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<DATE>2007-07-05</DATE>
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<NAME>Robyn Anspach</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST in Us, With the My&s;tery of the Fa|ther, Word, and holy Gho&s;t or Spirit, OPENED.</P>
<P>Al&s;o, the Parable of the rich man's flocks and herds, and the poor man's ewe-lamb, Explicated.</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e, the way that Chri&s;t takes to undo a man, and take away his life.</P>
<P>Together with a di&s;covery of the neerne&s;s of Chri&s;ts coming, and of tho&s;e glorious things which are to be ful|filled in the&s;e later days.</P>
<P><HI>Set forth and publi&s;hed by </HI>Ed. Hide<HI> jun.</HI></P>
<BIBL>Rom. 10. 6, 7, 8, 9. 2 Sam. 12. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 1 Joh. 5. 7, 8. P&s;al. 87. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. I&s;a. 6. 6, 7. Zech. 14. 20, 21. Zech. 5. 6, 7, 8, 9.</BIBL>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>Ja. Cottrel,</HI> for <HI>Giles Calvert,</HI> at the black Spread-Eagle at the We&s;t-end of <HI>Pauls.</HI> 1651.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Chri&s;tian Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_BEfore I was &s;tirred up to &s;et pen to pa|per in this follow|ing Treati&s;e, I found in my &s;pirit &s;uch a contrariety to it, that I re&s;olved within my &s;elf I would write no more. But within a little while after, I found the Spirit of God to have &s;uch violent, &s;trong, and powerful influence upon me, that I could not with&s;tand it, but write. And be&s;ides, I had
<PB REF="3">
no peace and quietne&s;s in my &s;pirit, till I had unloadened my &s;pirit, and fini&s;hed this Work: for I had this da&s;hed into my &s;pirit, <HI>Write.</HI> But no &s;ooner was it da&s;hed in, but <HI>I went and con&s;ulted with fle&s;h and blood,</HI> and &s;o que&s;tioned it, whether it was from the Lord, or no. And after &s;ome further clearings of it up by the Lord to my &s;pirit, I was forced to lie down under the truth, power, and authority of it. Within a while after, there were divers places of Scripture given in unto me, with the minde, interpretation, and meaning thereof; which I was
<PB REF="3">
to write, and which I have in this Di&s;cour&s;e in&s;erted.</P>
<P>Two things therefore I do de&s;ire of you in the reading of this Di&s;cour&s;e:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That you would not pa&s;s cen&s;ure upon it, till you have thorowly examined and tried what is written, le&s;t you pa&s;s &s;entence upon the Truth, and &s;o be found an oppo&s;er of it.</P>
<P>The &s;econd is this: That you would not judge nor take that for Error, that doth not &s;ute with your judge|ments or apprehen&s;ions: this is the weakne&s;s of many Pro|fe&s;&s;ors in our age; if their judg|ments
<PB REF="4">
and lights cannot com|prehend a thing, they look up|on that thing to be erroneous: they mea&s;ure Truth according to their capacity; it is not Truth no further then they can reach it: this very thing hath made many to with&s;tand Truth; As for example, our Prie&s;ts and others, how often have they with&s;tood Truth, meerly upon this ground! Weigh what is written, pon|der it in your heart and &s;pirit: if you cannot comprehend what is written, be &s;ilent, do not re&s;i&s;t it; it may be, you may have a di&s;coverie of that you never had before; haply
<PB REF="4">
what is written, may meet with &s;ome of your hearts and &s;pirits&punc; Here are waters to the Ancles, to the Knees, to the Loyns; a River that cannot be pa&s;&s;ed over, a Fountain that will never be dry; waters to wade in, to &s;wim in; living waters, waters of life; healing waters, pure waters; waters to drown man in, to bury man in: do not de&s;pi&s;e the&s;e waters, wait on them; you know not but that an Angel from heaven may come down and put you into them, and involve you in them: there is one in this Di&s;|cour&s;e, it may be, may meet with you; if he doth, he will
<PB REF="5">
rob you of all your goods, wit, parts, gifts, under&s;tanding, knowledge, wi&s;dom, power; he will quite undo you, yea, take away your life. If you meet with one that doth this, do not forget to return prai&s;es to him; wait, it may be you may have that great doubt re|&s;olved, Chri&s;t in you, whom you have &s;o much expected from heaven &amp; from the deep: if you have, exalt the Lord, not me. It may be, you may meet with &s;ome di&s;coveries of the Father, Word and Spirit, or Water, Blood and Holy Gho&s;t, and of their &s;everal te|&s;timonies; if you do, prai&s;e
<PB REF="5">
him that lives for ever and e|ver, not me. It may be, God may meet with you in a para|bolical way and manner, as he did <HI>David,</HI> and make you pa&s;s &s;entence upon your &s;elf, in pa&s;&s;ing &s;entence upon another, and condemn you out of your own mouth that you have &s;in|ned; if he doth, magnifie the Lord, not me. It may be, Je|&s;us Chri&s;t may &s;teal like a theef into your hearts by this Di&s;cour&s;e, with greater power and glory then ever he hath done heretofore: if he doth, be &s;ure to return prai&s;es unto him, not to me. It may be, God may make mention of <HI>Rahab</HI>
<PB REF="6">
and <HI>Babylon</HI> to you, in this Di&s;|cour&s;e; it may be he may call you to behold <HI>Phili&s;tia</HI> and <HI>Tyre,</HI> with <HI>Ethiopia,</HI> &amp; tell you that <HI>this man was born there:</HI> if he doth, admire the Lord, not me. It may be, you may have a di&s;coverie of that glory that is to be revealed in the&s;e latter days, and is in this Di&s;|cour&s;e &s;et down: Who would re&s;i&s;t and with&s;tand therefore? who would not wait, &s;eeing there is no &s;afety in re&s;i&s;ting, but in patiently waiting? Then re&s;i&s;t rather &s;ay, Ah Lord, there may be Truth in this Di&s;cour&s;e, though I cannot comprehend it; and it is madne&s;s in men, to
<PB REF="6">
with&s;tand and &s;peak evil of that they know not, nor are a|ble to comprehend: reveal it, di&s;cover it, that I may prai&s;e thee; then he will di&s;cover it to thee. Here is no need of the Sun, Moon, Stars, Candle, and Temple; for the Lord God Al|mighty, and the Lamb, are the Temple thereof, and the glory of God did lighten them, and the Lamb is the light thereof: and there &s;hall be no night there, and they need no Can|dle, neither light of the Sun; for the Lord God giveth them light. I look for &s;ome to &s;coff, laugh, and jeer at me, and that which I have written; to &s;light
<PB REF="7">
and &s;corn me, and what is writ|ten, As I am &s;ure the Prie&s;ts and others will. Do, &s;light, &s;corn, laugh and jeer at me and what I have written; &s;ee what you will get by it in the end; &s;ee what will be the i&s;&s;ue of it. And I look for others to finde fault with me, and &s;peak evil and reproach me, and be an|gry with me for what I have written. Others I look &s;hould &s;ay that I go backward and for|ward in what I write, and con|tradict my &s;elf. I look that o|thers haply &s;hould &s;ay, that I write &s;catteringly, meanly, and not learnedly, but poorly. I care not what they &s;ay, I
<PB REF="7">
weigh it not; I de&s;ire to &s;peak not in the eloquence of mans wi&s;dom, but in the plainne&s;s of the Spirit: and as for their &s;coffs, jeers, laughters, evil &s;peakings, and reproaches, I weigh them not likewi&s;e; they are my portion, I rejoyce in them all, if there were as ma|ny more of them: I &s;hall and do count them my Crown, and &s;hall and do not think my &s;elf worthy of them. I know whom I have believed, who&s;e I am; not Mens, not Sins, not Satans, but the Lords,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>In the Truth that is after godline&s;s,</HI>
EDVV. HIDE Junior&punc;</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<PB REF="8">
<PB N="1" REF="8">
<HEAD>CHAP. I.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Some &s;weet Di&s;coveries of CHRIST in us, out of <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10&punc;</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 6.</BIBL>
<P>But the righteou&s;ne&s;s which is of faith, &s;peaketh on this wi&s;e: Say not in thine heart, Who &s;hall a&s;cend into heaven? That is, to bring Chri&s;t down from above.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>7.</BIBL>
<P>Or, who &s;hall de&s;cend into the deep? That is, to bring up Chri&s;t again from the dead.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>8.</BIBL>
<P>But what &s;aith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is the word of faith which we preach,</P></Q>
<BIBL>9.</BIBL>
<Q><P>That if thou &s;halt confe&s;s with
<PB N="2" REF="9">
