thy comfort when I have learnd them this lesson I do give them back their estates again with interest twenty in the hundred and so I do their parts with the same advantage but O Christ wilt thou do so by mee if I give thee my whole estate gifts and parts Friend I alwayes do so trust me try mee prove mee O Christ I will I will well friend let me tell thee as I am Christ thou shalt never lose by it but shalt have the light of life and glory to the bargain O but what doe ye meane by Christs slow knocks I mean all the good purposes he puts in your soules as to read a chapter go to prayers in the sence of his goodnesse to hear a sermon to lead a new life to serve God better and therefore friends as you vallue Christs company or your own souls looke to these knocks of good purposes by Christs knocking in your hearts Many soules are damnd in the yeare for neglecting these purposes O saith one I was going for to open but I think I was bewitched by my old companions and I too saith another but there came some to buy commodities and kept mee in my shop and I too saith another but my friends began to jear and said I would not now turn fool would I to open unto Christ all the world would but laugh at me to minde him so soon before the worlds profits pleasures which every one almost feekes first of all and then Christ when they die which was one Mr. Carefulls speech to his son Worldling many yeare agoe which I thinke all his sons did very much mind and ever since have practised but Zacheus a convert by Christs knocking at his heart and inviting of himself to dinner But thirdly what do you mean by Christs slow knocks evening meditations telling thee of death and eternity the vanity of the world the emptinesse of the creature the necessity of himself O saith Christ the world is vain by knocking at the soule Solomon hath found it so and all the sons of wisedome too One said it would not satisfie the soule of any man no more then mitigate the paines of the body another said it was changeable like the Moon and weather sometimes in Eclins sometimes clear again not a moneth constant all the yeare about but altering mens conditions who live below the Sun sometimes into sear sometimes into care seldome out of trouble all the yeare about which are so strong in many that they can scarcely sleep either day or night and still after the world which changes like the Moone O happy were it for these soules if Christ would knock or tell them they are dead and buried in cares of the world and so raise them up to live in himself and minde the other death and eternity beyond O death and eternity who mindes yee and yet thou kilst and hourds up all yea all high low rich poore young and old in thy two garners of hell and heaven but the Saints onely there which Christ fetcheth in by his serious knocks Fourthly I mean by Christs slow knocks his night knocks of affliction such as straits wants sicknesse reproach and disgrace O friends Christ knocks at the door of your hearts by all these blessed and for ever blessed is such a soule that heares Christ by these kinde of knocks But what doe you meane by Christs sweet knocks I meane by Christs sweet knocks his telling thee of thy Fathers love the strength and length of this love with thy interest in it O saith Christ my Father so loves thee that he thinks nothing too dear for thee God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son yea and more he could not give for in him he gives himself and all we have and all we need and therefore saith the Apostle Seeing he hath given us his Sonne how shall be not with him give us all things life pardon heaven happinesse and salvation and therefore Christ is called The Guift of God John 7. Hadst thou known the Guift of God saith Christ to the woman of Samaria and indeed to this Guift all is nothing If a Prince should give his favour what was that to Christ If he should give thee houses mannours lordships what was that to Christ If he should give thee crownes and kingdomes what was that to Christ honours mannours lordships crownes and kingdomes are but nothing unto Christ the Gift of God to a poore sinner well might Paul say O the height depth and breadth of this love which he acquaints the soule with by his sweet knocks and of his interest in it too O saith Christ to the sinner It is firmely set upon thee and cannot be removed mountaines may be moved but my Fathers love cannot though the mountaines should be removed yet my loving kindnesse will I not remove Men cannot Devils cannot move it sinne cannot move it If my Children forsake my Law yet my loving kindnesse will I not take away saith God by David Mark my loving kindnesse will I not take away I will onely visit them with a rod O saith Christ once beloved and ever men may love and hate but God cannot he is unchangeable Mal. 3. and so is his love too his love is grounded in his Son and spread in all relations to shew the greatnesse of it the Friend loves as a freind the Bridegroome as the Husband the Father as the Parent but Gods love is all at once yea all and more then all ten thousand times over and over againe to that And therefore saith the Apostle Behold what manner of love is this how great how sweet how deare how neare is this Father Friend and Husbands love As a Bridegroom rejoyces over his Bride so will I rejoyce over my People to doe them good saith the Lord by his Prophet Isaiah Well Friend Christ acquaints the soul of this love by his sweet knocks which even melts it like the Suggar in the Wine But secondly I meane by Christs sweet knocks his acquainting thee of the Fathers glory thy interest in this glory Gods glory make the heavens heaven and fils the heavens too and makes them heavens indeed to Saints and Angels and all that doe dwell there Paul had once a glimps of this glory and it was unutterable Moses with the very conceit of it forsook Pharohs court and chose rather to be afflicted with the People of God then to live in his court and glory and be the Sonne in law to that great King of Egypt Paul having once a glimple of it desires to dye and be dissolved that he might enjoy it David cries out saying It is wonderfull yea it fils Heaven and Earth saith he in his Psalms And so it shall thy soul too saith Christ by his sweet knocks at the heart O saith Christ I will fill thee with this glory and wrap thee in this glory and cloth thee head and foot and thou shalt be like Solomon yea like
fatherly way unto us O great and wonderfull O mysterie of mysteries who would have thought of such a way as this to have found a blessed God again O Adam lost couldst thou have thought of this way O angels all ye angels could ye have thought of this way no no I dare say no nor all the world besides you it is said by Paul when Angels heard of this mysterie Gods coming down into flesh to find and bring back man lost man again it was such a mysterie to the Angels that they desired to peep into it Oh how farre was Ioseph carried from good old Iacob but yet at last he saw his face again So farre and further yea ten thousand times furthermore were ye sold by Eve and carried by Satan but God like Jacob comes down though not for want yet for his love to bring ye back to your own place it is said when the Israelites were delivered out of Balon they were as men in a dream they had been so long in Captivity and were so suddenly delivered unepxected Psalme 137. But lost man thou lesse expectedst if lesse could be thy great deliverance that God by Christ should bring back thee from Pharaoh in Egypt a strange land to Christ in Canaan where plenty and all fullnesse dwels and now will God again become your God and dwell with you now it may be truly said the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself will be there God with them Rev. 21.3 Mark this God himself will be with them this being with them denotes Gods familiarity to them where strangenesse is there can be no familiarity but strangenesse now shall be no more for God will dwell with them and they with him O they must needs see his face who dwell in his presence In thy presence O God is fulnesse of joy and pleasures for evermore so saith David in Psal 36.8 Here is a fullnesse indeed First a feeding fullnesse Secondly a filling fullnesse Thirdly an overflowing fullness First a feeding fullnesse O Christian it shall feed thy very soul to see the face of God and Christ Secondly a filling fullness it shall fill thy heart yea every corner of thy heart and soul too it shall so fill thee that thou shalt be as David said in his Psalm filled with marrow and fatnesse Thirdly an overflowing fullness for thou shalt be so filled with the sight of thy God that thou shalt overflow with delight Here the discoveries of God have an emptiness in the soul that there is still an emptiness in thee but in that day thou shalt be as a vessell brim-full and not so but overflow with the fullness of Gods discoveries to thy soul he shall so immediately discover himself to thee Here Gods discoveries are in a secondary way but then thou shalt have them immediately from himself and not by any hand conveyed but by himself his presence with thee shall be a flowing fatness yea an overflowing fullness in thee and in that day thou shalt know the relations thy soul stands in to God thou shalt know him to be a father indeed he shall so fatherly discover himself to thee Here God carries himself sometimes to his children as Joseph did to his brethren rough and strange but then God shall say to his children O my deare children how do I love you yea I love you more and more I loved you before and now I cannot hide my bowels from you yea I cannot but show my love to you come my deare children for whom I prepared Glory before the world was as Christ speaks John come sit down by me I will tell you over my love I loved you before I had you but now I have you I cannot but embrace you ye were my delight long before the world was I rowled you in my thoughts I had you in my eye and carried you in my purpose and bought you by my Christ O my deare children let me wipe away all teares from your eyes Rev. 21.4 You were wont to mourn but now rejoice and sing and let no man take your joy from you as Christ speaks Iohn 16.20 you wont to grieve but grief shall be no more nor pain nor sorrow nor any such thing shall ever be again I have you now and I will no more nurse you abroad but ye shall live in my presence and because I live ye shall live also as Christ speaks in Iohn 16. O deare children how did I long for this day that I might have you in my presence and dandle you on my knee speak with you and to you the world was wont to snib you Ioh. 20.33 therefore I plagued it the world abused you and mifused you but I said I would reckon with her for that the world knew you not therfore hated you but I knew you and therefore loved you yea loved you more and more I cannot but love ye are my sonnes and daughters my Iewels my preasure my treasure my purchase my lot my inheritance and now what will you that I do for you show us thy face and it sufficeth us John 14.8 O my sons and daughters I will show you my face and glorie my heart and all the secrets of my soul if that will satisfie you O God it is our desire to see thy face thy pleasant face thy glorie thy transcendent glorie but thy heart O God what is that my love my intire love my surpassingand indearing love and for my thoughts I mean my purpose my purpose towards you which was of old as David speaks of old before time yea before time was at all for before the world was no time and then were you in my thoughts and purpose I had a purpose of you and on you of you to make you my sonnes and daughters and a habitation for my glorie that ye in ages to come might know I loved you above all and chose you out of all the Nations of the world that I might show the exceeding riches of my grace to you and for my purpose on you it was to raise my glory by you in shewing it unto you for if you had not seen my face how could you know my glorie but this I will that ye may know how much I loved you carrying you in my thoughts time time all along yea and long before time too Christ and I was contracting your salvation little did you once know my transactions concerning your souls but God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself John 5.19 But now ye see my face and my transactions too all which you do admire and more and more you shall to think how once I made you and after that I lost you yet back again I bought you and now to my self have brought you all this you must admire When Ionas was in the deep and his head wrapped with reeds and rushes little did he think to have ever
