that are cursed Therefore we would that ye should take special notice of these two things First Note these two things Jam. 3.15 1. What the Vail is Gen. 3.6 what this Cursed disposition in man is what the Vail is wherewith he so deludes deceives himself and Secondly how this Vail is removed First what it is It is that earthly sensual and devilish wisdome in the hearts of the Sons of men perswading them to be that which they are not that they are holy and just and good that they have goodness and holinesse and wisdom and power c. and if they improve these say they as they may they may bring themselves into a happy and a safe condition and conclude that they can forsake sin and they can be righteous and holy this is that devilish wisdome that the Devil infused into Adam in his fall this was and is his eating the forbidden fruit When God had created him dependant upon himselfe for all his power wisdome goodness holiness he fell from this condition to have a dependance upon himself and on the creaturely being on his own wisdome and holinesse c. to have a power in himselfe and thus he departed from the fountain of all good to seek a happiness in himselfe in his own nothingness and thus he became lost cursed and miserable This is THE VAILE The Covering the deceit that is upon all flesh the Vaile of the Covering of all Nations And it is called a Covering because it hides and keeps away the light that so man cannot see himselfe as he is cursed and hellish and infinitly miserable Now this Vail wil not suffer the light to come upon him to see himself as he is because man by all means and wayes labours to maintain a good opinion of himself and for others to have the same and would by no means see himself lost and undone this Vail hides that darkness and gulf of sin that is in him and tels him that it is not so nor so with him but he is holy and righteous and hath wisdome and power and the like This is the Vaile that is upon the heart which must be rent if ever man come to be happy if ever he hopes to feast in this mountain of fat things You know we use Vailes that the defects and deformity of things may not appear and so man doth by his own heart he would by no means see the ugliness the monsterous deformity thereof he would by no means once think that hell and the bottomless pit is in him he would by no meanes see the smoak of that bottomless pit arise out of his own heart but t is certain though men hide this from their sight and Beholding yet all men have covered themselves with this Vail and 't is the covering of all Nations In Adam all die 1 Cor. 15.22 not a man upon the face of the earth but all have eaten of this forbidden tree and because we have eaten all the endeavour of man now is to keep away the sight of guilt he would not see his deformity his lost condition but with Adam he runs among the bushes and hides himself among the trees from the presence of the Lord Gen. 3.8 he labours to keep away the light that he may not see his own blackness and deformity What sayes he Have I no wisdome no power no holiness no love no faith no power to repent no ability to any good thing this he cannot endure to hear of this he runs away from as from death and the devil this cuts him to the very heart Therefore all his endeavour is to keep this Vail whole that is may stil phiremain thus he remains under the Old Testament 1 Cor. 3.14 and the Vail is unrent and is still upon the heart But in the day that the soule turns to the Lord it is content to see and acknowledge its own misery it s own darkness then is the Caul of his heart rent Hos 13.8 then is hell laid open in him and the bottomless gulfe seen in himselfe And that Hell men so much talk of he sees to be really in himself and that himself is the very Image of the Devil Secondly take notice how this Vaile comes to be removed and taken away Now this Vail is only rent and done away by Jesus Christ Secondly How the Vail is rent Rev. 5.5 9.1 not all the power nor all the art of all the Sons of men is ever
it may not come at them When man is once gone out from God who was his life and his light and his rest and his happiness being not content with him alone Gen. 3.1 nor with the tree o life of which he might eat freely but casting his eye upon the tree of knowledg of good and evil he lusts to eat thereof V. 6. for t is pleasant to look upon man would by no means live upon God and have a dependance out of himself but he will take a secure course and provide for himself he likes well this tree and here he feeds and eats he travailes in this pleasant plain of Shinar and here he begins to bethink himself to dwell and take up his rest here he can sleep quietly under his own labours and sit reposedly under his own vine and here now is the place where all men consult together to raise a Babel This is done by and in every man man having lost himselfe and gone out of his way having no House nor Tabernacle having departed from his house built by God without hands he bethinks himself of building himself a house made with hands by his own study and invention 2 Cor. 5.1 and this shall be his abiding and here he will dwell and here with his own hands he will make himself a shelter from all storms and from all destruction And they say one to another Goe to let us make brick and burn them throughly They say to one another that is not as if men singly spake thus to one another but every man enters into a consultation with himselfe and with the Prince of Darkness And now they having forsaken God the true guide they hearken to the Devil and to the Father of deceit and lyes and take his counsel Joh. 8.44 and him they will follow and his works now they do and not the works of God And what do they And they say one to another Go to let us make brick and burn them throughly That is they think and resolve to act like wise men and make all secure for themselves their building shal be strong and durable and their materials accordingly Bricks throughly burnt which shal not fail and moulder away that is the things that he chuseth shal be things agreeable to his own liking and they must be of his own inventing else he wil put no confidence in them none shal chuse for him whatever it be that wil advance man and make him something and great as to himself and others and things that men esteem highly of those he chuseth Nay and not onely so but he wil have something of his own to trust to to come into the presence of God with and he wil frame to himself a religion and a righteousnesse that shal avail before God which he shal accept and in which himself may put confidence And here now poor man hath deluded himself and they have made themselves aprons Gen. 3.7 and as they think a secure Covering here hath he made himself a shelter and a Tabernacle and built up to himselfe a Tower reaching to Heaven and so shall prevent destruction and condemnation When man begins thus to build he chuseth as he thinks the likeliest and the probablest means for his security and in his conceit builds so strong that no winds nor no storms can shake him nor no deluge overflow his building and so confident he is that he thinks the power of Heaven and Earth can never shake this building for the Top thereof shall reach to Heaven he is so far safe that he is sheltered from the wrath of God and from the frowns of God he hath gotten such a righteousness and such a conformity of the rule and mind of God that he is as it were a perfect man he sees little amisse in him and though he may in words confesse he is a sinner yet let but any one sin be charged upon him and he hath as he thinks a sufficient excuse and wil clear himself from all sin But is this all the end of this strong and stately building no But let us make us a Name least we be scattered upon the face of the whole earth Least we should be in as bad a condition as others are and as the wicked of the world are we wil be wiser and condemn them we wil not be like the Publicans wicked and prophane but we wil forsake sinne and live uprightly and we wil do something that we may get us a Name that we are holier then others Esa 65.5 1. Cor. 3.10 and we wil be no less then Master Builders no such wise man as we no such strict holy men as we and the end of all this is least death and misery and sin hell and condemnation should break forth and seize upon them with the rest of the world But now in all this time what does God doe He beholds their works and their doings and their contrivings vers 5. And the Lord came down to see the City and the Tower which the children of men builded which is not to be understood as if God removed or came down Locally as leaving Heaven to come down to the Earth as men when they remove from one place to another But God came down that is he began to manifest himself to shew himself to the Sons of men before he let them alone and they thought themselves secure and all was right safe and well which they had done now the Lord he begins to appear to confound their thoughts and inventions and to shew all the sons of men their folly vanity and madnesse in all this they were so confident of they think they are securing themselves from ruine when alass poor soules they are running as madly upon their own ruin and destruction as any else in the whole Earth nay are farther from returning then any other in as much as they are more wise more holy and more confident then others Luk. 13.28 And herein is their misery the greater therefore it is high time for the Lord now to come down to scatter this building and to make it BABEL and Confusion Behold the people are one and they have all one Language and this they begin to do and nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do As if he should say all the sons of men are running headlong to their own destruction they are all as one man all do one and the same thing and they have one Name and one Language and all go one way Satan hath almost gotten his full possession and they will be wholly guided by him and follow his counsel they are all departed from me and he is almost quite irrecoverably lost and gone and yet every man thinks he is right and no man considers what he doth nor once thinks of returning for every man is right in his own eyes and nothing will be restrained from them and if I go not down
