thorowly effectual to that blessed desired and longed-for end Now from the whole Premises these following Positions may be clearly laid down First That those Professors of the fear of the Lord that have been so polluted Position I as is declared and that do continue in those Evils whether of Commission or Omission are very unworthy and very unmeet to be accounted Members of his House and though they may be at present Members of several Congregations yet they are such as shall be cut off from the City of the Lord if they repent not when he shall come thorowly to puâ—ge his Mat. 3. 11. Floor and gather his Wheat into his Garner Secondly That is the great duty of those that are gifted and gracious spirited Position II men and men that have obtained mercy to be faithfull that are in the several Congregations and Societies of them that profess the fear of the Lord whether they are Officers among them or †For some Officers may be â—â— guilty of these Evils as some others any others that are so qual fied to do these three things First To promote and press with all earnesâ—ness and â—ervency of Spirit the work of unseigned Humiliation before the Lord and of true Repentance for all or any of these Evils that are found among any of them all yea to be lying at the Feet of the Lord continually and to give him no resâ— until he pour our such a poâ—tion of his Spirit upon them as may truly â—nable them to be ashamed of all the Evils they have done and to loath themselves in Truth for all their abominations I say To give the Lord no rest until Duty I he do these things for them and not to content themselves with keeping a day of Fasting and to think when that is done all is well but to be impoâ—tunate seckers of the Lord for such a truly broken and penitenâ— Spiâ—it as God will not despise that they may be truly as it is â—aiâ— Ezek. 7. 16. of them that shall escape from the Sword without and thâ—â—â—estilence and Famine within like Doves of the Valâ—eys 〈◊〉 of them 〈◊〉 every one for his Iniquity even for his and her partâ—cular Inâ—quiâ—y most especially and also for all the abomiâ—ations of others also that they may have that special Mark chap. 9. 4. And Secondly It is the Duty also of such faithful Serâ—ants of the Lord Duty II in the several Congregations to declare unto the Members of each Society that are guilty of such Evils and live in them That they ought not to be admitted to be paâ—takeâ—s of the great Ordinance of the Lords Supper unless they repent so as to reform and thorowly amend their wayes it being a very dangerous thing to approach to the Table of the Lord in these pollutions and deformities and not having on their beautiful Garments viz. The Royal Robes of Righâ—eousness the Blessed Ornament of a meek and Isa 51. 10 1 Pet. 3. 4 1 Pet. 5. 5 Rev. 15. Psal 45. quiet Spirit and the precious cloathing of Humility even all those white Robes and Golden Girdles and Cloathings of Wrought Gold that do signifie all the Fruits and gracious Operations of the Holy Spirit And that it is dangerous appears 1 Cor. 11. 26 27 to 30. For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew forth the Lords Death until he come Wherefore whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eâ—teth and drinketh damnation to himself not discerning the Lords Body For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many are fallen asleep Where it is clear that it is a very dangerous thing for a man to draw near to the Table of the Lord without examination of himself whether there be any iniquity that he lives in whether he be a Vestâ—â— on whom holiness to the Lord is visibly written or not It is very dangerous to rush unto the Table of the Lord without any fear or dread of coming unworthily not considering that such as have so done are guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord and that such as have so done have for this cause been sick and weak and have fallen asleep And it is most certain That It is a dangerous thing to come to that Table without the Spirit of Love that ingages the Soul to true and uâ—feigned love to all Saints as Members of the same Body so as to communicate freely and liberally as God hath blessed as to Members of our own Body not like a Churâ— It is a dangerous thing to come to that Table with hearts full of Adultery Mystical Adultery hearts given up unto other Lovers and not to the Lord. It is dangerous coming to that Table with froward hearts contentious spirits having any heart rising against any person or persons Or which is somwhat less It is a dangerous thing to come to that Table with slightings of any others that are members of Christ as truly as we for the Corinthians coming together and some having a fulness of outward things did eat and drink when others that were poor in this world had not and were hungry The Apostle calls these Actions in them that were full a despising of the Church of God the poor Members aâ— truly making up the Church of God as those that were rich and a shaming of them that have not The poorer sort it may be seeing their fulness having their Bottles of Wine and costly Cakes and dainty Viands being made ashamed that had it not Now their thus â—lighting the poor which Evil James also reproves as hath been shewed and shaming of them in that particular is the sin the Apostle here reproves and advises them rather to eat and drink in their own Houses then They it may be would tarry for the rich to grieve and shame the Poor and not to slight the Poor but to tarry one for another for sayes he verses 20 21. When ye come together therefore into one place this is not to eat the Lords Supper for in eating every one taketh before another his own Supper and one is hunâ—ry and another is drunken that is Hath drunk sufficiently and fed sufficiently And vers 33 34. Wherefore my Brethren when ye come together to eat tarry one for another and if any man hunger let him eat at Home that ye come not together unto condemnation It is a dangerous thing to come to that Table with a proud Heart Psal 101. 5. Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer Such shall not be welcome to his Table In a word He that is guilty of and continueth in any Evil whether of Omission or Commission whether of the Evils that have been declared
