me by any of my fellow Christians begging of God to set you free as I my self also desire to be set free by you all for any thing whereby I may have offended you against the bent and inclination of my Soul and that Spark of Love which is in it which would not offend any one Pray bear with my Repetitions for it is from the abundance of the heart that my mouth speaketh and Love is Mat. 12. 34. never weary of shewing her good will to all Men. This Divine Love and Charity is the true Principle of on Evangelical Life without which no person can live so as becomes the Gospel of Christ Of how great value therefore is this love Of whom we may say as Solomon saith of Wisdom She is better than Rubies and all the things that may he desired are not to be compared to her Prov. 8. 11. Love is of such an Attractive and Assimilative Vertue that she changeth all things she toucheth into her own Nature she is the true Philosophers Stone that changeth all baser Mettals into Gold Mat. 13. 44 45. she is the Pearl of great Price and the Treasure hid in the Field in order to the purchasing of which the wise Merchant sells all Ephes 3. 19. 1 John 4. 16. Oh Love Love who can take thy dimensions who can comprehend thee For God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him Where this Love is not found neither is God there tho a Man should shine never so glorious with all Parts Gifts and deep Cor. 13. 2 Pet. 1. 1. Gal. 5. 6. Learning all would signifie nothing without this Pretious Faith it self is of no account except it work by love Wherefore O Christians let us be led by this Spirit of Love and readily obey the Commandment of our Lord who saith Love your Enemies bless them that curse you c. Matth. 5. 44. And you that call your selves Protestants and profess the same Religion be entreated by the love of Christ who died for All to be Enemies to None especially of your own Brethren that would fain live in love and peace with you Why should you fall out by the way and be at variance Gen. 45. 24. with your Brethren that cannot comply with you in all things that you think lawful and they may be so to you tho not to them for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin Rom. 14. 2 3 4 10 11 12 13 23. One believeth that he may eat all things and another who is weak eateth Herbs Let none of you therefore judge his Brother but rather bear with one another in love They whose Hearts are sincere and truly love God will never be angry with their Brethren that are stronger and see further than they do or are more able to promote the Glory of God and the Good of their Neighbour than they are The holy Man Moses when his Servant told him that some of the People Prophesyed in the Camp Num. 11. 27 28 29. was so far from being jealous upon that account that he rejoyced and said Would to God that all the People of the Lord were Prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them And the Apostle St. Paul declares that tho there were some that preached Phil. 1. 15. 18. Christ even of Envy and Strife yet that therein he rejoyced and would rejoyce We see how far different these holy Saints were from the Spirit of those who are Envious at the Gifts of others not to say worse For I would rather heal all Breaches than make them wider and with the Mantle of Love hide the nakedness of my Fathers and Brethren and heap Coals of Divine Charity upon their heads to melt their hearts and to induce them to love the Lord and his People This is that which my Spirit groans for to have all set at liberty by the Spirit of Love and Peace that Brethren Psal 133. may dwell together in Unity Nay what is more my Spirit groans for the whole Creation that it may be delivered Rom. 8. 19. to 28. from the Bondage of Corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God for through sin it is made subject to Bondage and Misery My Prayer is to Almighty God who at first made this Universe so glorious that he would be pleased to restore it to its first Beauty and Purity as it was before the Fall then 2 Pet. 3. 13. shall the New Heaven and the New Earth appear not only inwardly in Man but also in the outward Creation that we may once more see and enjoy the Divine Harmony between Heaven and Earth when the Morning Stars shall sing Job 38. 17. Isa 11. 9. together and all the sons of God shout for joy Then shall the Knowledge of the Lord cover the Earth as Waters cover the Isa 30. 36. Sea And the Light of the Moon shall be as the Light of the Sun and the Light of the Sun shall be seven fold as the Light of seven days But before this glorious Day appears the Lord will debate with his People and not with-hold his Rough Isa 27. 8. 9. Wind in the day of his East VVind that he may winnow them from their Chaff but all this will be only to make way for this Day by purging away the Iniquity of Jacob and taking away his sin For we are not fit to be made Partakers of this Great Redemption Act. 3. 19. 1 Cor. 6. 