sinful mirth into mourning God will turne it into howling God loves not revenge yet what he is exemplarily eminent in he cannot endure that men should altogether slight God layes to heart all that we undergo for him in all our afflictions he is afflicted so should we lay to heart all that he and his undergoe for us 'T is the grand medium of conversion this that I touch What will melt the heart if that love which bleeds to death for us be forgotten Sinners Christ hath suffered the wrath of God for you he left more wealth then this world is worth and became poore he left a mansion in glory and took a body of flesh a house of clay and in this house dyed and left you all that you might live for ever in the fruition of all Is all this nothing Will you regard your sinnes more then this Christ Shall your lust live though Christ have dyed The death and bloud of the Lord Jesus will be upon you Can you looke upon pierced Christ and not mourne He will shew you your owne hardnesse of heart in a like carriage he will looke upon the wounds and torments of your consciences in the houre when you make your will and not be affected When mercy cannot bring forth justice becomes the mid-wife and this cryes save the womb save the womb let what will become of the childe if this childe die and bee puld to pieces between the legges yet another may live if the womb be preserved God much eyes the meanes he uses to doe us good he will preserve the honour of these though thousands die which trample upon them What Christ hath suffered for us shall gain and save thousands though it destroy you though you lay not Christs love to heart yet Christ will have a great many to do it When I am lifted up I will draw all men unto me Christ makes means and then blesseth them to their end men eye not this and so die without the benefit of them What Christ hath suffered for us he hath promised so to order as to make it drawing and winning of us that his lifting up upon the crosse and from thence to heaven shall lift up our souls from sins and from thence to him and to the place where he is These words should be believingly urged and then the work of our welfare would go on an end As mercy stoops lowest it takes up us for God to make means and blesse them is mercy stooping very low to take up them that are quite down Doct. There is one point more I would willingly touch ere I part from these words and that is The mortality of all earthly and fleshly things Death passeth over all now The body of beasts flesh the body of our flesh the body of Christs flesh dies In the body of his flesh through death Some worms are small to look upon and yet will penitrate and consume an Oak Sin is such a thing small in the account of men and yet gnawes asunder the strongest sinews the body of Christ transcendently compacted not of this creation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 9.11 as the Author to the Hebrews speaks and yet sin dissolves moulders this stately fabrick From the greater to the lesse we may argue safely If the body of Christ cannot live in respect of sin surely no body else can The body of Christ would have born more then all the world and not have cracked Vanity of vanity all is vanity the body of Christ dies the body of all other things die which stand further off from sin then the body of Christ and the body of man do The body of Christ and the body of man stand in a more immediate relation to sin and the fruit thereof then other things of the creation do and yet sin eats out every body of the creation those that stand furthest off from it the whole world waxeth old waxeth languishing ' thath made its will 't will die in a moment the glory of this world passeth away the forehead of this world to wit the heavens will become wrinckled and wax old Wisdome will have no heaven here Death shall gnaw the greenest goard the strongest mans body and every body that bears respect to it We and our best friends die your fathers where are they My father my father the chariots and horsemen of Israel c. and yet this would not hold him his dearest friend in the world must be gone It shadowed out Christ he is our Father our Father twice as good and as dear as all other friends that is he is the dearest friend man hath in all the earth and yet a fiery chariot fetches up this Father from his children here Christ goes away I go away and yee shall see me no more So said Paul to his spirituall children and it did cut to the quick Justice doth retaliate We killed God in all and so doth he us we did run away from God and left him solitary and he makes every thing run from us husband wife children one dearer then all Christ and leaves us alone The spirit of the Angels which fell was in us when we fell pride and malice would have puld down God we shew'd our will but could not accomplish it upon God but he hath upon us not we nor any thing in our similitude can live if God see but our shadow and Image he strikes at it as we did at his Christ fared the worse for us he dyes for having to do with us Vse What God means in all this should be inquired into What every carnall thing dying and yet carnall affection alive There is demonstration enough without of the mortality of all things but no demonstration of this within us our inward thoughts are that our habitation shall indure for ever England all over is a demonstration of this point that all things are bleeding and dying Christ had rather that a thousand thousands of bodies should die then one soul one thing is aimed at that all things die to wit the death of your lust the life of faith and this is your lesson from this Doctrine Can you receive it Every thing shall live for ever when you can love all in Christ and admire all in Christ and make an advantage of love by all to Christ All the ruines you behold in this kingdom or in the whole creation all the seas of blood wherin the world is at this day are but to wash our hearts that 's very foul which must have all without even Christ himself turn'd into blood to cleanse it 'T is long ere carnall affections be slain every thing must die and its blood be thrown in the face of conscience ere the man will spit out what offends God The stability of all about you bears much upon the rectitude of your affection Take heed how you love husband wife children you may hug them to death with a sinfull love You complain of Cavalleers for
simply considered never ceases they in heaven do Gods will and are proposed as our pattern on earth they are so exact in the observation of it but the painfull observation of Gods will which is by reason of corruption within us and wicked spirits without us this ceases as soon as we step out of this vile body but not before They move to Christ above as Christ doth to them with the same spirit of freedome joy triumph and glory That they may be one as we are There is no sighing and groaning mourning dying to accomplish Gods will above all move there as the Angels with delight every one milks out love from the breasts of Christ and sings over the Pail to behold how full 't is and how free it comes and yet though it cost all these to obey any truth of God here we are not to cease our course Every childe is brought forth with pain but some with more then others it costs life to bring forth some yet it 's horrible wickednesse for any to strangle the birth to prevent the pain Benjamin must be born though it cost Rachel her life She was a shadow of the Church which must bring forth Christ in all his will though we die in travell if you abide throughly of the faith Vse You see how heaven bears break truth and break your back and what groaning will that make no groaning so sad to do as that which is by not doing Gods will Heaven and Gods will are linked together break the link if it be but one link and the jewel falls and is lost Heaven is a Jewel hanged in a golden chain break one link of the golden chain and you lose the Jewel 'T is nothing to desperate souls to make void Gods Law I wonder at them Is it nothing to lose heaven to untwist the golden chain upon which your eternall treasure hangs Transgression stupifies this is the killing quality of sin Sinners mind not what they do when they throw off the will of Christ any part of the will of Christ you throw away your life Heaven lies wrapt up in truth in that truth which you will not submit to Would something would work upon wicked hearts upon the desperate wicked hearts of this age that sin might abate amongst us or else the sword of Gods wrath is like to eat us out Alas for us all I know not what hand of God is upon us wrath findes a great deale of matter among us to work upon and we can finde none When we presse love to Christ and observation of his will every man washeth his hands I do it saith one and I do it saith another Will you lie before the face of the Judge of all the world now he sitteth upon the bench upon the life and death of the kingdome Men are worst which think themselves best if there be any plague that kill thee England 't will be thy Laodicean temper that thou thinkest thou art clean and art not washed from thy filthinesse that thou needest nothing and yet observest nothing Euangelically that looks like a lovely State Our point sets us too high a great deal to speak to this generation it calls for exact observation and we are by the hand of God upon us cast into the quite contrary a generation that had a little conscience but now have none Loosnesse and lewdnesse overspread the multitude brawniness and benummedness the more ingenious good men become bad bad stark naught and stink above ground 'T is worse then blood and death to heare and see in every place where one comes what mire and dirt our troubled waters cast up as if war were a ticket under Gods own hand to dispence with all wickednesse O the oaths the execrations whoredoms oppressions outrages of all sorts that the very highwayes and villages are filled with where ever one comes The stink of your camps enough to kill a good heart at a great distance 'T is sad that the blood and bodies of the dead should taint and poison the living that we should die swearing and blaspheming If there be any tender hearts among you carry these things home and mourn for I am fearfull what they presage The work of this point is not only to winde you off from prophanenesse but wind you up to exactnesse to through walking with Christ We halt the fruit of it is upon us the hand of God will not yet cure it what it may Christ only knowes The heart must have its latitude 't is every ones saying this To hit the white is not needfull one may shoot well that doth not this But can one shoot well that aimes not at this I presse towards the mark I forget what is behinde if by any means I may obtain the resurrection Here is the property of grace in life it owns nothing but perfection makes at nothing else 't is in aim and industry all Christs Men are charmed with their own unsoundnesse the heart secretly sinfully ingaged aim and industry are really correspondent hereunto what ever verball flourish be made to better spirits and persons that stand by here is a man strangling himself in his bed which is a condition that makes little noise every thing is so artificially managed to destruction yet alas it is the common profession of this time How far will these times beare with a profession of Gods will How far will Christs honour and mine consist Here the soul wasts its strength If there be any intense through action now on foot it lies here so to shape the course and posture to the right and left that the man may take in all worldly advantages of both sides along as he â—â—es There is much art in this but 't is all cursed 't were well if the man had lesse policy and more integrity There is much advange in this but it comes to nothing the plague of an hypocrite is upon this condition which will eat a man out if he had all the world There is more of heaven in a plain heart in a moment then this man sees in all his dayes The advantage of through action is this A man gets much of Christ much grace much glory Some mens religion is a principle of jugling with conscience and the world 't is a temptation upon thousands at this day these lose what they seem to have Christ and all grace quite Christ kicks off every Judas quite that kisseth him and kisseth enemies to him too for his own advantage but a soul that cleaves throughly to Christ hath much of him the dispensations of Angels Stephen shined like an Angel owning Christ in the face of deadly and bloody opposers Externall dispensations cannot be stood upon how Christ appears to honour the persons of men that will go to the grave with him is more uncertain they have the face the tongue and the food of Angels when it may do them good and torture devils that vex them Externall concurrence is sure
death in sin to which the death of Christ is without profit this is when the soule will goe his own way Many walke by no rule all is fish that comes to net all is contentfull that sutes to a carnall affection conscience jogges these soules sometimes and then they talke of Christ that he hath dyed for their sinnes but poore soules they doe but talke If the faith of such persons forementioned were faith indeed and no fancie the soule would be crucified with crucified Christ I am crucified with Christ They which indeed appropriate the death of Christ die with him in affection first and then in action by little and little according as the death of Christ is more and more beheld The death of Christ is of double vertue it makes a death of guilt and a death of the very being of sin The bodie of sin as well as the soule of sin is dead The bodie is dead saith the Apostle speaking of corruption Corruption keepes in a bodie all that while 't is alive all powers combine to beate out their owne way as will best carry the world afore it and winke at if not scoffe at the way of Christ this soule crucifies Christ but is not crucified with him The sin of this age is bloudy wickednesse therefore doe we bleed Surely we bleed not so much for small sin our sin is crimson and scarlet coloured wee crucifie Christ his truth his people therefore doth he crucifie us Light rises so doth malice 't is nothing to the men of this generation to speak bitterly to murther bloudily their own convictions Christ shall die at the dore rather then they will open love to him to destroy the advantage of this time A man crucified to Christ is crucified to the world you that kill not the lusts of the world you kill Christ but not believe on him and his bloud shall be upon you not to take off guilt but to bind on guilt till you die till bloud goe for bloud 'T is a very bloudy time in which we live trials murther love to Christ to one another heartie affection to Christ can hardly be found men are so taken up with their own ends Povertie is marching towards us like an armed man all is falling flesh shakes at this and treads upon Christ and treads out his bowels to keepe up such wretches as these know not their wretched condition they have not tasted of the bloud of Christ nor know what Christ is now doing Christ is now avenging the bloud of his Covenant upon all that tread upon it men that doe not so take hold of his bloud and death as to bleed and die with him in name in state in person shall bleed and die by him this time is a discovery of unbeliefe and a recompence Unsensible persons are below discipline these therefore I must let goe Where conscience bleedes the bloud of the crosse may be of use and to these in the last place I will addresse my selfe Soules are loaded and troubled about many things but where the distresse is about eternall life whether shall I live or die Whether shall I live where Christ is or not 'T will be reliefe to such a burthened heart to thinke what Christ can doe for him in this case Thou hast a tender friend in Heaven and thy soule is precious to Christ he hath shed his bloud that thou mightest not die nor more despaire Things are very well between God and Christ he hath stood in the person of many and discharged well his undertaking the favour of God is at his dispose whom he intercedes for with his bloud escape the wrath of God 'T is sad to me to see how some soules sinke they thinke peace an impossible thing for them ever to attaine What is not peace Christs Is not Heaven Christs Is not kingdome power and glory Christs That all is Christs methinkes should quiet the cryings of conscience That God is at peace with Christ should generate faith in the most complaingest soule 'T is a facile thing for Christ to procure the favour of God but how should one get Christs favour And Christ is solicitous how to get thy favour Christs favour comes farre easier to us then Gods favour did to him he doth not expect your bloud to get his favour to accept him is to gaine him his favour is free all that he expects is that poore soules would but trust him and imploy him with their estates that they would imploy him and none else to procure the love of God and eternall blessednesse Could I trust Christ with my estate I know all would be well but I cannot believe Why know this that Christs bloud hath ingaged God to give faith and every grace else unto thee what thou wouldest doe and canst not let not that deject put out that grace you have When a man cannot goe into the poole 't is hopefull to lie neere it for one or other may take him up and carry him in thither whither he cannot goe himselfe Pained soules speake of nothing but the bloud of Christ prize nothing in comparison of this hence must come thy ease if ever out of these pantings spring faith unto joy Christ takes up these creeples of a sudden and carries them into the poole of his bloud You that have the Kings evill stand in the way of the King and though you cannot cure your selves yet you will lie as faire for cure as you can In a spirituall sense be thus prudent in the middest of all your soule-paines say If ever any thing give me ease it must be the bloud of Christ if ever any thing quiet my conscience it must be Christs bloud sprinkled upon it out of these honourable thoughts of proper remedie proceedes remedie to the soule Matter of faith and matter of love should spring from this point if one had time to goe this way The bloud of the crosse speakes love in strength love as strong as death what speakes it in Christ should make it in us No such Sermon of love in the Bible nor in the Creation as the bloud of the Crosse Enlarge this your selves in deeds COLOSSIANS 1.20 Whether they be things in earth or things in Heaven DIvine friendship according to its formalitie and causalitie I have handled according to its extent I am now to pursue it to wit how farre it reaches which is noted in these last words To things in earth and to things in Heaven This Scripture is difficult yet other Scriptures compared with it will helpe us to see something into it By things in earth is meant the Elect called and uncalled By things in Heaven is meant Saints and Angels By reconciling of all these to himselfe is meant the gathering of them all into one spirituall bodie under one head the Lord Jesus Christ by vertue of which the state of fallen man is restored the state of blessed Angels confirmed all to concenter in one common blessednesse for
lay any thing to heart Such was â—abals heart and such is ours stones as wee came from the rocke from whence wee were digd Affections follow sense where nothing makes impression there can be no compassion Wee are dead in trespasses and sin dead folkes consider not who mourne for them who die with griefe for them Faculties hardened the childe will throw aside what the mother which bore him underwent the pangs the screeches the teares of her that traveld in birth with him Abilitie to dutie springs not so much from things without as from things within as the soule is disposed not as the man is ingaged so the partie moves I will demonstrate to you that disposition to this dutie of being throughly and kindly affected with what others undergoe for us is hardly attain'd It springs from goodnesse purely contemplated this is a very high thing to doe Such a one did much for me I did as much for him or I may doe If such be out in flesh I am in purse Now is others goodnesse kild with our owne now is not the love of God nor the love of man thought of and how is it possible that either should be beautifull in my eye In such a spirit love hath her wings cut and no matter to worke upon which is that that gives disposition to the soule to keepe him alive for ever in my breast which hath done any good for me We can doe nothing for Christ nor his people and yet all that is done for us by either we thinke to be deserved 'T is certain that infinite love moulders to nothing in our breast under the notion of our owne merit one way or other though we observe it not If a man lose his state his arme his life for me if I thinke he was bound to it by any thing of mine the life of the action dyes the memory of the man and his kindnesse cannot live long Not an act that Christ doth but we dash it to death against some industry of our own That any creature loves me is all love that any one shews mercy to me whether God or man 't is all mercy I am vilder then the earth below all desert desire as far as hell is below heaven a heart at this height stoopes and takes up kindnesse fully sweetly and keepes it in memory firmely Things taken up as meere love stick otherwise not This is a high and hard thing I may instance this to you in God he merits every thing at our hands we doe and more then we can doe and yet he takes up all under the notion of kindnesse and love and this makes him to remember all we doe and all we suffer exactly I remember the kindnesse of thy youth and the love of thine espousalls All is kindnesse and love which man shews to God And when I was hungry yee did give me this and give me that God looking upon all that we doe for him as gift and as kindnesse this makes him to remember it alwayes 't is hard to get to that pitch which God moves at It springs from love strongly warm'd the heart must lie very neere God which hath this benefit God hath but few that lie neere him Things of life will not live in a dead sea the acts of God which he doth they are very lively and yet these will die if the soule be not suitable which observes them Every degree of divine life is not enough to keepe favours done for us so divinely alive as they should be 'T is more then hinted in the text These Colossians had their Christian life but yet not so as to remember the love of Christ to the life alas who have 'T is hard to melt some things much fuell much blowing and paines used and yet all this must be to dispose the matter fitly to receive a lasting stamp and forme upon it A heart melted with love layes to heart the least paines and kindnesse shew'd to it Whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me said Elizabeth to Mary Vse As our hearts are below any duty it should humble us but as they are below things which are very weighty it should humble us much more The doctrine in hand beats hard upon us for melting hearts Christ suffers much for us man suffers much for us but neither considered by us What any Christian suffers for you you are to account it as Christ suffering he makes men willing to die for you to preach themselves dead to pray themselves dead to fight themselves dead and all these dyings the dyings of the Lord Jesus O that there should be so many persons bleeding in the fields for us and so few hearts bleeding at home for them and for our selves The strokes of God are various they are most mortall which kill the soule Our bodies are turned to dust apace and our soules into stones as fast Ah Lord how brawnie how bowellesse how hard-hearted is England become since a seate of war Husbands lose armes legs lives abroad and wife and children let starve at home Our war is very bloudy conscience in every man slaine not a tender heart scarce amongst us to consider the condition of the greatest sufferers for us in the Land Naball had his ease at home his quarters quiet and plentifull but what David underwent abroad to make it so at home did not move did not nor would not Nabal consider 'T is your case Londoners During all these bleeding times Christ hath been Quarter-master for you and so appointed your quarters that you have been very quiet very blessed in peace and plenty but what your brethren undergoe abroad to procure all this for you at home which of you doth lay to heart Vriah refused rest and solace at home because of the sufferings and hardship which the Armies of the Lord were in abroad The backes and bellies of thousands of you speake no such thing Ah Lord what will cure the pride and wantonnesse of this wicked Citie Drunkennesse and surfeiting now Can you laugh when your brethren mourne and when God frownes yee Epicures Can yee drinke wine in bowles and the bloud of your brethren in bowles You should at all your exorbitant meetings thus set fancy at worke The cup at my nose is the bloud of the slaine My curious napkins and table-clothes are the skins of Christians my guests the ghosts of the slaine my mad lascivious songs the groanings gaspings and shreechings of the wounded and dying Canst thou not thinke thus when thou art in the midst of thy jovall society O no 't would spoyle all my mirth 't would be like the hand-writing on the wall to Belshasar Dost thou tender more the spoyling of thy carnall mirth then the spoyling of thy eternall soule The guilt of all the bloud that is slaine will fall upon thee as an unsensible soule Hadst thou rather howle for ever then forbeare mad-mirth a little while If thou wilt not turne