persons when they know most and see Truth with the most spiritual Eye then they have always the greatest abhorrency of themselves in the truest sence of their own vileness so it will be with the whoâ—e Church of Christ when God shall in the latter days discover his Glory which Isaiah and others have had some Glympses of most clearly and most perspicuously as he will then reveal it as Isa 35. 2. Jer. 31. 14. Isa 40. 5. and many other places shew Then when his whole Sion shall be filled with the discoveries of the Goodness the Grace the Kindness the pardoning Mercies of the Lord When all their Iniquities are pardoned and all that dwell in Sion shall be forgiven their Iniquity Then shall they be most humble and most abhorring themselves for their own vileness as Ezek. 16. 62 63. And I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayst remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God And the like Ezek. 36. 31. where the Lord having declared what great things he would do for them it is said Then shall ye remember your own Evil Ways and your Doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your Iniquities and for your Abominations But those persons are far from abhoâ—â—ing themselves in the sence of their vileness and from taking shame and confusion of faces to themselves that are greatly netled and offended at any reproof of another that judgeth he seeth some Evil in a man that he ougâ—t to reprove him for What doth this argue but that such a person is puffed up and hath a high esteem of himself as if he could not erre and would not have any to think he doth erre nor to have any mean thought of him because he hath no mean thoughts of himself What doth this argue but Pride and thinking more highly of himself then he ought to think that ought to be poor and needy mean and unworthy in his owâ— esteem continually But for a person to â—â—et and â—ume to be offended and highly displeased and to gather up all the Fig-Leaves that possibly he can to cover his shame and not ingeniously to acknowledge it to the very utmost circumstance of it as fâ—r as he is guilty doth discover a very proud and unworthy spirit And of this sin very many of the Lords People are too guilty But I cannot charge 〈◊〉 upon any one Distinction or Understanding of them more then upon others some of each being very sadly guilty of it But for an humble Soul that 's truly humble indeed no Reproofs for Evil can offend it whether they be justly or unjustly administâ—ed to him for he will say Let the Righteous smite me and it shall be a kindness and let him reprove me and it shall be an excellent Oyl which shall not break my Head And will Psa 141. 5 say to such Blessed be you of the Lord for your faithfulness to me and though it may be I do not see this Evil in my self so clearly as you do yet it may be you may see what I do not and I desire to search my heaâ—â— throughly in this matter for it is apt to deceive me and I know I am a poor vile Worm and I desire to be more sensible of my own vileness and unworthiness then you can be and I desire from my Soul to be cleansed from this evil and I desire your Prayers that I may be so and may be fully convinced of it and may repent in Dust and Ashes and blessed be God that hath given this blessed Precept to his People to reprove for Sin They that hate their Brother in Lev. 19. â—â— their Heart will not do this kind Office But this is an Act of Love to my Soul and I highly prize it for the Love of this kind is better then other Love that Prov. 27. 5. 1 Cor. 11. 31 32. may be in the Heart but cometh not forth into Act therefore open Rebuke is better then secret Love And I desire always to be thus dealt with that I may judge my self and condemn my self that I may not be condemed with the World Thus the humble Soul will be so far from being offended at Reproof as it will with thankfulness receive the sharpest Reproof you can administer unto him But when a person cannot bear Reproof whether it be justly or unjustly administred to him let him conclude that any unkindly bearing of Reproof springs from Pride not that a man ought not at any time to endeavour to clear himself when he is not at all guilty of an Evil if upon a mistake or mis-apprehension he be charged with it for if a man be wholly guiltless of that evil that he is charged with yet if first he cannot with all meekness and sweetness return an answer to his Brother or Sister that reproves him but storms and is offended he is proud and cannot endure that any should have mean thoughts of him and though he may be guiltless in this yet in some other respects it may be he is ten times worse then they charge him with Or secondly if he do make a soft answer yet if he have a secret grudge in his heart against that Brother and heart-rising thoughts and cannot as truly and tenderly respect him as ever he did and as one that hath done him a very kind and friendly office he is proud for nothing but a haughty spirit will move him to disrespect him for speaking that to him that may tend any way to his abasing for a truly humble Souldeâ—â—res always to be abased in its own Eyes and is not troubled if it be abased in the Eyes of others as knowing it cannot be more abased then it deserves to be But that too many of them that are called the House of Jacob and Israel and that profess to be nearer to God then others have been deâ—ply guilty of this sort of proud spirit hath been too evident and apparent Their proud spirits and high stomachs that must come down and their haughtiness that must be humbled being visible to many when theâ—e have been Reproofs administred to them and of this both Presbyterians Quakers Baptised and Independants some of them all are to be charged Another thing wherein some of them all have also been guilty of Pride is their being lifted up because of Gods holy Mountain and each of them despising and undervaluing others because they thought they in particular were Gods holy Mountain As the Baptised Churches have many Members of them if not most of them been ready to censure and judge all others as being none of Christs but those that were in their way and they onely were Sion they onely were the Israel of God and those that come in to them they come to Sion they *
question being put Who shall dwell in the Lords Holy Hill It is answered Psal 15. He that walketh uprightly and worketh Righteousness and speaketh the truth in his heart He that back biteth not with his Tongue nor doth evil to his Neighbour nor taketh up a â—eproach against his Neighbour in whose eyes a vile person is contemned but he honoureth them that fâ—ar the Lord He that sweareth to his own hurt and chargeth not he that putteth not out his money to Vsury nor taketh a Reward against the innocent And Psal 24. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his Soul unto vanity nor sworn decâ—itfully And Isa 33. 15 16. It is said That that man that shall dwell on high and that shall see the King in his beauty and whose eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet Habitation that he shaâ—l be a man that walketh Righteously and speaketh uprightly and that he despiseth the gain of Oppâ—ession and shaketh his hands from holding of Bribes and stoppeth his Ears from hearing of Blood and shutteth his Eyes from seeing Evil. There are also many Scriptures that do give â—ull Testimony to this that the latter-day-Saints shall have this Inscription written on them HOLINESS â—â—ch 14. â—â— TO THE LORD So that persons that live in a continued course of any of the forementioned Evils are altogether uncapable of dwelling in the Holy Hill in the House in the City of the Lord and of being the Lambs Followers For he hates the works of them that turn aside of back-sliders of them that have forsaken him and cleave to other Lovers or that turn aside and betray his Interest or that are unrighteous in neglecting his Worship and his Ordinances Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfil all Righteousness saith he to John implying that the being obedient unto God in the practise of all his Ordinances and Appointments that being then a dispensation and appointment of the Lord in that season he having appointed and commissioned his blessed Servant John â—o Baptize his People Israel is a pâ—rt of the Righteousness of his People And he hates unrighteousness in not keeping his â—recepts also that require Love Mercy Meekness and Lowlâ—ness and Faithfulness