World shal become ours Al worldly things are taken into Heavenly they have bin devided and distinguished you know some things are carnal some things are spiritual some things are of God some things are of the World-But now al things shal be taken up into the glory of God into the glory of Christ Which is the redemption of the body the deliverance of the creatures out of bondage wherein they have been held The whole Earth the whole Creation shal be taken up and filled with the righteousnesse and glory of the Lord. And he shall Reign for ever and ever Satan and wicked men have Reigned long but they shall Reign no longer So long as Satan can Reign over us we are subject to many evills but now he is cast down and now none can Reign over us but the Lord we shall now receive no good from man so also we shall receive no evill from man no good from good Angels no evil from evil Angels No man no creature hath any power over us none but the LORD We are the Lords the Holy ones of God and none but the HOLY ONE of God Reignes over us Wee give thee thanks O LORD GOD ALMIGHTY which ART and WAST and art to GOME because thou hast taken to thee thy GREAT Power and hast Reigned The LORD the LORD Reigns he hath taken to him his Kingdome that is it for which wee give Thanks His Kingdome and Our Thanks-giving And wee thank not man but God Thanks are due to none but GOD. Because the Lord Reigns and wee shall Reign Therefore we give thanks The Reign of Christ is an Eternall Reign For ever But the Reign of GOD is for ever and ever two Eternals The Reign of Christ is an Everlasting Reign yet he gives it up into the hands of the Father and God becomes all in all and Reignes for ever and ever There are two Eternities in this Reign the Lords and his Christs The LORD delights to double his excellencies to multiply Eternities and there is no minute wherein it can be said our LORD doth not Reign no season or time wherein it can bee said our LORD doth not Reign Whilest the LORD doth give forth favour and grace by man and man gives thanks to man it s not the Eternal Reign of God and Christ The Reign of God is without intermission it 's for ever It is in all things and at all times It is in height and depth in day and night in summer and winter It 's Eternal for ever and ever Which art and wast and art to come Here are three Eternals First The Eternal that was before the world This Kingdome was before all times and shall bee after all times when times shall be no more Which ART It is present it 's no longer absent yet it is to come but not so to come as that we want it but it is so to come that we shal enjoy it everlastingly It takes in all times past present and to come It is that Circle of Eternity that comprehends al beginning and ending And HE shall Reign for ever and ever Now there is a bouble use made of this by the Spirit of God Thanks be to God by them that dwell in Heaven Down with al your glory lay down al your excellency that is the excellency of al that are heavenly to give thanks to God In the 16. verse its said They fell upon their faces and worshipped God They lie down in the dust are base and worth-less in their own eyes that they may give glory to GOD. Now they say nothing is excellent righteous or good but God Worship God fear none acknowledge none but God speak nothing love nothing be nothing do nothing but God Wee give THEE thanks Here is thanks here 's praises here 's rejoycing LORD GOD ALMIGHTY We blesse THEE wee rejoyce in THEE wee are exceeding glad of THEE we never expected good from men if wee did they fail'd us There is nothing but oppression in man But in THEE is deliverance Certainly God wil Reign in righteousnesse in justice and truth Men are in tumults wars plots mischiefs But GOD Reignes in truth and righteousnesse And the GREAT Kingdome of the LORD is our joy Therefore Wee give THEE thanks O LORD GOD ALMIGHTY The Nations were angry and thy wrath is come The World and the powers of the World are angry they fret they vex they cry-out this is Blasphemy And we expect nothing but wrath from the world and it 's proper for them that they should be wrath our joy is their wrath See how angry man is freting and vexing at Gods pulling down the Kingdoms of the Earth This is the reason of that bitternesse and malice that fury and madnesse that is amongst men What makes them so unquiet killing and destroying one another but because God is over-turning the glory of the world What makes men so full of wrath but because Thy wrath O LORD is come And the time of the dead that they should be judged All the dead shal de judged Dead Ordinances dead Authorities c. all that live not in the life of God shall be judged Nothing is life and light but the LORD nothing lives but the LORD and those that live in the Spirit of the Lord as for others they are dead and shal be judged as the dead But those who live in the Spirit of life which is in God they triumph over death and that destruction that comes upon the Kingdomes of the world They with joy can speak on this manner Their Wrath is our Love their Griefe is our Comfort their Anger is our Peace their Trouble is our Reward their Ruine is our Life This is the application the Spirit of the Lord makes to the Nations which none can with stand God dvides the world into love and wrath blessings and cursings hee wraps the world up in wrath and cursings and the Saints in thanks givings and blessings To the Saints he saith Let them say The Lord our Reward our Comfort our Love our Joy our Strength our Heaven our Life our Father our Head our Prince our King is Come But to the world he saith Let them say our Doome our Judgement our Darknes our Confusion our Dreadful day and the Dreadfull day of the Lord is Come FINIS
fire rendring vengeance to al that know him not And this fire of God is not a materiall but an Angelical fire Those grosse conceits of a materiall fire are chaffe and must themselves be burnt up The fire that Ushers in the holy God and goes before God is like himself Spirituall Heavenly The 〈◊〉 that men dreame of is like unto themselves earthly grosse fleshly but the fire of God is like himself spirituall heavenly Now this testimony doth the Lord send before him abundance of fire this fire of God and indignation of God is kindled and burns hot amongst us wee see there is no earthly thing is able to stand against it and although we see yet but the feet of God wee know hee hath not yet let downe his face into your view yet yee may see as Habakkuk saith Coales of fire kindled at his feet The LORD is walking amongst you trampling with fierie indignation upon all the excellency beauty and strength of this Creation filling all things under his feet with wrath burning up the Order the peace the comfort and joy of the whole creation into ashes And the fire of hell which is Confusion Wrath Death torment horrour breakes forth exceeding thick and fast upon the World and it burns up Nations Kingdomes Cities Governments Religions Ordinances Knowledge Peace Love and every thing here below It s more then bâ—ndled it flames-out and you wil