you give your hearts to God God will give the hearts of men to you be restlesse about your owne worke be not restlesse about Gods The carriage of God should be imitated and the love of God should be received and admired these are the last things that I will urge upon you Every heart should be taken when divine love breakes forth especially when it breaks forth strongly and restlesly Our climate is more glorious then all the world the Sunne in brightnesse shines continually upon us wisdome cries in every street and cries restlesly cries and dies The Crowner will sit the debt of love will be laid to our charge If you love your soules be as restlesse to receive and admire as God is to proffer Mercie is our Manna our bread from heaven we should feed upon it every good thing comes downe from heaven and should lead our soules thither and then 't is good to us You have not a crum of kindnesse but comes from heaven but love in strength is heaven it selfe descending Who can but admire and receive this who can but enter into heaven when it comes to his dore What will heaven be turned into if turned off at our dore Let sinners tremble such as trample upon restlesse love and gag the mouth of continuall crying mercy but let weake hearts cheare themselves 't is a delightfull thing to God to receive you he is restlesse and will be restlesse till you have rest Broken hearts can make nothing hold together to doe them good with cords of love they hang themselves When mercy in latitude is mentioned 't is turned off God hath no heart to me why I mis-pend and misuse all Why yet thou art invited to eate that which is good and to let thy soule delight it selfe in fatnesse And God is restlesse in this invitation he eyes not what you have neglected no nor what you have abused he eyes your necessitie and his owne grace and it would delight him much if you would now eate that which is good and let your soules delight themselves in fatnesse Esa 45.2 God is not pleased that I sinne but he is pleased that I believe let my sin be what it will dying hearts fetch life from this Text that it pleaseth God to give Christ for you COLOSSIANS 1.19 That in him should all fulnesse dwell O Lord how great are thy workes and thy thoughts are very deep saith the Psalmist Psal 92.5 Wee are vaster in thoughts then wee can be in words or workes 't is not so with God he is as profound in expression as in conception and in action as in either admirable great and deep in both How great are thy workes and thy thoughts very deep The depth of divine expression in action we are now to fathome fulnesse all fulnesse The worke is above us but God will be mercifull to weaknesse if wee lose our selves in him If we can but admire thoughts words and workes of bottomlesse depth as David did and as the Apostle here doth wee shall doe something on-ward of our dutie and follow the footsteps of the flocke For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell c. Man is a creature rather induced then forced as things are indowed so they draw What hath much moves a little what hath very much moves a little more what hath all fetches oft some from all to imbrace this this propertie onely hath Christ he hath all fulnesse The expression speakes admirable perfection reception and fruition unto the highest blessednesse which that Christ hath I will demonstrate to you that I may pursue the scope of the holy Ghost and gaine you all if it may be to love him Communication in relation to Christ is immediate water at the Well-head is purest plentifullest sweetest At the Well-head water is for qualitie and quantitie full one cannot so easily be deceived there in either one cannot drinke a spring dry Christ lies in the bosome of the Father he is in God the Leviathan tumbles in the deepe the heart of God is deepe what is in this Christ onely knowes what he determins and meanes within himselfe Christ imparts and none else What Christ seeth the Father doe that doth he Joh. 5.19 Christ is in word and action the revelation of what was hid in God from the beginning of the world The Apostle to the Ephesians when he would tell you what is the riches of Christ saith that it is immediate riches something that he hath which all the world beside hath not something that lies hid where none can come at but himselfe something that is hid in God Ephes 3.8 9. You have many instructers but Christ hath none Who hath instructed him He dwels in light Nothing is hid from Christ not the things which are in Gods breast for he lies there Christ hath immediate communication which is full as full as God Christ hath vast braines for God is his head and none else I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is man and the head of Christ is God 1 Cor. 11.3 that 's a brave head-piece indeed The like place is that 1 Cor. 3.23 And yee are Christs and Christ is Gods Christ hath immediate reference to none but God Communication in order to Christ is immediate and it is universall All fulnesse empties all into him God is in Christ reconciling the world c. Some things will hold much but are not filled nothing will hold all but Christ and he hath actuall communication according to his utmost capacitie God is in Christ doing what he doth in this world There is communicatio essentiae according to which Christ and his Father are one There be many things have God in them but none as Christ hath none have all God in them none have so much of God as that they can speake and doe as God and so as that without blasphemy they may be called God yet so may Christ 't is no blasphemy to call Christ equall to God to call him God Christ is God and moves as God Whatsoever things the Father doth these also doth the Sonne There is a universalitie of communication you see to Christ Whatsoever things the Father doth c. Life is quid essentiale quid universale it comprehends all As the Father hath this in himselfe so hath he given to the Sonne As the Father hath life in himselfe so hath he given unto the Sonne to have life in himselfe Joh. 5.26 There is a universalitie that lies scattered in many things as well as comprised in one and if you heed this this also is communicated to Christ All the ' promises are in Christ yea and in him amen i. they are fulfilled in him first and then by him to all others Finally Communication is exact Christ is essentially and ornamentally the same with his Father He is the expresse image of his person and the brightnesse of his glory
judge your selves unworthy of the Kingdome of God Spirits deeply ingaged to their lusts have desperate reasonings against free grace when they can say nothing to stop the mouth of men and their conscience to keep on in their course they alledge the decree of God and if I be decreed to life I shall do better one day if not all you say or that I shall do will do me no good Ah that so much of hell should flame out of any mans mouth upon earth What hath any soul to do with the Decree of God Gods secret will doth not contradict his revealed What latitude of love doth his revealed will hold forth consider that and know that God is reall Doth he reconcile all things then thou art bound to believe it and to put in for a share in that grace which is so large which no soul ever did and missed COLOSSIANS 1.21 And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mindes by wicked workes yet now hath he reconciled c. A Double condition is here mentioned what these Colossians are and what they once were They were alienated in their mindes naught at heart soules sinfull and this they expressed in life by wicked workes very doingly evill and yet these though thus bad made very good hell-fire in the soule quenched two spirits burning one against another reconciled by an act of love and man and God made one in the bodie of Christs flesh to be presented blamelesse in the exactest eye And you that were sometimes alienated c. yet now hath he reconciled in the bodie of his flesh c. How ever condition change yet it 's a good thing to consider what once wee were And you which were sometimes so and so The heart is naught it forgets its own worst and Gods best acts You were so sinfull you are now otherwise you need be hinted and minded of both as if the Apostle had said Sin slips out of our minds transgression makes lasting impression upon Gods Spirit though little upon ours I remember what once you were though yee have forgotten Doctr. Wee are apt sinfully to forget sin Some glory in their shame that 's a sinfull remembring of sin so some die in their shame this also is a sinfull remembring of sin Evill past thought of with joy or thought of with despaire are both displeasing to Christ My sin is ever before me they are a load too heavie this was not commended by God though loved by a wounded spirit There are two extreames and both naught broken hearts ever thinke of their sins and hard hearts never a stone as oft sighes as they The text and point I am upon points at a third thing though distinct from either of these i sin remembred with godly sorrow this godly hearts are backward to 't is intimated in the text Yee were enemies in your minds by wicked workes doe yee remember it Some acts awaken conscience he speakes the saddest of any facultie a carnall creature willingly neglects sad worke To call to minde what I was at such a place and at such a time is to throw sparkles of fire upon a sleepie dog which will make him start up flie out and barke and bite fiercely Man loves his flesh yea he loves his spirit he doth not love to be bit in either if he can tell how to shift it The best are bad though not starke naught good spirits are apt to play the slugge in those duties that are dolorous and painfull I remembred God and was troubled and complained and my spirit was overwhelmed To remember what God is and how unsutable wee have been to him will trouble yea overwhelme the stoutest spirit we doe not care to meddle with troublesome works When sin revives we die remembring what we were reviveth sin 't is terrible to the flesh to wound and kill it selfe 't is so spiritually we had rather any should wake and sit up then conscience we had rather goe quietly to hell then conscience should torment us before the time Man is a lazie creature examination of ones former state is hard worke flesh and bloud shunnes this quite yea grace neglects this oft till losse be great I call to remembrance my song in the night I commune with mine own heart and my spirit made diligent search But 't was long first so long till he stood in feare of being cast off for ever as you may see in the next verse Psalm 77.6 7. A string slackened or broken in play and 't is laborious to be winding up the pin still to keepe tune to the song one sings to take notice how many notes too flat or too loud in play requires a diligent eare the labour of it makes one willing to passe by and forget many false stroakes If the examination of small things be so laborious much more to examine things of weight our spirituall state when all is naught Man doth not love hard worke nor terrible worke Transgression multiplies and young children make one forget old ones Present transgressions harden or wound much the heart hardened becomes uncapable to consider any sin the sin of last yeare or of this yeare or of this houre A stone melts under no consideration a stone thinkes of nothing neither of things past present or to come Multiplication of sin makes stonie hearts Their hearts are as hard as an adamant You cannot beat things into a stone no words nor blowes will make hard hearts thinke of their wayes Though a man eate of the evill of his way weekes moneths yeares yet will not this make him bethinke himselfe what steps he trod in all that while to call his way evill and his person wicked Present sin if it harden not much it wounds much and wounded persons thinke altogether of their present paine Dolour distracts crazie braines are weake at any thing but worst at recollection specially if things of weight When wounds are deep much bleeding inwardly makes much faintnesse Languishing dying soules thinke of nothing but going to hell 'T is with sins as 't is with mercies when a man goes about to number them one can finde no end of them and this makes a bleeding heart leave looking backward and look forward to fix his eyes upon that blacke place whither all sin lookes he leaves multiplying number rises so innumerably and turnes himselfe to consider where all will end the sum of all will come to this saith he the death of my soule for ever because the sinner can make a kinde use of no sin he gives up the consideration of all and lays down his soule at the foot of Justice for lost I am sure all sin centers whither my soule is going saith the sinner and closeth his eyes though I cannot tell their number yet I know their nature All runs into this Wee are all apt sinfully to forget sin Vse God certainly hath espied this and he is rousing up our memory Wrath doth much when love can do but little
so doth Christ neither will he be deceived therefore deceive not your selves Death is at your doore do you not see him after him the next dispatch will be for eternity and it will bear but upon the resolution of this question whose image and superscrition is upon this soul If you would seek to delude at that day it will not do in the least for conscience then shall manage its office fully without any confront from an unsound heart it shall speak out then and unmask the face of the inward man to the judge of all Deluded souls I dread to think of you you have used a damnable art a great while to mask a naughty heart and a naughty life this trade must down now the sword of the Lords vengeance is come to rip you up you shall be known as you are judged as you are This man is as like the Devil in heart as he can look let children swimme home to their father in bloud I will make no better conveyance for them Let them have marshall law will the Lord of hosts say slay them in their beds slay them at their doors uggly souls I cannot endure any longer to look upon them But as for you that bear the image of Christ lift up your heads sing for joy of heart now though all the land be so sad Christs image is his mark upon you for mercy he will know you by this in the midst of the bloudiest battell in the midst of a fired citie You being like the Sonne of God you shall have one like the Sonne of God to embrace you in fiery flames as the three children had Coloss 1.15 Who is the image of the invisible God THis is said of Christ eminenter he is what none else are in heaven or in earth for likenesse to God They are exclusive words and make a proper rule for our right apprehension of God When we would conceive of God as he is we are to conceive of him as he holds forth himself in Christ and no where else for God hath no representation for divine adoration but Christ God hath no artificiall similitude nor no naturall similitude nothing grows like him nor nothing can be made like him Nature keeps her compasse and attempts nothing this way and yet art is venturous I admire it much for no man hath seen God at any time that is as he is onely he that lay in his bosome thus saw him Sight is the rule of art fancy cannot work upon nothing not our fancy Folly makes her self visible and not God when the man goes to make the likenesse of him he never saw Fancie is but bad at recollection when at a losse yet a little it can do sometimes this way call to mind such a countenance which at such a time it saw but that which it never saw it can do nothing about that but befool it self No man hath seen God at any time Fancie can draw to the life and it can work at second hand fancy can go after nature and fancie can go after art and make good work she can draw from a thing drawn from a thing it self or from the shape of that thing it can shape again to please it self and continue so contemplative but it hath neither wayes relief respecting God neither the naturall form of God nor any artificiall shape can be got Ye have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape John 5.37 No man hath seen God to draw him to the life nor none hath seen his shape to copie him out ye have neither heard his voice nor seen his shape Christ as man is not the shape of God There was apparition frequently under the old covenant vision was an ordinance and although it were an ordinance yet God did make vision still under the shape of some other thing not of himself under the shape of men or of an eagle or a dove The form of man gives not a shape of the form of God Christ as man was not the image nor the shape of God but called so as he had a divine essence and action as the godhead and the fulnesse of the godhead dwelt in him and wrought by him Though fancy hath no full shape as a copie yet from a little from an eye or from a toe she can form the whole if she hath but the shadow of a shadow any rough draught any ground-work or any glimpse of such a similitude she can with some applause set her self on work but there is not this relief to make the image of God Take good heed for ye saw no manner of similitude when God talked with you in Horeb If there were any times to get some glimpse of God it was in Horeb but yet then there was no manner of similitude The result of all is this There is no image of God but Christ nor can be There is no representation for relief of apprehension in adoration but Christ Use Mens principles are strange which conceive otherwise and yet persons abusing their light make what apprehensions of God they please Look how the heart is engaged so it fancies God and represents him to it self A vain heart makes vain imaginations will guides affection affection guides fancie and fancie guides action when the soul is given up to sinne and death the heart chooseth its way and then fancy other powers set up a god in similitude to this way to go before the man to confirm the man in his way and to seal his destruction and yet thus men generally live and die Some mens principles are strange yet they will venture their souls upon the practise of them the pride of man and the wrath of God is in this what is the idole of any mans heart shall become the idol of his life to his death God will have what is in the heart under the mans hand to condemne him Professing themselves to be wise they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and foure-footed beasts saith the Apostle First they became vain in imagination then in action the idol of the heart begins the idol of the hand and outward man necessarily if you would know any mans conception of God look upon his action if you would know what idol is in any mans heart be but patient a while and he will draw it out himself in his life How Romanists conceive of God they give it you under their hand by the many sensuall helps they use in their devotion their images and multitudes of carnall representations whereas God is a spirit and under the same notion and apprehension alone must be worshipped Carnality speaks corruptibility and that is admirable abominable to relieve apprehension by respecting an incorruptible God and yet this is the abomination of Rome and the persons which we stand to defend our selves against at this day Men which have corrupted their own
