setled up he mounts Upon his Royal Steed Who prancing through the streets is prais'd For his victorious deed Just so my glorious blessed Prince With vict'ry on his side Being won with ghastly gaping wounds In triumph he must ride Down with a Chariot made of clouds From th' Palace-yard on high His Father sent to setch his Son In great solemnity Before he steps up to his seat Like Royal Prince he gave Rich-wonder-working gifts to 's friends And then he took his leave Strait at command the foaming winds With prancings up they fly Proud of the burthen that they drew A load of Majesty When he got home Oh! with what shouts Of joy did Heav'n resound When th' Father sat him on his Throne And there himself him crown'd Angels and Saints do all at once The Song of the Lamb sing As worthy of all honour praise Yea worthy to be King Sit there thou great Victorious Prince At thy Fathers right hand Bring down thine en'mies to thy feet Rule all by thy command HYMN V. The Souls Access LOrd hear my knocking 's hark my crys Want drives me to thy door Oh! chide not do not say Away I was here once before Where shall I go thou only hast That life none gives beside I went about the world to beg For life but all deni'd Thou art my God and Saviour To thee I naked creep Besmear'd in blood and tears I lie Lord pity see I weep If I have sin'd Lord thou hast di'd To free me thou wast sent And thou hast said I shall not die If that I will repent Justice Oh hold a while thy stroke Suffer a sinner plead It 's for my life one word and then Strike on and make me bleed If I had sin'd and would not yield But stoutly stand it out Thy wrath might then have broacht my heart And let my life run out If I had heard a Christ was come With open arms to save Had I not run for refuge there Mercy I might not crave Now Justice strike 't is done but see Where I incircled lye Within the folds of Jesus arms Strike in his arms I 'le die Chear up my heart the storm is o're Justice is ris'n and gone All thy accusers creep away Thy Christ is lest alone What blessed voice was that I heard My Son rise off thy knees Thy sins are pardon'd thou art free And I have paid thy fees Lord what a quick dispatch hast thou In grace giv'n to my cause I am arraign'd acquit set free By thy most gracious Laws Had I not guilty dar'd to plead Though fraught with Angels skill How sure my impannel'd conscience would Have sought and found the bill HYMN VI. The descent of the Spirit WHO knows the winds from whence they come Or whither they do go The holy breathings we receive Are from the Spirit ev'n so Sometimes its cooling gales we feel On Conscience all on fire Sometimes its cooling heats we find Our nummed hearts inspire This is that Holy Ghost that Christ Did promise for to send This is that pow'rful Spirit that Our stubborn hearts must bend Jerusalem the City was Design'd for his descent Thither the Christians at th' command Of th' Heavenly Angel went No sooner were they set but straight A mighty tempest rose Shook the foundations of the house Which they for pray'rs had chose Struck with amazement soon there fell Flames shap't both flat and long Which hovering light upon each head Much like a Cloven-tongue Those little fiery bushes were But wonders for to shew That th' wonder-working Spirit was Come down to men below For straight he tun'd each Christians tongue All Languages to speak The Parthians Medes and Elamites To them their minds might break Thousands of Salem flock to see This strange unheard-of thing They flock too fast for they forget Good hearts with faith to bring Some are amaz'd but others scoff Some praise but others say They have too much of tongue they 'r drunk With much new wine to day Oh injur'd God! how can'st thou bear These dreadful Blasphemies These wonders speak thy Gospel true They say it 's nought but lyes Scarce fifty days now past thy Son With nails they Crucifi'd And now to heap up sin on sin Thy Spirit they deride Instead of wrath Gods bowels yern Yet thinks them thoughts of Grace The bleeding Christ while Peter preacht The Spirit gave them chace Three thousand hearts at once he struck Who bleeding came and cri'd What shall we do we do believe On Christ we Crucifi'd O holy conquering Spirit thou Those souls did'st captivate This is a second wonder wrought Which we with Songs relate Oh let me find thy heats within As a refiners fire Purge from my heart all dross and sin This this is my desire HYMN VII First Part. THOU dreadful Judg whose Majesty Angels themselves adore That can't with open face thee see But clap their wings before When thou with whispers dost but chide The arch of Heaven doth quake Big-bellied clouds forth lightning bring And into thunders break When that thy wrath it doth but breathe Great storms of whirlwinds rise Hail snow and rain come tumbling down Whilest th' trembling sinner flies The lofty mountains stoop their heads To hide them in their vales Great men and Princes shrink for fear Their hearts and courage fails Some high and mighty Angels hatcht Treason against his Crown He spar'd them not but from their Throne With vengeance pull'd them down He chains of darkness on them laid As pris'ners doth them keep Against the great and terrible day When hardest hearts shall weep When the old world thy name forgot And laid aside their fears The gentle wrathful Heavens wept Drowns it with showers of tears When Sodom and Gomorrah burnt With fires of wanton lust With flakes of fir'd brimstone thou Those Cities burnd'st to dust Sion it self that darling hill In Salem that did stand Them both for slaying of thy Son Thou mad'st a fire-brand Our bleeding carcasses thy sword leaves reeking on the ground Yet after this we no more fear Than men fall'n in a swound Second Part. When thou O mighty God shalt come Riding upon the wind To judg the world Oh! in what place Will th' wicked refuge find How shall we hear thy shrill voice't trump Cleaving th' air asunder To wake our ashes in their graves With noise like claps of thunder Lord what a glorious train is that That on their wings do ride Look how they post in full career Thronging on either side Oh! they 're the Angels of the Lord Egypt's first-born that slay'd That took poor Lazarus soul that di'd And him in bosom laid The Trump shall sound and Michael then Th' Archangel strait shall cry Arise you dead to judgment come The Lord your lives must try Look how the wicked's bodies crawl Like Toads out of their den What ghastly fearful looks they bear They look like frighted men Why do you sinners now thus quake Call for your
humble our selves by confessing it was justly done Take the course that Daniel did upon a Fast-day as this may be when he was interceding with God for the people of Israel to bring them back out of Captivity as you are this day that God would not burn it again he did it by confessing of sin and all sorts of sin Dan. 9.5 O Lord saith he thou art a great God a God on thy part keeping covenant and promise to them that love thee and keep thy commandments but as for us we have sinned and committed iniquity and done wickedly and have rebelled even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments neither have we hearkened to thy servants the Prophets which spake in thy name to our King and Princes and Fathers O Lord righteousness belongeth to thee but to us belongeth confusion of face To us who of us to our King to our Princes to our Fathers all deserve to be put to shame why because we have sinned against thee This is our work this day to humble our selves before God to humble our selves for our sins here in this City against God whereby he was provoked to burn our Habitations Thirdly Is God the cause of all punishments and are all punishments for sin then from hence you may gather that London is a very wicked City Why because God is very angry with it and it is certain he is never angry without great cause men may be angry without a cause and we may chide one another without a cause yet God never is angry without cause and in as much as God hath shewn himself angry with London it is a sign London hath given God a great deal of cause for his anger What cause hath London given God to be angry with them Truly when I begin to think of London's sins they are so many that it puzzles me where to begin or where to make an end but however let us name some of them why did God burn London for London's pride London had lifted it self up in pride against God and God pulled London down he pulled it into ashes to make the proud ones of London know what they are and what their Cities are nothing but dust and ashes My Brethren God is a great enemy against pride for the great King of Babylon's pride he took away his reason and turned him into a beast and turned him a grazing with the Cattel Pride God resisteth the proud he is a great enemy to the proud a great adversary to them and to their projects and designs but he sheweth grace to the humble Wherein doth London appear proud proud in their Apparel proud in their Houses proud in their gestures proud in their Professions they are guilty of all these sorts of pride I cannot stand to speak much of it but the Lord open your understandings and your hearts that you may see where the guilt lyeth the fantastick dresses of many of the Londoners that is one sort the pride of their hearts that 's another sort The next sort of sins are London's luxury drunkenness gluttony their excessive feasting their prodigal expences London is a wanton City instead of worshipping God in spirit it is a City for a great part that sacrificeth as it were unto Bacchus and Ceres they make their belly their god Oh the drunkenness of London the gluttony of London Is it not so Again the covetousness of London God was angry with Israel for being covetous why you covet gold more than grace covet earth more than heaven Oh the injustice the wrong-getting the lying the perjury in getting of Estates Oh the covetousness in keeping in not laying out proportionable to what God gave you to do good to others God hath given you a Talent and you wrap it in a napkin or which is worse you prodigally spend it upon your lusts that make nothing of ten or twenty pounds to bestow upon a vain feast and grudg to give an Angel or twenty shillings for the help of any of the poor servants of God is not this a sin do you think when you are so liberal to your own lusts and you are so heart-bound and hand-bound