see very suddenly this whole Creation nothing else but one flame burning up that which goes before it These burnings these everlasting burnings speak the presence of the LORD the face of God and tels the World If they will hear and understand the LORD is come they doe eminently publish and proclaim the LORD of glory to those that are awake they that are asleep in security and darknesse they hear it not These are the fires that God allarmes the World with all and burnes up his enemies round about wheresoever there appeares emnity against God there appeares fire that indeed being the greatest part of Hell Wrath against God and Gods wrath against men emnity and hatred against God and God hating wicked men and devils So that indeed there is no emnity but did we understand it we should see plainly that its hel it is fire and the discovery and breaking forth of it will consume and burn up the World Ther 's not a mouth belching out Oaths or blasphemies against God but it is kindled by this fire of hel There 's no man expressing rage envy and cruelty against another but it is from this fire of hel in them His tongue is set one fire of hel passion infirmity weaknesse doe for a while hide cloath and mask hel and wrath but hel is too hot and too big to be kept any longer in such bounds God loosens the bounds of hel and saies to them Now goe forth shew your selves God bring forth his own wrath in his own enemies as well as his love in his friends There is not an enemy of God but the fire of God hath already kindled upon him There 's not a devil in hel nor a wickednes in the minde of man which is hellish but begins to gnaw their tongues and to fret and vex and feel their torments And though people are not fully sensible of it yet those who are quicker sighted then others may see and easily smell the brimstone taste the saltnesse of hel breaking forth in the rage and violence of man And this fire burneth up the wicked into the fire of Gods wrath even as fire burneth up all that 's in it untill it hath made it to be fire And this fire of God that is already kindled upon US will never leave burning till it hath burnt US all up into it self into Heaven into the pure divine Love of God so that there shall remain no drosse at all but all pure gold no rag of infirmity weaknesse or earthinesse shall be left in us And the same God in wrath will so burn up all his enemies that they shall be nothing at all but pure wrath nothing at all but perfect misery nothing at all but utter destruction There shall not remain upon the Saints of God any thing on Earth to molest them All their enemies shall be burnt up sin Satan and flesh shall be cast into the Lake of fire and there shall be nothing to molest or hinder their joy And so much of the wrath of God shall fall upon wicked men that there shall not be The least drop of water to coole their tongues the least refreshment the least mitigation but all they shall have or enjoy shal be in the fire of Gods wrath burnt up Burneth up his enemies round about him This wall of fire is called in Scripture Our defence it compasseth US about on every side The holy pure being of God the Holy Ghost and fire compasseth US round about and burns up all things into it self that whatsoever hath been our enemies or adversaries sin Satan flesh man we see this fire of the Spirit of God feeds upon them is in them and keeps them at a distance from US and they cannot approach and come neer US We living in the LORD our God but this fire of God laies hold on them and destroies them Nay they cannot approach in any malice against US but its clear it is in Gods wrath We doe not hear a word of Anger nor a word of distaste that 's uttered against the appearance of God in US but it 's this fire of Gods wrath this We are sure of and We delight and rejoyce in it We delight to declare it abroad That there shall not be left a heart thinking a hand moving a tongue speaking but it is in the fire of God in the wrath and displeasure of the LORD This fire doth grow and increase and burns up round about and all that are not in God that doe not dwell with this everlasting burnings that live not in and with God shall be consumed and burnt up for this fire of God burns round about him and whosoever is not within Him shall be consumed and burnt up by Him Therefore there is no rest no peace no safety any where else but in this everlasting burnings in this fire of God in the LORD in the presence of the LORD This is a bright and hot testimony of the Reign of God His lightenings enlightned the world the earth saw it and trembled Here 's another testimony manifest to the world the lightenings of the LORD our God there is in the face of God in the day of the LORD a most constant bright shining light But besides this there is a distance from him and in the world lightenings certaine quick flashings sudden motions of the Spirit of God upon the world in the world and upon the mindes of worldly men and as it is said of Christ speaking concerning his coming That it is like the lightening that shineth from the East to the
West so should the comming of the Sonne of man be The first and the remotest and the furthest appearances of God are like lightenings this the Lord hath testified abundantly amongst Us What strange flashings of God have been upon men and upon the spirits of men There are few that have slept so soundly these times but this lightening hath broken in upon them into their beds betwixt their curtains There 's none have shut up themselves so close in the world locked up themselves so close in the earth and in the love of earthly things but I know these lightenings of God have flasht in their consciences and have in small quick blasts and discoveries of God told their hearts it is the day of the Lord. I say if men could see or would see the most worldly men have had some flashings of these lightnings upon them Many sudden quick throws pangs hot meltings breakings soul-terrifyings telling them clearly It is the LORD And though they recover againe out of them and the world heales it selfe again and makes haste to forget them because these lightenings are sudden and quick suddenly opening themselves and suddenly again inclosing themselves for God hath suddenly flasht Himself forth and suddenly extinguished Himself again yet God hath to all men more or lesse given enlightnings into their spirits telling them plainly they must give an account that Hee is come to judge them that He is come to exalt lift up Himself that the end of their world their profits pleasure is come That all their earthly comforts and contents are a dying That there is no rest or peace to be had here below These and such like motions have been in the minds of many men But especially these have bin in the hearts and spirits of Gods own people though they are in the world and though in a worldly state and at a great distance from God yet they have had some glances of the light of God I know your owne spirits are able to lead you to those flashings and lightenings And if yee are not quite drunk with the world