the last the noblest so doth spirituall nourishment Hope is the last concoction of the soule the last digestion of words and workes by which pure bloud spirits substance and strength is delated and defused all over the state The Scripture makes three concoctions as Nature doth corporall and Hope is the last Tribulation worketh Patience Patience Experience Experience Hope and now the spirit hath spirit hath it self strength setlednesse therefore it followes and hope confounds not Providence toumbles the soule and the soul toumbles providence and the first result of this is patience the second result experience what God is at present and in the breast of this sits hope what God will be and smiles till things worke to this last issue the soule is confounded as the Apostle speaks Hope sucks the sweet of the words and works of God to the bottome that which lyes in the bottome of all God saith and doth to a Christian is heaven what ever lyes utmost the end is eternall life still to a Saint what ever things are a this side Things looke variously sometimes to a neare sight and explicite repugnancy betwixt words and works between such an end and such meanes ordained to it and yet all in an ultimate interpretation carry an exact subordination to the soules highest good Hope is a great Peere privy to the depth of wisdome to the intentions and resolutions of God and to the harmony of all changes and turnings how when and where they will meet in such a blessed end and lies and bathes and sports her selfe in the consistances of all varieties with and towards her prime good 't is a grace to which felicity is alwayes in view a halcyon that findes out a quiet place upon the most moving and boysterous body to wit the sea Hope t is a soul free from a Consumption fat and merry eates not out it s owne spirits nor its owne marrow Some kinde of Spiders eate out the Dam which sits upon them as soone as hatcht so do the thoughts and apprehensions of some souls kill the minde and spirit that brings them forth they are such poysonous and eating things they are so venemous so fiery so dark so gnawing so voyd of heaven of any glimpse of it and so full of hell I reckon upon my afflictions from morning to night saith Hezekiah and I have cut off mine own life his soule hatched such thoughts in time of distresse as did gnaw out the bowells and. life of it selfe that affliction became as death and death as hell which is the property of despaire and unbeliefe to render persons as destroyed and damn'd already as that expression is As there be soules damn'd already and in hell already so there be souls saved already and in heaven already in heaven whilst looking for it apprehension of it in Christ so strong so clear what ever accidentals turmoile the outward man the while Accounting that the long-suffering of the Lord is salvation 2 Pet. 3.15 t is a soule that hath so clear an apprehension of the issue of all sufferings for Chirst that the issue of them is in him already what he expects is to him already in a degree in judgement and account judging that the long-suffering of God is salvation yea not onely in judgement not onely in strong evidence and conviction but in sweet contemplation delectation and fruition for 't is a grace that speaks the love of God shed abroad in the soule and experience hope and hope makes not ashamed why because the soule now hath a good part what it hopes for Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given to us Rom. 5.5 Vse Our felicity lies in noble principles 't were well if we had an impregnable estate in these times Every thing is unsetled and almost hopelesse how is your spirituall condition Every thing without hath made its will and bequeathed it selfe to Death Devills Ruine have your soules made their will and bequeathed themselves to Death and Devills too Ah my soule what a sad state is this Sinne reignes though every thing runne to ruine this doth not The Sword of the Spirit can kill no sinnes therefore it doth soules O how consciences bleed how ghastly are many soules now more to seek for eternall safety then temporall I know not what these wretches will doe God and man are upon you and against you whither will you flee what will you doe for relief Nothing destroyes hope like an evill conscience Now sinners tell me what is sinne now to you Where is that sweet that did ere while so extraordinarily take you what is that in your sinne that did hold you so fast and so long from Christ Shew me now the kirnell of your course You have been cracking shells a great while and what now is the in-side of all nothing but Death and Hell and in stead of your wonted joy an afrighted soule and a fearefull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation Now that which you chose should stand you in most stead doth it thus cheat you then write upon thy sinne Vanity upon thy heart Thou hast deluded me I know not what will be the issue of these evill times death is gathering to the heart apace to the heart of Kingdomes Estates and the like if it be there already in order to your soules truly Justice is quicke with you and you had neede looke about you In swoning fits cordials be necessary something to be taken inwardly that is Christ he fetches life and hope Christ in you the hope of glory Sinfull fearefull wretches there is nothing in you but nature and the old man therefore are you so weake and wicked in your course so dreadfull in apprehension about the end Men would do much sometimes in their owne strength when a lively word takes hold on them but this cannot be never considering how desolate all within is Your eyes are not in your head as the wise man speaks that is they are not in your heart you see nothing within as you should When conscience is fired by the word you thinke to do this and that presently and then all will be well and then fayle in the action and so increase the flame Conscience when a fire must have something dropt in to it things done without are nothing to wit the bloud of Christ Not a sparkle of hell is alayed without bloud without the bloud of Christ or the bloud of the soule Application of remedy must be as the distresse lies your hell is within you and Christ must descend into hell to do a sinner good to set his soule in rest and hope he must goe into the World to save it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 10.5 Christ must come into this World and then into the heart of man that is in it into the great World and then into the little World which he is willing to doe and so expresseth himselfe Heb. 10.5 When
a noble life as we pretend to when we professe a religious life this life is according to every dram drawne from Christ 't is not from the speciousnesse of our owne action nor from other folkes incouragement This time is full of straits externall ingagements byasse men much about internall and externall things if this temptation were over saith one I would take a better course No thou wouldst not courage to the things that are noble springs not from any earthly advantage if all secular authority in the Land should say they would secure thee for any dammage that thou shouldest suffer in pursuite of such a Religious cause yet would thine owne heart fall off like the Jsraelites from entring the holy Land and thou wouldest as they step back when at the doore ready to enter who though Moses and Aaron bid them to enter yet they fell off so though Parliament and Synod were at thy back and did incourage thee to enter yet if thou have no other incouragement thou wilt not step a step in the wayes of God by the grace of God J am that J am saith Paul let all the men in the World be never so gratious to thee yet wilt thou be as ungratious as thou art to the day of thy death if the grace of Christ do not put Spirit and Life into thee Externall inducement is nothing that mans Religion is nothing that thinks otherwise and 't will prove so to his shame and losse if his eyes be not opened to see it If a man speake meerly of a naturall life that is a life as a man as such a creature then a man may say of externall good things as Hezekiah of health and strength and other outward advantages in these is the life of my spirit but if you speake of Divine Life life to that which is Heavenly in riches honours friends parts in no exernall thing in no internall thing but in Christ is the life of my spirit according to his working not according to my own working shall I worke for God and for his glory Stratagents and wiles is much made use of in these times of woe Satan uses it too stay saith hee till Parliament and Synod put life into thee till they doe this and they do that 't is good to honour authority in that which is proper to such authority but so you may stay till the sword of Gods wrath that is in the Land kill you all Worke according to his working within you and take heed of checking this to waite for others working without you to set you forward strangle the quicknings of the spirit and expect quicknings from men and thou wilt be executed by conscience for the greatest murtherer in the World Our life beares upon the operation of Christ Le ts make Christ the fountaine and then le ts draw as much water of life from him as may bee You see how exact and expresse the proportion is made betweene Christs operation and our life such operation such life we strive according to his working therefore le ts set Christ at worke hard and get as much divine operation and life from him as may be Divine operation is the choysest mercy in the World how full of life is my spirit when in the Hands of God! when hee hath it working and moulding of it commend thy spirit therefore often into his hands send him much worke Spirits are so much imployed and over-wrought in the World that Christ hath little or no work sent him no house nor shop to work in A man no an image stands before God in duty a thing without a soule no spirit sent to God to talk with no soule no child of the soul at home to tell where the Parent is children of the soule I meane thoughts desires all sacrificed to devills at the end of the earth and thus farre from home must abide and never be sent for home who ere come to visit them though it be Christ himself what Divine operation can be in the soule when the soule is so given up to gadd after worldy things Divine operation is a very retired act two great Pears in conference may not be interrupted things in discusse being of such great concernment the Spirit of God and the spirit of man Divine operation it is a vision from Heaven of property like that of Pauls that bindes the soule in order to all carnall objects that may make the minde gad and in this vision as in that is a voyce a still voyce Saul Saul sinner sinner why dost thou do this and that against me but this still voyce is full of life to the soule that stilly listens this operation of Christ silenceth that noyse which is in the soule by the operation of other things and then is there a voyce from Heaven to the soule come up hither O soule thou must be above this and that for the tranquillity and felicity of thy life These are the operations of God in which is the life and Heaven of man All divine operation hath voyce the word and the spirit goe together still Christ workes and talkes makes peace and speakes peace makes war and speakes it to conscience You might know what God is a working in your soules hee speakes it now and then very plaine to conscience you that have eares to heare what the spirit saith the spirit workes and then it speakes what it workes the spirit saith now and then in still weather if you listen now and then you may heare what it saith The spirit and the word go together one moves and quickens the soule by the other Hell-ward or Heaven-ward the one should be much dreaded and the other much desired Divine operation is a thing of the greatest concernment in the World 't is as the spirits in the blood if the Pulse beate and worke not spirits are all wasted death is seized upon the state Sinners I know not how God workes in your soules how hee hath stirred or how he doth onely know this when he leaves pulsation that is ceaseth knocking know that your life is departed the operation and the pulsation of God is the life of the soule the life of the soules is the blessednesse of the soule as I am lively and agile in divine things carried upon Eagles wings to God in all duties so am I in Heaven Get as much therefore of this operation and life as you can I speake this because there is a great difference in Divine operation There is an operation that makes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to will and there is an operation that makes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all readinesse of minde to will 2 Cor. 8.11 Act. 17.11 they received the word with all readinesse of minde speaking of the noble Bereans There is a great difference betweene Divine operations and this makes a great difference betweene Christian and Christian one farre more noble then an other These were more noble then those of
this to find out what soul-sensibilitie is in you Consider these things and as you find your selves indeed sensible of soul-misery shew it every one of you by seeking deliverance from it it should be all your work what else in this world have you to do 'T is an imployment for life for all to get our souls out of sinne and into Christ and yet some of you make it a work by starts and marre all sink your souls lower whilst you give but a half lift that is lift and let fall again the devill a little stirred and not cast out takes stronger hold Know your work and know your time know this time You are not like to die the common death of all men Gods sore judgements are abroad you may have your throats cut quickly in your beds and how sad will it be when bloud shall touch bloud a body in bloud touch a soul in bloud this will be a bloudy sight indeed Sinners me thinks you do not stirre as if justice were near you there is killing and slaying round about us and we in the midst of all are asleep is not your bloudy cloud gathering too There is a great crie of peace and I think God means no such thing yet sinners take heed justice doth not seize on your souls ere you know them or it You are making bulworks and forts to deliver your bodies but what do you do to deliver your souls You would not have your bodies kild and your souls are slain already and stink so that God cannot indure them do you think that your bulworks will be any defence for such bodies as have such souls in them Will not the justice of God beat down all to take her prey and seize upon malignants You have more malignants in the citie then you are aware of you have a great deal of malignancy in your souls and this will betray you all if you look not to it there are many of you desperate malignants to God which yet are not so to the Parliament What souls you have and what the condition of them is look to it and work out salvation for them with fear and trembling I will not give a rush else for all your forts to defend you justice will break through stone-walls and mud-walls and through all through your flesh and through your bones till it come into the very spring of sinne which is your souls there it will lie burning for ever as things when they are at their center there rest The soul is the center of sinne and wrath and wrath will to its center do what you can and make what fortifications you can if your souls be not delivered and saved from that wretched condition wherein naturally they are Colossians 1.13 Who hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 caught us out of the power of darknesse I Have been more generall in former attempts upon this verse I shall now be more particular and undertake each term as the holy Ghost hath here laid them in which undertaking I still beg your prayers you can tell when you misse Christ in my labours and I can tell when you misse me in your prayers Oyl our chariot wheels well or else we shall drive heavily the weight of Christs words and your souls is so great Salvation as accomplished the authour of it noted in these two tearms Who hath delivered c. I purpose not to stand on but the manner of Christs going forth to miserable man noted in the next word Who hath snatched us or catched us out of the power of darknesse Doctr. Christ snatcheth souls out of hell fire the metaphor is used highly to adorn the love of Christ in his motion towards miserable man and it doth it indeed gloriously as it may be I may set forth to you in severall particulars and all within the compasse of the metaphor 1. Christ moves strongly to save Snatching speaks an act of force Christ overturns all that stands in his way when he puts forth to deliver a soul omnipotence stretcheth forth his arm in this work devils tremble iniquitie is subdued captivitie carried captive the soul in the midst of violence violently rescued The Lion of the tribe of Judah moves to save as a lion strongly terribly none can resist his will sinners devils nor men Who hath resisted his will Which way the will of God moves power irresistable seconds he drives all before him and takes his prey to wit the poore soul that is preyd upon Two Lions contend about the soul of man the Lion of the tribe of Judah and that roaring Lion you reade of in Peter The Lion of the tribe of Judah is too strong for that Lion and snatcheth the prey out of the devils mouth Who hath snatched us out of the power of darknesse 2. Christ moves swiftly to save Snatching notes swift motion Power puts forth in order to miserie there is but a step between hell and that soul that is under the power of darknesse what therefore is done must be done speedily or the soul is lost Christ is a present help he moves as a Roe as a young Roe very swiftly to apply remedie to miserable man My beloved is like a Roe or a young hart behold he standeth behind our wall shewing himself through the lattice Canticles 2.9 When the devil hath the soul in his arms Christ is behind him as the spouse speaks he is behind our walls at hand when Sathan assaults and makes him let go his hold The devil doth not bite gently nor pull weakly remedy therefore must be swift in this case or else no remedie the soul quickly dyes with deep wounds Poison is of differing strength some kills suddenly and insencibly all the devils poison doth so if not overruled in working an antidote is answerably applyed and upon this ground the Church so prayes Make haste my beloved and be like to a Roe the companions hearken to thy voice make me to hear it Some creatures take their game gently Spannels take a duck and bite not deadly but the devil is not such a dog when he bites he bites deadly quickly and therefore doth Christ snatch out of his mouth before all be desperate and past remedie 3. Christ moves throughly to save Snatching out of the power of darknesse 't is an expression that speaks a full and totall assuming that which was fully and wholly anothers it notes a taking out of the devils arms into Christs arms a personall surprise Christ fights for his wife as Samson and David did he catches his spouse out of the devils arms and then she becomes intire his Christs spouse is no harlot she doth not lie embraced between two the soul lies not in the bosome of sinne which Christ hath catched Snatching from another varies not the proprietie with us but such a catching of a thing as is made in and by warre doth what I snatch or catch from my enemy in warre is wholly mine own Christ gets