was Israels victory and he in this was a type of our David our Christ who hath slain and triumpht openly over our enemies upon the crosse And therefore saith Christ to his Disciples be of good cheare I have overcome as in John the 16 the last Secondly We do overcome likewise when we doe by the strength of Christ oppose and overcome the pollutions of the world In this sence saith John Greater is he that is in you then he that is in this world and yet not but that a poor soule may be foyld and seemingly wholly overcome as David but yet David by renewing grace he gets up and fights and like David in conclusion wholly overcomes Saul and his house Again he may be said to overcome two waies First Comparing himselfe with himselfe I was such a sinner and such a sinner but now I thanke God I am no more the same man Secondly Hee may be said to overcome comparing himselfe with the world who lies lives and wallows in all kinde of polutions and defilements Revel 16. there is a blessing promised to such a one Behold saith Christ I come as a Thief in the night blessed is he that keepes his garments undefiled Thirdly What is meant by Christs Throne and by the Fathers Throne surely here is meant both one thing namely the Glory of God I say the Glory of God is the thing meant the eteruall Glory of God is the Throne on which Christ sits on and in which you must fit also Doth Christ sit in this glory of God Christ your Husband Christ your Head Christ your Vine then must you O Christians too for ye are inseperable Where should the Bride sit but by the Bridegroome Where should the Members be but with the Head Where should the Branches be but with the Vine O poore gentile sinner what glory is design'd for thee But fourthly What is meant by sitting down in Christs Throne or Gods Glory First It denotes a cessation or rest so you know Christ is said to enter into his rest as he is set down with his Father in glory And Paul saith there remains a rest for the people of God aluding to that so that to sit down with Christ in his Throne is to sit with Christ in the Glory of God Moses was but a while in the Mount with God and yet his face shined so that Israel could not behold him O how will thy face shine when thou shalt sit down with Christ in the true glory of God Moses saw him in fire smoake and thunder but thou shalt see him in Christ a loving kinde and tender father a father rejoycing over thee even as a bridegroome rejoycing over his bride to do them good saith the Lord in Isai O how well pleased was Jacob when he had his Joseph O friends God will sweetly please himself as I may so say when Christ shall say he are am I and all the Children thou hast given me make them welcome Father they are my sons and daughters whom I dearly loved dearly bought O seeing now I have them I am at rest while they were in the world tossed with afflictions and troubled with temptations my heart was not at rest but seeing now I have them and from those things have freed them I will set them in my Glory where they shall sweetly sing thus Farewell all sin and sorrow which now shall be no more my work and labour is over and nothing now remains but rest and joy and glory O this is a sweet sitting down indeed for a soul tost and tumbl'd with sinne and sorrow to be brought from all to rest for ever Secondly This setting in Christs Throne or Gods glory denotes a welcome unto Christ we bid them sit down that are welcome unto us take them by the hand and set them down by us O friends Christ will one day take you by the hand lead you to the Father present you as his Spouse the Father will take both Christ and yee and set you both down in his own Glory and in that day saith Christ Yee shall know the Father is in me and I in you then shall yee know the Fathers love too as Christ speakes Iohn 17. last v. O Christians yee will never know this love nor your union the strength glory sweetnesse of it till that day commeth but in that day yee shall know the relation your souls stand in to God to Christ You will know him then to be a Father indeed and not in name onely you will finde so much fatherly love and tenderness towards you that your souls shall lye steeping in it like Sugar in wine If a little taste of Gods love now be so sweet O what will it be when you shall lye night and day soaking in it and wholly melted by it into holy praises Here a gracious heart mourns for want of love to God to Christ but this want shall be supplyed when the Father and you personally meet which day is a comming and I tell you this till this day commeth yee will never know what the love of God and Christ is Now a drop is sweet but how sweet will it be when it shall be like a flowing Fountain in you O friends in that day yee shall be like as a Vessell that 's set under a Fountain Cock alwayes full and alwayes running over Now saith David thy loving kindnesse is better then life O but then he will say nothing but stand stand pore and admire I admire to al eternity when great and undeserved love is shewn unto us by some one unexpected how do we admire and as it were study and wonder why such kindnesse should be shewn unto us O precious christian thou wilt one day admire indeed to think that such love should be shown to such a dead dog as that good man said before the King so wilt thou say O my God and King what am I that thou shouldest love a poor Gentile sinner to keep me in thy presence to have me in thine eye to set me in thy throne that thou maist talk with me and tell me there thy thoughts of old O great and glorious God why art thou so kind to worme Jacob. Thirdly by sitting down in the throne of Christ or Gods glory it denotes respect and estimation we usually bid them sit down whom we best respect and esteem O happy christian how art thou esteemed of the Son and Father that thou shouldest sit down with them the world hates thee so farre as Christ appears in thee yea it cannot but hate thee so farre I say it hates thee though it love thee other wayes as a friend and kinsman or harmlesse man but I say so farre as thou refusest to comply with their wayes and wink at their faults to speak of their folly to sigh at their joy and mourn at their laughter so farre I say they cannot but hate thee but so farre as thou workest by their example and walkest by
Angels clothed with splendor from the God of glory And now what thinkst thou of it sinner if thou shouldst see a lovely Princes arayed and clothed in golden Tissue lac'd and trimm'd with Jewels it were a gallant sight but O alasse ten thousand of these were all but nothing to set off thy glory O arayed Saint by God and Christ in righteousnesse But when shall I have this glory saith the sinner quickly quickly Behold I come quickly Rev. 22.20 and will then give it thee and all that long for my appearance as Paul saith of his Crowne which he tels you is laid up for him and all that loves Christs appearance But thirdly I meane by Christs sweet knocks Christ telling thee of his Fathers counsell and purpose and of thy being wrapt up in this counsell and purpose of God like time between eternities O friend saith Christ my Father loved thee from all eternity and chose thee to him from all eternity a vessell for his own Glory Name and Fame that thou mights shew in ages to come the exceeding riches of his grace Ephes 4.5.6 O this must needs be sweet indeed for Christ to tell thee of a love before time and a love out lasting time yea all time and ages O when a sinner fits poring of this love in respect of person God the lover in respect of time before all worlds then saith he O Lord God what is man that thou art so mindfull of him and what am I but lesse then the least of all thy mercies as Iacob once said which was of old towards me And why me O Lord God a poore gentile sinner a runnagado sinner who had neither house nor home nor grace nor vertue but hell and sinne and cursed nature and yet thou lovest me more then all and chose me out of all my neighbours kindred house and family wherein were many sweet and many courteous many wise and many knowing but none but I chosen the youngest of them all the poorest of them all the sinfullest of them all yet I obtained mercy for his purpose sake O saith the sinner me thinks I even see how God rould me in his thoughts and all the sonnes of men too saying this shall be a vessell and this shall be a vessell and this shall be another but these I will not use throwing millions by which were as like as any if he had pleased to use them to set his mercy off but he refused both mighty ones and many and chose a little remnant of which my soule was one to set his love upon which hath no height nor depth but over-spreadeth all and leaves no roome to think the ground or reasons of it but onely free-grace which makes the soule still wonder and leaves him at a lost why he should be the man to be exalted so above his fellow creatures which are alike unto himselfe but for free graces sake which onely lookt on him and made him what he is which makes him stud and still to say it is God alone doth all according to his purpose But secondly I meane by Christs sweet knocks his acquainting thee with himselfe First In respect of his love which thou art by nature more ignorant of then ever Iosephs Brethren were of him who eate and drunke with him but knew him not to be their Brother till teares and bowels said it was he whom they unkindly sold The sinner doth the like full many a time by Christ when he comes to the heart and tels them of his dreames as Ioseph did his Brethren how they must bow to him and eke submit their soules unto his yoaks of love his sweet and just commands which thing they cannot away with but huncht him for his newes by greiving of his Spirit but Christ now makes a famine by wants and straights and knocks and brings them down by need to save their hungry soules which now doe see the need of Christ his love and righteousnesse which he cannot hide from them but by his sweet knocks acquaints them with his love himselfe like Ioseph with his bowels And in respect of his love which was and is beyond all loves Greater love saith Christ to the sinner hath no man then this to lay downe his life for his friend but mine is greater O unkind sinner an enemy to me who loved thee in thy blood and loved thee in thy sinne and hid thee from displeasure which thou once laidst liable too till I in love did free thee but this thou little mindest nor all my loves for many yeares together in hunger cold and wants in life in death still for thy sake And thus Christ acquaints the soule with his love by his sweet knocks and wider opens the sinners bowels then ever Joseph did his Brethren But secondly I meane by Christs sweet knocks his acquainting the soule with his lovelinesse as well as of his love which washed us from our sinnes in his blood Revel 1. v. 5. O saith Christ sweetly knocking at the sinners doore in a woing way Sinner sinner behold me behold me my locks are wet with the dew of the night Cant. 5.1 How long shall I knock and stand for pitty let me in I am the rose of Sharon the sweetest of ten thousand the Lilly of the vallies the fairest of ten thousand How canst thou chose but love me sinner Behold me behold me with the Crowne that my Father crowned me Proverbs And now for my own sake sinner with my crowne and glory let me in I am the fairest I am the sweetest that ever will come woing to thee how canst thou thus deny me O thou hard hearted sinner that ever I met with to stand me out so long who am the rose the lilly and starre of heaven too which twinkles day and night and darkens Sun and Moone which cannot come neere unto me I am so farre excelling for beauty light and luster and yet still undervalued by thee O proud and scorning sinner But yet behold me once againe and if thou canst deny me I will never try thee more nor shall my spirits strive with thee when as it is in vain and thus Christ acquaints the sinner of his lovelines by his sweet knocks But thirdly Christ acquaintes the sinner with his union O saith Christ I am Adam too yea flesh of thy flesh and bone of thy bone thy brother sister husband friend and father Matth. 12.48 49. Wilt thou deny all these relations and fall below nature then farewell sinner but I am still the same and cannot yet deny my self in no respect to thee O strange unkind and forgetfull sinner of me thy husband head and vine in whom thou livest as in thy root when once thou knowest these sweet relations which are more strong then death and sweeter too then sugred wines the honey or the honey-comb yea and the rose of Sharon the sweetest in the world But what my union is for sweetnesse it is for time and length and this I
