not we but Christ in us that doth it he is all in all as well as all for all He bids this and that be done and 't is so his words wash us Take away the filthy garments from him set a faire Mitre on his head Zach. 3. Christ lays out all and demands nothing which is admirable Behold I have refined thee but not for silver Esay 48.10 I chose thee in the furnace of affliction c. If one referre this Text to Egypt or to Babylon 't is of much life When I did good to you in Egypt and owned you it could not be for gaine and wealth for yee had none 't was a furnace of affliction a state of oppression and bondage for my owne sake I saved you there and so I will in Babylon and so he doth every sinner that Christ doth good to any sinner purifie cleanse and cloath him cannot be for any thing in him because he chuseth us as the Text saith in a Furnace of affliction in a stript condition in a state of captivity Captives have not store of treasure to ransome themselves this well deserves a note of admiration in the front Behold I have refined thee but not for silver I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction Finally this may be assured thee that Christ will compleat thy purification speedily take speed as the Gospell doth The heart is deep nothing in the world like it things of depth are not emptied nor filled presently as men call presently but allow Christ the liberty of his own Idiome and dialect in speaking and so he is not slack nor long a consummating the acts of mercy no he is not long in consummating the acts of Justice though he be longer ere he accomplish this then that a great deale The Lord is not slack as men call slacknesse saith Peter and yet hee speaks there about wrath consuming wrath and yet he goes a great deale slower about this being as I may say unnaturall to him then about kindnes and mercy being things in which he delights If God be not slack as men count slacknesse in consumamting justice upon wicked men surely he is not slack as you poor sinners count slacknesse in consummating grace and mercy impatient Creatures think a little time a great while unbeleeving Saints do this as well as unbeleeving sinners Doe but allow God so much time in order to all thine enemies internall as Jerome of Prague did in order to all his enemies externall and I will assure thee in such a compasse of time thou shalt triumph over them all cito vos omnes vt respondeatis mihi post centum annos c. thy strongest enemy cannot live above an hundred yeares once in a hundred yeare men devils sins vos omnes as he speaks they shall all answer to you for all the inâ—ury they have done to you you shall judge and burne them which have burnt you so long COLOS. 1.28 Jn all Wisdome VVHat these expressions as conjoyned with the foregoing import and then the termes of it in themselves may both worthily fall under consideration that which they import as conjoyn'd with the former is that the heart of man is very hardly throughly wrought upon all variety of action warning teaching all duration of action warning teaching termes Participly exprest to note the continuation of those acts all art skill and exactnesse of action wisedome all wisdome all these used to reach the heart throughly and to bring a sinner home to Christ The soule of man is with much difficulty throughly brought home to Christ Doct. There be many devises in the heart of man as Solomon speakes which make this that I say I will note some of them Every thing hath its defence the heart hath many and all usefull by which it beares off the power of Divine things from seasing and taking hold of it the heart will carpe and catch at the Ministery of the Word this is one device by which the power of truth is destroyed the dish that holds the meat is not turn'd well and therefore the meate in it overturnd the braine crackt the minde triffles out it selfe 'tas no power to pitch and fix upon things of weight this habit lost toyes and trifles only sute and take up the heart divine ordinance toyed with their heart is pluckt out that which hath no heart cannot go to the heart if a sinner by any art and craft can pull out the heart of an Ordinance he will abide there is no doubt unstir'd in his sinne There is a spirituall frensy and madnesse is not easily cure'd the old man sits at Table and playes with his fingers hee can scarce see what meat is before him and yet every dish is out of order one speakes too quick another too slow one too plaine an nother too darke the stomack is poysoned a worme is under the tongue the eare itches therefore every thing preached is beside the Text no word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bene significans the soule doth haerere in cortice choke it selfe with a shell teares Sermons into particular sentences sentences into words words into sylables sylables into Letters strips expression starke naked from matter and then hunts a shadow to hell this expression is used Mark 12.13 they sent to Christ certaine of the Pharisees and Herodians to catch him in his words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to hunt him his words so the word signifies that soule that hunts Christ and his Ministers in their words is hunted by the divill from the matter a criticall spirit hath as many dores to run away from Christ and the power of truth as there be words in the Greek Lexicon This brings mee to speake of another device of the heart the old man can evade he can catch others very nimbly and get loose himselfe as nimbly The Serpent that dealt with Eve could turne in and out bend to and againe wrigle every way at pleasure that Serpent is in our bosome it was an emblem of our heart which will turne twenty wayes to evade the power of truth that which hath such a property to bend every way is not easily broken things that will bend double will wave double and treble force ere they will breake The art of evasion that the heart hath to put by the sword of the spirit and to save the life of sinne is of great compasse and depth and runs it selfe into many branches which I cannot run after now summarily see a little of this art shadowed by the carriage of Saul 1 Sam. 19.16 Saul had heard that David was at his house and sent him to kill him there and Michal let him downe at a window and laid an image in the bed and told the messengers that came to search that David was sick and thus turned the messengers away and then they were sent againe to fetch David in his bed that Saul might kill him in his bed and by this time David was gone far
spirit they were such that had not so much as that circumcision which was made with hands much lesse that circumcision which was made without hands by the spirit A Gentile in the spirit is one ignorant without God in the World that is without the knowledge of God it is explained so by another expression like this that at that time yee were without Christ being Aliens Eph. 2.12 And by another expression to them that are without the Law as without the Law 1 Cor. 9.21 that is such as had no knowledge of the Word of God nor did acknowledge any such thing as a rule of life but their own blind traditions and customes Gentilisme is a meere Chaos a little World lying all in confusion darkenesse upon the face of the deepe the understanding which is as the face of the soule blind not able to finde out God in his Word or Workes what in essence or what in existence what hee is or what he doth in Heaven in Earth in the soule of man nor what hee will doe though all these exprest and told of at large a Gentile in spirit is one that cannot see God nor feele after him that can use neither head nor hand no reason nor sense divinely one that fits in darkenesse and cannot stir any power internall or externall towards the true God One that fits in darknesse wich is an expression I thinke in allusion to the Egyptians who had thicke darkenesse such obscurity of darknesse as the originall saith that they saw not any man his brother neitheir rose any man from his place for three dayes mittacheaif de sub se not from under himselfe or not from off himselfe and these were Gentiles and in this I thinke the lively type of all Gentiles who are in such thick darkenesse spiritually that they sit stock still not one can arise from of himselfe to apprehend any thing out of himselfe and above himselfe that which hee worships is himselfe the imagination of his own brain his zeale is seated in blind principles and this is his God that he knowes no God As I passed by and beheld your devotion I found an Altar with this inscription to the unknowne God and these were Gentiles and this blind principle was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Innâ—itten or written in them for the Altar was but an emblem of their heart they did hold out by this what was in them to wit a God adored but no body could tell what no not they themselves any further then selfe some carnall fancies hotly pursued and after no other light would they search with braine or sense The Apostle reproves them in this scope though you have not the Word of God yet you have had the workes of God if you had pursued these as blind men that use their hands in stead of their eyes and make a good shift to finde their way you would certainly have found out God to better purpose then this inscription quotes and then relates the story of the Creation viz. who hath made of one bloud all Nations if happily they might feele after him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word notes touching or groaping with the hand not able to imploy understanding nor sense about the Word or Workes of God to finde out God which is just the state of a brute and so are the Gentiles shadowed to be in Pauls vision there were all manner of Beasts in the sheet that was let downe to him but nothing else A Gentile in spirit is one blinde and obstinate he shuts his eyes against some things and none must open them opens his eyes to other things and none must shut them he loveth darknesse better then light and no body must stir nor wake his love till hee please this obstinacy is well exprest by Christ Mat. 18.17 if hee will not heare the Church let him be as a Heathen an Ethnick which is the same word with the Text I stand on if hee will not heare let him be accounted a Gentile a Gentile is a wilfull person Let a man be in Church-state and under-light yet if wilfull in sinne loving darknesse and against light hee is as a Heathen that is he is a Gentile in spirit hee is formerly and really a Gentile onely he is not outwardly called so he is not called so by men but he is so by God The Jewes the greatest amongst them the Scribes and Pharisees that instructed company although of the Jewish Church and eminent in Office yet as obstinate and raging opposers of Peter and his Ministery are cald by the Spirit of God Ethicks and in the second Psalme where the Prophet speakes of Heathenish great ones opposing Christ applied it to them as fulfilled in them Acts 4.25 when they were let goe they reported to their owne company that is to the rest of the Apostles and Disciples all that the chiefe Priests and Elders had said to them and when the Apostles heard it they lifted up their voice with one accord and said O God which hath made Heaven and Earth who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said Why doe the Heathen rage and so forth and there cals them Ethnicks Gentiles and because of this that they were wilfull and raging in their blindnesse and wickednesse against Christ This property also of stubbornnesse was lively shadowed in that Type of the Gentiles forementioned there were such and such kinds of beasts in the sheet that was let down to Paul and wild beasts saith the Text to note that this is one eminent property in an ethnicall spirit wildnesse headinesse obstinacy in his blinde course Spirituall gentilisme is opened have I not done two works at once opened the Doctrine and opened your condition are ye not Gentiles in heart though not so call'd truth should be own'd whether with us or against us or there is no remedy confession of sinne is a necessary Gospell requisite sinners can have no mercy without it if ye lay not open your sinne to God t will lay open you to God Angels and men and a soule laid open by the word is one found out in the fact when God hath found out and seised upon a sinner for him then to deny the fact or seeke to breake away from him as one that breakes bolts by being more boysterous in sin this man will die for it and not have pardon no not hope on 't hee 'l not have his booke there is not the least tender of grace to the soule whilst convictions are strangled but treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath to burne hornets in their nest seeing they will not come out convictions stifled is like Powder in a mine that when sprung it blowes up all and no fire so terrible as this stifled fire for renting and tearing the soule A mans soule discovered by truth God hath found out the man the effect will be this the man will now prove a deare friend or a desperate enemy to Christ the vision