and say we are the Substitutes of Christ That which we deny him we take to our selves certainly all this is nothing else but hellish arrogancy and the pride of the man of sin and ANTICHRIST within us that exalts himself in us above all that is called God 2 Thes 2.4 that puts us into these wayes and to think that we can draw or we can drive to Jesus Christ when there is none can do this but meerly and solely that only and eternal power and spirit of the Father Thirdly if it be so as we have clearly proved and none dare deny it Use 3 neither can then the wisdome nor power nor strength nor any rules of Fellowships or Church-gatherings or any discipline of man draw nor drive others in but 't is onely the drawing and driving of the eternal power of the Fathers spirit It is true the Sons of Men may do and have done and do compass Sea and Land and what is it to doe to make a Proselyte and what then he is but twofold more the child of perdition then before Mat. 23.15 They may indeed gather men into Fellowships and Churches as they call them But to gather men into the spirit of the Lord Jesus this was never the work of man no strength nor power nor wisedome of man could ever doe it and without question every plant that the Heavenly father hath not planted Ibid. 15.13 shall be rooted up It is true and I grant there was some mention made of the Church and Churches in the times of the Apostles but what Churches were they They were no other but what were called by God himselfe in the power of his spirit and not of or by man Where do we read of this mans Church or the other mans Members but they were called the Church of God and not divided by those distinctions of vain-glorious self-seeking ambitious covetous men as they are in these dayes Nor did they Owne one another or had any relation one unto another in their love or esteem upon that account Note But they looked upon one another in what place soever as but one body and having all but one spirit meerly because thty were all baptized into One body by that One Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 They did not know one another as they were of Paul and of Apollo of Cephas and this mans Church as they now call it But as they were all baptized by one Spirit and into one Body and as they were of one mind and of one spirit and so of one heart Heb. 12.13 and so brought to the general assembly of the Church of the first born And therefore we must conclude there is nothing that gathers or draws in the soul of man unto Jesus Christ but the everlasting power of God We know also men may worship at Jerusalem this way and that way and pretend to honour that Christ who died there and yet they doe but draw nigh to him with their lips Esa 29.13 but not with the spirit in truth but no man can do these things in the power of God nor so much as SAY that Iesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost and by the power of Jesus Christ And be sure that every plant that my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted up From whence also lastly Vse 4 If the power of the Father only draws the spirit of man unto the Son and unto Jesus Christ then let every man look in and unto his own heart and see whether he doe not resist the drawing of the spirit Behold saith he I stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and sup with him Rev 3.20 and he with me enter but into thy own Chamber and be still and look into thy own brest and see whether thou be not daily and hourly resisting the Spirit of God that would draw man unto Christ didst thou but look into thy own heart thou shouldst find there was never any thought that did ever arise in thee to check or controle thee in thy evil wayes but that very thought was a light in thee if thou wouldst have heeded or regarded it And that light also did tell thee that all thy best actions were but sin and that all the wayes thou walkest in there is nothing but fear in them and death in them and misery in them And thy best and holiest services are an abomination There is a spirit within thee that is still troubling and checking thee for every proud and for every evil thought and what is this for 2 Cor. 8.2 onely to let thee see that thou art dead and reprobate to every good work and all thy deeds are evil and all that thou knowest thou knowest not as thou oughtest to know It is to let thee know that thou art naked and poor and blind and miserable It is to take away thy false strength and thy false wisedome and riches and to let thee see thy weaknesse and folly and poverty but this is thy onely misery and the general universal misery of all the sons of men that they dare not stand in the light and abide in it To abide in such a light which shewes that man hath not one good thought Psal 73.22 but is as a beast before God That he hath no holinesse nor no righteousnesse at all Now for thee so farre to presume and to think so highly of thy selfe that thou art of such abilities and wisdome and parts as to sit down at the head-end of the Table or because that thou hast gotten in thy own conceit into the best way of Religion for knowledge and practice and performances and therefore thou art Some-body and thou must be magnified and reverenced and for these men now to be brought back to look into their own hearts and see themselves as bad as the rest of the world and to see themselves the worst of men Oh Beloved what a mighty fall must these men have before ever God brings them into this condition which must be if ever they be brought or drawn home to Jesus Christ by the power of the Father And yet to adde to this besides all this thou hast gotten a covering for thy sins and hast wipt thy mouth and said thou hast done nothing when all thy wayes are nothing but resistings fightings and emnity against God Do not men resist him when they seek esteem to themselves and they must be great and respected and honoured what is all this but to rob Jesus Christ of his honour and steal it away to put upon themselves Oh that the power of God would but make men abide in the Center of their own hearts to see that there is nothing there but darkness nothing but folly in regard of God and Christ if man would but dwell and abide here to see himselfe lost and wretched miserable and undone then God would
of the subtile Serpent within him then followed Death Hell Misery and Condemnation then he sees his folly and madnesse in harkning to and giving way to this false Lyar who before told him he should better his condition and he should be like God himself And thus seeing and beholding his nakednesse his folly and misery he being not able to behold it nor live in the sight thereof for he is not able to behold the wrath of God and Hell-fire flashing in his face then he bethinks himselfe of some Covering some Shelter some Cloaths to cover his nakedness he is not able to behold his own condition and he invents a thousand wayes to shelter himself runs to this duty and that rule and he will find out somthing he will do something to quench the fire in him that is kindled by the breath of the Lord. And is not man in this more mad Esa 30.33 and more vain and more miserable For by all these things he doth but adde fuell to this fire for doth he think till one stronger then himself come even to be delivered Alas Luk. 11 22. thus are all the sons of men deluded but when Christ who is the true Mediatour comes when he sets up his light in man then he convinces him of his Emptinesse of his Weaknesse of his Nothingnesse and that he cannot arise Joh. 11.43 nor live without the loud and mighty voyce of the son of God quicked him when this light and life comes upon him then though he be naked in himself yet he is not ashamed but he standing in this condemnation all sin and darknesse and condemnation vanish before the glory of these heavenly things and come to nothing and empty themselves into their own nothingness that so the glory of Jesus Christ may come in the room thereof who is truth and life and fulness and perfection and all things But while man walks by the light of his own fire Esa 50.11 and in the sparks which he hath kindled he is holy and good and pure and excellent and great in