doe you doe quoth he yee doe not to any purpose witnesse your whining pining sithing and continually sorrowing after a husband a wise a childe And how doth another complaine for losse of trading O my poverty comes on me like an armed man mistake me not I know christians have bowels of compassion more then any and may moderately complaine for friends and want but should they should they greive as men unhappy without hope of ever enjoying of that they they have lost No no they should not my Husband is dead but my Christ is alive and lives for ever my Wife is dead yet am I the Spouse of Christ and because he lives I shall live John 17. I have lost my Childe but yet am I the Child of God the Son of God Heires joynt-Heires with Christ my estate is spent and because of that the world will not smile friends look strange because of poverty I was wont but now cānot see their faces in my distresse well what of that art thou troubled at this O happy christian God hath promised that thou shalt see his And they shall see my face saith God Rev. 22.4 the words I first named what is that thou calst thy face O my God what is it this my glory man O Lord how wonderfull is that Heaven and earth is full of thy Glory Psal 8.9 all the glories of this world are but shadowes of thy glory yea all the glory of Heaven Angels and arch-Angels Cherubims and Seraphims are but the reflecting shadowes of thy glory thy uncreated glory thy increated glory O my God when Moses begged to see this thou wouldst not alas poore soule he could not No man can see my glory and live but time is a comming when they shall see my glory my naked glory and live yea live by seeing and see by living by living in it by living to it in singing praises alwayes before it and then O happy Christian shalt thou forget all former things all former sorrows all former feares all former griefs O how then will these things passe away and be forgot as if they had never been I remember Peter having but a glimpse of Moses and Elias glory in the mount desired then to live and to die in that mount but thou O precious Christian shalt live and never dye in this mount mount Sion heavenly Jerusalem where thou shalt see Moses yea a thousand Moses and ten thousand times ten thousand glorious Saints as well as he with as many Angels with God and Christ excelling all ten thousand times over and over againe O but when will that day come that I a poore Gentile sinner shall see this glory Heavens Saints and Angels excelling glory will it come doe thou say it will come and it will make amends for all it is now a comming Paul saith We see now but darkly as in a glasse we shall see him then naked as he is Christ tels thee friend in John 17 22. And the glory that thou hast given me I have given them that they may be one O Father as we are one Here thou seest that Christ prayes for this day and yet thou as kest shall this day ever come O friend know this that what ever Christ prayes for he wils and what he wils shall come to passe as in John 17.24 Father I will that all these thou hast given me may be with me even where I am to behold my glory Christs glory is Gods glory and Gods glory is Christs glory and this wils Christ that yee may see O said the Queene of Sheba once to Solomon Happy are those that tend thee and see thy glory Thrice happy yea ten thousand times thrice happy are they O Christ whom thou wilt shalt see thy glory in thy Kingdome in thy Throne O my Christ it is said that the Kings and the Captaines too shall hide themselves in their dens and among the rocks and mountaines crying to the rocks and calling to the mountaines to fall on them from thy glory and thy presence Revel 6.15 And this I will saith Christ to confound mine enemies which will not that I should reign over them or in them had they hearkened to mee or accepted of mee my righteousnesse when time was they should not have need to be ashamed of their nakednesse or call and cry to the hils to cover their poor soules but this is just seeing they did when time was reject me this in one day shall come on them but when these things shall come on them like travels on a woman ye shall lift up your heads with boldnesse because my glory and yours too drawes neer O frinds no marveile that wicked men shall runne to the caves and dens and rocks to hide themselves in for the Saints shall in that day shine as so many sunnes and Christ as a sunne to all O glorious day O day of dayes that is now a comming this is that day that the righteous shall shine in the kingdome of their Father Matth. 13.43 Then when they see the face of God and Christ and this is nothing but the reflects of Gods glory beaming out on the Saints in the beholding of his face but yet this glory is not all that is implied when God saith Ye shall see my face For it implies as well as his glory his love and delight which you know are most apparant in the face for you judge of mens love and affections by the face and countenance so that to see this face is to see his love and delight in you and on you Delight ariseth out of love and flowes from love as affections from relations But of this love and delight what shall I say and first for this love this pure love flowing from the fountaine of love yea divien love Secondly it is sweet love yea sweeter then the honey or the honey-combe Thirdly it is strong love and long love first it is strong love for it so bindes the Saint yea so strongly binds him by its discoveries to him that as with coards his soul is drawn to love and bound and cannot but love yea love still more and more this is that love that is stronger then death yea then death that kills all things but cannot this love nor never shall O death I will be thy death saith Christ so saith love I am and still will be but thou like fading time shall be no more The Angel swore that time should be no more Revel 10. v. 6. But for love Christ wills that it shall be for ever Iohn 17. v. 23. let the world know saith Christ to the Father that thou hast loved them as thou lovedst me O when God shall cease to love his Christ then Christ shall cease to love his Saints O friend God cannot but love his Son nor he but love his Father nor both but love the Saints and they that be wrapt thus up in love must needs and cannot but love againe and thus this love binds up
was this poor woman cut and at last cut of life too O all cut but her soule saved and that I verely beleeve on good grounds and now though here lyes before us her body coffind yet my soule cannot but rejoyce in her soules salvation one thing a little troubles me and another thing would have split my very heart if I did not beleeve it confidently that that a little troubles me is that I should be no more kind to so good a body yet I hope and doe beleeve none no not one of all you can condemne me but my heart doth a little I thought to enjoy her when wee were old and to be so kind to her as we might be all along my advice O husbands and wives is yea I wish you pray you intreat you to look on one another as as parting dying yoake-fellows and if you doe how sweet how kinde how loving will you be when brethren are called to part farre asunder the one to crosse the seas and the other to go a prentise how svveetly will they embrace one the other do ye so I pray ye do so it is a duty well pleasing to God no love but Gods Christs love should be above this mutuall love of wife and husbands love O saith Paul love your wives as Christ loved his Church that is for sincerity constancy I quantity too but that is impossible hovv ever it holds forth that greatnesse of affection that should be betvveen the Wife husband But the main thing as I said before vvhich grievs me to think is how unfaithfull a husband I have beene to her soul and that in these particulars First that I should put up so few prayers them so cold I have been as apt to say I hope God will blesse us in our estates I friends I was as apt to say so and come love let us look to the World as oft as to say look to thy soule and Christ either more worth then ten thousand Worlds O my friends I hope you be not guilty like me in this particular if you be it may trouble you more then you are aware of one day O if I had doubted that her soul had miscaried how heavy heavy would this have been yea how sadly should I have followed her corps to the garve a body miscarrying is not easily born but a soul miscarrying who can bear it O friends love your wives and husbands soules as much above their bodies as ye doe their bodies above their clothes it will do the wife good to think that the husbands soule is in heaven smiling whilst shee and her friends are mourning for the corps in the coffin when my wife was sick and I thought it might be unto death then then I thought how many nights my poor wife would call on mee in the night watch sweetheart husband let us talk of Christ a little le ts have some spirituall discourse pray be not so sleepy but talk to me to which I like a dead man a stock or stone would say nothing many times or else I am weary or sleepy or some such kind of sluggish answere and so neglect a spirituall and sweet opportunity in which I might have done her soul and mine own good David speaks of communing with his own heart in the night season The wives the husbands heart should be as one speaking to one another being alwayes mindful of each one anothers welfare especially in a spirituall sense and indeed this was the main end and reason why I desired leave from you to speak a few words to you my friends and truely if I were now to be coffind for the grave to morrow this should be my advice to you my last and solemne advice to you yea to all of you my friends to take all advantages by night and day to doe one anothers soules good O if that be saved how wil it comfort rejoyce your hearts when you in a melancholly way walke to view againe the grave of your wife your husband how will the heart be lifted up with such kind of sweet thoughts as these though here lies rotting the flesh and bones of my wife my husband yet their fouls are with God and Christ with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of God singing farewell all sin and sorrow which now