God Psal 86.10 unlesse such and such men stand by him What Is not God God alone Cannot he nay doth not he use to do great things alone Nemine adjuvante multis obstantibus Is not Heaven brought to us against all the strength of Hell by Christ alone I will make a more strict soule-application of this point Great things come in a very immediate way my inference is our eyes in matters of the soule which are the greatest things should be much fixed upon God Sinners undoe their soules in that little which they doe to save them 'T is enough to some that they put themselves upon Ordinances as if that were all to bring the soule to Heaven Grace and salvation come in a more immediate way 'T is not what men say to the eare but what God himselfe speaks to the heart which makes Heaven there and a capacity of Heaven for ever 'T is the voice behind you that turnes you and saves you Grace drops from Christs on we lips I create the fruit of the lips peace These waters are nothing to him that makes them enough 'T is the Angels stirring does the worke for Heaven Sinners when you come to Ordinances use them as Ordinances * Media ut media secùs slagella and not as Gods charge your soules to hearken what God will say and what God will doe I am going to divine Ordinances it may be a man may say many good wordes to me and God never a one man may lift and lift and be very lively and God give never a lift and then is my soule lost Ah Lord How ominous is that when God will not speake a word to the soule I am fallen upon a point of life death sinners attend or you will utterly lose your soules You have mediate favours cast upon you but what immediate You have men-preaching but what God-preaching do you find you keepe on in a rode-way what foot-way hath Christ within from heaven to your hearts The Law was written with Gods own hand and so dispensed in a very immediate way which was Israells greatest favor Is the Law written on your hearts by the finger of God What friends have you from Heaven visiting you which no eye sees What immediate dispensations from Christ to your soules What workings of the spirit of God upon your spirits doe you finde in Ordinances many a man hath no bigger favours from God then a Horse or a Cow naked corporall things for the support of such a corporall being bread and flesh as a bruite hath hay and grasse This was Caines curse banished from Heaven to earth cursed from the presence of the Lord to bruites mercies onely to what felicity the earth could afford no fellowship betweene God and his soule The World is full of banished soules from the presence of the Lord. Justice for this makes no difference O England betweene thy men and horse no more of one then of t'other because so like in qualification one looking no higher then t'other The noblest blessings the greatest favours Heaven and Heavenly things which God gives with his owne hands to the soule these thy wantons and worldlings O sensuall England have not esteemed A base sunke spirit hath sunk thee England If thou couldest have but the mercies of a bruite fat pasture and peace to grase in it 't would much as thy heart wishes As for those greatest favours which God in state dispences with his owne hand to the heart thou hast many children which will dispence with these and many which will scoffe at them Multitudes amongst you care not for the smile of a God so you may have but the smiling countenance of some great man so you may but sleepe in a whole skinne and enjoy fleshly delights whether God or your soule ever change a good word you heed not Yee base spirited wretches which care not for Heaven so that yee may have but earth know that yee are the plague of poore England The bloud of the Land will be laid at your doore Had not you growne so earthly and base in a fat Land as to sleight Heaven and sleight the greatest favours we had not bled at this day T is the badge of an Esau to prize earth and sleight Heaven to serve sence and to care for no nobler nor nearer fellowship with God then providence bring to the belly God may bring a Heaven to your bodies if this will serve turne and a hell to your soules Let every man know the plague of his heart and repent carnality will kill you all Spirituality onely covets the noblest things A spirituall man cannot feed so low nor so course as others doe hee must have a Dish from GODS owne Table or all dainties at his owne table rellish not The Creature is sweete but there is a Heaven beyond this saith hee Hee cannot sit downe without God nor rise up without him All is wanting when God cannot be found no body at Table when Christ is not there what dropping from Heaven upon my soule from every thing that 's still the Quaere with a spirituall man Immediate favours noblest God alone all to this man Whom have I in Heaven but thee whom have I in Earth in comparison of thee Words of men weighed words of Gods within laid up more choyce then Jewells The opportunity is still lost when Christ and the soule hath had no talke Vanites ensnare I am too fleshly for Christ to take mee by the hand sayes a spirituall man One spirit is still panting after another two spirits would be one in the bosome of another no lesse then the jewels which hang about Christs owne neck will content a noble spirit The Quaere is not how much the body hath of the Creature but how much the soule doth enjoy of God What immediate mercies doe I enjoy What hath God laid in for spending