his own sight and high in his own wisedome but when once he comes to be guided by the fire and light of the Tabernacle then he is a Miserable Empty Bare Beggerly thing nothing in him of Wisdom Power Glory Riches Goodnesse a meer naked empty and simple thing except he be made happy in the light of God and in the union with Jesus Christ wise in the wisdom of God and holy in the holinesse of God Here sayes the Apostle I permit not a woman to speak in the Church 1 Cor. 14.34 Ibid. 11.16 here let her head be covered that is let not man speak any thing in the Church in the presence of the Lord of his wisdom of his goodness of his upright walking but let Christ be all these in the Church There let all the Weaknesse and Womanishnesse of man come upon him and let him be covered with shame in the presence of this Bridgroom for t is a shame for a woman to speak in the Church let not her shew so much pride but let her ask her Husbad at home let him have all the glory Let not the Bride speak any thing of her riches of her beauty in the presence of her Lord but to see her selfe rich in his riches and glorious in his glory wise in his wisdom let her not meddle herein without her head be covered so that she sees she hath nothing of glory nothing praiseworthy nothing beautiful in her but that her head be perfectly covered with the righteousness riches and glory of Jesus Christ All the men in the world be they of what parts learning strength or excellencie can be named are but WOMEN in this respect and are to cover their heads in the presence of Christ in the Church of Christ In thy Temple every one speak of thy glory Psal 26.9 saith David If a Woman offer to speak in the Church this is but weaknesse this is but shame and confusion of face in the CHURCH what 's that think you without question the meaning of the Apostle is not to be taken Litterally of a material Church nor t is not meant of a Congregation of men or women assembled or congregated together as the wisest of men take it for this in the Scripture sense is not called A CHURCH much lesse in a low and vulgar acceptation of a meeting place built of bricks or wood or stone But the CHURCH is the Temple of God the House of God the Body of Christ in which the Lord discovers his Riches Glory Wisdome Bounty and the Treasures of Wisdome and knowledge and his everlasting power and goodness to the soules of Beleevers and in this Church where the Lord is present let not weaknesse discover its pride insolency or vain-boasting for this is the Church and this is the Woman that ought not to speak there Now this fire of the sanctuary is that which discovers all this Weaknesse Darknesse and Blindnesse in the soul when this light of God appears then all shadows vanish then all coverings are removed and all things in and of Man appear as they are to be nothing but Darknesse Deformity Delusion Lyes Confusion and Misery and God appears to the soul to be onely Light Life Happinesse and Perfection Gen. 2.25 and the soule is not ashamed to be thus naked because this makes way that God may have all the glory all the wisedome all the excellency and man may come to be nothing but sin and emptinesse Thus the soule comes with the Apostle to rejoyce in and to glory in his infirmities 2 Cor. 12.5 and that the power and wisedom of God is made perfect in his Weakness and Folly As a good Wife she is not ashamed to be as nothing in the presence of her Husband but rejoyces that He is esteemed and that he is made all in all to her So doth the true Spouse of Christ let her be nothing so He may be all for she acknowledges that she is only rich in her Husbands riches and wise in his wisdom and strong in his strength 1. Pet. 1.7 she sees she lives not by her own care and industry but in the love and care of her Husband and thus she glories not in her selfe but in her Husband This is to become NAKED and yet not ashamed as was Adam in his Innocency Rev. 3.17 2 Cor. 10 5. To have a poor sinner freely to confess to the glory of Christ Time was when I was rich and had high imaginations of my self and I was in my own esteem able to guide and rule and direct my self and all my affairs and I thought my selfe in a blessed and secure condition but I finde now that was nothing but a lye and a delusion But even then the meer love and tender compassion of my Saviour and Redeemer set up a candle and light in my soul whereby I was discovered to
23.7 c. who love to be called RABBI or by that Blasphemous Title of DIVINE and they must be honoured above other Saints of God and they are The Clergie and others they are but the Layitie of a meaner rank then we say they And how doe they love to have greetings in the market and the uppermost rooms at Feasts and the like well let them look to it God will judge them one day for all their Sorceries and inchantments and for standing up between him and his glory To whom alone all praise is due but to every man misery shame confusion of face blacknesse of darknesse hell and condemnation But hence we may see that it is no new thing to be bewitched by the Sorcerers and Inchanters and Magicians of the World The Galathians themselves were so for there are many Antichrists in the world there are legions gone out from the Prince of darknesse to deceive the whole Earth And if any from Christ speak but the truth he by his cunning devices will disguise it under the shape of Heresie Schisme Familisme or some odious nickname or other that so the truth may not be owned nor known That so men may stop their eares against the Heavenly voyce of Christ which brings down all things adored or loved in or from man and sets up nothing else but the power wisdom goodnesse holiness and Alsufficiency of the Lord alone He cries Mans heart and all the imaginations thereof are onely evill continually and that there is none that doth good Psal 14.3 Rom. 3 10. no not one They are all gone out of the way and every one is become abominable there is none that understands or seeks GOD. And that there is nothing in man of good but all is evill sin death darkness abomination a lye and utter desolation But Satan cries in the mouthes of his Ministers Let man doe something he can pray he can heare and let him follow those rules that we prescribe and they shall bring peace and rest to his soule But if man were but content to heare the voice of Christ and to stand in the light of God he should be convinced that he had no power no goodnesse and that nothing but onely the power of God could carry him out and that he is dead in trespasses and sins Ephes 2.1 and that the voice of Christ alone can raise them from their graves and that no lesse power can quicken or raise but the eternall Almighty power which raised Iesus Christ himselfe from the dead Rom. 8.11 It is not as men say If you will come to us and joyn and walk with us and be dipt with us or break bread with us will give any life any peace to the soule but the standing in the light of God that so man may take to himselfe death and darknesse misery and wrath and here to stand and dwell and that in him is no good thing then this light would also shew him that in Christ is all life liberty fulnesse satisfaction peace and rest and nowhere else If men did but abide in this light it would debase and keep low the lofty thoughts and those great expectations of and from man it would also give Jesus Christ his due it would not suffer him in the least to act against the glory of Christ but man would be dead and buried and Christ would onely ascend and sit upon his Throne There would nothing be esteemed in Heaven or Earth Mat. 19.21 but Christ and he would be content to sell and lose all for him This light would curb every wicked act every desire of the flesh this alone is the means to crucifie and kill thy vile nature and not any outward externall thing by washing or dipping in water or eating such a poore empty carnall thing as a bit of bread or drinking a sup of wine this thing never did nor never will doe it but to eate and drink that which Christ gave which was not a little bread and wine onely but HIMSELFE Joh. 6.56 1 Cor. 11.29 Ibid. v. 20 ch 10.16 and by feeding on him eating his body and drinking his blood this will nourish to eternall life When ye are met together into one place this is not to eate the Lords body For the bread which we break is the Communion of the body of Christ and he that eateth and drinketh unworthily discerneth not the Lords body Object But may I not use these things Object Ans Yea Answ so you think your selves never the better for using them for t is not they can feed or comfort thee nor t is not going on in thy own power nor thy using of means for Christ alone is the way and the means As if you come to a Feast you are not invited to eate the platters or earthern dishes which bring the meat but you are invited to the meat they doe but bring the meat and if thou eate not the meat thou mayst starve and die if thou follow the dreams of thy own heart and thinkest thou eatest and dost not what a horrible delusion and inchantment is this But of these things we may have an opportunity to speak more fully hereafter Thus you see what are those things which the Lord will cut off in that day when he shall come Thy