answ 86 In particular respect of her Sences Tongue and Body 88 Christ answ 89 Of Christs Kingly Office Christs present Kingly Office 93. viz. His Government 99 His excellent person 99 His Laws 101 commended from the Author God 102 Antiquity 102 Holiness 103 His Protection 106 particularly from Satan 107 Sin 108 viz. Adams sin 109 Original 110 Actual 112 World 116 from Its 1 Dart-lust 117 2. Riches 118 3. Honours 119 4. Persecution 120 His conduct encouragement against Coveteousness 123 Sensual pleasures 124 Honour 126 Persecution 128 Death 130 Fear of Death 132 The pain and separation of soul and body 133 Comfort in the Resurrection 135 Christs Kingly Office at the last Judgment 139 Of Eternal life and Glorified state of Man in general 143 149 In particular 1. In Soul The Understanding glorified 148 The Will glorified 149 The Memory glorified 150 The Affections in general 151 In particular Love glorified 151 Fear glorified 153 Zeal glorified 156 Anger glorified 160 Joy glorified 169 2. In Body In general 164. In special Its Spiritualness 169 Its Swiftness 169 Its Splendor 171 Its Incorruptibleness Immortality 175 3. In the Senses In general 188. In particular The Sight glorified 195 The Hearing glorified 199 The Taste glorified 205 The Smelling glorified 210 Touching glorified 215 Of the Tongue the Organ of several senses 222 Twelve wonderful Actings or Works of God to be fulfilled 239 Namely 1. The raising of the Witnesses 239 2. The ruine of Rome 239 3. The ruine of the Papacy 240 4. Israels Conversion 240 5. The destruction of the great Turk 241 6. The binding of the Devil for a thousand years 241 7. The Conversion of the World 241 8. The destruction of all Christs enemies 242 9. The Saints peaceable raign for a thousand years 243 10. The destruction of Gog and Magog and of the World by fire 243 11. The day of Judgment begun with reward to Saints ends with judging the wicked 244 12. Christs Mediatory-Kingdom ends the Saints are translated to Heaven for ever 246 Errata IN the Titles of the Fourth and Fifth Pages for Death Read Faith Page 17. Line 25. f. Nebuchadonazzer Read Nebuchadnezzar p. 26. in the mergine for James r. Lamentations p. 27. l. 29. f. thus r. this p. 29. l. 6. f. affliction r. affection p. 33. l. 34. f. brawl r. crawl p. 39. l. 38. after the word Stephen add â—ye p 40 l. 28. leave out which p. 42. l. 32. f. Lunary r. Lunacy and l. 40 f. are r. were p. 48. l. 33. f. pleasure r. play sure p 49. l. 8. f. Philosophers r. Philosophies p 53. l. 12. for those excess r. whose excess p 54. l. 30 f. inordinate r. inordinacie p. 64. l. 30. f. Nature r. Natures p. 66. l 28. f. halt r. half p 85. l. 30 f. Joshua r. Josiah p. 87. l 31. f. be thy r. be to thy p. 89. l. 4. f. peculiarly r. in part p. 90. l. 17. f. exhautasting r. exhausting p. 92. l. 11. f. England r. Israel p. 105. l. 1. f. of my mind r. of mind p. 116. l. 26. add iâ— before descends p 119. l. 33. f aâ—centing â— accepting p. 130. l. 5. f. their r. these l. 40. f meat r. meal p. 134. l. 19 f. â—â—nding r. bending l. 40. f. yellowed r. Gellied p. 153. l 19. f. lights r. light p. 155. l. 15. f. eye r. eyes p. 157 l. 6. f. preservd r. preserd p. 159 l. 31. f. a spring r. aspâ—ring p. 161. l. 4. f. but its lip r. but in that life l. 22 f. Beasts r. Bâ—ats l. 24 f. thought r. thoughts p. 169 l. 20 f. Locamotion r. Locomotion l 28 f. Port r. Part p. 173 l. 12 f. immund r. immur'd p. 181 l. 9 f. the r. their p. 189 l. 3 f. substraction r. substratum l. 8 f. Elixa r. Elixar p. 193 l. 15 f. so what use r. what use p. 210 l. 17 f. Naâ—al r. Nadab p. 214 l. 26 f. with r. which p. 235 l. 30 f. to r. so p. 249 l. 13 f. I can proceed r. I cannot proceed DIVINE MEDITATIONS ON FAITH OR The Vision Exercise and Triumph of FAITH WHere the Treasure is there 's the Heart the thoughts the affections also A judicious mind is vertuously ambitious only being inamored with that whose true worth invites most its Contemplation glaneing over inferiour things with a superficial and general surview The Soul of Man is never un-imployed though often mis-imployed resembling in the perpetuity though not in the quality of its motion the ever and all-moving Creator who as he ever was so was he never idle as being a most pure act Is this true Is the mind of Man never vacant Art thou never idle O my Soul Strive then not to be idely employed that both in acting and in acting well thou maist be more like thy Maker And let the riches on which thou placest thy love be Heaven and heavenly things Where neither Moth nor rust corrupt nor Thieves break through and steal so shall such Treasure be not the Prison but the Paradise of thy heart Amongst all those precious Graces heapt up in the boundless Store-house of Gods mercy though each particular is to be admired yet are there degrees of preheminence For like as the beautiful Stones set in Aaron's Vestments the Planets amongst the lesser Stars So these three Divine Graces Faith Hope and Charity out-shine the rest attracting the eye of my Soul and as much invite my Contemplation as they necessitate my fruition These these are the Fundamental Graces Superiour to all other both in respect of the Excellency of their Object Christ Jesus and of their Subject wherein they reside a true Christian. The other viz. Temperance Fortitude c. being often-times bestowed by God on many natural Men in whom they shine with a dim Light never with a Sun-like splendor They like the Indians possessing those Treasures which Christians know best the right use of Such Diamonds being then only truly placed when set within a foile of Humility Thus my Soul through the free Grace of thy Heavenly Father hast thou exhibited to thy view and enjoying a Mine of Treasure a Heaven of Happiness Riches which exclude not but command thee to covet O follow thy Saviours Counsel be a joyful Man and industrious Merchant Part with all thy sinful Lusts Sell all thy worldly Vanities purchase this Field and Trade for these Pearls Thy affections are the price which that thou mightest disburse without delay look more seriously into their worth so shalt thou at once affect and possess them As the optick faculty is both weak and useless to us in the Discovery of things that are either too neer or too far distant and so out of the command of its Power so also if we suffer it at once distractedly to wander over several species though within the strength of its speculation it cannot give a true judgment or description of any
Tun'd Unto thy Praise and thy Great NAME Be blest by ALL that read the same Who shall by Favours shew'd to MEE Be mov'd to Love and Trust in THEE Accept dear Lord in Goodness what 's here Thine And in Thy MERCY Pardon what is Mine Yea Let this Humble Work a future BASIS be For SAINTS to raise Colums of Glory unto Thee Place this afore Occasional Meditations at Folio 347 AN EXHORTATORY EPISTLE TO THE Nobility and Gentry of Great Britain Right Honorable NOble and generous Spirits of this famous Island Whose Persons I truly love and honour both as Christians and of the same Nation with me as also for your excellent wits parts and gifts who equallize Tully and Virgil in Eloquence and Poetry Witness your many Romances Comedies Tragedies and amorous Works now extant O consider all you that are thus rarely accomplisht both by Art and Nature that you must shortly give an account of these deposited Talents and of your mis-spent time and stewardships at the neer approaching Sessions and Goal-delivery of your Souls out of the Prison of your Bodies and at the great Assize the dreadful Day of Judgment to our great God and to the Lord Jesus the Judge of the quick and the dead Who hath made all things for his Glory and the wicked for the Day of his Wrath. O will you not then blush for shame and be confounded at what you now pride your selves in when Sathan your Maecenas shall then be your Accuser and produce as evidence against you Item so many precious Hours lost such high strains and Veines of Witrun wast such excellent Language defiled and abused and such and such a happy Muse ravisht and debaucht in the compiling and publishing so many false and unhallowed Legions to stir up and inflame your own Lusts and the sleeping passions and corruptions of the Youth of both Sexes in these Nations So many Stage-Playes the Scoffers of goodness and holiness of conversation the Consumers of useful time and of the innate Virtue Modesty and Estates of all kindes of Persons as also so many Frothy and Airy amorous Verses Ditties and Songs the Nurses and Panders of all manner of loosness and uncleanness in all sorts of People Had these precious Stones and Gems these sparkling Diadems I mean your choice Indowments been set in Aaron's Brest-plate or been offered up as a gift to God who gave you them to be for the Ornament and praise of his Church his Temple How brightly would they have shin'd as in their proper Sphear for which he created them Whereas they are now by their fall from their Heavenly Orbe to this vile Earth of sin and vanity become like so many sliding Stars which whilst they pass through the darkned Aire of corrupted and deceived Observers give forth a false Light and suddenly are extinct leaving behind them nothing but a corrupting Belly and a Hellish and sulphurious stink to the view and in the Nostrils of all Divine Astronomers Is it your highest honour to be stiled Christians have you at your Installment in Baptisme vowed and promis'd to resist the Devil the World and the Flesh And will you by your wanton Poems and vain Sonnets offer Sacrifices to Sathan the God of this World and to his Idol the World and blot and blur your sacred and glorious Title and dishonour and prophane that holy Name by which you are called Hath the Lord Jehovah your gracious God and Almighty Saviour who was the first great Orator and Poet that wrote upon Earth given you an unparallel'd Example by the Pen of Moses in the whole Book of Deuteronomy the very Marrow of Divine Eloquence Deut. chap. 1. vers 3. and in that Elixar of Poesie that Song of the Lord 's own composing Deut. 32. to the end of the 43. vers Hath his choicest Saints lest you sublime patterns of Heavenly Poesie Witness the Songs of Moses and Meriam Exod. 15. unto the 22. vers and Psal. 90. Of Deborath and Barak Jud. 5. to the end Of King David 2 Sam. 22. from Vers. 2. to the end Besides his Book of Psalms upon divers subjects witness also the 11. Psalmes of Asaph beginning with the 73. Psal. and ending with the 82. Psal The Psalmes of Heman and Ethan the Ezrahites Psal. 88. and 89. The Canticles or Song of Songs written by King Solomon besides One Thousand and Five other Songs 1 Kings 4.32 The Songs written by the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 5.1 and Chap. 26.1 the Song of Habakkuk Chap. 3. to the end And in the New Testament the Song of the blessed Virgin and of Simeon and the many Angelical and Heavenly Hymnes wherewith the mysterious Book of the Revelations is gloriously imbroidered Besides these excellent Presidents and Examples the sacred Scriptures are full of Precepts enjoyning and commanding this thankfull chearfull and singing temper to be in all his Saints in these words and the like Whosoever offereth praise glorifieth me Psal. 50.23 O come let us sing unto the Lord let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our Salvation Psal. 95.1 The like Psal. 96.1 98.1 Praise the Lord for it is good to sing praises unto our God for it is pleasant and praise is comely Psal. 147.1 In the New Testament we are commanded to rejoice ever-more 1 Thes. 51.6 and to sing with Grace in our hearts Psalmes and Hymnes and Spiritual Songs Col. 3.16 In which holy exercise our blessed Saviour hath given us his Example after his last Supper Math. 26.30 And that blessed Poet and singer of Israel that Man after God's own heart King David Who upon divers gracious providences deliverances and mercies as well private as publick penned many Psalmes As upon the occasion of his flight from his Son Absolon the slanderous words and treacherous actings of Cush the Benjamite the Psalm of thanksgiving before mentioned for his many deliverances from Saul and all his Enemies And at the Dedication of his House To these I shall add the Psalm penned by him when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech alias Achish King of Gath His Song of loves or commendation of Solomon's Queen the Egyptian The Tipe of the Gentile Church his penitential Psalm when Nathan had been with him after he had gone into Bathsheba his Poem concerning Doeg's false accusation of Abimelech the High Priest his Psalm upon the Ziphims discovery of him to Saul another when the Philistims took him in Gath Also his two thankful Memorials of his deliverance from Saul in the Cave and another for his preservation when Saul sent and they watched his House to kill him A third upon his Victory over Aram Naharaim Aram Zobath and against the Edomites A fourth concerning his abode in the Wilderness of Judah to these may yet further be observed the Song written for his Son Solomon and his Psalm for the Sabbath Day To these Scripture examples which are indeed the very sacred Rhetorick and Poesie of the
as being all witnesses externally or internally of thy essential and judicial power Is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdome and will he with-hold no good thing from him that fears him O let my Soul bear a comfortable part in this affection Let my flesh tremble for fear of thee because thy Creature and let my heart be enlarged in love towards thee because thy Son Let my manifold sins humble me as beholding thee a righteous Judge and let my faith raise me as apprehending thee a merciful Saviour Let me work out my salvation with fear and trembling as considering my weakness and mutability and let me press towards the mark with confidence and assurance as believing thy free election omnipotency and immutability Lord if thou dost know me by name if I also have found grace in thy sight shew me now thy way how to know and see thee There is a place by thee O do unto me as thou didst unto Moses set me upon a Rock even my Rock Christ Jesus that so my life being hid in him through the Clists his wounds I may see thy glory passing by and hear and apply this thy loving Proclamation The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquities transgressions and sins I have now made a short progress through the Soul once a Paradice as being watered every where with grace even as the Garden of the Lord. But now being like Sodom and Gomorrah which the Lord destroyed even a furnace of brimstone and a vail of tears It now remains that I take a general view of the Body which is as it were the superficies of Man the Pallace the Shell the Garment of the Soul That so having observed their union in sin aswell as in nature from the joynt and voluntary acquired curse of imperfection I may be the more inlarged to magnifie Gods free gift of perfection As the Lord in the Creation made Man after his own Image as concerning the Soul that he might be capable of Divine Visions and enjoy a communion with him So also he made Man like himself as considering the Body in respect of Dominion and Majesty no Creature being like God but himself That according to the present Commandement one Man might love another as himself such a similitude of parts inducing a communion of hearts love being the fulfilling of the Law since the fall Because there needed not Law when love was perfect before the fall the defect of the one necessitating the constitution of the other Every member of the Body in the state of innocency being made willing and ready to perform all good actions respecting either God or Man by the quickning and agitating Power of this predominant affection in the Soul But what have I now to do with the state of Innocency that am now discoursing of Rebellion Our self-love in Adam hath depraved us of that true love which seated in the Soul moves the Body to act any goodness Of which miserable loss of ours that we may be more sensible it is necessary that as the Souls so the Bodies defects be particularly meditated on The curse and judgment of the Body is that it should be a ready instrument to execute the