have that expression in the Scripture we are but trifles and yet Christ cannot put these trifles out of his mind he carries our souls as he carries his own thoughts he minds us up and down the world till we come home Compassion is when things are laid to heart and so carried up and down and they are choicely carried indeed which are so carried Compassion carries Christ and us compassion gathers about his heart and that gathers his children about there too and so they are bound up together in that bundle of life and carried through sinne and miserie to eternall felicitie into his kingdome Christ saves surely a father bears over his children to make sure work that they may not fall in Between nature and grace is a great gulf and a remove from one to the other is not without great danger soul transaction from corruption to grace is with perpetuall fierce conflict the soul cannot put out a step for heaven but Sathan lets fly at it and Christ therefore is a convoy and he transferres from sinne to grace and from hell to heaven As transactions of state removing this and that have their bloudy contests so transaction of that great State for eternity within pulling down and setting up have deadly contest and the soul will be killed in the way to heaven if not born along When Israel went out of Egypt not a dog barked but when a soul goes out of the bondage of sinne into the libertie of Christ many dogs and devils bark and bite Christ therefore as he doth pull out so he doth carry in whom he fastens hold on he lets not go whom he takes into his arms he keeps there and still carries them there in all conflicts to make sure work all Christs children fight in his arms if the devil can kill them there so they all fight upon this advantage every battell passage to heaven is secured the great whale that is master of the deep bellies us and saves us from all storms carries us and conveyes us to our haven the kingdome of his dear sonne Christ saves sweetly 't is pleasant travelling in his arms a man may go a great way with ease upon anothers legges the way though long and dirty goes away one knows not how when bravely carried Christ will have none destroyed nor none tired in the way to heaven Wisdomes waves are pleasant they go all in coaches and chariots to heaven 't is the honour of the way the state of the king in his kingdome below to be born up and down so The king brought me into his chambers saith the Spouse Christs yoke is easie easie indeed because born upon anothers neck you yoke creatures so that their yoke may not pinch you use art to lessen labour and make work no work and pains pleasures Christ is excellent at this art he doth so yoke every one that he draws with ease he makes every ones yoke big enough to put in his own neck together with the man and so he draws himself and the man too and that is an easie yoke indeed and a little burthen as you put something of weight sometimes into a childs hand and you carry the child with that in his hand therefore the child easily bears because he and his burden both are born by another This is substance according to shadow this sweet way of salvation was typified in Noah Noah was transferred by an ark from an old world to a new and that shadowed out salvation in Christ and the very manner of it Christ transferring the soul from a bad state to a good So Israel was brought out of Egypt to Canaan and the Scripture tells you how just as an Eagle carries her young and as a father carries his children Have I conceived all this people that thou shouldst say unto me Carrie them in thy bosome as a nursing father carries the sucking children Numbers 11.12 God was more tender then Moses it was tedious to him to bear so many and so froward in his bosome to Canaan yet so did God and so would he have had Moses done and because he had not patience enough to do it he died ere he came there 't is dangerous not to be compassionate according to expresse command though ones burden be never so great God took up the burden that Moses would not and he tells you how he carried them As an Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings taketh them and bears them upon her wings So the Lord alone did bear them and no strange God with him Deuteronomie 32.11 12. God can bear much alone and will for a sinners good and his own glory that is to answer types and fulfill truth Use As Christ does bear souls to heaven so does the devil bear souls to hell evil spirits are very painfull too Who bears your souls Sathan carries by delusion some are carried about by winds of Doctrine the devil is in that wind when errour rules the life Sathan rules the heart this soul is born in the arms of an evil spirit 'T is a light soul that a ly will carry but his fall will be heavy Whom Christ carries truth carries the word of God and the Spirit of God are the two wings upon which Christ carries souls to heaven Upon what wings do ye flee By these you may know who carries you whether Christ or the devil Christ wraps up spirits in the word and so away with them to heaven Sathan carries by violence The Apostle Peter tells us of some that are carried about by a tempest Sathan certainly is in that tempest souls born by that evil spirit are hurried Tempests are beside rule and beside resistance so are souls carried by Sathan the heart hath chosen its own way and reason must not stirre nor divinity lesse every thing is irksome that opposeth nothing that contradicts can the man heare this soul is in the devils chariot tumbling to misery apace if God stop not no man can The Lord seldom stops souls when they run apace till they have fallen and hurt themselves much if not ruin'd themselves quite Christ drives gently he goes truths way and truths pace souls carried by Christ go no faster then truth such make a stop at every turning and look out they go slowly and surely Christ kicks at wilfull spirits but he doth not carry them they are meek souls willing to be carried onely by Christ whom Christ carries The devil bears to destruction to ruine grace and the soul he bears as he did bear Christ to ruine all body and soul Souls carried by Sathan are carried away from God to the glory of the world to a god which is not God Carrying away from God is a graduall thing some are carried away more then others and some are carried away quite which I will stand upon a little I see some carried away extremely which makes my heart tremble to behold Men are carried away captive that is
to bring God and the soule together yet Christ undertakes it for them that groane after it I create the fruit of the lips peace to them that are far off Sin wounds and then Satan makes it mortall this must be looked to 't is the worke of Christ to seeke out poore soules which are stray'd away from God and to carry them home to him in his arme We that enjoy the presence of God should joy and blesse him so I conclude this point Alienation is a sad condition it hints lively what the contrary is to wit a fruition of all priviledge a soule in the bosome of God one ever with the Lord which is Heaven In thy presence is the fulnesse of joy 't is so here God present in an Ordinance God present in a Saint God present in a dungeon and there is fulnesse of joy to the soul what ever be to the body Much company spoiles some so doth much solitude others a man is too much alone when without God Society is never too few nor too many when God is one Delight not too little nor too much when God is present If I had never so many enemies I would care but for the company of one to encounter them 'T is enemies we fear now it should not be Fear not I am with thee So 't was spoken to Gideon The Lord is with thee God takes it for granted that he hath spoken enough to setle any heart against any feare when he hath said we shall have his presence Read Isaiah 64.1 2. O that thou wouldest rend the heavens that thou wouldest come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence as when the melting fire burneth The fire causeth the waters to boil to make thy name known to thine adversaries that the nations may tremble at thy presence Let 's prise much that condition which cannot be undone having Christ with us we have him whose presence can make mountains melt turn any thing to nothing that nihilates our felicity COLOS. 1.21 Being enemies in your mind c. SUch a tree such fruit what a sad state alienation from God is appears by the effects which are here to the life expressed it makes a man all over naught inside outside heart hand it casts all into a resolute posture of defiance against God Enemies in your mind by wicked works or enemies with your mind in wicked works not nillingly but willingly wicked not so in affection only but in action not in one action only but in many actions enemies in their mind in wicked works The words of God are of weight every one hath much in it 't will appear so being distinctly considered which hath been and shall be our method and manner of following of him who is so far above us and will not let one tittle of his will fall to the ground Alienation is here anatomised we must reade lectures distinctly upon distinct parts They are enemies c. We must open this They are enemies with their mindes or in their mindes c. We must reade upon this also They are thus not only in affection but in action in their works We must consider this too and by that time you will see much of a bad condition and it may be something of your own The Land is overrun with enemies against Christ therefore it bleeds and dies 't will be very seasonable therefore to lay open to you what an enemy to Christ is which is our first work here in the Text to follow the words as they lie And ye which were sometimes alienated enemies c. Sin was Gods first enemy a steady pursuit of this renders men and Angels the next The worst man alive as a creature simply as a creature is not accounted Gods enemy but as these noble creatures above all others prostituted themselves to something besides Gods will God had no enemies till sin came into the world as long as all obeyed Gods will there was love and friendship all the world over Sin hath a legall and a Gospel consideration considered according to the former the least transgression of rule the eating of any fruit forbidden enough to render man an enemy and to be pursued so with all the plagues written in Gods Book Sin hath a Gospel consideration and so the naked acting of sin doth not presently denote an enemy but the going on in it as a constant intended and approved course God shall smite the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such as go on still in their trespasses saith the Psalmist Sin is an unwearied course to some what ever rubs they meet with from the hand of God by blows or otherwise yet they step over them all and go on still That 's an enemy the spirit of an enemy is in him Enemies fear no colours blows blood death will not divert their design against one another The expression in the originall speaks not only resolution but delight in sin and there are not two fuller properties more infallibly to expresse an enemy ambulandis dilictis such as walk in sins a mans walk is his pleasure 't is made and contrived of purpose with much art to suit fancy and to give a complacency As the outward man so the inward man has his walks something that with much industry he makes shapes to suit and delight it self and this is preferr'd before all other wayes now if this be any thing dissonant to Gods will this speaks the man an enemy Some words of Christ set out an enemy more generally others more particularly I shall touch both Christ is set as King over the sons of men his Lawes are written and divulged and such as obey him not according to these he calls his enemies Bring those mine enemies which would not that I should raign over them i. such as will not obey my will Some disobey one part of Gods will and some another Christ hath many sorts of enemies but all so called from one ground to wit disobeying of his Lawes The Lawes of Christ are said to be disobeyed when carelesly neglected ignorantly opposed or maliciously rejected Truth is truth with some men and that 's all as one would say it bears little or no price in affection how plain and convincing soever to judgement they see and do not see i. see and do not regard O that thou hadst known in this thy day c. Did not Israel know the will of God yes there was light but no love to it which was as no light in the account of Christ and this went to his heart Such as stab Christ to the heart are surely his enemies 'T is as if Christ had said O that thou hadst regarded and so it notes an ignorance of opportunity a defect in affection and not simply an ignorance of the thing it self Love naught and the heart is so too hatred in the seeds of it lie in such a soul which will spring up with a little more rain A
and him that loveth violence that loveth violence i that doth aime at it and make it his scope as his life and pleasure this is so wicked that it goes to the soule of God because 't is complacentiall sin Vse Motion is a tickle thing your life is rapt up in it You should not worke at randome with your owne hands you my cut your throats by your works you shall be judged or justified if they be judged wicked so shall you and be made to eate the fruit of your wayes for ever Man is a rude creature 't is too strict to worke by rule any thing done is enough Yea 't is enough well enough to be called wicked enough to judge you Carelesnesse is a graduall thing man begins to be remisse a little about his worke and then a little more at last by divine judgement upon the soule the man throwes off all care and conscience how he doth his dutie to God or man Am I my brothers keeper This spake he who a little before said as much in action to God himself by a carnall offering to him Consider seriously at what pitch and posture of remisnesse in divine action you are if you doe ill tremblingly stop there acknowledge that power within that jogges you to look better to your way if the feare of God be quite gone that you doe wickedly freely merrily thinke of that of Solomon that God will bring every worke into judgement Wicked workes have a double judgement a judgement here and hereafter All motion to well being is succeslesse much gotten comes to nothing because heaped together by wicked workes Name withers state yea strength withers judged without and judged within Conscience lights a fire with some wicked worke or other and no worke so good can be wrought as to quench it They shall feele a paine in their bellies saith the text Job 20.20 What you worke outward God makes to worke inward in the guts to torture there and make roaring You that make nothing to speake wickedly and doe wickedly God makes as light to doe justly You are undone sinners if God ingrave but one wicked worke upon your conscience this will ever be before you and then a devill will ever be behind you and between these two you will erect a gibbet and hang your selves if the Lord be not gracious and what a fatall wicked worke will this be Some heare such things as these and then goe merrily to mending their workes in all post haste and never thinke of their hearts nor Christ The hand goes after the heart doe yee look without look within too if ever you meane to mend things In sin was I borne saith David when he looked upon that bloudy wickednesse against Vriah Alas for me I brought a wicked soule with me into the world this hath brought forth this horrid and bloudy act into the world My misery lies deeper then every one is aware I shall shed bloud againe and againe I shall make Vriahs bloud touch the bloud of many other men if the Lord be not mercifull to my wicked soule Doth thy hand worke naught use it to smite thine heart that 's the first step to get it to move well O if Christ were in my heart I should worke admirable well I can doe all things through Christ yea and I can doe all well There needs many things in the soule to make action holy exact knowledge exact faith c. and Christ is all these In the darke men worke naughtily a blind soule cannot act well Action must be squared by truth but ignorant persons know not the rule Christ is light he is so in the darkest soule as a pearle he sparkles and glisters in a dungeon in what ever breast in what ever darke cell you put him Scales fell from Pauls eyes but 't was Christ in him that did it and he knew Christ presently and to doing good workes he would goe presently Lord what wilt thou have me to doe He understood much in a little while his Master his service and wanted nothing but divine mission as before he had diabolicall Lord what wilt thou have me to do A man is made very knowing with one Tutor Affection tends to make good action If I do this and that and have not love Love alone doth not well If the blinde lead the blind c. Here is a great deal of love but both fall into the ditch and drown both it and themselves Light and love together do well Christ is both he is a light of life in the soul where he is Coldnesse is the property of a stone there is no soul in this body a stone stirs not unlesse it be downward Folly talks to the grief of the wise I do not love sudden pangs some will do great matters presently and what noble works they will perform when in the company of some a little warmer then themselves and no sooner these more lively spirits departed from them but they return to their proper temper as cold as stones and doing nothing but descending downward to their place these mens ears were warmed and not their hearts The heart fired with love to Christ 't will give name state every drop of blood to Christ and these are noble works indeed Noble actions are of severall sorts that 's the noblest that offers up all to Christ that forsakes all to follow him father mother husband wife self love doth this she offers nothing but whole burnt-offerings holocausts Finally faith also bears its proper part to make a good work 'T is the highest art in the world to do a good work a man must pray with the mouth of Christ and then 't is a good prayer a man must give with the hand of Christ and then 't is good almes a man must do all that Christ sayes but then must lean only upon what Christ is to make a good action A man must do all and then undo all to make it throughly good i. deny all and account all my actions nothing my self nothing and make Christ as fully and purely all to rest on as if I had never so much as thought one good thought in all my life A man not himself is but a bad Artificer but a Christian when not himself i. when out of himself is a brave Artist then a Christian works bravely nobly heavenly indeed when quite off himself and wholly in the bosome and armes of Christ in all he doth There go many things to make up this or that secular thing good but one to make a Divine good to wit Christ there is none good but one and there is none that properly does good but one to wit Christ There is as few good Artists for the practick part of Christianity as of any calling many actions go through our hands only and never through the hands of Christ and these are all lost as wicked works All that goes out of our hands must be put by faith into the hands of