according to the will of God Verily unlesse a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abides alive but if it die it bringeth forth fruit John 12.24 God hath taken counsell of his will and turned the sea of love into a new channell the first covenant gave out all favours without bloud but the second through bloud through Christs bloud and our own Christs cup is called Gods will and our cup is called Christs will the will of God orders both these and therefore is Christs cup when full of bloud said to be Gods will not my will but thine c. And our bloudy cup also called Gods will if any suffer according to his will c. Great favours to come through great hardships is the will of God Means carry proportion to their end death to make death the death of Christ to make the death of the serpent bruising to bruise it was so proportioned by God It shall bruise thine head and thou shalt bruise his heel Nature hides her choise things closest and bids art use pains sutable to prise to obtain them and so doth grace she hides life in death our life is hid saith the Apostle where In bleeding dying Christ Wisdome orders great things to be obtained with great pains grace and glory in bloud in Christs bloud and our own Christ gets heaven by suffering and all that will live godly with him shall suffer too Means are generally proportioned to their end so by God to Christ and so by Christ to us This world is thrown upon men which is providence disposing sutable to things disposed this world is worth nothing and comes for nothing but the world to come is invaluable and the way to it proportionable the bloud of Jesus Christ and the bloud of his people the one per modum meriti the other per modum congrui Things are prised rather as they come then as they are farre fetched and dear bought makes all the prise and gives all the worth with us weak creatures upon this ground the Scripture when it speaks of our great fortune tells the great prise it cost as eying our weaknesse who look more at what things cost then at what things are and as knowing if any thing will work and take with us this will To him that loved us and washed us from our sinnes in his own bloud Rev. 1.5 Man is a legall creature and looks much at what is given for a thing and prises this more then that which comes for little he values things more under a notion of prise then under a notion of freenesse What did this cost why it cost Christs own bloud Fancie works foolishly in weak brains colour is more then the cloth and scarlet colour a generall taking colour and therefore is Christs garment dipt in bloud and he admired in this habit Who is this that comes from Edom with garments died red from Bozra Use Let no man be offended if mercy come any way to sinners though through never so much bloud and misery Sinne had totally and finally closed up every wombe of grace and it could not enter into the imagination of any creature that ever any dramme of mercy should find any way to them that the earth opens after much sweating and labouring and that heaven opens after much sweating and bleeding to send forth favours to sinners is beyond the expectation of men and Angels Mercy lay buried under impossibility of resurrection impossibilities reduced to difficulties and grace become fesable though with much cost is admirable Deadly sentence was with redoubled strength passed and not with a syllable of revocation for any lost creature to make the least guesse at any restauration By dying thou shalt die c. Here is the grave of a whole world of felicity and a stone rolled upon it daring all powers in heaven and in earth to open it if they can and that grace notwithstanding so buried should rise and become atainable is admirable I wonder that all the world is not bleeding and howling in hell and every one catching his bloud as it falls and writing out his fall in capitall letters to the glory of justice to all eternitie 't is wonderfull to me that it is not the whole imployment of all the creatures in this world to drown one another in bloud to stab tear and rend one another in pieces without any ceasing as that world below doth that there are not two hells a higher and a lower an upmost and a nethermost and that this is not as bad as that that all of this side heaven is not hell out-right Murmuring spirits be patient you think much to see so much spoil and bloudshed in the land 't is the way of God to bring great things to man through the bloud of prime brave persons are brave things brought forth Is there a braver person then Christ in the land or in any land and yet through his sides and through his bloud must great and gallant favours come You eye your pain and not Gods pleasure his way is in the deep the Leviathan tumbles there in the sea in the red sea in bloud and death to life and glory do ye think to justle God out of his wayes as ye justle a man Murmuring is spirit justling against spirit a bad against a good and the worst will have the worst for God treads such to death as will not give him his way You know that God fell out with his own people deadly when they disliked the way of hardship which he had cast them into to humble them and to do them good under heathen princes Let a wise man propose such an end and such a way to it let it be what it will red or white fair or foul you honour him in all and with joy look for good in this way give God this honour Wisdomes way to great things is in bloud in the bloud of some prime persons to the life and welfare of many One or two things may make us give God the honour of his way to such an end let his way be never so sad in our eye God alwayes makes his way most just to what end soever he bends mercy comes clothed but like your sinne when it comes clothed in scarlet your sinnes are crimson scarlet sinnes you die mercies red and bloudy 't is not God Justice treads upon sinne properly upon man accidentally as he lies under it if no body did ly under sinne justice would tread no body to death to bring life into the world nor shed a drop of any ones bloud to bring the greatest blessings to us God goes after man because man will not go after God justice follows sinners because sinners will not follow righteousnesse God doth not step a step in a way of punishment but as you lead him and to trace you in your wayes of sinne all wayes of bloud and death you chalk out to him you lead love out of his way and
make him become bloudy God is love fury is not in him naturally but love he delights not in the death of any God is nothing but life and so is his motion naturally and therefore called a fountain of life nothing runnes from him naturally but life if death runne out of the fountain of life 't is because of poyson cast in by you Generation in bloud one mercy to die to bring forth another is such a generation as was not known in the beginning God never appointed things thus to generate but life to bring forth life and such a happy creature to bring forth such a happy creature all happinesse to live each speak out fully the vastnesse of the fountain and the similitude of the stream to it The sinne of the first Adam cost the bloud of the second and all the bloud that ever since hath been shed to keep any good alive in the world Murmuring souls you are blind justice steres the ship when it sails in bloud with jewels to you you would never open your mouths at all the bloud that is shed in the land no nor at all the bloud that ever hath been shed in the world if your eyes were but open to see this first thing God makes his way most sure to such an end let the means proposed to it be what they will through bloud and death or hell I will surely do thee good saith God to Abraham and yet they must into hardship so much and so long and yet still the end sure and this hart-bleeding condition the onely sure way to it and no other way would have been sure to such an end Certainty of an end with us depends upon the standing or falling of such a thing but the certainty of Gods end which he proposeth doth not stand upon the standing or falling of this or that but upon the resolution of his will I will certainly do thee good One may die another may die and yet whilest the will of God remains resolute to such an end the end will live and the dying of such prime persons is onward to it and without which it could not be Heaven and earth shall passe away but not one tittle of Gods will shall fall to the ground The certainty of Gods intention you see depends upon his will heaven and earth may die which are greater bodies then man and yet Gods intention live because his will lives I must say again that murmuring spirits are blind they can see nothing certain in these uncertain times they think that all that God intends must bleed and die because all that men intend bleed and die and the very men too Blind creatures the certainty of what God intends doth not depend upon any of these when all is in bloud and dead God is alive and on in his way to his end the unspeakable good of many God alwayes makes his way most honourable to such an end let difficulties in the way be what they will though God may cast much hardship upon us yet he casteth no disgrace upon himself nor upon his way His way is honourable and glorious saith the Psalmist all his wayes are so when he goes in bloud for he speaks of the execution of justice there when he goes in the death of one thing to the life of another he goes in in state and glory God is alwayes tender of his name when he seems not tender of any person his sonne his onely sonne scoffed crowned hanged used in all the cruellest and basest manner that men and devils could devise and yet this sonne so used by men was so managed by God and all his hardship that the name of God was made wonderfull honourable in all Noble persons stand not upon losse but upon their honour they value not life they will step every step in bloud rather then prosecute their designes basely An honourable spirit is naturall to God he bringeth nothing about basely he eyes not the bloud of men nor the bloud of his sonne nor the bravest bloud that ever ran in bloud vessels but what he eyes is the accomplishment of his will honourably Murmuring spirits you are blind and you are base so you may but have your own ends the fafety of your lives and states you care not how God brings this about whether honourably or dishonourably Unruly hearts are unfit to order weightie matters such spirits must be guided by better then their own what is done with dishonour to God saves a little bloud and forfeits a great deal God will manage his way with honour though he drown and burn worlds and turn all the creation into bloud Our spirits should move like Gods that his will may be done by me to his honour What is my bloud What is God break my back with standing upon it and squeez out my bloud so that it may but colour his garments scarlet and honourable Finally God makes his way most beneficiall when most bloudy and difficult Who can expresse the benefit that redounds to the Church by the bloud of Christ the like I may say of the bloud of Christians the benefit which redounds to God and to man is not to be expressed The like I may say of the bloud that is now shed in England Truth by fiery trialls is made famous Christ is clothed with scarlet and crowned with glory here a mans life is his glory and this given to Christ in flames is double glory put upon Christ a mans bloud veins are the lowdest trumpets on earth to sound out any thing What a noise hath Christs bloud made all the world over And so the bloud of Martyrs is it dried up yet What virtues and graces smell so sweet and look so glorious as those that are died rose-colour with bloud with the bloud of that earthen breast in which they grow Bloud hath a very crying voice it cries up guilt to heaven and so it cries up grace in heaven and earth it makes Christ terrible holinesse immortall truth eternall what is written in bloud never goes out and all that reade wonder I have but one thing more to say and that is for as much as great things come in a way of hardship to fallen man that you would all prepare for hardship London dost thou not see England dost thou not feel that thy mercies come in bloud that thy redemption is likely if ever to be through much bloud but through much more then yet is shed who can say Men die dayly bloudy clouds go up and down and fall upon this citie and that and shalt thou London escape the storm Londoners Londoners are you prepared to welcome in your mercies in bloud You have had a Thames of water bringing in wealth to you for a great while are you prepared to have a Thames made of your bloud to bring in brave wealth to you for another while God hath stirred up some brave spirits amongst you I would all were such and yet I see many
below your duty so farre below your blessednesse Hearts that can give Christ the preheminence in all things have a very blessed condition Communion sweet dispensations full tranquility secure When the strong man rules all is at peace 't is true of Christ he smiles upon them which he leads when he can rule all and carrie all in the soul there is sweet peace In the world ye shall have tribulation but in me peace saith Christ If the heart can endure tribulation to let Christ reigne if it can let men domineer as they will to give Christ preheminence over it self there is sweet peace in such a state Christ keeps up the heart mightily when name and state and all things without are down and under the feet of the men of this world Christ doth triumph in his throne let what warre will be without and he makes warre within when kept from thence Communion is sweet and dispensations are full when Christ hath an universall dominion As we anoint we are anointed anoint Christ all over not onely head but feet and so he will do you Love Christ much and he will love you much let John lay his head in Christs bosome and Christ will lay his heart and his head too in Johns bosome What parts what a spirit of light and revelation had the Apostle John as if Christ had left his head wholly in Johns breast he fled for it that Christ might have in all things the preheminence and Christ flies after him and gives him preheminence in gifts above thousands Condition is secure standing is firm indeed when Christ hath hold of all when there is no sand in the foundation but all rock then winds may blow and storms beat and yet the building will stand The apostacy of persons now so common springs from hence that they give not up all to Christ and give him a full dominion and a full hold-fast they will let Christ hold but a little and then he in justice le ts go all and then all that seemed good comes to nothing Sinners you cut your own throats in that you give not Christ a universall command you will not suffer him to out the strong man quite and therefore he returns with seven worse spirits and so your latter end is worse then your beginning Know what is your peace and safety in these evil times and observe it Coloss 1.19 For it pleased the Father c. YOu set sweet bryer at your doore the very entrance into some houses is taking 't is so in the verse I am now going upon here is a term in the front as full of honey as Canaan here is an Angel at the doore as glorious as heaven you can no sooner begin to reade but your hearts must needs begin to leap if they be as heavenly as they should be You are smiled upon and saluted at the doore with precious words It pleased the Father c. The word Father is not in the originall onely it pleased which is so rather to be expressed that it may be fitly applyed to Father and holy Ghost for both are contented and delighted in Christ to lay out themselves for man in him Kindnesse comes from a full spring in a full channel to fallen man God the Father pleased and God the holy Ghost pleased that Christ should come stored into the world to restore poore souls How freely God contrives relief for man He eyes extremity and waves all other motive his own goodnesse sets him at work