sinfull commands of the Soul these two parts constituting Man being as it were Master and Servant Husband and Wife Yet observe as in the happiest unions amongst us we shall finde that though the Nobler Sex hath the Superiority and Power of Rule yet so prevalent is the nature of conjugal love that it sweetly allures the superintendents will to joyn issue in many actions by that which is subjected So in Man though the Soul be the Head the Monarch yet by reason of the neer conjunction the Body oftentimes inclines the Soul to be active according to its disposition making good that Phylosophical maxime Mores animi sequuntur temperamentum corporis By this it appears that the Body is not only instrumentally but also in a kind potentially evil since the Fall being then changed in an instant of time from its beauty to deformity from its perfect composition which was equal ad pondus to an unequal mixture of the Elements and humours Hence followed termination of life millions of Diseases and Death the malady of Diseases Hence the necessity of daily nourishment and the peccancy and abounding of humours descryed in the four Complexions and those excess aided by the constant bent of nature to do ill do cause that aptness and proclivity of several Men to particular Vices as the cholerick to malice blood and anger the melancholy to desperation and discontent the sanguine to lust the flegmatick to sloath and idleness In this cursed depravation of our erring nature the sences which are the Bodies Pentarchie have no small proportion For what is the Eye the seat of the optick faculties but an open Window apt to give entrance to theevish lusts A two-leaved Door prepared by treacherous nature to receive in deadly Enemies The life of Man would be far calmer did not these riâ—ts let in tempests of pride and vanity The presumptuous opening of these made Eve open her hands to receive her mouth to taste the forbidden fruit For when the Woman saw that the Tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the Eyes she took off the fruit thereof and did eat Mark here what assistance this sence gives to the temptation Had not the Sons of God made their Eyes Flood-gates to let in the deceitful beauty of the Daughters of Men an Idolatrous union could not so soon have procured a dis-union from God which moved the Lord to an effective repentance changing the Globe of Earth into an Orb of Water Ham's mocking and curse proceeded from a carnal discovery Sem and Japhets blessing from a dutifull and willing blindness Lastly Davids heart had never been his concupiscencies Captive had not Bathsheba bathed in his Eyes aswell as in the Fountain O thou which illuminates Mans darkness and hast the over-sight of my sight suffer not that sence which thou hast made to give my Body light to be the in-let of my Souls obscurity But if I cannot see but I must sin Lord let me cease to see carnally and be enabled to see spiritually that so the one may be swallowed up in the Vision of the other In the next place what are the Eares but the roads of Blasphemy the Labyrinths of obscenity an open passage to the mind through which Traytors as well as true subjects pass without examination or controulment Proud Herod had never been a God in heart had not he willingly consented to be one in Eare. Had not Joash hearkned to the Princes of Judah when they made obeysance unto him he had never left the house of the Lord and served Groves and Idols Had Aaron heard the People as
to be sick and heavy with Ahab yea to grieve and die with Nabal and Achitophel for being crossed in momentary honours in covetous desires in my estate or any other my designs And whereas the filial fear of God should be continually in my heart and before my eyes for Happy is the Man that feareth always following herein the blessed example of holy David whose daily Song was Fear the Lord all yee his Saints of pious Joshuah whose tender Heart feared and trembled at the words of the Law and of Religious Nehemiah who was zealous for the Commandements of the Lord. I have with those Collonies of strangers planted in the City of Samaria Feared the Lord and served my Gods that is My pleasures and vain lusts Or if at any time I have dreaded thee or been humbled it hath been either whilst thy Judgments have been threatned with the numerous Ninivites or when they have layn sore upon me with the Philistines or until they were removed with wicked Pharaoh Thus dear Saviour do all my affections degenerate and erre from that end for which thou hast plac'd them in my Soul O thou which by thy omnipotency didst convert Water into Wine work the like miracle in me also So changing me in quality relish and use that I may both now and hereafter be thought worthy to be admitted unto thy Table O spiritual Bridegroom Raise up thy dejected Spirits and disconsolate Soul For such is the goodness of my nature and the infiniteness of my mercy that these thy grievous maladies instead of provoking my displeasure move me unto pity and convert my justice into compassion I am the Physician of the Soul and come to heal not the whole but the sick I am he that grants Resurrection to the Dead in Sin as well as to the dead for sin And am as able to give Manasseth newness of life as Lazarus a new life Therefore be not faithless but believe Thou complainest to me of an evil and degenerated hatred that is ready upon all occasions to take up armes against God Good-men and goodness Indeed this is dangerous but not incurable Was not my Servant Paul a cruel Persecuter before a zealous Martyr yea and thousands of the Jews my Murderers before my Converts Be confident then that my love is also able to swallow up thy hatred and to perfect this grace of love in thy life which it hath begun in thy desires Further whereas thou art troubled and molested with the frequent inundations of carnal and worldly sorrows Know that the reason therof is the want of depth or scowring of the lower water-course even that Channel of thy Repentance which is as it were the drayn of this filthy Lake and muddy affection To the performance of which duty that thou maist be enabled and assured Know it is I that gives Repentance unto life not willing the death of a sinner but rather that he should repent and live Lastly Let not thy former slavish fear discourage thee since all things even these thy corruptions through my mercy shall work together for thy good My Law having by these terrors prepared thee for my Gospel which seeing by my grace thou hast received be assured that that perfect love which it produces casteth out fear and will free thee from all such base affrightments possessing thee of that legitimate fear which flows from duty and adoption In further assurance of which receive and apply this my promise They namely thee and all my faithfull shall be my People and I will be their God and I will give them one Heart and one Way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and their Childrens children O thou my spiritual Elisha what shall I render unto thee for this thy great cure wrought upon my Soul for this thy miraculous cleansing of my sinfull Leprosie Are the Talents of Ophir the fruit of my Body of my ground or of my Flocks a fit Sacrifice for thee No Thine is the Earth and the fulness thereof I will therefore imitate that religious Proselite Naaman and give Glory to the Lord God of Israel I will offer unto thee thanks-giving and pay my vows unto thee O most High Yea my understanding which thou hast enlightned my minde which thou hast instructed my conscience which thou hast pacified my memory which thou hast strengthened my affections which thou hast ordered and my stony heart which thou hast mollified and all things else that are within me shall bless thy Holy Name Yea I will invert the speech of thy Servant David and say who am I and what is my poor Soul that I should be able to offer unto thee thus willingly and after this sort Lord I confess all things come of thee and of thine own have I given unto thee wherefore let what 's mine of grace and thine of merit be thy only glory And now since I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord which am but dust and ashes Let not the Lord be angry and I will speak yet again Thou hast been pleased to give unto me light in darkness and to make known unto me thy great Salvation Thou hast filled me with thy goodness and mercy and laid up in my heart the infinite treasure of thy promises But what avails all this Lord when as the Thief Sathan may break through and steal the Moth my inâ—bred corruptions may devour and consume these my spiritual riches there being no defence nor power in me to resist For those Cinque ports and Windows of my Soul my sences stand wide open not only admitting but inviting my cruel Enemies to enter Yea every Member of my body is not only assistant to my adversaries Sin the World and the Devil but also takes up armes against me and seeks my destruction My eyes which from outward objects even thy beautifull works should be instruments of begetting admiration praise and worship to thee in my heart are full of vanity lust and adultery My eares which should only be open to thy Word are thereto deaf and receptacles of oaths blasphemies lies slanders and all obscenity And those other sences of tasting smelling touching which thou hast given to be helps in piety and thanksgiving through the more ample fruition of thy Creatures are become the factors of pride covetousness and epicurisme Further my Tongue which should speak of thy praise all the day long and sing aloud of thy righteousness hath mischief under it and speaketh proud things Is full of flattery and frames deceit And is fraught with naughtiness and lying Yea it is a Fire a World of iniquity setting on Fire the course of nature and is set on Fire of Hell So that that Member which was once my glory is now my shame Lastly my hands and feet which ought to be Barnabasses and Barjonasses Brethren and Sons of consolation
of thy Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God Where also we shall sit together with him and be then perfectly changed into the same Image from glory to glory Thus reckoning that the sufferings of this present life even Death it self are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Let us not faint for though our outward Man perish yet let our inward Man be renewed Day by Day being confident that our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding weight of Glory Looking as hath been shewed not at the things that are seen but at the things that are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are Eternal Dread not then O my Darling this Lion Is not he faithfull who hath promised that he will never leave thee nor forsake thee That he will be thy guide even unto Death Or dost thou doubt his Power to whom belongs the issues from Death and at whose voice all that are in the Graves shall come forth Behold a Tree of Life indeed the spiritual Manna which do but feed on by faith and thou shalt not dye For He that eateth this Bread shall live for ever Was it with blessed Paul to live Christ and to dye is gain and shall thy cowardise and recoyling insinuate and imply a loss No let such thoughts as Impes of Sin first dye yea be annihilated since every true Believer is assured of a glorious change and an ineffable reward Corruption putting on incorruption and mortality immortality we dying no more but being made equal to the Angels For as we have been planted together in the likeness of Christs death so shall we be also in the likeness of his Resurrection Did many Worthies under the thunder of the Law and in the twilight of the Gospel as the Apostle witnesses undergo the exquisitest tortures not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection And shall we in this open day and Evangelical Revelation when by faith like Stephen we behold our Lord Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God ready to receive us and having as he promised taken possession and prepared a place for us stand back like Saul And being neer our Coronation seek still to hide our selves under the rubbish of our Earthly Tabernacles No what was humility in him will be esteemed shamefull and distrustfull pusillanimity in us yea which is worse disobedience to the Almighties summons Let the wicked hang down their heads and cry to the Mountains and Rocks to cover them but let all of us that have obtained grace be faithfull be faithfull unto the death and he shall give us a Crown of Life lifting up our heads because the time of our redemption draws neer even that day of recompence when the Lord shall say well done good and faithfull Servant enter into thy Masters joy Not it into us because not enough capable but we into it that so we may be as it were swallowed up in that infinite Ocean of Glory What though the Soul and Body have been unseparable friends contemporaries in life and being associates in joy sympathisers in sorrow two in nature one in affection Do we not read of Jesse and his Darling David Of an Eliah and his beloved Elisha Of an Hanna and her long desired Samuel Of a Mordecai and his entirely affected Hester All which cheerfully consented to a disunion and separation that so the conjunction of hearts might appear inviolable which seeks not so much the presence as the happiness of each other And shall thy Soul O Earth be summoned not to play before a mortal King as David before Saul but to sing the Song of the Lamb even spiritual Hymns before the Throne of Glory Not to serve before the Arke as Samuel or to be the Paramour of an Assyrian Monarch as Esther but to be ravisht up with Eliah and Paul into Paradise To be the Eternal Spouse of Jesus Christ and to behold the splendour of God not vailed and in a type as under the Law but face to face as being changed into the same Image from glory to glory shall it I say be sent for by Gods Sergeant and thy Servant Death once unprofitable as Onesimus to Philemon but now most profitable to thee and all Saints and wilt thou delay and be unwilling to part intreating with the Levites Father-in-Law for one Day nay one Moneth or one Year longer exile from thy Heavenly home thy Crown of Glory O let such unwise and such unthrifty prorogations be far from thy thoughts farther from thy practise Rather let both Soul and Body unanimously sing the Song of Simeon and sigh out the vote of Paul crying out Oh how we desire to be dissolved That thy incompleat holiness O my Soul might be perfected and become compleat glory That thy faculties being not only unimprisoned but heightned may approve thee according to thy Saviours promise like yea equal unto the Angels in all spiritual excellencies and Heavenly Prerogatives Again how do I desire O sinfull corrupted and mortal lump of Clay thy reduction into thy first Atoms and matter that so sin which hath possest and accurst thee may dye and be intomb'd with thee as having no longer work or nourishment in thee That Heavens great Chymist the omnipotent Spirit of God may cherish encircle and hover over thee as once upon the Waters separating the pure from the impure and producing a body spotless perfect and immortal even like unto the glorious Body of thy Saviour That so being made a proportionable and capable Pallace for thy Soul thou mayest enjoy an eternal reunion with it and both an everlasting communion with God To conclude O Man Death is a necessary absolute and unchangable decree of God Therefore it is thy wisdome to make it voluntary For It is appointed unto Men once to dye saith the Apostle and then comes the Judgment Comes the judgment did I say at the mention of this word judgment my Soul recoyles again not daring to peep out of her earthly Cabbin For she knows that this general Assize is an undoubted truth an Article of her Creed annexed to that of the Ascention and Session of our Saviour at the right hand of his Father At which we left when we first entred upon the three Offices of our Lord. And therefore now it fitly and in order comes to be the practical object of our faith as being also the last act of our Saviours Kingly Office in the Kingdome of Grace This being his total victory and destruction of all his corporal and spiritual Enemies his Day of Tryumph reward and recompence to all
