the desire of that company of men I would not have them now imitated by any other to throw down light every where and keep the kingdome in darknesse and so in loosnesse that every one might rise up one against another to accomplish their will even children against father to cut the throat of purity and Puritans through the land To you more particularly let me speak from this point See here the spring of your neutrality you are dark you can do any thing because you know nothing Truth hath the power of God in it your hearts bend any way because you cannot set up God before them Sinners how have ye heard and what have you learn'd Your course speaks you loose to Christ and to many Christians what does it to your own consciences Have ye light what and live loosely Then you withhold the truth of God in unrighteousnesse and you will suffer doubly namely for the abuse of light and conscience A Libertine against light fights desperately against conscience or else hath kill'd it quite God is very angry with a man that is a sinner in the day O that thou hadst known in this thy day sinners in the day provoke God much and will be beaten with many stripes The prophet Esay speaks of darkning light in the heavens thereof Esay 5 30. Libertines against light darken the sunne in the heavens thereof they can snuff out the sunne that shines in their souls as one snuffs out a candle they pull the sunne out of heaven to make pleasure to themselves in the dark and make as if they knew nothing what they do Your hypocrisie is reigning and if not lookt to t will be ruining quickly these do not perish for want of knowledge but for want of conscience Coloss 1.13 And hath translated us into the kingdome c. WE have been at the border of hell and now we are come to the borders of heaven nature is as near hell as grace is heaven From nature to grace and from grace to glory is lost mans journey home again this journey is long and mans legges weak and not able to go it and therefore doth God bear him from one to another and transferre him along Transferring notes motion from one place to another but upon some bodies shoulders or in some bodies arms by bearing Observe the road to heaven and you shall see none going that way but in Christs arms you will see the way narrow and full of cripples carried along from tithing to tithing from sinne to grace from one grace to another till they come home to glory which is their kingdome Doctr. Grace is Gods carrying the soul to Heaven Christ carries souls in his arms unto eternall blessednesse Fallen man can neither stand nor go his fall hath killed him and the dead stirre not but as they are carried When the Angel stirres the water I have no body to put me in said the cripple if some bodie would take me in their arms or take me upon their backs and carrie me in I might come to health and happinesse The emblem speaks our state we are born from a miserable condition to a blessed from sinfulnesse which is soul cripplednesse to holinesse which is soul soundnesse and blessednesse Some can prevail with their wounds and weare them out but man is not so slightly wounded nature is deeply wounded and lies by it The Samaritan put the wounded man upon his own beast and brought him to an Inne and took care of him saith the Evangelist Luke 10.42 We are born from wounds to health from nature to grace from the kingdome of Sathan to the kingdome of Christ by Christs own power we are transferred into the kingdome Things have their nature and the result of this is their will man moves not heaven-ward nor will not things that will not go to such a place must be carried thither or they will never come there Christ puts himself to no more pains then needs must They will not come to me saith he of some which is true of all I must go to them and fetch them or they will never come to me else Christ speaks all our conditions in these words There is not bare indisposition but opposition resolute and in cases of this nature all must be carried by superiour power or nothing is done 'T is a hell to man to come out of hell and they are as devils tormenting before the time that meddle about this matter you chain and carry distracted creatures to means of remedie corruption hath its destructive haunt They are a perverse and a crooked generation Deuteronomie 32.5 they will not go Gods way and that they may not they wreath up their legges like a Tortoise contorti so saith the originall when a Tortoise wreaths in his legges under it you must carrie him if you will have him Christ saves laboriously he makes a sea of his bloud so deep as to bear the soul he makes arms and shoulders chariot wheels carriages to bear a sinner heaven-ward which is wonderfull heavy A sinner is a heavier burthen then all the creation he sinks all but Christ he makes the creation grone and crack under him he presses a world to nothing with his weight and yet Christ shoulders him The bearing up of the world is not so much burthen as the bearing up the soul of man he does the one with his word but to the doing of the other goeth word person bodie soul arms shoulders heart bloud all and yet Christ submits all these and becomes a porter a servant a slave and bears till his back and and heart break Labour if honourable helps to bear it self the labour it self lends one shoulders and gives one legges but base labour loads it self the servility and basenesse of it is more burthen then the burthen and pulls away all shoulders from it who will put himself to drudgings base service that is of any qualitie And yet Christ did this Drowning waters are up in this low world and Christ strips himself and wades and carries over poore souls upon his back and weaklings in his arms some one way and some another as may be best ease to them though most pain to him Christ saves fatherly Parents know no pains nor cost for children knees arms bosome soul all open to bear them Jacob wrapt up Joseph in his soul and carried him up and down in his bosome Christ is a father and moves just so to his children for every one of his children is a Joseph to him he takes up a child when complaining like the Shunamite and sets him in his lappe and keeps him their till he die all Christs children die in his arms like the Shunamites sonne If a child of God live an hundred years his father never sets him down out of his arms but carries him unto death beyond death as the Psalmist speaks Christ wraps us up in his soul and carries us there alwayes he is ever mindfull of us You
there is Christs highest seat of glorie in this world I may make an externall demonstration of this such parts of the creation as in which God most manifests himself for the ordering of all that is by way of eminence called his throne His throne is in the Heavens saith the Psalmist which is not spoken exclusively as if God had his seat no where else but comparatively that is no where so eminently as in that part of the creation that orders all the rest As the most noble part of the great world is Gods prime seat so the most noble part of the little world is his prime throne his throne is in the heart in that totum gubernans Thrones are erected in chief places more of Gods state and glory is to be seen in one soul then in all the creation a spirit speaks what God is and makes at the very esse of God as it were whereas all other things speak but what God doth and so make but at his back parts Where you can find God most according to what he is in himself and according to what similitude he makes to himself by operation there is his seat of glory he seated himself in the hearts of these Colossians and shewed himself as a God making covenant which is more then remembring covenant as the Prophet before speaks and therefore by so much the more fitly may be called the throne of his glory Majestie Kingdomes have majestie a kingdome is the union of many to hold forth greatnesse and dread to its own safety Solomon had Lions about his throne to set forth the Majesty of it to make transaction between that and all other people with awe Christ manageth his way in this world with majesty Heaven and earth tremble at his presence he utters his voice to the great world and the rocks rend thunder is the voyce of God to the great world and with what majesty doth he expresse himself to all creatures below in that voyce As there are thunderings without so there be thunderings within in great majesty doth Christ speak to the soul sometimes ask your consciences else ask Felix the Goaler and Cain else yea ask your father Adam else what a case were all these in when Christ did but reason with them Yea I ask you hypocrites if any here is not the way of Christ full of majesty What means those loads that gather about your hearts and that fearfulnesse which surpriseth you else Thou dost but touch the mountains and they smoke saith the Psalmist God doth but now and then give a touch within and the ruddie merry face pales and sadens presently he doth but whisper within and spirits flie up into the head into the face and about every where and the heart within beats for want of them ready to swoune away Twenty years time not enough to heal the wound of a word of Gods mouth O the majesty of that word Gods word is a sword hath not a sword dread especially when ranted against the breast ask wounded spirits whether Gods words be not full of majesty Look upon the whole creation upon the earth upon the sea upon the heavens do they not all speak the majesty of Christ God is mightier then the noise of many waters yea then the mighty waves of the sea saith the Psalmist tossings rollings and roarings of the sea do they not speak loudly the majesty of Christ But ah sinner the tossings rollings and roarings of a troubled soul speak the majesty of Christs words much more Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade men Know ye the terrour of the Lord the majesty of God as manifested by his Word and Spirit Paul did Job did the dread of God fell upon him these Colossians did and were brought out of it into the kingdome of a dear Sonne a Sonne of love Kingdomes have supremacy one in chief Supremacy and over all such as are Monarchically governed and so is the kingdome of Christ Christ moves as by a majesticall so by a superiour power to all and this is basis majestatis Christ is a great King over all as the Psalmist titles him he moves here below by a power above men above the greatest of men above Kings and therefore called the King of Kings and Lord of Lords he moves by a power above Angels good and bad his throne is above thrones dominions principalities that is those spirituall principalities which by Angels are expended he rules yea he captivates all which is more Every knee bow to him of things in Heaven of things in earth and of things under earth men and Angels good and bad The Sunne is supream and swayes all virtues of the Heavens and earth Christs dominion is from the sea to the worlds end there is not a power from one end of the world to the other but 't is under Christ The first Adam was over all and so is the second his motion yet but darkly speaks this but 't will every day now more then other the kingdomes of the world will become the kingdomes of Christ what he yet darkly over rules he will take visibly into his hands and the kingdomes shall become one and under one Israel had one Lord the Lord thy God is one Lord. Distance of place destroyes not the Supremacy of Christs Kingdome nor the Monarchicall government of it which will be plain by this demonstration Talk with Christians here and talk with Christians in the furthest part of the world and you shall find consent of divine motion within and without amongst them all which speaks them all under one supremacy all subjects of one kingdome though so farre distant they grone under sinne as you do and extoll Christ as you do face answereth to face and yet these faces never saw one another pulse beat and spirits work alike the state is the same the bloud is the same though it run in various veins and some to the extreme parts of the earthen fabrick As things are in their native power Christ is above them and supream and as things aspire and exalt themselves and pretend to something above their native state as things strut themselves and stand a tiptoe so Christ also is above them Low things will stretch and lift up themselves to over-top and this may do something amongst men but 't will not with God In that wherein they dealt proudly he was above them said Jethro of Pharaoh and his company Order or laws A kingdome hath a scepter Kingdomes are not many together like heaps of stones confused and any one upmost but many together by rule and this holds altogether to the weal of each Bonds knit many together every man loose and to his will and then many kings but no kingdome every man to his will and publick weal makes her will too and dies Bread is the life of particulars and law is the life of generalls bread is the life of persons and law is the life of
