veryfyed by a cloude of witnesses who stands in an everlasting record of blessednes and life eternall which the holy Scriptures testifyed gained a good report for they enterd into that their Masters joy through beleeving in him whom God had promised to raise up who saw his day and rejoyced and it was reckoned unto them for righteousnes who dyed in the faith and although dead yet speake And unto us hath God fullfilled his promise and in due time sent forth his son in the word of eternall life unto all those who beleeve in his name and that follow him in the regeneration and renewing Spirit of life and righteousnes not in the talk thereof a cheat which too to much abounds in the world but to know him and the fellowship of his suffrings and the being made conformable unto his will who come not to do his owne will but the will of him that sent him untill that thou be translated from death to life which will is the sanctification of all those which are obedyent in their hearts unto him So if thou say that thou love him keep his comandements let them not be greivious unto thee run the way thereof with delight as David how do I love thy comandements Men make void thy Law but I will keep thy Law hide not thy comandements from me This is the raee thou art to run these are the marks of the true runners therefore so run as that thou mayest obtaine to inherit life and beare about in thy body the marks of the Lord Jesus and his faithfull followers who followes him whither so ever he goes as beleeving that it is enough for them to be as their Lord who loved them and gave him self a ransome for them and all men to be testifyed of in due time and this is the consolation and the great rejoyceing that the testifycation thereof many are made witnesses and the ransome is knowne and the deliverance is come and many have and many shall sit downe in the blessed inheritance of it in the heavenly Mantions in Christ Jesus with Abraham with Isack and Jacob waiteing and travelling for the comeing in of that Number which shall be gatherd to the Lord and to his standard to reign with him on Mount Zyon in the heavenly Jerusalem the place of blessednes world without end Amen The Writter of these things saith that they are written in the great Love of God for the sake of those who wants the consolation of Israel and would gladly walk in the heavenly way thereof if they knew it that they may hereby take notice and have a view of the foot steps of the man and the way of the Lord with him to take him of from the wilde and evill wayes and courses of the world that so he might lead him to hat hope which is as an anchor to the soule that his heart might be fixed and he trusting in the Lord as David sayd My heart is fixed o God my heart is fixed untill he should see his desire upon his enemies T. B. FINIS Errata Pag. 2. in 15. for all which his Read all which this Pag. 5. l. 14. for for wey R. way Pag. 8. l. 24. for the thought R. he thought Pag. 8. l. 45. for compossionate R. compassionate Pag. 9. l. 10. for what have might R. what might Pag. 11. l. 19. for find out of by R. find out by Pag. 12. l. 26. for whitch R. with Pag. 12. l. 28. for but the learne R. but to learn Pag. 12. l. 45. for thath R. that Pag. 13. l. 1. put out nor none to him Pag. 13. l. 39. for knodlege R. knowledge Pag. 15. l. 29. for which had R. which he had Pag. 15. l. 42. for persecuting R. prosecuting Pag. 16. l. 4. for sprangfort R. sprangforth Pag. 18. l. 30. for and to R. and come to Pag. 19. l. 9. put out so dearly did the Lord. Pag. 19. l. 39. for thingh R. things Pag. 22. l. 25. for as experience R. but as experience Ditto for state condition R. state and condition Pag. 22. l. 44. for be quieting R. by quieting
of ten troubled and in my trouble feare exceedingly and in my feare to have torment O! said his beloved neighbour for he whose voice made this inquiring in him he looked upon him as his enemy and had not a thought that he that wounded did it that he might heal Come come see thy neighbours and acquaintance they are merry men and they refresh them selves thou see and be jocund together come drinck of there cup and eate of their dish that a melancholy spirit may not come over thee and thou go drooping up downe untill thou makes thy self ridiculous unto them and rob thy self of the comfort of thy life what wouldst thou have behold thy possessions may thou not compare with them what wantest thou or what wouldest thou have The man was afraid and knew not well what was the matter with him but as it afterwards appeared the conscience of him stirred in him and there by his peace was broken which he had in the freindship of this world which is enmitie against God he could not swallow his sweet bits as formerly but was therein persued to his astonishment and his pleasures become burthensome unto him then he said he knew not how to live there and therefore would go to his neighbours habitations take of theire mirth and pleasure and refresh himself in their company and castforth thereby the trouble that was in his mind for there the mans greiffe and trouble was so he went and took of of their cup that thereby he might wash down his sorrow as he hoped and other essayes he made which are abounding in the world to divert him from his trouble and endeavourd to talk at any rate that he might be deliverd and be quiet By this time the man might have perceived that when God visit man for his iniquity he makes his beauty to consume as a moth for his face begon to gather paleness and his endeavours proved vaine for he could not get rid of this searching inquiring voice which had visited him it would be sounding in his eares and persuing him and often in the midst of his laughter sorrow would arise and fill his heart so that sometimes he was ready to throw of all his companions and to bid adieu to his idle pleasures and passtimes and then would hang down his head And heaviness of