towards God and his people yea certainly and an highly provoking sin too Again London's prophanation of the Lords-day God all the time of the Law was very zealous for his Sabbath and he had a Controversie with Israel often upon the account of his Sabbath and there are many Promises that he gave them to encourage them to keep his Sabbath If thou wilt keep my Sabbaths and count them thy delight the holy of the Lord honourable I will make thee honourable and great in the world but if not I will pull thee down and destroy thee and make thee the tail and not the head Hath not this been one of London's great sins How full of walkers have the streets been on the Sabbath how full have the fields about this City been on the Lords day what playing what drinking what drunkenness at every Alehouse especially your by Alehouses in London and in the Fields How few in London do strictly observe the Lords-day that pray with their Family in the morning that take care that their whole Family wait upon God all that day in his Ordinances that when they come home at night are careful to see what they profit by what they hear How few are there in London that spend the Lords day as they should do God hath a Controversie with you for this What account can you Masters give of your servants souls What care have you had over them either all the week days or else on the Lords day What have you done for them For your sinful neglect herein God is angry with you For the adultery and uncleanness of London for the whoredoms of Israel the land mourneth for the whoredom of London London was burnt God punished the City with one fire for the sin of another that is the fire of lust But my Brethren it is not barely these sins that God hath been angry with London for but for the aggravations of them Why wherein First For the brazen-facedness of them alas we know that these sins may be found every where ay but we are grown impudent sinners brazen-faced sinners we are not ashamed of our sins but we can be drunk with boldness and commit adultery and boast of it We can sin as Absalom lay with his Fathers Concubines in the face of the Sun before all Israel Here is the aggravation of the sin now it is not the drunkenness only of London and swearing and perjury and Sabbath-breaking but London's shamelesness in it As God when he came to reprove Israel and threatens Judgments upon her saith he Thou hast a brazen face thou hast the looks of an harlot thou dost sin and thou dost not blush at it Truly this hath been London's sin they will swear and receive no reproof be drunk and scorn a reproof it is the very mode of
improvement of spiritual knowledg even whiles at the Vniversity which might make him a Workman that needed not be ashamed We shall look upon him though then but a Batchelor of Art who yet had gain'd respect by his Collegiate and Academical exercises and was well furnish'd with abilities as call'd to be employ'd in that exercise to which the former were only preparatory and subservient For it seems about the latter end of 1652 when his Father being admonisht by age was summon'd by sickness to leave this Temporary life he was concern'd to be at home the place of his Nativity where his custom was to call his Fathers servants to an account about their Souls and to Catechise them in the main Principles of Religion Here when he had as a most dutiful Son perform'd the last offices to his dying and deceased Father and was comforting his sorrowful Mother and instructing the Family He was importun'd by some good Christians of his acquaintance who soon found what excellent gifts and endowments this young Timothy had to employ his Talents in Preaching the Gospel as occasion should offer This upon their invitation he readily embrac'd and by his Preaching gave such evident proofs of his experimental knowledg utterance and zeal for God that upon the death of Mr. Morton a very Reverend and Worthy Minister the Parishioners of Mary Newington-Butts having heard him Preach and being satisfied of his Learning Piety and Ministerial abilities as the Instruments shew and Petition'd for him He was Feb. 16. 1652 ordered to that Rectory by those then in power as a Godly and Orthodox Divine And this was very remarkable in his Election to that Charge that though the Parishioners were divided into two several Parties and both went with their Petitions to Westminster upon the foresaid vacancy to have a Minister setled amongst them neither party knowing the others mind yet they both pitch'd upon him for whom the unanimous Petitioners did easily obtain a grant XXXVIII Hereupon this observant young Divine who was ever ready to acknowledg God in all his ways doth in his book with his own hand record this seasonable Call viz. God called me very clearly as I thought to the charge of Newington in which I used no means but Prayer wherein I was carried out in abundance of calmness of mind grounded on Faith This is remarkable in it that for some two weeks before I heard of it I was exceedingly troubled in my thoughts about means for subsisting at the Vniversity till my profits came in And behold how God graciously silenc'd all them by a gracious Providence but I look higher than so For much about this time as we conceive he was also Chosen Fellow of Christs Colledge yet to the satisfaction of the Reverend Dr. Bolton the Master and his particular friend He resolv'd to accept of the Charge at Newington where He was so unanimously desired and where he might have a greater opportunity of doing good to souls which was most upon his heart and the working of God upon others hearts by his Preaching was much heeded by him For we have him noting Feb. 17. 1652 3. I Preach'd at Mary-Overees wherein God wrought so graciously by me upon T. W. that through the urgencies of his spirit He wrote a large Letter to me indeed very spiritually wherein He blessed God particularly that He had heard me and that God had counted me so worthy as to become an Ambassador of so glorious a Gospel This was the first occasion of the renewing our acquaintance Bless the Lord O my soul that He hath made use of thy foolishness to manifest his Wisdom and his Grace to others XXXIX Afterwards on March 6. and 11. we find him again recording these Observables I heard from one of Newington that a wicked man of that Parish should say to him That he was very glad that they had made such a choice of me which forc'd him to these expressions through my weak preaching that he was perswaded if the Devil himself should come and preach to men he would perswade them to seek heaven O my soul admire the new Hierusalem Further Mr. Diaper brought one of Newington to me they called Mr. Langleys Convert who told me in our Converse that he had lain under a deadness of heart for almost a quarter of a year but since my Preaching there his spirit was exceedingly refresh'd and quickned This is the Lords doings and it is wonderful in mine eyes The same night in our Conference both concurred I mean the forementioned parties in this experiment that they have kneeled down on their knees yet through straitness of heart have risen up again and Petition'd nothing of God March 12. saith he my soul was in an exceeding spiritual frame wherein God exceedingly deadned me as to worldly-mindedness with which through a little dallying with a day or two before I was somewhat bewitch'd Oh! my soul take heed of jesting with covetous expressions lest it prove thy snare On Saturday night April the 1st my spirit was very much refresh'd in the light of Gods countenance the actings of my faith being very visible in relation to Newingtons salvation A friend of mine told me of a very carnal wretch that at hearing of me concerning the unkindness of sinners to God was very importunate with the said party to write out my Sermon for him which importunity lasted for a week or more but at length the said importunate party waxed cold and he heard no more of him when he had written it out for him Note All convictions and all meltings are not converting For the searching of such like we have this experimental Preacher recording You shall find it in your dealings with some souls that it is very hard to bring them off their good meanings and wishes especially such as are any thing moral and haply do subdue some of their grosser sins Examine such thus First How doth your soul take it if you find not God in prayer if you can rise up as you kneel down find God or not find him suspect thine heart for all is not right within Secondly Whether doth the absence of God or the loss of a creature a child or a wife or a husband most trouble thee thou maiest by this search thine heart to the quick for the loss of whatsoever it is that troubles thee most that is thine heart most upon Indeed the heart of this choice servant of the Lord was much upon his Masters work for the good of Souls For on a time June 1651. we find he had noted that he was furpriz'd in spirit with joy unutterable breaking out Oh! how did my bowels earn when I thought of Souls at a distance from God and sitting upon the shadow of death Whereupon he communicated his experience to his Chamber-fellow XL. And now having after thorow examination and profession of his faith been solemnly set apart to his Ministerial office and Pastoral Charge by the laying on of the hands of