thy mouth the Lord Je&s;us, and &s;halt believe in thine heart that God hath rai&s;ed him from the dead, thou &s;halt be &s;aved.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_IN the Thirtieth and One and thirtieth Ver&s;es of the Ninth Chapter to the <HI>Romanes,</HI> there are two Nations &s;poken of; that is to &s;ay, the Gentiles and the Jews. The Gentiles were tho&s;e which followed not after righte|ou&s;ne&s;s, yet had attained to righteou&s;ne&s;s, even the righteou&s;ne&s;s which is of faith: and the Jews, otherwi&s;e <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> were tho&s;e which fol|lowed after the Law of righteou&s;ne&s;s, but had not attained to the Law of righteou&s;ne&s;s. The fir&s;t rea&s;on of it, is &s;et down in ver&s;e 32. <HI>Wherefore? becau&s;e they &s;ought it not by faith, as the Gentiles did, but as it were by the works of the Law.</HI> The &s;econd rea&s;on of it, is, Becau&s;e they &s;tumbled at that &s;tum|bling &s;tone, v. 33. <HI>As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a &s;tumbling &s;tone, and rock of offence; and who&s;oever believeth on him, &s;hall not be a&s;hamed.</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t is a great &s;tumbling block, and rock of offence, to tho&s;e profe&s;&s;ors that do not openly nor profe&s;&s;edly,
<PB N="3" REF="9">
but, as it were, &s;eek righteou&s;ne&s;s by the Law.</P>
<P>Que&s;t.<HI> But what is it to &s;eek righteou&s;|ne&s;s, as it were, by the Law?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is to &s;eek righteou&s;ne&s;s partly by believing, and partly by doing. Tho&s;e that do &s;o, &s;tumble at Chri&s;t, and know not what to make of him, and are offended at him; and, in the end, they &s;plit them&s;elves again&s;t him, ju&s;t as tho&s;e glorious profe&s;&s;ors the Scribes and Phari&s;ees did, by rea&s;on of their not knowing him. Now in the fir&s;t Ver&s;e of the tenth Chapter to the <HI>Romanes, Paul</HI> tells his brethren the Jews what a hearty de&s;ire he had, and how he prayed that they might be &s;aved: <HI>Brethren, my hearts de&s;ire and prayer to God for I&s;rael is, that they might be &s;aved.</HI> And the rea&s;on of this prayer, he tells them&punc; ver&s;. 2. <HI>For I bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but not according to know|ledge.</HI> They were mighty zealous for God, but it did not proceed from true knowledge: as the Scribes and Phari&s;ees were mighty zealous and &s;trict in keeping the Sabbath, praying, giving of alms, and the like; but it proceeded not from a right knowledge, it did not proceed from a true principle. And
<PB N="4" REF="10">
there are many Zealots in our days, Oh how full of zeal they are for God, in praying, &s;peaking, preaching, and the like! but yet not agreeable to true knowledge. And the rea&s;on of this is in the third ver&s;e: <HI>For they being ignorant of Gods righteou&s;ne&s;s, and going about to e&s;tabli&s;h their own righte|ou&s;ne&s;s, have not &s;ubmitted them&s;elves unto the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God.</HI> As the not &s;eeking righteou&s;ne&s;s by faith, keeps tho&s;e from attaining to the Law of righteou&s;ne&s;s, that follow after the Law of righteou&s;ne&s;s: &s;o ignorance of Gods righteou&s;ne&s;s makes many go about to e&s;tabli&s;h their own, and &s;o by that means do not &s;ubject to God's righteou&s;ne&s;s. In the fourth ver&s;e, <HI>Paul</HI> &s;heweth, that <HI>Chri&s;t is the end of the Law, for righteou&s;ne&s;s, to every one that belie|veth:</HI> which the glorious I&s;raelites, Scribes and Phari&s;ees, follow after, thinking to be ju&s;tified thereby. The righteou&s;ne&s;s of which Law, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> de&s;cribes in the fifth ver&s;e, that <HI>the man which doth tho&s;e things &s;hall live in them.</HI> Which &s;aying, Satan, many times, makes u&s;e of again&s;t poor &s;ouls, thereby to &s;tir them up to follow after the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Law: And he makes u&s;e of it thus: Saith Satan, If you do the things that the
<PB N="5" REF="10">
Law commands you, you &s;hall live by them: this is Scripture &s;aith the devil, If you perform the Law, you &s;hall live; for there is life wrapped up, in keeping of the Law: And poor &s;ouls &s;et upon the keeping of it, and trouble, and perplex, and wear out them|&s;elves; and the more they &s;trive to keep it, the further off are they from keeping of it; And the devils de&s;ign in it, is, to keep poor &s;ouls from &s;ubmitting to the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God; the devil knowing well, <HI>that as many as are of the works of the Law, are under the cur&s;e; for it is written, Cur&s;ed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law, to do them,</HI> Gal. 4. 10, 11. <HI>And that no man is ju&s;tified by the Law, in the &s;ight of God, is evident: for the ju&s;t &s;hall live by Faith,</HI> Now in the 6. <HI>ver.</HI> which is that I intend to &s;peak to, <HI>Paul</HI> de&s;cribes the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Faith: <HI>But the righteou&s;ne&s;s which is of Faith, &s;peaketh on this wi&s;e, Say not in thine heart, Who &s;hall a&s;cend into hea|ven? that is, to bring Chri&s;t down from above,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The words are the voice of the righteou&s;|ne&s;s which is of Faith; they are what the righ|teou&s;ne&s;s of Faith &s;peaketh: and there are
<PB N="6" REF="11">
in the words, the&s;e things to be con&s;idered:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, What Faith is.</P>
<P>Secondly, What the voice of the righte|ou&s;ne&s;s of Faith is.</P>
<P>Thirdly, What it &s;peaks.</P>
<P>Fourthly, To whom it &s;peaks.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing to be con&s;idered, is, What Faith is; that is, what the Faith of Chri&s;t is, as it is in the original. It is a &s;uper|natural divine work of God, upon the Spirit, which enables the &s;oul to believe above all that natural Faith and Hope that is in the &s;oul, and above all fear and que&s;ti|onings, and again&s;t all grounds that are in the &s;oul to the contrary: it is that which let|teth us into God, into the righteo&s;ne&s;s of God; it is the key that unloks the Cabinet where righteou&s;ne&s;s is, and lets us in into the my&s;te|ries of the kingdom: <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 7, 9. <HI>Know ye therefore, that they which are of Faith, the &s;ame are the children of Abraham, and are ble&s;&s;ed with faithful Abraham.</HI> Or, faith in this place may be taken for Chri&s;t; <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 23. <HI>But before Faith came, we were kept under the Law, &s;hut up unto the Faith which &s;hould afterwards be revealed.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be con&s;idered, is, what the righteou&s;ne&s;s which is of Faith is. It is the
<PB N="7" REF="11">
righteou&s;ne&s;s which is by believing. But what is the righteou&s;ne&s;s which is by believing? It is the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God. But you will ask me, What is that? See in <HI>Rom.</HI> 3. 25, 26. <HI>Whom God hath &s;et forth to be a propitia|tion, through Faith in his blood, to declare his righteou&s;ne&s;s, for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins that are pa&s;t, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I &s;ay, at this time his righ|teou&s;ne&s;s, that he might be ju&s;t, and the ju&s;tifier of him which believeth in Je&s;us.</HI> His righteou&s;ne&s;s con&s;i&s;teth in this, in that he can remit &s;in, and yet be faithful; in that he can ju&s;tifie the ungodly, and yet be ju&s;t: or the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Faith is the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t; for Faith is called Chri&s;t, as I &s;aid before; <HI>He is made of God unto us, Wi&s;|dom, Sanctification, Ju&s;tification, Re|demption, Righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> and the like. But what is the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t? or in what doth the matter of it con&s;i&s;t?</P>
<P>In the Active and Pa&s;&s;ive obedience of Chri&s;t; That is, in what he hath done and &s;uffered for us.</P>
<P>The third thing to be con&s;idered, is, What the voice of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Faith is, or what it &s;peaketh.</P>
<P>It &s;peaketh the&s;e following things; that is to &s;ay,</P>
<P><PB N="8" REF="12">
<HI>Say not in thine heart.</HI> That is, Do not &s;peak &s;ecretly. It &s;peaks this to us, our readi|ne&s;s to &s;peak that &s;ecretly, which haply we would not &s;peak openly, that others may take notice of what we &s;ay.</P>
<P>Que&s;t.<HI> But what &s;hould I not &s;ay in my heart?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The&s;e two things following: Fir&s;t, <HI>Who &s;hall a&s;cend into heaven?</HI> What is that? <HI>That is, to bring down Chri&s;t from above.</HI> We are ready to &s;peak it in our hearts, though not in our mouthes, Who &s;hall a&s;cend into heaven? We want Chri&s;t; he is not in our hearts; &s;urely he is in heaven; and our &s;ouls are troubled with care for one to go up into heaven, to fetch him down into our hearts: O how we have endeavoured to fetch him down, by prayer and &s;triving! As I my &s;elf have done: O how I have gaped for him to come down from heaven into my mouth and heart, when I was many times praying! And when I could do no good this way, I have been much inqui&s;itive in my &s;pi|rit for one to fetch him down from out of the skies, and out of the deep, into my heart.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 2. <HI>Say not in thine heart, Who &s;hall de&s;cend into the deep?</HI> What is that?