ravishing contemplation of the infinite Power and Wisdome of thy Creator manifested in the multiplicity variety and unexpressible excellencies of smells and odours as also of his wonderfull mercy love and goodness in making them and communicating them to thee for thy use and benefit that as in a clear mirrour and by this blessed medium thou mayest behold and enjoy him who is essentially sweetness and by whom through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ which grace as a spiritual internal and common sense and Architype of all thy Bodily senses beholds hears tasts smells imbraces and possesses him thou mayest I say in God alone be delighted refresht and nourisht unto Life Eternal O infinite holy ever glorious and Eternal Spirit who art the power and love the goodness holiness and sweetness of the Eternal Father and the Son as proceeding from all Eternity from them and who art co-equal co-eternal and co-essential with them in the unity of one Divine Essence and God-head who art the Comforter Counseller Preserver and Sanctifier of all the Elect and Children of God give me a new heart and a new spirit and make me a new Creature according as the Father hath promised in the new Covenant of grace so shall not only my Soul with all the faculties and affections thereof but my Body also with all its Members and Senses be meliorated renewed and sanctified and this rare wonderfull and curious sense of Smelling with the sinfulness of pride voluptuousness excess curiosity and vanity hath made not only unprofitable and destructive to me but of ill savour offensive and dishonorable to thee become like the laborious Bee a gatherer of sweetness out of every object thereof Of which various mixtures my Soul shall compound and make up an holy Incense in resemblance of that under the Law prefiguring this of love as in return for thy goodness of admiration in the acknowledgment of thy wisdome of adoration as declaring thy Omnipotency of praise and thanksgiving as glorifying thee for these thy manifold gifts and blessings and be not only Adamiz'd and like him as in Paradise before the Fall but Angeliz'd yea like my Lord and Saviour who from every object Creature and occasion observed and raised matter of honour and glory to God his Father and mine yea by such an holy exercise of this Sense my Soul as well as my Body shall be refresht delighted and nourisht in its Eternity of Life begun here and to be made perfect together with this sense at the first Resurrection of the Just in Glory I need not prove that the Sense of Feeling shall continue and have existence in the Saints glorified state since to deny it is tanto-mount as to affirm that their Bodies shall not have a beeing or which is equally absurd that they shall in this new life be sick of a dead Palsie This Sense being now and so without doubt shall be then one of the clearest signes and demonstrations of the life of the Body and hath in one respect a singular preheminency and difference above the rest of the Senses For whereas every other Sense hath its proper Seat and Organ This may be truly said to be like the Soul and to Organize and reside in every part and member of a living and perfect Body Neither is this Sense less necessary to motion than to life insomuch as that when a Body is totally deprived thereof it is insensible and moves not and is accompted no better than a dead Trunk and inanimate Corps I shall add further that this Sense as it is now so certainly it shall be then the Souls chief Instrument and Inquisitor to discern by and give Judgment with much pleasure and delight of those four principal Elementary qualities that are respectively inherent to and in all created things and bodies that consist of matter and are made up and compounded of the four Elements as to heat or coldness driness or moisture or of those remoter qualities and adjuncts soft or hard smooth or rough arising from them So that as the Soul united to the new-raised Body without Eyes and the Sense of Sighâ— may truly be said to be imperfect and blind as to all visible objects so should the Body want this Sense of Feeling the Soul may as truly be said to be incompleat and ignorantly dark as to its knowledge and understanding as to all Tangible subjects From what hath been said I assert that the Saints at the Resurrection shall in their glorified Bodies have both the continuance and exercise of this Sense of Feeling and that in an incomparable perfection as to what it is now I will not positively affirm that spiritual substances as Angels may be subjects of this glorified Sense that shall be spiritualiz'd with our Bodies which though now a Natural Body shall then according to the Word of Truth be raised a spiritual Body If so is it not probable that as now to our natural Bodies natural things are touchable so to our spiritual bodies spiritual substances as Angels may be Tangible Our Saviours expression to his Apostles not at all contraducing or excluding this inquiry or inference he affirming only that a spirit hath not flesh and bones as he had not denying that a spiritual glorified body may touch and feel a spiritual Beeing and Essence But should this not be I am assured we shall both touch and imbrace him and be imbrac'd by him I speak this according to the Scripture-phrase with all due and humble reverence who is far above all Creatures and Angels our Head our Spouse our Saviour the most glorious Lord Jesus Christ God-man in one Person as also Abraham Isaac and Jacob the Holy Patriarchs Kings Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessors and glorified Saints as also our formerly neer and dear Relations which then shall be known of us in that perfection of knowledge and in this our exaltation that so their salvation may add such an accidental joy to the augmentation of our blessedness as the Holy Angels are said by our Saviour to have now super-added to their happiness at the conversion of a sinner To these I shall annex and subjoyn other more inferiour subjects of this glorified Sense the then refined and well-tempered Aire and Elements the delightfull contact of Fowles Birds and Beasts now willingly subject and obedient to Man the super-excelling and numerous Trees Fruits and Plants the Arbors of soft and sweet-smelling Roses the banks of Lillies the beds of Violets the Carpets of all manner of rarest Herbs and Flowers with which this new Heaven and new Earth this renewed Paradise shall be even to perpetuity plentifully garnisht and adorned with to the great glory of God the Creator of Christ the Restorer and of the Holy Ghost the Efficient and to the unexpressible pleasure and delightfull use and benefit of the Elect and glorified Saints As the blessed Canticles that Song of Songs hath been and is reproacht and abused by wanton Amorists
how to walk holily righteously circumspectly and unblameably in your life and conversation together with the holy means and Ordinances ordained by him for the obtaining and strengthning his graces in you which is concluded with his Prayer and mine to our Heavenly Father for a blessing O let not then much beloved Child This Letter should you neglect the counsel given you therein after my decease bear witness against you But let it be a Record and lasting Legacy read and practised by you and your Childrens Children which is the fervent Prayer of your Most affectioned Father J. H. Antwerpe this first of January 1665. An INDEX of the CONTENTS of this EPISTLE And of the Scripture-Catechisme materially contained in it THe Salutation and Exhortation of the Father to his Wife and Children Page 259. The Praise and Commendation of the Lord Jesus Christ under the Name and Title of Wisdome as being and that essentially the Wisdome of God Eadem The danger of neglecting to hear and obey the Voice and Counsel of Christ. P. 260. B. An Exhortation of the Father to his Wife and Children to hearken to the Word and Counsel of Christ. Ead. C. The Speech of the Lord Jesus Christ as speaking in his own Person to those to whom this Epistle is directed and is applicable to all other Christians P. 261. A. The Danger of Rejecting Christ. Ead. B. The Confession of Faith commonly called the Apostles Creed held forth by Christ in Scripture Expressions Ead. C. 1. Article The Doctrine of the Trinity Eadem 2. Article That Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of God and our Lord. 3. Article As to the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ who was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary P. 262. A 4. Article Concerning Christ's Condemnation by Pontius Pilate his Crucifixion Death and Burial and all other Sufferings in Soul and Body Eadem 5. Article Of Christ's Resurrection 6. Article Of Christ's Ascention 7. Article Of Christ's coming to Judgment 8. Art Concerning the Holy Ghost is proved in the first Article concerning the Trinity Pag. 263. 9. Article Concerning the Catholick Church and the Communion of Saints Ead. C. 10. Article Concerning forgiveness of Sins 11. Article Concerning the Resurrection of the Body Ead. 12. Article Concerning Life everlasting P. 264. A. Ead. C. The Preface to the Decalogue or Ten Commandments Ead. B. C. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Commandments The Conclusion of the Ten Commandments Note That the Promises c. are omitted for brevity 265 A The Exhortation of the Lord Jesus to the use of Gospel-Ordinances Viz. 1. To Baptism 2. To the Lord's Supper Ead. C Page 266 A B C 3. To the reading of the Scriptures 4. To the hearing of the Word of God preached 5. To Meditation of the Word of God and of his works 6. To Prayer in publick and private 7. To Obedience to Church-Governors and Discipline P 267 B C The Exhortation of the Lord Jesus to Gospel-saving Graces Viz. 1. To Repentance 2. To Faith P 268 C Page 270 A B C 3. To Hope 4. To Charity 5. To holy Courage or Fortitude 6. To Christian Temperance 7. To holy Patience 8. To Divine Wisdome Page 271 A B Ead. C 9. To Christian Humility 10. The Exhortation of the Lord Jesus to several saving Graces commonly called the Beatitudes 11. To Religious Chastity P 272 C P 273 A 12. To Christian Justice and Righteousness 13. To Gospel sincerity uprightness and truth P. Ead. C. 14. To godly thankfulness and praising of God Ead. C. P. 274 The Exhortation of the Lord Jesus to Divine affections Viz. 1. To holy joy and delight 2. To filial fear of God 3. To holy zeal and anger 4. To holy hatred P 275 A The Preface to the Dehortations of the Lord Jesus from several principal vices Ead. 275 276 The Dehortation 1. From Vnbelief 2. From Atheisme 3. From Polutheisme 4. From Idolatry 5. From Blasphemy 6. From Prophaness 7. From Sacriledge 8. From Hypocrisie 9. From Sabbath-breaking 10. From Superstition 11. From Lukewarmness Page 277 A B 12. From hard-heartedness 13. From presumptuous sinning 14. From sinful swearing 15. From incorrigibleness A Preface to the Dehortation against despair 16. From Despair A Dehortation from Vncharitableness P 278 A B 1. General Branch of Vncharitableness as to the Souls of others 1. By tempting 2. By evil example Ead. B 3. By not reproving 4. By Flattering 5. By not Instructing 6. By persecuting for Conscience Ead. C P 279 A 2d General Branch of Vncharitableness as to the Persons of others 1. By Murder 2. By Maiming 3. By unjust Imprisonment 4. By not relieving Ead. B P 180 A 3d. General Branch of Vncharitableness as to the estates of others 1. By oppression 2. By stealing 3. By defrauding 4. By contentiousness 5. By usury or extortion Ead. A. B 6. By Depopulation 7. By false witnessing 8. By cursing or evil Imprecations 4. General Branch of Vncharitableness as to the good name of others 1. By slandering and back-biting and tale-bearing Ead. C A Dehortation from Intemperance 1. From Drunkenness 2. From Gluttony 3. Fâ—om Insobriety P 281 B C A Dehortation from sinful fear A Dehortation from Ignorance 1. Affected 2. Natural 3. Wilful P 282 A B A Dehortation from Injustice 1 In Magistrates 2 In private Persons 3 By not giving obedience justly due to Superiors 1 As Magistrates 2 As Ministers of the Gospel 3 As natural Parents Ead. C. A General Dehortation from fleshly uncleanness 1 From Buggery 2 From Sodomy 3 From Whoredome 4 From Incest 5 From Polygamy 6 From Adultery 7 From Fornication P 283 C P 284 A B A Dehortation from Lasciviousness 1 In wanton thoughts 2 In wanton words 3 In wanton looks 4 In wanton actions Ead. C. P 285 C A Dehortation from Lying 1 By denying the truth 2 By breach of Covenant to God 2 Of vows to God 3 Of promises and Covenants to Men. Ead. B C and P 286 A Dehortation from Covetousness 1 In the heart 2 In action 3 From worldliness and carking cares 4. From Nigardliness P 286 C P 287 A A Dehortation from Idleness 1 By having no Calling or by neglecting a Calling P 287 C 288 A 2. Idleness in private Persons 3 Idleness in publick Persons Ead. B. The Dehortation of the Lord Jesus from sinful passions 1. From rash anger 2 From causless anger Ead. C. Ead. C A Dehortation from sinful hatred 1 Of Persons 2 Of good things Eadem C A Dehortation from Malice Ead. C A Dehortation from strife and contention P 289 A A Dehortation from envy A Dehortation from revenge Ead. C A Dehortation from Pride 1 Branch from spiritual Pride 2 Branch from Worldly pride 3 Branch from Ambition Ead. C Ead. C P 290 A Dehortation from Ingratitude 1 Towards God 2 Towards Men. Ead. C. A Dehortation from sensuality or voluptuousness P 291 A A Dehortation from inconstancy 1 Branch
Vew here his face from the Jngravers mint And in his workes his life and Soule in Print The True Effigies of Sir James Harington Knight and Baronet HORAE CONSECRATAE OR Spiritual Pastime CONCERNING Divine Meditations Upon the great Mysteries of our Faith and Salvation Occasional MEDITATIONS and Gratulatory Reflexions upon particular Providences and Deliverances vouchsafed to the Author and his Family ALSO A SCRIPTURE-CATECHISME Dedicated to the Service of his Wife and Children AND NOW Published together with other Treatises mentioned in the following Page for Common Use. By Sir JAMES HARRINGTON Kt. and Baronet London Printed for the Author 1682. The Contents of the Six Treatises I. Treatise THe Vision Exercise and Triumph of Faith In which is discovered from the Elevated and Holy Mount of Divine Contemplation 1. The shadows of Faith 2ly The true Faith and its Object God in Christ more particularly The Lord Jesus Christ in his Incarnation Life Death Passion Resurrection Ascension and coming to Judgment with the Benefits accruing from them to every true Believer 3dly The lost and miserable condition of every man by Nature 4ly The Restauration of man by Grace considered as accomplish'd by Christ in and by his Priestly Prophetical and Kingly Offices 5ly A Prospect of Eternal Life considered in the Glorification of the Soul and Body particularly as to the Faculties and Affections of the Soul and as to the Senses and Members of the Body in the new Heaven and new Earth during Christs personal Reign upon Earth for a thousand years 6ly A Prophetical Vision of Faith holding forth twelve great works of God which will shortly begin to appear and shall be fulfilled in their Respective Seasons and to be ended in the Translation of the Saints to Heaven The Compleatment of Scripture Prophesies the particulars of which Twelve Magnalia Dei View in the next page all which is intermixt with Holy Soliloquies and Divine Ejaculations applicable and profitable to every true Believer II. Treatise A Scripture-Catechisme contained in an Epistle sent by the Authour in the Name and Person of the Lord Jesus Christ to his Wife and Children wherein in Scripture-phrases only is held forth the Doctrine and Duty of a true Christian A work of excellent use for private Families as an Appendix to Catechising III. Treatise Divine Meditations upon the Creation Mans Fall and Redemption by Christ presented by the Author to his Parents in the one and twentieth year of his Age. IV. Treatise A Pillar of Praise or Occasional Meditations upon many Remarkable Mercies and Deliverances vouchsafed by the Lord to the Author and his nearest Relations V. Treatise The Lords days