express some trouble if any of the lower rank in the world did bring him some small thing for though he did thankfully own their kindness yet he would let them know he would not be burdensome to them He us'd to be very grateful for favours though never so small But more notably thankful to God One bringing him a little cordial-water after his Preaching not being well with his eyes lifted up to heaven he said What am I or my Fathers house that God is so mindful of me a poor creature Oh! blessed be God His impartiality in judging causes amongst those of his acquaintance who referred themselves to him was own'd to be very remarkable And he us'd to advise his friends often to take care and watch for opportunities to seek God by private prayer He himself was a great man in Prayer And we find this Anagram of his Name Thomas Wadsworth under his own hand viz. Ah! Os tu oras Deum which is as much as to say in English Thou openest thy mouth in prayer to God You know it is given us as a remarkable character of Paul after his Conversion Behold he prayeth Acts 9.11 LII Having a door open'd to him at Theobalds for the preaching of the Gospel though he met with many difficulties yet being encouraged there where he was concern'd to abide most for the health of himself and family not for any other gain but rather the impairing of his estate by the conflux of Hearers to whom his labours were very acceptable He accounted it needful to stir them up to the participation of all Ordinances according to Gospel-order which notion they readily closed with under his Administration Upon which to prevent any jealousie amongst his people in London and Southwark he told a member of his society to this purpose Peradventure because I have not any maintenance from you you may think I look not upon my self to be therefore so much engag'd to you but fear it not for I think my self to be every jot as much engag'd to you as if I had my whole maintenance from you for my great Lord and Master knowing you are not so able hath provided for me another way yet nevertheless to do you service so that sith God by his Providence hath setled me amongst you and hath enclined your hearts to embrace my Ministry fear not my leaving of you He was one ever ready to deny himself his own due right that thereby he might provide for the welfare of souls committed to his charge yea and to do what he could to encourage others in that great work His Charity as well as self-denial was manifested to his distressed brethren in the Ministry in making Collections for them both at Deadmans-place and Theobalds and he had a singular faculty to dispose his Hearers to give liberally distributing all that was collected and more to several in such proportions as in their circumstances he judg'd most convenient as was evident from his particular accounts of that matter and the grateful acknowledgments of those who received the benefit he practised according to Paul's Directory for a Bishop 1 Tim. 3.3 he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one not given to filthy lucre and one not covetous He shew'd great love to the poor in relieving of them and conversing with them He would often say He rejoic'd to send them away cheerful because they were Gods creatures and 't was like God to make the hearts of the poor merry And he would not have those of his Family to be too hard in buying things of poor people saying their hearts would be glad if they had a good price given to them for their Commodities they brought to sell A further instance we have of his freedom from prevailing covetousness and his real self-denial beyond exception When T.S. the Son of his second Wife was very dangerously sick of the Small pox though 600 l. would have come to him and his if this Son-in Law had then died not being then at age yet he did call his Religious friends again and again to join with him in solemn prayer for his recovery And when his prayers were prevalent upon his restoration to health he solemnly return'd thanks to God which upon the expence of circumstances did signally evidence the integrity of his generous soul and may well be transmitted to posterity for imitation LIII Whiles he was at Newington many overtures were made to this eminent Minister for the change of his condition but he closed with none of them having early fixed his eye upon one to whom after full knowledg and mature deliberation he made known his affection Her Parents consented that this their Daughter a vertuous young Gentlewoman should match with this man of God She was of a good family being the younger daughter of Henry Hastings Esq of the Parish of Newington-Butts Her name was Elizabeth Hastings which this Religious and Poetick lover did from his certain knowledg of her piety and zeal for God thus Annagrammatize Big zeal hateth sins By her he had born to him Octob. 3. 1661 a Son named Henry-Hastings but the pious Mother of him did not live above ten days after his birth for she departed this world on Octob. 13. following betwixt eight and nine of the Clock of that Lords-day morning And this fair blossom their Son was soon cropt off for about a month after viz. Novemb. 15th on Friday morning he died at Nurse This disconsolate Widower bereft of a meet yoke-fellow and likewise amov'd from his Ecclesiastical Wife at Newington having so journ'd for a time with his friend Mr. Sedgwick whiles a Batchelor and then remov'd to Mr. de Luna's as above about two years after the decease of his first wife and child being recommended to a vertuous Widow Mrs. Margaret Sharp Daughter to Henry Gibs of Bristol Esq and Relict to Mr. Thomas Sharp Merchant about Novemb. 1663 he married her she having then a Son by Mr. Sharp her former Husband who had also left Lucy Sharp a Daughter by his former Wife this Daughter being consumptive did not long survive the Marriage of her Mother-in-law but in her sickness did greatly bless God for her being thereby related to Mr. Wadsworth whose instructions and prayers she found to be successful for the good of her precious soul She died about the 16th year of her age Mr. Wadsworth living then for his better health mostly at Theobalds but came to preach to his Congregation in Southwark he prevailed with his Wife to dwell there with him By her he had born to him Octob. 10. 1666 Josiah Whose Mother became sickly and Jan. 3. 1667 left him motherless and his Father a sorrowful Widower again In his sorrows he had drawn up a notable character of this his second Wife giving an account of her piety but he so dispos'd of that it is not to be found amongst any of his Papers This only Son Josiah liv'd about five years and an half to the comforting
a Lamb do there they saw thee in their ravenous jaws about to tear thy heart to suck out all thy blood and leave thee dead Have I not sat and read and read and wept in viewing over the story and could they forbear that with their watry eyes saw this scene then acted But whither O whither O ye blinded Jews are ye dragging this my Lord My spirit begins to faint I now can look no longer my heart now begins to swell with grief it must now break or I must vent it at mine eyes in streams Look see the Hammer and Nails the Hammer lift up to strike Bloody man thou durst not sure surely thou dost not know whose hands and feet thou art now piercing it is the Prince and Saviour of the world Foolish heart see how thou art mistaken look see it 's done the nails are driven to the head see how the crimson tears run trickling down his hands and feet and see how hardened hearts be laughing at it Oh silly foolish blinded men what laugh you at This very Christ whom now you mock shall be your Judg this very man Jesus whom you have thus abused shall come attended with thousands of Angels with the sound of Trumpets and shall sit upon your life and death Him whom you now have nailed to a Cross hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour What then will you do when that great and terrible day of the Lord shall come How will you look him in the face whom you have spit on How will you dare to speak a word for your selves to him whom you have nailed to a tree and crucified His wounds in hands side and feet shall all bear witness against you and his innocent blood that you have spilt shall cry aloud about the throne for vengeance against you your flouts shall then be turned into tears and your taunts into lamentations And how will you then look and cry when God passeth sentence on you and thrust you down to Hell to bear the punishment of your sins this is the Lord that came to spare your lives yet your wickedness spared not his and how at length can you think to escape with yours But once again look up my soul and see what is become of thy nailed and crucified Lord Ah me he is not quite dead look how he gasps and pants for life Oh how his looks are changed How pale and wan do I see his cheeks the blood and all the spirits are quite drawn from them Methinks he should be dead for see how weak his neck is grown that it is not able to support his head that lyes a dying on his bleeding breast What yet not dead see how he shakes and stirs his dying limbs what gasps and groans do I hear him fetch as if his soul were strugling to get out Hark hark he speaks Oh let me catch the last breath of my dying Saviour What saith my Lord Hark what dost thou not hear what My God my God why hast thou forsaken me I am amazed to hear these words How couldst thou suspect thy Fathers love How could he be far from thee who was one with thy self But Oh! this is but the voice of his Manhood and not of his Godhead It was the voice of the dying and bleeding Man Jesus not the voice of the God Jesus But Oh my Lord what are those pains and gripes thou feelest that brings forth these complainings But why do I ask this question hath he not been all this while a drinking up the cup his Father gave him the bitter and sowr and poysonous cup of his Fathers wrath which I and all the world had else drunk of he just now swallowed down the last mouth full of the dregs whose bitter noisome taste hath sent forth these doleful lamentations for mark he had no sooner spoke these words but he gasped his last The causes of his Death And must the Son of God be humbled thus must he that was from everlasting raised and advanced above every name in heaven and earth he that lay in the arms and breast of God loved by the Father and his only Son honoured adored admired and beloved of ten thousand times ten thousands of Angels But must this God leave all this glory and change that sweet Heavenly and delightsome Palace for so mean so low so dirty a cottage as to be born a man And must his entertainment at first be no better than a stable or a manger could give him No sooner must he begin to live but must an enemy assault his life Must he travel up and down this earth and spend his time and strength in preaching glad tidings to miserable undone men and fill the world with signs and wonders and not deserve so much of men as a house to dwell in or a hole to put his head in and after all this humble holy long-suffering life must he be thought of by this unthankful and unbelieving world as one not worthy to live and not have a breathing in that air which he both made and gave them to breathe in but must he at length be laid hold of by a traiterous Judas that he had once taken for one of his own Apostles and must he suffer all this But ah alas what is this must he be also crowned with thorns and must he sweat and bleed Oh far more than tongue can utter Oh astonishing condescension thus did the Son become a servant and learn'd obedience by his sufferings and served a three and thirty years apprenticeship in the pain and travel of his soul here on earth a longer time than Jacob served for his beloved Rachel and that because he loved us better and therefore gave a better dowry for us But had I lived to have seen this Prince of Glory thus disguis'd this Eastern Sun thus benighted in a cloud this glorious God thus wrapped up in rags of flesh should I have known him or not my sensual heart I doubt thee much wouldst thou have cleaved to him loved him better than thy life and have said Though all leave thee I will not and with Paul I am willing and ready not only to be bound but to die for thee What thinkst thou Oh my soul couldst thou have left Husband Wife Father and Mother and all the rest of thy friends and have sold all that thou hast and followed him what him whom the Prophet foretold Isa 53.23 He hath no form or comeliness in him that you should desire him he is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs Tell me tell me couldst thou have divorced thy self from all and have taken this seemingly uncomely person for thy Lord and only Husband Ah me I do not know my heart but surely had I known him as I do now know him I should not have stuck at any thing for him For what if his Face did want comeliness seeing it came so with tears and grief