<PB N="9" REF="12">
<HI>That is, to bring up Chri&s;t again from the dead.</HI> For want of a feeling of Chri&s;t within us, we are ready to &s;ay in our hearts, though not with our mouthes, Who &s;hall de&s;cend into the deep? We conclude many times in our &s;pirits, that either he is in the heavens, or in the deep. But fir&s;t, we are carried out, with much care, for one to fetch him from above: And if Je&s;us Chri&s;t come not down from thence into our hearts, then we conclude he is not there, but in the deep; and we are very inqui&s;itive who &s;hall fetch him from the dead. We think that either he is above us, or beneath us, among the dead in the grave, in hell. Sometimes we think he is ri&s;en, and a&s;cended above; and &s;ometimes we think that he is not.</P>
<P>Thus much for that which the righteou&s;|ne&s;s of faith would have us not &s;ay.</P>
<P>Now we are to &s;peak of that which the righteou&s;ne&s;s of faith &s;aith. What is that?</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>The righteou&s;ne&s;s of faith &s;aith, The Word is nigh thee.</HI> But what word? <HI>The word of faith, which we preach&punc;</HI> What word is that? Chri&s;t. Why is he called the <HI>word of faith?</HI> Becau&s;e he it is that begets faith in &s;ouls. The righteou&s;ne&s;s
<PB N="10" REF="13">
of faith &s;aith, That word is nigh thee. Oh that God would give us ears to hear: it is good news that the righteou&s;ne&s;s of faith &s;peaks. We will hear thee what thou &s;ay&s;t, therefore &s;peak, Lord.</P>
<P><HI>The Word is nigh,</HI> Whom? Thee, us, them, him, her, all. Friends, Chri&s;t is nigh us; he is on our right hand, and on our left hand&punc; though we &s;ee him not, <HI>Job</HI> 23. 9. The Word of God is nigh us. But why is Chri&s;t called <HI>the Word of God</HI> in Scripture? Becau&s;e, as the word of a man is that where|by a man expre&s;&s;eth him&s;elf, his minde: &s;o Chri&s;t is called the <HI>Word</HI> of God in this re|&s;pect; he is the minde of the Father expre&s;|&s;ed. That by which we know the minde of a man, is his words; that by which we know the minde of God, is by his Word. So that Chri&s;t is the minde of God di&s;co|vered; the Word is God made known, re|vealed: <HI>This Word was God, and was with God,</HI> Joh. 1. 1. Chri&s;t is called the Word of Truth likewi&s;e in Scripture: <HI>Who hath begotten us to him&s;elf by the Word of Truth.</HI> But why is he called <HI>the Word of Truth?</HI> Becau&s;e he begets Truth in the &s;oul. This Word is nigh thee. How nigh me? Very nigh thee: <HI>Deut.</HI> 30. 14. <HI>For</HI>
<PB N="11" REF="13">
<HI>the Word is very nigh unto thee.</HI> Where is it? In thy mouth. I do not finde him there. Though you do not, yet he is there.</P>
<P>Secondly, He is in thine heart. I do not feel him there, and therefore he is not there. That will not follow: he is there, though you feel him not: that Je&s;us which you look for from above and beneath, is exceeding nigh to thee, even in thy mouth, and in thine heart; he is as nigh as po&s;&s;ible can be: he is <HI>not far from every one of us,</HI> Acts 17. 27. We many times di&s;quiet our &s;elves for one to fetch him from above, and from the deep; whenas, poor &s;ouls, our Chri&s;t is within us. We are carried out after more Sen&s;e then Faith; and that is the rea&s;on that we no longer then we feel Chri&s;t to be in us, do conclude him to be in our hearts.</P>
<P>The next thing to be enquired into, is, To whom the voice of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of faith &s;peaketh. That is, to tho&s;e, who, by rea|&s;on of the want of feeling Je&s;us Chri&s;t within them, are carried out to enquire who &s;hall a&s;|cend into the heavens, and who &s;hall de&s;cend into the deep, to fetch Chri&s;t from thence into their hearts: which were the Jews, <HI>I&s;|rael,</HI> and, in them, the Saints: And the words
<PB N="12" REF="14">
indeed are &s;poken, to prevent all Objections in them, and others, again&s;t this truth, Chri&s;t in them. And there is not an Objection that they can make, or that we and others can make, but it is there an&s;wered. The voice of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of faith &s;peaks &s;o fully to all Objections, that I cannot but &s;ub&s;cribe to the truth of what it &s;aith, That Chri&s;t is in me: I am forced to do it, by rea&s;on I have nothing to &s;ay again&s;t the truth; though my ba&s;e heart, together with the devil, is ready to que&s;tion every truth of God, though it be never &s;o plain.</P>
<P>The words being explicated, there will ari&s;e naturally this Corollary; that is to &s;ay,</P>
<P>That there is an aptitude in the &s;pirits of tho&s;e who feel not the Lord Je&s;us within them, to enquire who &s;hall a&s;cend into hea|ven, or who &s;hall de&s;cend into the deep, to fetch Chri&s;t from thence into their &s;pirits, whenas Chri&s;t is within them. This is clear from the words.</P>
<P>The grounds of this Doctrine are two:
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Ignorance.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Unbelief.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Ignorance. We are ignorant of the Omnipre&s;encie of Chri&s;t, that he is pre&s;ent
<PB N="13" REF="14">
in every place, and in our hearts, as in every place. I have heard many profe&s;&s;ors &s;ub&s;cribe to this truth, but yet have denied it a truth in their particular &s;ouls.</P>
<P>Secondly, Unbelief. We cannot believe that he is in our hearts: we will give Chri&s;t a being in every place, but not in our hearts. The cau&s;e of Unbelief, is Ignorance: we are ignorant of this truth, Chri&s;t in us, and therefore cannot believe it.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, that there is a readine&s;s in tho&s;e who feel not the Lord Je&s;us in them, to enquire who &s;hall a&s;cend into heaven, and who &s;hall de&s;cend into the deep, to fetch Chri&s;t from thence into their hearts; Then &s;ay not in your hearts, Who &s;hall a&s;cend, and who &s;hall de&s;cend, to fetch Chri&s;t from hea|ven and the deep, into your hearts: it is the voice of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Faith. Why do you &s;ay &s;o? what is the rea&s;on of it? Becau&s;e, &s;aith the &s;oul, I do not injoy him, nor po&s;&s;e&s;s him within me. How do you know that you do not injoy him? Becau&s;e I feel him not: I &s;hould feel him within me, if he were there. Poor &s;oul, he may be within thee, though thou feele&s;t him not; and it is thy being car|ryed out after more Feeling then Faith, that blindes thine eyes.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="14" REF="15">
2. If it be &s;o, This may &s;erve to di&s;cover what manner of &s;pirit we are of; it di&s;covers the ba&s;ene&s;s of our &s;pirits, that though the righ|teou&s;ne&s;s of faith &s;aith, Say not in your hearts, Who &s;hall go up into heaven, and who &s;hall go down into the deep, to fetch Chri&s;t from thence into our hearts; yet we will &s;ay &s;o, and do &s;ay &s;o often in our hearts, though we have no ground to &s;ay &s;o, &s;eeing Chri&s;t is within us.</P>
<P>A &s;econd Corollary from the words, is this:</P>
<P>That that Chri&s;t which we take care for, who &s;hall a&s;cend into the heavens, and who &s;hall de&s;cend into the deep, to bring him into our hearts, is within us, even in our hearts. This is cleer from the words: They enquired, who &s;hall a&s;cend, and who &s;hall de&s;cend, to bring Chri&s;t into their hearts; whenas he was within them. To prove this truth further, we &s;hall bring divers places of Scripture: See that in <HI>Joh.</HI> 15. 4. <HI>Abide in me, and I in you:</HI> he &s;peaks to his Di&s;ciples that were offended at his fle&s;hly de|parture from them: and that in <HI>Joh.</HI> 17. 23. <HI>I in them, and thou in me:</HI> and then that in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 5. <HI>Examine your &s;elves, whe|ther ye be in the Faith: prove your own &s;elves: know ye not your own &s;elves, how that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is in you, except ye be</HI>
<PB N="15" REF="15">
<HI>reprobates?</HI> That is, unapproved, or rejected. As if the Apo&s;tle &s;hould &s;ay, You are repro|bates, if Chri&s;t be not in you: and therefore he puts them upon trying &amp; proving whether he be in them or no. And that in <HI>Eph.</HI> 4. 6. <HI>One God and Father of all who is above all, and through all, and in you all.</HI> And that in 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 4. <HI>Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; becau&s;e greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the world;</HI> &s;peaking of Chri&s;t, that he is in us, and is &s;tronger then he that is in the world, which is the devil. It is very &s;weet to con&s;ider this well; and the right con&s;ideration of it, will take away the fear that is many times in our &s;pirits of the devil, and of Chri&s;t not being in us. And that in <HI>Gal.</HI> 2. 20. <HI>I am crucified with Chri&s;t, neverthele&s;s I live; yet not I, but Chri&s;t lives in me.</HI> I am crucified, and yet I live. This is a paradox, a &s;trange thing: how can a man be crucified, and yet live? The meaning of it is, he was crucified to the world, and lived to God. And in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 46. 5. <HI>God is in the mid&s;t of her; &s;he &s;hall not be moved.</HI> Friends, God will not &s;uffer us to be moved away from the hope of the Go&s;pel, but will help, and that early, when a temptation &s;eizeth upon us, becau&s;e he is in the mid&s;t of us. And
<PB N="16" REF="16">