and have not lost your reason and memory you must acknowledge that the lightenings of God have shined upon you and enlightened the world And the earth saw it and trembled So visible so manifest are the lightnings of the Lord that poor earthly man exceedingly trembles and quakes poore man Adam earth the poore earthy frame of man hath seen and trembled The earth saw and trembled you have seen the Lord though I know ther 's that in you that saies yee have not you doe not I know you have seen the Lord the earth hath seen God hath set His feete upon the earth all the earth have had a view of God ther 's never a doore at which God hath not knocked every eye shall see Him although when they see him they turn away from him and would forget him for so soon as ever the door is opened and they see the Lord they runne away from him and cannot endure the sight of him Amongst all the things of the world its most dreadfull and and terrible to see the lightnings of God I know yee had rather runne into the hottest fire then into the fire of God and though yee have seen yee say ye have not because yee have no minde to see him but the whole earth hath seen the Lord though they have been suddaine startings and quick motions and flashings yet the earth saw it And that it hath seen here 's the effect it trembles And trembled It s a constant universal effect of the sight of God this quaking this trembling there is no man hath the least view of God but it strikes death to him Oh man earthly man must die This sight kils man Oh now I must seace to bee Now all is going Now all is lost Now every thing is drawing into the sad pit of destruction Now every thing is swallowed up into the horrible pit of nothingnesse I have saith the earthly man seene and known and been but now I shall know and see and bee no more Wee know how dreadfull and fearfull the view and sight of God is and though nothing more joyfull to the spiritual man yet nothing more joyfull to the earthly man What shal we doe wee have seen the Lord said they that saw an Angel The Lord cloathing himselfe with an Angel was very terrible for they said we shal dye The appearance of the Lord is terrible to the flesh of man The mountains leape and fly away the waters roule back the foundations of the deep are discovered The whole Earth shakes A general Earth-quake seizes upon the Nations What ail you yee mountains to bee removed What ail you yee waters to divide asunder What all you yee Son and Moon that your lights are put out What ail you yee Stars great and small that yee drop down from Heaven like untimely Figgs What ail you all yee People and Languages that your Faces gather palenesse and blackness What ail you that yee are afraid and do tremble What 's the reason you so shiver and quake The reason is ye are before the God of the whole Earth The presence of the LORD is present Death to all but Himself when the LORD comes every thing retires and as he comes neare so all things Fly packing before Him The Rod of God is shaking over the hearts of men which makes them exceedingly to tremble and quake and if yee wil not yet bee sensible here 's that which is more visible more sensible hee that hath an eare must Heare and doth Heare what this Rod speakes The Hils melted Suppose there should bee that stoutnesse in the spirits of men that they are become like mountains and hils suppose that there should bee that hardnesse and brauninesse of hell and death upon the spirits of men that they will not see yet the hils do melt The hils melted like waxe If any Creature be upheld and strengthned it is by Satan like Pharaoh's heart that was hardened by the wrath of God that he might bee destroyed I know no man ignorant of this but it is through his suffering the Devil to seduce him but though a man be seduced by Satan hardned by hell and do not see yet the mountains doe see and feels and melt before the LORD Hils Mountains What are these Not materiall mountains or materiall hils the mountains of the Earth are Great-ones Strong-ones Kingdomes Nations Governments these are Great mountains which the men of the Earth yee may call them the beasts of the Earth have continually lived upon fed upon and been nourished by And those Churches that have called themselves the hils and mountains of the LORD mount Sinay and mount Sion these everlasting hils that have stood so long time shall melt That Justice Wisdome Power Strength Order Religion Ordinances Obedience and Love which hath been set up by God and by the Ministers and Angels of
into joy A Voice so powerfull so effectuall that doth indeed cause sighings and sorrowes to flee away eternall and everlasting joy saies Rejoyce A Fountain of joy filling US with joy saith rejoyce Joy it self speaks it self in US and saith Rejoyce I would not have you be troubled any longer I shall not be satisfied til I have wiped all teares from your eyes So long as you sigh you wound and pierce my heart I cannot be merry my self till my Spouse doe rejoyce with me So long as you are afflicted I mourn and your mirth is my rejoycing Therfore come let 's rejoyce together Let 's sing together Let Me be the matter of Thy joy Knowing Me Thou can'st not but rejoyce I know nothing troubles you but the absence of GOD. And there is no grief but this That GOD is absent Nothing displeases you but that GOD doth not Reign Nothing can disquiet a Saint but this That GOD is not exalted And therefore you shall be eased of your sadest thoughts and greatest perplexities and Yee shall see that which will abundantly comfort you Yee shall see your King Ye shall see the LORD Reign This Reign shall be in you Thy King commeth unto thee Our God knowes our troubles and knowes how to apply a remedy He knows what mounds US to see sin and Satan lifting up their heads so high to see the honour of our God in the dust to see this that Christ is crucified to see that we are any thing but GOD this is our sorrow this is our mourning and our God comes to US and removes this sadnesse Indeed we will not rejoyce till we see our KING we refuse to be comforted because We are not Rachel mourning for her children refusing to be comforted because they were not We will renounce all comforts without the presence of a God We will not rejoyce but in this Joy and yet in obedience to this voyce to this Lord we cannot but rejoyce We have all joy in speaking We rejoyce at the heart with joy unspeakable and full of glory We are full of the glory of God and therefore Wee rejoyce greatly Rejoyce Greatly Every thing in US must rejoyce in God every thing must be satisfied and fild with joy ther 's no true mirth except it be universall mirth universall satisfaction if every part be not fil'd the whole cannot be pleased if we have not all Joy but if our God gives US all Joy it is so great as to fill US every one and fill every one full This joy and rejoycing is the Infinite End and Answer of fullnesse and when God doth fill us full the Rebound of this fullnesse is joy The Lord filling us so with Himself that wee returne back again into himself filling us so full that