But he saith That he that walketh in a perfect way he shall serve me he shall have that honour and happiness and Mine Eyes shall be upon the Faithful of the Land that they may dwell with me And He that speaketh the truth in his heart and he that is of such a tender heart and gracious Spirit as he will not back-bite his Neighbour will not speak evil of him behind his back nor hear evil to be spoken of him will not take up a reproach against him noâ— will swear deceitfully but will keep his Oath though it be to his own hurt and prejudice such a man shall dwell in his Holy Hill But a wicked person he will not know he that is of a froward heart shall depart from him and he that slandereth his Neighbou the will cut off and him that hath a high look and a proud hear the will not suffer He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within his house nor him that telleth lies But he will early destroy all the wicked of the Land and cut off all wicked doers from the City of the Lord How greatly therefore doth it concern all the Lords People to fear and tremble at the thoughts of living in those sins of which many of them are declared to be guilty or in any others of which they may know themselves to be guilty Now then it is clear from these several Scriptures that these Blessed Ones that shall be near the Lamb and shall follow him whithersoever he goeth shall be a People that shall hate Covetousness they shall be a chaste Spouse unto him they shall be perfectly free from Harlotty No Beloved shall have their hearts but their Lord and though it may be some of them have been Idolaters yet when they are convinced of the abominableness of this Evil they shall with a holy indignation cast away their Idols of Silver and their Idols of Gold which they have made each one for themselves unto the Moles and the Bats they shall haâ—e the thoughts of their Idolatry Isa 2. 20. and Harlotry They shall be grieved to look upon their Bags of Money and their great Stocks in Trading and Merchandizing when they cast up the sum of them and of their Lands and Houses and Rents which they have purchased and hoorded up with delight And that which was their greatest delight shall be their greatest buâ—then and it shall grieve their Souls and cut them to the heart to think how hard-hearted they were in laying up all this and suffering many dear Servants of their Lord to want when they knew it and were told of it and yet had not hearts to relieve them and they shall be so grieved and so humbled and so reformed herein as it shall be most apparent that though they were defiled with the love of the World and that Harlot had stollen away their hearts now it shall be so no more Now none but Christ none but Christ is the delight of their Souls and the World shall be trampled under their feet They shall despise it and all the offers of it when it comes in competition with the service of their Lord whose Worship and Service in private and in publick in Closets and Families and Churches and in the world if they call them to any service there shall be their meaâ— and drink their joy their delight their Heaven upon Earth Thus there will be a blessed freedom from that Sin of Covetousness and not from that sin only but from all other Evils also Now how greatly doth it concern all the Lords People to fear and tremble at the thoughts of living in those sins of which many of them are declared to be guilty or in any others of which they know themselves to be guilty But if ye love to be near the King to dwell withâ—n his House to be of the City of the Lord to see the King in his Beauty to have the honour to serve him Be ye sure to wash and make clean and to put away all the evil of your doings from before his Eyes Lest he be angry and ye perish leâ—t he destroy you as the wicked of the Land and cut you off from the City of the Lord. But remember this one Word of his He that walketh in a perfect way â—e shall serve me III. Another great Consideration that I would lay before the Lords People to provoke them to a deep Humiliation and a thorow Reformation is Consideration III this That as without it their most solemn Services cannot have acceptance with their God and as without it they cannot be the Lambs Followers nor be admitted into his Holy Habitation into his House and Blesâ—ed Presence So neither without iâ— shall they be
the whole Earth when true Holiness and Spiritual beauty shall appear in it when it shall be arrayed in the Robes of Righteousness and cloathed with Humility that shining beautiful Rayment and be adorned with the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit and be beautified with the exceeding precious Jewels of Faith and Love when their Faith in God shall be such as they shall not fear what all the united Forces of men or of Devils can do against them and their love such to God to his People and to mankind in general as it shall be the delight of their Souls to do Service to God and to do good in all respects to mankind in general as far as lies in them And when this spiritual Beauty appears on Sion then it shall be the praise of the whole Earth then men shall praise it and glorifie the God of Israel whose Children they are And without this though Sion should have full deliverance from all outward Enemies and though it should have all the outward prosperity that heart could wish instead of being a praise in the Earth and an honour to the Lord it might become a stink in his Nostrils and a stain a blot and a dishonour to his most Glorious and most Blessed Name But all those that wait for Redemption from sin in Jerusalem and that pray and long for the true glory of Sion that it may truly be a praise in the Earth they will rejoyce more in any work that hath any tendency to the discovery of the stumbling-blocks hereunto and to the taking them out of the way then if any one should give unto them thousands of Gold and Silver it will make their hearts leap for joy But I must tell the courtious Reader by the way That my prayer hath long been That God would call forth some better instrument to this Service that he hath appointed me to and give a greater measure of annointing to some excellent One of his that is in this Earth that might do it to greater advantage and so it had been done by any other it may be I had been altogether silent But none yet appearing behold a Babe must do it it may be to provoke others who yet have fuller measures of the Holy Oyl to pour out to this purpose for if this incission be not deep enough and if this Potion do not thorowly stir all the Humours which yet it aims at this being but an Essay it may be a second third or fourth attempt of some one or more that may be greatly replenished with a large Portion of the Holy Spirit that may convince of sin and be a word of Power through the concurrence of the Spirit to draw forth bitter mournings in the Lords People over all their Iniquities may effectually prevail to cast all the stumbling blocks out of the way of his Isa 57 14 Mat. 13. 