shall be no more Oh hovv do the soules there sing its triumphs over sinne and sorrow death hell and misery devils men and dangers The absence of a friend is not so much a grief as the condition of him in his absence if a friend be in prosperity ye onely mourn for his absence but if yee doubt he is in misery ye mourn double Truly an absent soule doubted to be lost is the greatest trouble yea the greatest that can be in this World I think it I in my conscience really think it and on this consideration my soul did even weep weep till God did further fully confirme my faith in her souls salvation if she should die But I had reason to beleeve this of her before for many a time had I seen her weep for want of Christ for sin and corruption for sinne Blessed are they that mourn for sin for they shall be comforted which I now beleeve she is and beleeving this truely my soule cannot but now rejoyce in her soules salvation whose body lies here coffind I say her souls salvation I doe rejoyce in who never did much work for Christ but brought glory to Christ by beleeving strongly in Christ to the very last moment And that ye may know I do not flatter which I would not for any good in the World in such a case as this I will read you a little of what she beleeved concerning her self and what she spake concerning others the night before she died and of this I will read something to you which I writ down thinking it would be sweet and comfortable to read another day when I should think upon her O God not my will but thy will be done Lord what is this that lies so bitter here pointing to her stomack Lord if it be thy will remove it O Lord thou hast removed many bitter paines from mee in my dayes blessed be thy holy Name I rejoyce to hear thy sweet expressions O sweet heart I am full I am full within but so weak not able to speake what I enjoy O that all my friendes in the world were here I would bid them live to Christ and live in Christ but alas they cannot by their owne strength Well I am willing to leave all to goe to Christ indeed I am indeed I am What will all things avail me but Christ the Lord hath not threatned mee with death nor sinne furely the Lord hath been good to me above all women I asked her once againe of her assurance shee seemed a little troubled saying O Lord sweet heart why do you not beleeve me when I have told you so often I have
rejoyce in by an eye of faith fore-seeing it a forehand God gives a promise after that the thing so he delt with us by his Sonne first sent him in a promise after that in substance to be our life light and glory rest peace comfort and salvation in all wants and from all wants of all kindes and nature Well this Christ and God that sent him and the Spirit too is the Stream of sweetnesse where all your comfort lyes unlesse it be in the creature which withers like the grasse when it is cut and grows no more if creature comforts be cut off or withering one of these they are or else they are not momentany but induring which I am sure they are not from my own experience no more then a dreame which is but a fancy when the man awakes may fancies riches honours pleasures profits in the dreaming houre thou mayst doe the like and not enjoy at all what thou labourst for whilst thou seekest it in the creature runne thou mayst and win not seek thou mayst and finde not try thou mayst and taste not the sweetnesse thou expectest true some lyes in every flower but the Bee that skips from one to another all the Summer long can scarce fill her Hive but grant that she doe how quickly is she rebl'd and strangled too at last O thou 〈◊〉 Christian after pleasures profits riches lands and livings death will one day strangle thee and râ—b thâ—e to of all those sweet comforts thou ever gâ—therste here the Manna would not keep but in the pot of gold no more will the creature but in God and Christ and therefore what thou hast lay it up 〈◊〉 Christ and lay it out for Christ and the thou shalt be sure to finde it like bread upon the waters after many dayes but thou that seekest none and hast none but God Christ and the Spirit thou hast all already yea more then all the world ten thousand times can give thee for thou hast all All they seek and crave thou hast found in God Christ and the Spirit and hence it is that a poore Christian who hath Gods love Christs pardon and the Spirits seale can beare up his head and smile in his heart though purseless and penyless houseless and homelesse ragged poore and hungry in a chearfull way when many rich and great men complaine of a thousand wants whilst the true Christian in the sence of Gods love wants nothing but if some poore Christian 〈◊〉 as many there are wailing and weeping like to Hagar for want of this or that comfort a Wife a Childe estate pardon this or that comfort light or knowledge loe this seeming want is in thee only thou dost not see it for where Christ is all is and therefore look about thee yea look and if Christ bee in thee I dare say thou shalt finde more sweetnesse and drink too more delight out of this little Booke then in all the creature comforts thou ever yet enjoyest and therefore when the world is still and thy Spirit quiet in a leasure houre tast try read and if yee be deceived pardon me for I am a weake froward doubting Christian and yet I hope a growing though it be but slowly let us pray for one another for I will for you and the Israel of God while my name is William Blake A Word and but a Word to many of my fellow Christians who think they have no ability to raise write or speak to a portion of Scripture in a linct and profitable way for want of learning I dare say to thee whoever thou art if the Spirit of God be in thee lend him thy sleep or meditation when thy businesse of the world is ever and thy Spirit quiet he will feed thy thoughts beyond thy expectation I dare pawn my life for it these few lines was brought to my hand in this way and therefore try and see if William Blakes words be not true A STREAME OF SVVEETNESSE from the Spirits breathing Revelat. chap. 3.21 To him that overcomes will I give to sit with me in my throne as I have overcome and am set with my Father in his throne THis is the revelation of God by Jesus Christ unto John and therefore it is said blessed is he that readeth and he that heareth What this mystery or prophecie I blessed is that soul for ever as in the first chap. and the third verse In the seventh verse Christ saith he comes Amen saith the Bride come Lord Jesus quickly In the last of the Revelation and in the second chapter and the seventh vers To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the Tree of Life This tree is Christ and his leaves are for the healing of the Nations Rev. the 22. and the 2. v. And in the last of the 10 v. A Crown of life And in the latter end of the 11. v. A promise of no hurt by the second death In the 17. v. A promise to eat of the Manna that is hid This Manna was the sweet food that the children of Israel fed on in the Wildernesse Christ is this Manna but his sweetnesse is a hidden thing to the carnall world and in the 25. A promise to rule over Nations and further I will give him the morning Star this Star is Christ as Peter tels us saying Wait untill the day dawn and the Starre arise in your hearts In the 15. ver of the 3. chap. Christ tels his Church That he that overcomes shall be clothed in white array I then shall he stand with boldnesse before Christ when Kings and Princes shall cry to the hills and mountains to fall and cover them Revel the 16. And further I will not put out his name out of the book of life and in the 12. ver I will make him a standing Pillar in the house of my God and I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the City of my God and my name The name of my God that is he shall be so filled with his divine nature that it shall be as visible as a name in his forehead And now in the 21. ver which I first mentioned a further promise is laid downe as if Christ had not enough yet spoken to engage his Church against hers and his enemies namely the world flesh and devill Well according to my light I shall hint at the meaning of Christ in these words and first Observe The universallity of the promise it is a promise to him any him high low rich poor young old bond or free man or master maid or mistresse O but the world does not alwayes so one gaines the victory and another gets the honour or reward many times But secondly What is meant by overcomming surely to get the masterdome or upper hand with those we encounter with this masterdome is got two wayes by a Captain or a souldier by a Captain or a Champion so David engaged with Goliah and his slaying him
their rule and speakest them fair thou pleasest them well to smooth them thus up by laughing and saying and doing as they I say thus far happily the world may not slight thee but esteeme thee though Christ be grieved by thee but still I say so farre as you make Christ your rule his word your law his work your pleasure and service your delight not at all caring who be pleased or displeased so Christ be honoured and obeyed this I say will make the world hate you and so it did Christ Well the world slights thee and shufes thee so far as they see Christ appearing in thee doe not thou be troubled Christ will one day take thee and embrace thee as a man doth his lover O thou shalt sit and sup with Christ Rev. 3.20 thou shalt sit at his table and stand by his side yea cut on his trencher and feed on his dainties which is the feast of fat things God speaks of in Esaiah Behold I will make in this mount a feast of fat things of marrow and of wines well refined Isa 25. v. 6. O this mount is Christ and the feast Gods discovery to a Saint in Christ this feast is sweet yea sweeter then honey or the honey-combe though it comes far short of that which God shall make for the Lamb and the Lambs wife Rev. 19.9 Which is called the Lambs supper of which it is said blessed are all they that are called to it yea blessed indeed that ever they were borne to come to this Supper O this God and Christ familiar presence with you will be a feast and supper to you here is Christ the tree of life and God the river of life eat and drink abundantly yea I mean now O precious christian by beleeving what is a comming O I would a poore Saint should feast his soul with expectation of what Christ hath promised and will then make good in that day when they shall sit in his throne and feed at his table and drink of his wine at this feast of Gods own making for his sons and daughters now married to Christ and brought to his presence to live in his sight and feast at his table It is said when the King sits at his table his Spiknard sends forth a fragrant smell as in Solomons songs This is spoken of Christ sitting in a Saints heart O but what a smell shall there be then when a Saint shall sit as I may so say in God and Christs heart at supper in their loves by feeding on divine delights O friends this is the sweet Manna that Christ promised to feed his Saints with Rev. 2.17 Christ tels his disciples he will drink no more of the fruit of the vine till he drink it new in his fathers kingdome with them the Vine was a tipe of Christs blood and Christs blood a type of Christs love and Christs love a merit and manifestation of the Fathers love when ye come to sit down in the glory of God and Christ full cups of this shall go round from Saint to Saint Fourthly this sitting down in Christs kingdom or throne and Gods glory it denotes familiarity we usually bid friends sit down to enterchange discourse with them O friends in that day God will tell thee over and over againe his transactions in respect of decree and purpose O when God shall tel thee how he rould thee in his thoughts and carried thee in his purpose and had thee in his eye intending thee for glory