sizes some bigger some lesser two talents five talents ten talents concerning the glory above t is disputed whether it be graduall but concerning the glory of a Christian here it is a resolved thing that it is graduall there is migration in our glory here going from glory to glory from strength to strength Milke and strong meate babes and full age crums and Flagons love and abounding in love Our Kingdome comes our Kingdome here is a comming Kingdome Mercies are all shaped by Love it is the property of Divine Love to higthen dispensation still till shee hath lifted the soule beloved fully into her bosome Grace t is in the beginning little a graiâ—â— of Mustardseed in progresse great in the end all to wit Heaven which is all now doth Love fully possesse her beloved and now she rests and not till now beyond Heaven there is no gradation no step higher Love hath got her full end which is the full possession of what shee makes out to and now rests Love shapes Mercy so as fully to bring about her end and that is to bring the soule shee loves into her bosome to the full fruition of her selfe of whatsoever shee is you may see this demonstrated in Christ the Father loves him and he gives him mercies greater and greater and never leaves till hee hath lifted him fully into his bosome to his right hand i the fruition of all John 5.20 The Father loveth the Sonne and showeth him all things that himselfe doth and hee will show him greater workes then these that yee may marveile My Father hath given me great things already but hee will give me greater for he loves mee and this will drop and drop till it hath dropped out all it will never rest till it hath brought mee into his bosome The love of God carries the same property and proportion to a Christian and this makes the grouth of a Christian necessarily as the grouth of a Crocadile of which it is written that hee groweth alwayes so doth a Christian till hee bee transplanted into Heaven Vse T is trying this point what truth is in you Your graces are not so great but you may have greater if this be not regarded as you taste not grace what tang it has so you understand not grace what order t 'as Spirituall fulnesse speakes a deluded heart hee that hath goods enough enough for many yeares enough to make his felicity for ever and therefore rests is a foole hee knowes not his state what hee has nor what he wants Blinde men 't is observed do not dreame so much as men that see because fancy in the day hath not so much nor so lively impressive imployment to set it at worke in the night but blinde soules dreame more a great deale then they that see This is one of their dreames among many I have enough grace to bring me to Heaven I hope and I care for no more I love not to be pragmaticall Some make a great deale of stir and run mad t is extreame naught this I like it not Answ this is one extreame but there are two extreames and vertue in the midst of them dost thou eye t'other extreame Some die with heate others die with cold Thou seest others too hot may'st not thou be too cold grace in the true knowledge of it is inviting 't is like some Liquids drinking makes thirstinesse and longing for more drinke every degree of grace possessed makes discovery of greater degrees not possessed One Chamber of Christ hath a window looking into another far bigger and more glorious Thou art entered into one thou sayest dost thou looke into another more glorious and long to enter into it if thou be a stranger to these things thou art a foolish Virgin that possibly hast knocked at the doore of Christs house a little but art yet indeed entered into no roome when Christ had opened the nature of spirituall bread unto his followers that they did indeed understand it they fell a longing presently for more what they had discovered much more behind which they wanted and therefore cryed Lord evermore give us of this Bread Vse This point is upbraiding the light which shines upon us is more glorious then that which shined upon our Fathers that which hath beene hid from Ages and from Generations we have made manifest to us wee have mercies according to externall communication of the biggest what have you according to internall communication this will be looked after This is a day of great things a time wherein Christ brings about great things to our doores our fathers day was a day of small things yet if they were judged for despising their day of small things how much more shall you be judged that despise the day of great things t is the Apostles argument to the Hebrewes and must be mine to you Despite is a spiritull act deliberate disaffection to the loveliest things The posture of our spirits wee least looke at and this Christs Eye is most of all fixed upon Externall carriages are all measured and titled from the heart God rules in the inside of his enemies hee unbowells this Generation and Christens it in blood according to its spirit We offer despite to the spirit of grace we tread under foot the bloud of the Lord Jesus can wee tell whether this iniquity will be blotted out till this Generation die The heart fired against truth abides so t is part of that unquenchable fire below God allowes Satan to bee fueler in such a soule till they both come to burne together in hell Love lost Christ cares not for the person let him be what he will if hee be the greatest man in the World he will burne to death in that fire which burnes in his breast against Christ Our love now to be least when greatest love is tendered can you imagine that this iniquity will be quickly forgotten great heare makes great thunders t is so now the Sun of love shines mighty hot and now wickednesse thunders and so will Justice and righteousnesse too believe it COLOS. 1.26 But now is made manifest c. THe word notes two things appareo et splendeo vision and shining vision that is according to Gospel speech still in the letter and in the spirit the understanding of words which one reads by workes which one feeles a voyce behind one interpreting that before one circumcision outward in the flesh and this explained by circumcision inward in the spirit There is a narrative and an operative light that which makes one talke well and that which makes one walke well that which enables one to produce bookes for his authority in discourse and that which enables one to produce his soule and his life for authority here is my soule and my life reade if it be not so as I say let men and Angells all the World reade if they will The Manifestation which our Apostle speakes of here is the latter for he speakes of such
of convictions make a man fall at the feet of Christ or flee in his face Hast thou found me O mine enemy Wounds that goe to the heart if they let not out corruption and pride they make men desperate and bleed them to death desperately a proud man stab'd to the heart by the word if it be not sanctified to let out his pride he will spet the blood of his soule in the face of him that wounded it Are you Gentiles in heart then be so in name doe not miscall yourselves T is a thousand pities that many are called Christians You doe onely but flatter them that flatter themselves enough and too much you helpe hug soules to death The name of a Christian given to such a one that hath not the nature of a Christian is satans chariot in which he hath carried thousands to hell asleepe Let persons and things be called as they are let us name things according to their nature let Divinity have its name Morality its name Barbarity its name You give men their severall distances as they stand ranked by a common providence one to another but we doe not give men their distance as they stand all rankt by speciall providence in order to God and the highest greatnesse Let us follow Christ in this say some are neere some are far off some are in the Kingdome of God The Kingdome of God is in you saith he to some t is neere you saith he to others t is far off from you saith he to others Let us give all persons and things their due distances in order to God as they discover themselves Doe not waste breath vainely to make a gale a pleasant gale to blow soules faster to hell Iitten gnatsabeth Prov. 10.10 which are sailing thither but too fast of themselves He that winks with his eye causeth sorrow saith Solomon dabit dolorem he will give sorrow he that puts out his owne eyes and others to he will give a great deale of sorrow to others and yet keep a great deale more for himselfe and yet this is common blind lead one another neither knowes whether Make not a bad condition hopelesse t is not so in it selfe here A Gentile simply as a Gentile was without hope because out of roade of God Enter not by the way of the Gentiles and into any City of the Samaritans enter ye not Matth. 10.5 6. but goe rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel said Christ when he sent forth the word The preaching of the word is the meanes of life to whom this is denied death is concluded the people necessarily perish where this vision must not come This was our condition but t is not now the channell of love is turned toward us not from us life is come amongst us as the expression here is the riches of this mystery among the Gentiles or in them saith the originall The expression notes effectuall mercy is now revealed an efficacious proffer a light of life shines amongst us such as makes sight and makes blessednesse to us as much as to the Jewes so is this expression explained Matth. 4.16 t is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great light and that which they did see they which sat in darknesse saw great light Matth. 4.16 All this was shadowed in giving the promise to Abraham before Circumcision and before the Law to note that the Uncircumcision to wit the Gentiles should be partakers of the promise as well as the Circumcision And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through faith preached before the Gospell unto Abraham that is before the Law saying in thee and in thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blest Gentiles you that see your selves such Dogs Wolves Lyons effectuall mercy is tendred to you You that lie in the high way and villages blinde lame halt you are invited the others had their excuses some had bought Oxen others Farmes others had married wives the meaning is covetousnesse and voluptuousnesse carnality did cut off the carnall Jew and nothing but this will cut off you too Undervalue every thing in order to Christ which now invites you to him the creature hath our hearts which is a strange act a man stretching out himselfe for the grave The lust of the Gentiles spoyles them t was shadowed by the Prodigall if any of you be come to your selves like him to returne and looke after Christ you may finde grace and mercy as he did If you finde your hearts averse Christ will by his Word if you attend it perswade them And he reasoned in the Synagogue every Sabbath saith the Scriptures of Paul and perswaded the Jewes and the Greekes Acts 18.4 the Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of perswasion now to the Greekes that is to the Gentiles as well as to the Jewes Perswasion notes the power of the Word the Word carried to the heart and this Christ hath engaged himselfe to doe Hosea 2.14 Gnal libbah Therefore behold I will allure thee and bring her into the wildernesse and speake comfortably to her the word is to the heart I will allure her and speake to her heart God in them ingaged himselfe to us and stands obliged now to every poore soule that complains of his aversnesse to Christ to allure these soules and to speake to their heart COLOS. 1.27 Which is Christ in you AS there is an externall society body with body so there is an internall society spirit with spirit God is a spirit and sutes his society he moves about corporeals but holds communion and fellowship onely with spirits drawes out himselfe here his face and his heart that is communion where one drawes out his heart If any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels of mercy Phil. 2.1 the latter explaines the former what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the communion of the Spirit meanes to wit such an internall operation as whereby the spirit of man is made like the Spirit of God for bowels and mercies and so for all other Divine dispositions a drawing out his owne heart and his nature in ours partakers of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a communion of the Spirit and a communion of the Divine nature I thinke the termes are expository and note the Spirit so effectually operating in the soule of man as imparting its owne nature to it such an operation or communication of Christ as this is called Christ in us because he leaves his Image and similitude in us as you say sometimes of children his fathers spirit is in him and this is spoken similitudinaliter not formaliter because of that similitude and onenesse of disposition that is between father and child God was in Christ that expression poynts not at the Divine essence nor cannot be proper speech so applied but at Divine existence noting how the persons in the Trinity doe act one in and by another
of bloud upon thee is not thy nakednesse covered with scarlet of such price as puts a God in debt The redeemed adore the redeemer this is in the text Giving thanks to the Father who hath delivered us from the power of death c. a redeemed soul feeds two with every mercy himself and God he admires love this is feeding himself and then he praiseth God and this is feeding of God too Paul could not speak about soul-deliverance but he must make a breaking off and a breaking out Who shall deliver me I thank God Christ The soul is naturally active but as 't is freed by Christ 't is much more active and ascending it sends to God all that is done upon it The soul blesses necessarily as 't is blessed Soul-blessings make their qualitie in us suitable to themselves and to their own nature so much of God as they bring with them so much of God they leave in the soul and the soul necessarily carries as much of God to Heaven as it hath of God from Heaven in any mercy In the Devils arms there is singing drunkkards sing and worldlings sing In Christs armes there is singing too there is singing of halelujahs here the redeemed lift up the Redeemer every soul in Christs arms sings to him all Christs children can sing sweetly there are songs of Sion songs of deliverance Divine love makes gladnesse of heart a heart gladded gets into that bosome that made it so to dilate it self and that makes more gladnesse A redeemed soul is every day more admiring more praising him that redeemed him then other So many souls snatched out of hell so many sweet instruments of melody hath Christ in this world Christ glorifies to be glorified not a soul that Christ pulls out of the devils mouth but he is like Jonah when he came out of the belly of hell a humble relater of wonderfull things to God and man All that Christ takes out of the devils bosome and sets in his own stroke him and kisse him 3. The redeemed obey their redeemer Not a lambe taken out of the power of the wolf but follows the shepheard Your obedience is come abroad unto all saith the Apostle Whom Christ takes they become followers of him in the sight of all Redemption from the power of Sathan and the power of sinne are the same redeemed souls are out of both and obey neither they onely observe him that hath taken them I will run the waies of thy commandments when thou hast set my heart at liberty saith the Psalmist He speaks as a captive set at libertie that was glad of his legs and observe what wayes he takes to runne in I will runne the wayes of thy commandments The soul still is in behaviour as the power under which it is if under the power of sinne it walks sinnefully if under the power of Christ it walks holily in his commandments The soul is still according to the hand in which it is would you know in whose hand and power you are observe well then of what behaviour your souls are Sinners you wallow in your lusts and live according to the power of your corruption and yet many of you plead and glory in your redemption by Christ Your heart gives your tongue the lie and your life speaks you slaves to the devil and your lusts Is it a small thing to you to belie Christ and belie your souls to distract and make void divine redemption Are your souls redeemed and yet are they in slavery to sinne Acknowledge truth that discovers you and confesse your sad state this would better become you A bad state is remedilesse whilest 't is plead for as good the wicked may justifie themselves but God justifies none it will be double death to justifie that which God and conscience condemn Sinners you cut off your souls from grace by wicked confidence God does nothing for the man that thinks all is well but prepare double miserie for calling evill good As corruption is in strength let every soul complain O wretched man that I am c. Corruption makes wretchednesse according to its strength in every soul for as lust lives it misleads sinne will beare sway where 't is not thrust out the old man is not as some old men that sit still and do nothing but is very stirring corruption as it lives is imperious all must be her servants gifts parts yea the very heart Lust as it lives will bewitch your affection adulterate your judgement creep into your bosome and become your full delight then are you wretched souls indeed then are you galley-slaves Sinners consider this point corruption as it is in strength keeps its propertie in all the best of you all will find the devils heaven a hell Ah Lord what will his hell be then You will be weary of your lives as lust lives in you 't is such a bondage make what sweet out of it you can the more artificiall you become in acting and managing corruption the more power it hath in you and the sooner will it kill all your felicitie dead you will suddenly in the flame of lust cry out as that Martyr in a flame of fire in an other case Hell is come is come Sathan is come is come as he cried out Christ is come is come We may releive our selves from this point too respecting this land If power work irrisistablie to save the soul the salvation of the body is much more easie to it One devil is more strong then all the wicked men in England and yet the power which opposeth him about the soul which he most looks at and contends for is too hard for him Fearfull souls be strong you will see irresistable power snatch poore England as a brand out of the fire Power it self as irresistable should releive and as it hath such a propertie and so works snatching creatures when almost ready to be destroyed this should much more releive and raise the heart Were we much lower then we are yet irresistable power can put forth of a sudden and snatch us out of the mouth of lions and 't is its propertie so to do You are left now to fetch in your relief from God onely strike in to do it as you behold any propertie of any divine attribute to put forth it self Now you heare that this is the propertie of divine power to work irresistably Redemptio à nihilo que dam creatio est Means are still enough to that power which is absolute and to work so of a sudden to snatch out of miserie when all is ready to be swallowed up feed your weak souls with this and move at the throne of grace upon it and surely you will heare of God and England will be raised from the dust and have beauty for ashes Before your pots can feel the thorns he shall take them away as with a whirlwind both living and in his wrath And the righteous shall see this and joy
whither it will if you fight against it you cannot kill it but you will kill your souls Rebellious strugglings are soul-stabbings carry things by force against all divine resistance and you run head-long to Hell Out of self is the way into the kingdome of Christ pleasure must be nothing parts nothing nothingnesse is the way to all Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome we speak of Lay your spirits naked before Christ and let him further strip them as he will and then cloath them and order them as he will and this is the way to a kingdome it is something painfull to get into Christs kingdome but when you are once into it you would not be out of it again for all the world Coloss 1.13 Dear sonne or sonne of love CHrists honour and thy foundation of it are the two things which take up this latter clause his honour is great to wit a kingdome the rule of all his favour is great and this raisd him so high he is a dear sonne a sonne of love saith the originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The father loveth the sonne and gave all things into his hand Joh. 2.35 and Joh. 5.20 The father loveth the sonne and sheweth him all things that himself doth c. Love gives forth preferment to all Gods children not any sonne but riseth this way not any adopted sonne no not the naturall sonne he hath a kingdome because a sonne of love Love is the common doore by which all favours go forth to all children some children are higher then others in dignity but none by their wits or any thing else but all from love Wits make their way too much with men and 't is all the friends which some have to rise by but they procure no preferment with God if not beloved let a man be as crafty as the devil he will never be rais'd by God God flatters none whom he cannot love he tells them so in all he doth every thing works to throw them down not to raise them up as every thing tends to the advancement of them that are beloved We do make distinction of talents some bigger some lesser but love hands them out all to children God gives to all his children with his own hand adopted sonnes and the naturall sonne have a kingdome as dear children as sonnes of love God gives orderly his heart first and then his hand persons are indeared and then have all countrey city the whole kingdome Isaac could not blesse at a distance Come near my sonne c. God doth not cast great blessings he knows not upon whom he takes persons very near him relates them and indears them and then advanceth them The Lord did not set his love upon you and choose you because ye are more in number c. Gods order in advancing is here set forth he first setteth his love upon persons and then chooseth them forth for advancement according to that love The Lord did not set his love upon you and choose you c. Love singles out persons and then singles out preferments suitably she culls out and then crowns so naturall and so adopted sonnes rise to the kingdome There are kings in wrath in a temporall sense but none so in a spirituall all spirituall kings are kings in love and from love set up and kept up Kings of a little spot of earth and the king of all the earth all one in the originall of their preferment all children of love therefore children of honour and greatnesse and carry away all from all the world beside The heart of God is the foot-stool up to the throne for all God gives purely nothing without him ingages him to any no not to the naturall sonne You are given unto and therefore give but God gives so to none Who hath given unto him first did the naturall sonne or do the adopted sonnes All his children have what they have because beloved love onely is the wombe that brought forth sonnes and a kingdome for them Designe makes you stir but God cannot be more happy then he is the advancing of love is all his designe in all he raises he makes persons great to make great his love no sonne should have had a kingdome neither adopted sonne nor naturall sonne had it not been to make great his love Love is the efficient and finall cause of all Gods actions towards all his children the naturall sonne and the adopted sonne are made great of love and for love set up by love that love may be set up by them and for no other designe Gods gives solacingly that is so as to delight himself in what he gives so as to delight the giver as well as those that are given to all given in love makes a heaven to God and to man to the giver and to the receiver The motion of father and children each to other is by the same spirit children move towards their father in love and that 's the heaven of their way the advancement and kingdome which they give God in their hearts is in love Father moves to all his children in love and that 's the heaven of his way the fruit of the spirit is love so the reward of the spirit is love the one speaketh that which we give to God and that is love and the other speaketh that which God gives to us and that is love Gods way within and without to all his is in a rapture he makes a heaven to himself in making one for us All motions between father and children make love-meetings we obey him in love and he crowns us in love adopted sonnes and the naturall sonne all Gods children move in love to their father and their father meets them in love and imbraceth them so did Christ advance his father and so did his father advance him as a dear sonne Vse You see Gods generall way of raising persons he first loves and then advances not a person in the world doth God preferre out of this method Many men have a mind too much to a heaven here and hereafter but no mind to look after the love of God wrath secretly consumes these in their blind strugglings to be happy Is hatred or love fastened upon you so will you rise or fall struggle and strive and do what you can Is despised Christ a sonne of God a sonne of love If he be of that seed he will rise and will flourish into a kingdome notwithstanding all the devils in hell oppose Is Mordecai of the beloved seed then he will rise let Haman struggle his heart out Is Haman an Agagite of the cursed Amalekites then he will fall and all the favour in the world cannot keep him up I am grieved to see what preposterous wayes men take for preferment the love of this man and that man is made out after and not the love of God as the onely medium to rise by I view the wayes of men and sigh in secret
