is Emmanucl Mat. 1.23 Now every new born child of God and every Christ-like man doth live and walk and talk in the Son of God who is the fountain of life and light and is the divine Sun of righteousness who doth shine into the hearts of true Beleevers Now as I spake before of the new born children or true beleevers to be in the Sun of righteousness the fountain of life and light and that God is in them it doth not follow that they are so many Gods or so many Christs no there is but one God who is Christ Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord Deut. 6.4 And there is but one Lord Christ Who is God blessed for ever Luk. 2.26 Yet though these be not Gods nor Christs which have been spoken of yet they are shining Stars in the Heaven of God and they are Kings with crowns of glory in the hand of the Lord A true beleeving man is as a shining star and a royal diadem in the hand of Christ and a royal diadem in the hand of Christ who is the hand of God and thy God Isa 62.3 Nay more they are as streams flowing from the fountain of life and as rivers run back again into the sea from whence they came even so do the Saints return into God in Christ from whence they came and there they solace themselves in the ocean sea of divine pleasures and they are abundantly satisfied with the drink of that river for there they stand admiring of God and praising of God and rejoycing in God Now as the men of this world do walk up and down in the light of the natural Sun in the Firmament Sect. 7.3 even so do the Saints in light walk up and down in the light of the blessed God who is the spiritual Sun that shines into their souls And in his light they see light for there is a fulness of light read Psa 36.7 8 9. Ioh. 1.4 5. And every Saint or true Beleever hath his part or portion which is a fulness to him and in him yet every true beleeving soul is apart from God and doth behold his face in righteousness Psa Saints are not Gods nor Christs but sparks of the divinenature 17.15 And though a true beleeving soul be in so neer a union with God and so close a communion with Christ and such an unsupparableness of oneness between God and the Saints as you may read Ioh. 17.21 yet they are not Gods and Christs unto themselves nor unto others as you did object and say that I seemed to make them so but they all say as the Apostle said Though there be many that are called gods yet say they to us that beleeve there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and for him and to us there is but one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him and in him 1 Cor. 8.5 6. Now this is the poor souls rest that all things are done by the hands of Christs for its good and this is the weary souls great comfort that Christ is a City of rest for it to be in and this is the great joy of an oppressed soul that Christ is the King of that City to whom it wil run together with an innumerable company of the first born which are inrolled in heaven and these run to God as a bride prepared and adorned for her husband Now these poor jeered ones and hared for Christs sake and separated from their company are reproached by zealous men and their names cast out as evil yet these persecuted ones in this storm have great cause to rejoyce for their rest is in heaven Luk. 6.22 23. And they as loyal subjects run unto their King Jesus for protection and this King is their loving friend and he is the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne of grace before whom they stand with boldness and much confidence as you may read at large Heb. 12.22 23 24. Rev. 5.4 5 6 7 13. Now I shal make two Uses of Comfort which wil be useful unto a poor soul in every sad condition And the first Use is this Christ is the life of the oppressed soul First Use of comfort and the actings movings of the soul if the soul be spiritually sensible it saith thus Though I live it is Christ that lives in me and moveth me and acteth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Col. 3.4 Gal. 2.20 Now the Faith of the Son of God it is Christ God-man who is the substance of our effectual faith Now a poor soul having the substance of faith within it self the effects follow as in the case of Mary towards Lazarus even so a poor soul in its sadest conditions hath its head lifted up until Christ speak in the soul and then the soul is quickly upon the wing and riseth hastily up to meet Jesus Christ its Lord as Mary did and then the poor sad soul saith Lord if thou hadst been here my brother my husband my child had not dyed nor my estate which is so neer unto me and so comfortable unto me had not wasted nor been taken from me and I left in such a sad condition Now Christ seeing the soul in this sad condition why Christ himself groans in the Spirit and is troubled with the poor soul and weeps and again groaning in himself he troubled himself and labors to bring into the sad souls divine consolation to refresh it Sect. 8 And whereas some soul doth object and say If Christ had been with it its brother or its comfort had not died Now Christ answers the soul again as he answered Nathaniel The soul is weak in faith when it saith Christ is far from it When thou wast under the fig-tree I saw thee O thou poor soul when thou wast under such a sad burden then I saw thee and when thou wast in such a sad condition then I was with thee and when thou wast so much dejected and cast down even then I was with thee and held thee up that thou shouldst not faint I was never absent from thee O poor soul and the many tribulations which thou hast been under it is not as punishment unto thee but for a tryal of thy faith and for the exercise of thy graces Fear not O thou poor soul for sin shall not condemn thee for it is I thy Christ thy Jesus that died for thee yea rather that is risen again and is in God ever speaking good of thee and for thee O thou poor soul and my Father heareth me always Rom. 8.33 34 35. And I and my Father will send a comforting spirit into thee for to cheer thee up and at that day thou shalt know that I am in my Father and that thou art in me and that I am in thee Joh. 15.26 Joh. 14.19 20. Now this soft
ignorantly Come you old men which consented and suffered your men to go forth in such multitudes to Westminster and after that to Guildhal it might have produced sad things but God prevented it even as sad things All men by nature like unto Saul as Saul accused himself of unto the Lord Lord saith he They know that I imprisoned and beat in every Synagogue them that beleeved on thee and when the blood of thy Martyr Steven was shed I also was standing by and consenting unto his death and kept the rayment of them that slew him And I gave my voice against those that did speak of the Name of Jesus and when they were put to death I gave my consent and when they were to be persecuted or any did but speak evil of them I also gave my vote against them I ask Quest is not this the temper of a great many in our Kingdom and City read Acts 22.19 20. 26.10 11. I am perswaded that we have many Aldermen and Common-Councel men and others That are good religious men yet it is possible that good men may do unworthy actions As for instance Instance Joshua was a good man Good men sometimes may do bad actions as Joshua did Numb 11.28 29. and the servant of Moses and one of his young men now he hearing another young man complaining to Moses of Eldad and Medad that did prophesie in the Camp Joshua he seconds him and answered and said My lord Moses forbid them that they may not prophesie Now this was an unworthy action of Joshua as you may see by the reproof that Moses gave him read Numbers 11. verses 26 27 28 29. Now had we not a whole Councel that did envy against such men as did prophesie or preach or speak call it what you will Witness our City Remonstrance which did request That they might have something against such people that they might proceed against them as Sectaries or factious persons and so stop their mouths and compel them and so likewise our young men and other good men amongst them meeting at Guildhal many days together they sotishly reviled those that were good Christians and the sotish young men ignorantly cryed down with these Sectaries down with these Independents and so thrusting them up and down the Hall and the yard with their Elbows and Shoulders And this was the simple behavior and gross ignorance with their proud mockings and secret whisperings and outward scornings and contempt of those that are good Christians and this was done by many or the most in that multitude as also now at this day under the name of Sectaries as he that hath eyes in his head may see And this did prove but of bad consequence at Guildhal which made those wounds that are not healed yet A word to the Citizens whom I love to the grief of some But shall I point you unto the word of the Lord and consider well of it My people saith God have been lost sheep their shepherds have caused them to erre or to go astray If God turn you you shall see a fountain of grace to wash away your spots Jere. 50.6 But yet for all this turn not away from the Lord but turn to the Lord with all your hearts nay rather the Lord will turn your hearts and cause you to see a fountain of grace open to wash off all your spots O it is a comfortable grace it will make you new men it will purge your corrupt mindes it will make you love them that formerly you did hate it will cause you sweetly to rejoyce in Christ Jesus O it is a soveraign Grace it will heal you as it did Paul It may be you did what you did ignorantly in unbelief A man may be very zealous and yet have neither faith nor love yet be of good cheer for it was Pauls condition I saith he before I had this grace was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious and yet I was very zealous for the worship of God in my way and yet I had neither faith in Christ nor love to his people But when this abundant grace this translating grace came into my heart then I that thought my self to be righteous did see my self to be the chiefest of sinners And when this sweet grace and mercy came I was and am a pattern to shew forth the long-suffering of God to me and I also am taught of the Spirit of Christ to give forth most excellent reports of this grace and mercy saith Paul An outward shew may seem good and yet not profit No true ground to rejoyce in but onely in Christ spiritual because this mercy endureth for ever It is not the having of an outward Church-fellowship nor the being a member of a visible Church nor any external priviledges whatsoever that is a sufficient ground for the soul to rejoyce in but onely the circumcision of the heart in the Spirit and to worship God in the Spirit and to rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh but in the appearance of Christ alone in the Spirit read these three Scriptures 1 Tim. 1.12 13 14 15 16 17. Rom. 2.29 Phil. 3.3 4 5 6. O this grace of God is a soveraign grace it healed Zacheus Art thou an oppressor of the poor hast thou plundered the poor Christians out of spight against Jesus Christ these have been plundering times But I will tell thee if thou hadst but the grace of Christ in thy heart it will make thee like Zacheus Behold Lord saith he the half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation or by oppression I restore him four fold for it read Luke 19.5 8 9. O you ignorant Sect. 8 and sotish ones of our times The grace of Jesus Christ is a healing grace it will heal a bloody issue though a particular person or a whole Kingdom have had a bloody issue twelve yeers and have spent all their hope and all their wit and all their living upon natural policy and have fastened their hope upon the King and upon the Parliament and Army Why none of these can heal this bloody issue but onely the grace of Jesus Christ alone O poor England and Ireland that have had this bloody issue seven yeers Nothing but the grace of Christ will heal England Ireland and yet uncured Your Physitians cannot heal you though you spend all nothing but the grace of Jesus Christ can heal you You have not as yet touched the hem of Christ garment that vertue may come out from him and stench your bloody issue and heal you Luke 8.43 44 45 46. We have all looked for the King and the Parliament and the Army to be our Physitians to heal us but our Physitians have let the Kingdom blood but the grace of Christ alone will heal us Therefore let us pray to God for to fill the Kings heart