to provide a remedy for a sad condition It pleased the Father Free motion is the purest it speaks all love God can move no otherwise towards things below God is absolute not any thing without him hath any thing above him that is something which he hath not to engage him Your felicity secular is seated in many and you contrive favour for one another because you judge you shall need it of the same parties in another kind God needs none all need him and therefore what he doth for any must needs be at his pleasure Free motion is the noblest bounty is proposed not merit God will work no otherwise but freely that every ones crown of kindnesse may be admired as bounty as grace in height as something wholly from heaven Thou hast triumphed gloriously saith the Scripture that is our mercies are derived to us after an admirable manner and are full of thy self and of nothing else If a crumb be given to a dog 't is bounty but if the whole feast be given to him what bounty is this God doth something that sinne may appear sinne But sinne that it might appear sinne c. So God doth something that grace may appear grace he dispenseth it altogether at his pleasure that this may altogether appear and nothing of the creature Free motion is the surest wheels must be oyled still where motion is by instruments If there be no motive yet action goeth on for mans welfare where motion is free The mercy of God in Christ is called sure mercy sure because free What is purely free is uncapable of cessation from airie impediments What God does with pleasure and out of pleasure he never grows weary of and thus he sheweth mercy to man which makes it sure indeed and lasting from generation to generation God moveth surely towards man we are such creatures in our fallen state that we throw discouragement upon God every moment for ever looking towards us more we are so froward so throwing off of love and therefore God hath proposed to himself such a principle to move from as may hold on his motion whatever he see in us to wit his pleasure Free motion is the sweetest God moves in the takingest way that may be to fallen man You love to see one give smilingly to give much goods and with much goodnesse to give with all the heart so doth God God gives all with all his heart he makes every step to you in bloud and yet in delight it pleases him to part with all to enrich you What God puts upon you he practiseth himself he bids you give liberally and give chearfully because he loves it so doth he give liberally and chearfully to make his motion lovely and taking All fulnesse is put in Christ and it is put there with all pleasure and with all delight which renders Christ very taking to man indeed Large action with straitened affection is a comely body with an ill-favoured face which is not so generally taking Christ is set out to man all fair filled with all excellencie and this by a hand of love which is duplex plenitudo a double fulnesse as it were It was two deliverances to David that he was delivered from a principle of love that he was delivered as one delighted in He delivered me because he delighted in me Thus are we delivered by Christ from a principle of pleasure and delight It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell for us
empty creatures Use Relief is contrived very freely for fallen man Weak hearts should comfort themselves with this point Sinnes lode some souls that they can get no ease Conscience saith too little or else too much sometimes it is asleep and saith nothing sometimes it is awake and crieth perpetually as apprehending no remedy this is a deadly wound and I would I could heale it Misunderstanding makes sorrow unkind we measure mercy by our own comprehension which hath killed many Sinners take heed what thoughts you take up of the kindnesse of God God doth not come to shew great kindnesse as you do with great unwillingnesse and upon hard terms It joyeth God and pleaseth him to meet prodigalls to kisse them and cloth them notwithstanding all unkindnesse undutifulnesse unnaturalnesse Guilt makes horrour and horrour makes distraction distracted persons whip and cut and wound themselves Dolefull conditions would be pitied above but sinners have no pity to themselves to think so What sovereigne balm is in Christs merit if sinners would be pleased to use it It is pleasing to God to do good but 't is not pleasing to us to receive it the devil is too hard for us all Observe Sathans wiles we shall perish by thousands else though God be pleased to provide salvation for sinners and what a pity is that Tempted souls stirre up the grace of God and believe the word of the Gospel you please your selves in the thought of your sins and in the ruine of your souls through unbelief but God is nor pleased with it God is pleased to contrive your salvation and it would adde to his pleasure to see his contrivement please you and save you Action hath circumstance yours hath Gods hath and yet scarce a soul considers this and yet these are the twigs in our rod that whip us or the rayes in our sunne that chear us Deniall of free grace hath foure aggravations 'T is ingratitude Bounty is sleighted Manna is light bread the smiling face of God hath no lustre God puts out his hand and the sinner lifts up his heel which is grosse ingratitude Love should gain love when God smiles we should smile upon him when the King of glory comes we should open the everlasting doores our thankfulnesse respecting divine favours is the reception of them our ingratitude is the rejection of them Israel would none of me Free grace is the sweetest dish in wisdomes house presented to make two merry together 't is wine upon the lees 't is the fat of the kidneys of wheat 't is the fatted calf and the best garment 't is the heart of God held out 't is the glory of heaven visible to gain hearts what heart hath that man that is not taken with these Unkindnesse sinks deep into sweet spirits God is such a spirit Unkindnesse grieves God this unkindnesse most of all that the fairest of ten thousand should make love to a black-moore that a king should make love to a begger and yet be rejected Your unkindnesse is your ingratitude 'T is rebellion to deny free grace Now we are upon a step higher to beat unkind souls then we were before The harlot Rahab by faith received the spies and perished not with the rebels with them that believed not say you Not to receive what God freely proffers is rebellion it is mans will fighting against Gods the King of kings warred against within his own dominions the King kept out from his own chair of state to wit the soul Shall not God dwell in his own Will you keep him out of his purchase that which he hath paid such a dear rate for The workings of our heart we observe not we are undone by this carelesnesse who strives within and who is thrust out Is it Christ or who is it 'T were worth the inquiry to know who 't is that is resisted by the soul now and then Man through carelesnesse continues a rebell against Christ and knows it not gain-sayings of free grace speaks you all rebels and so you are called by the Psalmist as well as in the place forecited Men and women study your own hearts and tell me how they move It is pleasing to God to embrace you is it pleasing to you to accept him Why not now then your rebellion will be written in heaven if you turn off Christ from time to time Rebellion hath its degrees It is rebellion to abide in unbelief one houre The land in which we live is divided it is deadly to behold The Kings side say we are rebells the Parliaments side say that they are rebells by such an account we are all rebells and truly that 's my fear that we are all rebells to Christ and that this is the reason he makes no better use of us but one to destroy another It were well if spirituall rebellion were looked after betimes 't will end us all else Eternall peace and eternall truth are worth nothing men tread underfoot the bloud of the Sonne of God the grace by which they should be saved and take pleasure in unrighteousnesse and no pleasure in the good pleasure of God which is ready to save them 3. 'T is groundlesse wickednesse to deny the free-grace of God Some action hath reason and then the creature can stand upon his defence But sinners what reason have you for rejecting free-grace You refuse many things for cost you cannot refuse free-grace upon this ground you may have it for nothing God doth cloath lillies and souls alike though they do not spin to make their own apparell yet have most royall habit Every one of Gods children are rich but rise to it out of nothing they have clothing of the best lodging of the best feeding of the best and all for nothing None go so richly none lodge so delightfully none fare so daintily as those that embrace the good pleasure of God Some things yield but a little of what you seek and expect and therefore you decline them but you cannot reject free-grace upon this ground Free love is full love nothing is so full it hath all fullnesse in it It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell What thing of all the things which you are in love with hath all fulnesse in it Things with which you are taken have commonly but one excellency and but a little of that You love some for their wisdome and yet they have not all wisdome and all knowledge You love others for their strength and fortitude and yet they have not all power nor all might yet so hath free grace it hath all kinds of graces in it and the complement of all these The Sonne that smiles upon us is all light and in him is no darknesse Ungracious hearts think of this it will be put home upon you why you have no grace why you have no wedding garment when the great marriage day comes you will presently be espied by one that will then view all here 's a man hath
no grace What 's the reason Could he have none or would he have none To one I answer saith God he might have had grace and life and it would have pleased me to have enriched him with these To the other I will answer saith conscience This wretched soul would have no grace he loved iniquity and hated righteousnesse therefore is he here unrighteous he thought himself rich and vvell cloathed and therefore stands here novv poor and naked 'T is remedilesse wickednesse to deny free grace The miseries of man are many and yet there is but one remedy Free grace hath balm for every wound which rejected every wound is mortall The least sinne is death The wages of sinne that is of every sinne is death For bodily distresses there be many remedies if men will not pitty me when I hunger ravens may If Christians will not pitty when I am sore dogges may but in soul distresses there is but one remedy to wit what God will please to do if God will please to do nothing for me none else will or can No eye pittied thee to do any of these for thee Gods eye pitilesse and there is no eye pittifull nor can be to the soul 'T is storied of the balm that it groweth in the Holy-land and no where else which is the reason of that speech Is there no balm in Gilead Mercy for your souls is in the pleasure of God and no where else Sinners make no more of the favour of God then of the favour of man I live not upon one the heart layeth this conclusion and swelleth and lifteth up the heel Ah wretches you cannot say so of God you live upon one yea upon one thing in God upon the smiles of his countenance upon this that he is free in mercy that it pleaseth him to save souls This point hath been applyed to convince and humble and it may also be applyed in the next place to chear and revive There are burdened hearts I beleeve among you but let no distresse discourage you How great soever the wants of any be let them come to God it pleaseth him to lay out for you Are your wants more then Christ hath where withall to supply What ever Christ hath or can do and what is it that he cannot do it pleaseth God to the heart that he should imploy it for you Men under guilt fancy hard thoughts of God my sinnes are great and God will not pardon yes he will he is ready to forgive it pleaseth him to forgive he hath furnished Christ of purpose and laid out all upon this very designe which is reall demonstration of his pleasure this way If distresse lie any otherwise yet it should not distract because free grace speaketh supply to any distresse that you can mention t is a fountain a fountain open every one may draw and yet none draw drie Your straits are many and you cannot tell which way to get out remember the point in hand that it pleaseth God to contrive relief To undo knots is a troublesome thing especially such knots as unbelief knitteth in the soul and yet God is pleased with this work he is a God of peace made up of peace his whole pleasure as well as his whole imployment lieth this way The God of peace establish and strengthen you saith the Apostle The Apostles words are of great emphasis the Godhead bendeth strongly and delightfully this way to settle poore weak souls which can do nothing themselves Doubts cavills and complaints are many and God quieteth all because his pleasure and delight is in the peace and tranquillity of poore souls He is a God of peace his pleasure is to make peace and a Heaven where he cometh 'T is the pleasure of things to do things naturall to them 't is the pleasure of wicked spirits to torment and vexe and to make hell where ever they come and in this sense the devil may be called the God of warre so 't is the pleasure of God to do things naturall to him to comfort and cheere poore souls to strengthen and establish them to make a Heaven where ever he cometh as a God of and a God at this work Coloss 1.19 For it pleased the Father c. THe reason of what Christ is to man is rendered by the Spirit of God in this Text the cause of his greatnesse and fulnesse to maintain it is the will of God it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell 'T is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word speak will and delight such a pursuit and such action as wherein there is transcendent souls rest Behold my servant which I have chosen my beloved which my soul hath willed Esay 42.1 In whom my soul is at rest saith the Evangelist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the same word here in my Text which noteth that the will and the delight of God are in the furnishing of Christ for us Scriptures compared the word you see soundeth double the will and the pleasure of God are wrapt up in it which we shall unfold one after another Doctr. God shapeth every thing to man according to his own will The will of God is absolute he moveth by a perfect rule his motion is without errour and yet guided in all by that which is no guide in us his own will We have many things from earth from Heaven and all shaped out to us according to the will of God Things below man Things below man are many and various and yet God turneth and windeth them all according to his will Can you tell how many good bodies come out of the earth to wait upon one bad Not one of them would do this but that God giveth them such bodies and shapeth them by his will to such qualities and properties and to such ends and purposes as to give their life to keep up dying man That which thou sowest thou sowest not that body that shall be but God giveth it a body as he willeth 1. Cor. 15.38 Things equall to man 'T is the like respecting things equall to us No creatures would serve one another man would not serve man member would not serve member the eye would not serve the hand nor the hand any other part were they not all shaped to this by the will of God God hath set the members in the body every one of them as he willeth 1. Corinthians 12.18 A foot with so many toes a hand with so many fingers a head with so many hairs bodies with such variety of members soules with such variety of gifts have all their shape according to divine will But all these worketh that one and the self same spirit dividing to every man severally as he will 1. Corinthians 12.11 One hath much wisedome another much knowledge another but a little of either onely enough for a toe to be carried and guided by a bigger and nobler member and yet as much