kingdomes these are they that render one to another as Joseph to his brethren nourishers I will nourish you saith he to his brethren fear not c. Christ hath a scepter he rules not by tyranny but by law which law of his kingdome you have written as the Jews had the laws of their kingdome and not an action of God about the creature but is in reference to the written law all motion of Christ is according to truth Christ doth not his own private will but a joynt will consented to by each person and published which is the meaning of that expression I came not to do mine own will but the will of my Father He came to fulfill one volume another volume is written and he will come and fulfill that too and then 't will be well with us Christ moves so exactly by the word that this and not he shall judge men at the last day Rule makes actions justice or not justice where there is no law there is no transgression The shining justice of all Christs actions shall silence every guilty soul at the last day Christs course was nothing else but a fulfilling what was written his sayings seemed hard and yet he spake but the written word Justice is in the worst word or work you wrangle at his scepter is a right scepter a scepter of righteousnesse his carriage is but the written word organiz'd and made to speak to you still as you are the word made flesh and wrapt up in a mouth of flesh like your own and made to talk to you and to tell you your own which is the scepter of Christs kingdome The summe of all is this Christ doth manage a publick state here a kingdome that is he puts forth a power to the subduing and ordering of many to their felicity and his own glory and to the destruction of all that oppose these two Vse A kingdome speaks subjection of multitudes the ordering of many to the felicitie of all and to the glory of one as head of all What power Christ manages in the world that look after in your selves Untaimed creatures what do you think of your selves truth is of little power to subdue sinne and order the heart and yet men think they are brought into the kingdome of Christ You can talk but the kingdome of God is not in word but in power that is subjection to truth speaks dominion What hath conquered your souls Christs kingdome is obtained by conquest did sinne and your souls ever fight 't is a time of warre how many battells have Sathan and your souls fought you glory to be quiet men and Sathan likes it well he is as unwilling to be troubled as you Many sinners scarce ever gave their sinfull hearts a check and yet cannot but judge well of their condition they so sinfully dote upon themselves nor can they judge well of any else that think not of them as they do Sathan and I have fought many a time saith one we have had many a hot bout together and who is overcome Sathan or thy soul Sathan is expert at his weapons able well to defend himself he is not conquered presently he hath strong holds and a strong art to hold them Know ye his wiles ignorant souls you think you fight with the devil when you set Sathan to cast out Sathan one lust to crosse another Some men can distinguish between humour and reason and can set reason to fight against humour and both to fight against Christ Doth truth carry you against humour and reason both against all that opposeth This speaks the dominion of Christ I consulted not with flesh and bloud saith the Apostle he doth not say I consulted not with Sathan and sinne flesh and bloud speaks reason and yet when this opposeth Christ a soul under his dominion waves it Discretion Some are not farre from the kingdome of God as Christ speaks and yet never come there 'T is an observable expression that of Christ to the scribe When Jesus saw that he answered discreetly saith the text he said unto him thou art not farre from the kingdome of God Mark 12.34 Reason seasonably and forcibly acted is discretion discretion is a course divinity and it consists in squaring action to externall applause and men that can reach this height usually stick there which is deadly and so I fear did that scribe 't was enough that he had so spoken as to winne applause for I heare no more of him in that story Londoners most of you have knowledge enough and many of you can manage it to great applause you are not farre from the kingdome of God and yet rest here and you will never come there I love discretion dearly and yet I have observed many discreet men the most bitter enemies to the power of godlinesse they can honour nothing above their own sphere holy zeal is wild-fire with them their own pace after Christ fast enough and this oft times looseth Christ soul and all Discretion is good at measuring virtue but bad at measuring grace 't will give much to Christ but not all it lacks still one thing as Christ said to the young man and commonly that one thing is something which carries the heart with it which is all the dominion of Christ is not in that soul Men merely discreet are not yet brought into the kingdome of Christ Some go beyond discretion and make flanting profession Profession and yet prove not well There be children of the kingdome and yet not in the kingdome children of the kingdome shut out children of one kingdome shut out from another Christs kingdome hath some externalitie many called and no more few chosen such as stand within the externall call of the Gospel and make as if they did heare boast of the Temple and the name of the Lord and depart not from iniquitie these are children of the kingdome and yet children of that wicked one Londoners look to your selves you are children of the kingdome Christ calls to you all is glorious and you all seem gloriously to hearken to it but I observe some of your wayes and there I see you wipe off all your paint and your life speaks your souls dead and many friends about you mourn for the dead I see their tears in bibles every Lords day Sir pray for my father pray for my master they talk and make a shew but have nothing in them they have a name that they live but are dead O Sir pray that they may not be twise dead and plucked up by the roots Persons about you they see the unsoundnesse of your profession and you see nothing Hypocrisie is a secret but a very mortall evil it lives and thrives under all contrary forms Children of the kingdome look about you and I have done If you receive not the kingdome of God as a little child you cannot enter into it Little infants parents may carry them where they will Truth must carry you
any time Christ makes it up so that the soul is still full full of content full of joy and that 's a blessed life that cannot be made miserable Thou hast no righteousnesse but Christ hath enough which is all thine if thou couldest see it Thou canst not pray but Christ hath the art on 't for he is full of the Spirit and he makes thy requests thou hast no spirituals no corporals but Chist hath all and thou mayst from hence as the Apostle doth conclude that he will supply all thy wants Phil. 4.19 Christ will do for you according to his riches and that will amount to very much to the supply of all your wants let them be what they will But now my God will supply all your wants according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ According to that all fulnesse which now Christ hath in glory will he dispence Lord how full how rich how blessed will all Saints be I leave them to admire this till I can speak of it more COLOS. 1.19 That in him should all fulnesse dwell c. Opportunity and assistance hath continued to pursue our work both beyond our expectation God must have all the glory We spake last day of Christs wealth and we founde his revenue very great we are now to tell you where it lies Much may be nothing so it may be situated situation is the glory of our inheritance Christs inheritance lies very commodiously very blessedly it lies all in him It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell You dwell in your inheritance but Christs inheritance dwels in him You have a hint here how to raise estimation Doctr. We are to prize persons and things according to the wealth and worth that they have in them Christ hath all worth in him Felicity makes estimation as we contrive things to contribute to this so we put price upon them Mans felicity lies inward as his soul and not as his body is in wealth so is he blessed Sin is a gangrene the bowels are gnawed the plague of man is at his heart health is best wealth that 's wealth indeed that makes the soul well Faculties fight the Devill sets them on the heart cannot still its own stirs if God in this case do nothing within the man is a poor creature for all his riches a million of money cannot give a moments ease the man wil be distracted in the midst of abundance and curse his gold as an Idol god and wish his bags his winding sheet things ill within and nothing can be well without but the spirit full of God though the purse be not full of money the condition is blessed and to be admired as possessing all 'T was Christs case and is here admired by the Apostle It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell without him he had nothing Internall wealth is great outward things are but seemingly big like watry vapours internall wealth is the Sun himself and no seeming big rayes of the Sun Know ye not that Christ is in you c. So much grace in the heart so much of Christ himself soul-fulnesse is nothing else but one spirit filling up another Magnitude makes admiration a â—rum of grace is great 't is God the great God in you Judgement amongst us is false things should be weighed in an even ballance to make right estimation of persons and things We value the casket only and not what is in it if vastness of estate makes difference in price that 's greatest which lies within The weaknesse of God is stronger then men So may I say the least of God in the heart is more then all the world A thing may take up little compasse and yet be vastly big in price What a great estate lies round together in some little stones can you value one vertue The price of Wisdom is above Rubies and yet the seat of this is within the inner man hath many Jewels about his neck of inestimable price the Bride hath a chain of Pearls given her when married to Christ so had Christ of his Father when married to the flesh which is that according to which he is admired here as so wealthy the Jewels which he had within him in that casket of flesh Internall wealth is delightfullest riches are of two sorts earthly and heavenly base and glorious grace is riches of glory as delightfull as heaven Read how grace is called Colos 3.16 That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit according to the inward man The riches of the inward man are riches of glory Stars twinckle and make the heavens all glorious so Grace sparkles and makes all glorious within Christ is transient in the world but he dwels in the hearts and where he dwels is his chair of State that 's glorious The Kingdome of Christ is glorious that 's within you the killing of sin is sweet the soul drinks the blood of the slain and growes fat 't is heaven to any soul to be conquered by Christ his smitings are precious balm what are his embraces then Not any thing in grace but most contentfull to the soul the bitterest things about grace are sweet the very bark and rind of grace sweet Persons have not heaven as they have much without but as they have much within Heaven is all the person that hath this in him is admirable though never so contemptible in the world It pleased the Father that in him should be all the sweetest delights that are in the bosome of God and therefore admired here by the Apostle Internall wealth is the lastingest Much for yeers begets it self little every hour to think of its end riches yea life is a death under this notion that they will end Life is dated all things here are dated Such a yeer such a moneth such an hour and all mine yea I my self shall die this lies cold about the heart to consider and lessens much Internall wealth is lasting grace is a tree of life Mercy that runs only into the purse runs out again but Mercy that runs into the soule abides there for ever You value estates not as things hazardous but according to what is sure What wealth is in the heart is sure riches leave the bodie but God never leaves the soule Riches and honours are with me yea durable riches and substance Things have a naturall advantage to wit the advantage of their kinde long lived by kinde spirituall life is begotten by him that lives for ever and so long lived by kinde That which is borne of the spirit is spirit so I may say that which is borne of one that is eternall is eternall All wealth within us is borne of the everlastingest Spirit and is everlasting it selfe Things have also an accidentall advantage or an adventitious advantage the advantage of their station In Heaven wealth is sure saith Christ there be no theeves