wee flow out this is our joy when we have so much as wee can hold no more when wee are weary of râ—ceiving pouring back to Him that gave us all This is our JOY and Rejoyceing So long as ther 's a defect and want wee cannot rejoyce til all are compleatly satisfied Indeed all Heavenly joy is great hath a greatnesse and glory and Majesty in it we are never so awfull and terrible to our enemies as when we are singing and rejoycing we are mighty strong and powerfull in joy the joy of God makes US to bee Great persons Eminent persons and our joy is heightened and doth daily rise higher and higher it growes continually fuller and fuller and the Spirit of the LORD doth screw us and winde us up to the highest note of joy great HIGH and Excellent joy It pleaseth thee Oh Lord our GOD to hear our voices lifted up Oh how it pleaseth the Lord to have a Triumphing joy in US as that wee should wholly forget all sorrow that wee should bee even wilde and drunke with joy that wee should even forget our selves in great rejoycing Rejoyce greatly leape dance and sing greatly Le ts have the largest of your hearts the largest of your affections and wee will fill them with joy doe not live like low mean and base persons but Great persons in the greatest height Not the joy of Common Men or Common Creatures but the highest joy the fullest joy Rejoyce greatly O Daughter of Zion The Affections and love of God makes us rejoyce And finding God a heart full of love makes US to have hearts full of joy to heare God breake forth in expressions of love makes us break forth in expressions of joy when he cryes Oh my love then we doe sing with joy and when hee is in paine to deliver Himself into us to deliver us into Himselfe then do we rejoyce when Wee finde our God ravisht with love taken enamoured with us Oh Daughter Wee cannot but rejoyce when we see great love large expressions of the favour of our God then wee are well pleased O Daughter of Zion What a sweet Name is this It shews our relation though at a distance from him it shews our tendernesse and weaknesse yet the delight and pleasure that the Lord our Husband takes to us and in us Zion is the mountain of GOD Mount Zion the mountain of the LORD and we are the Daughter of this mountaine the Daughter of the LORD Take it as in a generation removed and the further we are removed from God the more need have wee of consolation and the greater love The heavenly state of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Apostles ye know is called mount Zion Ye are come to mount Zion to Jerusalem the City of the living God GOD dwelling with His people in a manifestation of his own Spirit and presence is mount Zion Jesus Christ exalted in the resurrection and His people walking with Him and in Him is mount Zion and the poor Saints of God at this time are but the daughter of this in the purest and best estate it is but the daughter of Zion dwelling with the daughter of Babylon the daughter of Zion in captivitie The uttermost that you have and enjoy and know of God it is but that Gospel-state removed or something that the Spirit of the LORD begets in you in some proportion and sutablenes unto the state that Christ and his Apostles had That uttermost Spirit of the LORD forming in you and begetting in you something of Himself and of His own grace that hath though in weaknesse and infirmity some likenesse to that state the Church lived in in the primitive times and that is I acknowledge and confesse the daughter of that the daughter of that faith the daughter of that love the daughter of that Gospel and the daughter of that presence of God though in infirmity and weaknesse a childe and that a female and in captivity in Babylon None hath this state and condition pure and perfect but mingled with darknesse and weaknes with much Antichristianisme This wee owne there is some similitude and likenesse of the state which was in deed and in truth in
that they were not bessings wee should bee undone with them and to be undone with this hath it's satisfaction With the fatnesse These blessings and mercies are not the meanest but the fattest of thy house it 's not common or ordinary food but the fattest richest preciousest We have made shift to live with God in creatures but that 's poor food Wee have made shift to live with morsels and crums that have come from the table We have made shift with things that have been scattered out to us but now the chiefest the best the fattest The fat Calfe the fat Lambe Jesus Christ the Lamb the Calfe fatted with the fulnesse of God Jesus Christ raised up highly exalted in the fulnes of God Jesus Christ long prepared fedde and fatted with the excellency of the majesty of the LORD our God With the fatnesse of thy house This plenty is not in the field though it were good there in a Tent in a Tabernacle but we have it in the house and in a house not made with hands and not onely a house but the house of God To have a little comfort and refreshing when we are wandering in a desert in a wildernesse is good but to come to a setled house and habitation where God dwels The riches of God become a house a house to us A house whose builder and maker is God a house whose foundation building roofe top and covering and all is GOD The Saints habitation is God Now what provision is laid up for us in the lowest estate in a shadow in a shed or shelter it 's very safe comfortable and pleasant it 's great safety to be under the tender fethers of the Fathers love compassing us about with his loving kindnesse and this when ye were children and children of men then we found great joy and comfort and safety in God which caused us to put our trust under the shadow of thy wings but that 's not all but heer 's also such a rest peace comfort such abundance of satisfaction and that with the chiefest and richest exelency of God our Father and those sure and setled for it 's in the house and in the everlasting house and habitation of our God Lo this is the good wil and loving kindnes of of our God The end of the sixth Sermon THE EXCELLENCY OF THE LOVE of GOD PSALM 36.7 8. How Excellent is thy loving bindnesse O God! therfore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings They shall bee abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house and thou shalt make them drinke of the river of thy pleasures For with thee is the fountain of life in thy light shall we see light O continue thy loving kindnes unto them that know thee and thy righteousnes to the upright in heart GOD wil excell GOD doth excell Every thing goes down that God may goe up God abaseth the creature that his owne name may be seen The loving kindness of the LORD our GOD is now breaking forth and it wil be so and must be so that every one shall have cause to trust in Him Therfore the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings Children of men The weakest babes doe trust in God There is the little childe Jesus in the heart that doth trust in God and that wil trust in God Jesus Christ and his People wil finde shelter in a shadow in a shadow of the wing