of the will of God in this as in the other Windes Seas Planners Brutes Men Persons Parts Actions all are carried about with one wheel the will of God Things above man are shaped also Things above man and squared according to the will of God Whatsoever the Lord pleased that did he in Heaven in Earth in the Sea and in all deep places Psalme 35.6 Omnia quae voluit Deus all things which the Lord willed c. God hath no other counsellour but his Will about all businesse businesses here below and businesses above in Heaven God moveth to every thing in Heaven as he pleaseth and maketh conveyance thence of things as he pleaseth God hath many about him and when he hath any businesse to dispatch here below he maketh a messenger to man of whom he will and wrappeth up what good he will and sendeth it along with him The word goeth forth out of Heaven for the souls of men from divine will This wind bloweth where he listeth it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching c. The Spirit goeth forth out of Heaven by the will of God Christ goeth forth from Gods will and all that he bringeth Gods will guideth him to send whom he will and what he will with him from Heaven to Earth It pleased the Father to send Christ out of his bosome and with him all fulnesse from Heaven to Earth All runneth into this that God shapeth every thing to man according to his will Use This maketh a distinction between God and Man Know Gods prerogative and give it him no creature may pursue his own will Man should know his bounds best and he breaketh bounds worst No man may pursue his own will and do whatsoever pleaseth him and yet he thinketh he may Pride is desperate wickednesse the spirit of the Devil is in man he would be as God above God and carry all by his will The enemies said I will pursue I will overtake I will divide the spoil my lusts shall be satisfied upon thee I will draw my sword mine hand shall destroy them Exodus 15.9 All these expressions shew how man doth invade the prerogative of God to move according to his will If they have persecuted me saith Christ they will persecute you Christ relateth many sad things concerning his people but the saddest of all is this that he mentioned at last all these sad things saith he they will do unto you for my names sake Persecuting bloudy wretches is your will absolute May your will be an infallible rule to you as Gods is Are ye men or are ye Gods or are ye Devils Will you do what you will Is it a small thing to you to destroy divine prerogative to step up into the chair of State to slash and cut Truth and the lovers of it with your tongues and pens and hands as you will Malice broke out hypocrisie striveth to hide it men would not have their insides outward but God giveth up man to his will and then the heart is plainly seen Resolution to evill is the punishment of hypocrisie observe these times and you shall see men speak out themselves and write down in red letters what they are A man fast to his will was first very loose from God He that seeth in secret doth not tell all presently loosenesse generateth pride pride generateth perversenesse and now God leaveth the man to his will A man left to his will maketh this his rule as God doth and is a little god in his own eyes doth what he will Know your condition you that know no rule but your will you are hypocrites discovered a generation left of God left by Mercy that Justice may take you Resolution to evill is a sinner upon the top of the ladder putting a halter about his own neck and bidding the hangman to do his office when he will A man pinn'd to his will hath three grand plagues upon him One is this whatever he doth amisse is aggravated still thou didst it wilfully Christ bleeds truth bleeds conscience bleeds and all these take their bloud and throw it in the face of this sinner with this anguish Ah wretch thou gavest us these wounds with thy will thou hast committed wilfull murther we preached unto thee we prayed unto thee we cried and wept unto thee to save our bloud yet thou wouldest not O how is Jerusalems sinne aggravated from their will I would have gathered thee but thou wouldest not I spake words to thee shed tears to thee to save my bloud to love my person and yet thou wouldest not 'T is made self-murther in the Scripture which is the bloudiest murther of all so highly is self-will aggravated O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self 'T is all one as if God had said thou hast been self-willed A man may fall off and yet have his honour with Christ if will move well no sinne is aggravated but all extenuated alas the flesh is weak But 't is enough to me saith Christ that the spirit is willing Bigge-spirited sinners think of this you sinne nothing but bigge sinnes the letters you make are suitable to the penne with which you write them 't is a text penne you write with and they are all text letters which you make and Christ will shew you them in his book hereafter and they will be very plain to be read by men Angels and conscience they are so bigge Aggravation is a willfull sinners plague he sinnes nothing but bigge sinnes all his brats are clothed in scarlet which speaks very loud to conscience Conviction is a second plague of a wilfull sinner this is all his gratulation from Christ fire thrown in his face When ever Christ meets a wilfull sinner he draws his sword at him slashes conscience and wounds it deeply This sinner comes to Church and there Christ meets him and stabbes him to the heart with every word he speaks which is the sword of the spirit this sinner goes into company more suitable to him and yet there too Christ meets him and throws dirt in his face the filth of his action whilst hot that it may be the more scalding in the midst of laughter nips him by the heart Whilest the Saints are before the wicked and the bloud of their names upon their tongues sporting themselves he makes them tremble as he did Felix Bigge vessels that are high above water are easily shot through and through 't is the usuall practise of God to make Pashurs Magor-missabib to shoot them through and through to smite such within as smite his without and to make them fear round about None in stronger terrour at times then stout-hearted sinners This makes vexation which is our next thing to pursue Devils are tormented 't is their proper plague 't is the proper plague of a man pinned to his will to be still crossed and vexed God doth what he can and another doth what he can to please him yet nothing goeth right his will is so
ever according to that Ephes 1.10 That in the dispensation of the fulnesse of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ which are in Heaven and which are in earth Gathered together in one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to renew the state and condition of all Angels and men in and under one head which is here mentioned Jesus Christ That Angels have the same common head with Saints and so consequently the completion of their state in the same head together with us is apparent Col. 2.10 And yee are compleat in him which is the head of all principalitie and power Angels are of the quire above together with the Saints and they all sing one tune and they are of the fellowship below also they are brought in as joynt members of the universall invisible Church You are come to mount Sion to the Citie of the living God to the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels The condition of the greatest states is here considerable The noblest creatures are beholding to Christ things in heaven as well as things in earth Nothing is absolute but God men are noble Angels are noble but they all lean upon one more noble then themselves or else they would fall and become as ignoble as those cursed spirits below us Man is a little lower then Angels Angels a great deal lower then Christ their being is founded in his greatnesse and is confirmed in his goodnesse That grace which is redemption to the lower world is confirmation to the upper There would be no place for pride if this point were well digested None apter to swell in spirit then man man sets us up externally a little and then the Devill sets us up internally much few but swell and break eternally when gotten high in the world I wonder at it were you as high as heaven as high as Angels yet were ye below Christ The body of Heaven in its brightnesse is under his feet Exod. 24.10 What is under Christs feet he can trample upon at pleasure pride is no small sin and yet it growes up the Lord knows from very small things What hast thou that thou hast not received What have things in heaven which they have not and hold not from Christ The lesse may be said for sin the greater 't is and the worse that heart in which it growes Pride is a grand plague 't is one that hath taken leave of Christ and conscience to humor himself but Ah Lord when will this man content himself A man will sooner breake his heart then content his heart which pursues the proud lusts of it A soule devoted to it self is as cruell a Master to serve as the Devill to pursue the dictates of a proud spirit is endlesse work and hell enough for any creature if there were none else to come Soules in this consumption should consider their disease and their cure The remedy of every vice is in Christ this tree hath leaves to cure all diseases There is no distemper in the spirit but Christ may be considered under such a notion as to rectifie it Consider Christ as the keeper up of Angels and 't is enough to keep down the spirit of any man COLOSS. 1.20 Whether they be things in earth c. AS the expression points at things in heaven 't is usefull you see as it speaks of things in earth 't is more proper to us The latitude of divine love downward is as large as upward it reacheth all things in heaven and all things in earth That he might reconcile all things to himself whether things in heaven or things in earth The grace of reconciliation as it works towards things on earth is very vast as it works towards creatures above 't is unexpressible a man cannot tell how many love smiles upon in heaven and therefore generally exprest all things a universall term to note the vastnesse of that kindnesse So as it works towards things on earth 't is inexpressible 't is called all things to note the vastnesse the unexpressible company which Christ embraceth here below A man cannot tell the number of spirits in earth which Christ doth reconcile to his Father in heaven Grace works unexpressibly vast to us ward Doct. Grace doth abound The Lord is upon many waters Psal 29.3 As providence externall so providence internall doth reach forth it self to many Many bodies are saved from sinking in the sea because the Lord is upon the waters So many soules are saved from sinking into hell because the Lord moves upon these many waters too The world is full of troubles as the sea of waves not one but meets with enough to over-turn all if God did not uphold the whole world would fall into a consumption and die as big a body as 't is if God did not uphold Not one nor two nor three but all creatures share in upholding mercy or else all would sink 't is so in a proportion in spirituall respects Satan is an industrious creature to overthrow mans welfare he goes about seeking whom he may devoure none would escape hell if God were not exceeding rich in mercy Satans desire is to destroy all and his malice is attended with such art that it would certainly bring forth its end did not the speciall providence of Christ prevent which it doth and doth it to many the grace of Christ unto life is powred out upon many souls There are many last which are made first as well as many first are made last Many are eternally saved out of the power of Satan as many are prey'd upon by him Grace did work more compendiously then now it doth before Christs coming in the flesh lost sheep of the house of Israel found all that dropt from heaven and they were but few the Lord knoweth one of a City and two of a Tribe But since a great dore of love is opened and many hundred soules in one City yea many thousands in one Countrey come in to the Lord Jesus Christ The white sheet of mercy that is let down from Heaven now is great saith the Text and it hath all manner of beasts in it and the Apostle makes a Comment upon it as I do My vision saith he speaks the grace of Christ working now very richly God hath shewed me that I should call nothing common or unclean He speaks it in the case of Saul not a man so vile so bloody and malicious but the blood of Christ may reconcile him to God the love of God doth now so richly work Mercy is infinite and it works so God shews mercy to thousands from generation to generation Abrahams seed are as the stars of heaven for multitude God hath but one Son but Christ hath many he brings many sons to glory Infinite mercy generates infinitely what is in Christ derives it self to all the nations of the earth Aarons rod buds Christs blessing buds it multiplies into many blessings and spreads all the world over In thee
