Christ no hand can help him but only the infinit bottomlesse mercy of the Son of God He sees now nothing in Heaven or earth no righteousnesse of men or Angels could suffice for his ransom but Jesus Christ alone the Son of God himself must lay down his life to redeem him out of the nethermost hell Now Christ revealing this to him he hereby ascends up into this mountain and there he feasts and there he hath all his wisdom all his power all his life all his meat Jer. 17.13 all his living waters here he now hath all his teachings he now sees Christs mountain exalted upon the top of all mountains above the top of all mans mountains of wisdom power holinesse c. though they have been raised in mans esteem never so high and esteemed as the mountains of the Lord he sees his knowledge now meer folly his wisdom darkness his righteousness sin his power weaknes his glory shame his Heaven Hell this he sees in himself and he can see nothing else but this misery and this blindness upon the face of the whole earth every man is under this darknes is under this Covering the face of the Covering of all Nations Christ went up to the mountain and taught the people Mal. 2.2 The truth is this is that mountain where Christ alone teacheth all other teachings are folly and ignorance till we hear the word at his mouth Here in this mountain the soule beholds visions and receives the manifestations of Christ and the mysteries of the kingdome hereit sees from the bottom to the top of Jacob Ladder Mat. 24.15 here he sees the Abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet that had it not been for the love of Christ the meer power and hand of Christ he had been gon for ever lost for ever swallowed up in a mystery of iniquity but when Christ brings him into this mount then he sees himselfe escaped then he sees Sodom and Gomorah all on a flame all self flesh and al mans wisdom and righteousnes burnt up and the smoak thereof ascend as the smoak of a furnace and then he can say experimentally Jehovah-jireh Gen. 22.14 In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen Saints can testifie of these things because they have seen and felt them done in themselves and t is that which their hands have handled of the word of life 1 Joh. 1.1 they can give testimony to the wisedome of Christ to the power of Christ to the righteousnesse of Christ to the evrlasting and unexpressible goodnesse of Christ as it is expressed and put forth in their hearts they can give no testimony of man of any goodness wisdome power c. in themselves but they know Christ to be all in all he see man and himselfe and all things of man to be nothing but a pit of darknesse a lump of sin a gulf of misery without the least wisdome goodnesse or power but whatever is good or strong or holy in him t is not himself t is not of man but of an from Christ alone he sees experimentally that he hath as of himselfe no power no strength to resist sin no repentance no minde to hate or resist the least sin but the contrary He findes a cursed hellish demned unbeleeving heart full of evil and that continually Gen. 6.5 a heart instead of loving God it fights against God in stead of doing good to his Neighbour really he seeks not his good but his own ends in all he doth that he doth nothing at all for God but himselfe is his supreame and ultimate end so that his highest and best actions are loathsome defiled abominable Now the soule seeing these things to be really thus Then all his strong high towering conceits fall down before the light wisedome power and excellency of Christ and he sees that there is none of all these through all the whol earth but in Christ alone no wisdom at all but his no power at all but his no righteousnes at al but his and no creature to receive any glory but hm alone then he falls down and cryes out O'wretched man that I'am who shal deliver me from that body of death Rom. 7.24 who shal deliver me from this bottomless gulf who shal deliver me from this monsterous fiend my own self Rom. 9.3 he now sees the Locusts of the bottomles pit covering the face of the whole earth every one running after his own ways and following his own laws every man setting up new Gods every man setting up the Image of his Imagery and the abomination of desolation in himself every man making himself his own god and seeking to be somthing and making the eternal glorious God to be an Idol and nothing He sees himself with the whole earth besides saying with the builders of Babel Gen. 11.4 go to let us build us a Tower and a City whose top may reach up to Heaven that we may not be seattered and destroyed they will save and deliver themselves from hell wrath and destruction by their own power by their own wisedome by their own inventions by the brick slime and morter that they have made Now the Lord looking down from Heaven to see what the Children of men are doing and he in himselfe sees how God hath said Let us go down and confound their language God in them hath discovered the evilnesse of their wayes the evil of self-seeking self-glory of their selfe-wisdome selfe-selfe-power self-righteousnesse and they in whom or to whom the Lord discovers these things all this contrivance and all this work n them is made BABEL Confusion a heap of Lyes t is all deceit destruction and misery but in Jesus Christ he hath righteousnesse indeed life indeed power indeed heaven indeed And then he can adde and say with the Apostle Thanks be unto God who hath given us victory through Jesus Christ O death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15 54.55 Oh grave where is thy victory then hath this corruptible in him put on incorruption and this mortal put on immortality and then is brought to passe in him the saying as it is written death is swallowed up in victory Herein the Saints finde Jesus Christ to be their joy to be their feast to be their mountain to be their glory to be their All. In this mountain they finde and receive all these good things and are fully satisfied and that they are to be had nowhere else If they look anywhere else they know there is nothing but sin corruption death hell mortality and the grave And they having found this mountain they finde themselves escaped delivered from all those things And now they sit down with Abraham Isaac Mat. 8.11 and Jacob in the kingdome of Heaven They have found Abrahams bosome they have found the tree of Life in the midst of the Paradise of God they have found the Hidden Manna Rev. 3. they have received the
it may not come at them When man is once gone out from God who was his life and his light and his rest and his happiness being not content with him alone Gen. 3.1 nor with the tree o life of which he might eat freely but casting his eye upon the tree of knowledg of good and evil he lusts to eat thereof V. 6. for t is pleasant to look upon man would by no means live upon God and have a dependance out of himself but he will take a secure course and provide for himself he likes well this tree and here he feeds and eats he travailes in this pleasant plain of Shinar and here he begins to bethink himself to dwell and take up his rest here he can sleep quietly under his own labours and sit reposedly under his own vine and here now is the place where all men consult together to raise a Babel This is done by and in every man man having lost himselfe and gone out of his way having no House nor Tabernacle having departed from his house built by God without hands he bethinks himself of building himself a house made with hands by his own study and invention 2 Cor. 5.1 and this shall be his abiding and here he will dwell and here with his own hands he will make himself a shelter from all storms and from all destruction And they say one to another Goe to let us make brick and burn them throughly They say to one another that is not as if men singly spake thus to one another but every man enters into a consultation with himselfe and with the Prince of Darkness And now they having forsaken God the true guide they hearken to the Devil and to the Father of deceit and lyes and take his counsel Joh. 8.44 and him they will follow and his works now they do and not the works of God And what do they And they say one to another Go to let us make brick and burn them throughly That is they think and resolve to act like wise men and make all secure for themselves their building shal be strong and durable and their materials accordingly Bricks throughly burnt which shal not fail and moulder away that is the things that he chuseth shal be things agreeable to his own liking and they must be of his own inventing else he wil put no confidence in them none shal chuse for him whatever it be that wil advance man and make him something and great as to himself and others and things that men esteem highly of those he chuseth Nay and not onely so but he wil have something of his own to trust to to come into the presence of God with and he wil frame to himself a religion and a righteousnesse that shal avail before God which he shal accept and in which himself may put confidence And here now poor man hath deluded himself and they have made themselves aprons Gen. 3.7 and as they think a secure Covering here hath he made himself a shelter and a Tabernacle and built up to himselfe a Tower reaching to Heaven and so shall prevent destruction and condemnation When man begins thus to build he chuseth as he thinks the likeliest and the probablest means for his security and in his conceit builds so strong that no winds nor no storms can shake him nor no deluge overflow his building and so confident he is that he thinks the power of Heaven and Earth can never shake this building for the Top thereof shall reach to Heaven he is so far safe that he is sheltered from the wrath of God and from the frowns of God he hath gotten such a righteousness and such a conformity of the rule and mind of God that he is as it were a perfect man he sees little amisse in him and though he may in words confesse he is a sinner yet let but any one sin be charged upon him and he hath as he thinks a sufficient excuse and wil clear himself from all sin But is this all the end of this strong and stately building no But let us make us a Name least we be scattered upon the face of the whole earth Least we should be in as bad a condition as others are and as the wicked of the world are we wil be wiser and condemn them we wil not be like the Publicans wicked and prophane but we wil forsake sinne and live uprightly and we wil do something that we may get us a Name that we are holier then others Esa 65.5 1. Cor. 3.10 and we wil be no less then Master Builders no such wise man as we no such strict holy men as we and the end of all this is least death and misery and sin hell and condemnation should break forth and seize upon them with the rest of the world But now in all this time what does God doe He beholds their works and their doings and their contrivings vers 5. And the Lord came down to see the City and the Tower which the children of men builded which is not to be understood as if God removed or came down Locally as leaving Heaven to come down to the Earth as men when they remove from one place to another But God came down that is he began to manifest himself to shew himself to the Sons of men before he let them alone and they thought themselves secure and all was right safe and well which they had done now the Lord he begins to appear to confound their thoughts and inventions and to shew all the sons of men their folly vanity and madnesse in all this they were so confident of they think they are securing themselves from ruine when alass poor soules they are running as madly upon their own ruin and destruction as any else in the whole Earth nay are farther from returning then any other in as much as they are more wise more holy and more confident then others Luk. 13.28 And herein is their misery the greater therefore it is high time for the Lord now to come down to scatter this building and to make it BABEL and Confusion Behold the people are one and they have all one Language and this they begin to do and nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do As if he should say all the sons of men are running headlong to their own destruction they are all as one man all do one and the same thing and they have one Name and one Language and all go one way Satan hath almost gotten his full possession and they will be wholly guided by him and follow his counsel they are all departed from me and he is almost quite irrecoverably lost and gone and yet every man thinks he is right and no man considers what he doth nor once thinks of returning for every man is right in his own eyes and nothing will be restrained from them and if I go not down
indifferent understanding may perceive and rectifie we have not set them down in an Errata But tender all as it is to the Experience Love and Acceptation of all to whom these things shall come Greeting If any thing be obscure to the Reader let him reflect into himself to see whether the cause be not want of experience in the Mysteries of Heaven before ever he adventure to Censure For till men are really judged in themselves they are not fit to judge But if thou canst Feed here fall too And Much good doe thee and if thou canst not censure not those that can Farewel THE Vaile of the Covering spread over All Nations What it is And how removed With a Discovery of that Mountain of Fat things full of Marrow And Wines on the Lees well refined Delivered on a publique day of Thanksgiving June 23. 