whole part in them from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot Just as you do with an untoward childe one while you strike him on the head another while you whip him another while you cudgell him on the shoulders till at last the childe be all bruised and wounded so the Lord sent for the Assyrians he sent sicknesse and famine that the Lord had not left an inch whole and the people were very devout for all that they fasted and prayed and the Lord sixteen times in that Chapter saith I will none of them away with them they are an abomination to me they are iniquity They were so far from being reconciled to God by this kinde of fasting and humiliation and the like that doubtlesse they provoke God as much if not more then any other way Therefore blessed is that man or woman that mournes for this not onely on this day but secretly before the Lord this formality I fear the Lord may say to us as to those people in Isay 65. this people take upon them to be holy I am holier then thou yet they are like smoke in my nostrills all the day long I fear our fast dayes are the most smoky dayes in Gods nostrills of all the dayes of the yeer Therefore the Lord open our eyes and the Lord finde a way to deliver us from formality in these things If not I fear the hand of God will be stretched out more and more That is one thing that in my serious thoughts I think God is offended with Secondly as our formall humiliation so our feigned reformation It is the scriptures word as Calvin shews 2 A feigned reformation of reformation It is that you have in Ierem. 3. 10. saith the Lord I corrected Israel yet for all this her treacherous siste Iudah did not turn to me with her whole heart but feignedly Here is a great deal of stirre about reformation here is a great deal of cry but a little reality Look to our congregations to our ordinances to every thing among us you may put all in a little piece of paper There is a great deal of stirre about the Sacrament and the mixed multitude and the Service book and I know not what We must speak plainly before the Lord this day there is a great deal of stirre and abundance of people slain in the world and ruined and plundered and Towns burnt and all for reformation and people think there is a glorious reformation but God knows where it is only there is a great stirre about it therefore I say let every honest heart mourne before the Lord we have shed reall blood we have paid reall money we have taken reall paines and brought upon people a world of miserie they have need to have some reall reformation that they may have some reality I speak but a word I desire you even before the Lord that ye would think more of this then I speak The third thing among us that I fear draws out 3. Vices of ministers Gods hand still it is the flattery and pride and covetousness and apostasy of divers ministers Their flattery that is divers now are grown so wise and so discreet now in such a time as this when the Lord would teach us to see our sins with a maul as we say yet we will not speak we will not deal plainly we will not tell men of their sins We have opportunity to tell Magistrates and great ones they would be told and be thankfull but we are apt to sooth them and to flatter them and if they humour us as we would have them they are brave men zealous men Oh it is a sad thing Then the pride and height of ministers every day growing more and more especially after a little victory there is a deal of preaching and stateliness I have no pleasure to speak of these things but I desire that we should be wiser And such covetousness such shifting wayes to multipliy livings and to get estates in the world these are too palpable Then the apostasy of ministers There are diverse ministers that were comforts to Gods people before in the Bishops times that would preach the will of God and comfort poor people now there is nothing left but railing against Gods people calling them Hereticks and schismaticks that it is a wonder to think God sees this grow more and more and if he should end our war and give us peace we were undone God will keep it up to help to pull down the pride and covetousness and ambition of Ministers to bring them down low to love their brethren and to love honest hearts as before The Lord do it or else this war will never end or the end will be as bad as if it had never ended Another thing I fear that there is a generall put 4. Hardness of heart me in if you will for I may put in my self hardness of heart that grows on us against reproof people even Christians are grown so peevish that no body must reprove or admonish one another for matter of judgement or life none must tell another his fault if he do they will quarrell presently he that Pro. 29. 1. hardeneth his neek being oft reprooved shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy When men will not be told magistrates and ministers and people when they harden themselves daily that it is enough to imprison a man with some kinde of people in the most loving and sincere way in the world to tell them of their faults This is the time when a man is made an offender for a word This is a miserie the Lord give us hearts like the bleeding heart of Ieremiah Jer. 9. that we may weep and mourne in secret for it Then fiftly that that provokes God highly I fear 5. The vices of Officers is the covetousness and self-seeking and perfidiousness among Commanders and Officers That provokes God as in reason it drew on the war as in Germanie the Mercinary souldiers so also in a spirituall sense And it is to be feared that men grow to make a trade of war and he that can get a good place the longer the war holds the better it is and so they have devises to make good his estate while he is in and people learn every day to make a miserable vertue of necessity to make a sweet and fine life of our miseries and when they come to the work then such a one betrayed such a Town and such a one betrayed such a Castle and such a one ran away from the Field that cost ten thousand pounds before he came there As it troubles us in sense and reason so it provokes God and Gods end to keep on the war may be to discover these wretches more and more and to bring them to ruine Therefore if there be any Officer or Committee man or Souldier here whatsoever thou art thou art a cursed man if thy heart delight in riches
c. God will do two things for his people in the day of his wrath against his enemies First he will make them to sing In that day shall this song be sung in the Land of Judah The world oft sing when the Saints mourn and therefore the world shall mourn when the Saints shall sing And another thing is In that day when the Lord shall open his arms as a swimmer for judgment The Saints shall have a strong City or Garison or Refuge to go to where they shall be safe We have a strong City that shall be their song Salvation will God appoint for Walls and for Bulwarks Now it shall not be an outward City or an outward Garison but the Lord will give them a spiritual Garison The salvation of the Lord shall be to them as Walls and Bulwarks So that beloved in few words this is the lesson that I would learn thorowly and would have you to learn from this Verse that In all the troubles and calamities that are in this world Observation God a sweet refuge the people of God have a sweet Refuge or a safe Garison to go into Let the judgments of God be out upon the earth upon the wicked and unbelievers never so much and let the Kingdoms be never so miserable yet the Saints have a Garison they have a sweet place of shelter of retreat and refuge and safety in the worst of times that can be in this world You shall see a blessed place to this purpose Heb. 12. 25 26 c. See that you do not turn away from him that speaketh from Heaven saith the Apostle whose voice then shock the earth but now he hath promised saying Yet once more will I shake not the earth onely but also heaven And this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that those things which cannot be shaken may remain Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken or moved let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably Beloved not to open the whole place this is that onely I would observe from it That there are times in the latter end of the world wherein the very heaven and earth shall once more be shaken That is there shall be such troubles and calamities now in the latter end of the world that men shall think that God is shaking not onely Kingdoms and Nations but Heaven and Earth the whole Vniverse and is ready to pull it down There will be such times saith the Apostle yet saith he We receive a Kingdom which cannot be shaken It is a blessed place when all the Kingdoms in the world shall be shaken all the Earth and all the Heavens as it were shall be shaken too yet we have received a Kingdom that cannot be shaken The Saints are in a Garison or Kingdom that though all the world about them were shaken and totter they are safe and stand still Truly I have oft thought in my own apprehensions that the Saints differ as much from other men as if you could suppose a man to live in the middle Region where there is no wind nor storms nor tempest And you know here in all the sublunary world there is nothing but clouds and rain and storms and all weathers If one were above in the middle Region lot it rain or thunder or hail or be what it will here he is safe and quiet Just so it is with the Saints they are in the middle Region in a Kingdom that though all the Kingdoms of the world shake yet they receive a Kingdom that cannot be shaken But you will say Where is this Garison that we may go into it Where is this Kingdom Salvation saith the Prophet the Lord shall appoint us for walls and bulwarks That is this Kingdom is not outwardly to be found it is not an earthly garison but it is a figurative speech that they do finde in the Lord by the holy Spirit such security and such safety as if they were in a garison that cannot be assaulted or taken But you will say How can that be This is a meer Idea or Notion which no body can understand I shall shew presently how it can be by the help of God The troubles of a man the real troubles of a man are in his minde and soul and affections Now if you could finde a way to keep a mans minde and soul and heart it were easie to keep the whole man For our trouble is not a little imprisonment or poverty Paul or Sylas were in prison and were to be hanged the next day for ought they knew yet they could sing The man is as his minde is if we can finde a way to fortifie and garison the soul and minde and affections it will be easie to garison the whole man But now how shall we garison the minde or soul How a man may be said to be secure and impregnable or heart and affections to use no critical distinctions how shall we garison the heart of man You shall see that in Phil. 4. 7. The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes through Christ Jesus There is saith the Apostle a peace of God that shall keep you or as the word in the Greek is garison you shall set up a garison in your hearts and mindes through Jesus Christ What peace is that You shall see if you compare it with the Gospel of John When our Lord Christ was going to Heaven he told his Disciples I will send the Comforter John 14. 7. among you and My peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you not as the world gives give I unto you My peace I give unto you not as the peace of the world It is a legacy that we have in the New Testament from our Lord Jesus Christ that is now in heaven by the Holy Ghost there is a kinde of peace that comes into the hearts of the Saints that passeth understanding not onely the understanding of wicked men that they know it not and apprehend it not but it passeth the understanding of a godly man that hath it As we see in Isaiah there is a peace that comes and quiets and secures his soul such a peace as he never understood or did suppose could come into his soul according to that Neither eye hath seen nor ear heard nor hath entred Isai 64. 4. into the heart of man to conceive what God hath prepared for them that wait for him That is God sends this peace and many other blessings Such a peace as a man never conceived in his heart and this peace comes in and keeps the heart like a Castle or sets up a garison in the heart it keeps the heart and minde through Jesus Christ Therefore from that briefly you may learn a lesson or two that so I may proceed to that which remains Vse First Learn I desire and beseech
you have not the word you keep not the truth of God The righteous Nation that keep the truth let them come in shut the rest out of doors 2 Pet. 2. there are a people that are cleansed from their sins by the knowledge of Iesus Christ and yet after turn from the holy commandment Beloved there are common generall commandments as I may speak and holy precise commandmens Religion in every age hath something in it that is feasable to carnall men and in every age it hath some nicities and preciseness in it there is somewhat superfluous in the eye of the world in every age from the beginning Now it may be it is ordinary with thee to look to truths that the world acknowledgeth to deal honestly in thy shop for the most part to come to Church and repeat a little of the word or the like these things the world commends thou observest fast dayes or thanksgiving dayes or the like But there are other truths that are more precise and spirituall that worldly men do not apprehend and these thou leavest as nicities And that is the reason many times when thou apprehendest miseries coming upon thy family or thy self or the Kingdom thou art at thy wits end and knowest not where to go God shuts the gate against thee thou hast not the word thou art not a man or woman that hath kept all the truths of God Therefore will you now labour to be a righteous Nation to be upright It is a word that hath ran much in my minde saith God to Abraham I am alsufficient God walk before me and be upright I did not think there had been so much crookedness in the world as now I see The world is like the word Isa 7. young Saplings as the wind goes this way they go this way and when the wind goeth the other way they go the the other way It grieveth my soul to see how unupright people are even professors what a deal of daubing calling darkness light and good evil that think one thing and speak another and go against their conscience it cuts my soul unexpressibly Therefore it is just with God to leave those daubing people they go with the stronger side and say as the world saith and do as the world doth though it be contrary to their understanding and conscience be sure they shall never be admitted to passe the Court of guard to come to this Garison And for their comfort those that come not to this Court or Garison in this world they shall never come to that in the world to come if they come not into this little Court of guard they shall never come to the great one It is a miserable thing for a man to be left without the works a carnall man is left without the works and sin and the devill and men may come and undo him Therefore labour to be upright It is a principle in Religion that Christians should observe and a principle that is a generall grand rule to call things as they are to call a Spade a Spade but men they call evill good and good evill and frame their discourses according to the world they speak according to the world though it be quite contrary to their understanding and in spight of conscience I am alsufficient God walk before me and be upright What is that Do not turn aside to the right hand or to the left If thou will be my servant thou must neither be driven with fear or drawn with favour a hairs breadth out of my Commandments This is uprightnesse lay all the preferments and honors in the world on the one side you shall neither draw them an ace from the truth of Christ and lay all the terrors on the other side you shall not drive them an ace Why so Because God is alsufficient there is the reason as the holy man Doctor Preston hath at large well shewed Why should I be upright Because God is an alsufficient God What is that Men naturally bargaine for gain it is a principle and God expects not that it should be otherwise if any man offer me any thing to turn aside the breadth of a haire out of Gods wayes honour or preferment or the like more then God will give I had reason to turn aside and God would not be angry but I am alsufficient keep in my wayes I will give thee more honour and wealth and riches and preferment then all the world can On the other side could any creature do us more hurt then God we had reason to fear that creature but God is the best friend and the worst foe he can destroy body and soul as Christ saith therefore walk before me and be perfect There is a sweet place in Eccles 3. 14. I know that whatsoever God doth it shall be for ever nothing can be put to it nor any thing taken from it and God doth it that men might fear before him I know that what God doth shall be for ever nothing can be added to it or taken from it that is if God have a design to make you happy all the world shall not take a dram of that happinesse from you and if God have a designe to make you miserable all the world shall not take one jot of that misery from you That men might feare before him That is before him onely for if the creature could do me any measure of good or hurt it were but reason that I should fear the creature and God too but whatsoever God doth is for ever nothing can be put to it or taken from it that men might feare before him All the world cannot do me a farthing worth of good or harme God onely can and he is alsufficient therefore let us be upright before him These are the two words I would have you remember Pray the Lord to stablish your hearts in his love in his Garison that you may be able to triumph over the world That you may be able to say Though all the Kingdoms in the world be shaken yet I am in a Kingdom that cannot be shaken And when you walk in the streets and see such factions of men and there is not a man of a thousand but he temporizeth and wil say this week as the world saith and the next week another way Do not do so walk wisely and speak what you should and as you should but call not good evil and evil good but walk uprightly before the Lord approve of that which is good in the eyes of the Lord Walk in the truthes of God and then God in distresse will bid open the gates there is a man was upright in all the changes of the world he called not good evil nor evil good Open the gates that the upright Nation may come in Expositions and Observations on ISAIAH 27. 1 2 3 4 c. In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong Sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent even