and commendation for vertue to some of all sorts in the world to every creature under heaven Which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature under heaven A man advantaged with his own experience and with the experience of all others may notwithstanding run against all Finally things have their stedfastnesse of motion not simply as they are advantaged but as advantages are compleat A Watch that hath some wheels true work and others not will go so long and then stand still run so long and then break if every wheel be not compleat work you have a fault in the motion Persons that have most advantage have none compleat wheels are something mended in Saints and set agoing but not finished The old man is outed but not quite the new man Christ is introduced but not fully What our Saviour said of societies that may I of persons ye are clean but not all Satan when he comes findes much in us and of this takes hold and drawes aside A Christian is neer heaven but not quite in it past danger when quite in heaven and not before Some work about a Christian is compleat some again not The work of justification is now compleat but the work of sanctification is not yet compleat the guilt of sin is done away but the filth of it is not and this rusteth the wheels and makes man in his best state vanity a light and an uncertain creature as in his being so in his motion The point in hand is necessarily true i. so that the thing which I say cannot be otherwise that man advantaged is an uncertain creature in a good course Vse If men advantaged are uncertain towards good what will men be that are altogether disadvantaged men in a state of blindnesse perversnesse unsoundnesse Some hold not on others wil never begin good this is the plague of a blind soul God unknown is bid to depart Christ unknown is bid to leave the coasts to give place to Swine the sweetest wayes of Christ unknown men will never set foot in them The Levites Concubine lay forced to death and her hands saith the Text lay upon the threshold of the door Judg. 19.27 so do many souls Satan forces them to death at the door of good their hands as it were upon the threshold of Gods House so neer entring in and yet there Satan with one wile or other forces them to death Ignorance generates prejudice and now you shall see a blind man fencing to keep off Christ and salvation from coming to his house 'T would make a mans soul bleed to heare with what weak things many ignorant hearts are kept off from making so much as profession of some courses that are good they are fools or knaves all that go in such wayes meaning such persons as strive to come neerest the rule of the Gospel Persons are studied not the way that they go in the men are giddie and of no account therefore away with what they professe this is the proprium of a weak brain If Christ himself were present this man would stumble at him and lose his soul rather then he would take acquaintance of such a silly outside Christ hath his glory within so have Saints and the way they walk in The entrance into it as the Wise-man saith gives understanding to the simple Taste how good Christ is in his wayes begin the life of Christ and the Gospel No I will not Ignorance begets wilfulnesse and now Christ knocks no more Ignorance is a great deal of disadvange to a holy course but wilfulnesse a greater This is the strong hold of Satan the Devill crowned and all powers internall and externall united and fighting to keep the crown upon his head Many things torment but one thing gains a Sinner that is the beauty and sweetnesse of the Lord Jesus High spirits shut their eyes and shut their mouths they will stand in no capacity of remedy they will not come neer such a person nor such a place not they Why Christ is there Let who will be there I will not This is rebellion in open act and the Psalmist explains the nature of it 'T is a man setting his heart awry and such a soul surely can never move well a Watch set wrong cannot be stedfast in following the course of the Sun and time of the day And might not be as their fathers a stubborn and rebellious generation a generation that set not their hearts aright and whose spirit was not stedfast with God Psal 78.8 A heart set awry is a desperate disadvantage to an even course where such a temper is men should think of the patience of Christ his love overcomes a stubborn soul O that goodnesse and mercy should wait to embrace a froward heart that will not continue no not begin good Ignorance is a great disadvantage to a steady course wilfulness a greater but Hypocrisie the greatest of all A double minded man is unstable in all his wayes and yet he hath many more then any sinner besides An hypocrites soul is like some wild Downs that have many cross ways upon them some this way some that but none to Christ and therefore the soul loses it self but cannot fix An Hypocrite is one that observes the winds not sweet gales within but gainfull gales without from the world his principles put him upon uncertainties he is ever about to sow but never sows the wind still turns so crosse when or where he will have a harvest I know not Things must be equally poised to make steady and certain motion and in this an Hypocrite is more disadvantaged then any man for he hath a great sail and a little bottome a great head and a little heart great broad wings and a little light body like a Butterfly and as steady in his flight Have you not observed the flight of a Butterfly how in and out he is The reason may be because body and wings carry no proportion 'thas wings big enough and broad enough for a body of some bulk which wanting it cannot master and steer its course steady in the aire Sinners have their proper punishment here as all sins have one common punishment hereafter to wit hell so they have their proper punishment here I may say of all sins but Hypocrisie that they are simply a not coming to Christ but I may say of an Hypocrite that he is one come and gone seemingly come and really gone and Cains curse is gone after him he ranges in forlorn places and things having seven more forlorn spirits in him then he had Truth and integrity is the soul of the soul this is quite dead in an Hypocrite A lie will choose a lie the heart a lie will choose any lying principles and ah what a many lies be there now in the world I am affraid of mens integrity lies are so generally taking and mis-leading now the spirit is as the things it strongly cleaves to Hitherto we have spoken to persons
that might speake matter of hope to thee Despaire in strength is very peremptory in conclusions but never deliberate in examinations of grounds 'T is a soule so tossed and tumbled between Satan and conscience day and night that it hath no power to ponder any thing Pressus ab exemplo discat sperare secunda Thou shalt goe to hell O my soule when thou diest Why I have sinned So did all the Saints that are in Heaven when they were in earth as now thou art did not David sin much in life and yet what a brave hope had he in death Sin enough in life to make him a type of Satan for bloud and unmercifulnesse and yet hope enough in death to make him a type of Christ Thou wilt not leave my soule in grave Yea but some persons sins have a very sad consideration over others have This is a truth but no sin or misery must have any such consideration as to sinke the soule Hold this position all that God doth is to bring us nearer to him If he whip us and strike never so hard or never so strangely 't is to bring us nearer him not to drive us further from him If he strike the body or the soule if he let loose Satan to tempt and let loose the heart to fall 't is to bring the soule nearer to God God doth nothing to drive away thy soule from him nor would he have any thing else doe it and wilt thou doe it thy selfe by every thing thou seest hearest feelest c Despaire makes use of externall senses all together more then of the Bible and construes all things amisse it harpes much upon the intention of God God intends my death he holds me for his enemie fury guides him in all that he doth about me one may run and read his frownes in all his actions Thou frownest alwayes O tempted soule and thou thinkest God doth so Thy soule is precious to Christ he doth not desire its death 't is more precious to Christ then to thy selfe Christ would save it and thou wouldest destroy it he meanes nothing else in the blackest saddest things that are upon thee but love and mercy therefore be not prejudized concerning his intention the saddest things that are upon thee if thou couldest but turne them upside downe thou shouldest see in them the smiling face of God Hold one position more that Gods intentions toward us are accompanied with the readiest means to accomplish them in us Good is long a coming this principle swallowed is destructive to Hope the next step will be this 't will never come Christ long a coming the next crosse makes the soule conclude he will never come Wee may not construe Christ tedious in his motion and yet 't is hard to doe otherwise when much put to it when tryals are sharpest mercy and deliverance is nearest The Heathen rage The Lord of hosts is with us saith the next verse Hold fast I come quickly When 't is as much as ever one can hold tryall being so strong then Christ makes hast and salvation is neare This principle well laid into the soule would make one hope to the end hope to the last man in a battell to the last breath in a sicknesse Jacob comes hindermost of the company Christ comes after all means are done Isaac which signifies laughter is a childe of old age Christ comes out of a withered womb the man-childe that makes us laughter comes out of means given up as barren When Christ throwes a man downe and throwes him very low then is he about to raise him When Christ kills then is he readie to make alive If this were received who could despaire Who would not hope of life when every one gives him over Yea of eternall life Finally hold one position more that Satan and thine own unbelieving heart conspire against thy tranquilitie hope is the joy of a mans life Satan hath none and it addes to his sorrow when he seeth any else have joy it greatens his hell when he sees any else have but a little of Heaven Finall despaire shuts up that cursed spirit and all those that are with him the worme that gnawes me will never die the fire that burnes me is unquenchable the chaines that hold me are everlasting chaines the pit I am in is bottomelesse no possible passage from hence not a drop of mercy falls in here to cole any scorched creature in the space of eternitie this is the tone of Tophet these are the dismall complaints which those restlesse soules below throw out as they role to and fro in that fiery furnace Despairing sinner Satan is fallen in with thy conscience to conjure thy soule into this condition Thou art in hell upon earth as that other phrase is of her that is dead while shee lives Tell me How dost thou sleepe How dost thou eate How dost thou walke How dost thou talke How dost thou looke Is not thy moisture turned into the drought of summer Thy body turned into skin and bones Alas for thee poore soule God never made such a way as this to Heaven 't is Satan and thy owne despairing heart one evill spirit tormenting another just as they doe below and the designe is to seale the soule up for wrath despaire is the black seale of the bottomlesse pit Lay all this together now and doe but thinke how unkindly you deale with Christ for all his love and paines which hath done so much for the tranquilitie of your life to make you hope here and possesse hereafter Christ hath taken upon him your debts there is not a sin that ever you committed not a trespasse against any rule but he will be accountable for it and in your stead and all to make you hope Some friends will undertake for part of ones debt to make one chearfull and this is much love too much to be slighted but then there remaines something behind and that sads and sinkes the heart How shall I pay that Bleeding soule Christ leaves thee no debt to pay no sin to answer for 'T is lively set out in that Parable Luk. 18.32 O wicked servant I forgave thee all that debt because thou desirest it shouldest not thou also have compassion on thy fellow-servant What should make feare when all is discharged If I did know it were so Dost thou not desire it should be so Wouldest thou not have all right and sweet between God and thy soule rather then any thing Yes Why this may be a demonstration to thee that all is right and even between God and thee Did I not forgive thee all thy debt because thou desirest me God forgives debts to Christ upon exact satisfaction but Christ forgives debts to us upon complaining of them and groaning under them and desiring their discharge upon a heart panting to be clean the voice goes forth from Christ I will be thou cleane Panting languishing soule for mercy thou hast obtained mercy thou desirest to