that thou hadst just now sinned and broke that law which threatned death and upon the breach doth find thee guilty Think that thou sawest a flaming Cherubim a messenger of the Court of Heaven flirt in at that door and arrest thee for High treason and give thee a summons to rise from the seat thou sittest on to make a sudden answer for thy life Look then my soul Ah! I lookt just now I see that door wide open What 's this a spirit Ah me I am undone for I have sinned I think the room shakes under me or else 't is my heart that 's trembling What 's this I hear I must now answer for my life Oh what shall I say I know not what I have sinned my Conscience tells me that I have sinned the witness within will cast me I see the Inditement writ with blood on my heart the pride sensuality and the earthliness of which I am charged with I am not able to deny one tittle Oh for a mountain to cover me Oh whither shall I go whither shall I fly That Bed these Curtains this Closet cannot hide me My Mother Father Wife or Child cannot help me O who then shall I run whither I know not vengeance will find me out where ever I go Oh cursed and subtil Satan are all thy fair promises and inticements come to this O my wicked cursed foolish heart that ever I should believe him before my Creator that told me the day I sinned I should surely die Oh that for a little simple transient pleasure I should so madly hazard my eternal life and now I must be cast to Hell to bear the punishment of my folly Think once again think that this were the day and this the very place in which God should come and sit in Judgment on thee Methinks I see the Heavens bow themselves Oh what a crackling do I hear in the Clouds look yonder see who comes it is my Judg his countenance is as a flame of fire he utters his voice like Thunder the mountains skip or rather shake or rather tremble Now now is the time of my utter destruction near at hand Oh how shall I look him in the face his looks do already affright me I shall not say one word and I have not one friend that will say one word for me It 's true I see a terrible glorious Troop of Angels that do attend him but they are all his friends and therefore all my enemies I dare not speak a word to them and alas if I should they are all but his servants and fellow-creatures with my self alas they cannot yea they will not help me It 's true there is one that one that seems as one with God the beams of whose countenance are far brighter than all the Host of Heaven Besides if God have a Son it may be it is he methinks he is a mirrour of his Fathers Glory but this I know not be what he will he cannot pity me a sinner the doors of hope are all shut up and now as a miserable wretch I must prepare to hear my sentence the Judg is set and with trembling heart and joints I stand a prisoner at the bar for my life and now I must attend his call God speaks Sinner where art thou The Sinner answers Lord here am I. God speaks How darest thou thus abuse my Grace and kindle up my zeal against thee that now as stubble it will consume thee Is this the thanks that thou hast returned for all the love that I have shewed to thee Must I make a whole world and give it to thee and as if that was too little I bid thee freely take my self and all and would not this content thee Was I not as a father to thee the time thou lovedst me and didst obey me Did I not make thy seat a Paradise and strewed thy paths with pleasure Did I not rejoice over thee as a young man over his bride What evil hast thou found in me that thou shouldst thus rebelliously revolt and break my Laws and for a trifle sell my favour and hazard my eternal pleasures Speak sinner was it not so The Sinner answers My God these weeping eyes and bended knees confess so much God speaks Had I not told thee that sin would have cost thee thy life then thou hadst had some excuse have I said it and will the great God change Sinner thou must die I told thee so before and now I tell thee again the God of Heaven cannot lye Get thee gone thou cursed wretch into eternal flames and keep that Devil company in chains and torments with whom thou hast rebelled against me and go see what pleasure thou hast in sinning The Sinner answereth Thou great God and terrible Judg I do confess thy sentence just but if there be any bowels of mercy in thee pity me or I die for ever Mercy mercy Lord for I am thy creature the workmanship of thy hands If there be any thing in the trembling heart and hands and knees of this thy sentenced prisoner that will move compassion Oh pity pity a condemned sinner God speaks What! stays he longer to trouble my patience I say be gone thou cursed though thou art my creature know that my wrath hath kindled on better creatures than thou art get thee to Hell and the howling Devils will tell thee as much The Sinner speaks Ah wo wo wo to me for ever cursed I am and cursed must I go for ever My Righteous Judg and ye Glorious Angels adieu for ever Live live for ever blessed and happy in his love I might have lived and joyed and gloried in that God that made both ye and me but like a wretch that I am wo that ever I was born I sold his favour and so my eternal life for a thing of nought a vain lust a sinful pleasure that lasted but for a season and I go I go into eternal flames What says my heart to this Methinks the very thoughts of it do make my heart to quiver and my flesh to shake all round about me I feel no strength in all my joints God speaks So so I am glad something moves thee But think again that the Devil did take hold of thee and drag thee from the place thou sittest on to Hell suppose the Father frowning on thee and all the Angels shouting thee down to Hell and glorying in thy damnation but think again thou sawest when all were joying to see thee sentenced to Hell that he that sat just by the Judg whom thou thoughtest even now to be his Son but knewest it not Look look methinks I see him rise off his Throne see see how the Angels fall to adore him methinks he is a coming near thee Oh how my heart doth tremble Oh what will he torment me before my time Ah me my doom is great enough already Sinner speaks Thou wilt not send me to a worser place than Hell my Judg hath passed my
you come to ground Ye glorious Angels and ye blessed spirits of just men made perfect that live above you that have been wading downward these five thousands of years do ye feel a bottom or are ye near one Away away my foolish heart if this be all thou hast to plead he may redeem thee and take thee for his Spouse and betroth thee to himself notwithstanding all this Object But Oh this filthy loath some fleshly self this base unthankeful earthly heart that can prefer a dunghill dross and dirt before him that can freely lay out his love to a creature like my self But Oh how hard and stiff and unrelenting am I to my God But Oh he will slight me because I have often put him off and slighted him he cannot love and die for such a one as I am Answ Cease fool thy reasonings he cannot love an enemy because thou canst not he cannot die because thy cowardly heart will not suffer thee Why should he fear the grave that had power over it And what though thou art unworthy of his love if he will have thee and make thee worthy Thy heart is base and what of that if he will mend it thy filthy rotten and polluted soul he intends to wash and cleanse it till it is without spot and wrinkle or any such thing Thy stubborn proud earthly and lustful heart he can make humble tender soft and yielding And when he hath made thee as he would why may not he take thee to himself and lay thee next his heart and delight over thee everlastingly Object But will his Father yield to this I am too poor a match for the Son and heir of all things But will he can he suffer his Son to die to buy such a beggarly thing to himself as I am Answ Away these silly simple childish thoughts how like an inhabitant of this earthly sensual world dost thou reason thou wilt not under-match and therefore will not God his Son Thou fool thou wilt not because thou canst find another equal But dost thou not know that God can find none equal to his Son he must stoop or else go without It 's true he might have gone without but what if he would not why should not Heaven have its will as well as thou Thou hast no dowry and he doth need none and yet thou arguest as if Heaven would make traffick with his Son and his love as we filly worms do here but we are beggars and so are Angels and all the glorious Hosts above they are his Creatures hang and depend upon him and cannot subsist one moment happy without supplies and helps of his Grace and why may he not bring a beggarly man as near to himself as a beggarly Angel if so it pleaseth him Object But doth it so please him Answ How often have I told thee it doth please him and hast thou not believed Come if thy hearing will not satisfie let thy seeing do it Look if thou hast eyes Come tell me