Leviathan that crooked Serpent and he shall slay the Dragon that is in the Sea In that day sing ye unto her A vineyard of Red Wine I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment least any hurt it I will keep it night and day Fury is not in me who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battel I would go through them I would burn them together Or let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me and he shall make peace with me c. I Shal endevor briefly to pick a lesson or two out of this Chapter In the Chapter before we have many blessed promises that God hath made to his people and that in the times of trouble And many threatnings of the wicked How God will come out against them as he saith Chap. 25. And spred his hands in the midst of them as he that spredeth his hands to swim That is God will extend his wrath and power to destroy the wicked and in the latter end of Chapter 26. The Lord cometh out of his place c. Now the beginning of this Chapter is but an enlargement and illustration of that The Lord will come with his sore and great and strong Sword to punish Leviathan the crooked Serpent and to stay the Dragon in the Sea This Leviathan whatsoever it is which is scarce known onely we read in Job of Leviathan one of the terriblest creatures that God hath made It is conceived to be the Whale but it is uncertain whatsoever it is it is a terrible creature The wicked that persecute the Saints are called Leviathan the piercing crooked Serpent That is those Gods vengeance against the wicked great enemies of Gods people those venemous cruel enemies those crooked deceitful enemies of Gods people he will come with his great and sore and strong sword to destroy them So we see be the enemies of God never so great never so cruel or never so cunning the Lord will destroy them He hath a great strong sore sword He hath a great sword in opposition to their greatness he hath a strong sword in opposition to their strength and he hath a sore sword in opposition to their cruelty Therefore O that God would teach you this lesson A ground of our confidence Let your confidence get above the greatest enemies in this world What though men be wise and crooked as Solomon saith there were three things that he knew not one was The way of a Serpent upon a Rock Though men be so cunning to betray the Church that they cannot be traced no more then a ship in the Sea or a crooked Serpent on a Rock yet let your faith get on the top of them Say not they are great but there is a greater then they God will bring them down and bring them to confusion That is one thing In that day sing to her A vineyard of Red Wine I the Lord will keep it I will water it every moment I will keep it night and day This vineyard is the Church and people of God I will not stand upon it why it is called a vineyard He calls it so principally because the people of God are a fruitful people One sinner destroyeth much good and one Saint doth much good Were it not for a few Saints you may let all your Armies and Courts and every thing go There is no good in the world besides there are a few Saints and they are fruitful And also because God preserves them and keeps them because of the Lords care I the Lord keep it I water it every moment least any should hurt it I keep it night and day See how God expresseth his tenderness and care of his blessed art thou and I if we be of them The Lord keeps and preserves them and he will do it with all care The Lord keeps not his Vineyard as we keep his Commandments and Ordinances and the things that belong to him The Lord expresseth his care of his Vineyard by the greatest expressions of care that any creature hath therefore he saith he keeps them as the apple of his eye That made David boldly ask Lord keep me as the apple of thine eye And the Prophet Isai h saith He keeps them as a little bird that sits over her young A Bird is a fearful creature and yet if you come to take away her young ones she will flie in your face Beloved though we think the Lord mindes us not yet he hath a wonderful tender unspeakable care in preserving us And I will water them every moment Vineyards are hot and must be watered or else they will be scorched by the Sun So our souls unless they were watered continually they would be scorched up What is this water The Holy Spirit I will pour water upon the dry ground That is I will pour my Spirit upon your souls We are so apt to wast our graces every day unless God give us a new stock And the earth in Spain and Italy and those hot Countries is not apter to drink water then our hearts are to devour and make havock of all the grace of God And were it not for the blessed constant supply that God gives of his Spirit the best Saint in twenty four hours would be as bad as a carnal man It may be thou hast a little quickening of God in thy soul but yet God must water them every moment Fury is not in me who would set the bryars and the thorns against me in battel I would goe through them c. God expresseth his goodness to his people One would think it was a wonder God did not destroy them No saith God Anger is not in me For who would set bryars and thorns against me in battel I would go through them This is the reason that God doth not destroy thee and me not because we are not sinful but because we are so wretched if he should contend with us he would destroy us presently Saith God All the imaginations of mans heart are evil therefore I will destroy the earth no more It is the nobleness of Gods nature that nobleness that is in us is but a poor thing it is but a resemblance of that at the best it is the nobleness of Gods nature he will not destroy a creature that is too weak and too small for him Therefore of Niniveh God saith There were so many that knew not their right hand from their left therefore he would not destroy them So our littleness moves the Lord to spare us when our wickedness would make him to destroy us The Lord is a consuming fire Put a little stubble or thorns and bryars before the fire and it will consume them O blessed God! that takes any argument to save his creature And O wretched Creatures we that will take no argument to serve and obey him If there be any good in us he makes that an argument if that be not there yet
day THe Lord doth here reprove or rather shew his indignation against hypocrites Here is their description they say stand by thy self come not near to me for I am holier then thou yet they were a rebellious people as we see before the Lord spread out his hands to them all the day long and they walked in their own wayes after their own thoughts The thing I drive at is to acquaint you with this How hatefull how abominable hypocrisie is to God Their hypocrisie was that they thought and they said Hypocrisie a hatefull thing to God to their brethren stand off I am holier then thou come not near me c. yet it was but outward holinesse and the Lord saith they are a smoake in my nostrills all the day long The meaning is not as if God had nostrills though usually where you read of the anger and wrath of God in the Hebrew It is said Gods nose God tooke this to his nose when he was angry But when he saith they are a smoake in my nostrills God takes the comparison from man as it is oft in the proverbs a sloathfull messenger is as vinegar to the teeth and smoak to the eyes that is very sore So God saith hypocrites are as a smoak in his nostrills all the day long that is as smoak in a Kiln or in a smoaky house where there is a bad chimney it is a wondrous troublesome thing especially if a man be driven to continue all the day a man is not able to bear it the smoak will fill his eyes and his nose God takes the expression from men to shew his indignation and displeasure a gainst hypocrisy My aime is to make you sensible how displeasing to God hypocrisy is Hypocrisy take it in the grossest sense though there be a hundred degrees of it is when men seeme and are not when you say and do not as some expresse it when you pretend to be that you are not or pretend to be more then you are for so it is here I am more holy then thou That is hypocrisy when you seem what you are not or in degree more then you are yet that lesse degree is as a smoak in Gods nostrills all the day long It is abominable to God and that is the reason that Christ eight times in the same Chapter Mat. 23. pronounceth Wo to you hypocrites Wo to you hypocrites It may be the Lord may call an hypocrite for an hypocrite is but a sinner though he be the worst of sinners but hypocrisy is abominable to God The reason is because such a man Idolizeth every Proved from two reasons 1. The hypocrite honours the creature above God creature and makes every creature more then God he honours every creature more then God For he knows that God deales with his heart he knowes that God deals with his heart he knows that God sees his heart and men and children and every thing sees his outward life now he is more carefull to please men and creatures and to carry himself religiously and devoutly as a Saint before men then he cares how to carry his heart before the Lord which is as if he should say I do more honour and respect every creature that seeth my outside then the Lord God that views and sees my heart What can more provoke God when God is put below every creature and every creature is advanced above him That is one reason Another reason is this because that the name of God is more dishonoured and his Gospell and his Kingdome 2. Hypocrisy contributes most to Gods dishonour more scandalised by them then by all the world besides The Saints sometimes dishonour God by weaknesse but carnall men usually know in their consciences that it is but weaknesse in such a Saint looking on the course of his life and the frame of his spirit but hypocrites the world seeing sometimes their base doings are ready to curse them Here are the men that go to such Lectures and such Sermons and thus they cozen and over-reach and all their Religion is of the same stamp they are all hypocrites as this sanctified brother cheaters they are This doth transfigere nomen Jehovah as blasphemy signifies it makes men pierce through the name of God and of Christ God hath so fastned it on my heart how abominable it is that it cannot out of my thoughts therefore God may have an end in it to reach some of you at this time though you have been as a smoak in his nostrills though you have kept God no a kilne as it were by your villany by seeming what you are not or to be far more then you are For take it from God for it is from him in a speciall manner let us all look to our selves let us all consider our wayes and let all take heed that we seem and pretend not to be any thing in Religion more then we are in our closets That we may be able to say O Lord if I were at thy tribunall this is true I desire thy glory I seek thine honour and the welfare and advancement of thy people and so whether I be well or ill or live or die I care not Look to it and wo wo wo to those among us whosoever they are let them be Magistrates or Ministers I leave them to the Lord to point them out that drive on Iesuiticall designs under the pretence of Religion They talk of Reformation and I know not what and a blind man almost may see their covetousnesse and self-seeking and oppression of the Saints Whosoever thou art thou hast the worst end of the staff be sure The hearts of the Saints are touched with the same loadstone as the heart of God they judge as he judgeth and as God saith such people are a smoak in his nostrills so they are in the eyes of the Saints they curse such They pity wicked men when blindly they go against the Saints but when thou puttest the best side outward and pretendest to be holy and thou knowest thou couldst eat all the Saints of God and throw down the Worship of Christ O there are many prayers against thee and there is a harmony between the hearts of the Saints and the heart of God God saith ye are a smoak in his nostrills and so say the Saints It grieves me more at the Jesuiticall designes of some then all the proceedings of the Cavaliers Wo be unto them there is nothing done in secret but it shall be open there is nothing spoken in the ear but it shall be published on the house top all their villany shall come out And so in trading a man must take heed of many professors I hope the generation of the Saints shall not suffer by it in buying and selling a man were better deal with carnall men then with some professors in the City that I have knowen I speak this to thy comfort that art such a one though thou be the very heir
he saith it is true I am so and there is no devil that hath worse thoughts but the more need I have to go to my Father for I am thy son I am sure of that and seeing that I am weaker then I was I have the more need to betake me to thy lap and into thy arms and so he grows more fond of God by sin it self Nay I will tell you a greater then that What can that be There is one greater and yet all this cannot quench the love and fondness that is between the soul and God that is when God corrects his childe with one sin for another It may be for his fault he lets him run to covet Places and Offices c. and the next day after the Lord suffers another lust to carry him as in a Chariot to hell that this may make him take heed how he looks after such things This is the worst between this and hell saith God Should I not now come and break thee in pieces as a villain No saith the soul this is a wise design of thy love and there is nothing but love in thee to me and there shall be nothing but pure love in me to thee Learn these things beloved There are many that come to hear and all that I can see from them is that if there be controversal they dispute of that when they come home but lay these things to heart as it is said of Mary and beg of the Lord to screw up your souls to that heavenly blessed Life that you may attain in this world 3. Assurance of conquest over all kinde of enemies The third thing before which a Saint will never be fond is God will convince him of an absolute perfect conquest over all his enemies A childe of God will never be fond till he be secure and he will never be so till God shew him by his Spirit that he is more then conqueror over most of his enemies and that he is a certaine conquerour over all And this is by faith for by sense sin prevails over us and if we say we have sin we do not say true But by faith when Satan is most severe he is conquered and sin when it is most violent he looks on it as a vassall at his foot intreating pardon It is said in Daniel that Christ came to bring in everlasting righteousness and make an end of sin A Saint by faith sees sin ended as hell and damnation and wrath and the curse is so sin shall be out of doors There is no damnation to them that are in Christ He hath redeemed us out of the hands of our enemies that we might serve him without fear as Zechary saith from all our enemies and he shall as Malachy saith tread his enemies as ashes under his feet This is that that keeps a Saint under he cannot come to the height of love to God because there is some enemy that over-tops him This day when he hears that our souls are over sin he is cheary but when he comes home there comes a sin or a temptation and breaks all and he is at a loss Now when faith is scrued so high as to tread on all enemies on sin which is the strongest say it be a strong temptation of covetousnesse thou studiest to purchase and to enlarge thine inheritance suppose there be such a thing in thy soul and it is violent and thou hast offered to resist it and thou canst not thou mayst say Sin though thou be strong and I cannot put thee cut thou hast bolted the door but thou art my slave and in the blood of Christ I am thy conquerour thou thinkest to conquer me but thou art my vassall and my slave And much more may he say so of Satan Thou molestest me but thou art condemned I am made Lord over thee in the blood of Christ Grace and sin will mount as the bird and the Hawk and the one seek to out-mount the other the bird for safety the Hawk for prey so grace and sin get one above another O saith grace I would be holy saith sin thou shalt be covetous I will pray saith grace but I will make thee my possession saith sin When the soul out-mounts sin to the place where dwelleth righteousnesse that Kingdom that cannot be shaken that I see all my enemies beneath and when they are most strong and imperious over me I look on them with a peaceable quiet spirit Last of all and so I have done with this notwithstanding all this the soul could not be fond of God but 4. By a spirituall ad hesion to the new Covenant as God gives him a spirituall understanding of the new Covenant the enemies will over-mount the soul else As for instance to give you but one illustration there are such pangs and such a temper in the soul of a Saint as that sometimes nothing in the world can give him satisfaction there is sin and temptation and it may be paine in body and where is God and the spirit and any thing to help God can help but who knows whether he will or no now I am in the hands of mine enemies In comes the Covenant O saith the soul it is true I am in the hands of mine enemies and God may chuse whether he will rescue me He might have done but now he is bound in an everlasting Covenant that with reverence God must help time was when God might have cast me to hell and he was not bound to save me but the case is altered God is bound to save me Therefore saith David Though my house be not so with God yet there is a Covenant this is my desire and joy Many times the soul is so that nothing can relieve it but the Covenant that God is bound that God cannot though he would desert him If you examine what this Covenant is and whereto it is The Lord knows we are apt to measure him by our selves and so we do in every thing we think our thoughts as Gods thoughts and his thoughts as ours therefore God is willing to condescend unto us in our own way for that God that contrived a way of salvation before the world was we may not fear but that that love will carry us thorow but God would come in our way and take that way that one man doth with another because we are apt to measure God by our selves therefore he comes and saith and if that serve not he swears and if that will not serve he brings a seal and a Covenant and then with men a man is safe enough So Gods word had been enough but because we should have strong consolation that must be conveyed according to our apprehensions and thoughts there God saith and swears and makes a Covenant and binds himself that we may see him bound Therefore saith the Apostle in the Galatians If it be but a mans Covenant none can dissanull it As if he should say I made this
people and eying the judgments of the Lord and eying what comfort on the otherside God gave to any among them The Prophets I say were towers and should be still They are called trumpets here I will send a trumpet and cause it to blow but the people will not hearken They are watchmen to give warning to the people so they should be I leave it to you to judg for you know the state of this place better then I whether we be so or no. The next thing in this Chapter is The state of Ierusalem what kinde of place it was I mean in respect of the building of it and the scituation of it for I mean to gather up the whole Chapter in a little method take it as it is described Verse 2. I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman His meaning is not for any spiritual beauty in her as appears in the whole Chapter but in an outward sense in respect of scituation and gallant building it was a magnificent place and no man was able to count the towers about it It was a stately gallant place and therefore was like a delicate woman A stately place full of case and pleasure and trading and good creatures and altogether exact as a delicate Gentlewoman nothing was wanting so Ierusalem was and yet for all that you afterwards see how the Lord did deal with her So by the way let me tell you this for I speak in the sight of God That the greatness of your City the fairness of it the riches of which you were wont to boast how you did rule all Kingdoms besides you could make Kings and Parliaments and do any thing you have such Ships and Towers and Armies and Armed men you see what God saith of Ierusalem when he was going to destroy her I have likened her to a fair delicate woman and yet all could not excuse her If the Lord come against you all your riches and power and trading and gallantry cannot excuse you Thirdly Here is all the good in Ierusalem the Religion and godliness the Lord acknowledgeth that too and the Lord will not forget any good thing among them that you shall see in Verse 20. To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba and the sweet Cane from a far country your burnt-offerings are not acceptable nor your sacrifices sweet unto me Ierusalem did not forget the service of God they had their worship and sacrifice and they had sweet Cane from Sheba The Lord complains in Isaiah 42. that the people did bring him no sweet Cane it was their maner in their sacrifice I acknowledg saith God you have a great deal of Religion and you talk of Reformation among you and Government and Discipline and I know not what yet notwithstanding this shall not hinder but for all your villanies and wickedness this is the City to be visited for all this It is not a little grain of Wheat that can cover a Mountain of Chaff It is not a little formal fained hypocritical service of God and a quarter and talking and a clutter about Reformation that can hinder the proceedings of God against a people that are really sinful and that have really and grievously revolted The fourth thing here laid down though promiscuously that I shall endevor to gather up for you orderly it is the sins of Ierusalem I shall speak of no more then is laid down here and they are in this place four Here are four great sins that God mentioneth The first is the oppression observe that word in Verse 6. For thus hath the Lord of Hosts said This is the City to be visited she is wholly oppression in the midst of her He saith not There is oppression in the middest of her or in her but she is wholly oppression As if he had said She is built with oppression her very fabrick is oppression She is oppression it self oppressing the poor and the Saints and the upright in heart there is nothing but railing against and slandering of them as we see after Now the Lord opens that She was oppression that you may know the meaning of it he tells you after As a fountain casteth out her waters so she casteth out her wickedness violence and spoyl is heard in her before me continually is grief and wounds saith the Lord. She is oppression as a fountain casteth forth water What is a fountain It is a hole in the Earth that casts out water so saith the Lord I see nothing in Ierusalem from one day to another from one yeer to another and from one end of the City to another but oppression I see one oppress another I see it full of wounds and griefs and bruises especially to my poor Saints there is nothing but oppression And I leave you to judg this day whether this City at this time be not so She is wholly oppression from the least to the greatest there is almost nothing else to be seen Then the second sin the Lord layes down is in Verse 13. That every one is given to covetousness Mark that word and let every one of your own consciences apply it For from the least even to the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness O this covetousness there can be no Reformation either in Church or Common-wealth as things are because of covetous people If there be any good course taken by Magistrates to reform any business in Courts or Offices because of the covetousness of people the business is marred you all know it And so far outward Reformation of Churches and the like because of covetousness you all know that the business of Reformation is marred Ministers have lost themselves There are many godly men that had room in the hearts of Gods people some in this City and in the Assembly that had room in the hearts of Gods people before these times and before they had all things in their own hands and became reformers of the Church now because of covetousness all is marred that no business can be looked upon Now the Lord look upon us and indeed though we see not him he sees us and looks on us Then the third sin is laid down in Verse 13 14. that is The false dealing of the Prophets the Ministers From the Prophet even to the Priest every one dealeth falsly How is that They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly saying Peace peace when there is no peace The Prophets deal falsly they are become hypocrites they tell the people they are in a gallant way of Reformation when the Lord knoweth both according to Scripture and sound Reason they are in the way to destruction they tell them now the Church and Reformation is going up when the poor Kingdom was never in such a sad condition They deal falsly that is hypocritically What a stir is there here about Schismaticks and Hereticks and about Reformation and what consulting and working in the City