41. People and to remove every thing that offends But if any of the Lords People shall after all that is or may be done in order hereunto hug their lusts as their beloved Delilahs in their Bosoms and roll them as sweet Morsels under their Tongues the Souls of many will mourn in secret for their pride But that be far from any But as I said before so I doubt not but am very sure of this there are many thousands in these three Nations that are true hearted Nathaniels that will not be offended but well-pleased with the convincing charging and reproving part of this Discourse even so well satisfied as they will say as Peter said to his dear Lord in another case Lord not my feet onely but my hands and my head also So will they say to the God of Israel Lord let not this Work or any other that may follow it onely tend to discover the Evils of the Paths of our feet and to turn us from them but also convince us of and turn us from all the Errors and Evils of our heads and hearts also and of our whole man we would be all over fair and beautiful and have no spot in us And they will say they are not herein too harshly dealt with but rather say the harshest word is the most acceptable word to them The whole scope of this Discourse is to do that work that must be done before the approaching glory can be expected viz. to prepare the Way of the Lord in the Wilderness and to make streight in the Desart a high way for our God And when that is done the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together as is plain Isa 40. 3 4 5. The Lords Sion hath a long time been and is at present in a Wilderness Desart state A Wilderness a Desart is a rough unhewen unpollished thing no beauty no comliness is in it There are no pleasant Walks no plain and streight Paths drawn by a line in a Wilderness but rough crooked places Hills and Vallies altogether unpleasant little fruit grows there but poor dry heathy shrubs that are of little use And thus it is and hath a long time been with Sion with the Lords own People they have been very barren and unfruitful and like the dry and parched ground they have dead hearts unprofitable and unfruitful lives and conversations in comparison of what they should be little verdure little greenness appears in them but they are like the heathy shrubs of the Desart places They have not plain streight Paths among them but have crooked Spirits and walk in crooked Paths But though this is Sions sad case at this day yet there are glorious Promises made to it as Isa 51. 3. The Lord shall comfort Sion he will comfort all her waste places though she is unfruitful and waste yet she shall not be forgotten but the Lord will comfort her and how by making her Wilderness like Eden And he will make her Wilderness like Eden though she is an unfruitful Wilderness yet she shall be as fruitful as ever Eden was even as the Garden of the Lord and when she is so fruitful she shall be comforted indeed then Joy and gladness shall be found therein thanksgiving and the voice of Melody This is a very great and precious promise the like is Isa 35. 1 2. The Wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them viz. the judgements of God upon Babylon and the Desart shall rejoyce Sion though a Desart shall rejoyce and blossom as the Rose it shall blossom abundantly not a few thin blossoms but abundantly and rejoyce with joy and singing The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it the excellency of Carmel and Sharon no place more excelling in glory for fruitfulness then it shall be they shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God So that it is plain that though Sion be a Wilderness yet it shall become a most lovely pleasant glorious and beautiful place But it is as plain that in order hereunto there
that Word of the Lord already mentioned Isa 42. 24 25. Who gave Jacob to the Spoil and Israel to the Robbers Did not the Lord he against whom we have sinned This is spoken to you now and you have sinned against the Lord. And though you have not lived in these Sins that have been mentioned yet you have greatly sinned and your have lived in Sins which are as great as they Which are These 1. The Sin of COVETOUSNESS This Sin is and hath been thy Sin O House of Jaâ—ob and ye that are called by the Name of Israel This I COVETOUSNESS is a Sin of the Lords People Jer. 5. 28. hath been one of your Sins and this is one of your grand Iniquities and your horrible Sins as will be made to appear And this is a sin wherein you have equalized if you have not surpassed the deeds of the wicked As appears by what follows The Lord gave to the professing People of England Scotland and Ireland within these twenty years last past as much liberty to worship him as their Hearts could wish both in their Parish-Assemblies and other Assemblies They could not desire more liberty then was given to them for every one to worship him in that way in which they were perswaded in their own hearts was according to the minde and will of God And withal he gave to multitudes of them the additions of Health and Wealth and Riches What could have been done more for his Vinyard then he did for them But he looked that they should bring forth Grapes and they brought forth wild Grapes Instead Isa 5. 4. of devoting themselves to Him and to his Service and of presenting their Bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable to God which was their reasonable Service they fell in love with this present World and the Wealth Profits Pleasures and Honours thereof as if there were more beauty in it then in him and as if the Pleasures Profits and Honours of the World did out-bid him and they have chosen to set their Affections upon it and to give up their Hearts to it and to spend their whole Time and Strength and Care and Parts and Abilities which were given for more Noble Ends to grasp much of it together And they have forsaken their God and retained but the Name of being his but he hath not been their Delight their chief Joy and Solace the chiefest of ten thousand But their profits and incomes of outward things they have been their delight and pleasure and they have been as Cordials to them But God hath not been in all their thoughts sometimes all the day long no they have had other Lovers this business to be done and that and t'other business by which outward profits might come in and they have been as meat and drink to them and they can many times forget to eat their Bread to do business of profit But the service of the Lord that what 's that That must not hinder this business and that business that may be done when they have nothing else to do How many days have been spent day after day and scarce half an hour spent in the service of God And that with coldness enough onely to keep the Name of being the Lords Servants and therefore when nothing else could be done that was for worldly profit then the Lord was served in such a manner as it was as on the first day of the week when worldly business could not be done then there would be a coming to the Assemblies of the Saints and a kind of worshipping â—od when the heart was fâ—r enoâ—gh from him for having been engaged in worldly business all the week long it was full of worldly contrivances for profit and gain and wandering up and down in the world as in its proper element when the bodily presence seemed to be before God And so if sometimes in the week days there were an hour or two or three spent in the service of God in a day though very seldom either at a Meeting or it may be in a Closet the world had so much of the heart as very little of it was with God all the while whether on the Sabbath day or any other day onely a conscience and a Name of being the Lords