no matter what the instrument be so that it hath but the advantage of divine ordination to such an end All the means that God useth are effectuall to his end because he hath appointed them and not for any cause or reason naturally in themselves If there be no likely power in an instituted means yet it shall accomplish its end because instituted I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ 't is the power of God unto salvation To speak a few plain words of a despised person and think by this to convert the souls of men from their wicked wayes and to bring them to heaven and to wave a lofty strain of humane wisdome more likely to take I am not ashamed to do this this course may seem folly yet certainly it shall accomplish its work 't will be the power of God to salvation because the will of God hath instituted it That Christ should have such a frail instrument and no other to wit a body of flesh a substance capable of death to conquer death withall was of Gods appointment a body hast thou prepared for me and therefore effectuall to such an end God eyes himself in all he doth by us He doth so order action and instrument as may most advance his own glory When the instrument is great God is little we cannot see much of Christ when he takes up much of any thing here below to do his will by Mans argumentation generally is very destructive to the glory of God That hand which is most visible still that did all Saul hath slain his thousand David his ten thousand God none God therefore leaves all which we so much look upon and goes alone and doth work with poor despised ones which we cast off The Stone which the builders refused he must be head Weak and unlikely things to sense are trampled upon by us Can death bring about heaven Can base things bring about glory Thus we reject and refuse things and then God uses them and then he is seen as God The humanity of Christ was the fittest medium in the world to demonstrate the Divinity of Christ by to all the world For such an organ as ours to be made do mighty things made beholders put that question What manner of man Christ was We admire power wisdome and every attribute else when they put forth themselves by poore and unlikely things and not else If means be likely to such an end according to our reason we usually never look at God but bury the glory of all that is done in instruments Enemies to Christ should tremble at this point The kingdome of the Devill is strong men are confident and rage Round-heads shall not live a man of them God suddenly blast this pride with a little power Men despised for valour and skill God makes to drink the blood of despisers so he will do 't is his way Great men and great spirits should abase themselves if they will not weak things Worms Flies Frogs shall devoure a king The heart secretly riseth but the man is openly puld down the ruine of the stout-hearted is very notorious by two circumstances in that it is done openly and utterly that God useth weak means to overthrow strong and so as never to rise more They sank as a stone saith the Text. Doth a stone rise again Jael nails Sisera to the ground could he rise again Ah! what is become of many thousands of the Lords enemies in this Land which were mighty in battell Are they not sunk as a stone pinned to the ground gone to their center to their place whence they cannot return and this by poor despised means With weake instruments God doth through work David strikes down the Philistine and that is not all he is used to make sure work with him he runs and cuts off his head which shadowed out the utter ruine of the kingdome of the Devill by Christ a despised man God is upon a design the world will not believe not a man shall stand before him that stands against him The baiers of the Lord shall be destroyed that is all of them If any ask how this shall be because things are so unlikely I answer The Lord creates evill he can take any thing a hailstone a wounded man and form them into deadly instruments for his enemies The fan in Christs hand 't is but a weak thing a despised company yet he will throughly purge his floore he will out with all that offends When some bad humors are let out they gather and swell again there is no end of action in an evill heart till there be an utter end of the man 'T is sad to behold how enemies gather ino a head again when blasted from heaven we shall prevaile we shall prevaile The Devill befools wise men How can ye prevaile and cannot conquer the weaknesse of God Poor weak things if you cannot conquer an army of men how will you conquer a legion of Angels God hath a reserve which you are not aware of you choose out your stoutest for a forlorn but God his weakest and yet these are too hard for you and yet you feed your fancy that you shall prevaile The Devill is in this would bloody wretches were aware of it that he may have all he would not have a man sit down in an evill way till he come to his journeys end which is Hell the destruction of the body and soul Christ hath many sorts of enemies all should tremble at this point that God doth great things with small means There is a corporall war and a spirituall war in England and both bloody in both Christ will conquer how weak and poor and despised soever his instruments be which he useth When Christ drew out a party to go out against the kingdome of the Devill observe how he furnished him with munition Go saith he and take neither sword nor staffe nor money yet these carried it in the businesse they went about Externall advantages about internall works are much lookt at and much sway with sense what power what honour and wealth goes along with the wayes which are profest Christ takes neither and yet raiseth up his Kingdome in the world sends out men not a whit seconded from secular advantage no power from man but the sword of men against them no honour from men but the frownes of all against them and yet turnes the world thus opposite with two or three upside down These are they which turn the world upside down The world is a vast body and holds very hard in its way and yet this turned upside down by two or three despised ones Thus hath Christ done thus doth Christ do and thus will he Choller is a scurvie humor it burns black mens throats and tongues The Devill hath shot thousands in the mouth if not in the heart in this war between Presbyterians and Independants O how wickedly do some good men talk now and yet Christ will live and every
and then all that are in him Christ as Mediator presents himselfe first and then we are presented by him Here am I and the children which thou hast given me This presentation shall be made very accurately every person and action every act externall to a cup of cold water every act internall every good thought shall be laid open before God every good purpose that we would have built a house for God and that we would have done this and that shall be presented before God as done all good intentions and the person that hath them the persons shall be presented as the person of Christ his intentions as the very actions of Christ as perfect in both as Christ in his person and life so as the Father and Christ are one Christ and we shall be one and so be imbraced for ever We shall be presented to God so one with Christ as a wife is one with her husband as a chaste Spouse without spot throughly one in love with our husband and so fully one in priviledge The properties of this presentation are these 'T is very solemne God all the Saints and glorious Angels of Heaven beholders of it Things are very publikely carried above Jewels are not secretly given and hanged in the breast as Christ doth here every ones instalment is with all the traine and state of Nobles in blisse every ones presentation is matter of a new song and all the quire of heaven have it in their mouths presently not one sits sad and mute as unacquainted with the matter when the rest sing every present is opened all the myrrhe seene and smelt by every one above and so all sing at once as equally revived and reviving the reviver Every presentation brings new acts of God not a soule that is set before God by Christ but peculiar wayes of love and workings of Gods grace found in him and all these laid open before God and all the Saints and Angels in heaven and set to severall songs for all the quire of heaven to sing unto all eternitie There is joy in heaven at the turning home and coming in of a sinner that is in this lower heaven to wit the kingdome of grace all the Saints rejoyce exceedingly as any one comes into God as a shadow of that which is gloriously done above O if a man could but see what a smiling heaven that above is all over when any soule is brought and set downe before God by the Lord Jesus Christ 'T is an eternall act Where the soule is set by Christ when it goes hence there it abides for ever The things which God doth internally are eternall he blesseth and curseth for ever to whom the soule is presented hereafter there it abides for ever soules that are set before Satan there they abide for ever and such as are set before God there they abide for ever to behold the glory of his countenance God when he hath his children brought home he puts them out no more he gives them their inheritance and this lies all before him and there they sit down upon it and feed upon the sweet of it for ever 'T is a large inheritance that every one hath above and yet it doth not occasion any that are brought before God to be placed far off from him Mansions and thrones are all prepared and they lie all before Gods throne and stand as long as his the windows were open towards Jerusalem because there was Gods presence so every ones mansion is so prepared and shaped that the windows all open towards God they can fit in their chambers of rest above and look God full in the face Blessed are they that stand before thee they alwayes behold thy face said that royall person it hints one state above and rather speakes that then this below Blessed yea blessed indeed are they that sit before the Lord for ever which sit in state as Kings even as Solomon himself which sit upon thrones for ever as that greater then Solomon doth which are joynt in concurrence in all acts of state and triumph together for ever that where one goes tother goes and so ever with the Lord ever before the Lord. Your last house your last habit your last condition hath no shadow of change not a thought that any degree of felicitie shall waste and end so much as enters into any soule before the Lord that they shall ever be set one haires breadth out of their place Vse You that are the people of God thinke on your blessed state to sweeten what you meet with in this world You are here made as the off-scouring of all things fit for a present to none but to a dunghill to all the reproaches disgraces and punishments that may be this will last but a little while there are other thoughts of you by great Statists and Peeres above you will be gathered out of the world now quickly as the myrrhe and frankincense of it and be made a present to the King of heaven which he will embrace above all presents and lay in his bosome to smell to and delight himselfe in for ever Precious things are in some Countries but not knowne by the Inhabitants they are so brutish and so not improved but trampled upon 't is so all this world over in a spirituall sense A brutish spirit possesseth this world so that persons know not the jewels and treasures which lie hid in the bowels of it There is such a precious metall amongst the earth and rubbish of this world that shines into heaven that may make a rich and acceptable present to the great State above did the world see it their blindnesse is their plague 't is misery enough one would not wish them more what ever one undergoes by them I am tender of you the Lords people I know you meet with much evill from evill men let nothing sadden nor imbitter you still consider what you are in the eye of God what ever in the eye of man let not the bitternesse of evill men make you lose your own sweetnesse still consider how precious you are and to whom you shall be presented for ever The very influence of heaven is enough for some choice creatures to live upon some sweet dewes that fall the Bees picke out of it a sweet stock and doe well although these dewes fall but now and then so some influences of the highest heaven of that state and condition we shall have choice spirits me thinkes might live well upon and wade strongly through all tryals here though they have these influences but now and then if wee did but pick up the crums from the Table above if we did but consider where we shall be and what we shall be we should rejoyce in tribulation 't was a sweet dish to the prodigall when he was eating huskes to thinke what food was in his fathers house though he could not tell whether he should be admitted thither The world gives us husks
whither it will if you fight against it you cannot kill it but you will kill your souls Rebellious strugglings are soul-stabbings carry things by force against all divine resistance and you run head-long to Hell Out of self is the way into the kingdome of Christ pleasure must be nothing parts nothing nothingnesse is the way to all Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome we speak of Lay your spirits naked before Christ and let him further strip them as he will and then cloath them and order them as he will and this is the way to a kingdome it is something painfull to get into Christs kingdome but when you are once into it you would not be out of it again for all the world Coloss 1.13 Dear sonne or sonne of love CHrists honour and thy foundation of it are the two things which take up this latter clause his honour is great to wit a kingdome the rule of all his favour is great and this raisd him so high he is a dear sonne a sonne of love saith the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The father loveth the sonne and gave all things into his hand Joh. 2.35 and Joh. 5.20 The father loveth the sonne and sheweth him all things that himself doth c. Love gives forth preferment to all Gods children not any sonne but riseth this way not any adopted sonne no not the naturall sonne he hath a kingdome because a sonne of love Love is the common doore by which all favours go forth to all children some children are higher then others in dignity but none by their wits or any thing else but all from love Wits make their way too much with men and 't is all the friends which some have to rise by but they procure no preferment with God if not beloved let a man be as crafty as the devil he will never be rais'd by God God flatters none whom he cannot love he tells them so in all he doth every thing works to throw them down not to raise them up as every thing tends to the advancement of them that are beloved We do make distinction of talents some bigger some lesser but love hands them out all to children God gives to all his children with his own hand adopted sonnes and the naturall sonne have a kingdome as dear children as sonnes of love God gives orderly his heart first and then his hand persons are indeared