shall detain thee no longer from the matter but commend it to thy serious and judicious Consideration and it and thee to the blessing of him who onely can give increase to all good endevors and rest Thine in Christian Duty THO. SHELTON ISAIAH 9. 12 13 c. For all this his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still c. MY intention is not to expound this Scripture but onely at this time to take occasion from the main drift of it to instruct you a little in that we are about The main drift of it is this That here the Lord by the Prophet threatens many and grievous judgments that should come upon this people you shall see who they are in the Chapter I say they were many and they were sore and grievous And the Lord doth begin as his usual maner is with some first and with the least and when the people would not turn to him that smote them then the Lord would send another plague on them For that is the meaning of that phrase His hand is stretched out still They went on in wickedness and then the Lord sends another plague His hand is stretched out still The stretching out of Gods hand is the executing of judgment upon wicked people usually So that he goes on with very fore judgments as here in this Chapter it is said A man shall eat the flesh of his own arm and yet the hand of the Lord is stretched out still A man would think that were the sorest that could be a man would think that were enough yet notwithstanding the hand of the Lord is stretched out still It is the maner of God throughout the Scripture The maner of Gods proceeding to and in judgments to defer judgments a long while before they come and when they come he sends them by degrees but when they come usually they are many and sore and it is uncertain when they will end as we see in Levit. 26. Amos 4. Isai 5. And here and in some of the Chapters following His hand is stretched out still Just so beloved it is with us at this time as I shall Application to our times shew you briefly for I told you I would not expound but take a word to quicken your hearts and mine that we may speak unto the Lord more advisedly You know a little while agone we thought that the Lord was coming to end the wars The Lord gave us victory upon victory after many corrections and judgments before and we thought they were now over but we were deceived as we were many times before You know God hath been many times about to end our miseries but he hath sent back for his mercies and so he hath done now he hath very strangely called back his mercies and loving kindness and hath stretched out his hand many ways against us God begins to raise up enemies again and to strengthen them he suffers the enemy to break in among us besides all expectation And how long or how far God will stretch out his hand that way who knoweth Let me deal plainly with you For this day we The cause of Gods judgment to be sought in our selves should deal plainly with God and our own souls and however through the week we look for Reasons and Causes of things in a natural way who followed and who were the Commanders and what were the Forces and the like yet it should be the business of this day to judg of things spiritually to see spiritual Reasons And here we see in this Chapter and many such That God stretcheth out his hand while there is some continuation of sins or some new provocation against the Lord therefore it may be God hath many more ends in it as doubtless he hath but certainly there is some strange provocation of God among us that the Lord deals so with us again And all this that we may now see that the miseries that are beginning to rise they are but the stretching out of Gods hand It is Gods Those are wilful provoking sins hand and as of private persons so of publike Nations it is not common frailties that grieve the Spirit but some wilful wickedness When a man hath sin at the slaves end and yet lets it come in to his bosome and when he sees sin through the Key-hole and yet opens the door and lets it come in So in a Nation it is not frailties and weakness there will be whoredom and drunkenness though these provoke God It is not so much this as some wicked provocations of God that are among us Therefore in a word give me leave a little to tell you what I conceive what I fear rather what is the reason why God afresh and anew stretcheth out his arme when we thought his sword was half put up yet now it comes out again and God knows how far it will go or how long it will continue Beloved we should be born with in searching our selves and beholding and confessing our sins and the sins of those that are among us especially in such days as these unlesse we will deale hypocritically with God and proclaim a fast day and come to humble your souls and no man look after his own sins and men not be allowed to bewaile the common sins I was considering that the Saints before confessed their own sins and the sins of others of their Princes and Magistrates and great ones and the true prophets were bold to tell them also of their sins Therefore though I delight not God he knoweth of any thing to speak of mens sins and if I do the Lord he knoweth I am more willing thorow his What they are among us grace to see my own then any mans sins and to speak of them and bewaile them Therefore I say I hope you will bear with me if I tell you my heart if I now were on my death-bed what I think according to this blessed book provokes the Lord that now so terribly he threatneth us again when we thought his anger was over Therefore I pray hear me I shall be brief The first thing that I fear highly provokes God among 1. A formal practice of penltential duties us and as long as we stretch out this line of sin he will stretch out the line of wrath That is our formall humiliation and repentance and fasting and such like things I do not speak neither can any man that hath charity think I speak against humiliation or repentance or fasting I desire to practise it but our humiliation and fasting and praying and repentance and these things they grow every day more formall then other that truly there is almost nothing but formality in the eye of spirituall Christians and they begin to loath it how much more the Lord who is a pure Spirit whose eyes are brighter then the Sun In Isay 1. you shall read that the Lord punished and chastised the people that there was no
you that profess your selves to be Saints that you would make To repair to this refuge towards this refuge or this garison here in all your troubles I am ashamed and troubled and have been truly many yeers to see Saints and godly people when troubles come on them to spend their wits and beat their brains in finding refuge in outward things O if I were here or there in such a Town in such an Iland in such a Country in such a place I should have it Beloved our song should be Salvation God will appoint us for walls and bulwarks Our way is when all the Kingdoms of the world are shaken to seek to get into that Kingdom that shakes not That is let England and all the world shake I care not so I have the Spirit of Christ the comforter to bring peace to my soul that may set up a garison there that nothing may assault and trouble me Then let all the world let heaven and earth shake I am sure I am safe this is the way It is a common saying of many particular persons Let a man not seek himself any where without in the opinion of men So let not Saints seek refuge and shelter and salvation in outward helps but if they should see the Kingdom of England which God forbid involved in more miseries and troubles and desolations c. Lay this down alway by thee there is a Kingdom that cannot be shaken England and Scotland and Ireland are shaken but there is a Kingdom that cannot be shaken Such a garison is besieged such a Town is in danger such a place is stormed but there is a garison that the Lord hath put into the hearts of his Saints that cannot be stormed or assaulted Therefore ply the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of the New Testament by his holy comforter that he would garison thy soul and put peace there And then what shall be the issue I will tell thee that thou with a holy joy and complacency and delight of Spirit when thou seest the very pillars of heaven shaken as it were shalt sollace thy self in thy own garison and walk in the streets of it and be safe thou shalt triumph over all storms and troubles and all that is here Not because that a Saint is able to encounter those things that are here For a Saint is not able to answer if you ask what he conceives will be the end of these things he cannot answer these things but onely he retreats to the middle Region as a bird he flies above sublunary things he can say I cannot tell what shall become of England or Scotland or Ireland but I am sure I know a back door that leads into a Kingdom that cannot be shaken to go into the middle Region where no storms of the Air shall trouble me and there I can rest my spirit I alway for my part with submission to the wise apprehend it as a thing too carnal and too low for Saints to think to finde a resting place in this world any place is heaven in such an Iland in such a Plantation and such a place let it be what it will But a Saint that hath this garison in his heart and minde he is at peace This garison David had when his enemies compassed him and he had no walls when there were 10000 about him he lay and slept For thou Lord sustainedst me saith he The salvation of God was walls and bulwarks about him If this peace of God be above understanding how can it be otherwise then be above expression We can therefore give but a hint of it but such a thing there is The Saints walk in a green meadow by the rivers of waters Psal 23. in the spring all the day and all the night long in beholding the love of God and the Covenant of God made in Iesus Christ the full forgivenesse of all their sins the everlasting union between them and Christ and through Christ between them and God and beholding the Spirit in its working within them and beholding the glory that shall be revealed at the last day the Crown that Christ shall bring with him they walk safely and sweetly and securely though all the Kingdoms of the world and the pillars of heaven be shaken As the heathen said If the world break about his ears he would undergo it without trouble Not because he can answer these things but withdrawing himself to his place from them I cannot tell whether the Kingdom shall stand but I can go to the middle Region to Iesus Christ where there is no storme Learn that and lay aside your great projects like the men of the world of building Castles in the air for Garisons but labour to get into this Garison Salvation will God appoint for walls and Bulwarks Open ye the gates that the righteous Nation which keepeth the truth may enter in This is a speech just alluding to a Garison they use there to open the gates and to shut them and when any body comes they bid them stand and ask them who they are for What are they One saith he is a friend and then they bid open the gates and let him come in if not to shut the gates against him Open ye the gates saith the Lord But none must come in but a friend but who is this friend It is The righteous Nation which keep the truth they shall enter in The word in the Originall it is Truth not Truth not one or two or three or four truths but the righteous Who have a right to Gods protection Nation that keepeth the truths let them enter in That is the word if you will passe this Court of Guard he that shall come into this Garison is he that keepeth truth with a good conscience notwithstanding all the troubles that befall him in this world he shall enter into this Garison Therefore I beseech you look to your selves Truly it is unconceiveable and unutterable what the joy the comfort the worth of that Garison is where it is set up in the soul yet there are no hypocrites no partiall obeyers of Iesus Christ and his laws that shall enter into it Therefore if I speak Hebrew or Greek as it were to you that you understand not what I mean by this Garison look to your selves it may be you have not the word and therefore you cannot get in It may be you walk not uprightly you are not of the upright Nation and people you keep not the truths It may be you pick one truth here and another there that pleaseth you that suits with your reason or your lusts and corruptions or with the stream of the world you honor and respect that and for the rest of the truth let you neighbours take it if they will you will none of it if it bring shame and persecution and reproch That is the reason when troubles come you are at your wits end you know not where to go because
chickens or partridges that run their heads in a bush that hide their heads from the Hawk the Hawk sees all their bodies onely in a conceit they hide themselves thus that is they hide their own eyes that they may not see the Hawk but they do not hide their bodies that the Hawk may not see them So men shut their eyes and have many conceits O the Lord deliver us from it this is the hope of wicked men drunkards and whoremongers and sottish creatures that come not up to take Christ The Lord after compares them to little children Compa ∣ rison 2 in bed The bed is shorter then that a man can stretch himself on it As little children when they hear thunder they run under the sheets and blankets and think they are very safe so we conceive that we shall be delivered But truly all the shifts thou hast shall be no more to keep thee when the Lord comes on thee for a drunkard or an unbeliever or a persecutor then the sheets and blankets can keep them from a thunderbolt if God send it I but these were but comparisons and the people were ready to mock the prophet for it Saith he Mock not least your bands be made strong for I have heard from the Lord a consumption determined upon the whole earth Give ear and hear my voice hearken to my speech Doth the plowman plow all day to sow c. This is the manner of the prophet Isaiah especially when he speaks of the miseries and judgements that shall come upon people he mingles comfort for the poor Saints This he refers to the Saints that were upright And to comfort them he takes a comparison from the Husbandman that plows the field For the creatures are Gods Characters God hath written his will in his word at large and he hath written a copy of it as it were in the creatures that by the one we might be enabled to understand the other For we understand not one line of this blessed book any further then we are taught Now God hath so cast things in this world not only for the use and good of man but he hath cast things by his creation and providence in such a way as that every thing might resemble heavenly things Therefore it is said God hath given discretion to the Husbandman to do this the Lord hath ordered the earth so to be plowed and managed and the corn so to be threshed that thereby we might have a shadow of spirituall things comparing it with the blessed word Doth the plow man plow all day God deals diversly with weak and strong Saints What is the meaning of that It is thus you poor Saints God plows you and harrows you and if the Lord follow you with one affliction after another that whosoever escapes you suffer if not without yet within and sometimes you have both you think God deals wonderfull strangely with you Sayth he look on the plowman if ever you see one plow you will say yonder man doth but plow and harrow the land and make it fit to sow Barly or Oats or Wheat he hath some end in it they are the common heaths that lie unplowed but where there is good ground they plow it and when he hath plowed it is his discretion to sow So it is that when the Lord continues his afflictions upon thee thou shouldest consider that God that is thy good father hath some gracious designe to sow Barly or Wheat or Rye to sow some grace more And what though he plow thee or me or another more then other men or women Some lands are plowed thrice some four times besides the sowing they are so tough and dogged So some natures must be ofter and deeper and longer plowed Therefore stare not so much upon the affliction but consider the gracious designe and purpose of God to sow thee and to do thee good Thou and I have barren hearts and there is little corn that is pleasing to him there therefore he meanes by the afflictions that he layes on thee by such a sicknesse by such a perverse husband by such an ungracious childe or losse of estate the Lord means to sow thy barren heart and then blessed be his name If the Lord do that thou mayest well suffer him to plow and harrow thee any way with any instrument as he pleaseth Then he takes another comparison from threshing The Fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the Cummin c. That is the afflictions of the Saints are also like the threshing of corn as there is no land that bears corn without plowing no more can we enjoy it without threshing some more some lesse some one way some another Now saith he in the manner of afflictions you may observe two things from the threshing of men which was in another manner in those countries then with us It was trod out with the Oxe and they did bring a wheel and horsmen to ride upon their corne in those dry countries And some was beaten with a staff and small corne they did whip out with a rod. So saith he there are two things to be observed in the manner of Gods dealing you that are weak people weak Christians the Lord sees that you are little Fitches Fitches is a little graine and Cummin especially Christ calls them little things yet little and weak Christians are like Cummin and Fitches God will not bring a Cart wheele over them that shall bruise them to pieces and make them worth nothing but he will beat them with a staffe and the Cummin with a rod that is where there is a little weak Saint the Lord will take a little wand a rod a small light affliction But bread corn is bruised because he will not ever be threshing it not break it with the wheel c. That is sometimes also God meanes to lay all the afflictions as it were at once upon his childe where he sees a strong Saint many times he brings his horsemen and his cartwheel as he did with Iob you know Iob had but a bout and so he goes over and some of his days before and his days after were comfortable God brings strong afflictions upon his children The reason is because God will not alway be threshing he will not alway afflict for then the spirit of man would fail before him If thy afflictions be light say I am a little Fitch or Cummin if they be heavy say they will be short for the Husbandman though he deal more coursly with his Corn then with his Fitches yet he takes it into his Barne and laies it up safe so though thy afflictions be sore thou maist from the practice of the Husbandman say they will be short therefore indeavor to learn a little from afflictions and how to carry and behave thy self like a Saint wait patiently upon God to know Gods design and meaning This also cometh forth from the