in these hard times with his owne hands What faith What experiments What divine resolutions Spirituality carries the soule sublime every thing is in price as it comes from Heaven and brings Heaven along with it That 's preaching that brings Heaven and the heart together that 's a christian whose breath smels like a garden which the Lord hath blest In whose mouth Heaven opens As things are wrapped up in Christ so they have their price still to a spiritualll man Carnality makes you mind no high things earth is heavy earthy soules cannot flee high no higher then the top of a golden dunghill Let these things hint a bad state and better it The noblest things make the noblest condition both here and here after Live low now and live low for ever as low as hell FINIS USEFULL INSTRVCTIONS FOR THESE Evill Times COLOSS. 1.12 Giving thanks to the Father who hath made us meete to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light T Is considerable how Christ makes his will how hee disposes of all where hee gives most where he casts
sitting in darkenesse looke to that as you love your soules 't is excluding from the Inheritance in light sit in darkenesse love your lusts and you will never part with them for Heaven The condition of your Inheritance in light is that you must cast away the unfruitfull workes of darkenesse The Soule lives and dies in that it loves you will rather cast away your soules then doe this if your affection bee impure If your love to sinne live you will have your pleasure in it though you die for it If love to sinne live there is but one way with your soules they will die in that sinne Love of sinne and Heaven opened to the soule 't is rejection of Christ with his greatest blessing in his Hand Christ casts off every Soule that thus desperately casts off him A Man must set his Knife to the Throate of an Isaack Judge his Soule in that which is dearest if sinnefull GOD will not else looke towards a Man with great things Hee looketh upon Men if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited mee not hee will deliver his Soule from goeing downe into the Pitte and his Life shall see the light Consolation must conclude this poynt Christians I am to give you a glad word in this sad Time Your Inheritance here is spoyled you have one that lies above spoyle in light Can Men or Devils pull the Sunne out of Heaven Then may your highest fortune bee spoyled You have one Sunne turned into blood but you have another which cannot Your felicitie here is broken and growes every Day more broken and bloudy you have a felicitie compleate full absolute as full of Blessednesse as the Sunne of light a felicitie as full of Beames as the Eyes of the Soule can receive Draw up your soules to Heaven quicklie Earth is posting away Let good bloud stirre every drop will bee lost else You will be killed in all on Earth to make you more Heavenly ere GOD hath done with you Thinke how absolute you shall bee above and feedeâ—â— that Let not tyranny trample downe your soules though it doth your bodies a perfect felicitie waites for you Let Englands bloudy misery make you cry Come Lord Iesus come quickly set mee as high and as happy as mine Inheritance Jn Light Inference THat which by way of Inference may be taken from this Metaphor I shall but name and conclude all Time and Text. GOD doth lively shadow out to Man here his condition hereafter what hee shall be and where he shall be for eternity There is death and the shadow of it before it come So there is life and the shadow of it light is here made the shadow and semblance of Heaven of a glorious estate to come As there be Tasts of the World to come so there be sights Light gives glimpses below of the glory that is above There is a beholding the Land that is far off the Face of Christ in a Glasse the glory above by the glory here one Heaven in another Heaven in Light Man hath many Sermons preached to him to make him Heavenly as many Heavenly Sermons as there be rayes in the Sunne by every glimpse of Light you should set before you Heaven As long as the Sunne shines you should not want a Sermon to send your soules to Heaven God deales with flesh as flesh Man is a Creature taken with shadowes Things drawne out to the life take The Soule now fetches in all from sense God stoops to helpe in things this way at such doores as they will goe in at GOD wraps up the higher Heaven in the lower glory in Light and so brings it downe to carnall sense and enobles it there to enoble it within catches the senses to catch the Heart and save the Soule If Light be so glorious what is Heaven This is the secret Soule-taking argument that is wrapt up in this Metaphor Though your bodies have yet no Heaven your soules if you walke as you should neede never be without one As long as your Eyes bee open to see the Sunne you may sweetely send your Soules to Heaven Some sweare by the Light this is to send their soules to Hell not to Heaven by the Light God moves in meanes powerfully Pictures are powerfull upon flesh and bloud Make things glitter and Man will gaze make Earth glitter although so base and fallen Man will be taken with it worke it up from its basenesses but so little as to looke golden and glorious and man will dote upon it How taking is golden Earth to al the World Heaven is wrapt up in Sun-beams and made to glitter to catch a foole Christ is expressed by the Sunne Heaven by Light that if sense have any power upon