I see one man make a god of another to get up and he that is indeed God and the onely giver of honour and worth neglected Men move according to their principles sense undoes all greatnesse is neither from East nor West advancement is by a very invisible hand and you onely catch hold of hands which you see to lift you up to a kingdome to such a great felicitie which you aim at How low do most men move to be high The soul is enslaved which makes humane industry all his endeavour to be blessed The countenance of God sets up or throws down man if all the world did love you could they make you blessed could they raise your eternall estate Deluded sycophants men may give you fields and vineyards but can they give you a kingdome an everlasting kingdome and yet so doth God to his favourites to adopted sonnes and to the naturall sonne Know your errour 't is ruining you that look onely after the love of men to rise which make so much of the love of man and so little of the love of God Both may be pursued but subordinately and candidly otherwise a man makes flesh his arm and himself liable to the curse of such a condition A great many men love me but what will this do me good when I die if this be all the favour I have Can mens shoulders carry me to the kingdome of heaven Will the vapours of many mens mouthes make silver wings to carry my soul to heaven What will conscience cry out for think you when that pale messenger comes to call you hence Ah my soul thou art now to leave every body indeed thy very own body in which thou hast lived so long Doth God love thee conscience will ask this question again and again O soul soul thou art to be gone out of the body presently doth God love thee dear soul art thou dear to God One spirit is going to another two spirits must reason together about all things done in the flesh and standers by may not plead a jot onely what is in the breast of God to plead for thee or against thee Sinners what is in the breast of a God towards you love or hatred So will be your great happinesse or your great misery in this world and that to come Love speaks it self and so hatred speaks it self by Gods dealing with you you may know whether he loves or hates you God is dear to them which are dear to him relations are indearing on both sides God loves all his children dearly and they love him dearly Christ was dear to his father and his father dear to him he would rather die then disobey his will The spirit of the naturall sonne is in all the adopted if God be your father where is his honour Death is easier then disobedience to a child of God Relations have their proper nature they that are begotten love him that begat God hath no unnaturall child Some of you stand upon your sonne-ship and yet transgresse the will of your father with ease is he indeed your father which you call so and use so Are relations the highest relations without bowels can you use your father at your pleasure Do you love God and fight against him against his spirit within and against his truth and people without Our war in England certainly discovers a great many dear children of the devil as well as a great many dear children of God 'T is a time of great thoughts of heart a time of great-stirring and 't is a brave time to know your hearts and who is in them whether God or the devil when humours stirre much 't is the onely time to know the state of the man and what is his distemper God lives in every heart he loves and stirres as he lives how divine are the strings of your hearts now how generally divine how strongly divine There are not two better things to demonstrate any ones estate not any love speaks the love of a father Christ looked upon the young man and loved him but 't was not with any indearing love so not any love speaks the love of a child but that love which takes up the heart and indears God there How precious are thy commandments my soul loves them saith the Psalmist and so elsewhere My soul thirsteth after thee Psal 143.3 Weak souls should warm and comfort themselves in that flame they feel in their souls towards Christ and his wayes I am to be generall in consolation to all Gods people from this point think how you are to God very dear and refresh your souls with it in all sad conditions Misery sinks us because we think every humane distresse speaks divine displeasure or at least an abatement of love Afflicted Christians adde not to your load God is never out with them he loves all misery speaks not divine displeasure Misery speaks divine displeasure onely when it makes the soul wicked more adherent to sinne and lesse to Christ and Christians Some mens bitters from God make them bitter and sowre to good I like not that state God would make a bastard a sonne and he will not be corrected Miseries which make you groan under sinne and groan after Christ speak you very dear children to God how heavie soever they be and you should account such bitters sweets Let such mourners chear themselves God is very mindfull of your condition As things are dear to us so we think of them Is Ephraim my dear sonne is he a pleasant child Since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still Thy folly may be spoken against and yet thy person very dear and thy distresses compassionately carried in mind when thou thinkest all are slighted Christ strikes with one hand and strokes with the other 't is his usuall carriage to children Speak against them before men and speaks for them at the same time before God his Father Since I spake against him I remember him still I do earnestly remember him as yet recordando recordabor ejus adhuc as they read the text which is very lively When misery is upon a child of God he thinks then he is forgotten and then he is most remembred then 't is not recordabor ejus I will remember him but 't is recordando recordabor I will certainly remember him or I will earnestly remember him now in that very time that I have spoken against Ephraim a dear sonne notwithstanding all that I have laid upon him I do as yet earnestly mind him as divine love is towards us so it works if it be strong towards a person it is very earnestly intent about him for good Dear hearts in affliction believe that God remembers you and that he remembers you earnestly your deliverance is shaping day and night and thoughts shall never lie still till it be finished and you confesse what a deal of love is set upon you Dear children your blessednesse is above all mens here let times
and fortunes favour persons as they will troubles may be great but yet your mercy will be certain many may sink under them but surely you will not if the mercy of a God be enough to keep your head above water Others have nothing sure you have all sure the mercy of God sure in which is all If Ephraim be a dear sonne then my bowels are troubled for him and I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Dear children of God rejoyce in these sad times your blessednesse hath as sure a foundation as truth it self if God can insure any thing you will never miscarry Your blessednesse will be certain let times and states turn and overturn as they will yea your mercies will be great What God is in heart to any he is in hand where he loves much he gives and forgives much Dear children of God I cannot tell exactly how great you will be you will all have a kingdome let this kingdome stand or fall the naturall sonne and the adopted sonnes have all kingdomes and the one doth not envie the other but joyes in it the naturall sonne is still moving and mediating that this wretched world may have as full a demonstration of this as can be that the naturall sonne and the adopted sonnes may be loved with the same love and honoured with the same honour is one passage of Christs prayer and dear children read it often I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me John 17.23 Your mercies will carry correspondency with Christ and can you tell what felicity the sonne hath in the father And if you can such a felicity will you have in the sonne I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one Dear sonnes of God tell the world your greatnesse in your meannesse that you are beloved as Christ and shall be as happy as he let men and devils do their worst We are ready to impart to you our own souls because you are dear unto us 1. Thess 2.8 God is ready to impart his own soul to you because you are dear the greatest things are given to the dearest souls Coloss 1.14 In whom we have redemption c JUstification hath here a double expression proper and borrowed and so 't is called redemption proper and so 't is called forgivenesse of sinnes The cause of justification hath here likewise a double expression remote and proximate Remote Christ noted in these words in whom c. Proximate his bloud which is not put abstractively but concretly or comprehensively In whom we have redemption through his bloud c. Justification according to its double expression I purpose to prosecute and in that order which here by the holy Ghost laid down beginning first with its borrowed expression Redemption In whom we have redemption c. Redemption notes four things a person in bondage a prise paid a release and a free state all which it may be I may little open to you Redemption notes bondage a destressed state and such a distressed state to wit one thing under the burthensome and destructive power of another so was Israel under Pharaoh Egypt was a house of bondage many together under a burdensome destructive power and it was to preach their spirituall condition and their stubbornnesse occasioned that strong way of instruction God made a fescue of the body to point to the soul fallen man is a soul slave under the burdensome destructive power of sinne and wrath lust carries him captive to sinne sinne carries him captive to wrath and wrath carries him captive to hell which is the great house of bondage for eternitie where many are together under a tormenting destructive power as long as God is Prisons have various rooms but some more sad then others much lower and darker then others hell is the dungeon of the house of bondage which fallen man is in all the rooms are under the same roof under the same power and wrath and doores out of one into another and but a wall between room and room but a wall between a man in sinne and a man in hell this is a sad condition yet universall not a child of Adam free born Jews and Gentiles all are under sinne so many men and so men slaves I am carnall and sold under sinne saith the Apostle As a slave is sold from one bondage to another so one sinne sells my soul to another and all sinne sells me to the displeasure of God me thinks this is the Apostles fancie of the thing I am upon Not a man but in miserie and not a miserie but in sinne sinne is the great house of bondage here in which we are all in which you are and I am I am carnall and sold under sinne and so are you and this is the case of all naturally which is intimated in the text In whom we have redemption the Apostle puts in himself and those to whom he wrote Fallen man is under the power of sinne and under the power of wrath sinne can do what it will with the soul and so can justice with soul and bodie and yet be just Sinne is Gods enemie and hath made God mans enemie man is under the power of the greatest adversarie in the world a punishing power is fallen mans keeper and it follows him whithersoever he goes some dead have a waking ghost to tell under whose custody they are as after a man is brought home to God and goodnesse mercy follows the man to the end of his dayes whereever he goes and the man under the custody of love and of a friend for ever so before brought home to God man is a prisoner to wrath and under the custody of a ruining power and this follows him up and down the world to the end of his dayes They shall follow close after thee Jer. 42.16 Or cleave after you saith God speaking of sword and famine Wrath is ordered to follow close after sinners as its prisoners lest they should escape away before satisfaction be made This as the other I spake of ere while is a generall condition as all are under the power of sinne so are all under the power of wrath and not a man but a captive to divine displeasure naturally ceased upon by justice and under custody for hell if no redemption come The house of bondage hath three rooms sinne wrath and destruction and they all lie one within another There is a bondage of sinne and a bondage of wrath and a bondage of corruption as the Apostle calls the languishing state of the whole creation and all these mutually depending and a common condition the earth perishing every creature upon the earth perishing man the noblest creature under the bondage of sinne wrath and destruction and all hinted here in these words we have redemption that is from sinne wrath
your affections burn and your hearts beat to be redeemed That 's well then there is but one step more believe and you are redeemed out of bondage and this will be wrought it will spring and grow insensibly out of those pantings and breathings which are upon you I have seen the bondage of my people and I have heard their cry saith God When bondage makes crying out O what shall I do and who shall deliver me Enemies are got into a body and are deadly strong a body of death besets my soul and in the midst of this body shall not I loose my soul Now the sinner is turned from iniquity and now the redeemer comes to Sion Let the redeemed admire and adore the redeemer this one thing I will touch and give up the point and I am the rather induced unto it because 't is the use made in my text In whom we have redemption through his bloud Which words are spoken in way of admiration and thanksgiving and are but the continuation of that thanksgiving which is begun in the verse fore-going The redemption of the soul is precious silver would not reach it gold would not reach it onely the precious bloud of Christ would do it precious bloud must stirre and precious spirits leap from this consideration as high as heaven and spurtle up in Gods face Freedome binds man all must be sent to heaven that is saved from hell Let the redeemed say this and say that saith the Psalmist Redemption is obligation who ever hangs by his harp a redeemed person must not because he hath his advantage with him above all others his lesson set and laid before him yea his instrument tuned and put into his hand his lips are opened as the Psalmist speaks 't is but stirre thy tongue and matter cannot be wanting nor affections be able to lie still He that died for us must be perfumed and carried home honourably and buried in his own countrey as Jacob was he that died for you on earth must be perfumed by praises and carried to his own countrey and buried in heaven You must not bury Christ in his works but take him up out of his works and words and carry him to heaven and bury him there Nature abhorres burying things in their own bloud you must not bury Christ in his own bloud but take him up out of his bloud and bath him and perfume him and lay him to sleep in the arms of his father The redemption we speak of here and would have you thankfull for respects your souls and your bodies what mercy comes to either is a blessing from Christ as a Redeemer Not a deliverance in these bloudy times but from the bloud of Christ from that great redeemer that sits in heaven Bodily redemption is but the outside of soul-redemption I hope the blindest sight will be able to see the out-sides of mercy Blind wretches look upon temporall redemptions which now Christ makes and see if you can blesse him for these you had not had the lives of your bodies nor the livelihood of your estates at this houre had not your redeemer pleaded for you had not he pleaded for you w th his bloud you had been all ere this tumbling in your own bloud you had had your bloud trod under foot by those which have long trod under foot the bloud of Christ One redeemer works all redemptions for soul and body one redeemer pleads in soul-cases and in bodily cases See a full plain place Prov. 23.18 Enter not into the fields of the fatherlesse for their redeemer is mightie he shall plead their cause with thee It is but one redeemer that pleads for us in spirituall things and in corporall and therefore in all mercies both spirituall and corporall let Christ be honoured and praised Coloss 1.14 In whom we have redemption through his bloud THe way of grace is here considerable life comes through death God comes in Christ and Christ comes in bloud to save The choisest mercies come through the greatest miseries prime favours come swimming in bloud to us Through a red sea Israel came to Canaan Many a man lost his life and much bloud shed the very land flowing with milk and honey made to flow with bloud ere Israel could inherit the promise seven nations were destroyed ere the land of Canaan was divided to the Israelites Acts 13 19. Israel came to Canaan through bloud and kept in Canaan through bloud Samson was strangled in his own bloud like Christ to keep bloud and life in that blessed people The harlot had her life by a scarlet thread and so had the rest of her faith As the promised land so the promised crown came swimming to David in bloud how many men died and how near was David death many times ere that promise of his honour did live Josephs garment was dipt in bloud and he dead alive for so many years and this was the way to his greatnesse and to the saving of the life of all the holy seed Sinne makes mercie so deadly hard in bringing forth to cristen every precious child every Benjamin Benoni every sonne of Gods right hand a sonne of sorrow and death to her that brings him forth Adam's sweets had no bitter till he transgressed Gods will one mercie did not die to bring forth another till he died One creature was a felicitie for another and none a death to or for another mercy generated mercy and man fed upon the cream and top of all and yet the bottom as sweet as the top mans felicitie was no creatures misery under him they were happy in him and he in them and all in the presence of God to each I will rain bread from heaven saith God to Moses and this was an extraordinary thing then and yet ordinary to Adam before his fall spiritually understood he had all his provision without cost or toil his felicity descended from heaven upon him as dew heaven and earth opened and not any ones sides or veins and so mercy streamed upon him he had his felicity with no more hardship then Angels Man would have his pleasure and God would have his too divine pleasure hath turned the course of love The sea hath runne so many thousand years in such a channell yet God can when he will turn it into another though so broad and big an element The sea is bottomlesse but not boundlesse 't is ordered by the pleasure of God and so is mercy the will of God bounds it orders it keeps it in and lets it forth through what channells it will life through death heaven through hell The first covenant was sealed with life the tree of life was the seal of Adams first grace and favour the second covenant is ratified with death the tree of life must die or else none could live by eating of it 't is not life out of life now as out of the first covenant but life out of death and this necessarily because
according to the will of God Verily unlesse a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abides alive but if it die it bringeth forth fruit John 12.24 God hath taken counsell of his will and turned the sea of love into a new channell the first covenant gave out all favours without bloud but the second through bloud through Christs bloud and our own Christs cup is called Gods will and our cup is called Christs will the will of God orders both these and therefore is Christs cup when full of bloud said to be Gods will not my will but thine c. And our bloudy cup also called Gods will if any suffer according to his will c. Great favours to come through great hardships is the will of God Means carry proportion to their end death to make death the death of Christ to make the death of the serpent bruising to bruise it was so proportioned by God It shall bruise thine head and thou shalt bruise his heel Nature hides her choise things closest and bids art use pains sutable to prise to obtain them and so doth grace she hides life in death our life is hid saith the Apostle where In bleeding dying Christ Wisdome orders great things to be obtained with great pains grace and glory in bloud in Christs bloud and our own Christ gets heaven by suffering and all that will live godly with him shall suffer too Means are generally proportioned to their end so by God to Christ and so by Christ to us This world is thrown upon men which is providence disposing sutable to things disposed this world is worth nothing and comes for nothing but the world to come is invaluable and the way to it proportionable the bloud of Jesus Christ and the bloud of his people the one per modum meriti the other per modum congrui Things are prised rather as they come then as they are farre fetched and dear bought makes all the prise and gives all the worth with us weak creatures upon this ground the Scripture when it speaks of our great fortune tells the great prise it cost as eying our weaknesse who look more at what things cost then at what things are and as knowing if any thing will work and take with us this will To him that loved us and washed us from our sinnes in his own bloud Rev. 1.5 Man is a legall creature and looks much at what is given for a thing and prises this more then that which comes for little he values things more under a notion of prise then under a notion of freenesse What did this cost why it cost Christs own bloud Fancie works foolishly in weak brains colour is more then the cloth and scarlet colour a generall taking colour and therefore is Christs garment dipt in bloud and he admired in this habit Who is this that comes from Edom with garments died red from Bozra Use Let no man be offended if mercy come any way to sinners though through never so much bloud and misery Sinne had totally and finally closed up every wombe of grace and it could not enter into the imagination of any creature that ever any dramme of mercy should find any way to them that the earth opens after much sweating and labouring and that heaven opens after much sweating and bleeding to send forth favours to sinners is beyond the expectation of men and Angels Mercy lay buried under impossibility of resurrection impossibilities reduced to difficulties and grace become fesable though with much cost is admirable Deadly sentence was with redoubled strength passed and not with a syllable of revocation for any lost creature to make the least guesse at any restauration By dying thou shalt die c. Here is the grave of a whole world of felicity and a stone rolled upon it daring all powers in heaven and in earth to open it if they can and that grace notwithstanding so buried should rise and become atainable is admirable I wonder that all the world is not bleeding and howling in hell and every one catching his bloud as it falls and writing out his fall in capitall letters to the glory of justice to all eternitie 't is wonderfull to me that it is not the whole imployment of all the creatures in this world to drown one another in bloud to stab tear and rend one another in pieces without any ceasing as that world below doth that there are not two hells a higher and a lower an upmost and a nethermost and that this is not as bad as that that all of this side heaven is not hell out-right Murmuring spirits be patient you think much to see so much spoil and bloudshed in the land 't is the way of God to bring great things to man through the bloud of prime brave persons are brave things brought forth Is there a braver person then Christ in the land or in any land and yet through his sides and through his bloud must great and gallant favours come You eye your pain and not Gods pleasure his way is in the deep the Leviathan tumbles there in the sea in the red sea in bloud and death to life and glory do ye think to justle God out of his wayes as ye justle a man Murmuring is spirit justling against spirit a bad against a good and the worst will have the worst for God treads such to death as will not give him his way You know that God fell out with his own people deadly when they disliked the way of hardship which he had cast them into to humble them and to do them good under heathen princes Let a wise man propose such an end and such a way to it let it be what it will red or white fair or foul you honour him in all and with joy look for good in this way give God this honour Wisdomes way to great things is in bloud in the bloud of some prime persons to the life and welfare of many One or two things may make us give God the honour of his way to such an end let his way be never so sad in our eye God alwayes makes his way most just to what end soever he bends mercy comes clothed but like your sinne when it comes clothed in scarlet your sinnes are crimson scarlet sinnes you die mercies red and bloudy 't is not God Justice treads upon sinne properly upon man accidentally as he lies under it if no body did ly under sinne justice would tread no body to death to bring life into the world nor shed a drop of any ones bloud to bring the greatest blessings to us God goes after man because man will not go after God justice follows sinners because sinners will not follow righteousnesse God doth not step a step in a way of punishment but as you lead him and to trace you in your wayes of sinne all wayes of bloud and death you chalk out to him you lead love out of his way and