14. which is the Time of Refreshment till this be done for Light and Darkness cannot agree together Holiness and Sin cannot be inmates of the same Soul Therefore let us pray that this New Year we may see the Destruction of Sin in us tho we may before this Work be accomplished pass through his Fire which is in Zion and endure his Furnace which is in Jerusalem Wherefore let none of Isa 31. 9. us flatter our selves ever to be delivered save only this way for the Lord will throughly purge his Floor There is Luk. 3. 17. a Purifying VVork must go before the Times of Refreshment Mat. 3. 2 1. And therefore let us all turn inwards judging our selves searching our own hearts before the Lord comes to judge and search us and let us not cry Peace Peace as long as we go on in a Course of sinning without Controle but let us rather resolve in the strength of the Lord to fight this Man of Sin resisting even unto Blood Let us this New Heb. 12. 4. Year engage in this holy Warfare more couragiously than ever let us fight against sin not only now and then but at all times and in all places and against all manner of sins whether Bodily or Spiritual which are more hid Let us remember that we are Christians who by their Baptism are engaged to fight against the world the flesh and the Devil This is
A New Years-Gift OR A Token of Love To all Persons of what PERSWASION soever By a Friend and Lover of all Men. REflecting with my self that the All-wise God who doth nothing in vain hath given some Talents more or less to all Mankind to Traffick withal but especially to those that live under the Gospel and considering that he who had received but one was called to an account for it as well as he that had received five and the terrible and just Sentence pronounced against the unprofitable Servant that had not employ'd his Talent for his Lords use I tremble at the thoughts of it and in the sense thereof am made to reflect what I have done for the glory of my Lord with that one Talent which his Free Grace hath bestow'd upon me and finding how unprofitable a Servant I have been with it hitherto I am moved I trust by the Spirit of Grace to delay no longer but to improve my Talent as well as I can for the glory of my Lord. And also that by my Example the meanest may be encouraged to employ and improve the least measure of Grace and Knowledge bestow'd upon them for God's glory and our mutual Comfort and Edification Exod. 25. 2 3 4 5. We read in God's Word That God commanded Moses to speak to the Children of Israel to bring every one his Offering and to take the same of every Man that should give it willingly with his heart not only Gold Silver Blue Purple Scarlet fine Linnen and pretious Stones c. all costly Things and Offerings proper for the Rich but also Rams and Badgers Skins and Goats Hair which were Gifts accommodated to the Ability of the Poor the meanest Offering of the People that was presented with a willing heart being as well accepted by God as the most sumptuous Gifts of the Rich. Which may be a great Encouragement even to those that have but the least measure of grace to endeavour to improve and lay it out for the glory of God and the good of their Neighbour And accordingly we see that our Saviour also accepted and commended the two Mites of the Poor VViddow Luke 21. 2 3 4. above all the Oblations of the Rich and Wealthy Wherefore I hope that this my poor Mite will be accepted not only by my great Lord and Master but also by Men of good will since I trust I have no other End but his Glory and the good of poor Souls who may stand in need as well as I to be put in mind not to wrap up their Masters Talent in a Napkin Give me leave therefore to deliver here what shall rise in my mind in a plain and simple stile and suitable to my meanness who am without Learning And in the first place I will begin with that which I have had a long time on my heart viz. to tell the world I am in charity with all Men through that Spark of divine Love I have received in my heart but more especially with those that love the Lord and seek his Glory in all their Actions of whatsoever Persuasion they are For love is not a Sect or an Opinion but a fruitful Mother full of Bowels of Mercy that comprehendeth all but chiefly those of her own Bosom and afterwards those that are without whether Jews or Gentiles and takes them in also Wheresoever Love is tho but as a Spark she soon spreads on the right hand and on the left behind and before an Enemy as well as a Friend is welcom to her yea Mat. 5. 44. Rom. 12. 20 21. Colos 3. 12. 1 Cor. 13. 4 5 7. Prov. 10. 12. Psalm 34. 14. she entreats them to be at peace with her she remembreth no wrong but covers all sins and seeks peace and pursues it VVherefore in imitation of her I freely pardon without any Reserve any that may have said any thing against me for want of that Love which I now feel in my heart the Lord in his Mercy forgive them as I desire to be forgiven For what are all the Injuries that Man can do to me all the days of my Life in comparison of one sin committed against my God who daily loadeth me with his Benefits Shall I have Ten thousand Talents yea Millions forgiven me by my Lord and shall I think much to forgive an hundred Pence to my fellow Servant to my poor Brother or Sister in the Fall No sure I will rather pity him and pray for him than render evil for evil and railing for railing 1 Thess 5. 