Servants put upon it more then love to it for other Lovers were set up in the hearts of Professors fine Houses were beloved and fine Gardens and Orchards and fine Trades that brought in profits by hundreds or five hundreds or thousands by the year O how sweet were these things O how pleasant for delights What for him that never enjoy'd fifty pound in all his Life that he could say was his own free of debt to fall upon such a Trade or to come into such an Office or Offices as now to have gained fifty pounds per year a hundred two hundred or three hundred per year O how sweet was this What pleasure was there in this What a delightful and desirable thing was it to be so much above those that were his Equals before To be now so and so advanced How sweet were these things So sweet as they were still more and more desired and when a man had so much then he would fain have so much and then so much and then so much and who was it that ever came to a stint to a satisfaction To say I have enough for me and mine I desire no more I will never neglect one days service of God any more to gain any more of this World which I must shortly leave and I know not when I leave it whether it will be a blessing or a curse to my Children I know not whether I do heap it up for to be Ecccl. 5. 13. the hurt and the damage of me and my Posterity after me to nourish them up in idleness and fulness of Bread and it may be in Sodomy even in all those hateful evils which I see many great mens Children are addicted to that it may be it were better my Children had never been born then to have such Temptations left to them as my Estate may be to them Who was it in all the three Nations that came to so much as this while Wealth did flow in upon them Who was it that had their hearts dis-engaged from the pursuit of it How small was the number of them But O thou that art named the House of Jacob how greatly hast thou provoked thy God by a perpetual backsliding Thou art gone away backward thou hast said in thy actions and thy deeds I have loved Strangers and after them will I go so that Jer. 2. 25. there seems to be no hope of thy return Now consider O thou backsliding Daughter how the Lord resents this evil of thine Hearken unto that Voice of his by Jeremiah his Prophet Jer. 2. 12 13. Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be ye horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord For my People
have committed two evils they have forsaken me the Fountain of living Waters and have hewed them out Cisterns bâ—oken Cisteâ—ns that can hold no water My People have changed their Glory for that which doth not profit What a hoâ—rible thing was this That you that are called the Loâ—ds People that yoâ— that once professed that the Love and Favour of God was more desuable to you then ten thousand worlds and that you could trample upon the Worlds Wealth and Honours and Profits and Pleasures and count them but as dung in comparison of enjoying but one days communion with your God and that though you should always be an afflicted and poor People yet if you could but have the happiness and the priviledge to be in the house of God and in the Assemblies of his Saints and to hear his Word and enjoy communion with him in Prayer you would reckon your selves exceeding happy yea in better case then the highest Emperour upon Earth How horrible and astonishing a thing was this that those that once made these great professions that they should so extravagantly set their hearts upon this World as to forsake their God their King their Rock their Shield and their exceeding great Reward their Father and the Guide of their youth their Strength their Glory their all in all to dig and hew them out the vain perishing things of this World which cannot afford them one drop of true comfort Would not this make the glorious and beautiful Angels in Heaven to blush to think of it and the blessed Saints that shine as the Sun to be astonished and all the Hosts of Heaven to be horribly afraid at such unworthy such mad and distracted deeds of the Sons of men ten thousand times worse then him that is so bewitched with a painted Strumpet that is a filthy Harlot as to forsake a truly beautiful and faithful Bride O consider this all ye that have so much forgotten God Consider how he disgusts this Sin of loving this World this Sin of Covetousness Consider what title he gives it by his Servant and Apostle Paul Col. 3. 5. he tells you it is Idolatry So that in loving this World you have set up an Idol in 1 John 2. 15. Matth. 6. 24. Luk. 16. 13 1 Tim. 6. 10. your heart And you are also told by his Word that If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him and ye are told by his Son himself That ye cannot serve God and Mammon But O what gross Idolaters have ye been that have so served the World as you have done and so much neglected the service of your God O consider how that Word hath been verified in you that the love of Money is the Root of all Evil You have so loved and adored and admired and set up the World in your hearts as it hath been the root of all your neglect of publick service to God and to his People for his sake even of your neglect of visiting the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction of your neglect of visiting the Lords Prisoners of the neglect of Family-Duties two or three times a day of neglect of taking pains with Children and Servants and other Relations to bring them up in the nurture and fear of the Lord of neglect of Closet-performances and of enjoying many sweet and blessed seasons in secret of conversing with your God that should have been your chief Joy Consider how this love of Money hath been the Root of all your sparing to deal your Bread to the hungry and to cloath the naked and to bring the poor that were cast out to your Houses of neglect of drawing out your Soul to the hungry and satisfying the afflicted Soul Consider how the love of this World and coveting it hath almost estrarged you wholly from God and from every good Work wherein he might be glorified and ye might have Peace O consider ye Lovers of Gold and Silver what Moses speaks of such as you Exod. 32. 31. O this People have sinned a great sin and have made them Gods of Gold Did they sin a great Sin You have much more They made them Gods of Gold but it was a sudden Temptation and an Evil of a short continuance and it appears not that they set their hearts and affections upon them But you have set up your Bags of Gold and Silver your Land and your Wealth so in your Hearts as to forsake your God and to love your Gold more then your God and if it were not so your actions would witness the contrary but your actions have testified and do testifie to your Faces whom you love most O foolish People and unwise Do ye thus requite the Lord Is not he thy Father Deut. 32. 6. that hath bought thee Hath he not made thee and established thee O this People that are called by the Name of Isâ—ael they have sinned a great sin they have made them Gods of Gold and their very Hearts are set upon them so as they have forsaken the Fountain of Living Waters they Deut. 32. 