all transgressions utterly out of remembrance and esteeming our persons in crucified Christ as Christ the dearest to himself and so held communion with and dispensed to both here and hereafter I say 't is an act of God this act is evangelicall pardon springs from compassion kindnesse makes God ready to forgive and not any motive from without him Thou Lord art good and ready to forgive plenteous in mercy Psal 86.5 The latter expression explains the former good that is plenteous in mercy and this makes readinesse to pardon were not God plenteous in kindnesse a God rich in love he would never be ready to pardon sinne because it destroyes his visible being all this world and all things in it yea it destroyes his invisible being God is no God without nor no God within The fool hath said in his heart There is no God He affirms it to Gods face within the fool doth this that is the man that lives in his sinne Can you forget such as would crush you to nothing 'T is a conditionall act Men must repent and then God forgives Repent that your sinnes may be blotted out thus runs the Gospel throughout Repentance hath two things sence of sinne and faith in Christ which grace is said to justifie because a necessary condition of justification and without which though not for which doth God forgive Abraham believed and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse which is as much as if the holy Ghost had said Abraham went in the right way of justification and so found it he sought it not by works but by faith for you know that 's the dispute there This was imputed to him for righteousnesse this that is not nudus actus credâ—ndi the naked act of believing the act abstractively considered but conâ—unctively considered as such a hand laying hold of such a person this is the condition which the Gospel calls for that Christ be trusted in which also God works which work beeing wrought justification follows actually 'T is actus numeratas a numerall act an act repeated in order to sense though not in order to the thing it self to wit sinne a repeated act in order to chastisements though not in order to condigne punishment We are forgiven this day and we are forgiven to morrow and when to morrow comes a man must be in this to â—e again we must pray daily for the forgivenesse of debts or else they are as not forgiven in order to internall sense and externall suffering Forgivenesse is a daily thing with him are forgivenesses saith Daniel and God doth multiply to pardon saith the Prophet Esay 55.7 Forgivenesse is actus multiplicatus and this with the property thereof and this property essentiall and which destroyed as many misled persons now do destroy forgivenesse and destroy their souls As such a multiplied act doth David apprehend mercy and maketh towards it According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Mercy thou hast ordained to go forth in a multipli'd way in a repeated and a renewed way and in this way I come unto thee saith the Prophet Forgivenesse in the court of conscience est actus repetitus I have now opened to you the weightiest point in Divinity that vpon which your temporall and eternall good depends a very considerable point and circumstanced with a very considerable time 't is a bloudy time a very bloudy deadly time Sinners are your sinnes forgiven A dreadfull throne is palpably errected the judge of all the world is now riding his circuit in England and his trumpets sound sadly in every Countie Drunkards swearers bad good come away to judgement Sinners are your sinnes forgiven Execution is generall great and small are truss'd up every where bodies leave bloud bloud leaves spirits spirits leave this world apace but ah Lord to what world do they go England wicked England where dost thou bury thy dead thy dead souls which depart by troups in heaven or in hell One sad thing let me tell you all Death is at your doore therefore let every man smite his breast and say Shall I die in my sinne or shall I die in thy favour Coloss 1.15 Who is the image of the invisible God the first born of every creature YOu have heard of Christ according to the dignity of office a Redeemer a redeemer with his bloud you are now to heare of him according to dignity of person he is as in action so in person the noblest He is the image of the invisible God the first born of every creature Christ is admirable in action and person altogether lovely so in the judgement of God and so in the judgement of those who can discern what God and what the highest beauty is Christ hath his encomium here by men truly discerning and heare what they say and be taken For his office 't is the noblest 't is to make peace between man and God for his person 't is the noblest 't is the highest representation of God that is in this world no creature in this world yields the like he makes similitude to him who otherwise is without similitude if you look at calling if you look at countenance if you look at birth in all these he is beyond all if you look at calling none is imployed like him for he brings souls out of the devils power with his bloud if you look at countenance he is the image of that God which is so glorious that no mortall eye can behold and therefore called here an invisible God if you look at birth he is Reuben a first born not in reference to this little family or that but in reference to Gods great family which consists of two worlds three worlds all that compasse and every one of those rooms which contain every creature Who is the image of the invisible God the first born of every creature Some have beauty onely by their place and office and so had Saul and in this sense merely I think called the beauty of Israel the beauty of Israel is slain Saul was the shame of Israel and the plague of his family if personally and practically considered all his beauty then lay in his chair So others onely have their beauty in their face and skinne as Absolon and others in their birth and pedigree as Esau all over rude and hairy a rough man but of a beautifull stock the first-born of a brave family some have all these beauties without but none within of a good family of a good countenance of a good rank but not of one good quality but none of these are wanting in Christ he hath a generall beauty in place a King in countenance the image of God in birth primogenitus cunctae creaturae inside and outside both are as beautifull as the other his goodnesse as beautifull as his greatnesse therefore both are joyned together by the Prophet Zachary and admired How great is his goodnesse and how great is his beauty Zach. 9.17 Christs
a generall beautie and this particularly expressed first his image then his birth and therefore are according to his own order of expression to be prosecuted Who is the image c. The image of God signifies severall things sometime similitude in place and sometime similitude in qualification Christ is the image of God in majestie in purity in simplicity and Identity of being I intend to touch all these and then give you the use Christ holds forth the majesty of God to man divine majesty notes two things infinite power and wisdome and Christ carries both these through the world in open view which none else do neither man nor Angel What they falsly said of Simon the sorcerer that I may truly say of Christ He is the great power of God he hath power over all flesh over all spirits men devils winds seas are all subject to him Christ makes every knee bow to him of things in heaven and things in earth and under earth he is the head of all principallitie and power Coloss 2.10 Christ moves in an upper sphere and moves all other after him as he pleaseth he sits in heaven and doth what soever he will he puts forth an infinite power here which I wonder this world can bear and manages all things according to the counsell of his will which is one beam of God divine power working fully as it is according to its infinite nature infinitely and so it works in none nor by none but in and by Christ Infinite power puts forth in infinite wisdome that 's the complete majesty of God and both these in Christ and no where else Christ is the power of God and the wisdome of God and both joyned together by the Apostle as alwayes going forth together to man But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God Christ hath an almighty arm and an almighty brain he over-reaches all the deceived and the deceiver no action of his proves an abortive or looses one whit of its scope or intention for want of due time or due place or any other oportune and seasonable circumstance In him are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge There is not any excellency accidentall in Christ so you are not to understand the term hid but all excellency of power and wisdome wrapt up in flesh naturally in him there is the fulnesse of the God-head bodily 'T is an allusion to treasure where it lies naturally hid in the earth in a proper body and there lies aboundance of treasures after an unexpressable measure so in Christ lies wrapt up wisdome and knowledge in their full dimensions and according to their incomprehensible nature as in a proper body and answerably work to the managing of power and therefore is it said that he did all things well and that he spake and did as never man did The power of God fully as 't is and the wisdome of God according to its naturality and immensity of being and working which makes up the majesty of God and so one part of the image of God in Christ Christ is the image of God as in majesty so in purity justice and mercy are the purity of God as power and wisdome are the majesty of God Christ as he is the power of God and the wisdome of God so he is the justice and the mercy of God he is grace and truth and the fulnesse of these in view And the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory as the glory of the onely begotten of the Father full of grace and truth Providence is full of variety of action and all very profound one cannot feel bottom here yet this we can pitch upon that grace and truth are the scope of them all the works of Gods hands are veritie and judgement all his Laws are sure and stand fast for ever and they are done in truth and uprightnesse Christs action is oft beyond our apprehension and contrary to our expectation but never beyond nor contrary to grace and truth Grace goes forth in truth mercy is managed by justice love is tendred and if abused wrath cuts off that person or that people and this is the carriage of Christ through the world Grace and truth are the nature of God and these in fulnesse are in the person and action of Christ which plainly speaks out what Christ is to all the world Under this notion is Christ called the image of God Holinesse and righteousnesse was called Gods image in Adam because this was in his person and action createdly exact but this is uncreatedly exact in the second Adam which gives him this high title in the text the image of the invisible God Finally Christ is the image of God as in majesty and purity so in simplicity of being according to his divinity he is essentially the same with the invisible God and therefore called by the Authour to the Hebrews the engraven character of his person or the figure of his substance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the character of his substance and under this notion Christ hath the attributes of God given him and called as he is a king eternall immortall invisible Before Abraham was Christ was before any creature was Christ was in the beginning was the word Christ was that word which began all and will be that word which shall end all he is Alpha and Omega but without beginning or end of dayes himself by him all things are made and by him all things shall be destroyed but he himself abideth for ever as God doth Immortall 'T is eternity in a metaphor about is the nearest way home in expression of high things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the graven image of his substance Vse Immortall Christ was never quite dead he was so fully in the image of God malice killed man but could not kill God-man nor never will Spirits have no flesh and bloud no deadly matter because no mixture Christs divine nature is spirituall and the spirituality of his being not infinite as Angels but infinite as God and in this sence above the reach of sence and much more above the injury of finite force and therefore called both immortall and invisible And so the expresse image of Gods person and the brightnesse of his glory The summe of all is this that Christ is that person in the trinity which doth most immediately and fully hold forth God to mans observation and use for temporall and eternall good As Christ is the image of God in purity so we are to conform to him Whom he did fore-know he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his sonne that is in purity in righteousnesse and holinesse according to that of the Apostle Put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Sinners look well upon your souls who are they like Christ or Sathan Sathan knows who are like him and
possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old I was set up from everlasting from the beginning when there were no depths I was brought forth c. Proverbs 8. He speaks you see in reference to the creature and challenged priority of being in reference to them all and therefore called in the Revelation the beginning of the creation of God and therefore here also called the first-born of every creature Birth-right you see by this hath a double consideration naturall and spirituall and both honourable and to beheld up and maintained and so doth the spirit of God here inferre Doctr. Birth-right is an honourable thing and to be holden up and maintained 'T is taken for granted to be honourable and to be maintained and therefore is so used and prosecuted in reference to Christ what is due to him by birth in a spirituall sence is held forth and maintained to wit that he is the first-born of many brethren and what is due to him by birth in a naturall sence is held forth and maintained also that he is the first-born of every creature all his priviledges are protested Right is the priviledge of being and felicity falls as this falls a being without priviledge is a being without felicity and a being without felicity is hell Birth-right contains much 't is a bundle of priviledges bound up by God and man as many as grace and nature affords to make such a being blessed both here and hereafter Consider a man as born and he hath such naturall priviledge from nature and consider a man as new born and he hath such spirituall priviledge from grace That which carries the felicity of life in it it s own worth necessarily calls for standing for if I must stand to maintain my life against deadly creatures which invade it much more that which is the felicity of my life right and priviledge is the felicity of life the felicity of naturall life and the felicity of spirituall life Right not maintained institution is despised all runnes to ruine necessarily for one devours another Priviledge gives not onely felicity but proper felicity that is every one his happinesse so as not to be the least unhappinesse to another Priviledge makes many heavens a heaven for master and for servant a heaven for father and for child a heaven for prince and for people and ones heaven not anothers hell Birth-right is God and nature giving distinct proprietie This temporall good belongeth to this and not to that this spirituall good belongs to this and not to that Propriety confounded Ahabs and Naboths vineyard become one heaven and hell become one children and dogges would fare alike which is sad confusion and which nature abhorres and grace much more What is peculiar and proper to Christ birth-right gives him he is the first-born of every creature Use I am to speak to two sorts of persons from this point to you which have a naturall birth-right and to you which have both a naturall and a spirituall birth-right You which have but a naturall birth-right onely it were well if you did look for more that you were as high in priviledge as Christ that ye had a naturall and a spirituall birth-right he was the first-born of every creature and the first born among many brethren Naturall priviledge makes naturall felicity and this becomes a snare oft times accommodations of nature make men slight grace which was Esaus sinne and ruine birth-right in the spirituality of it he despised obtaining carnall content The more of the world enjoyed the lesse is Christ cared for this is a common plague and consider how 't is with you Are you beloved of God or do you look after it they are his first-born his prime birth which issue out of the wombe of love There is a child and a pleasant child is he not a pleasant child So there are sonnes and first-born sonnes All men are Gods sonnes in some sence We are his off-spring but some are chosen out of the world and have speciall love set upon them they are called a first off-spring a prime birth because born of love their birth being not onely from the hand of God but from the heart of God born of water and the spirit brought forth to the obedience of the Gospel by a spirituall efficacy in the word if this be not your condition your honour is not full whatever your worldly priviledge be and you will soon know it for though you seem to be sons made much of you will quickly be cast off none but first-born are written in heaven and imbraced for ever To the Church of the first-born written in heaven First-born have a propriety in eternall felicity they are written in heaven and others are written in hell they are joynt heirs with Christ which a state worth the looking after You see how all things go here tyrannie tramples your priviledge under foot you are born to much and it comes to nothing but bloud and miserie you dare not go where your revenue lies to challenge your birth-right the sword is so furbisht and set against you had you a state in grace were you a generation of first-born as Christ there were something sure to take too let times and things work as they will The folly of men is great this world is onely prized and men will not be reclaimed which is a destructive thing Let me ask the children of this world doth the bloudy sword make you question your state whether you are the children of God or no born of the spirit to an inheritance eternall immortall that passeth not away New-born are first-born you are as you were in life and you will be as you never were in death Do ye see children of this world how black and bloudy this world is But what 's that to come where your names are written and unto which you are heirs Look about you children of this world your misery gathers every day more and more and nearer and nearer and it will swallow you up and feed upon you for ever if not prevented your birth-right is barely naturall that is such priviledges in such a kingdome and you had need fight hard for these for you have no more these gone and all gone loose what you are born to of flesh and bloud and you loose all fight hard carnall creatures or you will be quite undone else Birth-right is honourable and to be maintained you that have this honour in a full sence in a naturall and in a divine sence as Christ had hold up your honour and maintain it as Christ doth here by his spirit in my text assert your state as Christ doth here and not desert it tell the children of this world what you are children of such men and children of such a God that you are born to such secular priviledge by man and to such spirituall priviledge by God and will maintain it in his way as long as bloud is in your veins
Christ is spirituall he is head in the heart The kingdome of God is within you there are his Laws written and there is his throne Aarons rod and the tables of the covenant were in the inner Court and the Manna in the golden pot The command of the purse may serve a man but it doth not Christ he commands the heart My sonne give me thy heart You suit your seats so doth Christ he makes his throne in that which is nearest him to wit the spirit Christs rule is one soul bound up in another Paul bound in the Spirit and that bond bound all to good behaviour Christs rule is perpetuall Some heads may be cut off this head my text speaks of cannot Death hath slain many commanders but Christ hath slain death and him that had the power of death Satan is the executioner of Justice and therefore said to have the power of death as well as in other respects Christ hath destroyed all and hath his life in jeopardy by none he liveth and reigneth for ever he ruleth by his power for ever Psalm 66.7 He shall rule till he hath put down all rule and all power and all authority 1. Cor. 15.24 Untill he and his be one as he and his father are one till the kingdome be resigned up There be now many powers against Christ but he must reign till they be all down yet not any to help him The rule of Christ is Monarchicall there may be many lords over the body but there is but one Lord over the soul The government is upon his shoulders that is upon his alone Christ had none suffered with him and he hath none to reign with him here Christ hath trod the wine-presse alone he slew Goliah alone and is that stone alone that sunk into his brain he maketh his kingdome alone and ruleth it alone He shall build the Temple of the Lord and he shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon his throne Zacharie 6.13 Vse This point is irksome most hearts can bear no rule contradiction is death though it be the word of life that maketh it Office destroyed the soul destroyeth it self where Christ can be no King he will be no Jesus such as stumble at this chief corner stone are crushed by it that soul that killed Christ is killed by him his bloud is upon every heart that nullifieth him The Lord be mercifull to the souls of men do ye know what ye do when you secretly say this lust shal reign and Christ shal not reign over me You commit Adoniahs treason treason against the crown that you may put by Solomon from the throne your bloud and your life will go for this When Adam committed treason against the crown would become a God God cutteth him off presently though there were no more men in the world Justice hath its heights and depths as mercy hath treason against the King hath exquisite torture such a death as hath many deaths in it so 't is in this case spirituall treason hath double death By dying thou shalt die thou traitour against the crown of Heaven said Christ to Adam and in him to all that do as he did There is death unto death and this the punishment of every traitour against Christ This is too generall a more particular application shall be made Your souls are under command you have a spirituall head You have fathers of your flesh and you obey them you have a father of spirits and why do ye not obey him Most men look least at their hearts all the care is to order the tongue and the outward man Hypocriticall creatures you overlook the kingdome of Christ you look at the outside Christ looketh at the heart who ruleth within all is under command body and soul the soul principally and yet this principally neglected must needs be the death of all thoughts must be brought into subjection to Christ as well as words Loose hearts have their plague upon them their holinesse is painted but their judgement will be reall they have sould their souls to do wickedly and will be paid in hell The behaviour of the heart is all dethrone Christ and he will fight it out with you to the death a disloyall soul shall never have the sword depart from him not a quiet day as long as he liveth Our temporall king which ruleth in this land doth but imagine that you go about to dethrone him or take off some flowers from his crowns and you see and feel that he fights it out with you to the death and seemeth resolved not to give England a quiet day as long as he lives Make spirituall application of this ye Hypocrites ye painted toombs that come here and professe Christ and go out like Judas and betray him you dethrone Christ in your hearts you destroy the flowers of his crown the rule of the soul is the onely flower of his crown and taking away this from him he will fight it out with you to the death the sword shall never depart from your souls you shall not have a quiet day for the hypocrisie which you know Tremble Hypocrites fearfulnesse will surprise you your secret basenesse will generate a secret hell justice shall rule where truth and love cannot the rottennesse of your hearts shall have a corasite to feed upon it for ever let every one lay these things to heart and consider whether Christ be head there yea or no. Two things demonstrate the heart indeed ruled by Christ sin universally hated and truth universally loved Passions are false strength speaketh out their truth and who ruleth in the heart Some spirits are indifferent for truth or errour and hold a virtue to be hot for neither but to stand in all times of contradiction so as to keep the skinne whole Hypocrisie ruleth in this heart and not truth and this temper is the plague of this generation neither hot nor cold Cold sweats are death pangs the soul is near his end that thus liveth If God be God worship him halting between many things is nothing this speaketh the prince of darknesse yet ruling affections which break through obstacles to discharge duty speak Christ head in the heart I will not stand on qualities themselves but at what every quality maketh and this will be more plain to you to demonstrate who ruleth in your hearts Fire encounters all opposites so doth every element from a naturall instinct and so doth grace where it reigneth Sinne is the proper object of hatred and every sinne is made so where Christ indeed is head Dominion speaketh all subdued if any sinne reign Christ doth not Weak hearts must not here wrong themselves the being of sinne and the stirring of sinne which the Apostle calleth the motion of sinne do not necessarily speak the reign of sinne Many precious hearts when they feel sinne strong in them conclude it reigneth in them and censure their souls exceedingly and so make their life a hell they
