Real condemnation of our selves and not onely verbal p. 206 c. In this Condemnation three sorts of men sit Judges 1. The Carnal man p. 209. 2. The Rational man and he 〈◊〉 the Carnal p. Ibid. 3. The Spiritual manâ— and â—e â—udges both the former p. 210. The spiritualâ—ty of the 〈◊〉 opened and the first Commandment set before us as a glass to behold our condition p. 215. Further explained p. 224. Yet for all this guilt the blood of Iesus Christ purgetâ— from all sin if Christ apply it and not onely our selves p. 229. 2. Step Annihilation reducing our selves to nothing what it is p. 231 c. The effects of this Annihilation This Man 1. Receives all as from God p. 237 c. 2. He doth all by the power of God 238. to the glory of God ibid. 3. He rejoyceth in others goods as his own 239. 4. He is not glued to any temporal things but is ready to part with them when God calls ibid. 3. Step Resignation for saking all things in the world of what condition soever p. 240. 4. Step Indifferency to all conditions p. 251. Effects of indifferency This Man 1. He hath two eyes two feet as to the body so to his soul p. 264. 2. His eye is not divided between God and Mammon p. 265. 3. He resigns his judgement to God alone regards not what mans judgement is ibid. 4. He is gotten above all heights and depths principalities and powers c. ibid. 5. He is an Anabaptist his former name is changed and his Father hath given him a new name p. 268. The Author being interrupted came not to preach of the two last steps which is Conformity and Deiformity p. 270. Four Sermons on Josh. 15. 15 16. And Caleb said He that smiteth Kiriathsepher and taketh it to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife c. THe History of Moses sending the Spies to discover the Land of Canaan of the peoples murmuring and mutining upon the ill report raised by the ten Spies of Calebs and Ioshuas faith these things run over and applyed to our selves as concerning as much 〈◊〉 as them from p. 272 to 280. Part of this Chapter and 2 Cor. 3. Compared and answering face to face as the two Cherubims p. 212 c. The words opened and explained p. 287. Kiriathsepher the City of the Letter must be smitten and taken before it can be to us Debir The word then we likewise shall marry Achsah signifying The rending of the vail p. 294 c. The Letter or Ordinances not to be thrown away nor yet to be rested in p. 295. The spirituality of the ten Commandments briefly explained applyed from p. 296 to 319. In what sense the Scriptures are and are not the word of God explained p. 318 c. The text divided into two parts 1. Onus the work 2. Honos the reward p. 334. Those that rest in the letter either are starvelings or dwarfs alwayes children in stature and grow not p. 337. Christs body and actions in the flesh symbolical p. 343. Jesus Christ the substance and soul of all creatures false conclusions hence abandoned and shewing the soul of man is infinitely below God p. 351. An Objection answered about undervaluing the Letter p. 353. The Awfulness of God in that soul that truly sees him p. 357 c. Pilates question what thing is truth answered p. 363. A short view of some Priviledges which are to be enjoyed withiâ— the Holiest of all after we have married Achsah and obtained The râ—nding of the vail p. 364 c. The two Wonderful and unknown Trees of Eden viz. The Tâ—ee of Knowledge of Good and Evil p. 379. The Tree of Life in the midst of the Paradise of God p. 385. How the Tree of Knowledge c. Is the Seed of the Serpent in mans Heart p. 389. That Great Idol a Mans Self 392. Two Sermons on Psal. 61. 17. The Chariots of God are twenty thousand thousands of Angels the Lord is among them as in Sinai in the Holy place Part 2. THe parts of the text p. 7. God hath his Chariots of Triumph and Terror p. 8. All the Creatures are Gods Chariots wherein he gloriously rides so many creatures so many chariots p. 11. God in himself alwayes invisible to men and Angels p. 17. All creatures infinitely short of God and the most excellent speak him but darkly and though he fill all creatures yet all cannot comprehend him nor all men and Angels by them p. 18. How God is said to be in Hell and in Lucifer himself p. 21. God not to be found or known by Addition but onely by subtraction p. 23. The Kingdom of Heaven commonly mistaken which consisteth not in meats or drinks or crowns or scepters musick c. or any ocular or carnal glory p. 25. All creatures the Amiable tabernacles of God p. 30 c. Two Scriptures propounded whereby to represent a a small glimps or scantling of God p. 34. None like the God of Iesurun who rideth upon the Heavens in his excellency c. p. 39. What repose of heart the people of God may take in this their infinite God and Father because his everlasting arms are under them p. 44. Angels are Messengers or Embassadours p. 48. All creatures sing aloud Gods praise even the worst and wicked st sing a part and how p. 49. What to think of the Angels above us being out of our sphere we not able to define them p. 52. That God is in all the creatures and though the creatures change yet he is unchangeable p. 53. Yet he is not in every creature according â—o his infiniteness but as every creature can receive him p. 55. 1. use To teach us love and charity toward all creatures p. 57. 2. use To learn to know our selves p. 58. 3. use That nothing comes by chance but all things ordered by providence p. 59. Considerations of the Immenseness and infiniteness of God p. 60 c. Two Sermons on Cant. 1. 7. Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth where thou feedest and where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon for why c. THe division of the text p. 70. The nature of a soul in love with Christ though he be still filling her yet she is never fully satisfied wiâ—h him p. 71. Things in heaven are neither visible material ocular oâ— tangible c. p. 77. To try whether we have love to God by our love to our brethren p. 78. Many can come to God in prayer under this notion O thou whom my body loves but how few O thou whom my soul loves p. 80. The letter of the word but a dead resemblance of the life within p. 85. They that limit Jesus Christ according to the thirty three years he lived on earth do circumcise and cut short the large vastness of his greatness p. 88. The Question answered what need Christ any rest seeing he is in heaven p. 94. If Christ be not
place saith he Was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul So say I were the Apostles crucified for you are they those that suffered for you and redeemed you are they those that are the Salt Life Strength and Support to you no no for themselves had need of salting therefore they were not The Salt but they were the Instruments or Ministers which Christ used to convey to us the true Salt and in no other regard were they called The salt of the earth And again Christ saith in the same sense Mat. 5. 14. Ye are the light of the world and again S. Iohn saith and more properly Iohn 1. 9. He is the true light which lightneth every man which cometh into the world and himself saith Iohn 8. 12. I am the light of the world He it was also that was typisied in all the Oblations under the Law and throughout the old Testament He was the True Paschal Lamb He was the true Sacrifice he was that Fire that must alwaies burn upon the Altar Levit. 6. 13. He also was that salt commanded for the salt was never wanting and in the verse before my Text Christ himself cites that place Every sacrifice saith he shall be salted with salt he was that salt which must never be wanting he seasons every Oblation Lev. 2. 13. he is the Salt of the everlasting covenant unto thee and thy seed for ever he was that Salt that Elisha threw into the waters and healed them and those many waters are many people as it is expâ—essed in the Revelation in sum he is the Substance the MIND of the whole Scriptures As he is the fire by reason of burning â—nd because of heat and light so he is the salt that sweetens and savours evâ—â—y thing As he is the light that enlightneth so he is the salt that salâ—eâ—h â—very man He it was thâ—â— was wanting in that people which God upbraideth Ezek. 16. That were cast forth to the world in their blood and filâ—hiness and their navel was not cut and they were not salted at all that is they had not Christ that true salt applyed to them that shoâ—ld have made then savoury to God That which is unsavoury shall it be eaten without salt Iob 16. 4. It is this salt that must season the venison that must be savoury meat for old Isaac it is not your salt no nor your VENISON not the daintiest meat you can provide not the best duties you can perform will please him except they be salted and seasoned by his own Son let them be the best actions that ever man performed never so well purposed never so good and excelling both for the matter and manner of them away with them without This Salt it is onely in his son that he is well pleased Never think that all your prayers your tears your alms c. please him but onely that which is his Sons own action and work in you else they stink and are abominable in his eyes he will not he cannot regard them The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to him The Devil made as true and as large a Confession of Christ as any man can do look upon the words and not upon him that spake them and you would think they were the words of a Saint O thou Iesus of Nazareth Son of the most high God I know thee who thou art even the holy one of God indeed it was extorted and came from them against their wills but Christ accepted it not because this glorious confession was without salt it was not from a sweet feeling experience of him in them but from some self-ends Therefore I have observed that the Devil where he is worshipped to imitate God hath brought in in all his Sacrifices the use of salt nay so eminently true is this that as the Devils cry out and attest unto him though against their wills so by their practice we may note that under salt was hidden that great mystery and secret of all Religion by their great care to use salt thereby to imitate the worship of God as Iosephus noteth against Appion and Ierome against Vigilantius Pliny Plato and others Christ spake altogether in Parables for sayes the Text without a parable spake he nothing unto them yet know he alwayes spake in such parables as were not absurd ones but they had a most fit correspondency and resemblance to the things themselves and those speeches of his which to us seem not congruous had we but eyes to see even every one of them they would be like apples of gold with pictures of silver so aptly and fitly are they spoken as no man can speak like him As there is not a word nor a syllable in all this blessed book of God but is really true so all the words therein they are spoken with infinite wisdome there are Wonders in all Christs words but our eyes are shut that we cannot see the wonders of Gods Law and as Christ spake much in Parables so doth God much in Allegoâ—ies the truth is hid under shadows and Mysteries in the Letter But the reasons as I conâ—eive why Christ is compared to salt are these First There is a healing power in salt Little do you know the vertue that is in salt to cure all manner of diseases for Antidotes against poysons to heal all manner of wounds as some have written thereof at large I do not say salt rudely taken as it is in our common use but salt duly prepared and made â—it to every use nothing more useful nothing more excellent In this regard salt having such an healing vertue for all wounds poisons diseases Christ is more truly salt to the soul then salt is to the body he is precious salt and duly prepared and â—itted for all our diseases no infirmity or malignant disease in us though never so desperate but This Salt will cure it If you have gotten such a wound that you are as a man fallen from an high place upon a heap of stones so that you are bruised all over if you be covered with the leprosie of 〈◊〉 from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet so that no part no member no faculty is free His everlasting mercy and His never failing goodness and his Almighty power is a never failing Medicine that can fit and compound such ingredients that shal answer the disease of every part If there be an utter enmity between God and you in your apprehension so that you have no hope of ever coming into his favour and nothing you can do can prevail with him set but Christ between God and you and he will heal this enmity When he was here upon earth in the flesh no disease could withstand him in the body so I am sure none can in the soul But if you have not Him there is no way but you must dye
like a swine spake like a swine conversed like a swine and all this because he fed and fared like a swine he lived upon Husks the Letter of the Word without the Spirit and the MARROW And that would suffer them to follow the World To wallow in the pleasures the profits the honours thereof these and the like these he fed upon and these relished with him and nothing else but such like Husks and Excrements and Altogether carnal things was his meat and his delight Will not new food alter all even the whole man Judge therefore Brethren whether we may not call The Letter of this blessed wholsome and Heavenly Book which within it contains the Heavenly Manna and Angels food any other but the Husks To such men Whether it be any thing else to these men but the City of the Letter the Book sealed The Fleshly and bodily exercise which profiteth them nothing It is not yet Debir to them its true they call it the Word of God as the Jews did Oh! the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord so they call it the Word the word I by all means t is The Word of God but you see it is not the Word to them for where is the Nourishment they get from it If they fed upon the Life and Marrow Alas to day How would it Alter their Lives and their Looks and reform their wayes and make them Look like Christians doing the works of Christians But they smooth themselves up with Crying The Temple of the Lord and The Temple of the Lord with a meer outside profession of godliness But the Prophet Tells them there They were deceived For saith he The Temple of the Lord Are these If ye Throughly amend your wayes and your doings If ye throughly exercise Iudgement between man and man c. But will you steal and murder and lye and commit Adultery and swear falsly and burn Incense to Baal and serve other gods and oppress the stranger the fatherless and the widow c. and then come and stand before me in my House which is called by my name and say we are delivered what for To do All these Abominations Is This House which is Called by my Name become A House of Thieves and a Den of Robbers Therefore I charge you in the name of God and as ever ye hope for heaven or think to see Gods face learn yet I know it is not in your power to learn but this I say To shew what you should be and what you must be if ever you enter into the Kingdom of God learn henceforward I say Not to keep this Book in your houses onely and in your heads But to BREAK the body of Christ that you may eat of the True bread saith our Lord This is my body which is BROKEN for you Learn to smite the rock that you may get the pure water of life running from under the Throne of God and the Lamb In the new Ierusalem and not outwardly to touch it onely for that will do thee no more good then if thou hadst Touched the body of Christ when he was upon earth yet many desired to see him and rejoyced to see him and To converse with him and Touch him and so it is now and alwayes hath been in all ages with most Professours in regard of the Letter and Externals of the Word Christs body does us no good except his body be broken and his blood shed for us Neither will the water you draw out of the Letter do you any more good for your souls then that water the woman of Samaria drew out of Iacobs well And He that drinketh of that shall Thirst again But He that drinketh of the Water that Christ giveth He shall never Thirst and It shall be IN HIM An Everlasting Well of water Springing up to Everlasting Life Let us Ministers and All others learn Rightly to divide the word of truth and not take the Outside alone but Outside and Inside together and then you shall find what it is To marry Achsah and to have The Rending of the Vail What it is to have The Upper Springs And the Nether Springs given you as your JOINTURE Let no man for Any thing that I have said think to undervalue the Letter and to trample it underfoot as Excrements and Prophane For though this be The Shell The Outside yet it is the Shell and it is the Outside but this is that I still say There is something within of more price of greater value Thus far prize it In that God hath by this means given us the Kernel In the Shell is the kernel to be found and without the shell ye cannot have the kernel As we can never see LIFE but we must see it in a mortal thing That lives so The Ever blessed Sweet and eternal Truth is in the Letter Hid as life is in Accidents and as fire in a thing fired for True Fire The Element of Fire ye can never see And Truth is as an Oyster in the shell fast shut up which shell must be forced open before you can have the meat And he that doth thus by the letter shall have the meat the vail Rent for him he shall have the priveledge to pry into the secrets of my God and he shall enter into his High and Holy place Now I humbly beseech God Almighty that your eyes may be opened to behold Those Mâ—steries that are Within Paul that blessed High-Flowen self-denied Apostle He being brought to this he not onely confest he saw things unutterable unspeakable so that he was so ravished therewith he knew not whether He was in the body or no but also this was another effect in him of the sight of these things Then sayes he I will henceforth know no man after the flesh Why because that was nothing many glory in the flesh in the letter in that they have seen the body of Christ That they have the Bible in daily use As if he should say away now with all these poor empty things Henceforth I will know no man after the flesh no though I had seen the Lord Christ after the flesh he would now he was come to this condition know nothing after the flesh no more no he went so far as to say that in that case he valued not the very body of Jesus Christ which was a very High and A strange word Men after the flesh And after the Letter judge it no better then blasphemy and would say so but that it s written in the Bible and had many that profess themselves Teachers and knowing men heard Paul say so not knowing him to be as he was they would not have been able To comprehend Pauls reach but All their voices would have gone clear To have burnt him for an Heretick And Christ himself also For many of whose actions were such they would have cryed Away with him Crucâ—â—ie â—im Crucifie Him it s not fit he should
live And With those men which Live â—pon the shadow and content themselves with Shels and Husks There is no peace to be had with them except ye make the Substance Vail to their Shadowes And the True God to stoop to their Idol Baal Otherwise They are like Saul Before He was converted Acts 9. 1. Exceedingly Mad against them like Inraged Mad Bulls and Breathing out Threatning and Slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord And are still seeking to the High Priests and the powers of the Earth to assist them with Commissions To make Havock of the Church But Oh! that the Lord would graciously Shine Round about them And smite them to the earth Causing them to hear That voice Why Why persecutest Thou Me It is Hard for thee to Kick against the Pricks But St. Paul â—e was now come to those things of which he knew and found Christ His bod was but A shadow He now possest the 〈◊〉 let the shadow go And if men woâ—ld never sleigh the Shadow or the Letter or the Shell Till the did it on the same ground the Aposâ—le did 〈◊〉 instead of blaming them I should Highly commend them But this is that which is too common in these dayes they throw away the shadow and the shell too soon they throw away the Letter and Ordinances upon a meer supposition 〈◊〉 they are in S. Pauls condition and this is thâ— very ground of the Error of Many in these dayes and therefore I caution hence 〈◊〉 much and charge you Not to throw away the Letter noâ— sleight the body of Christ in the least exâ—epâ— inrelation to the Spirit the Life and the Substance Onely comparatively And you as come Really 〈◊〉 enjoy these things not to cast them quite 〈◊〉 as I said before but not to rest in them 〈…〉 the Handmaid before the Mistress or the 〈◊〉 before the Marrow or the Casket before thâ— IEWEL or the â—ield before the PEARL Le no man saith the Apostle Iudge you in Meats 〈◊〉 Drinks or in respect of an Holy day New 〈…〉 of The Sabbath dayes which are shadows of Thing To come But the Body is Christ. For beloved Christs body was Symbolical 〈◊〉 well as his actions they all held 〈…〉 that we might not rest in them bâ—t this is 〈…〉 flesh in us is ready to abuse to our own 〈◊〉 and condemnation The cunning politick Devil in us when he cannot hold us in prophaneness by the Chains of ignorance then he labours to do it by the Chains of knowledge Sayes he in us if the letter be a shadow and nothing then we will neglect it we will throw it away there is nothing now to be done we will live as we list we Owe No duties to God or man we will please our selves and deny our selves nothing for we are gotten above Word Ordinances Sacraments Worships and all Oh Beloved these are the Devils strongest Chains of all These Chains of Knowledge to abuse the highest liberty and glory of a Christian to the Idleness and Luxuriousness of the flesh He that is taken in These Chains a thousand to one if he ever get out as the Apostle saith Heb. 10. There is after this no more Sacrifice for sins such will hardly ever recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil and as he expresseth it in Heb. 6. It is impossible for those who were once inlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away it is impossible to renew them again to repentance and he so goes on and explains it by a similitude For the earth which drinketh in the rain which cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God else it beareth thorns and bryars and is rejected and is â—igh unto cursing and in the end to be burned This caution I thought good to mind you of that in taking you off from Resting on these things that you do not quite slight them nor think your selves come to the Spirit when ye have scarce Attained The letter and Outside But as I was saying Christs body and his actions were symbolical for though he healed the lame and cured the deaf and raised the dead and the like yet this was not the Substance nor the End of his coming for he by them shadowed out to us what he doth internally in our souls For Iesus Christ is yesterday and to day and thâ— same for ever He did then Those actions of curing the blind cleansing the lepers casting out devils and the rest So he doth the same still as David saith Psal. 103. Praise the Lord O my soul which cureth all thy diseases and healeth al thy infirmities which redeemeth our lives from destruction and crowneth us daily with loving kindnesses and tender mercies These are the diseases Christ cures daily and so cures that they never mortally fall sick again Those he cured then they might fall to the same diseases again or worse it may be and besides that curing them saved them not from death as this curing doth The young man that was raised from death dyed again and Lazarus dyed again but those he cures in soul they are cured for ever them he quickens for ever them he so raises from death that they dy no more As old Simeon said of him Luke 2. 34. That he was for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and he was for a sign which shall be spoken against He is for a sign in the flesh and in his Humane nature of what he did from the begining and of what he is still in doing He himself in the body in his humanity and All his actions were typical These things I often represent to you because we are Backward to reâ—eive them we are loth to turn our eyes inward in hearing and reading the Scriptures To see all those things fulfilled in our selves Nay we do not yet feel and believe That we are those that Christ came to cure that we are the dumb and the deaf the halt and the blind Little do we think that Devils are to be cast out of us but those whom Christ hath cured they are able to see really that they are The men that Christ then by them represented They see when they read of the Iews crucifying of the Lord of life of their cruel whipping mocking c. crowning him with thornâ— and the like they can say to themselves as Nathan said to David when by a parable he had represented his sin sayes he and so can this man say to himself Thou art the man And so likewise in all his other actions Far be it from any one to think that to heal those External diseases was the End of his coming But thus think Did he arise from death to life he doth the same
God talked familiarly face to face As a man talketh with his friend And Israel so long as they were among the flesh-pots in Egypt they were never acquainted with Quailes nor Manna till a man hath forsaken all and gotten into the desart God may call long enough and knock at the door of our hearts but we will not hear nor open to him But it may be you will say unto me What shall we do then who live far off any desart how shall we finde God Going into the desart is meant forsaking all things in our affections that we have no propension to one thing more then to another that we use these things as if we used them not and that we are as willing to leave them in action if God call for them from us or us from them as to enjoy them if it be his will then are we gotten into the desart with Moses and then God will appear to us then God will Reveal himself and shew us not onely his backparts but shew us his face also if we are able to see it This is also going into the high hilly Countrey with Mary after the Angel had been with her whose salutation was at first so strange to her so when we have forsaken all that ever the eye can see or the ears hear or the heart conceive till we have forsaken houses lands wives children friends and all nay as long as our affections mingle with these we cannot love God aright if he cannot have all but with him we must love these he will have none at all and if he must have all where is any to spare to any thing in the world Therefore I tell you If ye love God ye may not love your health ye may not love your wealth your houses your lands you may not love your wife your childe your good name nay you may not love your lives nay not your own souls nay more then this He that hates not father and mother and wife and children and his own life and his own soul too cannot be my disciple how what not love my father mother wife children what not love these good blessigns of God what not love my body nay what not love my soul nay hate my soul O these are sore sayings no for the love of God cannot be mingled with these if you love your wife as your wife and your goods as your goods and your life as your life and your soul as your soul then your love is divided between God and them then you have played the harlot and the adulterer with them but you must love them for God and in God and as coming from him and to be used for him and if you do so Then I say unto you Love them as dear as you will you cannot love them too much But then I must tel you this will follow if so they instead of separating you from God They draw you nearer to him but if ye love them for themselves then they will draw you from God they will make God and you at enmity they will make a division and separation between you but if your love be set on God it will be also on them for his sake and this is to love not them but God in them Then this will also follow This man can let God do what he will with them either give them to him or take them from him and yet God and he fall not out for whatever God doth to him or with them still he loves God but if ye love them in the other sense then he will say with Lot Is it not a little one my soul shall live could not God have spared me this one thing t is but a little one what may I not love One creature no saith this soul I will let all go so I may enjoy thee I enjoyed thee in them and thee I shall enjoy without them And those that thus joy in them may joy that they did joy in them I say they may joy and rejoyce that ever they did joy and rejoyce in them but the other joy was such a joy that they must sorrow and repent that they did joy for they joyed in the Shadow and that vanished away but the other joyed in the substance in the body and that remained that shall never decay for God is the substance of all things but all things that are visible are but shadows but appearances bubbles soon up and soon down like bubbles in the water And the reason why we are so disquieted in the loss of them is because we take the shadow to be the substance and if that vanish we must needs be disquieted and we are all out of order Then let God give us what He will nothing shall please us why because our Absalom is dead 2 Sam. 18. ult but he that loves them for God and in God he is a quiet man however they change he is the same let God give them to him or take them away from him he is still contented Beloved This is the man that loves them aright and he loves them infinitely more and more dearer then all the world can love his own or that it most prizeth for that love and joy brings them but grief and sorrow but these may joy that ever they had such a joy and he loves God as giving him that love Until we have forsaken all God will never appear to us as he did not here to Moses till he had forsaken All the world and come into the Desart having forsaken flock and all till then God appeared not to him Not forsaken all as some expound it that is say they when the love of God and these outward things comes into competition or when we can enjoy them no longer but I say forsake them all in affection even while we enjoy them for he that will love them till that time may love them so long that he cannot forsake them that is not quietly but he is as it were Rent in pieces to forsake them though in act he may be made to forsake them yet his affections do not but as soon as ever we have forsaken all and have cast all the creatures behind our back so that we stand indifferently affected to all Then GOD will appear to us Then GOD will shew Us miracles as well as Moses then God will speak Familiarly to us face to face as well as to Moses for there are as great miracles done every day as was then but our eyes are blinded we see them not The reason why our old men do not dream dreams and our young men see visions is because we go not into the desart The reason why God appears not To Us is because we do not with Elijah fast fourty days in the desart but we are buried in flesh and blood and in the world we are swallowed up in Sense and Reason We wonder it may be that
type of this spiritual Pharaoh You see how discouraged he was but to come into his presence but to ask to let the people go to serve the Lord and much more to bring the thing to pass he went for No mâ—rvel if an Embassador for Christ be in this regard discouraged for All the Powers of darkness are before him Christians look on your enemies they have Cities walled up to heaven You have the tower of Babel to climb the soul to be Rescued and brought out of the claws of all the Devils in hell But this is your comfort Christ doth this for you but it must be done in you What 's thy name LEGION If all the whole earth were gathered into one Body into one Army All the Engines and Politick Engineers for war and all the Artillery thereof this were a potent mighty almost inconceiveable strength yet this is Nothing to these Legions One of which One Sin is able to destroy the soul for ever which is of more value then all the world yet all this power cannot destroy one soul whom Jesus Christ hath purchased Then what shall they soul do that hath Legions of these as thick in thy understanding will affections as Motes in the Sun as Devils in the air as thick as words as actions â—y as thoughts For where this strong man keeps the house Mat. 12. 29. all he doth speaks thinks all is sin and he lies close and safe in his trenches and strong holds he thinks himself invincible unconquerable And indeed so long as Men do but take up Arms against him Or use never so many ordinances or duties which they force themselves unto he laughs at the shaking of your spears Job 41. 29. And the neighing of your horses and all the strength you can make of your selves though you call in all the parties you have from all quarters in the soul Yet he is quiet as t is said David was or as a Christian ought to be in his God he can lie down and sleep in the midst of his enemies because God is his strong hold his Castle of defence So sure and safe is Satan in his conceit in the soul where he hath kept long possession foâ— he hath all the men in the world the whole Arm of Fesh he glories in his Offensive and Defensive weapons And indeed till the Lord Jesus begins To rouse up himself That King of Kings and Lord of lords that Mighty Lion of the Tribe of Iudah Aâ—ise in us and dress himself in his Glittering Armour as David speaketh he fears nothing for as I said before he is so strong that indeed he thinks himself too strong for Christ for so long as Christ suffers himself to be Overmastered by our sins and strong lusts he seemes Too weak for him And he insults over him as a Turk over his poor Gally-slave as I may so say or as if you will some cruel Marshal over his prisoners though the Kings best subjects he lays them at his pleasure Neck and Heels he casteth them into noisom dungeons where is nothing but Satans excrements and the filthy spuings of our lusts and These also he sets as Centinels that they stir not whilst he himself jets up and down in pride saith I le bring down the oroudest of you all What know you not me I have his Majesties Commissino for what I do So also This is that Spiritual and true Nebuchadnezar that jets up and down in his own pride Saying Is not this great Babel that I have built for the honour of my majesty and for the glory of my Kingdom Dan. 4. 30. This Devil in us he looks on himself as a Peacock and saith VVhat a goodly Christian am I what a height I have gotten what large knowledge have I obtained I think there is no point in Divinity but I am able to speak to it what doth no body take notice of me and so Arrogates the doing of all good to himself and All Evil as none of his Ah where is the man that can say I find all these things truly and really in my self this were a certain forerunner of the Sun Arising Of the day Break and of the day-stars arising in Our hearts Now will the Lord Christ arise triumphantly in thy soul and make All these beasts of the forrest to tremble Now as it is exprest in Rev. 6. 2. He will ride on conquering and to conquer as David saith Gird on thy sword upon thy thigh O thou most mighty with thy glory and thy majesty Ride on prosperously thine arrows shall pierce deep into the heart of all Our and the Kings enemies now though Satan in us muster up All his forces as now most certainly he will Yet he shall fall from heaven like lightning that which he hath Enjoyed as his heaven had the command of our souls where he hath ruled as Lord and King but yet as a Tyrant though we saw it not but were willing servants as to our Leige-Lord and natural King and were at the command of every servant and lust more then ever the Israelites were under the External Pharaoh under him we made bricks did all servile work our wages was but hard fare and tripes Oh! was not this an Egyptian blindness and darkness a darkness that may be felt but Israel when they most felt their slavery and groaned were nearest deliverance from under Pharaoh we are alwayes in darkness and slavery but when we begin to feel our spiritual darkness when we begin to feel the plagues of Egypt upon us Our water turned into blood and the frogs crawl and cover over all the Land when we are sensible of the murrain the boils and blains and the Plague and Carbuncles in our flesh the hail and the locusts Even the LOCUSTS of the bottomless pit which come all out of the mouth of the Dragon and from Belzebub Prince of the Devils then we shall see the death of our first-born our dearest right hand and right eye sins then we shall feel in our selves that this conquering King begins to carry captivity captive then shall Pharaoh with all his Host be overwhelmed in the midst of the sea Then the soul shall sing the song of Moses Exod. 15. The Lord is my strength and song he is become my salvation the Lord is a man of war the Lord of hosts is his name Pharaohs Chariots and his Host are drowned in the sea the depths have covered them they sank to the bottom as a stone as lead in the mighty waters thy right hand alone is become glorious in power thy right hand O Lorp hath dashed in pieces the enemies and David throughout his Psalms is full of these expressions all tending to empty the creature of all good and all power and to ascribe all to the Lord neither had the Israelites any good success any further then the Lord went with them and did their workes for them Here