of God The Lord our God is so rich in mercy that the shadow of his wings affoord comfort and support They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house We goe on in the strength of GOD in the power of GOD we delight our selves in the LORD our GOD. Thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures There There 's abundance of satisfaction and excellencies of God that are in to house of God But how shal we do to pertake of them The well is deep How shal wee draw out the water Or being broken eisterns we cannot keep or retain this water when we have it Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures The Lord wil make us to drink of his own rivers of pleasures whether we wil or no. The Lord wil not only discover heavenly things to us but make us receive them When Hagars eyes were opened shee saw a fountain and if our eyes were open we should see a fountain round us And as the Lord taketh away the vaile that keeps us from seeing so he wil remove every thing that keeps us from drinking Hee will make US to drink The LORD wil by the parching beas of his own wrath dry up all other streames ye shal have nothing to drink of but God And as hee wil dry up all other streames so he wil dry up every desire those filthy lusts shal bee consumed in that wrath that there wil be no water to drink or any appetite to drink any other but God And the LORD wil not only give us drink but desire and love to it and a great delight in it The Lord opens the mouth and fils it The Lord opens the ear and speaks in it and the word of the LORD and the presence of the LORD is both mouth and water to drink Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures God is a river a constant stream a river into which many streames continually empty themselves a large river there we have water enough an exceeding sweet river every drop of this is life it s the river of life Not a river only to satisfy our thirst but to swime in the waters that came from under the threshold of the Sanctuary arose so high that men might swime in them waters in which we may wash our selves and bathe our selves continually pure waters that cleanseth us from all sin from al iniquity water that makes us white water that washeth and refresheth us to and this we have in abundance Wee need not force nor can we force the love of God it comes so naturally wee need not pumpe for it it flows of it self we need dig no welâ— we have a river neer us we need not strive to keep the water in its best when it runs and passeth away This water is troublesome when it is stopt but quiet and stil when it runs without disturbance When earthly and carnal things hinder the running it swels and is angry Never ceaseth til it hath broke down every thing that standeth before it It is such a River as wil not bee kept in a standing state such a River as comes freely from the Osian and is never at quiet until it carries us into the Osian and when the Earth opens it self to it it doth most willingly and readily powre forth it self into it And this is a River of an High nature of Thy pleasures We have been acquainted but with little pleasure in the world much labour and little
inferiority of each doth mutually perfect each other Now the discovery of the originall of these two is the onely way to rectifie the disorder and discontent between these two The man is the head of the woman he may exercise too much of that headship The Woman is inferiour to the Man Shee may be denied that honour that 's due unto Her The Woman hath an honour she may assume too much to her self The Man hath a head-ship that may denied him This is all reduceable to that originall tipe that makes these two God and Christ or Christ and the Elect. First Heer 's the subjected part of the Woman set down which shewes Jesus Christ in subordination to the Father and therein must the woman expect that her duty and place should be as Christs Covered and onely let the Head the LORD God be uncovered Christ vailes himself covers himself in infirmity that the glory and majesty might be by right uncovered and so shewes that Christ and that man and woman are in subordination to a superior end But Christ is not appears not but for the Father as Man appears not is not lives not but for Christ As the Woman is not but is made for the man Neither was the man created for the woman but the woman for the man The end being more noble and excellent then that which aimes at the end GOD being the Head the end of Christ and therefore more noble and excellent Christ the Head and end of his people and therefore more excellent Man the Head the end of Woman and therefore more excellent Yet there 's another ground of the superiority The woman is of the man God sends forth Christ Christ is of God Man is of Christ The woman is of the man The first is above the second and is that which causes and gives being to the effect therefore greater then the effect Christ descends from God is of him Man is of Christ Woman is of the Man But this is most common and evident and People are best acquainted with it God descending down to Christ Christ ascending up to GOD. Christ decending downe to man Man ascending up to Christ Man descending to the Woman Woman ascending to the Man But there 's another mystery How or in what respect the woman hath honour Or in what respect shee may be superior to her Husband For this cause hath a woman power on her head GOD hath given a power to Christ over himself And Christ hath given a power to Man over himself As man doth give a power to the woman over himself Though GOD be the original of his own power yet he is pleased to give it to his Son It pleaseth God so to exalt Christ that he sets him on his right hand It pleaseth Christ to exalt Man and doe as much for him set him at his right hand And so it pleaseth Man to honour Woman and set her at his right hand The Love of the Father is so great to his Sonne that as he is for his nature equal with him so for his love he sets him above him He delights to see him Honoured whom He loves to set Him above himself Christ is so delighted in Man that hee gives him that honour as to set him at His Right band God hath not the lesse Honour because he gives it to Christ or to Man The Husband hath the greater glory when he gives it to the woman The love of God hath this designe upon Christ and through Christ upon us and Christ hath this designe upon us which the Man hath over the Woman to give us Power over Himself Though all Power be in the Lord our God yet he is pleased to give us Power over Himself And this is the reason Because of the Angels The Question is Stated and Confirmed in the two former Verses For this Cause ought the woman to have power on her head Ther 's not a full harmony betwen God and Christ and Christ and us til by the grace that hee gives us we have power over him or the Father hath not done all that he hath to do til he hath set his Son at his Right hand The Son hath not done all that he ought to doe til hee hath set us at his Right hand The Father oweth to Christ the Kingdome the Throne and hee