that must not fall to the ground And thus was Noah warned of God of Things not yet seen He had onely a word for it and yet believes So Abraham but a word from God to call him and He goes out not knowing whither he went Consider I. WHAT THINGS THEY WERE THAT NOAH WAS WARNED OF These three 1. He was warned That all flesh had corrupted its way Gen. 6.12 This Word came to him from God first before the thing was so proved and known to him that all flesh was so corrupt nothing at all good in man but the imaginations of his heart altogether evil and that continually Now there is a birth of the flesh that seems very like the Child of God but yet it will not be owned it must not be Heir with Isaac What ever is born of the flesh is flesh it is no better and the best of flesh is corrupt All flesh how fair and specious soever it may seem And the same warning is now sent to you this day That All in you is corrupt before God an evil taint runs in all in the best we do a dead Fly spoyls the whole Box of oyntment In my flesh saith Paul dwelleth no good thing But we plead we do not so see this that we are so wrong and guilty in all Well but Noah is warned of God of things not yet seen not yet so clear to his eyes and he believes the Word and the warning sent and stands not to parl the case with God 2. He was warned that the end of all flesh was come before God that a day of account was coming a Judgment a Flood to drown all flesh God will not always strive and bear but the end comes And this Word Noah believes though nothing as yet is seen but all is well and at peace eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage yet he observes the warning and believes the Word and submits and cleaves to it The warning is given him Depart from the tents of these wicked men left ye perish with them c. and he obeys 3. He is warned of God to prepare an Ark for the safeguard of himself and his house And what a strange and mad thing would this seem to all the rest of the world They could not but laugh and mock at it What doth this man intend is he wiser then all the World and will he go contrary to all to build an Ark when no Flood nor danger appears this seems a mad way to Reason Well but Noah was warned of God and that is enough to him though the thing is not yet seen yet he believes the Word and sets to the work and goes on alone let them say what they will to him and mock on he observes the warning as Gen. 6.22 And Noah did according to all that God had commanded him so did he Now to bring this home to our conditions for Noah is dead and the Word yet concerns us It is certain we have been warned of God as he was in all these three Cases And 1. That all flesh hath corrupted its way we have been warned of God these three ways 1. By a word of true report God hath told you again and again That all flesh is grass that there is no good thing in man How long hath the Cryer cryed this That all flesh is wholly corrupted Though it be never so fair and goodly and the Sepulchre painted yet there is nothing but rottenness and filthiness within The mans fleshly wisdom that which is his guide and Counseller the eyes that he sees with the feet he walks with even that hath been a corrupt taint in all our ways and this hath often and often been told you and yet you go on and pass the Condition over and sleep desperately upon the top of a Mast and go contrary to all that comes to cut down flesh and destroy your wisdom and vain imaginations 2. You have been warned of this by a work upon your own spirits And if you believe not the Word yet will you not believe for the Works sake Have you not been spoyled and ruined by the charms and false flatteries of this whorish woman the flesh all along your days Have you not proved out the thing throughly And yet we plead we do not so see it We would justifie our selves in something according to the flesh But have we not seen have we not felt it to our loss what a treacherous dealer this flesh hath been It is then because we would not see it but blind our eyes and if we stand here pleading we may stick long enough in the mire and see no deliverance if we will first see and not at all beleeve our misery and danger Noah was warned of things not seen and he believes the Word told him Now you call me your Guide and witness that God is with me But how appears it you judg so indeed Would you not live after your own counsels still rather then the Truths Would you not see with your own eyes and not stir a step farther then your own Reason can reach But whose heart trembles when the Word goes forth from Christ One of you shall betray me to say Lord is it I or Is it I Who fears and lays it to heart when the Cryer tells you day by day and complains bitterly under it That All flesh is corrupted Who is touched to enquire Good Lord is it so with me is all in me corrupted all my hopings and resolvings and turnings and puttings off the strait is there a taint in all which way soever I turn me and doth not our experience prove this out to us also Have we not seen an end of all perfection and yet how strangely do we stick to our shadows which we have proved out to be dry and empty and like the foolish Bee light again and again upon the same flower when it can yield no more honey And thus your days may be worn out and spent and come to nothing if you will neither be warned of God nor your own experience to lie down in the dust and abhor your selves in ashes and own your own wretchedness All I speak is to bring you to a strait for help and to see it is not in your selves it grows not in that soyl though you till and manure it never so carefully What is the Reason think you we are not removed not translated into another Kingdom another condition but stick still where we were seven years ago What are we molded and wrought into of the mind and likeness of God We have more light indeed then we had but what hath it brought us to What have we submitted under and parted with of our lives and wills c. We turn like the door upon the hinges so the sluggard upon his bed and if we turn and turn never so often upon a fleshly bed alas all comes to nothing so long as we move upon that centre of fleshly
Souls will be at a strait and thirst after the living God But as yet the Door is open to you what is the reason you are no more upon it They are exceeding great and precious Promises in themselves why are they not precious to us Sure they would had we but a Heart Therefore consider of it it is offered to you and if you shall follow on to know the Lord you shall surely know Him Consider the Door is open the precious Promises are given to you of Life and Glory c. Why then are you passing away your days on such low trivial and dying things Josephs blessing was large reached out to the utmost bounds of the Everlasting Hills and why are we so scant-hearted and low in our desires Why are we not upon these great and precious Things promised and to partake of this Divine Nature and thence be fruitful in the Truth and bring forth somewhat that may stand and live for ever after us THE SOULS TRUE Wound and Cure SERM. II. March 30.1651 HOSEA 6.1 2. Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and He will heal us He hath smitten and He will binde us up After two days will He revive us in the third day will He raise us up and we shall live in his Sight c. The Analysis IN the words were intimated the three days Works of the Father Son and Spirit in their order 1. The Work of the Father to pull down and wound and thither the Return must be to Him that smiteth 2. The Work of the Son to revive After two days He will revive us c. 3. The Work of the Spirit to raise In the third day He will raise us up c. I. In this Returning three Things are considerable 1. They that return must truly know they are out of the way a true sense of that must be And that was here in two things 1. In breaking prison and running from the strait The Princes of Judah like them that removed the bound c. 2. They were out in seeking to cure themselves before the day came Hos 5.13 but a secret moth blasts all The Vses were 1. To look home whether not our own Case have we not removed the Bound run from the strait and not endured c. 2. To take us off of looking on anothers sin and keep close to our own strait lie under our own misery till delivered 2. 'T is considerable in this Return there must be counsel and calling to it Come and let us return else not stir a foot 3. This Return is to the Lord He that had wounded He will heal Many heal themselves but there is a wound too hard And these several ways God takes for healing 1. He removes the ill humor that feeds the sore Sense and Reason 2. He asswages the anguish and smart and pain of the Soul else all in vain 3. He applies a plaister of loving-kindness and mercy 4. He points the Soul to wait for the set time till that come II. The second Work is the Sons He will revive After two days He will revive us c. And that by these means 1. He takes off all bonds and chains fears and perplexities which keep down the Soul from stiring 2. He unswadles and opens Himself I am Joseph your Brother 3. He preaches Peace and Love He the Prince of Peace 4. He revives by preaching the everlasting Gospel the eternal Love and good-will of God to the Soul this enliveneth All was brought home by Vse to see how much of the work had passed on us there all the four Pa ticulars HOSEA 6.1 2 c. Come and let us return unto the Lord for He hath torn and He will heal us c. IN the former Chapter great complaint is made against Israel and Ephraim that they were Revolters that they committed whoredom and will not frame their doings to seek unto their God Vers 3 4. And this is that misery that befalls such as transgress against the Lord that received not the Truth in the love of it that obeyed not counsel the Hand of the Lord will surely meet with such He will teer and wound them There shall be no peace to the wicked When Israel was a child then I loved Him saith God then He was tender and soft and pliable to be ordered but as They called them so They went from them Hosea 11.2 As the Prophets called them indeed to come up and come nigh God then there is a going backward from Him He is bent to a back-sliding heart But Israel and Ephraim shall be sure to be dealt with and made desolate A Time comes wherein God will meet with Him The Pride of Israel testifies to his face therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity v. 5. And this is our case The Pride hath been such we thought we had been Some-body and could live alone of our selves and like the Prodigal have asked to have our portion and we would be gone and shift for our selves But alass all is soon spent with riotous living and desolation and famine have come upon us rendings and teerings perplexities disquiets and troubles in all our ways I will be unto Ephraim as a Lion I will teer and go away I will take away and none shall rescue Hos 5.14 And when thus it shall be in the midst of the Land when this is the Souls condition to be rent and torn by God and then left and forsaken that He cannot be found but He hides Himself though Job go forward and backward to the right hand and to the left yet He is gone and cannot be found He feeds among the lillies â—aith the Church until the day dawn and the shadows fly away As if she should say Alass I am unclean but He feeds among the clean ones among the Lillies that are spotless the Lillies that grow without toyling and caring there are his walks but I am no company for him He is withdrawn from Me until the day dawn c. This is a hard day indeed when the Soul is left in this desolate case there is now need to think of returning The Prophet He feels the need and therefore calls to the People Come and let us return to the Lord. And so all along the Scriptures the Prophets are brought in as sensible and crying under the misery though their People were senceless and careless and stupid How do Isaiah Jeremiah Samuel Hosea and so all the Prophets stand in the gap for their people and call upon them in their desolation to come in and return to the Lord But whom do they call to return not all men not such as never was nigh to the Lord No Onely Ephraim and Israel and Judah his own people that have been once nigh and are backslidden and turned Prodigals from their fathers house Onely to such is the Call and in the worst time of all when torn and wounded and left of God
got beyond you all that you have cared for has been that you might have meat for your lusts as Eve she did not sell her birth-right but the serpent beguiled her and she did eat If indeed there is to be a return in you I beseech you consider for it 's in vain to think of returning if no fathers house if thou wert never born to see the Kingdom there can never be an entering in 2. This encourages him in his Return when he considers with himself thus How many hired servants in my fathers house have bread enough and to spare Who have no portion they have been followed and dandled upon the knee but I being a son have been cheated of my portion How are you made to cry out sometimes Woe is me for the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously with me You have been enchanted your iniquities have hindred good things from you but when he considers these two things then he says I will arise and go to my father And this is beyond all that went before for while he was under the judgment under the plague pinched with want yet this makes him not arise but now he saith I will arise and go when he considers he is a son and that he is worse then any hired servant in his fathers house that hath no portion Oh that the Lord would be pleased to call you according to purpose that you might have no rest till you return When Jacob saw the charets that were sent from Joseph he could not beleeve for all the former reports but his heart fainted still yet now the spirit of old Jacob revived Genes 45 27 28. He resolves I will arise and go what ever it cost me In this arising of the Prodigal these things are considerable 1. He is made sensible of the want he is in that there 's neither bread nor clothing nothing that 's good where he is therefore he saith Well I will arise and go to my father for there the servants have bread enough c. much more I that am a son might Now he bethinks himself where he is how beset on every side And here consider what a stubbornness there is in man an evil malignity against God for we may say Why cannot he return without this stir Why because of that evil-disposedness in the heart that would not love the Lord Why What evil have I done saith God to you that you would none of me Have I been a wilderness or a land of darkness to Israel No all arises from an evil will that lieth in the bottom and is at enmity with God But when the Soul is brought to such a pinch that there 's no remedy for God will never leave hunting and hunting as a blood-hound till he findes out its iniquity then the Soul is made at last to say as David Whither shall I fly from thy presence If I take the wings of the morning and fly up to Heaven thou art there if I go down to Hell there will thy hand find me out c. At last when pinched out of all and no other shift I will arise saith he and go to my father 2ly I will arise c. As though he should say Well against all my fears and gainsayings c. I will arise what ever I shall meet with I will forget all my shame all my ill dealing c. nothing shall stand in my way to hinder now there 's a going as Benhadads servants with ropes about their necks and as Esther though it was death for any to go in before the King yet in such a case of necessity she is resolved to venture and goes thus If I perish I perish O all you Prodigals that have gone astray from your fathers house c. when will you venture into the hands of Justice as the Prodigal here and say I will arise We are like a man that stands betwixt hope and fear that would â—ain venture to leap over a ditch but dares not a great while but when his minde is strong enough then at last he is made to venture When you shall consider and say Why should I not hope Is he not my father If we sit here said the Lepers we perish and if we arise and go upon our Enemies we can but dye Need forces them at last So here saith the Prodigal I will arise see prove him if he will not open the windows of Heaven to you and receive you But 3ly Does he take off his filthy garments when he arises No but though he be naked and desolate yet I will arise saith he and go to my father and say Father I have sinned c. He does not lay his grievings of his Father aside how ill he has delt with him but that he carries on his back When ever your Souls shall arise think not to leave your iniquity behinde you and come clear but come as you are owning and confessing the thing as it is saying I once lived nigh thee in the house in the counsel but I thought it not good to keep there but have chosen rather to wander from thee I have sinned against Heaven thy people and before thee c. For now being once born again and turning out we defile not only our selves by our sin but one another either by our evil counsel or not standing or not helping others to stand yet thus he arises and goes to his father he bears his sin and sight of it he goes as he is And when his father saw him a great way off he ran and met him and fell upon his neck and kissed him And the son said Father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy son Make me as one of thy hired servants Here appears the pride of our hearts we would not begin with a morsel of bread But when the father saw him a great way off saw his mind coming he ran and met him He waits to be gracious And If any man say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it did not profit me then he will deliver his Soul from death c. Job 33.27 28. But now consider If you should lie owning and confessing all your life-time and should not stir in your ownings there would be no meeting of you there 's a certain savoring of a returning minde but while he was feeding swine and pined with hunger he might have said Sure my father will look for me he will not leave me No no there 's no looking after him so long as he is loving to feed swine No saith God Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone Therefore all you Prodigals think upon this Truth does not regard you while you love darkness rather then light but as soon as the Prodigal does but return then saith the father Come bring the best robe and put it on him c. But did he think to finde such entertainment as this He proposed
not you that sold me c. ' I sent you into the wilderness to learn you experience that when you are converted you might strengthen your Brethren Thus you may see of what use Rings are and this is wonderful that God should so adorn the hand with his Rings To be 1. Skill'd in the works of Truth 2. To be diligent in the work of Truth And 3. To be garnish'd with this to be busied about things of worth to be exercised in things that abide for ever Let all your things saith Paul be done to edification Let nothing be out of strife or vain glory but all for the building of something that shall stand for ever But yet this son is wanting still as if the Father should say What if we clothe him with the best robe and put Rings on his hands yet if his feet be not shod too how can he go Therefore 3. This is the third thing And put shooes on his feet c. Let him be shod with the Preparation of the Everlasting Gospel of Peace The feet are the Affections which are to be wrought upon 1. To go but how why Let all your things saith Paul be done in Love There 's need your feet be prepared to serve the Lord in Love And that our loves might be prepared there 's need of shooes to put on that the feet might be enabled to go upon the bryars and thorns to endure the frost and the snow need to have the Love made strong to endure hardness Love saith Paul suffereth long and is kinde envyeth not seeketh not her own is not easily provoked thinketh no evil rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the Truth c. 1 Cor. 13.4 5 6. It had need be shod indeed When God said to Moses Thou shalt carry this people in thy bosom as a Mother doth her child c. Alass pleads he how can I carry all this people If thou dealest thus with me I pray thee take me away that I may not see my wretchedness He had not Love enough to carry him through There 's need of great preparations if such a service be in hand And now the Prodigal shall be made to endure to bless when he is cursed because he knows now the heart of a stranger We our selves saith Paul were sometimes strangers and aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel hateful and hating one another He having a knowledg into this was made to endure Though the more abundantly I love saith he the less I be loved That there may not be a shrinking here this is one main thing he has need of of the shooes of that which may be a fence a safeguard to his feet that no fiery darts no discontents c. may stop or overturn him But then 2. The shooes are that the Love might run the swifter without fear Withhold thy Feet from being VNSHOD saith God and thy throat from thirst Jerem. 2.25 Thou makest my Feet like HINDES FEET saith David But when the Love is cold then the heart by and by waxeth feeble and faint Ezra was astonish'd and sat seven days so because he had said The Lord was able to save them therefore said he I was ashamed to go to the King for a band of men His Love began to be feeble at last And Job sat astonish'd seven days his Love was cold he could not have offended had that been alive Great Peace have they that love thy Law and nothing can offend them How do we stand and pick and choose But when we shall be made able to say as Paul I am not onely ready to be bound for the Name of Christ but to suffer death also When so shod then shall we go boldly without fear when the Love is shod with quickness then I shall run the way of thy Commands When thou hast set my feet at liberty saith David then will the Soul readily love the Lord with all the heart and all the soul and all its strength But when it 's not quick and lively there come in the miscarriages For 1. It 's not shod to endure And 2ly then it has not quickness to speed on the work but through reasoning and disputing the case the Love waxes cold And the Prodigal shall be made to see to his cost when he returns home what his Leaden-heel'd Love was But 3. The third thing that prepares the Love is singleness solidness and faithfulness these are the shooes that garnish his feet these are the Affections to be shod with The double minded man saith James is unstable in all his ways When the Prodigal comes home and sees how double he had been before in all his ways now he is made to say It was good for me that I was afflicted for thereby I learn'd thy Law Now he can say One thing have I desired which now I will seek after That I may dwell in the house of the Lord for ever to enquire dayly in his Temple c. Now the Prodigal has learn'd this He knows what it is to put his hand to the plow looking backwards Now his Love is singly fixt upon its object but when it was not single how did he soon wander from it He was bare-foot then but when he comes home then the Father puts on his shooes they were not of his putting on but the Fathers done by his command But all along while I am speaking to you and am seeing what divided hearts you come with and the great loss that is come upon you there 's great need to pray to the Father that he would bring the shooes his Love to set the Affections right to love with rightness readiness and singleness for if He bring them not this evil and hypocritical will will be our undoing But saith God You shall finde me when you shall seek me with all your heart and all your soul He will be sought to of the house of Israel And he has not said to the house of Jacob Seek my face in vain But he that offers to the Lord for a sacrifice that which is torn or lame and has a male in his flock He abhors that mans offering He will receive none but that which is without blemish and that will make our works accepted as Paul saith Faith that works by Love and doth all in singleness of Soul That will make every thing acceptable in his sight 4. A fourth thing the Soul is to be shod with is Soberness for there may be a real singleness of spirit and yet a great headiness Therefore saith Paul let your Moderation be seen in all things For if we cannot say as Job The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away and blessed be the Name of the Lord there is not a sober love Therefore Put off thy shooes said God to Moses He was yet over-heady and not fit to walk as you may see in his strait concerning Miriam because God had stricken her with Leprosie he prays Lord heal her now But as if God