when he might have been advanced and made a King he ran away from among them he was Far of another Spirit then is now in the world and alwayes was in the world among the men of the world and no greater sign of a carnal earthly low base spirit then to be alwayes seeking the great things of the world to be tickled and itching after the praises of men to lift up our selves to be some-body in the world to desire to sit above and to trample upon their brethren to have the cap and the knee and yet how many of such men forsooth must be the onely gracious and religious men of this age but you see these are far from the life of Christ As far as the East from the West As far asunder as darkness and light Are these the men that brag of Power and Wisdom and Holiness and yet are thus swallowed up in the world love the praise of men and greetings in the Market and the Highest seats in the Synagogues and the uppermost rooms at feasts Their Phylacteries must be broad and long viz. to be known from other men that they may be bowed to and reverenced of all men Are these the Doctors and Teachers of all others Are these the Disciples and Ministers Christ hath sent out to preach to us the life of Christ by their Doctrine and example Judge ye Beloved ye must know that all Christs actions which were imitable while he was here upon earth they were symbolical they shew that he is yesterday and to day and the same for ever for whatever he did then he did but shew and represent to our senses by external actions what he is still Doing in the souls of men and will be to the end of the world For did he cure diseases in the body he did it to shew us how be cured the diseases of the soul Did he heal the blind and cure the lame cast out Devils dumb Devils and deaf Devils yes yet these do but shew what he doth daily when our mouthes are shut up as to things appertaining to God and his glory his power dispossesses this dumb Devil when our ears are shut up and we can hear nothing but what pleases self and flesh and the carnal man Let the Charmer charm never so wisely now Christs power and wisdom in us dispossesses al of his nature he turns the minstrels out of doors to those deceiving pleasures and allurements of the world that in our crosses make us such deceiving musick he saith Give place and He Himself enters aâ—one and brings us to own and delight in him and in what he administers to us Those actions of his he did then upon the bodies of men do but shew what he doth upon their souls for he then cast out but some Devils not all he healed and cured but some of their diseases not all for that was not the end of his coming for had it been so he would have cast out all Devils as well as some and cured all diseases as well as some but he onely by them did teach our dull capacities which else could not conceive what he did in the soul but by representing the same thing Outwardly even by those things which were most equivalent to them Did he resist the temptations of Satan and so made him depart from him it was to shew that he doth the same in those that are his even by himself in his own person and through his own power in â—hem For whatever actions he did they were done by him onely for a resemblance of his internal workings Did he pray whole nights it doth but shew that his Spirit in us makes continual requests and expressions even with sighs and groans which cannot be expressed Did he come before Pontous Pilate and was accused arraigned whipped buffered mocked and crowned with thorns yea he was and this was to shew how our carnal judgements Arraign him and How we whip him and peirce him by our sins mock and grieve his blessed Spirit Was he nailed to the Cross did he dye and was he put to death by the Jews and was he buried and a stone rolled upon him never to rise again they did so and in these and other his actions lies all our hope and our faith this is our Anchor-hold and our trust and whoever shall deny it let his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth Yet these were but symbols and representations of our killing of him crucifying and burying of him daily in our souls by our sinâ— by following our own wils and by our Arrogance Pride and selfness and thereby his life is crucified And also it is to shew how we have daily quenched the motions of his blessed spirit so that it lives not in us but the Old Adam the Old man is alive and Christ the New-man is dead within us And so likewise in the rest of his actions Did he â—ise again the third day and triumph over hell and death it shews How this mighty Lion of the Tribe of Iudah hath and will raise up himself and overcome all his enemies and hath and will put them all under his feet in our souls then after he is once arisen he will appears to al the brethren to five hundred brethren at once where-ever Christâ— is risen he will appear and shew himself If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me as he saith Iohn 12. 32. As you know it is the nature of fire to draw all things to ascend upward to its own center so if Christ be risen and ascended in us he will so display his own glories and beauties in us that he will draw all our affections upto him so that we cannot buâ— eagerly and vehemently desire to be like him to draw all our love to the love of him and all our hatred to hate that which he hateth and all our love to love that which he loveth our hate and love joy and grief and all our other affections to be like his Even as fire also endeavours vehemently to make every thing like it self so doth Christ where-ever he comes with his life light and glory Thus you see that what Christ did for a time in the historie the same he still also doth as truly as really and as constantly in the mysterie he did some things visibly to shew that he doth the same things as truly invisibly he did so much as was enough to manifest himself to be Emanuel and that he was God manifested in the flesh And as I said when Christ was ready to leave the earth then he made this boast of himself and never before did he ascribe this power to himself Even so till we are made one with him till we are made like him and till we can sit so loose to the earth that we are with him ready willingly and freely to leave the earth we can never claim this power till
the blessed Apostles and Disciples were brought to Oh! but where are such Disciples now where are your Great Doctors and your learned men Are they Doctors in this School of the Cross of Christ No no nothing less Are They Dead men Are They come to this to let others rejoyce in the heaping up riches And adding Land to Land and making themselves and their posterity great in the world These things should not concern Dead men And saith David again I am as a broken pitcher that can hold no water Just so is This man He is a broken pitcher that can hold Nothing Pour Riches into him Health Wealth Praise Honour or the contrary Whatever ye give to him or take from him He is all one if ye take his Cloak from him he will give you his Coat if ye strike him on the one cheek he cannot revenge He will rather turn the other Curse him and He will pray for you And all this he learns of his dear Saviour JESUS CHRIST And all this He hath attained by being united and by being made One with Him whose practise and Command you know it was so to do and whose Nature and life he partakes of knowing assuredly by experience That there is No other way to find rest to his soul But by forsaking his own will and living Free in the world and Dead unto it and to his own proper will and affections Oh Beloved How Happy and how Free doth such a soul live how at liberty and free from those Chains that most men are fettered with as love of Money and Honours and Houses and Lands Distracted with hopes on one hand and Fears on the other and are never at rest but are like the Troubled Sea tumbled this way and that way rolling to and again and never quiet But this Man is Delivered Set free from all such things What a comfort is it for a man to be made Willingly to leave the love of the world to live free and above all hopes and fears What a comfort is it not to fear death for this man dyes daily not to fear To Answer All our enemies in the gate to look boldly and undauntedly on Death on Satan as knowing them overcome and brought under what a comfort is it to Find See and Feel The life of Christ In Us and that we are in some measure and every day more and more made conformable to our Head And that we shall now for ever Overcome and be at Rest and Sit down with Him upon His Throne even as he is set down upon his Fathers Throne what a comfort is it to feel and see our graces Faith Hope and Patience And the rest to Revive to live and flourish which in former times flagged and dyed what a comfort is this To see That when either the North wind or the South wind blow Let him be in any kind of condition Yet His Garden prospers His Soul flourishes And the Spices thereof flow out and Christ and He To eat the pleasant fruits thereof To this man Nothing is a Rod to him Nothing a judgement Let God do what he will with him He can see no Anger no Frowns in any thing but all that comes is to Him Mercy and Loving kindness This is The Soul That lives with God and lives in God This soul is at Rest And none else But This Soul For he hath in pâ—rt Possession of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Heaven Possession of him Even while he is in the body which possession he knows he shall never be deprived of but shall have the FULL Possession and Enjoyment thereof for ever and ever In His Fathers due Time O my Dear Freinds To What A Blessed Tranquillity AND SERENENESS of SPIRIT Is This Soul Attained These are to Him BLESSED and HALCION DAIES Here end the SERMONS of JOHN EVERARD And All that can be of His Expected Here follow certain brief Collections out of some Sublime and Mortified Authors Translated out of Latin by Dr. Everard Hereunto Annexed to these Sermons as things suitable to His preaching and giving further light each to other viz. To him who is in the light 1. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. These two placed in the midst of this book the other six herefollow 2. The Tree of Life in the midst of the Paradise of God 3. Dionysius the Areopagite his Mystical Divinity 4. Certain grave and notable sayings in Latin and English 5. The saying of a certain Divine of great note and name 6. A lovely glass or example of our Lord Iesus Christ his life taken out of Taulerus his works 7. Another short Instruction out of the same Author 8. A short Dialogue between a Learned Divine and a Beggar THE MYSTICAL DIVINITY OF Dionysius the Areopagite Converted by Paul the Apostle who did at Athens believe and cleave unto him ACTS 17. 34. Written to Timothy Translated into English By Dr. EVERARD JOB 36. 26. Behold God is great and we know him not ISA. 55. 6. For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord. LONDON Printed by Iohn Owsley for Rapha Hartford at the Bible and States Arms in Little Brittain 1657. THE MYSTICAL DIVINITY OF Dionysius the Areopagite Written to Timothy CHAP. 1. What the Divine Mist or Darkness is OTRINITY That art above ESSENCE above GOD above Goodness the Governour of the Christians wisdom concerning God Vouchsafe to direct us to the More-then-unknown More-then-shining Highest-top of Mystical Oracles where the simple and absolute and unchangeable MYSTERIES of Divinity do Hide by the More-then-lightsome MISTINES of Secret-Teaching SILENCE in the Darkest Darkness Even Him that over-shineth That which is More-then-most-Glorious and under that which is utterly impalpable and invisible doth More-then-fill the blinded or Eye-less Mindes with More-then-fair Shinings 2. And these things I pray for but do thou O my friend Timothy by thy most intent study and exercise about MYSTICAL Visions leave and forsake thy senses and all sensible and intelligible things and thy mental operations and all things that are not and that are and after an unknown manner lift up and advance thy self to the Conjunction and Union with Him who is above all Essence and Knowledge for by a free and purely absolute departing from thy self and all things having separated all things and being freed and loosed from all things thou shalt be brought back to the Super-essential BEAM of the Divine Darkness 3. But take heed that none of them that are not Entred or Initiated in our MYSSERIES do hear these things I mean such as are still detained and holden in the things that are and do imagine nothing to be super-essentially above the things that are but presume by their own knowledge to understand HIm that maketh DARKNES his Secret place And if these Divine Institutions concerning Mystical things be above Them what is to be said of such as are yet more strangers and
do get Wisdome for all my other Gettings I must get understanding For the Merchandize of it is better then the Merchandize of silver and the gain thereof then â—ine Gold This is that Wisdome which is more precious then Rubies and all the things thou canst desire is not to be compared to her Thou once having this High Esteeme of this Super-Excellent Super-Eminent Life thou wilt search for it as men search for silver and dig for it as for Hidd Treasures For believe it These are of infinite more value These are Everlasting Eternal Durable Riches The other are not so But the men of the world they esteeme silver and Gold and such like to be their Highest Riches and therefore all their Loves Mights and endeavours are to digg for them but these souls are quite contrary and put worth upon things of Worth indeed The violent take this Kingdome by force saith our Saviour Nor can it be gotten other waies This life cannot be obtained without strong Affections to it Not with sitting still nor in a general and formall road of profession it will not fall into our laps nor is it gotten by pattering over a few cold prayers but it must be Esteemed Prized Loved above all things else it will never bee laid hold on none else shall ever come neare it if any other thing take off your Eye or your Love from the persuit thereof you immediately lose the very sight of it He that findeth this life he indeed findeth life Wisdome loveth them that love her and those that seek her early shall find her Riches and honour are with her yea durable Riches and righteousness But he that sinneth against her or neglecteth her hateth his own soul. And this is the finall conclusion he makes Proverbs 8. 36. All that hate me love death yet know it is the Lord that worketh all our works in us â—sai 26. 12. And t is He that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 3. 13. c. These laborious Sermons do sweetly discover this Life This Pearl but till you come to experience them you will finde them full of Pâ—rables and hard Sayings not onely to such as are void of understanding and to the men of this world but to all such though filled with knowledge who are without the true knowledge of God even to all out of Christ for as the Apostle Paul saith The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 13. The worldly wise or men onely literally learned are uncapable of such Doctrines for St. Paul saith of such that God will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to â—ought the understanding of the prudent and as it were looks about him and cryes out Where is the wise Where is the scribe Where is the disputer of this world Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world 1 Cor. 1. 19 20. And it is certain that the profound Rabbies and Philosophers require a sign and seek after wisdom that is such as is but humane or sensual carnal and devillish Iam. 3. 15. and therefore if Christ crucified be preached he is to the Iews and most learned men a stumbling-block and unto the Gentiles foolishness And St. Iohn saith of those great and learned men of the Jews that they plainly expressed so much Do any of our rulers believe on him no no they did not nor could not they wanted the seeing eye and hearing eare to know and receive him for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Life Tâ—ese labours then are fit indeed and onely fit for such as are weak in themselves poor and despised of the world yet called of God and precious because they hold out Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1. 24. and of a truth the great and the wise men nor the learned are not called or very few of them to the knowledge of God by the Gospel and thereupon unfit for such spiritual doctrine nay is it not true as the Apostle saith You see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty and base things of the world and things that are despised God hath chosen yea and things which are not to bring to nought things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence 1 Cor. 1. 27 28. And therefore to you even to all you whose life is hid with Christ in God The seed of Abraham children of faith and of the promises begotten and descended of the bloud and seed Royal is this piece of Heavenly directions presented who are experienced and builded upon the Rock Iesus Christ and who know what that Annihilation Mortification and Self-denial is which is taught in these Sermons and by Christ was also wrought in the Author himself and otherâ— and tends to tâ—e confusion of the Mystical Babel in mens spirits so strongly erected in mens â—earts so that very few yet scarce know truly wâ—at the confounding of that language means in themselves Oh how rare how precious how excellent and sweet is this spiritual practical experimental life but where to be found where are the living Monuments of it and where are the Books of it where are those Choise ones that know it and do it How few in these days though Christians in profession do press towards the mark for the price of the high calling and who act true Mortification How few enjoy those true and sure treasures pleasures raptures riches and possessions which are in Christ How few do discern the true way to that High Rich Supereminent life But indeed few are the Preachers of it and few be the Labourers in this harvest Oh! Therefore seeing the harvest is great and the labourers few how should we incessantly pray that the Lord would send â—orth such Spiritual and Mortified labourers into his harvest But what may be the cause of this paucity or scarceness certainly t is because the practical part and the contemplative also are clean contrary to flesh and bloud unpleasant to the carnal man few men desire to take up much less to bear the cross of Christ which is the onely way thereunto and if men travell not in the right way how can they come to their journeys end themselves or how can they direct or encourage others to enter into it Oh! this great Idol corrupted self is too much served and worshipped Men are lovers of themselves more then of God very few practise now answerable to the Primitive Christians who delighted in self-denial and spiritual love very few prize the cross of Christ in themselves but rather
despise it we ascend not nor set our feet aright on those six steps ascending up to the Throne of Grace Peace and Rest truly and lively explained in this book to wit 1. Condemnation 2. Annihilation 3. Abdication 4. Indifferency 5. Conformity 6. Union or Deiformity the very Throne it self and compared by the Author as you shall find in this book to the six steps leading up to Solomons Glorious Throne Where are the men now who desire to climb these steps but generally all men account them mighty difficult and painful and therefore decline them men rather descend them then seek to ascend how low and how poorly do most men yea most Professors live how bound up to the world they live altogether unto pleasures or profits and to themselves not unto the Lord and yet t is certain He that will be my disciple must deny himself and take up his Cross Actions not forced or compulsotory but free and voluntary few now seek the glory of God or the good of others but mind themselves love themselves provide for themselves so that they are rivetted into and fastened unto the earth Is this to live by faith to live to Christ Can such men say I dye daily with the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. or I am crucified to the world and the world unto me or can they justifie that they live not but Christ liveth in them or can they plead that they have crucified the old man with the affections and lusts thereof have these men abstained though it may be from outward fleshly lusts yet not from those spiritual wickednesses in high places which also war against the soul O for shame is this to live as Christ lived and to do as â—e did Who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him who judgeth righteously And even hereunto are ye called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an ensample that we should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2. 21 23. Those Primitive Christians those precious jewels of God whose souls are bound up in the bundle of life they counted all but as loss and dross and dung to gain the knowledge of Christ and him crucified they in the first place sought the Kingdom of heaven and its righteousness they took the Kingdom of heaven by violence and these violent ones took it by force Oh admirably active and passive men of whom the world was not worthy they were afflicted persecuted tormented who counted it their joy to suffer for Christ they went to their Rest through the Cross rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name Those were they that counted not anything no not their lives too dear for Christ and yet in all their sufferings went off Conquerours these found that pearl slighted all and parted with all to get this pearl Behold here is the faith and patience of the Saints Rev. 13. 9. And of this Author we may say he was one that sought after wisdom and found it for he knew the merchandize of it to be better then the merchandize of silver and the gain thereof then fine gold Prov. 1. 4. and 8. And he would often say that he desired to be acquainted with men who had experience of Christ rather then men of notions or speculations that desired to act more then to talk and he did in his publick preaching averr it that though they were never so mean poor and despised by the world yet if they were but acquainted with such experimentall truths as these they were more welcome to him then so many Princes and Potentates and we hope his labours of the like stamp will find the like welcom with such as are experienced and practised in these spiritual truths And to such Auditors he desired to preach to and be acquainted with that he might confirm them in the grace of God We may say here of him and of such high-raised truths as the Prophet Isaiah Isa. 28. 9 10. Whom shall we teach knowledge and whom shall we make to understand doctrine those that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts for precept must be upon precept precept upon precept line upon line line upon line here a little and there a little And such was the counsel of the Author when any came to him either ignorant or full of literal knowledge who usually are full of questions yet are also very ignorant saith he as to Self-denial Annihilation and Resignation which his discerning spirit soon perceived in reasoning with them sometimes alledging to them that of Pythagoras that when any Scholler came to enter himself under him he would enjoyn them to ask no question in three years so that he might teach them as he found them able to receive and at three years end they might then ask him any question but then they had none to ask for he had satisfied all their doubts Or suppose said he there were before you as much meat as you could eat in a moneth if I should enjoyn you to eat it all at a meal or two instead of nourishing it would destroy you whereas if I gave you a moneth to eat it taking your meals orderly and digesting them it would do you much good nourish refresh and strengthen And a narrow-mouthed vessel which holds much in the continent you may fill it with precious liquor and so preserve it if you pour it in as it can receive but if ye pour in too fast ye spil and spoil that which hereafter may support your life Nor do we put young Schollers to learn Latin or Greek at the first entrance but we instil learning by degrees as they are able to suck in and receive with these and such like expressions would he perswade them to wait with patience till God were pleased to reveal and the same counsel do we give to all who cannot be satisfied presently with these things but let them read ponder and wait and those that hunger and thirst shall be filled And truly they are but as St. Iohn and Ieremy say One of a City and two of a Tribe that shall come to Zion who can attain this salvation few there be that enter into this strait gate For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction and many there be that go in thereat but strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that finde it And in reading these Sermons you may observe the Author cuts his way clear between First the meer Rationalist who will square out God according to his own reason or else he is no God and herein also including the Formalist and Secondly the Familist who saith he lives above Ordinances and so hath quite left all Religion and by degrees hath turned licencious Ranter which are the main points now in agitation and the two great rocks against which so many either against the one or the
engrav'd sets forth His outward feature not his inward worth His body was his souls dark vail and skreen So that his excellent substance lies unseen The hearing-ear and seeing-eye are blessings rare He furnish'd was with both for â—was his care To preach and practise true Self-denial Whereof these labours give sufficient trial In 's laâ—er dayes while here he had abode His life was joyn'd and hid with Christ in God How others might this spiritual method know His Life and Doctrine in this book do show True godliness is a MYSTERY long conceal'd But truly in these Sermons 't is reveal'd What good thou findest let not man be prais'd But to the Lord let all your hearts be rais'd L. D. The Titles Contents and Texts of both parts of this Book Christ the true Salt of the Earth IN one Sermon Preached at Islington Publike-meeting place on Mark 9. 50. Have salt in your selves The Star in the East leading to the true Messiah The Mystery of Christ crucified The spiritual crucifying the true Messiah In two Sermons at a private Meeting at Kensington near London on 1 Cor. 2. 2. But I determined to know nothing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified Of suffering and reigning with Christ. In eight Sermons at Kensington Publick meeting-place on Rom. 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together The dead and killing letter the Spirit and the Life Shadows vanishing some rayes of glory appearing In four Sermons at a private meeting at Kensington on Iosh. 16. 15 16. And Caleb said he that smiteth Kiriathsepher and taketh it to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife c. The second part Militia Coelestis or the heavenly Host. In two Sermons on Psal. 68. 17 At Giles Cripplegate London The Chariots of God are twenty thousand thousands of angels the Lord is among them as in Sinai in the holy place Where Christ feedeth and where his flock resteth In two Sermons on Cant. 1. 7. at Highgate Publick-meeting place Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy â—â—ocks to rest at noon for why c. Of eating Hidden Manna The substance of a Sermon preached at a Lecture in the Old Jury London on Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Hidden Manna Covetousness Anatomized or the generality of Covetousness The substance of several Sermons preached at Putney near London on Ier. 6. 13. From the least of them even unto the greatest every one is given to Covetousness and from the Prophet even to the Priest every one dealeth falsely The PLUS ULTRA of the Creatures A brief Exposition on Psal. 148. spoken privately in Old Street London Milk for babes meat for strong men The substance of several Sermons at Kensington Publick meeting-place on Luke 2. 40. And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him The Mystery or the Life and Marrow of the Scriptures An Exposition in two Sermons on Exod. 3. the 6. first verses at a private meeting at Kensington Moses kept the flock of Iethro his father in Law Priest of Midian and he led the flock to the backside of the desart And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush c. True and divine Exorcism or the Devil conjured by Iesus Christ. The substance of several Sermons preached at Kensington Publick meeting-place on Mark 1. 25 26. And Iesus rebuked him saying Hold thy peace and come out of him and when the unclean spirit had torn him and cryed with a loud voice he came out of him All power given to Iesus Christ in heaven and earth In one Sermon preached at a Private meeting in Old-street London on Mat. 28. 18. All power is given to me in heaven and in earth Whereunto is added some Collections by Dr. Everard out of some Divine Authors as being things suitable to his preaching and giving further light each to other viz. To him who is in the light 1. DIonysius the Areopagite his mystical Divinity 2. Certain grave and notable sayings in Latin and English 3. Sayings of a certain Divine of great note and name 4. A lovely glass or example of our Lord Iesus Christ taken out of Taulerus his works 5. Another short instruction out of the same Author 6. A short Dialogue between a learned Divine and a Beggar TO THE READER OF Dr. Everards SERMONS Christian Reader AS there were many causes of delay in publishing these Sermons so there are also in bringing them to light now The time when they were preached was in the dayes of the last Bishops who endeavoured the strangling of many Truths in the birth as Pharaoh the children of Israel lest they should increase and multiply to discover and suppress their deeds of darkness to that end High-Commissioning many precious and bright-shining lights whereof this Author was in the number laying as their manner was many foul things to their charge which they never knew as David said of himself by his enemies thereby making a great noise to amuze the people in medling with such men and to colour their wicked designes for the suppression of light and men of light as if they were guilty of foul Doctrine or foul life or both and though they could prove nothing against them yet keeping them in their Courts if possible to aw and vex them if they could not suppress them The Author hereof being spotless in either especially since God in a special and extraordinary manner appeared to him in him in his latter dayes for he confâ—ssed with the Apostle Paul Eph. 4. 17 18. that in the dayes of his former ignorance and vanity he walked as other Gentiles and as men living without God in the world in the vanity of his mind having his understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God because of the blindness of his heart which no doubt our merciful and ready-pardoning God had forgiven though men could not or would not forget which he regarded not much God speaking peace and parâ—on to his soul. But afterward he desired nothing more then to bring in others to see what he saw and to enjoy what he enjoyed and to clear truth to them in either respect he oftentimes averring as to others so to the Publisher hereof that his trouble was not for self-sufferings but that truth should be any way obstructed or defamed through him And he having once obtained of their Court to refer the accusations in either kind but especially for Doctrine and for Conventicles as they called them kept by him to reason out his judgement and what he had delivered with four Bishops members thereof or any three of them In this he rejoyced so as in nothing more so he exprest and we judge and not without good ground he taking abundance of pains and travel to
those that hunger and thirst for them and who cannot be satisfied without them and to none else Besides all this the importunity and sollicitations of many Scholers and other Christians from time to timeâ— who having experience of these practical things in themselves who though they want much of the Doctors schollership and parts yet deemed them worthy the publishing and have now prevailed to communicate them publiquely assuring themselves that those who have the things themselves in them will not be captious to spy out faults but receive in good part what is well intended Moreover another main reason of deferring them no longer is the abuse of many truths more broken forth of late them foâ—merly many of those Diamonds of truth being therein cleared and polished which have been so much abused and abased either by those filthy dreamâ—rs who have as to men wofully mistaken corrupted and defiled many glorious truths and by their false and devillish conclusions have not onely given occasion but a justification to defile the â—lesh falsly pretending that truth allows it though truth in it self cannot be corrupted or defiled or else by those blind Seers of 〈◊〉 times who yet calling themselves Prophets but are not do as Isaiah saith Isa. 5. 20. call truth errour and errour truth call darkness light and light darknesâ— evil good and good evil c. here also thou shalt find many of those Diamonds and prâ—cious Tâ—uths taken up from under their feet having been by them so trodden in the dirt as to men I say still they not knowing the worth of them by their viâ—ifyings and by their foul names of Errour Heresie Familsm c. because they knew not a true and right Diamond or if some yet not all and thâ—m they knew not they presently vilifie as cheating and counterfeit indeed few can know them from such or from dirt they have so daubed and trampled them in the miâ—e yet here thou shalt find them made orient spaâ—kling and refulgent as â—it to be numbred among those foundation precious stones whereof the New Ierusalâ—m is built Rev. 20. And those blind Seers pourtraitured to the life and their seemingly-holy disguises pulled off And yet in all this we have said commendatory of the Author Christian friends do not think that we have gone about to praise or liâ—t up Man or that we would have you fasten your eyes on any creature whatever No no God forbid far far be any such thing from our thoughts for what is man or wherein is he to be accounted of neither was it the Authors practise at all to lift up Man neither do we here present him as a perfect man but with Eliah as the Apostle saith of him Iames 5. 17. He was a man subject to like passions as we arâ— and with Lot Abraham David Pâ—ul and Peter he had his infiâ—mities but he could say also with Paul 〈◊〉 me that is in my flâ—sh dwelleth no good thing But I dâ—ligâ—t in the Law of God aftâ—r the inward man now if I do that I would not it is no more I that do it but sâ—â— that dwelleth in me neither did he ascribe any good either graces or gifts to himself but all to God he would not set that crown upon his own head or upon the head of any creature but with Paul confessed Gal. 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And when God had wrapt up his spirit in pâ—eaching even as it were to behold himself in the third heaven yet he had that prick in the â—lâ—sh which would cause him often to say even in publique Beloved if at any time you find any good by me or see any truth more then you did before or find your souls raised from death to life or the Cripple from his mothers womb healed and cured within you or if you see any grace any gift in me as Peter to the Jews Ye men of Israel why look ye on us so earnestly as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man walk if you see in me any good know that is none of mine I dare not claim it neither can any creature claim it But if you see in me or your selves any sâ—â— any evil that is most properly mine and yours and yet it is not I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me but all good is Gods whatever it be that comes under the notion of Good under what name soever it is Gods and his onely So that we have onely hereby laboured to set and six your eye on him from whom all excellencies slow to see and behold the excellencies and vertues not of man but of him who calleth from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God and that you should wonder and be amazed that the Almighty should stoop so low as to work in men and to communicate of his own nature and put â—orth his mighty workings in and through such poor nothings as men are And in this respect let no man â—ear to speak to the utmost freely and fully of the Vertues Excellencies and workings of the Lord in the hearts of his people for in them he displayes his gloâ—ies they are his Sanctuary his Temple in them he rests as in his holy hill where every one speaks of his glory and although these motions and mighty miracles be wrought in man yet they are not of man or by man Therefore let men or whoever shall have occasion to speak either of the dead or of the living but keep to this rule and fix their eye on him to whom all glory and praise is due and then let them set forth freely and fully whatever vertues or what ever is praise-worthy in any of the sons of men thus far made the sons of God then they need never fear to be charged with flattery or hope of rewards from men Let not so far as lies in man the graces of God and his glorious working in his Saints dye no not when thâ—y dye 〈◊〉 this is far from over praising the dead or the 〈◊〉 as the mistake hath been though man may and must return to his mother the Earth and to his principle of dust yet let the Lord alone be exalted and in this sense spare not to speak out freely the vertues and endowments of God in any man although for the best of man or men we must say of them with Daniel and other Saints To us belongeth nothing but shame and confusion of face for ever but to the Lord honour and glory mercy and forgiveness for over and â—ver Let no man appropriate to himself or put upon others any good for all good is fâ—om God and whatever is evil is mans although naturally and generally mens practises are quite otherwise appropriating all good to themselves and nothing of evil whereby the poor blind creature Man deludes his poor soul while