Christ then 't is maturated and shall meet us as so many royall Diadems to adorn us for ever You see now the way to work well thus work and your work will be work and wages 'T is a very sweet life to do all in Christ Things are very lively and contentfull in their own element Set a Lark to flie in the open aire 't is his element 't is his heaven he will flie upward upward which is very hard work and yet he will do this and sing too The breast of Christ is the proper element of a Christian and when here a man works nimbly he works and sings too goes upward towards that place above which is very hard work and yet sings as he goes because he has such silver wings from Christ If ye abide in me saith Christ ye will do bravely you will bring forth good works as a Garden as a Vine doth fruits smilingly Let 's work as Christ did and we shall finde our work as he did 't was meat and drink to him to do his Fathers will his works were all works wrought in God as the Apostle speaks Let a Christian set himself in Christ when he goes about any action and he shall finde his work will be very sweet work and wages his meat and drink No motion so free and delightfull as Christian motion where 't is purely Christian We set upon work out of Christ and then the Chariot wheels move heavily and we look sadly and are tired presently Christs sayings are so hard to be done by this a stumbling block is cast before men of the world the works and wayes of God evill spoken of To work divine works is the joyfullest the sweetest life in the world if a man take the advantage of his work that is Christ with him in every thing a Christian and Christ will do any thing with ease remove mountains sins harder to be removed then mountains and stand and smile to behold the plagues of death O death I will be thy plagues to be the plagues of the king of plagues is brave action indeed A man might speak more consolatory from this point Every workman in Christs Vineyard hath a peny here and Christs peny is more then any ones pound but I cannot stand to sum up this now COLOS. 1.21 Yet now hath he reconciled THe love of God is wholly dispensed as love 't is in giving out as in taking in all along free birth bears it not to this rather then to that Not many noble c. friends work it not there is but one Mediator but one favourite in all the world that appears in the presence of God about any such thing and he is no respecter of persons The vilest as soon as those that are more beholding to nature obtain grace And ye that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minde by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled Reconciliation in the formality of it I have already handled this therefore I shall not meddle with again neither is it that which the Holy Ghost doth principally point at here but as you see by reading the whole verse one inviting property of reconciliation is most aim'd at to wit that the favour of God goes forth to all sorts that there is nothing in one sort of persons more then another to invite or discourage God to dispence his eternall grace all sorts and all at one price may obtain the favour of God i. Doctr. The Grace of God unto life is in all respects free and this is that sweet property of reconciliation which according to the scope of this place and the necessity of many poor souls at this time I would demonstrate to you The love of God is compared to a Feast in feasting men are free if men be not God is and you will say so if some circumstances in his feasting be observed Vniversally God doth invite universally You make feasts but yet every one may not come God sets no such bound nor makes no such distinction of persons Ho every one as many as you shall find bid to the marriage Matth. 22.9 The heavens are generall in their influence not one grasse on the ground but dewed The Ark had of all sorts brought into it from the East West North and South come and sit downe in the Kingdome of God As persons are in estate so they invite and so they feast Christ is a great King over all the earth and so he invites over all the earth he hath one house that will hold all he hath one table that will hold all yea he hath one dish that will serve all and answerably he invites Ho every one that thirsts If there be any thing looked at in those which Christ invites 't is something within not any thing without If the man be lame blinde halt if he be bodily soare yet it s nothing if he would sit at Gods table and if he would have crums or flagons this is all that is looked at God doth universally invite and he doth affectionatly invite Affectionatly which loudly speaks his love free The world is deaf 't would discourage any one to make a feast for a company of deaf folks stocks and blocks that one must strain ones lungs to make them heare and yet it doth not discourage God certainly his love is very affectionate God doth lay his mouth to the eare of the deaf and cries aloud Ho every one that thirsts John was a crier in the Wildernesse he did Christs work so are we at this day and the injunction is to cry aloud like a trumpet spirits lungs nothing to be spared in expression of Gods affection to mans eternall good Souls are precious to God distresse is laid to heart as 't is bowels sound lungs sound Ho every one c. vocations interjections c. speaks very affectionate motion towards the distressed Why will you die O Jerusalem Matters of weight move not us we make expression from no impression God smites his heart again and again and then speaks and proffers love O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah how shall I give thee up God calls and knocks and waites he calls and beseeches calls and weeps what he utters is from his heart that it may go to our heart Things are so molded and shaped as to make their own way Every word of God hath so much Majesty and sweetnesse conviction and consolation which plainly speaks him very free and willing to be reconciled to man Who puts on such apparell when he wooes a Spouse as Christ does Who speaks such effectuall words or presents such precious jewels when he wooes as Christ doth I will give you something else to demonstrate this thing to you God pursues prerogative altogether in his gracious dispensations Grace must needs be in all respects free because no obligement is upon God to give to this rather then to that I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy The
like his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 no condition desperate to Christ he can give sight to one that is born blinde he 〈◊〉 change the spots of the Leopard plague spots all things touching the fallen condition of man are possible to him 't was spoken you know by himself upon a sad fight which none of Christs Disciples could do good to to wit one rended and torn by Satan which Christ cured with ease There be many thousand impossibilia to us yea in us not a sin in a mans soul the least but is impossible to us to subdue because in our nature Can a Leopard change his spots any one of his spots He may lick at them but can he remove them 'T is as if Christ had said Can a sinner take out any stain in his soul he may lick at them by prayer and the like but he cannot remove them because as a nature to him yet I can do it as if Christ had said I can take out any spot out of any cloth out of any part soul or body He is able to save all that come to God by him Christ hath this vast power and he cannot suspend it If he refuse to do what he can for any distressed creature that comes unto him and be the most miserable in the world he will displease his Father which we know he would not do he would undergo hell first The power that Christ hath for the good of sinners is necessarily acted The Sun shines upon all the world and it cannot do otherwise Christ in the 6th of John when he had discoursed largely according to what latitude and compasse he wrought for the salvation of souls he puts it to this conclusion I can do no lesse saith he for this is the will of my Father that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him might have everlasting life if it be the tatterdst the forlornst creature in the city that looks pitifully upon me I must look pitifully upon him if he hang about me for soul favour I must in no wayes cast him off but take him out of the jaws of death and carry him in my arms to eternall life What is the will of the Father is the will of Christ the will of Christ naturally not artificially in a way of self-deniall and contest as the will of God is said to be a Saints will so that what the Father would have Christ own Christ cannot but own for the same Spirit is in him and in the same measure and therefore you have him setting himself forth by the Prophet just as I do as one bound by that Spirit which anointed him The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and he hath anointed me to preach unto these and these and to comfort all that mourn a Christ doth not say the will of the Lord is nakedly revealed to me how far I shall shew mercy and how far not but the same Spirit that speaks to me saith he is upon me i. in the same measure that it speaks to me 't is in me and so necessitates me to obey or captivates me as my own nature and as my own affection God is captivated with love toward all captives so am I saith Christ he would have all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth Jewes and Gentiles so would I too saith Christ the same bottomlesse sea of love that fluctuates in his breast is in mine the Father and I are one and often Christ uses this expression when he speaks about love to the creature Vse Sinners if ever you would be saved consider this point well how wide the arms of Christ are how big the bosome of mercy is it hath many thousands between her breasts already and yet there is roome for you The love of Christ is not coy 't is not humerous ' thath not naturall antipathy against any but persons that sleight it Sinners sinners I beseech you consider it at what height you love your sins Do you love your sins above your bodies above your estates and names yet there may be hope Do ye love your sins above your souls this is sad yet there may be hope But do ye not love your sins above that love which stands with her arms open to you yet for all this What hope can there be in this case How can you escape the damnation of hell as Christ spake to this generation There is no art to make the soul set open the everlasting dores like telling him of the King of glory which would come in I conclude so because 't is the art the holy Ghost useth Mercy held out in the extent of it is the King in visible glory drunkards swearers adulterers set open your everlasting dores the King of glory would come into you he would forgive your sins against the light of Scripture your sins against the light of nature your beastly sins I those wherein you have been worse then beasts your sins against your own bodies as well as against your own souls Love would get her self a name upon you by cleansing and kissing of Swine by laying a Toad in her bosome by bringing a devill out of hel to heaven Can you spit in the face of this Love now in the sight of all this congregation and turn to your lusts again Mercy comes to all your dores she falls down at all your feet will you tread upon her Mercy shews you what she would have you do Christ humbles himself to the dust laies himself at all your feet if you would but do the like to him not a soul of you should perish We hold out to you now the riches of grace if it work kindly you shall know it by this the soul longs to be partaker of it this grace must be nourished if longing die ere it obtain the soul is guilty of stifling the Spirit What buds in the soul will blossome do but keep it in the Sun all that are weary and heavie laden have ease all that are opprest with the devill are healed 't is the thing we are upon If this grace work not kindly the soul hardens it self in its sin If love be so large I may go on in my sin yet a while longer and do well enough at last God rejects none not young sinners not old sinners I will make as much as I can of my sin and lie as long as I may in the lap of Delilah if I must part with it I will part with it at last when I must part with all Death is seised violently upon this soul he vomits his excrements Would a Judas speak worse then this man I will keep my covetousnesse and treachery as long as I can if I must leave it it shall be at last when I leave this world my master and my hope for ever You cannot imagine the depth of guile that is in our hearts naturally
and so owned though with never so much weaknesse or with never so many temptations yet that it should be effectuall to your salvation the touch of Christs garment did the cure COLOSSIANS 1.23 Whereof I Paul c. 'T Is for some speciall emphasis certainly that the Apostle doth here articulate his person with his name I Paul onely wee are various at guessing at it Some thinke he points at the signification of his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cessare which signifies to cease As if he had said I that am stopped and ceased from destroying the Gospel and now made a publisher of it Divine love can quench hell-fire check violence stop and turne a man when in the height of rage against Christ This bloudy sinner had a remarkable stop by a word of love from Heaven Why dost thou persecute me Upon which his name was changed to print and perpetuate providence from Saul to Paul i one stopped and ceased No cords so strong as love a mad-man cannot break them when catched with them Paul was a mad-man a devill yet catched and tamed presently by a sweet voice from heaven If you would conjure a devill quiet if you would quench hell-fire in any ones breast if you would make cords strong enough to hold a Bedlam imitate Christ speake as one from Heaven in the sweetnesse and strength of the Gospel lay a mountaine of love in the mad-mans way Why sinner Why wilt thou goe over Christ This will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cease his course Others thinke the Apostle points at the signification of his name as a Roman name Paulus from the adjective Paulus which signifies little as if the Apostle had said Of which great mysteries I that am little and poore in gifts in place in esteeme little and base every way yet am made a dispenser and so an expression of great humilitie The more grace the lesse in our own eye The sight of God is humbling his majestie and glory is such that the soule necessarily fals at his feete The lesser and lower in our own eye the greater and higher in Gods all that he raises is out of the dust out of the dust he raiseth seed to Abraham and out of the dust he raiseth officers to look to this seede out of the dust he raised our Saviour and out of the dust he raiseth those Saviours which are in his stead Leaders in Israel He giveth grace to the humble i much grace grace enough for the man himselfe and many more Christ doth plow and sow altogether in low grounds these prove very fertile Mountaines are cursed if proud men be drawne out and set high 't is to be hanged by their preferment as Haman I think both significations may be eyed in this speech and the Apostle considered as one much admiring the way of God throughout that would look towards one so much as to intrust him with the care of all the Churches who a little while since was set against them all and now turned from so great wickednesse yet possessing but little goodnesse to discharge so great a trust That I should be turned is wonderful but that I should be so imployed is more wonderfull The freenesse of God in all his dispensations of grace and place should be matter of admiration Doctr. 'T is a brave eye that can tell all the rayes of the Sunne and all the vertues they worke and command all powers to sit downe and warme themselves in the consideration of them The heart is in frame when taken with goodnesse with all the goodnesse of God Thou hast been very pleasant to me saith David to Jonathan Thy love to me is wonderfull This he spake with an eye to all the love he had received from him which is the right frame of the soule in order to Christ and his Thou hast been very pleasant to me O Christ throughout my course and thy love to me hath been wonderfull to my soule to my body in person in office in every condition They are in a perfect frame above the spirts of just men above are all in a rapture because of all the love that shines upon them there is not a beame over-looked not a beame shines upon any soule in Heaven but 't is observed much and warmes him much our hearts are in frame as they arise to this Heat is the right temper of the soule I wish thou wert hot Heat is active activitie is a soule gathering up all the goodnesse of God and feeding upon it and then is the soule healthy and prosperous and not otherwise The constitution of grace is somewhat as the constitution of nature it feeds upon varietie but varietie of God God in riches God in honours God in every thing if God be missing in any person in any dish at the Table it stinkes Heat hath resolution divine resolution tires not in dutie though never so great Then is the soule well when it faints not in the praises of God Heaven is up-hill and to skim off the creame of every creature and to carry it up to Heaven and to present it to God is hard worke to finde out God in every thing here below and carry him home to Heaven and set him upon his throne and admire him is great labour and yet divine resolution doth this doth it in order to all divine dispensations throughout the terme of mans life and lays not downe the worke no lays not down the worke to all eternitie I will mention the loving kindnesse of the Lord according to all that the Lord hath bestowed upon us and his great goodnesse towards the host of Israel according to the multitude of his loving kindnesse Esa 63.7 Nothing is so numerous as sin and mercie but yet of the two mercie is more numerous The world hath not so many sinnes in it as mercies and to act divinely in order to all these to play upon a Lute which hath I know not how many strings to string a mans soule with many thousand thousand mercies that befall him and to play upon this sweely all ones dayes and never lay aside the instrument this is a haile constitution and yet all this but dutie divine president is extant Divine presidents of this nature are doubly binding what any Saint of God ever did as a Saint in order to the rules of sanctitie that comes to me with double authoritie to be observed and therefore is the Scripture cited and the cloud of witnesses as another superadded motive Presidents of sanctitie speake not onely the precept to be obeyed but the possibilitie and honorabilitie of the precept to be obeyed Vse Saints should live at this height they have lived at this height this is good argumentation How doe you live Are your soules in health and are you strong How doe you travaile then up and downe after God The Land wherein we live is full of mercies no Land like it Doe you tread upon them or take them up The latter