spirit like a tallent of lead ready to sinck him would come over him as if he should have ben swallowed up thereby but still he knew not the hand that persued him neither did he care for acquainting himself with it he looked upon it as his enemy he could not hope for deliverance from that which wounded him for he saw no freindlyness in it and he would have bin at ease and enjoye his frolicks as his neighbours did and not have bin so afflicted as he was but he that smot him still did smit him and his peace which was broaken seemed as if it had bin quite removed from him Now on the other hand he that had enticed him to the drawing his minde out into worldly vanities and the unprofitablenes thereof and thereby drawn him from Remembring his Creator in the dayes of his youth before the evill dayes come where in he could say he had no pleasure he I say continued his insinuations and flatteries seeking by all wayes and meanes of his owne to dawb the man up and that answerable to the desires of his owne heart for when he was wounded and afflicted so that what ever he put his hand unto visitations of sorrow and disquietnes arose in him he said unto him well if sin do ly at thydoor at whose door doth it not have not all sined and all faln short why canst thou not be content quiet thy self The Prophets they prophesied of a saviour to come and thou have read that he came beleeve thou that they are the elect that beleeve in him beleeve thy self to be one of them and apply the promises and it wil be well with thee all must carry about them so long as they are in this world a body of sin thou knows thou will be rid of that when thou comes to dy and rid of all these legall feares and frights of minde which now thou give way unto and readily receive into thy minde and from whence things proceeds and lyes in thy way for which there is no cause or reason to greive and offend thee do thou beleeve the promises they are many and large and that Christ dyed for thee then all will be well do thou see thy neighbours thy acquaintance thy freinds they do not acquaint them selves with such petyfull feares as thou entertaines nor with such needless distracting doubts and questionings and it concerns them as well as thou to see that they lay hold of their saviour and his merits although they perplex not themselves to their owne wounding and make their lives uncomfortable as thou do Thus strove the adversarie to hold the man in the deceivablenes of his owne unrighteousnes that so he might have withstood the visitations of the Lord untill there had ben noe remedy who had visited him by his gentile reproofs that his heart might bow before him and in the sence of his evill have humbled his soule before his holy throne in great contrition of Spirit but notwithstanding the favour of the Lord thus appearing for him he submitted not unto him but sought out to him self many inventions thereby to have been delivered And so the man he would go read the scriptures as he saw others did for he began to think of Religion and see to get some good promises into his minde to comfort and satisfy him felf with all and thought that if he could make out him self to be one of Gods elect one in whom his soule delighted and one whom the Lord took care of and did sustaine by watching over him and leading him by his eye in the wey of the blessing and sure mercies of the Lord that then he might sometimes enjoy him self with his freinds and neighbours after which there was a secret working in his minde which he could not then part with all not having learnd the dayly cross and might pertake of their cups and neighbourly freindships for the man did take notice that some of them would sometimes be talking of Religion of Christs ordinances and Christian duties and such good things and the other which they absented not them selves from he thought would be good fellowship good neighbourhood and the maintaining good society with them and many he saw esteemed them so to be and then he should not be judged by them as a man singuler or of a morose temper and frowardly inclined so tumbled over the scriptures forward and backward like those who searched the Scriptures as since he understood but would not come to Jesus that they might have life to see for some comfortable places to stay himself upon or thereby to releive him self upon so great an
occasion as he in his distress desired and amongst many good things recorded there concerning the Lords deare and tender love to mankinde in Jesus Christ calling unto him to forsake the evill and to cleave to the good and much more and that then he would soon confound his foes and give him an inheritance in the promised land of blessings And he also took notice how that David cryed out and mourned long as well as he and of Jobs affliction and Pauls bewaileing him self and saying o wretched man that I am and others which he took notice of in that his inquisition here upon he concluded that he must not bee to curiouss or nice in that his search he might in so doing for ought he knew tempt God and be distrustfull of his Saviours merits and some he saw cautioned thus in their preachings and some told him whom he acquainted him self with for advice which he sought after that although it be said that those who are born of God or are Gods elect they sin not that is said they they sin not willingly or constantly as reprobates and wicked men do but with reluctancie and it was to keep them humble in their own eyes God saw it good to be so or elce man would be puffed up in spirituall pride and grow forgetfull of Gods mercies and wax wanton and careless in an easefull Spirit so then thought he its as well with me it may be as with others as is my state such is there then onely they lived over a distrustfull and perplexing spirit which he gave way unto and must be content it must be so he thought he could not help it so endeavourd according to the