be for a fire and his holy one for a flame and it shall burn and devour his thorns in one day And he is FIRE in three regards In regard of Burning Heat Light First The nature of Fire is to burn Fire cannot burn it self take notice of that fire cannot burn fire but all things else it will burn and consume So doth Christ he is that fire that burns up all our works and whatsoever is not himself and his own work INUS he consumes and annihilaâ—es The Light of Israel shal be for a fire and his holy one for a flame it shall burn and devour his thorns and his brâ—ers in one day Know this the more sin the more fire the greater burning Mal. 3. 2. Who may abide the day of his coming who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like refiners fire and like fullers sope Christ is this fire and let me tell you this burning and consuming is for your good it is that out of the old ashes of the old man you may have a new life a new resurrection Examine thy self hath this fire cut off thy hands and feet and pulled out thy right eye hath it consumed thy young men 〈◊〉 hath it burnt up thy OLD heaven and thy OLD earth that so ye may enjoy a new heaven and a new earth 2 Pet. 3. 7. Nay further let me aske thee hath it thrown all thy gods in the fire hath it burnt up all thy idols yet I tell ye this burning is not unto death but unto life as Christ said of Lazarus This sickness is not unto death but be sure that as the Lord Jesus Christ burneth up and woundeth so he healeth and maketh alive again I would and I heal Secondly the work of fire is to heat so Christ after he hath destroyed and burnt up all our actions then he breathes into us a gentle warmth and heat of his own Spirit to cherish and revive us again that so we may no longer live our own lives but the life of Christ. Thirdly The nature of fire is to give light when That day dawns to us that Christ comes into the soul we shall find He brings light with him and this is called Christs day Our first day is our own day that is a day of darkness a day of gloominess and thick clouds but the day of the Lord is a terrible day our flesh trembleth for fear of thee for who shall abide the day of thy coming and who shall stand when thou appearest for thou art like refiners fire and like fullers sope When Christ comes into the soul he comes not onely with light to discover but like fire to burn up all that building that we have made to our selves and that we have raised by our own power and breathes warmly and gently by his Spirit his own life until by degrees he brings a glorious light into the soul He then turns us from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God And all this is done by one and the same act in God although those acts be divers and distinct in the creature that is the same act in God which comes to the obstinate and perverse and hardens them which comes to the humble and meek and softens them the same act in him Hardens and Softens as the Sun doth wax and clay That same God which was darkness at the bottom of Mount Sinai was light in the top of the Mount He is the same God in himself to all but he works diversly in regard of the creatures He is the same God in a frozen and hard heart as he is in a repenting and bleeding soul but to the one he appears not but in wrath and vengeance ready to take revenge on them for their sins but to the other he appears in mercy and love and marries himself to them he communicates to them his sweet loves and their wills are swallowed up in his and these onely are they that can say in truth Not my will but thine be done but the other they cannot forsake themselves their own will their own ends but this is but by the way And this you see in brief what the fire is Our God is a consuming fire But now what is the salt I know it is divers wayes taken and expounded Some take it to be wisdom and discretion in speech and for proof they cite that place of the Apostle Let your speech be alwayes gracious seasoned with salt for so Solomon saith A wise man may hold up his head before Princes and they give this reason As salt keeps things from stinking so doth wisdom so salt and season a mans words that his words may not be unsavoury to wise men so that he is not laught to scorn Others take it for holiness and sincerity in life and conversation as our Saviour saith Ye are the salt of the earth Mat. 5. 13. that is say they when by their living well speaking the Truth in their words and expressing holiness in all thir actions this seasons their lives maketh them savoury before God and men So also they interpret that of our Saviour Mat. 5. 13. Ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savâ—â—r wherewith shall it be salted it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men when men live not as they profess they are unsavoury and men tread such mens profession under their feet and therefoâ—e say they He admonisheth them to strive for integrity of life and soâ—ndness in doctrine and constancy in suffering for these things honour their profession and seasons them with salt and makes them savoury to God and to men But to be short and without any more circumstances that we may come to the matter intended The fire and the salt are both one and that is Christ himself as I have told you He is the fire so He is the salt as the Apostle saith Heb. 2. 11. Both he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all one So Jesus Christ he is the fire that salteth and the salt wherewith it salteth as is exprest in the verse before the Text. Indeed I confess the Apostles also were called Salt Mat. 5. 13. Ye are the Salt of the earth saith Christ himself not that they were the Salt themselves or the salt indeed but they were those which uttered the salt they taught salt as I may say and where rathâ—r as we may call them Salters those which sold and uttered the true salt which is CHRIST to the world But I say of them as the Apostle Paul saith 1 Cor. 3. 4 5. While one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo who is Paul or who is Apollo but Ministers by whom you believed neither is he that planteth any thing nor he that watereth but God c. and in another
in his Lords wrath and punishment In Isa. 2. 18. See there how the Lord threatens to bring down this Spirit that is generally in all the sons of men Verse 10. Enter into the rocks and hide thee in the dust for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty the lofty looâ—s of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone sâ—all be exalted in that day For the day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up and he shall be brought low and so he goes on And upon all the Cedars of Lebunon that are lifted up upon all the Oaks of Bashan upon all the high mountains upon every tower and upon every fenced wall upon all the ships of Tarshish and upon all their pleasant pictures And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down and haughtiness of men shall be made low and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day And their Idols he shall utterly abolish and they shall go into the holes and caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his maâ—esty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth and a man shall cast his Idols of silver and gold to the Moles and to the Bats to go into the rocks and into the tops of the ragged rocks for the fear of the Lord and for the glory of his maâ—esty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of I have a little digrest but it was for your good therefore you may bear with me Let us now then henceforward learn to beware of this God that is so Near us and so much in us and not to be like Lot in his drunkenness when his two daughters came and laâ— with him and yet he knew not when they lay down or when they arose Gen. 19. 35. But learn we to awake 〈◊〉 of our spiritual darkness and not to be so ignorant so sottâ—sh to let him be so near you as to live in you and to dwell with you to be with you in your going out and coming in in your down-lying and uprising and you never yet acquainted with him Who knows all your thoughts afar off even before you think them your selves Saith the Apoâ—â—le KNOW YOU NOT that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates nay though ye be reprobates It is the case of Reprobates of Devils not to know this but the meaning is if ye be not in the condition of reprobates then ye know and feel experimentally in some measure and degree that Iesus Christ is in you of a Trâ—th O happy yea thrice happy is that soul who is thus aware of God to see his workings and actings through all the creatures then will that soul cry out against himself and instead of arrogancyâ— and applanding himself he cryes out of himself of his own former and present ignorance and blindness he will not say we see and they what they ignorant of any thing they would not any one should have such a thought of them alas poor soulsâ— their great knowledge undoeth them thy wisdom hath made thee rebel or perverted thee Isa. 46. 10. because by all their parts and knowledge they themselves are swelled and pâ—ffed up and are not lessened and made nothing if they were they would cry out Oh what a beast was I I have not the knowledge of a man Oh what a wretch was I was God himself so near me all this while nay within me and I not know it hath it been he that hath altered and changed me in the whole course of my life and turned me from vessel tâ— vessel from one condition to another It was he that hath made all the changes in my life and ordered my actions as he pleased and also would and hath made them serve to his praise though I saw it not but now I see and feel it was He that made me pass through the fire and through the water and tumbled me and tumbleth Nations up and down That makes the waters roare and the mountains quake But now I hear and see as David saith The Lord spake it once and I heard it twice that God alone doth all that is I heard it throughly experimentally I saw it ratified to my experience to me within me I heâ—rd it first by the hearing of the eare I heard it in my understanding but my second hearing was my experience and seeing by the eye believing itâ— and knowing it in my self that it was so that God alone doth All. Till we come to see this What ever our boasts are whatever our parts are whatever our knowledge is we are dead we are in the state of reprobates we are frozen we can take no salt and I pray God we are not so self-wise and so hardened in our own conâ—eits that we be not as the Apostle saith twice dead and pulled up by the roots and so never shall bearany fruit being past hope and without God in the world I know this is harsh doctrine to the general sort of Professors What they ignorant what they to be accounted by others or to account themselves fools then who are the wise men Think they You know Salt when it is in a frozen body doth no good you know by experience that frozen meat will take no salt and then it may be said to be infatuated or good for nothing So though Christ the true salt be in us as he is in himself yet we may be reprobates our hearts our souls Frozen and we cannot take in this salt And then though Christ be there yet he doth us no good and he may be then said to be infatuated useless not but that he can thaâ— our hearts and work upon us and overcome in us and prevail over all the powers of 〈◊〉 and darkness within us if he pleaseth for He in himself is alwayes alike strong but we do not alwayes find him so neither is he so to us As you know he came to one place and he could do no miracles there because of their unbelief Mat. 13. 58. Christ he works still and doth all his miracles in the world daily but it may be not to thy sight he shews not his miracles to thee or in thee but to those whose eyes he hath opened he is daily in their sight working his miracles You are deceived Miracles are not ceased as you conclude but your eyes are closed and blinded by the god of this world 2 Cor. 4. 4. as the Apostle Paul saith concerning the Cross of Christ Can the Cross of Christ be made of no effect yet the Apostle there propounds a case wherein it is made of no effect that is not that it can be so in its own nature but to thee it
was never of the Fathers sending he comes unsent the true Christ is hid from thee But as the Apostle saith if our doctrine be hid it is hid to those that perish but to us who believe it is the Savour of life unto life but to all others the Savour of death unto death He is to us sweeter then the hony or the hony comb more dear to us then thousands of gold and silver This Christ is more precious whom we are now unfolding to you that truly believe then all the riches and glory yea then all the lives in the world And That we may come to open this Iesus Christ to you if so be your eyes are open or else we shall speak but parables and paradoxes to you as Christ did to the Jews and they will but make you more mad as he did them more enrage them against himself That ye may understand what we speak of and intend we must first wave the knowledge of the History of Christ externally and then we shall come to the knowledge of the Mystery of the true Christ of that Jesus Christ which is able to save your souls and to make you wise unto salvation The other knowledge cannot do so for if it could the Devils themselves should be saved Therefore it must needs be another kind of knowledge then they have it must be more then the knowledge of the Letter and outward face even of the whole Scriptures It must be a hidden knowledge and that is the knowledge of The Mystery namely a real lâ—vely and experimental knowledge of Iesus Christ wrought in thy heart by the power of himself Even like unto Flowers or Herbs or any other thing that grows on the ground by the heat and power of the Sun if there be not something communicated to them from the Sun that is of the Suns own nature they grow not at all but they wither and dye if the Sun warm them not and comfort them they grow not but dye So if there be not in every one of us something of Jesus Christ that is of his own nature the same mind the same quickning Spirit the same disposition and the same new nature something of his own off-spring we are but in a dead and perishing condition all that ever we know otherwise is meer folly in this regard be their knowledge never so excellent and glorious to those who have not Jesus Christ in them As that wicked Pope said when he had shewed such a vast treasure of riches See saith he how that Fable of Iesus Christ hath inriched me So to these men what ever they talk of Jesus Christ and of the knowledge of him to them the true Christ is a meer fable a meer tale as he thought outwardly to inrich him so they think this Fable of a deceitful Christ hath and will enrich their souls But except we know Christ feelingly experimentally so that he lives within us spiritually his own natural life insomuch that whatever any man hath known in the Letter and History of him that he know the same within him as truly done actually in his own soul as ever Christ did any thing without him in the days of his flesh else it profit nothing And to find all that ever you read of him to be verified in you experimentally It is not Jesus Christ without us can do us any good he is no Christ to us all his actions are in vain to us they are all as a meer tale a meer song to us As one of the Fathers said It was not that Christ that the Virgin Mary carryed in her womb that did save her but that Christ that she carried in her heart And our Saviours own words express as much Not blessed is the womb that bare thee and the paps that thou hast sucked but blessed are they that hear the word of God and kept it They that would have any benefit by Jesus Christ they must have him in their hearts Born within them not only to know that Christ was born at Bethlehem but born in them and not to know onely that Christ dyed at such a time so many years ago this will do you no good except you experimentally find and feel how he is crucified dead and buried within you Let no man what ever he be delude you and make you believe that any other Christ will save you Let no man upon pain of the salvation and damnation of his soul once dare to think that any other Christ will do him any good and that he experimentally feel Jesus Christ risen again within him and all other actions that ever he did that still he finds him doing the same in him as Saint Paul saith My beloved of whom I travel in birth till Christ be formed in you not Christ divided and by halves but whole Christ formed in you When you begin to find and know not onely that he was conceived in the womb of a Virgin but that thou art that virgin and that he is more truly and spiritually and yet as really conceived in thy heart so that thou feelest the Babe beginning to be conceived in thee by the power of the Holy Ghost and the most High overshadowing thee when thou feelest Jesus Christ stirring to be born and brought forth within thee when thou beginnest to see and feel all those Mighty powerful and wonderful actions done in thee which thou readest he did in the flesh For Christ is not divided saith the Apostle but yesterday and to day and the same for ever There is not one Christ without us and Another within us but that same Christ that was then upon earth must be spiritually in us growing and encreasing and doing the same actions still Now Beloved here is a Christ indeed that will save you here is a Christ A real Christ that will do you some good this is The Christ which indeed Alone and Onely will bring you to heaven If your faith hath wrought and formed such a Christ in you then you may have boldness through him Of this Christ you may boast and triumph against all the powers of darkness with St Paul Rom. 8. so that neither heights nor depths nor things present nor things to come nor Angels nor any creature shall be â—ver able to separate you and this Iesus Christ our Lord blessed for ever Rom. 8. 38 39. What ever other faith you have believe as strongly and as confidently as you will or can do be sure it is but Head-knowledge of Christ it is but a bold unwarranted presumption and no faith For Externall Jesus Christ is a shadow a symbole a figure of the Internal viz. of him that is to be born within us In our souls Beloved you know it is said of Abraham He saw Christs day and rejoyced so all the Saints that ever were are or shall be must See the day of Iesus Christ as well as Abraham did if we look for any
after me with a hungring and thirsting after truth and without slighting other worthy Teachers I here profess be they what they will be rich or poor if they have a feeling of these things in their own souls I profess they are more welcome to me then so many Princes or Potentates and for ought I know one of them may enjoy more of God then most Kings or Princes or Noblemen and shall enter into their Masters joy when they themselves shall be shut out for the poor are alwaies despised in the world You know the Prophet Esay saith ch 43. 8. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes and the deaf that have ears And saith our Saviour Go tell Iohn the poor receive the Gospel This is a digression by the way we return to our matter And although the storm and the lightning be now very terrible be not afraid change not your countenances nor be not so amazed stand fast our God is able to defend us Attend mind the business in hand and fear not we are about the Lords business our fathers business we are now discovering the powers of Darkness if we should now be snarcht away doing this work we should have comfort in it though the earth be removed saith David and the Mountains be hurled here and there we will not fear though the heavens should kiss the earth and all things be reduced to their first Chaos yet stand stil fear not but attend and we shall go on Saith Doctor Honour Be wise for thy self art thou willing to be counted such a Fool to be so hot in religion do any of the learned any of the great and wise men go this way canst not thou go on in a fine smooth moderate way and so shalt thou please all the World And thus these Doctors will dispute against those wayes which are of absolute necessity if ever a man come to Heaven If thou wilt go this way we go and seek for honour riches c. thou shalt be a man of some account all the world shall bow to thee thou shalt be accounted some body people shall flock to thee for counsell else if thou wilt not hearken and obey our counsell thou art like to lead an obscure And beggerly life Again there is Doctor Arrogance and he saith Be thou some body in thine own esteem exalt thy self seek thine own praise thou hast wisdom and power and parts they are thine arrogate and appropriate these to thy self and walk confidently and boldly on in thinâ— own worth and so he looks on himself as a Peacock and saith Am not I some body have not I done this and this and that Is not this great Babel sayes Nebuchadnezzar that I have built for mine honour and greatness Oh Beloved this little word 1 little do you think what a comprehensive vast word it is it is a little one as the Apostle Iames saith concerning the tongue but full of evil have not I brought about this and have not I effected that and so prides himself therein as if he had brought things to pass and sees not God acting and doing all in him and by him and in and by all the creatures This Doctor is none of the lowest but is every where in request he runs through the whole world but unobserved Arrogance you may observe almost in every man in setting up himself praising and admiring himself what great Acts he hath done being tickled and delighted with the praises of others but cannot endure to hear any other praised but Himself and though all men say not thus with their tongues because of their subtilty The Devil will not suffer them for they would noâ— be observed to do so yet t is the end of their discourse and in their hearts they say no less And men are ignorant how dangerously The Devil in them disputes and whereto it tends in taking from God that which belongs to him and arrogaâ—ing it to himself no less sin then pulling God from his throne as much as lies in them and advancing themselves into his seat Oh! poor crawling worms nothings worse then nothings to attempt this high Treason to the King of kings and Lord of lords for all power wisdom goodness and praise All is Gods and if all be his what right hath any creature to say or think any part thereof is his This is no less then the sin of Lucifer which threw him down from heaven This is Lucifer within us being not content to be as he was created but would be someâ—hing of himself he would aim at Gods seat Thou hast said in thine Heart I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my Throne above the Stars of God I will be like the most High c. And this doth all the world by appropriating any good to themselves or any power to act without God for the creature is but a meer instrument in the hand of the Almighty and hath nothing of his own but sin and therefore they should in themselves be vile and nothing little in their own eyes else we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God as our Saviour saith Except ye be converted and become as little children ye cannot enter that so all praise and goodness and all power to act be ascribed to God alone And then comes up Doctor Reason Oh! He is a great man he is a learned Doctor indeed he is Doctor of the Chair at least when all the rest are â—â—â—enced yet he must be heard and he will believe nothing that you cannot bring within his bounds within his element whatever ye shew him if you shew him a reason for it then he is on your side If you tell him its reason he should regard his body he will believe you and that he should regard his soul above his body as the more precious and look out for the good of that that it may be saved hereafter he will believe you also because ye speak but reason to him but if you go beyond reason tell him any thing you cannot make him understand by reason he will if he can have you hist out of the Schools Tell him he must deny himself he must deny his own wisdom parts goodness he must become a fool that he may be made wise Tell him It is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nought The understanding of the prudent Oh! This is Harsh Doctrine then he cannot hear he cannot understand But when Iesus Christ comes into the soul he puts all these Doctors to sielnce he opposes and answers all he comes and preaches with authority and not as the Scribes he disputes with such power and authority with such a plain demonstration of truth in all his questions and answers that he makes the standers by amazed and astonished at his understanding and answers and brings all things into such a peace and tranquillity in the soul that there is no more jars
and dissentions but the soul yields to Christ he having cast out those unclean and unruly spirits and they now with Maâ—â— sit quietly at Christs feet and hear his Heavenâ—â— Doctrine and there is a confessing and subscribing that he hath done all things well they will no more contend with him nor direct him but confess that what ever he doth is the best Well then we hear no more of Christ after this till he was thirty years old I beseech you go along with me and look altogether within your selves and it may be the Lord may shew you all these things and a thousand times more then I can speak I beseech him to open your eyes and to give you understanding for this day through Gods blessing I shall put such a key into your hands that unlocks all the Scriptures even as a fine curious contrived Cabinet which we know not which way to open yet having found the secret Lock of all the Drawers then they all fall to pieces and every one comes to your hand So shall I do this day if God say Amen give you such a secret key that takes all the Scripture to peices and you may come to see what use every several part thereof is for Those Scriptures that before were hard and dark and you could not tell what they should mean now they all fall off as easie and come to hand as you desire but it is not I nor any thing I can do though I should preach and beat these things into you till midnight till Christ himself be pleased to come into the soul and work these things in you by his own power the hearing by the ear will not do it it must be the experimental touch of these things upon your hearts that must teach you these things Well after Christ was thirty years old he began to fall to working of miracles â—nd it is said the first miracle that we read that Iesus did was in Cana of Galilee where at a feast he turned the water into wine Those things which before to you were but dead flat waters these precious truths that heretofore were so untasteful so unrelisâ—able that you had as live dye as drink thereof the wayes of Christ are so harsh and thwart to flesh and blood Christ must come and make those waters that before were deadly they were so bitter you could not endure to taste them Oh! it was Gall Vinegar and Wormwood if you tipt but your tongue in them you would have no more of them away with them now he comes and makes these waters first drinkable that you begin to endure to take a draught of them and afterward he turns them into wine delightful and pleasant drink nay he made such wine that it was wondered at Thou hast kept the good wine until now Oh! the wayes of Christ to that soul that hath experience of them are more pleasant then the purest wine they as David saith Are as sweet as honey and the honey comb are more desirable then gold yea then much fine gold And now those wines that we so much prized before now are turned into water they are now harsh and distasteful its death to them now to drink of those waters but he that is overcome and governed by Christ he turnâ— all into wine then all Christs wayes are pleasant though he walk contrary to them yet still he gives these souls wine to drink and such wine as they never tasted the like before Do you now tell them of drinking of their old waters no they can despise them all he despises his sinful pleasures he despises the world he can despise honour pleasure ease profit all though they were his life before now he can despise them all If Christ before had commanded to for sake our pleasure our profit our friends our houses our lands our lives Oh! this had been harsh wine we should have dyed to have heard of it but as soon as Christ comes he convinces and overcomes our inward darkness and mistakes our judgement of these things is quite turned our eyes begin to be opened we have new eyes new tastes we can now see and relish the wonderful things of Gods Law Now Christ doth nothing but go up and down in us preaching and teaching in our Temples and working miracles from place to place in our souls in one place he makes clay and anoints their eyes and opens them in another he cryes to the ears Ephatha be ye opened and then all things shine gloriously to these eyes and all things sound melodiously to these ears What thunder is not a well tuned cymbal and what voyce so hoarse and harsh that is not a clear Organ when God sets his voyce to the instrument and the instrument to his voyce when our spirits are set right there is a sweet harmony between us and all the wayes of God seem they never so harsh to flesh and blood all Gods dealings they esteem them to be right though God afflict them yet they see it is in faithfulness as David saith I know O Lord that all thy judgements are right and thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me and again saith he I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way Before they could endure to hear of nothing but ease pleasure honour profit credit and external freedom from crosses I I ye cannot bring news so fast of these things as they have eyes ears hearts hands and all ready to receive them ye are the welcomest Guests that can be to them but if you tell them they must deny all these things they must part with these things they must sell all and follow Christ as he told the young man That they must enjoy them as if they enjoyed them not as Paul saith Oh bitter they have now neither eyes to see nor ears to hear you nor hands to receive all this Doctrine shall fall to the ground for them they cannot endure any thing which brings not good news to themselves to their carnal self As when the Sun shines you know it shews all things below it self and darkens every thing above it self for in the day ye can see nothing above the Sun all the Stars which are above the Sun are obscured and all things else So while a man is in the state of unregeneration he can see nothing above himself but if it be any thing that leads him to the love of himself that he can see Heaven is welcome to him out of a self-love and so far as he apprehends it will make him happy but if ye shew him any thing above himself he cannot see nor hear any thing he is therein stark blinde and deaf this is not the generation that he is wise in but the children of this world are wiser in their generation then the children of light I said Christ being once come into the soul conceive I pray
you what I mean not that Christ in regard of dwelling can come in or go out but in regard of his workings in us and to us Christ in himself cannot grow greater or less or more exalted for his praise is far above the earth and heavens but to us he is more manifested and to us and in us he grows and increases and so his life comes to us by degrees And so far forth as we lay down our selves and all that is in us or whatsoever is acted by us at the foot of Christ and that we are ruled and guided by him then we shall see how he speaks all in us doth all in us hears all in us sees all in us for it is not ye that speak but the Spirit of your Father which dwells in you This is to have Christ come into the soul because before we are really sensible of this he is as it were not there But he being I say once come into the soul for we must make use of such expressions for our understanding then he opens those eyes that before were shut he now makes those feet that were cripple from the mothers womb so that they could not set one foot forward in his wayes now he makes their feet like hindes feet he makes them run his ways with delight and he shews his miracles in all their members he turns all into a new creature and in this sense he grows more and more in them till they come to a perfect stature even the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Before they could not endure this life it was the old life they were taken up withal how they might please the flesh and fulfil the desires of the flesh and were by nature children of wrath even as others Those were the thoughts they were taken up withal at bed and at board all their thoughts words actions eyes ears tongues feet were all imployed in this service else they were unquiet and never contented To see Christ to be all in all in us this is to know him experimentally and if ye know him thus then you know him as you ought to know him else he is but a fable to you for so to know him is to have all the Scriptures fulfilled in you as our Saviour said This Scripture is this day fulfilled in your ears Beloved such a light such a key ye have gotten who see these things that whatever place of Scripture you read or hear that you shall be able to say and feel it in your own souls That this day is this Scripture though writ so long ago fulfilled in your ears in your souls When you read the Story of the Conception Birth Life Death Resurrection of Christ of his Whipping Crowning with Thorns Buffeting Spitting upon you shall be able experimentally to say and cry out Alas this day is this Scripture fulfilled in me And Beloved this is a daily doing all the Scriptures over again this is the enduring of the word for ever as David speaks sayes the soul Alas my soul was like a Leopard spotted from head to foot with the leprosâ—e of sin and he hath commanded I willâ— be thou clean he hath washt away with his bloud all my spots I found that I was grown crooked and bowed together with my strong sinews of lusts and he hath made me straight I found I had a continual running issue that continually ran to the polluting of my soul and to the dishonour of God and the touching of his garments hath healed me Oh happy soul to whom God hath been pleased to give this key this is saving knowledge of the Scripture all other knowledge of the Letter is but the flesh of the Scriptures that which the carnal man may comprehend and although it be never so great never so exact it is meer dirt and dungâ— it s not worth one rush for thus to know the Scriptures as I have said is to have the whole Scriptures fulfilled in us as David saith I will hearken to what the Lord saith in me Now we come to the third thing What it is to know Jesus Christ crucified I determined to know nothing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified And again saith the Apoâ—â—le God forbid that I should rejoyce in anything save in the Cross of Christ whereby the world is crucified unâ—o me and I unto the world And again I count all things loss and dung that I may win Iesus Christ and know him crucified Before we can live the life of Jesus Christ we must of necessity know his death and find that he is crucified in us In a natural life a man must first be born and live before he can be crucified and put to death but in the spiritual life in us its contrary a man must first see that Christ is crucified before he is born Beloved I tell you if you take but this key to unloâ—k this pâ—ecious Cabinet of God you will find precious Iewels will come tumbling down to your hand Christ Jesus as he was crucified upon the cross so by way of equivalency he is still and daily crucified in us for he is the lamb slain from the beginning of the world and shall be to the end of the world You are deceived if you think the passion of Christ is past when he had suffered under Pontius Pilate Every man before he comes to be a spiritual man he was a carnal man a natural man And this natural man possessed the house and he is the strong man and not onely strong but armed and when ever I speak of the strong man or the old man or sin or the Devil or Satan or Lucifer or Antichrist c. I mean and intend one and the samething and so doth the Scripture as I conceive and I would have you well to consider this thing for they are those enemies the Scripture most minds us of and gives us warning to beware of and watch against they be our bosome enemies that betray us as for outward enemies we meddle not now with them but the Scripture hath given these Enemies or rather this Enemy of ours several names that thereby we may come to know him or by some of them at least that we may see in our selves the several effects of all those names and the several workings according to the nature of those names So long as this strong man keeps the house that is so long as our own wisdom strength gifts abilities of nature reason understanding will affections so long as these keep the house Iesus Christ is crucified these are those Jews who have Crucified the Lord of life these have kept him under and made him to serve your iniquities these have laden him as a cart is pressed with sheaves these have kept him down these have put his feet in the Stocks with Joseph and the irons have entred into his very soul. This is