Lord of Hosts which is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working What is the meaning of that That that made the Prophet cry out that the Lord was wonderful in Counsel and mighty in working it was this to see the harmony between Gods Works in his Books and in his Creatures O who would think when a man is plowing that there were such a mystery there that he should fetch a glorious mystery in afflicting his Saints from a little Cummin This also is from the Lord of Hosts which is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working that he reveales his blessed will in his book and gives such a glorious copy of it in the creatures that we may understand the one by the other Thus have I shewed you a little of the meaning of the word of God in this Chapter as I understand Expositions and Observations on ISAIAH 40. 1. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God YOu shall finde that in the Scriptures especially Consolation a duty in the New Testament we are commanded to comfort one another as much as to exhort and more then to reprove It is very ordinary Comfort one another Though the other duties to the Saints in the New Testament are full of consolation The Apostle from every argument would have us draw comfort from the coming of Christ and every thing almost There are these four things that I shall speak of Four things hinder Consolation that hinder the consolation that might be in your souls If I take away those hinderances it is as much as if I did positively comfort Im ∣ pediment First The first is I will not say you want faith but you have a faith of the Law and not of the Gospel You believe in God but not in Christ My meaning is this your saith is begotten and bred according to the doctrine and principles of the Old Testament It is good and true but it is bred and nourished according to the principles and strain of the Old Testament which old Testament saith the Apostle is done away You need not stumble you know my meaning your faith is not yet come clearly according to the strain and course and frame of the New Testament You will say There is but little difference between the old and the New Testament Look how they be opposed 2 Cor. 3. Gal. 2. and in the Hebrews that is the main business to shew the difference between the old and New Testament Now that your faith is so it will appear three ways Which appears three ways First there is a Heathenish desire of sanctification of holiness Holiness is a blessed thing and there are none desire more earnestly sincerely to be holy then the Saints in the New Testament Holiness is upon the bridles of the horses of the Church yet there is a desire of holiness in the soul that is legal faith that by the earnest desire of holiness a man may see the frame of his faith to be legal There may be a thirst that ariseth from a Feaverish distemper of body that is not good Therefore truly a man may desire holiness more then happiness as you are wont to express it He may desire holiness and to avoyd sin more then Hell it self and any thing in the world He may say he would not for a world but overcome his lusts and O that I could overcome my frowardness and my pride and yet it may be a Heathenish kinde of thirst I have known people that have gone every day to hear and have wept and desired holiness and yet out of a Heathenish desire of holiness Why what is the meaning of this how comes this about The soul resolving to be justified and to finde favor with God partly by the righteousness of Christ and partly by some grace not that it hath but that it hopes to have Therefore the soul as a Feaverish man reacheth out and layes down this conclusion I must be holy and there are some things if I could reach them then I should be well and so the Feaver grows higher and higher And God crosseth him for it is against the way of the Gospel God will do no good to us if we go contrary to his glory Therefore if we weep our hearts out we shall not have it for it is a designe of our own saith God You will not be content with the righteousness of Christ but you will have something to make it up you will believe and be holy but you shall go my way or not at all Now a Saint that is according to Gods minde first upon believing in Jesus Christ and his righteousness his soul is fully satisfied and he is at peace He saith Lord whether I be holy or not I see a full righteousness in Jesus Christ to justifie me and to sanctifie me and pacifie my conscience And Lord here I am Thou knowest that I have nothing but my old nature thou art wise all my sins are done away do with me what thou wilt If thou wilt put me to pain or into poverty or into Hell or suffer me to go in rags all my life long do so As a godly man said If pride and frowardness must have its work though I had rather go to Hell for the time yet here I am I rejoyce in my spirit because I am accepted of thee So here is a desire of holiness but it is not Heathenish as if a man could have no assurance and comfort in his soul till he had gotten such a degree of grace These are Feaverish desires Secondly It appears to me that your comfort is not right that your faith is not according to the Gospel because of the startlings in your conscience after sin That when God suffers the soul to be overtaken and to fall the soul startles that is horror seizeth presently upon the conscience and hardness upon the heart there is a startling that makes a man that he cannot go on in his calling that makes all his neighbors take notice of him as if he were not his own man Take it as a general rule the most and the greatest dangers or the most dangerous errors border nearest on the most glorious light It is blessed to startle at sin and to desire holiness but I say there is a Heathenish desire of holiness and startling at sin that argues That the conscience is not quieted in Christ Object You will say when a Saint falls into sin shall he take no notice of it Answ Yes and have no peace till he have poured out his soul to God But yet as a Son to a Father and his assurance is whole still Thou art my beloved father and all that is befaln me thou hast suffered it and hast a hand in it I confess Father I am an unhappy childe there is never a member of thy Son Christ that thou hast more trouble with then with me there is none of them so vile and so the heart is all wholly poured out
freely and fully to the Lord. The other cannot but he is hardened and startles at every thing as a man going among wilde Beasts Thirdly It appears to me that your faith is not come to be right by the defilements you have from the creatures Your faith is not according to the Gospel When men are defiled with lawful things Nay so much that some men cannot eat or go to bed one while they must eat of one dish and not of two though sobriety be a Gospel grace And one while they must eat one meal a day another while one meal in two days I have known one eat but one meal in a week and let them eat little or much they defile their consciences One while they must go so in their apparel with lace and after that lace damneth them Though sobriety be good in cloaths and diet yet this shews that they are defiled for to a good man every thing is pure but to others every thing is impure because his conscience is impure that is His conscience is defiled and so he is taken prisoner his conscience is not sprinkled and washed through the blood of Christ therefore in these things he is tangled endlesly Now if ever you will have comfort in your souls that is true and solid for there may be comforts according to the Law but they will not last they will be out upon the least breach but if the Lord frame your faith according to the Gospel your comfort will be solid and lasting Im ∣ pediment Second The second thing is having faith according to the Gospel labor to live by faith Many of you have a little faith and true Gospel faith but you do not live by it you live by sence It is a proverb in Scripture The just shall live by faith I shall have occasion to open that when I have more time and therefore I proceed Im ∣ pediment Third A third thing that makes your comfort short is the slow coming of grace into your souls You finde grace come in but slowly you believe and labor to believe according to the Gospel and yet grace comes but slowly and poorly you have been so many yeers and have scarce any grace For your comfort this is one thing thou that hast but little grace coming in so many yeers I tell thee God saith that grace is like the springing of the sea or the springing of the yeer Now in the springing of the sea when men would have a tide for their passage a man is glad to see a little turning of the water first it is so much the nearer then he observes and is glad to see the Sea rise and cover a few stones or marks though it be little but stay till it be almost full Sea when it is high tide then every thing almost is covered on a sudden the tide over-runs all Take it in the spring of the yeer for we should learn something from the creatures about February you are glad to see the buds of Haw thorn you look a week together and it grows a little and you see no other it is a signe that Summer is coming In the beginning of March it may be there are two or three things more and they come slowly and you are glad to see them and look on them every day In Aprill or May the Gardens are full of Flowers and the fields full of grass you know not what to observe So it is in experience in the beginning the Lord makes a Saint glad of a Primrose of a little turning of the water that the blood that the stream is turned if he begin to hear the word that hated it and to rejoyce in the company of good neighbours that hated it two or three little Primroses But grace comes as the tide stay a while and thou shalt see such a flowing of grace in thy soul that thou knowest not where to look such a tide of love and joy and knowledge such innumerable lessons that thou knowest not where to look Therefore wait upon the Lord thou shalt see grace come in as the tide impedi ∣ ment Last Lastly thou dost not it may be make use of the experiences thou hast had of God Thou hast had abundance of experience of the Lord and we are apt to forget As Christ saith do you not remember the loaves the other day and do you now doubt whether you have bread O yea of little faith Truly the very creatures will rise in judgement against us that having had so many experiments of God we are so shie of trusting God and thinking well of God Didst thou ever see a Dog let me instance in that vile creature for God would have us learn from the creatures and God hath cast them so that they should not be onely for our use but every thing in reference to his Gospel that we may not only occasionally draw such things that hap hazzard fall out but to observe their nature and qualities and learn somewhat from them you see in a Dog when he hath abused you it may be against his will and it may be you have beat him he runs away or he comes with fear and is very shie and will hardly come to you but take him in your arms and stroak him and all his fear it gone when you smile he thinks you mean him no hurt he hath no thought of your former anger So we come many times to the Lord and are shie and tremble and fear and think he means to hurt us and what are his thoughts How oft hath God taken us in his arms and stroaked us and laid us down again and yet we fear again and are worse in many respects then the bruit creatures When the Master hath the Dog he may kill him if he will but he stroaks him and the Dog thinks his master means well to him so many times God might kill us and throw us into Hell and catch us at advantage yet in stead of that he loves us and imbraceth us and layes us down again and yet we are so shie we fear and distrust him We have not that plainnesse of heart as that old Martyr said I have lived eighty yeers and he never did me any hurt So God many times hath had advantage to have thrown us into hell yet he hath kissed and stroaked us Why should we be so fearfull when afflictions and troubles come upon us These things procure sadnesse because we do not trust in that God that in our extremity hath been friendly and fatherly to us The Lord help you to lay up these few broken words in your hearts Expositions and Observations on ISAIAH 65. 5. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people which walketh in a way that was not good after their own thoughts c. Which say Stand by thy self come not near to me for I am holier then thou these are a smoak in my nose a fire that burneth all the
for your sakes or else I have one and none can alter it but foryour sakes I came down and made a Covenant like men and There are three that bear witness and that is enough among men therefore think my love will be constant to the end So when a Christian is at a dead lift this relieves him not that God can save him if he will but that God must he is bound to save him It is a pitifull thing when a man is in the hands of a thousand enemies and then can only say peradventure God will save me and rescue me but when the soul sees that God must rescue it and there is a Covenant made and sealed with the blood of Christ and it is not possible to be broken Gods Covenant is to save me and preserve me to his everlasting Kingdom Thus I have briefly shewed you that fondnesse that is between a Saint and God and the book of Canticles is as I told you nothing but a book of fondnesse as I may say between Christ and the Saints Therefore you should aime at the good of your souls and seeing there is such a condition that there are Saints that are so desire the Lord to make you such Expositions and Observations on DEUTER 4. Now therefore hearken O Israel unto the statutes and judgements which I teach you for to do them that ye may live and go in and possesse the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor for all the men that followed Baal-peor the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day c. I Shall not go about to expound this whole Chapter unto you you see it is very long and therefore I will not abridge my self or you of time for that which is to follow but onely briefly take notice of a few things in this Chapter which I shall touch upon for they are sweet and very serious words that Moses speaks to the people of Israel One thing is in the fourth verse saith Moses Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor for all the men that followed Baal-peor the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you to this day You shall read in Num. 25. 4. and in Num. 30. 15. that by the counsell of Balaam the people of Israel were brought to commit Idolatry at Baal-peor Israel joyned himself to Baal-peor and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel They were brought first to whordom and then to Idolatry as we may see in that Chapter for which God cut off men and women about some twenty four thousand And yet in this great temptation some of them did cleave to the Lord and those the Lord kept alive and destroyed them not ye that did cleave to the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day So that It is a blessed and happy thing when people shall Observation cleave to the Lord. The word is taken sometimes to stick my belly cleaves or sticks to the dust And so truly the word should stick a little upon our thoughts Cleaving it implies or signifies two things It signifies first to glew to unite two things together into one and so you shall have it Gen. 2. 24. They Cleaving to implies two things 1. A neer conjunction two shall be joyned and made one flesh they shall be glewed as it were together So you have it in Ephes 5. And there is in that word as that reverend Doctor Preston I remember observes it signifies a greater union thâ—â— any other in the world Indeed there is a great union between two boards glewed together for I have heard Joyners say it is sometimes stronger then the board it self as a broken bone is stronger when it is knit then before ever it was broken It is an union more then marriage more then between man and wife yet that is the greatest in the whole creation Beloved such a union should be between our souls and Iesus Christ we should not hang loose upon Iesus Christ we should be united to him as a man to his wife yea something more then that And therefore saith David when he found a loosnes in his heart O knit my heart to thee that I may fear thy name Knit my heart as Ionathans heart was knit to David Will you learn this now For our work is as Moses said in another kind I have laid before you this day life and death and saith he at another time I have laid before you judgements and statutes so our work is to lay before you the will of the Lord now this is one part of it that there should be such a union between our souls and Iesus Christ And therefore learn this when thou goest home if thou finde a loosnesse between thee and Christ remember this word thou shouldest learn to cleave to the Lord and pray the Lord to knit thy heart to him When there is a loosnesse that is when many times other things run between thy heart and God sometimes thy husband sometimes thy wife sometimes thy money thy wealth thy cash hath thy heart O pray the Lord to knit thy heart more and more to him But cleaving also is taken more usually for sitting 2. A relative permanency with or abiding in the Lord when others do leave him It is a relative kinde of word it is not simply â—â—iting to God or knitting to him but when other things are in competition with God when it may be others follow other things and when both are laid before mine eyes that I may follow the one or the other then when I abide with God this is called cleaving to the Lord. As I could give you diverse instances Gen. 2. 24. A woman is to forsake her father and mother and to cleave to her husband that is a woman when she is married she hath two sweet objects before her eyes her fathers house her father and mother and sisters and brothers on the one side and her husband on the other side and his friends and relations now when a woman leaves the one and sticks to the other this is properly called cleaving You shall read also in 2 Sam. 20. 2. the people of Israel every man of Israel went up from after David The people of Israel there in a peevish humor left David their King and followed Sheba the son of Bichri but the men of Iudah did cleave to their King from Iordan to Ierusalem There the people were divided Israel followed Sheba but Iudah clave to David In stead of
many I will give you but one more that is in the book of Ruth you shall have there a good woman that had two daughters in law her sons were both dead and so she was going to return to her country she was in a strange country with them and she takes her leave of her two daughters Chap. 2. 8. Naomi said to her two daughters in law Go return each to her mothers house the Lord deal kindly with you as ye have dealt with the dead and with me that is they had been kind to her sons and to her for they lived in a strange country now Farwell The Lord grant that you may finde rest each of you in the house of her husband Then she kissed them c. And they said surely we will return with thee to thy people we will go along we will not leave thee No daughters saith she do not so for I cannot bear other children for you to marry as the law was then If I should lie to night with an husband and have children you would not stay so long therefore I pray abide and go not And it is said Orpah kissed her mother in law and lift up her voice and wept and left her but Ruth clave unto her Orpah was perswaded and wept and took her leave but Ruth clave to her and said Intreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee for whether thou goest I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge thy people shall be my people and thy God my God Where thou dyest will I die and there will I be buried the Lord do so to me and more also if ought but death part thee and me So I say you see here that when there was a competition a kind of parting then Ruth abiding with Naomi that is called cleaving It is a glorious thing that when the seeming servants The honour of cleaving to Christ of Iesus Christ shall depart from him when there is a division among professors then to be able to cleave to Iesus Christ That you may understand it conceive that in the wayes of Iesus Christ many times there are such times that abundance of hypocrites as well as Saints abide with him they are sometimes still like the waters of Shilo there is no persecution or trouble in them it may be there is a great deal of honour and wealth and riches with them and many times a great party of the world sticks to him but there is a little tripp and step in the ways of godlines when there is a parting when hypocrites like Orpah shall weep and repent and so shall go with Christ no longer if they do one shall loose his friends another his trade another his wife and shall lift up their voices and weep and take their leaves then is the beautie of Christianity and the blessednesse of a Christian to be able to cleave to the Lord in such a time as this is This was the exhortation of the good man Barnabas that he gave to the people as you shall read Acts 11. 22 23. When he was come and had seen the grace of God he was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they should cleave to the Lord. I have oft marvailed with my self why Barnabas that is said to be a good man and full of the Holy Ghost coming as a stranger to a congregation of good people where he saw the grace of God among them why he should choose this and no more but onely pitch upon this exhortation that seeing they were godly and had received the grace of God he should say I have no more to say but this one word understand it well that is that with full purpose of heart you cleave to the Lord. Indeed the reason was as I conceive if you compare it with Chap. 14. 22. Barnabas was a man to whom God had discovered much of the doctrine of Tribulation and persecution that belonged to the Gospell For take notice of it by the bye I look on the people of God liâ—e the servants of God that did go to build the Temple some were appointed to hew stone some to digge them up and some to carry them home some to build them up some to cast accounts and to keep reckoning So the Lord Iesus in his Kingdom no man knows the reason why he cuts out distinct parcells of work to his people and thereupon supplies them with his spirit and reveales truthes to his people some to manage such a thing no man knows the reason God fastens the doctrine of justification upon some that they cannot rest night nor day and one that may be unwilling to die for another point but not for that Another about Church-government Another upon sanctification none knowes why but God fits them for their work by his Spirit according to his blessed will Therefore we should not censure or sleight godly men because our master doth not imploy them about such a work as he doth us It may be my thoughts are upon sanctification anothers upon justification So God cuts out the work as it pleaseth him Now this Barnabas it seemes did not speak much as we read of but he had a mighty apprehension of persecutions and tribulations that the Saints should suffer in this world Therefore in Acts 14. 22. he and Paul confirm the souls of the Disciples exhorting them to continue in the faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God In every Sermon as we may say Barnabas had something to strengthen the souls of the people to go thorow tribulation and affliction It may be another Apostle had his Spirit upon another work It may be in reference to this he gave them this exhortation desiring them with full purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord As if he had said Now you are in prosperity for so they were and are all ready to hear the Gospell and receive it O saith he but there is a time a coming to trie you and you must not think to run to heaven between two feather-beds but as all the Saints before had their share so every one that will live in Christ Iesus must suffer persecution As there is a Statute in heaven for all men once to die so if you be Saints you must live in tribulation and persecution and that is the way as Christ was made perfect by sufferings so you must come to salvation Therefore when those things come I have not much to say to you but O then remember to cleave to the Lord for then you shall see hypocrites in droves going away from Iesus Christ and leaving him one stumbling at this another at that one is offended at the Crosse that it takes away his credit another for his profit another his liberty another his trading but brethren I beseech you with full purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord. See how a company in Iohn 6. with one word