brim-full of this grace of Christ that he may love the brotherhood that is the union between Christ and his Church and that we may have all the fear of God and then we shall honor the King Jesus Christ and honor all men The King as supreme and Governors under him 1 Pet. 2.13 14 17. Now this grace of Christ will move the Kings heart to be like a nursing father and to say as David said But these sheep what have they done But these thousands of poor harmless subjects that have been stain in England and Ireland what have they done I shall easily be intreated now to part with any thing or to do any thing to preserve those my poor subjects that are alive that they may have a firm and a lasting peace and live quietly all their days And thus Davia reasoned with the Lord as you may read 2 Sam. 24.17 24. Now this grace will help us to do more then a Covenant of our own making Therefore let us pray to God that he would be pleased to pour into the hearts of the King and Parliament abundance of his grace that they may be like unto Solomon in dividing of their great affairs for the peace of the kingdom and that with speed even as Solomon did with the two harlots in seeming to divide the childe the right mother came to enjoy her own childe Now amongst all your divisions the Lord teach you to maintain the priviledg of free Subjects and that every man may enjoy his own in peace Now if the wisdom and grace of Christ be in you it will teach you as it did Solomon To give the living childe to the right mother and this will make you famous 1 King 3.16 26 27 28. Now what hath been said Sect. 9 must be done with speed delays are dangerous the Kingdom is weary it begins for the kick and there are many evil tongues abroad the Lord keep us that we may not be devoured like unto Germany For the prevention of which the Lord teach you and inable you for to keep one right Fasting day to the Lord which is to loose the bands of wickedness and to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free and that ye break every yoke and deal your bread to the hungry and bring the poor into their possessions again and to relieve the naked and hide not your selves from your own flesh for matter of opinion and if you take away from the midst of you the yoke the putting forth of the finger and the speaking of vanity by some of the ignorant and sottish Clergy and those that stand to do justice and do none read Isai 58.2 6 7 9. Zech. 7.5 6 9 10. Now when the grace and Spirit of Jesus Christ doth come all these things will vanish away as the mist doth before the Sun and then your light shall break forth as the morning and the health of the Kingdom shall spring forth speedily and your righteous judgments shall go before you and the glory of the Lord shall be your rereward and when you cry the Lord will say here I am to help you Now God in Christ he is the good Physitian that brings health and cure to Kingdoms and Cities and bids the inhabitants dwell in peace and go forth with their flocks for he will satisfie the weary souls and replenish every sorrowful soul And when a Kingdom or a particular person do arise and behold this then their sleep will be sweet unto them as it was to Jeremiah Isai 58.8 9. Jere. 31.24 25 26. Now some will object and say Object That I seem to upbraid the Clergy with speaking vanity and with being full of ignorance and sotishness I answer Answ nay rather the Prophets and the Apostles they answer for the speaking of vanity and using deceit by the most of the Prophets in their time which stole their words from their neighbor and say God saith read Ezek. 13.7 8 9 10. Jere. 23.30 31 32. 14.18 50.6 A Ministry not built upon Christ in the Spirit doth not profit the people for they seek themselves and not the peoples souls read Ezek. 34.2 3 4. And so likewise these Prophets and Priests and people for the most part are possessed with ignorance and sottishness as you may read and consider well of it Jere. 4.22 5.30 31. If I go forth into the field saith the true Prophet then behold the slain with the sword And if I enter into the City then behold them that are sick with famine yea both the Prophet and the Priest go about into a Land that they know not Or make merchandise As the Margent of the Bible reads it as the Margent reads it against a Land and the sottish people acknowledg it not Iere. 14.18 Now you will say it is true Sect. 10 there were such Prophets Priests formerly but you hope there are none such now I shall answer you nay rather the Apostle Peter shall answer you There were false prophets formerly saith he and there will be and are false teachers among you even at this day which come to you in sheeps clothing saith Christ and use fair and enticing words and yet are ignorant and sottish concerning me saith Christ himself Beware of such teachers for they are blinde guides saith Christ 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. Matth. 7.15 21 22 23. 15.13 14. A Ministry built onely upon Letters I mean the Letter of the World and so speak or preach external words which may be got by natural industry and art But this learning onely and no more with it will neither profit themselves nor the people Now such kinde of learning as this the most part of the Episcopal or the Prelatical Clergy hath and some of the Presbyterians together with some of the Independents but especially the Minister of the Common-Prayer Book Mistake me not The Auditory of the Common Prayer Book for the most part are like little children that learn to say their lesson after their Master and so they are weak in knowledg like young children I speak not against any thing that is good in that Book but I speak of the unsufficiency of such a Minister or Ministers and then of the peoples weakness and ignorance in a customary way like unto little children they go to School to learn their letters and after a short time it may be they can say over an Epistle and a Gospel by rote and understand but little or nothing at all and it may be they can say over some Prayers without book when their Minister it may be cannot do so much And this hath been the custom and the rejoycing of the most people in this Kingdom and it is so now at this day in this City In some Parishes they rejoyce in that easie Common-Prayer Book I call it easie because a childe of six yeers old may read it over And this they rejoyce in as the publike Service of God when it may
be as a book sealed or as a box that hath far more precious ointment in it then that of Mary Magdalen as you may read Mark 14.3 But such men want a key to open this box A literal reading of preaching Minister doth but speak empty words in the ears of people or they want heavenly art to break this box that the sweet smels of Jesus Christ may come forth into the world amongst men Such men can speak of the letter of the Word which is as a Cabinet but they can speak little or nothing of Christ in the Spirit which is the Pearl in this Cabinet and this is one reason why your hearers are so ignorant and there is so little love to God in the world and love unto our neighbors Now I shal give your hearers one Caution Sect. 4 which is this It is not enough to cal Lord Lord but to have the grace of Christ to inable them to do his wil read Luk. 6.45 46. It is not the hearing of the Common Prayer Book read nor the verbal reading of it your self A form of Prayer only taught by men doth but beat the ayr that wil profit you It may be you may hear it read and be zealous in that and pray and yet remain ignorant in what you hear and in what you pray and your understandings ful of darkness But the Apostle saith He wil pray with the light of the Spirit and that light wil enlighten his understanding that he may edifie others 1 Cor. 14.14 15. And so likewise you may learn to say over the prayers in that book The definition of prayer viz. nay it maybe say over many prayers without the book but this is not prayer herein you are mistaken for prayer consists not in length of words nor in strength of words A true and a comfortable prayer comes from the spirit of grace returns to the spirit again but in the breathings of the Spirit of God into the soul and the souls breathings back again unto God And this is that which the Apostle saith The Spirit it self maketh intercession for us or in us with groanings which cannot be uttered And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit Rom. 8.26 27. because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the wil of God Now this grace of Christ in prayer comforts every soul that hath it and makes them able in the publick for the Kingdom and it makes them able for their families in private This grace of Christ makes those that are the Ministers of his Gospel sufficient and able in the newness of the Spirit to bring forth fruit unto God Rom. 7.4 6. Now I know that you that are readers and hearers of the Common Prayer Book and of those imitating preaching Ministers which can preach but little or nothing at all of the mystery of Christ and of the unsearchable riches of the sweet grace of Jesus Christ but they can speak pleasingly of the history of Christ and of the letter only I know now that you wil plead liberty of conscience to hear and to have this manner of reading and preaching And for my part you should have the liberty of your conscience A people delighting in a litter alministry are sotishly ignorant for the most part of them and ful of segality but I am sorry that your understandings are so dark that you are not able to discern the natural artificialness that is in some mens reading and preaching and I am grieved to see that you are not able to discern between the naturalness and the spiritualness of Ministers Some by the principles of nature can preach elegantly and use plausible words and this pleases you wel and this you cry up and magnifie But the spiritualness which some Ministers have from the Spirit of God this you cry down and say it is new light or new wine and with mockings say these men are ful of new light or with a jeer as Festus did to Paul saying Too much of this learning makes men mad And thus natural parts are advanced and true Ministers of the Gospel discountenanced as you may read Acts 2.13 15 16 17. Acts 26.24 25. 1 King 22.26 27. Mat. 27.63 Sect. 5 Now I shal speak a word in the behalf of those Ministers which are made able by the grace of the Gospel of God as Paul was such Ministers have the mystery of God manifest in the flesh revealed unto them by the spirit of God They are ful likewise of knowledg of the mystery of Christ in God and God in Christ and Christ who is God and the new man dwelling in the Saints now this is a glorious mystery read John 17.21 23 24. Eph. 4.23 24. 2 Cor. 6.16 Now such Ministers are made able by the gift of grace and the effectual working of the power of God that they may preach the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ unto a poor soul A ministry built on Christ doth administer grace to the hearts of the people now such Ministers have the secrets of the Lord revealed unto them Psa 25.14 And they do declare unto all the world the mystery which hath been hid in God from the begining of the world but now in these last times it shal be made known by the Church of Christ the manifold wisdom and love of God in his eternal purpose in Christ Jesus our Lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence that we shal be filled with all the fulness of God And thus the true Ministers of Christ are furnished from God to speak the things of God Evangelically and to speak spiritually what they hear and see of Jesus Christ and this you may read at large Eph. 3.3 the whole Chapter And so likewise every poor member of Christ is compleat in Christ For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily and of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace Col. 2.9 10. Joh. 1.16 17. Now if the Lord would be pleased to let this grace come down from above as an overflowing stream of love into our Land it would heal our breaches it would move the Kings heart to be easie to be intreated by the Parliament for the good and peace of his subjects that they might enjoy their own with quietness and the freedom of free subjects though he as a King lost something which is his own to purchase peace for his people and then he would be as a nursing Father unto his people which I desire to see all this a tender-hearted father doth for the good of his child he wil part with much of his own because he loves his child And this grace must move the Parliament if they be like unto a tender-hearted father Now those that are like unto a tender father If they see any one lie under a burden though it be but light they go speedily they make no delays in taking off