15. And as I by Love freely forgive all so I desire that all would forgive me if at any time I have said or done any thing contrary to the Love I owe to all Mankind and more especially to those that are of the Household of Faith by Inadvertence Undiscreetness or Rashness occasion'd by want of watchfulness The next thing that hath moved me to send these mean lines abroad is because several thoughts have risen in me that this Year may probably prove my last and therefore my Year of Jubilee in which I shall be delivered and set free from the Bondage of Sin and Corruption and return to my first Possession and Family which I have in God through Christ wherefore seeing that I hope to be set free from my Bondage I desire also as far as in me lyes to set every one free that throughout my whole Life I have had occasion to converse or deal with that is any who have judged hard of me and have put a bad interpretation on my good will and purpose I desire I say to set them free by forgiving and forgetting For it is said in the above quoted place of Leviticus And ye shall hallow the Fiftieth Year the Year of Jubilee and proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof If under the Law God would have every one to proclaim Liberty to those that were in Bondage and that had alienated their Lands to the end they might return to their Fathers Inheritance much more ought this to be done spiritually under the Gospel by celebrating a spiritual Jubilee when the Trumpet of God's Love sounds in our hearts proclaiming pardon and forgiveness of Transgressions and Sins by which we are set free and inspired in like manner to proclaim Liberty to all those that may have Trespast against us The Trumpet of the Love of God sounds from the Heart first to God's People and next to those that are without and may as yet stand in Enmity against them Beloved Brethern and Sisters with what words shall I express that love which the Lord hath kindled in my Soul in a double measure towards you this NewYear My thoughts are too short and my words too narrow to display before you the Burning Love which at this time flames in my heart towards you all from which Love I once more this New Year do freely forgive and forget whatsoever hath been done amiss to
this my Talent by the Blessing of God upon it and your Prayers may be encreased to two at the last Day when the Lord shall say Well done good and faithful Servant enter Mat. 25. 21. into the joy of thy Lord. Amen Lord so be it Hallelujah What shall I say to you my Fellow Christians and Men of Good Will who truly fear God tho you differ in Judgment and what shall I wish you this New Year but that you may all agree in one to serve the Lord in Spirit and in Truth and Rom. 7. 6. not in the oldness of the Letter that you may be all built up into an Holy Temple for Christ to dwell in and become a Royal Pristhood partakers of the Blessings of the Priests and Levites of Old in the Spirit And herewith I shall end this my New Years Gift turning these my Wishes into Prayers to God for you all Deut. 33. 11. Bless Lord his Substance and accept the Work of his hands smite through the Loins of them that rise against him and of them that hate him that they rise not again The Lord hear thee in the day of Trouble the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee Ps 20. 1 2. send thee help from the Sanctuary and strengthen thee out of Zion O England live for ever but let no more Enmity live in the midst of thee Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to live together in Unity Ps 133. 1. This is the way to bring that Blessing upon thee mentioned by the Prophet when he saith Surely his Salvation is nigh them that fear him that Glory Psalm 85. 9 10 11 12. may dwell in our Land Mercy and Truth shall meet together Righteousness and Peace shall kiss each other Truth shall spring out of the Earth and Righteousness shall look down from Heaven Yea the Lord shall give that which is good and our Land shall yield her Increase Amen Lord let this be the Portion of England yea of thy whole Church all the World over Amen Hallelujah A NOSEGAY presented by the Hand of Love to all the Well-wishers of ZION WAlking in the Paradisical Garden of the Scriptures I have gathered here and there several Flowers to present to you that are Well-wishers of Zion and that prefer Jerusalem above your chiefest Joys Psal 137. 6. Mic. 6. 8. 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7. 1 Cor. 13. 4 5 6. Gal. 5. 22 23 24. James 3. 