much of his worth which spake him a child of perdition there be more of these children in the world You Londoners have heard much and seen much of Christ more I think then any city under heaven and yet to many of you your bags and your wealth I fear are dearer then the Lord Jesus Some things are afflicting others ruining undervaluing of Christ is damnable the spots of this I will shew you Three things speak the undervaluing of Christ truth neglected sinne approv'd Christ unbelieved Light is to walk by men sleight this and sear their consciences truth is neglected when not made a rule of life Able discoursing speaks not prising of truth but practising Truth is made subordinate to self ends the plague is in the heart love is not sincere Christ is not prised above the world Many will not fully follow God because it will fully undo them to follow truth as the world approves is to prize Christ onely as the world doth Fear your own hearts snares are many within and without Christ is indeed prized when his will is obeyed Action speaks out affection If you love me keep my commandments if the heart be drawn the foot will run the crown wheel moving though but slowly the little wheels run apace the hand and the foot are but little wheels in order to the heart if this be drawn and moved though but a little the other run Draw me and I will runne after thee Draw me that is my heart and then feet and all other parts shall come Affection puts on to action O how willing to obey is that soul that sincerely loves He would go he would run he would ride post to please God no precept harsh where the heart is right Christ made chief and so is his will above an Isaac By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac God tried Abraham what was chief in his heart himself or Isaac and Abraham gives open testimony of his affection in his action Sinne approved speaks Christ undervalued Will is strong lusts overcoming and pleasing to the most and alas for such souls Christ is not prised as chief Approbatio mali est reprobatio animi Some sinne from mis-understanding God pities these some sinne from mis-affection more then from mis-apprehension they love darknesse better then light which is reprobation of mind a soul disapproving the truth which he knows What I would I understand not or I know not saith Paul when he wrought evil and he argues from hence that God and the Gospel would pity him What I do I allow not so you reade it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nosco to know I think is from this Greek word I know not Weak hearts you do many things amisse of ignorance and Christ will pity you and therefore wound not your selves But wilfull wretches you put bitter for sweet you call evil good you love vanities and follow after lies the evil courses you follow you love and approve To prise Christ and to prise sinne are inconsistent you cannot love God and Mammon You are positive in your evil way you put darknesse for light you justifie your course which is drawing of Christs bloud out of his sides and then trampling upon it and despising of it when ye haue done which is the highest undervaluing of Christ Christ unbelieved is Christ undervalued it is frowning upon one that smiles boundlesse grace limited The great things of my Law are made small things saith the Lord. Lessening speaks undervaluing it doth so respecting precepts and respecting promises Unbelief makes great precepts no precepts and it maketh great promises no promises It is the highest commendation of any dish at Christs table that you eat heartily of it Christ accounts it so it is the highest valuation of Christ that you rest upon him that you take life at his hands which he proffers Sinners would you prise Christ be invited then unto unto him by what he proffers he will pardon you he will purge you he will justifie sanctifie glorifie you if you believe on him Faith is laying Christ in your bosome and that is proper prising of a thing faith is an heart act a soul going out of every thing to God wearied with every thing as defective and fiting down in Christ as complete Then do I prise Christ indeed when I behold him as all and so appropriate him to my self when I make him my wealth my honour my righteousnesse when I have none in heaven nor none in earth but him when I have none to present to God to conscience nor to the world but him Weak hearts if guilt deterre you from Christ you will die in your sinne as undervaluers of remedy salvation is brought near to you God will not your death repent and believe the Gospel to day do this and to day shall salvation come to your house Ob. Sol. I know that believing speaks reall prising of Christ but I cannot believe To this I answer The obiection lies not merely here that you cannot believe you will not believe Humour is strong in many weak hearts grace in it self and in its means rejected and then they say they cannot believe you cannot because you will not Blame your will and bleed over the perversnesse of a proud heart beg God to bring salvation yet nearer to you nearer to your understanding nearer to your will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith 't is suadere 't is that act of Christ by which he doth perswade a froward will Beg Christ to conquer thy will and then thou wilt have power enough to believe presently he will perswade Japhet I cannot stand to speak of particulars I have but one thing to speak in generall and then I have done and that is to all Gods people You prise Christ as chief and so doth Christ you Christ is your jewel and you are Christs jewels you make him your husband and you are to him as a wife They are blessed indeed which have Christs prime love upon them prime love gives out prime favours you will be fed with the finest of the wheat the fatted calf will be killed for you the best robe will be brought for you Benjamins double dish and double dainties will be set before you Prime love works out into tender mercy and tender mercy is mercy shaped to all your necessities to keep you happy against all unhappinesse Some are but commonly loved yet they live well upon it and are merry you are dearly beloved of Christ and yet you cannot live well upon this No I shall want my bread Shall ravens be fed and not dear children will not a Father a heavenly Father provide Ob. Sol. If the famine do not kill me the sword will Is not Christ a strong tower to the righteous to his dear ones is not the munitions of works your defence your castles and rocky places will hold out but a while Christ is a rock of ages he saves with an everlasting salvation Ob. Sol.
you give your hearts to God God will give the hearts of men to you be restlesse about your owne worke be not restlesse about Gods The carriage of God should be imitated and the love of God should be received and admired these are the last things that I will urge upon you Every heart should be taken when divine love breakes forth especially when it breaks forth strongly and restlesly Our climate is more glorious then all the world the Sunne in brightnesse shines continually upon us wisdome cries in every street and cries restlesly cries and dies The Crowner will sit the debt of love will be laid to our charge If you love your soules be as restlesse to receive and admire as God is to proffer Mercie is our Manna our bread from heaven we should feed upon it every good thing comes downe from heaven and should lead our soules thither and then 't is good to us You have not a crum of kindnesse but comes from heaven but love in strength is heaven it selfe descending Who can but admire and receive this who can but enter into heaven when it comes to his dore What will heaven be turned into if turned off at our dore Let sinners tremble such as trample upon restlesse love and gag the mouth of continuall crying mercy but let weake hearts cheare themselves 't is a delightfull thing to God to receive you he is restlesse and will be restlesse till you have rest Broken hearts can make nothing hold together to doe them good with cords of love they hang themselves When mercy in latitude is mentioned 't is turned off God hath no heart to me why I mis-pend and misuse all Why yet thou art invited to eate that which is good and to let thy soule delight it selfe in fatnesse And God is restlesse in this invitation he eyes not what you have neglected no nor what you have abused he eyes your necessitie and his owne grace and it would delight him much if you would now eate that which is good and let your soules delight themselves in fatnesse Esa 45.2 God is not pleased that I sinne but he is pleased that I believe let my sin be what it will dying hearts fetch life from this Text that it pleaseth God to give Christ for you COLOSSIANS 1.19 That in him should all fulnesse dwell O Lord how great are thy workes and thy thoughts are very deep saith the Psalmist Psal 92.5 Wee are vaster in thoughts then wee can be in words or workes 't is not so with God he is as profound in expression as in conception and in action as in either admirable great and deep in both How great are thy workes and thy thoughts very deep The depth of divine expression in action we are now to fathome fulnesse all fulnesse The worke is above us but God will be mercifull to weaknesse if wee lose our selves in him If we can but admire thoughts words and workes of bottomlesse depth as David did and as the Apostle here doth wee shall doe something on-ward of our dutie and follow the footsteps of the flocke For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell c. Man is a creature rather induced then forced as things are indowed so they draw What hath much moves a little what hath very much moves a little more what hath all fetches oft some from all to imbrace this this propertie onely hath Christ he hath all fulnesse The expression speakes admirable perfection reception and fruition unto the highest blessednesse which that Christ hath I will demonstrate to you that I may pursue the scope of the holy Ghost and gaine you all if it may be to love him Communication in relation to Christ is immediate water at the Well-head is purest plentifullest sweetest At the Well-head water is for qualitie and quantitie full one cannot so easily be deceived there in either one cannot drinke a spring dry Christ lies in the bosome of the Father he is in God the Leviathan tumbles in the deepe the heart of God is deepe what is in this Christ onely knowes what he determins and meanes within himselfe Christ imparts and none else What Christ seeth the Father doe that doth he Joh. 5.19 Christ is in word and action the revelation of what was hid in God from the beginning of the world The Apostle to the Ephesians when he would tell you what is the riches of Christ saith that it is immediate riches something that he hath which all the world beside hath not something that lies hid where none can come at but himselfe something that is hid in God Ephes 3.8 9. You have many instructers but Christ hath none Who hath instructed him He dwels in light Nothing is hid from Christ not the things which are in Gods breast for he lies there Christ hath immediate communication which is full as full as God Christ hath vast braines for God is his head and none else I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is man and the head of Christ is God 1 Cor. 11.3 that 's a brave head-piece indeed The like place is that 1 Cor. 3.23 And yee are Christs and Christ is Gods Christ hath immediate reference to none but God Communication in order to Christ is immediate and it is universall All fulnesse empties all into him God is in Christ reconciling the world c. Some things will hold much but are not filled nothing will hold all but Christ and he hath actuall communication according to his utmost capacitie God is in Christ doing what he doth in this world There is communicatio essentiae according to which Christ and his Father are one There be many things have God in them but none as Christ hath none have all God in them none have so much of God as that they can speake and doe as God and so as that without blasphemy they may be called God yet so may Christ 't is no blasphemy to call Christ equall to God to call him God Christ is God and moves as God Whatsoever things the Father doth these also doth the Sonne There is a universalitie of communication you see to Christ Whatsoever things the Father doth c. Life is quid essentiale quid universale it comprehends all As the Father hath this in himselfe so hath he given to the Sonne As the Father hath life in himselfe so hath he given unto the Sonne to have life in himselfe Joh. 5.26 There is a universalitie that lies scattered in many things as well as comprised in one and if you heed this this also is communicated to Christ All the ' promises are in Christ yea and in him amen i. they are fulfilled in him first and then by him to all others Finally Communication is exact Christ is essentially and ornamentally the same with his Father He is the expresse image of his person and the brightnesse of his glory
blessings A man out with God may have many things but no blessings Riches are no blessing honours no blessing knowledge no blessing to a man on whom God frownes The smiles of the Son comprehend all the vertues which do felicitate nature In the love of God is wrapt up our temporall and eternall felicity Peace and reconciliation speak the speciall love of God Definit Reconciliation 't is intire full and firm friendship between God and fallen mam by vertue of which his condition in all things is blessed Reconciliation speaks friendship God and man are enemies which falling out is sad but God can wash his hands because it began wholly on mans side he disliked Gods will and so threw it off and God disliked mans practice in this and so threw him off they are now far off one from another You that are far off c. Not far off according to presence but far off according to affection Man is a hater of the Lord and the Lord a hater of man Affection opposite and actions are opposite God and man fight they seek the life of one another fleshly lusts fight against the soule i. against God in the soul God considers mans venimous nature and pursues him that which riseth up against me shall die The soul that sins shall die Rebellion is death by divine Statute no man shall have his book in this case saith Justice Reconciliation is that act of Christ which takes off this deadly pursuite Let not this soul die I have died Reconciliation speaks compassion compensation yea advocation one pleads when the Sinner by reason of guilt is speechlesse If crime be crying and must have blood let my blood go for it saith Christ Reconciliation 't is Christ personating a sinner and pleading with a displeased God till he be overcome and think well of one whom he said he would ruine If we sin we have an advocate c. Reconsiliation hath advocation advocation closeth spirits and and things which differ and begets right understanding and so settles amity between such as were at enmity Christ hath slain enmity This friendship which Christ worketh between God and man is intire you have I known of all the people of the earth God knows some above all i. loves some above all other Reconciliation speaks peculiar love God carries a common respect to all he makes the Sun to shine upon the good and upon the bad as a creator he upholds the whole world which is great friendship this speaks not reconciliation Reconciliation speaks fatherly friendship Gods motion is wonderfull he comes very neer or goes very far off every one If he fall out he kills if he fall in he marries Reconciliation speaks conjugall love two united as Father and Son yea two united as Husband and Wife Christ personates a sinner i. stands under his notion in point of sin and wrath and works both off and then he priviledges a sinner he puts his own raiment upon him The King sets Moredeai upon his own horse and gives him royall apparel makes him stand in his own relation as a son We are children and heirs with Christ this speaks reconciliation intire union and friendship You fall out and can never get so far in as you were your hearts are naught you are reconciled yet remember something and for this keep your distance God doth not so Christ mediates and sin is put quite away so that God remembers iniquity no more the offender is laid where Christ is in the bosome of God Reconciliation it hath compensation advocation and remission There is no iniquity in Jacob nothing without nothing withing amisse in that person with whom God is at peace i. nothing amisse is imputed The expression sets forth that peculiar love which shines in Christ upon such as he mediates for they are the beautifullest in Gods eye of all the world Reconciliation speaks full friendship God at peace all is ours he could say so much to Job Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace thereby God shall come unto thee i. all good Job 22.21 Communion follows union if God become a Father Christ will get him to come along with him and feast with you a father goes oft to his children My Father and I will come and sup saith Christ Reconciliation speaks full communication feasting divine friendship is not as humane that works coldly and reaches out but a little lest it should over-do and undo divine friendship works freely because there is no feare of beggering the donor all his care is how to make the recipient receptive enough rich enough God at peace smiles the rayes of this Sun make a very rich Region I cannot tell you the prosperity that goes along with divine peace Secular peace wraps up all secular good in 't divine peace wraps up all good Secular and Celestiall My peace I leave with you Reconciliation is a legacy a legacie that hath all treasure in it In times of peace wealth comes tumbling in Reconciliation is a state of great income a soul sent to from heaven daily and presented with the choycest gifts that heaven will afford Reconciliation it is heaven gates set open and the soul given free egresse and regresse to ask receive and carry away any thing and this not for once but alwayes Reconciliation speaks firm friendship Love in God is not a passion as 't is in you you are off and on for trifles his kindness is everlasting kindnesse With everlasting kindnesse will I imbrace thee God lends his ear to be abused by none concerning any of his children Satan is an accuser of the brethren but God hearkens to nothing which he saith You cannot hearken to accusation but it takes impression and affection flattens which is your weaknesse You have many enemies one saith this of you another that and God hears all and yet lessens not love one whit but heightens it A reconciled person hath one friend sure let the world go which way 't will My love shall never depart c. Whom he loves he loves to the end c. There is no condition so tickle as secular favourites a man is an honour to day and cast out to morrow corruption is strong in all and therefore every little thing by asseth us about No state more sure then a divine favourite Principles within are pure foundation without firm to wit Christ Reconciliation speaks persons beloved for Christs sake love running thorow a sure channell and so becoming sure mercy to the soul God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself Not a man in the world which God loves but in Christ which is a firm foundation of love Christ waxeth not old his beauty fadeth not that the Fathers love should decline thereby He is the same yesterday to day and for ever All 〈◊〉 into this that I have said Reconciliation is an intire full and firm friendship between God and fallen man by vertue of which his condition is in all things blessed