doth not Heaven look as though it was pleased with the offer of his Son What cloud or darkness dost thou see about the Throne what sign or token of displeasure canst thou at all discover Open thine eyes view the God of Glory Do his looks bespeak him to be thy Father or thy Judg And canst thou not read both Husband Father and Lord and all in his countenance What not see it surely thou art blind If he had not told as much from his own mouth his eyes and looks bespeak his love and favour loud and clear enough to thee But doth he not tell thee to put thee out of all doubt this is my well beloved Son hear him hear him what 's that believe him whatsoever he says why what saith he O dull and stupid heart hast thou forgot already He said he will pay his life for thine and doth not his Father bid thee hear him He said he would reconcile thee love thee and make thee friends again And is it not comfort when the Father bids thee believe him he said he will pardon wash and cleanse thee and take thee to himself and betroth thee to him for ever and after all will give thee to see his Glory even the same Glory which he had before the world And the Father is willing to all this for he tells thee his Son is his well-beloved Son and bids thee believe him and misdoubt not one syllable And canst thou after all this doubt that the Father is not willing But do not his Angels likewise who are ministring spirits with voice and looks proclaim as much that Heaven is well pleased with the Son and with his Death and Passion and so with thee in him Do not the Angels admire the mystery of Redeeming Grace that makes them so desirous to peep into it Why did they proclaim his coming into the world and sing for joy that there was good-will in Heaven to men on earth or why do they so diligently attend thee by night and by day Thou seest them not keep guard about thy Chamber-door and round about the curtains of thy bed Why do they attend thee from room to room and follow thee down stairs and out of doors if it were not but that thou art some great Princess nearly allied to their Lord and Master Thou dost not see this blame then thine eyes and the infidelity of thy heart shall it be less true because thy base infidelity cannot digest it Thou might doubt God Heaven and every thing else on that score but hast thou not it from his own mouth that the Angels are ministring spirits for the heirs of glory Come tell me I say tell me quickly I must have an answer Can this and all this be true and Heaven yet not be pleased If God with his Son and Angels be all content that thou shouldst be restored and so exalted to such dignities as to be heir unto the Crown of Heaven if these be pleased who is there in Heaven that can else be displeased What saith my heart what not yet one word Oh how long shall I be troubled and pestered with thy unbelief Oh my God strike chide and break this flint reprove this stubborn and unbelieving heart I cannot perswade it that thou lovest me or art willing to love me I urge thy word and my best reason to prove it but I cannot make it yield Oh break I pray thee this Flint or Adamant upon thy downy breast of love strike and one blow of thine will make it fall in pieces and confess at length that thou art well pleased with thy Son and fully satisfied that he should bleed and die for me But let me try thee once again if thou hast lost thine ears and eyes I 'le see if thou hast lost thy feeling too Thou sayest thou canst not believe that God is willing to accept the Son for thee or that thou so vile a wretch canst be accepted of by the Father
through the merits of his Death and sufferings Come tell me is not this thy language I know thou darest not to speak so much in words But ah my Heart I find thou hast got a Tongue as well as my Mouth that often mutters and speaks a different language But tell me if thy unbelief hath any ground for it What makes it then that thy self is so free from fears and terrours when thou shouldst believe the Almighty of thy Bodies Death Resurrection and coming to Judgment if thou thoughtest him not thy friend and reconciled to thee in his Son if not methinks thy fears should fright thee and trembling seize on every joint and yet thou wilt foolishly mutter against thine own feeling Soul speaks O blessed God! I feel thou hast overcome I yield I yield I have not left a word to speak against thy love thy Son hath offered satisfaction and thou hast accepted it thou hast laid down O my Saviour thy life for mine and thy Father and my Father is well pleased with it Blood is paid Justice is satisfied Heavens doors are widened thine arms opened to receive me nothing is wanting but my heart make it such as thou wilt have it and then take it to thy self Come up my soul thou hast an heart and there is a Christ the Father thou feest is willing and the Son is willing give but thy consent and he is thine for ever Fear not thy hardness blindness deadness loathsomeness all these cannot hinder if thou be but willing He hath been in the world to ask the worlds consent already and also thine thou canst not doubt of his good-will speak but the word and he hath thine too What stickest thou at surely thou art a sluggish spirit what dost thou ail Half of this ado would find a heart for a little mire or dirt or something else that is worse and is not Christ better But ah yet I feel a spice of unbelief still working in thy very bowels as if that Jesus that died at Jerusalem were not the Son of God and the Redeemer of the world And is this all O were I certain thou wouldst ne're doubt more how freely should I make satisfaction But Oh! I faint and tire with the trips and stumblings of my unbelief But mount my soul thou must resolve to tire and put to silence all thy unbelieving bablings or they will thee which if they do never expect an hours peace or quiet more thou must resolve to conquer thy unbelief or to be conquered thou knowest her tyranny too well to let her go away the victoress He was not the Christ thou sayest but tell me why Object His Parentage was too low and mean what the Saviour of the world a Carpenters Son how can it be Answ My unbelief in the first place thou lyest his Mother was a Virgin and her Conception knew no Father but the Almighty power of the overshadowing Holy Ghost he was more truly the Son of God than Joseph's Son And was his birth thinkst thou so mean whose Parentage was so glorious Object His birth but mean and beggarly no sooner born but cradled in a manger and could Heaven suffer this Answ It is confest But yet it was as glorious for did not a Star proclaim him born and did not a whole Host of Angels sing and shout it up for joy and did not wise men yea and Kings bring Incense Myrrh and Frankincense being but as so much tribute unto the new-born King and heir of all things as if by instinct they knew they held their Crowns of him a greater honour than ever any new-born Prince hath yet received before him or ever shall or will do after him Methinks my unbelieving heart I could dare to tell thee that room was no stable it was a Palace and did not the cost presents and glorious presence of Kings speak as much Object But his days were spent in poverty meanness and disgrace and can I dare I trust my soul with such a one and take him to be the Son of God Answ And now I wonder at thee it's true what thou fayest if thou lookst upon him one way his life was such as thou tellest me of but 't is a strong argument against thy self for just such a one was the Christ to be according to the Prophets the 53 Chapter of Isaiah shews as much But yet if thou truly understandest what true pomp and glory means even to an eye of sense as well as to that of faith Solomon's life imbroidered with all his glorious acts was not comparable to this life of his Was it not filled with miracles and wonders was he not proclaimed the Son of God with voices from Heaven did he not conquer Devils and therefore the Kingdom of Hell Was ever Prince on Earth honoured with so great a Conquest Were not his miraculous Feasts more splendid than those of Princes the fare was but poor and mean but the miracles made it rich and glorious Had I been present should I not have wondered and gazed more at the Master of this Feast and have taken more pleasure to have seen him sit down with these five thousands than with a Table full of Princes and great men Alas it were a trifling sight to this Methinks my unbelief that pleads so much for sense sense it self pleads too strongly against thee for thou canst not argue one syllable Object But would the Son of God be hanged and crucified could Heaven have suffered this could not the Saviour of the world save himself how could he then save me Answ Hadst thou not the blindness of the Jews thou couldest not reason thus like them but was it not necessary it should be so Did not the Prophets foretell his death and such a death Had he not died and died as he did I might then have had some ground to doubt him whether he were the Messias or not for it was needful that the Prophesies should be fulfilled Dan. 9. But yet as wretched and as contemptible a going out of the world as he had and his manner of dying on the Cross how vile soever it seemed to be yet was there not enough to silence all the doubts that could possibly from thence arise and much for the confirmation of my faith in the wonderful Eclipse of the Sun the rending of the veil of the Temple the opening of the Graves the raising of the dead and afterwards his own rising the third day and ascending up to Heaven in a Cloud If my faith might have staggered in seeing him on the Cross dying it could not when it saw him risen and in the Clouds ascending Object But were those wonders true and certain Answ But hast thou any ground to doubt them are they not written in thy Bible and art thou not certain that it is the word of God or hast thou not sufficient reason to believe it to be so But hast thou not a whole Nation yea Nations that do believe the