that in <HI>Jerem.</HI> 14. 9. <HI>Why &s;hould&s;t thou &s;eem to be as a man amazed with us, and as a mighty man that cannot &s;ave us?</HI> They ask God this que&s;tion; Yet, that is, Though it be &s;o, thou art in the mid&s;t of us, thou art neer to us, we are called by thy Name: that is, We are thine, and therefore leave us not. Ju&s;t &s;o, poor &s;ouls many times &s;ay to God, when he &s;eems to their &s;ouls as a man amazed, and as one that cannot &s;ave them; Why art thou &s;o, Lord? tell us the rea&s;on of it: notwith&s;tanding this, thou art in the mid&s;t of us; thou art ours, and we are thine; we are called by thy Name; do not for&s;ake us. And that in <HI>Zeph.</HI> 3. 5. <HI>The ju&s;t Lord is in the mid&s;t thereof,</HI> (&s;peaking of his Sanctuary:) <HI>he will not do iniquity,</HI> that is, &s;in. Friends, the holy Lord is within us: &s;ee the fifteenth ver&s;e: <HI>The Lord is in the mid&s;t of thee; thou &s;halt not &s;ee evil any more.</HI> Therefore, in the fourteenth ver&s;e, he calls upon his people to &s;ing: <HI>Sing, O daughter of Zion; &s;hout, O I&s;rael; be glad and rejoyce with all the heart, O daughter of Jeru&s;alem.</HI> Is not this good news? Friends, why do ye not &s;ing and &s;hout for joy, &s;eeing the Lord is within you? And in the &s;eventeenth ver&s;e he
<PB N="17" REF="16">
&s;peaks of the &s;ame thing: <HI>The Lord thy God in the mid&s;t of thee;</HI> or, <HI>he that is thy God, is in the mid&s;t of thee: he is mighty;</HI> that is, he is &s;trong; <HI>he will &s;ave thee;</HI> nothing &s;hall hinder him, nei|ther &s;in nor devils: <HI>he will rejoyce over thee with joy;</HI> that is, he will &s;pend his joy upon thee; thou &s;halt have his joy; he will love thee, and <HI>he will re&s;t in that love;</HI> he will lie down and take his ea&s;e in that love wherewith he hath loved thee: <HI>He will</HI> not onely <HI>rejoyce over thee with joy,</HI> but <HI>he will joy over thee with &s;inging:</HI> he will &s;ing and joy over thee; thou &s;halt be the &s;ubject of his joy and rejoycing. Now in the &s;ixteenth ver&s;e it is &s;aid, <HI>In that day it &s;hall be &s;aid to Jeru&s;alem, Fear thou not, I am in the mid&s;t of thee; and to Zi|on, Let not thy hands be &s;lack;</HI> that is, be not unbelieving.</P>
<P>The rea&s;on why I mentioned all the&s;e places of Scripture, was, that &s;o the Obje|ctions might be fully &s;atisfied concerning this truth, Chri&s;t in them.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, that that Chri&s;t which we take care for, who &s;hall a&s;cend into the heavens, and who &s;hall de&s;cend into the deep, to bring him into our hearts, is within us, that is, in our hearts:</P>
<P><PB N="18" REF="17">
Then, Friends, be pe&s;waded of this truth, that Chri&s;t is within you. But who is it that &s;aith, that Chri&s;t is within us? The righte|ou&s;ne&s;s of faith and the Scriptures &s;ay &s;o, that he is in us, in the mid&s;t of us, nigh to us, even in our hearts. O glorious truth! O excellent truth! This is &s;weet, &s;weet. But you &s;eem to make no difference between Chri&s;t's being in all the world, and his being in the Saints. Yes but I do; there is a great deal of difference. He is in all the world more generally; he is in his Saints more par|ticularly.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, then this may &s;erve to di&s;cover this truth to us: O how pitiful ignorant many profe&s;&s;ors are of this truth, Chri&s;t in them! How ready are they to di&s;claim it, and put it away from them, and not to own it, by tea&s;on of their not knowing and igno|rance of it! Friends, do ye believe it? is it a truth to your &s;ouls? Then why do you not rejoyce and &s;ing? why are ye &s;ad, &s;ee|ing the Lord God, in the mid&s;t of you, is mighty.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, wait upon God, till he reveal his Son in you. <HI>Paul</HI> did not know Chri&s;t to be in him, before God revealed him: <HI>When it plea&s;ed God to reveal his Son in</HI>
<PB N="19" REF="17">
<HI>Paul, then Paul knew him to be in him. No man knows the Son, but he to whom the Father will reveal him:</HI> Therefore de|&s;ire the Father to reveal him in you.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, awake him not, till he plea&s;e. <HI>Cant.</HI> 3. 5. <HI>I charge you, O ye daughters of Jeru&s;alem, by the roes and hindes of the field, that ye &s;tir not up, nor awake my Love, till he plea&s;e.</HI> And <HI>Cant.</HI> 2. 7. he &s;peaks of the like thing, We are ready to awake the Lord, and &s;tir him up, when he doth not plea&s;e: we are not contented that he &s;hould awake when he plea&s;eth. If he doth not awake when we would awake him, and di&s;cover him&s;elf in us and to us, then we are di&s;contented and troubled at it. The Spou&s;e chargeth the daughters of <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> not to do it, by the roes and hindes of the field: the meaning is, The Spou&s;e doth call the very dumb creatures to witne&s;s again&s;t &s;tirrers up of Chri&s;t; and we are charged al&s;o not to do it. And therefore, Friends, take heed, be patient; wait, wait, till he is plea&s;ed to make known him&s;elf in you.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, then take heed of conferring with fle&s;h and blood, (which is men, or the fle&s;hly part of the &s;oul) when he doth plea&s;e to reveal him&s;elf. This we are ready to do,
<PB N="20" REF="18">
and then immediately we que&s;tion whether it be true or no, that he is within us. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Gal.</HI> 1. 16, that <HI>he con&s;ulted not with fle&s;h and blood,</HI> when he had adi&s;co|very of Chri&s;t in him, whether it was true or no. If ye go to ask fle&s;h and blood the truth of your di&s;coveries, it will tell you, that all your di&s;coveries of Chri&s;t are fal&s;e. Have a care therefore of going to fle&s;h and blood: &s;o &s;oon as ever you have a manife|&s;tation of Chri&s;t in you, fle&s;h and blood will make you que&s;tion all your di&s;coveries of Chri&s;t; and the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e it is an enemy to the &s;oul.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, that Chri&s;t is within us, Then let us confe&s;s him with our mouthes; this is our duty, to confe&s;s him: Whom? Je&s;us Chri&s;t. How confe&s;s him? To be within us. Where? In our hearts. That which is required on our parts, is, I &s;ay, to confe&s;s him to be within us: <HI>That if thou &s;halt confe&s;s with thy mouth the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> He is in us; it is &s;o, it is no lye. Whether we confe&s;s it, or no, this is the true &s;aying of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of faith; and therefore let us confe&s;s him.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But, may &s;ome &s;ay, How &s;hall I confe&s;s him, when I do not know whe|ther
<PB N="21" REF="18">
or no he is in me? Whether you know, or do not know it, he is there. But I cannot acknowledge it, &s;aith the &s;oul. Why cannot you acknowledge it? Becau&s;e I do not feel him to be within me: nay, &s;urely he is not within me. Why do you &s;ay &s;o? What makes you &s;ay &s;o? What makes you think he is not within you? I am &s;uch a vile wretch, &s;aith the &s;oul, &s;o &s;inful, &s;o ungodly; my heart is &s;o filthy, &s;o vain, and that makes me con|clude and think he is not within me: it doth not con&s;i&s;t, &s;aith the &s;oul, with Chri&s;ts holi|ne&s;s, to be in &s;uch a vile unclean heart.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. To this I an&s;wer: What thou &s;aye&s;t, is a cleer Argument to me, that he is in thy heart: for el&s;e, if he were not there, how came&s;t thou to have &s;uch a di&s;covery of the ba&s;ene&s;s of thy heart? Who gave it thee? Where had&s;t thou it? Deal &s;eriou&s;ly with me; did not Chri&s;t within thee, di&s;cover it to thee? Thou can&s;t not have otherwi&s;e a di&s;covery of thy heart, but by Chri&s;t within thee. <HI>He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 2. I an&s;wer to it thus: I can prove it to you, that he is in the wor&s;t of &s;in|ners: See in <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 11. 9. <HI>I will not execute the fiercene&s;s of my anger, I will not re|turn</HI>
<PB N="22" REF="19">
<HI>to de&s;troy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man, the holy One in the midde&s;t of thee. Ephraim</HI> was as vile as could be, yea, as thou can&s;t be: we &s;hall &s;ee this, if we look into <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 8. 11. <HI>Becau&s;e Ephraim had made many Altars to &s;in, Altars &s;hall be unto him for &s;in.</HI> Idolatry is a great &s;in, in the account of God; it is wor&s;e then Witch-craft, and yet he committed it. And then that in <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 8. 9. <HI>For they are gone up to A&s;&s;yria, a wild a&s;s, alone by him&s;elf: Ephraim hath hired lovers.</HI> And that in <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 6. 10. <HI>I have &s;een a horrible thing in the hou&s;e of I&s;rael; there is the whore|dom of Ephraim.</HI> And &s;o throughout all the chapters of <HI>Ho&s;ea,</HI> the Prophet di&s;covers <HI>Ephraims</HI> wickedne&s;s. And he was in <HI>Paul</HI> the chiefe&s;t of &s;inners, before God re|vealed him in him; <HI>Gal.</HI> 1. 16. So that now I think your objections are an&s;wered. <HI>(Selah.)</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 3. And by way of an&s;wer to that, you do not know him to be in you, I &s;ay thus: That though you do not know him to be in you, yet you &s;hall know him to be within you. See <HI>Joh.</HI> 14. 20. <HI>At that day, you &s;hall know that I am in my Fa|ther, and you in me, and I in him.</HI> That
<PB N="23" REF="19">