't was to be in strait for his life so unfatherly was his father and therefore he proves a brave spirit for this noble service to save the life of David to raise him and Christ in him to his throne he was all heart and soule in it and God was with him God is doubly present with a man which he hath much exercised which is an incomparable advantage to all divine usefulnesse No man can speake so feelingly so healingly as he that hath much of God speaking in and with him this is the man of a thousand that can speake words in season like apples of gold in pictures of silver that can lend legges to the lame eyes to the blind that can comfort those which are cast downe with the same comforts wherewith he hath been comforted from the Lord. COLOS. 1.24 And fill up that which is behind c. THe afflictions of Christ are twofold in his person in those which hee personates the former are accomplished the latter are yet accomplishing Christs will and himselfe are one such as strike his will any part of this or any lover of this would strike Christ himselfe if hee were now present Christ is plaine hee cals actions as intended not as pretended The second Adam names things as the first when he stood according to their nature what is against truth is in the nature of it against Christ who ever be the professor of it and therefore so accounted yea and so openly called And fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ And fill up the word in the originall is compounded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and full of emphasis it signifies re-action or re-passion the doing or suffering of a thing againe to doe over that which some others have done already readimplere as one translates The measure of suffering that tendeth to satisfie for offence and ransome man from the wrath of God Christ hath fild up to the brim the cup was big but Christ poured out blood enough to fill it one would have hoped that all suffering worke belonging to a Christian had been done then No 't is not saith the Apostle I doe iterum implere rursus implere fill up againe the sufferings of Christ Malice lives still Christ is crucified afresh in his members Christ doth bleed in my veines afresh saith the Apostle if there were any drop of blood left behind when he bled upon the crosse now t is fetcht out through my sides How implacable is the fury of man the fury of God was stopped when Christ had bled to death and 't was not his will that ever Christ should die any more or that any one should die more for Christs sake but yet the fury of man lives and that would have Christ die over and over iterum iterumque againe and againe 't would have every house pulled downe and burned that Christ gets into 't would crucifie his image his picture 't would make him bleed as long as this world lasts yea to all eternity therefore doe wicked spirits in hell blaspheme and teare his name a worke which they will never leave though it continually adde to their plague and yet these doe but shew the nature of all malicious men on earth which are everlasting blood-hounds which spend perpetually upon the sent of Christians upon the sent of Christ in any earth Malice should be looked upon as t is an implacable thing and men in whose breast it is should be looked upon as they are fire-shovels fetched from hell to carry everlasting fire from house to house from place to place where ever Christ is to burne him out of this world quite to burne him againe and againe till there be none of him left not a finger not a toe not a haire We are much given to wondring we know the reason of things so little to see a man drinke blood and never be weary of drinking such a fulsome drinke t is strange to us yet t is the property of that fire that burnes in the breast of the man to make an unquenchable thirst after this red Wine t is a damnable disease that the man cannot helpe nor no man upon earth for him every good body must keepe out of his way as well as they can I know no other remedy the man will set abroach any ones blood Pauls Christs any one that lookes like either Christians have a blessed keeper or else how rare would they be in the world Blesse God that there is a good man left in the land at this day in the middest of so many blood-thirsty O how much are good hearts put to it every where by this generation Mourne over both persecutors and persecuted they are both in hell fire Ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word may signifie to suffer for another pro-implere to fill up in anothers stead according to his appointment Christ is gone out of this world and he hath left Christians in his stead and all his prime trust and businesse with them to doe it for him to accomplish his will to walke in his steps and to take in good part what befals them in this way Christs businesse left to Christians is comprised in that expression of bearing his crosse he did beare his crosse himselfe when he was on earth now he hath left it to his people to beare it for him to tread in his paths and take such lodging and fare at night as fals out When Christ died he left but one child to keepe for him but that one a precious child to wit Truth and this so to keepe as never to let it die what ever die I can doe nothing against the truth but for it I can doe any thing suffer any thing that truth may live I can die I can drinke off a cup deadly full deadly big which will hold all my blood to fill it This is our president in the Text. I fill into the same cup that Christ did saith Paul and the same liquor red Wine the blood of a brave Grape the blood of an upright heart and this for his sake At what heighth we are to be for Christ is considerable at the same heighth that Christ was at for us we are to rise to the losse of estate honour life Neither count I my life deare Life is the prime Jewell of nature t is the union of two great estates body and soule t is of more worth than rayment i. then all outward things and yet this of no worth and of no price in order to truth I account not my life deare I am about the worke which Christ was filling a cup that is deadly big that will hold my life-blood to fill it and yet it is nothing to me no griefe if it be any matter to me it is matter of joy Now I joy to fill up that which is behind c. Thinke how brave you should be and how neere you are
feated so it will abide if sinne be feated in the heart it will abide there till all the bloud of the man be spilt on the ground yea till all that which is ten thousand times more noble then this to wit the soule be lost I will tell you the property of the Word of God in order to such a foule as still keepes his sin t is though sweet in it selfe bitter to such searching piercing tormenting The word of God is quick and powerfull sharper then any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing of soule and spirit and this hee spake in order to them which abode in the stubbornesse of their heart and flighted the promise of perfect rest in that Canaan above The heart strongly ingaged to evill truth is very piercing he that so loves sinne that he slightes the rest above he shall have no rest here You cannot imagine the sad boutes and fearfull expectations that unsound soules have and yet this must continue because the breath of the Lord like a River of Brimstone keeps in this Hell as it doth that below The breath of Christ which you spurne against by your spurning lights a fire and shall serve to burne you though it will not to lead you Christ puts to the sword all they which yeeld not burnes and blowes up all that he cannot take Did not our hearts burne within us whilst he talked with us The breath of Christ is hot it burnes within men according to that degree of unbeliefe and resistance it findes in every one without respect of persons Did not our Hearts burne Sinners consider these things and repent sucke in the dying breath of Christ charge folly upon your selves Who is it that speakes to mee what would he have who is it within me that answers and what answers doth it make There are fleshly reasonings and carnall motions take heede of them Everybody will plead for it selfe the body of death will do so which is the death of the soule but methinks the Word of God should silence all If the voyee that speakes to us were considered as such a voyce surely it would In what posture your soules sit in an ordinance is all in all If you thinke I speake these things as a man as Paul saith that it is onely a mans word you will hush your soules asleepe againe as soone as gone from the presence of a man and yet ingenuity would honour mans voyce The beast that spake to Balaam that beast was honoured to speake with mans voyce and that was throwne in Balaams face that mans voyce from a beast would not calme his madnesse The dumb Asse spake with mans voyce But when man is honored to speak with Gods voyce and to forbid your sin and your madnesse therein will you on for all this how much more will this be throwne in your face Consider with what voyce we speak and for how little while this Oracle speakes in this earthen Tabernacle and see how it will worke To day if you will heare his voyce this Tabernacle in which his voyce is and speakes lasts but a day to day if you will heare his voyce sinners doe to morrow the tent will be removed the vaile will be drawne the Oracle will besilent his voyce and our own too will be gone out of our Mouthes and hid from your Eares COLOS. 1.26 Even the Mystery THe carryage of Christ since the fall is here hinted hee doth worke and speake above our reach when he goeth he maketh a path like a Ship in the Sea that no man can finde any thing after him not a step when hee speakes his words are a great deepe a Sea bottomlesse i of such vastnesse in all noble property that no man can mouth them nor utter them after him but stand dumb and silent they are as the title saith here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is compounded of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 occludere shut up the Tongue and Lips of man that hee can say nothing Divine prerogative we are to stand upon There is a power opening and shuting things of eternall consequence in order to man in this life This power is purely spirituall action is used to close the Eyes of the dead but it is invissible mans doome is written in the wall and no hand seene nor caracter legible in order to the man concerned though all big and plaine and hee spelled and personated in them because Organs within enervated in which case man hath Eyes and sees not Eares and heares not They that see are made blind but do they know how action is used in this sad worke but can any one explaine it to sence for the time when it was done or for the thing it selfe that is done when went the spirit from me to thee The poore creatures eyes are out but when was it done did the man feele it can he tell the agent or the instrument that did it or what wheele in the Clock is crackt that the motion goes so false The nature of this spirituall occlusive act is this two spirits run their course at last one is finally left and so in the darke and able to see nothing according to the spirituall nature of it so as to stir any noble operation in the soule Faith a Ridle Selfe-deniall a Ridle Regeneration a Ridle a going into ones Mothers belly againe the death of the body of death the Resurrection and the Life all these great things of the Gospell strange things and like the talke of a son to a barren wombe laughed at The sâ—uting up or the opening of the Kingdome of God in order to any is a transaction onely by the spirit cannot enter into the heart of man to conceive but God hath revealed them to us by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things the deepe things of God There is an internall caelestiall vertue coacting with the soule the giving or the suspension of which is mans onely advantage or disadvantage to understand Gods Will the suspension of internall influence keepes the soule spiritually darke what ever other advantages it hath and shuts it out from the Kingdome of Heaven This spirituall occlusive power is feated in Christ For Judgement am I come into this World that they which see not might see and that they which see might be made blind Concerning spirituall judicature it is proper to me there is none good at this worke but I saith Christ to cast amist before the Eyes of the minde and to darken the light that is in men this onely I can doe to cast a mist before the Eyes of mens bodies this divells may doe and such men as give themselves to them but to cast a mist before the Eyes of mens soules and to darken the light that is in them and to make the things of eternall Life mysteries and meere ridles this is only Christs work Christ can put out the
spirit they were such that had not so much as that circumcision which was made with hands much lesse that circumcision which was made without hands by the spirit A Gentile in the spirit is one ignorant without God in the World that is without the knowledge of God it is explained so by another expression like this that at that time yee were without Christ being Aliens Eph. 2.12 And by another expression to them that are without the Law as without the Law 1 Cor. 9.21 that is such as had no knowledge of the Word of God nor did acknowledge any such thing as a rule of life but their own blind traditions and customes Gentilisme is a meere Chaos a little World lying all in confusion darkenesse upon the face of the deepe the understanding which is as the face of the soule blind not able to finde out God in his Word or Workes what in essence or what in existence what hee is or what he doth in Heaven in Earth in the soule of man nor what hee will doe though all these exprest and told of at large a Gentile in spirit is one that cannot see God nor feele after him that can use neither head nor hand no reason nor sense divinely one that fits in darkenesse and cannot stir any power internall or externall towards the true God One that fits in darknesse wich is an expression I thinke in allusion to the Egyptians who had thicke darkenesse such obscurity of darknesse as the originall saith that they saw not any man his brother neitheir rose any man from his place for three dayes mittacheaif de sub se not from under himselfe or not from off himselfe and these were Gentiles and in this I thinke the lively type of all Gentiles who are in such thick darkenesse spiritually that they sit stock still not one can arise from of himselfe to apprehend any thing out of himselfe and above himselfe that which hee worships is himselfe the imagination of his own brain his zeale is seated in blind principles and this is his God that he knowes no God As I passed by and beheld your devotion I found an Altar with this inscription to the unknowne God and these were Gentiles and this blind principle was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Innâ—itten or written in them for the Altar was but an emblem of their heart they did hold out by this what was in them to wit a God adored but no body could tell what no not they themselves any further then selfe some carnall fancies hotly pursued and after no other light would they search with braine or sense The Apostle reproves them in this scope though you have not the Word of God yet you have had the workes of God if you had pursued these as blind men that use their hands in stead of their eyes and make a good shift to finde their way you would certainly have found out God to better purpose then this inscription quotes and then relates the story of the Creation viz. who hath made of one bloud all Nations if happily they might feele after him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word notes touching or groaping with the hand not able to imploy understanding nor sense about the Word or Workes of God to finde out God which is just the state of a brute and so are the Gentiles shadowed to be in Pauls vision there were all manner of Beasts in the sheet that was let downe to him but nothing else A Gentile in spirit is one blinde and obstinate he shuts his eyes against some things and none must open them opens his eyes to other things and none must shut them he loveth darknesse better then light and no body must stir nor wake his love till hee please this obstinacy is well exprest by Christ Mat. 18.17 if hee will not heare the Church let him be as a Heathen an Ethnick which is the same word with the Text I stand on if hee will not heare let him be accounted a Gentile a Gentile is a wilfull person Let a man be in Church-state and under-light yet if wilfull in sinne loving darknesse and against light hee is as a Heathen that is he is a Gentile in spirit hee is formerly and really a Gentile onely he is not outwardly called so he is not called so by men but he is so by God The Jewes the greatest amongst them the Scribes and Pharisees that instructed company although of the Jewish Church and eminent in Office yet as obstinate and raging opposers of Peter and his Ministery are cald by the Spirit of God Ethicks and in the second Psalme where the Prophet speakes of Heathenish great ones opposing Christ applied it to them as fulfilled in them Acts 4.25 when they were let goe they reported to their owne company that is to the rest of the Apostles and Disciples all that the chiefe Priests and Elders had said to them and when the Apostles heard it they lifted up their voice with one accord and said O God which hath made Heaven and Earth who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said Why doe the Heathen rage and so forth and there cals them Ethnicks Gentiles and because of this that they were wilfull and raging in their blindnesse and wickednesse against Christ This property also of stubbornnesse was lively shadowed in that Type of the Gentiles forementioned there were such and such kinds of beasts in the sheet that was let down to Paul and wild beasts saith the Text to note that this is one eminent property in an ethnicall spirit wildnesse headinesse obstinacy in his blinde course Spirituall gentilisme is opened have I not done two works at once opened the Doctrine and opened your condition are ye not Gentiles in heart though not so call'd truth should be own'd whether with us or against us or there is no remedy confession of sinne is a necessary Gospell requisite sinners can have no mercy without it if ye lay not open your sinne to God t will lay open you to God Angels and men and a soule laid open by the word is one found out in the fact when God hath found out and seised upon a sinner for him then to deny the fact or seeke to breake away from him as one that breakes bolts by being more boysterous in sin this man will die for it and not have pardon no not hope on 't hee 'l not have his booke there is not the least tender of grace to the soule whilst convictions are strangled but treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath to burne hornets in their nest seeing they will not come out convictions stifled is like Powder in a mine that when sprung it blowes up all and no fire so terrible as this stifled fire for renting and tearing the soule A mans soule discovered by truth God hath found out the man the effect will be this the man will now prove a deare friend or a desperate enemy to Christ the vision