and then have all countrey city the whole kingdome Isaac could not blesse at a distance Come near my sonne c. God doth not cast great blessings he knows not upon whom he takes persons very near him relates them and indears them and then advanceth them The Lord did not set his love upon you and choose you because ye are more in number c. Gods order in advancing is here set forth he first setteth his love upon persons and then chooseth them forth for advancement according to that love The Lord did not set his love upon you and choose you c. Love singles out persons and then singles out preferments suitably she culls out and then crowns so naturall and so adopted sonnes rise to the kingdome There are kings in wrath in a temporall sense but none so in a spirituall all spirituall kings are kings in love and from love set up and kept up Kings of a little spot of earth and the king of all the earth all one in the originall of their preferment all children of love therefore children of honour and greatnesse and carry away all from all the world beside The heart of God is the foot-stool up to the throne for all God gives purely nothing without him ingages him to any no not to the naturall sonne You are given unto and therefore give but God gives so to none Who hath given unto him first did the naturall sonne or do the adopted sonnes All his children have what they have because beloved love onely is the wombe that brought forth sonnes and a kingdome for them Designe makes you stir but God cannot be more happy then he is the advancing of love is all his designe in all he raises he makes persons great to make great his love no sonne should have had a kingdome neither adopted sonne nor naturall sonne had it not been to make great his love Love is the efficient and finall cause of all Gods actions towards all his children the naturall sonne and the adopted sonne are made great of love and for love set up by love that love may be set up by them and for no other designe Gods gives solacingly that is so as to delight himself in what he gives so as to delight the giver as well as those that are given to all given in love makes a heaven to God and to man to the giver and to the receiver The motion of father and children each to other is by the same spirit children move towards their father in love and that 's the heaven of their way the advancement and kingdome which they give God in their hearts is in love Father moves to all his children in love and that 's the heaven of his way the fruit of the spirit is love so the reward of the spirit is love the one speaketh that which we give to God and that is love and the other speaketh that which God gives to us and that is love Gods way within and without to all his is in a rapture he makes a heaven to himself in making one for us All motions between father and children make love-meetings we obey him in love and he crowns us in love adopted sonnes and the naturall sonne all Gods children move in love to their father and their father meets them in love and imbraceth them so did Christ advance his father and so did his father advance him as a dear sonne Vse You see Gods generall way of raising persons he first loves and then advances not a person in the world doth God preferre out of this method Many men have a mind too much to a heaven here and hereafter but no mind to look after the love of God wrath secretly consumes these in their blind strugglings to be happy Is hatred or love fastened upon you so will you rise or fall struggle and strive and do what you can Is despised Christ a sonne of God a sonne of love If he be of that seed he will rise and will flourish into a kingdome notwithstanding all the devils in hell oppose Is Mordecai of the beloved seed then he will rise let Haman struggle his heart out Is Haman an Agagite of the cursed Amalekites then he will fall and all the favour in the world cannot keep him up I am grieved to see what preposterous wayes men take for preferment the love of this man and that man is made out after and not the love of God as the onely medium to rise by I view the wayes of men and sigh in secret
and gives off its office God hath not one adequate to render him visible to a mortall eye neither matter nor form neither longitude nor latitude neither white nor ruddy without any dimension and without any circumscription of time or place or any accident or shadow of them The summe of all is what I said in the beginning That God is wholly invisible invisible in person and action Vse Each of these are distinctly usefull that God is invisible in action tremble before him Sinners look not after their souls I tremble to see it because there lies the action of God principally a man is killed invisibly Sinne is best pleasing the man will have his way now God with-draws and this action is not seen but yet is the eternall death of a soul thousands are thus slain and no wounds seen felt nor complained of There be a great many bodies visibly slain and this makes you shake but there be a great many souls invisibly slain the sword of the spirit cuts off the spirits of men utterly from God apace therefore is hypocrisie at such a hellish height and so many great men become as devils and making damnation a court-complement There be a great many slain and fallen but weep not for these there be a great many more slain that are not yet fallen invisibly slain utterly cut off from God O weep for these for when these fall they will fall very low Fear not Christian they have their deaths wound that warre against you a deadly wound at heart from heaven which you see not stand still and you will see them fall fearfully hell pangs are upon them do you not hear them grone to be there by their horride imprecations Our warre hath slain more then we see how do men give up the holy Ghost daily and souls breathe out their last good breath What making of graves tolling and ringing out is there in the other world below if a man could see it Sinners tremble at these things for I tremble to think of some of you I see that in some of you which I fear is yet invisible to your souls invisible judiciary action upon your souls beg that your eyes may be opened that you may see Gods actions within you in some measure or you are lost men Gods action is invisible trust in him when Gods action carries not that in it visibly which we look for we think it hath nothing in it at all nor means nothing for our good and so let fall faith and fall a quarrelling with God and one another 't is our great disadvantage at this day and nothing more with which God is displeased which will be more and more disadvantage to us onely Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my judgement is passed over from my God When we cannot see God going along with us in every thing we think he hath cast us off the godly despair and the wicked presume when things are thus carried both which are much alike good one looseth his comfort the other looseth his soul When we are in the dark and know not where we are God knows where he is variation of action doth not prove variation of intention one end may be intended in travell though every day the way turn In countreys full of mountains wayes are necessitated to turn and take compasse much there are great mountains in the Churches way these make many turnings and put us oft to a stand to see our way and him that goes before us Christians be not discouraged it is the manner of God to hide himself oft when he intends to shew his face gloriously I cannot let down my faith respecting Gods intentions of love to this bleeding land that that God now hides himself let it make matter of prayer as it did to David in like case and not matter of unbelief and impatience Hide not thy face from thy servant for I am in trouble heare me speedily deliver me out of the mire and let me not sink let me be delivered from them that hate me and out of the deep waters let not the water-flouds overflow me neither let the deep swallow me in let not the pit shut her mouth upon me c. Finally for as much as God according to person is invisible to a mortall eye long to be out of the body that mortality may put on immortality a mortall eye become an immortall eye that you may see him that dwells in that light to which no mortall eye can reach The body makes misery and not felicity to the soul here our mortall eye beholds nothing but mortality and so all our vision in the body makes misery and not felicity to the soul What is this world but a great body filled with the curse of God! and what are all the creatures of this world but each others deadly executioners and the dust of one a grave to turn another into the same and this is our dolefull vision throughout our dying life here our eye affects and afflicts our hearts and yet do not we long to go home to have better vision the vision of Saints and the vision of Angels and the vision of God in which is heaven Know your errour now you carnall wretches all is going away whither are your souls going to see God or the devil Know your errour Christians the glory of this world hath taken your eye and the shame of it will take your persons unlesse the Lord pitty What bloudy objects do I see in the countrey and what bloudy objects may I see in the citie But were I in that holy city above I know whom and what I should see and feel to all eternity Coloss 1.15 First-born of every creature FIrst-born notes two things precedence in affection and precedence in being in reference to all the creation Christ is before all chosen beloved and indued with grace and in this sence is called the first-born Whom he fore-knew he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his sonne that he might be the first-born among many brethren Christ and all the elect are here resembled by a family and Christ the first brought forth in the image of the Father of this family and all the rest conformed to this image Christ the first chosen and indued and then all others chosen and indued in him In this sence namely in regard of precedence in affection is Israel called Gods first-born that is in reference to all other people the first chosen and beloved And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh thus saith the Lord Israel is my sonne even my first-born Let my sonne my first-born go or else I will slay thy first-born Exodus 4.22 First-born notes precedencie in being there is a first coming into the kingdome of God and a first coming into this world First was the word begotten and then all other things begotten by him before any thing had being Christ had The Lord
him Neutrality is condemned by this point some will be neither for nor against Christ which cannot be all must be for him Conceits are strange where the heart is naught can a man onely be a looker on in matters of God which concern his glory and our eternall welfare Flesh is fearfull and where this predominates all the care is to look to one and that one is self and not Christ which will be the shame of that one unto all forever O how dear is name and state wife and children now But how dear is Christ Men of the world look into your hearts now if ever you would know them throughly would you not fain stand Neuters now in our cause to give your purse some rest Is not the pulling of your purse-strings as the pulling of your heart-strings Alas for me what shall I and mine do all will be gone I shall be quite undone What is Christ beleft is all gone Nothing will be for Christ as it should be when the heart is not I would you would all look to this Give your selves to the Lord and then you will give all that is yours This they did they gave their own selves to the Lord and then to us by the will of God Make your hearts throughly for Christ and you will make all other things with ease Lusts unmortified the heart is unruly the heart unruly will part with things according to its own will and not according to Christs An unruly heart becomes froward frowardnesse knows none but its own will Who is David and who is the sonne of Jesse that I should take up what is mine and give to I know not who Many things go for Christ a while plate horse money men and of a sudden all is checked and nothing shall be for him the plague of this is at the heart this was never for him but yet men do not consider this but plead a thousand things of this side and that speaks all more miserable Two things speak the heart for Christ the rise and the scope of action the heart is not for Christ let the action be what it will when it springs not from love Peter lovest thou me Feed my lambs Naked action though never so good speaks not the heart for Christ but the spring of that action Do ye love Christs Lambs and feed them I will tell you a sad thing many a souldier hath a hand for Christ and a heart against him and what a pittie is this So many a Citizen hath a purse a little open for Christ and a spirit quite shut against him Certainly our motion for Christ is heartlesse motion love oyls her own wheels as long as she hath any work or any power and we are quickly weary of well-doing The spring of action and the scope of action speaks the heart for God not what you do but at what you aim He that seeketh his glory that sent him the same is true and there is no unrighteousnesse in him John 7.18 The generation is spiritually plagued which is worse then all the plagues which are upon us men do little and mean lesse scarce a true heart amongst us The body hath two eyes but the soul should have but one looking onely at Christ but shew me such a man now We are a kingdom of squint-eyed persons states are broken any way will serve to mend them let whose will lose is there any way for me to