day is to be under&s;tood when Chri&s;t does &s;end the Comforter. And that in <HI>Joel</HI> 2. 27 <HI>And ye &s;hall know that I am in the mid|de&s;t of I&s;rael, and that I am the Lord your God, and none el&s;e.</HI> The time is com|ing, yea, it is at hand, that you &s;hall know Chri&s;t to be in the midde&s;t of you, and to be your Lord and God: you &s;hall know him; nothing &s;hall hinder you from know|ing of him, neither &s;in nor devils. O it is a good word of God, (prai&s;ed be God:) you &s;hall not onely know it, but God is willing to make it known, to reveal it. See that in <HI>Col.</HI> 1. 17. <HI>To whom God is willing to make known Chri&s;t in you the hope of glory: and all the promi&s;es in Chri&s;t are Yea and Amen.</HI> He is very willing to do it. See that in <HI>Zach.</HI> 2. 5. <HI>For I, &s;aith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midde&s;t of her:</HI> Which is &s;poken of <HI>Jeru&s;alem, ver.</HI> 2. See likewi&s;e, <HI>Gen.</HI> 45. 1, 2, 3, 4. <HI>Then Jo&s;eph could not refrain him&s;elf before all them that &s;tood by him, but he mu&s;t di&s;cover him&s;elf to his brethren: for he had no power over him&s;elf. And he cryed, Cau&s;e every man to go out from me. And there &s;tood no man with him, while Jo&s;eph made</HI>
<PB N="24" REF="20">
<HI>him&s;elf known to his brethren. And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians and hou&s;e of Pharoah heard. And Jo&s;eph &s;aid unto his brethren, I am Jo&s;eph: Doth my Father yet live? And his brethren could not an&s;wer him: for they were troubled at his pre&s;ence. And Jo&s;eph &s;aid to his bre|thren, Come neer me, I pray you. And they came neer. I am Jo&s;eph your bro|ther, whom ye &s;old into Egypt.</HI> This <HI>Jo|&s;eph</HI> is a Type of Chri&s;t; and his di&s;cover|ing him&s;elf to his brethren, is the manner that Chri&s;t takes to reveal him&s;elf to his bre|thren. Chri&s;t cannot many times refrain him&s;elf; he cannot forbear, but di&s;cover and reveal him&s;elf to his brethren, that have &s;old him into <HI>Egypt;</HI> he mu&s;t di&s;cover him&s;elf to his brethren, as <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> did: as <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> wept to &s;ee his brethren, &s;o doth Je&s;us Chri&s;t to &s;ee his brethren; he weeps aloud to &s;ee us; yea, he weeps for joy to &s;ee his brethren, be|fore he di&s;covers him&s;elf to them; and af|terwards he &s;aith, I am <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> I am your <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> one of your fellow-brethren; Doth my Father yet live in you? When Chri&s;t &s;peaks thus to the &s;oul, the Soul cannot an|&s;wer him, becau&s;e it is troubled at his pre|&s;ence. And as <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> &s;aid to his brethren,
<PB N="25" REF="20">
Come neer; &s;o Chri&s;t bids us come neer. We are ready, when we have a di&s;covery of Chri&s;t, to &s;tand afar off, and to be a|fraid of him; and then Chri&s;t &s;aith, Come neer; as if he &s;hould &s;ay, Why &s;tand you a loof off? Come neer: and to encourage them to come neer, he &s;peaks more plainly to them now, I am <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> your brother, whom ye &s;old into <HI>Egypt;</HI> but before he &s;aid, I am <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> onely: and then the &s;oul comes neer to Chri&s;t. O how &s;weet this is! Chri&s;t &s;hall not, no, will not, onely reveal him&s;elf; but he can do no otherwi&s;e; he cannot re|frain him&s;elf; and therefore Chri&s;t &s;aith un|to them, <HI>Be not grieved nor angry with your &s;elves, that ye &s;old me into Egypt: for God did &s;end me before you, to pre|&s;erve life.</HI> See how Chri&s;t endeavours to take away all grief and anger from his bre|thren, by telling them that God &s;ent him into <HI>Egypt</HI> to pre&s;erve life. <HI>Selah.</HI></P>
<P>So that confe&s;s him to be in you, though you do not feel him within you: yet if you believe he is in you, you may confe&s;s him: But what is it to confe&s;s him? To confe&s;s him, is to acknowledge him come in the fle&s;h, and come within you: 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 4. 2. <HI>Hereby know yee the Spirit of God: eve|ry</HI>
<PB N="26" REF="21">
<HI>&s;pirit that confe&s;&s;eth that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is come in the fle&s;h, is of God.</HI> 1 Joh. 4. 15. <HI>Who&s;oever &s;hall confe&s;s that Je&s;us is the Son of God, God dwels in him, and he in God.</HI> Confe&s;&s;ing there, is acknowledging. <HI>Phil.</HI> 2. 11. <HI>And that every tongue &s;hall confe&s;s, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.</HI> There is the &s;ame word. So that to confe&s;s him, is to ac|knowledge him. How? Thus: thou art within me; I do &s;ub&s;cribe to the truth of it, that it is &s;o even &s;o. But yet I cannot con|fe&s;s him, &s;aith the &s;oul. The word of faith is in thy mouth, to make thee to confe&s;s that Chri&s;t is within thee, and to &s;ay, It is true, Lord, as I have believed, thou art within me. There is the acknowledgement of the &s;oul.</P>
<P>There is not onely a confe&s;&s;ion of the mouth required of the &s;oul, but a belief of the heart likewi&s;e, that God rai&s;ed Chri&s;t from the dead; which I do intend a little to &s;peak to. <HI>Dead</HI> here is to be under&s;tood grave, hell, that &s;tate that Je&s;us Chri&s;t was in, of whom it was &s;aid, <HI>Thou wilt not leave my &s;oul in hell, neither wilt thou &s;uffer thy holy One to &s;ee corruption,</HI> P&s;al. 16. 10. It is not enough to confe&s;s Chri&s;t
<PB N="27" REF="21">
to be within us, but to believe in our hearts that God rai&s;ed him from the dead: if we would be &s;aved, our Faith mu&s;t reach fur|ther then Chri&s;t in us; it mu&s;t reach to the Father al&s;o. See 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 21. <HI>Who by him do believe in God, that rai&s;ed him from the dead, and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God.</HI> See fur|ther in <HI>Act.</HI> 13. 32, 33, 34. <HI>And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the pro|mi&s;e which was made to our Fathers, God hath fulfilled the &s;ame unto us their chil|dren, in that he hath rai&s;ed up Ie&s;us again, as it is al&s;o written in the &s;econd P&s;alm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he rai&s;ed him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he &s;aid, I will give him the &s;ure mercies of David.</HI> A faith that &s;aves, that is, a faith that is ac|companyed with Salvation, is in God as one that rai&s;ed Chri&s;t from the dead: for there is in Gods rai&s;ing Chri&s;t Remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, <HI>and ju&s;tification from all things</HI> (as &s;in, iniqui|ty, and the like) <HI>from which we could not be ju&s;tified by the Law of Mo&s;es,</HI> Act. 13. 38, 39. And be&s;ides, <HI>to us, there is an im|putation of righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> which was im|puted
<PB N="28" REF="22">
to <HI>Abraham, if we believe on him that rai&s;ed up Ie&s;us our Lord from the dead, who</HI> for this very end <HI>was rai&s;ed from the dead,</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>for our ju&s;tificati|on,</HI> Rom. 4. 24, 25. God would have us be|lieve in him; as one that rai&s;ed Chri&s;t from the dead, becau&s;e in Gods rai&s;ing Chri&s;t, he rai&s;ed us, <HI>through the faith of the opera|tion of God, who hath rai&s;ed him from the dead, and the uncircumci&s;ion of our fle&s;h hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven us all tre&s;pa&s;&s;es; blot|ting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was again&s;t us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nayling it to the cro&s;s; and having &s;poyled prin|cipalities and powers, he made a &s;hew of them openly, triumphing over them all.</HI> A glorious &s;laughter of all our enemies is to be &s;een, in Gods rai&s;ing Chri&s;t from the dead. And then that in <HI>Eph.</HI> 2. 5, 6. In Gods rai|&s;ing Chri&s;t, <HI>we, though we were dead in &s;ins, yet were quickened together with him, and were rai&s;ed up together with him, and made to &s;it together in heavenly places, in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us;</HI> which was Gods rich mercy and great love: and his end in it, was, <HI>That in the ages to come he might</HI>
<PB N="29" REF="22">
<HI>&s;hew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindne&s;s towards us in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us,</HI> Eph. 2. 4, 7. Now God many times &s;uf|fers us to have the &s;entence of death in our &s;pirits, he &s;uffers us to be pre&s;&s;ed out of mea|&s;ure, beyond &s;trength, in&s;omuch that we de&s;pair of life, that we &s;hould not tru&s;t in our &s;elves, but in God that rai&s;ed the dead.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But you will ask me, Fir&s;t, How God rai&s;ed Chri&s;t from the dead.</P>
<P>Secondly, What it is to be believe it.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> For the fir&s;t, how God rai&s;ed Chri&s;t; It was,</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>By the glory of the Father, </HI>Rom. 6. 4, 9</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>By the Spirit,</HI> Rom. 8. 11.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>By his mighty power,</HI> Eph. 1. 20.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be enquired into, is, What it is to believe that God rai&s;ed his Son from the dead.</P>
<P>There are divers &s;orts of faith &s;poken of in Scripture: There is a believing from the re|lation of another, <HI>Ioh.</HI> 4. 42. As the <HI>Sama|ritans</HI> did, meerly upon the report of the woman, but afterwards they believed becau&s;e they had &s;een Chri&s;t: and there is a believing, as I &s;aid before, that is not accompanied with &s;alvation; which <HI>Simon Magus</HI> had: and there is a believing that is accompanied
<PB N="30" REF="23">