it is sweet to think how Gods delight was with the sons of men before the foundation of the world as himself speaketh Pro. 8. and then in that day shall Christ tell thee over his travels troubles and pains too for thee his Spouse It is said in a fablish story that Dido the queen wept when Aeneas prince of Troy cold her of his ten yeares wars I will not say thou shalt weep when thy deare Saviour shall tell thee these true things but I dare say thy soule shall even melt as it were to think what paines and labour what care and cost what griefe and sorrow thy soule did cost thy dear Saviour besides the slights and scornes and jeares which the vilest of men did cast upon him which he contentedly did beare for thee from day to day his whole life long And then at last still for thy sake his back his belly his hands his feet his head his side his heart his heart blood too and all for thee that thou mightest know how much he loved thee O friends I am perswaded that Christ will in that day tell you over and over such true stories that it shall even melt you hearts and soules to thinke how much he loved you how deare he bought you but then Christ shall ask his Saints what they suffered for him to which they will answer O sweet Jesus why dost thou ask us this question seeing thou knowest all our sufferings were but fleabites to thine thine O deare Saviour the most we suffered was but jears and scorns and such slight things nay my children ye were whipp'd and stripp'd and killed too for mee my sake O Christ doe not speake of that were it to do again ten thousand lives should not be deare for thee thy sake O dearest Christ to whom our soules are so engaged O Christ we now Wish we had done when time was and sufferd ten thousand times more then we did O Christ it even now grieves us to think we never did nor suffered any thing for thy sake to any purpose O Christ that we had now an opportunity to show our love as once we had for squibs and scorns for stripes and prisons we would not stand nor yet our lives nay souls and all to honour thee O sweet O dear O precious Christ and then Christ being taken as it were with these expressions of his Spouse shall stroke her saying O my love my dove my dear thou sufferedst enough to testifie thy love to me But now my love my dove the winter is over all stormes past singing rejoycing is now at hand come along come along my love from Lebon come let us to my fathers wine-seller who shall then say bring them in and set them down in my throne and glory they are my sons and daughters Friends what a privilidge will this be to sit by God and Christ in glory like children round about a fathers table Mary once sate at Christs feet pondering Christs sayings and it was a great privilidge for a sinner to sit so neer a Saviour but thy privilidge is farre greater who shalt sit by God and this Saviour who is far ascended above all principalities and power and is set down in glory on the right hand of God as the Apostle speaks This is a greater privilidge then Marys bearing Christ barely considered the disciples had a great priviledge to wait on Christ a greater to sup and dine with Christ but what are all to the sitting
turnd to dust and must give account of this dust to Christ for he shall one day send them to all the winds to pick it up as himselfe speaketh Secondly I Iohn saw the holy City new Jerusalem descending down from God prepared as a Bride She descended or came down from God Observ Nothing comes up to God but that descends from God Flesh and blood saith Christ cannot inherit the Kingdome of God no it is a corrupt thing but corruption shall put on incorruption and mortality put on immortality but this incorruption and immortality too descends from above and therefore I saw her descending down from God the spirit and power of the mighty God may be the thing for which the Evangelist saith I saw new Ierusalem comming down from God out of Heaven But in the third place I saw new Ierusalem comming down prepared or trimmed like a Bride a Bride is trimmed or adorned with new or beautifull garments old spotred garments are ill beseeming the Bride and therefore she never doth aray her self but in lovely ones Well then here is according to my light the meaning of these words and I think the very naturall sence of the spirituall as I may so say or the spirituall meaning of the Spirit of God in these words I John saw the boly city the new Iernsalem comming down prepared as a Bride the righteousnesse of Christ Iesus God man imputed reckoned and given to man by God and put on by the mighty Spirit is the newnesse of it and the adornment of her and this righteousnes of God 2. Cor. 5. and the last yea it is the righteousnesse of God For he was made sinne for us who knew no sinn that we might be the righteousnesse of God in him Well by this mighty Spirit of God is Ierusalem arayed in this righteousnesse wrought out by Christ for her and so given by God for that same purpose namely Ierusalems adornment and now he beholding her in this he must needs say I saw her descending down from God out of heaven trimmed as a Bride When she is trimmed and arrayed by God Christ and the Spirit yea and she must needs be now lovely and Bride-like beautifull doth the spotted moon and twinckling stars adorne the cloudy element and make it so lovely that a David cries out O Lord how wonderfull are thy works Psalme 8. v. 3. then must needs Christ the Sun of suns and angels too to make his Ierusalem beautifull when he shall cloath her with his own righteousnesse as with a garment downe to the ground Ofriends this righteousnesse of Christ is the wedding garment of new Ierusalem and in this garment saith Iohn I saw her comming as a Bride trimmed for her husband Christ the King of kings Saints and Angels surely the kings daughter is all glorious without as well as within for her cloathing is all embroidered gold wrought out by Christ and put on by the Spirit O when the Saints shall wait on Christ up and down the heavens in this garment or righteousnesse of his how princelike will his attendance bee when ten thousands of these shall stand before his throne yea ten thousandmillions of these with as many Angels to them shall all as one joine to sing his victories over sin death hell men and devils in this garment of love and livery of his favour what sparkling beames will passe from one to the other like suns reflecting on each others glory yet all from Christ like Moon and starres in their horizon And now O thou poor and prodigall sinner what thinkest thou of that day when it shall be said bring hither the best robe and the gold ring for this my once lost but now found son O what a change will here be when the rags in which thou tendedst hogs shall be taken off and thou cloathed with thy eldest brothers garment brought thee will not thy change be like Ioshuahs in putting off his filthy garment yea truely will it if dust were turned to gold and common stones to jewels nights to dayes and falling Commets to fixed stars and then againe to beaming suns yet all was nothing I say all these changes were nothing to that change that Christ maketh with sinners when hee takes off their sins rags and righteousnesse and puts on his own righteousnesse on them and therefore well might John say I saw her trimmed as a Bride when he had trimmed her with his own righteousnes thou art comely in my comelines saith Christ to the spouse Well reader I hope in this interpretation that thou and I am one and doe agree that this is the beauty of the new Jerusalem that the Spirit means by wedding garment and beautifull adornment And mark because it is this she is trimmed with therefore is she said to be seen comming down from heaven as having none of this bravery but from God Christ and the Spirit Secondly I saw new Jerusalem comming down in an uniform manner shee came not tumbling nor dropping now and then a piece as I may so say nor in a scattering manner but I saw new Ierusalem the whole Church as one single person comming down from God the whole church is but one Bride as I may so say for Christ the Bridegroom neither doth hee look on her any other wayes nor should wee but we are like the silly country people who sometimes take the Courtier for the Prince and the lachey servant for the master so we many times take the son for the Bridegroom and the lasie professor who makes a fait show when as indeed he is but a beggarly time server and hath no true grace nor vertue for the noble and royall Christian though there be not such an outward show in respect of talk and perfection which I speak not against in a sincere heart but as I said before Christ counts his church but one and so the Angel invites saying behold ye the Bride the Lambs wife and so saith himselfe my love my dove she is but one the onely one of her mother And this may justly reprove many in our dayes who will distinguish the Church of Christ into as many parcels as are formes or judgements and congregations every one thinking themselves to be the true Church when as at the best they are but a piece of his Jerusalem as I apprehend and that for these reasons First Jerusalem or the Church of God though she consist of many Iewes and Gentiles called and uncalled yet in truth she is but one church or body of which Christ is the head Secondly every particular person of the whole Church of Christ being arayed and trimmed by God and Christ may be called by the name of one single person and so counted the Spouse of Christ Againe I saw new Jerusalem comming down as a Bride here he makes no distinction of bond or free high or low Independant Anabaptist Presbyterian this or that forme of fellowship but he saw all these as in one
would acquaint thee O foolish simple sinner And if thou didst but minde mee in this how I am one with thee in all conditions and so will be to all eternity thy head and husband vine and glory But fourthly I mean by Christs sweet knocks his acquainting thee of thy union with him as well as his with thee by which Christ saith to the sinner thou art righteous in my righteousnesse and comely in my comlinesse and so farre faire yea altogether lovely there is no spot nor wrinkle in thee now none that I can see or my father either Who shall lay any thing to the charge of thee my love my dove my undefiled one it is God that justifieth Rom. 8.33.5 and I that died who dares to question thee my sister my Spouse my love my dove my undefiled one Cant. 1.2 3. If men doe it it is no matter if sinne do it it is no matter if Angels do it it is no matter what if sin Satan men and devils Saints and Angels all accuse thee and thy self too seeing I am he that justifieth all can doe thee no hurt and therefore be not thou abasht for I will bear thee out against all Sin death men and devils if thou wilt stick to me by beleeving in me but if thou dost not tossed thou wilt be and tumbled foyld thou wilt be and spoild of all thy hopes and comforts joy rest and peace which lyeth in my union with thee and thine with mee And therefore now stick to me for I will unto thee le ts see who dares condemne for I am he that justifieth in spite of men and divels all that comes to me and beleeveth in me and will do so still while my name is Christ Fiftly I know it is Christ by the place he knocks at the doore which is the heart of the sinner Well what of that first it is the most secret and retired part of man a place indeed which none can speak to but Christ I have had ere now many speak to my eare but never any but Christ could speak to my heart many would speak to my eare but that I little regarded now Christ speaks to my heart and this I cannot but weigh Light things were spoken to my eare O but Christ speaks serious things to my heart things concerning Gods glory things concerning my soule yea the everlasting welfare of it O this hearts