practise of the world to disesteem or slight him that smot him as judging him not his freind at all but his enemy and as some thing starting in his minde like an idle dream to fright him and to stir up doubts and questionings in him concerning his salvation and obtaining the Love of God in Jesus Christ then that he through and by that should at last come to attaine thereunto For by this time he had heard so much by the report that was thereof in the world and by his searching of the Scriptures concerning death and judgment salvation and damnation that he thought that if he was not one of the elect and so besaved know and inherit the joyes of the blessed and ransomed of the Lord that then he must be in a wofull and wretched state in deed for he had heard and read that hel was a place and did beleeve it to be so of endless torment endless paine and miserie burning with fire and brimstone and that the fire should never go out or be extinguished nor the worm dy or the damned come to an end of their torment as at a time hearing of one in a despayring condition he with others visited her who amongst other things she sayd O that the Lord had preserved me as he hath preserved you but I am seald down under damnation for ever were it to be but for a hundred thowsand yeares there would then be hopes of an end but it is sayd she for ever for ever The man he thought them happy which knew the right way or way of salvation and did beleeve that there was one although he did not understand it or know where or which it was for there was many wayes which he heard took notice of Men crying up one while one and crying downe at another crying downe one another for them which verifyed that saying that there is away that seemeth right to a man but David sayd I have chosen the way of truth and here by he could not attaine at any certainty or come to an assurance or infalibilitie of judgment amongst them now he had read of a perfect and everlasting way but saw not him self in it neither could he find it for he saw men beleeving at a large rate and applying promises in a strange way which he could not understand by what knowledge he had attained to by reading the scriptures or his owne condition to have been the foot steps of the antient travellers in the way of Syons salvation which is redeemed with Judgment here upon he sought more strictly to inquier in to religion and to take a more seriouss observation thereof by considernig those who so much seemed the promotion of it and he found them in astrange contradiction and contrariety One crying lo here another lo there that he knew not how to resolve or come at any certainty or where to center himself in so great a concern as the salvation of his soule was for he was for that namely the reall and infalible salvation of it or elce if he could not come thiter he should not esteem of religion and salvation so much talked of up and downe in the world more then afiction or a dream which is deceiveable the talk thereof according to the custom of the world he had proved and must know it saved or nought would be of advantage and satisfaction unto him Here upon he sayd that he saw no reason why he should order himself by other mens Methods and Prescriptions and the rather because he had read as well as proved them void of answering to his necessitouss state that he must give an account for him self and that to a vaine thought and idle word as well as for transgressions of greatest evils and that none could answer for his brother and he had a desire it was so with him that he might give his account with joy and receive the heavenly blessed reception Well don good and faithfull servant ... enter into thy Masters joy Afther this he thought with him self to make tryall and to serch into the matter very strictly as he could or should be able for the voice of the awackening Word of the Lord and the entrance of it in his heart he felt and the disquietings it wrought there peace he would gladly have had but it fled from him and in stead thereof astonishments and perplexities and he was as a wounded heart which fearfully fled to escape its wounding even whilst she carried them along with her for the more he strove for releife the farther off it seemed to be removed from him Some did reflect upon his actions and him accounted as a fool and lightly esteemed they him because they saw his visage Marring and that he had not that felowship or frendly society with them as formerly seeming to be a man disrespecting that rather then eagerly persuing of it or rejoiceing in it as some times before he had don some againe thought he was mad or would be distracted or some thing of evill would happen unto him and be his ruin so that theire acceptation or esteem of him was as if he became a burthen or load unto them and not a joy or delight thus his wonted freinds seemed to frown upon his frequenting their societies accounting his
in the Light of the Lord with his ransomed ones and be taught of his wayes and to know his secrets as those did who feard his holy Name For Job was miserable when he scraped his soares with a potsheard and the Lord restored him and David cryed long and sought the Lord and at last he sayd that the Lord had heard him and granted unto him his request so that he in trust in the Lord sayd surely mercie and goodness shall follow me all the dayes of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever so dearly did the Lord for ever so dearly did the Lord engage his heart unto him And Paul cryed out O wretched man that I am and yet afterwards he sayd that the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had set him free from the Law of Sin and death which was the great occasion the Law of Sin and death haveing dominion over him of his wretched wofull state and many others which he had read of and sayd why not I why should not I pertake of the goodness and mercie of the Lord as well as they