Vse Friendship is the thing we all make after only we mistake the main and are undone Whose love do you principally make after Things here below smile and your hearts are at rest No man is out with me yet God may Divine wrath works as divine love doth not very visibly You cannot discern love nor hatred saith the Holy Ghost by externals You cannot tell whether God be in or out with you by the countenance of men and the concurrence of outward things God can give great earthly things when he is greatly displeased he can give a King in wrath royall gifts and yet rage You may be kings and yet God in wrath with you men that have least friendship with God have many times most friendship with the world 't is their portion Do not lose your souls in a snare your table may be your snare the things about you may be ordered to delude you Some undo themselves with what they have others with what they want Times are hard friendship of the world needed and they fall out with God to get in with than truth sleighted to get favour with the world Ah me the man hath thrown off God God will shift well enough for himself but what will such a soul do This hard time is an affliction to hundreds and a curse to thousands Wretched hearts cannot tell what to do with themselves in straits and therefore they will rather venture upon the displeasure of God then displease a man from whom they expect something such buy a bubble deare and it speaks a very ill state I am afraid such have not tasted the blessednesse which I am upon to wit what the love and friendship of God is they sell it for so little Persons in with God would not be out with him again for all the world Blind consciences can do much sleepy consciences can do more but seared consciences can do any thing and not be stirr'd this speaks not peace not a reconciled state Reconciliation makes tender consciences 't is too much that Christ was crucified once I cannot crucifie him again Sin is slain the new man tender some friends may fall out and fight but Christ and a reconciled soul cannot The heart cannot beare a disagreement after it 's once reconciled to God much lesse strike a stroke against him The soul bleeds a fresh when Christ doth by any one 's crucifying of him much more when it doth it it self Temptations transport then a good man is not himself such cases must be spoken to alone Reconciliation makes a very tender union Sinners view these times they are very bloody God is out with us certainly how much doth it trouble you Are you not the same men you were in the same wayes you were Can a man live in his sins and be at peace with God Can a man be at peace with his lusts and with his God Securitie slayes us nothing will breake our hearts therefore God breakes our names our states our bones Wee flatter our selves but rise not to our dutie men thus in with themselves are certainly out with God 't is Englands heavie plague if it be any of yours here present abase your selves God speakes peace to the contrite if you cannot judge your selves you will be judged not justified of the Lord. Men that doat upon themselves are seldome cured of this plague till they die God lookes not as man lookes When you feast he mournes Victories speake not God reconciled What victories doe you see truth make upon mens lusts Are not men as dead hearted as stout-hearted as rotten-hearted as ever The workes of God must be acknowledged but not abused you must have other things then this or that externall victory to make a true medium to demonstrate God reconciled to you When justice kills bodies on one side it may kill as many soules on tother side wrath workes without and within Lord how many are hardened and fatned by the bloud of others Evill men understand not judgement but they that seeke the Lord understand all things Pro. 28.5 A man had need pray over one act of providence a thousand times ere he venture to interpret it once 't is the highest wisdome in the world to understand the workes of God The words of God are ambiguous the workes of God are more ambiguous yet compared they will illustrate one another but few doe this at all not one of a thousand an artist this way and hence 't is that persons and Kingdoms cry peace peace when there is no peace Wee take up words and workes by rote and ruine our selves and others If all the Kings side were slaine yet were we never the neerer peace with God if wee continue to resist his will He hath many wayes to avenge the quarrell of his Covenant and to make all sides know their owne Nationall peace and personall peace have one foundation a through imbracing of Christ as you see persons or Kingdomes pursue or faulter herein so feare or hope He is our peace which hath made two one and broken downe the wall of perdition Christ is our peace as we become one with him we become one with God and the creature Christ and we two God and we are two God and we out wee must needs be out with one another and with all the creation Christ is the knot that knits God and man together faith is the bond that knits Christ and man together some of you complaine that you have no peace surely you have no faith Broken bleeding hearts remember who is your peace-maker and how able he is at the worke Christ is the Prince of peace he commanded the Seas to be quiet so he can command your consciences Christ hath balme at command what ever the Father hath to refresh Christ hath under his dispose God rests in Christ Infinite justice resteth in him therefore the soule cannot but much more finde rest in him This is my beloved Son in whom I rest Doth God himselfe finde rest in Christ concerning sinne whose puritie is so exact And canst not thou God can object nothing but Christ answers it and canst thou non-plus Christ Satan is a sophister temptation abuseth troubled spirits such cannot see neither the sufficiency nor the willingnesse of Christ to settle their condition 'T is a trouble to Christ that you bleed so inwardly he would have but one bleed his bowels turne and beat within him to see your wounds raw and open he would bind them up and powre oyle into them and carry your soules to his lodging and lay them in the breast of his Father and your Father where is rest indeed and you will not Reconciliation is either virtually or actually considered the foundation of our peace between Christ and the Father was laid a great while agoe but actually finished between Christ and us when wee believe the first act doth ingage to the second that God is at peace with Christ O troubled soules 't is an assurance that
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed The Sun that shines upon us shines upon thousands more it casteth over the world and shines upon a world so doth the Son of righteousnesse God was in Christ reconciling a world to himself the expression notes quantity in some sense as well as quality a world of worldly men Vse Bounty should be admired 't is so respecting men why should it not be so much more respecting God He whose hand is open to all all mens mouths are open to speak of his goodnesse Christ is a generall good lame blind halt have favour he keeps a table of kindnesse for all commers he reconciles all things Love is destroyed when the heart is not taken with great goodnesse love destroyed there can be no marrying between Christ and the soul 'T was a great judgement when their maids were not given to marry There is no inclination to embrace Christ when his beauty is no whit admired Vanities destroy affection some souls are sots talk of any thing that is spirituall and their hearts grow not amorous by it but die within them like Nabals the curse of God is in strength here these have made themselves Eunuches for the kingdome of darknesse Christ hath no engine to raise love like this to wit his bounty and sweetnesse that he will give every one to drink that is dry that Moses a fair man will marry a Blackmoore that Abraham will lodge a Lazarus in his bosome If goodnesse will not make good if love will not draw love let the soul marry whom he will Christ will have none of him Christ is noble he will gain the heart fully or he will marry no person in the world Persons shall be sick of love or they shall be unmarried to Christ You care not whether persons love you so you can but get their wealth Christ is righteous he seeks us not ours persons not dowry I seek not yours but you He was a friend to the Bride which spake that and spake his heart I know not what hearts you have nor how to wooe for my Masters Son I can say nothing but this he is all love he reconcileth all high low rich poore heavenly things earthly things he takes dust into his bosome and delights in it for ever The contemplation of Christs sweetnesse makes the marriage knot and the solace of the marriage when made When is the soul in heaven but when taken with that love which hath loved him when considering love in its latitude He hath loved me and given himself for me he reconciles all things indeed that would not leave out me Milk and honey is Canaan As the soul feeds upon the riches of love 't is in heaven Man is doubly miserable he is at a losse of satisfying solace and of the right way to acquire it he is taken with creatures and when he comes to lie down in their bosome to solace they vanish and vex a man lies down smiling riseth up howling because that 's nothing which he made so much and this may be the Motto of all earthly beauties That creature is nothing which man makes all Taken with the love of Christ and the longer so the stronger so the more blessed the soul cannot want depth here and tumble it self ashore as it doth when it tumbles in other waters sweetnesse in this way is found bottomlesse O the depth of the riches of the goodnesse of God! c. 'T is a brave thing to dive the depths of kindnesse if there be heaven any where 't is in the bottome of divine love Things have their full solace in their proper element this in reference to the soul of man is the love of God in the extent thereof What did take up Adams soul into Paradise whilest he moved well but the beauty of God the extent of his kindnesse that it reached all that Adam could look upon and all that while had he Paradise in his spirit but when he began to admire the beauty of forbidden things the beauty of Diabolicall fancies then he dyed in his nest presently What takes up those blessed spirits above but the contemplation of the love of God Here lies their full and perpetuall blessednesse that they cannot nor will not look beside love 'T is a very desolate time in which we live many have little left in the world to think upon and yet set not themselves to think of that which might make all to them Such are without solace indeed which have none without nor within how such poor creatures bear up I know not how to keep them up if they sink I know not there is no cordiall in any distresse but the contemplation of the love of Christ and under this notion how large it is This bleeding time makes my heart bleed to think what refreshments to give forth to mourning persons in every corner State is gone friends gone all left me gone this the complaint of thousands Yet he that is all is ready to receive you all and to impart all to you God hath set you free of this world to think of another which is better Make use of the rich proffers of grace and all will do well yet What doth Christ reconcile all things in earth to himself and leave out me Blesse me even me also O my Father so pray Some are froward and will not stir after grace though never so plentifull though Christ will be friends with them yet they will not with him How oft would I have gathered thee and thou wouldst not Take heed of stubbornnesse in sin though Christ shew mercy to thousands yet he will be the death of such a soul I am affraid of some of you lest Satan should harden your hearts against the Lord Jesus Christ Know the disposition of grace Christ treads upon none that stoop Know the season of grace doth Christ knock O then is the time when he would reconcile thee to himself Never let that word of Christ which takes thee be forgotten that 's a kisse of Christs lips to gain thee kisse the Son again Blesse God that he would make any word of his a sword to wound thy hard heart Blesse Christ that hee would come so neer where thou dwellest that he would not once knock but put in his finger by the hole of the dore to make thy bowels yearn after him when he knocks again intreat him to knock all down that hinders his coming in Longing souls after Christ are the blessedst souls in the world who ever die unreconciled to God they will not This point will leave all men without excuse I will touch this and conclude God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth and Christ acts according to this latitude he reconciles all things to himself he desires not the death of one sinner Sinners if you die in your sins blame your selves not God you will die as those that exclude your selves as those that
to bring God and the soule together yet Christ undertakes it for them that groane after it I create the fruit of the lips peace to them that are far off Sin wounds and then Satan makes it mortall this must be looked to 't is the worke of Christ to seeke out poore soules which are stray'd away from God and to carry them home to him in his arme We that enjoy the presence of God should joy and blesse him so I conclude this point Alienation is a sad condition it hints lively what the contrary is to wit a fruition of all priviledge a soule in the bosome of God one ever with the Lord which is Heaven In thy presence is the fulnesse of joy 't is so here God present in an Ordinance God present in a Saint God present in a dungeon and there is fulnesse of joy to the soul what ever be to the body Much company spoiles some so doth much solitude others a man is too much alone when without God Society is never too few nor too many when God is one Delight not too little nor too much when God is present If I had never so many enemies I would care but for the company of one to encounter them 'T is enemies we fear now it should not be Fear not I am with thee So 't was spoken to Gideon The Lord is with thee God takes it for granted that he hath spoken enough to setle any heart against any feare when he hath said we shall have his presence Read Isaiah 64.1 2. O that thou wouldest rend the heavens that thou wouldest come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence as when the melting fire burneth The fire causeth the waters to boil to make thy name known to thine adversaries that the nations may tremble at thy presence Let 's prise much that condition which cannot be undone having Christ with us we have him whose presence can make mountains melt turn any thing to nothing that nihilates our felicity COLOS. 1.21 Being enemies in your mind c. SUch a tree such fruit what a sad state alienation from God is appears by the effects which are here to the life expressed it makes a man all over naught inside outside heart hand it casts all into a resolute posture of defiance against God Enemies in your mind by wicked works or enemies with your mind in wicked works not nillingly but willingly wicked not so in affection only but in action not in one action only but in many actions enemies in their mind in wicked works The words of God are of weight every one hath much in it 't will appear so being distinctly considered which hath been and shall be our method and manner of following of him who is so far above us and will not let one tittle of his will fall to the ground Alienation is here anatomised we must reade lectures distinctly upon distinct parts They are enemies c. We must open this They are enemies with their mindes or in their mindes c. We must reade upon this also They are thus not only in affection but in action in their works We must consider this too and by that time you will see much of a bad condition and it may be something of your own The Land is overrun with enemies against Christ therefore it bleeds and dies 't will be very seasonable therefore to lay open to you what an enemy to Christ is which is our first work here in the Text to follow the words as they lie And ye which were sometimes alienated enemies c. Sin was Gods first enemy a steady pursuit of this renders men and Angels the next The worst man alive as a creature simply as a creature is not accounted Gods enemy but as these noble creatures above all others prostituted themselves to something besides Gods will God had no enemies till sin came into the world as long as all obeyed Gods will there was love and friendship all the world over Sin hath a legall and a Gospel consideration considered according to the former the least transgression of rule the eating of any fruit forbidden enough to render man an enemy and to be pursued so with all the plagues written in Gods Book Sin hath a Gospel consideration and so the naked acting of sin doth not presently denote an enemy but the going on in it as a constant intended and approved course God shall smite the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such as go on still in their trespasses saith the Psalmist Sin is an unwearied course to some what ever rubs they meet with from the hand of God by blows or otherwise yet they step over them all and go on still That 's an enemy the spirit of an enemy is in him Enemies fear no colours blows blood death will not divert their design against one another The expression in the originall speaks not only resolution but delight in sin and there are not two fuller properties more infallibly to expresse an enemy ambulandis dilictis such as walk in sins a mans walk is his pleasure 't is made and contrived of purpose with much art to suit fancy and to give a complacency As the outward man so the inward man has his walks something that with much industry he makes shapes to suit and delight it self and this is preferr'd before all other wayes now if this be any thing dissonant to Gods will this speaks the man an enemy Some words of Christ set out an enemy more generally others more particularly I shall touch both Christ is set as King over the sons of men his Lawes are written and divulged and such as obey him not according to these he calls his enemies Bring those mine enemies which would not that I should raign over them i. such as will not obey my will Some disobey one part of Gods will and some another Christ hath many sorts of enemies but all so called from one ground to wit disobeying of his Lawes The Lawes of Christ are said to be disobeyed when carelesly neglected ignorantly opposed or maliciously rejected Truth is truth with some men and that 's all as one would say it bears little or no price in affection how plain and convincing soever to judgement they see and do not see i. see and do not regard O that thou hadst known in this thy day c. Did not Israel know the will of God yes there was light but no love to it which was as no light in the account of Christ and this went to his heart Such as stab Christ to the heart are surely his enemies 'T is as if Christ had said O that thou hadst regarded and so it notes an ignorance of opportunity a defect in affection and not simply an ignorance of the thing it self Love naught and the heart is so too hatred in the seeds of it lie in such a soul which will spring up with a little more rain A
and him that loveth violence that loveth violence i that doth aime at it and make it his scope as his life and pleasure this is so wicked that it goes to the soule of God because 't is complacentiall sin Vse Motion is a tickle thing your life is rapt up in it You should not worke at randome with your owne hands you my cut your throats by your works you shall be judged or justified if they be judged wicked so shall you and be made to eate the fruit of your wayes for ever Man is a rude creature 't is too strict to worke by rule any thing done is enough Yea 't is enough well enough to be called wicked enough to judge you Carelesnesse is a graduall thing man begins to be remisse a little about his worke and then a little more at last by divine judgement upon the soule the man throwes off all care and conscience how he doth his dutie to God or man Am I my brothers keeper This spake he who a little before said as much in action to God himself by a carnall offering to him Consider seriously at what pitch and posture of remisnesse in divine action you are if you doe ill tremblingly stop there acknowledge that power within that jogges you to look better to your way if the feare of God be quite gone that you doe wickedly freely merrily thinke of that of Solomon that God will bring every worke into judgement Wicked workes have a double judgement a judgement here and hereafter All motion to well being is succeslesse much gotten comes to nothing because heaped together by wicked workes Name withers state yea strength withers judged without and judged within Conscience lights a fire with some wicked worke or other and no worke so good can be wrought as to quench it They shall feele a paine in their bellies saith the text Job 20.20 What you worke outward God makes to worke inward in the guts to torture there and make roaring You that make nothing to speake wickedly and doe wickedly God makes as light to doe justly You are undone sinners if God ingrave but one wicked worke upon your conscience this will ever be before you and then a devill will ever be behind you and between these two you will erect a gibbet and hang your selves if the Lord be not gracious and what a fatall wicked worke will this be Some heare such things as these and then goe merrily to mending their workes in all post haste and never thinke of their hearts nor Christ The hand goes after the heart doe yee look without look within too if ever you meane to mend things In sin was I borne saith David when he looked upon that bloudy wickednesse against Vriah Alas for me I brought a wicked soule with me into the world this hath brought forth this horrid and bloudy act into the world My misery lies deeper then every one is aware I shall shed bloud againe and againe I shall make Vriahs bloud touch the bloud of many other men if the Lord be not mercifull to my wicked soule Doth thy hand worke naught use it to smite thine heart that 's the first step to get it to move well O if Christ were in my heart I should worke admirable well I can doe all things through Christ yea and I can doe all well There needs many things in the soule to make action holy exact knowledge exact faith c. and Christ is all these In the darke men worke naughtily a blind soule cannot act well Action must be squared by truth but ignorant persons know not the rule Christ is light he is so in the darkest soule as a pearle he sparkles and glisters in a dungeon in what ever breast in what ever darke cell you put him Scales fell from Pauls eyes but 't was Christ in him that did it and he knew Christ presently and to doing good workes he would goe presently Lord what wilt thou have me to doe He understood much in a little while his Master his service and wanted nothing but divine mission as before he had diabolicall Lord what wilt thou have me to do A man is made very knowing with one Tutor Affection tends to make good action If I do this and that and have not love Love alone doth not well If the blinde lead the blind c. Here is a great deal of love but both fall into the ditch and drown both it and themselves Light and love together do well Christ is both he is a light of life in the soul where he is Coldnesse is the property of a stone there is no soul in this body a stone stirs not unlesse it be downward Folly talks to the grief of the wise I do not love sudden pangs some will do great matters presently and what noble works they will perform when in the company of some a little warmer then themselves and no sooner these more lively spirits departed from them but they return to their proper temper as cold as stones and doing nothing but descending downward to their place these mens ears were warmed and not their hearts The heart fired with love to Christ 't will give name state every drop of blood to Christ and these are noble works indeed Noble actions are of severall sorts that 's the noblest that offers up all to Christ that forsakes all to follow him father mother husband wife self love doth this she offers nothing but whole burnt-offerings holocausts Finally faith also bears its proper part to make a good work 'T is the highest art in the world to do a good work a man must pray with the mouth of Christ and then 't is a good prayer a man must give with the hand of Christ and then 't is good almes a man must do all that Christ sayes but then must lean only upon what Christ is to make a good action A man must do all and then undo all to make it throughly good i. deny all and account all my actions nothing my self nothing and make Christ as fully and purely all to rest on as if I had never so much as thought one good thought in all my life A man not himself is but a bad Artificer but a Christian when not himself i. when out of himself is a brave Artist then a Christian works bravely nobly heavenly indeed when quite off himself and wholly in the bosome and armes of Christ in all he doth There go many things to make up this or that secular thing good but one to make a Divine good to wit Christ there is none good but one and there is none that properly does good but one to wit Christ There is as few good Artists for the practick part of Christianity as of any calling many actions go through our hands only and never through the hands of Christ and these are all lost as wicked works All that goes out of our hands must be put by faith into the hands of