17 18. Cant. 1. that you may all this New Year and many more smell the most sweet and refreshing Odour of this Nosegay of Divine Graces which the whole Scripture especially those places in the Margent point to springing up in you in the life and power of them But above all those other Flowers which breath sweetness and life let me recommend to you and my self the Rose of Sharon and the Lilly of the Valleys These are the Flowers that will revive and quicken you in the time of Deadness refresh and comfort you in the time of Trouble and sweeten you in Bitterness and Anguish This Rose will tincture all the Faculties and Powers of your Souls with its Holy Fire and Redness and this Lilly of the Valley will perfume you throughout with its sweet Meekness and Innocence the one will make you all flaming with the Divine Love the other will procure you the ornament of a meek Spirit and deep Humility which in the sight of God are of great price 2 Pet. 1. 4. In a word they will make you Partakers of the Nature of Christ the Rose representing his Divine Nature and the Lilly his Holy Humanity Surely Beloved you that ask the way to Zion with your faces thitherward who take pleasure in her Stones and favour her Dust Jer. 50. 5. Ps 132. 14. will fall in love with this Nosegay as soon as you begin to perceive the sweet Odour of it the Power and Spirit thereof will transport you so as that you will hardly know where you are by reason of the surpassing sweetness and comfort this Rose and Lilly will afford you If that Woman in the Gospel receiv'd Vertue from a Touch only of Christs Garment for the cure of her inveterate Malady what will not your Souls find in this sweet Rose of Sharon in this humble Lilly of the Valleys What Diseases what Evil can stand against this powerful Antidote this Divine Mixture and Composition of Red and White of the Divine and Humane Nature The Divine conveighing the strong force of Love and the Humane sweet Meekness and lovely Humility Strong Faith and earnest Longing after this Divine Nature will make all that is his to be yours For he is made unto us Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption Hear therefore ye that go from strength to strength in Zion Ps 84. 7. the Voice of your Beloved calling upon you Rise up my Cant. 2. 10. Love my Fair One and come away Come away from Vanity come away from Gain and Profit yea come away from all things that steal away thy heart from me and bid an eternal Farewell to all the love of the World and let me see Cant. 2. 14. thy countenance and let me hear thy voice for then sweet shall be thy voice to me and thy countenance comely Yea I will never leave thee nor forsake thee I will be unto thee All Things Hebr. 13. 5. Thou shalt taste of my sweetness and be refreshed with the water of life which I will give thee if thou wilt continue and persevere Mat. 10. 38. Mark 8. 34. Hebr. 12. 5. 10. Luke 22. 30. Rev. 3. 21. in my ways Denying thy self and taking up thy Cross daily and following me and taking patiently my fatherly correction of thee seeing that my only aim therein is to make thee Partaker of my Holiness And after I have thus fitted and prepared thee thou shalt eat and drink at my Table in my Kingdom For to him that overcometh will I give to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his Throne PRAYER O Sweet Rose of Sharon that hast been dyed in thine Isaiah 63. 1. own Blood to take away the Spots of Sin that had stained all Mankind have mercy on my Soul that is all over defiled by Original and Actual Sin and wash me in that pretious Blood of thine wherewith thou wast cover'd all over in the Garden and on the Cross O let me never forget that inconceivable Love of thine which made thee willingly to bear the Cruelty of Man the rage of Hell and the Rom. 6. 14. wrath of thy Father to deliver me from the Infernal Pit and from the slavery of Sin which is the worst of the two for sin is the cause of Hell Oh what shall I say of thy Love Oh that I might express it in my whole life O Lord thou knowst I can do nothing
no not so much as think a good thought but all my sufficiency is of thee who hast said by 2 Cor. 3. 5. Ezek. 36. 27. thy Prophet I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them Lord increase my Faith that I may ask without doubting the fulfilling of this Promise and all other thou hast given to thy Church to uphold her in her Wilderness Condition where the World the Flesh and the Devil fight against her Sweetest Jesu thou who hast said Ask and it shall be Mat. 7. 7. given you seek and ye shall find give me to ask by fervent Prayer and seek by diligent Endeavour thy Holy Spirit who may enable me to answer thy love towards me that I may begin this New Year to live more to the glory of thy Name and the Edification of my Neighbour than ever heretofore Comfort me with thy strong Perfumes thou Rose of Sharon Mat. 11. 29. refresh me with the sweet sent of thy Meekness and Humility thou Lilly of the Valley Adorn me with the Power of thy Love and the sweetness of thy Innocence that my Life and Conversation may be so lovely in the sight of others that they may be led to thee by thy Grace and Gifts to me Amen Beloved ye that follow on to know the Lord this is the Nosegay the Spirit hath caused me to gather for you and which I present to you the beginning of this New Year Which if you shall wear in your Lives and Conversations the sweetness Rom. 13. 