gain Trialls are quick spirits perverse kingdomes reel nothing to be had you must comply and do as others do and seek your self for you cannot rid it out thus we reason Simplicity is a rock I see but few of these in our seas Surely surely souls are drown'd apace in the deluge that is upon us Men that did look bravely at Christ now look basely at themselves which speaks more wounds to a wounded kingdome the Lord heal such hearts or else when will this land be healed Coloss 1.17 And he is before all things c. Doctr. HEre is a term of connexion in the front of this verse which calls for something to be spoken relatively Circumstances are multiplied to winne respect to Christ Much is said before and here is more and yet all expression too little to winne affection The heart of man naturally is damnable cold One ornament is enough to set a man dear in your breast but all ornaments not enough to set Christ dear Affection naturally is no whit divine Christ is very honourable in gifts and so in years he is the ancient of dayes He is before all things and yet all nothing Let us all bleed under the basenesse of our affection so much should not be said to quicken were we not all very dead There must be some divine principall in the soul ere any divine principall held up to it will take it if heaven were open to you yet would you have no heart to go in unlesse your hearts be opened too Should Christ himself come from the dead and stand in that glory before you in which he stands now at the right hand of God yet unlesse something be done within this sight without will not gain you to him you will tremble and intreat him to depart Sinners know the plague of your heart Christ is not revealed in you and therefore all that here he saith to you is no more stirring You have glory after glory here and yet nothing gains you spit out the sowernesse of your souls in the face of him that is sweet to you I am afraid nothing is yet done within you and is this nothing to you And if so your state is the more grievous to Christ When we do not love Christ we should confesse it to him a plague hid Christ looks not after it but lets it ramble and kill the soul Yet must we Christs servants strive with you still and fight with dead men as long as we are in this dying tabernacle and all that Christ saith of himself we must say to you though you grow worse and worse into every chamber of the king of glory we must lead you though it be of no taking glory to you My text puts me now to speak of the eternity of Christ to you he is before all things which is one of the highest things of concernment in the world to see what this will do We must be sweet to sowre souls though they grow more sowre by it we must put sweets into filthy stomachs though they cruddle in their stomachs and spue them up again in the face of him that prescribed them Coloss 1.17 He is before all things c. LIke to this is that expression of Christ Before Abraham was I am They are expressions onely competent to Christ as God and put us to speak of that which is altogether above us to wit the Eternitie of Christ Eternitie is continuation without termination quae nnllo tempore finitur that is bounded with no time Melchisedeck is made a
to nothing but bloud Fearfull hearts pursue your Saviour that you may do well or he will pursue you help not on the ruine of a brave kingdome will neglect of the wayes of the Lord keep up you or this tottering kingdomes Coloss 1.18 And he is the head of the body c. CHrist hath many titles and every one speaketh much but this speaketh all head noteth all the offices of Christ As a Priest Christ is head as a Prophet Christ is head as a King Christ is head of the most beautifull body the Church One word of God needeth many words of man to open it Manna lieth of a heap here and if Christ wait to be gracious we shall gather much We must begin with that which is the foundation of office fulnesse Head noteth officium basin officii office and that which maketh sufficience to office Christ is called head quòd omnia in capite sunt ferè dupla as one saith bini oculi binae aures binae nares because all things in the head are as it were double there are two eyes and two eares and two nostrils c. that is a great fulnesse of all exquisite sence and ability for organisation and under this notion I purpose first to handle this tearm Rule is a noble thing Sun-beams weaved into a crown he must be higher by the head then the rest of Israel that is called out to wear this person must be beautifull and parts double and so were Christs he is head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kaphal duplicavit cùm omnia in capite sunt ferè dupla the head hath two eyes two eares two nostrills doubly organised to act it self and all the rest to supply it self and all the rest so is Christ double endowed not onely for himself but for all that shall need him Leviticall unctions were by pouring and not by dropping enough was poured upon the head to run down to the feet so is Christ anointed as head that is double grace is powred into his lips Doctr. There is store in Christ for all spirituall necessity if any want an eare if any want an eye our head hath two one for himself and another for us if any want an eare Christ hath two he is our head If any man want any other abilitie Christ can furnish for he is head and anointed so Giving is made in order to receiving receptivitie is very vast in Christ Christ can receive what ever God can give the fulnesse of the God-head dwelleth in him God can do no great things in our spirits they are so little In Christ there is proportionable capacity to infinite greatnesse and there God dwelleth furnisheth and moveth as he is double and treble donation is made without end Infinite capacitie will hold infinite fulnesse Giving is made in order to an ultimate end Christ is not the ultimate end of divine donation Christ is not given unto merely to retain but he is given unto to give There is reciprocation in divine donation every thing is given unto to give back again the sea is filled with water to fill the earth with springs and showers things must have much which are to supply many Christ is anointed to anoint Ye have received an unction from the holy one Christ hath what he hath in order to abide and therefore called head Use Necessitous creatures consider your condition and where your supplies lie 't is sad to see how poore many of you are If there were no soul riches to be had your poverty were no sinne but now your poverty is sinfull misery and sinfull misery is sinking misery your poverty will judge you because there is wealth to be had that you have no oyl will shut you out quite because there is oyl to be gotten were you wise to look after it oyl enough to fill your lamps to keep you burning and shining till you go into that place where you shall shine for ever Men in want lay to heart nothing that maketh want utterly undoing thousands live and die damnable poore do I not unawares speak the condition of some of you do soul wants lie heavie upon you Yes the nature of such a condition should be considered soul-pressures are from severall apprehensions all are not kind if this be not looked to fulnesse in Christ will not be looked after though the heart be ready to die with load there is soul-pressure from conscience enlightned guilt by divine ordination looketh back upon the soul dayly howerly and the soul would look away from it and think of no sinne nor no such thing but cannot visions of wrath so haunt him and here lieth his load if any company if any musick would cheere and charm away this evill spirit that so haunteth the man he would get it what ever it did cost life though bad not at all disliked by the man but horribly disliked of God and conscience that the man cannot do what he would he is so plagued within and here lieth the burden that the man cannot keep his sinne and not that he cannot leave his sinne Let such men know that that that arrow which is shot into the heart shall abide and how able and full soever Christ be to power oyl into wounded souls he will power none into these wounds these shall gangrene and destroy the man for they are diaboli ulcera this is the burden of the damned that they cannot prosecute their will but are tormented Pressures are pittied which spring from love to Christ and hatred of sinne I am sick of love Christ is my life more then my life but I cannot enjoy him therefore I sinne sink grone and die such bleeding is staid such wounds have mercy powred into them Oppressed harts do you prize the fulnesse that is in Christ O nothing dearer then blessed are ye for dispensation to you shall be full you shall have flaggons Previous dispositions speak the mercy coming certainly the heavens glimmer in the east the sunne is certainly rising affections stirre the beloved is not farre off the way is strewed the king is coming there will be crying Hosanna and triumphing anon Panting hearts let the king come his own pace and he will get home to you by night he will sup with you and feast with you and what ever he hath to refresh and revive the soul you shall have it ere any temptation shall destroy you Christ feasting is usually at supper his full communications are ordinarily late but never too late fulnesse of mercy comes in fulnesse of time Let passions burn strong but not turbulent if any thing make your beloved make haste and come skipping to you like a young Roe it will be this Christ comes in a still voice and unto still souls that long earnestly but wait patiently for him Simeon waited for the consolation of Israel and he had his bosome full Deep waters come slowly infinite fulnesse is long a emptying it self That which works exactly must have time
Christ is spirituall he is head in the heart The kingdome of God is within you there are his Laws written and there is his throne Aarons rod and the tables of the covenant were in the inner Court and the Manna in the golden pot The command of the purse may serve a man but it doth not Christ he commands the heart My sonne give me thy heart You suit your seats so doth Christ he makes his throne in that which is nearest him to wit the spirit Christs rule is one soul bound up in another Paul bound in the Spirit and that bond bound all to good behaviour Christs rule is perpetuall Some heads may be cut off this head my text speaks of cannot Death hath slain many commanders but Christ hath slain death and him that had the power of death Satan is the executioner of Justice and therefore said to have the power of death as well as in other respects Christ hath destroyed all and hath his life in jeopardy by none he liveth and reigneth for ever he ruleth by his power for ever Psalm 66.7 He shall rule till he hath put down all rule and all power and all authority 1. Cor. 15.24 Untill he and his be one as he and his father are one till the kingdome be resigned up There be now many powers against Christ but he must reign till they be all down yet not any to help him The rule of Christ is Monarchicall there may be many lords over the body but there is but one Lord over the soul The government is upon his shoulders that is upon his alone Christ had none suffered with him and he hath none to reign with him here Christ hath trod the wine-presse alone he slew Goliah alone and is that stone alone that sunk into his brain he maketh his kingdome alone and ruleth it alone He shall build the Temple of the Lord and he shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon his throne Zacharie 6.13 Vse This point is irksome most hearts can bear no rule contradiction is death though it be the word of life that maketh it Office destroyed the soul destroyeth it self where Christ can be no King he will be no Jesus such as stumble at this chief corner stone are crushed by it that soul that killed Christ is killed by him his bloud is upon every heart that nullifieth him The Lord be mercifull to the souls of men do ye know what ye do when you secretly say this lust shal reign and Christ shal not reign over me You commit Adoniahs treason treason against the crown that you may put by Solomon from the throne your bloud and your life will go for this When Adam committed treason against the crown would become a God God cutteth him off presently though there were no more men in the world Justice hath its heights and depths as mercy hath treason against the King hath exquisite torture such a death as hath many deaths in it so 't is in this case spirituall treason hath double death By dying thou shalt die thou traitour against the crown of Heaven said Christ to Adam and in him to all that do as he did There is death unto death and this the punishment of every traitour against Christ This is too generall a more particular application shall be made Your souls are under command you have a spirituall head You have fathers of your flesh and you obey them you have a father of spirits and why do ye not obey him Most men look least at their hearts all the care is to order the tongue and the outward man Hypocriticall creatures you overlook the kingdome of Christ you look at the outside Christ looketh at the heart who ruleth within all is under command body and soul the soul principally and yet this principally neglected must needs be the death of all thoughts must be brought into subjection to Christ as well as words Loose hearts have their plague upon them their holinesse is painted but their judgement will be reall they have sould their souls to do wickedly and will be paid in hell The behaviour of the heart is all dethrone Christ and he will fight it out with you to the death a disloyall soul shall never have the sword depart