15 16. have lightly esteemed the Rock of their Salvation they have provoked him to Jealousie with strange Gods Of the Rock that begat them they have been unmindful and have forgotten God that formed them Now consider O House of Jacob and ye that profess to be the Lords People whether this great Sin of yours be not as great if not greater then the Sin of the prophane wicked Worldlings Are they Idolaters So are you They have made themselves Idols For as Paul speaks of some They made Phil. 3. 19 their Bellies their Gods so it may be said of their Lusts after other things even the things of this World their Gold and Silver and Treasures they have made them their Gods also but in that you have made you Gods of Gold your Sin is greater then theirs because it is against greater Knowledge and greater Light and against greater Grace O what great aggravations have your Idolatries beyond theirs Your Sin is verily double to theirs for you have in this committed two Evils You have forsaken your true Glory your dear and gracious and glorious Lord the Fountain of all Good of all that 's lovely and precious of durable Riches and substantial Good for a Shadow for a Trifle for a fading Leaf for that which hath no substance Who would part with a substantial good thing for a shadow of it What is a shadow A shadow is nothing as soon as the light surrounds a thing the shadow is vanished and is not but appears to be nothing So are all your Idols whether Bags of Silver or Gold or Merchandizes or Stocks in Bank or at Interest or Houses and Lands and Gardens and Orchards and pleasant Walks Are they any more then a shadow of true Riches of durable Riches and Substance Are they so much Can there be any kind of shadow of that Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and
and hid his face from you so that you could hardly have so much as a glimpse of it from week to week It is no wonder that the Wife is unfruitful when her Husband is withdrawn from her It is no wonder that you have been baâ—ren and unfruitful and that the Fruits of the Spirit have not been brought forth by you but you have been as a barren Wilderness Your Lord is withdrawn from you for you have grieved his Spirit and he could take no pleasure in you and therefore you must needs be barren It is said of Believers in Christ That they are married even to him who is raised Rom. 7. 4 from the dead that they should bring forth fruit unto God You have been married unto him but you have left your first Husband and are gone to other Lovers and therefore have not brought forth Fruit unto God neither in your particular conversations neither yet have you been Instruments in converting others and bearing Children unto him The time was when it might be said of Sion This and that man was born in her But how few have been born in Sion of late But when you shall turn to the Lord again and cast off with a holy indignation all other Lovers and shall say I will return to my Hos 2. 7. first Husband for it was better with me then than now and shall be again betrothed and engaged to him so as never to depart from him any more Then you shall bring forth Fruit to him in another manner then you have done for these many years But in the mean time you are hereby told what your Sin is and what the reason of his great displeasure against you is for which he hath corrected you again and again even your Covetousness your love of Money is THE Sin that you have been generally guilty of as well those in the highest as those in the lowest forms And though some few Congregations or Churches one or two or more of you have exalted themselves up to heaven in their own imaginations and thought that they were excelling all others on the account of some peculiar Principles which they hold and have upon that account separated from all others as not worthy to have communion with them yet are they in respect of this Evil and the following Evils as vile and as wretched as others and some among those Churches are as great Lovers of the World as others and their Idolatries and Adulteries are as odious as others And there is no Church in England Scotland or Ireland found free but they have all provoked the Lord their God in a very high degree by this great Abomination But there are other Sins which the Lords People are guilty of also which are to be shewn to them with a SPARE NOT Cry aloud SPARE NOT shew my People their Transgressions and the House of Jacob their Sins are the Lords own Words II. Another sin which is a sin of the Lords People which is to be shewn to II. HARD-HEARTEDNES Job 42. 6. them that they may be ashamed and abhor themselves and repent in dust and ashes is the sin of HARD-HEARTEDNESS and shuting up the bowels of their Compassion from the Poor and Needy which hath sprung from that great Root of Evil Covetousness which hath been justly mentioned in the first place it being the spring and root of very much bitter Fruit according to that word of the blessed Apostle Paul who was cleer no doubt of that sin himself it being plainly demonstrated in his whole course of Life 1 Tim. 6. 10. For the love of Money is the Root of all Evil. Hard-heartedness and close-fistedness hath been I say another great â—â—n of many of the Lords people especially of them that are rich in this world and that have free and comfortable estates that they can call their own I shall the more briefly speak to this sin under this head having spoken to it in the former as it is one proof of that great sin of Covetousness But that this is a great and hateful sin appears thus The great Commandment of the Gospel is Love and it is the great Command not onely of the Gospel but also of the Law and therefore as it is called a New Commandment so it is called an Old Commandment also I say the great New Commandment which also is the Old is Love and it is the great Character of a Gospel-Saint especially Hereby shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another Now this Sin of Hard-heartedness and John 13. â—5 Jam. 2 8. Close-fistedness in them that profess to be the Disciples of Christ and the Lords People is a great blemish to their Profession and a great Evidence of their Disobedience unto the Royal Law of the Gospel unto the great Command of their great and glorious Lord and Master But this is the Sin of very many of the Lords People and though they do obey the Lord in many other things yet in this they do not Though this is that great Commandment of his that he did servently desire to be obeyed in and that he did so frequently inculcate again and again But you will say We do love one another we do love the Brethren we love them above all others as they are Brethren and as they are the Children of our Father and as the Image of Jesus Christ is in them they are very dear unto us To which the answer is Yea so you do in word and you will speak very kindly to them and you will wish them well and you will do kindnesses foâ— them if they cost you nothing But consider what the Apostle James says If a Brother or Sister be naked and destitute of dayly Food and one of you say Depart Jam. 2. 15 16. in Peace be you warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the Body what doth it profit If ye speak never so kindly and profess love and it may be have some love to them but if not so much as to communicate wherewith to supply their wants what doth it profit What doth it profit them or what doth it profit you Do ye think that love ye profess to have to them shall be taken notice of if ye have Estates and have not Hearts to manifest that ye have true love and true Bowels of Compassion by supplying their wants Whatever your Children need ye have bowels to them and supply their wants and ye cannot but supply them because ye love them and had you love to the poor members of Christ in necessity you would also supply their wants but your Hard-heartedness appears in your Close-fistedness and therefore consider what the lovely Apostle John speaks 1 Joh. 3. 17. But whoso hath this Worlds good and seeth his Brother hath need and shutteth up his Bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him It is an evidence