the soule no soule may goe to Hell whilest the Sunne gives Light There were transient Visions now there are standing Truth and the Creature are Gods standing Vision Things below are all made at Divine pleasure to speake out things above The Word of God uses the Workes of GOD to shadow out what cannot bee plainely seene here invisible things are brought to understanding by visible Heaven by light Hell by darkenesse Hell beneath by Hell here The gnawing Worme is used to shadow out gnawing conscience gnawing conscience to shadow out Hell Man hath his vision what shall bee in things round about him The Word of God the Workes of God Light darkenesse Serpents Dragons Worms Lambes Doves all Creatures are used to give apt vision to man of things to come All runs into this CHRIST makes lively apparition of things to come Looke about you sinners your Sun is turned into bloud this is speaking to you pro futuro Strange Lights and sights have beene in Heaven looke about you all this is God using the Creature to shadow out to dull sensuall man something to come a Heaven or a Hell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blessed is every English heart that can discerne the signes of the Times FINIS
hold your sin Communicatio universalis Heaven is universally communicable from East West North South many come and sit downe in the Kingdome of Heaven Strangers may dwell in the holy Land Gentiles aswell as Jewes Of all Nations kindreds tongues may live together above and be spoken unto in their owne language yea understand one another plainly Variety of language excludes not heaven confounds not heaven All above are intuitively understanding men are as the Angels of God in the Resurrection Oh every one that thrists come in that 's the bill that is set upon Heaven doore did yee never stand still and reade it sinners Heaven gate is open to all that knock but fooles foolish Virgins foolish soules which have nothing in them nor will have nothing in them to render them fit for heaven There is Rahab the Harlot There is Manasseh that murtherer there is the Thiefe there is Mary that had so many Devills A man that hath many Devills may come where there is not one The most devillish hellish creature may be made partaker of Heaven Lame and Blind and Halt may come in there and yet still there is roome 'T is don as thou hast commanded said the servant that was sent out to invite all sorts and yet there is roome Luke 14.22 There is great variety of guests above and yet one Table large enough for all no crowding and yet thousands thousands of thousands sitting together Heaven is a vast continent much of the holy Land not yet planted many mansions above without any Inhabitant Heaven is universally communicable and universally fit and compleate so to be All may sit round and looke the Sun full in the face and he them That which is so proposed to all and so fit for all how will it doubly damne all that come short of it You will be jugded as lovers of hell more then lovers of Heaven which come short of it As lovers of darknesse more then light As lovers of sinne more then the eternall felicity of your soules upon this very ground that grace and Heaven are so generally communicable Light is come into the World saith Christ And the world regardeth it not This is the condemnotion of the World A World of men might be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light and will not this will make hell hell indeed condemnation the condemnation because men will not go thither though no exception 'T is desperate to make exceptions where God makes none to exclude a mans selfe when God doth not Finally communicantio durabils Heaven is durably communicable I cannot say it is perpetually communicable The everlasting doores stand not open everlastingly But yet a great while The Thiefe found them open at the last houre of his life A sinner may come in at the ninth and last houre and have his pay A sinner of a hundred yeares old may get into Heaven I doubt there be but few gray-headed sinners turne in there yet it is not long of the place Heaven doores are open till old Age onely old folkes are wilfull which is excluding God is long suffering all that while Heaven doores are open The long suffering of God waited in the dayes of Noah saith the Apostle Peter A hundred and twenty yeares Heaven stood open to that people God makes the greatest mercies waite upon the greatest sinners a greate while which is one of the greatest wonders in the World If you have a mind give great things you have no mind to wait to doe it yet so doth God He waites to be gracious The Sun is made to stand still many houres many dayes many yeares Salvation brought to mens houses Parishes yea to mens eares and there sounding and knocking seven yeares ten yeares twenty yeares And all the intreaty is Will yee goe to Heaven sinners Will yee goe to Heaven Will you be made partakers of the inheritance of Saints God is not a bare giver of Heaven but a woer for Heaven he does reconcile and beseech to reconciliation he doth knock and stand at the doore and knock till his lockes be wet with the dew of the night He stretches out his hand with Heaven in it and doth so all the day long To Israel he saith All the day long have I stretched out mine hand to a disobedient and gainesaying People Rom. 10.21 Heaven made to waite upon earth base earth wicked earth what will this come to if not looked to If heaven not