speaking must be weighed O this hearts speaking must be considered it is as much as my life is worth yea it is as much as my soule is worth I have heretofore heard talke of Christ I have heretofore read of Christ I have heretofore disputed of Christ O but I never till now knew what it was indeed to hear Christ or speak with Christ or converse with Christ either nor thousands in the world as well as I that would be thought good christians and do passe for good christians by many O but now to my comfort I taste him now I see him now I feele him now I enjoy him and from this tasting seeing feeling and enjoying my soule is ravished my heart is warmed I am now filled with marrow and fatnesse Psalm Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth for his love is better then wine Cant. 11. v. 1. Yea then life it selfe so saith David I will now sing of my beloved he is the lilly among the valleys Cant. 2.1 2 3 4. Hee is the rose of Sharon he is white and ruddy the fairest of ten thousand Cant. 5.10 The chiefest of ten thousand the sweetnest of ten thousand for beauty love and sweetnesse there is none that can come neere him They are mad that minde him not they are mad that know him not they are mad that seek him not did men know as I do did men see as I do and enjoy as I doe they would say as I say they would sing as I sing Thou O Christ art beautifull thou O Christ art sweet thou O Christ art lovely yea altogether lovely thou O Christ art all yea stil I say thou art all all for beauty all for pleasure all for profit all for sweetnesse pure divine sweetnesse yea they would cry out thou art all thou art all thou art all O Christ At all times in all places and conditions all in wants all in straights all in peace and plenty all in bondage all in fredome all in health all in sicknesse making health by thy presence O Christ I say no more but thou art all in life and he that hath thee shall never die John 4.10 John 11.26.27 but shall live for ever with thee and therefore thou art all O Christ all in life all in death and eternity too 3. Col. v. 11. Revelat. chap. 22.1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life cleare as chrystall proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lambe THIS Revelation was showne to John the bosome Disciple of Christ Whence observe that divine glorious and spirituall revelations are to singular men to an Abraham will God discourse even as a friend God must acquaint Abraham with his intention concerning Sodom and Gomorrah before he can doe any thing How shall I doe this thing or hide it from Abraham saith God O the secrets of the Lord are revealed to them that feare him often did God appeare to Moses and once he caused his glory to passe before him and proclaimed his name unto him I am the Lord the Lord gratious and mercifull pardoning iniquities transgressions and sinnes Exod. 33.18.19.20 Jacob wrestels with God and sees Christ in both his natures in a dream of a lader reaching from earth to heaven The Angel Gabriel was sent to Daniel to comfort him and strengthen him and at another time he appeared saying Daniel singularly Beloved I am come to comfort thee to strengthen thee peace be to thee be strong be strong and I will shew thee that that is revealed in the Scripture of truth Christs Kingdome the glory and dominion of it Antichrists kingdome with the 〈◊〉 of it and all the Monarchies besides small and great standing before Christ giving an account to Christ Christ was so revealed to Isaiah that foretold all almost he die or suffered his riding to Jerusalem and the manner of it Mary Magdalen shall conceive of Christ by the power of the most high over shadowing her and in her armes shall carry him that made the world her God and Saviour from place to place Paul was strook to the ground by Christ after taken up into the heavens with seeing such things that was unutterable So John sees here the Throne of God the Glory of God the River of Life the Tree of Life Secondly All glorious discoveries are of Christ and the Spirit He shewed me the River of life yea all my revelations as chap. 1. v. 1. and therefore it is called The revelations which God gave by Iesus Christ to shew unto his Servants of which it is said Blessed
me no man can see the Father but by the Son and he to whom the Son doth reveal him And then he told me further that the father reveals the sonne and the sonne the father and both the spirit and the river by giving of it to the sonnes of men and so indeed he lead me up and down in a mis-maze for I had never in all my life before heard so much talk of revealing and I know not what of the father sonne and spirit and the river for so he called the spirit saying it was a pure clear and living river still talking of I know not how many lights and I never knew but of one here which rules the day So thought I what doth this man mean by his lights but he turned I know not how about to a light of God and a light and life of Christ or in Christ I think he called it saying it was the surest and safest and the sweetest the happiest best and blessedest life of all lives that the soul lived when it lived in God the fountaine of light and life endlesse light and endlesse life For indeed God is the life of our lives the root of our lives the fountain of our lives we live in our own element said he when we live in God and when we live out of him we pilgrime like wander up and down the world begging preservation of every poore creature which is a sad condition for a noble soul yea we bury our selves as in a grave of darknesse which few loves being nothing but wandering and rottennesse earth turning into earth but in one word I wind up all the river is the Spirit the eternall spirit of God by which he doth all in the world yea all his mighty works he binds Kings and looses Captives breaketh nations and binds them up again and as Kings and Nations private men and persons are bound and loosed comforted and wounded and all by this Spirit Oh then doth it concern all high low rich and poore to embrace this spirit for if ye slight him he can smite you wound you kill you and damne soul and body O then come and kisse this enlightning Sonne as David speaks of Christ in his second Psalm lest that he be angry it s said of this Sun that rules the day that it shall one day break forth in such flames of heat brightnesse that it shall scorch and burn up Mountains the spirit will do the same yea every man and woman in one way or other some in love most in dreadfull wrath and vengeance for neglecting and abusing the love grace and mercy which he once freely tendred them which they little minded being like the old world buying felling marrying all the time of Noahs arkes building yea untill the very flood came but then how did they run and tumble O me thinks I see the whole world shifting some to the hills others to the mountains some climbing trees and cedars and getting up to steeples whilst others wade to Noah yea beg and hang upon his Ark crying Noah Noah Noah for pitie take us in but he is secure and minds not all their skreeks and cryes nor their dolefull mourning for their drowned souls this he little minds for he is safe and his Ark arises by the mighty waters in the which he rides more and more steady the higher that they rise carying him at last over hils and mountaines and all kindes of dangers And now he sings this unto himselfe God hath safely housed me God hath safely kept me in a shelter from the raines which the black and melancholy heavens have weeped day and night for the sinnes of men till they were drowned with teares well Noah is yet safe the hangers on the Ark washt off screeks and cries over all swimme up and down the deluge Well the mighty waters doe beginne to beat and the heavens smile by clearing up againe Noah sends out his Dove shee soone returnes he againe doth the like she brings in an Olive branch an Emblem of peace to all in the Ark. Well this Ark is Christ and none there is but he that can safely shelter from all kinde of danger and yet this Ark is open and ready to receive all that will come in at the Spirits invitation but what if they doe not the Spirit will break forth in dreadfull flames of fire drying up the Seas and burning of the Mountaines none no not one escaping but those in the Ark. Well friend minde this Christ is the Ark the Spirit is the River God the Fountaine too of light life and glory shall all be neglected then thou art undone O unhuppy soul ill betide the time and cursed be the day that ever thou wast born Revel chap. 22.4 And they shall see his face and his name shall be written upon their foreheads O Christians from these words give mee leave to speake a little my thoughts for to you is this promise and if God give in the sweetnesse of it to you it will be as a little hony yea as a lick of that Manna which Christ will give to his Saints to feed on Revelations 2.17 And first these words they are a Promise of God to his people who are the persons to whom this Promise is made Secondly The Promise it selfe which is They shall see my face that is the thing O christian promised heare Thirdly For the time that is a comming they shall not yet but they shall from whence denote the certainty of it And truly friends if you did but consider this promise and the certainty of its accomplishment it would be like Moses little stick which did sweeten the bitter water which the Isralites could not drinke before he had throwne in his stick So I thinke it would sweeten any condition a Saint meets with in this world though never so bitter be thou sick be thou weake be thou poore for these conditions are they subject too as well as any therefore hath God made a thousand of such kinde of promises to his Saints to support them here Sometimes he tels them They shall drinke of the River of his pleasure and be abundantly satisfyed with the fatnes of his house Psa 36.8 A second Promise to them is this They shall eat of the Manna that is hid A third They shall see my face I will speake no more of them pray remember these three in all your troubles by faith feed your soules on them they will not onely comfort your hearts but consolate your troubled soules O they will make you well in sicknesse they will also make you rich in poverty they will make you feast in hunger they will make you sing in prison live in death yea triumph over death yea all kindes of death Christians you know this I know yee know it in some measure but what is the reason you doe not make use of these and such like Scripture sweet promises in the times of troubles You will say you