1653. ESAI 25.6.7 c. In this Mountain shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast of fat things a Feast of Wines on the Lees of Fat things full of Marrow of Wines on the Lees well refined And he will destroy in this Mountain the face of the Covering cast over all people and the Vaile that is spread over all Nations c. THE Prophet in the former part of the Chapter having seen and taken notice of those wonderfull works wrought by Jesus Christ both in his Judgements and Mercies he breaks out into wonderful praise rejoycing and admiration of his wonderful Works and of his Counsels of old O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee I will praise thy name V. 1. for thou hast done wonderful things thy Counsels of old are faithfulness and truth In which he gives thanks as in the person of Jesus Christ or as a member of him and expresseth the deep and wonderful things which have been wrought onely and alone by Him From whence we may take notice that the songs and praises of all Saints are only and alone to magnifie and lift up Jesus Christ Psal 29.9 In his Temple every one speaks of his glory they have nothing to say in praise of man of the power of man wisdom of man or the glory of man of the faithfulness of man of the counsels of man but of the Lord alone They are not telling forth what they have done to bring glory to themselves or to set up their wisdome or power or parts or any thing in them of their righteousnesse of their holiness of their love of their joy of their peace or any thing of this nature Luk 18.11 as the Scribes and Pharisees I am not so and so and I do thus and thus thereby to magnifie themselves or to make others think highly of them no but their songs and their praise is alone to exalt Jesus Christ and to tell of his doings of his counsels of his faithfulness and truth of his mercies and loving kindnesse of his righteousnesse and judgements this is their glory and this is their song In the Second verse you may see how he sets out the spoiles and the ruins that Jesus Christ hath made Great and glorious Cities made heaps of a defensed City a ruine That strong city Babel built up by the power and wisdom of man Gen. 11. for his protection and defence which he would raise up to Heaven to prevent destruction hereafter that the deluge of wrath may not swallow him up The soule having seen the Almighty power of Jesus Christ ruining and bringing down this Tower and this BABEL in himself and making all this work power wisdom providence of man of self and flesh to be made Bable Confusion here now the Saints give all the glory to Jesus Christ alone Man finds that he was raising a Temple setting up a Worship of his own devising for what end that he may secure himself provide for himself deliver himselfe from wrath from hell from the overflowing scourge from the devouring flood he thought himselfe to be wonderfull in working and glorying in his own devices Esa 28.15 in his own religion in his own forms and thereby thought this Tower would secure him no deluge could reach him he was above all danger as Paul he was marching on confidently and boldly in his own uprightnesse and thought he acted all things according to the rule Acts 9. ch 26.9 Psal 49.11 Dan. 4.30 Now in the height of all his pride and confidence Jesus Christ brings him down smites him from his horse he had built a city as it were and called it by his own name mangified his own strictnesse his own holinesse and said as Nebuchadnezzer Is not this great Babel that I have builded Now the soule seeing all this to be a lye to be confusion and a deceit and a delusion and all turned by Jesus Christ into ruine and confusion in his own soule and not a stone left upon a stone which is not thrown down Matth. 24.2 this the soule comes to see is alone the work of Christ that he hath made of a glorious city an heap Esai 25.2 and of a defenced City a ruinous place of strangers and this to be no City and shall never be built againe when once Jesus Christ pulls down Babel in us it shall never be built againe He hath laid it all flat to the ground All of mans setting up must be utterly ruined no part of that building set up upon the ruins of mans power wisdome strength parts will Christ make any use of for his kingdome but all must be ruined Luke 21.6 Ezek. 21.27 laid flat to the ground and he will not leave a stone upon a stone The work of Christ is an overthrowing overturning overturning work the work of Christ is to slay strip and undo men to strip them of all conceit of themselves to lay them flat to the earth to equal and level them with the worst of men The work of the Devil is to build up man in his own wisdom in his own strength to make him something to cry peace peace to him when there is no peace Jer. 6.14 to put wrath far away and to tell him he is thus and thus he hath such love and charity and meeknesse and conformity to the will of Christ and therefore fear not Matth. 16.22 none of all those things shall happen to thee When indeed this is nothing but the work and wisedome of the Devil in man Esai 28.15 to make him secure and put the evil day far from him and thereby hath made a covenant with death and hell and of all men he shall be preserved from ruin why he is a holy man he hath submitted to ordinances he is under the purest forms most agreeable to the wil and mind of Christ Whenas all this may be nothing but the work of the divel in man meerly to delude him and to keep away guilt that he may not see the bottomless gulph of sin and delusion that is in
Son himself for not any of all those things the Jews themselves were to rest in though done exactly according to the Pattern But this MESSIAH was he that they should have eyed through and beyond all those figures and shadows for that Tabernacle was but pitched by man mark that though commanded by God but the true Tabernacle is pitched by the Lord himself So that the Apostle there we may clearly see expounds this last chapter of Exodus and reduceth all those shadows to the substance proving that Christ himself is the true Tabernacle and the true Ministry and the true Sanctuary and that those things are but the Patterns and Emblems of the heavenly things Now all things must be according to him for he is the true pattern and is that one and alone Sacrifice once ffered as in that ninth chapter of the Hebrews Heb. 9.11 c. and the eleventh verse and so on Christ being an high Priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this building and by his own blood he entered into the Holy Place and if the blood of Bulls and Goats sanctifyeth to the purifying of the stesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered up himselfe without spot to God purge your consciences from dead works c. Though all these things were done by Moses and all done according to the example and pattern yet saith he the things we speak of are not things done hy man not of this building that is not done by the wisdom power or will of man no nor those done by them according to the direction of God himselfe and in that sense commanded and unquestionable Ordinances yet these made not the commers thereunto perfect therefore saith he in the three and twentieth verse of that ninth chapter It was therefore necessary that the PATTERNS of the things in the Heavens should be purified with these Vers 23. but the Heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices for Christ is not entered into the Holy Places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us The Heavenly things themselves purified what 's that That is the soules of men which are of Heavenly natures and Immortal and if those External Sacrifices must be purified with blood it is much more necessary that that Heavenly and Immortal soul of man should be purified with the pretious blood of Jesus Christ Man having departed from God and defiled his soul by turning away from him and being gone down to earthly things to find himself a God and a Trust and a Refuge this departure is of that infinitness that nothing but this Eternal Priest and Mediatour could reconcile and bring together again the Majesty and Nature of God and polluted man thus at an infinite distance but He by himself and of his own mercy and good will hath reconciled us to his father 2 Cor. 5.20 Esa 63.3 and hath trod the Winepress alone and none stood by him and herein was the eternal and infinite love of Jesus Christ our alone Saviour seen And by the way let me mind you of one thing That when the Scripture speaks of Christ his Ascending and entring into the third Heaven and far above all Heavens and sitting down on the right hand of his Father Eph. 4.10 Heb 12.2 I would not have you so childish as to be deluded by those tricks and devices of the men of the Letter who not being able to see the mystery do take those things as spoken litterally as though Christ now had a material body flesh and bones the same which he had in the flesh when he was upon earth these are very fond inventions of men that Christ is in a local place and sits upon a Throne above in Heaven next his Father as upon his right hand or the like and when he comes to judgement he will set himself in the material Clouds and call all Nations before him just as Judges doe at the Sizes and there to sit in a Chaire of State above all or as Solomon upon a glorious Throne Truly the world hath been a long time deluded with these fancies Now as the Apostle saith plainly he is not entred into a place made with hands nor into any thing of this nature Heb. 9.24 nor of this building But we are when we speak of him to separate all our thoughts far from all carnal things and all creaturely beings For there is no tincture of the creature concernments in those heavenly and divine things but all those things are done spiritually and in a way far above the thought or comprehension of all creaturely conceptions But from all this which hath been spoken hence it is clear That the Tabernacle here spoken of is the glory wisdome power righteousnesse of Jesus Christ and whatever is HIMSELF who is nothing else but majesty purity glory wisdom love goodnesse fulnesse infinitnesse blessednesse and Alsufficiency and all good he alone is the Lord Mat. 6.13 he alone is King his is the Kingdom the power and the glory for ever and no creature can without blasphemy in the highest degree appropriate or assume any one or any part of these to himself Here now Beloved we have set before you the Tabernacle and the Fire in the Tabernacle This is that fire of the Lord which can never be put out nor extinguished Levit. 6.13 but is ever one and the same it can never decrease nor increase in regard of himself but onely in regard of manifestation to us and which cannot be procured one day sooner by all the Wisdom Learning Industry of man but onely when he is pleased to remove the cloud then have ye liberty to journey and walk and woâ—k and not before whatever the dark and blind and the poor deluded sons of men make you believe And further be assured that until you come to possess and enjoy in your selves these spiritual and divine things you cannot know what they mean and whatever you do and whatever you see or adore below these you adore nothing but the patterns and the images of them wherein no man ever yet had any other but a false rest and they lived in a false light and enjoyed not the things themselves nay though we should know and behold Christ after the flesh and look upon him in his Conception Life Death Crucifying Burial Resurrection Ascention yet all these things are but the patterns of the Heavenly things and of the Lord himself Heb. 9.23 which are to pass a way and be forgotten when that Christ himself is personally manifested Hence forth know we him no more 2 Cor. 5.16 saith the Apostle When the Eternal Majesty and Splendour of that which is the Truth comes in all the glory of all other things vanishes before its presence These are
all his power wisdom parts righteousnesse and whatever man as man adores All true Saints are brought to see this in experience they see all the world seeking themselves following after the gods that they have made and crying up their Diana they see all the whole earth alwaies and continually crying out Not this man but Barabbas Mat. 27.21 And they know them to be all Theeves and Robbers But these onely come to the light and walk in the light Joh. 10.8 And the light of Christ in them hath discovered that in man is nothing but sin and darkness and misery and condemnation This they really see both within themselves and without themselves that he that would be exalted is in them brought low and he that humbleth himself is exalted Luk. 14.11 Christ in them and to them is all in all and this is their Glory this is their Kingdome this their Pearl for which they have sold all this is their Heaven Then they come to see Mat. 13.46 as the truth is that they have no power wisdom excellency nothing at all but what is to be condemned and that all their works which are accepted are wrought in God Joh. 3.21 1 Cor. 1.30 That Jesus is their Wisdom Rgihteousness Justification Sanctification and Redemption they come to this light and they walk in this light they continually see that Jesus Christ hath all power and wisdom in himself he hath not given any part of his excellencies out of himselfe but whatever is wrought in them is wrought by Him they dare not say I must doe and I must act and I must pray that I may be accepted nor think as others do I must perform the conditions on my part to do Heb. 6.6 and then I shall be accepted All Doctrine of this nature is no other but crucifying the Son of God afresh and putting him to open shame and walking in darknesse Those that preach this Acts 20.29 John 3.31 are those grievous wolves which Paul speaks of Acts 20.29 30. I know that after my departure shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw disciples after them Of your own selvs that is men that hold forth the same doctrine and preach Jesus Christ too and hold him forth for a Saviour yet under that pretence crucifie him and make him as no Christ and his Crosse of no effect But those that are in the light they come to the light and follow this light live in this light that their deeds may be made manifest whether wrought in God or no Then he sees this is the true wisdom from above Jam. 3.17 which is pure peaceable easie to be entreated full of good works 't is not high and stern and subtile and rigid to keep at distance from all but whom they like but they are easie to be entreated meek ready to doe good to all they see no such excellency in houses inheritances money honour praise but for the love of Christ they are not deare to them they know if they have these they are not given to make them great or high or praised among the sonnes of men but that by them Christ in them may make himselfe great That they may be of another spirit then any other naturall man in the world Acts 26.18 shewing forth the vertues of him that hath called them from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God Then is their Tongue Touched with a coal from the Altar Esay 6.6 and they must declare Jesus Christ to make him alone glorious powerfull wise mighty eternal c. And then it is no longer they that speake Mark 13.11 but the spirit of their Father that is within them My beloved breathren if men were but come to the sight of this light and were able to stand in it and walk in it They would not goe forth as they doe in their own name and in their own wisdom and power having furnished themselves by their study and by their Books and by their borrowed matter but all this is because they have no light in them How many Speakers be there now in the world and with what confidence doe they come unto you when this spirit from on high never came upon them Pro. 8.34 Luke 24.49 they never yet waited at Wisdoms gates never yet stayed at Jerusalem for the promise of the Father but runne before they are sent and they of themselves have found a way to be furnished they can goe to the Vniversity and there lay the foundation and they can have the laying on of the hands of the Presbyterie and then they can study Authors and they have wisdom and parts and eloquence of their own and thus they come furnished and are as they think able Ministers of the Gospel 2 Cor. 3.6 John 10.1 Alas poore soules Christ cals these no other but thieves and Robbers which come not in at the doore they come not in by him but climb up some other way These have not made Christ the doore and the way for did They but live in the true light they durst not doe thus they durst not speak till he had opened the dore they durst not walk till the fire of the Sanctuary guided them till this cloud of ignorance not knowing themselves nor the work of Christ were taken up else they sit still And I say there would not be so many speakers as there be they would not covet so much to be some body that they may be taken notice of to be wise to be learned to be holy to be sober to be endowed with the gifts of Christ as they would be thought to be All this is but putting new wine into old bottles Luk. 5.37 and both are lost but if this light of God this spirit from on high this fire of the Sanctuary were upon them then this new wine would be put into new bottles and both preserved Oh my brethren it woes my very heart to see how confident and bold men are in their own light and he that will say to the contrary but that 't is the light of God he must be a deceiver and he must be a Schismatick a Familist any thing yea the most odious of all men Oh that these men did but know from whence they speak Oh that they did but know whether they were Moseses or Magicians whether sent from God or the Divel whether from Christ or Antichrist who indeed sit in the Temple of Christ as if sent from Christ Nay let me tell you they come with such deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse with such signes and lying wonders 2 Thes 2.9.10 that they are able to deceive the very Elect of God if it were possible but the truth is t is onely they can discover them t is only the spirit of Christ that can lay them open onely He that hath the true