doth not right til hee gives it him and saith Son take the Throne It 's thine I have exercised dominion and power hitherto Now do thou take it do thou reigne And Christ hath not done all that he hath to do til he hath set us down in his Throne as he is set down in his Fathers Throne And saith Christ though the Father be greater then I yet through the love of the Father I have power to say to the Father Father I will and I wil have it so and so and though we are creatures below Christ yet we have the same priviledge to say I will and I will have it so And if GOD exerciseth his Dominion without this free and volentary submission he doth not all the worke of a Lord of a Husband Except Christ doth descend from his greatnesse in some measure I say from His greatnesse and come down a little from strict termes of his Highnesse he doth not what he should do For this cause ought the woman to have power over her Husband It 's the duty that the Superiour owes to the Inferiour to love to give honour and respect GOD hath written out this exceeding plain and clear as he saith to Moses Let me alone The loving opertunity of Moses was exceeding pleasing to God and held him by a kinde of violence a power and strength under which GOD suffered Let mee alone Jacob was admitted to the same priviledge Let me goe saith God no saith he I will not let thee goe he had that power to chain God to his pleasure No thou shalt blesse me I will not let thee goe Yet this wil in us is the wil of our husband and head and it pleaseth him to put this wil into us that it might overcome himself That which a Husband loves and is agreeable to his nature that he loves should come from his wife Though a thing seeme never so good and pleasant to God yet it delights him to have it come from our requests Nay our requests do not please Him so much as our violence It pleaseth him to be held by violence by that love which hee gives Hee was held in the galleries He is contented to have his own will to bee subjected to the will of those that he delights in And in plain termes He hath given out this priviledge Concerning the works of my hands Command ye Me. A loving Husband gives all the power that hee hath over his Family unto his wife and saith They are at thy command all in thy power though they are mine yet I freely bestow them upon thee And concerning the works of my hands Command ye me
The greatnesse of God never manifests it self more then in coming down and being a Servant or his power appeares most in Subjection If power can only Reign and not Serve it is not Excellent power but when power exerciseth it self Now in a Command and then again sends forth it self into obedience and Subjection ther 's the Excellency of it To give Lawes and only to give Lawes were to be a Tyrant and to make Lawes to keep us under were Slavery But to inable us to give Lawes to Him and rule us so as we may rule Him to communicate to us so as that Hee himselfe can take the place of a Servant This is Excellent Power and Lord-ship When the LORD hath exercised the part of a KING over us towards us he delights then to descend from his Throne and to see us as KINGS act our part our power over Him For This Cause ought the woman to have Power over her head For this cause That there may be a Harmony and an Agreement between them For this cause That the Womans yoke may bee easie delightfull and pleasant For this cause That there may be no discontent for this cause That there may be perfect love There could not be such a Harmony if the LORD should alwaies shut up himselfe in Power and wee alwayes Serve him in Strictnes of Authority and hee alwaies hold forth himself unto us in Commanding us doe this and doe that and the other What delight could He have in us or we in Him If it were nothing but thus wee should alwaies stand at a distance or run away way from him in fear Would he No he could not take content in us because wee should be to weake and low for him if he did not give us Power we were not sutable for him And if the LORD did not open himself to us and shew us our power over His heart as wel as His Power over us we could not so approach to him as we doe we could not so take pleasure in him And we know this That it pleaseth the LORD our GOD that our fellowship with him should bee delightfull and satisfactory to us If we were below Him below the greatnes of God if he did not greaten us and heighten us we were not fit for his Society If he did not give such priviledges to us as these we might say to him as the Woman did to David shall I wash the feet of the servants of my LORD If God did not cloath us with his owne garments his owne Power and glory put upon us his own Majestie his own self if it were not his owne greatnesse with which we come unto him if he did not make us fit with that which hee makes for himself we should not be fit society for him Hee owes this to Christ upon this ground that Christ is equal with himself And Christ owes this to Man upon this ground that man is equall with himself There is a certain equallity between the Father and the Son He thought it no robbery to be equall with God And we are exceeding bold in the presence of God to say it 's no robbery in some sence that we are equall too Therefore Christ is entered into a low estate with us that he might be one with us in a low estate And we are raised to a high estate to be one with him in power and great glory that it may be counted no robbery to be epuall with him To sit down with him in heavenly places to be as he is to be where he is to sit at his table to eat as he eates drink as he drinks drink and be merry But this is readily confest the equallity between the Father and the Son If the Father gives not power to him over himself there were no equallity If I did not give that power that I have to command thee unto thee that thou shouldest by this power command me by way of love and as I have ruled thee as a Father thou shouldest rule me as a Son And as I have ruled thee as a Head If I were not contented now to lay down my bead-ship that thou may'st as a wife over-rule me with thy Love there were no equallity But there is a lesser reason yet a great one Because of the Angels This power of the Wife over the Husband is but what he gives and what he lowes Yet there is a reason for it and that is the Angels The Angels are friends to this truth or this is the Angels priviledge When the great God brought forth his Son Mark as he did in this lower creation so he did in the Heavenly creation he brought forth male and female in that Heavenly creation he brought forth the first borne he brought forth male and female or he bouught forth head and members Christ and Angels And that which I shall say is this In this state doth all the Sons of God sing together heer was that the Son took pleasure in in the habitable parts of his Earth Christ was brought forth and Angels are as it were his body or his Spouse Now in this state and condition the Angels and Christ they sung together or the Sons of God sung together as Iob saith There is no note that Christ the