very exactly A true glasse is of worth All light flatters but the Gospel That 's an oyntment indeed which takes off all scales and makes perfect sight in any one and this is the propertie of the Gospel to whom soever it comes though an ideot as the originall is he is convinced of all 't is spoken as the naturall property of this light man cannot hide any thing from it It makes an exact discovery of man and an exact discovery of God so far forth as such powers as we have here are comprehensible it shines into our hearts and gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God it discovers mans glory to wit his soule and the glory of God to wit his heart and his soule towards man two such properties as are not to be found in any light The glory of God is his face all other light discovers but his back parts or if it speake any thing about the face of God 't is as vailed To see the King is a great favour but to see him in state that 's a great friendship indeed There be many things have glory which if any one could give one eyes to behold wee should account it a great priviledge if any one could set me as Satan would have set Christ to behold the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them as is there exprest I should be ready to thinke it a great priviledge and yet all this glory not comparable to the glory of God all these things that glitter here below are but the dust of that gold above but some old cast garments which the King lays at his feete and gives to some poore servants and slaves they are but as cast-rags given to diseased creatures The glory of God is not to be exprest the Gospel helpes us to Pauls vision to behold unutterable things The face of God is his glory the face of a man is his glory Distinguishing propriety whether such a one be a brother a sister a father I can tell you when I see his face which is glorious to me when I behold The Gospel gives a distinct knowledge of God by this and by this alone I am enabled to look as it were in his face and to discerne in what relation I stand to him and he to me whether I be his childe and he my father or otherwise Mercy considered in such a latitude as eternally to save is cald the glory of God condiscension to the creature offending taking him up in his armes 'T is cald the glory of a man to passe by a fault to abide sweet when others are bitter to smile and embrace when there is no invitement but all discouragement this is cald the glory of a man and this is cald the glory of God The Gospel and no light else holds forth transcendent condescension in God by all other light wee conceive of him as one that is austere as one that will not yeeld a whit as one that will have the utmost farthing his own with advantage or inflict death The Gospel holds forth all sweet condescension in God it sets him forth as one inviting come blinde halt as one waiting to be gracious thirty forty fifty threescore yeares to the last houre and yet giving a penny to him that came in last as well as to him that came in first it sets him out as one that goes about to folkes-dores and knockes sinners doe you need any mercy doe you need any thing for your soules or bodies to make you blessed for ever you may have it for nothing Milke and honey wine and oyle tryed gold and royall apparrell The Gospel sets out God as one that expostulates with man about the matter of his good Why doe you lay out your money for that which is not bread And why will you die The Gospel sets out God as one beseeching man to be reconcild as one that delights to exercise loving-kindnesse to make it his work his daily businesse to forgive sins and to bring souls to heaven at his own cost this is transcendent condiscension and this is the glory of God in the eye of a poor sinner this makes him shine more glorious then any thing in the world and all this the light of the Gospel discovers discovers in us hath shined into our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God Vse The Gospel is a grand favour but I am affraid we do not count it so Manna is loathed we love darknesse more then light That light which discovers us and makes our nakednesse appear is a plague and no blessing to thousands What is more inraging and more deadly to some persons then the powerfull words of the Lord Jesus What is more inraging at this day then the shining light of the Gospel Our misery is great the cause apparent we shut our eyes against the light The Prince of darknesse shall rule this is the vote of thousands Where Satan raigns do you expect any other but a hel rending and tearing howling and yelling Brave England is turn'd into a hel oppressing racking rending weeping wayling and gnashing of teeth and why Certainly the Prince of darknesse raigns amongst us have you a glimpse of that feind in all this our hel and misery If there were indeed a true love of the Gospel amongst us could there be such fighting abroad and at home amongst us as there is As light is precious it conquers as light conquers pride falls pride fallen the Lion is a Lamb Lambs rend not nor tear one another We rend and tear one another name state all that is dear and would be to one another as the very devils are Ah Lord Is this a Christian Land a Land honouring the Gospel Doth it conquer us Is the Spirit of the Gospel in us whose hearts burn like hel in pride and malice against one another The hand of the Lord is upon an hypocriticall people get it off who can You say you love the Gospel and yet think the Land too good for them that faithfully professe it He that hates his brother in his heart is a murtherer a bloody spirit is in you a bloody hand of justice is upon you if this right not the innocent and publish the hyporcisie of this generation to all the world then say that Christ hath not spoken by me Would the sword were sheathed saith many would it had done its work say I. We needed through launcing mens basenesse comes out freely 't is a mercy to know who loves the Gospel and how How long will England bleed ere good blood appear Will that good bloud be so little as not enough to hold life in the State O that will be sad Sinners look about you you that dissemble with your light are the plagues of the Land doe you call whom you will troublers this will be found the truth which I have said you are the troublers and the destroyers of the Land and the
like his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 no condition desperate to Christ he can give sight to one that is born blinde he 〈◊〉 change the spots of the Leopard plague spots all things touching the fallen condition of man are possible to him 't was spoken you know by himself upon a sad fight which none of Christs Disciples could do good to to wit one rended and torn by Satan which Christ cured with ease There be many thousand impossibilia to us yea in us not a sin in a mans soul the least but is impossible to us to subdue because in our nature Can a Leopard change his spots any one of his spots He may lick at them but can he remove them 'T is as if Christ had said Can a sinner take out any stain in his soul he may lick at them by prayer and the like but he cannot remove them because as a nature to him yet I can do it as if Christ had said I can take out any spot out of any cloth out of any part soul or body He is able to save all that come to God by him Christ hath this vast power and he cannot suspend it If he refuse to do what he can for any distressed creature that comes unto him and be the most miserable in the world he will displease his Father which we know he would not do he would undergo hell first The power that Christ hath for the good of sinners is necessarily acted The Sun shines upon all the world and it cannot do otherwise Christ in the 6th of John when he had discoursed largely according to what latitude and compasse he wrought for the salvation of souls he puts it to this conclusion I can do no lesse saith he for this is the will of my Father that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him might have everlasting life if it be the tatterdst the forlornst creature in the city that looks pitifully upon me I must look pitifully upon him if he hang about me for soul favour I must in no wayes cast him off but take him out of the jaws of death and carry him in my arms to eternall life What is the will of the Father is the will of Christ the will of Christ naturally not artificially in a way of self-deniall and contest as the will of God is said to be a Saints will so that what the Father would have Christ own Christ cannot but own for the same Spirit is in him and in the same measure and therefore you have him setting himself forth by the Prophet just as I do as one bound by that Spirit which anointed him The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and he hath anointed me to preach unto these and these and to comfort all that mourn a Christ doth not say the will of the Lord is nakedly revealed to me how far I shall shew mercy and how far not but the same Spirit that speaks to me saith he is upon me i. in the same measure that it speaks to me 't is in me and so necessitates me to obey or captivates me as my own nature and as my own affection God is captivated with love toward all captives so am I saith Christ he would have all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth Jewes and Gentiles so would I too saith Christ the same bottomlesse sea of love that fluctuates in his breast is in mine the Father and I are one and often Christ uses this expression when he speaks about love to the creature Vse Sinners if ever you would be saved consider this point well how wide the arms of Christ are how big the bosome of mercy is it hath many thousands between her breasts already and yet there is roome for you The love of Christ is not coy 't is not humerous ' thath not naturall antipathy against any but persons that sleight it Sinners sinners I beseech you consider it at what height you love your sins Do you love your sins above your bodies above your estates and names yet there may be hope Do ye love your sins above your souls this is sad yet there may be hope But do ye not love your sins above that love which stands with her arms open to you yet for all this What hope can there be in this case How can you escape the damnation of hell as Christ spake to this generation There is no art to make the soul set open the everlasting dores like telling him of the King of glory which would come in I conclude so because 't is the art the holy Ghost useth Mercy held out in the extent of it is the King in visible glory drunkards swearers adulterers set open your everlasting dores the King of glory would come into you he would forgive your sins against the light of Scripture your sins against the light of nature your beastly sins I those wherein you have been worse then beasts your sins against your own bodies as well as against your own souls Love would get her self a name upon you by cleansing and kissing of Swine by laying a Toad in her bosome by bringing a devill out of hel to heaven Can you spit in the face of this Love now in the sight of all this congregation and turn to your lusts again Mercy comes to all your dores she falls down at all your feet will you tread upon her Mercy shews you what she would have you do Christ humbles himself to the dust laies himself at all your feet if you would but do the like to him not a soul of you should perish We hold out to you now the riches of grace if it work kindly you shall know it by this the soul longs to be partaker of it this grace must be nourished if longing die ere it obtain the soul is guilty of stifling the Spirit What buds in the soul will blossome do but keep it in the Sun all that are weary and heavie laden have ease all that are opprest with the devill are healed 't is the thing we are upon If this grace work not kindly the soul hardens it self in its sin If love be so large I may go on in my sin yet a while longer and do well enough at last God rejects none not young sinners not old sinners I will make as much as I can of my sin and lie as long as I may in the lap of Delilah if I must part with it I will part with it at last when I must part with all Death is seised violently upon this soul he vomits his excrements Would a Judas speak worse then this man I will keep my covetousnesse and treachery as long as I can if I must leave it it shall be at last when I leave this world my master and my hope for ever You cannot imagine the depth of guile that is in our hearts naturally
no man will say so much as before said in words but thousands say it in deeds say what we will what we can of justice of mercy of the latitude of these yet sinners will drive on in their own courses as long as liberty strength and life will give leave These hearts are dead in trespasses Let what Sun will shine upon the dead it warms them not these sinners are twice dead dead naturally and dead voluntary they have tasted of the sweet of their wayes and they get much wealth and pleasure by it and they are not children to part with a reality for a fancie These are whole and need not a Physician our work is quickly done about these Burthened souls you are the proper subject of mercy and of this discourse the call of this doctrine is to you Come every one of you to Christ and ye shall have ease he excludes none Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavie laden A loded soul is self-condemn'd he cannot stand under the sense of sin and wrath alas who can A soul self-condemned hath a halter about his neck of his own making but do not hang thy self the King of Israel is very mercifull he hangs none that comes to him as thou dost with a halter about his neck hold a parly with him for thy life thou mayst bring him to what terms of mercy thou wilt almost Bid Christ make Propositions of peace Lord what wilt thou have me to do If he say that he wil have thee do this and do that deny thy self and follow him pluck out thy right eye and cut off thy right hand and the like tel him that through him thou canst do all things give me thy self and I will part with any thing lend me thine hand and I will rise draw me and I will run after thee Nothing is vile to me but that which thou forbiddest nothing dear but that which thou commandest only let me touch the hem of thy garment let me take hold of thy skirt and I shall accomplish thy will and mine own This request cannot be denied Make this conclusion and feed upon it under all desertion and temptation Christ is ingaged furnished yea about this very design to give himself to thee Christ is ingaged for thee by petition thou hast put up many petitions to him and he hath put them up all to God he could do no otherwise for he is by place an Advocate to mention and plead such cases as are moved to him Christ is furnished by concession for he is heard in all that he askes my Father heareth me always We ask many things and misse because we ask amisse Christ alwayes asketh well and speeds well therefore conclude of reliefe You that mourne after Christ he will send a Comforter The command of God is upon Christ he shall be a light to the Gentiles When Christ ingages himself by petition for any God doth alwayes ingage him by concession and by accomplishment for it See thou do this poor soul good my Son here is for him according to all that he needs let it be laid out upon him according to all thou sayest will make him happy Must he have my Spirit my comforting Spirit will no lesse nor no cheaper thing make him smile will not a little Saffron mixed with some spirituous liquid make him laugh No must he have my Spirit my Joyâ—s then here ' t is But be sure my Son that thou give it him The injunction of God is upon Christ He shall be a light to the Gentiles God doth trust no Doctor no Apothecary none but Christ himself about drouping souls and he puts into his hand cordials of infinite price and saith that he shall give them and his blessing with them that he shall be not only