actions 352. The City Remonstrance the cause of much evil 353. A sweet saving word to these troubles of the Land 354. That a man may be very zealous yet have neither faith nor love 355. How men are mistaken touching Church-fellowship 355. A word to the plunderers of Christians in these times P. 355. § 8. A word to the sottish and ignorant people of these times 356. Nothing but the grace of Jesus Christ can heal the Land 356. That our Phisitians King Parliament and Army have let the Kingdom blood but none but Christ can heal it 357. What will do the King good and in him the Land ibid. That the grace of God will do more then a Covenant of our own making 358. A word to the Parliament that they as Solomon give the living child to the right mother ibid. § 9. 'T is necessary that something be done with speed for the settling of the people 359. One right Fasting day would set all right ibid. Who are the obstructers of peace and truth in the Land ib. Vpon what account the Author upbrayds the ignorant and sottish Clergie for speaking lyes 360. Who hath made merchandize of the people Page 361. § 10. As there were in times past so there are now false teachers among our chief rabbies many ibid. VVhat is the learning the most of the Prelatical many of the Presbyterian and some of the Independent men lean on 362. Of the people devoted to the Common Prayer ibid. A miserable thing to be learned in the Letter only 363 That Jesus Christ is now come in the Spirit 364. That there is no other interpreter of the Scriptures but the holy Spirit 364. CHAP. XII THe Scriptures opened set down 365. § 1. There be three sorts of Ministers VVho preach for applause 367. Of Ministers that cannot expound the Scriptures Page 368. The Scriptures are a box of precious ointment but the most want a key to open it 369. § 2. Who be the true Ministers of Jesus Christ 370. Imitating Ministers who they be 371. How the people are deceived by their pretended Ministers 372. That the most Ministers feed themselves and not the flock 373. § 3. A word to the Common Prayer-book Ministers ibid. A Note agreeable to these times 374 Who they are to whom the Book of God is sealed 375. Whence ignorance and enmity doth arise 376. § 4. Of the common sort of hearers ibid. Of the nature and mystery of prayer 377. A spiritual Ministry the people are much offended with 378. § 5. Of the Ministers that have the mystery of God manifest in them 379. What alone will be able to make the heart of the King willing to yeeld to the Parliament 380. What will do the Parliament good 381. What is the glory of the King and Parliament 382 What alone is able to settle the three Kingdoms England Ireland and Scotland 382. § 6. A word to and of the Army 383 The Christian trusts God with his liberty 384. § 7. The strife betwixt Martha and Mary well opened and applied 385 386. The carnal Christian as Martha and Mary knows Christ as after off but the spiritual sees him nigh at hand 388 389. A note of great concernment 388. § 9. How the Almighty God vails himself that he may manifest himself to and in men 390. Christ is the living Word of God ibid. How God humbleth himself to do good to men 391. Whether Christ suffered in his divine nature an excellent similitude to open it 391. How God went in Christ before the chief Priest and Pontius Pilate yea into the grave with him 392. Sect. 10. The fellowship of Christs sufferings sweetly opened 393. How Christ is crucified in man and who have a hand in it 394. CHAP. XIII THe Scriptures spoken to set down 395. Sect. 1. How many men are zealous for God and yet have Christ in contempt 397. That many think they do God service in killing those in whom Christ appears 398. Sect. 2. That Christ hath as many enemies now as he had when he dyed at Golgotha 399. When Christ is born in the heart of men there is a Councel called there against him P. 400 Who be those that sit in councel in the heart of a man against Christ 402. That every man hath a Judas in his heart to betray Christ 403. Who it is that gives sentence against Christ in the heart of man ibid. § 4. How the Cross of Christ is in the heart of man and what is crucified thereon 404 405. The spiritual and first Resurrection opened 405. The vertue and power of Christs Cross in the heart of man 406. How Christ takes the soul into the grave with him ibid. § 5. What a blessed thing it is to be conformable to Christs death 407. A word to him that is arrived at the haven of life which is God himself 408. Here the Author takes his leave of the Reader 408. § 6. That the whole Church together are a Temple for God and the Lamb to dwell in ib. The true Christian enjoys God every where 409. Of the Gospelized man ibid. Of the various appearances of God to man P. 410. Of carnal Ordinances which profit not without Christ 411. That neither the learned nor unlearned will have cause to jeer at these expressions because after this manner Antichrist is disthroned 412. How God is Father Son and holy Spirit first and last 410 412. § 7. That the Christians see Christ as the Angels do 413. How the unity of the Spirit is kept in the Church through the knowledg of God 414 S. 8. How all good is from God 415 God wil renew the heart and make it as a chast virgin to bear Christ in the Spirit as well as the virgin Mary did bear Christ in the flesh 415 God comes down into every low condition to comfort a poor soul 416 S. 9. A note of great comfort to a poor soul 417 Ecclesiastes the first and the seventh sweetly applyed 418 The Authors Testimony concerning himself P. 418. S. 10. What the names of Errour and Heresie is a vail unto 419 Whence it is that many feed on hay and stubble in stead of Manna 420 Whence Errors and false christs arise 421. That Christ and his Ministry are still found together ib. That a Minister not rooted in Christ shall be rooted up 422. CHAP. XIV THe Scriptures opened set down 423. Christ is the best thing in the worst times ib. What 't is neither King or Parliament Army Synod or City can neither give nor take away 424. The vanity of mens strivings in these times about matters external and circumstantial in Religion 425. Presbyterians and Independents like unto the four beasts Revel 4.6 7 8. ib. Two sorts of Presbyterians The first like a Lion The second like a Calf 426. Two sorts of Independents the one like a man the other like an Eagle 426. The Lion-like the Calf-like and he that had the face like a man are offended at the Eagle-like Christian ib. The strife betwixt Presbyters Independents and Prelatical men 428. How they have not all the same food 429 Who they are that feed on Angels food ib. What gives fulness of comfort when a man lies on his death-bed 431. How all relations fail but that of a man to God in Christ ib. That a flood of the grace of our Lord Jesus running into the hearts of King and Parliament wil only heal the Land 432. § 4. The blessing of a right Magistracy 433 Sect. 5. What moved the Author to undertake this work 434. Boaz field in the which the Author as Ruth gleaned 435. Sect. 6. Of what sort of readers 't is the Author looks for acceptance 436. Of the sweet refreshing the Author had in writing this book ibid. That the writing of this book cost the Author no labor or study 437. The Author gives the glory of all to God 438. How God dealt with the Author as Boaz dealt with Ruth 438. That God opens the mouth of the soul and fills it as the mother deals with her child The Conclusion of all is Christ the fulness of all ERRATA PAg. 66. read sold their pot to pay their tythes P. 138. l. 5. r. thy P. 156. l. 10. supply not P. 182. l. 12. r. margent of the Bible P. 303. l. 5. supply have P. 328. l. 20. supply put P. 329. l. 1. r. unto P. 374. l. 27. r. as Possibly some other faults and false pointings have escaped which the Reader is desired to correct as he shall find them FINIS
have not found Iesus Christ there It is a great mistake and the most in our days are subject to this mistake They think the meer having of the letter of the Scripture is sufficient for them to have eternal life so in some sort they become Idolaters even with the Scriptures themselves What is the Scripture to thee if thou mistake it In them ye think ye have eternal life but thy darkness comprehendeth not the light that shines in them as you may read in the Gospel of John 1.4 5. For what is the body without a soul Or what is the Scriptures to thee if thou hast not the key of David to open and unfold them unto thee Rev. 3.7 Or what is the Word to thee if thou hast not the Spirit of God by which it was given to open the mystery unto thee that is in it and then that Spirit wil teach thee to profit by the Word and wil instruct the in righteousness 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. And thou canst not take liberty to sin as the great out-cry goes now in our days but so much for that Mistake me not my advice is to account it a very great mercy to have the Word of God amongst us but ten thousand times a greater mercy to have the Spirit of the Word among us our Teachers and then that Spirit would heal our divisions and shed his love abroad in our hearts and then we should not bite and devour one another as we do and this is the crown of Pauls rejoycing to be made an able Minister not of the letter but of the Spirit for the Spirit giveth life and worketh love in our hearts 2 Cor. 3.6 O Lord Sect. 5 how little of thy sweet and peaceable Spirit is abroad in the world amongst Ministers and people if we consider the bitter envying and strife in mens hearts which is brought forth in contention and reproaching one another Now I shal speak as S. James speaks My brethren these things ought not so to be James 3.10 13 14 15 16. Is this the Spirit of Iesus Christ No in no wise For the fruit of the Spirit of Christ is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness meekness temperance Gal. 5.22 23. For these gifts the Spirit of God works in the hearts of the Saints as the Apostle speaks For God saith he hath not given us the spirit of fear and of error and heresie and division but of power of love and of a sound mind as you may read 2 Tim. 1.7 You Pharisees saith our Savior you search the Scriptures but ye wil not come to me For how can ye beleeve in me when ye receive honor one of another John 5.39 40 41 42 43 44. compared with John 12.42 43. and you shal find that not to be of the Pharisees simple judgment one shal have no place amongst them no not so much as to be the Beadle of a Ward not to be one in their way is as much as to be put out of their Synagogue as for instance in the blind man And they cast him out Iohn 9.32 33 34. And so you may instance in Lazarus But the Chief Priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death For he was a cause that the people went