Horses and thy Chariots thy Cities and thy strong holds Thy witchcraft and thy Southsayers Thy graven Images and thy standing Images out of the midst of thee THE SECRET SOUTHSAYER OR Hidden SORCERER discovered By Mr. Jo. WEBSTER SERMON II. Preached at Alhallows Lumbard-street MICAH 5.10 11 12 13. And it shall come to passe in that day saith the Lord That I will cut off thy Horses out of the midst of thee and I will destroy thy Chariots And I will cut off the Cities of thy Land and throw down all thy strong holds I will cut off Witchcrafts out of thine hand and thou shalt have no more Southsayers Thy graven Images also will I cut off and thy standing Images out of the midst of thee and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands I Have beloved according to the appearance of God in me shewed the meaning of these words according to the Spirit and the Mysterie declaring that great work which is brought to passe by Jesus Christ when he appeares gloriously in the world in the soules of men and is exalted as Lord and King and then it is when Jesus Christ is exalted in the earth and not when men are exalted or when there is peace and plenty of outward things But all the speakings of the Prophets and of Christ himselfe tend to set out that Kingdome and PERSONALL REIGNE which generally all men know little of and neither wil nor can own for a glorious state because not accommodated with outward power riches and eternall glory But in that day when Jesus Christ will come and arise in power spiritually in the soules of men then is that
and ORDAINE Ministers and they speak of giving the Holy Ghost but alasse I say all these are but resemblances and shadows they are not the true Ordinances of Christ and notwithstanding mens using of these things with so much appearance of strictnesse and exactuesse yet they have them not For they are in bondage still they were never yet delivered set free indeed nor never Baptized with the Baptisme of Christ never yet fetcht off their own bottoms never taken into Vnion with Christ who will undertake to give the Spirit and the Holy Ghost and yet never had it themselves and therefore all those things that these men use are nothing but shadows Outsides Shels and Carkasses of the true Ordinances of Christ You know many came to Johns Baptisme even of the Pharisees and yet they wre but a Generation of Vipers their consciences told them that John was a true Prophet Mat. 3.7 and they began to smite them and they thought it was a duty they were bound to that thereby they should prevent the wrath to come and they presently take it up as having power of their own to do any thing in Religion and here they thought themselves secure and that they had really prevented the wrath to come But the true Baptisme and the true Ordinanes and the true Worship are things of a farre higher nature There is a HEAVENLY Baptisme and a Heavenly Worship and an Heavenly Ord inance I saith John Baptize with Water but there is one that commeth after me Ver. 11 12. who is preferred before me He shall Baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire I must decrease but HE must increase My Baptisme is nothing I must stand by when he comes I baptize but unto repentance but He gives repentance and the Holy Spirit The Heavenly things are of a far higher nature These are but the pictures and the shadows the shells and the outsides the other the Life and the Power the Holy Ghost and the Fire it self Now they that receive these things are indeed the Children of the Free-Woman and are the true seed of Abraham All other are the Children of the Bond-Woman and are HAGAR who is in bondage with her Children to this very day For as it was with Hagar so is it now and hath been alwayes in all ages and generations The children of the Bond-woman do alwayes exalt themselves and are very sawcy and peremptory toward the children of the Free-woman why because they are Circumcised and submit to Ordinances and think themselves of the seed of Abraham therefore they grow proud lofty and censorious and usurp too much over the Children of the Free-woman even as their mother before the Hagar she despised her Mistress and lifted up her selfe more then was fit for her Therefore this is determined concerning her Cast out the Bond-woman and her Son for the Son of the Bond-woman shall not be heir with the Son of the Free-woman Gal. 4.25 When once the Handmaid who is in the house but by sufferance will exalt her selfe above THE MISTRESSE and her SON born after the flesh begin to persecute him that is born after the spirit then away with her cast out both her and her Sons too And farther know this that when the appearance of the power of Christ comes into the soul that is when the Bond-woman and her son is cast out then the soul doth not as some imagine and teach work out its own liberty nor is it made free by its own power Ibid 5.1 but Christ brings in this liberty with him and from this liberty the soule acts and works The children of the Free-woman do not work to be set free but because they are set free therefore they work freely and cannot but so work And herein lies a broad difference between the children of the Bond-woman and the children of the Free-woman When the sons of the Bondwoman hear of any thing that man is required to do presently they think to work themselves to it by their care watchfulnesse resolution c. But now it is quite contrary with the sons of the Free-woman they having a Principle of Freedom act and work from this the one worships God from an internal Principle in the power of the spirit the other from an outward compulsory cause and not from the power of love So likewise the one doth all his actions out of love to men doing good to all men in the world being willing to serve all out of love Pittying all Counselling all willing to help all so far as lies in them Imitating their Heavenly Father who doth good to all to the good and evil just and unjust Mat. 5.45 and meerly from a Heavenly Principle of mercy pitty and loving kindnesse and bowels of mercy But the other His Religion consists in outward forms in washings and dippings and conformity to Fellowships and whatever they do it is not from the power of love or from the nature of their heavenly fater in them but from some external cause from something without them from fear or hope either to prevent some danger or to procure something which they conceive in a general notion to be good for them to make them happy and the like because Hell they hear is a terrible place and full of Horrour and Destruction and Heaven is a place of peace joy and rest and there they shall live for ever in pleasure which shall never end upon these two grounds most men act and take up the strictest forms of Worship and hereupon they may be very constant and very zealous and sincere as they conceive when alas all these things are nothing at all so nor so for the truth is Hell they love and live in and yet know not that they are in it and that which is true heaven to the soule they hate and run away from as being the place of misery death and torments to them Therefore ye may see what a miserable delusion and cursed vaile is generally upon the Hearts of most men which call themselves Men fearing God and that which they call the Worship of God is no other but inventions of their own as they practice them and WILL-WORSHIP And though they keep a great deal of stirre about Ordinances and breaking of bread yet alas how far they are from the Ordinances of Christ let the effects of their practice and lives declare how little do they feed on Christ as they pretend to do He that feeds on Christ partakes of his nature and Christ in them turns the stock into his own Nature as Peter speaks Luk. 11.28 Ibid. 22.19 and they hear the word and keep it and these truly feed on Christ and do it in remembrance of him But these pretenders to Ordinances and outward duties they in stead of feeding on Christ or being fed by him they are fed indeed but by whom even by Satan himselfe for he makes them live and rest upon these shadows and