had or John or any of the Apostles if thou experiment not the same things without question this is the truth and the life whatever the men or the Masters of the Letter or of the City of the Letter say unto you The words that I speak unto you saith our Saviour they are spirit and they are life Joh. 6.63 they are not onely a dead Letter to the ear and to the understanding but they are quickning spirit declaring true death and true life in us The Scripture in every part there of holds forth either evil or good death or life light or darknesse heaven or hell the Temple of God or the Temple of Idols Christ or Belial that is either man in his lost miserable blind dark undone and helish condition or else Christ the Saviour the life the light the glory the happiness the Redeemer of man Now if we have not experience of either of these two in our selves all reading hearing preaching praying sacrificing is in vain 2 Cor. 3.6 and the Scriptures are no other to us but the killing and deadly letter Lastly we will name one more of their Sorceries and Inchantments and so conclude and t is a very great one In that they take upon them the very Office and place of Christ they think themselves and call themselves Teachers and Divines and men must come to them as to the Oracles of God and they are the Priests lips which shall preserve knowledge come to us and hearken to us and we will direct you and teach you what means and what rules and ordinances ye shall use and which is the way to Heaven when as Christ saith plainly call no man Father nor no man Master upon earth for one is your Master and one is your Father Luke 14.11 c. Joh. 6.44 which is in Heaven but he that is greatest among you let him be your servant And whosoever shall exalt himselfe shall be abased and he that shall humble himselfe shall be exalted And saith again No man can come to me but by the Father and except the Father draw him And again I am the way the truth and the life And yet they say come to us joyn your selves in fellowship with us and conform to us and walk with us for we have the best means we will shew you the best way we have overlookt and examined all other Church-fellowships and none like ours we are squared according to the primitive pattern and to the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 2.16 and the word it self justifies all our rules and our way of worship And they say moreover we have the word of the Lord with us and for us and we have the mind of Christ with us we have a dream and we have a revelation and we have seen a vision when indeed they have seen nothing but have stole the word of the Lord from others and borrowed of their neighbour of this and that Authour and have searched what this man saies or that man writes of such and such points and then come and cry the word of the Lord when the Lord hath not spoken in them nor to them but boast of things without their measure 2 Cor. 10 14 c. 1 Joh. 1.1 speak not the things that they have seen and heard and that their hands have handled of the word of life but as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 10. Who seek to commend themselves boasting of other mens labours and experiences and not of their own boasting beyond their line of things not distributed to them 2 Cor. 10. Vers 15. Ezek. 13.6 7. and yet will say The Lord hath spoken and this is the Word of the Lord and yet never found it The Word of the Lord in them or to them neither have they seen any thing nor the Lord hath not spoken unto them And therefore what ever they may say they cannot make it out to the hearts of others but they talk of it at random and by guesse and they say t is so and it must not be questioned for all other received Orthodox men forsooth have said it Are these Prophets think you of the Lords sending have these received the Word at his mouth Ibid. 3.17 No no but they are furnished by their learning and parts and acquirements and so of and from Man And so likewise not onely is the Prophet deluded but the people also for they have joyned themselves with these Prophets and there they will stick and their faith is pind upon their sleeves Oh such a man he is a sound man and he cannot erre and they will heare no where else And so this Prophet as thou takest him to be becomes Thy Pope and thy Holy Father for to him thou givest heed and him thou followest and obeyest And this is the great inchantment in our times when men forsake Jesus Christ the true and only Teacher and depend upon men This is a great mischiefe and a grievious plague but the world is not sensible thereof but blesse themselves in this great evil What say they shall we forsake our Ministers shall we let the Gospell and the preaching of the Word fall to the ground God forbid As though men upheld the Gospel and men could teach the Gospel It is then Gospel to thee when Jesus Christ makes it glad tidings in thy heart and when there is nothing in Heaven and Earth more wellcome to thee and when thou hast forsaken and laid down thy selfe to receive it But till we come to see that there is no other father no other Master but Jesus Christ in all the world in heaven or earth we are certainly inchanted and deluded and are under a spirituall CHARM But be it so Object then what reason is there that we should heare you or receive what you say T is true if I should say otherwise in regard of my selfe Answ I should also be a deluder a lyer and a charmer and a Southsayer I would by no means you should look at me or regard me as if I could doe anything I desire to be no other but as a dead instrument used by the Lord and would not be thought of or esteemed any thing I am no more fit to speak then any of you all if God will speak by you ye may all prophesie one by one as the Apostle saith God forbid that I should think my selfe better then any other Saint of God or think my selfe more honoured by standing in a high place above you the Lord hee knows my heart An hill or a mountain in the field were as fit for me any place I passe not but onely for conveniency of Hearing So the Lord wil but set up himselfe and magnifie his own name which he will doe let my praise my glory lie in the dust and I would be no more stirred and disquieted in spirit with any such thing then a man that is naturally dead And therefore let them look to it Math.
free ye shall be free indeed They every moment committed sin and were servants to sin and rejected Him that would have made them free and yet were ignorant thereof and still justified themselves so that Christ could not be a Deliverer to them notwithstanding he continually preacht this Doctrin in their ears He would have spiritually made them free-men indeed and he could never convince them of their bondage that so he might have made them Free And this Freedom is beyond all other freedoms This is that perfect Law of liberty which Iames speaks of Iam. 1.25 Jam. 1.25 All other deliverances are but imperfect deliverances without this And in Rom. 6.22 sayes the Apostle Rom. 6.22 being made free from sin and become servants to God yet have your fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life for when ye were servants of sin ye were free from righteousnesse From all which Scriptures it appears that never any were or could be made free and set at liberty but onely by His power and by His Eternal right hand t is not all the Power Wisdom Righteousnesse Endeavours Rules Strictnesse Conformity that all or any of the sons of men could use could ever deliver them from their bondage to the least sin though they may pretend a godly reformation forsooth and strictnesse of walking and sticking close to God and walking up to their knowledge and to their strict rules yet they were never yet freed nor delivered from any one sin by Jesus Christ nor ever left any one sin from any good end but the Devil in them hath only shifted shapes and left or put off some particular sins which were not profitable or convenient or stood not with their credit but he hath caused them to take up Forms to cover the defilements of their hearts and of their inward man which notwithstanding all their shewes is full of rottennesse hypocrisie and all iniquity And again the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.22 He that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lords Freeman 1 Cor 7.22 likewise he that is called being Free is Christs servant Therefore ye are bought with a Price be not ye the servants of men All that are once made free by Christ they cannot be servants to men that is to those things men are so subject to yeild obedience to they not only ought not but cannot serve those lusts that men serve when Jesus Christ has set the soul Free they will be onely servants to him They will not be servants to the world nor servants to their own will they cannot go where they list but they are girded to wait upon the will of their Master as Christ told Peter when thou wast young thou girdedst thy self John 21.18 and walkedst whither thou pleasedst but when thou art old another shall gird thee and lead thee whither thou wouldest not Christ Intimating thus much to him that while he was young and in the state of unregeneracy he followed his own will and girded himself and did what himself pleased but hereafter he should not do so but he must serve his Master and his commands should gird him and rule him he should be girded by Christ and should cross his own will and follow his Masters in whatever service he should command And truly Brethren he that is thus made a Servant by Christ he is truly a free-man and a Citizen of Heaven And thus to have experience of Christ in us to be the Deliverer to know him to feel him and to rejoyce in his salvation there is none like this to see HIS mighty power and his strong arm delivering thy soul from the powers of Hell and Darkness And holding this forth not onely by the Prophets and their pointing at Him but chiefly in holding this forth in Himselfe by all his external actions what a mighty Mystery is this yea such a Mystery as none knows but only he who is delivered Indeed men talk of it and run over it in words but to Feel Christ a Captain a Conquerer a Deliverer in them this is that Mystery that neither the Pharisees nor all the Learned nor all the wisdom nor industry of man could ever yet comprehend for it is spiritually discerned In this sense the whole Scriptures are a Book sealed and a Garden walled about Rev. 5.1 Cant. 4.12 and a Fountain shut up few can make this out in their own experience they can tell you a story of Abraham and David and Peter and Paul but that they are the men no such matter they can neither make out the way the manner nor the means how their souls were brought out and delivered from the pit nor from out of the mire and clay nor how their fetters were broken off nor how their eyes were opened nor how their anckle-bones received strength Acts 3.7 for how can they when they never found they were in prison or under death or condemnation they were never blind Mat. 13.42 nor deaf nor dumb But t is onely the Scribe that is instructed to the Kingdom of Heaven can bring out of his treasures things new and old what Christ did in him at first and how he carried him on and how he brought him out and set him at liberty And truly Beloved there is one thing among others that I would gladly speak out that every man may examine himselfe The world hath made a great noise and made great boast of what they have received by Jesus Christ and what Freedom he has purchased for them what a mighty and wonderful redemption he hath wrought by One Act of his suffring and dying upon the crosse in the days of his flesh or at least as some say by all his actions and suffrings And this is their Anchor hold their hope and their trust because he hath purchased thereby Heaven and Salvation for them And if they do but perform the condition on their part viz. Beleeve then all is theirs all his Riches Glory Peace Redemption Salvation Heaven and all that is in Jesus Christ But alas alas what 's all this to any man if he do not experience the truth thereof in himself and have not Christ formed in him and he be not baptized into his death Col. 3.1 and have not experience of his Resurrection in himself to be risen with Christ to seek those things that are above In a word what is all thy external faith and beleeving if thou doest not know the Mystery of that appearance For He is the Lamb slain from the beginning Rev. 13.8 he is yesterday and to day and the same for ever He is that Eternal Sacrifice which is once and for ever offered up and presented to the Father He is to this day from the foundation of the world not only crucified at Jerusalem but he is crucified in all ages in Sodom and Egypt as Saint John witnesseth Rev. 11.8 And their dead bodies speaking of those two Eternal Witnesses which ever stood