to meet Iesus Christ as you may read in the Gospel of John Chap. 12. Vers 10 11 18 19. Have not we many chief Priests and Pharisees now in our days as wel as there were in Christs time that sit and consult against their brethren as you may see in John Chap. 11. Vers 47 48. Instance if you wil in Mr Edwards a mighty man in the Scriptures and yet hardly knows Jesus Christ like to Nicodemus Joh. 3.1 4. He is something like to Tertullus too who disputed maliciously against Paul a notable Orator and one that had learned a leaf past grace and could talk nimbly but to little purpose as Mr Edwards doth read Acts 24.1 2 5 6. But now if Mr Edwards had an ear to hear what the Lord saith he would tremble Thou givest thy mouth to evil saith the Lord and thy tongue frameth deceit Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother thou slanderest thine own mothers son Mr Edwards have you not done these things doth not your conscience accuse you yet The Lord wil reprove you Mr Edwards consider whether you have not forgot God read Psa 50.19 20 21 22. Mr Edwards I shal refer you to one place more Have you heard of the doctrine of Iesus Christ Now the doctrine of Christ is First For Information Without me saith Christ ye can do nothing pleasing to God Joh. 15.5 Secondly It is for Exhortation to you Mr Edwards beware of being like to the Scribes and Pharisees Mar. 12.38 which neither loved Christ nor his followers Mistake me not I am no favorer of Sectaries yet I can with patience look upon them til God doth change their hearts In the third place I advise you not to be like an unskilful man to pluck up the wheat in stead of tares And in the fourth place Beware of being like unto the Scribes and Pharisees in loving to be chief and to have the uppermost places and to have domination and beware that you be not like the Pharisees and Lawyers that lode men with burdens grievous to be born and for a pretence make long prayers and so devour widows houses that is you oppress the weak and poor by your power and self-seeking Read if you please Mark 12.38 39 40. and Luke 11.44 45 46. Master Edwards be not angry with me for quoting these Scriptures unto you for they are the words of our Savior to the Pharisees and to the Lawyers and they were as wise men as your self Mr Edwards and as zealous read Joh. 5.16 17 18. and yet they made no conscience in seeking to kil Jesus Christ as you do not under the name of Sectaries to kil the Saints in their good name and in their reputation by your reproaches which you lay upon them and then you cal for the Magistrate to punish them and imprison them But God hath given the Parliament wisdom above such spirits as you are Mr Edwards for to restrain you or else what is it that you would not do and so the chief Priests and Pharisees likewise were very skilful in clothing Jesus Christ with a filthy garment of their reproaches and then they made the people out of love with him and then Barabbas must be let loose and Christ must go to suffer As for instance in their reproaching of Christ The first is this They thought Christ was come to destroy the Law Mat. 5.17 The second is this They said Christ was a Blasphemer Mat. 9.3 4. The third is this They said Jesus Christ was a gluttonous man a wine-bibber and did resort to ungodly men and to sinners Luk. 7.33 34. In the fourth place They said that Christ was a Conjuror This fellow say they doth cast out devils by
you M. Edwards like unto those in the Acts that cryed out against Paul when he had spoken of Jesus Christ And do not you so cry out Mr Edwards against these men saying Away with such fellows out of the Kingdom for it is not fit that they should live amongst us read Acts 22.22 23 24 25. And in your tenth head you charge them under the name of Sectaries with hypocrisie under pretences of piety and holiness pag. 61. M. Edwards do not these ten heads which you have layd down to accuse your brethren though falsly come forth from you like unto those ten horns which came out of the seven heads and these seven heads are seven mountains and this is the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carryed her Read Rev. 17.7 9 12 13 14 25. The Lord teach us to know this mystery and a false Prophet for there is a mystery of iniquity as wel as of godliness as the Apostle speaks in 2 Thes 2.2 3 4 7 8 9 10 11. Now in the next place M. Edwards Are not your ten Heads which you have produced in your 61. page like unto the horns which the Prophet Zechariah speaks of and wil you push the Church with these horns and scatter Israel and Iudah Here you may see a power that did scatter Israel or here you may see a mountain of power that wil scatter Israel But who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel that is before Iesus Christ thou shalt become a plain Zech. 4.7 For the Lord hath shewed me four Carpenters saith the Prophet Then said I What come these to do And he spake saying These are the horns which have scattered Iudah so that no man did lift up his head but these are come to fray them or to cut them off and to cast out the horns of the Gentiles which lift up their horn over the Land of Iudah to scatter it Zech. 1.19 20 21. This was the Prophets glorious vision concerning the power of Christ which is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of our Lord Iesus Christ And he shal bring forth the head stone of Reformation in the hearts and spirits of men and then we should serve one another in love and rejoyce with shoutings crying Grace grace unto it Zech. 2.6 7. Mr Edwards I think you are but little or nothing at all acquainted with these sweet workings of the Spirit of Christ But with the former places which I have named I think you are very skilful because you give your mouth to reproaching and your tongue is like unto a horn that gores your neighbors and brethren and this you do as it were out of zeal pushing the members of Christ up and down like unto Saul Being exceedingly mad against them he persecuted them even unto strange cities Acts 26.11 Acts 22.3 4 5. And yet for all this Mr Edwards you say you are a Minister of Jesus CHRIST which seemeth very strange But Mr Edwards Sect. 8 I pray you from whence had you your ministerial gifts I beleeve you wil say either from Cambridg or Oxford and there you learned your Arts and the Tongues and you can talk of the Fathers by roat and by your Logick you mistake and cal white black that is you cal Truth Error Mistake me not I highly prize the use of Tongues and all humane Learning in its place but this wil not prove you to be a Minister of the Gospel but only a Minister of men and so sent out from amongst men The Lord teach the people this mystery Saul was a Minister of the Gospel if this rule be true before he knew Iesus Christ and the Gospel for he had all humane Learning and yet was no Minister of the Gospel as he himself confesseth I was brought up saith he at the feet of Gamaliel a learned Rabby and taught according to the perfect manner of the Law of the fathers and was zealous towards God as ye all are this day And I persecuted this way unto the death binding and delivering into prisons both men and women as also the high Priest doth bear me witness read Acts 22.3 4 5. Acts 26.9 10 11. Acts 8.3 4. And thus you may see what it is to be a Minister sent out only from men A Minister sent out from men is a Minister of Terror and not of Tenderness a Minister of the Law and not of the Gospel a Minister of the Letter and not of the Spirit And so likewise in the next place Ministers sent out only from men may be able externally to prophesie and to work miracles as those Ministers do that are sent out from God as for instance the wise men of Egypt did cast down their rods and they became serpents in like manner as Aarons rod did but Aarons rod had the preeminency Exod. 7.10 11 12. And so likewise Ahabs false Prophets externally did the same things that the true Prophet of the Lord did These false Prophets did chuse one bullock for themselves and cut it in pieces and laid it on wood in like manner as Elijah the true Prophet did but they had no heavenly fire but Elijah the true Prophet called on the name of the Lord and he was answered by fire from heaven but the false Prophets had no answer from Baal Therefore they were mad before the Altar and the God that answered by fire he was God read 1 Kings 18.21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 38. Levit. 9.24 And thus you may see how far the false Prophets may go in external performances they may run when God doth not send them Jer. 14.12 13 14 15 16. and so seduce the people Ezek. 13.10 11. and heal the hurts of the people slightly And this they do in seting the old Adam up without the strength of the new Adam Jer. 6.13 14. And for this the Lord cals them idols speakers of vanity diviners false dreamers that comfort in vain Zech. 10.2 5. And use their tongues and say the Lord he saith but this doth not profit the people The Prophet that hath a dream let him tel a dream and he that hath my Word faith the Lord let him speak my Word faithfully What is the chaff to the wheat saith the Lord Jer. 23.28 31 32. Take heed M. Edwards the false Prophets are like unto chaff but the true Prophets are like unto wheat The Old Testament declares that the false Prophets ran up down amongst the true Prophets Consider those Scriptures forenamed And shal we think to be free now in the time of the Gospel No saith our Savior There shal arise false Christs and false Prophets Mat. 24.24 and they wil have a shew of godliness like the Pharisees but they cannot see the power of it and so they become proud and covetous false accusers fierce despisers of those that are good striving after high matters loving of pleasures and profit read 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5. M. Edwards I pray you
great sinner Blessed saith he be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus Christ is a Saints spiritual magazine for free grace but if I speak of the things I shal have the name of Independent or Antinomian put upon me which is to me a smal thing In the next place Sect. 3 a true Beleever is the only thankful man Blessed be God saith Paul for his free grace Secondly The man in Christ is the most able of all men for to try the doctrines that men bring whether they be of God or no for a man in Christ is blessed with spiritual blessings in Christ and he tries the doctrines of men whether there be any spirituality in them or no because he himself is exercised therein day and night Psa 1.2 Thirdly A true Beleever in Christ is able to declare the truth to others and that out of experience Come saith David I wil tel you what God hath done for my soul or in my soul Psa 66.16 Here you may see the ability and the authority of the members of Christ which is the Church of Christ Now for the abilities of the Saints there are degrees some more able to try the doctrines of men and some less able and so some are more able to declare the truths of God to others and some are less able as it pleaseth God to bestow his gifts to men Now the reason or ground why or how they come to be thus able Ans They are built upon Christ a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ read 1 Pet. 2.5 And so likewise they have that unction from the holy One that is from God in Christ and that abideth in them and teacheth them above all the teaching of men read 1 Joh. 2.20 27. and by that they come to know the mind of God in Christ 1 Cor. 2.16 And so it comes to pass now in our days that there is a beginning to fulfil the promise which hath been spoken of long ago I wil saith God in the last days pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh and your young men and your maidens shal be able to declare the Truths of Jesus Christ to all that are about them Act. 2.17 18. Joel 2.28 It may be to more profit then those that are called their Teachers and at this the world is angry and says that boys and girles now adays are become wiser