same and before this age did not our Fathers and Grandfathers and great Grandfathers and so continued a testimony of ages from the time that they were done to this day witness to the truth of them and that so unanimously and resolutely that ten thousands have rather chosen to lose their lives than the truth of them Now put all these together and tell me canst thou doubt Away I see thou dost but trifle confess the truth or I am resolved to heed thee no longer Come take and embrace that crucified Jesus account all things else but as loss and dross and dung in comparison with him stick not at his outward meanness scruple not at his ignominious dying it is the very Christ the Saviour of the world Oh why shouldest-thou thus torment me Dost thou not see all thy fellow-Christians to glory in that Cross and in that Christ that died on it Do they not bear it as a badg of honour and shall it be to thee as shame Do not all the Christian World eat and drink as often as they can the Symbols of this their dying Lord And do they not all sing and joy and triumph in it and wilt thou the while lye vexing thy self over a company of needless fears and scruples Farewell all needless doubts and tormenting questions I see my faith is built on a Rock blow winds beat waves you cannot now remove me Blessed God! I thank thee for thy Son thou hast given his life for the spoiler thou hast bowed his back to the enemies long furrows have they plowed upon it and the day of his calamity they laughed at Lord thou hast wounded him for my sins and bruised him for my iniquities These speak the depth of thy counsels and the ways of thy mercy past finding out and the tenderness of thy Bowels Thou hast made him my Rock and my shield and my strong tower and in the day of my sorrow through him thou wilt hear me To thee O God will I make my vows and to thee will I pay them I will humble my self before thee I will always lye at the feet of my Redeemer Lord his Cross and his shame shall be no more a stumbling-block to me I will take it up and follow him it shall be my Crown my Song and the glory of my rejoicing I will enter into thy Courts with joy and in the Congregations of thy Saints shall be my delight I will remember thy loving-kindnesses of old and the days in which thou didst afflict thy only Son for the sins of my Soul I will call to mind the Covenant of thy Grace and my heart shall praise thee when I see it founded on blood Then will I betroth my self to thy Son join thou Lord both our hands and hearts and we will strike up a match for ever Praise thou the Lord Oh my soul and all you that love and fear him praise his holy name The SACRAMENT The Dress Lord where am I What! all the Children of the Bride-chamber up and drest and I slumbering in my bed Tell me ye fairest what make you up so early Alas our Lord was up before us all He called us up by break of the day and wondered that we were not triming our lamps knowing with whom we were to feast this day Oh! well then I will rise up too Oh what a shew do these bright and glittering Saints make in mine eyes What a brightness do these pearls and diamonds cast in mine eyes they do strike me into amazement Oh what a lovely humble look doth crown their brow and what a comely countenance hath joy and Heavenly delight cast on their cheeks surely they did not thus dress themselves it was my Father that made them thus prepar'd to entertain his Son But where are my Clothes Now for the fairest sweetest robe of thoughts and wishes that can be found or that the wardrobe of my Father can afford me Oh how naked am I But where are my silken golden twists of Faith to hang the jewels of joy and love and humility upon I am never drest till they be on Oh where where are they I saw them by me but just now I laid them by my heart before I went to bed Oh what was I so long a reasoning about Oh what long and many threds did my reason spin even now but to make these twines to tye up my joy and to raise up my love and to hang my Heavenly delight upon But ah I fear this envious world hath with her vanities stollen them away or hid them from me or the envious Devil or unbelief have been ravelling or snarling of them that now I am as far to seek as ever Whither O whither shall I go to find them out Now will the Bridegroom come and I am not ready I cannot dare not go to day Now will my Lord be angry and ask me why I came not and I have no answer to make him And if I go undrest he will ask me where is my Wedding-garment and then I shall be speechless Ah foolish simple heart that thou wouldst take no more care but to let these thoughts of earth so intangle themselves with thy so pure and Heavenly contemplations Now how to get them loose again thou knowest not this thou mightst by heed and care have prevented but now what help Lord I have sinned O holy Father pardon this time and I will take more heed Oh come and unty my thoughts from this earth and come and dress me up as best pleaseth thee Come be not discouraged Oh my soul Let but thy attire of Grace be whole that is sincere thy God and so thy Saviour will accept thee Though thy garments are not so much perfumed with heaven as thy brethrens are but yet if they are but white and free from the spots of flesh and spirit thou wilt be looked on and liked of well enough Thy Lord doth know that all have not talents alike and where he gives but a little he expects but little A Faith that is richly embroidered over with love and delight is not given to all and is not expected from any but from those to whom it is given Thou hast an honest willing serious heart that thinks it doth despise and trample under feet the nearest dearest pleasures profits and glories in the world in compare with him that gave himself to death for thee and hadst rather anger flesh and blood the dearest friends and all the world than him by sinning against him in the least If this be true fear not thou hast thy Wedding-garment on thou art well clad as mean soever as it is it is such a one as Heaven gave thee and such a one as thy dear Redeemer can and will embrace thee in The Presence-Chamber Fear not O my soul I charge thee do not faint Let not thy weakness and the poverty of thy grace discourage thee see how thy Lord draws nigh Fear not I say he will not ask
to the palace of God they were to be the lights to them Now these twelve Stars are the twelve Apostles And she had a Crown of twelve Stars that is she was a Woman that professed faith in the Doctrine of the twelve Apostles she owned those truths that the Apostles preached and would receive no truths as matters of her faith but what the Apostles did teach and by this she was to be known in the several Generations of the World so that by this character of a Woman with a Crown of twelve Stars the Holy Ghost hath given you a note by which you may find out this Church those societies that believe what they taught and worship God according to what worship they delivered that is the woman with a crown of twelve Stars but if you see any society of Christians and you â—ind more Stars thanS twelve a star of vain Philosophy or humane tradition or a star of rudiments of the world look upon them as none of the stars that Christ hath put in the Womans crown therefore when Christ commissioned the Apostles to preach the Gospel he gave not liberty to Paul or Peter or any of the twelve to lay any Commandment upon his Church but what they had from his mouth in the last of Matthew and indeed they are as it were the last words he spake to them vers 19 20. Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Well what shall we teach teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you No more no more let them believe than what I have delivered to you let them use such Ordinances in Worship as I have appointed you and no more they were not to exceed there commission it was as dangerous for them to do it as any Ambassador to exceed the commission of his Prince and therefore the Apostles when they were brought before the Rulers and Governours and they charged them to teach no more in the name of this Jesus say We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard how can we chuse but teach the things which we have seen Christ do and reveal the miracles that we see wrought and how can we chuse but preach the Doctrine that we received from his mouth They did not say how can we chuse but do that which we have seen invented by others no if they had taught any thing else Christ would not have born them out and therefore in the Election of a new Apostle in Judas his stead they made choice of one to bear witness of what Christ had said and done and all the Churches of Christ from that time they are to keep close to those Doctrines the Doctrines of the twelve Apostles and by this they shall be known to be the Woman if they still keep the Crown that hath but twelve Stars And now you may know what to think of the Church of Rome and of the Turks and what to think of the Jews Some have not the twelve Stars others have as the Pope hath them but he hath added others have the stars of humane tradition of the rudiments of the world I give you but the general note for I will only give you rules in finding out the Church and when you have found it keep close to her if you would find the Church ask what Doctrine she holds and whether there be any thing added not one star added but keep close to the Crown that hath just twelve stars in it Now let us come downward And she was clothed with the Sun and you see the Holy Ghost hath picked out the most glorious thing in all the Heavens to resemble the beauty and loveliness and majesty of the Church there was not any thing in the world to resemble the luster and majesty and beauty of this Church and therefore he goes up to Heaven and putteth a Crown of Stars upon her head and clotheth her with Sun beams and she was clothed with the Sun what must this Sun be why in the Heavens you know the Sun is the greatest of lights and its influences are most marvellous and there is but one Sun Why what is there in the Kingdom of God that the Sun is most likely to shadow forth I answer it must be the Lord Jesus Christ and he is compared to the Sun in Scripture as in Mal. 4.2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings that is Christ Jesus shall arise with healing in his wings the wings of the Sun-beams Christ is here compared to the Sun well but how may this Sun be said to be a clothing is there any ground for it why yes the Apostle Paul does use an expression wherein he holdeth Christ as the Churches clothing and so put the comparison that one compareth Christ to the Sun and the other where you find Christ compared to the clothing of the Church and then you have this truth to wit the Church is clothed with the Sun i.e. with Jesus Christ Nom. 