the burden Now when this grace and wisdom doth come from above it wil teach and move the Parliament to make haste without delays to take off the unsupportable burdens from this Kingdom which they groan so much under and this grace of God in Christ wil move them with speed though they lose something of their own to let the oppressed go free and to ease those that bear the heavy yoke and to loose the bands of wickedness in taking away the finger of oppression which makes men hang down their heads and bring the poor into their possessions again and give unto Caesar his due for why are the King and the Parliament faln from their glory It is the glory of a King and a State to have their subjects to flourish in peace and wealth Now when the Spirit of God doth enter into the King and Parliament The Spirit of God is the only curer both of King Parliament people as he did into Ezekiel then he wil set them both upon their feet and then they shal hear God speaking peace and rest unto his people and if they deliver the poor and needy and do justice to the afflicted and needy then they shal be most like unto God for God standeth in the Congregation and he judgeth and he seeth the King and he seeth the Parliament that both their foundations are out of course he seeth the foundations of this poor Kingdom of England and Ireland and Scotland out of course but now if the Lord would be pleased to help you both to do justice to the poor afflicted and needy and to rid them out of the hand of the wicked then both you and our King would flourish like a green bay tree then our Land would flourish with the goodness of God and yeeld her increase read these Scriptures and consider wel of them Ezek. 2.1 2. Psal 82.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Jere. 31.23 24 25 26. Psa 85.1 2 3 4 8 9 10.11 12 13. Now when Christ comes into the heart of the King and Parliament and people he wil set us all in the way of his steps in mercy and in truth in justice and peace read Psa 85.13 Prov. 8.14 15 16. And this is the fruit that grows from above It is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be intreated ful of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisie James 3.17 Now I shal speak a word unto the Soldiery or Army Sect. 6 which God hath made victorious and valiant your enemies being judges and those that seemed to be for you in the time of their need now would have you to be removed both from the King and Parliament and others there be that speak evilly of you and some speak enviously against you and can shew no reason for it I know many of you are godly religious men and for that you shal fare the worse in suffering reproaches A word in season to the despised Army and jeers and slanders being branded with the name of Sectaries and factious persons by some of our proud ignorant Clergy such as Mr Edwards was and by some simple people likewise who wil say as they say Suffer a word of advice now I pray you Let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evil doer or as a busie body But if you suffer and be reproached for the Name of Christ happy are ye for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you 1 Pet. 4.14 15 16 19. And if you suffer the loss of your Freedoms and priviledges of free subjects after you have purchased them at so dear a rate yet suffer all this with the spirit of meekness and commit your selves and your losses unto the Lord and he wil repay you And to conclude remember what St. John Baptist said unto the Soldiers Do violence to no man neither accuse any falsly and be content with your wages when you have it Luk. 3.14 Now let me advise you to trust God with the Liberty of your Consciences and your wrongs The grace of God through Christ is as falt and it wil season every condition and your reputations and you that are worthy God wil vindicate you in his own time And let it appear from you that the grace of God in Christ is the sweet and golden rule for a Christian to walk by to make peace because Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace Isa 9.6 And those that are his subjects are sons of peace Luk. 10.6 Now I shal return to the second use which I drew from the 11. Chapter of Iohn and I shal conclude with that of Martha and Mary Now though Martha had received Christ into her house nay Christ had entered himself into her heart as you may see by her confession Iohn 11.27 yet for all this Martha was cumbred and troubled and distracted about many things which were below Jesus Christ this is the condition of many a poor soul to be like unto Martha in being angry with Mary for sitting at Jesus feet and she heard his Word for Christ had allured her to chuse the good part or the most excellent way as the Apostle saith