they are running and acting and working before it be given them to work or act For they will not believe but they can do something without Christ although he hath said expresly to the contrary But know let men say what they will there are but two Roots in the whole Earth either God or Belial Christ or Antichrist Mat. 12.33 and therefore ye must either make the Tree good and his fruit good or else the Tree evil and his fruit evil Now is man nothing but death sin darknesse and misery want emptinesse and yet will ye have him to live and arise and walk and do the works of God what a most senslesse ignorant thing is this doth not the blind in this lead the blind do not these men declare that they are utterly blind in experience as to the things of God I tell you and know it for an undeniable truth that when a Christian is spoken so to do or act ☞ it is not to him as being in the old man but as in the new And when any thing is required of any other it is only to shew him his weaknesse and inability and how infinitely short he comes of that he should do But therefore know if any one shall call upon a dead man to live and a blind man to see Psal 114.1 or expresse any thing to this purpose this language is no other but a strange language which the house of Jacob must be brought out from Psalm 114.1 and this is the Language of the Beast and the false Prophet and to speak in the work and root of darknesse Revel 19.20 and in which these men are who would make more roots of good then one and make man to be somethings and to have a power and a wisdome to himself apart from Christ yet this is frequent Doctrin even of those you cal your Orthodox men nothing more common with them And forsooth many of these men would not be thought to side with or own Arminius or Socinus by no means but the truth is though in word they may renounce them yet in their practice they receive and embrace them and they run hand in hand together and Iustifie that in all their practices which themselves deny in words But if these men had any true or real experience of themselves or of the wayes of GOd as they pretend they would never speak and teach as they do In not holding the head to the dishonour of Christ who is the head of all things As the Apostle speaks in that 2 Col. 19. c. Not holding the head from which all the body by joints and bands Col. 2.19 c. having nourishment ministred and knit together encreaseth with the encrease of God wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world why as though living in the world are ye subject to Ordinances as touch not taste not handle not and such like which are all to perish with the using after the Commandements and doctrines of men which things have a shew of holinesse in will-worship and humility and neglecting of the body not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh Beloved know if we be in him then we see we are but sprigs and branches in that Tree of life Jesus Christ Rev. 27. if we look on our selves any otherwise we are deluded nor it will never be well nor otherwise with us till we see and know experimentally That we bear not the root but the root us And therefore men should be very tender and cautious how they speak in the dishonor of Christ THE HEAD doe the branches bear the root or the root the branches hast thou any flower any blossome any fruit any grace in thy account which is not from this Tree it must all be cut off and wither and be burnt up And if they all grow out of him and from him why dost thou not ascribe all the power and glory to him alone why dost thou look upon thy selfe as any thing or as better then another if thou hast received it 1 Cor. 4.7 why boastest thou as if thou hadst not received it and so takest away the glory from him and givest it unto man Oh let men be ashamed thus to professe Christ in words and dishonour him in practice to let him wear a Crown of Thorns and they wear a Crown of Gold for them to be seen to be Somebody and Christ as good as nothing and therefore all their sayings and exhortations and counsels and pressing of natural men to grow and bear fruit and walk holily and the like they all proceed from ignorance of themselves and of the work of Christ and indeed t is no lesse then Blasphemy against the power wisdome honour Omnipotency and Allsufficiency of Jesus Christ T is no other but denying the Tree of Life and living on the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. Gen. 3. All the Saints of God they have but one root one life one light one language as growing up and out of that one root they have no light no life no power no wisdome no growing no watering but in this One root In thy Temple every one speaks of thy glory Ps 29.9 they have nothing to say in praise of any other When men cry out Thou must do and thou must be holy and thou must be watchful and thou must grow and thou must walk exactly and thou must keep close to God Oh Beloved this sounds not like the Language of Saints this sounds harsh in their eares for they cannot endure to have their HEAD dishonoured But when they hear that Jesus Christ is all light all life all power all glory and man is nothing but sin emptinesse death darkness misery these are the songs and these are the voices and the melody in the Temple This they know is the voice of Christ and of their Beloved Cant. 2.14 1 Cor. 15.22 Phil. 4.13 and to these songs their Hearts can ECCHO and answer Oh how pleasant is the voice of my Beloved they know that in Adam they all dye but in Christ they are all made alive and in him they can do all things They see Christ to be the Master the Teacher the Fahter the DOCTOR and that he is such a Teacher as not onely teaches the ear but the heart That He not onely cammands but he gives Wisedom and Understanding and * Acts 5.31 Phil. 3.3 Repentance and Love and Hope and Joy c. he sees he hath no sap no nourishment but as he abides in the root the truth is they have no confidence at all in the flesh because it is weak and crooked and dark and nothing at all of good in it But he sees Christ alone is his root Jer. 2.13 his life his sap his bread his fountain of living waters and if men knew Christ aright there would be no mention of any good in man they would have none to praise
are still in snares and lockt fast in their fetters for who else can deliver and set free the soule of man but he that is Lord of all Rev. 1.18 and is subject to none He alone hath the keyes of Hell and death he alone is the soules Captaine and deliverer This is that which all the Saints have experience of when they finde themselves delivered from the bondage of flesh of selfe of the world if they feel this work done within them they know experimentally t is the very finger and power of Christ and that he is only Christs free man that none hath brought it to pass to set them at liberty to knock off their chains and lead them out of prison and set their feet upon a rock but only the Almighty power and meer mercy of the Lord Jesus they know that it hath been he that hath opened their eyes and their eares Psal 40.2 that hath raised them from death and given them feet to walk and there is none know this truly but only those that feele it done in themselves And for proofe of this point though I might prove it by Scripture very pleatifully to shew how many yea all the Saints there spoken of have found it in their own experience that they were delivered from death and from prison by the power of God and by the hand of Jesus Christ yet what is this to thee except thou sinde their experience true in thy selfe else their experience is but notions and riddles to thee and such things whereof thou hast no knowledge except thou see and know thy selfe to be under deth and kept fast in prison and except thou hast found Jesus Christ restoring recovering delivering and redeeming thee from this death And that thou findest that he hath said to thy soule Arise and stand up on the feet Acts 14.10 and hath given thee strength and life to what end is it to bring all the examples in Scripture and in the world if this death and life be no experimented in us Insomuch that thou canst say This word is true to me because done in me as the Apostle saith in Heb. 1.1 2. Heb. 1.1 2. God who at sundry times and divers manners spake in times past unto the Fathers and by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son whom he hath appointed Heir of all things Those truths which he spake before by the Prophets he hath now spoken in us by his Son so that we now know them to be the word and speakings of God But as our Saviour saith Mat. 12.39 40. An evil and an Adulterous Generation seeketh after a sign They expect every speaking should be made good by an external word and ye must go no farther so that the truth is never witnessed to in their hearts but as he sayes there There shall no sign be given them but the sign of the Prophet Ionas For as Ionas was three days and three nights in the Whales belly even so shal the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth Except you find the same things done in you the same miracles the same death the same lying in the grave three days and three nights except you find Jesus Christ taking thee by the hand and restoring thee to life thou art of an evil and adulterous Generation seeking after an external sign and thou art a meer stranger to these things But I shall for their sakes who feel the work of Christ within them give you two or three places of Scripture being the experience of the Saints of old that you may see how the Saints bear witnesse to each other in experience First Scripture Esa 61.1 2 3. Esa 61.1 2 3. speaking there of Christ being the only deliverer saith The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because he hath anoynted me to preach good tidings to the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give them beauty for ashes and the oyl of joy for mourning and the garments of praise for the spirit of heavinesse c. Christ only is the breaker open of the soules prison doors he alone gives deliverance to the Captives and he alone brings them forth from prison and sets them free and this he is to his people in all ages for he is yesterday and to day Heb. 13.8 and the same for ever and when the same word appeared in flesh he testifies the same of himself Luke 4.18 Luk. 4.18 21. where he rehearseth the same words and applyes