from him not a quiet day as long as he liveth Our temporall king which ruleth in this land doth but imagine that you go about to dethrone him or take off some flowers from his crowns and you see and feel that he fights it out with you to the death and seemeth resolved not to give England a quiet day as long as he lives Make spirituall application of this ye Hypocrites ye painted toombs that come here and professe Christ and go out like Judas and betray him you dethrone Christ in your hearts you destroy the flowers of his crown the rule of the soul is the onely flower of his crown and taking away this from him he will fight it out with you to the death the sword shall never depart from your souls you shall not have a quiet day for the hypocrisie which you know Tremble Hypocrites fearfulnesse will surprise you your secret basenesse will generate a secret hell justice shall rule where truth and love cannot the rottennesse of your hearts shall have a corasite to feed upon it for ever let every one lay these things to heart and consider whether Christ be head there yea or no. Two things demonstrate the heart indeed ruled by Christ sin universally hated and truth universally loved Passions are false strength speaketh out their truth and who ruleth in the heart Some spirits are indifferent for truth or errour and hold a virtue to be hot for neither but to stand in all times of contradiction so as to keep the skinne whole Hypocrisie ruleth in this heart and not truth and this temper is the plague of this generation neither hot nor cold Cold sweats are death pangs the soul is near his end that thus liveth If God be God worship him halting between many things is nothing this speaketh the prince of darknesse yet ruling affections which break through obstacles to discharge duty speak Christ head in the heart I will not stand on qualities themselves but at what every quality maketh and this will be more plain to you to demonstrate who ruleth in your hearts Fire encounters all opposites so doth every element from a naturall instinct and so doth grace where it reigneth Sinne is the proper object of hatred and every sinne is made so where Christ indeed is head Dominion speaketh all subdued if any sinne reign Christ doth not Weak hearts must not here wrong themselves the being of sinne and the stirring of sinne which the Apostle calleth the motion of sinne do not necessarily speak the reign of sinne Many precious hearts when they feel sinne strong in them conclude it reigneth in them and censure their souls exceedingly and so make their life a hell they
Christ hath the same life and the same felicities of life he hath the same meate the same habite and the same dwelling one Sunne hath as many raies as tother and riseth as high as tother they move both in one spheare they dwell in the same house they have the same traine and attendance where one goes tother goes My Father and I will come and sup with him Christ and his Father sup together lodge together Esse radiatum esse is communicated Glory is communicated the very glory which God personally weares is communicated to Christ Glorifie me with thine owne selfe with the glory which I had with thee before the world was All Christs is Gods and all Gods is Christs All mine are thine and thine are mine The very glory that God weares himselfe the glory which he weares in heaven that which he wore before all the world was is Christs Whatsoever is under the whole Heaven is Christs Job 41.11 Yea whatsoever is above the whole Heaven whatsoever is in Heaven is Christs glory is his thine is the kingdome power and glory What glory Why that glory which is at the right hand of God The choicest glory in Heaven in the Heaven of Heavens is Christs and at his dispose Vse What is so compleat and yet not gaine the heart speakes that heart very naught and yet this is very common though Christ have all fulnesse yet emptie creatures care nothing for him When cost is liberally laid out and when all laid out will bring nothing in againe that 's sad when all in stocke is out and brings in nothing this goes to the heart of God I planted a goodly vine a noble plant a right seede and yet that trampled under foote said God Fulnesse runs out Mens cisternes are broken so that fulnesse can fill nothing such broken cisternes must be mended or else they will be broken to pieces 'T is wonderfull that Christ is so full and we are so emptie the fault is not in him 't is in us it must be found out and laid to heart it cannot goe well with us else I must speake to three sorts of men some have nothing and some have but a little not one of a thousand full with the fulnesse of Christ all have their fault and must be told on 't Some have no grace nor no good nature farre from righteousnesse as the Prophet speakes full of pride and full of malice Solomon spied it in his time so doe I now The heart of the sonnes of men is full of evill and madnesse Eccles 9.3 Men watch not their hearts and they please themselves in it as loving ease and are undone ere they are aware Evill is a growing thing but when dunged a little by remisnesse the heart will grow full of it presently and then the next step is madnesse as Solomon saith full of evill and madnesse The heart full of evill and the man grows mad to maintaine it and to spread it Alas for thee England thou art in a sad condition full of mad-men men whose hearts are full of evill and mad to maintaine it men emptie their chests of gold yea they emptie their veines of bloud to fill their soules and lives full of wickednesse which they love The heart full of evill cannot hide it selfe the curse of God is upon sin in strength to cut off the sinner that is white to Harvest Things will struggle for life though they die for it full streames have their adventitious occurrences which make overflowings Were you at Oxford you would see spring-tides every day hearts full of evill and over-flowing and running out at their mouth in blasphemies as blacke as hell 'T were well if such a great plague were at such a great distance from us as Oxford but alas for us Oxford is full London is full England is full scarce a heart amongst us but is full of evill and mad to maintaine it What will become of us all Hearts are full of sinne God is full of wrath the Land is full of bloud Ah Lord are we not in hell on earth And yet emptie hearts consider nothing Delusions destroy thousands men full of pride their eyes are swelled out till they feele much they can see nothing amisse in their owne wayes The Land is full of wrath not a man of you almost but full of distresse in one kinde or other and what 's this but Gods broad demonstration that your hearts and lives are full of sin yet can you see this sense is the first step to remedie where this is not notwithstanding all meanes ruine not remedie is neere ah England I feare thy condition but yet still will pray your hearts are full of sin your lives full of miseries are your eyes full of teares O that my heart were full of grace Christ fills the hungry c. Grace in fulness is the felicitie of life bend not after this heighth and you cannot be fully happie Set God his distance and be but never so little and he cannot kisse you unlesse you take him fully into your armes he will be jealous of your love and set you at a distance every day more then other till he hath shaken you off for ever Times square mens course yea mens grace affection and action must rise but so high lest it set all afire names state fortune if love burne so strong as some Ministers would have it 't will burne us out of all The Lord be mercifull to mens basenesse this earth will not beare us long else hell will be full of such soules ere such soules will be full of grace Let times be what they will truth must be pursued to the full this fils the soule with grace neglect this and 't is impossible your hearts should be full of grace how full soever you get your purses of money Great things in the world cut the throats of men they will rather have emptie spirits then emptie purses leane soules then leane cheekes Ah Lord how do the dead bury the dead in earth now Fill one anothers mouths with earth Little of the world must serve if wee would be full of grace This gold lies not in earth but in Heaven not in the world but in truth dig these mines throughly and you will find all treasure and be filled with all the fulnesse of God Consolation springs from this point a word of this and I have done Wee have said much of Christs fulnesse and yet too little Christians comfort your selves 't is all yours Christ hath all and is full so have you in him claime your proprietie and comfort your selves with it in all your distresses in this life as Paul did Phil. 4.18 I have all and am full saith he and yet had nothing in the world The Apostle had Christ which hath all heaven and earth Qui habet habentem omnia habet omnia He that hath Christ hath all formally or eminenter i. whatsoever is wanting in the creature at
their fleshly minde Satan makes the spirit fleshly first and then makes all fleshly If the eye be dark if the heart be carnnall all is so 'T is not enough to Satan to live he is a Prince seeks a kingdome and so plants and seats himself as to be Lord over all where he sits down and this can be no where but in the mind Finally sin is so seated where it may best reigne and best ruine where it may be most lively and most deadly Inward diseases are most mortall There was a plague of the skin and a plague of the skull Levit. 13.31 If the plague go deeper then the skin then saith God it is a plague of the skull and the person must be shut out from all his friends I may tell you that there is a plague which goeth deeper then the skin yea and deeper then the skull a plague of the brain and of the minde and this is mortall it shuts out from heaven and all good Plagues that go deeper then the skull exclude from all They do erre in their hearts and they have not known my wayes their plague was deeper then the skull it reached their hearts and observe what followed they were shut out with a witnesse So I sware in my wrath they should not enter into my rest Hebr. 3.10 That which goes to the heart kills and cuts off for ever the Devill seated in the soul that soul is lost for ever such a one shall never have rest for God hath sworn it Vse You see where Sin and Satan are seated naturally Are they disseated by grace 'T is the greatest blessing in the world to get Sin and Satan throughly out of the minde I am affraid that few of you consider your own danger there is malignity in you you have taken poyson down in the first Adam hath the second given you any vomit and made you throw it up Physicians purge your bodies Doth Christ purge your mindes and your consciences from defilement Within lies defilement which if not purged out will spoile us for ever Naboths vineyard was gotten into Ahabs minde 't was neerer to him internally then externally though in the latter sense it lay very neer and it proved mortall to him he sickn'd upon it and died for ever Observe well with what vigour you sin if you would finde how sin is seated action that comes from the mind is intent Thoughts beat pangs are strong the party is with childe what it longs for it must have or it dies this is minding sin or sin gotten into the minde which was the case of Ahab before mentioned Sin gotten into the minde nothing can beat it out 'T is sad to consider how some men sleep how some men talk and walk in their sleep yea how they talk and walk when they are awake just as if they were asleep especially if one be talking to them of heavenly things 'T is dolefull to consider how some sit here for an hour thoughts quite gone to this thing and to that Ah wretches vanity is got into your minds it holds its seat there the plague of it is this God cannot enter the soul will be vexed to death 't will become a sot or a Bedlam Observe with what continuation you sin Action is lasting that comes from the minde the minde is an untired power that way it takes only evill and that continually Gen. 6.5 Such another power is Satan Satan roars like a Lion one would think it should tear his throat such violent action one would think should make him breast and lung-soare and tire him out yet it doth not he goes about gaping and roaring day and night and never gives off he is cordiall in what he doth he mindes evill and this is the ground why he is untired The minde is an untired power that way it takes in all creatures the spirit evill and it is so only and continually What the heart is taken up with 't is very intense at it so that one may in a manner say that its only about such a thing and then it holds its vigor thus is the soul towards one sin or other whilest corruption keeps it's seat in the mind There is a busie immortall substance in the midst of you 't were well if you did know about what Some minde earthly things saith the Apostle i. upon the matter only and continually this man is carnally minded and it will be his death if God be not gracious to him If sin hold its seat in the minde against all means there is no way but one with the man if sin die not in the soul the soul dies in it Ye shall die in your sins 'T is the greatest blessing in the world to get sin throughly out of the mind not only by way of negation but by way of actuall fruition not privatively only but positively too Sin throughly out of the minde and the soul is altogether in heaven That which cuts our wings when we would mount up where Christ is is that so many naughty things are in our mindes Contemplation pure and the man is an Angel taken up wholly with the admiring of God and the glory of another world Sin throughly out of the mind and all tears are wiped from the eyes already What makes mourning and sadnesse amongst Saints here but that sin keeps still in their minds the evill working of their mindes The minde pure and conscience is quiet peace is setled nothing can burthen when the minde is free Sin throughly out of the minde and it becomes presently the Presence-chamber of the great King in no creature is Christ so present as in a pure minde the full explanation of this is above us COLOSS. 1.21 Enemies with the minde c. ACcording to the former reading of these words we were led to consider the seat of sin and according to this reading we are led to consider the voluntarinesse of sin We are pressed to many externall services of men but we are by nature the Devils volunteers so and so bad and with our mindes desperately set against Christ and this with our minde Enemies with your minde The expression speaks intention Some things we do that which we do not mean the will is redeemed corruption not emptied this upon advantage surprizes and carries the soul captive to what it did never intend this is transgression of the rule but not sinning willingly i. with the minde a captive under another is no volunteer I finde a law in my members carrying me captive to the law of sin Powers within clash sometimes severall things in view which to be followed not agreed debates determined the way proposed actus voluntarius est actus pleno consensu pursued with full consent is an act with the minde And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel where he sojourned and come with all the desire of his minde be colarath naphsho in all the desire of his minde then he