with &s;alvation, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10. 39. <HI>But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the &s;aving of the &s;oul:</HI> This is the belief that is intended here. Now that faith that &s;aves&punc; is the faith of Chri&s;t; which con&s;i&s;teth in yeelding up hear|ty obedience and &s;ubjection to this truth, that God rai&s;ed Chri&s;t from the dead: <HI>We have obeyed from the heart, that form of do|ctrine that hath been delivered unto us,</HI> Rom. 6. 17. This believing in God, that he rai&s;ed Chri&s;t from the dead, is nothing but a &s;ouls lying down under the power and au|thority of it, and &s;aying, It is &s;o, It is &s;o, Lord. Lie down therefore under the power of this truth, that God rai&s;ed his Son; &s;ay it is a truth, and thou &s;halt be &s;aved: it is a truth, Lord, it is even &s;o; thou art &s;aved.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But you &s;eem to make no difference between confe&s;&s;ion of the mouth, and belief with the heart.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Yes but I do. Faith in the heart believes this is a glorious truth, that God rai&s;ed Je&s;us Chri&s;t from the dead, and that Chri&s;t is within us; Confe&s;&s;ion with the mouth declares and publi&s;heth nothing but what &s;aith in the heart believes is truth.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="31" REF="23">
<HEAD>CHAP. II.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The Parable of the rich man's flocks and herds, and the poor man's ewe-lamb, unfolded, out of 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 12. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 1</BIBL>
<P>And the Lord &s;ent Nathan unto David: and he came unto him, and &s;aid unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>2</BIBL>
<P>The rich man had exceeding ma|ny flocks and herds.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>3</BIBL>
<P>But the poor man had nothing &s;ave one little ewe-lamb which he had bought, and nouri&s;hed up; and it grew up together with him, and with his children: it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bo&s;om, and was unto him as a daughter.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>4</BIBL>
<P>And there came a traveller unto
<PB N="32" REF="24">
the rich man; and he &s;pared to take of his own flock, and of his own herd, to dre&s;s for the wayfa|ring man that was come unto him, but took the poor mans lamb, and dre&s;&s;ed it for the man that was come to him.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>5</BIBL>
<P>And Davids anger was greatly kindled again&s;t the man; and he &s;aid to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing, &s;hall &s;urely die.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>6</BIBL>
<P>And he &s;hall re&s;tore the lamb fourfold becau&s;e he did this thing, and becau&s;e he had no pity.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>7</BIBL>
<P>And Nathan &s;aid unto David, Thou art the man.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the fir&s;t ver&s;e of this Chapter, there is the Lord &s;ending <HI>Nathan</HI> unto <HI>David,</HI> with a Parable in his mouth: It was the Lord that &s;ent him unto <HI>David,</HI> and that put the Parable into his mouth, to declare to <HI>David.</HI> From part of the fir&s;t ver&s;e to the fifth ver&s;e, <HI>Nathan</HI> makes known the Para|ble. A Parable, you know, is to be taken otherwi&s;e then is &s;et down in the letter of it, and is much like an Allegory.</P>
<P><PB N="33" REF="24">
The fir&s;t words of the Parable are the&s;e: <HI>There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.</HI> The City are the Saints: &s;ee <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. 22. <HI>But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jeru&s;alem, and to an innumerable company of angels.</HI> And <HI>Eph.</HI> 2. 22. <HI>Matth.</HI> 27. 53. <HI>Rev.</HI> 21. 2, The rich man is <HI>David,</HI> who had exceeding many flocks and herds. The poor man is Chri&s;t: &s;ee <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 9. 15. <HI>There was a little citie, and few men in it; and there came a great king again&s;t it, and be&s;ieged it, and built great bulwarks again&s;t it. Now there was found in it a poor man, and he by his wi&s;dom delivered the city.</HI> See likewi&s;e 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8. 9. <HI>For ye know the grace of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that though he was rich, yet for our &s;akes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be made rich.</HI> See <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 34. 6. <HI>This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and &s;aved him out of all his troubles.</HI> And in ano|ther place he is called, <HI>The man Chri&s;t Je|&s;us.</HI> Now the rich man's and poor man's living in one city, was their enjoying each other, and having fellow&s;hip with each other, in the city of God. The rich man's flocks
<PB N="34" REF="25">
and herds, are tho&s;e exceeding many &s;piritual ble&s;&s;ings that God had ble&s;&s;ed <HI>David</HI> with; which are tho&s;e ble&s;&s;ings that God ble&s;&s;eth many of his people with: &s;ee <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1. 3. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the God and Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who hath ble&s;&s;ed us with all &s;piritual ble&s;&s;ings in heavenly places in Chri&s;t.</HI> The poor man's ewe-lamb is the beloved di&s;ciple of Chri&s;t, as <HI>John</HI> was: &s;ee <HI>Luke</HI> 13. 23. <HI>Now there was leaning on Je&s;us bo&s;ome one of his di&s;ciples, which Je&s;us loved.</HI> This ewe-lamb the poor man bought with a price, even with that price he bought the re&s;t of his people with: 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. 12. <HI>Ye are bought with a price; there|fore glorifie God in your body, and in your &s;pirits, which are Gods.</HI> And then that in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. 23. <HI>Ye are bought with a price: be not ye the &s;ervants of men.</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t did not onely buy this ewe-lamb, but nouri&s;hed it up him&s;elf, with the milk of him&s;elf; it grew up together with him: that is, Chri&s;t brought it up with him&s;elf, as he was brought up with the Father: &s;ee <HI>Prov.</HI> 8. 20. And it grew up with his children; that is, with Chri&s;t's children: Who are tho&s;e? <HI>Such that are of faith,</HI> and &s;o <HI>are ble&s;&s;ed with faithful Abraham,</HI> and <HI>are</HI>
<PB N="35" REF="25">
Gal. 3: 7, 9. <HI>Tho&s;e which are born of the free woman,</HI> that is, <HI>born after the Spirit,</HI> or <HI>by promi&s;e.</HI> It did not grow up with Chri&s;t alone, but with the re&s;t of his children, who grew up with him. And it did eat of the poor man's own meat, and of the poor man's own drink; which is Chri&s;t him&s;elf. That which nou|ri&s;hed the lamb, and which the lamb fed upon, was the meat and drink of Chri&s;t, which is his fle&s;h and blood. See in <HI>Joh.</HI> 6. 53, 54, 55, 56. <HI>Then Je&s;us &s;aid unto them, Verily, verily, I &s;ay unto you, Except ye eat the fle&s;h of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Who&s;oever eateth my fle&s;h, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life. For my fle&s;h is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my fle&s;h, and drinketh my blood, dwells in me, and I in him.</HI> That which Chri&s;t fed this Lamb with, was Life and Spirit, which is his fle&s;h and blood. O glorious food! Friends, it is the be&s;t food Chri&s;t hath, or that he can feed a &s;oul with. Chri&s;t did not onely buy this Lamb, nouri&s;h it up with him&s;elf, and with his children, feed it with his own fle&s;h, and with his own blood; but it mu&s;t lie
<PB N="36" REF="26">
in his own bo&s;om: his beloved di&s;ciple is &s;o dear to him, that he will not have it lie out of his own bo&s;om: And therefore he is &s;aid toca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">|ry the lambs in his own bo&s;om, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 40. 11. <HI>He &s;hall feed his flock like a &s;hepherd: he &s;hall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bo&s;om, and &s;hall gently lead tho&s;e that are with young.</HI></P>
<P>And then he goes on with the Parable:<HI> And it was unto him as a daughter, </HI>that is, as one of the daughters of<HI> Jeru&s;alem: </HI>See<HI> Cant. </HI>3. 10.<HI> He made the pillars thereof of &s;ilver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple; the mid&s;t thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Je|ru&s;alem. </HI>Speaking of<HI> Solomon, </HI>who<HI> made him&s;elf a chariot of the wood of Leba|non, </HI>ver&s;e 9. See<HI> Luke </HI>23. 28.<HI> But Je&s;us turning to them, &s;aid, Daughters of Hie|ru&s;alem, weep not for me, but weep for your &s;elves, and for your children. </HI>This was &s;poken when Je&s;us was a leading away to &s;uffer. See that in<HI> Cant. </HI>5. 16.<HI> This is my friend, O daughters of Jeru&s;alem; </HI>meaning Chri&s;t. But what is a daughter of<HI> Hieru&s;alem? </HI>It is a daughter of love and glory.</P>
<P><HI>Nathan</HI> goes on further with the Parable.</P>
<P><PB N="37" REF="26">
<HI>And there came a traveller unto the rich man. </HI>This traveller is a wayfaring man; and a wayfaring man is one that is here, and there, and everywhere; an un&s;ta|ble and un&s;etled man. Wayfaring men are often &s;poken of in Scipture. See<HI> Jer. </HI>9. 2.<HI> O that I had in the wilderne&s;s a lodging place of wayfaring men, that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, and an a&s;&s;embly of treacherous men. </HI>And that in<HI> I&s;. </HI>35. 8.<HI> And an high-way &s;hall be there, and a way; and it &s;hall be called the way of holine&s;s: the unclean &s;hall not pa&s;s over it, but it &s;hall be for tho&s;e: the wayfaring men, though fools, &s;hall not erre therein. </HI>And that in<HI> Ier. </HI>14. 8.<HI> O the hope of I&s;rael, the Sa|viour thereof in the time of trouble, why &s;hould&s;t thou be as a &s;tranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man, that turneth a&s;ide to tarry for a night?</HI></P>