then their Teachers It pleased God to instruct Timothy from a child to know the holy Scriptures and to know the mind of God in Christ therein 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. when the old zealous Nicodemus's know but little of God and nothing of Christ though they have the holy Scriptures before them read Ioh. 3.2 3 4. But out of the mouth of babes and sucklings God doth perfect his praise and they for the most part speak so as though they had by experience tasted of the sweetness of the grace of God in Christ read Mat. 21.16 Psa 8.2 Now by these few lines you may take notice That none but those that know the voyce of Christ whether young or old are able to try the doctrines of those that say they are the Ministers of the Gospel Secondly All those that are thus inabled have a divine right and authority to try the doctrines of men The Church hath liberty from God to try their Officers before they trust them Prove all things hold fast that which is good 1 Thes 5.21 Secondly Beleeve not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the world 1 John Chap. 4. Vers 1. Thirdly The Church ought to admonish their Pastor and their Officers for the shepherd may err as wel as the sheep may go astray Therefore saith the Apostle to the Church of the Colossians Bid Archippus take heed to his ministry Col. 4.17 I shal now in the next place Sect. 4 crave leave to speak a word or two for the liberty of the subjects of the Kingdom of Christ I mean the Church of Christ which doth consist of beleeving men women I desire that they did know the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free then they would not gladly suffer men to bring them into bondage and devour them then they would not be glad of men that do exalt themselves and so intangle them with a yoke of bondage but you that beleeve stand fast in the liberty of Christ and for the liberty of Christ with meekness of spirit Gal. 5.1 2 Cor. 11.19 20. And beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit and let no man beguile you of your liberty nor of any part of it but hold fast Christ your head from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God Col. 2.8 18 19. And consider those that you have given power to rule amongst you I mean your Ministers and your Church-Officers for they are as servants to the Church but it is an honorable service if they rule wel but beware they do not rule over you with constraint read 1 Pet. 5.2 and with a vast and unlimited power and then put the name of Divine Right upon it and so by that means they come to over-power the Church which called them only to advise The Ministers and Church Officers have not power as of themselves but the Church giveth them power and hath power over them even to put them out from amongst them if they walk disorderly as some in our days have done When ye are come together saith the Apostle to the Church of the Corinthians put away from among your selves that wicked person and if that wicked person then by the same power the Church may put away from among them either Minister or Church-Officers if they walk contrary to sound doctrine 1 Cor. 5.4 12 13. The Bishops of late memory pleaded a Divine Right for what they did and so they made fools of men and women they made fools of women in causing them to come covered with white vails through the streets to be churched as they cal it and they made fools both of young men and of old in making them to sit bare-headed an hour or two together to hear their divine Service as they cal it and they durst not be covered in their unsanctified presence And so likewise they made fools both of men and women in compelling them to come up to the Rails and to fal down upon their knees to receive the Sacrament and this they did for decency and for uniformity as they said and so they made fools of the poor that some of them were fain to sel their pot to them their tithes And is this Divinity Here you may see how these men were subject to err Sect. 5 and are not we
Faith in a customary way as the most of you do and almost all the kingdom besides Much may be said of faith in word and in tongue but very little said in faith in deed and in truth 1 John 3.18 Much may be said in formality but very little said in spirituality and is not this discernable to be in men and women of yeers and of several opinions which are like unto children taught of men for to read a form of letters and to turn them into words and so they speak like children in understanding 1 Corinth 14.20 One word concerning young children Sect. 6 Christ shews his good will unto them and takes them up in his arms and blesseth them Mark 10.16 and makes a promise unto them Acts 2.39 and this promise begets faith in them Heb. 12.2 Now the God of all grace and power is not beholding to the strength of natural parts or the number of days and yeers to make a believing soul for a childe in the womb or newly born out of the womb is a fit subject for God Almighty and for Jesus Christ to ingraft faith and all other graces in their tender souls and why then will not you admit them to the ordinance of baptism I know you will say because they cannot make a confession of their faith I aâ—k have you the gift of discerning for to know whether or no your men and women in yeers make a confession in faith or not You will say you cannot look into their hearts I ask how know you then whether they speak truth or no You will say you ought to have charity towards them I pray you in like manner have charity towards young children for they are object of Gods love in Christ As for instance Jacob have I loved in the womb Rom. 9.11 12 13. Mal. 1.2 And so likewise Christ is the object of his childes love though it be in the womb Instance The babe leaped in my womb saith Elizabeth for joy or with joy in Christ Luk. 1.43 44. John 3.29 And so instance in Jerem. 1.5 And so in that remarkable instance of Moses where you may see the tender eye of God ever over them for to preserve them in all straits and dangers in the womb and at their mothers brest and in their grown age read Exod. 2.3 4 6 7 8. Loving and Christian friends I have made bold to speak a word or two unto you but with submission to better judgments one word more and I shall conclude Friends in love I conceive you are very dark in the spirituality of the Gospel the Presbyterians are against you and call you Anabaptists and you are against the Presbyterians but I shall make bold to tell you both what my judgment is of you both I conceive for the greatest part of you both Ministers and people That the Scriptures are to the learned as a book that is sealed and the unlearned say they cannot read this book but are taught the fear of the Lord by the precept of men Isai 29.11 12 13. Yet they have the letter of this book in a form but want the spiritual part of it which is Light and Love and for want of this we are in a wilderness of war and in a red sea of blood Is Jesus Christ and the Scriptures become a pillar of a cloud that is dark unto you Anabaptists and to you Presbyterians especially such angry ones and rigged ones as Master Edwards is in his Gangraena who would set up a form of Religion and all that cannot sit down in that form must be of no esteem among men Nay we will proceed against them as Sectaries and thrust them out of the Kingdom as the Egyptians did the Israelites Exod. 12.33 39. But stay a while The angel of God Jesus Christ will go in a pillar of fire and in the pillar of the cloud for to be a light unto the despised ones but no new light Mark this you that jeer at new light but in a pillar of a cloud that is dark to you that are despisers of your brethren the Scriptures are as a cloud that gives light to Israel but they are a cloud and darkness to the Egyptians so that they could not see for to come to the Israelites for to do them any harm at all because the angel of God which went before Israel removed and went behinde them in the pillar of the cloud and that part of the cloud that was towards Israel gave them light in the night but that part of the cloud which was towards the Egyptians was darkness to them Exod. 14.19 20. A word in next place Sect. 7 concerning verbal confession before Elders or others and so of an outside profession before men Now to lean upon this as most do it will not profit us Outward piety without inward purity of heart is like unto a painted sepulchre full of dead mens bones Wherefore saith the outside Christian have I fasted and prayed and wherefore have I afflicted my soul and thou takest no notice of me Mark the Argument Isai 58.3 Not for my works saith the true believing man nor for my prayers and performances but thy goodness O Lord moved thee to look upon me read Titus 3.4 5 6. For my righteousness saith the outside Professor The Lord will open heaven to me and I most do something with Christ for life that God may bless me on earth Deuter. 9.4 5. But the true believing Christian saith My righteousnesses are as filthy rags and I am as an unclean thing but I am pure and clean in Jesus Christ and I shall be clothed in fine linnen clean and white which linnen is the righteousness of Christ for Saints Isai 64.6 Revel 19.8 I have done saith the carnal Professor many works in thy name O Jesus I have preached and I have been baptized and I receive the Sacrament and I gave alms to the poor and I am a member of a Church and will not all this deserve heaven O Jesus together with thy help No saith Christ I will be all in all things to men or else I will be nothing at all to men therefore you that will do something with me in that I will not own you depart from me for this is a work of iniquity Mat. 7.22.23 25.11 12. But the true believing man or woman says Though they live and move and act yet not they but Christ liveth in them the life which we now live it is from Jesus Christ and by his strength we do all that we do and he shall have all the praise for he works all our works for us and in us Gal. 2.20 Isai 26.12 There hath been and is now much ado about confession of sin but most men mistake in the doing of this thing for to receive a report of sin by tradition from the learned or others in a customary way this is soon slighted over without love to God without any dislike to sin with a fancy