Preeminence above all other days held forth in an humble answer to a paper or Quere given to the Author by King Charles the First concerning the Observation of the Lords day and Easter day VI. Noahs Dove or an Epistle of peace directed by the Author to his Fatherly affected Brethren the Presbyterians and Independents as a probable means for their Agreement and Union TWELVE MAGNALIA DEI Or Heads of the wonderful Works and Actings of God on Earth by the Lord Jesus Christ during his Mediatorie Kingdome not yet Accomplisht All which are Treated of in three Tracts of this Volume I. THe Raising of the Witnesses Rev. 11.3 unto the 13th II. The Victorious Kingdom of Christ appearing in the Burning of the City of Rome Rev. 18.8 9. III. The Total and Final Ruine of the Papacie and of the Papal Kings of the Earth her Popish Supporter Rev. 19.19 20 21. IV. The Return to Canan of the Ten Tribes and the Jews and their Conversion Rom. 11.25 to the end V. The total Overthrow of the Turkish Empire by the Israelites and the subduing of all open Enemies of the Saints by the reformed Nations Ezek. 38 39. Chapters Dan. 2.44 45. VI. The Binding and Casting of Satan and his Angels into the Bottomless Pit the Local Hell for one thousand years to begin as I humbly conceive about the six thousand year of the world according to a true Chronology and Account Rev. 20.1 2 3. VII The Conversion of the whole World to the profession of Christianity Psal. 67. to the end Rev. 11.15 VIII The Peaceable Kingdome of Christ to be exercised by his Saints in this World for one thousand years the time of Satans Imprisonment which will begin as I humbly conceive in the year of the World six thousand and one being Daniels first Monarchy Rev. 2.44 45. Chap. 7.17 18.26 27. Rev. 20.4 And the Churches Sabbatisme upon this Earth Heb. 4.9 IX The Loosing and the Re-casting Satan and his Angels into Hell after the destruction of Gog and Magog by Fire Rev. 20.7 8 9 10. Together with the Consuming and Renewing of the whole Elementary World at our Lords coming the second time to Judgment by the same Fire 2 Thes. 2.7 8 9. X. Christs coming to Judgment under which is comprehended the Change or Resurrection of all the Elect to Glory 1 Thes. chap. 3. v. 13. to the end And Christs Remunerative Act of Justice to them in their Reigning with him upon the Renewed Earth a thousand years Rev. 2.4 5 6. XI The Raising of all the Wicked to Judgment a thousand years after the Elect Rev. 20.5 and the Sentenceing them and the Wicked Angels Rev. 20.11 XII The Translation of all the Elect to Heaven 2 Cor. 5.1 and the delivering of Christs Mediator Kingdome to his Father 1 Cor. 15.24.28 A Synopsis of the General Heads of this Treatise THe Definition of Faith Page 3 Diverse sorts of Faith viz Historical 4 Temporary 8 Miraculous 15 The Means of Faith 21 The Object of Faith Christ 22 Christ Born of the Virgin Mary 24 Persecuted by Herod ibid. His Agony 27 His Condemnation by Pilate 28 Crucified 30 His Death 33 His Burial 34 His Victory over Hell 35 His Resurrection 36 His Ascension 38 I. Man by Nature miserable in his Soul viz. in his Mind in general 41 Understanding 42 Conscience ibid. Will 44 Affections 45 The disorder in them namely in Joy which cannot be in Riches 48 Honours ibid. Pleasures ibid. Wisdom 49 Fear 50 II. Mans misery in body In general 51 In particular the sinfulness in his Eyes 53 Ears 54 Smell ibid. Taste 55 Touch ibid. Christs Priests Office in general 57 Intercession in particular 60 Satisfaction by both 61 Of Justification 62 Forgiveness of sins 63 Imputative Righteousness 63 The Definition thereof 64 Proofs of our right to Christs Imputative Righteousness by Scripture Demonstrations 65 General Questions and Objections answered 67 A Dialogue between Christ and the soul 74 The souls particular eompalint Against the mind and understanding 74 Christ answ 75 Against the Conscience 75 Christ answ 75 Against hardness of heart 76 Christ answ 77 Against the memories 78 Christ answ 79 Against the will 80 Christ answ 80 Against the affections viz. Love 81 Joy 81 Christ answ 83 Her general complaint of her Vniversal unworthyness 84 Christ
toward Zoar that Type of Heaven But no sooner did the Angel leave her but her eyes reversion discover her minds aversion Which her self would have seconded had not the Almighty in Favour to her Husband and in Mercy to Us made her an examplary Monument in a Pillar of Salt Next under the Law behold Saul not only a Member but chosen of God to be the Captain over his Church A man every way well qualified first for his Body his Proportion was so excellent that there was none like him amongst all the people And for his Mind it was endowed it seem'd both with Divine and Moral Vertues witness his joyning in Prophesie his performance of many Pious Duties as his Sacrifices at his Coronation his asking Counsel of God and inquiry after Sin confession and humiliation after Samuels Reproof his humility at his Election his patience and mercy at his Rejection and Defamation his Fortitude against the general and open Enemies of the Church the Ammonite his Zeal against the private and secret Enemies of Religion viz. all Witches and Wizzards Here then is a spring of Piety a profession and expression of Religion a Gourd whose glory may not only serve as a Canopy of state to Saul but as a shade to one of the Prophets A gourd indeed and so it faded For the eave of his last day ruined that frontispiece of Vertue which his whole lifes best Actions had raised towards Heaven For had he been with the Prophets and joyn'd with them in Prophesie His ignorance and wants now send him to enquire of the Devil Did he Sacrifice before to God Now behold the reward of Divination and Witchcraft are in his hand He whose custom was to ask counsel of God now seeks after a Witch and he whose seeming Zeal condemns his Righteous Son for tasting of an Honey-comb although ignorant of any restraint now contrary to his Oath and Covenant made with God without humiliation and judging of himself or confession of his fault willingly and wilfully swallows down the very gall of Sin His Humility did not more grace him when he lay buried in the peoples Stuff than his Pride did debase him when he presumed to be one of Gods Council That patience fortitude and mercy which abounded yea was extended towards others is now deficient to himself For he falls all along upon the Earth becomes sore afraid no strength is left in him and yet he refuses to Eat For having no conscience towards God no wonder if his Body wants the charity of Nature When the Creature abuses the Mercy of the Creator he must expect to taste of his Justice And when he ceases to know Himself he shall be made to know his Punishment Saul hath forgotten both his God and himself and therefore justly is he now forgotten and hears his Funeral censure pronunced by him who never spoke nor wished better to man To morrow shalt thou be with me Forewarning fore-armes not Sinners he that doubted of his Choise though from the mouth of Gods Prophet credits his refusal and death from the Devils Oracle Extraordinary Blessings are the free and voluntary gift of God and not believed of Sinners before enjoyed But his punishments are the due Burden of sins desert and therefore are expected before divulged The Soul being often-times aforehand sensible of that which the Body afterwards endures None but a false or temporary Faith hath a final cessation but such is this of Saul he now beleeves onely that he might dispair The first degree of a true Faith being usually the false ones last step God lifting up the one from the sense of judgement to the faith and sight of Mercy Sin dragging the other from the belief of punishment into the gulf of Despairation Though Saul hath his last day marked out even the morrow yet neither the love towards his Sons whose Lives bore the same date with his nor care for himself begets the least endeavour by delay or otherwise to out-live the fore-going Prophesie inevitable are the Judgements of God nay rather he hastens it shortning his flight that he might shorten his life And that sin according to its nature might have a companion he moves his Armour-bearer to be a traitour to his own Soul by example whom his precept could not force to be a traitour to his Prince For he falls upon his Sword which instead of Defence becomes a weapon of Offence So often-times God deals with the Wicked who as in life themselves are their worst Enemies so in death they prove their own Executioners Thus the Sacred Annals before and since Moses hath by the Deads example given most lively arguments to prove this falshood of the deadness of this seeming life of faith O admire here the infinite extent of the Mercy of God! who out of the carcase of this Lyon Sin this Eater Death brings forth both meat and sweetness for his Sampsons his Nazarites making the Downfal of the Fathers the Rises of the Children their Ignorance our Knowledge their faults and blindness apt spectacles to help the weakness of our sight It now remains that the holy Records of the faithful and powerful Gospel as the Eccho of the Old Testament consort in the like precedents that by so consonant an Harmony the dissonant and ungrounded judgement of the most hypocritical and temporary Believer may be convinced if not converted The purest Gold hath its Dross the best Wheat its Tares Yea the Moon is then most full of Spots when least empty of Light The Church of God in the Primitive times in its Infant Age had many who although they were deemed Members of Christ had not yet put off the Old man The Old Adam Many whose Image and outward Superscription seemed to be our Cesars yet proved to be false and unvaluable Coyn when they came to their test or exchange Witness Ananias and Sapphira a pair doubly united by Sin and Wedlock who before their trial were esteemed as Members of the True Church as Beleevers of the Apostles Doctrine and no doubt baptised in that Faith the effects of which seemed to lead them on to forsake the world for they sold their possessions to works of Charity and Piety And laid it at the Apostles feet Who would not here have parallel'd these with sincere Joses since both parties did the same duty though not with the same heart the one acting truly that Christians part which the other only play'd Mans natural light is comparatively darkness and the height of his Knowledge advantageth him only with a larger prospect of his ignorance he knowing most that confesses to know nothing The conscience of our want being the perfection of our science Only thou O Lord art the Fountain of Knowledge and Wisdom thou triest the Heart and the Reins and seest not as man seeth Shalt not thou who planted the Ear hear Thou that formed the Eye see Thou that teachest man Knowledge know Thou O
zealous flaming Grace of holy anger add light to light and glory to the glory of a Saint O my Soul is holy anger a saving and gracious affection a part of the glorious Image of God in a Saint Do the holy and blessed Angels as the Scriptures witness in their zeal to Gods glory and hatred of Sin express it in their constant oppositions and inflictions of Gods Judgments upon wicked Men and Devils Yea is it an Apostolical Precept and Duty to be angry and sin not Shall this grace have even in Heaven continual objects and occasions to exercise it self to Gods glory and thy own O write after this Copy and endeavour that this grace may not be seldome and casually but habitually in thee here upon Earth Let it be one of the Mortifiers and Crucifiers of thy lusts as they were the Murderers of thy Saviour Let it dash out the brains of all these Babell Beasts against the Stones of holy reproofs even the accursed issue of thy sinfull thought words and actions Let this God-like passion resist the Devil in all his subtle and powerfull temptations and he shall undoubtedly flye from thee Yea let this grace imitate and second the holy Spirit in reproving and convincing the ungodly World of Sin So shalt thou be preserved from the Commission of all evil triumph over all thy worldly and spiritual Enemies and be prepared by thy more full extent and acting of this grace here to be of an higher form in the blessed exercise thereof in Glory O All-mighty Creator who hast made my heart the seat of my affections and plac'd it in the Centre of my Body that it might affect and influence every part alike Let it not I humbly beseech thee be any longer like the middle Region of the Aire the coldest part of this Micro-cosme and void of this Heavenly heat of holy anger But let this sanctified affection flash forth like thunder and lightning and burn up and destroy every crude and evil thought word and action as soon as they appear and purge this Element of my Heart and Soul from all the infectious noxious and sinfull vapours of vain and sinfull thoughts that arise from this Earth this Body of Death and Sin that incompasses me about that they may never come to the maturity of wicked actions or if they do they may be as it were Thunder strucken and torne up by the Roots and not able to stand before this flaming grace so shall I be like thee who art as a flaming Fire consuming all Iniquity That so being renewed and fashioned according to thy Image in this World by such holy affections I may be assured of theirs and my greater perfection in the World to come when I shall be made like thee iâ— thy Image of Glory Amen As the light of the Sun to the World so is the affection of joy to the Soul when it arises there is day when it sets an uncomfortable night Man in his innocency enjoyed a polar day a continued presence thereof but having lost God its cause and object the effect ceased not that the Soul is disrob'd of the affection but of the true use of it hence the distinction of a spiritual and carnal joy The first is the true only found and beginning afresh to bud in the renewed Saints and favourites of God for a stranger shall not intermeddle with their joy but the other is momentary and illegitimate as being begotten in the Soul by false objects and is as it were the Moon-light of the wicked The object then of true joy is God and that in this consideration as he is inclusively and exclusively the compleat happiness of the Creature Whereby it comes to pass that the godly and reprobate may both rejoyce in the same things as Wifes Children Honours Estates c. And yet the joy of the one be holy and spiritual of the other carnal and wicked Leaving then the sensual mirth which is deceivable sinfull and temporary my thoughts pitch upon the Solace of the Elect which the Scripture stiles the joy of the Holy Ghost unspeakable and glorious the first-fruits and earnest of their future happiness By these glimpse O ye Saints of God's may yee judge of that full light you shall there enjoy Which if unspeakable here shall surely be there unconceivable Alas what can I then think and meditate of it chiefly negatively thus that there shall be no cloudings nor intermissions there no measure of our joy for we shall continually behold God and in him see all the grounds of rejoycing If here excesses have proved mortal their exceedings shall make us more immortal this being an increasing and reviving not a surfeiting fulness The capacity of the affection being gradually and continually augmented according to the plentifull infusion our joyes multiplying there even to Eternity The growth of our graces here although God be seen of us through the cleft of the Rock as to Moses teaching discovering and evincing a continued and far greater augmentation in glory hereafter O blessed and happy estate which is not diminished by Eternity but is as unlimitable as lasting O happy place wherein all joyes meet their objects in one Centre There shall we possess and enjoy not guttatim but according to the fulness of each Vessel God our gracious Father Christ our mercifull Saviour the Holy Spirit our everlasting Comforter the glorious Angels and Arch-Angels our fellow-Servants the Holy Patriarchs and Prophets our Tryumphant Leaders the pious Apostles and valiant Martyrs our victorious Champions together with the many millions successively of religious Professors There shall we meet and rejoyce in the like felicity of all our vertuous Parents Brothers Sisters Wifes Children Kindred and Friends There shall we inherit unvaluable and incorruptible riches Be install'd in Thrones of unchangeable and incorruptible honours and be filled with all unspeakable and Soul-ravishing delights To conclude whatsoever things either in conception or possibility can affect or rejoice the glorified Soul are there not interchangeably but contemporarily and continuedly obvious and present And on the contrary all things whatsoever that may lessen or offend in the least degree this divine extasie have an impossibility of subsistence in this Eternal Paradise And that not only in regard of the presence but of the decree of God himself Therefore needs must this joy be ineffably compleat to which all things concur for its perfection O Divine condition which shall thus sweetly impe and restore these mouldring and broken Wings of my Soul O blissfull Paradise and Chrystaline Sea upon which these now maimed Feet of my affections shall walk or rather evenly slide free from all rubs thorns and sinfull interruptions O how melodious will the harmony of these Strings be when mounted to the highest Key not to Ela but to Eli Methinks the very Contemplation of this life should so ravish my Soul and actuate these Wings these Feet that