and rule in thee and be KING in thy soul and Tread all his enemies under his feet thou hast betrayed him into his enemies hands Thou hast delivered him up to be crucified As long as thy sins live and thou pretendest to be a servant to him Thou hast made A MOCK of the Son of God And counted the blood of the Covenant an Unholy thing wherewith he would have sanctified thee therefore ye must seek to have your part in the first Resurrection if you hope the second death shall have no power on you But Let me remember my self Perhaps friends I speak Riddles to you for you may say in your hearts Far be it from me to crucifie my Saviour I find no Christ crucified in me nor I would not do it no not for a Thousand worlds What to have my hands imbrewed in the Death and BLOUD of the Son of God God forbid No poor soul I believe thou feelest it not so Because the strong man keeps the house and He keeps all at peace But if once Jesus Christ come into thy soul Even He that was dead and now begins to live That he begins to rouse up himself like a Lion He will then Make all the beasts of the Forrest to TREMBLE And know this if he once Will Lift up himself it is not in our power nor in the power of all the lusts and corruptions in the world nor in all the powers of darkness to keep him Down But Till this time He is content To serve your iniquities But When He doth Arise He will then shew you and make you sensible How you have scourged and crucified him All this while He will make you Amazed to see How all this while you have had him Live in you and been so near you and you have Crucified him What I Crucified my Saviour all this while and I not aware of it Oh wretch that I am Oh! now now he cryes out Oh! let these Jews dye let them live no longer these lusts ' these Sins of mine that have crucified and put to death The LORD of Life When I read the story of his life and death how he was used deâ—ided buffered c. little did I think that I was He that was in doing all those things to Christ my self Then thou shalt clearly see that when Christ commanded thee These and these things to be done Thou hast cast his Commands behind thy back and thou wouldest not have him rule in thee but thou chosest rather to follow thine own will and what self and flesh commanded Oh! here now thou hast Newly pierced Iesus Christ to the heart with a sharp spear Thou confessest truth it is God commands me to do these things to cross my self to forsake my own will and follow him Tush but it is all one I will and I must have my own will I will not stand bent to these Laws thou sâ—â—ppest in sunder these bands and casts these cords from thee Oh Friend thou art now The very man that hath newly wounded the Son of God and brought from his sâ—de water and blood Oh Beloved these are The Spears These are the Mocks these are the Scourgings these are Vinegar and Gall to Christ And that man that hath Thus Crucified him He hath more truly crucified him then ever the Jews did But after a man is brought to see and feel This How do you think Can that man that sees how he hath crucified Christ In him and put him to death Can he go on and crucifie him still Can he wound and put him to death still Can he be so Cruel to take these Spears these sins and lusts and wound him to the very heart again Oh! no no He cannot He cannot he will rather chuse to dye Ten thousand deaths Whatever he doth he will not wound again So Meek and Merciful A Saviour But it may be there is this Qâ—estion which may run in your thoughts and it may be it is Hard for you to conceive How Christ should suffer and not God to suffer seeing he is God and man It is certain God cannot suffer and therefore ye must understand That Christ in Himself cannot suffer but he suffers in his body in his members Those types and shadows of his sufferings are but to shew how He still suffers in his Members Internally and spiritually He suffers In regard of Us and to Us and for Us because we live and our sins and lusts live and our Self lives and therefore He suffers He is Crucified and dead For whatever we see done by Christ in the letter is An Embleme of that He doth for Ever For He is the Lamb slain from the beginning Iesus Christ is yesterday and to day and the same for ever Did you see him yesterday nailed to the Cross he is the same to day and for ever c. yet He HIMSELF suffers not but his body For Example my body can never suffer unless my soul be in it neither can my soul suffer without my body and yet my body cannot suffer without my soul Then wonder not if it may be thus in a creature if Jesus Christ in himself suffereth not but onely Himself in his members neither can his members suffer unless he be in them I my self saith Paul fill up in my body The measure of the sufferings of Christ. Beloved These are Divine sublime things if your eyes be but open to see them And you having This KEY put into your hand by God himself for God himself must interpret his own meaning then you will have Such a light such a Demonstration of Truth so that Those Scriptures which you knew not before what to make of them nor what they concerned they were So dark and Obscure and Contradictory Now all the whole Scriptures open of themselves and shew you all their Hidden Iewels and Unspeakable Treasures And now my Brethren God forbid that after an hours or more patient hearing that I or you should fall under the reproof of Iobs friends In ventum verba protulisse or to have entertained you here so long with Wind or lyes as Ephraim is said to have dieted himself with Hos. 12. 1. He feedeth on wind and followeth after the east wind He daily encreaseth lyes God forbid That all we have said should be but as Lyes or wind or Nothing to you But if you see these things in experience Then Beloved you shall see wonderful things How all Davids Psalms come in How the Fat Bulls of Basan came about him like Bees and How his feet were fast in the stocks and how he was overwhelmed in the mire and so throughout the whole Psalms and the rest of the Scriptures still seeing and taking them as done spiritually and invisibly And so you shal come to see The Scriptures to be A Bottomless SEA where in the Elephant may swim and the Leviathan may sport himself Neither would many
overcome by lust and Absalom to fall by Ambition and Abiram by murmuring Iudas by covetousness the Richman by gluttony and that Simon Magus was overcome by covetousness and the like But here is the misery of all miseries and the height of all aggravations For a man to go to hell by his Religion and profession of truth for a man to go to hell by hearing of Sermons By receiving the Communion by praying by preaching by abstinence By overcoming of Vice by Resisting of sin by giving of alms c. to bless themselves and say I thank God I am not thus and thus as the Pharisee said I am not as other men nor as this Publican I do not as other men do I do not swear as such a man I do not blaspheme and lye and be drunk as such and such I go to Church twice a Sabbath I attend diligently I read and repeat the word in my family I pray twice a day nay not onely so but I keep a strict watch over my heart and tongue I have overcome swearing and filthy speaking and lying and covetousness all these have I killed my life is unspotted No man can say Black is my eye But may it not be said of thee as it was once concerning Alexander that when he came to besiege and take a City and the enemy stood upon a high steep mountain or bulwark upon which stood Elephants so that they were in such a strait they knew not what to do for if they killed they should kill more of their own Army then of their Enemies For if they killed the Elephants that stood in the front their heavy bodies would tumble down upon them and kill them So say I I fear that in killing of sin sin hath killed thee Are not all thy good deeds fallen upon thine own head and hath not all thy labour and pains that thou hast taken Killed thine own soul And for all this Potent strength that this Lucifer you see hath yet he hath gotten Armour on besides And his armour is Innocency And the more of this he hath the more strong and the better Armed is He I say the more innocency and unsportedness This Lucifer hath so much the more strong is he against God but as David saith Psal. 119. 71. It was good for me that I was afflicted for before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have respect to all thy Commandments So may I boldly say It were good for thee to Fall Nay it were better that God would let thee fall then stand that thou mayest come to see thine own pride and glory laid in the dust and that thou be made to see Not what a strong excellent creature thou art but what a vile and sinful and what a weak creature thou art that so thou mayest say it was good for me and I find it by experience Oh it is good for me that I sinned and that I fell for before I sinned I went astray I had like to have gone to hell by all my good actions by my pride in them I was even at the very pits brink had this never been disclosed to me Oh Beloved Humility is the Top of all graces all is nothing if we have not That with them Beloved examine your selves Try and see whether these things be in you or not and if they be if you find them so I tell you you will never look so much to find any of them without your selves as within One Name more and then we conclude for this time The â—â—th name that is given him is The Red Dragon Rev. 12. 3. so called because of his colour And there appeared another wonder in heaven and behold a great red Dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads Friends I would fain bring you acquainted with This enemy also that you may once come to know him that you may beware of him for I open all these several names that so I might fully describe and set him out to you that you may know him that if you find him not in you by one name yet you may by another and if not by one or two yet by all his names compared together That as Moses put his hand into his bosom and pulled it out leprous so I would fain have you finde that these things are in your own bosoms you are all Lepers but know it not And though I take some time in opening these names yet I hope it will be profitable to you for as yet I am not half gone through them This Red Dragon makes his Fiery assaults upon the Soul daily and hourly and there doth he make Wreck and spoil he there cruelly Rends and Tears your poor souls and you for all that see it not nor are sensible thereof There He Seises upon his Prey Which but with a very strong hand will he forsake And by those his fiery darts which the Apostle speaks of he wounds the soul to death and destruction and there is no delivering the soul from the jaws of this fiery Dragon but by the Almighty power and hand of God for he goes about like a Roaring Lion seeking his prey and whom he may swallow up and devour 1 Pet. 5. 8. And his Armour is bloâ—d it is no less then your bloud your life that feeds him And he Thirsts for bloud which is your life and that is his life his meat and drink And there is no overcoming this Dragon but by destroying That which is the very life of your lives viz. Of your carnal and fleshly lives the life of pride and the life of covetousness the life of arrogancy and self-boasting c. All Humane and worldly wisdom must be brought down The natural man as born of the old Adam must be crucified and slain and be utterly stript of all his wisdom and power ye must take up arms and go to war within your selves and fight with your selves fight with your own wills with your own affections You mus resist and cast away that which is sweet and dear to flesh and bloud you must cut off your right hands and pull out your right eyes else this Devouring Dragon will never be overcome Every man loves his blood dearly the natural mans sin is as dear to him as his blood it is so interwoven and runneth into the very nature of man even as the blood through every part and membâ—r so that take away the bloud and you take away the life And nothing will satisfie this bloudy red Dragon but bloud this he lives upon and therefore whenever ye look and behold in your selves or any other A dearness in sin A love to sin you shall finde how loth they are to part with it Can a Blackamoor change his skin or a Leopard his spots Neither can ye which are accustomed to do evil learn to do well saith Isaiah Therefore He is A Sore Enemy SERMON III. ROM 8. 17.
Christ as Act. 10. 42. it is Christ that was ordained of God to be judge of quick and dead he is not onely Judge at that great and last day but he also is Judge in this life as our Saviour sayes Ioh. 12. 31. Behold now is the Prince of this World judged or cast out there is no man nor nothing of man that is judged or condemned but it is Christ that is The Iudge in that soul for if we tarry till Satan condemn Satan if we tarry till Belzebub condemn Belzebub till the strong man bind himself we may tarry a day too long as the Proverb is for never while the world stands can we expect that flesh will judge flesh that our own will will condemn our own will that Lucifer will judge Lucifer this can never be if you expect that you may wait till it be too late the door will be shut and there is no more hope The Scripture then makes mention of three sorts of men that are Judges the first are Carnal men Rom. 7. 14. 1 Cor. 3. 3. For we know the law is spiritual but I am Carnal sold under sin For ye are yet carnal for whereas there is among you envyings and strifes and divisions are not ye carnal and walk as men that are led meerly by carnal and fleshly sense given up onely to please their appetites and fleshly desires they see no farther and their aim is no higher The second sort are Animales reasonable men and they are such as are more refined of a higher and more sublime nature even those that mind the intellectual part their souls And these reasonable or rational men as we call them being guided by reason there they rest and there they are satisfied for let a man but shew a reason for what he does and who will condemn him But neither of these have the wisdom that is from above for all this wisdom is but earthly fleshly and devillish Iam. 3. 15. Can it be expected that either of these two will judge themselves will carnal fleshliness judge carnality no it approves it it justifies it or will reason condemn reason how can it overthrow it self it is impossible a Kingdom divided against it self it cannot stand but yet the rational man doth judge and condemn and sits as Judge oftentimes over the actions of the carnal man But there is a third sort of men and they are Spiritual men Gal. 6. 1. and 1 Cor. 2. 15. Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness considering thy self left thou also be tempted But he that is spiritual judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man And This MAN judgeth both these the Spiritual man Omnia judicat judgeth all things we esteem little of the carnal man every one condemns him but we highly esteem of the rational man because he is guided by reason and doth all things that reason guides him to he minds not his body onely it is reason he should regard that but he regards his soul too and That above his body he knows he hath an Eternal soul and therefore it behoves him and he hath reason to look for an estate and well-being for it and who can now judge who is able to blame this man can any man do better But now comes the spiritual man and he judgeth all things when he comes he judgeth and condemneth the very best and highest actions of this reasonable man and tells him that his very thoughts are abominable to God his hearing reading praying his sacrifices are an abomination In the two former men we could not find such a judge but here comes ONE who indeed is no man nor any part of man but the Son of God himself he comes now into the soul the spirit of God he is the judge this spiritual man this Christ being formed in the soul this word being spoken in the soul for Christ is the Word spoken It comes and sayes Reason for all thou art so set up and esteemed amongst men yet thou art a fool and Reason sayes again that God is a fool But let me tell you God is capable to understand Reasons wayes but Reason cannot understand Gods ways And beloved God and Man have been a long time at this God sayes Reason thou art a fool and again Reason sayes God thou art a fool But now Reason must be condemned Reason must be cast the inward man must judge the outward the New man the old the second Adam the first This is that voice in the soul This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased hear him Do you think that is meant onely of his words that he then spake when he was on earth No but Hear him that is Hear Him in your selves Hear Him in your souls the one is but a fleshly hearing this is a spiritual a soul-like hearing His Word silences all Of this word we may say Blessed is he that hears my words and doth them And as David saith Arise Lord and judge the people but by the way Do you think that God ariseth or removes from place to place No no Rise Lord in our souls be Judge there among the Gods amongst those that have been our Gods and have ruled over us those strange Lords bring them down and do thou Lord exalt thy self the wicked flourish in thy House and Courts And break down the carved work c. In that place that should be thy House witness those effects those murthers and thefts and cruelties that express themselves daily many in action and many more lye lurking in the soul to betray the innocent and guiltless man Oh then sayes this soul let God arise and his enemies shall be scattered and again Psal. 35. 24. Iudge me O God according to thy righteousness and let not mine enemies rule over me Judge me according to thy righteousness not according to flesh not according to reason but according to thy righteousness And if that condemn me this condemnation is not unto death as Christ said concerning Lazarus This sickness is not unto death So likewise This delivering unto Sathan is for the crucifying of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Oh Lord sayes this soul judge thou me my flesh hath judged me and my soul hath judged me the carnal and the rational man hath judged me but they can find no fault with me but up Lord exalt thy self that so this man of sin may shew himself no more in me Now He that hath been judged and condemned by the world must now condemn the world Now He sits down with Christ in his Throne To judge even the twelve Tribes of Israel all Outward and formal profession The wisdome of the world which hath long condemned the wisdom of God to be folly must now by
is in them both meat for nourishment and also excrements buu who can say when he looks on either This is the meat and This is the Nutriment and this Other is the excrements and this is that which goes into the draught and is good for nothing Yet you know The stomach will sever these and divide to either their proper way and places and to their proper uses and a skilful Physician which knows the body the arteries and the veins and all the parts how they lie he knows how nature disposes of all these things and knows both the things and the causes And so likewise in Physick ye can have no Physick without excrements though ye cannot see the virtue and the Life and the Spirits yet ye may see the effects and though in meat you cannot see the nourishment yet you may see the thing nourished by it So we cannot have the true word of God without the letter God could not as I may so say considering our state as we are he could not give us meat or Physick by the word but by the Letter And although it be not the Physicians intent to give excrements but onely Physick and we do not eat meat for the excrements sake but for the meats sake and for the nourishment So my Brethren we being of so low a nature and quality so earthly so fleshly so sensual so far from a spiritual nature That I say God cannot give us His Mind and the soul of the Scriptures which is so Divine Heavenly and Spiritual without the Letter without the shell without those excrementsâ— Yet His meaning is not to give us the shell or the excrements but the nourishment his meaning is to give us Living water springing up to eternal life and to feed us with Hidden Manna and to give us the white stone wherein there is a new name that no man knoweth but he that receâ—veth it But we must not therefore Throw away the Letter because there is excrements with it as we do not throw away meat or Physick because excrements are in it because if you throw away the meat you throw away the nourishment as well as the excrements But if you take the Carnal letter as carnally spoken The literal letter as literally spoken Then you have not taken the City of the letter If you look for no more in the Scriptures we do but cast pearls before swine you go no further then the Pharisees The Jews and the Pharisees before Christ came they were so literal sensual and carnal they thought that whosoever did not break the letter of the Ten Commandments If they did nothing against the Outward Literal letter they thought themselves blameless As in the seventh Commandment They thought If they had not actually layen with a woman then they had perfectly kept that Law but Christ goes further and tells them He that looks on a woman and lusts after her hath committed adultery already in his heart And so for murther they thought if they did not lay hands on their brother to murther him they thought they had gone a great way in keeping that Command but our Saviour goes further then every eye can see and saith He that is angry with his brother without cause is guilty of murther So they rested on the Letter and the Letter perished They had not married Achsah they had still The vail before their eyes and those that are come no further they are still Jews as the Apostle saith They have still the vail before their eyes even while Moses is read and Christ is a mysterie Hid to such even from the beginning of the world Beloved we have many Chatechisms now adayes and They say they are for children and I believe so to Onely for children to get by roat and be never the better for them and I am afraid there are Too too many such children who think themselves Tall men who have most of the Scripture at their fingers ends And because they can answer any Catechistical point in Divinity they must be accounted The greatest Proficients and tallest Châ—istians But you see by this we have said how far men may go herein and yet know nothing to salvation As we said The children of Israel how expert were they in the Scriptures so as they thought themselves the strictest observers of the Commandments yet you see how our Saviour undervalues all their knowledge and strictness And now seeing it is fallen in our way we will touch upon each Commandment briefly The Israelites they thought if they observed the litteral Ten Commandments there was no more required As in the first Commandment if he worshipped either Sun Moon or Stars or any creature then he thought he should dye the death but if they never bowed to any creature in a way of worship then they were innocent But This they might do and be never the better for saith the Apostle The end of the Commandment is love out of a pure heart and faith unfeigned To have any thing in the world for thy God Either to love or fear so that it draws away the love and fear of thy Creator that thing is to thee a God and thou givest it that worship fear and love that is due onely to God So far as any creature hath caused thee to offend thy Creator thou hast broken this Commandment If either riches or beauty or honour or promotion hath weighed down thy love from obeying God Almighty thou hast set it in the room of God and cast Him behind thy back And that thou hast worshipped and served thou sacrificedst to it thy heart thy fear thy love thy trust which is onely due to God They never came to this To observe what they set up in their hearts for God and herein lay The marrow The nourishment the meat of the Commandment and all because they had not smitten Kiriathsepher they had not crackt the Letter And so the second Commandment Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image Here let me tell you thus much In making of Images God loves Carvers better then Painters It may be The strangeness of the expression will cause you to take the more notice of what I am to say Be not offended aâ— the expression for I shall open my intentions in so saying Quest. Why sir what do you mean Answ. I le tell you Carvers you know in their work they lessen cut pare and take away but Painters they do not so but they adde in their work they put colour here and there So this is that I mean God loves those that seek him in poverty in a way of emptiness and self-nothingness And as for those that seek him in riches and greatness and in high things in mens esteem they go farther and farther from him The Virgin Mary found it so in experience when she said The hungry he fills with good things and the rich he sendeth empty away he hath regarded the
mincing terms and call it the infirmity of the flesh and your weakness when indeed it is no less then Rebellion and as the sin of witchcraft as Samuel told Sauâ— when you take little notice of this High Crime and High treason against the Most High yet you pass it by and make light of it as Saul did when as in plainterms it is no less then the renouncing oâ— God Rejecting him and his Government And iâ— you were in His place you think you would do otherwise in this thing and in that Oh poor Drop why contendest thou with thy Maker Who shall set him A Rule wilt thou Sit above him and Rule him according to thy mind wilt thou give Laws to the Almighty Oh tremble before him Ye Earthen Pitchers ye poor Dust of the ballance tremble before him the whole earth and let them not dare thus presumptuously to strive with thtir Maker who is able for One of these thoughts to undo thee and it is his infinite mercie he pasheth thee not to nothing Oh! learn learn Poor Dust of the ballance and poor Drop of a Bucket to be pleased with whatever he doth whether he pleases thee or pleases thee not be thoâ— pleâ—sed with him If he drives down The Banks before him like a mighty Ocean if he Rend the Rocks and overwhelm the Mountains if he make the Sea Roar and the whole earth to Shoot for fear learn we To tremble before him and be Afraid to withstand him lest he â—onsume thee and bring thee to nothing Learn to be ruled and guided by His wisdom Learn of faithful Abraham to obey God Learn to deny thine own will and to take up his Cross Readily and follow him As Abraham when God had made him Rich and he was setled in Uâ— of the Chaldees God Of A suddain Bids him Leave All and follow him he presently obeyed and went But whither must he go Whither I shall shew thee He told him not whither no he inquires not what conveniencies and accommodation the country had whirher he was to goe but this was all Follow me Even Any where where God shall shew thee thou shouldst willingly go if he bid thee leave Health that thou leave it willingly and if he will have thee go with him into sickness that thou go with him willingly if he lead thee into any condition yea even into the vale of tears as David saith and into the shadow of death that thou go with him readily and cheerfully And so likewise consider Abraham in the sacrificing his onely son How readily he did it and consulted not with flesh and blood For consider if it be Gods will that thou shalt go this way Thou must go it Why wilt thou do that unwillingly which thou must do Again in the seventh Commandment with Moses he that did not commit Actual adultery with a woman was not guilty of the bâ—each of this Commandment And our Saviour goes further In inteâ—pâ—eting the very letter He that lusts after a woman in his heart hath committed adultery already But the spirituality of this Commandement is Take heed of spiritual Adultery Take heed of turning Aside from the Creator and going a Whoring after the creatures to set thy affections on any creature above the Lord God Almighty and not to love Him withal thy mind with al thy might and with al thy heart To set them upon any thing below God Thou hast therein plaid the Adulterer in the highest degree And this is that Adultery set out in the 7. of the Proverbs of the strumpet and the simple young man Void of understanding She had Attired her self like an Harlot and she was subtile in heart and she caught him and kissed him with an impudent face And tels him How she had decked her bed with tapestry and perfumed her bed Come let us take our fill of love until the morning And with much fair speeches she caused him to yield and her flattering lips forced him But saith the Holy Ghost He goeth after her but it is as an Ox to the slaughter and as a fool to the stocks till a dart strike through his liver And he hasteth as a bird to the snare and knoweth not that it is for his life This is the letteâ— But yet All this is chiefly To set out to us that all the sons of men are This simple Young man and that the beauty of the creatures woes us to go a whoring after them they Court us as she did the young man and tell us What pleasure and delights we shall have if we will follow them and by this means the spirit of man is defiled and goes a whoring from the Lord. All those excellencies and beauties in the creatures should be As so many Beams from the sun to draw up and fix our eyes upon the Sun it Self but we Are like PENELOPES Suitors Many hearing of Her admirable and incomparable Beauty and Comeliness Attempted to come to her but few or none ever came at Her For She had many Fair Damsels attending Her to Conduct Her lovers to her which were so fair and Amiable that they thought none so fair as they and so fell in love with them and never came at The Mistris of All Beauty of whom the Handmaids were but shadows All which is a lively emblem of God and man God is compassed about with various and Beautiful Creatures which should onely serve to lead us and to bid us look higher then them And though we all pretend To aim at God at perfect bliss and happiness yet How Few Attain to him How many fall short And by the way they are wholly taken up with the creatures His Handmaids and thereby their souls are caught As a bird in a snare And they know not That it is for their lives But yet know the creature may be loved and used so we could but use it rightly and love it râ—ghtly but that is very hard to do if we could use it and love it as if we used it not or loved it not As not appropriating it to our selves And always being ready to leave it willingly and freely so that thou sufferest No Rending No Tearing in thy soul to part with it and using it so thou usest it for God and in God and to Ends appointed by God Then for the eighth Commandment Every one will be ready to justifie themselves from theft That is a poor base beggerly sin But as I said I say still the outward part of this Commandment and so of the rest you may keep exactly It is the easiest part of all The Outward man may keep it without any Divine or spiritual assistance Every natural man may attain The keeping of them According to the letter and yet They are deeply guilty of the spiritual breach thereof Foâ— there is a spiritual Theft and besides you know the external part of this Commandment and so of others God can
daily in our souls Did he heal the lame and cast out Devils then He doth the same in our souls And whereever he doth them he doth them so as they shall never be Blind more never Dumb more never Deaf more the devil shall never possess thee more The whole letter of the word is but Christs Body and therefore we must not be content with that and rest in that When once we have the Substance of Christs actions there is no more use oâ— the signes we must labour to find out the Truth that is hid in this shell and to find the treasure the pearl that is hid in this field seek for THE WORD as our Saviour prayes Father sanctifie them with thy truth Thy WORD is Truth Mosâ— men henâ—e think when they read the letter of the word they think they read Gods word No no this is not the truth that Christ calls truth for he himself is the Word the Truth and the Life He is the meat and the marrow of which that is but the Bone and the shell Search the Scriptures for in them ye think to have eternal life for they testifie of me I am the substance I am the SOUL of them And they do but testifie of Me they are not the life the soul Yet I prize the letter as high as any man but I must not prefer the Handmaid before the Mistress Yet much ado there hath been among many men about this Letter of the word who pretend to know much in Gods word as if they knew whatever were to be known They are gone so far and are come to such perfection as they think that they can resolve any point in Divinity give the interpretation of any place of Scripture and many large voluminous works have been published to the world and filled it full of their Expositions but God knows how many of them have kept a deal ado and much blustring to little purpose And in our dayes and in our Nation what talk is there everywhere of Gods word when indeed and in truth most men are ignorant of Gods word and all is because they take these Literal black letters to be The word of God you are deceived Is it The Word of God because it is English or Latin or Greek or Hebrew can we tell whether ever God spake in any of these languages or if he did These Letters cannot be The word of God If any way The word be taken in vain it is this way when men think God speaks to them And they hear him when they read the letter You are deceived in this The letter doth but bear Witness to the truth Christ is the Truth and the letter gives Testimony to him See what the Evangelist sayes The Word is Joh. 1. In the beginning was the word Bibleswere not then and the word was God This is That Word so magnified both in the old and new Testament To which all their Sacrifices and Prophesies pointed to in shadows but the Substance of them is Christ as the Apostle saith Heb. 10. The Law is but a Shadow of good things to come But Christ he is The Word He is The Truth He is those good things promised throughout All the Scriptures The letter is but the Shadow the Signes the BODY and Substance is Iesus Christ. And if it be so then let me say thus much more to you Never any man ever yet Saw the Truth nor ever any man Heard the truth nor ever read the truth Those that onely read the Letter they are ignorant of the word for the truth is the word and the word is the Spirit It is the Spirit That discerns the word through the letter and it is the Spirit that applyes it where ever it works it is the Spirit onely that knows the truth And t is the Spirit onely that fructifies and thrives by it and lives in it The word heard or read is but the Bark the Outside the Sheath the Lanthorn but the Sap the Life the Sword the Light that is within And this is Onely Christ Co-Essential with the Father This is that word which the Scripture speaks of which is able to make the man of God perfect for as the Apostle saith The Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did for do you what you can yea keep the whole Law according to the letter yet this cannot make us perfect But this word this truth we now unfold is the Sure the real the true the eternal word against which The gates of hell shall never be able to prevail Have ye what ye can of the letter except ye have also Christ the substance thereof the letter will but deceive you for you have but the shadow and therefore you must needs be deceived for you to think you have the substance when you have but the shadow It is not any outward thing we can do will do us any good it is the Spirit the word it self that doth the deed Yet I must tell you more That this word and Christ and the Spirit All dwell Among us dwell In us and we know them not as Iohn 1. 10. He was in the world and the world was made by him He dwels among us and yet the world knows him not nay He came among his Own and his Own received him not These are strange expressions what may be the meaning of this Divine high-flowen Eagle for that is his Embleme I conceive it was to shew that he soared and flew higher in Divine contemplations of truth and in the knowledge of the Mystery then all the rest of the Evangelists This was he of whom it is said The Disciple whom Iesus loved and this is he thaâ— Leaned on his breast at supper This was he that had all those divine visions and Secret mysteries revealed to him in the Isle of Pathmos who writ the Revelation and was therefore called IOHN the Divine I conceive his meaning is when he saith He came and dwelt among us and yet the world knew him not although it was made by him was this that God in Jesus Christ dwells in every creature but the creature comprehends it not Because the light shineth in darkness and the Darkness cannot comprehend the light It is in him as the Apostle saith that we live move and have our being and yet we know it not because we are compassed about with darkness nay we are Darkness it self Is it not a strange thing that He should be in Us be so near us and be our light and our life our sun and our shield and yet we not know him we not be acquainted with him But He Shines in Darkness what 's that that is All creatures are darkness to him God in himself is light of lights infinitely far above and beyond all creatures if he put forth himself in the making of any creature that creature is infinitely below him the highest of creatures is