means of light but Light it self to dark souls that is the blessing of means as well as means That Christ is about and upon giving himself to thee O soul I will demonstrate to thee thus Christ hath looked upon thee this is the first thing a man doth when he intends to bestow himself upon any Abasuerus viewed the damosels first The Son hath looked upon thee that the Son hath looked upon thee is apparent for the beauty of his countenance hath taken thee and thou wouldest fain have his Image to wear in thy breast and if all thou hadst would buy it how willingly wouldst thou part with it the words which fall from Christs lips are as marrow and those which suit thy state as marrow and fatnesse Surely the King hath looked upon thee and more he hath a liking to thee Thou lovest him thou mayst conclude therefore that he loved thee first We love him because he loved us first the man makes love first Christ wooed thee long ere he thus far gained thee though thou take no notice of it Nay more then this Christ hath bestowed love-tokens upon thee surely he is bestowing himself to thee Christ hath given thee by us his messengers as Abrahams servant a golden eare-ring bracelets for thine hands by the word whch we preach he hath given thee his Spirit thou breathest as Christ doth very sweelty I do not smell it No one cannot smell his own breath when 't is sweet only when it stincks much but others smell it in every room where thou comest Would Christ were mine Is not this the period still of thy expression at the end of every discourse Such an one hath got so much and so much saith one to thee dost not thou reply would Christ were mine and then I had got more then he Dost thou not gaspe only after Christ when thou fetchest breath deepest That 's the Spirit of the Lord Jesus which makes sighs and groans which cannot be expressed he and thee sigh together one in another and one after another Love is mutually set the contract is made only 't is not published to the world some deliberate time is used about this 'T is a distinct thing from being Christs to know that I am his and that he hath bestowed himself upon me and all the wranglings quarrellings and gain-sayings of Satan and a mans own soul will not be quite dead till the soul be quite in the bosome of Christ When one argues from the beams of the Sun that there is a Sun me thinks the cavillingst spirit of unbelief that is should lie still Had no body ever taken notice of any ray of the Sun appearing in the soul to argue from only the word of grace pressed and the man that was al the dayes of his life a vile wretch beholding his own necessity and the riches of goodnesse and laying hold upon it he were bound to believe that Christ accepted of him and bestowed himself upon him I beseech you weak souls know two things and you cannot but be strong Know the riches of the Gospel and know the obligement of the Gospel it tenders mercy 1. freely and so it 2. must be owned
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a house and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to distribute Which makes the sense run thus according to that family distribution which God hath made to me The holy Ghost distinguisheth gifts into good and perfect both come downe from above but under a diverse notion the one as common to all the World the other as proper to his Family they are good gifts in themselves which bade men have their health their wealth their learning all good gifts but not perfect gifts they want one thing as our Saviour spake to the young man in this case and this one thing the maine of all to wit the speciall love of God fatherly mercy rapt up in them Family distribution is fatherly goodnesse speciall mercy a perfect gift Choyce indowment is mans blessednesse Doct. This God gives All the posterity of Jacob were blessed but Joseph was a Nazarite amongst his Brethren saith the Text i culled out by speciall providence from all the rest and choicely indowed and imploid the very creame of Love dished out to him The pretious fruits brought forth by the Sun and the pretious things which put forth by the Moone and the chiefe things of the ancient Mountaines c. And observe here the prime blessing is brought up in the Reare that which makes all other gifts perfect and the favourable acceptance of him that dwelt in the bramble the favour and love of God wrapt up in every thing wee have is that which makes them full mercies and this had Ioseph Deut. 83.16 he had top favours blessings came upon his head upon the top of him that was a Nazarite from his brethren This kind of providence died not with those persons and times but lives still in an Evangelicall sense Christ goes through this World and picks out here and there one from among his brethren and makes him a Nazarite indowes him with choyce mercies Family dispensations bespangles him with such Jewells as they weare above in his own Court riches of the body and riches of the minde and inlayes them all with the good will of him that dwelt in the Bramble This was prophecied then when the Patriarchs had their speciall indowments and touched in their kindnesse the Scepter shall not depart from Judah c. and unto him shall the gathering of the people be Gnammim peoples Gnammim binding his foale unto the Vine and his Asses colt unto the choyce Vine Gen. 49.11 Christ doth gather and select still even among the Gentiles As far as us Gentiles doe these words looke To him shall the gathering of the peoples bee Not one people to wit the Iewes but peoples Jewes and Gentiles A choyce Vine Christ findes out amongst us Trees of speciall vertue and noble blood and spirits above all Trees and ties his foale to these unites himselfe to this body by the same spirit by which he so indowed and ennobled that ancient people of the Iewes Choyce indowments being mans blessednesse and this sesable that which God gives now I would fasten this naile in the temple with a word of use Vse Content not your selves with common blessings covet the best gifts seeke family favours childrens mercies or you cannot be happy We place blessednesse here t is not here t was here but is not now t is risen t is above there must your industry lie Seeke those things which are above where Christ is at the right hand of God The mercies of Gods owne family make us and none else Such dispensations as have the speciall love of God wrapt up in them Let no man thinke this an unpossible thing to attaine the things that are above will come down to the conservation of the whole the naturall Heavens will descend the supernaturall will too Christ though at the right hand of God will come down and sit at your right hand and guide you and impart the things that are above to you clothe you in the habit and fashion of that countrey if sought to and desired But the plague is our hearts are carnall and lust onely after low things we place blessednesse in our belly and worship Dagon Dagan frumenti Deus a belly-god The Apostle alludes to this where he saith Whose God is their belly Red pottage lusted after the birth-right is nothing How affection workes is not heeded by you yet your life is in it and it goes to the heart of God to see how you lavish and lay it out for that which is not of any nobility or worth in order to such creatures as you are Wherefore doe you spend money for that which is not bread not white bread not living bread not that bread which came down from Heaven not such as the family above feede on You that feed on such mercies owe much to God I will touch this and conclude You that are like Joseph Nazarites among your brethren separated from thousands of your owne flesh and bone and made great endowed with Noble gifts and imployed in Noble workes to attend upon the great King of all the world as his onely favourites your should doe as Joseph Goe saith he haste ye to my father and tell him thus saith thy sonne Joseph God hath made me Lord of all Egypt come down to me tarry not Genes 45.9 divine mystery is in all this and it hints your duty goe haste you to Heaven and tell your father what honour is by the Lord Jesus bestowed on you that he hath made you Lords over all Egypt over all your lusts which did keepe you in bondage that he hath put his owne ring upon your hand and his owne Gold-chaine about your necke and made you secundi the next to him in all the world and onely in the Throne is greater then you t is a sweet thing to be going often to Heaven and telling there how much we feele of it upon earth Choice endowments call for choice duty as we are winged we should mount There were choice vowes under the old covenant Deut. 12.11 Some choice offerings that upon some choice mercies received they performed to God You have received choice mercies make choice vowes understand me Gospelly make sweet Gospell raptures of all Noble favours received Your Roman dames had some Jewels worth millions which they called uniones because they were incomparable and had none like them singulars such as had no fellowes and these they bequeathed when they died as an inheritance to posterity they were of so great worth God hath given unto you such precious Jewels uniones singular gifts such as cannot be fellowed in many of your brethren weare these Jewels every day though it was the fashion of the Roman dames to weare their uniones upon great daies hold forth all your choice gifts choicely to the great glory of Christ My Dove my undefiled is but one she is the onely one of her mother she is the choice one of her that bare her the daughters
mens hands are something tyed up now by common distresse but with the tongue we are killed all the day long men spit blood which is a sad signe and they most which pretend most to more then ordinary knowledge and yet are brute beasts as the Apostle Peter speakes in many things and speake evill of things they know not 2 Pet. 2.12 who saith he shall utterly perish in their owne corruption This is so certaine that it is called an evident token of perdition by the Apostle Matter of admiration and thansgiving might also be suckt from this point if we had time to lie longer at the brest though all men forsake Christ yet shall not Christians utterly one might go this way and make sweete Musick Our mercy is eternall our miseries but for a moment Christ doth but hide his face when he seemes most out with us he doth not cast off nor put away he hates that in order to his Spouse though he give her to the Rod yet t is not to the black Rod to a fatall stroake Our prime mercies are married to us which is as sure as the being of any thing will afford a marriage Knot holds we know till the very being molders which thing should take us much it much tooke Solomon that God had spoken well of his house for a great while The eternity of mercies is that which makes them Heaven such is the Sun that shines upon you Saints COLOS. 1.27 To whom God would make known THe title of the Gospell the subject the object the end of it are all in this verse before us to consider some of these other verses have led us to the consideration of already they will be passed by here others present us with fresh entertainment and there we shall sit down a while and feed The Gospell is nam'd according to its nature a mystery Moses vailed to a carnall Jew Christ vailed to a carnall professour a Sunne shining full in the face of thousands and yet onely seen by one or two of them one in a Tribe two in a City one in the midst of many and yet seen but by one There is one in the midst of you whom ye know not whom ye see not that 's the originall John 1.26 This is a mystery indeed this title was given in the verse before and then opened The subject of the Gospell is here specified and amplified specified to wit Christ Which is Christ c. The Gospell hath Moses vertue in her bosome he had one sat in his bosome which did wonders wither and restore Put thy hand into thy bosome saith God and when he tooke it out his hand was leporous as Snow Put thy hand into thy bosome againe saith God and he did so and behold his hand was turned as his other flesh Exod. 4. 6 7. Moses had a notable one which sat in his bosome the same hath the Gospell and can doe as he did to wit put hands and hearts into his bosome and make them leprous and white as Snow that is make persons see their filth and cry out unclean uncleane and then can put these very leprous creatures into his bosome againe and bring them out white and ruddy incarnate Roses as that of Sharon in the Gospell the Gospell is the poole that hath no lesse then an Angell the Angell of the covenant stirring and healing cripled creatures in it t is Bethesda a house of effusion of the bravest liquid blood and spirits in the world to wit Christ crucified this is the subject of the Gospell Christ the subject of the Gospell is here amplified by his Throne and by the revenew belonging to it Christs Throne is in the hearts of his people which is Christ in you and this is a mystery indeed This world lies in wickednesse it lies overflown with the deluge of sinne and wrath the Dove hath an Arke in which she rides and flotes above this deluge to wit the heart of Saints here he abides till this deluge be dried up and the curse of the earth taken away and all things restored again and then hee will resigne his Throne to his father Christ is specified from his Throne and from the revenue of it which is great and honourable a vast estate which is cald here riches to whom God would make known what is the riches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is not from Pluto to note riches which are from beneath of which commonly the divell is in some kind the author but the word notes here heavenly riches of which God is not in some kind but in all kind the authour and therefore called riches of glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of splendour fame the state of a Christian lies in orientall Pearles all his goods lands beds hanging all full of sparkling precious Stones all riches of glory The end of the Gospell is here set down doubly ultimus ultimatus Salvation and that which is necessarily conducing and subordinate to this to wit affection and affiance the one of which is named in the end of the verse hope and set out in state as it fastens upon its highest and last object Christ in Heaven the hope of glory The other is mentioned in the beginning of the verse and called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desire to know affection to divine revelation above all things to be well acquainted with the glorious mystery which belongs to faith and salvation to all which the will of God hath given concurrence in order to us Gentiles after a speciall manner To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery c. Would make known 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifies desirous to know Longing passions stir when the soule is made alive A Christian is a hungry thirsty man Hee bares alwaies and yet travels alwaies ever bearing and yet ever budding and blossoming as some Apple-trees which have buds and blossomes upon them at the same time when full of ripe fruit The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life his affection action his motion Heaven-ward hath life in it everlasting life t is as a tree that is growing above ground or under ground upward or downward in root or branch alwaies T is an expression in opposition to an hypocrite or one which beares much one yeare and dies the next His love withers it doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fall off as the Apostle expresses it as blasted blossomes The affection of a Christian doth not so t is as that tree of life in Eden pleasant fragrant growing alwaies yea t is that tree of life Christ in the soule Christ in you The dishes at Wisdomes table are all very delightfull and all carriage and entertainment there is very drawing which is the ground we run still after him In this mountaine shall the Lord make a feast of fat things a feast of Wine on the lees of fat things full of marrow and to hint to you that