wisdom and will believe God no farther then we can see him but keep off our misery though we are warned by the voyce of the Cryer and warned by our own hearts to know how deceiveably they have dealt with us yet we will hold our hold and not give up all flesh for corrupt and wretched and cry out In me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing Till this we must welter in our misery no Cure will come 3. We have been warned by Providence of this an ordering Hand of God hath preach'd That all flesh is grass How hath it taken away some of us by Death and how hath the world a late been let loose upon the rest What plots and contrivances are there on foot to break us a pieces if the Lord prevent not What stirings are there and waitings for our halting And what mean all these stirs and hurly-burlies Sure they have an end they come for the destruction of the flesh they come to shew that flesh yet lives that there is a fleshly coming together fleshly hearing and trusting in our outward mercies crying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord and so rest in the shadow and come not to the preparing of an Ark indeed And therefore you see how it hath fallen upon some of us to be divided and taken away by force and carried to strange Tryals And think not with your selves that they were greater sinners then the rest No but certainly unless we repent that are yet left together the Hand will go against us and the men of the world shall have their wills to root us out from being a People Therefore if we shall be warned this day to lay it to heart it will be well if the Word and the Work and the present hand of Providence if all make you consider and know that all flesh hath corrupted its way and that out of flesh you must come then it 's well Out of Sodom you must come that is certain and if one thing will not do it another shall We have certainly lived all of us besides the mercies afforded We might have been Teachers of others for the time but alas we have been dull of hearing and have need to be taught into the first Principles of repentance from dead works Therefore there is need now at the last you should be warned That all flesh is grass and this you will grant in a word But come to particulars and there your fleshly wisdom wilâ— be Judg what is right and what is wrong and flesh will never judg it self and so all is kept off from seizing upon the heart for certainly else you could never keep up to live alone as you do upon your own thoughts and counsels without the Lord As it is said God is not in all their thoughts Oh therefore Consider this all you that forget God! And whilest it is called to day harden not your hearts Fall under the mighty hand and own your misery and if you know it not be jealous and enquire with fear What means this voyce of the Cryer ' Am I indeed so corrupt and miserable and know it not Say with Job What I know not teach thou me till the Thing be opened for some way or other this Lesson must be learn'd you That All flesh is grass and the Lord spares none of you and nothing in any of you but All flesh the whole House of Israel have corrupted their way You are all guilty and have turned aside to vain things and have forsaken the Lord days without number and the strait is not yet upon you The Lord make you sensible where you stand But then 2. We have been warned of that too as Noah was That the End of all flesh is come before God How often hath this been told you That He will not always bear His Spirit will not ever strive The Patience will wear out at the last nay it is even expired and if the Lord move you not with fear as Noah was moved to prepare an Ark desolation will surely come the Flood will overtake you some way or other either Death will come and bind us fast from our wills in the grave or sufferings from unreasonable men will come to shatter us asunder and break us in pieces and then whither shall we turn for counsel and help in our straits How may we then prize the days which we now slight Surely one way or other God will take to bring All Flesh to an end And if we have no other hope nor confidence but in the flesh if we stick still in our self-wills and fleshly minds we shall not be able to stand in that day It is not your high looks nor great thoughts that will then carry you out not your knowledg of Scriptures nor understanding of Mysteries none of your carnal hopes nor carnal fears nor carnal reasonings will now stand as they have done formerly but the Flood will sweep away all that is born of the flesh Therefore if we shall be made to judg our selves before-hand and cry out O search me and try me if there be any way of wickedness in me and bow under the Judgment then it 's well for us But if there be such a saying within I shall have peace in the way of my own heart this evil shall not come that is spoke of I shall have ease and rest and dye in my nest saith Job if thus you put the evil day far from you it will surely overtake you unawares in a day when you think not of it when they were eating and drinking and marrying the Flood came c. 3. We have been also warned as Noah was to prepare an Ark We have been minded often both from a Word without and stirrings within to look after a sure testing place a Refuge a shelter that which will keep off all Floods and storms and Tryals Though the Earth be moved into the midst of the Sea yet saith David I will not fear His heart is fixed trusting in the Lord And in another place My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed There is sure such a place whither the Righteous can flee and they are safe In the Name of the Lord in that Tower under his wing in the secret of his Pavilions in his Bosom in his Love when that is opened to the Soul and a mansion given it there Now if thou hast all parts and knowledg and operations and good desires and good resolvings all these will not save thee in the day of the Flood The Waters will get above over all the high Mountains the whole Earth how high soever it be yet if it be of the Earth if it be born of the flesh and the will of man it will not stand But There is a Rest for the People of God Wast thou ever brought into that Hath the Lord Jesus ever shewed thee thy lot and portion in that Eternal Love that thou art chosen there
a wonderful unnatural thing in us But well as Peter saith the long sufferance of God is salvation Shall nothing hinder No gainsayings nor longings but the long-sufferance will stand and knock and wait out all till it be our salvation This will one day be prized There is a chosen Generation amongst you that is certain Now do you hear it Do you believe it When will you open the Door and lay down all weapons and say Well I will never speak against the Lord more But say with Job what I know not teach thou me It is sure you have been the bush in which the Lord hath appeared the fire hath been trying and purging and burning in you and you are not yet consumed but when will you turn aside to see this great wonder When lay it to your heart I must leave and desire the Lord would give you understanding into what hath been said and above all that you may not war nor fight against it in your minds but soberly inquire Is this my lot Is this my Portion to be one of this chosen Generation It will at last cause your souls to admire The Poor WISE MAN And LITTLE CITY Against The GREAT KING And His BULWARKS SERM. X. May 18. 1651. ECCLES 9.14 15. There was a little city and few men within it and there came a great king against it and besieged it and built great Bulwarks against it Now there was found in it a poor wise man and he by his wisdome delivered the city yet no man remembred the same poor man The Analysis FRom the words was observed I. The Lord ever had a Little City under the Sun A People built together in Unity and Love In three respects compared to a City 1 A City is for habitation so God to dwell in his People 2 It is a place of Free-Trading so God will be free to trade in sorrows sufferings inlargements What he pleaseth with his people 3 It 's a place of safety So God looks to be safe in his People in his Name to be kept from reproach and sufferings II. This is but a Little city and that in three respects 1 It makes but little noise in the world Little notice of it 2 Little in compare of many thousands left But a small remnant 3 Little not easily seen nor found without a diligent search III. There are but few men in it Little or no help in it but a few men left and they tremblers unable to defend it Hence three things considered 1 Few men in it that no flesh might have to glory in saving it 2 All is emptied out of the room that God may dwell in it and be seen that the poor mans wisdome may appear 3 Few in it as no strength to withstand or keep off the lean enemy Every Temptation and snare too hard IV. A great King comes against this little City and builds Bulwarks Great opposition from the devil His Bulwarks are made of Earth any thing that springs thence knowledge parts zeal Hope 's these Bulwarks he can imploy to keep off the Truth V. In it is found a poor wise man and he by his wisdom delivers the City Whence two things considered 1 Where he is to be found In the City not out the kingdom of God within you Christ in you else reprobates 2 How shall this poor man be known How shall you know whether Christ be in you These seven signs were laid down of it 1 If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin the man wholly convinc'd that sin is too hard for him He cannot help himself 2 Where Christ is the soul cannot utterly despair it cannot be drowned In the bottom of hell Jonah lookt toward the Temple 3 There is ever a love to that which is of it 's own kinde if God be your Father you would love me saith Christ Truth ever loves Truth 4 Where Christ is ever a light goes along to search and discover all the secret carriages and wiles of the enemy He is a true searcher 5 Where Christ is He will never yield up this City though it cost his life yet with the three children we will not worship the golden image 6 There is a secret looking after God and expecting from him in the lowest day never a whole giving up all for lost 7 Where Truth is It can look through all heaps and swarms of enemies to God that he is still able to deliver and who can tell but he may be gracious ECCLES 9.14 15. There was a little City and few men within it and there came a great king against it and besieged it and built great Bulwarks against it Now there was found it a poor wise man c. IN the verses before Solomon speaks of a strange Case which is very contrary to Reason to believe or see into vers 11. I returned and saw that the race is not to the swift nor the battel to the strong nor bread to the wise nor yet riches to men of understanding nor yet favour to men of skill but time and chance hapneth to them all None of these will carry through by strength shall no man prevail and the wisdom of this world is foolishness and as for Riches they make themselves wings and fly away But well saith Solomon though all this takes not this Wisdom and strength and riches and skill cannot deliver men but they are taken in an evil net like the fishes and snared like the bird Yet for all this there is a wisdom that will stand there is a condition of deliverance to be attained I saw this wisdom under the sun and it seemed wonderful unto me There was a little city and few men in it and a great King came against it and besieged it and built Bulwarks against it and yet a poor wise man was found in it and he by his wisdom delivered the City This wisdom is indeed wonderful and too high for a fool The words in themselves are a metaphor taken up by the Holy Ghost by which he would express himself in things obvious to mans sense and reason and humane capacity and thereby lead the soul into the invisible minde meaning and intent of Scriptures For there is a hidden invisible meaning runs in all the Scriptures which none can read but those that buy eye-salve of Christ to anoint their eyes those who are taught of God and led into the meaning of them by the same Spirit which once breathed them forth The Scriptures are a deep Well and none but men of understanding can draw it out for all others the Well is too deep and they have nothing to draw with they can by no means reach the invisible minde of Christ From the words these things are observable I. That always the Lord had a little City under the Sun In all times he had his people a City built together where his Name lived and this was the strait of all our Fathers in their
I guilty For though it chiefly concern the Leaders and chief ones to consider and take it to heart yet something belongs to all to look after What is my place Where am I to stand Am I faithful in the work entrusted me To be faithful in little things is the way to be trusted in greater Surely surely 't is time to bethink our selves we have no good nor peace in our way though we live and are kept together by a mighty hand yet we live loose and scattered and consume in our spirits Certainly if we could but meet with the very root of all these ill humors and get that cleared then we might hope for cure if we were but once brought to leave the cumber about many things and minde the one thing necessary then we might prosper O Lord that he would sink it on your hearts as God saith here Consider your ways you that are called to for all are not materials for this House not any dirt and rubbish but you that the Prophecy hath taken in That you are living stones and that witness is born It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you a Kingdom will not you build him a House you that he hath bestowed all this cost on you are called upon to begin and set upon the work and lay the foundation of this House that your children may have a pattern to build after and a foundation to build upon We pretend to love our children and Oh how tender are we of them but alass we do what we can to undo them utterly if we come not up to this work to begin a House for the Lord and leave a way behinde us for them to walk in Hence come all our blastings we eat and are not satisfied put on clothes and are not warmed we have no good runs in all we enjoy the life and spirit is stoln from them because there is not a true and single and clear coming off from the world but we stick and linger and put off the time and look back to our old Lovers and hanker and still love our selves and come not forth resolvedly to build this House and thus in stead of leaving a good example a blessing to our children we are like to leave them a curse and a blast if the Lord prevent not The way is open at present there is no outward persecution that hinders but we might build this house in peace but we trifle and dringle and loyter and say It is not yet time Good Lord when shall we say It is time but we plead we have no heart Have we no heart and what is the reason of that We have a heart to our ease a heart to our own wills we have a heart to build sieled houses for our selves to dwell in and shall we dye thus with this old heart and never see a new heart given a heart wholly to follow the Lord But then lastly If any thing will invite and move us to stir VI. Consider THE GREAT PRIVILEDGES THAT ACCRUE TO THEM THAT SHALL SET THEIR HAND TO THIS WORK And they are these four The first is mentioned Vers 8. Go up to the mountain saith God and bring wood and build this house and I will take pleasure in it Now to have the Lord accept our sacrifice and take pleasure in our work what a high favor is it Were it but truly layd to heart That the God of the Heavens and Earth whose all creatures are to command and turn at his Will That I should do any thing may the Soul say to please him in which he will take delight who can express this favor c. 2. Another Priviledg is mentioned Vers 13. I am with you saith the Lord Will he be with them in it that they shall not go nor stir a step in this work but he will go along with them Is not this enough to carry them on If thy presence go not with me said Moses send me not hence I but if that presence go along then send do and command me whither thou wilt What would not a man do that loves God indeed what would not he suffer and part with and undergo to have God always with him to have his Friend his Counsellor Life and Protector to have him always stand by him in all that befals If God be for us saith the Apostle who can be against us what can be too hard Therefore we see our Fathers have rejoyced in prisons in fires in bonds because the Lord was with them and so long affliction is no affliction 3. A third great Mercy is promised v. 19. From this day will I bless you From that day that the foundation of the Lords house was layd Consider it now saith the Lord from this day and upward will I bless you In all thou takest in hand shall a sure blessing follow in thy going out and coming in when thou walkest abroad and when thou sittest at home when thou sleepest and when thou wakest from that very day you shall be helped to set a hand to the work indeed He will surely bless you We have forsaken all and followed thee saith Peter what shall we have Have you shall have enough you that have endured with me in my Temptations you shall sit on Thrones you shall be blest in all your way and what can you desire more 4. The fourth Mercy is mentioned in the last verse I will make thee as a signet upon my hand saith God to Zerubbabel And in that these three Priviledges lie couched up 1. A Signet hath a neer relation to the hand it is worn always and carryed upon the finger 2. A Signet carries the image and superscription either of a mans self or some friend or some weighty thing or other is carved in it 3. A Signet or Seal is to witness confirm and ratifie to make things sure and unalterable that are once sealed with it And now 1. To be thus neer to God as the signet upon his hand to lie so close so nigh him in his heart and bosom and love as his delight his jewel his ornament This is wonderful And then 2. To bear forth his own image and stamp to be like him to own our Father by our faces as 't is said of Moses His face shone when he came from talking with God in the Mount It will appear to all whose we are to whom we belong by the image and likeness we shall hear in us all our words and carriages savoring of God bearing forth his image his minde and heart And then 3. To be as a seal to witness and ratifie the deeds of God to confirm and make all sure This is a mighty honor that man should ever be employed in such a service Whose sins ye remit they are remitted in Heaven and whose sins ye binde in Earth they are bound in Heaven I will make thee as a God said the Lord to Moses to act and order and counsel and confirm
feel how utterly malignant he is and contrary to all good Do you finde it is his hour to be let loose to rend and rear and perplex and torment Do you feel indeed the pains of hell and do the sorrows of death take fast hold as David cries out they did upon him If you finde it not so now nor have ever found it yet certainly a time will come when the enemy will shew himself when the wicked one will get up into the throne and exalt himself above all that is called God a time will come of being hurried and torn and perplexed under his wicked and tyrannous reign when ye shall be made sensible where you are once for whilst you stand sensless as images and posts nothing seizes on you and you never think to see such a Day but whether you feel or believe to see it yea or not yet the Day will surely come and try all that dwell upon the whole earth 2. You that finde and feel this Day it may inform you what a vain thing it is for man to stir or move hand or foot to rescue himself or oppose this adversary Alas what is man to lift up a hand against him one that is so strong and so malignantly bent to destroy one that hath a commission and power given one that is in full possession of the house and furnished with all store of armour and goods in us Alas it is in vain to stir against him Man is too weak 't is all one as if a poor lonesome woman should have twenty or an hundred plunderers in her house ransacking and breaking up here and there alas 't is in vain for her to stand against them they may do what they will unless some other help come and rescue her so vain and impossible is it for any of you to winde out of the hands of this enemy and save your selves if another Saviour one mightier then he deliver you not 3. Therefore in the next place this might perswade you to lie down and submit to your bonds till deliverance come Answer him not a word that is the Kings command the charge of Truth but bear all his threats and vauntings and upbraidings Let all run over as God saith of Zion And thou layedst thy body to the earth for them to pass over Lie in the condition how miserable soever it be till a stronger then thou or he shall come to deal with him This is the peaceablest and most sutable way for our present conditions 4. Yet this must give some hint of hope and encouragement and cause the soul to put in and wait for a lot in this matter since there is for certain such a thing as deliverance to be for some there is a rest for the people of God Our God will come say they and will not tarry A stronger then he is spoke of that is able to deal with him and twist him about at his pleasure and this might give a little encouragement to hope But as for our parts we can do nothing in it we cannot stand against the enemy nor can we hasten the rising of Christ to deal with him Who shall say unto God What dost thou Who shall stir him up before his time May he not do what he will Is he not Lord of all Therefore no way is for us but to lie under and endure and let all the waves go over our backs till he shall command a calm and he uses to come in an unexpected time when all hope of life is gone when but meal and oyl enough is left to make one cake and then the widow concludes to die then comes the word The barrel of meal and the cruse of oyl shall not fail c. Therefore Oh that it was in your hearts to cry with one consent for this Saviour to arise this Deliverer that might turn ungodliness from Jacob All difficulties and impossibilities are nothing to him that which is impossible with Man with God is easie and possible And this might raise up a little springing of hope against all rubs and bars that lie in our way When he comes he is able to deal with this mighty enemy He comes provided His works before him and his rewards with him He will divide the spoyl and take away his armor and send that which is for death to death that which is for the sword to the sword that which is for famine to famine and that which is for captivity to captivity He keeps sure records of all and will surely visit in his appointed time O therefore that we had a heart raised and stirred to cry with one consent for this Coming of his and to give no rest night nor day but cry O come Lord Jesus come quickly till we have an answer and be delivered THE Woful Case of the Lepers OR The Soul at an exceeding Strait SERM. XIV June 22. 1651. 2 KING 7.3 4. And there were four leprous men at the entering iâ— of the gate and they said one to another Why sit we here until we dye If we say We will enter into the City the famine is in the City and we shal dye there and if we sit stil here we dye also Now therefore come and let us fall into the hoast of the Syrians and if they save us alive we shall live and if they kill us we shall but dye c. The Analysis THree things in general observed I. The present condition the Lepers are in And that was opened in five Particulars suitable to the misery of our present state 1. They were without the City out-casts no enjoyment of the Society Ordinances Blessings of the Commonweal of Israel 2. They were all overspred with leprosie might not talk with any lest infect them and how do we taint one another with our selves 3. Farther a miserable famine was upon them women eat their own children so we forced to eat what is born of the flesh our own Reason 4. They are beset with an hoast of Enemies too and this is our case at present the world are up against us 5. The light and sense of all this misery was upon them If we sit here we dye They knew and felt the heavy case they are in All this was brought home to our particular conditions II. Consider their hopeless and helpless Case to use any means to escape If we go back into the City we shall surely dye c. This applyed to our conditions in three things we are brought to something and if we go back Death will surely be in it 1. We are brought to a clear information of the vanity of all the worlds worship and the shortness of our conversation in all points 2. Made to see that all hopes and conclusions without a certain witness from God himself are short and nothing to eternal Life 3. We have professed to all and chose in our Souls a self-denying way to take up the Cross dayly and if now suffered to reason