escaped from the snare of the Hunter Hast thou really seen thy selfe lost undone made miserable hast thou seen that thy self was in Captivity and that thou wast deaf and dumb and blind and lame that thou wert shut up in darknesse and death and that there was none in Heaven or Earth able to help thee in the least but thou seeing thy selfe so miserable and hopeless that thou wert at thy wits end and no help at all appeared If this have not been thy condition though thou couldst speak never so excellently of the Letter and the History and though thou submittedst to the highest forms and to the soberest and most strict course of life being constant and austere in observing of thy rules for hearing and reading and set times of prayer and constant examining thy self to keep thy selfe up the stricter to thy Rules alas poor soul all this is nothing though thou couldest speak with the Tongue of Men and Angels 1 Cor. 13.1 and pray with such sweet words and language as might ravish all the men on earth If thou doest not finde Christ Jesus in thee breaking every bond and loosing every yoak and that no other in Heaven or Earth could do it but he thou wert never yet delivered but art still under wrath death and bondage The chief thing that every soul is to mind in reading and hearing is to examine whether the same thing be wrought in them whatever we find in the Letter if it be not made good in us what are the words to us we must see how Christ is crucified and buried in us and how he is risen and raised from death in us the chief thing I say is to look into our own breasts All generally that hold forth a profession of Christ they say in words that Christ is the Deliverer but that is not the thing but is he a Deliverer to thee Is that glorious MESSIAH promised Rom. 11.26 and the Deliverer out of Sion come with power into thy soul hath he exalted himselfe there and hath he made bare his arm and been a glorious CONQVERER in thee hath he taken to himself his great power to raign in thee Rev. 11.17 Is he King of Kings and Lord of Lords in thee c. Beloved all preaching and reading and praying and duties is to this end to examine thy inward man and thy spiritual condition Thou joinest thy self in fellowship and walkest conformable to all thy rules and thou art washed and thou breakest bread with them and thinkest herein thou hast obeyed the commands of Christ alas this is nothing if Jesus Christ have not joined thee to himself and made thee a member of him what good doe all these things for by all these outward actings thou dost not discern the Lords body To discern the Lords body is to eat him to be united to him to be made one spirit with him that so he may be made experimentally a Saviour and a Deliverer in thee That he hath taken thy soul out of the mire and clay Ps 40.2 and out of the horrible pit thou canst say experimentally and by feeling that it was an horrible pit and that there thy soul stuck fast and thou hadst no hope ever to get forth and if Christ hath set thee free thou knowest full well no power could do it but only his Eph. 1.19 only the same power which raised Jesus Christ from the grave and no lesse And thou whoever thou art who hast experience of this work thou art in one of these two conditions either thou art set free and delivered by the power of Jesus Christ or else thou seest thy self in the pit in straits in misery in a hopelesse condition and art sighing and groaning for deliverance and waiting when Christ will deliver thee And if thou beest but in either of these two conditions thou art in a safe and good Condition but if thou hast been in this misery and condemnation and thou hast used all means to put this off and sought out deliverance for thy selfe and by thy wisedome and strength and conformity and holinesse hast got thy selfe a covering by any thing under Heaven then Jesus Christ never was a Deliverer to thee but though thou thinkest thy selfe delivered yet thou art for all thy peace and for all thy Coverings under a worse bondage then before Therefore I say I would have every soul before me examine it selfe whether he be a true seeker of Deliverance which is to examine in which of these two Conditions he is in whether he hath been under these Terrors and death in hell and condemnation seeing himself lost and miserable and that instead of seeing any wisdom or power or righteousnesse in himself that he hath seeen and doth still see himself to be a meer sink of sin and a cage of unclean birds and that in him is nothing but weaknesse Rev. 18.2 wickednesse and all abominations And let me ask thee when thou wast in this condition whither wentest thou for help whether to dumb Idols that could not help that have eyes and see not and ears and hear not or to the living God in whom alone is help and deliverance And if thou art at present in this condition and distresse Joh. 5.4 thou art one that lies waiting at the pool till the Angel stir the waters expecting when Christ will put thee in Thou wilt not run to this duty and that form to ease thy self and to allay these Terrors and to quench these flames but if help come not there thou waist and there thou standest and remainest in this condemnation and goest up and down sighing and mourning all the day long and thou seest t is not in the power of all the Ministers under Heaven not in all the forms and rules that can be invented but only in the tender mercy and good will of Jesus Christ All other wayes thou lookest upon but as going out to Asher Hos 7.11 and to Egypt and to seek after dumb Idols that have a picture of eyes and ears and hands promising as though they could help but they can neither see nor hear nor help though to others they appear glorious and goodly things and they blesse themselves in using them yet to thee they are dead cold and helplesse so that now here thou waitest and sittest alone like the Pelican in the Desart Ps 102.6 and there thou mournest and bemoanest thy condition and with David thou hast no rest in thy bones because of thy sins Ibid. 38.3 Try thy self now in which is thy condition if in neither of these thou art in a most sad miserable condition indeed and so much the more sad because thou seest it not Or it may be thou hast cured thy self and healed thy selfe but art not cured nor healed Jer. 6.14 but the Prophets have healed the Daughter of my people slightly as the Prophet speaks have not throughly discovered their iniquity to turn
The Judgement Set AND The BOOKES Opened RELIGION TRIED whether it be of GOD or of Men. The Lord cometh to visit his Own For the time is come that Judgement must begin at the House of God To separate The Sheep from the Goats and The Precious from the Vile And to discover the Blasphemy of those that say They are Apostles Teachers Alive Rich Jewes but are Found Lyars Deceivers Dead Poore blind naked The Synagogue of Satan In severall Sermons at Alhallows Lumbard-street By JOHN WEBSTER A servant of Christ and his Church Micah 3.5 c. Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my people erre that bite with their teeth and cry peace and he that putteth not into their mouths they prepare war against him Therefore night shall be upon them that they shall not have A vision c. The Sun shall goe down over the prophets and the Day shall be dark Their Seers shall be ashamed and the Deviners confounded yea they shall All cover their lips for there is no answer of God LONDON Printed for R. Hartford at the Bible and States-Arms in little Brittain and N. Brooks at the Angel in Cornhil 1654. To All those Dear and Pretious Soules that have been Hearers and are in any measure partakers of the power of those Truths delivered in these following Discourses Deare Friends IT was for your sakes that the good pleasure of the Heavenly Father who maketh all things work together for the benefit of those that love him Rom. 8.28 who are called according to his purpose carried me forth and made use of me who am less then a worm and most weak in my selfe yet strengthened through his Almighty power to manifest these things unto you And it was for your sakes that the goodnesse of that Father of all mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 and God of all consolation kept me so long to sojourn amongst you for I can truly say that what I am or have been unto you in the way of Christ it was his good pleasure and grace that made me so for the mutual comfort both of you and me for I cannot do any thing against the truth but for the truth for I am not able to think or say any thing as of my self 2. Cor. 3.5 but my sufficiency is of God and I am able to do all things yet no otherwise but through Christ who strengthens me Phil. 4.13 And therefore it is unto you that I direct and be queath these insuing Discourses who have been Ear-witnesses unto what God gave me a door of utterance to deliver amongst you And I hope in the Lord Jesus Christ that they are not onely written in your papers or table-books but in the fleshly Tables of your Hearts 2 Cor. 3.3 not with the hand of man but with the finger of God And being requested that they might be made publick the Lord led me unto a willingnesse thereunto for these Reasons I shall now declare 1. That you whom God in some measure hath endued with the spirit of discerning and made you to heare the voice of Christ and not the voice of strangers Joh. 10.3 4.5 may judge and beare witness out of what principle these things are spoken whether they proceed from that wisdom which is from above Jam. 3.15.17 that is first pure then peaceable or from that which is from beneath which is earthly sensual and devilish Mat. 11.19 for wisedome is only justified of her Children and of no others for it is Christ in you the hope of glorie who is that quickning spirit Col. 1.27 or spiritual man that judgeth all things 1 Cor. 2.15 yet he himself is judged of none 2. That those who are alienated from the life of Christ Eph. 4.18 through that ignorance that is in them and are The JEW in the Mysterie that alwaies resists the Holy Ghost and as their Fathers did so do they Act. 8.54 55 56 57. may know that though they gnash upon the Saints of God with their teeth cry out with a loud voice stop their ears run upon them with one accord cast them out of the City and stone them yet do those holy ones of God look up steadfastly into Heaven and see and behold the glory of God the Heavens opened and Jesus standing on the right hand of God and do freely cry aloud unto the Lord that he may not lay this sin to their charge 3. That those poor creatures who are wise in their own eyes and think they know someting Pro. 3.7 when they know nothing as they ought to know may behold and see that the stone which is rejected and set at naught by those who think and call themselves Master-builders and would have others to think also so of them Mat. 21.42 is becom'd the head stone in the corner and it is the Lords doing though wonderful in the eyes of men 4. That those who have spoken evil of these Truths accounting them as blaspemous erroneous and heretical may know that according to that way which they call Heresie Act. 24.14 I worship the God of my Fathers And if there be any thing in these Discourses that the wisdom learning or reason of men can overthrow then it is not of God for Mat. 15.13 every plant that the Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted out but what is of him must stand And therefore if the wisdom of the Serpent hath any thing to say against any thing herein conteined let it be brought forth for I hope and know that the Lord in me and in all his will defend his own truth so that the gates of Hell shall not be able to prevaile against it Mat. 16.16 and I can truly say the Lord is on my side I will not feare what man can do unto me 5. That the Lord alone may be magnified who hath carried forth my spirit to bear witnesse against all unrighteousnesse of men who withhold the truth of God in unrighteousness Rom. 1.18 and that without respect of persons and especially against all those Churches Worships Professions Confessions Opinions Covenants Gatherings Traditions of men observations of Times Idol-Pastors Hirelings false Teachers Forms and such like which are made appointed constituted ordained set up and practiced by men by the carnal wisdom learning wit reason and policy of the world Eph. 4.4 5 6. For I witness One body and One spirit even as I am called in one hope of my calling one Lord One Faith one Baptisme Heb 8.7 one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in all And this is the Tabernacle that God hath pitched and not man in which Temple all the Saints are living stones 1 Cor. 3.9 are Gods building Gods workmanship and are all gathered into this body by the spirit and power of God and not by man for by one spirit they are all baptized into one body
miserable and undone man If once man come to be thus lost undone and brought down in himself then will Jesus Christ make him a Feast of fat things if once his peace be lost his righteousnes lost his joy lost his help lost his strength lost then will Jesus Christ be all these unto him he will make out a peace for him a righteousnesse for him a glory for him he will be to him a feast of fat things full of marrow and wine on the lees well refined And so as he saith in the next verse I will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people and the vail that is spread over all Nations That is mans opinion of his own goodnes his seeming righteousnes which was as a covering as a vail that man could not see himself miserable and under wrath and hell and darknesse This is the covering every man naturally hath an opinion of his own goodness he hath something or other to cover himself withall but some have finer and as they conceive richer coverings then others they think they have more holines and more repentance and more love and more good works these are by so much the worse these are at a farther distance from the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 21.31 And Publicans and Harlots and the vilest sinners shall goe into the Kingdom of heaven and they themselves that have so much holiness shall be shut out Luk. 23.45 Here now The vail of the Temple must be rent from the top to the bottom The rock of their righteousness must be rent their shame must be laid open Ibid. 12.3 what they have done in the secret chambers of their own hearts must now be proclaimed upon the house top they cannot conceal it the covering is removed Now they come to see that Jesus Christ is only the rock of their righteousness and that they have none at all all other rocks all other righteousnesses must be rent that so their want their misery their condemnation their hell their horrour their darkness and delusion may be discovered and if men be once brought to this to be content to be miserable as indeed all mankind is by reason of the fall to be content to see themselves undone to be shut up under the wrath of God condemnation sealed upon them and the pit to have shut her mouth upon them having once thus lost all their power wisdom righteousnes then all death hell and darknes shal be swallowed up in the death of Christ Then he wil as it is in the eighth verse Esay 25.8 Swallow up death in victory and the Lord God shall wipe away all tears from all faces In this mountain he will take away all sorrow and the rebuke of their sins all guilt all condemnation all bonds all captivity all strong holds all chains all death all fears griefs terrors and all things of that nature This rock this mountain will swallow up all and so take away the rebuke of his people When a man is brought into this mountain he shal be thus fed with fat things and wine on the lees and all tears washed away nothing left of that nature and this is that day of the Lord this is the Lords resting day and this is the souls Sabbath and resting day when all rebukes all frowns all griefes are removed All other Sabbaths and rests externall are but figures and