13.14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ Here you see plainly the Apostle does compare Christ to a garment and does exhort the Church to clothe themselves with Christ and though Christ does not call himself a garment yet he does invite the Church to him that he may clothe her Rev. 3.18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire that thou maist be rich and white raiment that thou maist be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou maist see Well pray say you how may the Church be said to be clothed with Christ In two respects 1. In as much as they are clothed with the righteousness of Justification and this in and by Jesus Christ 2. As they are clothed with the divine nature with the nature of Christ or with the righteousness of Sanctification they that have these two righteousnesses upon them they are clothed with Christ they are clothed with the Sun 1. When you have the righteousness of Justification for so this Woman had the Church is a justified woman a pardoned woman and so are all the members of this Church all her iniquities are all blotted out all hand-writings of Ordinances are all cancelled all nailed to the Cross of Christ all wrapped up and buried and shall never rise up in judgment against them this is a clothing by which her nakedness is clothed why Oh thou poor creature that lyest open to the wrath of God to the storms of his displeasure thou hast no pardon till Christ pardoneth thee the Woman is clothed with the Sun that is with the righteousness of Justification that Jesus Christ hath purchased for her If you see a Church boasting of a righteousness of their own a Pharisaical righteousness a Legal Righteousness a righteousness of their own this is not
the woman for she hath not the clothing there is a people that say they are the Church but look unto them and you shall see nothing of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ upon them they are not clothed with the Sun neither have they the Crown of twelve stars they do not build their faith upon the Doctrine of the Apostles neither do they cover their nakedness with the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ wherefore be not deceived There are many parties crying we are the people look to them see if they keep close to the Doctrine of the Apostles have the Crown of twelve stars and again see whether they have the Righteousness of Jesus Christ his dying for sinners do they look upon all their acceptance that they hope to have with the Father as from the Son There is a generation that have some tokens of mortification upon them but alas every one that looketh like the Woman is not the Woman you must have all the attire upon her if you will conclude her to be the Woman never dare to join your selves to a people that are not clothed with the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ that died for poor sinners and made their peace upon the Cross having expiated their sin thereby This Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ will grow more splendent and more firm the longer you wear it 2. There is a righteousness of holiness of sanctification it is not enough that this Church is clothed with the Righteousness of Christ but this Church is clothed with the nature of Christ Christ is upon her and Christ is within her she is all full of Christ all over clothed with Christ clothed with his nature and therefore you find the Lord Jesus Christ calls you to an imitation of him Learn of me for I am meek This woman is no hasty woman no wrathful no revengeful woman when she is provoked she will not rail again she will pray for them that curse her And if you see a society of people that live not in meekness and holiness and do not follow the patterns of the Lord Jesus Christ that is not the society which is the true Church neither if you see a people boast of Christ dying for them and yet wallow like swine in the mire and defile them with the filth of sin and lust that is not the woman that is not the Church And now you may if you would see the Church look upon the conversations of the Churches in England look upon their lives see how they live if you see them a drunken a cursing a swearing Church a blaspheming Church this is none of the Lambs wife for the woman is clothed with the Sun with the new nature of Christ with the holy nature of Christ hath put on Christ and makes no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof And thus you see the other part of her clothing and she is clothed with the Sun The last and that is The Moon under her feet What is here meant by the Moon We must here respect the Moon that ruleth by night You see the clothing of the Church is set out by the Lord Jesus Christ he is called the Sun now whatever is opposite to the Sun to Jesus Christ that must be here signified by the Moon whatever is in this world or in Churches found opposite to Jesus Christ why that is the Moon that the Church trampleth under foot and will have nothing to do with for as the Sun is the Prince of Light and ruleth the day so the Moon is the Queen of the Night and by this Moon is represented all the works of darkness of the Kingdom of darkness which are opposite to the Kingdom of light Now this Church that weareth a Crown of twelve stars upon her head and is clothed with the Sun it is always day with her they walk not in darkness they are not the children of the night Well then what are these things of the Kingdom of darkness why 1. There are the heads of the Kingdom of darkness and those are the Devils the Moon signifieth the night and the night signifieth the Kingdom of darkness the Devils are the Moon that are under the Churches feet Oh! in what state does the Church sit clothed with the Sun and all the powers of Hell under her feet saith Christ Go preach and I give you power over all Devils and they came back again and said Lord we have healed diseases and the very Devils are subject to us That is the Devils lye trampled under foot of the Church Satan shall be laid at your feet shortly and what an honour is it You think it much to conquer men why here is a poor woman that conquers the powers of darkness not in your own strength but in the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ to whom you are married whose righteousness you wear 2. All the instruments of the Devil are under you who are they they are all those that take part with the Devil in the world how shall we find them out why you may find them out thus They are always night-walkers Moon walkers hate the light they are wicked and ungodly men that live after their lusts who please the flesh and are enemies to God and to his people these are the instruments of the Devil these are they that are meant by the Moon and the Woman setteth her foot upon them And this does signifie that all wicked men that are mocking and deriding her and clap their hands when they see her fly and say Thus we would have it shall fall under her feet in the issue Know you foolish sinners the time is coming when you shall lie at her foot and she shall trample upon you and that is another thing the Devils are the Principalities and powers of night and wicked men are the Angels of these Princes whom Christ made spoil of openly But again all principles heresies false doctrines contrary to the nature of God the Trinity the union of the two natures God and man the Doctrine of Justification by faith only all those Principles that are raised by the Devil in the world that are contrary to the Doctrine of Christ are principles of the night and the woman she treadeth down all false Doctrines Again all false apprehensions institutions and appointments concerning the worship of God are all the effects of ignorance born of the night all superstition that is introduced into the world and into the Church those who own such are not she that is the woman that hath the Crown of twelve stars clothed with the righteousness of the Lord and hath no doctrine no worship but what she received from Christ she tramples all false doctrines and superstitions and heresies she tramples them all down under her feet Lastly All wicked works all pride all vain glory all envy malice hatred revenge whatever is of the flesh this is all included under this notion or figure to
i' nt that I Do fear thou canst not save Nothing can hinder if thou please Nor Devil Hell nor Grave Nor do I doubt but 't is thy will To save some such as I For as vile wretches as I am Thy Son did freely die In the deep Seas of thy rich love Blaspheming Paul did swim He though thy Saints he sought to kill Yet thou didst pardon him The Harlot Mary Magdalen Who deeply ran on score Who did ten thousand talents owe Yet that debt-bond was tore A swearing cursing Peter thou Didst to thy mercy take That Son whom he did fear to own Thou pardon'st for his sake This makes me confident my God That Heav'n may be my place If thou would'st please to grant to me Maries or Peters Grace Give me O God to go aside And in some corner creep That there with Peter bitterly In dolors I may weep Give me but sinful Maries love Love shall my ointment be Which I upon my Lords feet will Pour out as well as she But ah my God! this is my fear Their faith and love I want My carnal proud and sensual heart Speaks me no penitent This only Lord I have to plead Those lusts my heart doth hate I long I wish to be set free From this sad sinful state Sure Lord I am no enemy To holiness within Thou seest my soul contend and strive To beat down every sin When that perchance my foot doth slip And thee I do offend Doth not my sin make me to mourn And don 't I strive to mend Had not I faith why should I fear The threatenings of thy Law Why should I dread thy Majesty And of thee stand in awe Had I not faith why should I long Thy face above to see Why should I praying sue so hard To get my liberty Did not I love thee why should I My loved self forsake Why should I loath my loved sins For thy beloved's sake Did I not love why don 't the shell Of duties me suffice In Sacraments and pray'rs why do I thus thy presence prize Did I dissemble to be seen Of men why doth my sin Which none knows but my self alone Me trouble that 's within Did I dissemble then my tears My sighs in company Would more be heard and seen then when My God alone stands by It 's true I love thee not enough Nor is my faith so strong But that with grief I do confess Thy faithfulness I wrong