very exactly A true glasse is of worth All light flatters but the Gospel That 's an oyntment indeed which takes off all scales and makes perfect sight in any one and this is the propertie of the Gospel to whom soever it comes though an ideot as the originall is he is convinced of all 't is spoken as the naturall property of this light man cannot hide any thing from it It makes an exact discovery of man and an exact discovery of God so far forth as such powers as we have here are comprehensible it shines into our hearts and gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God it discovers mans glory to wit his soule and the glory of God to wit his heart and his soule towards man two such properties as are not to be found in any light The glory of God is his face all other light discovers but his back parts or if it speake any thing about the face of God 't is as vailed To see the King is a great favour but to see him in state that 's a great friendship indeed There be many things have glory which if any one could give one eyes to behold wee should account it a great priviledge if any one could set me as Satan would have set Christ to behold the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them as is there exprest I should be ready to thinke it a great priviledge and yet all this glory not comparable to the glory of God all these things that glitter here below are but the dust of that gold above but some old cast garments which the King lays at his feete and gives to some poore servants and slaves they are but as cast-rags given to diseased creatures The glory of God is not to be exprest the Gospel helpes us to Pauls vision to behold unutterable things The face of God is his glory the face of a man is his glory Distinguishing propriety whether such a one be a brother a sister a father I can tell you when I see his face which is glorious to me when I behold The Gospel gives a distinct knowledge of God by this and by this alone I am enabled to look as it were in his face and to discerne in what relation I stand to him and he to me whether I be his childe and he my father or otherwise Mercy considered in such a latitude as eternally to save is cald the glory of God condiscension to the creature offending taking him up in his armes 'T is cald the glory of a man to passe by a fault to abide sweet when others are bitter to smile and embrace when there is no invitement but all discouragement this is cald the glory of a man and this is cald the glory of God The Gospel and no light else holds forth transcendent condescension in God by all other light wee conceive of him as one that is austere as one that will not yeeld a whit as one that will have the utmost farthing his own with advantage or inflict death The Gospel holds forth all sweet condescension in God it sets him forth as one inviting come blinde halt as one waiting to be gracious thirty forty fifty threescore yeares to the last houre and yet giving a penny to him that came in last as well as to him that came in first it sets him out as one that goes about to folkes-dores and knockes sinners doe you need any mercy doe you need any thing for your soules or bodies to make you blessed for ever you may have it for nothing Milke and honey wine and oyle tryed gold and royall apparrell The Gospel sets out God as one that expostulates with man about the matter of his good Why doe you lay out your money for that which is not bread And why will you die The Gospel sets out God as one beseeching man to be reconcild as one that delights to exercise loving-kindnesse to make it his work his daily businesse to forgive sins and to bring souls to heaven at his own cost this is transcendent condiscension and this is the glory of God in the eye of a poor sinner this makes him shine more glorious then any thing in the world and all this the light of the Gospel discovers discovers in us hath shined into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God Vse The Gospel is a grand favour but I am affraid we do not count it so Manna is loathed we love darknesse more then light That light which discovers us and makes our nakednesse appear is a plague and no blessing to thousands What is more inraging and more deadly to some persons then the powerfull words of the Lord Jesus What is more inraging at this day then the shining light of the Gospel Our misery is great the cause apparent we shut our eyes against the light The Prince of darknesse shall rule this is the vote of thousands Where Satan raigns do you expect any other but a hel rending and tearing howling and yelling Brave England is turn'd into a hel oppressing racking rending weeping wayling and gnashing of teeth and why Certainly the Prince of darknesse raigns amongst us have you a glimpse of that feind in all this our hel and misery If there were indeed a true love of the Gospel amongst us could there be such fighting abroad and at home amongst us as there is As light is precious it conquers as light conquers pride falls pride fallen the Lion is a Lamb Lambs rend not nor tear one another We rend and tear one another name state all that is dear and would be to one another as the very devils are Ah Lord Is this a Christian Land a Land honouring the Gospel Doth it conquer us Is the Spirit of the Gospel in us whose hearts burn like hel in pride and malice against one another The hand of the Lord is upon an hypocriticall people get it off who can You say you love the Gospel and yet think the Land too good for them that faithfully professe it He that hates his brother in his heart is a murtherer a bloody spirit is in you a bloody hand of justice is upon you if this right not the innocent and publish the hyporcisie of this generation to all the world then say that Christ hath not spoken by me Would the sword were sheathed saith many would it had done its work say I. We needed through launcing mens basenesse comes out freely 't is a mercy to know who loves the Gospel and how How long will England bleed ere good blood appear Will that good bloud be so little as not enough to hold life in the State O that will be sad Sinners look about you you that dissemble with your light are the plagues of the Land doe you call whom you will troublers this will be found the truth which I have said you are the troublers and the destroyers of the Land and the
against providence because it doth not jut and jumpe with my will now all is slaine and not till now Heaven and Earth on fire body and soule killed with a canon from Hell and all the powers of darknesse crying victory Doe Serpents sting murmure not remember where Christs church is of which thou art yet a member t is in the Wildernesse yet and but going to Canaan and such places are full of hurtfull beasts Be not overcome of evill then misery dissolves it selfe into sinne then God is stung and thou wilt have secret blowes for this indeed where men cannot pinch thee thou wilt have salt throwne where the spring of unsoundnesse lies and then thy Spirit will burne within thee for something We should not onely be submissive to but joyfull under the crosse of our Lord Jesus You cannot tell how much mercy t is to be any of that body of which Christ is the soule if it be but a foot a bare foot and still in the dirt still upon prickes briers and thornes to be any of that company that is travelling to Heaven though the meanest the hindmost the most misused c. But you will know when you come there The crosse keepes off some from being of the Church militant they cannot militare they had rather die then fight and kill what they love more then Christ Sinne effeminates the soule love any lust more then Christ and you will die ten thousand deaths rather then strike a stroke in good earnest against it or discharge one Piece with a Bullet against that fort where your heart lies Satan deales by stratagem sinners looke to your soules he can kill none that take up Armes against him and stand to it he either betrayes affection with trifles and makes the soule yeeld and so stab conscience and sweare a damnable peace or else he terrifies the soule with corporall dangers and makes men flee and all that flee in spirituall warfare die every one are cut off eternally by the pursuer When there are fightings without there are feares within When I came into Macedonia my flesh had no rest troubles on every side fightings without and feares within Men now love their flesh Paul in this had no rest no neither in his spirit he had stood to it upon pure principles Hee wants fellowes in this age of the world wonderfully The Church of the Lord Jesus travels groanes dies for want of them This generation will have more then the advantage of truth to encourage them to set forth to wit the advantage of time quiet time Deluded soules when will this be you so dote upon your skin that you have quite forgotten the state of Christs church upon earth t is militant You will live in Egypt that you may see no warre that you may save your skin your pompe your wealth this your wisdome is your folly Egypt shall not save you the Sword shall follow you into Egypt into your Egyptian huts and coverings Read Jeremy 42.13 14 15. But if ye say We will not dwell in this Land c. No but we will goe into the Land of Egypt where we shall see no warre nor heare the sound of the Trumpet nor have hunger of bread and there will we dwell c. Then it shall come to passe that the Sword which ye feared shall overtake you there in the Land of Egypt and the famine whereof ye were afraid shall follow close after you in Egypt and there ye shall die COLOS. 1.24 For his bodies sake which is the Church THe word notes a company called out of this world and the scope according to which it is used here carries it in its full bredth to comprize all the blessed company both which are in Heaven and in earth this generall society was shadowed by the generall Assembly at Ierusalem and is called by that name by the Apostle Heb. 12.23 Ye are come to the generall Assembly the Church of the first-borne This Catholique company is great and farre divided some in Heaven some in Earth some in this part of the Earth some in that and yet all have but one spirit and therefore essentially the same and what is done for the good of one part necessarily redounds to the good and glory of all He is of a publique spirit that layes out for the good of a City of a Kingdome and the like thousands will blesse him generations yet not borne will blesse God for such instruments but he is of a publique spirit indeed that layes out his state or blood for the good of the Church of Christ many thousands in this Kingdome in other Kingdomes all the Earth over all Heaven over will blesse him This generall assembly comes all out of one loine and divide themselves into two bands one turnes to the everlasting Hills 'tother to the Plaines and Valleys of this world There is a Lilly of the Valleys and a Lilly of the Hils there is a Church on Earth and a Church in Heaven The great King whom we subject to hath a Chappell of ease a Church in his house the condition of this is farre different from that here below the Lilly of the Hils is another gets Lilly then that of the Valleys the pursuit of each shall be distinct which will demonstrate the condition how it differs The Church which Christ hath in his house is a society of perfect spirits in perfect rest triumphing with Christ over all enemies The Congregation above is very big thousands and thousands of thousands from all parts quarters and countries yet all perfect not one dwarfe in grace in Heaven not one Zacheus a person of a little stature there are no spirits of little stature in grace above though it be all our case here every one is as tall as Christ to any ones beholding I cannot tell else how to interpret that expression of the Apostles Eph. 4 Till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ They that are come to that unity and society above are all compleat their measure is the fulnesse of Christ their demensions his stature so tall so big limmed so faire and so accomplished to looke upon What a perfect man now is Christ in Heaven of what a brave stature in grace and in glory an Absolon without spot from the crowne of the head to the soule of the foot so are all that Noble society which are with him without spot or wrinkle and therefore called a glorious Church That he might present it to himselfe a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing c. Ephes 5.27 the word here translated spot is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies such spots as are in garments by dashing and dirting outside spots they have no spots within nor without above not in their skin not in their clothes nor any such thing that is