representations of this true rest And then it follows in the ninth verse And it shall be said in that day Loe Esay 25.9 this is our God we have waited for him this is the Lord we have waited for him he will save us and we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation for in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest c. when Christ hath thus appeared to the destruction of all things in man and hath brought him out of himselfe and hath ruined all his strength righteousnes wisdom c. then Christ wil be all in all to him then will he feast him in this mountain and the soul seeing all these things accomplished in it self then it cannot chuse but rejoyce triumph and sing Even the Song of Moses and the Lamb This is our God that we have waited for This is the Lord in him alone is power and wisdom and righteousnes loving kindnesses and tender merecies Thou O Lord only art worthy to receive honour Rev. 4.11 and glory and power thou alone art our strength and Our salvation all their happines is concentred in this One God and they have no God but him no Saviour but him they have but One God and one faith and one baptisme Eph. 4.4 5 6. One body one spirit one hope One Lord one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in all They rejoyce in this that they see themselves made nothing that they are emptied of themselves of their power wisdom righteousnes they now rejoyce triumph and sing because the vail of covering of the all Nations is removed in their hearts that their high thoughts are brought down that their wisdom is made folly that their opinion of their own glory of their own somethingness of their own holiness is removed and Christ alone is He in whom they enjoy all things From hence ye may conclude upon this point That Christ alone is the Saints strong mountain Doct. and their feast of all good things He is only their mountain of strength he is their joy and their song he hath rent and destroyed the face of the Covering which is upon all people they see that none can remove this Covering but Christ alone and therfore he having done this in them and for them Psal 4.7 this rejoyceth their hearts far more then if he had increased their Corn or their Wine or their Oyle here is their feast here is their day of Thanksgiving here is their Sabbath which shall never end here is their marrow and fatness here their wine and their fat things full of marrow He is their mountain their glory their rock and all this they see is wrought in them by the power only of Jesus Christ And this adds to their rejoycing that they see they had no hand in it they see that they did not chuse him but he chose them that they instead of chusing him ran away from him opposed him fought against him and yet he followed them and never left them till he had conquered them and this now is their joy and their praise and their song and nothing in heaven or earth shall be exalted or magnified by them but only Jesus Christ their strong mountain their feast of all good things These Souls only come to see that there is a vail and that this is the vail of Covering spread over all Nations all those upon whom the vail is see not the vail but he only in whom 't is rent from whom it s removed And all their desire
the things which are purified with better things then the blood of Bulls and Goats nothing could purchase nor purifie these things but onely the blood and the death of the Son of God Here the soule comes to fee clearly and to handle and experiment and tast the Heavenly things themselvs which were from the beginning 1 Joh. 1.1 which we have heard and which we have seen with â—ur eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life Then the soul truly falls in love with Christ then it eyes him and surveys him then it magnifies and adores him then it loses it selfe in him and dotes upon him then is he all beauty and all perfection to it and then it loseth self-seeking and self-interest and self-glorying and the like and sees him onely to be the Lord of life life alone glory alone riches alone mercy alone light alone pretious alone and nothing in Heaven or earth to be desired but him alone Then it can say experimentally and feelingly with David and not complementally as most professours do Psal 73.25 26. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none in the earth that I desire in comparison of thee And my flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever This soule is indeed the Temple of God and hath in it the true light Majesty and Glory of God but all other men do but play with shadows and are but exercised about the patterns of these things which are to come and have not the things themselves notwithstanding their confidences and strong conceits And now this light being in thee this is to be thy guide this is to be thy teacher thy Master and no other can be till this come in the Scriptures themselves nay Christ in the flesh and all things whatever ye can name are but Dark lanthorns without these divine teachings for he is only a light and a guide a Master and Ruler unto spiritual men and he is only Riches Peace Power Love Glory onely unto these men 't is not those that can talk much of him and who have high notions and speculations of him that can love or adore him truly but onely those who thus enjoy him He that walks by any other light or any other guide then by the light of the Tabernacle Esa 5.11 he walks in his own light and in the sparks of his own kindling and they never did Esa 5.1 nor never can receive other at the Lords hand but to lie down in sorrow But this is to lean upon the highest and purest wisdom to depend and rest on him who is only Alsufficient this is to be taken off all other things all other sufficiencies which are so to other men They can really see there is nothing in man nothing in the world but that all are full of emptiness and vanity and deceit this man sees and really knows all this other men talk much of them as if they were to them the onely excellencies and that all below them are nothing but shadows and delusions but secretly in their hearts they do not think so and their practices tell us otherways their eager seeking them their close holding and hugging them plainly declares that they lye with their tongues Psal 78.36 and dissemble in their hearts And they teach to others that which they never yet touched with one of their fingers And to them the things themseles to act in them to live by them Luk. 11.46 are those heavy burdens which the Pharisees laid upon other men shoulders but not touched them themselves He that is guided by any other light or by any other teachers he forsakes the light the life and glory of Christ and goes down into Emptinesse Darknesse Misery Sin and the delusions of his own heart He that thinks the Scriptures to be a light and a teacher or a rule or a guide without this Heavenly and Divine Teacher in him he depends upon that which can never teach nor guide aright without him and therefore when men talk so much of the Scriptures and misse this light they are but in darknesse and meerly delude themselves and others While Adam in the state of innocency beheld this light in him he adhered to it alone he saw no other light no other fire no other guide this was the Tree of life to him this was Riches Glory Fulnesse Gen. 3. all in all but he casting his eye upon the tree of knowledge of good and evil this false light misled him and led him down into darkness death blindness irrecoverable misery and never to return to the tree of life and this was by following the counsels and teaching of his own heart and indeed this is the condition of all the sons of men not one excluded no not one can return for there is a flaming cherub turning every way to keep the way of the tree of life And there is none can remove this Cherub but only the Son of God man with all his wisdom and power can do nothing in it he with all his excellencies is gone down for ever into the pit of Darkness Job 10.21 never to return Now only Jesus Christ is the new and living way the gate to life the true Teacher the only guide the only VNDERTAKER for all those that shall return He alone saith to Adam Where art thou hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee thou shouldest not eat Gen. 3.9 and in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die Jesus Christ alone is he that discovers man to be naked to see himselfe undone and miserable by following his own will and wisdom he alone can set up a light in the soule to shew man his folly and madnesse he alone can set before him Hell Death the Curse Damnation and Destruction And if man goe about to return in his own light or by his own wisedome he sets himself but more into misery and darknesse and even Publicans and Harlots shall sooner return then these men Mat. 21.31 Ibid. 23.15 who in their own and others eyes are the wisest of men the highest the holiest of the sons of men And these men for all they take so much pains and are so strict over themselves as they would be thought to be and require it of others yet they are no other but those Pharisees and Hypocrits which compass Sea and Land to make if possible ONE Proselyte and when he is made Gen. 2.25 they make him two-fold more the child of Hell then before While Adam lived in that state wherein he was created in the Light of God and in the Glory of God in the Wisdom and Life of God man was not ashamed though he was naked for the glory and light of God was in him which was his life excellency and glory but when he went hence and followed other Counsel Ch. 3.6 the whispering
or owne them before his Father Those that are ashamed to bear this testimony of him and to be Witnesses and Martyrs for him he will be ashamed of them He is not ashamed to own thee in thy blood and filthiness and shall we be ashamed to owne him and to ascribe that to him which is his due But in stead of giving testimony to the glory of HIS name thou studiest and contrivest which way thou mayest be something that thou mayest be esteemed and that Christ may be nothing that he may be debased but be assured In that day all these things shall be laid open And God is a jealous God and will not suffer his honour to be polluted Esa 42.8 nor will give his glory to any other Further from all this which hath been said it appears that t is in vain to seek for or expect any light to guide any of the sons of men any where else but from the Tabernacle T is in vain to follow any other Star but that which led the Wise men to Jesus Christ he that sets up any other Sun of righteousness to guide him Mal. 4.2 any other light any other rule to walk by that thinks he can teach himself or offer any sacrifices or prayers to be accepted with the Father but his alone or assumes any power to command himself in any thing this man is no other but a lyar a thief and a robber a blasphemer and a traitor for he robs God of his honour and denyes Jesus Christ to be King Priest and Prophet which is alone his right Beloved happy is that soule who hath forsaken himselfe and all other lights and minds onely this light from the Tabernacle that cannot follow any other counsel that knows the voyce of Christ and the light and life of Christ from all other Lights or Lives Joh. 10.5 and that will not follow the voyce of any stranger They know the Light and shinings forth of God from all other shinings These are the true Wise men the spiritual and true Magicians if they see any other Star any other false Meteor they can distinguish it and follow his Star alone they have found in experience where they have followed any other light or guide they stumbled and fell He knowes if he do he shall be led into the Land of darkness into a Wildernesse of sorrows and miseries where are Tygers Leopards and the Owles and the scrith Owles the Jims and Ziims of the desart or Night-Monsters as the Prophet esaiah excellenly and elegantly speaks And again saith he Ye shall kindle a fire and walk in the sparks thereof Esa 34.11.14 13.20 Ibid. 50 11. but this ye shall receive at my Hand ye shall lie down in sorrow Man naturally follows that light that he hath found out not regarding the fire of the Sanctuary and as with a Stone and a Steel he strikes fire for himselfe and gathers up some combustible matter Wood Hay 1 Cor. 3.12 and Stubble of his owne finding some things of his own getting together and here he makes himself a light and a fire and he thinks by his Wisdom and by his Learning to hammer beat and finde out the truth of the Scriptures Rom. 2.19 Esa 55.4 and he thinks that he can teach and he can counsel and he is a leader of the blind which is only Christs work and office and he can define out errours and restrain them by his rules and directions when alas poor blind man he never yet found the darknesse of his own heart he never yet saw the errours of his own heart are not these then blind leaders of the blind as our Saviour saith and both must needs fall into the ditch Mat. 15.14 This is the very same thing which Nadab and Abihu did to offer strange fire of their own before the Lord when thou bringest all thy duties Levit. 10.1 all thy parts all thy endeavours and though thou offerest them as pretended on the true Altar Jesus Christ yet if offered by thy self thou art that Nadab and Abihu there described And the fine of the Lord will break forth to thy utter ruin and destruction for never any thing ever pleased the Father but that one alone and Eternal sacrifice which is continually offered onely by himselfe he abhors that any of thy duties any of thy menstruous rags should be joyned in with his most perfect Esa 64.6 Deut. 22.11 yea onely righteousnesse This Garment of linsey-woolsey his people may not wear All things that are done in the world proceed but from two principles there is not one action of any of the sons of men but proceeds either from the power or wisdom of man or from Jesus Christ if from man as man its loathsome stinking abominable though never so refined though they bestow never so much labour industry learning all their Wits and Parts To put upon it the neatest cut and the finest dresse Jam. 3.15 Nah. 1.5 2 Pet. 3 20 they are all but earthly sensual and devilish which must to Hell and the earth with all the works thereof shall be burnt up for ever Every sacrifice that is offered in the world must be kindled with fire from Heaven by the fire of the Sanctuary offered on this Altar which alone is Jesus Christ and that alone perfect High Priest else t is kindled by this strange fire which is no other but devouring fire either t is of the earth earthly or else t is of the Lord from Heaven 1 Cor. 15.47 if it be from Heaven it shall be raised up to heaven It is sown in weakness but t is raised up in power if it be from man t is from the bottomless pit it is from fin and weaknesse and thither it must return and in this state and condition are all the actions of the world even all the actions inventions forms in dustrys of men and they all tend to crucifie the Lord of life and power that so man and his doings Joh. 18.40 his contrivances his Idols may stand and be adored All the sons of men cry out for a Barrabas that so the wisdom of the flesh and the power of man may be established and that that everlasting righteous Son of God which would be working living raigning in man may be crucified and utterly destroyed This they may do and doe do and yet may talk much of an outward and external Christ which once dyed at Jerusalem and pretend much love to him Never any of the sons of men ever received that true Christ we speak of though much cryed up in the world for never any received him but to them he gave power to become the sons of God Never any received him nor followed him but he denyed himself Joh. 1.12 and took up his Cross which never any man did that is not emptied of himselfe made nothing in his own sight Luk. 14.7 that is not stript of