foregoing Verse According as his divine power hath given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledg of Him that hath called us to glory and vertue Where four things are layd down in which these precious Promises are fulfilled Life Godliness Glory Vertue These are the exceeding great things promised to be though not yet attained For it is one thing to have a Promise given and another to see the accomplishment of it as Christ saith to his Disciples I will send you the promise of my Father the Holy Ghost was promised before but yet to be sent by Christ 1. The first thing promised to which you are called is Life as the promise was to Sarah That according to the time of Life God would surely visit her and she should conceive c. The Spirit of Life is promised to you though yet the Thing is to be accomplished For how do we lie at present in our graves like Dead men long out of minde how dry and desolate and waste because the Spirit of Life that should quicken and enliven is not come The time of Life is not accomplished but the promise is gone forth that at the set time He will surely visit Sarah and the dry womb shall conceive though Abrahams body be dead and Sarahs womb dead and all seem to work to the contrary For great is the desolation now upon us We are sealed in our graves under death but yet this is the promise That the Dead shal hear the Voyce of the Son of God and live And This is an exceeding large and precious Promise 1. Life implies in it a freedom from death a recovery and deliverance out of its power Alas to Live is another manner of thing then we have conceived it We have gone about and acted and spoke like living men but have we Lived in all this have we been yet ever acquitted and freed from fears of death The Terrors of Death made me afraid saith David Are you not yet kept all your life time under this fear of Death You can never have rest nor quiet because the Jaylor is ever at your heels you are not yet freed from him Death reigned it is said from Adam to Moses now Adam was made a Living Soul He had a life to see and know good and evil but yet he could not come at it could not reach the Tree of life a sword was set to keep him off there But the second Adam is a quickening Spirit He hath life in Himself He was raised up by the power of God never to dye more and this is life indeed Now how many in the World are there that never yet came to be Living Souls to have understanding and light to know good and evil but when brought to that yet there is no freedom from Death Death reigns from Adam to Moses to that farther light which comes in by the Law opened and read to the Soul When the Commandment came saith Paul sin revived and I dyed Death yet reigned And now to be freed from this cruel Tyrant from eternal Death and to be made partakers of Life is an exceeding great and precious mercy Who can value it 2. The Man that is alive is capable of instruction and teaching He can hear and learn from others but the Dead know nothing at all saith Solomon while we lie dead in darkness fears unbelief faintings of spirit so long we know nothing hear nothing we are capable of nothing of the minde of God All is confused and without order in this land of Death What is the reason think you there is such a stupid senceless careless Heart upon you not an ecchoing back as was in Davids Heart When Thou saidst Seek my face My Heart answered Thy face Lord will I seek Why is not this minde and quickness and breathings of Truth in you Why you are dead Death reigns sin hath dominion you are not yet freed from that body of Death For were you but alive it were impossible but you should hear the voyce of the Son of God Truth would touch you and that is the first thing to be done to give you life and then sense and hearing will follow But you are now as unsensible at times as a post in the house and therefore you come and go and come and go and nothing is done why because you are under death It is not yet the time of Life and He will make us know we cannot quicken our own souls Adam would have been reaching to the Tree of Life when his Eyes were opened to know Good and Evil I but a flaming sword is set turning every way to keep the Tree of Life and if ever Adam live again it must be upon other terms He must be raised by another power and that freely of gift For he is now a dead man and cannot quicken his own Soul unless that quickening spirit of Life be put within and here lies the great strait to lie at the mercy of another whether He will ever again give life or not and if he will yet it must be in his own time too and not ours and therefore the Church is at a strait and complains There was none could tell her how long How long we must lie in the dust in our graves before Life shall be given we know not we cannot get it out of his hand Truth would never be good and sweet if we could attain it by our reachings Many may press in to take the Kingdom by violence and stealth but the Examiner will come Friend how came you in hither But of a certain this Promise of Life is given to some of us Hear O Earth for the Lord hath spoken The word is gone forth that you shall surely be visited at the Time of Life and till this be accomplished you cannot be capable of instruction Your reason and thoughts cannot reach it but are to sit silent in your graves till Christ shall call Lazarus come forth and so life be given and put within and this will be an eternal Life never to dye any more Death is no more to have dominion but yet it reigns This is your hour saith Christ and the power of darkness and whilest this government is up and those noises of Hell are within we cannot hear the voyce of Truth till the Soul is freed from the stormy wind and tempest and a calm be made We many times go about to quicken our selves and get life at our own hands and so reach up hopes and conclusions and promises to bear up a while but alass all must down again we must to our center to our graves till the spirit of Life be put in We are asking what we should do and what is our way as if then we could easily turn and do it but alass there is a mistake in the bottom Life must first be given us and we must rest in our graves till then and sit in silence in our darkness and
yet saith the Prophet Come and let us return to the Lord for He hath torn and He will heal c. In this Return these things are considerable First They that return know surely that They are out of the way the Soul must first be made truly knowing and sensible of that when it is met with in its gaddings as Hagar was by the Angel and examined strictly Whence comest Thou Hagar and whither wilt Thou go Thou art quite out of the way in flying from thy Mistress Sarah Return and submit unto her The going out is thus clearly opened and layd upon the Soul But wherein were They gone out of the way that They are called on to return 1. They were out of the way in that they broke prison and ran away from the strait as Chap. 5.10 The Princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound A bound was set to keep them in a narrower compass that God might the better come nigh to deal with them as it is in Job If They be bound in fetters and holden in the cords of affliction then He sheweth man his sin and his transgression how he hath exceeded Then is a time when God can come neer to search and dress the sore when the Soul is layd fast from running away when it is held in the Bond of the spirit then the heart is opened the wickedness discovered what a wretched case man is in hopeless and helpless And this is the way God takes to hide pride from mans eyes and lay him low in the dust And how have we gone out of the way in this We have removed the Bond and run away and would not endure the strait nor stick to our conditions to lie so low and wretched and helpless We have flown out from this and said as They No but we are Lords and will come no more at him Here have we turned out and if ever we return we must come in sensibly guilty under this of removing the bound and running away from our conditions living at our hands and own counsels at a distance from God And now here it is needful for all of you to enquire how it stands with you Have you all turned out here in removing the bound or were you yet never in it I know some of you were never as yet in this Bond of the Spirit but have been left to your own wills and runnings of heart and never yet were brought to this narrow compass But some of you I know have removed this bound have got from your sin and guilt and misery when opened to you You have turned your eyes away from your own sore and looked asquint on anothers faults and pryed into their miscarriages have spyed out the mote there but would not see the beam in our own eye but have covered that close and hid it and therfore is the stroke now come upon us God hath found us out though man could not and there is a secret moth hath eaten and consumed us and spoyled all our good because we have run away and would not endure the bond to be put upon us I know assuredly the time when God would have brought some of you to a strait that nothing should have contented you without the knowledg of the Love of God what the eternal thoughts are concerning you and what should become of us in the latter end that we might not live on notions or words or knowledg or operations nor any thing short of this but here have we broke away and would not endure to come at it But 2. They were out of the way in going about to cure themselves before the day came the time of deliverance Chap. 5.13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb yet He could not heal you such a reaching hath there been after ease and cure and deliverance before the time was come Therefore saith God I will be as a moth and rottenness to Ephraim a secret hand hath followed us as David says I am consumed by the blow of thy hand a secret consumption and mouldring away and coming to nothing and of all deaths this is most miserable to dye so by degrees fall in pieces and melt away to nothing like a snail and thus hath the Lord dealt with us such a wasting and decaying hath been upon us but yet the thing is not layd heart None speaks aright nor says What have I done what is the cause of this desolation Why is the hand against me How hath a secret moth eaten up all our good Time was there was a tender conscience an awe of spirit and fear to offend a watchfulness over all our ways and thoughts and words but now all is gone The Lord hath smitten us and our flower fadeth And now if this were indeed but sensibly upon us it would make us look home and not have our eyes in every corner to pry into one anothers failings but it would be work enough to look on our own guilt to see how we have broke the bonds and got away from owning our shame and lying under our misery and have not stayd till we were washed from our blood but have washed our selves and forced our selves as Saul did to offer sacrifice when we heard but a report of deliverance Behold this is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World Yea presently we reckoned all this our own and clambered up to get into the liberty before we were called for our of our prisons and we must therefore down again to our bonds we were but an untimely birth and must not live to see the Sun We tarryed not in our graves till that word came from Christ Damosel Arise Lazarus Come forth but we broke away by force as a Servant runs from his Master and that shews we broke from him in that there is no heart to return we never cared for the Lord nor loved him since but as we have been forced to Him for a little ease and when we have got that we have been gone presently and cared for no more Secondly The second Thing considerable in this Return is from the Call and Counsel of the Prophet Come and let us return c. Being once out we cannot return of our selves without counsel The Soul knows not what to do nor which way to turn being once lost it is in such an amaze so foolish a thing is man and therefore if we are never brought to that strait to cry out for some to counsel and lead and tell us what to do Men and Brethren what shall we do to be saved without this there will be no returning For out we are got that is certain and have miserably lost our selves For some of us were formerly truly touched and visited and taken out of the world were made to see and understand the vanity of our former ways and in what a miserable and dangerous estate
we lay if the Lord stept not in to help us out and whether this would ever be or not we knew not and here we were made to own and bow and lie under our conditions as undone Persons if Mercy help'd not out Thus we lay low for a time under this bond but soon as ever we heard a report of Deliverance and were pointed out to it as John pointed to Christ Behold the Lamb of God c. Here is one that can cure you and bring you out This is the Saviour of the World when a Light came to shew us this we presently reached at it and called all our own and would not lie in our misery till he called us to come till the Lord Himself delivered us but thought now that we saw the medicine lie before us we were wise enough to take it and to cure our selves we thought we could now live of our selves without being beholding to God that our Light and Instruction into the Truth that the sight of Salvation had been enough And here we went out like Prodigals till all was spent and Poverty came upon us as an armed man We got out and promised our selves liberty and ease as Paul saith of some who promising liberty Themselves became the servants of corruption We were the farther off and the more entangled that which Job speaks of If I wash my self saith he mine own clothes shal defile me We have indeed washed and washed our selves but that will not do we put on our own clothes again and we are presently all dirt as bad as ever Here hath been our going out and now we are out we would never stir home again But the Call and Counsel is to us Come and let us return That Charge is layd against us Thou hast forsaken thy first Love remember whence thou art fallen and repent This I speak is a Deep Parable if the Soul be not led in to read the meaning The Hypocrite he cannot know it he will ever be hoping and clambering up some way or other to get life and never endure these bonds though he perish for ever and how many are thus utterly lost And the Sons of God They cannot know this neither until it cost them dear till a dart strike through their Liver They will taste of the Whores dainties of her sweet morsels till they are made to vomit all up again and lose the sweet words We have taken up words of Scripture and Hopes and Promises to our selves but who gave us them The Door was open and we thought we might venture in and take what we pleased But the Spouse could give a better account He brought me into the banqueting house c. Did He thus take us by the hand and bring us in No no we thrust in without the wedding garment we stayd not till the Angel was sent to roul away the stone from the mouth of the Sepulchre till Christ Himself came to loosen the Prison doors and let the Captives go free And now to all you that have thus turned out and therefore have had a blast a mildew a secret moth consuming and destroying all your greenness and liveliness and freshness in the Truth for how dead and sapless do you now lie to you yet is this Counsel given and the Call made Come and let us return to the Lord for he hath smitten c. Lie under the hand and turn to him that smites you And that is Thirdly The third Thing considerable in this Return It is to the Lord who hath wounded that he may heal Many they are wounded indeed but they can heal themselves run to the Promises and wariness and resolvings and they are presently whole But when the Lord wounds indeed with the wound of a cruel one when he rends and teers and goes away then shall no healing medicine be found out when God comes to a strict enquiry once and searches Jerusalem with candles looks into every dark corner and asks for an account of the bottom of the matter if we know what shall become of us for ever how our everlasting Condition hangs whether all we have all the strong reasons and hopes and conclusions from the operations and enlargements and powers of Truth will all these prove our condition good for ever Was not Saul also among the Prophets and was not the Spirit of God upon Balaam and yet both fell short I wonder sometimes how we can pass it over from day to day and not consider what the end shall be but it is because the wound is not deep we have no sense to feel but are like a post in the wall but when He shall wound home indeed and strike the blow to the heart then it will seize it shall not be so easie getting from it then if ever we be cured the same hand must do it that struck the Blow all other Physicians will be of no value but Come let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal c. And He will heal us Now What Ways doth the Lord take to Cure this Wound 1. The first Way to cure a Wound throughly is by removing the ill humor that feeds and maintains the sore else all plaisters and salves applyed to heal are in vain and to no purpose So God deals with the Soul He goes first to the Root to stench the corrupt humor the bitter Fountain that feeds and supplies all the streams Sensse and Reason they have been the ill humor which have fed the sore all along whilest we could wring and wrestle and murmur and complain against God saying Why hath he made me thus Why hath he brought us into this Wilderness to destroy us Who hath resisted his Will Whilest these pleadings and reasonings live 't is impossible our conditions should be mended these will fester and corrupt use what means we will for healing therefore God promiseth I will heal their back-slidings that way He takes when he intends a Cure Whilest we go about to cure our selves and flee upon Horses because they are swift so long the case grows worse with us the wound encreaseth but stand still and see the Salvation of God saith Moses Let him alone and He will never leave till he hath met with the bitter Root that spoyls all our prospering 2. Another way of healing a wound is by taking away or asswaging the extremity of the anguish and smart of the sore else the violence of the pain will let nothing take place So is it with the Soul sometimes there is such an extremity of anguish that perplexes and torments it that nothing of hope or encouragement can come near it When it is made to look over all its rebellions and standings out and provocations what it hath done how it hath grieved the Holy Spirit and refused mercy and brought all this that it now lies under on its own head You may thank your self for this saith the Accuser this is your own will and way
and choyce and this causes a felt anguish and torture in the Soul when all circumstances come up of sins done seven years since as if but newly acted How Thou provokedst God and broke prison at such a time and slightedst and turnedst back This eats and corrodes and frets the Soul and gives it no rest to hear or hope or beleeve any thing from God And therefore this is the next Thing God doth in going to cure He removes all the guilt and sin and shame and unbelief that lay upon the Soul and lays all upon the scape-goat to be carryed into the land of forgetfulness that though the iniquity of Judah and Israel be sought for yet it cannot be found I will remember their sin no more saith God and this pacifies and asswages the pain and calms the Soul He makes the storm a calm and so brings them to their desired haven c. 3. Another way God takes in healing is by applying a plaister of mercy and loving-kindness Then He speaks kindly and friendly to the Soul comes with words of peace he comes enquiring Is there no balm in Gilead is there no Physician there Is not the Lord in Zion is not her King in her The Lord opens to the Soul a soveraign Balm that can heal all sores He discovers his Son the Lord Jesus that seed of Truth that lies within This is my well-beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Now He comes gently to the Soul and moves and stirs in it not altogether to despair and cut off it self from hope but an enquiry is made in the Soul Is not the Lord in Zion Is there not hope in Israel concerning this thing However desperate the case seems yet hope gets up Who can tell but he may be gracious It is one thing to have Truth manifested to be within the Soul and another thing to have the use and enjoyment of it one thing to have a healing plaister applyed and another thing to be healed In the third day He will raise us up and we shall live in his sight To be raised out of this pit of mire and clay out of this dark dungeon to live in his sight to be brought out of darkness into his marvelous light this is wonderful And how beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tydings of peace These good tydings are a sweet reviving plaister to the dying Soul When just now at the brink of the Pit and the Life draws nigh to the grave then for an Interpreter to come one of a thousand to shew to Man his righteousness to open that seed and principle of Life that is within and so save his life from going down to the pit Is not such a Balm as this able to cure all wounds how doth this calm and quiet the Soul and beget admirings O who would ever think any good should grow here that Truth should lie hid in such a filthy defiled and polluted heart as Jacob breaks forth God was in this place and I knew it not and Hagar I did not think to have met with the Lord here What! when all hope of life is gone yet then to have salvation and deliverance opened out of the Eater to have meat in the midst of all guilt and shame and sin and lusts that oppress and torment yet to have this opened That such a Soul as this is no less then the gate of Heaven where God and Angels are to pass in and out This is a pleasant plaister indeed This heals the dying inwards when it is given in by God not taken up by mans gatherings and conclusions and hopings as all the healings before were 4. The Lord heals this sore by setting a time appointing a day for deliverance and putting the Soul in a posture of waiting till that come so the Angel opens to Daniel Seventy weeks are determined to finish transgression and to bring in everlasting Righteousness And so in the Psalms the Church pleads with God that It is time to have mercy upon Zion yea the set time is come But what is this set time for Zion to be built Why it follows For it pities thy servants to see her stones lie scattered in the dust This is the set time when the hearts of any are raised to pity and take to heart the desolation and ruines of Zion and when the Soul is pitched upon this to lie in the dust lost and scattered and undone as it is till the heart of some or other be raised to pity it It is impossible you should ever be brought forth as children of the Truth unless the Heart of some be turned towards you to be a Father as the Text saith of Elias He shall turn the hearts of Fathers to Children and Children to their Fathers The Soul is layd down here it cannot get up it self but must lie wounded and half dead till some good Samaritan pass by and take it up and this is the greatest tryal and hardest thing to bear that ever could come to mans heart That He must lie thus buckled and submitted to another till his Brother come to pity and take him up And now if the heart scorns and will not come in here to be thus beholding to another it may lie long enough and not yet the time of healing is come If thou scornest thou alone shalt bear it if thou scorn this thing to lie as thou art till the heart of some father be turned to thee thou mayst go long enough without cure But the Soul that God hath indeed pitched upon this as the way for its cure that is ever looking when some shall turn in to pity it and ask how it doth and take it out of the dirt where it sticks fast and therefore it is ever crying out Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by Is there none that mindes my sorrows Was ever grief like mine And is there none to pity and lay my case to heart and travel and pray and cry for me Such a breaking out is there not murmuringly nor commandingly but bewailing and crying out out of the sense of misery and longing for cure O that there were some to pity Nothing else can content because it is pitched upon that as the way for its cure all other plaisters cannot reach the sore and therefore it cries for some to help it as the blinde man cryed after Christ Thou Son of David have mercy on me and no rebukes from others to hold his peace and be still can prevail with him but still the cry goes on till the cure is done But it followeth After two days He will raise us up and we shall live c. The second days work now follows the day of reviving no man shall seek the Lord in vain The Prophet here invites calls to come and return and if any shall be prevailed with they shall not lose their labor in the Lord Verily there is a reward for the Righteous Mark the