seen the shore again lesse if less could be did your souls think to have seen this day which now you see what I can do and bring about that you might prize my face at last But in the fourth place whereas God doth promise they shall see his face It doth imply that great reward by which he will reward his servants that serve him so that Christians doe not fight as if there was no crown nor worke as if no wages O saith Paul I have fought the good fight I have finished the course and henceforth is laid up for me a Crowne of life and not for me onely but for all that love his appearance too And therefore Christian be thou faithfull unto the death and thou shalt have the Crowne of life Revel 2.10 Where Christ promised it unto thee for the incouraging of thee Christminded his owne glorie and so maiest thou as well as Moses see Christ speaks of it yea demands the Crown John 16.1 I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do and now glorifie thy sonne or reward thy son and then it is said I have glorified thee and I will glorifie thee O Friends you are now glorified as you sit by your union with Christ in the glorie of God which shineth round the heavens and makes them to be heavens indeed wel friends this is the glorie into which you must be taken to behold his face and then will not this be a reward a full reward ineeed tenne thousand times beyond all your doings and all your sufferings yea equall unto Christ his merits and to thine hearts desire a Saints desire is to see God and enjoy God nothing doth a Saint desire in comparison of that with our souls have we desired thee saith the Prophet Isaiah yea and this is the desire of every soul everie gracious soul O when the sense of Gods eternall love glorie sweetnesse lies boiling in it how strong doth the desire rise O friends no desire under heaven rises and heaves so like to mighty waters in the Soul as this desire when the sense of Gods love and glorie lies boiling in it and the mightie Spirit stirring of it thunders do not more shake the cloudie aire nor earthquakes move the dungie earth then these desires the soul of man when it is strongly rocking there O saith Moses shew me thy face or glorie while his soul was filled with the sense of it he would fain see it though he died the death for it but God spares Moses his life by hiding him and his glory for the present well-knowing Moses was lesse able for to see this glorie which he requests he might then we to see the Sunne through and through but shall Moses never see this glorie therefore because of weaknesse yes yes he shall he doth he now sees it and so shalt thou O happy Christian ere it be long what was it that took Peter when he had a glimpse of Moses on the Mount but the beames of this glory sparkling on his back like glittering suns and starres Well friends you wish and would but time shall passe and time shall come and you enjoy the thing you wish crave and often breatheth after namely that glory that Moses then appeared in namely on the mount well you shall I say you shall as sure as the Lord lives have it one day have it and be cloathed by it as with a garment down to the ground like the white robe Rev. 19.14 and then like Moses will your appearance be as cloathed with twinkling stars from Phoebus beames And now hearken O heavens and give ear O earth earth earth with all that dwells therin high low rich poor how God will glorifie his Son and his Son his Saints to their hearts desire with men and Angels admirations and astonishments too Well may David say O Lord I have none in heaven but thee and there is none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee nay Lord in comparison of thee I scorn crowns and kingdoms yea ten thousand tuns of Jewels marke none in heaven nor in earth saith a David in comparison of thee and thus God rewards a Saint according to his hearts desire when he promiseth to show his face unto them O this reward will make amends for all for all your sufferings for all your sorrows and now in the hopes of this raise your selves your souls in all your troubles and castings down and indeed nothing but this consideration will do it to any purpose for if by the losse of one creature you raise your selves by another What will you then do when all creature-comforts shall be taken away from you which God at first or last will surely doe And then what will ye then do ye all of you whose hearts are bound up in the creatures and things of this life But mourne mourn bitterly like Babylon crying alas alas Revel 18.10 How in one day have I lost all my hopes my creature comforts my friends my children my wife and husband my life and soul and Christ more worth then all ten thousand times over and over againe O unhappy man that I am O unhappy soul how wast thou deluded how was I deceived to think my self happy in a few dying creature-enjoyments O my bewitched soul who deluded thee who deceived thee time was thou heardst of God and Christ and hadst thou then minded him and served him as thou didst thy King thy lust and pleasures hee would not now have left thee as dying Wolsey once said that great Cardinall in his dispaire and horror But thou O precious Christian whose heart and hopes are placed in God shall dying say my hopes my heart and expectation lives for it was not here nor here below in dying things but a living Christ and now my soule shall live with him and because he lives I shall live also John 14.19 ye live in his presence live in his sight and now my soule my happy soule tell thou the world thy friends all that mournes for thy departure thy life thy life for which they mourne its sure and safe it s hid with God in Christ our lives are hid with God in Christ and when he shall appear we shall appear with him also as the Apostle speaks John 1.3.2 O glorious day O day of dayes unthought unminded by most of men now it appears not what we are but then it shall when the dust of this body more precious then the seed of stars and jewels shall be gathered and be carefully picked up by Angels sent forth by Christ from all the winds for that same purpose then my life was hid but now it is found where first it was in God and Christ in my own root and that to my dear souls content and therefore let me go to my home to my father to my husband to my God to my Christ and to my brethren for sure I shall be welcome as Jacob was to Joseph Welcome
for relations sake O friends there is such a neere relation between Christ and a Christian he is the head and you the members he is the Bridegroome and you the Bride he is the vine and you the branches Christ cannot but bid you wellcome nor the father neither for you are all his children how wellcome is a friend a childe a husband after seven yeares voyage when returned what love what embraces doth then passe between them powring heart into heart as it were How sweetly did Josephs and his brethrens bowels yerne one towards another O friends Christ will one day embrace you in his armes with his rowling bowels like a husband his beloved wife after seven yeares absence and you him with teares and kisses of joy and love How glad was Dide queene of Carthage when she had Aeneas prince of Troy to look on and embrace Well friends time will come when thou shalt have thy Christ to embrace and look on who hath endured more broiles ten thousand times then all Aeneas feigned ones Here Christ to look on is admirable and lovely too in broiles O saith the Spouse Who is this that coms from Bozrah with his garments dipped in blood Isaiah 63.1.2 travelling in the greatnes of his strength Christ the prince and Captain of our salvation comes from the fields of slaughter like some noble champion and hath his bloody armes which doth declare him conquerour so Christ here travels from Bozra a field of slaughter this I take to be the crosse of Christ on which he might be well said and did conquer all the Churches enemies yea naild them to the crosse as Paul speaketh by triumphing over them openly upon the crosse Well in this field Christ slayes the law sinne and death making this saying good O death I will be thy death 1 Cor. 15.55 And now comes in warlick vestures which are dipped in this blood declaring him to be the mighty conquerour Well the Spouse sits and sees him at her window comming from the field which is the Spirit in the soule through which she lookes upon these mighty champions Christ Sinne Death and Devils Well Christ foyls and spoyles all by trampling on all which being done he leaves them dead and comes away to refresh himselfe in glory the Spouse spies him in the way and cries out who is this not that shee did not know Christ well enough but she is taken with Christ in the beholding of Christ thus bravely wins the field which Christ never quited til all foild spoild the day his own Well Is the Soule now so taken with the gallentry of Christ that she cryes out for joy and wonder O then how wilt thou be taken when thou shalt see this Christ againe which heare is promised yea stroak the face of this Champion Christ the Prince of our salvation how will she be taken with him then saying O my deare Christ it was my enemies thou ingaged in Bozra and if thou hadst not conquered my soule and thousands more had been undone for ever but seeing thou didst win the day we will name and stile thee most high and excellent and mighty Conquerour King of Saints Prince and Captaine of our salvation which thou for ever shalt be called by Saints and Angels men and Devils poore drooping sinner what dost thou think of this day and this Christ who is thy Champion thy Captaine and Salvation I say what dost thou thinke O malencholy Christian of this day when thou shalt see the face of this Prince and Saviour wilt thou not make one to sing his prayses to sing his victories over sinne death hell men and devils which Angels now are doing and so shalt thou and this shall be thy reward too a full reward indeed for all thou ever didst or suffredst In the mean time bear up bear up thy head O drooping Christian Christ hath conquered sinne death men and devils and yet it may be thou fearest all O foolish sinner weake in faith men are bound sinne and satan wounded yea death and sinne slaine too and all by Christ in Bozra what meanst thou to be troubled O but Sir Sir me thinks I see sinne alive and Satan loose yea both in me I will not deny but thou mayst think so but all is not true that men doe thinke but grant both these be in thee yet if sinne be wounded and Satan bound one cannot long live nor the other doe much mischeife if sinne be wounded it is to the heart be sure of that And when Christ was wounded there by sinne he straight died well I am sure Christ hath wounded sinne there too and it cannot live long O Sir Sir it is livelier then ever it struggles more then ever O friend that is to me as cleare as the day that sinne is just a dying every thing in nature will doe the like what dost thou see dying willing but a Saint and he I must confesse on this consideration that he shall live with God and Christ and behold the face of God and Christ as in the first words I say on this consideration happily he may with a great deale of willingnesse die But who besides the Saint will will man or beast or fish or foule or any other creature No no the fish yawns and gapes the fowle flutters the beast beats it selfe and yels though bound and musled man mournes and cries alas alas why must I die and leave my hopes my wife my childe my lands and livings nay friends and all fetch the Doctor quickly fetch the Doctor save me if it be possible I faine would live a little longer and thus he mournes to think on death and when it comes and drawes neere to him then he growns and gasps and grinnes and stares still striving with it while breath doth last Well friend the fish yawns and gapes the fowle flutters the beast yels man mournes and cries alas what shall sinne doe nothing it were contrary unto nature if it should die without its throwes in thy soule But stay you said Satan was bound I I did so and so he is in two respects Christ hath bound him up from hurting thee Christ hath bound him up from forcing thee First From hurting thee you know if the most notorious theeving rogue in the world lyes bound in a lone womans house hand and foot there was no ground nor cause of feare he is bound hand and foot what can he now doe but curse and swear well she being a weak woman is troubled and frighted notwithstanding but when her husband comes home her feares ceaseth and are gone Well friends know this Christ hath bound Satan for a thousand yeares yea for ever from mischeiving his Saints and Servants and if he be in thee he is bound O no me thinks he is loose he doth so tempt me and accuse me I doe not know what to doe it may be so he doth tempt and accuse thee I did not say Christ had bound Satans tongue no