he shall look upon all things in himselfe as nothing but darknesse and man will then no longer call light darknesse nor darknesse light but he will say Woe is me verily I thought my righteousness my holinesse my performances and duties and worshippings of God I thought these to be BRIGHT THINGS but now the Lord hath appeared upon me I see that all my goodness is as the morning dew and as the cloud that passeth away And he alone is my help my deliverer my holinesse my Sanctification and my Redemption He alone is my song and my salvation and of him alone will I make my boast THE SECRET SOUTHSAYER OR Hidden SORCERER discovered By Mr. Jo. WEBSTER Preached at Alhallows Lumbard-street MICAH 5.10 11 12 13. And I will cut off the Cities of thy Land and throw down all thy strong holds I will cut off Witchcrafts out of thine hand and thou shalt have no more Southsayers Thy graven Images also will I cut off and thy standing Images out of the midst of thee and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands BEloved there is in all the sons of men a spirit of hatred and opposition against the wisdom power and righteousnesse of God ever since their going out and departing from the presence of the Lord having forsaken him their rock and their stay they have turned down into their own wisdom and power and having chosen that for their God and their guide they will not by any means be turned back to the Lord to forsake themselves their own wisdom and righteousnesse power and parts but they use all their study and endeavours to goe on with all confidence after the gods of their own hands which they have made and chosen and man never returns to that love peace and amity with the Lord but by the Almighty hand of the Lord by the very same power and no other but only that which can raise the dead out of their graves Rom. 4.24 ch 8.11 Jer. 2.13 and the same spirit that raised Jesus-Christ from the grave And ever since this departing from the fountain of life to the broken and empty Cisterns of the creature there are but only two Leaders two Guides two Masters two Teachers which all the sons of men follow there are but only two seeds Gen. 3.14 15. ch 4.2 1 John 3.9 the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent There are but only two Brethren Cain and Abel the Immortal and perfect seed of God which is holy pure and undefiled which cannot sin and that wicked cursed hellish seed of Satan which never did nor never doth nor never shall doe any thing else but sin rebel and fight against the wisdom light and power of God There is no middle seed between these two All actions all thoughts all industry all inventions all Religions are either from the wisdom which is from above Jam. 3.15 17. 1 Cor. 15.47 48 49. or else from that earthly and humane wisdom which is from man and from below As the one is from Heaven Heavenly so the other is from the earth earthly the first man is of the earth earthly the second is the Lord from Heaven heavenly And as are the earthy such are they that are earthy and as is the heavenly such are they also that are heavenly and as we have born the image of the earthy so shall we also bear the Image of the heavenly The one of these Guides is light and truth and glory and leads to rest peace fulnesse satisfaction the other leads to darknesse misery and destruction and yet pretends to light and truth and wisdom but the waies thereof goe down to the chambers of death This earthly guide alwaies draws downward to seek rest in the creature Pro. 7.27 in something either without man or within him and so drawes and deludes away the poore soule of man from that Eternal Al-sufficient JEHOVAH to sit down satisfied with the empty and broken comforts and helplesse Idols that the inventions of men have made and set up and say These be thy Gods O Israel Exo. 32.4 which will bring thee out of bondage and give thee possession of the land of Canaan the one is the true light and the true vision the true URIM and THUMMIM which never can mislead or deceive Ibid. 28.30 the other is the spirit of darknesse ignorance deceit witchcraft sorcery a lying and a familiar spirit And it pretends to seek after God and after holiness and after peace and rest but t is meer Sorcery and Witchcraft This is that Jannes and Jambres that alwaies will withstand Moses for they pretend to imitate Moses but they are no other but Wizzards Southsayers and deceivers they pretend for the truth and yet withstand the truth and saies the Apostle As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so doe these also resist the truth 2 Tim. 3.8 being men of corrupt minds and reprobate concerning the faith But they shall proceed no farther for their folly shall be made known unto all men as their also was They shall be found to be no other but Deceivers Magicians Southsayers These words we have now read they shew us what man is and what all men doe before they come to the light of God they shew that he is blind in himselfe 2 Tim. 3.13 deceiving and being deceived that he is confident in his own power in his own wisdom and that he chuseth to himselfe Horses and Chariots for his defence and preservation and he will have a Captain and a Leader of his own chusing whom he will follow And he useth all his inventions to secure himselfe against all that shall oppose him Esay 30.16 Jer. 2.23 he hath builded himselfe Forts and Castles and Strong-holds and Bulwarks and he hath the Charitos of Egypt and swift Dromedaries as the Prophet speaks to secure and deliver him on which he rests trusts and depends and on which he rides and thinks that those things shall defend and deliver him And the truth is so great and so deep and so subtily contrived are all his witchcrafts that all the wisdom of all the sonnes of men is never able to discover them to be so but only the wisdom spirit of God and that onely can discover these seeret and close and fine contrived inchantments like Pharaohs Magicians how did they act and imitate and doe the same things Moses did for a long time as if they had wrought by the same power Moses did Exo. 7.11 22 c. when as they were no other but Deceivers and Enchanters and Magicians In the same way doe Magicians worke in all ages Whatever the Saints and people of God doe by the power of God they can contrive and imitate the same in all their spirituall inchantments they have their Temples and their Worship and their Groves their forms and inventions Mark 13.21 and cry loe here and loe there when these are
1. Henceforth know we no man after the flesh no though we had known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth know we him no more This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven that is whatever has been done by him to your sight shall be done in a Heavenly and Spiritual manner after that same manner shall all those things be done over again of which all those things were but the symbole the pattern and the resemblance of the actions of Christ in the soul for ever You know it is all along prophesied of the Messiah what a great and mighty King he should be and that the Government should be upon his shoulders and that he should rule over all his enemies with a rod of Iron and the like Esa 9.6 Psal 2.9 That none of all the oppressing Conquerors and Nimrods of the Earth should be able to stand in the day of his power Now we know these things were not fulfilled in the days of his flesh neither are all the strong and mighty Nimrods destroyed to this day but cruelty and oppression and the Monarchyes of the World are in their full power still Therefore there must needs be a further meaning Certainly therefore they are the Mighty Nimrods in the spirits of men which are to be brought down those high thoughts and strong holds and towering Imaginations that lift up men in their own thoughts that say I am and there is none besides as Babylon Isa 47.8 Rev. 18.7 I sit a Queen and shall see no sorrow I have the onely true worship and loe Christ is in my way and in my form and in my rules and I of all other Churches come neerest the rule when Christ saith plainly go not after them for if it were possible they shall deceive the very Elect if they say he is in the street or in the wildernesse Mat. 24.23 Luk. 17.20 if they say he is in the secret chamber believe them not for the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation There is nothing to be known of Jesus Christ in the Spirit and in the Mystery by all the highest Forms and Ordinances as they call them in the whole world for we see how many men doe daily live in them use them handle them and never yet come to enjoy Christ in the Spirit And all is because they make these forms and duties and fellowships and washings and eating bread and drinking wine to be no other but graven Images wherein they rest and blesse themselves in their Idols Exo. 32 4. and say these be thy Gods O Israel For there is no one that ever entred into these Forms and Modes mending this and reforming tother and thinking this mans fashion is better then tother I say there is no one but blesses himself in kissing his Idol saying at least in their hearts now God will bless me now I am in a better condition now I have my hearts desire and to all other men they say secretly stand farther off Esa 65 5. I am holier then thou I am in a better way then any other Church and so censure all that go not in their new fashion and after their new Cut. But be assured for all these thy graven Images which thou hast so bedecked and that are so SACRED that no man may speak against them but he shall be censured for a Devil a Blasphemer a son of Belial yet the Lord when he comes with his light he will discover thy Nakedness thy Witchcrafts thy Sorceries and he will let thee see that thou art no Saint as thou wouldest be thought to be 2 Cor. 11.14 but a Devil transformed into an Angel of light and thou shalt be made to confesse this and all thy goodness shall be as the morning dew Hos 6.4 And thou shalt see that all thy Inchanters and Sorcerers and Magitians and Peepers and Southsayers with all their cunning and neat Interpretations of Scripture to serve their own turns to maintain their delusions and sorceries all these will not when Christ shall come in his light stand thee in any stead But thou and they shall be utterly ashamed and confounded together when Christ shal once speak that word in thee in the power of the Spirit Psal 97.7 Confounded be all they that worship graven Images then both the Maker the Former and the Worshipper thereof shall be in a most miserable condition In as much as men have taken more pains about their Idols and Images and made them more neat and curious and in as much as they have spent more time herein and have been OLD Worshippers of Old Idols so much the more will be their shame and their confusion 'T is true you may call them Ordinances and give them neat names but Christ will then ask who required these things at your hands And yet they were the things he did require Esa 1.12 But think you I am pleased with sacrifices or bodily worships which profit not at all and which never could make the commers thereunto perfect Heb. 10.1 If Jesus Christ appear not in these and strip thee of thy Idols and of thy Sorceries thy wayes lead down to darkness and to the bottomless pit and thou shalt never enter into the new Jerusalem but wilt be without among lyars and whormongers and sorcerers and dogs for even thou Rev. 21.8 22.15 who pretendest to serve Jesus Christ thou art the very man that hast crucified him and put him to death thou art Hee that hast slain the two Witnesses which lie dead in the street of the great City which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt Ibid. 11.8 where also our Lord is crucified When man thinks that any good thing is in him or shal deny that Jesus is alone wisdom righteousness power goodness c. he hath slain and crucified Christ and killed those two Eternal Witnesses And these are the two Olive trees Verse 4 5. and the two Candlesticks which shall for ever stand before the God of the whole Earth and these two answer one another for ever and run and empty themselves into each other for ever before the presence of God and if any man shall dare to hurt these two Witnesses which the Eternal God hath ordained to stand before him for ever then fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies and if any man hurt them he must in like manner be killed When Christ will arise and will raise up these two Witnesses which are slain by all the sons of men and which lie dead in every street in every Nation and in the streets of the great City of the whole Earth This is no other but spiritually Sodom and Egypt where our Lord was and is crucified and not onely at Jerusalem where he was Litterally and Externally crucified but here in Sodom and Egypt spiritually where was and