for he concluded that neither they nor yet any that did pertake thereof which is the benefit that comes by Jesus Christ had more need of it feelingly then he had Thus he entertaind a belief into his heart and sayd that he hoped the Lord was the same to day as yesterday even a God gratiouss and mercifull pardoning iniquity and sin for his owne name sake and that is arme was not shortned that he could not bring forth deliverance as of old time and therefore sayd that he would hope although it were but a litle least he also should be cut of through unbeleife as those who fell short thereby and though he found in him self litle or no cause for it but his necessity I 'l hope and I 'l waite sayd he although it be against hope there may be some what in it more then I know at present This was when he in the deep sence of his state stood as one broken and poured forth before the Lord in teares and sorrow days and nights and he must have it freely and of good will or not at all and in mercie and loveing kindness for he had nought but miserie and necessitie to part with being naked and bear before him for his coverings weare rent and he remained as empty and void of any thing which should have been life or refreshment unto him Now he had read thus I counsel thee to buy of me white rayment that thy nakedness may not appeare and that thy shame may be coverd and in such a state of need he was and necessity unto which that counsell was given and he had tryed many sellers and many merchants whose merchandise he found answerd not to releive him in his necessity and their garments were too short to cover his nakedness with all and haveing essayed for releife where by he might have had hopes and not walked too and fro under the subjection of disconsolation and amazement he thought at the last by the conduct of a secret still and inward vertue that he must buy enjoy and possess that covering which can hide and be sufficient thereunto from the storm in Gods sight of him which searched his heart and tryed his reines which brought to light the thingh of profane Esaw and that stretched forth the rod of Justice and Jugment upon the back of the fool which had sayd in his heart there is no God and that as it is written he stood at the door and had long there stood knocking that he might be opend unto and come in and this he could not deny but must confess although he had an eare and did often heare him knocking yet strove he against him and was loath to yeild or submit thereunto through the unbeleife and hardness of his heart begotten in him by his false and deceitfull adversarie then disguised like a freind But now his necessitous state and deplorable condition enforced him such constraint had the love of God upon his soule to receive him in that he might and his father come in also and sup with him and he with them so the man expected the supper the food the refreshment the covering and salvation and thought it no more then so so alienate and estranged was he from the right way of the Lord in darkness and ignorance but otherwise he found it to be as at a certaine time the Lord said unto him when in a sad bewilderd state he was I will lead thee by a way which thou knowest not and so it came to pass an unknowne way it was wherein he never could make a right or streight step but as his minde inwardly was directed by the guidance hand of his holy power no longer could he see his way or the path in which he was with safety to tread that so he might have hopes at last to pass through into the desire of his soule but as his heart was fixed in relyance upon the Lord out of all his owne strivings motions and contrivances And so the opening of the door was to be which his owne hardness of heart and unbeleife stood against before that he that stood at the door and knockt could get in and the crookednes and perverssnes that the way of the Lord migh be prepared and his entrance in be through faith in him and thus the voice of a burning and shining Light cryed prepare the way of the Lord make his path streight Thus the doing of all those forementioned lets and hinderances away and leagues and covenants with hell and death must be parted with broken and made void and that by him his assistance who comes with his fan in his hand thorowly to purge his floore till when no supper could be enjoyed although here a litle and there a litle of the crums thereof might fall downe unto him by way of encouragement and to teach him that worthy was the Lord to be waited upon and sought after in the way of his Judgments For so began they to be manifested with in him as a refiners fire as fullers soape the burning heat whereof and sharp pierceings made him to feare exceedingly that the wheat would have been consumed with the chaffe that his small hopes which did arise in him from the experience he had as in the twinckling of an eye beheld of the mercie of the Lord and weak resolution and himself must for ever have been consumed in its gloriouss and righteouss workings thus was he fild with dread and feare before the Lord and the ariseings of his gloriouss power And Moses saw a bush burning with fire and the bush not consumed thereby and Moses turned aside to see that great sight and the Lord spoke from out there and sayd unto him put of thy shoes from of thy feet for the ground where on thou stands is holy and Moses hid his face and was