zeal and piety they endeavor to make honest godly men seem odious to the world Instance in Mr Edwards read his first Gangraena pag. 61. 172. and there you may find him reproaching of honest godly men under the name of Sectaries and he draws them up into ten heads And the first is looseness of life and liberty of conscience The second is Covetousness and Self-seeking The third is policy and subversion The fourth is seeming activity in the prosecution of that way And the fifth is Tumultuousness Disorder and Confusion The sixth is Destruction of Government The seventh is Insolent Pride and Arrogance The eighth is Unhumane incivility or to that effect And the ninth is to have power to carry on all before them and throw down all that stands in their way But me thinks this is a beam that sticks fast in Mr Edwards own eye and a thing that he strives hard after himself And the tenth thing is what they do saith he they do it in hypocrisie under pretences of piety and holiness And this is a garment that M. Edwards would have all men to be clothed in that do not look like himself or tread in his steps THE LOVE of GOD AND THE Blood of Jesus Christ Are a soveraign medicine to take away sin past present and to come 1 JOHN 1.7 9 10. Christ is the Rule of a Christian or the Law he walks by Gal. 6.15 16. Psa 1.2 J Cannot but speak a word or two of the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which is a Gospel of free grace and the alone means to break a hard heart and the only means to melt a frozen soul and the only cordial to comfort a sick soul and the only staff of love to stay up a drooping spirit O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thine help saith the Lord Hosea 13.9 I wil heal thy backsliding I wil love thee freely saith the Lord The Lords free love unto al his people Hosea 14.4 I even I am he that bloteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake saith the God of Love and I wil forgive thy iniquity and I wil remember thy sins no more Isa 43.25 Jer. 31.33 34. Now he that knows the Lord for his own good knows the Lord after this manner and beleeves the report that God in Christ hath made of himself That he is a God that delighteth in mercy and that he hath cast all the sins of his people behind his back and he hath cast all the sins of his beloved people into the depths of the sea of his Sons blood which is able to quench the fears and the flames of hel in any mans soul 2 Cor. 5.19 Mich 7.18 19. Exodus 34.6 7. Isa 38.17 The learned world knoweth not this manner of Gods love 1 John 3.1 Neither do they know that fit man the one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.5 Who hath carried all their sins into a Land of forgetfulness a Land not inhabited this is a fit man of the Lords sending out Levit. 16.21 22. This is a ransom that the Lord hath found and he wil be gracious through him Job 33.23 24. And this Messenger is sent to bind up the broken hearted and to proclaim liberty to the captives Isa 61.1 Luk. 4.18 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Now in these days and in this time saith the Lord The iniquity of Israel shal be sought for and there shal be none and the sins of Judah and they shal not be found any more Jer. 50.20 For the Lord hath laid all our sins upon the back of Christ Isa 53.6 7. And Christ hath nailed them to his cross and buried them in his grave and we are compleat in him Col. 2.13 14 15. And sin shal not condemn those that beleeve for Christ is risen again to save and sanctifie and glorifie those that are one in him Rom. 8.33 34. and he hath made them clean every whit Joh. 13.10 But if I speak after this manner Sect. 5 I shall be cloathed with that reproachfull name of Antinomian of which name our Pulpits have rung of late time and by this means some people have got a habit of a proud and a high look and a scornfull eye against their neighbours and with disdain they will turn away from them as from one that had a plague sore upon him if it be their lot for to meet in the streets this I my self and others have experience of For under the name of an Antinomian that will have no Law of God to walk by as they say and live as they list and pray for no pardon of sin under this name which is a false one many honest godly men seem odious to those they live by I shall instance onely in five men which they say have and do preach Freegrace which is an occasion to open a gap to all licentiousness And the first man is Doctor Crisp a man that was famous and eminent for vertue and an able Minister of the Gospel of Grace and one that made the Law of Faith and Love his rule for to walk by 1 Joh. 3.23 24. Now this man was brought upon the stage for an Antinomian and Master Burges at Lawrence Church did dispute learnedly against him but to little purpose as one that would take up the weapons of a dead man to fight with him when he was dead The second man is young Master Simpson a man unblameable in his conversation and a man eminent in the work of the Lord but counted an Antinomian and so looked upon as contemptible The third man is Master Peter Sterry such a man as there are but a few in respect of the great number that are called the Ministers of England yet this man lyes under two reproachful names as Antinomian or Familist or else jeered at by some for a Free-grace Preacher This Peter Sterry is a man approved to be an Evangelical Heavenly Divine Preacher of the Mystery of the everlasting Gospel Now no ministery but such a ministery can be a soul-comforting ministery because it is full of Light and Life Peace and Joy in the holy Ghost But no new light as some cry out but an old light of Jesus Christ John 1.1 2 3 4 5. which was before the foundations of the earth were laid read Prov. 8.22 23. Now the fourth man is one like unto Mr Stirrey and that is Mr Saltmarsh a man eminent to declare the King in his beauty and that is Jesus Christ who is the rose of Sharon and the lilly of the valleys And as an apple tree among the trees of the wood is excellent even so is Christ among his sons and Christ is the pearl in the field and as a shadow of a great rock in a weary land and all this Christ is to them that know him and such can tel how to speak to his praise The fifth man that I shal speak
and the light of the Law which is in no wise grievous read Prov. 6.23 1 Ioh. 5.3 And Christ is the love-token of his Father read Rom. 5.8 And thus those that are counted loathsom Antinomians do imbrace him as the effect of his Fathers love which is the efficient cause of taking away sin from men read 1 Ioh. 4.9 10. And so they account the blood of Jesus Christ God-man to be the meritorious cause that hath and doth cleanse us from all sin past present and to come 1 Iohn 1.7 2.1 2. And so likewise Christ is the rule of a Christian and the Law of God which a Christian doth walk by And so likewise Christ is a Christian School-master for to bring him to God Gal. 6.15 16. Psa 1.2 Eph. 4.20 21. Iohn 14.6 O sweet God Sect. 7 and everlasting Father Isa 9.6 A Prayer from the Scripture to the Father Son holy Spirit opening that Mystery Thou art a sure foundation and a sure dwelling place Psa 90.1 2. O sweet Jesus thou that art built in and upon this foundation 1 Pet. 2.5 6. 2 Pet. 1.3 4. And thy sons and thy daughters being in thee thou proceedest forth and comest forth from God and bringest thy sons and thy daughters along with thee Eph. 1.3 4 5. Iohn 8.42 Isa 8.18 O sweet and holy and blessed Spirit of God which cometh from the Father Iohn 15.26 and from the Son and is sent by the Son into the hearts of his sons and daughters for to make Christ who is God-man glorious in their eyes Iohn 16.13 14 15. Isa 32.15 O sweet and blessed Spirit which art one of three and yet undividable thou art but one God blessed for evermore and not three Gods read 1 Cor. 8.5 6. But out of thy love and wisdom O sweet God thou hast made a distinction of thy self in the first Creation when thou saidst Let us make man in our image after our likeness Gen. 1.26 And thou hast made it good again in the second Creation when thou saidst Go and make new Schollars or new Disciples Then thy power O blessed Father Son and holy Spirit goes along and makes a new Creature in Christ or for Christ Old things are past away behold all things are become new read Matth. 28.18 19. 2 Cor. 5.17 A natural Tree growing up out of the earth An excellent Si mile having his roots therein and by the mighty power of God in his Creation there goes effectual power from the earth into the roots and so up into the body of the Tree and so up into every branch and causeth leaves and Fruit for the use of man which Tree hath its Seed in its self Gen. 1.11 12 29. Heb. 1.2 3. Now our Friend Jesus Christ is the Spiritual Tree of Life which grows in the midst of the paradise of God Revel 2.7 Gen. 2.9 Now God the Father is the paradise and the onely sweet Divine Garden Revel 2.7 And Christ his Son is the only sweet Flower in the Garden and he is daily his Fathers delight and in him onely God takes his pleasure read these two Scriptures Prov. 8.22 30. Matth. 17.5 Now the fulness of the Godhead is the infinite Fountain of Divinty in which Christ is a root or rooted and so grows up in that and so Christ cometh out of God and from God Col. 2.9 Psa 68.26 Isa 11.1 10. John 14.10 11. 17.8 21. 1.18 And so Christ is Gods King upon his holy Hill of Sion and God hath given him to be the Head over all things to the Church which is his Body now the true Church of God is the fulness of Christ and the true Church is most compleat in Jesus Christ Psal 2.6 Ephes 1.22 23. Colos 2.10 Psal 45.13 Now this is matter of great comfort unto a perticular poor soul for to have the blessed and infinite God anointing Jesus Christ our Head with his fulness that we might receive of his fulness even grace for grace in Christ Jesus Heb. 1.9 John 1.16 And so likewise it is an inlivening comfort to a poor fainting panting and thirsty soul for God to pour out his precious ointment upon the Head of thy Aaron that is Jesus Christ And so from him as thy Head this ointment runs down upon thy Beard nay it runs into thy heart into every corner of thy heart and it runs down to the skirts of his garments that is to every poor member of his and he fills and refreshes them with his Grace which is as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion for there the Lord gives a blessing even life for evermore read Psa 133.2 3. Now this is the River the streams whereof shall make glad the City of God Now the heart of a right Christian and a true believing man or woman is the City of God and the holy place of the Tabernacles of the most High and the infinite Divine Consolations of the Spirit which is God blessed for evermore runs thorow this City and maketh it glad when the world is turned upside down read Psa 46.4 5 6. Now you that stand for Fruits Sect. 8 and for Notes and Signes consider well what Tree they grow upon for a natural tree may bring forth excellent Fruit to the natural sight and if you take this natural Fruit for to be Notes and Signes spiritual you will deceive your selves as the most of the world do to this day because the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them and if he hear of them by the hearing of the ear he makes a jest of them for they are foolishness unto him 1 Cor. 2.14 But if you grow in the Tree of Life as the Branch doth in the Vine which Tree and Branch Zech. 6.12 is Jesus Christ then you shall live and receive of his life and bring forth fruit by his strength for in him and with him and by him you shal be able to do all things and without him you can do nothing to please God John 15.4 5. Phil. 4.13 Heb. 11.6 O sweet and blessed Spirit of God which workest all our works in us and for us Isa 26.12 And as a natural tree whose seed is in it self and having its roots in the earth and so receiving nourishment in at the roots without which it could not live But that nourishment which the roots do receive in runs up the body of the tree into every branch of the tree and causeth a fruitful flourishing of green leaves and fruit for the use of men and this turns to the praise of God and the good of men and all this is the work of the sweet Spirit of God through the whole course of nature But in a supernatural way of grace it is unspeakable and ful of glory Christ is the spiritual tree of life which is rooted in God Isa 11.1 10. John 1.18 John 17.23 24. Now the sweet Spirit of God which is only