and he wondred that there was no intercessor That is God suffered all this truth to faile and Justice to fall back and every thing to go to wrack and ruine God would see if any man would intercede any man among our Magistrates or Ministers or Citizens if any man would plead for God and for his people and for his truth but he saw none and wondered Truly God wonders and men may wonder to see what abundance of people follow God and good lives in the time of prosperity and when adversity comes and wicked men and al the powers of hell conspire against godlinesse to see how few shew themselves for God God wonders at it Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him and his righteousnesse it sustained him he put on righteousnesse as a breast-plate and an helmet of salvation upon his head and he put on the garments of vengeance for cloathing and was clad with Zeale as a cloak The Lord comes and Arms himself just as valiant souldiers in the wars when a party is gone forth they stand to see what they do how they come off but if there be none that will stick to it but run away they buckle on their armour So the Lord stands to see where is the man that will stick to it in these cases and if there be any God rejoyceth in it if there be none God himself comes in Therefore be sure of this when the Lord suffers his Son or any thing that belongs to him to come to these low conditions when truth failes in the street and equity is perverted it is not that God means to suffer the wicked to have their wills for God hath sworn that Christ shall reign but to trie us a little space whether we will couragiously stick to God and his cause or basely for fear of men comply with the world 3. For the compendious destrution of the it enemies There is a third reason God as it were keeps silence and holds his peace in the middst of the greatest troubles to this end that God may as it were gather the wicked into one fagot into one bundle that they may be destroyed together There is a great deal of ado to gather the Saints in this world and truly there is some ado togather the wicked So God withdraws himself from his people yet he hath a hook in their hearts he holds them up secretly by his Spirit that they shall not leave him yet the world shall not see but that God hath quite left them and all their Ordinances and his Gospell and every thing and then the wicked come together and insult whereby God may come upon them at once and destroy them as we finde ten Nations in this Psalm And so in Genesis God stirs up the Nations against Abraham and his posterity and there are ten Nations that God promiseth to cut off before Abraham at once the Perrezites and the Iebusites and the Canaanites c. So God heaps them together and burns them like stubble Those that burn stubble have rakes and they gather it to heaps and then they fire it This is the way of Gods keeping silence among his people and sitting still in the midst of their miseries thus God gathers their enemies on heaps as stubble that he may burn them together Therefore from this that I have said I have three words to say to you and to my own soul Vse 1 The first of all is that if the Lord should take any such course in our dayes that you would learn hence to awake God to call upon his Name to be earnest with him Truly there are a generation of people now I leave them to the Lord to judge them as I shall alway for we have all one master but there is a people that throw away the ordinance of prayer and they professe to live immediately upon God without ordinances without prayer and without all the rest I do not know what their perfections may be therefore I cannot judge but this I know as far as ever I had experience that the chiefest way of communion with God is spirituall prayer Build up one another on your holy faith and Pray in the Holy Ghost saith Iude. And therefore though you be ancient Christians and grow spirituall and see a great deal of formality in your prayers as some pray so many times a day and that out of forme not that they should not pray so oft in a day that is well take heed that out of any pretence you be not remiss for truly it is the readiest way to heaven and to attaine happiness and the clearest conduite to bring grace to the soul and the love of God and the shining of his face that I have yet known I yet know no better therefore take heed of the temptations of Satan that you do not upon any pretence either throw away prayer or be remisse in it Vse 2 Secondly if the Lord should leave his Church and people as we know not what he will do it may be God is going to take a napp let me warne you from the Lord and his word for that is the excellencie of the word by it thy servant is forewarned take heed of distrust and unbelief and impatience towards God God doth take a napp sometimes it is for his glory and for your good but yet cleave to him say as it is here in the Psalm O Lord who is like unto thee Do not think that the Lord will leave his people for God hath you know made a Covenant with his Son that he shall inherit all nations he shall subdue all his enemies under his feet All the enemies hitherto that have risen against his Church God hath subdued them and either our Gospell is vaine and our preaching vaine and our faith vaine and all vaine or else God will exalt his Son and his people and Saints and ordinances maugre all enemies though ten Nations as it is in this Psalm fight against them nay though ten thousand if there were so many in the world God will awake and subdue them and if there be no man in the world that will plead their cause God will do it Therefore live by faith and not by sense take heed of living by sense there is nothing that more poysons and imbitters our hearts and spirits and lives then the beholding of things by sense that as one good man speaks I wish saith he sometimes that I were quite bereft of reason that I might exercise faith We are used to sense and such a man doth this and this and here is conspiring in this and that place and all to overthrow Christ and the power of the Gospell What of all this Look by faith what God hath said and Covenanted and promised and keep up your spirits by faith Vse 3 Then lastly I would admonish all in the bowels of Iesus Christ to take heed of betraying Gods cause or people or your own salvation by your fleshlinesse I
Observations on MICAH 4. 1 2 3 c. But in the last dayes it shall come to passe that the mountaine of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains and it shall be exalted above the hills and the people shall flow unto it And many Nations shall come and say Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths for the Law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem And he shall judge among many people and rebuke strong Nations afar off and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares and their speares into pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up a sword against Nation neither shall they learn war any more But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree and none shall make them afraid for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it For all people will walk every one in the name of his God and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever HEre are four or five things that the Lord The blessings of the later times promiseth in the latter times One is that the mountaine of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted That is the Church and people of God and the things of God shall be exalted in this world above all other things You know now that the power of Christ is beneath all other powers and the Kingdom of Christ is beneath all other Kingdomes and the people of Christ are beneath all other people and the Ordinances of Christ are beneath all other ordinances but in the latter times the Mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains The time shall come when God shall raise his Church and people and his laws and ordinances and every thing of his above the world that the Saints shall be more glorious and more respected then all the people in the world besides And therefore you that are Saints be not troubled to see Christ so low in the world it grieves them to see how every base thing gets over Christ to see how Christ and his things are trampled on in the world Christ is as a Worm thou worm Jacob every childe may put his foot upon the head of a Worm so are all the things of God and have been hitherto but in times to come the Lord shall raise his Mountain above all other mountains Another thing promised is that in the last times Many Nations shall come and say Come let us go up to the House of the Lord and to the Mountain of the God of Jacob c. that is when Christ and his Laws and Ordinances shall be exalted there will be a greater Harvest among the people then ever there was before First In respect of the extent of it Many Nations shall come and say Whereas now most of the Nations of the world are ignorant of or enemies to the things of Jesus Christ there are few Nations that hear of the Name of Christ but then many Nations shall come many Nations that lye in Paganism and Heathenism and darkness God will finde a way to spread the savor of the Gospel to them Secondly then there shall be a great deal of willingness to come to Christ in his holy Ordinances they shall say Come let us go up to the mountain of the House of the Lord and they shal flow to it Now you know what a deal of preaching there is to bring home one soul to God a man may preach and preach and searce ever a one brought home to God the Lord pours but a little of his Spirit with preaching we are to bless his Name for any but the time shall come that as soon as the people hear they shall obey The people shall flow unto The word is taken from the Tide there are two things meant by it First That then abundance of people shall come in to the Lord for the Tide comes in with waves and abundance of water it comes not with a little water but with multitudes Then it comes with strength and power that goes through all opposition We see now it is not so the Lord gives but little of his Spirit and therefore there are but few that come in to God and of those few many of them every little thing turns them off one is afraid of persecution another of the loss of his estate another of the loss of friends another of the loss of his grace but then they shall flow Another thing in this Promise of this glorious Harvest is this as they shall flow so also they shall be inabled their hearts shall be inlarged to learn abundance of the Will of God and moulded to a willingness to obey it This is not accomplished yet They shall then say Come let us go to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths Now you know there is but little teaching Indeed God teacheth some few wondrously more aboundantly then we can teach but yet there be many though we speak much and though they live under the Ordinances yet they learn little and then that little that they do learn there is very little power that goes along to frame their hearts to do it but then they shall say We will walk in his ways There will be a power that when the Saints hear the word from God they shall not be alway wishing and woulding and say I would I could do so but there shall be a power with the word whereby they shall be enabled to do it Another thing promised in the last times is that They shall be at their swords into plow-shares and their speares into pruning hooks c. The Lord will end these wars that are among the Nations that make the lives of people and of the Saints uncomfortable And especially as I take it with submission to the people of God that are wise that the wars here principally meant are wars for Religion as appears by the verses following they shal be at their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning hooks They shall then give over wars and live peaceably together whereas you know now most of the wars in the world are about Religion The Turk would come and subdue Christendom to set up the worship of his Mahomet the Pope would destroy him to set up his Religion and so all over the world there is a disposition that with fire and fagot and sword and spear we would bring men to worship God every man according to his own fancie But saith he then there shall be no such wars every man shall sit under his own vine and under his own fig-tree and none shall make them afraid The mouth
of the Lord hath spoken it Then they shall be quiet there shall not be such persecuting in the world For all people will walk every 〈◊〉 in the name of his God and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for evermore That is the reason why I think it is meant of wars about Religion because it is said all people will walk every one in the name of his God and we will walk in the name of our God also That is people shall not be forced to worship this or that God or this way or that way with sword and spear but they shall all sit under their own vines that shall be the fruit of that abundance of teaching that there will be every Nation will walk in the name of his God and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever Not beloved but that the Lord Iesus hath left and doth still continue to the end of the world a way of spirituall censure and punishments for people that sin against him It is not meant that people in the last times shall go where they will and do what they list no we have ordinances in the Church given by Christ for the correction of those that walk inordinately we are to deliver our selves from them and to deliver them up to Satan But in respect of the main course that the world hath been in and is to this day they shall not then be under censures for those nifles and trifles as hitherto the way hath been by fire and fagot and sword but saith the Holy Ghost it shall not be so then every one shall walk in the name of his God and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for evermore Then here is another mercie In that day saith the Lord will I assemble her that halteth and I will gather her that is driven out and her that I have afflicted and I will make her that halted a remnant and her that was cast afar off a strong Nation and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth even for ever That is we may know the worth of mercies by the presence of miseries we see now some halting some runing into errours and blasphemies and we know not what to do but then the Lord will make them that halt a remnant the Lord will gather the people that halt and go aside and he will settle and confirm them in the truth These are the thoughts of the Lord and the counsells of God concerning the last dayes Therefore we are the while to wait patiently for the Lord and to pray earnestly that God would make good his promise to us and not to loose our selves as we are apt to see the disorders and confusions of Churches and Common-wealths in these days But as people that are in a storm we should look when the cloud will be over that the Lord will give fairer weather and remove all these things when the last and blessed and best dayes shall come And this is the chief thing that the prophet here aimes at Expositions and Observations on HABAKKUK 2. 4. But the just shall live by his faith I Will not stand now to shew you what a just man is Only in a word take notice that the just man here meant is not a man that is just in his own sight or in his own personall righteousnesse or just in the esteeme of the world though men be so called and not improperly he is a just man that deales justly but the just man in the Gospell language is a man that though he be not greatly esteemed in the world and though he hath many things that make him seem less just then many morall men that seem just yet according to the law of God he is just we are to declare him so the Gospell declares him just because God hath received a righteousness whereby he calls him just he calls him just because Iesus Christ is The just man lives by faith four wayes 1. In respect of justification made righteousness to him Now the just man lives by his faith four wayes He lives by faith first in respect of justification there is a light that the Saints have that whereas as sinners they were dead before in trespasses and sins they now see themselves acquitted of all their debts they see Gods justice satisfied and his law fulfilled and they see themselves just men whereas they were dead in law before now in law or in Gospell as it were they are alive again For so it is that every man and woman among us though he be never so honest or civill or faithfull in holy duties c. yet if he be not justified by the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ he is a dead man in the language of God and according to the law of God Just as a man at the barr that is condemned to die he is a dead man in law though the sentence as Solomon saith be sometimes delayed and put off and not executed he may be reprived a little from one yeer to another but he is a dead man that is he is an unjustified man so if God hath not given thee the righteousnesse of Christ and a heart to lay hold of that be what thou wilt in thy self and do what thou canst of thy self yet thou art a dead man and those that lay hold of that righteousnesse are living men This life is much spoken of Rom. 5. how we are dead by the first Adam and alive by the second Adam that life is our justification vers 17. By one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesse shall reign in life by one Iesus Christ There is secondly a life of sanctification Ephes 4. they were strangers from the life of God that is the life 2. In respect of sanctification of holinesse and their hearts were heardned and carried away with lasciviousnesse c. Thus a man comes to live by faith for all that thou dost though thou account it holinesse and the world may account thee a holy man yet if every graine of thy grace and holinesse do not come from Christ by the power of faith thou art but a dead man and all thy works are but dead works Then thirdly the Saints live by faith that is the life 3. Faith is their assurance of assurance as I may so call it the Saints they hold their assurance of the former by the power of faith not by sense for a while at least they know they are Saints how do they know it by faith they know they are justified how do they know it By Faith True it is when God gives them the knowledge of sense they must not shut their eyes one day that they have it but our eyes are so dim that we are ready to mistake so that the maine course of a mans life is by faith from