and ORDAINE Ministers and they speak of giving the Holy Ghost but alasse I say all these are but resemblances and shadows they are not the true Ordinances of Christ and notwithstanding mens using of these things with so much appearance of strictnesse and exactuesse yet they have them not For they are in bondage still they were never yet delivered set free indeed nor never Baptized with the Baptisme of Christ never yet fetcht off their own bottoms never taken into Vnion with Christ who will undertake to give the Spirit and the Holy Ghost and yet never had it themselves and therefore all those things that these men use are nothing but shadows Outsides Shels and Carkasses of the true Ordinances of Christ You know many came to Johns Baptisme even of the Pharisees and yet they wre but a Generation of Vipers their consciences told them that John was a true Prophet Mat. 3.7 and they began to smite them and they thought it was a duty they were bound to that thereby they should prevent the wrath to come and they presently take it up as having power of their own to do any thing in Religion and here they thought themselves secure and that they had really prevented the wrath to come But the true Baptisme and the true Ordinanes and the true Worship are things of a farre higher nature There is a HEAVENLY Baptisme and a Heavenly Worship and an Heavenly Ord inance I saith John Baptize with Water but there is one that commeth after me Ver. 11 12. who is preferred before me He shall Baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire I must decrease but HE must increase My Baptisme is nothing I must stand by when he comes I baptize but unto repentance but He gives repentance and the Holy Spirit The Heavenly things are of a far higher nature These are but the pictures and the shadows the shells and the outsides the other the Life and the Power the Holy Ghost and the Fire it self Now they that receive these things are indeed the Children of the Free-Woman and are the true seed of Abraham All other are the Children of the Bond-Woman and are HAGAR who is in bondage with her Children to this very day For as it was with Hagar so is it now and hath been alwayes in all ages and generations The children of the Bond-woman do alwayes exalt themselves and are very sawcy and peremptory toward the children of the Free-woman why because they are Circumcised and submit to Ordinances and think themselves of the seed of Abraham therefore they grow proud lofty and censorious and usurp too much over the Children of the Free-woman even as their mother before the Hagar she despised her Mistress and lifted up her selfe more then was fit for her Therefore this is determined concerning her Cast out the Bond-woman and her Son for the Son of the Bond-woman shall not be heir with the Son of the Free-woman Gal. 4.25 When once the Handmaid who is in the house but by sufferance will exalt her selfe above THE MISTRESSE and her SON born after the flesh begin to persecute him that is born after the spirit then away with her cast out both her and her Sons too And farther know this that when the appearance of the power of Christ comes into the soul that is when the Bond-woman and her son is cast out then the soul doth not as some imagine and teach work out its own liberty nor is it made free by its own power Ibid 5.1 but Christ brings in this liberty with him and from this liberty the soule acts and works The children of the Free-woman do not work to be set free but because they are set free therefore they work freely and cannot but so work And herein lies a broad difference between the children of the Bond-woman and the children of the Free-woman When the sons of the Bondwoman hear of any thing that man is required to do presently they think to work themselves to it by their care watchfulnesse resolution c. But now it is quite contrary with the sons of the Free-woman they having a Principle of Freedom act and work from this the one worships God from an internal Principle in the power of the spirit the other from an outward compulsory cause and not from the power of love So likewise the one doth all his actions out of love to men doing good to all men in the world being willing to serve all out of love Pittying all Counselling all willing to help all so far as lies in them Imitating their Heavenly Father who doth good to all to the good and evil just and unjust Mat. 5.45 and meerly from a Heavenly Principle of mercy pitty and loving kindnesse and bowels of mercy But the other His Religion consists in outward forms in washings and dippings and conformity to Fellowships and whatever they do it is not from the power of love or from the nature of their heavenly fater in them but from some external cause from something without them from fear or hope either to prevent some danger or to procure something which they conceive in a general notion to be good for them to make them happy and the like because Hell they hear is a terrible place and full of Horrour and Destruction and Heaven is a place of peace joy and rest and there they shall live for ever in pleasure which shall never end upon these two grounds most men act and take up the strictest forms of Worship and hereupon they may be very constant and very zealous and sincere as they conceive when alas all these things are nothing at all so nor so for the truth is Hell they love and live in and yet know not that they are in it and that which is true heaven to the soule they hate and run away from as being the place of misery death and torments to them Therefore ye may see what a miserable delusion and cursed vaile is generally upon the Hearts of most men which call themselves Men fearing God and that which they call the Worship of God is no other but inventions of their own as they practice them and WILL-WORSHIP And though they keep a great deal of stirre about Ordinances and breaking of bread yet alas how far they are from the Ordinances of Christ let the effects of their practice and lives declare how little do they feed on Christ as they pretend to do He that feeds on Christ partakes of his nature and Christ in them turns the stock into his own Nature as Peter speaks Luk. 11.28 Ibid. 22.19 and they hear the word and keep it and these truly feed on Christ and do it in remembrance of him But these pretenders to Ordinances and outward duties they in stead of feeding on Christ or being fed by him they are fed indeed but by whom even by Satan himselfe for he makes them live and rest upon these shadows and
within that PRINCIPLE of darknesse from whence all evil actions come this is that our Saviour labours to clear and make out Now this was such spirituall doctrin and such soul-seardching teaching and that which the Pharisees in no age could ever abide No sooner come within them and turn them insides outward but presently they are offended and then they will shew what is within the poor blind world thought they were made up of purity and conformity but when Christ comes to preach he discovers that in their hearts is nothing but malice murther thefts blasphemies Mat. 15.18 19. hatred of the truth cruelty to the people of God and then all this shall come forth and be no longer hid by their fine words and smooth shews and pretences but out it shall come and be discovered This is that Serpentive wisdom that lies hid and lies lurking in the hearts of all the sons of men which can never be discovered by all the examinations and preachings of men but onely by the son of God and by his teachings in the soul and indeed HEE is that stone that is disalowed indeed of men refused and rejected by the Master Builders Psal 118.22 Mat. 21.42 1 Pet. 2.4 1 Cor. 4.5 but chosen of God and precious Now this Heavenly Doctrine the Disciples themselves could not well bear for they had as well as others a good opinion of these Eminent men and they thought this Doctrine was somewhat too harsh to call them Hypocrits Dissemblers rotten Sepulchres though gloriously painted They thought their Master might have been a little more moderate and they feared something of bad consequence might follow for these were the men of the greatest esteem and most in favour with the Magistrate and they for their parts could expect no other but reproach hatred and persecution these things much troubled them they not being sitted to suffer But now Jesus Christ their Master he was delivered from all these slavish fears he stood not in fear of man nor what he could do but would in despite of all their power and malice hold forth the truth and the light that is might discover the hidden things of darkness and the bottomlesse depth of sin and darknesse that was rooted in mans evil heart and in them chiefly reigning who were ignorant of these things and yet had high had great opinions of their own holiness and excellencies Hereupon our Lord to stay and quiet the troubled thoughts of his Disciples he makes them this answer we have now read to you Every plant which my Heavenly Father hath not planted must be rooted up One would think this not to be a resolution or a pertinent answer to clear his former Doctrine but hee goes on Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man but that which cometh out of the mouth this defileth a man What fitnesse or congruity is there between these words and his doctrine formerly urged to be as a proof to justifie and maintain it Truly unto fleshly wisdome it seems to be a very impertinent and no wise answer But if we take it according to the spirit and the divine sense it is very pertinent fit and congruous For t is as if he should say Be not careful take no thought about them whatever they say act or do they indeed are very strict and careful to follow and obey all outward rites ceremonies and worships and they glory in these things and all others applaud and honour them for the highest and zealousest worshippers but for all this they are no other but Dissemblers and Hypocrits being onely gildedi over with a form of Piety and Religion but within they are no thing but rotten and stinking Sepulchres which are full of stench and dead mens bones Now be ye not offended though they are mad and rage against me and my doctrine and though they incense the whole multitude against me yet I am not troubled 1 Cor. 15.47 neither would I have you for this plant which they would make the world beleeve is from heaven it is not so but it is only of and from man is from the earth from beneath and this Religion in its true savour savours of the earth earthy For saith he Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up But that which is from heaven and is planted by the hand of my Father that shall grow and root and flourish and though to man it seem poor and weak and despicable and men will not own it yet it shall flourish and neither men nor the Gates of Hell nor all the powers of Darkness nor all the subtile wisedom of the flesh shall ever be able to prevaile against it Therefore I say these words are a pertinent answer to establish the troubled mindes of his Disciples in bidding them forbear and let them alone and not to be troubled to see them prosper and flourish in the world nor to see them rage and storm for my Father is Alsufficient and he is able to manage his own business and to maintain his own cause Ps 74 22. and I know also that they are blind and they lead the blind and you shall see both will fall into the ditch And therefore doe you mind what I say and not what they say for they are Blind and you by all your talking and reasoning with them cannot make them see you will but trouble your own peace and make them more mad for they are blind and there is a ditch before them prepared for Blindness and blind men wherein they are sure to fall So that these three things I would have you to take special notice of from these words First that t is the Heavenly fathers own hand that plants every plant that must grow and prosper Secondly that every plant which is planted by any other hand or power shall not prosper but be rooted up Thirdly that those which see not these things so and cannot leave them to God 2 Cor. 7.10 they bring upon themselvs much trouble and unquietnesse Worldly trouble and fretting brings nothing about but causeth death For the wrath of man accomplisheth not the righteousness of God Jam. 1.20 Though these great blustering Doctors undertake to Teach and others gladly and attentively hear them and they magnifie one another yet be not troubled they shall both fall together Every plant which the father plants not shall be rooted up Now if we should hold onely to the Letter and the Grammatical sense which the men of the Letter cry out so much for what an absurdity were here to call spiritual things by the name of A PLANT and they must be rooted as a Plant before they can flourish and grow but the Scripture is very frequent in this manner of speaking by Allegories Metaphors and Similitudes to set forth to our apprehension the nature of Divine things for if we look upon the bare Letter what is there in it But by an Adegory or
none to boast of none to talk of none to represent as good and holy or excellent but Christ alone And thus ye shall finde it was with David frequently exprest and so it is with all the Saints 1 Sam. 2.2 2 Sam. 22.2 3.32 Ps 18.31 36 Ps 31.2 3 c. 2 Tim. 6.15 Hee alone is their strong Rock and their Fortress and their Deliverer He is their Song and their Praise and their Salvation and no god nor rock like theirs He is their King of Kings and Lords of Lords He is with them above all Principalities and Powers He is their Head King the blessed and ONLY POTENTATE and exalted alone be thou the rock of my Salvation do we read that ever the Saints had any other Hymns or any other Songs Father let us Hence take notice If Jesus Christ is the only Tree planted by the Father then there is no other Tree of the Fathers planting but only HE He is the true Tree and the whole tree there is not one Heavenly or Spiritual branch or a sprig but what is of Him t is most certain there is no other tree of life no other chosen OLIVE to stand up for ever before the God of the whole EARTH Rom. 11.17 of whose root and fatnesse all the Saints partake But truly Beloved he that will bear out this Testimony fully and freely Oh! let him be sure he must prophesie in Sackcloth Rev. 11.3 c. the Religious World could never endure these Preachers nor these great Eternal Witnesses they have been hated and persecuted in all ages by this Beast which ascendeth out of the Bottomless pit For the world cannot but hate the life of Christ even then when they Crown him and array him in a purple robe Mat. 27.29 Mark 11.10 and when they seem most to honour him and cry Hayle King of the Jews HOSANNA to the Son of David then they are neerest to crucifie him But know as this Doctrine discovers Christ to be the onely tree so it also discovers the Hand that hath planted it and that hand will root it and establish it Deu. 32.4 Esa 28.16 2 Tim. 2.19 Psal 110.4 Rev. 13.8 He hath laid the foundation thereof in Sion and his work is perfect His work is like himself perfect infinite everlasting and standeth sure whatever men say He alone shall be established on Mount Sion He hath sworn he shall be a Priest for ever after the Order of Melchisedeck and he alone is the Lamb slain from the beginning when a mans eyes are opened then all the whole Scripture and the whole Earth and the whole Creation give Testimony to this One Tree of the Fathers planting and there is no salvation in any other Acts. 4.12 there was never any other in whom the Father was well pleased Mat. 3.17 The world talk of obeying Laws and keeping the Condition on mans part but there is no Law nor no Condition but himselfe and if he be the Law and the Condition in us then we are in Vnion with him and there is no other way of acceptance Christ is he alone that remains and is established He stands and grows up to Eternity and all his members in him Mat. 15.18 18. 