them to himself vers 21. This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears And this was that which he still held forth in all his teachings that there is no other Saviour nor Deliverer but himself never was nor is nor ever shall be to the end of the world Moses was only an outward and external Captain or Deliverer but His leadings and deliverings are spiritual and there is none can be delivered but by him Heb. 12.24 as he is a better Mediator then Moses so he is a better deliverer t is he alone that frees the soul from the pit from death and hell his Kingdom is within us The Jewes and Pharisees they still excepted an outward deliverer and could not own Him as a Prince and Saviour but were blind and saw not what he still held forth in all his teachings They could not see the truth that they were blind and miserable and full of Hypocrisie and were no other but painted Sepulchres glorious outwardly but within were full of rottennesse stench and dead mens bones They could not endure to stand in the light of this truth Mat. 23.27 but hated it and persecuted him to the death for holding it forth What are we blind also what we the learned the wisest the holiest what we that are strict our selves and call upon others to be so this was death to them But now had they but seen this and owned it he would have been their righteousness their deliverer their redeemer to have set them free but because they said we see therefore their sin remained and their fetters and bondage was not taken off And again Christ tells them Iohn 8.31 32. If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free Now these things they could not see nor understand that they were in bondage but answered to him we are Abrahams seed and were never in bondage to any man how sayest thou ye shall be made free then Jesus answered them Verily verily I say unto you He that committeth sin is the servant of sin the servant abideth not in the House for ever but the son abideth for ever And if the son shall make you
Catechisms and prescribing of Rules in mending this way and the other form and are still in mending and altering and making their ways and forms better and more reformed as they think when alas all this is nothing but man taking upon himself to cut pare and mend the worship of God This man he thinks to cut out a neater way then his neighbour-gathered-church and a another he thinks to mend and make his way more handsome then he and another then both Every one hath a Doctrin a Psalm hath a Tongue 1 Cor. 14.26 hath a Revelation hath an Interpretation none done to the edifying of the body of Christ For all this is but to rend and tear the Seamlesse coat of Christ in that man would fain be something do something by his own wisdom and power and his righteousnesse must not be sleighted nor vilified nor all his glory must not be laid in the dust all these Worshippers and pretenders to Christ they live on the shadow and rely on the shape and form of Christianity but not on the life and power How have men beat their wits and layd their counsels together to form and model Religion to make it passe for currant in the world that they may be accounted Artists and Pastors and Doctors and according to that fine invented word ORTHODOX and some adding that blasphemous title DIVINE and they will prescribe Rules and make Articles of faith for all men to beleeve and receive and conform to and still they are new-modelling to cut it and square it as like the Letter of the Word as may be and then they are pleased and others applaud them as wise Master Builders And yet we may say of them as the Apostle Peter saith 2 Pet. 2.17 c. 2 Pet. 2.17 18 19. They are those which have forsaken the right way and are gone astray following the way of Balaam who loved the wayes of unrighteousness These are Wells without water clouds carried with a tempest to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever For when they speak great swelling words of vanity they allure through the lusts of the flesh those who were clean escaped from them who live in error And while they promise them libertie they themselves are the servants of corruption for of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage They are alwaies learning and teaching others to do this and do that and yet they themselves are the servants of lust and corruption Therefore be not deceived but if they cry loe here or loe there Go after such a Man and such a Man Luk. 17.23 joyn with this Church or that Fellowship and ye find Christ but go not after them believe them not for they do but deceive they cannot deliver nor redeem themselves And therefore this point is clear that none but Jesus Christ could ever free the soul or deliver it from bondage and this is a truth against which the Gates of Hell shall never prevail Mat. 16.18 Therefore we may conclude that whatever spirit goes out any other way or to any other thing to find Rest or Liberty or Redemption by but only by Jesus Christ he is deceived for t is only in Immanuel God with us there is no Redeemer no Deliverer no Saviour but only He All the Saints who have all experience therof in themselvs know this to be true and give out their witnesse that in vain did they run out to any thing else and these only are the true Wayters for the Kingdom of God and the consolation of Israel Mar. 15.43 here was the true Wayting and the true using of Ordinances Oh that men did but know what this waiting upon the Father was that they knew that there was no life but in Christ no power but in him that they had no wisdom nor goodness nor that they could never be delivered but by and in the power light and life of Christ Oh that men knew in experience as they pretend in words and notions Joh. 5.22 that all judgment is committed to the Son And that in him alone was the power of life and death and that he alone had the keys to unlock the Mysteries of Salvation then whether if they were perswaded of this could the heart of man go for relief If it saw its own utter emptiness nothingness and that all Creatures and all Ordinances and forms were broken Cisterns Jer. 2.13 how could they depend and wait on them If then Jesus Christ be the only fulness the only power the only riches the only joy the only treasure then would they sell all to buy this Pearl Mens running out to this thing and to that is because they are unsatisfied Luk. 11.24 and are in want of peace and rest and this makes them go out and walk through dry places to find rest but can find none this want makes them heap to themselves so many varieties of things to give them peace their souls fly to and again from florwe to flowre but cannot rest any where they fly to this duty and tother form but they are all emptie they are no other but dry places Oh wonderful to see how Satan hath deluded the sons of men and all is because they cannot be content to sit down in their own poverty to see themselves naked and miserable and then to wait upon Him who would certainly come in in due time with true Peace Riches Rest Power Righteousnesse Satisfaction Fulnesse and whatever is good But because men are not able to stand in the sight of their own nothingness how doth Satan continually carry them out they cannot endure to stay within to see themselves but either they are carried out to Lust or Luxury or Wantonnesse or Drinking or Company and the like and if that will not hide and cover the pit so that the mouth of conscience will not be stopt then it runs out to Duties and Forms and wayes of Worship and thinks that will do it when alas they are meer delusions and things which the soul hath invented to play withal to get peace and liberty by to make it forget its Misery Poverty and Emptinesse but the end of this peace is death and misery and the end of this liberty is confusion Rom. 6.21 And what fruit have ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed But oh happy is that soul that can say from experience and not onely in words but really Job 16.2 That they are all miserable comforters and that all below and besides Christ Esa 28.20 all gender to death and bondage and that he hath found the Bed too broad and the Covering too narrow so that he could not wrap himself therein and that he is resolved never to run out to any thing to relieve or stay his spirit but only to the Riches Power and Fulnesse of Christ not to the grosse lusts of men nor to the riches of the world to