that is the most excellent way not to hear the voyce of the world but the voyce of Jesus Christ as Mary did Luke 10.38 39 40 41 42. Sect. 7 Now we have many Christians in these our days that are like Martha and if it were possible they would command Jesus Christ to send away those that sit at his feet and hear him who is the living Word of life and like unto Martha they would have Christ to send away those that are like unto Mary to serve with them in their low acquaintances with God as some of our learned are and others as wel as they that have but little and low knowledg of Christ and very little acquaintance with God and that is the reason why they cannot understand those that sit at the feet of Jesus nay in the bosom of Christ and do taste of his sweet graces Now those that are weak in Christianity like Martha do not understand why Mary sat at the feet of Jesus but they are ready to think much and foolishly to say they are looking after new light they have got some notion into their brain they are possessed with some whimsey or other some new doctrine hath taken hold on them now such poor silly men and women are cumbred and troubled about many things which are below Christ and are ready to say as Martha did unto Jesus send them away bid them come to us and serve as we do and be as we are Now mark for this is worth the noting The spiritual Evangelical Christian that is like unto Mary and sits close unto Jesus Christ even at his feet with his head in the bosom of Christ like unto his beloved Disciple and he doth taste of the spiritual sweetnesses which are in Christ who is God
he wil hang upon every thing to save himself so the Iews for the most part did hang upon their own performances and so the Pharisees in Christs time and so to this very very day as for instance in Isa 58.3 Wherefore have we fasted and done so much say they and thou seest not wherefore have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledg of us Now the Lords answer is this These be but your bodily exercises and wil profit you but little It is not a form of godliness but the powerfulness of Gods Spirit in you and that must teach you to profit Isa 48.17 Now in the next place you have the Lords description of these outside professors in these words Yet they seek me dayly and delight to know my ways they ask of me the ordinances of justice they take delight in approaching to God Isa 58.2 Now they reply from this in these words Wherefore have we humbled our selves and prayed why saith the Lord your performances which you have woven are but as the spiders web which shal not be garments to cover you for you are like unto the spider that leans upon his house but it shal not stand neither shal you cover your selves with your own works Isa 59.6 compared with Iob 8.13 14 15. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me saith the Lord when you have not faith and love in your inward parts I delight not in your vain repetitions and luke-warm discourse it is an abomination unto me saith the Lord because they are your Idols or a false Christ of your own making if Christ the Son of God be not all in all in the heart of a man or woman then the heart is ful of Idols and false Christs Isa 44.16 17. So the most part of the world are ful of heart Idolatry and false Christs Beware of Covetousness Sect. 3 which is Idolatry Eph. 5.5 And I wil say to my soul soul thou hast much goods take thy rest Luk. 12.19 now here is a false Christ For there is no rest but in Christ Psa 116.7 Now it is a good thing to throw down outward Idolatry and Superstition but in the mean time if our hearts be as Temples ful of Idols and of false Christs what have we done Is not this that which the Lord complains of and cals it an abomination unto him and saith he is weary of their performances because they bring them and their prayers and their civil walking and their good meaning unto him and leave Christ behind them Therefore saith the Lord When ye spread forth your hands I wil hide mine eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I wil not hear you that is I wil not regard you Isa 1.11 12 13 14 15. CHAP. III. The Spiritual Opening and Application of these Scriptures VIZ. Lev. 10.1 2. Rev. 8.3 4. Prov. 15.8 Mark 11.13 Rev. 22.2 Gen. 3.7 Ezek. 16.8 Mark 15.16 24. Joh. 6.63 Ezek. 36.22 Rom. 8.26 Mark 10.17 18 19 20 21. Joh. 14.6 Joh. 4.23 24. Joh. 1.4 5. Rev. 3.7 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. 2 Cor. 3.6 Jam. 3.10 13 14 15 16. Gal. 5.22 23. 2 Tim. 1.7 Joh. 5.39 40 41 42 43 44. compared with Joh. 12.42 43. Psa 50.19 20 21 22. Mat. 5.17 Mat. 9.3 4. Luk. 7.33 34. Mat. 12.24 25. Joh. 5.16 18. Joh. 9.16 Joh. 18.30 Joh. 11.47 48. Joh. 12.19 Joh. 15.18 19 20. Joh. 18.30 31. Mark 15.8 9 10 11 12 13. Joh. 19.14 15 16. Joh. 5.39 46 47. Jer. 23.21 Jer. 14.12 13 14. Acts 24.2 5 6. Acts 19.23 24 25 26. Acts 17.18 19 20. Gen. 9.22 23 24 25. Acts 22.22 23 24 25. Revelation 17.7 9 12 13 14 15. 