hand of the Gospel moveth the heart of a man to a godly sorrow The goodness and the kindness and mercy of God applyed to the hearts of men that leadeth men forth to a true repentance and a right breaking of heart Now when the love of Jehovah doth break into the heart of a man or woman then the soul doth cry out and say the loving kindness and the goodness of God hath conquered my soul and the Lord draws my soul after him with the cords of love and how then shal I return again to folly seeing Jehovah hath taken hold of my soul with his love Now the rough hand of the Law as it is unskilfully handled by the most of our learned Men that know not Christ handle the law roughly rather hardens the hearts of men and sears them up in their sins then it mollifies and softens the heart because the Law is a strict rule holy jvst and good not given for men to do and live thereby Now the strict rule of the Law in the letter meeting with a crooked siner these two fal to variance as Cain did with Abel Now this carnal siner looks upon the Law as too strict that if he offend in one point he is guilty of all and so lies lyable to a curse for not continuing in all things which are in the book of the Law to do them Now this siner looking upon the Law out of the hand of Christ his heart begins to harden against God and he becomes an enemy against God and is not subject to the Law of God Rom. 8.7 And if it were possible this carnal minded man would destroy both God and his Law for the very same reason that Cain slew his brother 1 Joh. 3.12 And thus a man comes to be seared up in his sins when both he and his minister look upon the Law carnally and not in the hands of Christ as we in our days have many pretenders for the Law and many that rest in the Law and not in Christ and yet make their boast of God and seem to be Teachers of others and yet not able to teach themselves and yet make their boast of the Law and remain carnal in the Gospel and can hardly tel how to speak any thing of Christ Sect. 9 Now these rough handlers of the Law are like unto Esau cuning men of the field men that love red pottage and see no beauty in Jacobs heritage but despise it How can these men apply savory meat unto a poor hungry thirsty soul whom they hate for the blessing wherewith it is blessed in Christ And Esau said in his heart Now Esaus heart being ful of the seed of the serpent he said he would slay his brother Jacob as Herod would have done Christ Now by savory meat I mean the sweetnesses and the refreshings of Christ unto a poor weary soul which these men by experience know not as you may take an instance of the Jews and Pharisees Instance great zealous talkers of the Law of God and the Worship of God Nay they made their boast of God and yet they did not know Jesus Christ though he was present amongst them but dealt roughly with him according as they did see the Law as you may read at large Rom. 2.17 21 23. Gen. 25.27 30 34. 27.41 Iohn 9.13 14 15 16 29. Have not we many now in our days which hold forth the Law as the chief Priests and Pharisees did that is quite out of the hands of Christ and they tel the people they know not the Law but they must beleeve it as they hold it out unto them for the chief Priests and Pharisees told the people in Christs time That the people who know not the Law are cursed And thus the Law did seem to be rough by their unskilful handling of it out of the hands of Christ as we also may do at this day Iohn 7.45 48 49. How the Law in the hand of Christ turns to be Gospel Christ is the living law of God and the onely rule for a Christian and doth the greatest work as for instance Saul in his height of malice when he was going to Damascus the light of Christ did shine round about him and changed his evil heart He did not hear the voyce of thundering and lightning at Mount Sinai but a gentle hand and a soft sweet voyce speaking unto him and saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me in my members Now Saul was not afrighted out of his wits but said Who art thou Lord and the Lord said I am Iesus whom thou persecutest but thou shalt do so no more for I will make thee a Minister of grace and though Saul trembled yet his heart was possest with love to the Lord and to those that he had persecuted for saith he Lord what wilt thou have me to do for thee and for them that I have so wronged Now this is a Gospel-change Acts 9.3 4 5 6. 26.16 Sect. 10 Now if this work of the Gospel had been wrought in the hearts of those that might have prevented bloodshed or in those that were so exceeding mad to shed the blood that was shed in Guildhal-yard but it seems they were of Sauls minde Men in our times like unto Saul and the chief Priests and Pharisees thinking that they might do many things nay any thing against a man or a woman under the name of Independents or Sectaries that is to put Christ and his members out of their Synagogues and City nay further even to kill Christ in his members or Christ and his members together and in so doing To think that they do God service These things are done and the cause is they neither know God nor Christ these are Christs own words as you may read Acts 26.9 10 11. John 16.2 3. But I am of Stevens minde and shall say Lord lay not this sin to the charge of this City Acts 7.58 59 60. Now the Law being in the hands of Christ and the Spirit of Christ who is the onely blessed God and the efficient cause in changing of that which we call Law into Gospel Thus God in Christ saith unto every soul I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other Gods before me Exod. 20.2 3. Now this Law is brought by the Spirit of Christ Christ makes way for himself in the hearts of men into the heart of a man or a woman and there it is planted and ingraven Jere. 31.33 34. and Christ puts in the finger of his sweet Spirit in at the hole of the door of the heart in at the hole of the lock as it were and his Spirit is the key that opens the heart and Christ with his finger puts back all the barrs and bolts that stand between him and the soul and Christ looks into the soul and takes away all drousie distempers and waters the soul and refreshes it with his sweet graces Christ is a sweet Law
thou receivest such food that thou art able to go fourty days in the strength of it to incounter with new troubles again One word more unto thee that seemest to be discontented in thy troubles when they are more then ordinary Thou oughtest to be contented and to rejoyce in them and if they seem too hard for thee so that thou begin to wrastle with them then there will appear thy God An angel from Heaven to strengthen thee and to uphold thee in the hour of thy distress Luke 22.43 Now in the second place I shall confirm what I have said by Scripture Every son of love must have his dross taken away As many as I love I rebuke and chasten Revel 3.19 Now by rebuke and chasten it is not to be understood that every trouble and affliction is so a rebuke from God God is as good as his word not to remember sin because he is satisfied that it is a punishment for sin no for this would be to remember sin again but God hath said He will remember their sins no more Heb. 8.12 Iere. 31.34 Because Christ hath paid a full price for all our sins and he hath crossed the Book and God is fully satisfied Isai 53.11 Now I tell thee O distressed man or woman God having brought a whole train of graces into thy soul he will exercise them for his own honor and for thy good and if there be any rust at any time upon thy graces Christ sits as a refiner of silver and he will purifie thy graces as gold Mal. 3.2 3. Now the end of exercising thy graces is that thou thy self mayest know that thou hast grace and that the world may know that thou hast grace Chastisements are for the exercise of Faith and Graces Now thou having grace art to exercise thy grace in glorying in tribulations knowing that tribulation worketh patience and experience of the sufferings of Christ of which thou must be partaker that thou mayest come to a lively hope through Christ and this hope maketh not ashamed Rom. 5.3 4 5. Now the miseries Sect. 3 and the calamities and the afflictions that do fall upon a true beleeving man or woman it is not as punishment for sin for that were to lay iniquities afresh upon Christ our surety again Isai 53.6 Mistake me not I do not in the least give any liberty to sin for if patience have its perfect work it makes you perfect and intire wanting nothing but that which doth befal thee in this life it is for the tryal of thy faith and for the exercise of thy graces and if any thing doth befal thee which the world calls sin then comes in the tryal of thy faith and lets thee see the wiles of Satan and the sin that is in thy flesh and then thy faith calls for all thy graces and then thou goest to Jesus Christ the Captain of thy salvation who hath subdued all thy sins who doth subdue all thy sorrows who will subdue all thy griefs Heb. 2.10 11. And thus thy graces are exercised and for this God will be honored before the world because the world shall know that he doth uphold thee with his grace and is with thee in a promise And when thou passest through the waters he will be with thee and when thou goest through the rivers they shall not overflow thee because he is with thee and when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt because he is with thee neither shall the flame kindle upon thee because he is with thee Isai 43.2 Now this man Christ Christ is as a privy Chamber for the soul to retire into to refresh it self God and man he is an hiding place for a poor distressed soul to go into from the wrath and fury of the men of the world and so he is a covering for a poor distempered spirit that is troubled with sin and Satan fears and doubts and as rivers of water in a dry place are sweet and comfortable and pleasant even so is Christ unto a thirsty soul And as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land even so is Jesus Christ unto a poor panting drouping fainting weary spirit Isai 32.2 Now thou poor soul that hast such a very present help in time of need therefore thou needest not fear read Psal 46.1 2. but count it all joy when thou fallest into divers sorts of troubles and temptations knowing this that the trying of thy faith worketh patience And this is a needful grace in this troublesom world read Jam. 1.2 3 4. Now in the third place I shall give thee O poor soul an instance and an example of what I have said I says an experienced Christian am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ and this Iohn said Revel 1.9 And so saith an exercised Christian I brought nothing into this world but sin The Lord gives tryals and takes away troubles as be pleases and that I shall leave in the grave The Lord gives tryals and the Lord takes away troubles Blessed be the name of the Lord saith Job Iob 1.21 Now a Christian that hath been in the mount with God Sect. 4 can tell how to speak good of his name when he comes into a wilderness of troubles as Moses and John did and as Christ doth so doth a true Christian Christ comes and saith The commodities of Christ are his graces and they run forth freely to sinners Buy my white raiment my righteousness to clothe thee that thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine eyes with my grace that thou mayest see And thus Christ sets forth his commodities in the market places and in the fairs amongst men and saith I beseech you come and buy my riches my honor my riches will endure for ever I intreat you to take my commodities you shall have them without money and without price and if you take my commodities your soul shall live Revel 3.18 Isai 55.1 2 3 4. Prov. 8.18 19 31. Now Most men complement and dissemble with Jesus Christ the most men and women in the world they come and complement with Christ and his commodities it may be his ordinances and they will come and hear him as Felix did Paul But they have no minde at this time to buy his commodities for they have married a wife and bought a yoke of oxen and they cannot stay now but they will come some convenient season and call for him And thus the most men and women do in a formal customary way go to Church and so come home again and make a little verbal discourse but leave Christ and his members it may be in prison and in misery out of some dislike against them and to shew some a favor as Felix was willing to shew the Iews a pleasure and left Paul bound Acts 24.24 25 27. And thus for all the fair pretences of some men for Christ yet they