daâ—kness to him He is darkned in the Sun and he is darkned in the Moon and Stars He is darkned in Angels and Archangels in Cherubims and Seraphims and more darkned in men and other creatures But he is in Jesus Christ The SOUL and life of all things There have been great disputes in all ages what the soul of man is whiâ—h I shall not now enter upon but whatever it be be sure of this It is infinitely below God For God is the life of lives the soul of souls He is that Sun and glory that Excellency and Beauty that shines in All creatures He not onely gives to all things life and being but He is Their life and being He fils all things with His Being So as all things are nothing Compared with God and yet for all this For all He is so GREAT And so much ALL yet they see him not comprehend him not Iohn who was the foâ—erunner of Christ confesses that he knew him not For all he was of such Excellency that he was He whose shoe-latchet he was not worthy to stoop down to unloose and yet he knew him not He saw not this Glory and Majesty that was in him For all he was The Messiah The Saviour of the world Lived with him and converst with him in all probability for he was his Cousin German according to the flesh And if their mothers visited one another while the children were but in the womb and for the childrens sake much more after their birth did they come together visit and salute one another besides many other reasons which might be given yet he knew him not all that thirty years till he came to be baptized of Iohn And he saw the Spirit descend upon him like a Dove And it was so with Iohn Baptist who was a Prophet and the immediate Harbinger appointed to bring tidings that the Messiah followed him I say Seeing it was so then do not wonder that men who read the word and teach the Letter of the word all their life long yet never know Christ never be acquainted with his Spirit and His meaning in the literal word Therefore take it not ill if I tell you If any man were able to speak the whole word the letter in every tittle That he could or were able or if it were possible To speak the whole Scriptures in one word or at once yet he may go to the Devil for all that for no man can do so much as He in this regard But I le tell ye if ye had once known Iesus Christ after the Spirit ye would not make such a stir about Forms Disciplines and Externals as if that were the great and onely reformation for all those things men may do and be not One hair better before God For all that the Devil is the Devil still and flesh is alive still and the heart may be set upon the creature still and to this man this word is amiable still I pass not what men say and prattle to the contrary Let us see their humility and self-denial and becoming all to all le ts see their self-judging and judging other men less and themselves most of all let the life of Christ appear in the fruits humility and lowliness of mind not seeking themselves and their own profit and advantage but the profit of many that they may be saved were it so as they pretend what means so much knowing men after the flesh having mens persons in admiration because of advantage what means their seeking greetings in the markets and uppermost rooms at feasts what means Their long prayers under a pretence but t is To devour widows houses and to ingratiate themselves so as to get the praise of men being exceedingly desirous of vain glory and the wealth of the woâ—ld And if they have not these they are dead on the nest heartless and little or no fruit of love comes from them but the contrary Censoriousness and bitterness and hatred and Envyings Were you but once come to the true Vision of God and the Life of Christ you would be Above and slight all these base and carnall things and they would here with the Apostle never more know Men nor the world nor any creature after the flesh that is in their choicest and highest love and esteem but all these things shew that these men are yet below and in the world and not above with God whatever They in Shew express to the contrary Object But it may be you will say to me Sir you so undervalue the letter and the Scripture that we know not what to do we took this to be Gods word what would you have us cast away our Bibles would you not have us worship God according to the letter shall not God be worshipped with our bodies I answer God forbid But I know men of the letter or the Devil in man presently runs into this extreme Either through ignorance and so is through the infirmity of the flesh and weakness of the inward man or else it is out of wilfulness and so of the Devil and one of his great designs to destroy the soul God forbid that I should so condemn the Letter as to bid men neglect good Orders and worshipping God in their bodies and in external worship far be it from me But this is that I say I would not have ye onely do this And I fear ye strive and contâ—nd so much for the letter and the external part of Gods worship that ye neglect the inward and internal altogether for where is the man that is so zealous and so hot for the Internal as he is for the External whereas the One is to be preferred far before the other but we find it quite contrary If we press men to the Inward before the Outward or do but as I desire to do Lift up that Either how cold and heartless are they or else how quarrelsome and malicious are they but this is that I say Strive chiefly for the Spirit and the Hidden sense get this but onâ—e into your hearts and then I will be bold to say Turn this man loose he hath that within will gâ—ide him Then I say let him neglect the outward if he can otherwise you do but hold men to it as a Beare to the Stake by cords of Humane inventions by Self-Love and self-interest by Fears Hopes and Rewards and these poor things without the over-ruling and commanding Natural power and principle of love And when you have done this what great act have you done Do not the Hypocrites the same do not sinners the same do not Heathens the same what great and goodly Converts have you made that you so glory in them Beloved if a man love his wife this love will produce all care and tenderness and all offices of love towards her that may be if he love her let him kill her if he can let him beat her or hurt her if he can
who can be against us 〈◊〉 likewise if God be against us who can be for us If a man flye from a Bear what help hath he if a Lion meet him and to flye from an iron weapon and a bow of steel strike him through when God is become thine enemie who dare be thy friend when God shall deny a man comfort then all comforts and Comforters fly from him when the God of all comfort shall deny his creatures power to comfort thee then like Iob if thou lay thee down thou sayest when shall I arise and the night be gone and thou art full of tossings too and fro unto the dawning of the day Iob 7. 4. He seeks for comfort but none dare give when the day comes he wisheth for the night and when the night comes he wisheth for the day and is full of unquietness While a man is in the body the Almighty hath visible Chariots to ride in towards thee In this life he shoots visible arrows Nah. 3. 2. The noise of a whip the noise of the ratling of the wheels of the praâ—sing horses and of the jumping Chariots He striks with visible swords his Chariot-wheels shall rattle against thee in poverty disgrace imprisonments in this life c. these are his rods whatever else seems bitter to us He hath the earth to swallow thee up as it did Dathan and his company and he hath waters to drown thee as he did Pharaoh he hath Whips Racks Strapadoes Halters and the like All these he hath and a 100 times more he useth for the body in the hands of man But adde unto these the invisible torments of thy invisible part And a wounded heart which as Solomon saith and such who have felt it know full well is far above all the rest The spirit of a man may sustain his infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear I but now if a man shall say with David Psal. 139. 11. Peradventure the darkness shall cover me and I will flee far hence when I have put off this body I shall then be at rest then dark death shall cover me and it shall ease me and hide me from all these things No no Then hath thy God invisible Chariots in which he rides and invisible weapons which shall pierce thy invisible soul The day and the night are all one to him Psal. 139. 12. When thou hast put on death he hath then also fiery Chariots and Horses still to affright amaze pursue wound and kill with a never dying death And therefore let us learn to fear him who can cast both boâ—â— and soul into hell But let us not fear any 〈◊〉 and I hope especially some among us we have not so learned Christ as either to fear them or trust in them Some saith David Psal. 20. 7. put trust in Chariots and some in Horses but we will trust in the name of the Lord. These are things we should never regard for all the Creatures are but Chariots wherein God rides therefore we should not much heed them but God in them neither men nor things but God onely who acts in them and by them for they can neither do us any good or hurt as of themselves but as they are acted and commanded by God and therefore I say we should neither fear them nor trust in them First Not fear them for so saith our Saviour Mat. 10. 28. Fear not him that can but kill the body c. Not trust in them for saith David A horse is counted but a vain thing to save a man Psal. 33. 17. And again put not you your trust in Princes nor in the son of man in whom there is no help For what is it that we trust to when we trust in them Fear them not saith the Psalmist why for their breath is in their nostrils they are but a puff of breath which is soon past and gone As soon as ever the Gate of our Life is broken down by some disease or other we come to nothing The snare is broken and our souls are escaped and what can such poor creatures do to us either for good or hurt Secondly Trust not in them no not in Princes nor in the son of man whose breath is in his nostrils in whom there is no 〈◊〉 and wherein is he to be accounted of The words are very remarkable and emphatical for when he had said Trust not in Princes one would think he had gone to the highest pich of power on earth for what is greater and who are of more power then Princes yet he addes nor in the son of man whose breath is in his Nostrils that is when a man hath trusted so long to things without himself till he hath no more to trust to and all fail him yet at last of all he will trust to himself and indeed the last trust is in a mans self therefore Christ nameth this before all to deny a mans self and take up his Cross herein daily But let us have our eye onely upon God and say as Elisha of Eliâ—ah and afterward as Ioash to Elisha 2 King 13. 14. so let us cry to God alone O my father my father the Chariots of Israel and the Horsmen thereof for indeed he is the Horsmen and the Chariots So when we look round about us both on the right hand and on our left above or below us let us take heed we rest not in any Creature whatsoever but let us look up and see that God is the strength of Israel his people and let us call upon him and say O my Father my Father the Chariots and Horsmen of Israel and to say with Iehosaphat in any strait O our God we know not what to do but our eyes are upon thee But as I told you there were chariots of divers fashions some that are made open and some made close And of old the Princes and great Ones of the Earth had Chariots of divers fashions and for divers uses so hath God Almighty As he hath Chariots Of Triumph so of Warre And those are both Offensive to pursue Defensive to deliver So also the Lord Almighty hath his Chariots Both Open and close wherein he Rides In some of his Chariots in some of his Creatures God rides more close in some he rides more open In some Creatures God is more apparently seen in others he is more hid But yet I will say as Austin saith of his Iudgements in some he is more hidden in others he is more manifest yet in all he is alwayes just And so say I of his presence in all his Creatures in some he is more conspicuous and apparent in others more secretly but in all alike truly and apparent to the seeing eye The Heavens are an open Chariot wherein he appears more visibly plainly Psal. 19. 1. The Heavens shew forth the glory of God and the Earth
pale of the Church they will be Teachers and they would fain be accounted great Rabbies and they can expound Scriptures as well as any and if need were or if they durst they can preach as well as any and these people if people will not hear them presently they are ignorant They are so well instructed they can go no whither to learn anything as though al wisdom were born with them when God knows they are as full of ignorance of pride of self-conceitedness as any men in the Town but the Spouse she cryes yea and still will cry till dooms day Tell me teach me she sees her own imperfections and strives after perfection she knows and is sensible with Paul she hath not yet attained And therefore I once again beseech you in the bowels of Jesus Christ and for your own souls sake leave off this kind of Religion although I would have you to hate even the garments spotted by the flesh We come to the second thing laid down and that is the Poise or weight that she hangs upon her suit she doth in a kind Adjure God I had thought to have gone through this Text at this time indeed I had thought when I began that you I should have waited upon this beautiful Lady our Mother our Mistress from Engedi to Eneglaim from the beginning of the Text to the end but you see here is a word hath bin cast in our way as the Carkases of Amasa and Asahâ—â— which made us to make a stand like the children of Israel at the Red Sea they could not the pass on till waters were dryed up and indeed the Red Sea is before us a whole Sea of matter but we must take what we can leave the rest Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth Here is a true expression of Prayer it is but a folly to pray to God except we can thus put up our prayers to him in this dialect O thou whom my soul lovesâ— Many think that if they can pray to God in setting forth his attributes styling him Most High Most Mighty Most Gracious and it may be adde Hebrew words as O Most mighty Iehovah then they think they have made an admirable Prayer but be sure of this except thou canst come to God truly say from thy heart O thou whom my soul love thy prayers be they never so excellent otherwise they all fal to the ground he accepts them not But when thou comest under this title it is so indeed he cannot chusâ— but hear for then it is the voyce of his Spouse but if you express his Attributes never so largely amply without this yet thou hast prayed no better then the Devil for there is no Attribute but he can inlarge amplifie above any of you all herein he is able to out-strip the best of you And the Apostle saith He that loves not the Lord Iesus let him be Anâ—thema Maranatha accursed from Christ he prayes no better then the very Devils and those that are accursed from Christ as we see still when the possessed with Devils came and met our Saviour whâ—t a large confession acknowledgement they make of him I know thee who thou art Iesus the Son of the most High God but Christ many times stopped their mouthes and would not accept their confession All thy prayers the best that ever thou madest without this title of love are but as milstones hung about thy neck and will drag thee to the bottom of the Sea But it may be you bless your selves for all this think your prayers are not so bad as we make them or if they be you hope you shall do well enough hereafter after you dye But know that as the tree falls so it lies as Solomon saith If thou dye in this condition so judgement shall find thee you hope it may be that you shall possess the Crown laid up for you in Heaven as you conceive but I fear you are so glued to the earth you can relish nothing but the earth so that that is it your souls loves And it may be you think it shall be some ponderous thing you shall have in heaven some glorious visible material or some tangible thing You think you shall have some such things as you enjoy here but alas alas thou shalt find that as soon as ever thou art unriveted from the earth And happy were it for thee if it were done here That the Kingdom of God consisteth not in meat and drinks in riches and wealth and the like for the Kingdom of heaven is not a creation but a multiplication And when you come to be received into that Kingdom it will not be demanded What riches have ye what honour have ye but Christ will ask How many loaves have ye if ye are not in possession of some loaves of some part of the Kingdome of heaven before in this world there is none to be given then Not what had you in this world But it will be asked how many loaves have ye â—hat is how many loaves of love How many loaves of Charity how many loaves of faith how many loaves of patience what wilt thou do if thou hast none wilt thou say Stay Lord I will go and buy or I will go and borrow as the foolish Virgins no no there is no body can lend they have none to spare they have but enough for themselves If thou canst not say as here O thou whom my soul loveth never look to entâ—r but ye must look for the answer those foolish Virgins had Depart I know ye not if this love be not the salt that seasons all your actions all your sacrifices he knows them not he regards them not where he sees no love in the actions let it be never so glorious a duty he knows it not Depart from me But try your love to him Try this secret seal by the Broad-seal of love to the creatures to your brethren if you be a living Member you will sympathize in love and fellow-feeling wit the rest of the members for the Apostle saith Love is the fulfilling of the Law the whole Law for take the Commandements first the Commandements of the second Table if a man love father and mother let him dishonour them if he can And so the next Thou shalt not kill if he love the creatures and his brethren he is so far from offering violence to any that he will rather lay down his own life And so the seventh if he love all he will not take the members of Iesus Christ and make them the members of an harlot And love will make him in stead of stealing from any to give plenteously and willingly and to be so far from coveting and taking away that he will rather adde what he can and love can bear no false witness nor covet any thing which is his Neighbours And so likewise for the first Table he that
loves God he knows him to be so full and satisfying that he never need make him more gods he knows that if the world were ten thousand times larger and pleasanter then it is he knows that God he is so full that he is sufficient for all neither can he make Images to worship them nor to put him in remembrance of him for he hath an apprehension of him beyond all manner of Images the whole Creation is a glasse to him he knows no Image can resemble him as God said to Moses Thou shalt make no image for ye saw no Image since the day I brought you out of Egypt And if he love him can he swear and blaspheme and prophane his name and can he if he love him grudge him one day in seven yea rather he wishes that God had taken seven to himself and given him but one Examine your selves by these things Is the seal of your external love a witness of your internal love it is true God is worshipped in spirit in truth and his love must be shed abroad in our hearts invisibly first but yet that love never rests there but it is like Aarons Rod a budding Rod or else thou art not fit to be a Priest to God if thy Rod be not a budding Rod be not deceived God is not mocked Except this tree put out some fruit some leaves it is dead and there is no sap or life in it for God hath not left himself without witness so that you see if there be not this love in the heart and expressed in the life conversation there can be no acceptance with God thou must come to him under this title O thou whom my soul loveth not as a Mercenary for gain or reward or for what advantage thou shalt get by him but for love to him not to his not as a Servant but as a Son Noâ— for fear neither but for love to him Many Beloved can come to God under this title O thou whom my body loveth thou givest me health thou givest me wealth thou givest me wisdom thou givest me a good report this is but O thou whom my body loves But this O thou whom my soul loves this proceeds forth from him that is invisible generally most men fix their eyes upon the visible blessings of God and they are much in prayer to God for them but know he regards none of these prayers but when his Son in whom he is well pleased when he prays he hears him alwayes but if any other prayes he regards it not Ye pray and it may be daily Thy will be done but yet saith the Husbandman O let me have a good year of increase and the Merchant he prays Thy will be done too but saith he O let the wind blow right for me to send home my shipping and the Tradesman he prays Thy will be done but saith he I desire store of customers to day and good takings what prayers are these think you what submission is here to the will of God mind thy own duty leave the success to him From whence do you think come these prayers O give me my health again O give me my wealth again O give my children again come these from Christ thinkest thou are these his prayers in thee or come they not from the flesh O let my flesh be well housed let my flesh be well clad let my flesh be well provided for away away God is deaf he can hear none of these prayers these blessings he gives promiscuously to every man these do not at all declare Gods love for he as often or oftner gives them where he hates as where he loves These are goods that a man may do good with but the other are goods that make a man good if thou dost good with them coming from this ground from love to Christ within they are acceptable even the least of them but if thou dost never so much good with them without this doing them to be seen of men or for any other by-end then verily ye have your reward ye did them to be seen of men ye are seen of men ye did them that men might think well of you and they do think well of you verily I say unto you you have your reward As the Lord said to the rich Glutton Son thou hadst thy portion in thy life time now he is comforted and thou art tormented Examine thy self do thy prayers come from this root O thou whom my body loves O thou whom my flesh loves or O thou whom my Soul loves for my body for my flesh then it is all one search thy soul diligentlyâ— for the day of the Lord will come and burn up all our deeds all our actions all our dross it will try out the gold the gold will not consume but be more refined but all that is hay and stubble and dross and such like stuff wrought but by the power of the creature and by the power of man even all mens Religion and their religious actions and whatever is of man shall be burnt up for ever Where Christ FEEDETH And where his Flock RESTETH CANT 1. 7. Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions Preached in the Afternoon for Mr. Hodges in the publick meeting-place at High-gate I Told you in the morning that we must not imagine this Book of the Canticles to contain any idle reverence and foolish wanton complements between a man and his wife on whom they either doted but the expressions of entire vehement love between the Lord Christ his dear Spouse Beloved this is the Eternal Everlasting sense the other is but the Letter which is nothing nor may we look upon them as the Dialogue between Solomon and his wife for what are they to us they are dead gone Though the whole Book of the Canticles be in appearance but an Epithalamion or a Love-song between Solomon and Pharaohâ— daughter his wife and consequently may seem to rellish nothing but of sensual love and the effects thereof carnal enjoyments yet know this is but the chaff that covers the corn And herein by these expressions the true Solomons face is vailed as was Moses his face by his vail because we are not able otherwise to behold him Therefore still when ever you hear or read the Scriptures seek to have the Book unclapsed and the seals opened for as it lies printed or written in the Letter it is both clapsed sealed walled about and though it be a fountain yet it is walled about by the Letter none see the meaning save onely they to whom it is given And where-ever you see the Letter speaks rest not in that but look for One greater for behold a greater then Solomon is here Mat. 12. 42. when the
Letter speaks that is but Solomon but the spirit is Jesus Christ the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth And when Solomons wife speaks observe and mind the wife of Jesus Christ his Church and Spouse the dearly beloved of his soul being professions of dearness and intimateness of love to his wife and of his wives to him do but set forth the unexpressible and reciprocal dearness between Christ and his Church The Letter is but a dead resemblance or picture of the life within as of good things promised so evil threatned It speaks of devouring fire and everlasting burnings Isa. 33. 14. and of the Tophet prepared of old and of the worm that never dyeth and of weeping and gnashing of teeth and all these are but resemblances and shadows of the terrors of the Almighty the thing it self is infinitely beyond these expressions As I have read of some who of old time kept for their security fierce dogs within the House and were wont to have without doors upon the wall a painted Dog with this Caution Cave Cave Canem Beware Beware the Dog And I have read of some ignorant people that would place burning Lamps made of combustible matter mixt with oil in the Sepulchres of their friends and have likewise pourtraied fire on the stones on the outside to shew there was fire within So the outward Letter is but the picture the resemblance of the truth within that is but the Literal Historical sense the life the fire is another thing Jesus Christ is the Spirit and Life he is the fire as Iohn 5. 35. Christ saith of Iohn He was a burning and a shining light that was so far as Christ did shine and give light in him and by him As true fire is infinitely unspeakably beyond the shadow resemblance and representation both in heat and splendour so is the truth beyond the Letter And as a living Dog is more then a painted or a dead Dog for they bite not at all but the Dog within is of another nature Psal. 110. 1. The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool that is The Lord said unto his son or unto his word for so the word in the Original may be as well taken The Lord said unto his Word Sit thou on my right hand c. This great Kings word is like the Kings daughter Psal. 45. 13. All glorious within And he that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom that is He thâ—t hath the living sense given to him he is instructed to the Kingdom of God The living sense is the Word the Word is Christ himself the letter thâ—t is but the shell but this is the kernel and is of perpetual use As all the Scriptures are symbolical and figurative so this more especially These words then are a request of the Spouse to her Husband whose love and instruction she never wanted and yet here she sues for it though he was not wanting to her yet still she desires to grow in the knowledge and love of him that she might abound therein as he filled her so still she desires to be filled I gave you four things to consider of which was rather for memory sake then order 1 Her request Tell or Teach her 2 The weight she hangs upon her request Oh thou whom my soul loveth 3 The matter of her Request what it is she sâ—eks these two things where thou feedest and where thou restest at noon 4 Lastly The reason of all For why should I be as those that turn aside to the flocks of thy companions thereby intimating if he did not continually teach her and direct her she should presently turn aside to the flocks of his companionâ— some are so full their Omers run over they are wiser then the Spouse here as God said to Tyrus Ezek. 28. 3. Art thou wiser then Daniel these men they are wiser then Daniel They if they had been but with God at the Creation they could have directed him to have done many things wiser then he hath done they would have shewed him a better way and in their prayers they are still teaching God what to do but there are none of these things in Christs Spouse this is not her voice but in all her conditions and at all times yea till the world shall be no more she cries Tell me Teach me Let us dread the sentence of the Church of Laodicea Thou sayest that thou art rich and wantest nothing and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked There is nothing so pleasing to the ears of God as this sound this voice Tell me teach me direct me Oh thou whom my soul loveth All other prayers are but the prayers of the Devil they can confess God to be and know him to be Mighty Glorious Omnipotent Omnipresent to be the Mighty Lord Iah Iehovah they can herein out-strip any man living therefore let us examine how much we love God and how much more then any thing else if thou canst not examine it by it self examine it by the fruits for by their fruits ye shall know them How much hath thy love increased toward him or doest thou love him as well as ever thou didst for thou lovedst him ever since thou wert born that 's never a whit If thou bearest no fruit thou art dead yea it may be twice dead and pulled up by the roots for if thou be rooted in him thou canst not if thou wouldst but bring forth fruit What ever prayers come from a soul that can truly say it loves God from this root I may boldly say it never returns in vain if it can say Oh thou whom my soul loveth thou art my God and I will love thee I would not commit adultery with any creature but my love is taken off all and is towards thee then is Gods love shed abroad in thy heart But we will go on to the next to the Spouses request Tell me what where thou feedest it is a strange speech now at this time that Christ should eat yet it is a true speech and a real question not imaginative but real not a transitive but a substantive It is true he did eat when he was upon earth you will say but he eats not now For your answer and for your better understanding of this take this short Theory They that conceive Christ according to the short time of 33 years that he lived upon earth or thereabouts they do limit and circumcise as I may say and cut short the vastness of his greatness Yet it is very true he lived 33 years upon earth and One only merit of his One action that he performed at that time was sufficient to satisfie for the sins of all the world abundantly and to perfect the work of Redemption considering what person he was viz. God equal with his Father
to starve and do you look I should relieve you Depart I know you not Lord say they we never saw thee a hungry but we fed thee or naked but we clothed thee or in prison but we visited thee They wonder that Christ should lay that to their charge for who more careful to relieve him outwardly yet you see Christ will not know them Therefore take notice that it is not enough that if no man demand ye need not to give or if you do give you have done all for ye may be guilty of neglecting Christ notwithstanding Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be satisfied Let Christ be fed and satisfied in thy soul give Him such meat as he can eat His meat is to do the will of his Father and to fâ—nish his work therefore in that regard also take heed ye displease not the Son left he be angry and ye perish in the way Take heed ye suffer him not to starve Thou feedest him in his members yea Outwardly but that is not enough I tell you that is but an embleme of feeding Christ that is but the outside thou dost but as it were perform the smal matterâ— of the Law and neglectest the weighty matters thereof Tell me where thou feedest and where thou restest at noon Beloved what need Christ any rest he is in heaven and is there any weariness where there is no weariness there is no need of rest he is farre above the malice of men and devils Isa. 66. 1. Where then is the place of my rest ☞ For Answer hereunto we must consider Christ as a Body not as any one particular member for a member cannot suffer without the body for if a member be cut off from the body all actions cease in that member and where there is no life or action there can be no suffering separate the action which is the effect of life from the body or the life which is the cause of action the body is not capable of suffering So in Christ consider the body compleat and so Christ suffers still and hath need of Rest As he is in every creature so he is called The beginning of all the works of God and he indeed is All Things and so he is at rest and cannot suffer Here is a great mystery Beloved that Christ should be in the Creature and yet be at Rest that he should be in the Variation and Alteration of things in the world and yet He not vary that He should be the substance of things changed and yet He not changed I will shew you it in an example The light and heat of the Sun comes through the ayre now you know the wind and the ayre is subject to change nothing more it is changed and turned every way and yet the sun though it do come through the ayre is the same it is not moved nor changed though they suffer an alteration yet it suffers none Wonder not then if such a thing may come to be in a Creature as the Sun is that he that is the Lord of all Creatures should be so and infinitely more No marvel though he can turn them upside down as he pleases and vary and alter them as the wind They all shall wax old as doth a garment they shall perish but thou shalt endure as a vesture thou shalt change them and they shall be changed but thou art the same and thy years never end that is they shall all purifie and corrupt but thou art the same thou changest not Dear freinds now we have answered you where He rests Iesus Christ blessed for ever he indeed suffers in his members But he Rests in himself in him there is no shadow of change And in our temptations and affâ—ictions we rest in him When we can in all troubles have recourse to him as David did and find succour under the shadow of his wings this is a repose for our hearts in all conditions in our selves we can do nothing there we cannot rest but in him we may and can when as we are in such an affliction like as our Saviour was that he saw No comfort every thing was Sad and dark round about he was compassed with sorrows on every side he was in such a labyrinth of sorrow as never man was he saw no comfort at all neither in life nor in death above him nor below him from God or men I say were our condition as bâ—d as his if it were possible that we were in the very midst of the heat and fire of afflictions when the flood of tentation ariseth fourty cubits above ourstrongest hold yet then we might rest in our Head even as he rested in himself so we may rest in him seeing that all things work together and shall turn to the best to them that love God It is a strange speech and as rarely beleived that though God bring us through never so many and never so bitter tortures and torments That yet we may be at rest in an assured perswasion that all shall turn to the best which notwithstanding are not punishments judgements as they are generally taken nor so to be accounted Ill indeed had it been for us if it had been so for they are not to be looked upon as vengeances but as fatherly corrections not as ministers of his wrath but as Evidences of his love and such love that neither heighth nor depth death nor life c. Nay nothing can separate us from Christ Here is the rest of a Christian and then they may be said to Rest with him at noon in the very heat and height of tentations and afflictions And if the soul shall ask O my God where art thou Beloved he is nigh thee he is with thee he is so neatly joyned to thee that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come shall be able to sepâ—rate between him and you And in his due time he will rouse up himself like a Lion When the heat of tentation shall have humbled us and laid us low and qualified the proud heart of man and the Smart of affliction mellowed and tempered us he then will appear for our comfort and rest The fourth thing is For why should I be as those that turn aside to the flocks of thy companions She would fain know with an unsatisfiable desire what pleases him and where he rests and where he feeds for if he do not resolve her and answer her she shall turn aside to the creatures to the flocks of thy companions as anon we shall shew you what it is There is in the souls of all men a propension to worship a God if they find not the true God they will worship somewhat that which their own fancy tels them is a God It is the nature of gratitude to be returning somewhat The soul is given of God it