out sinne and it can repeat this act till all be throwne out and Christ quiet and at rest in the soule Veestroph therefore is Gospell cleansing called repurgation Esay 1.25 I will turne my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy filth The word is repurgabo I will purge and purge againe till I have taken away all filth and made all pure and therefore translated purely purging I will warne and warne againe warne and teach line upon line precept upon precept till all bee out that Christ dislikes and all in that Christ loves till darknesse be quite dispelled and the sonne of righteousnesse risen Righteousnesse for the nature of it is as the Sun pure and making the minde and the soule so and therefore doth the Apostle Peter use this phrase to stirre up your pure mindes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 3.1 mindes as pure as the Sunne so the word signifies which is by much purging the widdowes childe that was brought to life neses seven times and Naaman the Leper he washt him seven times and their legall sprinklings were seven times all pointing at this that grace in its course doth double it selfe warne and teach make cleane and perfect work Christ doth purifie to and for himselfe this necessitates full purification when he takes any soule to refine the patterne to which he workes is himselfe Warning will not doe it to make us like such a patterne there must bee warning and teaching a throwing out of filth and a bringing in of grace single action will not make the soule like Christ The force of reprehension drives onely at negative grace warning catries the strength of prohibition forbids some evill when this is laid downe I am not like Christ hee was not onely negatively good but positively he had no guile in his mouth to be warned of but this was not all to say that his lips were not foule or were not sore will not expresse their glory they were as a thred of Scarlet as the expression in the Canticles is they had a positive glory and beauty Grace was powred into his lips Psal 45.2 And therefore not only warning but teaching also is necessary to sute our state to his to make us like him some acts to cast out and others to bring in we are cloathed with change of raiment 't is a brave expression Zach. 3.4 Iniquity is made to passe away and then something is brought in the stead of it and unto him he said behold I have caused thine iniquity to passe from thee and I will cloath thee with change of raiment Warning and Teaching are change of raiment they speak the complement of a Christian full purity sinne removed and grace in the place of it and this necessary because wee are shapt to such a patterne to wit Christ Wee are renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created us Col. 3.10 The mould according to which things are made spiritually new is the exactest of all Christs owne image was the patterne in the first creation and this is the patterne in the second creation if 't were any patterne else our purity might abate of fulnesse and yet answer the authors intention Christ doth purifie to and for himself but this later I will not touch Vse Saints are sad sinne is so lively deformity seen is humbling and this is good 't is also dejecting in some soules and this is bad I am so filthy I shall never be made cleane so black so ugly that God will not know me God knows who are his when they themselves do not Corruption in us destroyes not knowledge nor love in God he knows and bosomes a Lazarus a man regarded of none so diseased as curable by none yet hath both from Christ favour cure Christ can love where none else can heal where none else can nor will Power nor wil are not disproportionable in Christ though ought so in us in order to many particulars let one lead t'other followes alwayes Hath grace begun with thee 't will finish the love of God in order to such an end hath the power of God wrapt up in it to accomplish it the word of grace or the word making grace is the power of God till grace be perfected 't is the power of God to salvation as the least seed by divine concurrence hath a vertue in it that will carry it on to maturity Mourning hearts think of the nature of Gospel-purification 't is full but know how 't is carried on to this fulnesse by multiplication of acts warning and teaching and this multiplication continued warning and teaching Participles of the present tense which note continued acts there is purgatio and repurgatio a course of Physick purging and purging againe things are not refined presently fire must rise to such a strength and then continue such a length and this exactnesse of order to prevent miscarriage that the precious metall desired may be fully attained and not done to burn and consume it Is thy soule long a cleansing call it mercy not misery God tenders thy frailty and the preciousnesse of the mettle he is drawing out of the Ore he would lose neither thy person nor his work the refining fire is as hot as thou canst beare it thy purges are as strong and as oft repeated as thy strength will endure unlesse he should purge away life and all This you may be assured that how filthy soever you are your purification shall be full the unction shall bee as the conveighance through which it s made your spirits shall be as the Word of God that cleanseth it and what purer thing than the Word of God You shall be cleane through the Word and cleane as the Word pure as he is pure this is bravely set out in a Metaphor of gold by the Prophet Zachary the Pipe gold and the Oile conveighed in it gold too What be these two Olive branches which through the two golden Pipes empty the golden oyle out of themselves Zach. 4.12 Golden Pipes and these have golden oyle out of themselves that which Christ doth give out of himselfe out of his Word and out of his Spirit 't is as himselfe as pure and as glorious in the nature of it and at last in the degree of it according to externall view so as that the one is called by all that look upon it gold pure and glorious so shall the other This you may be further assured that this shall be done freely the utmost benefit not the least cost look to the wounded man saith Christ let all his wounds have Wine and Oyle warning and â—eaching cleansing and healing and I will pay all Josiah's filthy garments are taken away from him by another he is not at cost no nor at paines to doe it himselfe he gives nothing nor doth nothing Our doing in our cleansing is defiling if there do any thing appear in us tending to put away our filth 't is not of us 't is
the heart is vitall or mortall to dispatch the creature for his furthest end To make miserable or blessed here is not the furthest end of internall operation though the furthest end of externall operation Externall donations which are the workes of Gods hand their furthest end is to make a sweet condition here as riches and the like they will availe here Money answers all but they will not availe any further then here for the felicitating of man they will not availe in death much lesse in judgement to doe man any service but the furthest end of internall operation is to make cursed or blessed in death and after death in another world when and where nothing else can There be gifts that be meere Spirit which have not a jot of any carnall thing in them these we call internall these are moulded some by justice some by mercy and you shall see what their end is by an instance or two God hath given them a spirit of slumber Rom. 11.8 Here hee speakes of operations all spirit God hath given them a spiris of slumber internall workes and the Prophet tels the end and issue of these t is decisive to dispatch them they have a spirit of slumber that they may goe away in a slumber Shut their eyes lest they should see with them stop their eares lest they should heare with them and convert and be healed Internall operation wee see dispatches the soule one way or other Into whatsoever house ye enter say peace and if that would not take speak death These were but emblems of Christs internall action Into what house or heart Christ goes to worke by his Word and Spirit hee makes through worke the Axe is then to the root it makes excision or circumcision at least All internall operation is to cut off sinne off the soule He is a Jew that is one inwardly Circumcision is that of the heart When he goes to worke inwardly he doth excise or circumcise and thus I have opened the nature of internall operation The worst evill is curable the greatest good attainable this issues naturally from this point that there is such an engine to be found that can worke inwardly Our greatest maladies are those that are within that one plague that was upon Pharaohs heart to wit the hardning of it was more then the ten plagues upon his outward man Evils are not rightly weighed this is one of the greatest evils they which strip us most of externall things they are accounted greatest no they are not that which gnawes upon the soule after outward things are gone is greater There is death and the bitternesse of death as Agag said the one it is a greater evill then the other by farre The death of husband wife child or the death of estate is nothing if it be but a naked departure of these if their ghost doe not walke afterwards in the soule if there be not after their departure a bitter tang in conscience as evilly got or as evilly kept got with too little conscience and kept with too much affection the cup of affliction fill it as full as the world or as satan can if God doe not put one Ingredient in it or other to make it off with a tang and a touch upon the spirit t is nothing when a malady doth fester inwardly and lights of some blood-vessels that carries it more directly to the heart then it is a malady indeed and yet in these cases there is hope if taken in time because there are things inwardly vertuall and operative so we can say spiritually the strongest poyson that the soule hath taken in cannot render the condition desperate because there are things of an internall vertue operations that can reach the soule Christ can purge the inward man and can let the inward man blood with his Word he can pricke the heart any tumor or swelling in it and let out all the watery or fiery matter that is in it he can wound the spirit and then heale it make clouds and then expell them make darknesse upon the face of the deepe upon the soule that deepe part of man and then make a Sunne rise in this horizon in that more then halfe the little world that lies out of fight when more then halfe the little world is drowned when that in part of man is quite overwhelmed yet then is not the case desperate nor should any soule give it up as so Misery sometimes arises to extremity extremity is darknesse without any light a whole Army engaged and routed without fightings within feares the hand can doe no more the head doe no more all faculties have pumpt themselves dead in the place I cannot thinke a thought to refresh me the waters are come in to my soule and come in so deepe that I give up my selfe for lost This poore soule hath more sorrow then is godly Pressure is unkind when it oppresses oppression is not alwaies from another I may be an oppressor to my selfe and this is when I write death upon my person because Christ hath written death upon all my actions Wher thou canst doe no more wilt thou give up thy soule for lost if this should be generally practised there would not a soule be saved Waters are come into thy soule and thy heart is overwhelmed and yet in this deepe internall distresse a Rocke may be found something higher then thee may appeare for reliefe by a supreame hand From the ends of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed lead mee to the Rocke that is higher then I Psalm 61.2 When the water is got in to me and overwhelmes my heart yet then there is one higher and taller then I that can pull mee out of these deepe waters pull body out yea pull soule out and save the heart when it is overwhelmed The worst evill is curable the greatest good attainable I see by this point The greatest good in this world is that which Christ most loves that which he most loves is truth in the inward parts Wee are taken with outward beauty and outward glory Christ is not All the glory of this world was shewed to him by satan at once and yet no temptation to him affection not stird a jot internall glory takes Christ much truth in the heart himselfe seated in the soule is the greatest good in the world to him and to us and this takes him exceedingly If the Divell when hee tooke Christ and set him upon the top of a high place could have taken Christ and set him downe in any mans heart and seated truth in the inward parts of any one though it had been the poorest person in the world this would have taken him indeed but Satan cannot doe this for Christ neither doth Christ need it from him he can doe it himselfe he works inwardly at a greater depth and from a more underived strength then he hee can take Chariot in his Word and ride over all the