of his wrath and shalt Judge amongst the Heathen and shall fill the places with the dead Bodies and wound the Heads over many Countries When thou shalt put a two-edged Sword into the Hand of thy Saints to execute vengeance upon the Heathen and punishment upon the People to bind their Kings with Chains and their Nobles with Fetters of Iron to execute the Judgment written this honour have all the Saints Yea is this thy victorious Kingdome and Government wherein righteousness peace holiness and purity shall be so greatly exercised and exalted by and under thy Saints upon Earth confirmed by thee in a Vision to thy Apostle John who declares that after Sathan was bound by thee a thousand years He saw Thrones and they to wit thy Saints sate upon them and Judgment was given unto them The Prodromus to which Sessions he saw Revelations the 19. from Verse the 11. unto the end of that Chapter And shall not both my Tongue and Heart in the certain belief that these wonderfull prophetical promises shall yea are now at the point to be made good unto thy Church and to be fulfilled praise and glorifie thee in the joyfull expectation thereof in those words which thy own Spirit Indicted on this subject and for this purpose O clap your Hands all yee People shout unto God with the voice of Tryumph for the Lord most High is terrible he is a great King over all the Earth He shall subdue the People under us and the Nations under our Feet he shall choose our Inheritance for us the excellency of Jacob whom he loved For God is the King of all the Earth sing yee praises with understanding God raigneth over the Heathen God sitteth upon the Throne of his Holiness The Princes of the People are gathered together even the People of the God of Abraham for the Shields of the Earth belongeth unto God he is greatly exalted O blessed Saviour who art that great Prophet promised by Moses yea the Lord God of the Prophets Hast thou foretold to us by them that after the binding and sealing up Sathan and all the Powers of Darkness in Hell the bottomless Pit thy Saints thy Church shall enjoy a Sabatisme a thousand years of rest and peace upon this Earth which I humbly expect when their six thousand years of trouble labour and persecution shall be expired typified and prefigured as I in all humility conceive in the Arks resting the 17. Day of the 7. Month as a Type of this rest in the six Days Creation and thy seventh Days rest and in thy appointing us a laborious Week and six Days of Work and every seventh Day to be a Sabbath a Day of rest to us and the Creatures And in the seventh Years rest to the Field and release to Servants the righteousness and holiness peace plenty and happiness of which their raign and Kingdome I but lately mentioned and evidenced by a few Scriptures of many that clearly hold it forth to us O let my Heart and Tongue in the assured faith of thy accomplishing this great work sing with joy the seventy-second Psalme The lively Prophesie of this thy peaceable Kingdome under thy Saints upon Earth under the Type of Solomon concluding with the Holy Psalmist Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who only doth wonderous works And blessed be his glorious Name for ever And let the whole Earth be filled with his Glory Amen O Lord the Judge of all the Earth hast thou promised to come unto us the second time without Sin unto Salvation but in flaming Fire to take vengeance of all that know thee not Hereby destroying them and Hypocrites together with the Apostatizing Nations called Gog and Magog as Sprung from a Scythian Root seduced from the true Faith by the deceits of Sathan at his loosing for a season The number of whom is as the Sand of the Sea and by him gathered together to incompass the Camp of thy Saints and the holy City thy true Church made up of Gentiles and Israelites Hast thou then promised a Resurrection of the Just even of all thine Elect ones and Martyrs and that They shall be Priests of God and of thee O Christ and that they shall raign with thee a thousand years For thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall raign upon Earth Even in that new Heaven and new Earth which thou wilt create shall our Salvation be then perfected and compleated in that first Resurrection the Redemption of our Bodies now sowen in Corruption but then raised in Incorruption sowen in dishonour but raised in Glory sowen in weakness but raised in Power sowen a natural Body but raised a spiritual Body and glorious like unto thee O Lord. For ever blessed Redeemer shall I according to Scripture-Chronology probably about twelve hundred and thirteen years hence with holy Daniel stand in the Lot at the end of the Days and in my glorified Body with the many myriades of Angels and glorious Saints upon the renewed Earth behold and enjoy thee personally a thousand years shall my Tongue then declare thy Acts and the wonders of thy love mercy and truth and praise thee with them for this thy great salvation as being in a sure possession of Glory O let my Heart and Tongue now praise thee in faith and assurance thereof Since Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Yea let me with thy Prophet and Apostle Tryumph over that last Enemy Death and singing say O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory The Sting of Death is Sin and the strength of Sin is the Law Death is swallowed up in Victory Thanks be to God which giveth us the Victory through thee our Lord Jesus Christ. O thou whose Name is called the Word of God who art the King of Kings and Lord of Lords the only Potentate to whom all Judgment is committed by the Father and who art ordained of God to be the Judge of the quick and of the dead we must therefore all appear before thy Judgment Seat when thy righteousness shall shine forth as the Light and thy Judgment as the Noon-Day in giving to every one according to their works And to all thine Elect called thy Sheep at thy right hand who are freely justified by thy righteousness according to the goodness of their thoughts words and deeds which and not any of their sins as being fully satisfied for and blotted out by thy Death and Merits shall then be remembred as being the fruits of thy own Grace That so thy Saints may be gradually rewarded according to their works not for their works both in the new Earth and highest Heavens with Eternal Life and Glory And inherit the Kingdome prepared for them before the Foundation of
the World After which act of thy remunerative Justice and thy Raign upon the renewed Earth with thy Saints a thousand years thou wilt I believe raise and Judge all the wicked called the Goats at thy left hand and the Apostate Angels according as thou hast declared in thy Word of Truth when every ungodly one shall be sentenced and punished proportionable and according to the evil of their thoughts words and actions then being all made manifest who with the Devils their Tempters and Tormenters shall by thy mighty Angels be cast into the Lake of Fire the Locall Hell unto Eternity This is the second Death O my King my Judge my Spouse shall this dreadfull time of Judgment fearfull indeed to the wicked but a most joyfull Day to the Godly certainly come upon the World according to thy Word Shall there be a long tract of time measured out in the acting and manifesting thy Judgments and magnifying the glory of thy remunerative and vindicative Justice to the World as well as there hath been a long space of proclaiming and holding forth the Golden Scepter of thy free Grace and incomprehensible love and mercy to the Sons of Men Is this truth one of the Articles of the Christian Faith and as certain to us as the Day of our death according to that unrepealable Statute It is appointed to Men once to dye and afterwards comes the Judgment Shall the Crowns dignities and rewards conferred upon thy Saints be one chief subject of praise and fill the Mouths of Men and Angels with continual Hallelujahs unto God not only whilst they rest upon the renewed Earth but also in the highest Heavens after the end of this long Day and the pouring out of thy wrath and execution of thy righteous Judgments upon wicked Men and Devils when thy glorious justice in both the parts thereof shall be finished and compleated according to that Prophesie of the Psalmist then perfectly fulfilled Verily there is a reward for the righteous Verily he is a God that judgeth in the Earth O let both my Heart and Tongue now inure themselves to this Subject since I live by faith and not by sense and sing with the Elect ones in the Revelations that prophetical Song calculated for this time saying Hallelujah Salvation and Glory and Honour and Power unto the Lord our God for true and righteous are his Judgments Praise our God all yee his Servants and yee that fear him both small and great Hallelujah for the Lord reigneth Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and hiâ— Wife hath made her self ready And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine Linnen clean and white for the fine Linnen is the righteousness of Saints Blessed are they that are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. O King of Saints and King of Nations our Almighty Saviour and Conquerer who hast fulfilled the Law satisfied Divine Justice overcome the World Crucified Sin spoiled Principalities and Powers and wilt at the Resurrection of the Just and the Redemption of our Bodies destroy our last Enemy Death and after the Judging and Hellifying of wicked Men and Devils wilt in Tryumph ascend on high with thy Elect and lead Captivity Captive that the Glory which thy Father gave thee may be given them that they may be with thee where thou art and may behold the Glory which he hath given thee and possess an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for us where we shall be ever with thee our Lord and see God face to face and in thee the perfections of all Creatures as in their first cause And know thee according to our measure as we are known by thee Blessed Mediator this is that time when all rule all authority and power being put down and under thee in the Kingdome of thy Saints and under thee in thy personal and glorious raign upon Earth All Enemies even Death it self being destroyed and put under thy Feet thou shalt deliver up the Kingdome so far as it is Mediatory personal and singly acted and managed by thee in thy humane appearance and Man-hood to God even the Father That so thou the Son as being also as Man the Son of God might be subject as to thy present kinde of administration unto him that put all things under thee that God may be all in all And the whole Universe and Creation both in Heaven and Earth especially thy spiritual Body thy Church may be immediately governed and influenced by him who is three in one God-blessed for ever To which mystical Body thy Spouse and Church as also to Angels thou still remainest Head and Lord for ever which being now perfectly and inherently sanctified and graciously admitted through the glorious inhabitation and communion of thy most holy and eternal Spirit to an immediate fellowship real and spiritual union although not essential with the Father Son and holy Ghost one God blessed for ever shall live eternally in the life of God and in whole and in part as respecting every individual Member and Vessel be always full yet always increasing in knowledge grace and glory as Eying and enjoying continually the Divine Nature and cast into an Ocean of infiniteness unto Eternity This is the Generation of them that seek thee that seek thy face O God of Jacob. Therefore let both my Heart and Tongue even now O Lord prepare and begin to praise thee as from Pisgath with beholding Canaan and by faith the eye of my Soul from the raised hill of holy Contemplation viewing this Saint Paul's third Heaven the Throne of God and of his glory and the many yea innumerable shining and starrified Mansions in thy Fathers house the places prepared by thee for thy Saints as also their Kingdome and State of endless glory happiness and blessedness In the ravishing Meditation of these things their translation and thy second most glorious and tryumphant Assention O let me sing and rejoyce in the words of thy Prophet David foretelling both thy Ascentions God is gone up with a shout the Lord with a sound of a Trumpet sing praises to God sing praises sing praises to our King sing praises Lift up your Heads O yee Gates and be yee lift up yee everlasting Doors and the King of Glory shall come in Who is this King of Glory the Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in Battel Lift up your Heads O ye Gates even lift them up ye everlasting Doors and the King of Glory shall come in Who is this King of Glory the Lord of Hosts He is the King of Glory Selah I have now by Divine assistance according to my weak-sightedness for all Men here know but in part and as in