participated of at last What a hell will he have which hath had heaven at his doore many yeares together and had no heart to enter into it But you will say no body is so carelesse Every one surely is willing to goe to Heaven One would thinke so But yet 't is not so 'T is easy to demonstrate that multitudes have no heart to goe to Heaven They will part with nothing for it Sinne is worse then nothing and yet Sinners will not part with this for Heaven Have they any heart to Heaven then Christ makes an underprizing of a thing a demonstration of no love nor heart to that thing so prized If you thinke good give me my price if not forbeare So they weighed for my price thirty pieces Cast it to the Potter saith God A goodly price Underprizing and undervaluing a thing speakes out properly and plainly no will to that thing Will swayes that way which 't is willing Love bids according to worth Shee comes to Christs price for Christ and glad shee can have him so too If you thinke good give mee my price c. A mans owne price is no price base bidding for Heaven argues no heart to it such a wretch is cast to the Potter cast to hell to be torne to pieces as a vessell in which there is no pleasure If underprice argues no heart what does no price 'T is many a sinners damnable case hee 'le part with no sin for Christ nor Heaven could Christ and heaven be much more worth then they are Part with no sin doe no duty waite no time 'T will be a hell to this man to goe to Heaven A man that will not part with his sinnes to be partaker of Heaven is more willing to goe to hell then to Heaven sinne hath got his heart he should lose his Heaven to goe to Heaven A sinners owne heaven is dearer to him then Christ he will venture the losse of one rather then lose the other They will performe no duty for Heaven Action speakes out affection To what a man hath a heart he hath a hand a head a foote heart commands all The will is Major Generall orders all to move as she will Where there is no foote towards Heaven no hand towards Heaven nor bending that way Is the heart towards Heaven From your lives you will be condemned yee speake out your hearts and yet you plead for them you have set your way you will goe and yet upon pretend you are bound in
his best blessings to wit in the bosome of the best persons Heaven is the inheritance of Saints Doct. Divine fruition is still made according to capacity Men many times give place and honor where there is no capacity nor fitnesse but Christ never doth Christ brings not hell to Heaven wickednesse inherits wrath grace onely inherits glory Heaven is hell to a depraved state As guilt shunes Justice so doth sinne holinesse A wicked man would not be where sinne is punished nor where grace is onely practized He is as unwilling to Heaven as to hell yet to one he must Christ casts hell upon many against their will but Heaven upon none but upon such who are both willing and capable Holinesse makes capacity of happinesse purity will bosome purity Christ puts no Toads in his bosom but Saints Inheritance of Saints c. Corruption cannot inherit incorruption Heterogeneals will not incorporate Choyce flowers will not grow by stinking weeds Capacity is absolutely necessary respecting the inheritance above If Sinners would into Heaven they cannot Light and darkenesse are inconsistent Fire and water oppose God and ungodly men cannot live neare Justice will fight it out with sinne to the death Without holinesse man cannot see God without this God cannot endure to see the man There be thousands and ten thousands in Heaven but not one sinner amongst them all the Land will not beare Snakes Toades Serpents no poysonous creatures only Saints Inheritance of Saints Justice makes exact distinction Sheep and Goates though many yet all parted Not a Goate upon Christs right hand Every attribute is exact at it's Office mercy brings her children from the foure winds of the Earth to Heaven and leaves not one short nor brings not one over Justice gathers her brats too from the foure Winds and leaves not one for any higher preferment then hell will afford The Lord knowes who are his that 's the Seale of Heaven A Seale is for exact distinction What a seale is unto us for exact distinction that is Christs knowledge to him hee doth as firmely as lastingly as exactly distinguish by vertue of this all persons in the World as wee doe by our seales and Markes distinguish amongst multitudes of things Though the devill have many thousands here below and Christ but a few and these tumbled up and downe amongst the wicked yet Christ knowes which is which and who are his And onely his shall have all hee hath Saints inherit God moves in relation Children only inherit bond servants have a little and turned off when their time is out If children then heires joynt heires with Christ This Hypothesis is a Thesis onely in a Saint Hee is a child of God out of question the nature of God is only manifest in a Saint A holy man plainly and without controversy speakes out himselfe to be a Sonne of God Jus legale carries the inheritance to him The wicked are of their father the Devill they may not lay claime to Heaven upon paine of hell If they touch the tree of Life they die when they promise Heaven wrath then smokes and hell never so neare as now Bondslaves doe not inherit nor bastards doe not inherit the case is the same of either respecting Heaven No Bastard Christians no Bastard Saints but Saints