Christ then 't is maturated and shall meet us as so many royall Diadems to adorn us for ever You see now the way to work well thus work and your work will be work and wages 'T is a very sweet life to do all in Christ Things are very lively and contentfull in their own element Set a Lark to flie in the open aire 't is his element 't is his heaven he will flie upward upward which is very hard work and yet he will do this and sing too The breast of Christ is the proper element of a Christian and when here a man works nimbly he works and sings too goes upward towards that place above which is very hard work and yet sings as he goes because he has such silver wings from Christ If ye abide in me saith Christ ye will do bravely you will bring forth good works as a Garden as a Vine doth fruits smilingly Let 's work as Christ did and we shall finde our work as he did 't was meat and drink to him to do his Fathers will his works were all works wrought in God as the Apostle speaks Let a Christian set himself in Christ when he goes about any action and he shall finde his work will be very sweet work and wages his meat and drink No motion so free and delightfull as Christian motion where 't is purely Christian We set upon work out of Christ and then the Chariot wheels move heavily and we look sadly and are tired presently Christs sayings are so hard to be done by this a stumbling block is cast before men of the world the works and wayes of God evill spoken of To work divine works is the joyfullest the sweetest life in the world if a man take the advantage of his work that is Christ with him in every thing a Christian and Christ will do any thing with ease remove mountains sins harder to be removed then mountains and stand and smile to behold the plagues of death O death I will be thy plagues to be the plagues of the king of plagues is brave action indeed A man might speak more consolatory from this point Every workman in Christs Vineyard hath a peny here and Christs peny is more then any ones pound but I cannot stand to sum up this now COLOS. 1.21 Yet now hath he reconciled THe love of God is wholly dispensed as love 't is in giving out as in taking in all along free birth bears it not to this rather then to that Not many noble c. friends work it not there is but one Mediator but one favourite in all the world that appears in the presence of God about any such thing and he is no respecter of persons The vilest as soon as those that are more beholding to nature obtain grace And ye that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minde by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled Reconciliation in the formality of it I have already handled this therefore I shall not meddle with again neither is it that which the Holy Ghost doth principally point at here but as you see by reading the whole verse one inviting property of reconciliation is most aim'd at to wit that the favour of God goes forth to all sorts that there is nothing in one sort of persons more then another to invite or discourage God to dispence his eternall grace all sorts and all at one price may obtain the favour of God i. Doctr. The Grace of God unto life is in all respects free and this is that sweet property of reconciliation which according to the scope of this place and the necessity of many poor souls at this time I would demonstrate to you The love of God is compared to a Feast in feasting men are free if men be not God is and you will say so if some circumstances in his feasting be observed Vniversally God doth invite universally You make feasts but yet every one may not come God sets no such bound nor makes no such distinction of persons Ho every one as many as you shall find bid to the marriage Matth. 22.9 The heavens are generall in their influence not one grasse on the ground but dewed The Ark had of all sorts brought into it from the East West North and South come and sit downe in the Kingdome of God As persons are in estate so they invite and so they feast Christ is a great King over all the earth and so he invites over all the earth he hath one house that will hold all he hath one table that will hold all yea he hath one dish that will serve all and answerably he invites Ho every one that thirsts If there be any thing looked at in those which Christ invites 't is something within not any thing without If the man be lame blinde halt if he be bodily soare yet it s nothing if he would sit at Gods table and if he would have crums or flagons this is all that is looked at God doth universally invite and he doth affectionatly invite Affectionatly which loudly speaks his love free The world is deaf 't would discourage any one to make a feast for a company of deaf folks stocks and blocks that one must strain ones lungs to make them heare and yet it doth not discourage God certainly his love is very affectionate God doth lay his mouth to the eare of the deaf and cries aloud Ho every one that thirsts John was a crier in the Wildernesse he did Christs work so are we at this day and the injunction is to cry aloud like a trumpet spirits lungs nothing to be spared in expression of Gods affection to mans eternall good Souls are precious to God distresse is laid to heart as 't is bowels sound lungs sound Ho every one c. vocations interjections c. speaks very affectionate motion towards the distressed Why will you die O Jerusalem Matters of weight move not us we make expression from no impression God smites his heart again and again and then speaks and proffers love O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah how shall I give thee up God calls and knocks and waites he calls and beseeches calls and weeps what he utters is from his heart that it may go to our heart Things are so molded and shaped as to make their own way Every word of God hath so much Majesty and sweetnesse conviction and consolation which plainly speaks him very free and willing to be reconciled to man Who puts on such apparell when he wooes a Spouse as Christ does Who speaks such effectuall words or presents such precious jewels when he wooes as Christ doth I will give you something else to demonstrate this thing to you God pursues prerogative altogether in his gracious dispensations Grace must needs be in all respects free because no obligement is upon God to give to this rather then to that I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy The
that might speake matter of hope to thee Despaire in strength is very peremptory in conclusions but never deliberate in examinations of grounds 'T is a soule so tossed and tumbled between Satan and conscience day and night that it hath no power to ponder any thing Pressus ab exemplo discat sperare secunda Thou shalt goe to hell O my soule when thou diest Why I have sinned So did all the Saints that are in Heaven when they were in earth as now thou art did not David sin much in life and yet what a brave hope had he in death Sin enough in life to make him a type of Satan for bloud and unmercifulnesse and yet hope enough in death to make him a type of Christ Thou wilt not leave my soule in grave Yea but some persons sins have a very sad consideration over others have This is a truth but no sin or misery must have any such consideration as to sinke the soule Hold this position all that God doth is to bring us nearer to him If he whip us and strike never so hard or never so strangely 't is to bring us nearer him not to drive us further from him If he strike the body or the soule if he let loose Satan to tempt and let loose the heart to fall 't is to bring the soule nearer to God God doth nothing to drive away thy soule from him nor would he have any thing else doe it and wilt thou doe it thy selfe by every thing thou seest hearest feelest c Despaire makes use of externall senses all together more then of the Bible and construes all things amisse it harpes much upon the intention of God God intends my death he holds me for his enemie fury guides him in all that he doth about me one may run and read his frownes in all his actions Thou frownest alwayes O tempted soule and thou thinkest God doth so Thy soule is precious to Christ he doth not desire its death 't is more precious to Christ then to thy selfe Christ would save it and thou wouldest destroy it he meanes nothing else in the blackest saddest things that are upon thee but love and mercy therefore be not prejudized concerning his intention the saddest things that are upon thee if thou couldest but turne them upside downe thou shouldest see in them the smiling face of God Hold one position more that Gods intentions toward us are accompanied with the readiest means to accomplish them in us Good is long a coming this principle swallowed is destructive to Hope the next step will be this 't will never come Christ long a coming the next crosse makes the soule conclude he will never come Wee may not construe Christ tedious in his motion and yet 't is hard to doe otherwise when much put to it when tryals are sharpest mercy and deliverance is nearest The Heathen rage The Lord of hosts is with us saith the next verse Hold fast I come quickly When 't is as much as ever one can hold tryall being so strong then Christ makes hast and salvation is neare This principle well laid into the soule would make one hope to the end hope to the last man in a battell to the last breath in a sicknesse Jacob comes hindermost of the company Christ comes after all means are done Isaac which signifies laughter is a childe of old age Christ comes out of a withered womb the man-childe that makes us laughter comes out of means given up as barren When Christ throwes a man downe and throwes him very low then is he about to raise him When Christ kills then is he readie to make alive If this were received who could despaire Who would not hope of life when every one gives him over Yea of eternall life Finally hold one position more that Satan and thine own unbelieving heart conspire against thy tranquilitie hope is the joy of a mans life Satan hath none and it addes to his sorrow when he seeth any else have joy it greatens his hell when he sees any else have but a little of Heaven Finall despaire shuts up that cursed spirit and all those that are with him the worme that gnawes me will never die the fire that burnes me is unquenchable the chaines that hold me are everlasting chaines the pit I am in is bottomelesse no possible passage from hence not a drop of mercy falls in here to cole any scorched creature in the space of eternitie this is the tone of Tophet these are the dismall complaints which those restlesse soules below throw out as they role to and fro in that fiery furnace Despairing sinner Satan is fallen in with thy conscience to conjure thy soule into this condition Thou art in hell upon earth as that other phrase is of her that is dead while shee lives Tell me How dost thou sleepe How dost thou eate How dost thou walke How dost thou talke How dost thou looke Is not thy moisture turned into the drought of summer Thy body turned into skin and bones Alas for thee poore soule God never made such a way as this to Heaven 't is Satan and thy owne despairing heart one evill spirit tormenting another just as they doe below and the designe is to seale the soule up for wrath despaire is the black seale of the bottomlesse pit Lay all this together now and doe but thinke how unkindly you deale with Christ for all his love and paines which hath done so much for the tranquilitie of your life to make you hope here and possesse hereafter Christ hath taken upon him your debts there is not a sin that ever you committed not a trespasse against any rule but he will be accountable for it and in your stead and all to make you hope Some friends will undertake for part of ones debt to make one chearfull and this is much love too much to be slighted but then there remaines something behind and that sads and sinkes the heart How shall I pay that Bleeding soule Christ leaves thee no debt to pay no sin to answer for 'T is lively set out in that Parable Luk. 18.32 O wicked servant I forgave thee all that debt because thou desirest it shouldest not thou also have compassion on thy fellow-servant What should make feare when all is discharged If I did know it were so Dost thou not desire it should be so Wouldest thou not have all right and sweet between God and thy soule rather then any thing Yes Why this may be a demonstration to thee that all is right and even between God and thee Did I not forgive thee all thy debt because thou desirest me God forgives debts to Christ upon exact satisfaction but Christ forgives debts to us upon complaining of them and groaning under them and desiring their discharge upon a heart panting to be clean the voice goes forth from Christ I will be thou cleane Panting languishing soule for mercy thou hast obtained mercy thou desirest to
no man will say so much as before said in words but thousands say it in deeds say what we will what we can of justice of mercy of the latitude of these yet sinners will drive on in their own courses as long as liberty strength and life will give leave These hearts are dead in trespasses Let what Sun will shine upon the dead it warms them not these sinners are twice dead dead naturally and dead voluntary they have tasted of the sweet of their wayes and they get much wealth and pleasure by it and they are not children to part with a reality for a fancie These are whole and need not a Physician our work is quickly done about these Burthened souls you are the proper subject of mercy and of this discourse the call of this doctrine is to you Come every one of you to Christ and ye shall have ease he excludes none Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavie laden A loded soul is self-condemn'd he cannot stand under the sense of sin and wrath alas who can A soul self-condemned hath a halter about his neck of his own making but do not hang thy self the King of Israel is very mercifull he hangs none that comes to him as thou dost with a halter about his neck hold a parly with him for thy life thou mayst bring him to what terms of mercy thou wilt almost Bid Christ make Propositions of peace Lord what wilt thou have me to do If he say that he wil have thee do this and do that deny thy self and follow him pluck out thy right eye and cut off thy right hand and the like tel him that through him thou canst do all things give me thy self and I will part with any thing lend me thine hand and I will rise draw me and I will run after thee Nothing is vile to me but that which thou forbiddest nothing dear but that which thou commandest only let me touch the hem of thy garment let me take hold of thy skirt and I shall accomplish thy will and mine own This request cannot be denied Make this conclusion and feed upon it under all desertion and temptation Christ is ingaged furnished yea about this very design to give himself to thee Christ is ingaged for thee by petition thou hast put up many petitions to him and he hath put them up all to God he could do no otherwise for he is by place an Advocate to mention and plead such cases as are moved to him Christ is furnished by concession for he is heard in all that he askes my Father heareth me always We ask many things and misse because we ask amisse Christ alwayes asketh well and speeds well therefore conclude of reliefe You that mourne after Christ he will send a Comforter The command of God is upon Christ he shall be a light to the Gentiles When Christ ingages himself by petition for any God doth alwayes ingage him by concession and by accomplishment for it See thou do this poor soul good my Son here is for him according to all that he needs let it be laid out upon him according to all thou sayest will make him happy Must he have my Spirit my comforting Spirit will no lesse nor no cheaper thing make him smile will not a little Saffron mixed with some spirituous liquid make him laugh No must he have my Spirit my Joyâ—s then here ' t is But be sure my Son that thou give it him The injunction of God is upon Christ He shall be a light to the Gentiles God doth trust no Doctor no Apothecary none but Christ himself about drouping souls and he puts into his hand cordials of infinite price and saith that he shall give them and his blessing with them that he shall be not only means of light but Light it self to dark souls that is the blessing of means as well as means That Christ is about and upon giving himself to thee O soul I will demonstrate to thee thus Christ hath looked upon thee this is the first thing a man doth when he intends to bestow himself upon any Abasuerus viewed the damosels first The Son hath looked upon thee that the Son hath looked upon thee is apparent for the beauty of his countenance hath taken thee and thou wouldest fain have his Image to wear in thy breast and if all thou hadst would buy it how willingly wouldst thou part with it the words which fall from Christs lips are as marrow and those which suit thy state as marrow and fatnesse Surely the King hath looked upon thee and more he hath a liking to thee Thou lovest him thou mayst conclude therefore that he loved thee first We love him because he loved us first the man makes love first Christ wooed thee long ere he thus far gained thee though thou take no notice of it Nay more then this Christ hath bestowed love-tokens upon thee surely he is bestowing himself to thee Christ hath given thee by us his messengers as Abrahams servant a golden eare-ring bracelets for thine hands by the word whch we preach he hath given thee his Spirit thou breathest as Christ doth very sweelty I do not smell it No one cannot smell his own breath when 't is sweet only when it stincks much but others smell it in every room where thou comest Would Christ were mine Is not this the period still of thy expression at the end of every discourse Such an one hath got so much and so much saith one to thee dost not thou reply would Christ were mine and then I had got more then he Dost thou not gaspe only after Christ when thou fetchest breath deepest That 's the Spirit of the Lord Jesus which makes sighs and groans which cannot be expressed he and thee sigh together one in another and one after another Love is mutually set the contract is made only 't is not published to the world some deliberate time is used about this 'T is a distinct thing from being Christs to know that I am his and that he hath bestowed himself upon me and all the wranglings quarrellings and gain-sayings of Satan and a mans own soul will not be quite dead till the soul be quite in the bosome of Christ When one argues from the beams of the Sun that there is a Sun me thinks the cavillingst spirit of unbelief that is should lie still Had no body ever taken notice of any ray of the Sun appearing in the soul to argue from only the word of grace pressed and the man that was al the dayes of his life a vile wretch beholding his own necessity and the riches of goodnesse and laying hold upon it he were bound to believe that Christ accepted of him and bestowed himself upon him I beseech you weak souls know two things and you cannot but be strong Know the riches of the Gospel and know the obligement of the Gospel it tenders mercy 1. freely and so it 2. must be owned
this in their heart their not obeying is a demonstration of it A sad temptation is strongly seized upon you if it hold you you are lost the fearfull of this sort are shut out There be troubles in every course under the Sunne dost thou find none in disobedience Then the more is to come Bloud and death and hell are at the end of thy way Sinner and yet darest thou to keepe on in it Surely thou art not so much fearfull as wilfull Instruction cures distemper when 't is but of meere weaknesse when the soule waits to turne in with Christ and yet cannot but where it is otherwise lay open as much danger in one way pleaded for as in another way pleaded against yet the man will hold on his course which speakes the soule ingaged by will and not so much overborne by weaknesse and then there is no entrance for right principles I would let these alone which have shut themselves up till Christ breake open doores upon them and speake to a generation more ingenuous Men that are candid love to doe things that will end well then set upon the workes of Christ If thou be a Minister preach Christ faithfully who ever oppose if thou be otherwise of any other ranke practise the will of Christ sincerely what ever thou suffer Things may goe harsh a time but Christ will bring about a season 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now I rejoyce that ever I did this and that ever I did that for Christ If Christ doe not bring about such a time here he will above O how joyfull are they above that ever they had hearts to suffer for Christ here below Now I blesse God that I lay in such a prison what a mansion have I to make me amends Now I blesse God that ever I was hungry that ever I was naked for Christ what precious meate and what glorious apparell have I to make me amends 'T were enough if the now of a Christians joy did not come till after this life but shall a Christian have one here Let truth and conscience keepe company in stormes and I think I may assure any man a sweet calme here let men and devils doe all what they can but let these two be parted there will never be a season of joy reall joy the soule is betrayed that hath any other opinion or practice The righteousnesse of action should onely be eyed by us as for other things skin and bones and goods and such like lumber should be all ventured in this bottome I am for Christ if I mourne all the dayes of my life and have not one teare wiped off till I come to Heaven all is one so one should set out setting Heaven at the furthest distance that can be thought of and then a man meets with it often long before he accounted in this prison or in that dungeon where one would look for hell rather then heaven so did Paul Now I rejoyce c. COLOSS. 1.24 Now I rejoyce c. PAul was in prison when he spake these words so considered bravenesse of spirit sparkles in every syllable of the expression Now I am in the mouth of the Lion now I am in the belly of Hell now I am in the face of Devils now I own Christ and triumph in all that I undergoe for his Name Divine magnanimitie wee are to stand upon 't is a soule in all conditions openly very stout and very amiable in the pursuit of Gods will Disadvantages are many in a Christian course in none more magnanimitie knowes none 't is one that can make a Trumpet sound admirably where there is no eccho in a pit in a dungeon in his coffin in his grave he will sing and make his chaines Late-strings among the dead he is alive now I rejoyce You have a Latine Proverb of warre Mars communis warre is of various event sometimes against one sometimes with one so I may say of the warre of a Christian 't is Mars communis sometimes we come off well sometimes we are taken and chained sometimes the battaile is so hot that all run away Magnanimitie stands to it then fights alone shee is oft a prisoner but never a run-away one is enough to wit Christ though all else run away or how ever disadvantaged otherwise yet upon this advantage shee stands to it alone and fights with many yea fights and sings thunders and harpes you have the voice of great thunders and of harpes joyned together Revel 14.2 The servants of the Lord fighting and thundring against Antichrist and yet harping and singing Est virtus omnia ad gloriam ferens A vertue that mouldes and shapes all things good things bad things prisons chaines bloud all to divine triumph Magnanimitie is alwayes very stout but alwayes very amiable when shee breaths and collects spirits she doth not curve her brow frowne and fret and the like but smiles in the face of crueltie it selfe Michal scoffed David and stoned him with her mouth but David smiles and dances Paul in chaines at Rome rejoyceth now I joy In the belly of Hell Jonah prayes yea gives thankes I will sacrifice to the Lord with a voice of thankesgiving salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land Jonah 2.9 10. As the verses goe and are conjoyned one would thinke they did carry this brave sense that as soone as God did behold Jonah in this brave posture of spirit not onely big with prayer but with praises even in the belly of the Whale that then he spake to the Whale to give him up that then he spake to Hell to give up that person to Heaven whose spirit and action was there before There is an amiablenesse of person and an amiablenesse of action and Magnanimitie hath both shee sets the countenance right the eye right and the hand right when shee is stout 't is in the truth and for the truth shee pursues a noble game and abhorres all evill means to catch it to get Earth to get Heaven shee will not be bribed when there is any base carriage in a businesse none more ignorant of any such thing then a Christian truly magnanimous Christian magnanimitie is borne of humilitie and simplicitie and hunts after nothing more then the incouraging of the parents of which shee came but this shee pursues to the utmost Things that are of the truest and highest glory these doth a magnanimous Christian Nervis cunctis incumbere intend with every sinew all things that are simply sinfull or but of meane account come not into his thought 'T is virtus tendens ad maxima a Christian that struggles to be of all Christians the chiefe for humilitie for integritie for faith for love for fruition for emission for taking in of Christ for laying out for Christ A Christian indeed magnanimous is the greatest Merchant-venturer to the tother world that is he is mightie in stocke he hath many millions of