Gods love in Christ in the free Covenant which Covenant consists in such promises which promises speak to me by such ordinances as this and the Lords Supper c. This is a third way Fourthly and lastly the Saints live by faith that is in all afflictions they do bear up their spirits and are supported 4. It is their support in afflictions by the power of faith upon the word though there be nothing seen and appear A naturall man cannot hold up but sink further then there is some sensible visible thing to hold him up but the just those that are Saints they have an art a mysticall art whereby when they see nothing but have a word wherein God hath promised to do this or that for them they can bear up themselves and so go on as chearfully as if they did enjoy or as if they did see their deliverance Thus Habakkuk we read this proverb verse 1 2 3. The vision is for an appointed time in the end it will speak and not lie though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tary Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith There was a vision that did promise good to this people but this vision must tarry a little it must not be performed presently but they might say how shall we do in the mean while The just shall live by his faith Though there be nothing seen yet notwithstanding they shall bear themselves and carry themselves chearfully and comfortably and contentedly by beholding the truth of the busines and the sweet expectation they have of it as if it were come already You have the proverb repeated by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrews in this sense yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry You have need of patience saith the Apostle They were in great afflictions there was a promise that God would help them but what shall we do in the meane while while the grasse grows In the meane while the just shall live by his faith he shall drive on and carry on the work and bear up himself and his spirit and his comfort and all on the word of the Lord and he shall do all this by his faith So that this being the lesson shortly though I be not able yet to clear this fully to you for truly this is a lesson wherein we still shall want light we are not able to see it perfectly it is from faith to faith saith the Apostle That is we come from one degree of faith to another to live by faith there are many kinds many degrees of living by faith Now this is it that I would commend to you and exhort you to that you would seek the Lord and study the Scriptures that you might come to this that you may live by faith First of all in the grosser part of it concerning sanctification that is an easie thing to be understood that you would not regard or weigh any thing in all your profession but what doth come from Iesus Christ by faith Truly much of our Religion is a naturall kinde of Religion and much of that which is like good in us doth not spring from Iesus Christ and whatsoever is not from him will never be accepted by him We have many morall vertues from old Adam that we gild over and account them graces but God loaths them We have many duties that we have taken up in the imitation of others by good education or the power of the letter Preached to us and yet this is not the life of faith it is not holinesse by faith And therefore let us not like many professors study the muchnesse of Religion or the plausiblenesse of it without as that I am able to preach as other preachers do and you are able to pray in a day of humiliation as other professors do this is nothing but let us labour that that little holinesse that is in us may clearly proceed from the Lord Iesus Christ One had better have a Garden of a few true and pleasant Flowers though there be but a few then to have a Garden with some Flowers and a world of trash like Flowers there is no pleasure in it Now I fear that much of thy best duties spring from old Adam much of thy best prayers and much it may be of that Religion whereby thou art accounted a professor much of it I fear is nothing but old Adam and his ruines screwed up and varnished or gilded and not from the Lord Iesus Christ And therefore remember this that as drunkennesse and whoredom and those grosse and scandalous works of darknesse are called dead works so every graine every stamp of good in thee if it be not from the new Adam it is but a dead work I could shew you how you shall know the one from the other but that the time is short and I must not hinder other occasions Therefore I leave that upon your thoughts that you may pray to the Lord Lord I do not care how men conceive of me I care not though I be among the least of all Saints as Paul saith if I be reckoned the least of all Saints so that that little Saint-ship and holinesse that is in me flow from Christ that it be a grace from his grace and light from his light But the other truth is wondrous hard to expresse that we should in respect of justification and assurance learn the Art of living by faith that when the Lord shall take away all comfortable objects of sight and sense that we can see nothing we cannot pray at all we see corruption upon corruption and waves of temptations one upon another and no working within to relieve us that I am able then to live by faith that is to see a righteousnesse in Iesus Christ and to build upon his word and Covenant to hold my self and my assurance still I am a son still everlasting life belongs to me still though I feele and see nothing but hell and something worse if it may be yet notwithstanding I am a Saint and I am righteous and just and the Lord is my father and hath reserved everlasting life for me Beloved the life that Christians ordinarily do live it is a life mingled with faith and sense for if God give me free grace why should not I rejoyce in it If I clearly see the first fruits of the Kingdom of heaven why should I exclude my reason not to conclude that there is more grace behind But there are other Saints that have a mixture of faith and sense that take away sense and their faith is gone their faith is grounded upon sense And I have oft times looked in to my soul and thought why the Lord suffered me to be carryed away with corruptions and to be overwhelmed with temptations whereas he hates these things and I hate them and I weary
weak soul hath the testimony of Gods spirit that he walks uprightly in his family before the Lord but if he fall into the company of spirituall Christians that are full of the Spirit full of the Holy Ghost he comes home proclaiming himself an hypocrite all the way as he goes Do not that for God hath cast it so that the first shall be last and the last shall be first therefore though I be weak who knows but that God may make me equall to that glorious Saint Therefore as he is not to be secure and proud so I am not to be discouraged Fourthly learn also this lesson for it is of especiall use in these times for this is the age when old professors 4. Not to judge others set themselves to sleep learn hence not to judg of Christians old Christians old professors to be hypocrites because that they have taken a napp I may not think that that man whom I have known to be the first man for Religion of all the Iustices of the Peace of all the Gentlemen in the country of all the ministers in the County because he is now the least and last of all the gentry or ministery or the like I may not aâ— the ordinary fashion of men is conclude that there is no grace in him It is an ordinary thing among us you have instances every where in this case but rather conclude this that many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first God hath put the one against the other that we should finde nothing after him God delights in variety of works and he hath cast it so that ordinarily professors should be like the Angels or Iacobs ladder some up and some down the young going before the old and the old coming behinde the young and as souldiers in training wheele about and go behinde one another God in wisdom hath done so therefore I wil not say such a Magistrate or such a minister or such a Gentleman doth not belong to God because he is not so good as he hath been he was once the best and now he is the least he may be the Lords notwithstanding all this We must remember this or else we shall make hypocrites of all the world for there is no Christian but hath his failings and if we conclude so then God will have no Saints It is a blessed meanes of meekning the heart towards napping Christians Then lastly let there be a kind of equality and spirituall 5. To preserve a correspondencie and equality correspondencie between all Saints O that God would have it so that as the younger should not carry themselves unreverently to the elder so the elder should not despise the younger but as there was an equality in their gathering of Mannah they that had much had nothing to spare and they that had little had no want so the Lord delights in equality among the Saints God hates to see Christians that have much knowledge to brow-beat weak Saints God hates it Let us love a kinde of equality and spirituall correspondencie For we are all one body and have all one head the greatest member cannot say to the toe I have no need of thee the greatest Christian if he be as an eye in the head he cannot say that he hath not need of the weakest Saint there is something that may do him good if he could see it To end this I will give you the expression of Calvin on Rom. 16. 16. Salute one another with an holy kiss the Churches of Christ salute you The observation of Master Calvin upon this place is this that the Apostle had before saluted a great many strong Saints by name and commended them for some excellencies one for one thing another for another Priscilla and Aquila as helpers in Christ and such a one for such a thing he gives commendation now because he names not all least the weak should be offended therefore saith the Apostle salute one another with a holy kisse It was their manner before their supper they had feasts of love and before their feasts of love they did alway salute one another with an holy kisse they kissed one another and it was a Ceremony that God appointed to this end to shew that there was a kinde of equality between all the Saints that the poorest could not be kept at a distance from the rich and the youngest Saint that the other day was a drunkard or whoremonger was not to be despised but was kissed of the old So that kiss linked them together that though there was difference yet this kisse levelled them Beloved how far this ceremony should be practised by us or we are bound to it is more then I can tell or any that I know but that is signified by it holds that there should be a blessed correspondencie between all the Saints and some kinde of way whereby a man that is in Christ be he never so weak may know that Christ accepts him that the greatest Saint and most glorious on earth accepts him also And not as the factious custome of disputing professors is that never take notice of but scorn hundreds of poor Saints that have not those gifts that cannot talk swelling proud words as Iude saith All that are Christs should be dear to us as they are dear to Christ he loves them alike he paid as much for them as he did for us and God is their father And Christ provided foreseeing the disposition of men in latter times that of all Saints we should take care of the weakest therefore saith Christ to Peter Peter lovest thou me lovest thou me lovest thou me Lord thou knowest all things Well I see thou lovest me as thou lovest me feed my lambs We are to feed the sheep too for Peter was a Sheperd but we are to feed the lambs of Christ especially In Mat. 18. you know what care Christ takes of his little ones he compares young professors to little Children and if any offend one of them it were better that a Milstone were hanged about his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the Sea If you should see a man in the midst of the Sea with a Milstone about his neck it were a miserable condition so it is a sad condition of high and lofty professors that brow-beat weak Saints that will not correspond or condescend to them of the lower sort O saith Paul who is weak and I am not offended who is offended and I burn not I will say no more of that remember many that are first shall be last Expositions and Observations on LUKE 18. 1. And he spake a parable to them to this end that men ought always to pray and not to faint I Do finde beloved that now a days the devil hath wondrous designes in the world and truly one of the greatest that I know among us is this that he indeavours to cheat us of the ordinances of God and to bring us from
Iohn 14. And in the Epistles of Iohn If we call upon God he will hear our prayers and grant our petitions and if you ask any thing in the name of Christ you shall have it You know these things onely I minde you as Peter and the rest of the Apostles often minded them of what they knew already least they should be carried away with the error of the wicked That is one thing it is an Ordinance you see four great pillars under it it hath the Law of Nature there are Precepts and Examples and Promises to perform what we pray for And there are threatnings to those that do it not Curse the Families that call not on thy Name Secondly I said it was an everlasting Ordinance or duty and you may see that three ways First If you look upon the old Testament you shall see there all the people of God they practised it I need not instance in any one place And secondly you will easily grant that if you look upon the times of the new Testament the dawning of it in Christs time for that was the dawning of the new Testament there you see Christ prayed whole nights and before day he was on the mountain seeking God and there are many Parables one in Luke 11. and another here wherein he exhorts his disciples to be earnest with God and though God as it were seem as if he had no minde otherwise to do it yet by the very importunity of prayer for that is the drift of that Parable in Luke 11. and of this the Lord will be intreated Then come after to the times that the new Testament was fully set up you see when Christ was gone to the Holy of Holies there they prayed and called on God continually all those Churches did call upon God there is nothing more clear Nay thirdly for there is the main hint of it in the last times in these times and in later times then these though these be called the last times the glorious times that shall be just at the end of the world the people of God will be a praying people in those days I will give you but one place Zach. 12. that is clear concerning the conversion of the Iews in the last times that they shall look on him whom they have pierced and shall mourn every family apart Now the Iews are not yet come in neither are those glorious times yet come to the Iews and Gentiles that shall follow upon their coming yet it is said when they shall come in praying shall be in such request in those days that even the conversation of the Iews is called a pouring on them the spirit of grace and supplication Therefore say not now the last times are come and these are glorious times and we can live immediatly upon God without Ordinances c. No those times are not come and yet when that time is come they shall have a spirit of grace and supplication to call upon God And therefore I beseech you let not the devil steal away any of your Ordinances for I tell you again and again he drives on a wonderful design among you in that respect And of all Ordinances labour to keep Prayer for cast off Prayer and cast off Saintship for to be a Saint and to call on the name of the Lord with a true heart are the same I will call thee no longer a Saint then thou callest on God Therefore notwithstanding all pretences look to that Some object God knows our wants and what need we pray Saith our Saviour Mat. 5. Your heavenly Father knows what you have need of and yet Christ taught them to pray We must manifest our obedience notwithstanding that God will do one thing when we pray for another that is a foolish objection because we know not what is good for us neither how to pray according to the minde of God but if it be according to his minde and for our good God will not deny it to us But the maine Engin that the devil hath to cheat us of this Ordinance is that there were times when there was neede of Ordinances and these beggerly rudiments this is the language of some these carnall Ordinances it is true they were good in the times of the Apostles and those former times but now glorious times are come for Saints to live immediately on God and therefore there is no need of them I told you that when the Iews shall be called there will be need of these Ordinances and though as we grow more perfect in glory so we have less need of them therefore as we are more glorious and have more of the Spirit of Glory in the new Testament then they had in the old so we have fewer Ordinances then they and when we shall come to heaven when she shall be full of glory we shall have no Ordinances for ought I know but yet we have infirmities and the Lord knows what is best for us and we have a great deal of flesh and carnalness and we shall have in a great measure till we be in heaven therefore God in mercy affords us these Ordinances and helps to deal with him and to keep our Communion with him and to live in and from him Therefore I pray you without partiality and prejudice weigh the Word of God whether this be not the Will of God and then take heed how the Devil cheat you of this blessed Ordinance for truly I may say as Christ said Now is the Ax laid to the root to the root of Prayer and if the Devil take away that thou art no more a Saint my life for thine if thou once throw away calling on God Therefore learn that word and endeavor to keep up the Ordinances of God and you that do not but are grown into remisness by the Opinions that are abroad concerning this duty I beseech you renew your care and diligence every one of you in publick and private to seek the Lord. And consider with your selves whether there be not a greater remisness on your spirits then before did you not set your selves oftner and more earnestly apart to seek God before then you do now If it be so in the name of God say as David O how sweet is thy Word by it thy servant is warned Now this is the goodness of God the sweetness of his Word that hath warned thee when thou wert going to undo thy self and to throw thy self away Therefore set thy self to it and let not the sin of others in throwing away of Ordinances make you remiss in using them either throw them away quite or use them as the Ordinances of God for the careless use of Ordinances is abominable to God Expositions and Observations on ROM 6. 14. For ye are not under the law but under Grace FOr ye are not under the Law There are three things in which a Christian is subject to be under the law and so to be scourged by it and if he