honour or praise or the like nor to the Religion of the world nor of the Nation as ye know many usually do and if that will not do then they fly higher and they will be of the strictest sort of the Pharisees and joyn themselves with men of Learning Gravity and Religion and men esteemed Orthodox and sound in the Faith and he will follow their ways in hearing and reading and praying and walking without offence and the like but all these do but sow to the flesh Gal. 6.8 and of the flesh can reap nothing but corruption Do but examine thy selfe although thou hast joined thy selfe here and there and gone from one Church-society to another and put thy neck under the yoak of such a form and such a religion what was the cause was it not thy fears thy terrors within or was it not that thou mayst cover thy filthy and corrupt heart from the sight of others hast thou not for all this conformity the same heart the same nature still though thou hast hid and covered it by these inventions and when the fire hath still broke out and thy misery and undone condition would not be concealed hast not thou said within thy self is there not some other way some better remedy is there no better Physitians then these I have joind my self to the Presbyterians and I have found their way too short that would not do I have come over to the Independents and thought that way seemed before a better and more refined way yet it is too narrow I cannot wrap my self in that covering well sayes thy heart is there no other nor no better Physitians so I could but secure my self and prevent this fire and this burning I would be content to do any thing and take up every yoak and submit to the strictest forms Then say the Anabaptists come over to us and we shall give thee satisfaction we have the true Baptism according to the word none so near the word of God as we But when thou hast done all these things to find rest and to quench the fire which began to burn and to hide thy deformities from men dost thou think there is any thing of Christ in all this is not this rather to run away and turn thy back upon Christ and to live by thy own wits and inventions and by thy own power meerly to prevent death and destruction and the losing of thy own wisdom and righteousnesse and that thou mayest not come into the light of God least it should discover thy darknesse and blacknesse And now seeing these things are so how dare any of the sons of men boast of these things when they cannot free nor deliver the soul but rather increase their misery and lengthen out their bondage I say dare any man stand forth and call these the Ordinances of Christ as they use them what greater what higher blasphemy an Ordinance of God is a thing of another nature wherein the wisdom and power of God is effectual to bring in the heart to cause man to renounce his own wisdom power c. to empty him of all his power and goodnesse and to cause the soul to submit to the righteousnesse of faith else t is but an ordinance of man and the word is but a dead Letter and t is no more but the word of man Matth. 7.29 2 Cor. 10.5 Psa 50.16 except it come with authority and power upon the heart bringing every high thought and every imagination into the obedience of Christ What hast thou to do to take my word into thy mouth and yet hatest to be reformed Truly friends there are many pretenders to Christ and the world makes a great noise of serving and worshipping him and there is great talk everywhere of fearing God in notion and opinion and delusion For who else more persecute and crucifie Christ and hate and oppose the true power of godlinesse and the teachings of the spirit and the work of Christ in redeeming and delivering the soule then these men Therefore Beloved these things that men so much cleave to and magnifie cannot be the rest of a Christian nor the Ordinances of Christ as used by them but of Antichrist because they may be used and lived in and admired and prized and yet they are without any power they let those that use them and live in them to be carried away with divers lusts 2 Tim. 3.6 2 Pet. 2.19 they pretend liberty but themselves are the servants of corruption and enemies to the power of Christ and the life of Christianity and are acted by Antichrist who as God sitteth in the Temple of God 2 Thes 2.4 shewing himself that he is God Though he be a Devil and Antichrist yet he would not be known all his policy is to conceal himself and be thought to be righteous and pure and to be the very Christ the son of the living God May not one be dipt and receive water baptisme and yet be a Sorcerer Yes was not Simon Magus so Acts 8 12. May not one be at breaking of bread with Christ and yet be a Devil Mat. 26.23 Yes for so was Iudas though he was not there when Christ gave them his body to eat and his blood to drink which was himself which he gave to all the rest yet he was at supper with him at the Paschal Lamb and externally brake bread with him May not a man be full of good words and make great professions of strictnesse and yet be far from the Kingdom of of Heaven Yes Mat. 23.14 for so were the Pharisees they were the only Learned men and the Interpreters of the Scriptures and used much and long praying and uttering many outward good words sweet and smooth in their carriage and were very strict as to the outward command and were generally taken for the holiest and the gravest and the soberest men if any lend to them they would lend to them again yet you know what Christ saies of them Ibid. v. 27. they were but painted Hypocrits and compares them to lothsome stincking Sepulchres As the Apostle saith concerning charity though a man go never so far in actions of love though he give his body to be burned 1 Cor. 13.3 and have not true love all is nothing Men may come so far as to burn for Religion and yet have nothing of Christ at all Therfore these outward external actions of men do not truly declare a Christian whether he act from the power of Christ in him for he may do the same acts by way of imitation that a true Saint may do Therefore Beloved it lies us very much upon to discover and find out wherein the truth lies how we may know it from all forms shadows pictures patterns to know that which is true real unchangable and cannot deceive for there can be no true peace nor no real satisfaction but where Christ is an indweller in the soul where all of man
not of nor cannot conceive of And therefore all the world whether professing Christ or not they not eating of this Divine food they starve and die and eat nothing else but death the curse and damnation And yet what a noise and a busling there hath been in all ages about the forms and shadows of things and what censuring and condemning each other for not having a uniformity which can never be for they only dwelling in the letter and upon externall things they see not the spirit and the mysterie the life and the true bread 1 Gor. 10.17 But those who eate of the true bread they are one body and one bread for they are all partakers of that one bread with them there is a unity and a uniformity and nowhere else there can be of which men have heard a talk and report and they speak of such a thing but they know not what it means nor how to come by it for none can come at it but those to whom this bread is given and they onely can say experimentally Joh. 6.55 his body is bread indeed and his blood is drink indeed 1 Gor. 10.16 And they only can give witnesse of the True Communion of Saints and know the happinesse and true pleasure thereof and what heavenly sweetnesse is therein All harmonizing and giving testimony to This One alone Great Deliverer and This wonderfull None-such Deliverance No unity like this unity nor love nor peace like this peace which they have in Jesus Christ Their only Deliverer THE SAINTS Perfect Freedome OR Liberty in CHRIST asserted In opposition to all Yokes of Bondage By Mr. Jo. WEBSTER Preached at Alhallows Lumbard-street SERMON II. GALAT. 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the libertie wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage WE have already spoke something from these words according as God was pleased to give forth to us The Apostle in the former Chapter having spoken of the difference between the two seeds shewing that the one was the Heir the son of the promise and the seed of the Free-woman and was to inherit all the blessings The other was the son of the Bond-woman who was always in bondage with her Children and was to be cast cut and rejected for the Son of the Bond-woman shall not be Heir with the son of the Free-woman Now the Apostle with these Galathians had taken great pains and he had as it were Gal. 4.19 travailed in birth with them to bring them to Christ and to have him formed in them and they being made children of the Free-woman He comes in this verse to exhort them to stand fast in that deliverance wherewith Christ had made them free and to stand fast under the true obedience of Christ and not to be entangled or to give eare to any other Doctrine for all Doctrine and all other Government was no other but A yoak of bondage And the point we then stood upon was this That Jesus Christ was the only Deliverer from bondage wherein we shewed that every beleever was Christs true free-man Doct. and no man was ever delivered and set free from bondage but only and alone by Jesus Christ And we spake something to shew you how Christ was the Deliverer Esa 7.14 whom I shewed you was IMMANUEL God in us he being manifested and brought forth in us Col. 5.27 then he was the hope of Glory and never till then For man is set free by no other nor no lesse power then the power of the Father even the very same power which raised up Iesus from the grave Eph. 1.19.20 The very same sets every beleever at liberty And was that which freed him from his bondage broke off his shackles loosed him from his chains and delivered him out of prison We shewed hence the folly and madness of all those who went about or had any hope or expectation of freedom by any other way