1 Pet. 1.25 2 Pet. 3.10 Heaven and earth shall passe away but the WORD This great word of the Lord indureth for ever And all the Elements shall consume and melt with fervent heat as the Apostle speaks the earth also and all the works that are therein shall be burnt up And he shall be the only plant and the only tree When the New Heavens and the New Earth shall appear then nothing shall hide this tree nothing shall ALTER it nothing shall darken the glory thereof from the Sons of God Then this will be the DAY of the exaltation of Jesus Christ and this is the day of the Revelation of the Sons of God Rom. 8.18 Heb. 13.8 Christ in himselfe is yesterday and to day and the same for ever but when this day comes he shall be so to all the Saints this is the day of which the Apostle speaks Rom. Rom. 8.18 c. 8.18 Rom. 8.18 c. c. When the glory of God shall be revealed in us and this is the day when the Creature also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God when man is delivered from the bondage of corruption then is the Creature also They shall not serve the sinful and corrupt will of man as now they do but remaine in that free state in which they were at first created and they shall yeild their service freely If men be not grafted into this true Olive they are no other but Castawayes if they be upon any other root they are miserable and undone if the happinesse of a Christian lay in himselfe in his own Power Wisdome Will Endeavours Alasse where were he and what would become of him man is a Dead Esay 40.6 1 Pet. 1.24 Fraile Deceitful thing he changes like Grasse he stands to day to morrow he is cut down and withereth but the work of the Almighty that shall stand fast and shall abide for ever for in him is the root of all power wisdome life goodnesse Oh that men would but hold to this as they hold it forth in words and notions in words they confesse it but in the power and practice thereof deny it Againe this is most certaine as Christ is the onely root and the onely Tree planted by the Father so 't is as certaine that every Believer is planted in him and he hath no root no life but in him he is a mystical member of this Tree as he is planted in him And so far and upon no other account he partakes of the power and vertue and the riches and priviledges in Christ even of the very same nature sap and fruit that is in the whole Tree by this alone he comes to partake of all when Christ is in us and we in him become the hope of glory Col. 1.27 then we partake of his nature of his fellowship of his Communion of his life glory riches Then there is also that true Communion of Saints which men so much talk of and know so little Life you know is onely in union when we come to that that the root beares us and not we the root for so 't is with most professors in the world they altogether bear the root they think they must work and do and act and prune and water and cherish and plant and pull up and maintaine their spiritual life and communion and hereby they make themselves the root and so upon that account they bear the root and not the root them And hence we may know 't is no wonder though they are accursed and bear no fruit to God but leaves which must be cut downe and cast into the fire and shall be cut
persecuting both men and women that were of that way that he might bring them bound to Jerusalem dragging them out of every City and breathing out threatnings and slaughter and compelled them to blaspheme Who now do you think turned Paul about and of a Saul made him Paul was there any other hand did this but the good hand of the Heavenly Husbandman who of a Devil made him a Saint No no he clearly saw he opposed salvation fought against it and he had onely a Notion of Salvation and Happinesse in his mind but really to desire Salvation he neither did nor Knew not what salvation was Gal. 1.16 1 Tim. 1.13 but it pleased the Father to reveal his Son and Salvation in me and to receive me to mercy because I did it ignorantly and through unbelief It was alone his good pleasure to cut me off from the wild Olive and to plant me into the true Olive And as the Apostle saith so say I Such were some of you but ye are washed 1 Cor. 6.11 but ye are sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God There is not one natural man in the whole world that can desire salvation but under a false notion as he thinks it will bring peace and rest honour and glory and happinesse but salvation indeed all men who are not possessed of it oppose it fight against it and should it be revealed to them in the true nature thereof they would persecute it and breath out slaughters against the Professors of it Then certainly no man loves Salvation nor no man seeks after it nor can use any means to attain it as men ignorantly affirm and beleeve For can a man love his own death can any man love crucifying and hate his own life I tell ye nay but he must be changed new moulded and be leavened with a new leaven that he may be a new lump And therefore when men talk of such things 1 Cor. 5.7 they know not what they say That man must do and man must act and man must use the means and the like it declares to me they were never yet met in the way going to Damascus they were never yet un-horst and laid flat to the earth Oh Beloved this work of Salvation it is a marvellous work for the Lord to reveal his Son in man Gal. 1 16. the world knows nothing of it but they have some notions of Heaven without them and of a Christ without them and Religion is now made an easie and a common thing almost every one is Religious Religion is the fashion of the Age and its a shame to be otherwise and they think this is enough But to make Christ in us the hope of Glory this is none of mans work but t is the Lords doing and t is marvellous in our eyes For Christ to dye for us when we were sinners and enemies to salvation Col. 1.27 Psal 118.23 Rom. 5.8.10 and for him then to dye for us and to reconcile us by his death this the world knows little of I appeal to every renewed soul here whence is it that any of you are come to be Christians and of men and women of a Devillish nature to be made partakers of the Divine Nature of a Bryar and a Thorn and a Bramble 2 pet 1.4 which was fit for nothing but the fire and burning to become a Heavenly plant and a branch in the true Vine Jesus Christ How came this about was it ever your own work or your own seeking nay did you not fight against this work and oppose it he that findes it not so never yet was partaker of it He never yet could say Vnto me a Child was born and a Son given whose name is called Wonderful Councellour the Mighty God the Everlasting Father and the Prince of peace except he have found in himself as the Lord saith there in Isaiah 9.5.6 Esa 9.5 6. Every battel of the Warriour is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood this must be with burning and fewel of fire This * As that precious instrument in the hand of the Lord Dr. Everard expounds that place in his Sermons call'd Gospel Treasure opened pag. 61. c. alwayes goes before that Christ is given to any of the sons of men Beloved do but examine your own hearts and you shall finde it was thus and it must be thus was ever the strong man bound and cast out of his house and possession without resisting will man lose his life and suffer all his riches and goods to be taken away and never strive nor oppose And was this work ever done by a still-work and using of Ordinances and joyning here and there and man never disturbed but that out of his natural and dead condition he hath dreamed and slept himself into a new nature and into the condition of a Christian No my brethren conversion is an otherguesse thing then most men hold forth And if men see but a want in themselves and then resolve that they must seek after a Heaven to fill up this want and to that end run to this duty and tother fellowship and think he must be constant in the use of Ordinances and if he do but beleeve in an external Christ then the work is done and the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs Alas all this is but the way of man and by all this they do but make a Proselyte and those that teach thus they do but sew pillows under all arm-holes and cry peace peace when there is no peace but have made themselves Aprons Ezek. 13 18. and blesse themselves in an unsound condition and heale the wound of the daughter of my people slightly Wo to these Women saith the Prophet there for this is nothing but Weakness nay herein they have made them two-sold more the Children of Hell then before Mat. 23.15 Col. 3.1 If men are risen with Christ let them shew me how they were crucified dead and buried with him if they are come to Canaan let them shew me how the alone Mighty and Outstretched hand of the Lord hath brought them out of Egypt and how they came through the Sea and through the Wilderness Indeed I confesse these people they talk of signs and marks of the people of God Mat. 12 38 c. but to them there shall be no sign given but that of the Prophet Jonah as he was three days and three nights in the Whales belly so must the Son of man be buried in the heart of the Earth Go ye and learne what this means Art thou cut off from thy old root from the wilde Olive hast thou felt this burning hast thou lost thy own life art thou buried with Christ hast thou been three dayes in the heart of the earth and in the Whales belly hast thou had in thee the battail of the Warriours and the confused noise Esa 9.5 and the
him the corruption and rudiments of men their rules and their formes and their precepts these and these things they must do if they will be perfect and so joyne man with Christ and so make Christ and his Crosse of no effect Nay the Apostle he did so magnifie and set up and adore Jesus Christ and esteemed him so full so rich so large so all in all that he not only abhorred the rudiments and the inventions of men but the Ordinances and the very law of God as kept by men to come in competition with Jesus Christ for never any man observed the the law in the least tittle It was only Jesuch Christ and them in whom he is conceived and borne and in whom he workes For verily the law was not given to tell man what he should do to get peace and life but to condemne him to disable him to slay him to convince him that he is miserable and weak and cursed And therefore in vaine did those false Apostles or any other in any generation put men upon doing this or that by way of condition to enable man to act or do any thing on his part by his own power to please God But every true believer is a man lost and destroyed in himselfe and he is borne anew of this Divine seed and he is setled not on himselfe by his own doings 1 Sam. 2.2 but on the Rock of Ages And he harknes to this spiritual counsell given here by the Apostle To stand fast in this liberty whatever men say And will not suffer himselfe to be bewitched by the plausible techings of men tickling the flesh with acting and doing that by themselves which shall bring peace but which tends to no other end but to keep men in bondage and to hold them under the old Jerusalem because that 's very pleasing to man for there are many glorious forms and worships and man shewing out himselfe to be something which things please the outward man and the flesh and this is that man esteemes highly of and much prides himselfe in And indeed all this is nothing but to seek life in death and for the living to seek to the dead Esa 8.19 as the Prophet speakes all tends to death to bondage and to remaine under the Curse But that which the Apostle here holds forth is the truth the the power the life the inheritance the resurrection the glory and shewes that there is no other power life glory inheritance peace rest but only here there is no other spirit no other Baptisme no other breaking of bread he alone is The true bread which came downe from heaven John 6 51 and he alone can give it And he alone is the meanes the only Ordinance by which we receive it he is the way and he is the doâ—re this bread is given down from heaven as Christ shewes at large in John 6.31 c. He gave them bread from Heaven to eate Moses himselfe could not give them that bread Your Fathers have eaten Manna and are dead Vers 49. That bread which Moses gave could not keep them from death but for all they eate of that bread which came down from the elementary Heaven yet they are dead But my Father giveth you the true bread from Heaven for the bread of God is he which commeth downe from Heaven and giveth life unto the world I 'am the bread of life V. 57 58. and he that commeth unto me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst So that you see The Apostle here sets the opposition between the intanglements of men and the yoake of Bondage against the pure free and full liberty by Jesus Christ whatever it be but this liberty given us by Jesus Christ that gives the least joy the least peace the least rest to the soul of man but purely Jesus Christ he is intangled in the yoak of bondage for the liberty of Christ consists not in any thing below himself in any Ordinances as men call them in any duty in any form in any mode whatsoever but only in himself all things else are too low too poor too meane too base to stand in the room of Christ they cannot give the true bread but only Jesus himself who is The Bread There are but two principles from which all men work either from Christ or Antichrist either from the bondwoman or the free woman Jam. 3.15 either from the wisdom that is above which is pure peaceable gentle easie te be intreated full of mercy and good works without partiality without hypocrisie Or else t is from the wisdome which is from beneath which is earthly sensual and divelish which is full of envying strife and confusion and every evil work And though this wisdom of the world will undertake to shew us Christ and the true bread and they cry Loe here and loe there he is in our way sayeth every several separation But if they say he is in the wilderness or he is in the secret chambers goe not after them Mat. 24.26 for the Kingdom of Christ commeth not with observation who ever shall say he is in this outward form or in that way of washing or breaking bread believe them not goe not after them for know Luk. 17.20 The Kingdom of God is within you All men that think to be helped by cleaving to this Church or that Fellowship and are still going out of themselves to finde Christ they are deceived but if any man direct you to finde Christ anywhere but within in his own heart he is deceived all these waies are ensnarements and delusions if men think to be helped by any thing in heaven or earth but only by the pure perfect and alsufficient righteousnesse of Jesus Christ which is onely manifested in thy heart by his own spirit for if thou thinkest that Jesus Christ Externall in the flesh as dying at Ierusalem will help thee thou art utterly deceived t is Christ Onely who is begotten within thee all other waies of mens devising are meer lyes delusions and ensnarements In the words for order sake onely take notice of these foure things 1. That the state of a believing soule is a state of liberty 2. That believers are onely made partakers of this liberty by Jesus Christ 3. That the safety of standing is only in abiding in this liberty and freedom 4. That when any man goes out from this liberty and freedom by Jesus Christ to any thing else whatsoever he goes out to be ensnared and entangled and it cannot be otherwise For the two first t is cleare that there is a state of freedom and liberty belonging to the people of God and that Christ only is their deliverer He who is delivered by Jesus Christ he onely hath true freedom and he is the true free man all other however they talk of freedom and boast of freedom if Christ doe not set them free they are still bondmen they