Covetousness regard none of Gods Commandments as had I time I could shew you how Covetousness is the breach of all the Commandments But I will a little in brief shew How Covetousness occasioneth the breach of all the Commandments I. COMMANDMENT The first Commandment is soon answered for Covetousness is Idolatry that is clear which this Commandment forbids Col. 3. 5. Mortifie therefore your members which are upon earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection evil concupisence covetousness which is idolatry And the covetous is an Idolater Ephes. 5. 5. For this ye know that no whoremonger nor unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of God But if the Scripture will not satisfie you and you will not believe without a reason and say How can that be that a covetous man is an Idolater and Covetousness Idolatry I answer thus Though thou sacrificest not beasts yet thou sacrificest that which is the chiefest sacrifice which God still calls for and without which all sacrifices are nothing to him namely Thy heart which includes thy minde thy soul thy might thy strength Luk. 10. 27. then which thou wert better sacrifice beasts for in this thou sacrificest thine own bowels Therefore that is a true and remarkable saying and agreeable to Scripture though Apocrypha Ecclus. 10. 9. There is nothing worse then a Covetous man why art thou proud O earth and ashes there is not a more wicked thing then to love mony for such a one would even sell his soul and for his life every one is compelled to pull out his own bowels The fool indeed that is the Atheist saith There is no God Psal. 14. 1. but in some sense the Covetous man exceeds him for he not onely dethrones God and will not have him to be his God but he sets up another in his seat for he saith to the Gold Thou art my hope and to the wedge of gold Thou art my confidence Job 31. 24. What need men love money but that they dare not trust the providence of God but they wickedly say in their hearts though not with their tongues according to the proverb It s good going a foot with a horse in hand So say they to themselves let Ministers talk and prate against Covetousness but its good trusting God with a penny in purse what desperate Hypocrisie and Idolatry is this You know also obedience is due to God and t is better then sacrifice I Sam. 15. 22. How cheerfully do men obey the commands of Covetousness how ready and free to run and go when it bids so that without further dispute thou makest it thy God and whatever is due to God thou sacrificest to Covetousness So that the Israelites in the 32 of Exodus did not more heartily say to the Calf made of their Rings and Ear-rings These be thy Gods O Israel which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt then thou sayest O Covetousness Thou art my strength my help my joy my trust my Rock my Tower thou hast helped saved and delivered me And wilt help save deliver me Though thy mouth confess not this yet this is the plain English of thy practice when thou lookest upon thy money and wealth houses and lands thou sayest These be thy gods O my soul. Beloved never mince the matter for so it is as the Prophet Isaiah saith Isa. 2. 7 8. Thou hast forsaken thy people because they are replenished from the east and they please themselves in the children of strangers Their land also is full of silver and gold neither is there any end of their treasures and their land is full of horses neither is there any end of their chariots And then it follows in the next verse Their land is full of Idols they worship the works of their own hands that which their own fingers have made So that you see whatever a man relies on trusts to depends upon or to its service Dedicates his wisdom strength time parts and the like that he makes His God 2. COMMANDMENT And for the second Commandment That depends upon the first The first Commandment concerns the heart and This The purity of Gods outward worship Is it not lamentable to see how men for this Lucre of Covetousness will vioate the laws of God and of their own conscience and for gain and preferment sake subscribe and submit to any thing to any change in Religion so they may keep in favour and keep their livings and Benefices so that the Apostle may say of them and God rather as he of Demas 2 Tim. 4. 10. Demas hath forsaken me and hath embraced this present world If men could be content to forsake as Christ commands Houses Lands Liberties Lives for his sake and his worship they would not so Creep and Cring and Issacar-like stoop down to take up every burthen and every command that men shall lay upon them even against the pure worship of God And if any man speak against these practises presently Up with him into the High Commission or Star-chamber then Demetrius-like Act. 19. 24. They all lay their heads together not for fear That the worship of God should go down but for fear of their gain and their Silver-Trade and with one unanimous voyce cry up their God Great is Diana of the Ephesians pretending for their Goddess Diana but it was because by that Craft they had their wealth It is written my House shall be called the House of prayer but ye have made it a den of Thieves and every man is for his gain from his quarter let men set up and change Religion as they please so They can but have their gain from their places and from their quarter they are well Insomuch that the Keys of the Church which God hath intrusted his Church withal are now become and made very Picklocks and the cause of all this is Covetousness The Devil when he tempted Christ to idolatry he did it by Covetousness All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me Mat. 4. 9. An Israelite cannot be familiar with a Midianite but she will woo him to Baal-peor How many are ready to renounce the Almighty slight him and turn their backs upon him rather then slight or part with their wealth their Mammon if not in action and with their knees yet how many in Heart and affection do this daily 3. COMMANDMENT The third Commandment enjoyns Not to take Gods name in vain How ordinary this is every one knows taking his name in vain for their profit an ordinary thing now a days to make bold with the sacred name of God for their gain sake to help away with their Commodities though they swear falsly and all this to serve their god Covetousness nay this is not the worst Religion is taken up by many and made a stalking-horse a colour a cloak for their gain As you
and gently touch and not tarry upon any thing How many woes and sore punishments are threatned against this sin as in that of Isa. 5. 7. He looked for judgment and behold oppression for righteousness and behold a cry Wo unto them that joyn house to house and land to land that lay field to field till there be no place that they may be placed Alone in the midst of the earth that is they cannot abide any to be so great as themselves they must be Lords PARAMOUNT to overtop all therefore saith the Prophet Verse 9. In mine ears said the Lord of Hosts Of a truth many houses shall be desolate even great and fair without inhabitant yea ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath and the seed of an homer shall yield but an Ephah c. and therefore are my people gone into captivity c. and therefore Hell hath enlarged her self and opened her mouth without measure And their glory and their multitude and their pomp shall descend into it And again Mic. 2. 1 2. Wo to them that devise iniquity and work mischief upon their beds and when the morning is light they practise it because it is in the power of their hand But what evil is this it is Covetousness as you may see it follows there They covet field and take them by violence and houses and take them away so they oppress a man and his house even a man and his heritage Therefore saith the Lord Against this family do I devise an evil from which ye shall not remove your necks neither shall ye go haughtily for this time is evil And Hab. 2. 6. Wo to him that increaseth that which is not his how long and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay Vers. 9. Wo to him that coveteth an evil Câ—vetousness to his house that he may set his nest on high that so he may be delivered from the power of evil Thou hast consulted shame to thy house and sinned against thy own soul They think to bless themselves and raise their houses and posterity by these devices and grasping at all whereas you see there is no way like this to consult the Ruine of Them theirs they think they are consulting to build their houses and those very thoughts are consultations to destroy them See then how the Lord overrules the exorbitant thoughts of wicked men to work his own purposes which is their Ruine and destruction and rather then it shal not be thus in Verse 11. For the stone shall cry out of the wall and the beam out of the timber shall answer it Indeed he thinks he doth well and the covetous blesseth himself Psal. 10. 3. but it follows in the same Verse But the Lord abhorreth him yea he so abhorreth a covetous man that he clappeth his hands at him in token of disdain and abhorreth his wicked devises Ezek. 22. 13. Because thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion and hast for gotten me therefore have I smitten my hands at thy dishonest gain yea He smites at the covetous man Himself with his hands Isa. 57. 17. For the iniquity of his Covetousness was I wroth and smote him and I suffered him to go on frowardly in the way of his own heart What greater smiting can be then this for God to leave a man to guide himself and to follow his own devices to be his own Guide and Counsellor and for God to let him thus go on Thus you see how this sin is threatned with the punishment in general And for the particular plagues that God usually Dogs this sin at the heels with they are either In his body or In his goods In his posterity or In his Soul 1. For the body To speak nothing of what he makes his body suffer by his pains and travel and by his pinching and penuriousness to save from his back and belly and denying himself that for which the creature is made and given him for viz. to use moderately for his refreshing and comfort which Use he deprives himself of when t is in his power and he hath no power to eat thereof which Solomon saith Eccles. 6. 2. is a great evil under the Sun Though he have enough yet he weares weariâ—s out his body minde the one with hunger and hardship travel and labour the other with care and thoughtfulness so that he cannot take his sleep nor rest night nor day what a sore evil is this That though he have Abundance yet there is as great restraint lies upon him as on him that hath nothing for They dare not touch anothers goods but He dare not touch his own but starves as it were in the midst of plenty all which are whips of his own making for himself But moreover If he will make rods for his own Back surely Gods rods will be Scorpions What got Gehazi by his rich booty he got from Naaman 2 Kings 5. 27. for his Covetousness God caused the Leprosie of Naaman which he was freed from to cleave to Gehazi and unto his house for ever A deer booty And had not Achan better have left the wedge of gold behinde him then instead of heaps of gold and silver to get a heap of stones on him Ioshua 7. 26. And Balaams Covetousness got him a sword in his bowels And Iudas his Covetousness got him a Halter And Ananias and Saphira the loss of their lives by sudden death who were made a spectacle and trembling to all that heard thereof But on the contrary there are many blessings promised to those that hate Covetousness as in that of Prov. 28. 16. He that hates Covetousness shall prolong his days I will not now stand to name any more All this considered what cause hath a covetous man to boast or bless himself though he be rich and have abundance t is as if Iudas should have boasted of thirty pieces of silver while he swong in a halter or for Balaam to say How sweet is the reward of Divination when the sword was in his bowels The wages was sweet but how sweet was the sword But you see in all this how God hates and abhors this Sin and this Sinner and how just he is in punishing it What more just and equal that he who will covet Naamans silver and raiment should be plagued with his Leprosie The second particular plague is in his goods and that is either In Gods denying them the use or In depriving them of the possession 1. In denying the use of what they have as I hinted before they dare not touch it even as if it were none of theirs but anothers and so it is for it is Gods not theirs and he will not suffer them to make use thereof Eccles. 6. 1 2. There is an evil that I have seen under the Sun and it is common among men A man to whom God hath given riches wealth and
honor so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof All the good they have thereof is but to Look on them Eccl. 5. 10 11. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor he that loveth abundance with increase when goods increase they are increased to them that eat them that is make use of them for what good is there to the owners thereof save the beholding with their eyes for as Iob saith Job 20. 22. In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits I In more straits then he that hath but little Beloved what a strange curse follows these men to have Enough and Abundance and yet have Nothing this is a sin by it self for in all other Sins though they lose Eternal pleasures yet they have some pleasure here But in this None here nor None hereafter 2. In taking them away though they may like fools solace themselves in that poor comfort to see and behold them with their eyes which is vanity saith Solomon yet oftentimes this comfort also is taken away they are removed from them out of their sight for God hath provided a Worm for this Gourd and Vermine to corrupt this Manna as Iob 20. 20. He shall not feel quietness in his belly he shall not save ought of that which he desired there shall none of his meat be left therefore shall no man look for hiâ— goods when he is about to fill his belly God 〈◊〉 all cast the fury of his wrath upon him and shall rain it upon him while he is eating When men like Behemoth think to draw all Jordan into their jaws they shall so oppress their stomachs by their greediness that they shall vomit it as fast up again Iob 20. 15. He hath swallowed down riches but he shall vomit them up again God shall cast them out of hiâ— belly As Augustine saith Praedo minoris shall be Prada majoris Psal. 37. The devourer of the lesser shall become the prey of the greater And saith David I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a green Bay-â—ree yet he passed away and lo He was not I sought him but he could not be found 3. The punishment of this sin is oftentimes and commonly executed in his children and posterity Though all his care be To raise his house yet he doth all the while but consult evil to his own house Hab. 2. 9. For as the Father was a rich Beggar so his sons commonly are poor Gentlemen for he that coveteth an evil Covetousness to his house troubleth it and hath consulted shame to it His children oftentimes are a great plague to him Either worms to him to consume him while he lives or else they are worms to his wealth when he dyes Or else as the Prophet Amos saith of Riches and affirms it with a very great asseveration That the Lord hath sworn By His HOLINES Amoâ— 4. 1 2. That He will take them away with hooks and their posterity with fish-hooks they are plucked and as it were rent from their estates and they are left unto strangers for whom they were Never intended or else their estates are rent from them I beseech you therefore if none of the former Arguments will perswade yet as Iob to his wife For the childrens sake of your own bodies be afraid of this sin Alas what have these poor sheep done that thou shouldst consult misery and shame upon them 4. And lastly the punishments that attend his soul not onely hast thou sinned against thine own soul stuffing it with vexation and carking cares but thou hast bereft thine eyes of sleep As also in that earthly appetite letting it minde nothing else contrary to the divine nature of thy soul which is made to enjoy things above heavenly not to live upon things below thou hast by custom quite altered the very taste of thy soul and its very food for thou hast made it to live like a beast below having no other then Caninus Appetitus feeding like a Dog and like a swine always rooting in the mire and dirt of this world And not onely so but which is heaviest of all thou hast sinned against thine own soul in disinheriting it of heaven Ephes. 5. 5. For no covetous man who is an idolater hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ or of God Now by all this that I have said thou that art alwayes rooting in the earth I would intreat thee but to cast up thy accounts and see what thou hast gotten what hath it profited thee what hast thou gained by all thy care and â—oil yea though thou hadst gained the whole world Beloved God doth so hate this sin and sinner that in one prophesie he hath sworn two oaths against it Amos 4. 2. There he swears by his holiness that he will take away with hooks and Fish-hooks them and their posterity he cannot endure the sight of such Monsters he so hates them that he hates the very brood of them because they descend from such whom his soul hates Again in the 8. of that prophesie and verse 7. there he swears by his Excellency that he will never forget any of their works who buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of shooes Shall not saith He The land tremble for this and every one mourn that dwelleth therein c. Even the heaviest of Judgements are there threatned Thus I have endeavoured to uncase this loathsom unprofitable and Burthensom sin of Covetousness and if the Lord hath been doing that in your hearts which I have been doing to your ears this will be a happy meeting But to all I have said though the time be past yet let me name and onely name four or five Remedies and so conclude REMEDIES THE first means I would commend to you whereby this rooted and prevailing sin may be overcome is by Faith as the Apostle saith 1 Ioh. 5. 4. This is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith To learn To cease from living by sense and to live upon God Our Saviour useth many arguments to this end to destroy this Covetousness and carking care and sends us in the 6. of Matthew the latter end to the fowls of heaven to learn of them they neither reap nor carry into barns yet your heavenly father feedeth them and to learn how the Lillies of the field grow which neither Labor nor spin yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these Secondly If the Lord would teach thee sobriety in the use of them to use them with moderation and with weaned affections to use them as if thou usedst them not and they that buy as though they possessed not c. Using them onely for refreshment and necessity sake to use this world as not abusing it because the fashion of this world passeth away
claudo because it is kept secret sacrâ—d and shut up because in all Mysteries t is necessary to keep close the mind and not to shew the things which are to be concealed as one saith for as St. Paul saith concerning Circumcision Rom. 2. 28 29. He is not a lew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is that of the flesh but he is a Iew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God So say I of saving knowledge He that sees the Mystery of the Scripture he hath the true knowledge of the Scripture He is not taught of God that knows only the Letter and the Flesh of the Scripture but true understanding is that of the Spirit and not of the Letter and though men may â—ry up and praise literal knowledge yet God onely esteems of inward knowledge the mind and inside of the Scriptures All other knowledge is vain and maketh a man not one hairs breadth the better before God Therefore we may observe also what Ministers the Apostle preferres not the Ministers of the Letter but the Ministers of the New Testament as in that of 2. Cor. 3. 6. Able Ministers not of the Letter but of the Spirit And those also to be true Christians having not the Law onely outwardly in tables of stone but within in the fleshy tables of the heart he having made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life all the knowledge of the history is but as the Law written in Tables of stone which doth us no good but it is onely the Spirit the knowledge of the Mystery And Marrow That giveth life But you will say to me How doth the Letter kill I Answer By resting therein and not seeking for the marrow the food and the life but contenting our selves with the knowledge of the History and outside but because I have at other times unfolded this unto you I shall here pass it by and come to the Spirit and Mystery of our Text in hand So then it resteth This premised being That we may safely conclude even thus much that as our Saviour was typisied by others who went before him he was the Substance of all those Shadows both of persons and things even so Christ Jesus himself he is the resemblance and type of himself his outward temporal and visible actions in the flesh were a type of his inward and internall actions in the souls of all Believers He being their life and Resurrection they being before but dead men in Trespasses and sins untill his actions be their life and Regeneration So likewise as his life was Typical and resembled himself so in regard of his death and crucifying whatever he suffered externally in the flesh it shews how he is internally crucifyed daily even to the end of the world Heb. 6. 6. Seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God a fresh and put him to an open shame So likewise for all his other actions and passages related of him as his Nativity it held out our spiritual birth and Christ his being born in the soul as the Apostle expresseth it Gal. 4. 19. My beloved of whom I travel in birth till Christ be formed or brought forth in you So also in his Circumcision is held forth our Spiritual Circumcision as in that of Col. 2 11. Ye are compleat in him in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ c. So also for holiness of life Christs holiness shew us what holiness shall be in them that are his children and people Mat. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in Heaven So also for his outward Teaching it represents to us that all His people should be taught of God he himself would be the true Teacher in us as Isa. 54. 13. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children And Jer. 31. 34. And they shall no more teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest saith the Lord. And Christ himself cites these places Iohn 6. 45. It is written in the Prophets And they shall all be taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the father cometh unto me So also in Christs Miracles as in opening the eyes of the blind it shews that Christ himself must open our eyes or else we remaine stark blind yea as those born blind And never any man but he was known to open the eyes of any born blind David saith Psal. 13. 3. Lighten thou mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death And Psal. 18. 28. For thou wilt light my Candle The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness So also in opening the ears of the deaf it is he alone can say to our ears Ephathah be ye opened it is so So also for his restoring of limbs causing those that are Cripples from their Mothers womb to leap like an Hart and to run his wayes with delight The like also for his raising the dead and feeding the Multitudes And what shall I say more you may apply them more to your selves The time would fail me to undertake to speak of all his actions So also of his Resurrection If ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above Col. 3. 2. And so of his Ascension and all other his Actions and Miracles to see all these things held forth and typiâ—ied in the Person Actions and Miracles of our Saviour These are all Saving actions wrought in us and we thereby partake of the excellency and vertue thereof The other though wrought for us yet if we are not quickned vivified and put into act by these we receive no benefit by them An outward dead faith to believe onely in an external Christ is no better then a faith of Devils This is that Christ whose day Abraham saw and rejoced in Joh. 8. 56. and not in regard of the other onely viz. Prophetically but this chiefly This is that Christ and him crucified whom St. Paul desire onely to know 1 Cor. 2. 2. in regard of which Christ in him working acting and expressing his own life himself in him he slighted the external knowledge of Christ according to the flesh 1 Cor. 5. 16. Wherefore henceforth know no wan after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth know we him no more Now then as all the other actions and passions of Christ were not onely meritorious in themselves
but also typical and Significant so is this growth of Jesus Christ he grows up in us in wisdom and stature and he in us waxeth strong in spirit being filled with wisdom and understanding He teacheth us the true wisdom He in us chuseth that good thing which shall never be taken away He is The grace of God in us I live saith the Apostle yet not I but it is Christ his life in me From him cometh all growth in grace not from our selves the work is his none of ours From him cometh Faith Hope Charity Strength Vertue c. If any of these come from man from the power industry or strength of man they are false and good for nought yet how ready are most men to assume these to themselves or at least to think that by their power or wisdom or industry they have attained them From whence come wars come they not from your lusts So from whence comes pride and the lifting up of the creature high towring and and swelling imaginations that in plain terms exalt themselves against Jesus Christ they are so far from being from him or of him that they are quite contrary to him however to some may seem the vertues of Christ himself but they they are the excrements of the Old man Hence it is said That Iohn Baptist grew and waxed strong in spirit because Christ by his divine life in him brake forth in Iohn and his light did shine before men they seeing those good works in him God was glorified not Iohn for saith he I must decrease but he must increase Hence it is said here accentively twice in this Chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 versus ult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both in our Text and Verse ult And the childe grew and waxed strong in Spirit filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upou him And again Iesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and men As these things were in him in his person then so the same things are as really done in his Mystical body and members All these influences are his and flow from him the head We are dead in trespasses and sins bnt he is the Resurrestion and Life And he that believeth in him shall never dye nay though he were dead yet shall he live When Jesus Christ doth once begin to display and declare the glory of himself in the soul and to adorn the soul with himself what a palace what a Kingdom what a Temple is that soul Well might David say Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City and Temple of God Psal. 82. 3. more glorious then the Temple spoken of Rev. 21. and saith our Saviour The Kingdom of heaven is within you All that description Rev. 21. there at large setteth out the Glory and light of that Temple which was like Iasper most precious and clear as Chrystal and the wall high and stately wherein were twelve gates the gates kept by twelve Angels and the walls of Iasper and the City pure gold and the very foundation garnished with precious stones a Iasper a Saphir a Chalcedony an Emerald a Sardonix a Sardius a Chrysolite a Beril a Topas a Chrysophrasus a Iacinth an Amethist I say all these things are accomplished in a great measure in some less in some more in all those where Jesus Christ is pleased to display his glories and in that soul where he is pleased to adorn it with his own graces and with the fruites of the spirit as Faith Hope Charity Strength Vertue Love Ioy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Meekness Temperance c. Those that are thus qualified inriched and adorned let me tell you they need no Law no Light for they are a Law to themselves and there is a light within them like that City Rev. 21. 23. That had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for The Glory of God did lighten it and the lamb is The light thereof Nay I may say and say truly as I may say they are gotten above Law above Letter in this regard for they have the Gospel and the life within them yet for all this do not think that I speak against Law or Letter or Ordinances use them as I say but Rest not in them And know this also that while the soul is Rapt up in the glory sight and beholding of Jesus Christ he knows this that he enjoys that which is the Substance and that which is as farre above the other as the Substance is above the Shadow and the Life above the Letter and the Spirit above the Flesh yet he will not slight nor cast away these means or Ordinances because God hath often appeared in them and by them to him as I have shewed more at large upon other Scriptures But I say Let us look to find that in us which Christ affirms that the Kingdom of God is within us and that you are in some beginnings of that glorious Temple and City mentioned before for if you think the Kingdom of God or Heaven to consist of such things as are there declared in the Letter you are much deceived But the holy Spirit is pleased to make use of such expressions and representations that are so amiable and Glorious to the carnall eye that so we may come to see the Truth and Substance of those Shadows and Representations to be far and transcendenly more ravishing and glorious as all those Saints and people of God before whom God hath Unvailed his glory can abundantly witness and seal to the truth thereof Insomuch that had they all those precious stones and Houses and Temples built of them really yet they in comparison of what they see and enjoy of God would trample them all under their feet as not worthy to be named the same hour with those true pearls and those ravishing full and satisfying and transparent precious stones which are within them They need not when they are in union and communion with him and when he is pleased to let but his back parts pass before them they shall not desire the light of the Sun or of the Moon to give light in that Temple for the glory of the Lord doth lighten it aud the Lamb is the light thereof And as it is expressed there in Ver. 14. The Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it and the Kings of the earth shall bring their glory unto it This Temple and this Palace and this Glory darkens all the glory and splendor of all the Kings and Emperors under the Sun All their glory vanisheth and makes hast before this glory as being abashed and ashamed once to appear in sight thereof Beloved I hope and I know there are some that hear me which know and see and feel these things to be true yea as you say as true as Gospel yea so true as nothing is nor
all and sits attentively at Christs feet while Martha runs up and down is troubled how to entertain Christ externally and how to bring the world about she thinks she must mingle her own endeavours and her discretion with Gods blessing And without question Martha was offended with Mary These kinde of men laugh and deride at those that have given up their wills lives to Christ after this manner To be taught of him because they are more slack and are not altogether so busie eager as they are as they conceive But give me leave and see in all the Scripture How many Prophets and Patriarchs God hath chosen out of these men and still preferred them to draw nearest to himself consider of it seriously and the Lord give you understanding in all things We go on And he led his flocks to the back side of the desart to the Mountain of God even to Horeb and the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire c. But why must Moses come to the backside of a desart before God would appear to him even to teach us thus much That till a man hath for saken all the world all the Towns Houses Dwellings Riches Honours Glories c. All the hurryings of the world and tumblings up and down and is come into a Lone and silent Desart where all things have forsaken him and he them until then we can never finde Jesus Christ at least forsaken them All in affection I say God will never shew himself to any man familiarly till then He that comes to Christ with his childe in his hand or with his wife in his hand or with father or mother or riches or credit or the like Christ will hide himself from such a man You wil think this strange but you know what our Saviour saith He that for sakes not all father and mother and wife and children and houses and lands and all for my name sake he is not worthy of me that is he that hath not resigned up the love of father and mother and wife and children for the love of Christ and loves Jesus Christ with all his minde and with all his might and with all his strength So that you have willingly and gladly let go out of your eye and out of your desires all manner of comforts and delightful pomps of the world and all the rare buildings and contentments and whatever the world esteems excellent or can afford so that you have forsaken all and are gotten into the desart retired from all contents but God himself There God will reveal himself to you and never before for if you love any thing whatsoever in the first place ye love not God nor Jesus Christ with all your heart minde and strength for if All were set upon him where would there be any to spare to set upon any creature you know Elias must travel fourty days into the wilderness then God revealed himself to him Beloved so long as your affections run after any thing after any one lust we cannot hearken to God Almighty in such a case if a man should speak unto you with the wisdom of of Solomon nay if God himself should speak unto you the very words of Spirit and Life it were impossible any man should hearken to him for our lusts so long as they live and rule make such a clamor and such a noise within us that God cannot be heard for this lust cryes I would be beloved another cryes I would be honoured another I would be rich another I would have my health c. therfore before ever we can hear God speak al these lusts must be cast out silenced put al the minstrels out of doors and let Christ and his attendants enter alâ—he that so all those lusts which make such a noise inâ—us and draw the soul another way may be put to silence what saith Iob I heard a voyce in silence that is when every thing was silent in the soul then Iob heard a voyce for be assured our lusts cry lowder and make more noise in the soul then all the trumpets in the world can do to deaf the ears of the body nay all the Artillery in the world were they all discharged together at one clap could not more deaf the ears of our bodies then the clamourings of lusts in the soul deaf the ears thereof so that you see a man must go into the silent desart or else God cannot be heard speak for it is the whole care of the natural and old man how he may be pleased which way he may satisfie his unruly desires how he may be rich or honoured c. though not one of you by taking care can adde one cubit unto his stature Beloved which of you by all your care and pains and rising early can adde the least tittle or the least jot unto his health or wealth or honour or credit in any thing no not one hairs breadth but all you have be it little or much it is meerly by the will and providence and special ordering of God alone thy taking thought cannot adde one whit one jot to thy heap to thy wealth to thy credit Not thy not taking thought cannot diminish one jot But I know flesh and blood can never believe this though God himself hath spoken it and till our eyes be opened by him these things are to us As a fountain sealed or as a garden walled about ye cannot believe them because they are spiritually discerned they are meer riddles and Nonsense The ridiculousest things that your ears can hear as when our Saviour Mat. 6. the latter end dehorts from serving of Mammon for if they do serve it they cannot serve God For who can serve two Masters but seek first the Kingdom of heaven and all other things shall be added take no thought for your life what to eat or drink or put on And he there sends Man a reasonable creature to learn of the fowls of the Aire who neither sow nor reap not gather into barns yet our heavenly Father feedeth them And then sends them to the Lilies of the field to see how they grow which neither Toyl nor spin yet Solomon in all his glory was not arayed like one of these And tells us this caring and taking thought is not for Christians for that is the way of the Gentiles who know not God After All these things do the Gentiles seek But see Beloved and it may be some of you may be convinced too what a boundless truth Moses hath here couched under two or three words that which he doth but only glance at and glide by take notice what a little touch he gives at such a mass of Endless and unconceivable truth When you have forsaken in one word your selves that is all that your eyes can see or your ears can hear or your heart can think and stript your selves of all