14. thereof will make you truly happy both in this life and that which is to come There is such transcendent sweetness in it that not only you that wear it shall be sweetned and perfumed thereby 〈◊〉 likewise all that come near you will be in love with this Rose of Sharon and Lilly of the Valley and shall know that your Beloved is more than another Beloved seeing he is so incomparably lovely we also ought to love him above the rate of other Lovers and be more careful and circumspect in all our Thoughts 1 Pet. 4. 7 8. Mat. 12. 36. Ephes 5. 5. Words and Actions than others that it may appear to all that we always carry this Nosegay about with us which is composed of all the sweet and fair Flowers of Paradise viz. the Graces of God's Spirit which are the Virgins constantly attending the King's Daughter who is all glorious Psalm 45. 13. within The Letter of the Scripture pointing us to these Divine Mat. 26. 7. Mark 14. 3. Graces is like the Alabaster Box fill'd with pretious Ointment whose very outside doth not want its Beauty and Fragrancy But when the Box is broken and the Spiknard poured out than it is quite another thing for the whole House is filled with Perfume of the Ointment So when the Spirit opens the Letter in us then the ineffable Sweetness of the Name of God which is as Ointment Cant. 1. 3. poured forth diffuseth it self every where and fills the whole House of the Soul and Spirit yea and of the Body too But before we can attain to this Spiritual Knowledge our Old Man must be crucified with Christ that the Body of Sin Rom. 6. 6. may be destroyed and we no longer serve sin And when we are thus made one with him in his Death we shall also be made one with him in his Resurrection And if we make it our business this New Year and all the rest of our Life to enter into the Death and Resurrection of our Lord then the sweet Odour of this Divine Nosegay and the pretious Perfume of the Ointment will make the Virgins in love with our Beloved and make them seek him together with Cant. 6. 1. us Be it so O Lord. Amen Hallelujah The Conclusion of this New-Years-Gift by PRAYER O Most holy God whose Thoughts are not as our Thoughts nor thy Ways like our Ways for as the Heavens are Isaiah 55. 5. higher than the Earth so are thy Ways above our Ways and thy Thoughts above our Thoughts c. Thou dost manifest this Truth in me this Day For who wou'd think that the Lord should humble himself to visit a poor sinful Worm and to speak in and through it to the Glory of his great Name Thou shewest thy self O Lord to be no Respecter of Persons and that thou canst work by the most weak and despicable Means and that the Vessel is nothing and has nothing that is Good but what it receives from above I Jam. 1. 17. humbly entreat thee O Heavenly Father in the Name and Merits of my pretious Redeemer to own what is of Thee in this Writing to bless it and make it prosper O thou who searchest the Hearts and the Reins thou knowst I have no other aim in the publishing of it but only thy Glory Yet since the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked Jer. 17. 9. if there should be any sinister end lurking in my Heart Lord discover it unto me and nail it to the Cross of thy Son for through thy Grace I utterly detest and abhor it Wherefore I am bold most glorious God Father Son and Spirit to implore thy Blessing upon this New-Born Babe O Lord thou knowest that from my Youth thou hast made me conceive a longing desire to send forth a few Lines were it possible throughout all the World to incite all Mankind to love thee and this longing Desire hath still grown in me till at last thy rich Mercy and free Grace hath made me to bring it forth in my Old Age. Wherefore gracious Lord be pleased to take this New Birth into thy Protection against the many Oppositions it shall meet with from those that reject every thing that hath not the Ornament of Learning and Eloquence and do thou cover this simple Naked Child with the Garment of thy Blessing that it may be received into the hearts of Men of Good Will of what Persuasion soever O Lord my God thou didst command the Children of Israel to Offer to thee their First-born accordingly I here offer unto thee 〈◊〉 First Born The Conception Exod. 22. 29. is thine the Birth is thine Let not the Deâ—â—â—â—…nt it hath contracted in the Womb of my Soul hinder thy Blessing upoâ— it nor any of my Sins and Transgressions but let them all be washed away in that Fountain Zech. 13. 2. which is opened to the House of David c. for Sir and for Uncleanness Let all these Egyptians he drowned in the Red Sâ—a of my Saviours Blood and let me hear the same comfortable Promise thou madest to the Children of Israel by the mouth of Mosâ—â— The Egyptians whom ye have seen to day ye shall see them again no â—ore forever The Sins that have pursued you all your Life time you shall never see them any more having the Dominion over you and if I leave any Canaanites in the Land it is only to keep you humble and that you may know that the Land is mine and that it is I that fight for you against your Enemies and will do so till your last Breath Amen Lord so be it Hallelujuh FINIS LONDON Printed for Thomas Whitledge over against the Hatt and Feather on Addle-hill near Doctors-Commons 1693.