2 Thessalonians 2.3 4 7 8 9 10 11. Zachariah 2.7 Zachariah 1.19 20 21. Acts 26.11.22.3 4 5. Acts 22.3 4 5. Acts 26.9 10 11. Acts 8.3 4. Exod. 7.10 11 12. 1 Kings 18.21 22 23 24 25.38 Leviticus 9.24 Ieremiah 14.12 13 14 15 16. Ezekiel 13.10 11. Ier. 6.13 14. Zach. 10.2 3. Jer. 23.28 31 32. Mat. 24.24 2 Tim. 3.2 3 4 5. Phil. 1.15 16. Act. 4.20 2 Cor. 4.13 Phil. 3.2 18 19. 3 Joh. 9 10 11. Psa 15.3 Luk. 11.35 NOw to give you the reason of what hath been said of the Pharisee or outside professor Sect. 1 is this God the Father wil not accept of any thing out of Christ his Son or besides Christ instance in Nadab and Abihu which took fire but not from the Altar and so offered strange fire And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they dyed before the Lord Lev. 10.1 2. Secondly Christ is that golden Censer in which the prayers of the Saints are Thirdly Christ as God is that golden Altar upon which the prayers of the Saints are offered Fourthly Christ is the first and the only accepted with God and hath in himself much incense and in him are all the prayers of the Saints acceptable and sweet before God and by him alone are all the prayers of the Saints offered up to God as a sweet smelling savor Rev. 8.3 4. Now it is otherwise with a Pharisee or an outside Christian for they come to God alone by themselves and bring their prayers and performances and good meanings to God without Christ and leave Iesus Christ behind them and so they offer strange fire as Nadab and Abihu did And so likewise they have no golden censer for their prayers nor sweet incense to offer with their prayers nor any to offer their prayers upon the golden Altar but themselves for they know not Iesus Christ whose place it is to offer up prayers to God for he is the only accepted of God and if they seem to know him yet they wil not give him the preeminence in all things instance in those Iews Rom. 9.31 32. But as it were by the works of the Law that is partly by Christ and partly by their own works They would come to God but to come to God without Iesus Christ is as if the stubble should come to the flaming fire to be agreed and to come to God with a half Christ or to be halfes with Christ is plain Popery for it is to deny Iesus Christ the preeminence in all things as you may read in Col. 1.15 16 17 18 19. And thus they foolishly strive to be something of themselves with Christ in all things that they do and Christ not to be all in all things for them but themselves as it were to do something of themselves and so their prayers become as vain babling as Christ speaks Mat. 6.7 for Christ wil be all in all things to a man or else he wil be nothing at all to a man and then as Solomon saith The prayers of such a man and all things that he doth are an abomination to the Lord but the prayers of the upright are his delight Prov. 15.8 because he sees the Son of his delight to be all in them Sect. 2 Now I shal make
to take content in outward observations and say O! the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord and the ordinances of the Lord are these and yet we know not the good will of him that dwelt in the bush Jere. 7.4 Exod. 3.2 6 7 8. And thus we outwardly appear before men but inwardly we are ignorant of God and of Jesus Christ as it will appear in most Parish Churches for one saith he hath believed ever since he could remember and another she saith she hath as good a heart as the best and another he hopes to be saved for his good meaning and for his good thoughts and another saith he believes as the Church believes and another saith he believes what the Preacher saith and whether it be true or false he cannot tell but God forbid but he should believe his Minister Now such people are soon drawn to a form of Religion of any fashion for as the State changes so they wil change Now there are some others that can talk learnedly they think they know much but indeed and in truth they understand but little of Jesus Christ yet they may have a curious form of Religion and a glossie form of religious words which they may get by a customary way of Religion and by the abilities of nature and by reading in good Books as in a Catechism and the like and so they may speak the words that other men hath labored for and learn them and so much a Parrot may do and doth do Mistake me not I speak not against the using of good Books for I know those that are lame must have a crurch But one word with understanding and grace is better then a thousand words in a Catechism without understanding And so likewise