in three Relations 1. As His Children and so Christ stands as a Mother 1. A Mother brings forth her Children out of her own Bowels 2. She nurses up her Children to perfection So Christ 2. A People are given to Christ as his Sister and hence three Priviledges spring up to them 1. That they are of the same stock and kindred with Christ 2. They have right to the same portion and priviledges 3. Hence they are liable to be Christs Wife He must not marry out of his own kindred 3. A People are given to Christ as his Wife In which two Things called for 1. Serviceableness the woman is to be subject to her Husband 2. Fruitfulness no children without a Husband and no name to live after us if not children in the Truth to keep it alive 2. Another Branch of the Will of the Father is That none of these that are thus given to Christ should be lost Where two Things considered 1. What it is to be lost Opened in these Particulars 1. To be lost is to be left out of that good-will of God 2. Not to be of that stock which the Lord Christ is sent to gather 3. To have the eyes blinded Our Gospel hid to them that are lost 4. To be given up to believe a Lye to feed on ashes 5. To have in evil eye and grudg all done to Truth as Judas 6. To be left without any to gather up or take the care of the Soul 7. To be left without restraint that wickedness may take its full course and grow to cursing and madness against God 2. Why are not all lost since all wander and turn Prodigals It comes from these Grounds 1. From this Will of God it is his Will to give Christ a People 2. They are nigh related to Christ He cannot see them lost 3. They must not be lost because Christ cannot be perfect without his Members He must have a Body c. The Vses were 1. Throughly to understand on what bottom Salvation stands 2. To enquire Do you know your Lot here Are you given to Christ 3. To comfort all drooping hearts that lie under sense of their misery as if quite lost No Christ is to lose none given to Him JOHN 6.38 39. For I came down from Heaven not to do mine own Will but the Will of Him that sent me c. I Am daily and continually minding you that you might understand the sure principles and ground of Things that you might know the Foundation and Cause whence all springs in those that are saved and those that are lost For whilest we are judging according to appearance and effects all is uncertain and doubtful till we come to be unmoveably principled into the Foundation of all how that stands For Things are not as man judgeth for it is not what man would if he would be saved and labours and struggles to press in alas that is not the thing It is not in him that wills nor in him that runs And then it is not what man would not if he stands out and opposes and would never come in yet if the word goes forth Go and compel them it must be done It stands upon the Will of God what He will what He hath ordered and appointed all must stoop to that Christ himself submits here I came not to do my own Will but the Will of Him that sent me c. Where consider I. Who this I spoke of is I came not c. This I is the Son of God the Mind of God the Heart and Will of the Father brought forth and this Mind of his He hath pleased to put into earthen vessels into his People in all days This Son of his it was that spake in his Prophets and opened the Counsel and Purposes of God to them that which was hidden and layd up in his own Bosom from the foundations of the world that is now made manifest by the appearance of Jesus Christ by this Bosom and Heart and Mind of his sent forth into his Prophets that opened and doth yet open what was before the world began and what shall be after that comes to an end This opens the deep things of God None knows the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son shall reveal him There can be no coming near to God no knowing no being like him unless this Son this Mind and Heart be sent out and opened and grow up in the Soul Alas the Deity in it self is too large and infinite for man to conceive of If ever you come to have apprehensions of the Godhead it will drink and swallow you up No man can see my face and live saith God to Moses therefore He hides him in the cleft of a Rock till his Glory pass before him Man is not able to come nigh that infinite Majesty and therefore He is pleased to send forth of Himself His own Heart and Mind His Son into his People As He was once sent out in the flesh of Christ our elder Brother so is He now to be sent into his People the same Mind of God to grow up by degrees and degrees as we are able to bear II. What is this Son of God this Mind of His sent out to do what comes it for I came not saith Christ to do my own Will but the Will of Him that sent me It is a strange Mystery if you know not somewhat of it in your selves That this Heart and Mind of God that comes forth from God and is God Himself that yet this Son must not do his own Will but the Will of the Father that the Truth and Christ Himself though his desires be just and good and right yet He must not have them unless his Father please His will must suffer and be cross'd and denyed therefore it is said He learn'd obedience by the things he suffered It is strange how God seems to contradict himself that his own Heart and Mind and Truth must yet be denyed and suffer and submit to do this Will of the Father though it be against it self so great and Lord-like and commanding is this Will of the Lord our God He doth saith David what ever pleaseth him both in Heaven and Earth What ever he will do that comes to pass If he bring some far on in the way to Life that they come even to the door yea into the very room yet if he will then turn them out and enquire Friend how camest thou hither without the wedding garment The man is speechless and must be turned out presently if He will not have mercy c. And on the other hand if a man run never so far from him with Jonah into the bottom of Hell that all seems utterly lost yet if he will recover and bring back from thence if He will have mercy nothing shall hinder so absolute uncontroulable and over-ruling is this Will of the great Lord without giving any account of his matters And hence
I would have you consider three Things 1. What is the ground and foundation all the happiness and favour that we or any are ever like to enjoy It must only be from this good-will of God What he hath set and purposed for or against any that shall stand What ever his Soul desires that he doth saith Job therefore he adds When I consider him I am afraid of him Have any of you this favour to have a lot and portion in eternal life It is his will that hath done it his good-will his good pleasure nothing can hinder it If He will have mercy who shall hinder Again are any left to destruction to ruine and undo themselves for ever Alas it is this Will that hath left them out and destruction must then needs follow What if God will harden Pharaoh and make some vessels of wrath If he will not shew mercy who shall turn him 2. As this will is the foundation of all that comes to pass so secondly Consider how resolved it is and all must buckle to it even Things in Heaven and Earth the Son himself must be subject He comes down from Heaven leaves his Crown and Glory and must fulfil this Will by suffering All things must stoop to this great Lord so mighty is he such a Lord Paramount so great a Ruler Alas Things come not to pass according to mens thoughts and propoundings but according to this Will of God 3. Then Consider How this Will of God quite cuts off all our wils Nothing that comes into your thoughts shall be at all saith God And again Many are the devises of mans heart but the Counsel of the Lord that shall stand And He cries out against Jerusalem How long shall vain thoughts lodg within thee All our thoughts are vain if our thoughts are to save our selves or if to condemn and undo our selves they are all but vain The Counsel of the Lord that shall stand and the thing is done already before the foundations of the world were layd When we have tryed all and run out all our runs there is but one door to go to in all our needs the Will and Purpose of God and if we find no relief there alas the case is miserable man can never help himself So that the great matter lies there to know what that Will of God concerning us is how that stands what his thoughts are and to be truly informed here and layd submitted to this Will This is all we have to do for the thing is done already In the Salvation of them that are to be saved how contrary are all things to Reason how do they oppose and stand out more then any Had the mighty works saith Christ been done in Sodom and Gomorrah which were done in thee they would have repented them in sackcloth and ashes There would not have been so much opposition from them but yet if he will save he will save nothing shall hinder And so in those that perish though they seek the blessing with tears as Esau did though there be never so earnest a crying and weeping and pleading Lord open to us we have cast out Devils in thy Name and Thou hast taught in our streets yet all will not do if his will be set once and the doors shut then Depart from me I know you not c. If we were but truly informed and principled in this thing it would be a great setling to our minds We have many strange and vain wandring thoughts and troubles for want of a true principling and setting down here that all must come to pass according to this Will Thou wilt perhaps say But I have the Truth in me and that cries and desires and longs Well but the Son himself must be subject the Truth in thee the right desires of thy Soul must submit to his pleasure whether to be answered or denyed The Son himself says Not my Will but thy Will be done And it is said He learned obedience by the things he suffered And if the Son of God the Truth it self which comes out of his Bosom into the world into the man if that cannot alter nor change his minde but must submit its Will to the Will of its Father then sure the man who is but dust and ashes he can do nothing in it his prayers and cries cannot alter this Will Therefore what ever thy desires are set upon and how right and single soever they may be yet this is to be looked at in all but What is the Will of the Lord what is his pleasure Christ according to his tenderness He would have all men saved and come to the knowledg of the Truth He desired many things by his own Will but He must come in again and lay all those desires at his Fathers foot and say Yet not my Will but Thine Now are any of you at a strait and pinch to know what shall become of you Here the thing stands it depends onely upon this minde of God and nothing I know can or will ever satisfie you till that which the Disciples ask for be granted you Shew us the Father and that will suffice Christ had been long with them tendering exhorting instructing and bearing up their heads yet that was not enough to them they are at a want still till that word comes from Christ And I say not that I will pray for you for the Father Himself loveth you And this stays them indeed Now speakest thou plainly and no Parable This is more content and satisfaction then all He had ever spoke before to them this is the ground of all your Happiness if your Souls were but surely principled and setled in it But then III. What is this Will of the Father that He comes to do This is the Will of Him that sent me saith Christ that of all that the Father hath given me I should lose nothings There are two things in this Will 1. A people are given to Christ to be his by this Will of God 2. It is the Will of the Father that none of these should be lost but that Christ should raise them up in the last day That they should be recovered how desperate soever the case be with them And thus far I have gone to shew you who this He spoke of is the heart the minde of God sent forth tht Son of God And 2. What He was sent out for and that is to do the Will of the Father to submit to that And I told you how all stands in this Will of God That if Christ Himself would save a man yet He cannot do it without this Will of the Father Therefore He submits Not my Will but thine c. Christ would that all should be saved and come to the knowledg of the Truth but He must lay it down at his Fathers Will. And had I no more then my own desires and love towards you to carry me forth I should surely have flagged and left you before
one Spirit as the Apostle says The Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered Christ and His Spirit and His People cannot be divided He is with his Body and that Body is but one and the spirit that cries and groans in them is one Spirit and if we have no share nor portion in the care and counsels and prayers of his people none to gather us into this Body This is to be miserable 7. To be left to a mans cursing and rage and devilishness of spirit to be swallowed up and drowned by the floods of ungodliness and wholy transformed into the image of the Devil and to be left here This is to be lost And to this height will the least seed of Sin grow at last if Mercy be not shew'd to prevent from it But this is Christs charge and this is the happiness and security of his People That the Will of God stands in it for the Salvation of his people It is the Will of Him that sent me that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing c. But now if you come sometimes you may finde some of the saved ones that are most dear to God Precious to the Lord is the Death of his Saints yet these dear ones are sometimes left to taste of all these conditions You may finde them blinded and given up to beleeve lyes They are secure and sensless and in all appearance they are sunk in the mire as deep as any Jonah he cries out of the bottom of Hell I went down to the bottom of the Mountains the Earth with her bars was about me for ever c. And David cries out I had almost said as they my foot had welnigh slipped And so in the Proverbs He that followed the whorish woman came to that pass at last to cry out I was almost in all evil c. Prov. 5.14 They come to the pits brink nay David was in the pit and therefore cries out O let not the Pit shut her mouth upon me How comes it about then that they are not quite lost It stands upon these three grounds 1. They cannot be quite lost because the Will of God is set to save them Their Safety and Security stands in that free and unchangeable Will It is the Will of Him that sent me that of all He hath given me I should lose nothing And nothing can alter nor turn his thoughts 2. They are nighly related to Christ and therefore cannot be lost they are his children Behold I and the children God hath given me And again I said of them They are my people Children that will not lye And sure He will not see his Children killed and not rise up to save them Farther They are his Brethren He is not asham'd to call them Brethren Heb. 2.11 They are his Sister his Spouse that lies in his bosom and He cannot bear to see them lost He is not able to see any of them in the Lions mouth but he must rescue them out and slay the Lion His bowels are turned to see them in misery and therefore He waits to be gracious He stands pleading and entreating at their doors O why will ye dye Do you indeed hear and do you consider that this is the cause why you are not lost and undone before this time This is a wonderful mystery That such a tye and neer relation should be to the Word of Life to the Lord Himself that He should take such a care and charge over thee and so wait and attend at all times to do thee good It is from this neer relation to Him He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one And this is the onely cause you are not lost And therefore what have any of you to boast on Why are you not as base and vile as any Why not lost as well as others It is not any thing that springs from thee which makes the difference We must all become guilty before God we are the worst of sinners But because He hath put his Son in you and made you so nigh to Christ therefore will He save you 3. They are not lost because Christ Jesus cannot be perfect nor subsist without his Members nothing will content the Son of God the Truth till all that belong to it are gathered into an Union with the Head Many vainly imagine and flatter their thoughts They shall be saved and gathered to Christ when they dye but it is to be done here if it be ever done The Soul must be brought into Union with the Truth joyned to that one Head and receive sap and nourishment and life from Christ sooner or later This must be done in all that are to be saved And this Christ prays for his Disciples That the same Love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them Such an Vnion and Oneness to stand on the same foundation with Christ and suck the same brests and be supplied with the same sap this is a condition where Salvation stands and none that are brought to this must be lost The Vses hence may be 1st To consider and hear for your selves That you may come to be setled on sure principles Do you understand on what bottom Salvation stands Do you know what the ground and foundation is of all your happiness or misery of all your enjoyments or sufferings that it lies up in this will of God Are you set down in this Principle and submitted under this Will 2ly Enquire farther Do you know your lot and portion in this good-will of God Is that opened to you If not How can you sleep upon the top of a Mast and be secure when your case lies so dangerous Do you know you were ever given to any into their hearts to travel for you in the bowels of Christ It is certain there are a lost number that are not given to Christ Now what security have you for your selves Will that save you that you have knowledg and parts and hear the Truth preached Alass many followed Christ but at last came to a hard saying and there they fell off and left him Therefore it concerns you to enquire whether you have that which will carry you out and give you a certainty you shall not perish for ever If you hear and hear ten thousand years and hear not that you have a portion in this good-will all is as nothing 3ly This may be of Use for encouragement to comfort all the drooping hearts that are ready to cast off all as if they were now quite lost Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me c. No no there is no such thing where his Will is once pitched Having loved his own he loved them to the end Joh. 13.1 It is his Will that none that He hath given to his Son should be lost And therefore however hard and dangerous the case seems at present yet you that are given to
that Truth cannot tell where to find you Could it but find you though in a Goal or Stocks amongst Harlots or any where in the dirtiest hole that could be it would be a gladness But to be as runaways every where and yet no where sometime in this Harlots house sometimes in another this is a great woe and sorrow But let 's be merry saith the father for I have found my son again that was lost If you could but come forth and say to the Lord Here I am and declare the very particular place where you lie and stick 't were happy As a man in a mist when quite lost is glad to hallow and call to any to give notice he is lost and tells them where they shall find him But we slight it and say 'T is true I am in a lost condition but what will any telling another do me good We think there must be no crying out But the time will come that you will cry before delivered both to instruct others saying O come not here as the Lepers were to cry out to all O come not to me I am unclean I am unclean and then there will be a crying Can you help me can you tell me which way God delivered you Though the Father sent forth his word to seek up his son yet he came not till he was alive quick and sensible of his wants and this made him arise and go to his father c. The last thing yet remains wherein lies the conclusion of all and it is marvelous to consider how the work hangs together A third Reason why the Father is merry is the safe return of his Prodigal When the other son came out of the field and heard the musick and dancing he asked one of the servants what those things meant Why saith he Thy Brother is come and thy Father hath killed for him the fatted Calf because he hath received him safe and sound And if this should not be all would be an incompleat Salvation still But while I speak the word I sigh to speak it Shall we ever see the day to be thus adorned to have the best robe the shooes the ring and the fatted Calf to sit at the Kings Table and have the presence and favor of the Father to hear that concord between Heaven and Earth that musick and harmony to hear the gladness of the Father and all those holy Angels to see the Earth which is his footstool brought to the Will of the Heavenly to have Heaven and Earth brought together to a meet and close Therefore Let 's eat and be merry 1. Because my son was dead and is alive again 2. He was lost and is found And 3. He hath received Him safe and sound And this is wonderful that one so far gone that had been dead and lost that Lazarus lying four days stinking in his grave should be raised and made a sound man again that there should be no deadness nor confusion nor taint in the Principle of Life but all return sound this will be a wonder That there shall be no taint nor smell of any ill savor in all our words and ways left it will be wonderful indeed to have such a Resurrection There are three things considerable from this word To be Safe 1. That which is safe is well fenced about as Solomon saith The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the Righteous runneth into it and is safe Prov. 18.10 But what 's the Name of the Lord He proclaims his Name thus The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodness and truth Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and that will by no means let the guilty go free c. Exod. 34.6 7. When the Prodigal is compassed about with this Name he is safe to purpose with long-suffering gentleness c. and with remembrance of this also That he will by no means let the guilty go free then is he made to give glory to his Father This will be a strong tower where the Soul may be safe 2. To be safe is to be where no harm can come at him In time of trouble saith David he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me Psal 27.5 A pavilion stands in the midst of the Army and what harm can touch one there To be in the City of Refuge there the Avenger of blood cannot come neer Now he is under the wings of his Father no Witchcraft nor Enchantment can touch him And when ever God shall make such a fence about you your estate will be good indeed when thus fenced about with the Name of the Lord. But 3. A man may be said to be safe when he cannot run away to harm himself neither When God makes this Covenant with Israel he saith And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them That I will not turn away from them to do them good but will put my Fear into their hearts that they SHALL NOT DEPART FROM ME Jer. 32.40 A man that is lock'd in the Stocks or in a Gaol we use to say such a man is safe because he cannot get away So when God has put his Fear into the heart it 's made as an hook or anchor to the Soul it cannot get away from him But happy are they whom God will bring back again with the Prodigal from the Land of their captivity into his presence There 's the place of rest and quiet there the Father rejoyces over his Prodigal because he has received him safe and sound To be Sound hath these things considerable in it 1. A thing that is sound may be considered thus to be without rottenness without fault firm and durable Now the Prodigal before his return has a heart with a taint in it and 't will be wonderful if ever we shall be brought out clean spotless unblameable c. It 's nothing to keep a man from stealing when he can come at no prize but to have the Babylonish garments and the wedges of gold lie before the Soul and now not to have an Achans heart to covet them here will be the tryal O let me not taste of their dainties saith David The time was he was envious at the prosperity of the wicked But now to see them prosper and enjoy their portions and yet not envy nor cover in nothing to be tainted here will be the wonder But 2. To be Sound is to be compleat and without deficiency as of a Horse that is fit for service we say He is a sound Horse sound wind and limb compleat c. The Prodigal came home compleated as Paul saith That you may be wholly compleat in him not having any spot or blemish or any such thing And My Beloved saith the Church is wholly delectable compleat in beauty O that my heart were so direct saith David that I were sound in thy Law O Lord how far off are we
in the Beloved Nothing else will carry it out against the Flood when that comes to overflow nothing then but that everlasting Rock Many are wise and great and honorable and knowing in their generation famous and men of renown but alas when they come to dye they have no understanding but are found like the beast that perish They are to seek their shelter when the storms beat But now to have a portion made over to thee in that Eternal Love that will be a sure Ark in the time of the Deluge this will be the happiness And such a condition as this you have been warned of God and are warned to press after and to rest in nothing till this Ark be prepared for you II. Consider next He being moved with Fear c. The Warning takes place upon him and leaves an impression behind it moves and touches his heart and that from these five Considerations 1. He was moved with fear from that warning to him That All flesh was corrupt a fear seizeth on him and makes him enquire Is it indeed so as the Lord hath spoken Though I see not so clearly that All is so corrupt and vile yet what means this warning from God Surely the case is worse then I yet see it sure I am leaning and hoping in some wrong thing some arm of flesh or other that the Lord warns me thus Hence the Fear moves upon him and makes him look inwards Now doth this come home to your doors Do you enquire whether these things are so or not Alas how is it with me How stands the case between God and Me What means the complaint and cry That All is corrupt Doth the Lion roar and are you not afraid Or do you stand upon your terms with Corah and say All the Lords People are holy We are not so base and vile as you would make us believe If you plead so you shall know shortly as Moses said to them who are the Lords People and who are not The search and dividing will come and if thy money be good thou art not afraid to bring it out Thou wilt not shrink from being enquired into Thou wilt come to the Light if thy works be good But this will be a testimony the case is bad if either there be a snuffing and taking it ill to be put thus on the Tryal or if a shuffling it off and laying it aside till to morrow or if a fear and shrinking and covering the condition close to your selves or if a wilful stubbornness and scorning to come to the Touch-stone If thou be a scorner thou alone shalt bear it that is certain thou shalt be alone by thy self and woe to him that is alone Who ever is in an Error or evil way he is surely alone in it There are not two in the whole world that are fully together in an evil way but some flaw and difference creeps in do what they can for it is a spirit of confusion and division and there is no true Vnion and Oneness but in the Spirit of Love and Truth Therefore enquire if there be not a canker-worm a taint in all thy best things in thy Knowledg Fear Hope Believing Desiring c. if all be not corrupt And will not this cause a Fear 2. He was moved with Fear to consider Is an end of all flesh coming Is a Judgment so near Is it certain that an Account will be called for from me in all my ways and nothing of flesh shall stand and do I sleep in this condition Am I secure and the Judgment so nigh at the door ready to destroy all Hence the Fear moves and works upon the sensible Soul Now enquire whether this Fear touch upon you or not If you are not brought to be knit up to the Lord Christ and be made one Spirit with him you will be sure to be left behind to the perishing world I wonder sometimes how you can have any rest upon your spirits how you can go through your business and eat and sleep and talk or mind any thing whilest your Souls hang at such an uncertainty and thou knowest not what shall become of thee in the latter end If there be nothing but flesh in thee though never so high and fair and refined yet it will come to an end it will not stand in the fire for what is the chaff to the wheat saith the Lord Now if thou searchest into thy self art thou sure thou canst find any thing better then flesh another spirit seed of God and then art thou sure that this is thine and shall ever abide with thee and be in thee For if the Spirit be taken from thee as it was from Saul then thou art miserable for that alone must stand in this day Therefore art thou sure thou hast that which will carry thee out through Death and Hell when the Flood comes to drown the whole Earth Now you are at ease and quiet and in health and go and come at will but do you not think a Flood will come and sweep away all flesh Do you not think you must dye and part with all your wills and loves and desires that are not born of God Therefore what need is there this Fear should seize upon you lest you should not be able to stand in that day 3. He was moved with Fear in this Consideration That he is naked and hath no Ark to betake him to The Judgment is at hand the Deluge ready to seize and he hath no shelter nor place to turn to and this makes the case harder to him then the rest of the World which saw not the danger and hence the Fear seizeth Alass his shelter is not yet prepared the Ark not made Now do you search and enquire into this Have you an Ark at hand to receive you or not Are you provided for such a day or no Are you sure you shall stand in the fire and not be consumed Do you know you shall go through with your building and that mock not fall upon you This man began to build but was not able to finish Doth this Fear touch upon your Souls as it did on Noahs There is a Rest for the people of God that 's sure an Inheritance in Light reserved for the Saints But is it your portion or is it not I wonder I hear not that voyce among you to cry out Oh who shall stand when God doth this when the Searcher comes with his fan in his hand with refiners fire and fullers soap when every plant shall be plucked up that my heavenly Father hath not planted This may seem light now and a vain enquiry to many that are high and at ease and think to dye in their nests as sure they could not but mock at Noah in his day What is this Fool doing What need of all this stir to build an Ark what need is there to what purpose I but when the Flood comes where are the Mockers then What is