sang the song of Moses and the song of the Lambe The head triumphs and then all the members Christ triumphs in himselfe and all that glorious company triumph in him Coloss 2.15 And having spoiled Principalities and Powers hee made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in himselfe so is the originall and so 't is translated in your margents Christ viewes all the slaine death and him that had the power of death the old Serpent with all his seed and triumphs in himselfe all the rest of that royall company triumph in him as the jaw-bone stone and sling with and by which they have slaine Goliah and all the Philistians heapes upon heapes Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne and unto the Lambe and all that stood about the throne Angells and Elders c. said Amen blessing and glory and wisdome thanksgiving honour and power and might bee to our God for ever T is a heavenly practice this and spoken of the Church Militant as imitating the Church triumphant and as guided by one and the same Spirit indeavouring to do the Will of God on earth as the tother part of the same company doe in Heaven You know the state of the new Church is shadowed out in the booke of the Revelation by Heaven and all the lineaments of it it comes so neere to it The very first draught and modell Revelation 4. J was in the spirit and a throne was set in Heaven c. As Moses was made to come up to the top of the Mount neere Heaven and God saith the Text talked with him from Heaven to shew him the pattern of the first house so Iohn was taken up into Heaven and God talked with him in Heaven and shaped his patterne of this last house and the affaires of it by Heaven as that which should come neerer to it then any yet had done But this by the way Vse I have opened to you now a brave state but all will not nay all cannot come to it I wish they could Corruption cannot inherit incorruption if it be true corporally it is true spiritually if the uncleane bodies of the Saints cannot come to Heaven surely the uncleane soules of the wicked cannot Satan hath a synagogue too a great one here and a greater below and a great many will go thither few will believe this and this is the seale of death The Congregation above is holy very holy but this is not heeded here but it must or no man shall see God nor that glorious society which is with him Flesh and bloud cannot inherit the Kingdome of God and yet the Lord be mercifull unto the soules of men this is the generall rule by which men walke Above flesh for our bloud we cannot move 't will sink Persons Kingdomes 't will make the society below wonderful big What a Congregation hath the Devill in his house but not one at rest all at worke hard tearing rending and rosting one another and yet have no meate nor drink but the flames and fire in which they worke Have any of you a mind to be of this Congregation No why then doe you pursue your flesh your will sense selfe sinne this sinne that sinne any sinne that will serve your turne in these bad times The temptation of this time is terrible not a soule almost but undone by it Heaven and earth shake Church and State crack the Grave and Hell gape the glory above forgotten the dread of these crush parts brave parts yea that which hath gone for brave grace to nothing to worse then nothing many Christians like Cackarells change colour white all the winter like those fish and spotted at spring what with the bloud and filth of bodies and the bloud and filth of soules ah Lord what a stinke is there in all societies all this Land over and yet no body holds his Nose all is sweet as long as any course may be stumbled on to rise and be but to flea the skinnes of the dead to go fine will this bravery be admitted above Where do you finde a soule that longs and pants because of all these things O that I were of that glorious Church above That I did know to what Officer of that society to speake to helpe me in there If any so inquire I will tell thee go to Christ he is the doore by which all enter hee will serve thee as he was served himselfe he was Baptized and the Heavens opened Christ will Baptize thee with the holy Ghost and with fire and then the Heavens which containe him till the restitution of all things shall open and receive thee Thou must be contented to be Baptized with Christs Baptisme his second Baptisme after both there was a Heaven opening At his first Baptisme the Heavens opened but did not take him up and take him in at his second Baptisme they opened againe and then they received him and containe him Thou must be contented to be Baptized with Christs last Baptisme if neede be to leave all as hee did a very Heaven if thou hast it as Christ did riches honours pleasures blood life to follow after Christ After such a Baptisme the Heavens will open also and take in thee into that glorious society above Christ surely is prized but little therefore his Congregation is so small below and above The sinne of the Jewes is become the sinne of the Gentiles my heart trembles to thinke what will become of us What ever wee talke of Christ and boast of his Temple above and below we bid basely for all Though Christ will take nothing for any thing he hath yet you must come to him with all that ever you have in your hand and lay it at his feete thinke nothing too good for him so you may but have him here is now state wife children yea here is body soule selfe doe with all what thou wilt drowne all burne all if thou wilt onely rake the ashes when thou hast done and finde my soule that Jewell of Jewels which cannot be burnt any where but in thy displeasure and put it in thy bosome for ever This is a Gospell frame of heart and miscaries not all the Jewels which Christ weares in his bosome above are raked out of ashes here below out of meere nothings His beloved is one but one a Phenix and it comes out of ashes learne to lay all in the dust if you would have Christ take up all and lay it in his bosome All that he takes up in his bosome here he sets downe in glory above to triumph with that glorious company there COLOS. 1.25 Whereof I am made a Minister DIaconos a deacon the word is a title given to all sorts of Officers almost in Gods new-house as signifyng that which is behoofull to them all especially them that dispence soule vitall things diligence promptnesse speedinesse Soule dangers are all desperate what 's done for reliefe in this
sizes some bigger some lesser two talents five talents ten talents concerning the glory above t is disputed whether it be graduall but concerning the glory of a Christian here it is a resolved thing that it is graduall there is migration in our glory here going from glory to glory from strength to strength Milke and strong meate babes and full age crums and Flagons love and abounding in love Our Kingdome comes our Kingdome here is a comming Kingdome Mercies are all shaped by Love it is the property of Divine Love to higthen dispensation still till shee hath lifted the soule beloved fully into her bosome Grace t is in the beginning little a graiâ—â— of Mustardseed in progresse great in the end all to wit Heaven which is all now doth Love fully possesse her beloved and now she rests and not till now beyond Heaven there is no gradation no step higher Love hath got her full end which is the full possession of what shee makes out to and now rests Love shapes Mercy so as fully to bring about her end and that is to bring the soule shee loves into her bosome to the full fruition of her selfe of whatsoever shee is you may see this demonstrated in Christ the Father loves him and he gives him mercies greater and greater and never leaves till hee hath lifted him fully into his bosome to his right hand i the fruition of all John 5.20 The Father loveth the Sonne and showeth him all things that himselfe doth and hee will show him greater workes then these that yee may marveile My Father hath given me great things already but hee will give me greater for he loves mee and this will drop and drop till it hath dropped out all it will never rest till it hath brought mee into his bosome The love of God carries the same property and proportion to a Christian and this makes the grouth of a Christian necessarily as the grouth of a Crocadile of which it is written that hee groweth alwayes so doth a Christian till hee bee transplanted into Heaven Vse T is trying this point what truth is in you Your graces are not so great but you may have greater if this be not regarded as you taste not grace what tang it has so you understand not grace what order t 'as Spirituall fulnesse speakes a deluded heart hee that hath goods enough enough for many yeares enough to make his felicity for ever and therefore rests is a foole hee knowes not his state what hee has nor what he wants Blinde men 't is observed do not dreame so much as men that see because fancy in the day hath not so much nor so lively impressive imployment to set it at worke in the night but blinde soules dreame more a great deale then they that see This is one of their dreames among many I have enough grace to bring me to Heaven I hope and I care for no more I love not to be pragmaticall Some make a great deale of stir and run mad t is extreame naught this I like it not Answ this is one extreame but there are two extreames and vertue in the midst of them dost thou eye t'other extreame Some die with heate others die with cold Thou seest others too hot may'st not thou be too cold grace in the true knowledge of it is inviting 't is like some Liquids drinking makes thirstinesse and longing for more drinke every degree of grace possessed makes discovery of greater degrees not possessed One Chamber of Christ hath a window looking into another far bigger and more glorious Thou art entered into one thou sayest dost thou looke into another more glorious and long to enter into it if thou be a stranger to these things thou art a foolish Virgin that possibly hast knocked at the doore of Christs house a little but art yet indeed entered into no roome when Christ had opened the nature of spirituall bread unto his followers that they did indeed understand it they fell a longing presently for more what they had discovered much more behind which they wanted and therefore cryed Lord evermore give us of this Bread Vse This point is upbraiding the light which shines upon us is more glorious then that which shined upon our Fathers that which hath beene hid from Ages and from Generations we have made manifest to us wee have mercies according to externall communication of the biggest what have you according to internall communication this will be looked after This is a day of great things a time wherein Christ brings about great things to our doores our fathers day was a day of small things yet if they were judged for despising their day of small things how much more shall you be judged that despise the day of great things t is the Apostles argument to the Hebrewes and must be mine to you Despite is a spiritull act deliberate disaffection to the loveliest things The posture of our spirits wee least looke at and this Christs Eye is most of all fixed upon Externall carriages are all measured and titled from the heart God rules in the inside of his enemies hee unbowells this Generation and Christens it in blood according to its spirit We offer despite to the spirit of grace we tread under foot the bloud of the Lord Jesus can wee tell whether this iniquity will be blotted out till this Generation die The heart fired against truth abides so t is part of that unquenchable fire below God allowes Satan to bee fueler in such a soule till they both come to burne together in hell Love lost Christ cares not for the person let him be what he will if hee be the greatest man in the World he will burne to death in that fire which burnes in his breast against Christ Our love now to be least when greatest love is tendered can you imagine that this iniquity will be quickly forgotten great heare makes great thunders t is so now the Sun of love shines mighty hot and now wickednesse thunders and so will Justice and righteousnesse too believe it COLOS. 1.26 But now is made manifest c. THe word notes two things appareo et splendeo vision and shining vision that is according to Gospel speech still in the letter and in the spirit the understanding of words which one reads by workes which one feeles a voyce behind one interpreting that before one circumcision outward in the flesh and this explained by circumcision inward in the spirit There is a narrative and an operative light that which makes one talke well and that which makes one walke well that which enables one to produce bookes for his authority in discourse and that which enables one to produce his soule and his life for authority here is my soule and my life reade if it be not so as I say let men and Angells all the World reade if they will The Manifestation which our Apostle speakes of here is the latter for he speakes of such