a Glass darkly and imperfectly taken a view of the Land of Promise the Inheritance of the Saints in light and presented to the Lord and to his Spouse the Church what discoveries he hath in great mercy given me as concerning Eternal Life that last and great Article of the Christian faith begun visibly in the Saints glorified condition in the new Heaven and new Earth and continued unto Eternity in the Heaven of Heavens Wherein concluding with the glorification and blessed use and exercise of our Tongues in that happy state I thought it proper both as to the general subject I have been upon as being the Vision exercise and Tryumph of Faith and as to the subject matter both lauditory to God and declarative to one another about which our Tongues shall in our renewed life be imployed to declare in this life with all humility and thankfulness of Heart and Tongue to both which my Pen is but the Secretary in the Ejaculatory part of that Meditation what by faith I behold and am assured from the Word of Truth shall come to pass here and be injoyed by me and all Gods Elect in the life to come and shall be there a blessed Subject of our praises to all Eternity In which Song of 12. parts or Jacobs Laddar of 12. Staves whose foot stands upon Earth and top reaches to Heaven we may by faith ascend beginning here upon Earth in this present Year of our Lord 1666. by twelve successive Steps wonderfull and most signal periods noted afore in the Margint to the last and highest ascent the Glorification of the Saints in the Heavens Being now come to Hercules Pillars the Ne-plus ultra of Faith beyond which all sacred Scripture the light of Faith is silent I can proceed nor walk any further in these Contemplations lest walking without a Light I fall into the Darkness of Error It being alike sinfull curiosity and presumption to inquire what God will do after this silence When time shall be no longer as to ask what he did before time was and before this World was Created Wherefore I shall here conclude these my imperfect Meditations and with all humility and reverence return all Honour Glory and Praise to thee O glorious Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost one God blessed for ever for thy most gracious assistance by the light of thy Word and Spirit in this great Work a subject too weighty for Angels how much more for me a simple sinfull and weak Worm Lord I acknowledge that whatsoever is good right and true in this Treatise is of and from thee who art Goodness Light and Truth and to thee alone belongs the praise and that whatsoever therein is Hay or Stuble is mine who humbly takes shame therefore and Petitions for thy free pardon in my Lord Christ Jesus beseeching thee that in the assurance of thy love and mercy in him and in the faith light and assurance of thy glorious Truths herein declared out of thy Word I may with Holy Job all the Days of my appointed time wait until my Change come And with zealous Paul desire to depart and to be with Christ that so my faith and hope may be swallowed up in the possession of thee and Vision may be changed into fruition Thy Spirit and thy Bride say come And let him that heareth say come Thou O Lord that testifieth these things sayest Surely I come quickly Amen Even so come Lord Jesus The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all Amen Soli Deo Gloria An Advertisement by the Author to the Reader FOr the more cleer and fuller proof of the Twelve great things mentioned in the Conclusion of this Work I refer the Reader to my Treatise almost ready to be published Entitled An humble Exposition of most of the Scripture-Prophesies concerning Twelve great Periods to be fulfilled to the Church beginning to be manifested in the Year 1666. and concluding with the end of our Lords Mediatory Kingdome and the Translation of the Saints to the highest Heavens FINIS AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE Of the Things contained in the TREATISE Intitulated MEDITATIONS ON FAITH A. THe Affections lose their appetite if ye do but change the object viz. Spiritual for Temporal Page 4 Christs Agony as described should much act upon our spirits Page 27 The use and abuse of the Affections Page 45 46 All Arts and Sciences are in the Scripture as Metaphysick Phylosophie Astronomy Chronologie Rhetorick c. Page 71 Christs answer to the soul complaining of her Affections Page 81 The Antiquity of the Scriptures Page 102 Of the Affections glorified Page 151 Of holy Anger glorified Page 160 A Soliloquium upon it Page 161 An Ejaculation upon it Page 161 A caution against blotting Assurance Page 185 B. The Body of man like the pool of Bethesda with its five Porches Page 22 The curse and judgement of the Body Page 52 The Souls complaint against the Body with Christs answer Page 88 89. c. Of the Body glorified Page 164 Of the spirituality and swiftness of our Bodies at the Resurrection Page 169 A soliloquium and ejaculation on those two qualities of the Body Page 170 The glorious shining of the Body at the Resurrection Page 171 A soliloquium on that shining of the Body Page 173 Item an ejaculation upon it Page 174 Of the Immortality of the Body glorified Page 175 C. The Certain condition of man is to be uncertain Page 8 A man may be a Conduit-pipe to others and be a Vessel of dishonour himself Page 15 17 Of Christs Death and Burial Page 33 34 His victory over Hell Page 35 His Resurrection Page 36 His Ascension Page 38 Man in respect of Conscience is as one possessed Page 42 A Contemplation on love Page 47 A Contemplation on the insatisfaction in Riches Honours Pleasures Wisdom Page 49 A Contemplation on fear Page 51 A Contemplation on the sinfulness of the Eyes Ears Nostrils Taste and Touch Page 56 Of Christs Priestly Office Page 57 The occasion of Christs Priest-hood Page 58 A Contemplation upon Christs Priest-hood Page 60 Of Christs satisfaction Page 61 Christs answer to the poor soul complaining of his Conscience Page 75 The souls general Complaint answered by Christ Page 85 86 The souls Complaint against her Senses Tongue and Members of her body and Christs answer to it Page 88 89 A meditation on the excellency of Christs person Page 99 Against Coveteousness Page 123 An Ejaculation upon the glorious Change of the body at the Resurrection Page 185 D. Demas described Page 14 A Dialogue between Christ and the poor complaining soul in many particulars which Christ answers and satisfies Page 74 Our victory by Christ over Death Page 130 Our victory over the fear of Death Page 132 Our victory over the pain and separation by Death Page 133 All things fall short of the Duration of glorified Bodies and Souls and the high
principle thereof Page 180 181 A soliloquium upon that Duration Page 182 The Destruction of Christs enemies Page 242 E. An Ejaculation for Grace Page 21 An Ejaculation on Christs sufferings Page 30 The sinfulness of the Eyes Page 53 The sinfulness of the Ears with a contemplation on them Page 54 Of Eternal life Page 146 The destruction of Christs Enemies Page 242 F. The Fundamental graces Page 2 The definition of Faith Page 3 The means of Faith Page 21 Christ the Son of God the object of Faith Page 22 The palsie of Fear Page 50 A contemplation on Fear Page 51 Of Forgiveness of sins Page 63 Our victory over the Fear of Death Page 132 133 The affection of Fear glorified Page 153 G. Of the understanding Glorified Page 148 Of the will Glorified Page 149 A contemplation upon them both Page 150 Of the Memory Glorified Page 150 Of the Affections Glorified Page 151 Of Love Glorified Page 151 Of Fear Glorified Page 153 A soliloquium on Love and Fear Glorified Page 155 Item an Ejaculation upon them Page 155 Of Anger Glorified Page 160 Of Joy Glorified Page 162 Of the Body Glorified Page 164 Of the Senses Glorified Page 188 The destruction of Gog and Magog and the World by fire at Christs second coming Page 243 H. Honour distinguished and defined Page 5 Many good qualities spoyled by Hypocrisie exemplyfied in Saul Page 9 Hypocrisie deciphered to the life Page 13 Historical faith Page 4 A short History of the life of Christ Page 24 25 A senceless Hard-heart most dangerous Page 43 44 Christs answer to the complaint of a hard Heart Page 76 Honour one of the worlds Darts to wound souls Page 119 Of the sense of Hearing glorified Page 199 An ejaculation upon the glorification of the sense of Hearing Page 203 I. Judas described Page 16 Infidelity the first means of Death Page 20 Joy distinguished and described Page 48 No true Joy in riches Page 48 No true Joy in honours Page 48 No true Joy in pleasures Page 48 No true Joy in humane wisdom Page 49 The consolation in Christs Intercession Page 60 Of Justification Page 62 The necessity of It Page 68 Of Imputative righteousness Page 62 The Definition and Exposition of it Page 64 Christs answer to the Soul complaining against Joy Page 81 82 Christs Kingly-Office at the last Judgment Page 139 A short Application of Comfort against fear of the last Judgment Page 142 Of Joy glorified Page 162 The Conversion of Israel Page 240 The day of Judgment beginning with the rewarding of the Saints and ending with the judging of the wicked Page 244 K. The happiness of Divine Knowledg consists mostly in Fruition Page 7 Of Christs Kingly-Office now Page 93 Kings called Pastours and the Application of it Page 96 97 Of Christs Kingly-office at the last Judgement Page 139 Of Christ Victorious Kingdom Page 242 The end of Christs Mediatory Kingdom Page 246 L. Mans natural Light is comparatively darkness Page 12 A lawful and useful Love of Self Page 16 Gods Love infinitely excels mans Page 33 The commendation and corruption of Love Page 47 Christs answer to the souls complaint against Love â—1 The commendation of Gods Laws Page 101 Lust one of the Worlds darts to wound souls Page 117 Of Life Eternal Page 146 Of the affection of Love glorified Page 151 A watch to be set on the Lips Page 233 M. Miraculous faith Page 15 Mans Misery by Nature Page 41 His Mind dark as with Egytian darkness Page 41 The earthly-minded Man the only Melancholy man Page 49 Christs answer to the poor Souls complaint against its unfaithful Memory Page 78 79 Of the Memory glorified Page 150 The end of Christs Mediatory Kingdom Page 246 N. All Natural Mysteries and the Knowledge of them shall be discovered and hightened at the Resurrection Page 149 O. An Objection that God might have confirmed man as he did the fallen Angels answered Page 68 The weak Believers Objections answered Page 73 The souls Objection it cannot hear because dead answered by Christ Page 73 The souls Objection that the expressions of Comfort in Scripture are too general answered by Christ Page 73 An Objection that professors being forbidden sensual pleasures are of all men most miserable answered Page 125 P. Poverty distinguished and deciphered Page 26 Of Christs Priestly-Office Page 57 Of his Prophetical-Office Page 70 All Revelations flows thence Page 70 A Contemplation upon it Page 70 Our Protection by Christ Page 106 Persecution one of the worlds Darts to wound profession of Religion Page 120 An Expostulation touching Persecution Page 121 Against sensual Pleasures Page 124 The forbidding sensual Pleasures doth not as the Laodicean thinks make Professors of all men most miserable Page 125 An Antidote against Persecution Page 128 The ruine of the Papacy Page 240 Q. General Questions answered 1. Why God doth not in the same instant call justifie sanctifie and glorifie his Elect 2. Why God doth not build up that wide breach which sin hath made in mans Nature Page 67 R. Imputative Righteousness defined and expounded Page 64 Proofs of our right in Christs Imputative Righteousness Page 65 Riches is one of the worlds Darts to wound souls Page 118 Proofs and comfort in the Resurrection Page 135 Of the Ruine of Rome Page 239 S. The Soul is never unimployed Page 1 The sinful use of Smelling Page 54 Of Christs Satisfaction Page 61 The Souls complaint against the Senses answered by Christ Page 88 89 The commendation of the Scriptures from the Authour Antiquity and Holiness thereof Page 101 102 103 Christs protection of us from Satan Page 107 His protection of us from Sin Page 108 109 110 111 112 Against Sensual pleasures Page 124 A Soliloquium on the affections of love fear glorified Page 155 Of the Senses glorified Page 188 Of the sense of Seeing glorified Page 195 A soliloquium upon that Sense Page 197 An ejaculation upon that Sense Page 198 Of the sense of Smelling glorified Page 210 A soliloquium upon that sense of Smelling glorified Page 213 An ejaculation upon the sense of Smelling glorified Page 214 T. Temporary faith Page 8 The sinfulness of the Taste Page 55 The sinfulness of the Touch Page 55 The souls complaint against the Tongue and Christs answer to it Page 88 89 Of the sense of Tasting glorified Page 205 A soliloquium upon the glorified sense of Tasting Page 207 An ejaculation upon it Page 209 Of the sense of Touching glorified Page 215 â—n inference whether spiritual bodies as Angels may not be Tangible by spiritual humane glorified bodies at the Resurrection Page 215 216 A soliloquium upon the Touch glorified Page 218 An ejaculation upon the Touch glorified Page 220 237 Of the Tongue glorified Page 222 A soliloquium upon the Tongue glorified Page 232 Against cursing swearing and wicked or vain Talking Page 234 The destruction of the great Turk Page 241 The binding of the Devil for a Thousand years Page 241
and there shall be none to deliver them that sit and speak against their Brother and slander their own Mothers Son Yea I will shoot at them with an Arrow suddainly they shall be wounded they shall make their own Tongues to fall upon themselves who whet their Tongues like a Sword and bend their Bow to shoot their Arrowes even bitter words that they may shoot in secret at the perfect Thou shalt not go up and down as a Tale-bearer among thy People Neither shalt thou raise a false report nor put thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness Woe unto them that rise up early in the Morning that they may follow strong Drink that continue until Night till Wine inflame them Woe unto them that are mighty to drink Wine and Men of strength to mingle strong Drink Woe unto him that giveth his Neighbour drink that puttest thy Bottle to him and makest him drunken also that thou mayest look on their nakedness Who hath woe Who hath sorrow Who hath contentions Who hath babling Who hath wounds without cause Who hath redness of Eyes They that tarry long at the Wine they that go to seek mixt Wine The Drunkard and Glutton shall come to poverty and drowsiness shall cloth a Man with ragges Add therefore to your knowledge temperance A fruit of the Spirit against such there is no Law Be therefore sober and vigilant because your Adversary the Devil walketh about as a Roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour They that be drunken be drunken in the Night but you that are of the Day be sober Let your moderation be known to all Men for I am at hand And use this World as not abusing of it for the fashion of this World passeth away Hearken unto me ye that know righteousness the People in whose heart is my Law Fear ye not the reproach of Men neither be ye afraid of their revilings For the Moth shall eat them up like a Garment and the Worm shall eat them like Wool Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear and let him be your dread neither fear you their fear nor be afraid For the fearful and unbelieving shall have their portion in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second Death The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but Fools despise wisdome and understanding How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity And the Scorners delight in their scorning and Fools hate knowledge Cry after knowledge and lift up your voice for understanding Seek her as Silver and search for her as for hid treasures Then shall ye understand righteousness and judgment and equity yea every good path If a Soul sin and commit any of those things that are forbidden to be done by the Commandements of the Lord though he wist it not yet is he guilty and shall bear his iniquity How much more shall they be guilty that are willingly ignorant In flaming Fire therefore will I take vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not my Gospel Cursed be he that perverteth the Judgment of the stranger Fatherless and Widdow wherefore keep ye far from a false matter and the innocent and righteous slay not for I will not justifie the wicked Ye shall do no unrighteousness in Judgment ye shall not respect the Person of the poor nor honour the Person of the mighty But in righteousness shall you Judge your Neighbour Woe unto him that buildeth his House by unrighteousness and his Chambers by wrong that useth his Neighbours service without wages and giveth him not for his work He that ruleth over Men must be just Thou shalt not revile the Judge nor curse the Ruler of People Submit therefore your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake whether it be to the King as Supream or unto Governors as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and for the praise of them that do well For so is the will of God that with well-doing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish Men As free and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness but as the Servants of God Honor all Men love the Brotherhood Fear God honour the King For whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the Ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation Render therefore to all their dues Tribute to whom Tribute is due Custome to whom Custome Fear to whom Fear Honour to whom Honour Owe no Man any thing but to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law Remember them that have the Rule over you that have spoken to you the Word of God whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation He that heareth them heareth me and he that despiseth them despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Whatsoever City they enter and they receive them not I say unto you it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that City Hear the Instruction of your Father and forsake not the Law of your Mother For they shall be an Ornament of Grace unto your Heads and Chains about your Necks But the Eye that mocketh at his Father and despiseth to obey his Mother the Ravens of the Valley shall pick it out and the young Eagles shall eat it Whosoever lyeth with a beast shall be surely put to death If a Man lie with Man-kinde as he lyeth with a Woman both of them have committed an abomination they shall surely be put to Death their blood shall be upon themselves There shall be no Whore of the Daughters of Israel nor a Sodomite of the Sons of Israel God turned the Cities of Sodom and Gomorra into ashes condemning them with an over-throw making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly None of you shall approach to any that is near of Kin to him to uncover their nakedness I am the Lord after the doings of the Land of Egypt and after the doings of the Land of Canaan shall ye not do Let every Man have his own Wife and every Woman have her own Husband If a Woman whilest her Husband lives marries another Man she shall be called that is she is an Adulteress the like is true of a Man if he marry another Woman whilest his Wife liveth For whosoever puts away his Wife and marries another commits Adultery Whoremongers and Adulterers God will Judge Thou shall not lie carnally