out sinne and it can repeat this act till all be throwne out and Christ quiet and at rest in the soule Veestroph therefore is Gospell cleansing called repurgation Esay 1.25 I will turne my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy filth The word is repurgabo I will purge and purge againe till I have taken away all filth and made all pure and therefore translated purely purging I will warne and warne againe warne and teach line upon line precept upon precept till all bee out that Christ dislikes and all in that Christ loves till darknesse be quite dispelled and the sonne of righteousnesse risen Righteousnesse for the nature of it is as the Sun pure and making the minde and the soule so and therefore doth the Apostle Peter use this phrase to stirre up your pure mindes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 3.1 mindes as pure as the Sunne so the word signifies which is by much purging the widdowes childe that was brought to life neses seven times and Naaman the Leper he washt him seven times and their legall sprinklings were seven times all pointing at this that grace in its course doth double it selfe warne and teach make cleane and perfect work Christ doth purifie to and for himselfe this necessitates full purification when he takes any soule to refine the patterne to which he workes is himselfe Warning will not doe it to make us like such a patterne there must bee warning and teaching a throwing out of filth and a bringing in of grace single action will not make the soule like Christ The force of reprehension drives onely at negative grace warning catries the strength of prohibition forbids some evill when this is laid downe I am not like Christ hee was not onely negatively good but positively he had no guile in his mouth to be warned of but this was not all to say that his lips were not foule or were not sore will not expresse their glory they were as a thred of Scarlet as the expression in the Canticles is they had a positive glory and beauty Grace was powred into his lips Psal 45.2 And therefore not only warning but teaching also is necessary to sute our state to his to make us like him some acts to cast out and others to bring in we are cloathed with change of raiment 't is a brave expression Zach. 3.4 Iniquity is made to passe away and then something is brought in the stead of it and unto him he said behold I have caused thine iniquity to passe from thee and I will cloath thee with change of raiment Warning and Teaching are change of raiment they speak the complement of a Christian full purity sinne removed and grace in the place of it and this necessary because wee are shapt to such a patterne to wit Christ Wee are renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created us Col. 3.10 The mould according to which things are made spiritually new is the exactest of all Christs owne image was the patterne in the first creation and this is the patterne in the second creation if 't were any patterne else our purity might abate of fulnesse and yet answer the authors intention Christ doth purifie to and for himself but this later I will not touch Vse Saints are sad sinne is so lively deformity seen is humbling and this is good 't is also dejecting in some soules and this is bad I am so filthy I shall never be made cleane so black so ugly that God will not know me God knows who are his when they themselves do not Corruption in us destroyes not knowledge nor love in God he knows and bosomes a Lazarus a man regarded of none so diseased as curable by none yet hath both from Christ favour cure Christ can love where none else can heal where none else can nor will Power nor wil are not disproportionable in Christ though ought so in us in order to many particulars let one lead t'other followes alwayes Hath grace begun with thee 't will finish the love of God in order to such an end hath the power of God wrapt up in it to accomplish it the word of grace or the word making grace is the power of God till grace be perfected 't is the power of God to salvation as the least seed by divine concurrence hath a vertue in it that will carry it on to maturity Mourning hearts think of the nature of Gospel-purification 't is full but know how 't is carried on to this fulnesse by multiplication of acts warning and teaching and this multiplication continued warning and teaching Participles of the present tense which note continued acts there is purgatio and repurgatio a course of Physick purging and purging againe things are not refined presently fire must rise to such a strength and then continue such a length and this exactnesse of order to prevent miscarriage that the precious metall desired may be fully attained and not done to burn and consume it Is thy soule long a cleansing call it mercy not misery God tenders thy frailty and the preciousnesse of the mettle he is drawing out of the Ore he would lose neither thy person nor his work the refining fire is as hot as thou canst beare it thy purges are as strong and as oft repeated as thy strength will endure unlesse he should purge away life and all This you may be assured that how filthy soever you are your purification shall be full the unction shall bee as the conveighance through which it s made your spirits shall be as the Word of God that cleanseth it and what purer thing than the Word of God You shall be cleane through the Word and cleane as the Word pure as he is pure this is bravely set out in a Metaphor of gold by the Prophet Zachary the Pipe gold and the Oile conveighed in it gold too What be these two Olive branches which through the two golden Pipes empty the golden oyle out of themselves Zach. 4.12 Golden Pipes and these have golden oyle out of themselves that which Christ doth give out of himselfe out of his Word and out of his Spirit 't is as himselfe as pure and as glorious in the nature of it and at last in the degree of it according to externall view so as that the one is called by all that look upon it gold pure and glorious so shall the other This you may be further assured that this shall be done freely the utmost benefit not the least cost look to the wounded man saith Christ let all his wounds have Wine and Oyle warning and â—eaching cleansing and healing and I will pay all Josiah's filthy garments are taken away from him by another he is not at cost no nor at paines to doe it himselfe he gives nothing nor doth nothing Our doing in our cleansing is defiling if there do any thing appear in us tending to put away our filth 't is not of us 't is
is this when Christ would perfect a soule in himselfe he turnes a man off and out of himselfe out of creatures of Gods making and out of creatures of the mans owne making out of his prayers and all his duties and this he doth sometime by letting the man fall into sin when proud of any parts or workes and sometimes in a more mild sweet way where nature is more meek and sweet and then when the soule is turn'd off and turnd out of all he that is indeed all presents himselfe to him and woes and wins the soule I will be a husband to thee saith Christ friends riches honours whatsoever can be desired to make one blessed the great world is han'gd upon nothing so is the little world to wit a Christian brought first to be nothing in understanding but a brute nothing in action but worse then a brute a devill very poore very poore in spirit and then blest with a Kingdom and now the soule that was nothing nor could do nothing for Christ or against sin can do all having regnum he hath proprium regni having a Kingdome he hath the proprium of that Kingdome which is dominion over all hee that is made a King and hath a Kingdom doth not rule in this Town only or that Town but over all parts in the Kingdom and this order Christ will move in towards you that desire it for this Kingdom and all belonging to it is a perfect gift COLOS. 1.29 Whereunto I also labour TO take soules from off themselves and to set them downe in Christ beares much by divine Ordinance upon our calling and makes our worke very hard which is noted in this terme labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifies such actions and industrie as faints wastes and weares out all such a labour as Solomon speaks of Eccles 10.15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them because he knoweth not how to goe to the City This Emphasis of the word is held forth to the Thessalonians to worke them to a reverend esteem of their teachers We beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which spend and waste themselves amongst you to take you off from sinne and selfe and to set you downe in Christ in whom onely soules are fully and perfectly blessed We are as Jonathans armour-bearer whither so ever our Master goes we are to goe after him though we creep upon all foure Your life is our death your fatning is our leaning your Raven-black haires are our milke white We are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 3.2 Such as wax white with painfulnesse and watchfulnesse reading praing sighing mourning and groaning for your good Coaction with Christ is no idle imployment he doth not attempt small things neither is he of small strength to keep pace with such weak agents as we are 't is hard work to draw in yoke with one that is double and treble in strength above me We are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 workers together with Christ he attempts the greatest things that are and the most desperate the taking of holds strong holds Canaanites Hittites c. which dwell in Towns which are walled up to heaven and founded downe to hell he attempts the bloud and death of all the conquest of this whole world the generall making such desperate attempts and taking onely Rams-hornes a sling and a stone such a fraile party as we are you may easily think our work to be desperate full of paine and perill Had man been set to fight with man one man with one man that had been painfull worke but man is drawn out to fight with beasts the fiercest beasts with Lions Beares Wolves Serpents Scorpions yea with devills there was never such a fight in the grand Circue at Rome We wrestle with such creatures as have no hold-fast to be taken of them which have no armes no legs no flesh nor bones we wrestle not against flesh and bloud but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darknesse of this world against spirituall wickednesses in high places Ephes 6.12 We are drawne out to fight upon all the disadvantage in the world against creatures that are upon higher ground that have pitched field in high places that have no flesh to be wounded nor bloud to lose that can make ambushments at pleasure being the rulers of the darknesse of this world this is the Rhetorick of the Apostle We are Stewards of mysteries sentence is past upon us to dye according to the Law which we have broken onely we have the benefit of our book but this book is written as books of such nature usually are very mysteriously with an old strange Character our worke is to stand by and prompt soules concerning their neck verse which is very painfull and trembling worke the book in which sinners are to read for their life is written with bloud which is very inward and ominous inke The Characters and Syllables sutable when put together into words these words are spirit The words I speake saith Christ are spirit What is a more inward and hidden thing then this and yet this are we to interpret our worke is to be an interpreter betweene two of very remote parts that live as farre asunder as heaven and earth as heaven and hell I might say between Spirits the spirit of God and the spirit of man one whereof 't is more proper to say is in hell whilst out of heaven then in any middle place between Transactions between God and the soule are the deepest the weightiest the intricat'st things in the world A sinner is convicted sentenced carried to the place of execution his winding sheet wrapt about his shoulders his handkerchiffe tyed before his eyes his halter about his neck his sentence written upon his forehead in this shalt thou hang till thou bee dead and yet possibly no internall intention concurring or meaning the bloud of the soule Divining in this case at the foot of the Ladder what will become of him that is on the top on 't sitting trembling whether he will be turned off or fetcht downe with a pardon is extraordinary hard work to determine and yet beares not upon any extraordinary office no Angel is dispatcht from heaven to be an oracle in this difficult case but it lyes upon our shoulders by ordinance The Priests lips are to preserve knowledge If there be any divining in this extraordinary worke t is not by extraordinary but ordinary office there is not one from the dead to tell who shall dye next no one sent from hell to tell who is to come next thither Things belonging both to the death and life of the soule are made manifest by our ministration by our labour wee are the Heralds of Heaven the Trumpet of God in which he sounds Retreat and March fight and victory funerall and triumph we are to sound sad and dolefull sweet
and joyfull to tell who are slaine and who saved our Travells are to all remote parts that are into Heaven into hell into the heart of man where these two meet to search the book of life and the book of death to finde whose names are written in the one and to informe the persons Paul could tell Clement and others that their names were written in the book of life Phil. 4.3 And whose names are written in the other to wit the book of death and to informe likewise the persons Jude could tell who were of old ordained to condemnation we are to seek creatures lost in hel which is hard work to finde to search out things hidden in God from ages and generations which is harder worke Vse The soule of man certainly is very precious to Christ he sits up with it late watches with it very long burnes out many watch-lights to save it if possibly from dying eternally Estimation is to be made of things according to cost about it provided that the layer out bee prudent When you let houses or lands this comes in as a consideration to heighten rent what you are out in purchase and repaire Christ cannot be taxt for imprudence or improvidence and yet he is at more cost and paines about the soule then about any thing not onely here and there a man is pickt out to minister to the soule but all the creatures in the world are severally gifted vertued decked and adorned to minister to and worke upon the soule the words and works of God have all a harmony in this they all therefore are and abide which otherwise should all passe away were it not to take and gaine the soule there is a juice and Verdure a spirit in every living creature to incline it to serve man and so to by as his soule to God The multitude of preachers to the soul of man is great some he had at the third hour some at the sixth some at the ninth God and the Creation were preaching to man from the beginning all creatures brought their full goodnesse to mans full view and use to keep him fully good but could not he fell asleep in the fore-noon in the morning when the primest and sweetest sermons were made that ever the eares of man heard and dyed in his sleep Wee that come in labourers at the latter part of the day we preach to the dead our worke is to fetch the dead to life againe to raise Lazars out of their grave that have lain there long and stink and yet how unsavory soever how impossible soever our worke is and seemes to be we must upon the perill of the bloud of our own soules discharge it our labour is spending and ending we like Rachel dye in travell to bring forth sonnes and daughters to Christ and yet woe to us we shall dye twice if wee hold not on this labour and this travell Certainly Christ hath put an high price on poore soules I am sadded to thinke how mis-judging some persons are of Christ and their soules Doth Christ milke out his breast to bastards such as are base borne and no sonnes Can he summe up nought nought many noughts to a great summe and to a great price A naughty tongue a naughty hand a naughty heart a naughty conscience all these naughty parts to a precious whole I answer Christ doth prize naked beings the soule according to its esse though it hath never a good quality in it What shall a man give in exchange for his soule high price is put here upon the soule simply as it is such a transcendent being beyond others then againe Christ sets a price upon things according to what he can work them too he can lay out cost and paines mans meate horse meat seed and grain of this kinde and that and plow in hope Persons of art and skill put a price upon this and that grasse which others tread under foote as weeds and nothing worth because by such and such decoctions they know what precious things to bring them to Nero put great price upon Thapsis a gigantine Fennell his great men about him wondred to see him send so farre for it and put such esteeme upon it but hee did so because he knew how to order it with Frankincense and other things to take away the bruises of his body God hath Frankincense by him to wit Christ and though wee be but as Fennell a weede little worth yet hee can tell how to order us and shape us so as to bring us to great maturity and price and according to this to wit what he can do with soules doth he put price upon them though at present of little worth and therefore let empty creatures judge righteously concerning Christ and their soules Would Christ be at paines and at cost to lay pipes to the cisterne if he did not meane to fill it Be just in opinion concerning Christ and mercifull in practice concerning us and this is the last thing I have to say upon the point Our calling is full of wasting labour very painefull easen it to us by your plyablenesse to Christ Sinners are full of sores putrified from head to foot and yet will not be lanced nor drest this is the killing paine of all our paynes that all we do is rejected Ministers would not be gray headed so soone nor die so fast notwithstanding their great labour if it were but successefull but this cuts to the heart and makes us bleed in secret that though we do much it comes to nothing I am placed in an Hospitall where there are so many score Diseased creatures that 't would pity any ones heart to looke upon them and yet when I come to dresse them they all curse mee in their heart and one hides his wounds from mee an other sees and sweares he is as well as I in as good a condition as his Minister and yet lookes as pale as Death as black in the mouth and in the eyes as if he were in Hell already an other tumbles in blood and filth and sayth this is his Scarlet-shute hee hath no other habit to go brave and gallant in if he should not do so and so he should die in the neast and wishes those hang'd that contradict and trouble him there is so many filthy breaths and dampes in the places where wee worke these are the things that kill us more then our meere paine there is so much conjuring in the spittle where we are placed and so many eyes stare and looke so fiery and gastly so many devils walking among the Tombes and Graves where we are labouring to rowle away stones that lie at the mouthes of them These are they that teare our Lungs consume our Spirits Our worke dies therefore we die not so much that we labour as that we labour in vaine wee can send none out of the Hospitall where wee are Phisitians upon two Legs but all upon foure none goe out well all