indeed inherit Vse Let every man looke to his sanctity It doth not merit but it doth entitle to the inheritance If children then heires A man may looke into his bosome and tell what he shall be for eternity Know your hearts and know them throughly you cannot doe well else 'T is death to mee to smell the breath of some of you your inwards are so rotten and yet I feare I feare you take notice of nothing My Quaere to you all is what have you to take to for eternity Heaven How doe you make that good Can you make demonstration of a holy state Yes I live justly I pray to God I heare his Word This is not infallible demonstration of sanctity Civill conscience calls and thrusts to all these as 't is so principled and under such a government A man may be just to men and not just to GOD. Heathens have beene as just as any of you all That yong man which came to Christ when the Law was read hee should not kill nor steale but love his Neighbour c. All this have J done from my youth .. He was exact for Justice and yet but in a sorry state for Heaven if one may belâ—eve his owne words Drawing neare to God in duties is a better demonstration of sanctity and yet this may be done with the lips when the heart is far from God They draw neare and sit before mee as my people saith God But their hearts goe after their covetousnesse A mans devotion may be hot for the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord And yet himselfe the Temple of the devill strict for new moones and solemne feasts and Gods soule loath all both men and their devotion There is blind devotion profane holinesse I will give you two or three principles demonstrative of it for I feare there are some deluded soules amongst you Out-side holynesse how splendid so ever it lookes is profane holinesse The heart denominates action The Pharisee was for Temple praying for lifting up of eyes and hands but no heart A meere image drawne out in such a posture with his eyes and hands inclining upwards and Christ made basenesse of this best piece God is worshipped in spirit If holinesse reach not this 't is grosse profanenesse Holinesse is spirit yielding to spirit bad to good 'T is a pure heart a heart captivated with Christ and spending it selfe upon him Holynesse 't is everlasting doores within doores of the soule that everlasting thing opened to a King of glory T is affection catched with truth one spirit bound by an other a bad spirit by a good and carried whither that list It is a flame and an Angell ascending in it A spirit a fire and ascending upward A man upon his knees and his heart upon his lips taking rise for Heaven from this advantage Profane holynesse is holinesse meerely formall piety suited to policy to things on this side Christ and truth My father did so my grand-father did so the most doe so therefore 't is best to doe so and 't is idle to doe otherwise Many mens sanctity is a meere piece of antiquity A humour to weare such an old fashion No devotion but Schisme that is not in this old habit No holinesse but faction that cannot be clasp't up within the covers of a Common-Prayer Booke Wednesdayes and Frydayes the onely dayes for Prayer The printed liturgy an onely forme for Prayer Ah Lord What is Bishops holinesse onely blessed holinesse Did not their bloudy zeale lie here What a curse is blind devotion The things that dame them are deare True holinesse is regulated by truth and not by persons nor time Sanctifie them with thy truth
is the Parliamente that you are impatient against it are they not a called body by God are they not wise men holy men true hearted tender hearted and wish you as well as themselves as well as you can wish your selves Doe they not use the best ability they have to doe us service shall we requite them for all cost and paines with murmuring against them God will take this to heart and charge you with murmuring against him Finally God will so carry the great workes of these last times that all men shall acknowledge him and not any man which should make us patient that we can see man no more that we can see man no more in our great works a Finger of GOD is in it that he may be seene and admired as the Authour of all The Prophet speaking and certainly of this time how this Generation should come downe saith Hab. 2.13 Behold is it not of the Lord of Hostes that the People labour in the very Fire c. For the Earth saith hee shall bee filled with the Knowledge of the Glory of the Lord c. Not with the Knowledge of the Glory of any man Men can doe no more then they can men shall doe no more then they doe that you make not Gods of them That you have no advantage to make a man a GOD are you impatient that God will not use whom you will and how you will therefore are you impatient that God is not so wise as you that hee loves not himselfe so well as you love him therefore are you impatient To conclude all let mee aske you all one question more wherein hath GOD given you cause to bee impatient from the first of our troubles till now for which of his good deeds doe you stone him for truely impatience is no other but a stoning of Christ for his good deeds at Hull For his good deeds at Ports-mouth for his good deedes at Kenton What hath Christ done from the beginning of this Parliament to this day to cast discouragement upon any soule To cast any heart into a passion Let his dealings bespeake you patient I say no more FINIS USEFULL INSTRVCTIONS FOR THESE Evill Times COLOSS. 