with thy Neighbours Wife to defile thy self with her The Adulterer and Adulteress shall surely be put to death Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor abusers of themselves with Man-kind shall inherit the Kingdome of God Mortifie your Members which are upon the Earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection evil concupiscence For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the Children of disobedience And commit not Fornication as some of the Israelites committed and fell in one Day three and twenty thousand Without the new Jerusalem are Whoremongers who shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire which is the second Death Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts which are an abomination to the Lord. Wherefore hate all vain thoughts Let them not lodg within you for the thought of foolishness is sin I understand your thoughts afar off and am a discerner of the thoughts and intents of your hearts Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouths but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers But fornication and all uncleanness let it not be once named amongst you as becometh Saints Neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks For because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience Be not therefore partakers with them I say unto you every idle word that Men shall speak they shall give account thereof at the Day of Judgment For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Whosoever looketh upon a Woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her already in his heart Wherefore with holy Job make a Covenant with thine Eyes that thou think not upon a Maid to lust after her For when thy Eye is evil thy Body also is full of darkness The Eyes of the wicked shall faile But chiefly them that walk after the Flesh in the lust of uncleanness Having Eyes full of Adultery and that cannot cease from sin and are reserved to the Day of Judgment to be punished and to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever The Night is far spent the Day is at hand therefore cast ye off the works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light walking honestly as in the Day not in rioting and drunkenness not in Chambering and wantonness But put ye on me the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Let not Sathan who is a lyar from the beginning and the Father of lyes fill your hearts to sin against the Holy Ghost who is the Spirit of truth that ye be not strucken with sudden Death as was Ananias and Saphira Ye shall not lye one unto another but every one speak the truth with his Neighbour For ye are Members one of another For I will destroy them that speak leasing and the mouth that speaketh lies shall be stopped The Earth mourneth and fadeth away the World languisheth and fadeth away the haughty People of the Earth do languish the Earth also is defiled under the Inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the Laws changed the Ordinance broken the everlasting Covenant I am the Mediator of the new Covenant sealed unto you in my Sacraments of Baptisme and my Supper Tread not then under foot the Son of God nor count the blood of my Covenant wherewith ye are sanctified an unholy thing nor do despight unto my Spirit of grace For vengeance is mine I will recompence yea I will judge my people It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God When thou vowest a vow unto God defer not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in fools Pay that which thou hast vowed The Lord thy God will surely require it of thee and it would be sin in thee That which is gone out of thy Lips thou shalt keep and perform to God and to Men lest thou be excluded my holy Hill and suffer alike Judgement with King Zedekiah for shall he escape that doth such things Or shalâ— he break the Covenant and be delivered Surely where the King dwelleth that made him King whose Oath he despised and whosâ— Covenant he break even with him in the midest of Babilon shall he die Thou shalt not desire thy Neighbours Wife neither shalt thou covet thy Neighbours House his Field or his Man servant or his Maid-servant his Oxe or his Ass or any thing that iâ— thy Neighbours Woe unto him that covered an evil covetousness to his House that he maâ— set his Nest on high that he may be delivereâ— from the power of evil He that maketh haâ— to be rich shall not be innocent No covetouâ— Man who is an Idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God Take heed and beware of Covetousness For woe unto him that buildeth his House by unrighteousness and his Chambers by wrong Beware of Ahab's sin and his punishment No Man can serve two Masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other Ye cannot serve God and Mammon Therefore I say unto you take no thought for your Life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on Is not the life more than meat and the body than rayment For after all these things the Gentiles seek for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things Wherefore having food and rayment be therewith content for I have said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown Men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows Wherefore love not the World nor the things that are in the World if any Man love the World the love of the Father is not in him There is that scattereth and yet increaseth and there is that with-holdeth more than is meet and yet tendeth to poverty The liberal Soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself There is an evil which I have seen under the Sun and
it is common among Men A Man to whom God hath given riches wealth and honour so that he wanted nothing for his Soul of all that he desireth yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof but a stranger eateth it this is vanity and it is an evil disease Let every Man abide in the same Calling in which he was called Let none stand idle all the Day For an idle Soul shall suffer hunger And by much sloathfulness the building decayeth and through idleness of the hands the House droppeth through Behold this was the iniquity of Sodom abundance of idleness Avoid ye therefore their sin lest ye be consumed as was that City upon which the Lord rained Brimstone and Fire from the Lord out of Heaven Seest thou a Man diligent in his business he shall stand before Kings he shall not stand before mean Men But drowsiness shall cloath a Man with rags Wherefore be not sloathful in business as private Persons Let him that Ruleth do it with diligence lest when I come and reckon with you the sloathful and unprofitable Servant be cast into utter Darkness where shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth Be ye angry but sin not let not the Sun go down upon your wrath Like Simeon and Levy Instruments of Cruelty are in their habitations for in their anger they slew a Man and in their self-will they digged down a wall Cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruel I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel Therefore be not hasty in Spirit to be angry for anger resteth in the bosome of fools Whosoever is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in danger of the Judgment One of the works of the Flesh is hatred therefore thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy heart They that hate the righteous shall be desolate He that faith he is in the Light and hateth his Brother is in darkness even until now Whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murderer and ye know that no Murderer hath Eternal Life abiding in him Woe to them that hate good and love evil All they that hate me love death Use not your liberty for a Cloke of maliciousness But let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil-speaking be put away from you with all malice and be ye kinde one to another tender-hearted forgiving one to another even as God for my sake hath forgiven you The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out Water therefore leave off contention before it be medled with Walk honestly as in the Day not in strife and envying Let nothing be done through strife For where strife and envying is there is confusion and every evil work The Spirit that is in you lusteth to envy which slayeth the silly one and is the rottenness of the bones Charity suffereth long envyeth not Wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and evil speaking as new born babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby Dearly beloved avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath for it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay it saith the Lord. Therefore if thine Enemy hunger feed him if he thirst give him drink for in so doing thou shalt heap Coals of Fire on his head Be not over-come of evil but overcome evil with good Pride and arrogancy and the evil way and the froward mouth do I hate Only by pride cometh contention and where it cometh there cometh shame But with the lowly is wisdom Wherefore let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Be not high-minded but fear For who maketh thee to differ from another And what hast thou that thou hast not received Now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as though thou hadst not received it Thus saith the Lord let not the wise Man glory in his wisdome neither let the mighty Man glory in his might let not the rich Man glory in his riches But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord that exercise loving kindness Judgment and righteousness in the Earth For in these things I delight saith the Lord. Pride cast the Angels out of Heaven Your first Parents out of Paradice and the wicked World into Hell For the wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God Behold that which I have built I will break down and that which I have planted will I pluck up And seekest thou great things for thy self seek them not For behold I will bring evil upon all flesh How can ye believe who receive honour one of another and seek not the honour which comes from God only He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord for not he that commendeth himself is approved but whom the Lord commendeth Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall finde rest to your Souls Whosoever shall humble himself as a little Child the same is greatest in the Kingdome of Heaven Whosoever exalts himself shall be abased and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted Be ye not ambitious like Absalon and Adonijah least ye partake of their Judgments and violent deaths Give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in my Name For it is good to sing praise unto our God for it is pleasant and praise is comely Be ye not therefore guilty of the great sin of ingratitude with Hezekiah and the nine Lepers who rendered not again according to the benefits done unto them In these last times Men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blaspheamers disobedient to Parents unthankful unholy without natural affection despisers of those that are good Traytors from such turn away Whoso rewardeth evil for good evil shall not depart from his House Example in King Joash who remembred not the kindness which Jehojada the Father of Zacharias had done unto him but slew his Son Therefore his Servants conspired against him for the blood of the Son of Jehojada the Priest and slew him on his Bed Whoso loveth pleasure shall be a poor man he that loveth Wine and Oyl shall not be rich Woe unto the Land whose Princes eat in the morning But blessed is the Land whose Princes eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenness Woe unto you that are full for ye shall hunger Woe unto you
down and destroyed And that without my suffering of any considerable loss Soliloquium or Discourse OF all inanimated Instruments of God's curse for sin none have been so violent irresistable and destructive to Man as the four Elements because of all sublunary things they possess the largest extent and therefore have the greatest power and influence Witness the Earths tremendious swallowing up the Tents and Families of rebellious Korah Dathan and Abiram and the destructive and ruinating Antiochian Earth-quakes The Universal Deluge in Noah's time by Water The great Mortality and destruction of the Israelites in the Wilderness and our late dreadful Pestilences in London proceeding from the corruption of the Aire and the fearful and unparallel'd Visitation of Sodom and Gomorrah by Elementary Fire Of which four Fundamental Simples and sole Ingredients of our lower Creation None is so terrible so tormenting so swift and so indomitable as the Element of Fire and therefore not only the unsupportable pains of Hell are held forth to us in Scripture by Fire But flaming Fire is already irrevocably ordained by the Lord as the blessed Apostle Peter witnesseth to bring up the rear and to be the last and the most desolating Judgment upon this wicked World The sad yet lively figures of this last Fiery Destruction are the Burnings of Houses Towns and Cities particularly that of the great famous and ancient City of London in the Year 1666. Against which City those Ignation Fires marcht with such a large and fearful front that they destroyed and laid in Ashes in three Days the glory labours and expences of two thousand seven hundred of Years O gracious God! hath Fire been so raging unmerciful and desolating to many thousands of Houses and Palaces in London and England hath it now and heretofore impoverisht and undone many thousands of Persons and good Christians what cause have I a sinner above others to record and acknowledge thy great and continued mercies for no less than Eleven times quenching the Fires begun in Four of my Houses lately in my possession and for preserving our Goods from any considerable Damage O let thy Goodness and Mercy that was virtually Water to allay and put out these judicial and terrene Fires kindled by my sin as well as though the malice of Enemies and carelesness of Servants be as Oyle to cause the Flames of my Love and thankfulness so to mount aloft that they may be heard and seen afar off even of all that serve and trust in thee in these three Nations That they in the consideration of these and of others thy marvellous loving kindness to me declared in this my poor work may praise thee with me also Yea let this holy and Heavenly Fire consume and burn up whatsoever is not thy goods and furniture in me and destroy every Image of Jealousie any Lust that Sathan hath set up in thy Temple my Body or upon thy Altar my heart so shall my whole Man like thy House consecrated by Solomon be replenisht with thy brightness and glory yea being thus filled with the Holy Ghost my Life and Soul shall shine like holy Stephens Face thy Proto-Martyr and Confessor here and both Soul and Body hereafter to Eternity shall be made like