die under our hands all the solemnitis belonging to our company are for the most part Funerall solemnities going to the Grave with the dead in trespasses and sinnes our invitations are Sir mourne with me I beseech you for such a one that lies upon his eternall Death-bed that hath Plague-spots in his breast that lies raving blaspheming and much a doe to keepe him in his Bed to keepe him from leaping into a worse if worse may be from leaping desperatly into Hell When our Ministrey petrefies turnes hearts into stones and these taken up and throwne at us this kills us the recoiling of our paines kills us when our peace returnes to us as Christ speakes J have laboured in vaine spent my strength for naught saith the Prophet When we spend our strength to make men more naught then they were this wounds our heart which should be considered of sinners to kill ones selfe and ones Minister too which would save him what a bloudy condition is this the bloud of a Minister upon a mans soule is more then the blood of many men stubborne soules lay this to heart When the Poet would cure drunkennesse in the Heathen Emperour he said remember thou drinkest the Blood and the Life of the earth meaning the juyce of the Grape So I say to you stubborne sinners remember when you breake the heart of your Ministers by your stubbornnesse you destroy the Blood and Life of the World I would I could say any thing to breake the Iron sinnew that is in the neck of some sins and sinners Be a friend to us in our worke and be a friend to your selves come off readily and speedily to Christ our work will be easy and your condition safe hold us fight long and I know who will fall at last with a witnesse The warre betweene the house of David and Saul was long saith the Text 2 Sam. 3.1 the issue was answerable had that malitious stubborne man layd downe his Armes and readily yeilded to the Will of God to Christ that came against him in David hee might have found mercy but he would stand it out to the last and weary God and David his servant till at last there was no remedy and then all Davids Teares Prayers and brave services that he had done tooke place and effect with a witnesse Make our life dolefull and Christ will make your death dolefull be as great as you will stay long in the birth and kill Midwife and you will be delivered in hell ease us and ease Christ for Christ striveth in us we strive but according as be striveth in us as saith the following clause in my Text striving according to his working and therefore is Noahs suffering so long in his paynes for that people called the long suffering of God 1 Pet. 3.2 London England the blood of many Prophets is upon thee is this nothing the blood of God is upon thee and God layes this to heart now now he makes inquisition for blood hee makes blood to touch blood your blood to touch the blood of them whom you have kil'd in their labour by your frowardnesse and wickednesse to Christ and them COLOS. 1.29 Striving according to his working c. STriving This word seconds the explanation given of the former that the labour of the Ministery is very painfull t is a putting off all powers externall and internall to it to the utmost t is a strife contention running for a victory a fight so the word is in severall places translated Fight the good fight of faith I have fought a good fight in both places is the same word that here is translated strive fighting running for victory they are acts wherein the whole man intends it selfe as in matters of life and death The worke of our calling is in the former word generally and summarily exprest in this word t is particularly specified as it beares upon its particular and proper cause When we say such a one labours this satisfies not what is his labour this question is answered by this following word in order to our calling Our labour is in some sence the worst the sowrest t is contention spirituall contention i. a contention which hath its rise not from our owne spirit but from the spirit of God and its termination in the spirit of man We strive not according to our own will but according to his Word and Spirit that striveth and worketh in us Contention hath a bad and a good acceptation the spirit lights on fire of Hell sometimes and flames out of the mouth and burnes all that stand neere in name in whatsoever is deare this is bad contention Folly lurkes long in an unmortified soule at last gets a head and then words without wisdome or conscience toumble out one upon anothers backe as if they should toumble downe all that is before them but they throw downe him onely from whom they come A fooles lips enter into contention and his mouth calleth for strokes and in the next verse a fooles mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soule Prov. 18.6 7. If standers by can keepe off the flame this fire burnes no more houses then into which it comes The flame that comes out of one mans mouth if it be not suckt in by another onely one tenement is consumed folly is full of humour humour disguiseth every person and action and apprehends all for enemies and so fights against yea slayes with the tongue deare friends for deadly foes that is as much as in him lies Folly generates humour humour is a bastard pride now none so beautifull in any proceedings as the man himselfe other folkes children are all untimely births and mishapen brats and deserve all to be murthered with the mouth and bit to death Butchery is some persons trade neighbours children kild quartered and hung out to sale every day for all that come by and will buy pride hardens the heare hardned the man will runne against any one with his tongue till he can get other weapons and spot himselfe all over with the blood of the best mans repute in the world before his face Contention is a murthering of a mans off-spring before his face and throwing the blood of them in his face thou didst say this and thou didst doe that Pride hardens 'tas this property in every soule many hearts quard and become sulpherous stones the divell takes them up and strikes fire with them to burne all Bad contention hath alwaies a diabolicall concurrence more or lesse many things may charge and load the Gun but the Divell gives fire still and makes it off and helpes to fetch out all that is within the man Contention hath a good acceptation good contention is an expliced zeale against sinne Sinnes are of severall sorts some have their tongues cut out of their mouthes by conscience and can nor dare say nothing of their course others have their tongue in their head and can and will say
them gave hee power to be called the Sonnes of God The reception of Christ makes the conception of a Christian as soone as the Babe stirres in the wombe as soone as love-thoughts begin to leape in the soule towards Christ and the things of Heaven that very quickning is from the power of Christ The Sonne hath power to quicken whom he will and none else The power of Christ doth make life and makes this life more abundant that is strong enough to shew it selfe in every action as such a life as such a noble-natured thing Not onely our efficiency but our sufficency is of Christ The being of grace and the lively actions of grace such a potent and vigorous being 'T is common to mistake speciall things a Christian man is a likely man to act Christianly therefore an able man 't will not follow for life and strength are two things a creature may have a specificall life proper enough to such a noble businesse and yet not be able to doe it As some workes and actions are proper to a rationall Life to a creature indowed with reason and yet such a creature not able to do such workes because not indowed with reason enough 'tas efficiency but not sufficiency 'tas not the maturity of its being the complement of its kind The Apostle speaking of himselfe as a Christian and in the person of Christians yea and speaking all this as under great advantages yet disclaimes a sufficiency as such a person to act like himselfe as a good man to thinke a good thought or as a good gifted man to preach a good Sermon not that wee are sufficient of our selves to thinke any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God which makes us able Ministers of the new Testament 2 Cor. 3.5 sufficiency hath its birth from God as well as efficiency one degree of grace doth not forme another but every degree form'd by Christ There is the grace of being and the grace of strengthning the sufficiency of a Christian to act as such a noble person beares upon the latter I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens mee hee doth not say through Christ that hath given mee life but through Christ that gives concurrence and sufficiency to this life in order to all that is to be performed by it The word strengthen which the Apostle useth in the place before mentioned is rendered by a very fit word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in-strengthning or corroberation as one would say an Oake and an Oake there must be an Oake and an Oake life and strengthning life and life more abundantly this is the ability of the soule to all things his making and his working and strengthning after made which is cal'd a workeing hitherto My Father and I worke hitherto we strive according to present working not according to first making striving according to his working which worketh in mee There is sufficiency and all-sufficiency a man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 able to all things A Christian is strong in one grace and weake in an other strong at one time and weake at another this is almost every ones case there is a state above all these ebbings and flowings possible a generall sufficiency a generall Christian an al-sufficiency an abounding not in one grace but in all not at one time onely but at all times in health sicknesse in plenty in poverty a full Sea that hath no ebbe at no houre in the day no at no season in the yeare of such an estate as this doth the Apostle speake 2 Cor. 9.8.9 God is able to make all grace abound towards us that wee alwayes having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good worke Wealth is an ambiguous terme when we say such a one hath a great estate we aske wherein in Money or in Land or in Houses in Wares or in Jewells or the like few persons have a great estate in all these and yet its possible there may be a generall rich man rich in every thing that is riches rich in Money rich in Land rich in Jewells rich in Houses c. So there may be a generall rich man spiritually rich in Faith rich in Hope rich in Love abounding in this gift in that gift in every gift That speaks Christianity if there bee any such al-sufficient man 't is of Christ being inriched in every thing to all bountifulnesse which causeth through us thanksgiving to God 2 Cor. 9.11 if there be any generall rich man inriched to every thing as the Apostle speakes hee tells us to whom it must bee acknowledged to God All good is of Christ habit act nothing is of us in me dwells no good no mans state is hopefull till this principle be well setled in the soule Mortall Diseases makes sometimes but little symptome 't is so frequently concerning the soule Pride is a mortall malady a soule that complements with Christ about his eternall condition wants are so few in number and so small of consequence the symptome of this is a senslesse spirit at the Throne of grace God hath many a lie told to his face God I thanke thee I am not as such and such J am in a very hopefull state over many are for I doe this and that There is a stroaking of selfe in and after some performances sometimes God is told of it but often man 't is an implicite contradiction of the point in hand all is not of Christ something is of the man himselfe hee observes his crawlings in Divine things and they are very glorious in his eye but doth not observe the Toade in his belly that he crawles with to wit selfe Selfe-action hath this property a man is much taken with his own motion some Artists will pride themselves much in a peice they draw themselves and will plead for it much though there be little Art or Workemanship in it in comparison of that which some others draw Swallowes catch vermin as they flee when they flee high 't is after Flies when they flee low 't is after Flies they live upon the vermine of their motion and keepe their wings so long and so strong with the imperfect animall they flee after Christianity of this property is common but I like it not the mans Religion is sometimes of a higher and nobler sometimes of a meaner and lower straine as will best correspond observers but still in its scope one to catch Flies to live upon some imperfect thing that is met with in the motion and when no Flies can be catcht neither by flying high nor flying low no carnall incouragement then keepe the neast the house and do nothing Christians that live upon the vermin of their motion are up and downe high and low very uncertaine in sanctity and consolation and this may characterise every man to himselfe that is not practically cleare in this point that habit and act are both of Christ By-things lookt at cannot bring in nor beare up such
Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readinesse of minde there was not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Willing but all readinesse to will all strength and life of affection to Christ and the Gospell which is the Nobility of a Christian These are the Noble operations that I would have you long and looke after COLOS. 1.29 Which worketh in me mightily Or in power IN-operation simply and in-operation extraordinary are both to be stood upon a little to open this expression unto you the one will open the first part of this expression which worketh in me the other will open the latter part of the expression which worketh in me mightily or in power In-operation simply considered is a supreme act making an eternall impresse upon the soule for life or death Things have their advantage by position so they may be put that every one cannot reach them nor finde them out the heart hath this advantage t is a hidden man an inward creature What you looke upon or touch when you have to doe with a creature of your owne making is flesh and bones but the manhood of this substance or that which makes this substance a man is hidden within so hid that none can reach but by supreme power of its owne or borrowed Among these Nations shalt thou have no ease but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart and sorrow of mind Deut. 28.56 The Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart a stone may be stirred and toumbled sometimes when it is not broken Consider the heart under this metaphor as the Scripture doth for some refractory properties of it and this stone that lies at the center of the little world cannot be stirred nor the foundation of this little world shaken in the least but by a supreme power The Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart Those internall operations which make a wicked mans heart shake and tremble sometimes they are from the Lord and when the Lord takes off his hand the stone lies still againe lift and pull whoso will as long and as much as hee will the sinner stirres not which is authority enough that internall operation is a supream act If this be not Job gives further authority and makes a higher instance Consider the stone that lies at the center of the earth the foundation stone of the little world I meane the heart as shaken or as broken and God doth it God maketh my heart soft and the Almighty troubleth me Job 23.16 When a Christians heart melts and is dissolved take it in a refreshing sense or take it in an afflicting sense supreame power doth it man cannot doe this himselfe a sinner a Saint cannot move the stone in his bosome one jot t is an Almighty act that reacheth the heart of any man the Almighty stirs me within Internall operation is as I have said a supreame act This act makes eternall impresse Internall operation is from a high hand and of high concernment t is of everlasting force the Spirit is called an eternall Spirit not so much in order to being as in order to operation the things that this Spirit worketh in us and for us are life eternall the workman the workhouse the worke wrought in this house are all eternall the Spirit eternall the soule eternall the workes wrought here the carvings or cuttings are eternall unalterable if Christ make but the least dint upon the heart I may challenge all powers in heaven and in earth to even it Operations externall are not eternall not a worke you looke upon without though never so great or glorious but fades and shall be turnd into its fitst nothing but operations internall are eternall what God doth in the soule is to last as the soule if he drop mercy into us this drop shall last for ever though all the mercies without us may be gone in a moment if he drop justice and wrath into us this drop abideth for ever God is called immutable not so much in order to being as in order to action and not in order to all action neither but in order to internall actions such as are done about the soule I am God immutable and change not Change not in what in esse that is granted of all and needs no affirmation no this is not the thing but in operari and about this many doubt I have droped mercy into the hearts of the sonnes of Jacob and it shall never out I have begun a good worke a good internall worke and it shall last to the day of Christ it shall last unto Heaven that is for ever therefore is the Spirit according to his presence and internall operation called the earnest of Heaven and the scale to the day of redemption it makes impresse upon the soule so deepe that abides for ever the worke the Spirit doth in us outstands the gates of hell the Temple that Christ now builds in us not a stone not the least pin of it moulders to all eternity t is so wrought t is so on the other hand what he doth internally in poynt of justice he doth it to purpose All the world on fire without you may sooner quench it then one sparkle of the fire of Gods wrath which he casts into a man this is an everlasting fire an alway punishment as the Scripture speaks Bow downe their backe alwaies pointing at Doeg and Judas and such like wretches that were internally punisht A man internally smitten by the justice of God his backe is broke for ever take Job but as hee personates a wicked mans case forbeare the application of it to himselfe as he doth being then in a temptation let his person alone but take the thing as his apprehension is opened fully in this poynt to his triall for a time and you shall have him speake notably of the property of internall operation in order to evill men God is in one mind when he is at worke in wicked soules one cannot turne him what his soule desireth that he doth Job 23.13 If after great provocation workings and strivings without by words and blowes hee goe to worke within to fit the vessell for wrath if this be now the will of God there is no turning of him nor no turning of the point nor edge of the tooles hee workes with no terminating the effect short of the Authors intention the Trinity in their action internall to expresse this property of it are called agents hitherto The Father worketh hitherto and I worke observe about what works Christ was when he spake thus he was about internall action to wit the curing of the cripple which had laine so long at the poole which was a cripled soule as well as a cripled body Internall operation is of eternall force this is generall and indetermined therefore it followes in the definition t is of eternall force to such an expresse end to life and death that which Christ doth within about