he is could want His Glory and All-sufficiency c. As my whole soul is in my whole body and the whole is in every part and member of my body yet my soul sees not in my ears but there it hears yet the same soul doth see in my eyes And though my soul tasts not in my nose but smels yet the same soul doth the same action in another member and so of all the rest For there is not one soul in my ears another in my eyes but all one the same but it works diversly in divers members So Almighty God hath not one property in himself in one Creature and another in another but he is One and the Same in all as he is in himself If he be gloriously present in the Sun Moon and Stars he is as gloriously present in the least pill of grass in the least particle of dust but he works diversly in divers Creatures yet he in himself is One and the Same And because we cannot see him so let us not say he is not so but blame our selves we see him not so For were a mans eyes but opened as Elisha his servants were when he arose in the morning and lookt out at the window he saw themselves in a great strait compassed about and besieged with Armies but his eyes being opened his Master bid him look again and then he saw the Mountains full of fiery Chariots and Horsmen for their defence Now they were there before as well as then but his eyes were not opened It is not said that Elisha prayed to send them but he prayed God to open his servants eyes that he might See The alteration was not in the place but in Gehazies eyes And so of Balaam because he did not see the Angel a great while it was not because the Angel was not there for the Angel was there before but Balaams eyes were not open to see him there So were our eyes but opened we should see God in every Creature Alike for he is there already our eyes want but opening and then we should give him the praise of his Goodness of his Greatness of his Infinity because we see him as well in every Creature as in any The Apostles when they were in Prison and sung Psalms at midnight when their eyes were open they saw a light to lead them out but the same light was there as much before but their eyes were so closed they could not see the light Oh Beloved could we but see The Eternity The Everlastingness the Incircumscriptibleness that fils the least shrub we might then see God Almighty As foâ— example would we see God in an Oke ye must strip it of all manner of Accidents of all greatness and littleness for those cannot be The Oke for a little Oke is an Oke as well as a great Oke so take away all manner of colour shape and form for Okes are of divers colours of all manner of shapes for the shape is not the Oke but that which is the Form of the Form that is the truth of the Oke and that is God blessed for ever Jesus Christ is the beginning and foundation of all Creatures And when you conceive God to dwell in light c. Oh strip your selves of all manner of thought or of any such thing as you can imagine for he is nothing you can imagine He is not High or Low but He is He that Bears up high and low He is not Great or Little but he Bears up Great and Little he is neither Young nor Old but he bears up Youth and Age He is not any manner of colour or shape but he bears up all shape and colours for we cannot see any thing but visible corporeal things Now God can be no such thing but when you are gone as high as possibly you can that you are come to the very light it self the highest of accidents which is next unto God then fall down and say O my God! thou art still infinitely farre above all this Beloved God is now in this room do you wonder you do not see him wonder not for accidents hide him from our sight for you cannot so much as see a man behind the hangings God is infinitely more vailed from our eyes he is vail'd in every place Accidents cloath him he is cloathed in all Creatures and all Creatures are his garments and he is the substance of all Creatures If ye will see him yea must uncloath him of what ever belongs to a Creature of all highness and lowness weight and lightness youth and age greatness and littleness of all manner of shape for God is behind and beyond all these and all that you can name think or imagine And knowing God thus to be the Essence and Being of all Creatures The life and motion of them all beholding him as One Eternal Omipo tent God in all Creatures you may upon any occasion seeing and beholding him in it fall down in the Apprehension thereof before any Creature so you worship not the contracted Creature but the Incontractible Incomprehensible God And this was the reason the Fathers and Patriarchs were not blamed and did not sin in falling down to Angels because they worshipped not them but the infinite God at that instant discovered to be in that creature for Abraham and the rest intimate so much Let not the Lord be angry shall not the judge of all the earth do right They knew that God was invisible onely they took occasion upon the sight of the visible Angel to worship the invisible God for had Abraham had A Thought of worshiping the Angel or any thing below God he had committed Idolatry have patience I pray you I shall clear out this truth also For hence is the Error of the Papists because they think the infinite God can be included or represented by any manner of figure or form and this was the fault of St. Iohn who would have worshipped that Angel that had shewed him those visions but I say The soul that can see God Almighty not finite and bounded in any creature or in any form whatsoever but infinite and unbounded above all manner of forms The Form of Forms filling every thing and yet not comprehended by any thing may in a holy and reverent manner fall down aud worship this Infinite God And therefore I say the Patriarchs doing so were not blamed and Iohn was forbidden and if he had done it he had committed Idolatry The one worships God in his Infinite Immense Glorious Being as abstracted from all creatures the other worships him as finite and bounded or represented in that Form So in this sense Moses here in this place when he calls God by the Name of An Angel he hath relation to the burning Bush not that God is that burning Bush but infinitely above and beyond it for when he speaks of God in himself he hath no relation at all to any burning Bush
or any figure but as Abstracted and above all creatures and so he is the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob but take him Concretely as included or represented in any creature so it is Idolatry But if in the former sense then ye worship him after the example of the Patriarchs Beloved I beat upon these things the more and the larger because I would fain have you understand me and it may be this may seem to you an Error or a Novelty at least till you have eaten it and chewed the cud and debated it in your own souls but to have a thought of worshipping God as included in any creature or representing him in regard of his Essence to justifie worshipping of Images I abhor and curse all such thoughts to the pit of hell and surely you cannot have such a thought of me for this is the very thing I so much endeavour to perswade you from But for instance There is the Sun that shines in at this window yet you know that is not the Sun but a beam from the Sun though I lye not in saying the Sun is there for that could not be there without the Sun yet it is not the real Sun and in seeing that I do not see the Sun yet if I desire to see the Sun in this room and were loth to go out of doors let me but lay my eye in that beam to see whence it comes and I should see the Sun it self for that beam it goes directly to the Sun for if I were in a dungeon though thirty miles deep in the ground if the Sun could but shine in at any cleft or pin-hole though the Dungeon were never so dark yet if I lay my eye in that beam I should behold the face of the Sun Even so it is with Almighty God there is in every Creature a beam that comes from him which is the Being and Essence of the Creature Now if we shall fall down and worship that Beam as simply considered as contracted and included in the Creature this were sin but if I lay my eye in that beam I shall see it leads me to the Eternal One Immutable Incircumscriptible Iuconceivable Essence of the Divine BEING And that Angel beholds the very face of God Almighty Hence you may learn to interpret that place where our Saviour commands Take heed ye despise not nor offend one of these little ones for their Angels alwayes behold the face of your Father which is in Heaven Not that it is lawful to worship that beam or Angel but He alone from whence that Beam comes who is farre above every Angel and all manner of Creatures and Creation As to take the former instance suppose there were a Religion that it were lawful to worship the Sun if one should fall down and worship that Beam that comes from the Sun did not he sin for that is not the Sun but comes from the Sun and therefore for any one according to that Religion to worship that Beam were Idolatry for he worshipped not that he was commanded but was taken up in a thing Infinitely below his God So in the same sense Every Creature is a beam of the Divinity which is the Substance thereof and though you see not the face of your Father in Heaven yet that beam doth yet He that shall see that beam and fall down to that worships that he ought not something else instead of God I pray God ye understand me for I fear the simile I before named and instanced in is too true among men Some there are that do hear me and understand me to whom God hath revealed these things and some though they hear me yet they are like the dog they understand not what I say I speak riddles to them but others there are which understand not neither will they hear but are like a stone therefore I say it again God is really present in himself in every Creature but if he worship God as included in or represented in that Creature he sins and commits Idolatry because he worships that beam instead of God and falls down to a Creature instead of God But if I take occasion upon the sight of any Creature To behold God himself above and beyond all Creaâ—ures and so worship him he that will deny this and say This is sin let him also deny God himself So farre as any thing can be called an Angel so farre we are forbidden to worship it but if that Angel occasion us to look beyond it to him that sends that Angel to him that is the Essence and Substance of that Angel Here we are commanded to worship because then Our Angel always Beholds the Face of Our Father which is in Heaven being One Eternal Almighty Immense Incircumscriptible Glorious BEING even God blessed for ever and ever Vse We will onely make one short Vse and Application of this point to our selves and so conclude Is it not then more then apparent that God is every where in all Creatures and in every place he is near us yea nearer us then our selves are to our selves he is the Ideal form and first beginning of us and all Creatures and whatever is in us But if we would see him we must first strip your selves of all manner of visibility and whatever can come under any thought of an Angel Beam or any conception for God is unknowable unconceivable And as long as you know or conceive any thing you are short of what God is else we make him comprehensible and knowable who is altogether unknowable and incomprehensible And therefore whensoever I meet with any thing whatsoever that will shew me how to know the incomprehensible God I must cast it away because I know it seduceth and misleadeth me for God is unknowable yet God is nearer to me then any thing I can call I or my self he is nearer then my touching tasting smelling seeing hearing so near that he is the form of our forms the soul of our souls And therefore Beloved if we would send our desires to him he is so near that we can no sooner think any thing but he knows it as the Prophet Esay saith Before they call I will hear and before they pray I will answer God knows all our thoughts and desires before-hand for he is the desire of the desire And therefore do I want any thing any benefit any good thing any counsel in any difficult case Yet mistake me not I do not mean about lands and livings or riches and pleasure honour and praise or good name when I speak of these things I mean not nor intend concerning matters of right and wrong so much or those things wherein flesh and blood please themselves which come to nothing and perish with the using As the Apostle saith But do I want direction to guide my soul to bring me nearer to God to live the life of Christ do I want counsell and support to
and thwart and contradict one another and that the confusion of things confounds thine understanding yet be sure I am with them and in them and I order all and to me all things work harmoniously though to thee cross and contradictory yet all effect and bring about my Ends they can do nothing but what is agreeable to my will for they are all led by one spirit they all to me do keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace with me Even all Contradistories Coincide And so far forth as thou canst see and believe this they all shall do the Same to thee Beloved you know these my two hands are moved by the same spirit in me and the same soul moves all the members of my body and think you will one member hurt another No will my hand smite or pierce any member to hurt it No surely and if it do yet it is to better its condition though for the present it may hurt and wound and make it smart yet it is not to Hurt it but for its greater good So say I In the world what can happen or fall out to hurt us or displease us Truly nothing at all If we were but come to this that we could but keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace If we did But Behold ONE Spirit moving and ruling through the whole earth And if we did but see that He is the cause of all Wars and Tumults and that He stirs up their spirits for what End is best known to himself and thought we see such varieties and changes in the world yet in him and to him all things Coincide Even those things that are contradictories to us even all changes and oppositions and contentions and clashings in the world all in him Coincide That is all things to him are in agreement in an Harmony and work to his Almighty praise to the Highest to the utmost that can be Yet in regard of men he may be dishonoured but in himself and by himself He Works out His own praise in all contrarieties Because Really and in truth Nothing contradicts his will but if it do His revealed will yet He makes every act in the creature be it good or evil to contribute to his praise And he whom God hath been pleased to shew this vision to which he here shewed to Moses and the interpretation thereof he sees it so and his will and Gods clash not but Harmonize and coincide Gods actings and their wills agree these Blessed Souls They cannot finde fault with any thing but subscribe that He hath done all things well How then can this man distrust or murmure against God in whatever falls out because he sees God doing all he sees one Spirit moves all acts all but so far forth as men are Drowned in the Letter of this Vision they see none of all this They onely look upon it As a wonderful thing that God did thousands of years since and so take it as an History or according to their utmost interpretation viz. That God in the midst of the Afflictions of the Church yet he preserved them even as in the veâ—â—sâ—re though Pharaoh oppressed them and Egypt was as a furnace to the Israelites in which God kept them and brought them out of it which interpretation I condemn not but I think there is more held forth for God bid Moses tell the Israelites I AM had sent him He that was the Substance and Being of all things the worker and orderer of all things in heaven and earth But so far as men see not this When they hear of wars and rumours of wars and Nation rising against Nation they tremble and they fear and are at their wits end not knowing they are all led by the same spirit himself is when as those who see the Almighty thus working ordering and filling all creatures yea Burning and Changing Melting and reducing the Elements from one form and shape to another so that they see one generation come and another go These men they go on in an holy Serenity and Tranquillity of minde knowing there shall not an hair of their head perish without their Fathers pleasure and ordering Beholding his wisdom and power and goodness in all things in all turnings and tumblings and overturnings Having Cast all their care upon him for they know He takes care of them and infinitely beyond what they could do for themselves Therefore they Repose themselves sweetly upon his will and disposing which condition they prize above all earthly enjoyments yea more then a thousand natural lives if they had so many for They have forsaken Houses Lands Wives Children c. and all for Him and in him they enjoy and possess a hundred-fold instead thereof even in this life If they have them they enjoy God in them and through them and though they want all yet they have God instead of all who is to them more worth then all But others not being able to Hear or Bear these things being not yet come to be either Fathers or Yong-men in Christ living still in the Letter and in Shadows whom indeed these fathers in Christ pity and pray for and their Bowels yern for them and such is their strength that they are fain to become weak to the weak and all to all not that they shall gain all but that they may gain some for some are like the Egyptians here spoken of that not all the precepts or examples nor all the Plagues in the world will convince them They will not take knowledge That they are Acted and Guided by an unseen hand and power They see not that the whole Universe is guided by One Spirit But they think that there is one Spirit in the English and another in the French another in the Spaniard and another in the Dutch another in the Turks one in Europe another in Asia another in Affrica and another in America but be assured As to the carrying on of the affairs and designs of God in the world One and the same Spirit rules in all And though there are divers and contrary operations yet all is by the same Spirit it is God that worketh all in all and though they be never so far asunder yet all act by the same Spirit As in my body what 's further asunder then my head and my foot yet the same soul in both and know that this One soul within me hath as great a care of the lowest member as of the highest And so in the world though Almighty God hath set some in a high condition and some in a low yet know He Guides all He takes care whatever thou thinkest that the Higher Members and more Exalted and Impowred shall not oppress the lower no further then he in his wisdom thinks meet He it is that lets one man finde favour in this mans eyes and another not This as other actions all along are
ascribed to him He gave them favour and he hardened the heart of Pharaoh and He bid Shimei curâ—e David and the like Be assured whatever clashing and dashing thou observest in the world So as to thy thinking all will come to Nought and Miscarry yet be assured He it is that keeps all Guides all from dashing one against another but so far as his wisdom will have it so and it must be so for the accomplishment of his most holy ends O therefore let Vain man and his ignorance Nay his wisdom and his will stoop yea stoop to the very dust before him and leave all to him and be afraid To Censure His doings or to say concerning the Almighty Such an action was not well done Such a man O it were well if he were Removed Oh! he doth a great deal of hurt Oh! let him be cut off Oh! Beloved know God Almighty is a God of Infinite wisdom and art thou wiser then he must it needs be as thou conceivest no no you are deceived submit your judgements to him Expand and give up your selves and all you are and have to his Wisdom and Soveraignity and do not once dare to oppose that Infinite Infinite Wisdom of God in comparison of whose wisdom all the wisdom of all men and Angels put together is but folly before him He chargeth his Angels with folly and the Heavens are unclean in his sight what art thou then Poor Crawling worm to lift up thy self in his presence But thus to see God Doing all This is that Moses saw by the eye of faith in this Burning Bush It is He that Overturns the world It is He that burns every Creature New-forms and New-shapes The whole Universe He is that Great Potter that makes destroys and Re-makes at his pleasure what vessels he pleaseth He maketh vessels of honour and dishonour He alters and changes every Creature New-moulds and New-makes all and yet he destroys nothing And know this and set to thy seal that whatever He doth He cannot but do all things well superlatively well so well as it cannot be better And hereby the Lord will also set His seal to this soul so that He and It are so joyned together and made One that they will never part But he that looks upon the bare vision in the bare letter he cannot see these things What is it to him that Moses saw the vision That is gone and past But dost thou see what Moses saw Dost thou see all acted altered and changed by him Dost thou see Him alone doing all That it is He that Vn-makes and New-makes That it is He that makes men yong and makes men Old That it is He that bringeth to the grave and turneth man to destruction and saith at his pleasure return again ye sons of men That it is He that maketh and formeth man and all Creatures and bringeth them back again to their first principles and thereof Creates Raiseth and re-makes new Creatures Dost thou Thus see That the whole Universe is but a Body acted and guided by one soul by one spirit And that it is nothing else but a Carcase moved and led up and down by one spirit And that He is the substance of all and of every Creature the meanest the smallest the vilest as well as of the most glorious Dost thou see HIM in the midst of all this changing and tumbling up and down That it is He that destroys and preserves all things Unmakes Re-makes as the Potter doth and yet the clay is the same but that it is he which is still producing new forms Dost thou see that it is He that doth all these things that it is He that preserves all and weighs all so that nothing is lost For did not he Preserve all entire in themselves every element in its Property and Nature and keep them within their own bounds which is His Excelling glory they would presently devour and Overcome one another Fire if it did predominate were not bounded it would turn all things into Fire it would make all things like it self And so of Water it would turn all to Water and so of the rest But he hath set them their bounds which they cannot pass hitherto shalt thou come and no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed So that he keeps all things Entire in their own Element and every thing in its Proper place And in all this change or alteration and tumbling of the elements together Herein is His power seen That there is nothing lost nor diminished Dost thou see all this and that it is He that ruleth the Nations and that it is He alone that reigneth and that HE commandeth and ordereth the affairs of Princes all Nations and that all the Kings of the earth are in his hands My times are onely in thine hand saith David And know though thou thinkest That Kings and Rulers and others walk according to their Own wills and contrary to thine and thou art therefore offended yet know They all walk according to my will and pleasure saith God and though thou and they think otherwise and though they have no such purpose to obey my will but to please themselves and fulfil their own wills and not mine yet I have them so in my hand that they shall all in the end serve to my praise glory yea even in that they think they serve themselves and their own ends Poor Ignorant souls Alas when as they glory and pride themselves in their great pomp attendance and command and think that it is They that Rule when as they see not Psal. 66. 7. that it is He that ruleth by his power for ever and ever And Dan. 4. 17. The most High ruleth in the Kingdoms of men He it is alone that doth whatsoever He will and not they wil He sendeth the sword giveth it a Commission The Sword never awakes Till he say awake O sword And t is said of our Saviour That he came to bring peace unto men Luk. 2. 14. Peace on earth and good will towards men And yet our Saviour saith again Matth. 10. 34. I come not to send peace but a sword and vers 35. I am come to set a man against his father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter in Law against her mother in Law c. what strange contradictions are here What flesh and blood can reconcile these Scriptures yet both very true Again dost thou see That it is he that shall change these our vile bodies and make them like the glorious body of Iesus Christ Phil. 3. 21. Jesus Christ will purifie thoâ—â— that cleave to him and purifie them like unto himself Fire I told you never rests working and purifying till it hath brought All things to be as pure as it self So That Divine Fire Jesus Christ will never leave purifying and cleansing His people till he
bring them to be Purer and Purer Finer and Finer till they be all made pure As himself is pure He who is called often Fire in Scripture as Mar. 9. 49. He will purifie the impure from the pure the dross from the gold The light of Israel shall be for a fire and his holy one for a flame and he shall burn and devour his bryers and thorns in one day All wickedness shall be before him like the Thorns of a forrest before the fire and shall not be able to stand before Him It shall All be burnt up and nothing remain thereof as it came of nothing so it shall return to nothing And this Christ will do not at once but by degrees as Fire makes not a thing at first as hot as it self but by degrees but it wil not rest nor cease till it hath Heb. 12. 29. Our God is a consuming fire Wickedness nor any impurity shall not be able to stand before this consuming fire no more then thorns and stubble before devouring fire but by degrees he will purifie us throughout in bodies souls and spirits All the works of man as of man shall be burnt up and he shall suffer loss but himself shall be saved yet so as by fire as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 3. 15. For the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is Therefore I say take heed of Standing Up before this fire If thou arâ— not 〈◊〉 â—own beforehand this â—â—e will burn thee down to ashes Do not quench the motions of the Spirit in you do not strangle them in the birth as Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew Midwives To strangle the Male-children of the Israelites in the birth Exod. 1. 18. But let this Fire have its Perfect work as the Apostle Iames saith of Patience Expand and give up your selves to Him Let him work his will in you give him leave to burn up your dross That you may be brought nearer and nearer to him and be made more like unto him that ye may more fully enjoy him That so at length ye may be Swallowed up and Emptied into him Even into that Ocean whence ye came as all the small rivolets which come from the Sea never rest till they return into the Sea And let us continually Magnifie the infinite goodness of Almighty God who of his Meer mercy will so far Humble himself to sit as a refiner over his work and never ceaseth but is always Purifying Clarifying and Refining from one degree of purity to another till we come to be like unto his own Dear Son Jesus Christ and all our dross so separated till we be made all pure silver and pure gold and that all our chaff may be removed till we become pure wheat and fit to be gathered into our Lords Garner Even till we be Clarified Rarified and Glorified even like unto the Precious and Glorious body of Jesus Christ himself who is blessed for ever and ever Amen TRUE and DIVINE EXORCISM OR THE DEVIL CON-JURED BY IESVS CHRIT MARK I â—5 26. And Iesus rebuked him saying hold thy peace and come out of him And when the unclean spirit had torn him and cryed with a loud voyce he came out of him The Substance of several Sermons preached at Kensington Publique meeting-place AS the holy Apostle Paul divides a man into body soul and spirit so do I this present Text the body is the history according to the letter the soul is such moral observations as arise and are deduced from the letter and history the SPIRIT is such heavenly instructions and divine documents as rightly applyed may be fitly termed The Marrow and Quintesscence of the Word of God The History according to the letter is so plain that he that runs may read and understand it and so needs no explanation and therefore I intend to collect the moral observations And 1. From the place where this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This man with an unclean spirit was in the Synogogue at Capernaum We from hence are taught That no place can secure from an unclean spirit 't is not a Church Chancel Communion-Table or Pulpit no Bishop or rigid Chancellor or stout Archdeacon nor yet any Politick Official can with all their wit wealth or power excommunicate him or drive him out when he hath once entred in He appeared among the Sons of God Job 1. 6. He stood at Ioshuah the High Priests right hand Zech. 3. 1. nay into Heaven it self and Paradise he intruded therefore we should as our Saviour saith Beware even of Men Such men as are of His spirit Unclean they will deliver yon up to their counsels Mat. 10. 17. And the Apostle hath it Phil. 3. 2. Beware of dogs That is beware of men of proud cruel fierce and dogged spirits And then 2. As no place can secure us from Others Evil Men or Devils without us So nor can none of us assure our selves that we are what we should be If Templum Domini If the Jews crying out The Temple of the Lord would have serv'd the turn Ier. 7. 4. but that did not though they rested secure and blest themselves in it So also do we now in the Outward Baptism so in the Outward receiving of the Ordinance of the Lords Supper and also in the outward profession of Christianity c. Sed ista omnia folia sunt but all these are but leaves but 't is the fruit God looks after For though no tree that bears fruit but hath leaves yet Wo to those Trees which bear nothing but leaves Then 3. From the Devil his confessing Christ we learn That though as Paul saith Ore fit confessio with the mouth confession is made Rom. 10. 10. yet that is nothing without the other except the heart believes unto salvation for that confession is vain which is void of faith saith Fulgentius 4. Observe For all the uncleaneness strong possession of this unclean spirit as soon as our Saviour speaks for he spoke a s one Having Authority and not as the Scribes 't was a destruction to him for he cryes out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Art thou come to destroy or to torment us Luk. 8. 28. the Scribes and Pharisees might have preach'd long enough ere this Devil would have Roared For as some go not out but by fasting and prayer Mat. 17. 21. so some unclean spirits wil not stir out of men but by powerful preaching which is Christ coming Himself with power and casting them out And 5. From this Renting the poor man we learn how furious and raging his malice is to man Tearing and renting Them whom he may not cannot longer possess The Dragon never watch'd the Woman so narrowly as when nearest her time of deliverance Rev. 12. 4. So Pharaoh pursued the Isralites most eagerly when departing his land And the Prophet Isaiah saith For unto us a Child is born and a
own souls and you shall better consider and know his malice not onely to the bodies but to the souls of men as t is said 1 Sam. 18. 10. Saul was vexed by an Evil spirit so when you hear of casting out of Devils Take heed lest your selves fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the snares and nets and condemnation of the Devil Further to this point St Paul saith 1 Cor. 12. 4. that there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Differences of graces yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but one spirit As there are the graces of wisdom of Knowledge of faith All different in their several acts operations and degrees yet flowing all from the same spirit so I may say there are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Differences of sins and lusts in the soul some being spiritual wickednesses others carnal and fleshly some for stature and growth like the sons of Anack mighty and great and strong others of a less and lower size Differences too there be in sins length and time as Iob saith His bones were full of the sinnes of his youth Some do not leave their sins but increase them and carry them in them till they dye and they grow strong and numerous even to a Legion of Devils There be some also that though they come up in a night yet by the blessing of God they are wasted and gone in a night like Ionahs Gourd they are like a wafaring man of no continuance they take no deep rooting in the soul There are differences too in respect of obstinacie purpose of mind malice and HATRed of God c. some going before others others following after unto judgement as the Apostle speaks It was said to Ierusalem Thou hast justified thy sister Sodom in all her abominations Ezek. 16. 51. her sins did exceed for grievousness those of Sodom and yet all sins of what nature or quality soever how different soever they be are all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from that Evil One in us The Devil and though as our Saviour saith Mat. 15. 19. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts thefts c. yet these are suggested into the heart by Satans malice and policy As t is said of Iudas That the Devil put it into his heart to betray His Master So that it is not onely Hard but impossible for any man that hath not been rapt up into the third Heaven To know How God sends Good motions into souls whether by Angels or not Yet I am sure though the Apostle saith That to will is present with me Phil. 2. 13. But yet that will is from him For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every good and perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights Jam. 1. 17. Nay all natural actions as to think and to do or to move c. are all of him from him and by him For In him we live move and have our BEING And As hard it is to say directly Though the Prince of this world Joh. 12. 31. The God of this world 2. Co. 4. 4. very lofty titles you see are given him by the Holy Ghost To shew what great power he hath I say 't is very hard to know How he Tempts and moves us to Evil whether by His Angels or not For HE hath Angels called properly and peculiarly HIS Mat. 25. 41. Prepared for the Devil and His Angels and termed The Angels that sinned 2. Pet. 2. 4. And again 't is said He drew the third part of the Stars from Heaven when he fell And the Devil is called The King of the bottomless pit Rev. 9. 11. Sure I am that there are great store of several sorts of Evil spirits For there is The spirit of jealousie Numb 5. 6. The Evil Spirit of lying 1 Reg. 22. 22. The spirit of deep slumber and sleep Isa. 29. 10. The spirit of this world 1 Cor. 2. 12. The spirit of dissention Judg. 9. 23. The spirit of perversness Isa. 19. 14. The spirit of wheredom Hosea 4. 12. 5. 4. And the spirit of seducing 1 Tim. 4. 1. And once for all As we read of the Spirit of Christ so also do we find the spirit of Anâ—ichrist 1 Ioh. 4. 8. And yet necessary it is thâ—â— thâ—s it should be I say Necessary with that necessity of which our Saviour speaks Mat. 18. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is necessary that offences should come For As in visible things there is no change without corruption so in civil things Lex non est posita justo sed injusâ—o The Law is not made for the righteous but for the transgressors for the lawless and disobedient as the Apostle saith And so and no otherwise is it in spiritual things Men cannot imagine How God should have made known the Riches of his goodness Rom. 2. 4. if no Evil had been nor The Greatness of the Riches of his Glory Rom. 9. 22 23. if there had been No vessels of wrath and dishonour Fitted for destruction Neither should he have shewn the Depth of his wisdom and knowledge Rom. 11. 33. If there had been no folly and ignorance Nor yet The riches of his grace Ephes. 1. 7. If there had been None that stood in need of pardon and grace Beloved How could the sons of men have known or understood Either the plenteousness of His REDEMPTION If there had been no Captives Or the exceeding greatness of his love wherewith he hath loved us in Christ If there had been none that were his Enemies and hated him So that now I will say of the Devil and his Angels as once Augustine said of Original sin Whereof after he had long disputed whence it should flow and proceed at length he concludes That it is A more vain and fruitless thing to stand disputing about its Rise or Original when as we feel the flames of evil concupiscence in our selves still Burning then it is for a man when he finds his house on fire to stand still Demanding how the fire came but doing nothing to quench it Or whereas he should find his son fallen into a well ready to be drowned yet should stand still Asking How he came to fall in but not using any help or means to get him out and so save his life So may I say of the Devil and his Angels It being so that they Are And that they are so Active and Destructive to men and that they move in Rule and reign in the Children of disobedience and have already climbed our works and are gotten in our very hearts and there wound kill and slay if we did but see it so I say 'T is but a fruitless question to enquire how they entred or came into us or of what they are made or what Power they have to do us mischief or the like But sure I think it is our best policy and greatest wisdom to