But Lord remember I 'm but dust In weakness here I live That little which I have thou gav'st The rest above shalt give Did not those Stars that now do shine With thee in Heav'n above While living on the earth complain Of want of faith and love Nay Lord do not I read that thou The hungry soul didst bless And it that thirsts for righteousness Such am I I confess But Lord remember he that thirsts And hungry is for grace He some degree of grace must want And I am in that case If he is blessed why not I My hung'rings thou dost see If thou hast said he shall be full Why sha'nt that word reach me I sin I sin but thou hast place't The righteous Christ on high To advocate and plead his cause That at his feet doth lye Lord there a sinner I do lye Thy promise I will trust For pardon and for love will hope Till I fall to the dust The Welcome I. WElcome my child on high Heaven joys to see thee here Be not afraid it is thy Fathers house And thy Saviour bought it dear It was for this he bled And his soul ' n offering did make When my Son thou didst accept this Jointure he thee made Now possess it for his sake Whyart thou asham'd come behold me behold me I have forgot thy sin And made thee clean within Now thou' rt arrived here above Of nought think but of love I shall ne're be angry with thee agen II. My servants that attend Put on his best attire Set a Crown on his brow in brightness that out-shines The clearest flames of fire Spread out that cloth of Gold His foot-cloth it must be If you have him drest come bring him set him here He must keep me company Have you done if you have bid him welcome bid him welcome He was our friend on earth And royal in his birth For whilest he lived I saw he Forsook all to love me And did truly serve me to his his death III. A child a bride a wife Ragg'd and adorn'd so soon From the Dungeon to the Throne how quickly am I rais'd And my midnight turn'd to noon Even now on my death-bed I sigh'd I sob'd I groan'd I weeping cri'd my God hath me forgot And by all my friends was moan'd What they think now on earth I do not know I do not know Nor for't do I much care What a weeping though they are Of little do they think I Do possess such glory That I 'm made so much-of here above IV. This is Jerusalem Pav'd o're with slates of Gold Her rows of houses like to towers stand It 's more stately than was told Here 's not a street but 's strow'd With flowers of Paradise Not a step that I tread but such sweetnesses I pownd More rich than Arabian spice Walls that her inclose are far brighter far brighter Than th' oriental flame Or a thing that wants a name Her sparkling gates are well known To be made up of such stone That the richest Diamonds doth excel V. Blest shades that here do dwell These mansions that possess I never till now a place or people saw That the God of Heaven doth bless Here 's not a look speaks care No sign of tear or grief Not a sigh or a groan through all the streets I hear Nor a beggar that wants relief All yet that I 've met are like Angels like Angels In clearness they surpass A Star or chrystal-glass Whose unsoil'd beauty doth seem To out-vye a Sun-beam Far Oh far more splendid than all these VI. Their locks like curls of light Their Lilly-necks hang o're Bedeckt with Ribbonds richer than of Gold I ne're saw such before Sweetness of spirit blooms And blossoms all the week In smiles of joy and love that do adorn In their flowrings on each cheek In mantles as white as the fair Moon the fair Moon They walk about each street And embrace all that they meet I never saw friends so love As they do here above Oh! I could lie at any of their feet VII I am where I would be In the City of my King This is the place I have desir'd to see And to hear the cherubs sing What lofty strains are these I ne're heard voice so lavish Not a note that I hear but melts me into joy And my heart doth in me ravish In the close when they shout Hallelujah Hallelujah Glory to God on high And the Lamb that below did die There 's warmth methinks in these names That melts me into
world heapt upon world and all made one Prove palace large enough for her alone If we suckt dry ten thousand more of joys And drain them in one torernt Sp. Yet all toys F. What if we wreath a chaplet and then steep't In Stars then crown her brow Sp. She 'l yet defie 't Nor wont your duskie tapers yet suffice To grace the room where fair 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lies Natures bright flames of reason are but clouds As fainter lights when in the socket shrouds All glough too weak light all thy graces up Yet all too small for with one glance she 'l sup That liquid fire quite dry then with craving eyes Seek out for more not found will thee despise F. Then 't i' nt in me to satisfie the womb Which with a gust such pleasures can entomb My flow'rs distill'd to sweets can't pleasures yield Flagrant enough nor though I hunt my field With pretty winged beagles for to take Light-footed odors and all for her sake To honey her delights no melody will serve Her famisht ear craving more than I have I 'le ease my hands sure then of such a guest And let her seek her some-where else a rest The ALARM I. RISE Rise Hark! the Heav'nly cries That Eccho from the Skies From our slumbers to awake The Alarum doth sound Bids us rise from the ground For the Devil hath us found And to death will us wound But our God would have us crown'd Oh why then should we lie Sleeping out till we die II. What! What! Is it that you have got Which your brains thus besot That you care not to stir Why drank you so deep Of that cup where did steep Venom'd joys whence did creep Fumes that have rockt asleep At which waking you may weep When the danger you espy I was ' witcht you will cry III. See! see Yonder Prince that is he That did deliver me When an enemy I was Though I have him forsook Yet a smile from his look My soul a captive took When for fear of death I shook Gave me Clergy on the book Oh why then will you die When a Saviour is so nigh IV. Wake Wake Your slumbrings off shake And to Jesus betake The General of Souls Heaven him a Captain made That ' gainst banners display'd In wounds through blood dare wade And of Devils not afraid For a Crown that ne're decay'd If he can but it win We shall all have 't of him V. Fight Fight While the day yields you light That as Conquerors by night In triumphs you may dwell I'nt it better to ride With victory by your side Then as slaves to abide With the Devil your guide Who at length will you deride Let us arm then and on We shall lose not a man VI. Turn Turn You whose souls that must burn If you thus from him run Stay but a while and think What harm will he do If that he saveth you From amidst the damned crew That in glowing flames will rue Those sins that will undo Oh do not you refuse While he gives time to chuse A SONG I. WHither Oh wandring wight Art thou thy jourey taking Why amidst these caves and dens of wolves do'st walk As Pilgrim quite forsaken What is thy Countries name Thy Parents are they living What is the cause thou stray'st so far from home And art thus pin'd with grieving Why still dost thou cry Oh my Jesus my Jesus What is that name I trow I would its meaning know For each time that thou nam'st him Thy eyes fill to the brim And thy heart with throbbing almost bursts II. A stranger I am here And so was all my kin Who in tents or caves like Hermites here did dwell Such have their poor cots been My off-spring's from on high A beam dropt from the Sun I call him Father that the Heav'ns made And he doth call me Son I am a-kin to that Jesus that Jesus Who in tears so long l 've sought That from Hell with blood me bought For through this wilderness he Bleeding ran to seek me Whom when found to Heav'n in clouds was caught III. To Heaven I said he 's gone And that 's my Countries name Where breaths the sweetest freshest gales of grace Which will augment my flame This Country lyes on high Far distant from my sight Beyond you hills and globes of fire that burn Stands a Palace wrapt in light Within which gilded roof dwells my Father my Father With him my Prince of Peace Where of glory 's no decrease Where Chores of Angels sing round And my breth'ren sit Crown'd Who would joy to see me arrive at last IV. The desart when I 've crost I do expect to find A black and dismal grove of Cypress-trees Where doth breathe a numbing wind There wearied mortals rest Their languid limbs lay down Here Crown-tired Kings and leprous beggars lie All a gasping on the ground In th' belly of which grove there a cave lies a cave lies The Mansion-house of death Where I must lose my breath In which black shades my Ghost must shake off all her cold dust Where do Angels wait to fetch me home A Spiritual Song YOU Rabshekahs 'mong whom I dwell That pass me and my cause to hell Do'nt me condemn and pass your doom Till I am raised from my Tomb. Gaze not upon my thread-bare skin Stuft with a slimy mud within Nor on the thatch upon my back Nor bread which I perhaps may lack Gaze not upon my watry eye Wherein a show'r of tears do lye Nor on the clouds of looks that dim The light of Heaven that 's within Gaze not upon my blubber'd cheek Which lyes in puddles all the week Nor mind the throbbings of my breast Wherein I scarce find any rest Gaze not upon my purblind mind That gropes in light its way to find Do not my words so strictly mark My tongue walks sometimes in the dark Gaze not upon my bleeding heart When God it wounds and makes to smart Or on me when you hear that I For sin do groan and wish to die Gaze not upon me in my race When stumbling I fall on my face Nor while in blood and wounds I fight With hell self world till it be night For when my Jesus once doth come My skin shall turn complexion My watery eye dries up and clears Which was besprinkled all with tears My woollen thatch turns robes of light Whose Sun-shine-dims the strongest sight My barly-bread turns Manna sweet And I shall with the Angels eat My sulli'd cheeks shall then disclose Their full-blown beauty in a rose My Lord shall brood within my breast And hatch up glory in that nest On this benighted mind of mine A sevenfold Sun shall cast its shine The morning of another day Shall scatter those night-fogs away These gaping wounds my heart doth feel My God with balmy smiles shall heal He shall me melt in flames of love And shall this sin and dross remove The race will end which now I