gnola an whole ascension holocautomata a whole burnt offering all ascending in a flame to Christ that did so for us to God Divine Light carries Energy with it all tooles and instruments whereby all faculties and organs are made answerable to the eyes it opens it makes not a blinde man open his eyes and lie still but opens eyes in order to legs and armes and all other joynts when God opens eyes he opens cares opens all David is a demonstration of this and Christ Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not Charitha but mine eares hast thou opened digged open Eyes were digged open and eares together when David knew what God would have his Light warmed and opened his heart and made that obedient unto it and so Christ if you apply the words to him when he opened his Commission at his journeys end when come into the flesh and into this world and unto offering age to Priestly maturty for that Office and saw what kinde of offering God expected not such offering as under the Law the bodies of beasts but his own body his Light inflamed his heart and he proclames his Commission what body he might offer a body hast thou prepared me and he longed to give it to its intended use when he knew the intention of God concerning it there is a proportion to this in all the revelations of the same light in our hearts Christ puts his honour here upon us as he doth above as we shall have what he has in heaven so we have in a degree what he had on earth his spirit and his peace his light and his life our life is said to be hid in him t is bravely typified I think Numbers 27.20 Put some of thy honour upon him saith God to Moses concerning Joshua their Unctions were communicative under the Law to shadow that so should Christs Unction under the Gospell be communicative unto us you will be a whole ascension which have a whole light and hee that ascends wholly to Heaven must needs have a sweet and blessed life on 't COLOS. 1.28 Warning every man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word here used may be pursued strictly according to what it signifies as so compounded or it may be considered largely according to what it signifies as so in severall Scriptures used The composition of the word notes a putting of a thing into the mind from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies the mind and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to put Divine words reach the heart they put themselves into the minde and into the soule This resolution of the Text makes resolution to that question Job 38.36 Who hath put wisdome into the inward parts or who hath given understanding to the heart The words of Christ doe this and nothing else these doe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put things into the soule wisdome and understanding into the inward parts The words of God have the advantage of their matter they are pure Justice is of Majesty what shines with the beames of this is strongly impressive O how forcible are right words saith Job that is words made up of rightousnesse and thus are all Gods words necessarily his breath is as himselfe pure Breath is a very internall thing this stinking speakes something filthy in the inward parts God is light and in him is no darknesse Satan comes and finds nothing in me No impurity no unrighteousnesse in God he must needs therefore breath purely Purity is of great Majesty when Adam bore the Image of God his words were as thunder to all the creation his words yea his lookes went through and through Purity and Majesty be joynd together Cant. 6.10 Cleare as the Sunne terrible as an Army with Banners what is pure is of great power and Majesty The words of Christ have the advantage of their forme God opens his mouth in righteousnesse and in wisdom Some have good breath but not good braines and gutterals to shape it and utter it Children come to the birth cannot be delivered or else delivered too soon untimely births are not taking to looke upon none lodge such in their bosomes Indiscretion turnes the point and edge of things that otherwise are very penetrating The words of the wise are like goades and nailes they goe into the heart wisdome takes the utmost of all advantage which is very forcible she sits her down in the center of a businesse and takes into her bosome all the small lines that doe circumstance it and so makes her motion in every thing effectuall heart-reaching and heart-working The heart is put for wisdome in the old Testament and I thinke for this reason because wisdome is that which brings in all to the heart words workes that which makes every thing like goads and nayles piercing or like honey dewes so king melting Behold God is mighty and despiseth not any he is mighty in strength and wisdome Choach leb Iob 36.5 t is strength and heart or strength of heart Wisdome is that which brings in things in strength to the heart and so makes it strong upon the heart Strength and wisdome are joynd together here things that we say or doe are of strength as this conjunction is kept which is never separated in order to God No word of God no worke of God but uttered and wrought in wisdome which makes all his words like goads and nayles in entering The words of God have the advantage of their end They are spirit and life that is they are intended above all words to be spiritually forcible they are appointed to be the Sword of the Spirit that by which one spirit should reach another the Spirit of God the Spirit of man e contra And take unto you the Helmet of salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God The Sword 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith a critick that which fetcheth blood with delight that which joyes to goe into the veines and into the heart the seat of life Things move delightfully to their end to that scope and center to which they are appointed The center of the word is the soule of man the words of God sinke downe into the eares Let these words sinke downe into your eares saith Christ they are directed from one spirit to another they may knocke without but they will be restlesse till they get in into affection or else into conscience into the marrow and joynts which are the inmost things of man an in-roome they will have Spirit will to spirit the Spirit will use the Word which is to be a Sword according to Divine appointment being put into his hand as a sharpe weapon he will joyfully sheath it in the soule in one part or other of it how painfull soever it be to man hee will wound the spirit pricke the heart let it be never so deepe The words I speake saith Christ they are spirit and life that is they are so
instituted to be of spirituall interpretation and spirituall impression to pricke the heart yea to runne it through The weapon in the hand of the Spirit is suted and fitted to its end to its appointed worke t is very sharpe and very long 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 romphaea so t is cald Revel 2.12 jaculum oblongum a very long dart to make through worke save or slay and therefore is this rod of Christs mouth cald a slaying weapon Esay 11.4 Vse T is not safe I see by this poynt to have to doe with sinne any way not to meddle with it in any part neither with hand nor heart there is no hiding place any where for sinne no not within you the word of God will get into you t will ransacke every corner of your soules and discover deepe things out of darknesse t wil strike fire with your bones and kindle a fire in the midst of you bigge enough to discover and lay open all the very secrets of your heart but I purpose not to drive this way That which I would stand on is this this point in hand mee thinks hath not yet demonstration enough I would have you lend me one demonstration more Doe you finde this by experience that the Word of God reacheth your hearts and puts it selfe into your minds and soules our condition is very dolorous t is darke night and yet no man can tell how our night goes away we cannot tell whether it be mid night yet or what I am afraid t is not neere day yet because every ones doores are shut and fast asleepe many ghosts walking which is very affrighting yea the holy Ghost walking and knocking much at mens hearts heads estates ready to knocke downe all and yet cannot get in where he would be England when wilt thou throughly let in the Word of God thy veines are very empty of blood now is there no place yet for truth Some consumptions make the stomacke nauceate as others make it voraminous though all parts be empty yet no desire to take any thing in to any purpose but onely sip a little which notwithstanding the consumption continues and the body decayes and sinkes apace t is so with a body politicke as it takes in Christ and his Word so is it in a languishing or a flourishing condition The civill State and the Divine doe as the soule and body sympathize as the one prospers so doth the other t was noted a great while agoe worthily by good Mr. Fox upon the burning of some Christians in Norwich the same yeere there followed such a fearfull fire as almost burnt downe the City where note saith he that according to the state of the Church so is the Common-wealth in adversity or prosperity burne Saints and Christ will burne Cities Countries Kingdomes t is considerable therefore to observe how we take in or cast out the Word of God The Word is nigh thee England t is very nigh thee t is in thee as that expression is Deut. 30.14 t is so nigh thee England that I may goe on to say to thee as he there doth to Israel The Word is not in Heaven that thou shouldest say who shall goe up for us to Heaven and bring it downe to us that we may heare it and doe it neither is it beyond the Sea that thou shouldest say who shall goe over the Sea and bring it to us that we may heare and doe it but the Word is very nigh thee so nigh thee that in a sence it may be said to be in thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayst doe it that is formally t is in thee but not really ministerially but not magisterially according to naked aspect not according to energeticall inspect I will open this latter to you The Word of God gotten into the heart magisterially is the heart strong in love with the Word in love with the Word because the voyce of Christ the voyce of a husband The friend of a Bridegroome which standeth and heareth him rejoyceth greatly because of the Bridegroomes voice John 3.19 You may see under what notion Christ and his voice is taken as he is a Husband a Bridegroome and his Word as t is the voice of this Bridegroome The Word got within the heart marries the soule to Christ that is makes love to Christ above all and now ' tould heare more words from his mouth his first words are so sweet could ever heare his voyce and never be tired the friend of a Bridegroome standeth and heareth him No posture is painfull no continuance of time tiresome that is not of the Spirit though possibly it may be of the flesh t would heare him to day to morrow for ever rejoyceth greatly because of the Bridegroomes voyce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gaudio gaudet by joying or in joying he joyeth he is in good earnest his joy is a reall joy a joy that takes the whole heart The Greeke word also signifies to bid farewell the Word of Christ got into the heart the Bridgroomes voyce heard in the soule makes such a joy and such a delight that the soule bids farewell to all sinfull mirth and cals it madnesse yea it bids farewell to all other delights comparatively and cals them vanities empty things if not sinfull things vexing things and so polluting at second hand if not downe rightly naught and polluting at first hand as soone as ever toucht He that toucheth pitch is defiled with it some things are so naught as to touch them defiles to thinke of them or speake of them other things may be toucht and handled provided we goe no further but if hearted if they come into the soule they vex or bewitch and so will not out againe without becomming sinne The Word of Christ got into the heart bids farewell to all joyes fading to all joyes that will bid the soule farewell that doth not bid them farewell first it makes a joy transcending other joyes and so no need of them and not onely so but a joy sufficing such a vast being as the soule of man is for the soule doth not cast off old delights upon the meere excellency of some new found out that some of later invention doth something more content not upon this ground nakedly and simply doth the soule cast off old sinnes for there are returnes to the same filth unto mens old sinnes and yet going foreward to new too these two are consistent in a bad state the heart doth worsten it selfe still as it goes forth to any thing more carnally contenting and being made worse t will at last take up its vomit eate againe an old sinne by the strength and punishment of a new and so hold what he hath and goe backe and sinne over former sinnes againe with more senslesnesse and with more presumption than at first he did commit them and the reason is because in old and new delights he misses still something that he aimed at but the soule
the heart is vitall or mortall to dispatch the creature for his furthest end To make miserable or blessed here is not the furthest end of internall operation though the furthest end of externall operation Externall donations which are the workes of Gods hand their furthest end is to make a sweet condition here as riches and the like they will availe here Money answers all but they will not availe any further then here for the felicitating of man they will not availe in death much lesse in judgement to doe man any service but the furthest end of internall operation is to make cursed or blessed in death and after death in another world when and where nothing else can There be gifts that be meere Spirit which have not a jot of any carnall thing in them these we call internall these are moulded some by justice some by mercy and you shall see what their end is by an instance or two God hath given them a spirit of slumber Rom. 11.8 Here hee speakes of operations all spirit God hath given them a spiris of slumber internall workes and the Prophet tels the end and issue of these t is decisive to dispatch them they have a spirit of slumber that they may goe away in a slumber Shut their eyes lest they should see with them stop their eares lest they should heare with them and convert and be healed Internall operation wee see dispatches the soule one way or other Into whatsoever house ye enter say peace and if that would not take speak death These were but emblems of Christs internall action Into what house or heart Christ goes to worke by his Word and Spirit hee makes through worke the Axe is then to the root it makes excision or circumcision at least All internall operation is to cut off sinne off the soule He is a Jew that is one inwardly Circumcision is that of the heart When he goes to worke inwardly he doth excise or circumcise and thus I have opened the nature of internall operation The worst evill is curable the greatest good attainable this issues naturally from this point that there is such an engine to be found that can worke inwardly Our greatest maladies are those that are within that one plague that was upon Pharaohs heart to wit the hardning of it was more then the ten plagues upon his outward man Evils are not rightly weighed this is one of the greatest evils they which strip us most of externall things they are accounted greatest no they are not that which gnawes upon the soule after outward things are gone is greater There is death and the bitternesse of death as Agag said the one it is a greater evill then the other by farre The death of husband wife child or the death of estate is nothing if it be but a naked departure of these if their ghost doe not walke afterwards in the soule if there be not after their departure a bitter tang in conscience as evilly got or as evilly kept got with too little conscience and kept with too much affection the cup of affliction fill it as full as the world or as satan can if God doe not put one Ingredient in it or other to make it off with a tang and a touch upon the spirit t is nothing when a malady doth fester inwardly and lights of some blood-vessels that carries it more directly to the heart then it is a malady indeed and yet in these cases there is hope if taken in time because there are things inwardly vertuall and operative so we can say spiritually the strongest poyson that the soule hath taken in cannot render the condition desperate because there are things of an internall vertue operations that can reach the soule Christ can purge the inward man and can let the inward man blood with his Word he can pricke the heart any tumor or swelling in it and let out all the watery or fiery matter that is in it he can wound the spirit and then heale it make clouds and then expell them make darknesse upon the face of the deepe upon the soule that deepe part of man and then make a Sunne rise in this horizon in that more then halfe the little world that lies out of fight when more then halfe the little world is drowned when that in part of man is quite overwhelmed yet then is not the case desperate nor should any soule give it up as so Misery sometimes arises to extremity extremity is darknesse without any light a whole Army engaged and routed without fightings within feares the hand can doe no more the head doe no more all faculties have pumpt themselves dead in the place I cannot thinke a thought to refresh me the waters are come in to my soule and come in so deepe that I give up my selfe for lost This poore soule hath more sorrow then is godly Pressure is unkind when it oppresses oppression is not alwaies from another I may be an oppressor to my selfe and this is when I write death upon my person because Christ hath written death upon all my actions Wher thou canst doe no more wilt thou give up thy soule for lost if this should be generally practised there would not a soule be saved Waters are come into thy soule and thy heart is overwhelmed and yet in this deepe internall distresse a Rocke may be found something higher then thee may appeare for reliefe by a supreame hand From the ends of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed lead mee to the Rocke that is higher then I Psalm 61.2 When the water is got in to me and overwhelmes my heart yet then there is one higher and taller then I that can pull mee out of these deepe waters pull body out yea pull soule out and save the heart when it is overwhelmed The worst evill is curable the greatest good attainable I see by this point The greatest good in this world is that which Christ most loves that which he most loves is truth in the inward parts Wee are taken with outward beauty and outward glory Christ is not All the glory of this world was shewed to him by satan at once and yet no temptation to him affection not stird a jot internall glory takes Christ much truth in the heart himselfe seated in the soule is the greatest good in the world to him and to us and this takes him exceedingly If the Divell when hee tooke Christ and set him upon the top of a high place could have taken Christ and set him downe in any mans heart and seated truth in the inward parts of any one though it had been the poorest person in the world this would have taken him indeed but Satan cannot doe this for Christ neither doth Christ need it from him he can doe it himselfe he works inwardly at a greater depth and from a more underived strength then he hee can take Chariot in his Word and ride over all the