Sect. 2 we may be like to the Jews in seeming to take delight in approaching to God upon our Fasting days as the Prophet Isaiah speaketh Isaiah 58.2 If we do that which is like unto the Jews then we are like unto the Jews and if we do not fast unto the Lord then we do fast unto our selves but if we do fast unto the Lord then what meaneth this bleating of the sheep saith Samuel to Saul what meaneth saith the Prophet Isaiah this putting forth of the finger and speaking against our neighbors and brethren what meaneth this strife and debate and this biting and devouring one another and this smitting with the fist in private Is not this wickedness to bow down our heads as a bull-rush and yet these things remain and we seemingly call upon the Lord. But this is not to fast unto the Lord. Read Zech. 7.5 6 7 8 9 10. Now if it would please God to help us but to keep one right Fasting day then we should loose the bands of wickedness and undo the heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free and break every yoke and deal our bread to the hungry and cover the naked and shew mercy and compassion every man to his brother Then this would be a fast unto the Lord and a feast unto men Read Isai 58.6 7. Now the Elders that are not able to feed the flock of God they outwardly appear to be religious before men as Christ speaketh so you may read Matth. 23.27 28. And so saith the Prophet Micah concerning the Prophets and so saith the Lord They make my people erre they seem to be that which they are not that bite with their teeth and cry Peace and he that putteth not into their mouths they even prepare war against him Have not we had many such Prophets and Elders in our days read Micah 3.5 6. And so likewise the Lord takes notice of the people as well as of the Prophets and the Priests The Prophets prophecy falsly saith the Lord and the Priests bear rule by their means and this is a horrible thing committed in the land and my people saith the Lord love to have it so Mark this O ye people of England for the Lord takes notice of you that call truth error and error truth Jere. 5.30 31. Now the Elders that are not able to feed the flock of God and the priests that teach for hire and the heads of the house of Jacob that abhor judgment or neglect to do justice to the poor and so pervert all equity yet saith the Prophet they will lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us My desire is that these things were not to be found amongst us at this day read Micah 3.9 10 11 12. Zeph. 3.3 4. Mark what the Prophet Micah saith They lean upon the Lord that is they lean upon the ordinances of the Lord in a carnal way they lean upon being outwardly baptized and the hearing of the Word preached and the outward receiving of the Sacrament and they lean upon Church-fellowship and upon an outward Confession of Faith onely in words But mark now what our Saviour Christ speaks John 6.63 The flesh profiteeh nothing mistake me not I say to lean upon the outside of the ordinances of God profiteth nothing which the most part of the world doth to this day The leaning upon being baptized with water either young or old profiteth nothing but the being baptized with the holy Ghost and with fire that will teach you and help you to profit and that will refine you and thorowly purge your hearts and gather you as good wheat into Christ garner Luke 3.16 17. And so to lean upon the outward preaching of the Word that will not profit us until Christ open our ears and speak in our hearts and say this is the way and I will inable you to walk in this my way and you shall spiritually hear this voice and I will wait saith the Lord to be gracious unto you and I will turn a pure language unto you and you shall serve the Lord with one consent read Isai 35.5 6. 30.18 19 21. Zeph. 3.9 And when this is we shall profit and with Samuel we shall say Speak Lord for thy servant heareth 1 Sam. 3.9 10. And so likewise to lean upon the outward receiving of the Sacrament it will profit nothing A blinde man that 's bid to a feast though he cannot see the excellence of the feast yet he may tast of the goodness and sweetness of the banquet but in this case of coming to the Sacrament it is otherwise for a man may see carnally but he cannot tast spiritually but he that cannot tast spiritually of the Lords banquet he cannot see spiritually and so he sits naked not having faith to see the want of Christs righteousness and so he sits naked before the King and the Saints Now Christ is the King of this banquet and a man not having faith is speechless when Christ speaks unto him read Mat. 22.11 12. Now a Saint and a true Beleever are in a better condition for they both see and tast of the sweetness of Christ and of the infinite love