the Hypocrites hope 4. Another thing that might move Noah to fear might be this lest he should slip over the present instruction and warning given him lest he should neglect the present day and then it may be too late Therefore the Soul that is sensible is afraid a jealousie strikes the heart O what would come on me if I should withstand my Mercy How were many envited to the Feast but because they made excuses and neglected the offer the door is shut and he swears They shall not taste of his Supper But now Josiahs heart was tender when the Judgments were read before him out of the Law it took place in his Soul And Mordecai says to Esther Who knows but thou wert raised up for such a time as this If now thou shewest not thy self thou mayst never have another offer And here the Fear comes in Lest the day slip and can never be recalled again and therefore Christ weeps over Jerusalem O that thou hadst known in this thy Day the things that belong to thy Peace but now they are hid from thine eyes Now see doth this Fear touch your Souls Are you struck with an awe of spirit lest you should slip away the present day of Mercy Doth it press upon you That whilest it is called to day you harden not your hearts and then the word go forth You shall never enter into his Rest Truly the venture is hard were our Souls but awakened If thou slip the nick and knowest not the time of thy Visitation He may never speak more of the things concerning thy Peace but that sad conclusion may come Now they are hid from thine eyes 5. Noah might be moved with Fear out of this consideration lest the Flood should take him unawares before his Ark was finished and therefore he sets to the work presently And Noah did as the Lord commanded him so did he lest he should be prevented and not finish his Ark in time and then all his labor and pains are lost this strikes him with fear Now consider doth it take this place upon thy spirit Doth it set thy Soul to the work presently now this very season to say Men and Brethren what shall we do to be saved Doth it make you look out for a guide to lead you on and counsel you in the work For an Interpreter one of a thousand to shew to man His Righteousness Sure the Idol gods keep the room some base lusts or hopes or promising your selves Peace or else you would be afraid and all that God intends that everlasting good to sure the strait will come That they shall not be suffered to let their eyes sleep nor their eye-lids slumber till they shall finde out an habitation for the God of Jacob. Do these things take place upon you or not if not what is the cause what hinders you are not baptized Are you sensless and carnal living in the flesh upon any seen thing Alass That is miserable the Flood will come and sweep away all of that kinde Whilest they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage unawares the Flood came Or canst thou give a good account what will be thy latter end and canst say with the Apostle We know that if this earthly Tabernacle be dissolved we have a building not made with hands eternal in the Heavens I would you could say that word indeed But O Lord when I think of it what if he should come now unawares this night where are your mindes Are you fit to go out and meet the Bridegroom Are not your Hearts either cavilling or reasoning or murmuring or hunting and lusting after somewhat or fearing and sinking under your bonds But who has a minde prepared to meet the Lord in the ayr and so be for ever with him Thus I have shewed you what the things not seen were of which Noah is warned 1. God tells him All flesh is corrupt 2. That the end of all flesh is come 3. He invites him to build an Ark to save himself And this I applyed to our present condition for Noah is dead and this is written for our instruction I told you how we have been warned in these cases And that 1. By a word that hath cryed long to us All flesh is grass 2. By the proof of our hearts 3. By a voyce of Providence letting out the world and the out-cries of men against us if it be possible to break us asunder and not leave a stone upon a stone Then I told you how the thing took place with Noah He was moved with Fear from five Considerations all which might seize upon us and cause an awful dread and enquiry in our spirits 1. To see what is our confidence and hope that we lean on Is it not born of the flesh And then though it be never so fair-spun a threed though never so wise and sober and patient and meek yet if it spring not from a good root if it be born of the flesh all is nothing You cannot love Him unless it be opened that He first loves you Now many pretend that they love God and prize and honor him do you so but are you sure that he loves you What if he shall answer you in that day when you plead Lord we have eat and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets well but for all that I know you not saith Christ Depart from me c. How will your Love to God then stand Have you indeed an Ark prepared to receive you in the great overflowing Deluge in the day of desperate sorrow that shall come to try all that dwell upon the Earth The Day will surely come ere long now are you sure you have that which will carry you through 'T is not your Learning nor Knowing if you knew all Mysteries 't is not your Parts nor Hopes nor mans conclusions will do it Many measure themselves by themselves they are not as they were they are more strict and observant I but what then Will that carry you out And many measure themselves with others and say I am better then such and such I am not like this Publican Well but they that thus measure themselves with themselves and others are not wise saith Paul the root and principle may yet be Self and then what the better Then 2. This might move us to fear That the end of all flesh is come God will not always wink as he hath done in the days of Ignorance if he should we would never come up to any thing And will not this strike upon you an awe That the Judgment lies at the door Death is entring in at the windows and nothing of flesh nor mans Will though never so fairly painted and gilded over will be able to stand Is it not time to fear 3. Have you an Ark prepared to shelter you a sure resting place from all storms if not is there not great cause of fear and trembling I know not
thy seed be blessed Ishmael though he may live in the House yet He must not be Heir with Isaac There are many flourishing Plants in the world that grow and thrive apace I but every Plant that my Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up The King will overlook all his guests and then Friend how camest thou hither will light on all that have not the wedding garment on However we may strive to pull in Husbands and children and other relations according to our selfish wills yet alass That will not stand That will not make any who are not to be this chosen Generation It is not whom man approves but whom the Lord approves It was once so That all lay in the confused Chaos together in one lump like the Potters clay and then there was no difference at all none could say This is accepted or this rejected this is Jacob or this Esau this a vessel of honor That of dishonor till the Potter hath separated and distinguished his clay to several purposes and then was the Portion of the Nations divided and then the Lords People became his portion Then this chosen Generation had their first Being and were both from the womb of the morning Now in choosing these several things are considerable 1. Before a man chooseth any thing he weighs well and considers and overlooks it in his minde He weighs all the flaws and all the perfections in it that he may know what he chooseth and not do it hoodwinked So the Lord was pleased to weigh all his creatures When he divided to the Nations their Inheritance and separated the sons of Adam then he said Jacob is my portion He knew what he did how he would prove as God says I knew thou wouldst have iron sinews and a brazen brow He throughly considered what he did took in all faults and provocations that should ever spring from them and yet he pitches on this chosen generation and yet Jacob is the lot of his Inheritance Hence it is there are no repentings in God because the thing was throughly weighed We often repent because of our heady rushing upon this and the other but God is not as man He made his choyce with full advice and counsel Hence it is The gifts and calling of God are without repentance And In him is no variableness nor shadow of change because all his works were done in counsel therefore they stand fast for ever and ever And therefore saith David Walk about Zion Mark well her Towers c. Consider her strength the sure unmovable Rock she stands upon For this God is our God for ever and ever He will be our Guide unto Death This God is Zions God that hath done things at a certainty not at hazard that will be a Guide unto Death that will never leave nor forsake The bottom and ground is certain and 't is expressed thus in the Proverbs That I may make thee understand the words of Certainty This choyce of God is a certain unfailable unchangeable choyce This will seem wonderful when you shall come to consider it and the thing sink to your hearts Wert thou once in the same lump with the reprobate silver Was Esau Jacobs Brother and Jacob loved and Esau hated How comes this thing about What means this favor What manner of Love is this O Lord if it did but sink into your Souls what a thing is it to be chosen of God! Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches This is not the thing which puts the difference And so Christ to his Disciples Rejoyce not that Devils are subject to you That is not your Happiness No but that your names are written in Heaven that you are of this chosen generation that God pitched upon you what ever you are rejoyce in that Samuel he looks upon Eliah because of his stature and goodly personage as if sure he was the Lords anointed No but saith God not He but it is the stripling the little youth in the field the youngest and unthought of David he is the man He saves not the whole the honorable and learned the Scribes and Pharisees but Ought not this Daughter of Abraham to be loosed whom Satan hath bound lo these eighteen years She must be loosed because a Daughter of Abraham of that stock how ever mean and base in the eyes of man for God sees not as man seeth He picks where he pleaseth one of a City and two of a Tribe Though Israel be as the sand of the Sea yet but a remnant shall be saved Though there be threescore Queens and fourscore Concubines yet My Beloved is but one c. That he should let thousands and ten thousands go and yet pitch on me this will be wonderful to us when we shall see into it 2. A man affects the thing he chooseth his heart goes after it more then that which he lets alone And therefore Moses said to Israel The Lord chose you not because you were better or more in number then other people but because He favored you and set his Love upon you And in Jeremy he says I have loved thee of old with an everlasting Love and when thou wast in thy blood one would think that a strange time to love in yet then was thy time the time of Love Though there was no cause yet he loves Even so O Father saith Christ for so it pleased thee Two in a womb two in a mill two in the same condition and the one taken and the other left To be left is enough there is need of no more reprobation then that If a man be but left and not dayly maintained kept up and preserved he will corrupt of himself and run naturally to destruction There is no need of a cursing or destroying any Creature but he is pleased to leave some and that is enough They naturally tend and fall into the curse and bring it on their own heads if a preventer step not in and therefore that is not first concluded in God concerning any This is a damned wretch whom I hate and detest No his damnation is of himself he procures his own curse and if he be but left if not held up and hedged in and kept alive he cannot but dye No man can keep alive his own Soul The Branch if it be left without Sap from the root must needs dye If the Lord hath not chosen nor set his love upon any that is destruction enough that creature will sure enough run thither therefore see how Esau first sells his birth-right then loses his Blessing and one misery follows another till he be quite ruined and therefore the choosing the setting his heart upon any that is the thing which saves If God say as Sampson did concerning Delilah Give me her for she pleaseth me be she what she will yet she pleaseth me so Christ saith of the Spouse Thou hast
and garnishings and curious works all was to express what a life is to be attained a life of Glory and Freedom and Peace a life free from all snares and bonds of World or Devil 2. God will have a House built that there may be a certain set way of worship a place whither the Tribes may go up the Tribes of the Lord that every man go not on rudely in a conceited preposterous way according to the thoughts of his own heart Thou shalt not worship in every place which thine eyes shall see but in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his Name therein As there is but one God and one Truth and one Hope so he hath appointed but one way set down one order and rule for all and not left men rudely to the rangings and rovings of their own vain thoughts and conceivings as all the world now take up ways of Religion according to their own imaginations but he hath a Zion a House of prayer a Temple where Brethren live in unity joyn with one heart and soul in offering spiritual sacrifices and there will he be found There he hath commanded the blessing and life for evermore Why could not David worship God as well in the wilderness Was not God there As many now plead Why is not God every where and may not we serve him where ever we will But David cries out and is at a great strait to see the glory of God in the Temple no other place would serve him And why was all Israel once every year to come to this temple to worship What was the meaning of it think you You 'l say perhaps the Law is gone and abrogated Well but what was the end and substance of the Law That stands still Christ came not to destroy the Law but fulfil it to bring about the End of God the thing typed out by the Law Now as 't is said of Israel That the vail was upon their hearts that they could not see to the end of the Law when Moses was read So this hidden end none can reach but to whom God shall open the Parable but this was the end the Temple pointed to to shew that God then had and ever would have an orderly and quiet and sober way of worship in a people joyned together and made up into one heart and one soul and they to worship in spirit and in truth according to his ordering and appointment as that unction received shall teach and not according to mans conceits thoughts and imaginations 3. He will have a House built to be a spectacle and standing witness to condemn the world by For now who will not say that God is to be worshipped I but they worship after their own heart and devices according to the number of their Cities so are their gods as every one conceives and makes a shape of worship in his own thoughts But who knows the minde of God in all their worship Who joyns in to this Body of Christ the true Temples where the Holy Ghost dwells and spiritual services are performed to God It is said in the Acts Of the rest durst none joyn but they magnified the people the way was too strict I it is the greatest Circumcision in the world to mans will to joyn in here to be a member of this building it calls for a whole giving up of a mans own wisdom his own will his own interests no stone in this House must lie loose from another no Soul live apart to it self and for it self but all in love to serve one another and this will condemn all the ways and joynings of men in the worship of God for they all live as Lords love and seek themselves in what ever they do they cannot endure to come up to such a joyning and such an order where no Self may live Though many enter into Church-orders and Church-fellowship yet alass there is no true life nor spirit in it they still live loose as Lords and Rulers one over another there 's no walking in love and meekness and patience to serve others and deny themselves But in this building there is a mutual help and supply in love every member says to another I have need of thee The foundation lies lowest I but it bears up the whole building and what would the foundation be but lost rubbage if not built upon and joyned to the rest of the House All minister and help receive and give honor to other and say For they are worthy O the peaceable Life that is to be attained But we are far short of it at a great distance from that uniting from that supporting that serving that prizing and seeing the need each of other We are brought together indeed but live like loose stones scattered and alone and prize not the mercy given us nor make use of it and this is the reason we prosper not but a blast follows in all we sow much and reap little we labor and strive and tug again and again but nothing comes of it we cannot nor shall ever be able of our selves to withstand the Devil and lusts and entanglements till we are brought to be a one people to receive help from one another this is the way and ordinance of God and here he hath commanded the blessing If we were but once made naked and open-hearted to one another in our tryals and temptations Oh how wonderfully might we be strengthened against the Enemy and helped on in our way and this would clearly condemn the world who in their own Consciences know they are not built up into a one-hearted people singly and truly and heartily to serve one another in love and peace not seeking themselves in all But how we linger and the building of this House is neglected I remember the motioning and stirring to this work was up in some hearts at least twenty years since but the Bishops they got up and crushed all the tender buddings that the work ceased and since this Parliament the Lord hath graciously procured Liberty to be proclaimed a door open for this work and many have begun to build but they prove Houses of their own invention and contrivances not the Lord House but we that are surely called and invited to it and that of God both from stirings within and a call without we make no use of the opportunity offered but plead It is not time to build the Lords House because we have no heart to the work c. Thus I have shewed the Reasons why God will have a House built 1. That there may be a standing place of Worship whither the Tribes may go up where all may meet and agree together in one heart and way Daniel though he be in Babylon yet opens his window and looks towards Jerusalem in his prayers and when they sat by the rivers of Babylon they wept and remembred Zion they called to minde the worship the services the solemn assemblies where God had
rest and peace and enjoyments and instead thereof to take up troubles and sorrows and afflictions Oh no the heart shrinks from this here comes in Spare thy self Master and therefore we plead it is not time yet because it is a trouble and perplexity to the man to set upon this work it puts him beside his cushion he must be sure if he begin to build the Lords House to meet with opposition and contradictions from within and from without from the world and from the Devill The more we shall stir to get out of his Kingdom the more will he stir and rage and cast out his floods to destroy what have our Fathers gone through in this work what strange miseries and sundry sorts of death as you may see Heb. 11. What did Paul suffer hunger and nakedness perils by sea perills by Land perils amongst false brethren stripes and Imprisonments and now who will endure this that can avoyd it who will choose afflictions Mans heart will ever plead it is not yet time because it loves Ease and would never see sorrow But 3. Fear hinders them They were yet under tribute to the King of Babylon they were not yet quite freed from their foes they had once begun to build and were hindered and curbed in the work and therefore now fear gets up and they will venture no more having been once crushed and still remaining under the same enemies this seems a just cause to plead it is not time and thus the heart reasons Have I not tryed again and again and been stopped and prevented and beguiled by the Enemy and am I not still in his hands and if I stir I shall soon be met with and pulled back again and here the heart slugs and lingers and thinks it hath cause to fear and keep off but Jordan never parts till the Priest first ventures to set his foot in it there must be a venturing through all lets and rubs in the way if ever we think to come to any thing and see when they do but begin and set upon the work how they are prospered and all makes for them which before might seem impossible and are not these the true reasons we keep off from the work are we not ignorant that this is the cause of all our misery are we not loving our ease are we not fearing our enemies and so give it over and plead it is not time c. But consider V. WHAT MISERIES FOLLOW FOR NOT BUILDING THIS HOUsE A curse and a blast follows in all their undertakings do what they will yet nothing prospers as it is with a man in a deep consumption let him eat what he will though never so good and choice diet yet his Stomack spoils all It turns it into ill humours to maintain the disease till the root of his sickness be taken away and so is it with us notwithstanding all our mercies and opportunities afforded meat is set before us daily daily are we waited upon and called and instructed and counselled yet how do we still waste and consume we thrive not in all but wax leaner and leaner we come and hear and listen sometimes and swallow down a great deal but alas all is spoiled by a bad stomack we spend all upon our Lusts we love to live alone by our selves at our own Wills and Counsells and Wisdom we are not subjected yet in our souls to come to build this house of the Lord to live in Love and Counsell and order one with another c. and this is the moth that eats and destroys and will destroy all our good if the Lord prevent not thus I have spoke to you what this House is why God will hâ—ve it built and of what materialls and then the Reasons why the people plead it is not time and the misery that follow this neglect and now in a word I would speak to that who they are that are chiefly guilty in this thing I cannot so charge you all of being thus guilty but there are chief Heads who are called to this work and they are to lay the first stone the cloud must first remove before the people can journy and in that great sin of taking strange wives for which Ezra pull'd off his hair and sat astonished on the ground 't is said the Princes and rulers they were the chief in this thing they lead on the rest by a bad example they are the sinners such as were bidden to the feast and yet refuse to come and make excuses they are the sinners Now are you all bidden called out to build this house no I know it cannot yet touch nor lie upon all your Consciences that this house is not built but the Princes and Leaders such as have been called both from a word without and a stirring within their own spirits to begin their work and lead the way and lay the first stone that the rest might follow these are the guilty persons that make their excuses when they are Invited I have married a wife I have bought a Farm This and the other stands in my way that I cannot come but if any enjoyment or imployment or relation if any tye shall hinder us from setting to this work when the Lord calls to it then are we miserable I know there are some of you that stand yet clear and have not resisted a call but think you are ready to become any thing that shall be called for from you but some of you there are that punctually and certainly know you are called forth to the work and yet draw back and shrink away and say 't is not yet time to build c. The heart knowingly flies back and shrinks this is the guilt here lies the sin Therefore the first thing to be known by you is whether you are called or not and if called then take heed of reasonings and pleadings with Moses I am a stammerer a man of a slow speech and they will not beleeve that thou hast sent me till at lest the anger of the Lord was kindled for his lingering in it and this is the way of the heart we do not say point blank we will never build the House No but shuffle it off It is not yet time and we know not our way and the enemies are round about to hinder us and so we conclude the case before-hand and keep off the strait that Paul was brought to when he cries out Lord what wouldst thou have me to do What way should I take What is thy minde in all All things go cross there is no thriving nor prospering in out ways but all symptomes appear to signifie a consumption is upon our way we are scarcely kept alive have scarce a bit of bread to stay our hunger Now what is the meaning of all this Sure there is a Cause Therefore need there is every Soul of you should consider your ways and enquire Lord is it I or Is it I Do I hinder this work where am