any truly spiritual taste Thus some of all Professors of the fear of the Lord have been great transgressors against him in not glorifying him as God and worshipping him so frequently and so solemnly as they ought but have been shamefully guilty of the neglect hereof Though some have been more guilty then others as their own Consciences as well as many other Witnesses can testifie to their Faces They have not been so exercised in Thankfulness and Praises as they ought nor so sensible of the multitudes of Mercies which God hath for a long time given them nor of his continued Mercies which are new every morning so as to praise him for his loving kindness every morning and for his faithfulness every night as David Psal 92. 2. 145. 2. 119. 164. But they have been unthankful though Praise is comely for the Righteous and frequent Prayer and Praises becomes the Upright And as they have been guilty of the Omission of Family and Closet-Prayer and Praises so many of them have been guilty too much of the neglect of instructing and taking pains with Children and Servants to bring them up in the nurture and fear of the Lord if they have taken a little paits once in a month or a quarter of a year they have thought it enough and how many have had Servants of whose Souls they have taken no care at all or very little O what great reason have very many of all distinctions to take shame to themselves on this particular account also Again The Lords People have been very guilty many of them of that great evil of the neglect of visiting the Poor the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction and of the Members of Christ in their sick and imprisoned conditions so that it will be said of many of them I was sick and in Prison and ye visited me not and of this evil they have been generally guilty except some of them here and there but some of them have been so guilty hereof through the love of this World as they could very scarcely find time once in a quarter of a year to visit any poor Soul in their Distress or Sâ—clâ—ness or Poverty or Imprisonment though some have been of the same Congregation of which they have been as thinking that the Visits that some others make may excuse them or whether others visit such or no it is all one to them this Worlds Business hath been their Work and their Delight perform such Duties who will they have not been careful This hath been the shameful evil of some both Presbyterian Baptised and Independant Professors but the People called Quakers may not be so much charged with this evil as many of the others may be there being generally a more forwardness and readiness in them to this Duty then in others And though it is a Duty that an out-side Professor may perform yet it is a Duty well becoming the the most eminent Saint But further The Lords People have also been very guilty of that Sin of neglect of a tender and careful watching over the Souls of one another when any one hath been overtaken with a fault and of not endeavouring to restore such a one with the spirit of meekness but have suffered Sin upon others Gal. 6. 1. Lev. 17. 17. and have not been concerned about it and have not taken that natural care of the welfare of each others Souls as they ought to have done this being the Duty of all Saints but especially of the Elders and Teachers of a People But of this Sin many have been guilty but the Elders and Preachers of the Presbyterian Congregations especially have been very deficient herein for which they ought to be deeply humbled for they most of them have been very negligent herein as if it were enough for them to preach two or three Sermons a week in a publick Congregation to all Comers and they have done little else in order to the Soul-advantage of the People whom they have judged to be committed to their Charge never going to visit them that hear them and to be enquiring into the state of their Souls and instructing them more particularly in the things that belong to their Peaee nor yet to endeavour with the Spirit of Meekness to restore any of them that have been over-taken with a fault and that are guilty of particular Evils which becomes not their Profession But they content themselves with a sluggish negligence of these things as if nothing else were to be done in order to the welfare of the Souls of the Flock the Sheep and Lambs of Christ but meerly a bare preaching once a week as some do no more or two or three times a week in a general way to all Comers Of this I say the Preachers of the Presbyterian Congregations are most guilty but yet some of the Teachers and Elders of the Independant and of the Baptised Congregations also as is well known are as guilty hereof almost if not altogether as any of these and therefore such may be joyned together And they must all know That these are the Shepherds with whom the Lord is greatly displeased of whom he makes that great Complaint Ezek. 34. 3 4. The diseased have ye not strengthened neither have ye healed the sick neither have ye bound up that which was broken neither have ye brought again that which was driven away neither have ye sought that which was lost c. which alas alas hath been your very Character How many of your Flock have been diseased weak and seeble Souls And what care have you taken to strengthen them by administring such particular Applications unto their particular Cases as might make them to be strong Men How many of your Flock have been sick of grievous Diseases either of filthy Covetousness or of dangerous Pride or of disturbing passionate peevishness and frowardness of spirit upon every small occasion or of desperate Unbelief c. And what care have ye taken to heal these and such-like fore Diseases of the Souls of your Flock by those blessed Prescriptions of the Word of God which you ought skilfully to have administred to each of them Remedies suitable to their several Maladies as the matter might require skilfully dividing the Word aright with a spirit of Meekness Sweetness and Love and yet with a holy Courage and Resolution not to spare Rebukes with all Authority in Love How many in your Flock have had broken Bones by reason of distress of Spirit that ye have not bound up And how many of your Flock have been driven away by falling into company with persons that have led them astray or by a propensity in theit natures to run into loose and vain company and to go astray from the Footsteps of the Flock of Christ And ye have not brought again that which was driven away neither have you sought that which was lost if they be driven away they may be driven far enough for you some of you who