1. In dictating a world of prayers to us that you may see the greatness of his power what a world of prayers doth the Spirit of God put into thy heart that thou art never able to utter with thy mouth All the wisdom in the world cannot make one spiritual petition we may make forms of Prayer but now the Spirit of God that knoweth the minde of God as the Apostle saith that maketh prayers according to the will of God and he prayes with sighs and groans unutterable I speak to them that know the working of the Spirit how many thousand prayers doth God put into thy heart that it is impossible for thee to utter with thy mouth Thou canst not speak to God one petition of fourty that the Spirit puts into thy heart That some conceive to be the meaning of that in Rom. 8. The Spirit prays with sighes unutterable not because of our weakness but because of their strength and they are so numerous they are so many that when a poor Saint goes to pray one petition stops another and throngs it out that he cannot utter it If the Lord should hear only those prayers that thou makest with thy mouth thou wouldest be but a poor man but the Lord respects the prayers of the heart Therefore I say to have power to make one prayer and to have such innumerable sighes and groans in the soul too it must be an exceeding great power Secondly consider this how much the Spirit of 2. In supplying us when we pray not God doth for thee and in thee that thou never prayedst for nor never couldest pray for no not so much as in heart If the Lord did answer all the prayers of heart and tongue that we make throughout all the year a man would think that were a great matter but surely they are so few considering our wants and they are so confused and blinde that I am confident if God should deal with thy soul and mine according to our prayers all the year we should be miserable creatures all our lives God exerciseth us to pray and many of them he answers in their kinde and he is pleased with our obedience in every thing but surely God hath a higher rule of doing us good and the Spirit of God works in a more methodicall and wise and merciful and blessed way then we can pray I have sometimes wondred that God hath made promises to answer many prayers that we make but I wonder more that God should grant things that we pray not for This is the exceeding greatness of his power Thirdly consider the exceeding greatness of his 3. By teaching us inwardly power in this respect in his teaching how the Spirit of God teacheth his people and servants he teacheth them above what they are taught outwardly by men As thus Cast with thy self suppose thou hadst every Sermon that thou hast heard in thy life and every Lecture that thou hast heard on the week days and on the Lords day that thou hadst them in order and method suppose they were written in thy heart and fresh in thy memory that thou didst understanding and remember every Sermon that thou hast heard which no man doth a man would think such a one to be a very knowing man Truly if thou hadst it so thou mightest be a miserable confused blinde man for all that for all that ever thou hast heard preached thou mightest be a blinde creature for alas our teaching comes with so much weakness and dross with it and one saith and another unsaith and if we consider it in a natural way we shall never be made knowing men by all outward teaching in the world But now the Spirit of God comes in and he is pleased indeed to make use of it that we shall teach outwardly but alas the Spirit of God reads such a Lecture in the heart of a Saint and clears things and orders things and assures things and settles things that are right and discovers things that are not and inlargeth and sweetens and quickens them that it may be a man in hearing one Sermon of an hour long may be taught more then another man in hearing Sermons seven years together This is the exceeding greatness of the power of the Spirit of God that truly beloved I have often thought with my self I speak not to disparage our teaching and your hearing but our coming to teach and you to hear it is as your sending your little children to School to keep their cloaths clean and to keep them from play they learn nothing in a manner for your money onely they are obedient to their Parents and are quiet and are in the School where teaching is So you come to hear and we to teach but all our teaching in a manner is by the Spirit of God Therefore it is a wonderful thing to see how quickly the Spirit of God will make a Schollar ripe how in a quarter of a year nay in a moneth almost the Spirit of God will fill him with all spirituall learning whereas the best preacher in the world let him Preach concisely and exactly in a natural way he shall not teach him the tenth part Nay we reach you we preach it may be four or five Sermons and we open it as well we can poor earthen creatures and when we come to look on it a quarter of a year after we finde that those notions that it may be were so confused and poor while we were teaching you that there is a glorious piece made in your souls by the Spirit of God though our Notes when they were done were scarce worth the burning we are so poor and frail in teaching and you in your outward hearing therefore there is an exceeding great power that works in you that believe Fourthly and lastly for I speak this to inhaunce and 4 By working our works in and for us advance the Spirit of God as Paul saith we are not debters to the flesh but to the Spirit you ow more to the Spirit then you are aware of consider in all the good that you do in all the good works that you do how wonderful passive you are in the doing of them We have a saying It holds true I gainsay it not in a sort that a man in conversion is passive and afterwards he is active that is God in a mans conversion works on a man as a dead creature only he is rational but he suffers and works not with God but when he is converted then a man hath a principle of life God works and man works man works with God and it is a true comparison we were then passive now we are active But in respect of the principle by which we move and walk truely a Christian may say I am altogether passive in a manner in all that I do God carries a mans tongue to speak and his hands to work and his feet to walk God carries a man in good many times and
glorifies himself many times and a man knows not how in the world he comes to do it or why he did it or how he came about it so God doth many glorioous things by us and we are not aware This is the Lord this is the greatness of his power God in some actions he either carries a man and doth his work by a man without a man as it were or else he doth it above him There is no good almost that thou doest but thou shalt clearly see that it is above thee that it is God thou wert never able to speak or to do or to go through any such thing but the Lord went through with it It may be some of you understand not what it is to do a thing without you it is too spiritual but there are Christians that may and can say God did it without me I was as a block I know not how I was scarce active with God God did all O great and glorious is that power look which way you will what that power is in changing thy nature in destroying old Adam what that power is in resisting temptations what that power is in wrestling and prevailing with God what that power is to uphold thee in the wicked world and to preserve thee to the last day Consider it every way it is great wondrous glorious and mighty and exceeding mighty is that power that works in them that believe even the power of the Spirit of God The Spirit is called power Power it self as it were not that I deny the person of the Spirit thereby as if the Spirit were nothing but the energy or working of God that is not the meaning but he is called power because as it were he is nothing but power whatsoever he doth he doth powerfully and gloriously and effectually Angels work in little common outward things marke the difference between the assistance of the Spirit and of Angels The Angels are ministring spirits sent out to wait upon the Saints How do Angels work for us Angels make not prayers in us Angels never subdue one sin in me they can never bring peace to my conscience and soul Angels converse not in spiritual things but in outward things Angels keep thee that thou dash not thy foot against a stone they keep thee from breaking thy neck they keep fire from thine house but spiritual things are done by the Spirit of God the exceeding greatness of power is by the Spirit Therefore consider of this word be not such poor low-hearted creatures to be afraid of every ill and to be discouraged from going about any good thing I say consider the power that dwels in you and indeavor to give glory to God to magnify the blessed Spirit that works in you to admire it for the more you admire the Spirit the more vile you will be in your selves and the viler you are in your selves that you attribute all to the Spirit the more glory God shall have and then things will be as they should be in the best order for God and man Expositions and Observations on EPHESIANS 5. 1 2. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children and walk in love c. THe Apostle in this Chapter and especially in that going before exhorts the Saints to walk worthy of their calling that is to walk humbly and meekly c. towards God and men and there he shews sometimes the good they should follow and the evil they should leave promiscuously which is meant by walking worthy of their calling And here in this first verse saith he I beseech you be followers of God as dear children He puts in this motive to all the holiness he speaks of before and after that as dear children of a blessed father they would hearken to him that they would hate all the evil and cleave to all the good he had proposed to them so that the Lesson is this That The Do ∣ ctrine Our spiritual priviledges should as much ingage us to holiness as they should help on our comfort My meaning is this you know in this wicked world wherein we are this is one Gospel way that we use and practise and have been taught that whensoever we came near the Lord especially then we should indeavor to raise up our souls by the consideration of our Gospel-priviledges and the relations between us and God When you and I come to pray we study as much as we can to look on him as a father and we do well and to look on our selves as sons and daughters as those that are in Christ as those that have their sins pardoned and covered in him to look on our selves as the Spouse and Wife of Christ And all the relations we can make out and all the priviledges that are laid down in Scripture we seek to own them whereby to get up our souls to some joy and comfort before the Lord and this is a good and blessed thing when we do so for the Lord would have his children as to live holily so he delights to see them live comfortably The Lord takes delight in the prosperity of his people But here now you and I miss we do this out of a kinde of Self-love because we would have comfort we make use of our priviledges and plead our relations but we should also make use of them to move us to holiness and to resist sin and evil as well as to raise us to comfort and consolation And thence it is that we are so oft foyled with sin because we walk as men as the children of men as the Scripture saith we forget in what a station God hath put us in what grace and glory we stand through Jesus Christ Therefore when we are walking and conversing in the world we look on our selves as men we think of our neighbours what they would have done in such a case and it may be we thinke of natural reason it may be of corrupt reason but we do not state our selves all the day as sons and daughters of God Man naturally doth not love to reflect upon himself which saith Dr. Preston is the difference between a man and a beast take two or three children it may be one is a Lords son and another the son of a Begger they reflect upon themselves you shall see by their carriage the poor childe carries himself respectively to the other the other carries himself disdainfully to him So all people every one hath a kinde of conclusion upon himself from natural considerations Such a one carries himself high he reflects so upon himself Why he thinks he is a man of such parts of such fortunes and breeding and feature and the like and he carries himself accordingly It is so with all mankinde Now if we would have the Spirit of God shine upon our souls and draw such conclusions alway that lie in our breasts that I am a son a daughter of God one in Christ married to Christ bone of his bone and
works and no otherwise for I know this no trouble nothing can befall a Saint that is rightly principled according to the Gospel but it is exceeding amiable If there be sorrow for sin or any thing that you account bitter in it self if it fall on such a soul that is indued with such a principle that is as sweet as any thing else I may say though it be Nonsence to carnal ears his sorrow is as sweet as his joy his sorrow for sin is as sweet as his joy for mercies if he be one that is rightly transplanted from Mount Sinai to Mount Sion Therefore see how the Apostle lays it down look on it and you shall see nothing but what is truly amiable But ye are come to Mount Sion Now Mount Sion was a beautiful place saith the holy Ghost the beautifullest place in all Ierusalem where the Kings house was Davids house covered with gold Therefore beautiful things in Scripture are laid down by the name of Sion and usually it is called the Virgin Sion for fairness and beauty Ye are come to Mount Sion And to the City of the living God What is that The heavenly Ierusalem Not to the old Ierusalem that was subject to be taken and to be burned and subject to pestilence and famine and sword but to the heavenly Ierusalem the Ierusalem that comes down from heaven And to an innumerable company of Angels You are come now to the place where there are Myriads of Angels In the state of the Saints in the new Testament there are innumerable companies of Angels that God hath ordered to waite on them to protect and preserve and to save them In the old Testament we read of one Angel here and another there one Angel was sent to Sennacheribs Camp to destroy it but here is an innumerable company of Angels this is the state of the Church in the new Testament To the general assembly and Church of the first born I cannot go over all the particulars but if you read All things amiable to a man rightly built upon Christ them over you shall see that there is no object but what is throughly amiable and that is the onely thing I would commend to you Let him be a man that is rightly laid upon Jesus Christ and hath the right knowledg of him according to the Gospel by his holy Spirit I do not say that there is a little but there is nothing that he can conceive or imagine but it is sweet and amiable and pleasant to him as For instance look which way you will if he behold God there he seeth infinite sweetness how he is his Father reconciled to him and ful of eternal bowels of affection towards him before the world was one that loves him infinitely and takes care of him perpetually If he look on Jesus Christ he sees that he is his husband he is one with him as Christ is one with the Father If he look upon the Ordinances he sees them as blessed pipes that have many sweet promises to convey more of the love of God and of his Spirit to his soul If he look upon the creatures he sees the glory of God upon them in creating them and the goodness of God in providing them for him and he tasts the love of God in them If he look on afflictions he sees them as sweet wise and seasonable corrections from his heavenly Father to bring him nearer to him If he look on sin as sin is the transgression of the Moral Law he sees all forgiven by the righteousness that is in Christ and all nailed to his Cross and he knows that sin in him shall work for the best that it may make him prize the grace of God more and come nearer to God If he look on persecution and the plotting of wicked people against the Church a Saint that is rightly set in the new Testament he sees nothing but what is beautiful and amiable Not but that there are objects that in themselves are not amiable as sin is not amiable in it self properly considered neither is affliction but he hath such a glass the Lord casts such a light in him through which he sees every thing the light of the Gospel through the holy Spirit that there is nothing but joy and comfort That is the reason that the Apostle commands which is a strange command Rejoyce saith he in the midst of afflictions rejoyce when ye fall into divers temptations And rejoyce and again rejoyce Phil. 4. And presently after Let your patience and moderation be known unto all men As if he had said Ye are in great afflictions yet rejoyce evermore If these Philippians had been as we are and had had those principles of Mount Sinai in them they would never have rejoyced in those great afflictions but having clearly the love of God in them and justification rightly placed on Christ and the principles of the Gospel rightly planted in them there was no affliction or temptation whatsoever but they could rejoyce in it Rejoyce evermore I do not know whether you yet fully understand it the Lord teach you that you may know what is the hope of you calling what a glorious condition God hath called you to I will conclude with three or four words of Exhortation to you from this Lesson that every object that a Saint that is in the new Ierusalem can behold is altogether amiable The uses are here mentioned in the Chapter before Then in the first place learn not to faint under afflictions 1. Use Not to faint in afflictions for that is the reason the Apostle brings this in do not so much strive or struggle how to get out of afflictions as to get more Gospel light to see afflictions for that is all one nay better then the other Therefore if the Lord do but give you a little Eye-salve that is his Spirit to look on them you shall see no gall nor taste nor see any misery or evil in them at all That is the Use that is here spoken of Therefore what ever thy afflictions be labor to understand rightly their nature and thy station in the new Testament and no doubt but thou shalt bear them through Another Use that the Apostle teacheth us is this 2. Not to undervalue the glorious condition of Saintship and me thinks in my apprehension it is a very considerable word Beware least there be any fornicator or prophane person among you as Esau that for one morsel of meat sold his Birthright for saith he we are not come to the Mount that might be touched I apprehend the meaning to be this that this being so the estate of a Saint being so glorious then beware you that are Professors least any of you be so prophane as to sell your birth-right that is all your glorious priviledges and unconceiveable happiness in your condition for a mess of pottage that is that you do not relinquish basely these mercies to forsake your
confounded and the Gospel of Christ is not spiritually and rightly and orderly and distinctly planted in us or else we would be more holy and look on sin in another manner then ever and hate the appearance of it and cleave to that which is good These were the Lessons that I thought of from this Scripture Desire God to inlarge them when you come home for Truths use to breed in the soul Therefore the Spirit of God is compared to a Bird the Spirit sate on the waters as the Bird doth on the nest to hatch her yong The Spirit of God with reverence will hatch such truths as this in the hearts of his children that though it be confused and rude in the beginning yet the Lord by his holy Spirit may break it out to a glorious and powerful light to our souls Expositions and Observations on 1 PETER 1. 9 10 11 12. Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently c. Which things the Angels desire to look into THe Apostle speaks of the salvation that Godhath given unto us and Christ hath purchased for us in the New Testament and he saith it is such a glorious salvation that all the prophets in old time they have been groping after it they have spoken much of it but understood little of what they said but spake for our sakes that is principally for us and the very Angels desire to look into that salvation The Apostle sets out the glory of that salvation thus the prophets inquired after it and the angels desire to look into it So the word then briefly is this that The very angels of God they doe earnestly desire to know and understand the mysteries of the Gospell the salvation that God hath given to sinners by the Gospell The Angels are wondrously taken with the knowledg The desire of the Angels after the mysteries of the Gospel of the glorious mysteries of the Gospell True it is for themselves they are not more saved after the manner as men are but yet the glory of it is so great and the glory of God by it that the very angels desire to look into it the Angels study it Now how do they study it Compare this with that Ephes 3. 8 9 10. Vnto me saith the Apostle God hath given this grace that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God c. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be made known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God The Angels no doubt know that that we cannot comprehend and they have a great deal of that intuitive knowledg as we say but this I would teach you that the Angels are willing by the Church that is by Gospell preaching by the ordinances of God set up in the Church they are willing to learn and by the help of them to prie into the glorious mysteries of the Gospell Not only the good Angels they are present here Both good and bad Angels that is certain waiting upon the Saints but also the evill angels that is the devills they desire to look into the Gospell they do learn the mysteries of the Gospell by Gospell ordinances by preaching For good and bad Angels are of the same nature by creation though some fell and others did not This mystery of the Gospell was hid from Angels from good and evil Angels And though they know diverse things of God and their own happinesse yet the glorious things of God in the Gospell and New Testament they are content to come down among us and hear and learn of the Church and of the ordinances We are not able to comprehend what senses Angels have or that we shall have when we are gone hence to the Lord. Therefore there are two or three things that we should learn from it Vse 1 Me thinks it should be a generall motive to every one of us to be a little more diligent and carefull to To be diligent hearers of the mysteries of the Gospel hear the mysteries of the Gospel when they are opened to us If angels come down as it were and learn this wisdom by the Gospell who is so great but he should stoop to prie into these glorious mysteries And if the devil though he learn it that he may the more dishonour God by it hearken to every tittle and use of it and improve it how carefull should we be If the good Angels learn though their salvation be not by it but only the glory and the mystery and beauty of it how much more should I hearken whose salvation or damnation it is for ever If the Devil hearken to every doctrine and use that he may dishonour God and hinder my soul how much more should I hearken that I may honour God and resist the devil and save my soul Vse 2 Secondly learn hence another thing that is wisdom and watchfulnesse against Satan Truly the devil To learn Caution against Satan was a gross fool in the times of Popery I mean there was but little preaching therefore he had but little knowledge of the things of the Gospell but as the light of the Gospell grew clear so the devill grew wiser And he hath laid aside all the temptations that he had a hundred yeers ago for he can never catch men that way for the generality and now he hath gotten spirituall temptations for as the Gospell breaks out for the enlightening of the Saints to bring glory to God and save their souls so the Divel gets more light and knowledge whereby he may more dishonour God and damnifie the souls of men The devil is the same now as he was then to dishonour God and damn souls and the way generally is the same to bring men to sin but for the speciall manner of it the devil drives a new trade nothing like as before before it was to invocate angels and dead Saints that was grosse Now you think you are safe because these things are gone but the devil hath got the Spirituall knowledge of every lesson you hear and he knows how to beat you with your own weapons the divel hath temptations on the right hand and on the left now he brings men to be puffed up with spirituall knowledge he hears pretious things in the Gospel and an intelligble man is much taken with notions and the devil takes him that way He sees the doctrine of justification breaking out and it is glorious and men are taken with it therefore in way of thankfulness men shall swagger as the world doth and whereas before they were something like professors even to the world now they shall walk in all loosness and wantonness I say not that all do so but there are some and wo