<P><HI>This rich man &s;pared to take of his own flocks, and of his own herds, to dre&s;s </HI>or make ready<HI> for the wayfaring man that was come to him, but took the poor mans lamb, and dre&s;&s;ed it for the man that was come unto him. </HI>The taking of the poor man's lamb, and dre&s;&s;ing it for the wayfaring
<PB N="38" REF="27">
man, is the doing of any thing that is &s;inful before God; as<HI> David</HI>'s &s;laying<HI> &V;riah </HI>the Hittite, and taking the Hittite's wife to be his, ver&s;. 9. Or a man offending his weak brother: &s;ee 1<HI> Cor. </HI>8. 11, 12.<HI> And through thy knowledge &s;hall thy weak brother peri&s;h for whom Chri&s;t died? But when you &s;in &s;o again&s;t the brethren, and wound their weak con&s;cience, ye &s;in again&s;t Chri&s;t. </HI>Therefore he &s;aith, ver&s;. 9, 10.<HI> Take heed le&s;t by any means this liberty of yours be|come a &s;tumbling block to them that are weak. For if any man &s;ee thee which ha&s;t knowledge, &s;it at meat in the idols temple, &s;hall not the con&s;cience of him that is weak be by you emboldened to eat tho&s;e things which are offered to idols? </HI>The commit|ting of any &s;in, is the &s;laying of the poor mans lamb for the traveller.</P>
<P>After this,<HI> David's anger was greatly kindled again&s;t the man: and he &s;aid to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, </HI>(that is, As &s;ure as the Lord liveth)<HI> the man that hath done this thing &s;hall &s;urely die; </HI>or, is wor|thy to die; or, he is a &s;on of death. This kinde of &s;aying of<HI> David, </HI>is &s;utable to that, in a manner, in<HI> Gen. </HI>38. 24.<HI> And it came to pa&s;s about three months after, that it
<PB N="39" REF="27">
was told Iudah, &s;aying, Tamar thy daugh|ter in law hath played the harlot; and al|&s;o behold, &s;he is with childe by whoredom. And Iudah &s;aid, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.</HI></P>
<P>In this 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 6. 12. <HI>David</HI> &s;ets forth what the rich man that had killed the poor mans lamb, &s;hall re&s;tore: <HI>And he &s;hall re|&s;tore the Lamb fourfold,</HI> according to the Levitical Law: &s;ee <HI>Exod.</HI> 22. 18.</P>
<P><HI>Becau&s;e he did this thing, and becau&s;e he had no pity, </HI>of the poor man's lamb. Sutable to this, is that in<HI> P&s;al. </HI>109. 16.<HI> Becau&s;e he remembred not to &s;hew mercy, but per&s;ecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even &s;lay the broken in heart.</HI></P>
<P>Now in the &s;eventh ver&s;e of 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 12. <HI>Nathan</HI> de&s;cribes the man that took the poor mans lamb, and &s;lew it for the travel|ler: <HI>And Nathan &s;aid unto David, Thou art the mau</HI> that did this thing. See how all this while <HI>David</HI> condemns him&s;elf out of his own mouth; and pa&s;&s;eth &s;entence up|on him&s;elf, in pa&s;&s;ing &s;entence upon another; ju&s;t as <HI>Iudah</HI> did: See that fore-named place of Scripture, in <HI>Gen.</HI> 38. 25, 26. <HI>When &s;he was brought forth, &s;he &s;ent to her father in</HI>
<PB N="40" REF="28">
<HI>law, &s;aying, By the man who&s;e the&s;e are, am I with childe: and &s;he &s;aid, Di&s;cern, I pray, who&s;e the&s;e are, the &s;ignet, and bracelets, and &s;taff. And Iudah acknow|ledged them, and &s;aid, She hath been more righteous then I, becau&s;e I gave her not to Shelah my &s;on. And he knew her again no more. Iudah</HI> condemned him&s;elf out of his own mouth, in condemning <HI>Ta|mar;</HI> as well as <HI>David</HI> did, in pa&s;&s;ing &s;en|tence upon the rich man: And he knew, af|ter that <HI>Tamar</HI> had &s;hewed him the brace|lets, &s;ignet, and &s;taff, that he was the man that judged him&s;elf out of his own mouth.</P>
<P>The Parable being explicated, there will ari&s;e naturally the&s;e Points of Doctrine.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is this, That <HI>Nathan</HI> the Pro|phet never went about any thing, but he was &s;ent of God to do it.</P>
<P>The &s;econd is this, That Chri&s;t &s;uffers that di&s;ciple whom he dearly loves, to be brought and nouri&s;hed up with him, and to grow up together with Chri&s;t, and with his children; to eat of his own meat, and drink of his own drink, and lie in his own bo&s;om, and to be unto him as a daughter.</P>
<P>The third is this, That committing of
<PB N="41" REF="28">
any &s;in what&s;oever, is the killing of the poor man's lamb.</P>
<P>The fourth is this, That God many times &s;peaks in a Parabolical way and manner, to awaken poor &s;ouls out of the deep &s;leep of &s;ecurity and &s;in, by cau&s;ing them unknow|ingly to pa&s;s an impartial &s;entence again&s;t them&s;elves in the per&s;on of another; that &s;o they might be brought to unfeigned repen|tance.</P>
<P>The fifth is this, That that which con|vinceth a &s;oul of &s;in, is God's &s;aying unto him, <HI>Thou art the man.</HI></P>
<P>For the fir&s;t, That <HI>Nathan</HI> the Prophet never went about any thing, but he was &s;ent of God to do it; this is clear from the words. He was &s;ent from God unto <HI>David,</HI> to de|clare this Parable unto him: he was &s;ent from God to <HI>David,</HI> to tell him that the Lord had put away his iniquity: he was &s;ent of God to <HI>David,</HI> to &s;peak nothing but what God had put into his mouth; <HI>accord|ing to all the vi&s;ion, &s;o did Nathan &s;peak unto David,</HI> 1 Chron. 17. 1, 2, 3, 15.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then this may &s;erve to di&s;co|ver tho&s;e that go before they are &s;ent, with this in their mouthes, The Lord hath &s;ent them; whereas the Lord hath not &s;ent them:
<PB N="42" REF="29">
they tell the people &s;o indeed, that the Lord &s;ent them to this place, and to that place; whenas they &s;hould finde, if they would deal &s;eriou&s;ly with their own hearts, that it was their great Livings that brought them thither. There are many that take upon them the Apo&s;tles Commi&s;&s;ion to preach, without power from above, meerly to get livings, to get a livelihood: What enquiring hath there been, and yet &s;till is, among the Prie&s;ts, for fat Benefices! what asking&punc; each other is there among&s;t them, What is &s;uch a Living worth, and &s;uch a Living; is it worth any thing? is it a great one or not? If it be a great one, then what laying of heads together among&s;t the Prie&s;ts, is there; to get it! and if it be a &s;mall Living, rather then they will have none, they will have that. They make merchandi&s;e of the Word. O how Chri&s;t &s;peaks of the&s;e Prie&s;ts, in <HI>Matth.</HI> 23. 13, 14, 15, 24, 25, 27, 28. <HI>Wo unto you, hypo|crites; for ye &s;hut up the kingdom of hea|ven again&s;t men: for ye neither go in your &s;elves, neither &s;uffer ye them that are entring to go in. Wo unto you hypo|crites, who for a pretence make long pray|ers:</HI> you u&s;e vain repetitions, and think to be heard for your much &s;peaking. <HI>Wo unto</HI>
<PB N="43" REF="29">
<HI>you, ye hypocrites; ye compa&s;s &s;ea and land to make one pro&s;elyte; and when he is made, you make him twofold more the childe of hell then your &s;elves.</HI> When ye fa&s;t, ye are like the hypocrites, that are of a &s;ad countenance: for they disfigure their faces. <HI>Wo unto you, ye blinde guides, which &s;train at a gnat, and &s;wallow a ca|mel. Well did I&s;aiah prophe&s;ie of you, &s;aying, This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.</HI> But <HI>in vain do ye wor&s;hip, teaching for do|ctrines the commandments of men. Ye blinde leaders of the blinde; if the blinde lead the blind, both &s;hall fall into the ditch. Ye can di&s;cern the face of the skie, but ye cannot di&s;cern the &s;ignes of the time. Ye are graves that appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. Wo unto you; for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be born, and ye your &s;elves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Ye love the uppermo&s;t &s;eats in the Synagogues, and greetings.</HI> Be|ware therefore, Friends, of the leaven of the Phari&s;ees. <HI>Wo unto you; for ye make clean the out&s;ide of the cup and of the platter,</HI>
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<HI>but within ye are full of extortion and exce&s;s. Ye are like</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>whited &s;epulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead mens bones,</HI> and of all uncleanne&s;s: ye outward|ly appear righteous to men, but within ye are full of hypocri&s;ie and iniquity: ye do what ye do, to be &s;een of men, and have glory of men. <HI>Ye &s;erpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye e&s;cape the damnation of hell?</HI> And the old Prophets &s;peak as much, if not more, again&s;t them; That <HI>they prophe&s;ied in his name, whenas he &s;ent them not:</HI> See <HI>Jer.</HI> 14. 15. <HI>I am again&s;t the prophets, &s;aith the Lord, that &s;teal my word every one from his neighbour,</HI> Jer. 23. 30. O what picking and &s;tealing by whole-&s;ale, is there among the Prie&s;ts of our age, out of other mens Books and Writings, and from one another! What patching up of Sermons is there among&s;t them, of other mens ex|periences, and &s;o preach them! <HI>I have not &s;ent the&s;e prophets, yet they ran; I have not &s;poken to them, yet they prophe&s;ied,</HI> Jer. 23. 21. <HI>They prophe&s;ie lyes, yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart.</HI> Jerem. 23. 26. <HI>The heads thereof judge for reward, and the prie&s;ts thereof</HI>