againe the old deceiver and adversary of the soules blessednes at diverse times and on diverse occations threw some thing or other into his way that thereby he might stumble and fall or be discouraged and offended so that he might grow weary and not hold out but faint and go backward and not forward and to seeke for releife amongst his old lovers and acquaintance or might dig to himself a cistern for water which could hold none or take some other way or meanes for his deliverance and here with the man was so besett by the adversarie to divert his course and to draw him back againe to perdition and from following on to the salvation of his soule as is beyond utterance And can not be declared or beleeved as experience and the same state condition worketh the understanding of it And in that day when man if so surrounded by the devoureing enemy as it is said of him he goes about like a roaring Lyon compassing the earth to and fro seeking whom he may devoure he must make God alone his trust and hope and deliverer eying him in stedfastnes of heart and minde and not the adversary whose labour it is to draw the minde away after him and his feare or elce out there he can never come to know the deliverance and salvation which Jesus Christ is to all those that abides with him in the faith and hope of Gods elect but must be preyed upon and led into destruction for ever Now as this deceiver thus lay in waite and wrought to ensnare and beguile the man so all so the compassionate one ceased not to visit and secretly convey his help unto him and often it would be in his remembrance that he that putteth his hand to the plow and then loock back is not meet for the kingdom of heaven which he had so earnestly desired to enjoy neither was he that sowed sparingly to expect plentifully to reap but if he did so hope to do he would deceive him self and be as those that feed on ashes for in stead of haveing a harvest of well fild sheaves with hanging eares of corn he would at last reape the wind and be disapointed as those who began in the spirit and would be made perfect by the flesh or sought so to be So that now he began to learn to give up to the fire which burned and to the hammer which brake him downe in as much as might be quieting him self and submitting as that which was most proper for him in this his great suffering state and entertaind a feare in his heart least that he should offend the Lord againe by turning from his Judgments which were executing in him and from the terror and righteousnes thereof and therefore againe cryed out unto the Lord and sayd O Lord I praye thee since I have prayed to see thy day and its glory and that thou hast in thy great loveing kindnes brought me into the glorious dawnings and breakings forth thereof let not thy way be too narrow or streight for me let me not turn a side to the flocks of thy companions but as they went downe by the steps of the flock to the washing and returned by the tents of the sheepheards upon the bancks of salvation so I also into the holy habitation of thy heavenly rest may be brought by thine owne right arme in the way through it of condemnation at last to sit downe in the ministration of life to behold thy face in thy exceeding glory in joy and peace and teach me to apply my heart to wisdom which is hid from all the wise of this world for thou knowest that it is wisdom alone of thee which I crave to direct my feet a right in thy sight And that was the thing which he wanted alone desired of the Lord and thought with him self that he matterd not what he parted with or how or what he was in the account or eyes of the world so that he might finde rest And thus haveing made some progres in the blessed race of eternall life haveing in him a Judgment and understanding according to that experience of the effectuall working of the grace of God in him he adviseth all who is in any measure awakened into the sence of their want of the knowledge of God and of his great love in Jesus Christ and of their owne wofull and miserable estate thereby that they abide in submission unto the Lord therin and not seek to them selves wayes and meanes thereby to work their owne deliverance but in longings and groanings in their Spirits travell after the desire of their soules that so the Lord in his owne blessed way and time may open a door of understanding in their hearts for their acces unto him and strive not by unlawfull wayes and courses after redemption or an admission into the holy Kingdome whereinto nothing that defiles or is managed by mans skill or hand may come for many have striven and not enterd and asked and have not received because they have asked amiss and not striven lawfully Therefore feel the Lords heavenly arm and power to arise and worke deliverance and propound not to thy self an easy way of accessing to the flesh into the holy habitation of his eternall life for it must be by the sword the Judgment determined must be fullfilled and the fullfilling must be according to the counsel and righteouss will of the Lord to whom who may say what doest thou And abide his pleasure and let his Kingdom come into thy heart as he pleaseth if it be by a thundering power from heaven to cleave the rocks assunder and rending the vayle thereby of from thy hard heart with astonishments amazements and confoundings to thy vaine confidence and expectation Be still be still before the Lord and before the glorious ariseings of his holy power that he may work his work in the earth that will praise him and deliver thy soule hereby alone shalt thou know and come to witnes the Lords ransome for it is his and not thine and inherit that which thy soule languish in want off And those who are come to the redeeming power of the Lord and to the knowing of redemption in any measure and the feeling the judgment thereof for so it must be Zion is redeemed by judgment lye downe lye downe and flee not for thy life for if thou dost thou wilt loose it and in that day seek not to escape but let this be the travell of thy soule in bowednes of Spirit to submit unto him that thou mayst feel that mind and to be of it which can say true and righteous are thy judgments o Lord for thou judgest for the poor and needy of the earth Thus shalt thou know the effect of righteousnes peace and assurance for ever and the oyle of gladnes making thy face to shine with the innocent life and spirit of the Lamb and by no other meanes no other way These things are