he hath not nor never will whilst the world stands Satan shall have his tongue loose to tempt some of his Saints and to accuse others for divers good reasons This is one When he cals on thee to commit this or that great sinne thou mayst call on Christ to keep thee from sinne A second reason is this When he accuseth thee for thy sinne Christ would have thee pray and crave his pardon for thy sinne yea beleeve it is pardoned notwithstanding his accusing thee which when thy soule doth by his power and strength in thee it brings much honour to Christ yea very much but I will not stand now to give thee any more reasons why Christ will not tie the Devils tongue But remember these two but the thing I said was Christ hath bound Satan hand and foot and so he hath from doing thee any mischeife fast enough and yet it may be he lyes thus bound in the middle of the floor as I said before and raves and curseth thee and stares at thee in thy house about thy calling and this causes a great deale of trouble in thy soule but when thy husband Christ comes home which will be at noon in his discoveries thy feare will be gone and thou with joy wilt tell thy neighbours I meane thy christian friends Againe Satan is bound from forcing thee if a maid should be tempted day and night to part with her virginity yet if she consent not and the other have no power but by consent what is she the worse or her chastity the lesser no it is rather greater if you will So I say to thee who talkst of Satans temptations what if Satan tempt thee day and night to part with thy virginity or resolution against such and such a sin Well Satan tempts to yeild yea tempts thee day and night doe not yeild by no means if he should goe to force thee Christ will come and helpe thee or at least excuse thee saying thou art yet his chaste and beloved Spouse and will not hide his face from thee for all that But in the fifth and last place whereas God saith They shall see my face It doth imply that great and sweet delight that God takes in his peoples presence God delights in all his workes but especially in his own people O Israel whom I have created God created all things for his praise but Israel especially more then all his whole creation God said of all his works that they were good serving some designe or other but Israel his glory O Jacob my servant and Israel whom I have chosen Isa 44.1 2 3. Feare not O Jacob my servant and Jeshurum whom I have chosen yea thou art chosen before all times and worlds Iacob have I loved saith God before Iacob had a being but he is now brought forth by creation for the glory of his grace that he might shew the greatnesse of his love to them in discovering of himselfe to be their God and Father which he doth in Jesus Christ who is the expresse Image of his Fathers person and so the very face of God as I may so say For in Christ he shewes himselfe to the Saints a Father of love and sweetnesse yea and a God and fountain too of all delights God discovers nothing in his Sonne but love delight and sweetnesse to the sonnes of men So that whereas God saith he will shew his face he meanes he will shew you Christ and in him his love delight and pleasure which when it is once discovered to the soule it so takes the soule that it cryes out O God who is a God like unto thee as Moses once said How great O God is this goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that serve love and feare thee As David once said O God in thy presence is life and thy loving kindnesse is better then life it selfe Psalme And therefore my lips shall praise thee nothing is better then life but his favour is better and sweeter too ten thousand times Doth the favour and smiles of a Prince so take the flattering Courtier that he blesses himself as it were in the obtaining of it and saith he is now a happy man he hath now the Princes eye and eare he more delights in me then all his noble favourites O happy christian favourite of God and Christ the Prince of princes and nations too as well as King of Saints how wilt thou be delighted in these delights of God set on thee and shewn unto thee in his Sonne It is said of him I will make my first born higher then the princes of the earth this is spoken of Christ but it is as true of the Saints in their creation being the cheife of it well God sets up these higher then the Princes of the earth as they are set up in his favour by his Son for his own glory to make himself a name by them Children saith Solomon are the glory of their parents and so are the Saints too of God namely the glorie of his grace by which he gets himselfe a Name and praise in the earth O Israel praise the Lord that made thee of nothing O house of Jacob praise ye the Lord O all ye servants of his praise him day and night for he hath magnified you by his grace in his Son and set you above men and Angels in respect of union and now where would the riches of this grace appear to the world but for the Saints The world is blind and sees no glory love nor sweetnesse in him but they in Christ see all namely a glory beyond all glories a love surpassing all a sweetnesse like a sea and they in the midst which fils the soules with admiration and makes them like David cry out and say how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up in store for them that feare and serve thee God hath laid up in store Jewels Crowns kingdoms nay more his own favour in Jesus Christ which they shall one day see and seeing say as once the queen of Sheba did to Solomon I have heard of thee but not of halfe thy glory So shall the Saints say we have heard much of thee O God and Father and of thy glory but never the halfe that we now see One said thou art a God of love and sweetnesse and another of all delights and pleasures but we never heard halfe we now see and find thee to be to our soules O had the world known thee they would have ownd thee and counted thy favour better then life it self or heaven either for it is thy presence love and favour makes the heavens heavens indeed to our soules O God we met with springs of it in the valley of tears but they were fountaines to us and filled our souls with delights Psal 84. v. 6. But now our joyes are double and fountaines too like seas which breaks up every moment with new and fresh discoveries and makes our soules admire and
peace in my conscience and am verily perswaded of Gods love in Christ to my soule If I were not what would it do me good to tell you a lye and say I am The Lord hath not laid one sinne to my charge the Lord does not lay sinne to our charge But I mean hee hath not suffered Satan to do it for surely he would if the Lord would have suffered him but he hath not no there is not so much as one sin brought to my minde so as to doubt of the pardon of it no not so much as one sinne of all my many sins Satan was wont in my former lying into tempt me and accuse me but God hath now chaind him up In my first lying in the nurse having carelessely one night left me alone supposing I had been asleep Satan comes then and mightily accused me and tempted mee strongly to make away my self so I knockt and called for the nurse or somebody for two or three houres no body heard me well then I arose out of my bed and laid every thing out of the way which Satan would have had me mischief my self or child who was then in the cradle which having done I went into my bed again and sweat and prayed and cryed with all my strength yet notwithstanding Satan continued still his temptation and told me look there lies thy garters which I presently catcht and threw away and continued praying by the strength of God so at last the nurse came and Satan left tempting me God that brought mee to this weaknesse can raise me and will or take me to himself One asked if shee was confirmed in the faith yes truly I am confirmed ye are a poor creature said he nay I am rich in Christ O I wait with patience to see what God will do with mee Sweet heart I am perswaded you will goe to Christ as sure as Abraham and Isaac are with him I said she so I am too or else I were a miserable creature to lie here as I doe I have both inward and outward comfort I praise my God O my dear husband serve God with sincerity of heart and he wil blesse thee and thy little family Cosin Barwick I pray certifie my friends all my friends in the countrey that my husband hath been a loving husband to me all along I do not flatter in my speaking but what God brings to my thoughts I speak to you I thank God I am not afraid to die I have trembled ere now to think of death O how hath Christ led mee by the hand through this wildernes of my afflictions all along My deare husband marry one that fears God and loves thee very well or else shee will quickly bring thee to my condition Keep this maid for she is a gracious maid To all my friends I wish eternall happinesse but they live in a heathenish place She called her apprentise said Robert see you serve God read the Scriptures search the Scriptures you will finde the sweetnes of them when you are old Remember what I say they are the words of a dying mistresse do not neglect the Scriptures nor thy masters businesse nor be deluded with idle boyes and so puld off a ring and gave it him willing him not to forget her counsell to serve his master not with eye-service but with singlenesse of heart pleasing God She called for a Christian friend who did often visit her who answered she was there O said she I have all my comforts about me God who is all in all and you my creature-comforts who are a comfort to me so long as I am in this tabernacle of flesh O I am a going but before you and all you must follow after To a friend she said pray be you not troubled if God should lay his hand of affliction and take some or al your children away as he hath mine ye may finde a comfort in it when ye come to die God hath done great things for me for he hath taken me by the hand and led mee through the wildernesse I and that by a hand of love and not by an yron rod. She sent for a neighbour said in love I send for you in love I desire you to serve Iesus Christ O but you cannot by your own strength but he will give you strength if you can lay hold on his Promises ye are of a good nature but do not let men and company abuse that but serve God and hee will lead you through the wildernesse by his hand when ye come to die as he doth now me and therefore serve him naturally you cannot but he will give you strength O search the Scriptures for there you will find eternall happinesse I hope you will and if God give you strength to do it then he will blesse you and also blesse your family I pray remember the words of a dying neighbour I pray God you may A friend asking how shee did answered I doe well I have no paine but joy and peace and comfort A friend coming late at night asking her how it was with her she answered I am well I praise God and have a full assurance and accomplishment of all the promises made good holding up her hand being the last friend that visited her that night The Doctor comming to see her said God catches some and some he drawes by degrees I finde that said she for I am going to Christ After a kind of trance in which I thought she would have departed she said Sweet heart Satan and I had a bout just now but I got the better of it for I got hold on Christ and would not let him goe A little while after lifting up her hands after another trance she said O Christ and by and by O Christ and againe with a softly voyce O Christ I will not let thee goe and about a quarter of an houre after being a little before she died I askt if shee had Christ and her comforts still she answered I I vvhich vvere the last vvords she spake FINIS Christian friend I pray mend these faults which happened in the printing Page 26. line 18. for setled read situated p. 29. l. 22. for rivers read river p. 73. l. 22 for death read deafe p. 100 l. 12. read conceive Christ p. 100. l. 17. for with seeing read where he saw p. 182. l. 15. leave out with p. 186 for a ship read make slight Many faults more you will finde and them it may be mine