in my place Lo thus shall the man be blest that feareth the Lord he shall be as a Signet upon his hand O then that your Souls were at a strait indeed that you might cry out O who will give me of the waters of Bethlehem to drink Who will help and counsel and direct who will shew me how to begin to build this House of the Lord that I may share in all these blessings and escape all the great curses and stand in that day That the Lord may take pleasure in me and be with me and bless me in all my ways and bear me as a Signet on his hand so nigh himself and make me so like himself so serviceable and highly impowered to act for him O that it were in your hearts to cry this night every Soul apart O that he would count me worthy to help on this building That is the next thing if God will please to give us a heart to cry together and strive with him and not let him go until he bless us till we shall be counted worthy to begin to build and made to say and feel My heart is ready O God my heart is ready That you may say to all Idols Get you hence Friends and relations and ease and honors farewel all let the dead bury their dead you are but dead enjoyments and I am called and must go to build a living House to the Lord God Speaking BY A PROPHET OR Truths way of instructing the Soul SERM. XII June 1. 1651. DEUT. 5.27 Go thou neer and hear all that the Lord our God shall say and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee and we will hear it and do it The Analysis FRom the words in general was considered I. That the way of the Lord in speaking to his people is by a PROPHET And that for these Reasons 1. It is his pleasure his ordinance as for bread to nourish 2. It is a gentle familiar way suitable to their weakness 3. His power and wisdom more appears in such weak means 4. By this he brings his people into an oneness order and government 5. Hence the distinct way of their being saved appears They know who was their own Guide and Leader II. This Prophet is to go NEER TO GOD Go thou neer c. And that implies three things 1. To be free and familiar with God Fear and guilt are removed 2. To stand in an awful and reverent frame of spirit 3. To learn the carriage and minde of God his wisdom meekness c. III. HEAR ALL that the Lord our God shal say to thee Now the Lord speaks three things in general which they should hear 1. The Lord would have them know where they now are 1. Saved out of Egypt brought out of the rude world 2. That no returning back thither what ever come on us 3. Know we are still in the wilderness In which two things 1. To know this is the day of proving our hearts 2. That this is not our Rest we are far from home 2. God would have them know what way they are to go all along by Enemies Amalek and Ammon and Moabites all will rise and stand in their way This they must lay down the way of the Cross 3. Know the end whither they are going what the latter end will be Hence three things considered 1. Know there is surely an End a Rest for the people of God 2. This cannot be till Christ have put down all other Rule and Authority 3. Then is the Kingdom to be delivered up to the Father and God to be all in all this is the end IV. Consider the Promise And we will hear it and do it About this Hearing five things were considered 1. To hear who it is that speaks to be sure to know the voyce of Christ 2. Hear what he speaks thy particular lesson 3. Hear to whom not every one to thrust in but Is it to me 4. Hear when the thing is to be done now or afterwards 5. Hear for his sake that calls so lovingly O that my people would harken All brought home in five particular Uses DEUT. 5.27 Go thou neer and hear all that the Lord our God shall say and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee and we will hear it and do it TWo things I have already mentioned to you out of this Scripture I. Why it is that God will speak to his people by a Prophet why not alone by himself without outward means and help of man No but Go thou neer to the Lord our God for us and speak thou unto us c. and God approves of the thing as good They have well spoken in all that they have said I shewed you five Reasons why this was so 1. Because it is his pleasure his ordinance the way he hath appointed for that purpose where he hath commanded the Blessing and if we neglect that way we can prosper in no other 2. It is a gentle and familiar way suited to mans capacity and weakness God in himself is too dreadful and dazling but a Prophet will the Lord raise unto you out of your Brethren him shall you hear 3. The Wisdom and Power of God is more manifest by using such weak means a worm a nothing That this rich treasure should be put in earthen vessels it makes the glory wholly to appear Gods 4. By this he brings his people into an union an order and government else all would live loose alone and scattered to themselves but now all are brought under one Guide one Shepherd one Interpreter between God and them 5. By this the particular work of Salvation is made more distinctly to appear Of Zion it shall be said such and such a man was born there The particular characters shall be set down In such a place at such a time by such a man from such a word the Soul shall distinctly know all its leadings on Then something hath been spoke of that II. Go thou neer This Prophet is to go neer to God They hit on the right nick God will have it so And that for these Reasons 1. To testifie his freeness and open-heartedness to them To you it is given saith Christ to the Disciples to understand the mysteries of God but to others in Parables They come not so nigh to read his heart and bosom They that travelled with Paul to Damascus they saw the light that shone about him but none heard the voyce That was whispered unto Paul alone Saul Saul why persecutest thou me None else was taken to be delt with in that manner in whom the Word entered and searched and came nigh to the inwards but they that would indeed know the minde of God the inward meaning there is need they should have a heart raised to search and enquire of God privately What is the very thing he intends in all Many enquire no farther then the Scriptures
the outward letters and the light of their Reason joyned together but alass I cannot finde out the meaning of the heart of God concerning me by all this Therefore if there be not an Interpreter one of a thousand that can shew to man his righteousness if there be not a days-man for us that can come nigh to God and enquire his minde and thoughts towards us then are we miserable for alass we cannot go neer our selves who of us can stand before everlasting burning No saith God to Moses Thou canst not see my face and live No self no flesh no evil thing can live in the presence of God the fire is too hot He will have no fellowship with the stool of iniquity If you will come neer God there is need of a heart without all guile and deceit that intends what it pretends Will you be my people indeed saith God Indeed Nothing else will pass He will divide between words and thoughts between thoughts and intentions if there be but a tittle against thee he 'l be sure to finde it out I know thy Works and Love and Patience saith Christ I but yet I have a few things against thee He spies out the least flaw and therefore it is dreadful coming neer him without that garment of Love which can cover a multitude of sins for else alass he may take advantage every moment and consume us 2. This is another end of coming thus neer God That the Soul may stand reverently and with deep attendance of minde as in the Kings presence Were you but aware that God was so neer you sure it would strike a great awe and wariness upon your spirits What is the Lord in this place and I knew it not Is this no less then the gate of Heaven Am I in the presence of the great God and have to do with him in all my words and thoughts hearings O what need is there of an awful spirit Holiness becometh this House for ever Many go to Church it may be twenty or thirty years and never yet were their hearts affected with the least true fear and awe 't is because they come not nigh God in their service but make it a meer custom and May-game but he will have his people come nigh him he will have them stand in his presence with awe and reverence and godly fear he will have their words and prayers weighed and scan'd to a tittle How carelesly and inconsiderately do many venture on praying as men cast bones from them to a dog never think of the thing never look to see what becomes of their prayers but God will have his stand in another kind of posture As the eyes of a maid are unto the hands of her mistress so are our eyes up to thee O Lord He will have them wait and look and attend when ever a word shall drop from his mouth and touch upon them 3. They are to go neer to God for this end to learn his behavior and carriage Be ye holy as I am holy saith God Learn of me saith Christ I am meek and lowly I will go down to Sodom saith God and see whether it be altogether so as the cry is come up unto me Why did not God know Doth he need to go and see No but it is to teach us how to behave our selves in such cases to teach us to be sure and wary and just in judgment before we pass sentence against any to know what we do to learn his tender-heartedness and compassion and forbearance to learn his manners and ways and if ever you are brought neer him it will be for these purposes III. The next thing to be considered in general is AND HEAR THOU ALL THAT THE LORD OUR GOD SHALL SAY UNTO THEE Hear all Every tittle let nothing be lost that he speaks Now there are three general things which the Lord speaks and would have all his people know that stand in the same condition as Israel now did 1. He would have them know where they are that they are yet in the Wilderness yet not at home but far from Rest 2. What is their way to attain it 3. Their latter end what they are intended for what they are to come up unto for else the Soul cannot go on with any strength and courage but will faint and feeble Abraham followed the Lord at first going out not knowing whither he went but it was a mighty power of God that carryed him out to it and afterwards he saw the minde meaning of God plainly and that the Lord delights in he would not have his people grope in the dark always but see and know their way and have the mark in their eye and be wise to understand their latter end 1. The Lord would have his people know where they are They are now brought out of Egypt they have escaped that cruel bondage under Pharaoh This the Lord would have you take notice of how far you are saved and delivered not to pass that over slightly without regarding it 1. He would have you consider how he hath brought us out of the rude world when we lay all together in one lump and why should the Lord put a difference why hath he brought us off of our false hopes and confidences and false ways of worship worshiping Idols the works of our own hands the contrivances of our own wisdom and thoughts and reason as all the world do Why hath he saved us here that what ever become of us we can never again go back to those flesh-pots the Garlick and Onyons of Egypt 2. He would have us know what we are brought to as well as brought from to consider how far he hath led us That we can surely stick to though it should cost our lives whether we can say that word with the three children what ever becomes of us though our God should not save us though we should never attain the thing set in our view yet we will not fall down to this Image we cannot turn again from the worship of the living God to worship Idols This the Lord would have us know and stick to 3. He would have us know that notwithstanding all we are brought off from and all we are brought on to that yet we are but in the Wilderness that is the place and no farther And in this two things are to be known by us 1. That this is the day in which he will prove our hearts Now will he open the fountains of the great Deep the low channells of the earth are now made to appear as Psal 18. Now he discovers what man is what a helpless wretched thing Now he opens the strange wickedness that lay hid in the heart the fire makes the scum rise the fiery trialls the great and sore temptations as God calls them these stir and fetch up all the poyson that lay buried before Now the Lingrings and drawings back the murmurings the ill will the frettings and
madness of the heart shews it self when there must be no water given but what comes out of a rock a flint such a strange unthought of way and impossible to reason and that they must have no bread but what is given them new every morning that they can turn them no wayes from their miseries nor to their mercies that they cannot reach out a hand to help themselves but though they dye and starve and perish yet there is no remedy but they must lie at the foot of God and take what he gives and no more this is a day that will prove the heart indeed and what is in it 2. As it is a day of Triall so God would have us know it is not our rest our home there is a great journy to be gone up Elijah why sittest thou here Alass you are far from home you are not come to the good Land yet which brings forth of it self milk and hony and this greatly displeased the Lord that they should here in this wilderness sit down to eat and drink and rise up to play Is this a place Is this a time to sit down in and feast Alass as if God should say you know not how long you shall enjoy any thing what I give you to day I can take away and deny to morrow and then what becomes of you you know not yet my Heart and Mind and Good-will and Eternal Thoughts how they stand towards you and can you sit down here to take content and pleasure in any thing This God would have them and us know in what a dangerous place we are still in the Wilderness 2. Hear all The second thing the Lord would have them hear is what way they are to go And all along they are to pass through their enemies Lands they must go by Amaleck and by the children of Ammon and Moab all along stand enemies in their way to oppose and hinder All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution they must take up their Cross and follow him He could have led them another way a nearer cut to Canaan if he had pleased but he chooses this way to go through the Lands of theâ—r enemies and they must follow him if ever they will come to their journies end they must through the Cross through hunger and thirst and Serpents through sore temptations and sorrows and sins Now this you are to hear if you will hear all hear what your way is and submit to it if he will lead through hunger and drought if he will deny and shut up if he will destroy our next companions if Korah Dathan and Abiram must be swallowed up yet murmur not be not affrighted nor skared but go on still and know the way is through strairs and sorrows Expect no bettter 3. God would have them know their latter end whither they are going he hath given an expected end And here three things are to be known 1. That there is surely a Rest for the people of God that they shall not alwayes be as a rowling stone not always vagabonds and wanderers following the Prince of the Air with those restless tossing Spirits this God would have his people know that there is a Rest there is an expected end a day of freedom when all bonds and chains shall be broken Sin shall not alwayes reign the enemy shall not afflict and torment for ever I would not live alwayes saith Job by any means I am weary of it This God would you should hear but now whilst we are in that horrible pit the pit of noise we can hear nothing but destruction upon destruction one storm and wave comes upon the neck of another there is no respite given no time to swallow the spittle as Job complains so that the soul is as it were distracted to see no way of escape that it is like alwayes to be thus with it But is there not an appointed time for man upon earth Yes God would have you hear and be surely set down in that that there is an end 2. He would have you know when this end is to be It is said when Christ shall have put down all rule and all authority all power then to comes the end a time is to be when Christ shall reign in the world in his glory and his Saints reign with him and all Scepters and Kingdoms shall be made to bow and stoop under him but there is a time of his reigning in the particular souls of his People when all that opposes and offends shall be taken out of the way no end will come till then we shall find no rest in our Souls till the word of Life shall come and put down all other rule and government to bring every thought into subjection every Lust and Hunt of heart all Pride and Envy and self-love all those lords that have ruled over us must down before this end shall be and till this be done there will be nothing but wars and rumours of wars Nation against Nation and Kingdome against Kingdome and famine and pestilence and earthquakes nothing but troubles and perplexities and trialls till this end come now to be kept through all these is the Salvation He that endures to the end the same shall be saved 3. What is this end What is the Rest of the People of God Hear and know that and that rest is the sole raigning and rule of God in the soul when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdom to the Father and God shall be all in all Now the Heir is under Tutours and Governours now up and now down under fears and faintings and Terrors because the Kingdome of God is not yet come that Kingdom of Peace and Truth God is not yet all in all we are yet stragling after our wills and lustings and covetings to our selves and so can have no peace in all our wayes till we shall be brought under that peaceable Government to submit to that one Lord in every thing to give the Crown out of our hand unto him whose due it is that God may be all in all Now hear all that the Lord shall say not by halves and piecemeals but hear all every word of God is good how many of you content your selves when you have but a little Light to see where you are how your condition stands but alas that is misery if you hear only your shortness that you are in a Wilderness if you hear not of a rest too of an end if you perish and fall short in the mid way what shall then come of all but oh how impossible is it to make any thing seise upon a flint to make a word enter upon an iron heart I wonder sometimes the word should sink no more being it is told you over and over again and yet all passes away as an idle tale but that I know it is impossible to be otherwise till there be a new heart given and an ear bored by God to
receive instruction IV. The next general Thing is the Peoples Promise AND WE WILL HEAR IT AND DO IT And if this be not the thing set down in your hearts and minds if we intend not this to come to doing to be the thing that is called for alas what do we come together for Why do we hear What will come of all our way if we are not truly brought to this mind we will hear and do all that the Lord shall command About this hearing five things may be considered 1. You are to hear who it is that speaks My sheep hear my voice saith Christ and the voice of a stranger they will not hear there is need distinctly to know him that speaks calls and not take every word by road that seems good and true as the world do but to be able surely to discern and distinguish between the voyce of God and the voice of man and the voice of the Devil for the same outward words may be taken up by them all the Devil can speak Scripture to Christ He shall give his Angels charge over thee lest thou dash thy foot against a stone and the Jews the great enemies of Christ they can speak as good words as may be they say to the blind man recovered to his sights Give Glory to God what better and righter word can be spoken But yet how base and wicked was it from them for in the next word they reject Christ as for this man we know he is a sinner Now if we be not made to look into the inwards of words and see what runs in them what Spirit breaths whether God or the enemy or mans own heart if we know not this we know nothing and sure the word now preached to us is as an idle tale and we do not seriously enquire who it is that speaks whether this Doctrine be from heaven or from men whether the Lord speaks indeed unto us I told you the Lord would have you know where you are at the present that you are in a desolate Wilderness where a thousand dangers and miseries lie in the way and it is ten thousand to one whether you get clear through all but fall short in some pit or other Now do you believe this indeed do you think it is the Lords voyce that he speaks his very word to you Alas what a mist do the world live in How do they go to Church and hear and hear year after year and it scarce ever comes into any of their minds once to think seriously what is this I hear whose voyce is it Doth God speak to me of a certain or is it onely the voyce of a man If it be man onely then what do I hearing it is a vain service but if God then why seiseth it no more why do they not tremble under it And this old Taint we retain from them and thus I fear most of our hearings slip away without a serious enquiry who it is that speaks to us whose voyce calls for if we were certainly perswaded that when a word touches our hearts when it reproves and finds us Sinners when it pulls and stirs to arise and be going did we surely know it is God that reproves and touches and stirs within us certainly we durst not so stand out and sleight it as we do If it be indeed the word of God it will not be dallied with It is quick and lively and will work one way or other it will either kill or save condemn or justifie draw to God or drive from him he will not speak in vain therefore in all hearings hear this first who is it that speaks 2. The next thing is to hear what he speaks I will hear what the Lord God will say saith David hear the particular word and message that comes to me for he saith to one Go and he is to go and to anothâ—r Come and he is to câ—me to a third Do thou this and that is to be his work Now in Babel there is a strange confusion and lumber of all together it is a Land without order because there is no King nor governmenr nor setled laws to stand to but God is not the God of confusion his Kingdom is a Kingdom of righteousness peace and order the Lord sets every one to his own work and in his own place Sit thou down here thou art a sinner and guilty buckle thou under the guilt that 's thy place To another he sayes Friend sit up higher be thou incouraged and hope and expect deliverance that 's his place to another he says Enter thou into thy Masters joy for thou art worthy and that is his place he speaks not to you all as in one condition though you may be all sailing in one ship yet for different ends and purposes I now some of you that are like a post in a wall it is as impossible to make you hear a word of truth the ear is so stopp'd charm the charmer never so wisely Now the word spoke to such is to know where they are to own theiâ— shame that 's their place for others that may not be this Highway ground where the word is snatched away and takes no place at all yet there is a stony ground and a thorny ground where the seed grows and flourishes a while but yet all is lost it never comes to perfection Now for every one to know what ground is my present condition in What speaks the Lord to me What is my way and work hear that 3. Hear to whom he speaks that not every one may thrust himself in by violence and catch at a share in every word that is spoken do you press in I but you shall be turned out again as fast The children of the Kingdom that thought they had good right and title to it yet they shall be thrust out There is need therefore to know distinctly whether the Lord speaks to me or not Thou art the man said the Prophet to David thou art the sinner when the word shall come home and the Lot fall upon the particular Tribe the particular man the particular sin Tâ—is distinct way God takes in his deâ—lings when Christ said to the D sciples One of you shall betray me they are all put upon the search and enquiry Lord is it I and is it I Now I have told you all the four sorts of grounds are amongst us there is the High-way ground where the seed takes no place at all and the stony ground where it takes a while but there was a depth of earth a sure â—ooting and that soon withers and there is a thorny ground which may continue long and hold to the last but the seed is all overspread over-â—opped and choaked with the thorns Now these three grounds take in a large compasâ— will you now go away and not enquire this night which of these grounds doth my soul stand in how is the state of my condition