are like his Citizens or those Citizens that hated him and sent a messenger after him saying We will not have this man to reign over us Luke 19.14 And thus Jesus Christ coming nigh to Jerusalem and suppose to London he added and spake a parable for at Jerusalem there were the chief Priests and Pharisees the politick Scribe and the subtle Lawyer and all the sotish people together against Christ Matth. 27.1 62 63. Luke 11.45 Iere. 4.22 And these were his Citizens I ask may not one say so of a great many of our Citizens that did frequent Guildhal in that troublesom time when it was as much as a mans life was worth though he were a good Christian to be under the name of an Independent in that multitude But now hearken what Christ saith to such Citizens But those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither Luke 19.27 I have not spoken of the sentence which Christ gave in the end of this verse but I shall conclude with that of Abraham And Abraham said unto God O that Ishmael might live before thee Gen. 17.18 Sect. 5 A man that hath not the love of God in his heart can neither speak well of God nor act well for Christ but the believing man he doth as Christ hath done he comes in with his proclamation and gives a good report of Christ and his graces Christ saith Come and buy without money Now this buying is but an exchanging of thy sins and thy lust for grace to adorn thy soul Christ in thee will take thy sins and nail them to his cross and then take them from his cross and throw them into his grave and there they shall die and thou shalt have possessions of grace for them and this is a good change for thee Now the living man A man that hath bin in the Mount with God gives a most excellent repert of his graces the believing Christ-like man he comes and gives a most excellent report of this grace and saith unto all Come take this grace thou mayest have it freely thou needest not to labor and toyl for it and when you have this grace it will inable you to run into Christ who is the way of Gods Commandments and when thou art straitned in thy heart and thoughts towards God then this grace will inlarge thy heart and when thou art withered as a tree in Winter or as a dry tree then this grace will so refresh thee that thou wilt be as green as a tree in Summer that is planted by the Rivers of water And so likewise this grace will cause thee to see sin in thy self Grace discovers sin every day more then other and thou in thy self not able for to resist sin But this grace will be sufficient for thee in thy weakness so that thou mayest rejoyce in thy infirmities because this grace of Christ is made perfect in thy weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 10. This grace inables a man to wrestle with spiritual wickedness or wicked spirits for Christ stands about thee as the Armor of God so that the wiles of the devil cannot peirce thorow to hurt thy poor soul Christ the power of God is a Christians might Ephel 6.10 because thou standest in Christ the power of Gods might Ephes 6.10 11 12 13. And this grace is a girdle of truth about thy loyns and Christ is thy brest-plate of righteousness through which no dart of wickedness can enter and thy feet are shod with the grace of the Gospel of peace so that thou mayst tread upon the Lyon and Adder and they shall not bite thee Ephes 6.14 15. Psal 91.13 to the end And so likewise this grace is as a shield to inable thee against danger and to inable thee to do great things as those Worthies did in the eleventh of Hebrews Now Christ is the Fountain of this grace and he is the helmet of salvation over thy head so that those that strike at thee strike Christ first But he will be too hard for them and so thou hast the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Now Christ is the Sword and the Spirit and the living Word of God and this Word is God and this God is a Spirit and none but he can comfort thy Spirit in time of need Ephes 6.16 17. John 1.1 4.24 15.26 And so likewise this grace will inable a man or a woman to take pleasure in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses in revilings in mockings even in imprisonments And this grace will inable a man to take pleasure in all maner of troubles because when we are weak in our selves then Christ is our strength 2 Corinth 12.10 4. read the whole Chapter Now those that have the tryal of this grace Sect. 6 finde it to be a very precious balsam a salve that will heal every sore therefore David saith Come all you that have the Lord for your portion is not his grace very comfortable and as marrow and fatness in your bones Come let us speak to the honor of his grace Psal 66.16 Come thou likewise that art the greatest sinner that ever the earth did bear Come though thou hast seven devils in thee as Mary Magdalen had The greatest sinner may have hope in Christ for cure Luke 8.2 3. Come to Jesus Christ for he calls and his grace is sufficient to heal thee for I tell thee his grace is a soveraign Antidote O it is a precious balsam it will cure every disease it will heal any sore Be of good cheer wherefore dost thou doubt I will speak a word of comfort in thine ear When Christ is risen in thy heart thou shalt know his appearance he will appear first unto thee that wast a great sinner sooner then he will to others And this is for thy comfort For when Jesus was risen early he appeared first to Mary Magdalen out of whom he had cast seven Devils read Mark 16.9 Come you likewise whether you be young men or old men Come you young men that were too forward at Westminster and at the Parliament door and afterward at Guildhal for some days together thrusting men up and down from pillar to post under the name of Sectaries or Independents saying it was not fit that they should live in the City neither could they stand safe or quiet by you though they were good Christians May not one say of you as Paul said of himself when he was Saul That you were exceedingly mad against them to persecute them even unto strange Cities Acts 26.9 10 11. And yet you called for Reformation like unto Saul And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young mans feet whose name was Saul and they stoned Steven Acts 7.57 58 59. Yet for all this come to Jesus Christ his grace is so soveraign a plaister that it will heal this wound Come his grace will make up this breach it may be it was done
the burden Now when this grace and wisdom doth come from above it wil teach and move the Parliament to make haste without delays to take off the unsupportable burdens from this Kingdom which they groan so much under and this grace of God in Christ wil move them with speed though they lose something of their own to let the oppressed go free and to ease those that bear the heavy yoke and to loose the bands of wickedness in taking away the finger of oppression which makes men hang down their heads and bring the poor into their possessions again and give unto Caesar his due for why are the King and the Parliament faln from their glory It is the glory of a King and a State to have their subjects to flourish in peace and wealth Now when the Spirit of God doth enter into the King and Parliament The Spirit of God is the only curer both of King Parliament people as he did into Ezekiel then he wil set them both upon their feet and then they shal hear God speaking peace and rest unto his people and if they deliver the poor and needy and do justice to the afflicted and needy then they shal be most like unto God for God standeth in the Congregation and he judgeth and he seeth the King and he seeth the Parliament that both their foundations are out of course he seeth the foundations of this poor Kingdom of England and Ireland and Scotland out of course but now if the Lord would be pleased to help you both to do justice to the poor afflicted and needy and to rid them out of the hand of the wicked then both you and our King would flourish like a green bay tree then our Land would flourish with the goodness of God and yeeld her increase read these Scriptures and consider wel of them Ezek. 2.1 2. Psal 82.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Jere. 31.23 24 25 26. Psa 85.1 2 3 4 8 9 10.11 12 13. Now when Christ comes into the heart of the King and Parliament and people he wil set us all in the way of his steps in mercy and in truth in justice and peace read Psa 85.13 Prov. 8.14 15 16. And this is the fruit that grows from above It is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated ful of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie James 3.17 Now I shal speak a word unto the Soldiery or Army Sect. 6 which God hath made victorious and valiant your enemies being judges and those that seemed to be for you in the time of their need now would have you to be removed both from the King and Parliament and others there be that speak evilly of you and some speak enviously against you and can shew no reason for it I know many of you are godly religious men and for that you shal fare the worse in suffering reproaches A word in season to the despised Army and jeers and slanders being branded with the name of Sectaries and factious persons by some of our proud ignorant Clergy such as Mr Edwards was and by some simple people likewise who wil say as they say Suffer a word of advice now I pray you Let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evil doer or as a busie body But if you suffer and be reproached for the Name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you 1 Pet. 4.14 15 16 19. And if you suffer the loss of your Freedoms and priviledges of free subjects after you have purchased them at so dear a rate yet suffer all this with the spirit of meekness and commit your selves and your losses unto the Lord and he wil repay you And to conclude remember what St. John Baptist said unto the Soldiers Do violence to no man neither accuse any falsly and be content with your wages when you have it Luk. 3.14 Now let me advise you to trust God with the Liberty of your Consciences and your wrongs The grace of God through Christ is as falt and it wil season every condition and your reputations and you that are worthy God wil vindicate you in his own time And let it appear from you that the grace of God in Christ is the sweet and golden rule for a Christian to walk by to make peace because Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace Isa 9.6 And those that are his subjects are sons of peace Luk. 10.6 Now I shal return to the second use which I drew from the 11. Chapter of Iohn and I shal conclude with that of Martha and Mary Now though Martha had received Christ into her house nay Christ had entered himself into her heart as you may see by her confession Iohn 11.27 yet for all this Martha was cumbred and troubled and distracted about many things which were below Jesus Christ this is the condition of many a poor soul to be like unto Martha in being angry with Mary for sitting at Jesus feet and she heard his Word for Christ had allured her to chuse the good part or the most excellent way as the Apostle saith that is the most excellent way not to hear the voyce of the world but the voyce of Jesus Christ as Mary did Luke 10.38 39 40 41 42. Sect. 7 Now we have many Christians in these our days that are like Martha and if it were possible they would command Jesus Christ to send away those that sit at his feet and hear him who is the living Word of life and like unto Martha they would have Christ to send away those that are like unto Mary to serve with them in their low acquaintances with God as some of our learned are and others as wel as they that have but little and low knowledg of Christ and very little acquaintance with God and that is the reason why they cannot understand those that sit at the feet of Jesus nay in the bosom of Christ and do taste of his sweet graces Now those that are weak in Christianity like Martha do not understand why Mary sat at the feet of Jesus but they are ready to think much and foolishly to say they are looking after new light they have got some notion into their brain they are possessed with some whimsey or other some new doctrine hath taken hold on them now such poor silly men and women are cumbred and troubled about many things which are below Christ and are ready to say as Martha did unto Jesus send them away bid them come to us and serve as we do and be as we are Now mark for this is worth the noting The spiritual Evangelical Christian that is like unto Mary and sits close unto Jesus Christ even at his feet with his head in the bosom of Christ like unto his beloved Disciple and he doth taste of the spiritual sweetnesses which are in Christ who is God