head of Angels sung but they sung too there is no praise that Christ gave to God but the Angels that have fellowship with him gave to God the the same There 's no favour that Christ received from his Father but they receiv'd the same in their proportion and by vertue of that they had that which we speak of power over Christ Oh there was such an intimate dear and sweet fellowship between Christ and them that they had power over him as he had power over them Now when the LORD makes an Image of this heavenly creation in this lower World and brings forth that world into this World he makes heer as he did there Man and woman therfore doth the Apostle require that the woman should have that power over her head that her antitype Angell had Or Angels will secure and make this good the excellent Angels will make this good That the Womon should have power over her head because it is their priviledge to have power over Christ their head Though the devil would debar the creature from it yet the Angels good Angels do defend it they secure it it 's their place their priveledge So that Christ who is the great Angel the Angel of presence it is his priviledge to have power over his head He is an Angel a Messenger sent out from God yet can say I am such an Angel such a Messenger sent out from God that I have such priviledge such favour to have power over him Angels come forth from him may say Thou hast sent us forth from thee thy Messengers yet we have this priviledge to have power over thee And man may say freely to Lord thou hast sent me forth thy
servant I am thy Messenger thy Angel and though sent out from thee yet still I have power over thee The Father sends out the Angel Christ to doe his will yet is stil contented to take wisdome and councel of Christ and to be instructed by him Thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things Christ comes out as a Messenger from God concerning men God takes councell of Christ of the things of man Christ sends out Man and Man is his Messenger yet is willing to take instructions from him in managing the affaires of the World To confirme this truth That there is a kinde of honour true honour that the woman hath given her by the man over the man So Christ over God And we over Christ Yea the same thing affirmed and the reason of it in the last chapter of the Proverbs at the tenth verse and so on Who can finde a vertuous woman for her price is far above rubies The heart of her Husband doth safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoil she will doe him good and not evil all the gaies of her life She seeketh wool and flax and worketh dilligently with her hands She is like the Merchants ships she bringeth her food from afarre She considereth a field and buieth it with the fuit of her hands She planeth a vinyard c. We know the figure how woman is to Man she is made a meet healp to him How soletary and alone is Man without the woman how desolate wanting that society how unable he is to multiply himself to perpetuate a generation to himselfe without her How loose ayrie and wandering a thing is he till he fixeth and fasteneth by marriage Such benefit hath God by Christ such benefit hath Christ by us Such reason hath the Father to exalt the Son Such reason hath our Lord to exalt us Her price is far above Rubies Woman is the glory of the Man The Church is the riches of Christ We are the glory of Christ Christ the glory of God A man shines not gloriously but in his wife Christ shines not gloriously but in his Church God shines not gloriously but in his Son God is poor without Christ mean hath no riches if he have not his Son Christ is a poor head if he hath not his Church God is alone solitary wanting society till he entertaines his Sonne into fellowship with himself Christ is alone and solitary till he entertains the Church into fellowship with himself GOD certainly gives all his power to do his Son good I know that my glory thou art I have it not except you have it I can freely and sufely commit it to you for you are my self So saith Christ I have no glory except you have it Yea I have it in the sweetest way when I have it in you I mean a chast Church a chast Spouse married to Christ Christ can as certainly commit his power to her as to himself The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her As we are safe no where but in GOD so GOD is safe no where but in US as GOD is our keeper so we are his And this treasure would be lost the treasure of God if not found in Christ The treasure of Christ would be lost if not found in the Church The Heavenly liquor or wine of Heaven GOD would be lost if there were not this vessel Christ to put it in And this Heavenly liquor or wine Christ were lost if there were not you to but it in God needs such a vessel as Christ to put himself in Christ needs such a vessel as you to put himself in GOD would runne every way settle no where be bounded in nothing if he did not settle in his Son The Son would rest no where have no content if it were not in thee Men would run every way rest no where if not bounded by a wife God is not well or safe til he is committed to you in you The Gospell is committed to you The Glory of the God-head is committed to Christ and there t is safe Christ is committed to you and there is safe The God of all excellency and treasure is most safe when he is committed to us So that he shall have no deed of spoil Being made vertuous by the Spirit of our God for therein we are made vertuous being one Spirit He shall have no need of spoile God hath no need to use the Septer and Sword to arme himself against us but in love and kindnesse there need 's no forcing of us When we are subdued into himself Ther 's no need of spoil This assurance that he hath of us by giving Himself unto us is the quiet that Hee hath in us And when Hee hath charmed us with Himselfe in us then Hee is become our Rest and quiet She will do him no hurt but good all the daies of her life Thou mayest wel give thy Power to us thou know'st that Power will never hurt thee Thou mayest well give that to her thou knowest that will Command thee When the LORD our GOD opens Himself most to us then we are most his Servants Whâ—n he stands upon terms of Authority and Lord-ship still then we reserve something but when he opens himself to us then wee reserve nothing we do him no evill but good When he doth us all good then wee doe him all good for we are all good in Him We are so fill'd with that goodnesse Himself that we can do him no evill but good all the daies of our life She seeketh wooll and flax and worketh willingly with her hands A Woman whil'st shee is a Servant a Maid is not so profitable to her Master as a wife when our Lord is Married to us then have wee power to give our selves to Him With what Care doth the Woman answer her Husbands love with what dilligence doth she labor for him when fill'd with love When the LORD our GOD over-comes us with love then we seek wooll and flax Now we can be willing to labor before wee did it but now wee willingly doe it now wee seek it she seeketh wooll and flax All her houshold are cloathed with scarlet The fruit of the Womans labor is the Husbands cloathing The LORD our GOD is Cloathed God and all the People of God are cloathed by Christ And Christ and all his Family are cloathed by the Church Let the Church have this Felowship None shall goe uncloathed every thing amongst us shall bee full of the Spirit of our God all the Family of God now is Cloathed in Righteousnesse She is like the Marchants ships she bringeth her food from farre she considereth a field and byeth it with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vinyard When Christ hath this fulnesse of the Father He puts forth and plants a Church and eats the fruit When wee have this fullnesse we plant and eate too Christ comes down to us as into a far country to