own the condition mince not the matter but let it seise upon thee and if a word of incouragement come from God to raise the desolate and â—â—ll Arise arise out of the dust O Jerusalem c. will Zion still say The Lord hath forsaken me and my God forgotten me Doth he call thee lovingly to return and come into his bosome and he will be gracious and wilt thou be kept back by wrath and doubting How doth this wrath that is seated in the Soul against the truth hinder and keep us off This is the swelling of Jordan The Heart swells and rises and will not be reconciled to God and its brother alas are we able to contend with him and stand before his wrath and yet will we not hear and answer the milde call and invitation of love Dost thou well to be angry saith God to Jonah I saith he I do well to be angry such a strange pensiveness is in the heart and this made the jar between the Lord and Jonah he kept his wrath it vexed him that God should be gracious and spare Niniveh and that seems strange but mind it who ever of you are kept off from God it is through wrath or doubting we would not in the mystery know our sins should be forgiven in such a manner and way as God takes we purpose some strange torments and thunderings should do it but that the thing should be done so easily by a word from Christ Thy sins are forgiven thee and I say unto thee arise this the proud heart would not submit to to see a straw a light thing hath been such a ruler over it which Christ can cure by a small word and then Doubtings hinder when we see the waves the least difficulty comes in view then the doubtings and faintings press us and beat as hail good Lord do you not feel these bonds about you How you are holden of these cords How your destruction is of your selves I speak to them of you whose Consciences are awake and that have an Ear open to hear and know that nothing in the world hinders you but this wrath and doubting an ill temper is settled in the Soul that will not come to God but either fly out in wrath or sink and feeble in doubting 2. Enquire do you hear What the Lord speaks in what particular he charges and smites at thee There is nothing more contrary to me then to hear you complain in a confused generall lumber and cannot come distinctly to shew where your hurt is and this is for want of observing and listening to the voyce but we shuffle and jumble all together and so keep off the particular nick where our guilt lies Now every one of us hath some particular taint or other which hinders our thriving and prospering in the Truth and this must first be known and owned all other confessings complainings and doings wâ—ll come to nothing 3. Enquire in all speakings of God to whom speaketh he doth he call me or not He calls not to all the whole Army to move at once but now calls for one part to march and then for another and there is a strange mystery and Witchcraft in the heart when God finds it guilty in one particular then it will take all the charge upon it self and be more guilty then it is and all that it might keep off the particular charge and run from what God lays upon us indeed as our sin and place of sticking therefore Hear diligently to whom the Lord speaks and what the particular charge or call is 4. Inquire in all hearings when the Lord cals to have the word performed and obeyed by thee 'T is strange how crosse and contrary to God the heart of man is in all points that which God calls for to be done to day to day harden not your hearts that it puts off till to morrow and what is to be done to morrow when he calls to stay till the Cloud remove then the heart is upon it to run and post presently to rush on as we say without fear or wit Now examine is there this warinesse wrought in your souls in all cases and points to wait for instruction when to stir and when to sit still when to speak and when to be silent sometimes the warning is Stir not up my beloved untill he please perhaps he calls and minds us by a clear instruction to see our way plaâ—nly in all particulars I but the time to reach up to all this may not yet be perhaps months and years must be gone through first before this be attained But something he cals for at our hands to day to day harden not your heart and this the heart would put off and slip over See the heat and forwardnesse of Peter he would dye with Christ when he is not called to it I but when Christ in his great distresse cals and intreats him to watch but one hour that he cannot do then he sleeps Do you observe this strange crosseness of your hearts in all points 5. I told you for whose sake you are to hear and do for the Lords sake not for your owne sakes or wills not an end of selfe must lye in the bottom and this will be a sure measure and Touch-stone of all your actions When ever you are upon any worke or service when ever doing or hearing or speaking inquire For whose sake do I all this what end have I in it Is it singly for the Lords sake is it in love to his name his praise that that may live and spread abroad In all your obedience and services if you have not a single eye to this if there be a selfish taint in the bottome it spoils all God reckons no more done to him then is singly and unfainedly done for his name sake not for our ease or praise or honour And if I had not that witnesse in my soul that I now preach to you singly for that very end not seeking yours but you alas I should not be able to go on it would be as a fire in my bones and a torment whilest I speake to you but that is my peace in this particular and will be yours in all your wayes the clear witnesse of conscience that what you do you do it singly for his name sake THE Strong Man outmatch'd by a stronger OR Heaven out-powering Hell SERM. XIII June 8. 1651. LUKE 11.21 When a strong man armed keeps his palace his goods are in peace but when a stronger then he comes and overcomes him he takes away from him all the armor in which he trusted and divideth the spoyl The Analysis I. A Fourfold Dispensation or time of reigning observed 1. A time of mans reigning when he girds himself and goes and comes whither he will without bands and straitening 2. A time of the Devils reigning Wo to the Inhabitants of the World for the Devil is come down to dwell amongst you 3. A Dispensation of Christ a
time when he reigns after he hath bound the strong man and put down all rule and authority 4. A time of Gods reigning when the Kingdom shall be delivered up to the Father and God be all in all II. About the Devils time of reigning which was chiefly aymed at from the words these several woes observed 1. He is a strong man David and our Fathers complain of their strong Enemy who was too strong for them 2. He is throughout malignant maliciously bent against the root and branch of Truth that the name of Israel may be no more 3. Woe in that he hath a time and power given him to afflict God allows it This is your hour and power of darkness c. 4. He is in possession he keeps the house he is got into the heart out of the heart adulteries murthers c. This is a great woe 5. He hath goods in us finds of his own kinde Pride Envy Deceit Lustings that he can challenge his own goods by right 6. Besides all this he is armed he hath armor His Armor exprest under these three notions 1. A coat of mail to cover him over that nothing can touch or finde him guilty his scales so thick nothing can enter 2. A helmet of brass He can dispute and reason and plead for himself and will never yeeld nor give over 3. A spear like a weavers beam He 'l seem to be for God and Truth and by this spear keeps off all from coming nigh 7. The last woe He is desperate will venture on any desperate designes being thus armed he is safe made without fear III. A time when a stronger then he comes and overcomes him And Christ doth it by these means 1. He takes away all his armor That is first done else no entrance 2. He divides the spoyl sends all to their place as Jer. 15. 1. That which for death to death something utterly destroyed That malignant disposition which is ever bent against the Truth that must dye 2. That which for the sword to sword The sword of the Spirit the Word of God must cut through sloth and lingerings c. 3. Something to famine the ill tempers are starved by degrees 4. Something to captivity the Devil is bound and in prison though not quite destroyed but some Canaanites live c. All brought home in these four Uses 1. To examine how 't is with us whether we feel this reign of the Devil this strong malicious Enemy what goods and possession he hath 2. If we feel it then to inform what a vain thing it is for us to stir to help our selves alass man hath no might 3. To shew our way is to lie down and let all go over till Christ come 4. To encourage that a stronger then he will come Hope against Hope LUK. 11.21 When a strong man armed keeps his Palace his goods are in peace but when a stronger then he comes and overcomes him he takes away from him all the Armour in which he trusted and divideth the spoile I Have sâ—oke to you this last week from those words in Deut 5. where God cries out Oh that there were such a heart in then c. I told you what Heart it was that God requires and longs for to have grown up in them a Heart that will hear and do all that the Lord shall speak A heart always to feare before him and only such a heart I told you would be first suitable to God and the heavenly life secondly profitable and usefull to our brethren and thirdly peaceable to our selves and therefore ouâ— great happiness lyes in this in being brought up to such a heart But now to day if God wilâ— I shall open to you what hinders that such a heart is not risen nor can rise in us though there be longings in God and longings in the soul yet that which doth let will let till it be taken out of the way For this I would have you note that where-ever there is a longing and breathing in God after any of his People to cry Oh that there were such a heart in then there is a certain eccho lyes in the bottome of such a soule that answers this call and longs and pants also Oh that my heart were so direct to keep thy Commandments the longings and cryes are on both hands and why do they not prevaile why is not such a heart presently given no there is a block lyes in the way which will ever hinder till it be removed the strong man armed keeps the Palace and till a stronger then he come till Christ shall rise in the soul and cast him out this heart cannot get up nor arise in us the strong man rules I would in generall observe to you a fourfold time of raigning which succeed and follow one the other 2. A time of the mans raigning 2. A time of the Devils raign 3. A time of Christs raign 4. A time of Gods raign when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdom to the Father and so God become all â—n all I. There is a time of Mans reign when the man hath a great liberty and swinge to turn himself about hither and thither as he please and meets with no let nor cross nor trouble in his way When Peter is young he girds himself and walks whither he lists but when he grows old the case is altered another girds and leads him whither he would not but the man hath his day of liberty when the grass is in its prime and the flower in its full beauty the man can turn him to his ease and parts and inlargments and injoyments of truth and injoyments of creatures and suck sweet every where Thus was Iob in his day when his steps were washed in Butter and the rocke poured out rivers of oil his beauty was fresh in him and he sate as a king in the army under the flourishings and inlargments of truth he could walk and speak and act and choose and refuse exhort and incourage others and all takes and prospers and finds acceptance and here he thinks he is sure Then I said I shall dye in my nest c. And this time of greenness in the truth is yet upon some of you affords the man sweetness and liberty and how long did many of us walk in this posture coming forth delicately with Agag and saying Surely the bitternesse of death is past So have we secretly promised our selves I have forsaken the world and am come off from all the false wayes of worship and have left friends and preferments and am set down to the truth and sure now the worst is over now I am safe and in a good way and here the man sits down on a high seat above all creatures and bonds and snares takes ease and content and reigns with truth as Paul writes to the Corinthians Ye are free and reign as Kings they thought all was sure and the liberty of man would last alwayes I
but saith Paul I would to God you did reign viz. that it were such a reigne as would last and hold Now who spake he to not to the rude world nor to the ignorant but such as he had in his heart to live and dye with such as he had espoused to Christ the match was made but not the thing done they were not wrought off from all things nor wrought up to that one husband into the minde of Christ though out of a light instruction and choice the thing was owned and approved And here the man gets peace and ease and liberty is free from guilt and torments and perplexities the man can goe on either hand if a mind to God and Truth thither he can turn if a mind to the Creatures he can turn thither the door is open and he can suck sweet from every thing his wayes are all washt in butter smooth soft and easie And here saith David my mountain was so strong I said I shall never be moved here the man sits as a King this is his day of reigning But II. There is another dispensation follows a time of the Devils reign this is a sad and wofull change Another king arises which knows not Joseph the man when he was King he knew God and owned truth and joyned it with him in his Kingdom though yet in the throne Pharaoh will sit above the man was uppermost in all But now another king rises that will not know Joseph and he deals cruelly with Israel then the hard Task-masters and cruel burdens come he will know nothing but his own will and lust and cruelty And Wo to the inhabitants of the world when the devil comes down to reign amongst them when Jeroboam reigns that makes Israel sin And how often have our fathers been at sore pinches and cried out in bitterness of soul when this time of the devils reign was upon them It is a woful kingdom indeed a cruel reign And these seven Woes lie up in it 1. One Wo is that he is a strong man How have our fathers owned his might and cried out under it Thou hast delivered me saith David from my STRONG enemy for he was too strong for me And again My enemies live and they are MIGHTY And Hezekiah cries out Lord I am opprest undertake for me And again We have no might against this GREAT HOST Alas when the man compares but himself to him what a Nothing is he to this great Goliah but as a fly a worm a gnat a stripling and he a man of war from his youth And here the heart sinks and dies at the very thoughts of dealing with him Was he but an ordinary enemy that might be matched any ways and the thing but feasible to fight with him then Man would have some hope but alas he carries all before him Shall not one be cast down at the very sight of him as 't is said of the Leviathan who was a type of the devil Iron is counted as rotten wood to him he laughs at the shaking of a spear Who is able to deal with this monstrous Leviathan If ever you but begin to reason and tamper the matter with him you are certainly foiled and worsted he will surely get beyond you 't is in vain to contend with him But let him vaunt and boast and rail on the Kings commandment is not to answer a word that 's the way Truth points us to to be still and lie under and say with Christ This is your hour and the power of darkness Until we can go out against him as David did in the Name of the Lord let us never stir though he come and vaunt himself and reproach Israel fourty days yet there is no other way but with Hezekiah to spread the Letter before the Lord and cry under the misery 2. He is not onely strong but a thorowout malignant enemy maliciously set and bent to destroy all truth exalts himself above all that is called God root and branch he strikes at all he deals as Herod who killed all the children from two yeers old and upward that he might be sure to meet with the childe Jesus and not let him escape So this malicious enemy kills every budding and springing of God in the soul he kills all the light kills the single love kills all the good desires that not so much as a right word or desire or groan may live and in all this his aim is utterly to destroy the Truth the principle of God sown in the soul Alas he cares not else if he can but kill the little spark of the Spirit of life he cares not what else passes by and lives Let us hear and meet together and eat and trade and take ease and content this is not the thing he is set against so but to smite the king of Israel onely that is his plot that was the wicked counsel of Ahithophel to kill David onely and bring all the people back to Absalom Neither small nor great doth he strike at but the King onely he cares not what lives so the Lord Christ the Truth the Seed of life the Heart and Minde of God may die in us Such a height of wickedness is in him that nothing else will content him but the death of all that would be a Lord over him a controuler a King this Herod cannot bear That which sits in the kings gate and will not bow to him that resolved Truth that will not fall down and worship the Idol nothing will content Haman but the death of this though he get Decrees against all the Jews though invited to the Queens banquet and sit next the King yet nothing will content him whilst this Mordecai lives that Seed of God that root of the matter that which will not stoop and buckle to him that he aims at and his fingers itch to cut off this name of Israel for ever And Oh what a Wo is this to be under such a cruel malicious enemy that would not give a moments respite not so much as a little breathing-time for the Truth not a little hope not a little desire not the least stirring of an inclination but he 's upon it presently if it were possible to stop every chink that the smoaking flax might not have the least vent but be utterly extinct and quenched 3. A third great Wo lies in this that he hath a time and power given him of God to afflict and try God allows it and gives him leave to strike Job This is YOVR HOVR saith Christ an hour was given them And God saith I will cause them to pass under the rod. And 't is said in the Psalms He TVRNED the hearts of their enemies to hate them He gives him his time and commission to rend and tear waste spoil and imprison and none can call him to account for it his Commission will bear him out Alas what a day is this In the time when the Man reigned he promised himself
they should not enter into his rest and so they that were invited to the Feast and draw back and make excuses see what comes of it he swears they shall not taste of his Supper I could desire you might never come hither to hear unless there be a heart indeed to go on it is not easie dallying with the truth not like going to ordinary Chuâ—hes and meeetings there you may hear many years and never be touched to the heart nor found so guilty for not going on in the Truth but it will not be so here the Word will surely take place and be either a savour of life to life or of death unto death And thus I have opened to you the present miserable condition the Lepers sit in and brought it home to our own case and the case indeed is miserable to sit down in it and if ever we rise it will be a wonderful recovery You that are sat down O consider and think of it for if you are left here it had been good for you you had never been born Then I have shewed you how they were hem'd in with Death if they go back they dye if fall to their Enemies in all appearance they dye I apply'd it to our particulars and shewed you three Things we were brought to from which if we turn back it is no less then Death 1. We have seen the end of all the Doctrines of the world an end of all the ways of false worship 2. We know how we are short and what we want and that nothing but a certainty and clear evidence of the love of God opened and sealed to our Souls and that we may be made like to him nothing else can ever content and satisfie us 3. We are come to receive and entertain the Proclamation of a self-denying way to bid farewell to ease and quiet and self-pleasing and take up the Cross dayly and if in any of these Cases we fall back we are surely undone And now to speak of the last Thing observed from the words III. THE GREAT SUBMISSION AND BUCKLING OF THEIR SPIRITS Come and let us fall into the Host of the Syrians for we can but dye Can but dye Alas and is that little How are their Souls ground to powder and their hopes layd in the dust and they venture with their lives in their hands In this Buckling of the Lepers I would observe to you three Things 1. They rise for they were set down but are made to look about and say If we sit here we dye And must they rise now This is a strange time and case to stir in what when out-casts when Lepers when almost starved when cast off on all hands I now they rise need makes the naked man run They do not stand to dispute the case as our hearts sometimes do Alas I am unclean and an out-cast and filthy and should I now look towards God But if the famine pinch'd you to the heart it would make you up and be going and not reason the case I am ragged and torn and uncomely 't is not a time to look for any message from God whilest the case is thus with me Alas Hunger stands not upon manners and modesty it says Give me bread or I dye The sore famine buckles the heart and makes it stoop to any thing It turns to the hand that smites it falls at the foot and says Let him say and do with me what seems him good Lo here I am 2. In this submission of theirs they fall into the Host of the Syrians they fall upon the sword Now the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God with this it cuts and divides and pierces to the heart and when the Soul is brought to this pinch it bows indeed it accepts of all Let him read and say and do what he will let me hear all his mind the judging part the cutting part that which most strikes to the quick The heart is not now coy and nice and stands upon those terms of picking and choosing it says not This is too sharp and the other too cruel I cannot bear that hard saying or the other dealing No but now to the hungry Soul every bitter thing is sweet Every word of God is good saith Agur. And Paul under this buckling of heart cries out The Law is holy just and good but I am carnal c. Thus the Leper crouches down and lays his neck to the block if the sword will spare it well if not it lies to take the blow I can but dye and with Esther If I perish I perish 3. Consider the carriage of the Lepers in this great strait They rush not on furiously and desperately and say Come all shall be well they take not the Kingdom by force nor do they go utterly fainting and despairing shutting out all hopes of their lives by hard conclusions but with a sober submitted spirit they venture ready to take up what ever befalls bâ—â— whether life or whether death that they leave and conclude not the matter And in this posture doth the Soul truly buckled ever draw near to God And therefore when ever you are upon your hasty conclusions one way or other saying Sure I shall come to nothing or sure all will be well with me you say you know not what both are alike false and come not from a submitted heart that stands in the strait and gives not up all for lost in the worst time How did Josephs Brethren expostulate the case and plead with him when he seemed most harsh to them and though they buckle and own We are all my Lords bondmen we are guilty yet they plead and hang on him and cannot give over but O my Lord saith Judah let thy servant I pray thee speak a word in my Lords ears c. This is a token of a Soul that is at a want indeed Many talk of a Heaven of a God and of an eternal life but 't is but in way of complement they are not at a want indeed their Souls are not fired with a thirst for the living God but want will carry through all Though the Soul be an out-cast and the enemy reproach it and upbraids how ill it hath dealt with God and how can it ever hope for mercy yet nothing can stop or hinder it the needs press it on and the noyse continually rings in its ears If we sit here we dye Now for Use of this Consider 1. Do you indeed hear this voyce in your Souls ever living and speaking and giving no rest If I sit here I dye O that it were the Lords will to thunder it in your ears that you might ever hear it sounding If we sit here we dye Who of you have attain'd to that certainty that are sure you shall never fall short There is a two-fold Death A Death of your good and light and love and enlargements and attainments that may be come to in the Truth and here you