towards it the heart lyes gaping and is dead Let any lust or sin come any temptation though it be never so poor and feeble there is no resistance there is an inrode into the soul without any opposition let pride or frowardness or filthiness or covetousness and worldliness come there is nothing to resist it because the life of the soul is away which is the spirit of God And is not this an excellent thing then for a man to have the spirit of God dwelling in him that when good is proposed to him the spirit may as it were switch him It is a homely expression but I have found it by experience As a jade with a good switch is set on to the journey or to his businesse so when the soul of a man hath somewhat within to switch him to cause him to close with good things to lay hold on them to attempt them at least Whereas when the spirit is away there is no stirring the soul is as flat and as dead as water in a stinking ditch This is the excellency of the spirit Therefore you that have it prize it There are some that if they had it again as once they had they would prize it and praise God for it and would now give a world for it Therefore you that have these stirrings of the spirit in you to make you close with good and to resist evil in some measure bless God and praise his name for it That is the thing I drive at that you may see the use and worth and excellency of the Spirit of God in your souls When the Spirit of God is away from the soul all the seals of Gods Love and the signs of his Favor they are cut off at one dash as it were I mean thus when the Spirit of God dwels in the soul you could read the love of God in every Ordinance you could see it in every Grace and in every Promise in the Word of God in every thing and you could see one while your election with joy and another while Gods everlasting love with joy and another while the death of Christ and another while your union with him another while your Redemption and Reconciliation and Gods Love sealed in all these Nay in every creature you could taste the Love of God in your cloathes and your meat and every thing But let the Spirit of God be gone and all these are gone Take all Promises and Mercies and Sacraments they seal not one spark of the Love of God but they are all dead speechless things that signifie and speak no comfort at the best and it may be horror that a man may read I had almost said his Reprobation in that which a few hours before he could have read his election in and those Scriptures all along that he could sweetly have seen the Will of God in and could say that which neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor hath entred into the hart of man that I have seen he can shut his Bible and say and almost swear that he understands not one tittle in it That soul that when he had the Spirit could spring with joy unspeakable and full of glory when he came before the Lord to call upon him either in publick or in private and could pour his soul into his fathers bosom that could have prayed a whole year if he had had time and strength to continue he is not able now to speak one word to the Lord. And more then so he is not now deprived only of all light of all Knowledg of all assurance of all comfort of all strength either to do good or to resist evil but there is positive horror in the heart positive fear and terror and darkness a bondage to unbelief seizing upon him That as our Lord saith The Spirit is like winde that no man knows whence it comes or whither it goes So he feels a misery in his soul that he knows not whence it comes or where it will end As it was said of the Powder plot the Powder Treason that there should be a blow given that none should know whence it was so he sees a blow given to his soul and the life of it and all that is good and excellent in it and he knows not whence it is he can say that his soul is no other then a plain hell for there is no positive evil in hell but it is there and there is no privative evil no evil of deprivation of any thing that is good but he feels it there so that in all our Religion our Graces and Duties and Assurances and Evidences the Spirit of Iesus Christ is the life of all Therefore no wonder that David who was a Type of a Gospel Christian should say Create in me O Lord a new heart andrenew and restore thy holy Spirit as if he had said since thy holy Spirit went away there is an annihilation all that is in me is annihilated He doth not say mend and repair but create I see not so much as a stump of Grace a root or a habit or any thing but all is pulled up and thou must create in me a right spirit Therefore learn that the life of all your Comfort and Assurance and Profession and Graces and Duties and all is the Spirit of God It is but the turning of Gods hand to say Come back my holy Spirit from such a soul leave him but one three hours and then he will be according as I have told you therefore saith the Apostle we are not debtors to the flesh but to the Spirit If ever you finde comfort in an Ordinance you owe thanks to the Spirit if ever you have a little assurance of Gods love whom will ye thank for it Ye are no debtors to the flesh he doth not mean you are not debtors to sin there is no man but he knows that he owes nothing to sin but saith he not to the flesh that is principally to any thing that is not the Spirit to fleshly wisdom to natural parts to our best abilities and endeavours If ever you have gotten any thing by Sabbaths or Sermons or the company of the Saints it was not from your own wisdom or pains but you are debtors to the Spirit of God it is the Spirit that wrought it therefore prize the Spirit of God you that have it O if you could but borrow the eyes of poor souls that had it once and have it not O how happy creatures would you think you are notwithstanding all outward miseries because Jesus Christ by his holy Spirit dwels in your hearts but we know not the worth of it till we want it and then we can prize it and would give a world for it And then labor to please the blessed Spirit take heed of provoking and grieving of him the Spirit is a more dainty Spirit then you are aware of you may easily vex and grieve and fret it do not dally with sin Christians
but now London must there my wrath shall be poured out The Lord grant that it may not be so but I greatly fear it Secondly The Lord brings them to imprisonment the Lord took them prisoners Verse 11. The husband with the wife shall be taken the aged with him that is full of days And then comes their plunder Their houses shall be turned to others with their fields and wives together For I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of this Land saith the Lord. O if the Lord should say This is the City to be visited and make war against it and then take you prisoners take the aged men the Aldermen Common Councellers and all prisoners and then plunder all and say their fields and their wives shall be turned to others That were sore that you should not onely lose your goods but your fields that your houses and trades and shops should be taken away and your very wives Thus the Lord did with others I will not say that he will do so with you Now there were stumbling blocks in Ierusalem before it was destroyed so there are in this City it is filled with stumbling blocks every little difference in opinion is a stumbling block that some men become Atheists because every Saint doth not agree one with another And then there is the fear and horror that did fore-run this misery Verse 24. But in a word the course that the Lord would have them take and that therefore I shall speak of that you may beseech the Lord that this poor City may prevent those evils One thing is the Lord would have them seriously and sincerely humble themselves before him to acknowledg their sins and bewail them Verse 26. Saith the Lord O daughter of my people gird thee with sackcloth and wallow thy self in ashes make thee mourning as for an onely son Not a formal day of fasting and humiliation for that is almost become all form but really humble thy soul and call upon the Lord that the Lord would be pleased to turn away his wrath Then the second thing laid down is That we should hearken to instruction Be thou instructed O Jerusalem least my soul depart from thee be ready to hear the Word of the Lord be ready to hearken what Gods will is how he may be glorified and we preserved Then thirdly here is a word that I exceedingly desired to open but I must but name it Verse 16. Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall finde rest for your souls saith the Lord. This is the way to save you Stand in the wayes ask for the old way What is the meaning of the old way That is Iesus Christ That was the old way of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Iesus Christ and the way of righteousness and holiness and truth He alludes as I take it to the Patriarchs for that is called the old world and the old way Saith he Ye are not like your fathers heretofore Abraham he was not covetous and full of oppression they were willing to hear that which was for their good and they were not the worse for their afflictions Look to the old way and labor to get such a Spirit as the Saints had heretofore that were in Iesus Christ What of all this notwithstanding this counsel that the Lord had given them what if they will not turn to him what if they will not amend Then there is a terrible word that we read of in Verse 8. Lest my soul depart from thee It is not sin onely that makes Gods soul depart from a people nor their hardness nor wickedness but when they refuse all means and helps then his soul departs from them Therefore Be instructed saith he lest my soul depart or lest my soul be disjoynted as it is in the Margin What is the meaning of that It is a terrible word we have that word expounded in Ierem. 15. 1 2. See what it is for to have Gods soul to go from a people I beleeve that Gods soul is not gone from us if we will hearken to him and do not give our selves up to wrath and rage against Gods people Then said the Lord to me Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my minde or my soul could not be towards this people There is before the ferventest blessed prayer for this people that I know in the Book of God Ieremy prayes And now their destruction was coming saith the Lord Though Moses and Samuel should come before me my heart could not be on them I have put them out of my heart my minde and soul is gone from them I will never be troubled more with them What follows Cast them out of my sight let them go forth And if they say Whether shall we forth Then thou shalt tell them such as are for death to death such as are for the sword to the sword such as are for the famine to famine and such as are for captivity to captivity Let them go whether they will some of them will be hanged some killed some to the sword some starved they can come to no good because they are gone out of my sight My heart and soul is from them that is the last gasp that is hell above ground Therefore the sum of all is That we hearken to God for these things were not written for Ierusalem onely but for our instruction God hath laid down their sin and wickedness and their oppression and the blessed remedy that they should have taken and if we take it not but go on in our wickedness we see what we may expect That when that shall come on us which God if it be his will forbid you may remember that you were told before I have one thing in my sad and serious thoughts to comfort me that this shall not befal this City and that is this That the Lord delt with them according to the administration of the Old Testament and so went by Cities and Nations but now every man and every person that calls upon God is respected in every Nation and City whatsoever But this comes in and cools it wonderfully and puts me to a non-plus If we in this City did go according to the administration of the New Testament I am perswaded that the Lord would not send desolation upon the City but because we would go according to that old administration we have chosen it and said so and do so Now as they chose that administration to deal with God he chose that to deal with them for the Lord will deal frowardly with the froward the Lord will deal with men according to their own law Those that sin against the Law of Nature shall be punished so those that sin against the Law of Moses shall be punished so those that go according to the administration of grace shall be delt with accordingly Now we are going according to the old administration
in your souls I know God many times by these broken words may do your souls good but this is a thing that I confess my soul is so full of that I am not able to express it to vent and open my self The mischief and misery that befals people by soaring above the Scriptures above the plainness and simplicity of the Gospel ye hear that they do themselves and others and the safeties and security that will be to your souls in keeping to the plain simple way of the Gospel of Iesus Christ I had another short lesson but I am loath to thrust out one duty with another It is a rule by which I would alway walk I cannot now handle it but only mention it to you and if God lead us by his blessed Spirit we may learn a little of it I thought to shew you The Oneness that is betwixt us and Iesus Christ Methinks it is a more glorious Truth then we have judged it to be that poor Saints are one with Christ The Lord Iesus Christ is anointed and so are they we have the same unction with Christ we have the same name with Christ we have the same Offices with Christ we have the same love of God with Christ we have the same Spirit with Christ and the same Kingdom with Christ in Heaven The Church is the fulness of Iesus Christ Christ is not properly a Christ without his Members This is a glorious thing to consider how the poor Saints and Iesus Christ make up one compleat Body He is no Christ as it were were it not for his members The Church is the fulness of him that filleth all in all It is said of the oyl that was poured on Aaron It ran upon the skirts of his garments So Christ being anoynted that oyl runs on us As he is a Prophet so are we as he is a King so are we as he is a Priest so are we onely with this difference That in all things he might have the preeminence He is the highest King the best Prophet the most excellent Priest But otherwise whatsoever Christ is that are we whatsoever he hath that we have nay we have his name So also is Christ 1 Cor. 12. We head and members are called Christ And the least Saint of God is a Prophet as well as the greatest and a Priest as well as the greatest and a King as well as the greatest Nay he is as real a Prophet Priest and King as the Lord Iesus was onely in all things he must have the preeminence We have a share in all his actions we are one with him in his graces in his life and death and resurrection and ascention There is nothing in Christ there is nothing that Christ is or hath but we are one with him in it Therefore this use we should make of the Scriptures not to be as babies always to read a Chapter morning and evening but you that are experienced Christians when you have a truth hinted to you be alway at the Scriptures to beat it out As for instance go home now and study that Oneness that Vnion that is between Christ and us and beat it out to the utmost and what the excellency of the Spirit of God in the New Testament is and not to tie your selves to read so many Chapters a day but be alway studying the Scripture As David saith Blessed is the man that exerciseth himself day and night in the Law of God Thus the spiritual man doth not so much read Chapters as compare Scripture with Scripture and is bolting out spiritual truths till they be fully fixed and fastened upon his soul I shall it may be if God will explain that union to you further in the mean while search for it and so I shall leave it here and hear what the Lord hath further to say to us Expositions and Observations on IERE 6. 1 2 c. O ye children of Benjamin gather your selves to flie out of the middest of Jerusalem and blow the Trumpet in Tekoa and set up a signe of fire in Beth-haccerem for evil appeareth out of the North and great destruction I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman c. I Shall desire leave at this time a little more familiarly then usually to tell you what I conceive is the will of the Lord because I do not expect to speak to you any more I remember a little before the Lord had brought us together before the desolation of that * Bristol City which indeed was greater then any man can imagine unless he had been there present the Lord by his providence guided me to expound Matth. 24. concerning the desolation of Ierusalem little thinking or imagining that the desolation of that place had been so near And now that word that was then spoken by providence was as I perceived afterwards a very great stay and refreshing to the souls of the people in their trouble By providence also not by any way of prophesie I never was addicted that way but by providence reading this Chapter in my family and seriously considering of it me-thoughts the Lord represented to me in a way a little more then usual the state of this City wherein you now live and are to live and that by the state of Ierusalem which is here laid down throughout the Chapter For though we cannot tell you now of Cities and Kingdoms as the Prophets did by revelations and visions and the like yet what is written is written for our instruction And the Lord hath given us examples of his judgments that we may learn from them what to think and how to judg of other places and Cities and Kingdoms that are parallel that are like to those that the Lord hath visited or destroyed heretofore Therefore I shall briefly lay down the condition of Ierusalem as it is here in this Chapter Here are things spoken promiscuously because here in the Prophets there are but the heads as it were of their preaching therefore for method and your memories sake I will digest the condition of Ierusalem and what is here said of it and about it into these heads briefly But first of all before I speak of Ierusalem it-self ye are to observe the condition of the Prophet that the Lord had set among them which is laid down at Vers 27. I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people that thou mayest know and try their way The Lord compares the Prophet to a tower in the City that is a watch-tower A tower for strength as it is Iere. 1. 18. I have made thee an iron pillar and brazen walls That though he preached contrary to their corruptions yet they could not touch him And a tower for watchfulness because the Prophets did watch as out of a tower all the City and all in it and the enemies that were against it So the Prophets were called Seers in those days eying the sins of the