into their eyes into their hearts that I know they see and connot but see and say This is the Lord and they tremble And I heard a great voyce saying Come up hither When we are alive we hear the voyce of GOD. And though the voyce of GOD be a mighty voyce a great voyce a strong voyce yet when we hear God speak we rejoyce O pleasant voyce pleasant because from Heaven O Heavenly voyce When Heaven speakes it speakes love and life and joy and glory and kingdome and power and goodness and excellency and majesty We hear it we hear it continually an eternal word It is alwaies sounding in our hearts and eares O this great voyce this mighty voyce Every thing that is in us heares it every faculty every part every gift Every thing heares this voyce It speaks largely it speaks mightily and powerfully it speakes to the whole man It is so big and great that it makes us to become all ear or the ear to be every where and every thing the head the feet the body the soul the spirit the inward man the outward man all hear this great voyce It speaks with Authority and Power It removes and sets aside every thought that hinders obedience to it hile we hear it we obey it we receive it It is so great that there is nothing else left but it This great Voyce saith Come up hither it is so great a voice that it turnes us into Heaven it turnes us into the voyce it selfe we are the voyce it fils Heaven and Earth so mighty so powerfull so full of majesty O it 's the great answer of our praiers the great end of our hopes the great glory we look for the great reward of our sufferings the great joy of our GOD the great love of our God! O It 's the voyce of our beloved of our Father of our King of our GOD It s thy voyce O GOD A great voyce from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither To them to none else none but the Holy ones the Anointed ones of God none but they that live in the Spirit of God though it be a great voyce yet it is spoken to none but them You my Son you my Spirit you my Self Come up hither Rev. 4.1 saith John A voyce said unto mee Come up hither and immediately I was in the Spirit So here When the Witnesses heare the voyce immediately they ascend The voyce takes them up into Heaven up into it selfe The voyce saiith unto them Come up hither Come to Me live in Me live in My Power live in My Strength live in My Glory live in My Kingdome Be as I Am Be where I Am Be what I Am Do what I Do Do as I Do Come into My Glory live not below the glory of God live no longer like creatures live no longer in the world but Come up hither and live in the glory of the Creator the glory of GOD Live not amongst men live not amongst Angels but live the life of GOD Come up hither Come to Me. This is not a going from place to place in a carnal way by a bodily motion but the true ascending and coming to God is in the Spirit of God in the life of God to live in the presence of God in the Face of God in the Kingdome of God in the Glory of God Come up hither O Excellent voyce O powerfull voicel O precious voyce O pleasant voycel Transcendent love Infinite goodnesse The bosome of the LORD opened Heaven it self opened The LORD Himself opening Himself and reaching forth his hand saying Come hither Come hither Ye cannot live any longer without me I can live no longer without you Let 's live together Ye are a part of my selfe I can no longer be parted from my self my self must come to my self we can live strangers no longer ye must come and live with me in my house Here 's a Throne sit down here 's a Crown put it on thy head here 's Glory weare it here 's a Kingdome it s yours We Come wee Ascend And they ascended up to Heaven in a cloud The third degree of their rising is upon their hearing We do arise we do ascend it is our nature to ascend and seeing we are now living the life of the LORD in the Spirit of the LORD we are able to ascend While wee were only men our faces tended to the earth down-wards but now our natural course is turn'd through the divine life of God in us we do ascend to Heaven to God or thus our ascending up daily more and more to God is become our naturall course Now we can quit the earth quit the creature quit the flesh al things below the glory of God we let them all go Now we bid farewel men farewel griefs and troubles and shame the companions of men Farewel earth farewel weaknesses cares and fears companions of the earth farewell now wee ascend to Heaven in a cloud In a cloud Whil'st we ascend in a Cloud somthing yet of darknesse and weakness accompanieth us Though we are hastening to glory hastening to God yet it 's in a cloud God descends Christ descends the Spirit descends and wee ascend yet we meet in a cloud GOD comes down to us we go up to meet God yet both in a cloud We meet together we converse together yet in a cloud Here 's the glory of God in the Saints not yet breaking forth into naked and open brightnesse but covered with Clouds with some weakness with some infirmity And their enemies beheld them Satan the Nations Kinreds Tongues religious Voyces religious Opinions Flesh and World all their enemies beheld them look upon them but its little comfort to them little joy to them to see them ascend This is an increase and addition to our glory that we must ascend in the sight and view of al those that hated us and persecuted us and were enimies to us and as they rejoyced when we were down so they must be troubled when we arise Hel death devil look on us and behold us and yet cannot hinder our asent we ascend and goe up in the sight and presence of all our adversaries yet they are not able to hold us down The witnesses that were slain arise and ascend into heaven yet their enemies cannot in the least measure hinder them As we ascend in the sight and view of God so in the sight and view of al our enemies As heaven is filled with joy at our arrivall so the world is filled with affrightment and amazment at parting with us we cannot leave the earth but we carry the life of the earth with us we take al good from hence and carry all good and glory into heaven with us Hel death devil shal al look upon us and shal bee troubled and not be able to keep one ragge of us from enjoying this Glory Majesty Brightnes and Excellency of GOD. The end of the tenth Sermon THE WITNESSES DEATH AND