from this compleat soundness We complain because we cannot have our evil wills but when David was delivered O let me never taste of their dainties saith he Thus did the Father receive the Prodigal safe and sound But He received him so Which intimates That no unclean thing shall enter The Child shall be in the wilderness till he know how to refuse the evil and choose the good but we put it off and would never learn saying When God comes indeed we shall be so But we must be brought to choose the thing our wills must buckle to be of his minde not his Will to ours all this curious work was wrought in the dark I was curiously fashioned saith David in the lower-most parts of the Earth c. When the Prodigal came to himself when he first returned the Father received him safe and sound so sure was he fenced about with the Name of the Lord a strong fence indeed The Father findes him in this Name and in this he receives him as Christ saith of Mary She loved much therefore much was forgiven her So safe and sound does the Father receive him Safe in that he is free from all evil nothing can touch him and then safe in that he cannot get away and sound not having an evil tincture of an old rotten heart in him Now he has no mind to return to Sodom I remember in that day I look'd for all my fears that had plagued me and could not finde them the minde was set on fire for God alone Well may the Father be merry now to receive a son that was once forlorn that had neither clothes to his back nor meat for his belly that had no fellowship but Rogues fit for every base Harlots house taking all opportunities of destruction yet he is saved out of all and comes home safe and now for a King to entertain him thus it was a token he was a son indeed for who else could have the face to own such a Father such a case as he was now in but he ventures and calls him Father and the Father own◠him and is glad to receive him in how miserable a case soever he findes him Thus have you seen the progress of all the Prodigal's way Did you see him in his pride and bravery wiser then seven men that can give a reason full of wealth and store having got his portion into his hands and have you seen what he does with it The rich mans wealth saith Solomon is a high wall in his own conceit 't is but in his own conceit But before destruction saith he a mans heart is haughty Prov. 18.11 12. And if you see him a while after where is it all become The time comes he is glad of an husk if he could but feed with the swine but he may not And now he is put to his last shift either to dye with hunger or to return home to his Father at a peradventure whether he will receive him or no he proposes to himself if he might but be received as a servant it was far better to be so then as he was for they had no want but he starved with hunger And because he comes home thus buckled owning his shame confessing he had so sinned and was not worthy any more of the name of a son now his commanding and claiming spirit is layd down but while he comes thus he is largely entertained with abundance of mercies as hath been shewed you Now from all this you may consider these Vses 1. In the first place here might be an Use of Information or forewarning to all those that are sons or daughters of this Father That if possible you might take warning and not gain this loss to your selves by wandering If a man be a Drunkard or Swearer c. yet he will many times counsel his child that he should not follow his way And as Paul said so I say to you 〈◊〉 would you were all as I am except my bonds I would you might never have a minde to wander as the Prodigal did you see what it brought him to And all the Examples you hear of they are all written for your admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come And as you have seen the end of the World so you would see an end of Truth too were it in your power The Prodigal did not spend the Worlds but his own portion you have made an evil use of all the Creatures and will you make an evil use of Truth too O that you might learn instruction and be wise That the days past might suffice in which you have walked perversly that hence-forward you might be warned to keep out of the snare 2. It may be of Use for Instruction to let us know of a certain That where ever Pride goes before Destruction will follow after The Prodigal for his riotous living was rewarded with famine It were well if you would never venture but if you do know of a certain the Famine will overtake you Therefore as Paul saith Forsake not the assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is who are thereby hardened Where presumption goes before hardness of heart will follow Therefore it 's no marvel to see us lean and barren it is because that proud spirit has gone before which has brought it on us that promis'd you you should not be poor but sit as a Lady for ever c. We have promised our selves we would be diligent and watchful not envy nor despise any but when the heart is once out it 's hard to come in again When Davids heart had got out to look upon the woman he presently sends for her Husband then makes him drunk then sends him with a Letter to the Army to take his life away and all that he might enjoy his Wife So when the heart is once out how does it heap one lye and mischief upon another O therefore consider how you get out for if you are once gone it 's not such an easie thing to come in again The beginning of strife saith Solomon is like the breaking out of water The gap is made bigger and bigger till at last it cannot be stopt 3. And lastly This may be for Encouragement to all those Wanderers that are gone a long journey and would never think of returning that count God such an hard Master Do but consider his works of old as David did he was encouraged by it and had hope Our father 's hoped in thee saith he and were not ashamed Remember the Prodigal though a poor forlorn wretch yet he return'd to his Father as he was and see what entertainment he found Therefore now enquire with what Principle thou couldst come in Art thou dead and thy fear is thou shalt not be revived again or is thy fear because of a dissembling unsound spirit thou hast which twists about thee do what thou canst Yet see Is thy strait for a single and upright heart Doth
thy Soul choose it however thou art found That 's the thing If thou canst but come in this Name of the Lord then be encouraged that he will receive thee he will make thee a feast of fat things and of wine well refined on the lees He will sit down at Table with thee and say Eat my friends eat abundantly Come and let 's be merry c. for Fury is not in him as we suppose He waits to be gracious and is more glad of one sinner that repents then of ninety nine just persons that need no repentance O therefore return thou Prodigal return say to thy Soul a thousand times over O return to thy strong hold Take hold on the horns of the Altar as thou art and be safe Say not If I were clothed I would come if I were shod and had Rings on my hands and were filled with the spirit of power then I could come But enquire Is there not life in thee Is not the principle quite dead then be encouraged for where there 's life there 's hope the Father will entertain thee But O Lord how long shall we neglect so great Salvation O Lord the thing is too much to expect That ever the sinner should be so received to stand before him spotless and blameless safe and sound But surely the Scripture has not said it in vain nor is that principle in you in vain that gasps and pants after it O therefore minde and consider that we might enjoy this portion and return from our Prodigality and the good Lord bring you in at the right door for there onely will he finde you and where 's that Why in the Name of the Lord. But so long as this pride and envy c lives we would never come to admire and say O the forbearance and long-suffering of our God! We would never clear him and own the thing as it is but this is the door by which the righteous enter and are safe Noah VVarned OF Things not Seen OR Faith piercing into Invisibles SERM. VII April 27. 1651. HEBR. 11.7 By Faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an Ark to the saving of his house by which he condemned the world and became heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith The Analysis FRom the words was observed in general I. What Things Noah was warned of by God And they were these three 1. That all flesh was corrupt how fair and specious soever to sight 2. That the end of all flesh was come though all seem'd quiet and well 3. He is warned to prepare an Ark to the saving of his house None of these things were yet seen but Noah sticks to the Word This brought home to shew we have been warned in all these Cases 1. That all flesh is corrupt We have been warned of that three ways 1. By the Word of the Cryer that hath witnessed it 2. We have proved it over and over again by Tryal in our selves 3. Warned by Providence the world let out against us and the breach begun 2. We have been warned the end of all flesh is at hand often witnessed to us That He will not always wink and bear but call to an account 3. The warning hath oft been to us to provide an Ark a sure resting place and shelter from storms to know our portion in the eternal Love II. How is Noah affected Moved with Fear c. A Fear and awe seizeth on him and that in five Particulars 1. From the warning that all flesh was corrupt All in the man sin a Fear touches the Soul Lord is the case so with me 2. Moved with Fear because the end of all flesh was come Judgment ready to seize the Flood coming this moves a Fear 3. Because he was naked and had not an Ark provided 4. Moved with Fear lest he should slip over the present day and Call 5. Lest the Flood should come before his Ark be finished And this moves the Soul and makes it haste to the work All this brought home to Particulars to enquire whether we were moved with this Fear with much power and searching III. Consider He prepared an Ark the Fear took place The Ark was a Type of Christ It had three Stories which expressed the three Conditions Christ went through and All His must follow 1. A day of weakness sufferings and Death and this lowest story all that will prepare an Ark must first build In this Death of Christ was considered 1. He dyed to all things not only unlawful but lawful just Rights and Priviledges became poor for others 2. He did it willingly and quietly not grudging none took his Life from him This the pattern of the first story of the Ark. 2. The day of his Resurrection to Life that a second story 3. His ascending into Glory answerable to the third HEBR. 11.7 By Faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with Fear prepared an Ark c. IN all Times God had some to whom He hath been pleased to communicate his mind about what was to befall the world and therefore he saith He will do nothing but he will reveal it to his servants the Prophets and to them the forewarning they have had from God hath not been a slight Thing an idle Tale or a Fable but it hath taken impression As with many of the Prophets how have they cryed out in bitter distress That they were pained at the very heart and their bowels shook within c. at the sight of the miseries which were to come on a People before the thing was done or any present danger in view And so here Noah is warned of God of things to come though not at all yet seen and see what place it took He was moved with fear and that fear was not in vain neither but put him upon a work He prepared an Ark to the saving of himself and his house And therefore where ever we hear of great high words of great discoveries and revealings of God to any which many now in the world pretend to and yet all they speak of takes no place upon their spirits there is no fear nor awe nor dread no paining of heart nor shaking of inwards but they can live still as loosely and vainly as ever after their own fleshly wills this is a token God hath not spoke there but speak a false Vision of their own hearts But God hath in all Ages had some to whom he hath revealed what he hath intended to do to give warning to the world before-hand that when the Judgment comes they may know it comes not by chance and hap but that he hath a hand in it So Christ to his Disciples When these things come to pass you may remember that I have told you And it is often mentioned That such and such things came to pass that the Scriptures might be fulfilled The Word which God had spoke to his servants
one of you if you were called this night to dye that are at a certainty for your conditions what shall become of you you have nothing certain to stick to If you look over all your treasure your hopes and promises and operations from Truth yet the bed is too short and the covering too narrow I remember the saying of an old Professor which was long my Guide and Teacher and many years had been zealous and strong and forward in Religion yet when he lay upon his death-bed and great things were expected from him I know not saith he whether all that ever I have done in all my life hath not been in hypocrisie All his great confidence was gone in a moment and he at a pitiful uncertainty what should become of him I am sure it made my heart startle to hear it and say in my Soul Art thou now to seek after all then what shall become of me who am far short and but a new beginner 4. This Consideration may move you to fear Not knowing how soon the day of Mercy may be slipt over and the day of Visitation hid from our eyes It hath been no small Mercy the peaceable Government we have lived under we have had Liberty and Peace to meet together it is more then was afforded in my day it cost me dearer But now do you think it will last always Is there not a fear upon you lest the day be gone and a breaking and scattering should befall us And then we may remember Sion and weep by the Rivers of Babylon in our bonds 5. This moved Noah with Fear lest the Deluge should come before his Ark was finished and therefore he presently hastens to the work and did as the Lord commanded him Now doth it take this place Are your Souls afraid lest the day should come unawares and prevent you Sure if you are it will put you out of hand to look after a shelter and presently to set upon the work to prepare an Ark. III. The next general Thing to be Considered will be WHAT THIS ARK WAS How to be built And what a Type of This Ark typed out Christ all confess He is that Alone Refuge for all the saved ones to hide themselves in when ruine and desolation and destruction comes upon the whole world beside Now the Ark had three Stories which type out three Conditions and states that Christ went through to finish and compleat the great Work of Salvation 1. A day of Christs weakness and Death This the 1. Story Of the Ark. 2. A day of his Resurrection from the Grave This the 2. Story Of the Ark. 3. A day of ascending and entring into Glory This the 3. Story Of the Ark. And all the saved ones must tread in the same steps and go through these three conditions in the work of Salvation c. I. Christ had a day of weakness a day of death and sufferings He was crucified out of weakness And if ever you will build this Ark to the saving of your souls you must begin at this lowest Story If we are planted into the likeness of his Death we shall be also into the likeness of his Resurrection If you suffer with him you shall reign with him If you take up his cross and be faithful to the Death He will give you a crown of Life But if you deny him he will deny you If we drink not with him in the cup of Vinegar and Gall we shall not drink of that new wine with him in the Kingdom of God If you will indeed be like Him you must begin here No man can build a Castle in the Ayr if there be no Foundation and there is no other Foundation but JESVS CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED Now this Death of Christ takes in a large compass and who will follow him here 1. He dyed to all things both lawful and unlawful He sought not Himself in any thing He could have prayed to his Father and have commanded Legions of Angels to save him He was Lord of all and yet became poor and made himself of no reputation He layd down all his just Rights and Priviledges and comes not to do his own Will but the Will of another Now if you look it over how hard are we to part with unlawful things We are holding what in our own Consciences belongs not to us and we have no right to nor can we have peace in the enjoyment of it and yet how is the heart gathering and reaching and coveting O fill my belly clothe my back pity my case consider my tryals And thus every one would scramble all to himself and never care what becomes of another though in our Consciences we know these reachings are utterly sinful and unlawful But now who will follow Christ in that other Branch Who will begin to dye to lawful things that which we may justly plead a right and title to To clear our selves where we are innocent to have our Love answered with Love to have others deal with us as we deal with them This we say we may justly plead for I but to suffer wrongfully to be numbred with Transgressors to be counted a wine-bibber a companion of Publicans and Sinners one having a Devil a Deceiver a Blasphemer Thus it was with Christ though he was without sin neither was guile found in his mouth And yet this he takes up and lies under and lays down his neck to the block and submits This is your hour and the power of Darkness No more but so Who will follow Christ here to suffer servants to ride on horseback and thou though a Prince one truly belonging to God yet to go on foot Thus did Christ He went on taking up his Cross dayly and this Cross was not onely outward sufferings and reproaches and denyals from the World but alass it takes in a parting with and dying to all seen things all that the Will sticks to all that the Soul chooses all that is dear and precious to give up all Christ could justly have pleaded That he had a right to God a right to all the Creatures He might have enjoyed of the best the World affords No but He resigns up his Will to the Will of his Father He gives up all and though He was rich yet became poor c. And if you come not to this to follow him here you shall never build this Ark And wo to the wantons of this world that talk highly and largely for God but live loosely and reproach the Cross of Christ as much as any will not enter themselves nor suffer others 2. He did not only dye to all things lawful and unlawful but He did it quietly and patiently He took it well He gave up his life He layd it down none took it from him But how far are we from this When any thing is hard indeed and pinches us to the heart how do we struggle and take it ill There is an envying arises against the
Truth that searches and tries and will give us no rest They envyed Moses and Aaron the Saints of the Lord c. The heart is unruly and unsubmitted and its life is torn and rent from it but this is not the giving up not the free-will offering that God looks after He loves a cheerful giver and not of constraint When they offered and would by force have made Christ a King he refuseth and Moses chose afflictions with the people of God his heart chose the thing And if you are yet upon those terms to have a hankering mind upon honor or ease or quiet or any seen things you are not Christs followers and you can never build this Ark of Salvation unless you lay the foundation thus low with Christ all you build though never so fair and beautiful it will not stand without this bottom unless there be a heart to take up the Cross and give up your lives unless you are willing to go through Hell with him Many may abase themselves to Hell I but they make that their Heaven they say not There is no hope the pains of Hell are not indeed felt and endured But Christ was brought to that pinch that his Hope was lost My God my God why hast thou forsaken me If the Fear of God seize upon you you will be jealous every step you take in this work it will put an awe upon your spirits lest you should miscarry in any thing from the pattern How ever the words you hear from me may be rude yet the Knowledg is sure so far as God hath led me and if you pass not through the condition the thing spoke of I am sure the building will not stand The man that thrust himself in without the wedding garment when he was enquired into Friend how camest thou hither he was found speechless But those that were compelled to come in from the high-ways and hedges they can answer Lord I came hither thus I was drawn None comes to me saith Christ except the Father draw him I would never have come of my self I stood out to the last and had I not been compelled and forced I had never been here If you cannot give an account you have passed this way That you have been drawn and haled to it contrary to your wills and been made to lay down your lives with Christ your building will not stand This is the way God takes with his own He turns man to destruction and then he says Return you children of men He will give no other sign but the sign of Jonah the Prophet and this way He passes He goes down to the bottom of Hell He cries out I am cast out of thy sight and the Earth with her bars was aboue me for ever as if he was now quite lost and gone and hence deliverance comes but not before And this first story of the Ark you must build go through the Death if ever you think to attain the second and third Stories the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. It will be afterwards considered II. About the Resurrection Which had three ends in it 1. To shew the mighty power and free Grace in raising when all hope gone 2. That the Man may tread on the neck of his Enemies 3. That the Soul might declare and preach his praise III. About the Ascension of Christ into Glory Three things in it also 1. A taking up of the Soul into the third Heaven from all Earth 2. I heard unspeakable words saith Paul The Decrees of Life opened 3. The Soul is given into Union with the Divinity marryed to Christ Several other things may be observed about the length bredth and height of the Ark the pitching it within and without All which had a meaning of Truth in them Noah's Ark IN THE WORLDS DELVGE OR Truth a Saviour and a Judg. SERM. VIII HEBR. 11.7 By Faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an Ark to the saving of his house by which he condemned the World and became Heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith The Analysis NOw a proceeding forward to declare the Effects and Consequents of this Ark being built And they were three 1. He did it to the saving of his house a people he had a charge of not himself chiefly 2. By which he condemned the World c. This judges them 3. And became Heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith I. About Noah's saving his house three things considered 1. He saves them by being a Hearer himself He is first warned of God and preaches to them what he received from the Lord. 2. He takes the charge over them makes them as his own Soul 3. He follows on till the thing be brought about He doth the work He doth save them c. II. Another Consequent of this Ark-building is He condemns the World And that in seven Particulars 1. He beleeves God and is warned and this the World is condemned by they do not so 2. He beleeves though the things not seen as yet The World they are upon their Reason and consult with flesh and blood 3. He sets to build the Ark alone The World look for company of wise and learned and follow them onely this judges the World 4. He builds an Ark a compleat one This judges the World to look after a compleat Salvation they content with broken pieces 5. He builds an Ark pitcht within and without a sure and certain condition to keep out all doubtings c. This the World can never reach 6. Noah not satisfied with the Ark but sends out a Dove to enquire of God The World is condemned by this they have no holy Ghost to enquire of God by 7. He condemns the World by doing a Work He doth save his house They build and build but it comes to nothing none are saved by it III. A third Consequent He became Heir of the Righteousness by Faith 1. What is this Inheritance he enjoys The Lord himself The Lord is my portion an Inheritance that fades not away 2. What is it to be an Heir To have an Inheritance fall by right which cannot be sold nor given away This is wonderful 3. How comes he to this By Faith He became Heir That 's the way the Soul is made to prosper in by beginning with Faith HEB. 11.7 Prepared an Ark to the saving c. I Have been speaking from these words all the last week in which many things have been opened to you at large I shewed you how in all ages God hath had some to whom he hath revealed his minde and secrets And here Noah is pick'd out for the man of whom God thus witnesseth Thee onely have I found righteous in this generation and to him he opens his counsel what he intends to do concerning the destruction of the World and that the End of all flesh was come before him I opened to you 1. What the Principle was he went