1.11 Vnto all patience c. COncerning Patience according to its formality you have heard concerning patience now according to its graduality I am to speake according as the terme here in my Text leades me all Patience c. Patience is a quality and qualities admit of intention and remission a man may have lesse or more much or all Patience as the expression here is As there is little faith and great faith so there is little Patience and great patience could yee not watch with me one houre that was little patience What if J will that he tarry till I come this is great patience all patience as the terme here is All Patience notes a totallity under a foure fold reference it notes a totality in reference to subject quality condition and time All patience notes totum subjecti the man all patient that is patient in tongue and in heart 'T is very usuall and very naturall to broken men to make false Coyne to put silver and gold without when the piece is brasse within and not a quarter so much worth as it goes for Many a piece is pure mettall to look upon and yet take away the guild and but base mettall within So many a man hath a painted patience an outside patience a Lip patience as there is a Lip-love very patient to talke with and to looke upon very coole in the lips but burning within There is a white powder a wild-fire so ordered as to make no great report so there is a pale impatience that lookes white in the face but red and bloudy within it makes little report in the tongue but yet is deadly wild-fire Man is a creature of art he can carry fire in his bosome and keepe it from flameing forth he can hide coales under embers and seeme as if there were no fire he can make words as smooth as Oyle when War and Hell are in the heart he can forgive and not forget Scorch and burn himselfe inwardly and say nothing hurt no body but kill himselfe this is fretting 't is not patience 't is impatience within doore or behinde doore 't is discontented thouhgts pent up heart passion stiffled which is deadly impatience which all patience and no lesse then this thoroughly takes away All Patience is man all in good temper Vital spirits pulse beating well as well as Lips and Countenance looking well All Patience 't is all powers and parts within and without moving divinely and sweetly when all in a distressed state 't is every faculty and organ in tune to move towards God when scarce any at ease to move towards man 't is a man begging forgivenesse in a storme of stones for thē that unjustly throw them As this expression notes totum subjecti so it notes totum ipsius qualitatis a totallity of the very quality of the very grace of patience All patience that is patiience that is al patience patience without mixture of passion pure patience patience that is throughout what 't is called as far from all mixture as 't is possible for flesh and bloud to be patience so farre from all impatience that man sees none God takes notice of none patience so farre from impatience as to grieve no humane spirit nor Divine Mans vertues are mixt yea his very graces are mixt in some more mixt then in others in some so much mixt that grace is in a manner buried and of no glosse to denominate the man nor of no strength to make the man usefull Mixture makes corruption the more mixture the more corruption 't is hard to call some men gratious or to say what they are fit for passion is so strong and patience so weake and low such a man is a torment to himselfe and all neere him A Christian hath his glosse and his use as eminent in patience this the Apostle eyed in this expression therefore I thinke this may be his meaning All patience is patience all pure the spirit of an Angel free from all perturbation above all scandall very amiable and very usefull fit for all service that God and his Gospel can call to All patience notes a totallity as in reference to quality so in reference to to condition totum periculi a heart so principled so compos sui master of himselfe that no evill can make evill not the greatest evill the least impression of evil Evil is nomen magnitudinis nomen midtitudinis it speakes one and it speaks many it speakes a great one and it speakes a great many now all patience is such a height as holds its owne fully under all tryalls under all the waves of God without sinking or shrinking under evils mustered by God weapon'd marshal'd brought on by God set on kept on by God made doe execution by
love According to designed office and this binds to fit and finish for Heaven Hee is the Author and finisher of our Faith and this by office Christ also workes according to a proper principle in himselfe to wit love which cannot be quiet nor leave off working till every person foreknowne be fully fitted to love and for love Love is an untired principle in Christ though not so in us this makes him an everlasting Father a worker as a Father without cessation till children be fit to be taken home to enjoy their inheritance fit for him who tooke such a knowledge of them Christ moves as an everlasting father he layes out and layes out hee 's at cost and paines this yeare next Yeare to give breeding high breeding suitable to fortune and never leaves off till the child be fit for his inheritance Christ is an everlasting Father as well as a Prince of Peace he has love proper love in him as well as proper duty and office devolu'd upon him Office bindes to finish for Heaven love