and I will cure them and I will reveal unto them the abundance of Peace and Truth And I will cause the Captivity of Judah and the Captivity of Israel to return and will build them as at the first And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me And it shall be unto me a Name of Joy a Praise and an Honour before all the Nations of the Earth which shall hear all the good that I do unto them And they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it In which Scripture we find that the Lords People had sinned and greatly provoked him And therefore the Houses of Jerusalem and the Houses of the Kings of Judah were thrown down by the Mounts and by the Sword and the places were filled with the dead bodies of the men whom the Lord had slain in his anger and in his fury and for all whose wickedness the Lord had hid his face from that City which doth manifest that their sins had been very great against the Lord and yet notwithstanding the greatness of their sins doth not hinder but the Lord who is rich in mercy and abundant in goodness and truth graciously promiseth that he will bâ—ing it Health and Cure he will heal all their Soul-Diseases all then Wounds and â—ruisâ—s and puâ—ifying Sores and cure them effectually and wiâ— cleanse tâ—em from all the iniquities whereby they have sinned against him and when â—e hath cleansed and healed them then he will â—eveal unto them the abundance of Peace and Truth So that it is clear and unquestionable that though a People have been great back-sliders and have â—â—â—atly reâ—olâ—ed from the Lord yet there is hope concerning such The Lorâ— can heal such and the Lord will heal such for he hath promised it and when he hath healed he will speak Peace unto them yea he will reveal unto them the abundance of Peace and Truth and such shall be unto him A Name of Joy a Praise and an Honour before all the Nations of the Earth which shall hear all the good that he will do unto them and shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that he will procure unto them PSAL. 81. from 8 to 16. Hear O my People and I will testifie unto thee O Israel if thou wilt hearken unto me There shall no strange God be in thee neither shalt thou worship any strange God I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt open thy mouth wide and I will fill it But my People would not hearken unto my Voice and Israel would none of me So I gave them up unto their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own Counsels O that my People had hearkened unto me and Israel had walked in my wayes I should soon have subdued their Enemies and turned my hand against their Adversaries The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him but their time should have endured for ever He should have fed them with the finest of the Wheat and with Honey out of the Rock should I have satisfied thee MAT. 5. 18 19. For verily I say unto you Till Heaven and Earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least Commandments and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven but whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven POST-SCRIPT THere are two or three things in this preceeding Discourse that may possibly be mistaken and mis-understood by some to prevent which I thought good to add this Post-script before it comes forth to publick view The first is page 14. in these words As to be able to give great Portions to their Daughters great Estates to their Children Which words I do not recal by no means but as they are exprest with the words that next follow them in the same and in the line following them they are for just reproof to those covetous Sheepherds those * Isa 56. 11. greedy Dogs that scrape up all that ever they can of this World and â—oard it up covetously and currishly not communicating freely to the Members of Jesus Christ that are in distress or if they part with it do it spareingly and grudgingly and not of a ready mind But that I may not be mistaken in the recited words I must declare that I do by no means condemn those worthy and blessed Preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that have good and plentiful Estates and that are of a generous and bountiful Spirit as I know some are and that do make it manifest that they have the quallifications of Elders of Churches mentioned 1 Tim. 13. 2. and Tit. 1. 8. and that are inabled both to be liberal and bountiful and have wherewith to give good Estates to their Children for they are left at the same liberty therein that all other Servants of the Lord are that have large Estates whose duty it is to give largely to his Saints of what God hath given them and who may withal give large Estates to their Children and it cannot be said to be their sin so to do for it is unquestionably the duty of them that hear the Word to †1 Cor 9 from 6 10 14. communicate so plentifully to them that Preach it if they have it not otherwise that they may have wherewith to do both and it is the sin of their †That are rich in this world 1 Tim. 6. 17 18. Hearers if they do not so do For ordinarily many that Preach the Gospel are men of as good Parts and Abilities to mannage a Trade or Merchandizes or any Office that may bring in a good Estate for the supplies of their Families and large supplies also as any other men that do by such wayes get great Estates in the World And if by giving up themselves to this Service of the Lord they are taken off from so doing they â—â— consider it not and administer not to them accordingly are vâ— disingenious and unworthy people Secondly Another passage in the preceeding Discourse in whiâ—â— I would not be mistaken is that though I do not particularly meâ—tion any other Oaths Ingagements Protestations Vows or Pâ—mises that have been solemnly made but the Solemn League aâ— Covenant that was entered into about 22 years since that yet tâ— breach of any other Oath Vow or Covenant is as much condeâ—ned as the breach of that And wo is me that I must say it Thâ—â— Land mouâ—ns because of Oaths of Oaths that have been wickedâ— and sinfully broken by those that have profest the Fear of the Loâ—â— And I am perswaded that nothing but unfeigned Humiliations aâ— deep Contritions of those that have been guilty of this Sin for thâ— Sin or the taking away their lives from the Earth will pacifie thâ— Lords Wrath or stay his dreadful Judgements from coming doâ— upon these Nations Thirdly Whereas it is said page 73. That the Lambs Followâ— shall be of the disposiâ—ion of faithful Abraham Thereby is ment Thâ— they shall by no means take when it is offered to them the Worâ—â— Wealth from any of the World no more then Abraham took of thâ— King of Sodom But yet may the Lord give them some other waâ— plentifully of these things as he did to Abraham But the Worâ— shall have no cause to say That their Wealth hath made them ricâ— Christian Reader whoever thou art thou mayest be assured foâ— the Lord knoweth that I speak the Truth and lie not I. That this whole Work is done in obedience to the Lord whâ— laid it with a strong hand upon me though I †As Jeremiah pleaded and not otherwise Jer. 1. 6. pleaded to be eâ—empted from it and though to flesh and blood it was a hard tâ—â— for several Reasons And II. Thou mayest be as well assured also that this whole work iâ— done in true love to every Soul that is reproved therein whethâ—â— they be known or unknown to me for it may reach the Souls oâ— many thousands whose faces I never saw and of whose Nameâ— much less Conversations I never heard And the God of Isrâ—â— grant his Blessing to it Amen FINIS