have and so Many such rewards This is nothing but the Devils preaching and the Devils learning within thee it s no better then the Devils work and thou canst expect no other But the Devils Wages All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me He is the God of this world and hath great power given him over the Kingdoms of this world and he can bestow much of the glory of them upon his servants but God He speaks first in the center of the earth He begins first with the heart Preaches within thee reforms first the heart here onely preacheth His well-beloved Son in whom Onely he is well pleased Except Thy actions be The actions of his own Well-beloved Son in thy heart he neither owns nor accepts them they are strange fire to him and you know what became of Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire before the Lord The Lord He Pours precious ointment on this Aarons head and from thence Drencheth his beard and so down to the skirts of his garments so far as the heart is reformed the actions cannot be amiss That soul that is in love with Jesus Christ Beloved where the love of God is shed abroad in the heart it is death to him to that soul to go a whoring with the creatures he can have no peace to commit adulterie with the world That whorish woman he cannot endure Satans preaching hearken to me and I will give thee these and these thing no no his peace lies in hearkening to what the Lord saith in him and he preaches no such doctrine but bids him leave the world for its enmity to him he bids part with these things Take up the cross expect reproches persecutions and death from the world This preaching is of God let thy life be in forsaking the glory of the world though thou livest in the world yet let thy heart thy affections dwell and abide with me Use the world as if thou usedst it not count nothing in the world thine own be thou but as a steward in whatever thou hast Alwaies ready to give an account of all This preaching is from God from Heaven The Devils preaching is quite contrary And when thou hearest such preaching as is contrary to this and such whisperings within thee Conclude it is the Devil and not God and that such preaching and learning will destroy thy soul therefore I say always look to thy heart that It be set right before ever thou expectest the actions can be good if that be not so conclude all that proceeds from it is naught we must look mainly to the center to the Heart that life may come from thence Even as the life in the body by the blood flows from the heart to all the members if not those members are dead so the life of true grace flows from the heart as from the fountain for if either fear or Law or Heaven or Hel reward or any hopes or by-ends Urge the heart To goodness These are but dead works and you shall know it by this do but take away these respects and by-ends and these works Cease take away hope of reward and fear of punishment and this bodie is dead he works no more why because there is no life no heat within to move him tell him I mean he whose heart is set right for God reformed by him tell him he must deny forsake the world he must be emptied of all the glory of the world of all self-seeking self-glorying self-praising why herein is his life his peace his glory but to the other who hath been onely taught by such PRECEPTS as come from men from Self This preaching is death to him but his life and peace and joy is to hear How he shall be advanced esteemed honoured c. how he shall be made rich and great therefore you may easily hence distinguish what preaching and practise is from God and what from Satan and Self Thus much may serve for the first thing to open unto you the meaning of these words All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth to me it seems very plain and clear and I hope to you also that That which before seemed obscure now is made manifest The second ground Christ also as he is man hath all power given unto him as being united to God so also to man and this definition as being united to God is very large and deep as the river at the entrance into the Sanctuary which at the first entrance took a man but up to the ankles and then a little further up to the knees and then to the middle and at last it would quite down and swallow up all it grew into a vast Sea The meaning of the words in this sense we are not able to comprehend or understand but the more we wade into them the more we are drowned and swalloed up Jesus Christ he had the same glory in himself when he was upon earth as he had with his Father before all worlds and he is his well-beloved Son in whom onely he is well-pleosed But as he is man he to Us-ward emptied himself of all his glory And came in the form of a servant he was subject to the like passions and infirmities as we are except sinful and hereby man came to be further made known unto him that is in regard of his humane nature he was hungry and thirsty and weary and suffered death and the like and yet in regard of his Divine nature he held his glory and Union with his Father and it was necessary it should be so in both regards for had it not been so he could not have complyed so with the creatures and felt their wants and necessities and had he not retained his unity with his Father which he could not in regard of himself As God either lose or diminish nor increase he could not have complyed so perfectly with his Father for the salvation of mankind For as he was in the bosom of his Father he was unknowable to any creature he was known onely to himself he was inexplicable not to be unfolded and in this regard the more ye enter into darkness and unknowing the more ye know of him for he is nothing that we can comprehend or understand as we are creatures until we come to be One with him and swallowed up into him But let us observe that Christ never made this boast of himself that All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth till he was ready to leave the earth never till he had been crucified dead and buried and rose again It is remarkable he never all the while He was on earth ever appropriated all power to be his till he was ready to depart out of the earth And Beloved this is for our imitation Christ was no boaster though none might boast more but he was meek and lowly he became a servant to all
thou art dead to every creature thou canst never make this boast Beloved if you would have power to remove mountains and to offer violence to the Kingdom of heaven then you are to be thus qualified that thou hast experimentally seen and felt in thy own soul how that thy sins have ploughed and made long furrows upon his back as David saith and how you by your sins have quenched the light that is in you and how in thee he is crucified dead and buried and how thou hast drawn grave-stones of custome over him and how you have buried his light resisted and grieved his spirit in you and that you have found him arise in your own souls that you have really seen and felt all these things actually done within you his birth his life his death his resurrection that as his enemits have overcome and crucified him within you so himâ—rise â—rise gloriously and triumphantly within you and that he hath put down all his enemies under his feet In thee insomuch that thou hast heard him and seen him and felt him crying within thy soul Isa. 1. 24. Ha ha I will now arise I will avenge me on my adversaries Now I that was crucified am now risen again so that you see his glory and the love of him triumphing in you so that now thou canst truly say with David Psal. 27. 4. Now I am so far gotten from and forsaken the world and my self that now I desire but one thing and that will I seek after even that thou wouldest give me thy self unite me and make me One with thine own life that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and visit his Temple You being once come to this pass Really in experience then you also may say All power is given to me in Heaven and Earth for then you are as I may say within an inch of being swallowed up into God and then are you ready to leave the earth and all things therein for this man he is become one spirit with the Lord And if we be one spirit as Chriâ—ts prayer hath purchafed Ioh. 17. 21. That they may be one as thou and I are one that thou mayest be in me and I in them and they in me that the world may believe that thou hast sent me if it be so then Christ himself lives in us and all our words are the words of Christ we have no thoughts but the thoughts of Christ we have no life but Christ lives in us as the Apostle saith I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me And then also as the Apostle again saith and so may you say All is yours and not before Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or things present or things to come all are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods You being come to this as you may claim a right to all things so you may claim a Power over all things for you are already set down in Heavenly places with Christ himself in the very glory of God the Father who is blessed for ever But yet many there be that wil claim this right and appropriate to themselves this power and life when alas they are farre from it they will assume and presume that this is their condition when indeed and in truth Christ and his life is as yet buried in them He is not risen in them he hath not conquered nor gotten victory over his enemies but he is still crucified and made to serve their sins and their lusts Self-will and pride and arrogancy and vain boasting is still alive in them he hath not as yet Avenged himself on his enemies But pride and covetousnes and love of the world and praise of men these things live in them still and Christ is dead and so much the more dead and crucified in as much as they glory of that which is not conceiving Christ is theirs when as all their wayes are contrary to him and yet they conceive themselves made One with him when as it were far better they had a true sight of their opposition and contrariety to him And therefore thou must know thou art but an usurper to claim this power and right to all things in which thou hast no part For when a man is come to that life we formerly spake of then he is made Lord of the earth and hath then Real dominion over all the Creatures And made little lower then the Angels as it is exprest in Psal. 8. Then thou belongest to and art one with him who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords though you see it not A supposition of two drops reasoning together As suppose two Drops apart from the Sea should Reason together and the one should say to the other Whence are we canst thou conceive whence we are either whence we come or to whom we belong or whither we shall go something we are but what will in a short time become of us canst thou tell And the other Drop should ansâ—wer Alas poor fellow-drop be assured we are Nothing for the Sun may arise and draw us up and scatter us and so bring us to nothing Says the other again Suppose it do for all that yet we are we have a Being we are Something Why what are we saith the other Why Brother Drop dost thou not know we even we as smal contemptible as we are in our selves yet we are members of the sea Poor Drops though we be yet let us not be discouraged we belong to the vast Ocean How saith the other we belong to the sea to the Ocean how can that be We have heard of the mighty greatness of the Ocean we have heard that there is the huge Leviathan that sports himself there who is so great and terrible he feareth none whose heart is as firm as a stone and as hard as a piece of the â—ether milstone the mighty are afraid before him who feareth not the spear nor the dart nor the Habergeon who esteemeth iron as straw and brass as rotten wood the arrow cannot make him flee-darts are as stubble and he laugheth at the shaking of the spear who maketh the deeps to boyl like a pot and maketh the sea like a pot of ointment so that he maketh a hoary path to shine after him and upon earth there is not his like What that we are of the Sea how can it be We have heard the Sea is great and wide Wherein also are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts there is that Leviathan who is made to play and sport therein and they that go down into the sea in ships and do their business in great waters they see the wonders of the Lord in the deeps there are the huge roaring waves that mount them up to heaven and suddenly they fall down into the depths and their souls melt because of trouble and those great
glorious and beautiful yet Christ is crucified and Self is alive and set in the Throne As David saith Up Lord why sleepest thou Avenge us on our adversaries God is asleep in men till this work be brought about in them and again Arise O Lord exalt thy self above the Heathen Till thou Till thy self be brought down the Heathen are exalted and Jesus Christ is trampled down as the heathen in old time typically got the upper hand and took possession of the Land and the fair houses of God and banished and carried captive the people of God kept them under made them tributary and overrun the Land Even so are those very things accomplished in us when lust and sin commands and bear rule and over-run the soul like locusts which are the very locusts of the bottomless pit Which also are ANTICHRIST and they keep him under and daily crucifie him that is crucifie his life in us And these are those enemies we continually ought to make war with and hate and pray against these are that Meroz that we ought to curse bitterly as the Angel commands and not men nor any thing which God hath made for all creatures As they are made by God are good very good but the seed of the Serpent we must war with and persecute Even to the very death and nothing else These things Brethren we ought still to find in our own experience Not onely to hear and read the history of them as done in and by others but to see and feel how they are really accomplished in our selves for except we see This fighting and resisting accomplished in us except we have found the strong man bound in us and felt those fightings and resistings that he makes till he be bound and overcome we are yet in our sins Strangers possess the Land and the Temple of God lies waste and the enemies of God roar in the midst of the Congregations and they set up their Ensigns for signs and break down the carved work with axes and hammers Could we but see all these things in our selves then we might be sure that Light was approching to us And if This Light were but set upon a candlestick then it would give light round the house and we should discover these things more and more but till then the lights is hid under a bed or under a bushel as our Saviour saith And if we have not found these things in our selves we have not been so much as in the way to union with Jesus Christ but having found it we have cause infinitely to rejoyce for then Those Masters and Lords that formerly commanded thee now thou shalt command them and they shall obey then thou shalt find that he hath in thee broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in sunder Psal. 107. 16. thou through him shalt have power now to rectifie thy understanding thy will thy affections to rule and govern them As a King because Christ is exalted as King in thy soul then thou shalt be taught of God and shalt receive An unction from that holy one and thou shalt know all things In our selves indeed and in our own strength we can do nothing but by the power of Christ and by his strength in us we shall be More then Conquerours and we shall find these words true to our selves that our Saviour here saith All power is given to me in heaven and in earth you shall feel it true in your selves for you being united and made one with him you shall so derive his power to your selves that you may say All power is given to me in heaven and earth then you shall come to see such things as never eye saw nor ear heard nor ever entred into the heart of man things unutterable For till this comes to pass within you you shall never see the new heavens and the new earth so often promised in the Scriptures not till then shall we ever see the day that old things shall pass away and all things shall become new as it is exprest Rev. 21. 4. Then is the day come that God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes And thou shalt heare Christ himself in thee proclaiming Behold I make all things new Then shalt thou have power over the earth then also art thou that blessed Meek one spoken of Mat. 5. That shalt inherit the earth then shalt thou have power to meet thy Saviour Prepared And adorned as a bride to meet the bridgroom at his coming then indeed shall all those spiritual promises be fulfilled and accomplished in thee And all this by being risen again and united to thy Bridegroom Jesus Christ. And the way to this life is by being dead to the world and dead to the flesh the world being crucified to us and we to the world I le tell thee such a pass thou art now come to that as thou stinkest to the world so the world stinks to thee As all things are ready to forsake thee so thou art as ready to forsake them so that thou beginnest to see no excellency in any thing the world presents to thee no not in PROPRIETY which the whole world yea generally al esteem so highly of and are of all things lothest to forgo I say to this man even propriety begins to dye to him and he to it It departs from us and we depart from the love of propriety or with affection laying claim to any thing in the world but having it as having it not as 1 Cor. 7. That both they that have wives be as though they had none and they that weep as though they wept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not and they that use this world as not abusing it for all the fashion of this world passeth away This man is an a man dead and clean cast out of sight as David saith clean out of mind he is as a bubble that no body sets by but yet be contented hâ—ppy yea thrice happy are those men that are come to this to be dead men You know dead men are not affected with any thing dead men lay no claim to any thing dead men cannot so much as say This is I they esteem not of themselves they boast not of themselves praise and dispraise is all one to them they can let men do what they will with them they are all at one pass they claim no interest no propriety in any thing let them be merry while he lies by or let them be sad all is one to him let them be sharers of his goods One will have one part and another another part let them make merry and spend lavishly of His goods He is not moved why The reason is because he hath lost all his SENCES in this world his life is gone he is a dead man Beloved This was the condition
pious and precious proverb All things must be comprehended and keep Sabbath there must be no going up no running out nor no work done Seeing God desires not Our works but Our Sabbath and that himself in us Free and None Hindring him a MASTER and a GOD may Work Know Love Praise Pray Hear Crown and Reward HIMSELF in us Beloved without all doubt this is the ONE and Onely thing that pleaseth him And he commands All Flesh that in Divine matters it never Stir it self or desire any thing And therefore it is that I in this Book have Robbed man of all and Rejected him with all his Best Ware and most Precious Riches that he had in Divine businesses viz. Of all his Will Knowledge Wisdom Goodness All these must we Unlearn from all these must we Fast and keep Holy-day as from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil from whence Death is eaten And therefore there is in Heaven meer Peace Gladness Felicity as where there are Eternal Sabbaths and no Will but Gods Will Light Knowledge Art Wisdom in all his Saints whereby he doth Illustrate and Enlighten them And Christians do pray in the Lords Prayer that the same thing may be upon earth and that the will of God may be there done as it is in Heaven where no man Doth Wills Knows Speakes any thing but God who will have and in Christ hath Appointed this Sabbath also upon Earth This God grant unto us all Amen A most clear Glass and lovely Example of our Lord Iesus Christ which as he practised in himself so he propounded unto us to be followed and it may serve for an EPILOGUE or Perclose of this Book out of the 106 page of Iohn Taulerus his Works printed at Colen in Folio 1548. VVHosoever desireth to order his life according to the most Acceptable will of God and to be Partaker of his grace without any impediment ought warily to look into this Instruction following of the life of Christ which containeth all good things and to express it in his life and conversation Therefore every good and religious Christian ought in all things and above all things aâ—d at all times with all the strength of his soul in all his thoughts words and works purely to love and intend for God who is the eternal happiness and blessedness of all men as his own Portion which that he may the better do he shall most strictly observe himself within and in silence hearâ— what the Lord saith within him and avoiding all Imployments and Multiplicity he shall rest with God in unity He shall Shut up all his Senses in quietness Continually Praying and Calling upon God His eye being Fixt on him in all his actions He shall enjoy His Presence in every place time and thing He shall be A perpetual inhabitant of himself and shall Especially love Truth of heart and peace of conscience He shall be milde and Humble in heart as well as in word and be Divine and God-like in his life and conversation Taking Patiently All things at the hand of God He shall Praise Thank Honour and intend him in all his works He shall be always Endued with a certain humble Abnegation ordering of himself to what God wils shall submit himself not only to God but to All creatures avoiding those hateful vices Pride Envy Wrath and Arrogancy Moreover perpetually considering and marking the Goodness and Perfection of God He shall wonder and be astonished at the great love and faithfulness of God toward him and contrariwise at his own Unthankfulness and Infidelity judging himself from his heart The Least and Unworthiest of all men He shall more diligently take heed of his own Sense Estimation and of all the wickedness of his nature neither shall he think More of Himself then he hath from or of Himself which is indeed Nothing He shall alwayes take in hand a certain New life and exercise himself in New virtue and in New Truth He shall be Sober and Sparing in words but Plentiful in Holiness of life and shall desire to be Left and Despised of all men as men He shall much weigh Small sins and shall think The least defect not light He shall take so great care of Himself that he be never frustrated of the presence of God in his soul and that other men may be by him provoked to better things he shall do all his works in the most Perfect manner and shall Satisfie those things which he comprehends in his understanding He shall by his good will do nothing in this life to repent of hereafter He shall have In daily Adversity either within him or without him perpetual patience and in continual Multiplicity A Recollected mind he shall not 〈◊〉 either to Have or to Will any thing Proper in this world but be ready to distribute to others wants nor to have any Election oâ— Choise in things but receive thankfully The goodwill of His Father in every thing He shall admit nothing within himself but God continually He shall diligently Eschew and withdraw himself from all men as men and shall preserve himself Naked and Free from all Inwardly-received Images and his soul Untangled from all Accidents whatsoever that he may continually receive The Influence of His Heavenly Father into his soul. He shall often behold and Exercise himself in the Most worthy Life and Example of our Lord Jesus Christ As in a glass considering well How like or unlike He is unto Him and He shall in himself give an Ensample and Testimony to all men Of A Better life then This He shall be True in all his words Religious and Mature in His conversation He shall contemplate His beginning and Original From whence He and All things flowed forth and shall Strive with all diligence To return into the same again Finally tending diligently What He is whether He Ought what He Doth and for What cause he doth every thing and shall most constantly persevere in virtue and truth even unto Death And all this not by any power of his own but by Christ He alone Working all these things in him and not Himself nor Any His own Industry or Acquiring Another short Instruction taken from the same place in Iohn Taulerus his works pa. 107. VVE shall most certainly Attain The Various and Numerous exercises of this Book yea whatsoever can be written of a Perfect and Divine-like Life viz. by this means if we withdraw our selves from the love of all frail and mortal things if we study to attain an humble Resignation and inward Nakedness and embrace Onely God by faith and love in the bosom of our souls and hide our selves wholly with our Souls Spirit Body Heart and Senses in his Most Holy Humanity and labour by a certain lively imitation to become comformable thereunto and Finally by His life and merits Inhere and cleave continually and perpetually to his Divinity Whoâ—oever is enabled by Jesus Christ to do These things doth doubtless Obtain all
the souls Teacher she is still turning aside to the creatures p. 97. A sweet illustration thereof by a comparison p. 99 c. If we love Iesus Christ love will not suffer us to be our own but his p. 104. The heads of a Sermon on Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh will I give to â—at of the Hidden Manna c. ALL the words of God have not onely a dead letter but a living sense in all ages alike p. 109. Overcomers do eat this Hidden Manna and these that eat overcome p. 110. Three things laid down to understand the text 1. All the seven promises to the Churches though diversly exprest are but one and the same thing in it self p. 111. 2. They all imply that which is here began in this life and to be perfected in that to come p. 113. 3. Not one promise to be understood according to the letter yet the letter undeniably true p. 115. As Gods wayes not like mans so not his Covenants nor Knowledge nor Love nor Hatred Election or Reprobation c. p. 118. Mans foolish wisdom would square out God like unto himself else not own him nor his wayes p. 110. Which things should have been enlargâ—d because therein there are so many mistakes but time prevented ib. A Sermon on Jer. 6. 13. From the least of them even to the greatest every one is given to covetousness c. THe whole house of Israel Accused Condemned of Covetousness p. 122. This Indictment includes 1. Fault 2. Extent 3. Intention 4. Râ—proof Sentence p. 122. Covetousness hard to be uncased it ever wears a cloak p. 124 A competency ought to be the limitation of our desires A Question answered what is sufficient or a a competency p. 125 c. Wherein Covetousness consists 1. Eager desires 2. Inordinate love p. 126. The covetous man known 1. By his course of life p. 127. 2. By his Company p. 128. 3. By his Breath ibid. 4. He can dispense with any sin p. 129. 5. He is a man of all arts or no art ibid. The Covetous and Covetousness in Scripture rankt with the vilest sinners and sins p. 131. No Saint read of in Scripture though stained with other sins yet not with this and why ihid c. Covetousness the breach of all the Commandments shewed particularly 136 to 148. 2. Head the Extent t is Epidemical p. 149. How particulaâ—ly to 1. Kings ibid. 2. Noblemen ibid. 3. Rich men p. 150. 4. Learned men ibid. 5. Wise men ibid. 6. Poor men p. 151. 3. Head the intention which is the greatest aggravation They give themselves up to it p. 153. 4. Head the Puâ—ishment of this sin of Covetousness p. 155. First The peculiar plagues are either 1. In his body p. 157. 2. In his goods ibid. 3. In his posterity ibid. 4. In his soul ibid. Secondly in Gods denying them the use p. 159. Depriving them of the possession ibid. Six Remediâ—s 1. Faith p. 163. 2. Sobriâ—â—y ibid. 3. Tâ—mperance ibid. 4. Abandon conceit of contâ—nt in them ibid. 5. Compare if ye are able and view them with the true riches p. 165. 6. Pray for a right knowledge of both ibid. A brief Exposition occasioned by singing Psal. 148. THere is a threefold siâ—ging with the lips with the spirit and with understanding we may sing with lips and with zeal as the Aposâ—le saith of knowledge yet not with understanding p. 167 c. Two things in this Psalm hard to be undâ—rstood p. 168. 1. That David doth exhort unreasonable creatures to praise God ibid. 2. That he calls upon the deepâ— and seas and all vegetative and inanimate creatures to do this dâ—ty ibid. Some Reasons given in answer viz. four p. 169. How even the dumb and deaf creatures sing aloud Gods praise p. 170. Wherein these creatures may be said to have Religion p. 171. Religion of men consists of four parts and how agreeing to the creatures p. 172. 1. A Creed and therein they give testimony to some of his Attributes ibid. 2. Petition p. 176. 3. A Decalogue p. 178. 4. Sacrifice p. 179. Uses 1. To make us ashamed of our backwardness to this duty p. 180. 2. To take notice of the vast circumference of Gods Kingdom ibid. 3. To go boldly to God in the name of Jesus Christ p. 181. 4. To look upon all the Creatures as Angels on Iacobs Ladder ascending and descending according to his commission p. 182. 5. Because it is impossible to find out the â—â—finiteness of Gods praise by all creatures therefore to take notice they all cry Plus ultra look beyond us p. 183. 6. Take heed of abusing any creature t is enough that we may use them ibid. A Sermon on Luke 2. 40. And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit filled with wisdâ—m and the grace of God was upon him THe words contain 1. A History 2. A Mystâ—ry p. 187. The History brief and shews onely the truth of Christ his Humane nature Hypostatically united to the Divinity ibid c. That which is more material is the Mystery p. 189. The Letter of the Scripture kills and how p. 191. What imitable actions Christ wrought in the days of hâ—s flesh he works stil spiritually the other though wrought for us yet do us no good except these also be wrought iâ— us p. 193 c. Where we may in pâ—rt take a view of the glory of the great City the Holy Ierusalem spoken of Rev. 21. and what the 12 gates represented p. 196. The Kingdom of God is within us and whereever he is pleased to unvail his glorious presence p. 197. All these things hid to those that stick or rest in the Letter yet the letter not to be neglected p. 200 c. The Apostle his undervaluing Ordinances duâ—ies yea the knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ if they keep us from Christ p. 205. A caution not to make Idols of Ordinances p. 209. Yet high raptures sometimes questionable p. 210. Instances in Baptism p. 211. The Apostles consultation and message to the weak believers Acts 18. p. 213. How the Apostle carries this point very high Gal. 4. 1 2. p. 215. This point pressed in two respects 1. In regard of the Mâ—thods of Satan with men p. 217. 2. From the deception of some pretending to be high in Christianity because much in literal knowledge when indeed they are but Pigmyes and Novices ibid. Appearing in preferring faith 1. Acquired before faith infused p. 219. 2. Implicit before expliâ—iâ— ibid. 3. Formed before all these ibid. 4. In making temporal blessings the main of their desires and prayers though professing the contrary p. 220. After what manner grown Christians pray for temporal blessings p. 222. Four several affirmations by the Author concerning praying for temporal blessings p. 224. Three dâ—grees of the excellency of prayer ibid. Which Honouâ—able p. 229. More Honorable ibid. Most Honorable and that which wears the Crown above all and to pâ—ess to attain the last
as the best and most excellent ibid. Two Sermons on Exod. 3. 6. the first six verses Moses kept the flock of Iethro his father in Law and he led them to the back side of the Desart And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush c. THis is one of the grâ—atest miracles in the whole Scriptures p. 232. This History and Miracle concerns us now as much as the Israelites then p. 233. The Spirit magnified above the Letter p. 237 The truth couched under parables p. 240. The infinite condescension of God to become weak to the weak p. 242. The depth of the true word is imployment for Men and Angels for Eternity p. 244. Why Moses and the Patriarchs are taken such notice of that they were Shepherds p. 246. What the life of a true Shepherd is and why preferred before Husbandmâ—n p. 248. Moses led the flock into the desart before God appeared to him so must we foâ—sake the world or God will not manifest himself p. 250 c. Whether Miracles be ceased now oâ— no an ignorant question p. 253. Greater miracles done in accomplishing the truth of miracles then in the type or shadow p. 254. Yet this a mighty miracle in the letter but the mystery a miracle far transcending p. 255. How suitable Iacobs Vision of the Ladder reaching to heaven was to him and so this miracle to encourage Moses so the great work he was to go about p. 255. Why the Almighty is somâ—times termed an angel and why angels were worshipped in the Old Testament and St. Iohn forbidden p. 258 God not more present in heaven then in earth p. 260 c. God is to be worshipped as present in all places and in all creatures p. 265. The error of the Papists in worshipping Images condemned and why ibid. Hence a ground to interpret that saying of our Saviour Their Angels alwayes behold the face of their father c. p. 268. The use and Application from the foregoing truths p. 269 c. The second Sermon on the same Text. THe life of a Shepherd and of a Husbandman further explained p. 27â— The life of a Husbandman not condemned but a Shepherds life prâ—ferred before it p. 276. Going into the Dâ—sart not meant of forsaking all things actually but in aâ—fection and using them as if we used them not p. 280. The reason of all mens unquietness p. 283. The way to understand the vision is to put off our shoes from our feet as Moses and what that means p. 285. Men as men can comprehend nothing but what is within their own sphere of reason p. 288. Something about the name and nature of angels ibid. Every beam of the Divinity is an Angel p. 294. Christ the Substance of all types and visions p. 296. The true interpretation of visions and types from God alone p. 297. He that can see God thus cannot so far fear any creature nor any cross or death it self p. 298. The wonderfulness of the vision opened p. 300. Making known Jesus Christ is the business of all creatures of all men and all ages p. 302. The substance of this vision is Jesus Christ he is that fire that burns and changeth all things but not himself ibid c. He weighs the mountains and measures the waters he alters all things yet preserves the substance entire so that nothing is lost p. 304 c. How Gods will and theirs harmonize and coincide to whom God hath shewed this vision p. 308. They cannot find fault with anything God doth but they see one spirit moving and guiding all actions of men and creatures through heaven and earth p. 310. Vain man as his ignorance so his wisdom is to stoop and bow before the Almighty p. 311. He that looks no further then the letter of the vision he sees not these mighty things p. 312. But he that doth he sees Jesus Christ not onely changing all things but how at last he shall change our vile bodies ta make them like his glorious body p. 315. The substance of several Sermons on Mark 1. 25 26. And Iesus rebuked him saying Hold thy peace and come out of him and when the unclean spirit had torn him and cryed with a loud voyce he came out of him THe Text divided as Paul diâ—ides a man into body soul and spirit p. 318. Six morall observations onely named from the soul or letter of the Text not stood upon ibid c. Nothing absolutely evil but sin and nothing perfectly good but God p. 323. Obâ—â—r 7. That Christ is stronger then the Devil though he seem weaker and lets the Devil sometimes prevail in the world more then himself p. 324. Distinctions in the will of God as Revealed Secret Permissiv Ephes. 4. 17 18. Luke 10. 42. Phil. 3. 8. Heb. 4. 12. Gal. 6. 14. 1 Pet. 4. 15. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Jer. 17. 9. Ephes. 4. 21. 2 Cor. 3. 6. Exod. 26. 33. 2 Cor. 3. 14. 1 Cor. 6. 5. Rev. 22. 2 Ephes. 6. 12. Ezeâ— 13. 18. Mich. 3. 5. Heb. 6. 1 2. Rev. 1. 10. Isa. 5. 20. Isa. 2. 22. James 5. 17. Rom. 7. 18. Gal. 2. 20. Acts 3. 12. Rom. 7. 20. Acts 26. 18. Psal. 26. 9. Dan. 9. 7. Mat. 7. 2. Mat. 7. 11. Jer. 31. 33 34. Luke 14. 35. Luke 2. 12. Luke 4. 22. Rev. 8. 1. Rev. 3. 16. John 4. 11. John 6. 60. Mat. 13. 36. Num. 22. 28. Ps. 51. 15. Mat. 9. 49. Isa. 10. 17. Mal. 3. 2. Mat. 5. 29. 30. 2 Pet. 3. 7. Joh. 11. Isaiah 20. 3. and Joel 2. 10. Acts 26. 18. Exod. 19. 16. Hos. 2. 19. Mat. 26. 39. Heb. 12. 29. Col. 4. 6. Prov. 16. 21. Eccl. 8. 1. Mat. 5. 13. Heb. 2. 11. Mat. 5. 13. 1 Cor. 3. 4. 5. 1 Cor. 1. 13. Mat. 5. 14. Joh. 1. 9. Joh. 8. 12. Lev. 6. 13. Lev. 2. 13. Num. 18. 19. 2 Kings 2. 21. Ezek. 16. 4. Job 16. 4. Gen. 27. Mat. 3. 17. Mat. 1. 24. Mat. 13. 34. Prov. 15. 23. Psal. 119. Rea. Hos. 13. 9. Luke 10. 34. Reas. 2. Psal. 38. 5. 2 Pet. 2. 22. Reas. 3. 2 Chro. 13. 5. Numb 18. 19. Mal. 3. 6. Psal. 102. 26. Ps. 139. 4. Rev. 3. 14. Heb. 1. 3. Col. 1. 17. Heb. 3. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 51. Mat. 18. 1â— Psal. 104. 3. Col. 1. 15 17. 1 Cor. 7. 31. Heb. 13. 8. Heb. 6. 19. Joh. 1. Rev. 19. 13. Col. 1. 15. Object Luk. 14. 34 35. Maâ— 9. ult Answ. Exod. 16. 18. Prov. 30. 4. Job 12. 7. Gen. 28. 17. Psal. 18. 11 c. Psal. 18. Eph. 6. 12. Psal. 15. Psal. 24. Hab. 1. 2. Rom. 10. 7. Ioh. 1. 26. Gen. 18. 27. Psal. 12. 4. Job 12. Isa. 20. James 4. 13. Isa. 9. 9. Hos. 13. 9. Rom. 12. Mat. 24. 49. Ioh. 9. 41. Mat. 24. â—0 Isa. 2. 18. Gen. 19. 35. 2 Cor. 13. 15. Isa. 46. 10. Jer. 48. 11. Psal. 62. 11. 46. 2. Job 42. 5. Jude 1â—