unto my Saviour's glorious Body For we know that when Christ who is our life shall appear we shall also appear with him in Glory Amen The EXTINGVISHER Ejaculation or Hymn upon the former Subject HOw blest and Heaven-like was Man's State in Paradice When nakedness with goodness cloth'd was of a greater price By far than Cloth of Gold imbost with Diamonds Rubies great orient Pearles and other precious Stones There was no need nor pompous use of Houses fair To live lodge Banquet in or fence from Wind cold Aire Or Summers heat Grass ever green imbrodered With various colour'd Flowers was his sweet Bed The Earth his Table was spread with variety Of gustful Plants and Herbs yea every fruitful Tree As Servitors present his Smell Eye Hands and Tast With all kinds of the varest Fruits and delicates Above the rest was that Nature-preserving Tree Of Life giv'n him to feed on to Eternity By Day his large previllion was the Azure Skie Glorious like Heaven through the Sun 's light his Canopie Also by Night it was though chang'd and altred clean As being spangled o're with Stars like a new Scene O wretched Man who by thy own rebelliousness Hast forfeited this Patent of true blessedness And art most justly out-law'd and by sin cast out Of this thy first condition And be-set about With miseries hence is it that each Element Of which thou art compounded is revengeful bent Against thee that the glorious Sun whose Heavenly Fire Was made to warm and cherish thee is through God's Ire By its refracted Beams thy great Tormentor Hence The Aire is full of Thunders Tempest and with cold condenst Powers forth the down-Snow and canded Hail with Rains Like Floods Witness the Indian Spouts and Hurricanes The Seas and Rivers now have leave to pass their bounds And make that Sea again or Lakes that was drie ground Hence is it that our Mother Earth out of whose Wombe So many kindes spring forth unnaturally becomes Their Tombe before their time And with a trembling Jaw Devours her Off-spring swallowes up in her vast Maw Whole Townes yea Towring Cities and the swelling Streames Of Rivers deep making proud Mountains humble Plains Hence is it that wild Beasts rebel 'gainst Man their Soveraign Lord Nimrods oppress and Brothers fall by Brothers Sword These fearful fruits of Sin and of first Adam's Fall Was the ground Plot Impulsive cause Original Of Houses Towns and Cities Then necessity Was Man's Surveyor But now Pride and Luxury Which changed hath our Fathers Caves Tents Cottages To Castles Towers like Babel stately Pallaces And costly Buildings Four such Lord for my rich lot Thou gavest me once built furnisht to my hand what not Nay more that love and mercy might thy bounty match Eleven times thy good providence kept only watch And blest the meanes to quench those Flames that had begun To Ceize House Goods upon sins Execution Yea once the side pience of a Garret was on Fire put out Without the knowledg help of any Person wonderful throughout In all these Fires our Damages was very small When Neighbours lost fair Dwellings Houshold-Stuff and all Their precious things Wherefore let this thy goodness be By me O Lord Recorded to Posterity That what 's deficient here to celebrate thy praise May be supplyed by them in time and length of Days Dear God to give preserve from harm Four pleasant Seats Was thy great act of love and care made more compleat In giving gracing me poor sinful Hut of Clay To be thy Temple and thy dwelling Night and Day But wretched Man I am and mad that in return Have oft essai'd thine yea my one House to burn By Flames of Lusts
Baptisme and in thy faithful promise made to me as well as to Abraham since thou hast given me to believe and to plead it here before thee I will be thy God and the God of thy Seed What shall I render unto thee O Lord for all these thy benefits Since I and my Children are but like seventeen Cyphers which signify nothing unless thou place with and before us that only blest Unite thy Holy One the Lord Jesus in and by whom we shall be accounted of a great value with thee and be numbred amongst thy Saints O let me and my Childrens Children obey and glorifie thee until time be swallowed up in Eternity that what is wanting now as to our thankfulness may be in some measure although never enough for thy mercies are unmeasurable be supplyed in the length of years and by so many and in and by their multiplyed Generations for whose sakes as well as for this present Age I humbly Register here both thy blessings and my perpetual praises Amen The BEE-HIVE A thankfull Poem on the same Subject HAst thou O gracious God so highly honor'd me As to co-work and be thy humble Instrument To bring forth Souls array'd with Immortality 〈◊〉 worth than this whole world with its rich ornaments 〈◊〉 being living Images of Thee by right Of Christ in posse to be glorious Saints in Light Hast thou by me O Lord as thy blest second cause 〈…〉 that for their rare excelling frame Are 〈◊〉 worlds and through obedience to thy Lawes And Faith shall be like thee and truly fear thy Name Hast thou me given sixteen Tongues and sixteen pair Of Hands and Feet to praise serve thee for thine they are And shall my Muse be silent All these Tongues be dâ—mb As to thy praise No Lord through thy assisting grace I and my swarm of Children shall become A holy Quire a little Church thy dwelling Place The Trumpets of that Goodness which gives me to see Sixteen fair Branches from one blessed Tree Lord did thy Abraham esteem one Isaac more Than all his Earthly wealth Are a Posterity The living Monuments of Parents a rich Ore Our lively Pourtraictures in whom we never die Pillars of Families and the Foundations And Builders up of Churches Cities Nations The strength of Kingdomes Riches of a State The honour and defence of their weak aged Sires As ready for to meet the Enemies in the Gate A gift only from thee the fruit of chast desires Natures prime Flowers for beauty and which long endure Our choicest Houshold-stuff and richest Furniture O let me as my prop'â—est act of Gratitude As living Sacrifices offer them to thee And to thy Service since such servitude Their freedome is as once I did in Baptisme Lord hear my fervent Prayer and answer give Granting them all in thee a renew'd life to live Amen ARGUMENT Vpon the Lord's most bountiful goodness in giving me an Estate of Inheritance of about Three Thousand Three Hundred Pounds a Year and upon his wise and righteous Providence since in his Re-assumption and taking it from me Naked come I out of my Mothers Womb and naked shall I return thither The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the name of the Lord. Soliloquium or Discourse HOw wonderful various and mysterious are the actings of God in this World so that no Man knoweth love or hatred by all that is before them All things come alike to all There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked Let no Man therefore rashly Judge himself or his Brother as to these mundain and subsolary Dispensations lest he be judged of the Lord and possibly before he dies in another give Judgment upon himself This was the great sin of Job's Religious Friends and David's wicked Enemies in their change and low condition who censured the one for his hypocrisie and the other as a Rebel and a Traytor Wherefore as private persons Judge not before the time when the Lord hath promised that the righteousness of all his people shall shine forth as the light and their Judgment as the Noon-day Man's state in this World is much like the Moon to Day in the full glorious and lightsome to Morrow in the Wane dark and scarcely visible The Holy Spirit styling all our good things here uncertain Riches and compares them to an Eagle that hath Wings and suddainly flies away Of this truth the Lord to his praise be it spoken for shall I receive good and not evil from the Lord hath made me an eminent Example when he ordered my light to be blown out by one breath And I and my numerous Family to be lest to starving and darkness And all this not in hatred but in his wonderful love which I shall here declare to all the people of God from experience which is the truest demonstration and to the carnal World to whom this is a great mystery My gracious God since this my suffering condition having instead of my Earthly possessions given me himself the everlasting fulness of all things to be my unvaluable Inheritance The knowledge and assurance of which inestimable gift of being his and he mine And of the Concomitants and fruits thereof Eternal Life and Glory notwithstanding my early Convertion I would had it been purchaseable have given a World for in my prosperity For what shall a Man gain though he possess the whole World if he lose his Soul yea what shall a Man give in Exchange for his Soul And as to the present Cloud over me the World beholds only the dark not the light-side thereof Viz. The wonderful providences and preservations confer'd and accumilated both upon me and mine during my above Eight Years restraint and separation which is the Lord give me leave and life I shall in all humble thankfulness to God's glory and his Churches good more at large declare He having preserved me often as he did David Daniel and the Three Children in the Cave Lyons Den and Fiery Furnace and provided for me and mine as strangely as he did for Eliath when fed with Flesh by the Beaks of wilde and Flesh-devouring Ravens Eternal Father Son and Holy Ghost Three glorious Persons One Omnipotent and Incomprehensible God and Beeing my God in Covenant my gracious Father in thy only begotten and beloved Son the Lord Jesus Christ my alone Redeemer The only Fountain of love and goodness for thou art love and a God of tender mercies Who didst not only give me a large paternal Estate but when that was all taken from me for five Years in the late Wars didst in that time of my want and necessity relieve me and my numerous Family by the gift of a good Revenue the Legacy of my Wiâ—es Father who did not only after the end of the late troubles in the Year 1646. Restore
Acts 3.21 Math. 17.11 Gen. 1.31 Isay. 65 17. 2 Pet. 3.13 Acts 3.21 Revel 20.4 Soliloquium Colos. 2.21 Rom. 8.13 Prov. 5.20 Prov. 6.29 Prov. 5.5 Prov. 23.27 Isai. 5.20 2 Thes. 1.8 2 Pet. 3.7 12. Ejaculation John 17.17 Revel 21.5 Jerem 8.22 Hebr. 12.2 Rom. 11.29 Zach. 13.1 1 John 1.7 Jerem. 50.5 2 Sam. 23.5 Isay. 55.3 Cant. 2.16 Cant. 1.2 Cant. 2.4 Cant. â— 4 Cant. 8.6 7. 10. Gal. 5.10 Rev. 22.15 Of the Tongue Glorified Psal. 30.12 Psal. 108.1 Rev. 19.16 1 John 1.3 Rev. 5.10 Rev. 20.6 Heb. 12. 22 23. Psal. 7.5 6 7. 8. Psal. 44.8 Psal. 115.18 Heb. 13.15 Genes 18.1 2. Genes 19.1 2. Gen. 32.1 2. Joshua 5.13 Judg. 6.12 Judg. 13.13 2 Sam. 24.17 2 King 6.17 18. 1 King 19.5 7 Dan. 9.21 Luke 1.28 Luke 2.9 Revel 1.7 Mark 12.25 Revel 21.22 Revel 19 10. the 22. chap. verse 9. matth 28.28 Math. 28.28 Luke 13.28 1 Thes. 4.17 1 Tim. 3.16 Ephes. 3.18 19. Ephes. 3.16 Jude 9. 1 Thes. 4.16 Revel 5.11 Philip. 1.16 Colos. 1.16 1 Pet. 3.22 Ezek. 10.1 3 20. Isay. 6.2 6. Gen. 2.15 1 Cor. 15.41 Revel 5.10 Luke 12.32 Luke 22.29 Luke 19.19 Isay. 54.13 1 Cor. 12.12 to vers 27. 1 Tim. 6.15 Revel 19.16 Psal. 58.5 Heb. 1.2 Rom. 8.17 Revel 20.4 Revel 20.6 Rom. 8.21 Gen. 2.19 20. Revel 20.6 Soliloquium Psal. 141 3. Matth. 12.37 Matth. 12.36 matth 12.34 James 3.2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. James 1.26 Titus 3.2 Ephes. 4.29 Ephes. 5.4 1 Cor. 15.33 Nehe. 13.24 Ephes. 5.19 Psal. 14.7 Psal. 103.1 2 3 4 5. Psal. 66.16 Psal. 108.1 Psal. 45.2 Psal. 49.3 Psal. 143.5 Psal. 145.5 6 7. Psal. 146.2 Acts 13.36 matth 25.25 Mark 4.21 Math. 7.6 1 Cor. 14.3 1 Cor. 14.12 1 Cor. 12.28 31. 1 Cor. 12.4 7 8 9 10 11 12 19 21 27. matth 10.8 Prov. 1â— 10 Exod. 23.12 Rom. 8.21 Read Job chap. 38. chap. 39. chap. the 40. Cant. 4. throughout Ejaculation Psal. 22.6 Ephes. 2.4 5 6. 1 Pet. 1 2. Ephes. 2.10 〈…〉 Ephes. 2.1 4 5. Rom. 1.6 Rom. 8.15 Rom. 15.16 Rom. 8.9 Rom. 3.24 25 26. Jerem. 13.6 〈…〉 John 6.54 Luke 14.14 Psal. 116.12.108.1 2. Jerem. 17.10 Rom. 7. â—â— John â— â—6 Phil. 2.13 Luke 16.14 Rev. 4.8 11. Revel â— 8 10 12 13. Rev. 15.3 4. Twelve wonderfull actings or works of God to be fulfilled Revel 11 3 4 5 6 7. 1. The raising of the witnesses Rev. 11.11 13. Rev. 13.1 2. Rev. 17.5 2. The ruine of Rome Revel 11.8 Revel 1â— 10 Revel 13.11 Revel 19.20 Revel 16.19 Revel 1◠〈…〉 3. The ruine of the Papacy Revel 17.11 Rev. 13.12 13. Revel 19.20 Revel 19.16 Revel 14.1 2 3 4. Revel 14.7.8 Read Rom 9. Verse 25 26 27 28 29. 4. Israels Conversion Read Rom. 11. v. 25. to v. 33. Read Ezekiel chap. 37. unto chap. the 40. 5 ly The Destruction of the great Turk 6 ly The binding of the Devil for 1000. Years Rev. 20.23 7 ly The Conversion of the World Psal. 22.27 Rev. 11.15 Joel 2.28 29. Isay 54.13 Isay 32.15 16 17 18. Isay 44.3 Psal. 72 11 17. Psal. 82.8 Psal. 86.9 Isay 60.3 Isay 2.2 Jerem. 27.7 Dan. 7.14 Hag. 2.7 Isay. 2.4 Psal. 29.11 Psal. 27.11 Psal. 72.3 7. Isay. 9.7 Isay. 65.20 22. Isay 54.13 Isay 66.12 Jerem. 31.12 13 14. Isay. 2.18 60 17 20. Read for further proof of this peaceable Kingdome of Christ. Isay. cap. 60.65 from the beginning to the end Zeph. 3.9 Zach. 14.9 Isay. 11.6 Zach. 12.8 Psal. 51.15 Read these Psalms being a clear Prophesie of the victorious and peaceable Kingdome of Christ. 8 ly The Destruction of all Christs enemies under his victorious Kingdom Dan. 7.22 Isay. 11.5 Isay 1.26 Isay. 60.17 Dan. 7.26 27. Psal. 2.9 Psal. 110.5 6. Psal. 149.6 7 8 9. Rev. 20.4 Revel 19. Verse 11. to the end Psal. 47.1 2 3 4 7 8 9. Deut. 18.15 18 19. Revel 22.6 Revel 20.1 2 3. Heb. 4.9 9 ly The Saints peaceable raign for 1000 years Gen. 2.1 2 3. Exod. 20.8 9 10 11. Psal. 72.18 19 Gen. 18.25 Heb. 9.28 1 Thes. 1.8 10 ly The Destruction of Gog and Magog and the VVorld by Fire at Christs second coming Revel 20.7 8 9 10. Rev 20.4 5. compared with Luke 14.14 1 Cor. 15.23 1 Thes. 4.16 Rev. 20.6 Rev. 5.10 Isai. 65.17 2 Pet. 3.13 1 Cor. 15.23 1 Thes 4.16 Rev. 20.5 1 Cor. 15.42 43 44. Phil. 3.21 1 Joh. 3.2 Vid. my Chronology of the Age of this World taken out of the Scripture which will shortly be published Dan. 12.13 Heb. 11.1 2 Tim. 1.10 Hos. 13.14 1 Cor. 15.54 55 56 57. 11 ly The Day of Judgment beginning with the rewarding the Saints And ending with the Judging the wicked and Devils Rev. 19.13 16. 1 Tim. 6.15 John 5.22 Acts 10.42 2 Cor. 5.10 Psal. 37.6 Mat. 16.27 Mat. 25.33 Isai. 53.11 Rom. 3.26 Isai. 44.22 Acts 3.19 Rom. 4.25 1 Cor. 15.3 Rom. 5.17 Rom. 12.6 Rom. 2.6 Revel 2 23. Rom. 2.7 10. Mat. 25.34 Revel 20.4 Mat. 25.33 Revel 20.5 1 Cor. 6.3 Revel 20.12 Luke 12.2 mat 25 41. Rev. 20.14 15. Luk. 21.26 28. mat 25.30 Heb. 9.27 Psal. 58.11 Rom. 1.17 Revel 19.1 2 5 6 7 8 9. 12 ly The end of Christs Mediatory Kingdome and the translation of the Saints to Heaven there to be for ever Revel 15.3 Rom. 8.4 Rom. 5 9. John 16.33 Rom 6.6 Colos. 2.15 Luke 14.14 Rom 8.23 1 Cor. 15.26 Psal. 68.18 Joh. 17.22 24. 1 Pet. 1.4 1 Thes. 4.17 1 Cor. 13.12 1 Cor. 15.24 1 Cor. 15.24 25 26. 1 Cor. 15.28 mat 1.18 Luke 1.32 1 Cor. 15.28 Ephes. 1.20 21 22 23. Colos. 1.10 Ephe. 2.18 22. 1 John 1.3 1 Cor. 6.17 1 Cor. 12.13 Joh. 11.25 26. John 8.12 Colos. 3.3 Rom. 5.17 John 6.57 Joh. 14.19 Psal. 24.6 Numb 23.14 2 Cor. 12.2 Psal. 47.5 6 Psal. 24.7 8 9 10. 1 Cor. 13.9 12. Colos. 1.12 Revel 10.6 Psal. 25.8 John 14.6 1 Cor. 3.12 Job 14.14 Phil. 1.23 Rev. 22.17 20 21. 3 Joh. 1. 2 Cor. 6.14 1 Pet. 1.14 3 Joh. 1. The Salutation 〈◊〉 Exhortation of the Father to his Wife and Children pro. 4.1 The Praise and Commendation of the Lord Jesus Christ under the Name and Title of Wisdome as being the Wisdome of God Mat. 6.33 pro. 4.7 Luk. 10.42 pro. 4.6 8 9 10 12. 13. Act. 16.31 1 Cor. 1.24 Heb. 1.1 2. The danger of neglecting to hear and obey the voice and Counsel of Christ. Heb. 2.1 2 3. Heb. 10.28 Heb. 12.25 An Exhortation of the Father to his Wife and Children to hearken to the word and counsel of Christ. Jer. 10.1 Heb. 1.1 Rev. 22.6 2 Tim. 3.16 Rev. 19.13 2 Tim. 3.17 Prov. 8.14 17. Here begins the speech of the Lord Jesus Christ as speaking in his own Person to those to whom this Epistle 〈◊〉 directed and 〈◊〉 applicable to all other Christians Joh. 1.14 Heb. 1.3 Prov. 8.30 31 34 35 36. The danger of rejecting Christ. prov 1.25 26 27 28 29 31 33. The Confession of faith commonly