but only by Jesus Christ alone and how vain all the endeavour of man was till Christ was pleased to set him free for where the spirit of Christ is 2 Cor. 3.17 there is liberty and nowhere else This Liberty will abide and men may stand fast in it but all other liberty is but a delusion and will fail and come to nothing whatever peace or power or righteousness is brought into any soul by any other means it will fail and deceive him that puts confidence therein But where Christ has set a man free there is real freedom and his work will abide and shall receive a reward 1 Cor. 3.14 In the next place we shewed that this Deliverer all his works were spiritual they were not wrought in a carnal and fleshly way It was not externall forms nor outward rules nor disciplines nor gathering into fellowships nothing of this nature could set the soul free but onely the infinite power of Jesus Christ himself And having laid these things down we would now come nearer to our selves that every soul here may examine it selfe to see what witnesse it can bear to this doctrine whether they can testifie and beare out their witnesse in experience that Christ hath been their Deliverer or no and whether this deliverance have been wrought in them I doe not here come to ask any what he can say in words or what he hath by notion by reading or hearing or by custom or education but Art thou come to thy Deliverance by the spirit and power of Christ Hast thou found in thy selfe that all thy wisdom power endeavours all thy rules and strict walking could never deliver thy soul from one lust but that thou wert forced to renounce all as weak and abominable being utterly lost and stript naked in thy selfe being made as weak as any other man Judg. 16.17 and that all thy power working acting reforming was but a meer forced thing and nothing therein done by the power of love and by the spirit of Christ in thee that all thy glorious shews of faith and holinesse and strictnesse in conversation was but meer shews and pictures and that thou thy selfe wert but as sounding Brass and as a tinckling Cymbal and all thy profession and religion meer aire apparition 1 Cor. 13.1 emptiness and in truth A Ly and no such thing However thou hast been carried out upon divers considerations and hast had many glorious speculations and high expressions which to thy selfe and others have seemed rare and glorious yet I say except thou canst make these things out as done and acted in thy self by Jesus Christ be assured all thy words and high profession is nothing But hath Jesus Christ been thy Saviour thy Deliverer hath he opened thy eyes and thy ears raised thee from death to life have thy anckle-bones received steength from him Are those miracles spoken of which he did in the flesh done in thee Acts. 3.7 Are thy bones broken Ps 91.3 and is thy soul
that and the other duty but this cure being not throughly wrought but as the Prophet Jeremy saith The Prophets have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people sleightly for they having submitted to their directions Jer. 6.14 they have hereupon comforted them and told them now all was well and they were converted and both concluded that he was their spiritual father that had begotten them again But for all this the day of the Lord hath afterward come upon them as a thiefe in the night 1 Thes 5.2 and they have been robd of all their comfort and confidence and have laine many yeers after in misery and bondage and no man could speak any peace to them till Jesus Christ himselfe came and then they found him indeed to be The Deliverer And that he alone was annointed to preach good tidings to the meek to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaime liberty to the Captive Esay 61.1 c. and the opening of the prison dores to those that are bound to proclaim the acceptable yeare of the Lord and to comfort all that mourn To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion beauty for ashes joy for mourning c. that HE might be glorified Therefore from hence I would presse a word or two upon all those that think themselves delivered It is worthy your consideration that so your confidence may not deceive you If thou art DELIVERED by the power of Christ and that the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah hath ransommed and redeemed thy soule from the power of the grave Rev. 5.5 Then thy testimony and thy witnesse will be this That nothing in Heaven or Earth can deliver but solely the power of Christ and this thou wilt and canst hold forth not in general words but really and from experience that there is no deliverer but Christ alone Thou wilt I say bear out thy witnesse if so be thou art delivered that it was not Ordinances as men improperly call them could do it it was not in the power of the Letter of the word nor in any thing whatsoever nor in the power of thy doing nor thy watchfulness nor strictness could in the least help thy soul to rest but only the mighty arm and power of Christ He hath trod the Wine-presse alone He can in experience give Testimony freely Esay 63.3 c. to that Scripture in Esa 63.3 Who is this that commeth from Edom with died garments from Bozrah travelling in the greatnesse of his strength t is I that speak in righteousnesse being mighty to save T is I that have trodden the Wine-presse alone And of the people there was none with me for the day of vengeance is in mine heart and the year of my redeemed is come therefore mine own arm brought salvation And I will tread down the people in mine anger and make them drunk in my fury and I will tread down THEIR STRENGTH to the Earth Here Beloved is a true description of MANS deliverance it can never be till Christ will do it and till the year of his redeemed be come and he doth it alone and no man stands by him no man can help And in that day they shall drink in his fury ☞ and he will tread down THEIR STRENGTH t is not mans power nor wit nor learning nor endeavours nor doings nor fellowships nor Ordinances can help him or stand by him But his own right hand hath brought salvation If it be not by the hand and power of God alone thou wert never yet delivered For in that day all the strength of man the wisdom of man the righteousness of man all their strength must be all trodden down Esay 63.6 Jer. 25.15 c. and in that day he must be content to drink in the Lords fury and he must stand condemned and abominable in his own sight and take the cap of this fury at the Lords hand Oh sayes that soul whom Christ hath delivered I find He alone was my Saviour my Deliverer there was none with him If his hand had not laid hold on me and saved me I had gone down to hell into the Nethermost pit Oh Beloved he cannot endure to hear any lift up any thing equal with Jesus Christ or join any thing with him to help him in this work in the least He had rather you should kill his dear Father nay himselfe rather then hear any one speak against or undervalue the work of Jesus Christ And this is the witness he bears forth for he testifies what he knows and what his eyes have seen and what his hands have handled of the word of life 1 John 1.1 Nay the very work of Christ it self bears testimony that this was Christ his own work in them for t is such a work as none other could do saith our saviour The works that I doe bear witness of me John 15.24 for if I had not done such works as no man ever did or could do why should you beleeve on me For to make duties or those things falsly call'd Ordinances his rest or his peace or his Saviour this is DEATH to a true experienced soul he cannot endure any should wear that crown but Jesus Christ alone he knowes experimentally as Peter when Christ asked them Ibid. 6.68 Will ye also go from me Lord Whither shall we go thou alone hast the words of Eternal life They had experience of this in themselves that he alone had power and wisdom and strength and to turn away from him they turned to death to sin to misery to weakness to helplesse and dumb Idols whatever it was but only Himself and the work of Christ gave testimony to this work they felt the workings thereof they had it not by reading or hearing or observing this or that rule nor by Notions or fancies or opinion or perswasion or self-confidence but they in themselves have had experience of the breaking of thier own bonds and loosing off their own yoaks and that in them HE hath preached good tidings to the meek and hath bound up the broken-hearted Esa 61 ◠c. and proclaimed liberty to the Captives and hath opened the prison doors and delivered them from death and guilt and hell And that the Tabernacle of God is with these men and to them there is no more death neither sorrow nor crying for the former things are passed away And he that now sits upon the Throne saith in them Rev. 21.3 Behold I alone make all things new These things Write saith the BRIDE and also this Soule for these words are true and faithful Beloved can you give testimony to this work of Christ in you have you seen it felt it believed it Oh! know it is not much talk of Christ or much talk of sin or talking of Deliverance nor thy perswasion or the like but hath Christ wrought it in thee by himself alone Esa 63.3 4. when no man stood by him not thy selfe by thy