more I thinke 't is proper to say Christ moves more naturally then obligedly to fit lost man for his eternall home Bonds were voluntarily taken up and taken up from love love is the natural motion of Christ this works and never leaves working till the soule upon which it seiseth be fit for Heaven Vse I am led by this point very seasonably to aske you this question Are you fit to die are you fit to live againe are you prepared for Heaven you see how things goe upon Earth The way of God is deadly her 's deadly doings here below How doe your soules stir about eternity Sinners what doe you doe What will you doe God is giving to all what is fit for them Sinners are yet asleepe Ah Lord When will they awake What a harvest will Hell have in these bleeding times What preparation for Heaven do you see men make more then they did Hee that was filthy is so still he that was an Earth-Worme is so although God be treading Wormes to death and crumbling Earth to dust Though person and state lie open to death yet no man mends his pace for life What shall I thinke of such a Generation My bowels rend to looke some of you in the face to behold how like your selves you still looke and what a deadly visage your life still carries What you were you are what men are now for sinne surely they shall be Justice is at worke to perpetuate misery to thousands to harden Pharaohs and then cut them off to fit Vessels for wrath and then fill them up with it as full as they 'l hold to fit men for their place and then send them thither a pace Sinners you heare all this can you beare all this do not your soules yet stir Are they not then white to harvest fit to be cut off by that sword of wrath which is going about An unstirred soule is fit for nothing but Justice 't is death in strength upon the soule 't is the soule in grave and a stone roul'd upon the doore What you are fit for that you shall now have Justice is commanded to go over the Land and single out every wretch and give him his own I think there is scarce a sinner amongst us but Justice ere it hath done with us will make him eat of the fruit of his way Doth not wrath make misery begirt us Doth it not cut down dry Trees every where fuell fit for the fire doth she not set a fire and cast into everlasting burning And yet are not your souls a fire to be fit for Heaven such whose soules stir not now there is just cause to feare that they are left as fit fuell for wrath Obduratio I will give you the properties of a man fitted for wrath The first is obduration A stone is fitted to descend 't 'as its property to beare down-ward Hardnesse maks fitnesse to judgment The way to Hell is from burning to burning from a seared conscience to a damn'd soule Justice blasts the soule in the body ere it burnes it out A fitted soule for wrath 't is one with his Eyes out 't is one that can see no evill making towards him although himself very evill one that cannot see Justice though very visible nor sin though very palpable Justice works within and then without she spends her selfe most fiercely within her last and least breathings and blastings are without she first puts out a mans eyes with the sin he loves and then comes as a snare against the sinner I sit as a Queene and shall see no evill and yet this Quâ—ene a Queane and very evill that 's a Swans song before death now is the soule fit for Justice and wrath and never so fit as now When a sinner sings a requiem soule take thine ease he is fit for yea very neare to wrath this night saith Christ in such a case they shall take away thy soule A man hath sinned himselfe to Hell-doore which hath sinned his soule blind and secure * A man is fitted for wrath indeed when he stands at Hell-door readdy to goe in Setling upon the lees and judiciary visitation they are joyn'd both together as neare Neighbors and as belonging to one thing and this by resolute will I will visit those that are setlâ—d upon their lees Wrath is comming towards you yee blind soules doe yee see it no There is none Why therefore 't will certainly come you are the onely persons fit to be visited I will visit those which are settled upon their lees whom ever I passe by A Horses Eyes out and the next worke he is fit for is grinding Justice sets sinners to grinding their own soules when they cannot see their own sinnes Wrath certainly will not suffer that man to live long which hath kil'd his soule with sinne Alienatio A second property of a man fitted for wrath is this alienation No blessed fellowship speaks separation to wrath A King cals home his Embassadors when he meanes War and Judges a Kingdome fit for nothing but the Sword Casting off fits to cutting off The spirit of God departs when the man is rejected Alienation is great still before desolation Saul shall have no answer no where no whispering from any but from Hell when given up as only fit for that place Light hath no fellowship with darkenesse but when 't will have nothing to do with darkenesse to make it light the state is desperate 't is a signe that the soule is fitted for utter darknesse There are but two steps to death the first is this The sinner say's he will have no fellowship with God the second is God say's he shall have none Now is the sinner judged how fit for Hell then now judge yee execution only is wanting and the Devill is not usually back-ward to discharge his office the man is upon the gallowes he wants but turning off how things may turn