wilt black and darke for ever hence forth sleepe on and never open thy Eyes more Now mans will is fulfilled and Gods will too for such sinners Gods Will he sweares the eternall death of them and hee cannot goe back When soules are so wicked to bid him depart for ever hee layes this much to heart and remembers it well for ever yea every repulse of this Strength Length and Nature yea and all the circumstances about it and opposes to this sinfull will a righteous will of as much Strength and Length he sweares a revenge which hath no revocation hee sets himselfe at a finall distance from repentance as the sinner hath Reade Amos the eight and the seventh the Lord hath sworne by the excellency of Jacob surely I will never forget any of their workes This is spoken in order to Israels end and what is spoken in order to many hath its force in order to one J will never forget any of their workes Such persons as I have woed and laboured by all manes to espouse to my selfe for such to put mee off yea to cast mee off finally I will never forget this saith God I will set them at as great a distance from me as they set me from them and if there be any excellency in me it shall run out all this way in strength and length of Justice this is paying the utmost farthing Vse Sinners let this point entice you to consider your condition when our Saviour had discoursed of one that should betray him and be lost for ever a sonne of perdition which the Scripture had long before spoken off how they all smote their breasts Is it J is it I There are children of perdition now such as are lost for ever such as of old are ordained to this condemnation we have spoken off to wit a finall dissertion T is hard to determine who these be because we have not Christs skill in this point yet two things there are which more eminently hint such a state Hypocrisie and Malice The Kingdome of God comes nigh some men they have tastes of the good Word of God and of the powers of the World to come sweete tastes and then temptations intervene and then all these sweete â—angs and tastes of truth are lost and the glorious throne and Kingdome of Christ that was going up apace pulled downe againe as fast and demolished quite and onely some out-workes left upon the tongue upon the eyes and the other externall parts to make a specious shew to the World this gives sad suspition of a forlorne estate of a child of perdition When Christ comes so neere a soule as to begin to sweepe and cleanse it and to fit it for his dwelling and afterward is thrust out and all given up againe to more uncleane spirits then before to make up temporary advantages of delight and profit Christ now returnes no more for this grosse Hypocrisie wretched soules suffer finally the last end of these men is sad worse then their beginning their soules abide in sinne till they abide no longer in this world an Hypocrites last-love to sinne holds him though his first love to Christ would not 2 Pet. 2. Further authority concurring to this is that of Peter where he discourseth of Hypocrisie largely and very sadly yea very prophetically as pointing at these times wherein we live He speakes of such who had escaped the pollutions of the World by the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Vers 20. and afterward were intangled and he speakes also of those which did generate these monsters to wit false Teachers Hypocriticall Prophets such as Baalam and then panells altogether Fathers and children thus Wells they are without water Cloudes carried about with a tempest to whom is reserved the mist of darknesse for ever Truth hath lost its power it is a stincking carcasse and no Christian whatsoever he saith Vers 17. and this stincking carcasse is to be buried for ever in such a grave as hath no resurrection Love to truth is lost and therefore no eyes can be found to see it so as to imbrace it and practise it other things stand in the way and make a mist that the man cannot see this nor that not he Hypocrisy raiseth this mist of darkenesse and such fogges and mists as spring out of this oft times abide for ever That which is here named the mist of darkenesse or the thicknesse of darkenesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is translated in Jude blacknesse of darkenesse tenebras densissimas denotat it notes saith the Critick the most thick darkenesse the mist of the night which makes the greatest darkenesse such thorough which no sight at all can be made The second thing which hints a child of perdition one in utter darknesse or one finally punished is malice against the truth persecution of truth by unlightened persons The Apostle encouraging the Thessalonians tells them they had suffered such things from their owne Country men and compares them that did it unto the Jewes which crucifyed the Lord Jesus and their own Prophets who pleased not God and were contrary to all men forbidding to speake to the Gentiles that they might be saved filling up the measure of their sinne alwayes whose doome observe for wrath is come upon them to the uttermost The allusion here made plainely shewes that these bloudy wretches were men of parts noone Devills as one of the ancients calls them or mid-day Scorpions t is written of this creature that he is most apt to strike and sting at noone when Sun beames are brightest and hottest upon him Innocent bloud shed by day light speakes conscience feared and conquered and this is the last power that gives up in the soule Divine Life is quite gone when this is gone the last breath gone is not sucked in againe Conscience twisteth cords and binds the sinner to keepe him in from his sinnes but when all the cords he makes yea and himselfe too are broken by the sinner then is the sinner given up as a Sampson in sinne one unconquerable and so left for ever Consider sinners what fire burnes in your breast and with what fuell and you may guesse whether it be unquenchable fire or not of the nature of that below which by decree is to burne for ever you are persons of parts the great dangers we speake about lies most amongst such as you Truth is hindered in its course every where by you within and without in your selves and in others for you to be oposites and adversaries to all men to all good men and to all good things persons and things of the noblest nature t is very sad write Lord have mercy upon such wretches at their doore wrath is come upon them to the utmost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the end that is which will make an end of thee thy soule burnes with such a Feaver as will kill thee for ever This generation hath a deadly countenance in my eye
enough and nothing but the image could be seised on which would endure wounds enough and then Saul said to Michal why hast thou deceived mee so and sent away mine ememy so when the life of sin is sought for by the word sinners can lay an image in the bed twenty excuses and pretences to conveigh the sinnes which they love out of sight and so save the life of Christs enemy How pleasing soever sinne be to affection 't is ugly to conscience because condemnd by Christ man can baffle one and mock the other We reade of mockers of God and they are such as baffle conscience with an image so double and involve their motion before the pursuit of truth likes a Hare before Hounds deceiving and being deceived deceiving i the force of truth is broken by wile deceived this the author to the Hebrewes explaines the heart is hardened by this practice least any be hardned by the deceitfulnesse of sinne the heart hardned is not easily wrought upon 't is the worst stone that any Artist can meddle with As the old man can delude so hee can collude as one faculty can and oft doth betray another so all faculties joyntly combine to plead an ill cause the old man can bribe every office in the soule understanding will conscience too as stout and as stiffe as this Officer seemes to be above the rest conscience indeed is the longest stander out for God yet at last may be and often is silenced yea seared and then it s not onely passive in sinne but joyntly active with other depraved and corrupted faculties Conscience seard the man is become a devill to convert a devill is difficult indeed Conscience seared darkenesse now is great and the sinner desperate the light that was in the man is beeome darknesse i put out the truth that was taken into judgement into affection and according to some degree approved is now disapproved what was approbated is now reprobated generally so all powers transported into malice and speaking joyntly like that rabble crucify him let the cleane spirit be not onely prisoned and tortured by violent action but quite outed and seven uncleane spirits come in the stead that is a perfection of evill Conscience once feard the sinner is as I may say a perfect sinner As there is a perfection in good perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect and exhorted to in this life which notes a degree of attainablenesse here so there is a perfection in evill a child of the divill perfect as his hellish Father is perfect now wee know he is according to all powers against Christ and truth understanding will conscience a Creature transported transformed into malice one without all remorse or reluctancy in pursuit of the greatest wickednesse All faculties do lie one to another mutually 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 recriprocally as that expression is and so conscience confirming and making restipulation to all The soule is with much difficulty indeed brought home to Christ t is a great deale of pitty there is facillity enough in the soule otherwise it will take in falshood presently easily in a moment is the soule a convert to sinne to the fowlest sinne Satans births are quick he shewed Christ all the Kingdomes in the World in a moment saith the Text Luk. 4.5 intimating how his children grow very big in a moment the wise man speakes to this likewise that their feet run to evill and make hast to shed bloud Prov. 1.16 evill is terminus inde terminatus its applicable to to any sinne the soule is facile to any thing that is naught blood is a terme that specificates points out the foulest the horridst child of hell Man is easily brought to draw weapons of wickednesse and stab the body yea stab the soule of an other to wash his hands in the heart blood of another and sport himselfe therein Nature is a greater advantage then education in any thing Christ carries it by principles Satan by constitution Engines are needlesse paines needlesse there is a current hellward The soule is of great price but not esteem'd so by it selfe a man will sell his soule for a lie and yet make the bargaine quickly Satan loves a quick change his commodities are deceitfull and off best least considered and therefore you have him shewing Christ all the Kingdomes of the world in a moment saith the Text Luke 4.5 as Satan loves quicke action so doth the deluded soule for hee is whilest deluded upon Satans wings the soule in temptation is lighter then vanity what should poyse to wit judgement is destroy'd by will and impure affections t is in a gawdy chariot of Satans that takes and he may run with it any whither with one horse with ease Vse Sinners we are upon things of great weight consider well to what are you facile to sin or to Christ what you are most inclinable to has your heart if that be sinne you are dead men there are variety of temptations the soule may pick and chuse but what he chuseth is destructive will is in the fact and such crimes cut off without remedy for Christ is deliberately refused in choyce there is debate two objects are in view at once and in competition with affection if the worst carry it by suffrage Christ is cast and given up to be crucifyed which is very bloudy action The rejection of Christ is simul tempore together in time with the election of sinne Sinne is ugly at first like an Harlot but by society and frequenting besots and infatuates and is more facily drawing then the mans owne wife although far more beautifull facility to sinne speakes the wards of conscience broken the lock of the Cabinet spoyled all the Jewells of the soule lying common gifts and abilities the servants of sin at pleasure the heart past feeling a beaten highway to hell The soule is of great price Christ makes this estimate from being we are to make it from property who and how doth the soule love such is the lovelinesse of it The heart of the wicked is nothing worth saith Solomon Prov. 10.20 Aversnesse to Christ is any mans wickednesse if the action be the action of the greatest person in the World 't is his wickednesse persons are not respected with God actions are impartially lookt upon above though not below they are weighed in a ballance as Job speakes nothing scand with more exactnesse then this how much of Christ is in this man and his course if this were but received the soules of some of you which heare me this day would bleed within you Oh what will become of you wanton Londoners which have so much of Christ before you and so little of Christ within you who are quickly any thing but understandingly and sincerely nothing a Harlot is quickly gained there needs not much wooing about her light soules make heavy judgements your spirituall crummes would be feasts abroad you have no minde to that food which thousands as precious with
every thing in Christ we shall stand and see God above face to face that which we cannot doe here and live no nor there out of Christ in his light we shall be able to master that great object in his light we shall be able to see that great light that dazles all the creation to behold and then hath the soule all that ever it is to have all that ever it desires to have With respect to this wide scope I am upon and affirming concerning Christ is Christ cald the heire of all things Heb. 1.2 Earth Heaven grace and glory The Apostle is yet more expressely particular in this thing and saith that we are glorified in him That the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ might he glorified in you and ye in him according to the grace of our God 2 Thes 1.12 In him we are heires and in him we are actuall inheritors Perfection is hotly pursued by all to wit a compleate state though what it is and in whom be mistaken almost by all The soule of man is the greatest traveller that you have read off if its travells could be written out or if any volumne would containe them you would say so as full of motion as there be objects in the world and minutes in the day and in the night to finde out one fully to blesse it selfe in and rest but cannot because Christ is overlookt and therefore dies in travell Prudence will speak much of this in many experienced persons yet Christ never the more regarded nor sought after this is sad Every cisterne is broken every vessell full of leakes saith the sinner and yet he is found still stopping up these leakes and going out againe to Sea venturing Life Soule Heaven all that ever is in these broken bottomes I tremble at no state but this Conviction abused conversion is farther off the man then from him that is a simple sinner that tasts no bitter in any dish at the Divils table Folly found out and yet made further triall of the man will not he cannot escape punishment if the foole go on hee will be punished First-folly is pittied and discovered that is simple simplicity simple sinning as one would say when a man doth thus and thus for want of knowledge but when the foole is found out and yet will on he will now die in his folly Conviction is sanctified when experienced emptinesse of the creature makes the soule looke out where indeed fulnesse is when the Canticles follow next after Ecclesiastes when the soule with Solomon having found and confest the vanity of the creature falls a breathing and a panting after Christ Balaam was convinced stopt with a drawne sword from Heaven and yet would on the Asse could not go and yet Balaam would God Iames and slayes things under us that we ride with our affections like mad men and yet we have no mind to alight and come off them things we dote upon God by some stroak or other upon them makes them speake in our conscience like that Asse to Balaam why wilt thou on O my soule any further this way death is before thee the sword of Gods displeasure is drawne and at thy breast because of this wicked motion stop sinner now stop now cast thy eye an other way towards Christ and see what is in him taste how good and gracious he is no I will not I will have the tother bout I will spurr a little farther and see to the utmost if I can curse Jsrael and get that great pay proferd There is a perfection of misery as well as of felicity and this forementioned is it when a sinner will pursue his sinne to the utmost go to the end of long suffering then wrath comes inevitably upon him and to the utmost when the man say's that his sinne shall out-live every object ere it shall cease and rides every horse to death to fetch and find out pleasures to keepe his lust alive then God say's that this lust shall out-live the man too and then it out-lives all indeed when the soule is rid to death As there is a never pardoning of sinne till the soule die so there is a never subduing of sinne for these are necessarily subordinate till the soule die never a taking off the love of sinne from the soule till the soule grow sicke and die in love All perfection being in Christ t is well onward toward all that neede it such as are in distresse for grace or glory should so account and be incouraged Sinne is a very burdensome thing when God opens the eyes the aggravations and multiplications of this by conscience over-beare the soule much When Christ puts not in how shall I withstand so many enemies get off so much pollution what shall I do for this what shall I do for that saith the soule Why think on this all perfection is in Christ and because in him it lies ready for thee Every good and perfect gift as the Apostle James speakes thou needest dispensations which have a perfection of goodnesse in them Christ hath every good and perfect thing in him and because he hath them they are all ready to be bestowed on thee to be bestowed for nothing every perfect good he hath is a perfect gift and comes downe saith the Text when the soule doth not fetch it Thou hast many imperfections and Christ hath many perfections and thou canst do nothing to get these not one of these if thou couldest doe any thing they would not come this way for they are al gifts perfect gifts and come downe upon us and are not puld downe as the next verse doth there interpret of his owne will hee begat us As Christ doth begin so he doth finish all of his owne-will Christ is given which is summum or perfectum cardinale and then every good and perfect thing in him must needs be so too gifts and given freely with him as the Apostle speakes Having given us Christ hee will with him freely give us all things Rom. 6.32 't is not an easy thing to bring the soule to belive every perfect good to be a perfect gift to be as perfectly a gift as 't is perfectly good There is an order in grace but no merit first this thing is done then that but all freely through this medium and through that as a Pipe through Preaching and through Praying and through Hearing but not for any of these And therefore when a soule objects this and objects that he cannot doe this nor he cannot do that I will answer as many objections of this kind as any one can possibly make in one word what ever you need is a perfect gift I cannot believe nor do no thing to make saith yet there is no cause of dejection faith is a perfect gift more perfectly a gift then in the formality of the thing perfect so may it be said of all other things that the soule complaines on grace hath no merit but order which
killing your estates trades friends but your own lust did all this spoile could the Word or any lesser rod have killed your affection to the world the good things thereof would have been all alive and in your hand at this day Poore Christians should cheare themselves from this point Thou hast nothing in this world no wealth no honours no friends thy gay clothing is thy skin thy lands thy hands thy wealth thy health 't will be the case of all all is dying to them that have it naked came every one out of the wombe and naked shall they thither return every thing shall die from him that hath most thou wilt have as much in the grave as he that hath most out The rich and the poor shake hands in the dust There is danger in rich mens joy and poor mens sorrow about worldly things The Doctrine in hand would cure both if studied well that all dies me thinks should make one not love much what one had nor grieve much for what one has not but in both to look out after another state All things are dying here but all things are ever living and everlasting above O that I were there Were I in heaven I should heare no more knels nor passing-bels no noise of warre In the bosome of Christ all is quiet there be a great many there and yet they do not fight nor kill one another nor never wil. They are rivers of pleasure which they drink of above many going to drink at a river fall not out because there is water enough and space enough but many thirsty creatures going to a bottle to drink fight and pull it out of one anothers hand I cannot drink saith one 't will be all drunk up saith another such a one drinks so much none of all these complaints when persons drink at a river though thousands there they drinke all together quietly because a river is a large cup and hath springs at bottome so is the breast of Christ 't is a river of pleasure yea 't is rivers of pleasure thousands and thousand of thousands drink there all together and no falling out for want of convenience to drinke or for feare of want of water because there be springs at bottome 'T were better to enjoy these things then talke of them one can but speake so brokenly of them COLOSSIANS 1.22 To present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight TErmes here are multiplied one thing meant but not to be expressed to us to wit our state with God in another world The end and scope of all Christs industry is exegetically exprest in this clause i one word explaining and opening another To present you holy i without spot and without reproofe so as not to be disliked nor reproved in the least kinde by perfect justice it selfe but honoured and advanced as a compleat being for ever in the presence of God To present you holy and unblamable c. This translation and the originall run along together throughout almost onely they part in the last word You read in his sight the text is before him and unreprovable before him Actions and persons come before God and the purity of both is exactly lookt after but neither to be found in us but both in and from Christ from Christ not simply as the Son of God the second person in the Trinitie but from Christ as Mediator as the Father hath deputed the Son to take our nature dye rise and stand before him with us in his hand presenting himselfe before the face of Justice first and then us in his nature in the body of his flesh c. To present you holy c. Divine presentation must be our subject now to stand upon which I will prosecute according to this method First more remotely and then proximately The object of divine presentation is God All presents under the Law they were brought before the Lord but the goat which was the scape goat was presented alive before the Lord Levit. 16.10 Presents of this nature are our homage wherein we lively testifie who is the Lord of all which is none but God their offerings under the Law they were a certain tenth of severall kinds and these of the best and these brought to the Tabernacle or tent of Gods presence for divine acknowledgement so 't is at this day All is ours onely a certain tenth of the best to wit the heart must be brought to the Tabernacle of presence i to God and to Heaven and presented to him My sonne give me thy heart Wisdome so orders the course of things as to preserve proprietie that every thing should returne to him who is the Lord of all a certain tenth of it to wit the spirit of every thing the spirit in eating the spirit in drinking the spirit in preaching in praying in living in dying the spirit returnes to him that gave it Wisdome hath so ordered that all things in the spirit and vigour of them should be presented to God Man is a possessor of much but not an absolute possessor so as to acknowledge no superior title he hath possession with injunction fruition upon condition he must extract the spirit of all the things he uses and bundle them up in his owne spirit and bring them to the Father of spirits and to him onely for a present of thankesgiving Offer to God the sacrifice of prayse Wisedome so orders the course of things as to preserve state the Sea so gives out as to returne all againe into it selfe to preserve its own supreame greatnesse that how ever proprieties are scattered yet the grand propriety to rest still where it first did Wee have many things given unto us to play the spirituall artist with them to make jewels and bracelets odors and crownes and to put them all upon God and upon him onely to advance his state as the choicest things that could be got in all the holy Land or any where else farre or neare were for the Prince of Judah and for him onely to raise his state and glory which was a type of Christ who is the glory of all the earth who is a King higher then the Kings of Judah higher then the Kings of the Gentiles higher then Agag Divine presentation is adoration adoration is proper to God and proper to Christ onely as God as he sits upon the throne managing the greatnesse of the God-head in the world so crownes are brought and laid at his feete The object of divine presentation may be considered as more distant or lesse distant lesse visibly or more visibly present as 't is held out in the text to be considered 't is to be considered under the most immediate notion as presents are made to him above Persons and actions are oft presented to God in way of dutie here with the concurrence of Christ hereafter both shall be brought before God in way of office onely by Christ we being wholly passive Christ shall appeare first