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<HI>teach for hire, and the prophets thereof di|vine for money; yet they will lean upon the Lord, and &s;ay, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us,</HI> Mic. 3. 11. <HI>Her prophets are light and treacherous per&s;ons, her priests have polluted the San|ctuary,</HI> Zeph. 3. 4. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s in that day, that the prophets &s;hall be a&s;hamed every one of his vi&s;ion, when he hath prophe&s;ied; neither &s;hall they wear a rough garment to deceive,</HI> Zech. 13. 4. You Prie&s;ts, and Prophets, hearken to the word of the Lord in <HI>Mic.</HI> 3. 5, 6. <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord God concerning the prophets that make my people erre, that bite with their teeth, and cry Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouthes, they even prepare war again&s;t them. Therefore night &s;hall be unto you, that ye &s;hall not have a vi&s;ion; and it &s;hall be dark unto you, that ye &s;hall not divine: and the &s;un &s;hall go down over the prophets, and the day &s;hall be dark over him.</HI> And then that in <HI>Jer.</HI> 24. 15. <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord concerning the pro|phets, Behold, I will feed them with worm|wood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jeru&s;alem, is prophanes gone forth into all the land. They</HI>
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<HI>commit adultery, and walk in lies; they &s;trengthen al&s;o the hands of evil doers, that none doth return from his wicked|ne&s;s: they are all of them unto me as So|dom, and the inhabitants thereof as Go|morrah, </HI>ver. 14. See here what God threatens and &s;peaks to you Prie&s;ts and Pro|phets;<HI> your judgement doth not linger, it is at the very door; </HI>And God him&s;elf will exalt a poor de&s;pi&s;ed people that &s;hall do his work.<HI> Behold I am again&s;t the prophets, &s;aith the Lord, that u&s;e their tongue, and &s;ay he &s;aith. Behold, I am again&s;t them that cau&s;e my people to erre by their lies, and by their lightne&s;s, yet I &s;ent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they &s;hall not profit this people at all, &s;aith the Lord, </HI>Jer. 23. 31, 32.<HI> There is a voice of the howling of the &s;hepherds; for their glo|ry is &s;poyled: a voice of the roaring of young lions, for the pride of Jordan is &s;poiled, </HI>Zach. 11. 3. Methinks I hear this voice, Howl, O ye Prie&s;ts; howl, O ye &s;hep|herds; howl O ye Prophets, that &s;lay the flock of the &s;laughter,<HI> and hold </HI>your &s;elves<HI> not guilty: and they that &s;ell them &s;ay, Ble&s;|&s;ed be the Lord, for I am rich; and their own &s;hepherds pitty them not. Three</HI>
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<HI>&s;hepherds al&s;o I cut off in one month, and my &s;oul loathed them, and their &s;oul al&s;o abhorred me, </HI>Zech. 11. 3&punc; 5&punc; 8. Gird your &s;elves and lament, ye Prie&s;ts; howl, ye Mi|ni&s;ters of the altar: come, lie all night in &s;ackcloth for the &s;infulne&s;s of your doings, in changing your &s;elves into angels of light, and mini&s;ters of righteou&s;ne&s;s.<HI> But they al&s;o have erred through wine, and through &s;trong drinke are out of the way, the Prie&s;t and the Prophet have erred through &s;trong drink, they are &s;wal|lowed up of wine: they are out of the way through &s;trong drink; they erre in vi&s;ion, they &s;tumble in Judgement, </HI>I&s;a. 28. 7.<HI> From the Prophet even unto the Prie&s;t, every one dealeth fal&s;ly, </HI>Jer. 6. 13.<HI> For both prophet and prie&s;t are prophane, yea, in my hou&s;e have I found their wicked|ne&s;s, &s;aith the Lord, </HI>Jer. 23. 11.<HI> And there &s;hall be like people like prie&s;t: and I will puni&s;h them for their ways, and reward them their doings, </HI>Ho&s;. 4. 9.<HI> The prie&s;ts &s;aid not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the Law, knew me not: the pa|&s;tors al&s;o tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t me, and the prophets prophe&s;ied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. Wherefore</HI>
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<HI>I will yet plead with you, </HI>Jer. 2. 8, 9.<HI> The prophets prophe&s;ie fal&s;ly, and the prie&s;ts bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it &s;o: and what will you do in the end thereof? </HI>Jer. 5. 31.<HI> Hear ye this, O prie&s;ts, and hearken, ye hou&s;e of I&s;rael, and give you ear, O hou&s;e of the king: for judgement is toward you, be|cau&s;e you have been a &s;nare </HI>to the people of God, Ho&s;. 5. 1.<HI> As troups of robbers wait for a man, &s;o the company of prie&s;ts murther in the way by con&s;ent: for they commit lewdne&s;s, </HI>Ho&s;. 6. 9. Thus &s;aith the Lord,<HI> O prie&s;ts, that de&s;pi&s;e my name; and ye &s;ay, Wherein have we de&s;pi&s;ed thy Name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar, and ye &s;ay, Wherein have we pollu|ted thee? </HI>Mal. 1. 6, 7.<HI> And now, O yee prie&s;ts, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my Name, I will even &s;end a cur&s;e, upon you, &s;aith the Lord, and I will cur&s;e your ble&s;&s;ings, </HI>Mal. 2. 12.<HI> The pa&s;tors are become bruti&s;h, and have not &s;ought the Lord: therefore they &s;hall not pro&s;per, and all their flocks &s;hall be &s;cattered, </HI>Jer. 10, 21.<HI> Many pa|&s;tors have de&s;troyed my vineyard, they</HI>
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<HI>have troden my portion under foot, they have made my plea&s;ant portion a de&s;olate wilderne&s;s; and being de&s;olate, it mourn|eth unto me, </HI>Jer. 12. 10, 11.<HI> We be unto the pa&s;tors that de&s;troy and &s;catter the &s;heep of my pa&s;ture, &s;aith the Lord. There|fore thus &s;aith the Lord God of I&s;rael a|gain&s;t the pa&s;tors that feed his people, Ye have &s;cattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not vi&s;ited them: behold, I will vi&s;it upon you the evil of your do|ings, &s;aith the Lord, </HI>Jer. 23. 1, 2. And in another place he &s;aith,<HI> I will require my flocks at your hands.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But you will &s;ay, that you are no Prie&s;ts, and that I have no warrant to call you &s;o.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> That you are Prie&s;ts, will appear by comparing you with the Prie&s;ts under the Law; as,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The Prie&s;ts under the Law did wear holy garments, <HI>Exod.</HI> 31. 10. &s;o did and do you; as Copes, Surplices, and the like.</P>
<P>Secondly, The Prie&s;ts office under the Law, was to make atonement for &s;in by of|fering &s;acrifice, <HI>Levit.</HI> 4. 20. <HI>Levit.</HI> 14. 20. <HI>Numb.</HI> 15. 25, 28. This hath been and is the work of you Prie&s;ts, to offer &s;acrifice, to
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make atonement, peace, and reconciliation for &s;in. For this purpo&s;e you have prayed, and moved others to pray; as I have heard &s;ome of you &s;ay to your hearers, Make your atonement, peace, and reconciliation with God, by prayer, fa&s;ting, humbling your &s;elves, and the like.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The Prie&s;ts under the Law were to offer up &s;acrifice to take away &s;in, <HI>Levit.</HI> 15. 30. So do you Prie&s;ts; you pray, and fa&s;t, and humble your &s;elves, and do this and that, to take away &s;in.</P>
<P>Fourthly, None but the high-prie&s;ts, un|der the Law, were to enter into the holy of holies, <HI>Heb.</HI> 9. 6, 7, 25. So you &s;ay and hold now, None but you are to enter into the holy of holies, whenas there is a free way and pa&s;&s;age made by the veil of Chri&s;t, that is to &s;ay, his fle&s;h, for all the &s;aints to enter into the holy of holies.</P>
<P>Fifthly, The Prie&s;ts under the Law lived by Tythes, they had no other maintenance but Tythes: So do you Prie&s;ts live upon that which was for the maintenance of the Prie&s;ts under the Law, that &s;erved at the Altar, which was Tythes; and &s;o may fitly be called Prie&s;ts. It was a Legal admini&s;tration that they were under, therefore they were to
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live of the Law: but tho&s;e who are under the di&s;pen&s;ation of the Go&s;pel, they live of the Go&s;pel; that is, free, and can tru&s;t God for their maintenance.</P>
<P>Sixthly, The Prie&s;ts under the Law were to interpret the Law, <HI>Neh.</HI> 7. 8. This hath been and is the work of you Prie&s;ts, to open the Law, to pre&s;s the people upon working for life, and to threaten judgement to drive to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Son of man&punc; </HI>therefore<HI> prophe&s;ie again&s;t the &s;hepherds of I&s;rael, prophe&s;ie and &s;ay unto them, Thus &s;aith the Lord God unto the &s;hepherds, Wo be to the &s;hepherds of I&s;|rael that feed them&s;elves: &s;hould not the &s;hepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wooll: ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the &s;lock. The di&s;ea&s;ed have ye not &s;trength|ened, neither have ye healed that which was &s;ick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven a|way, neither have ye &s;ought that which was lo&s;t, but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them, </HI>Ezek. 34. 2, 3, 4.<HI> His watchmen are blinde: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they
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cannot bark, &s;leeping, lying down, loving to &s;lumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they are &s;hepherds that cannot under&s;tand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain from his quarter. Come ye, &s;ay they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill our &s;elves with &s;trong drink, and to mor|row &s;hall be as this day, and much more abundant, </HI>I&s;a. 56. 10, 11, 12.<HI> Howl, ye &s;hepherds, </HI>prie&s;ts<HI> and </HI>prophets<HI> cry, and wal|low your &s;elves in the a&s;hes, ye principal of of the flock: for the days of your &s;laughter and of your di&s;per&s;ions are accompli&s;hed, and ye &s;hall fall like a plea&s;ant ve&s;&s;el. And the &s;hepherds &s;hall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to e&s;cape. A voice of the cry of the &s;hepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock &s;hall be heard: </HI>I hear it, I hear it; and o|thers &s;hall hear it:<HI> for the Lord hath &s;poiled their pa&s;ture, </HI>Jer. 25. 34, 35, 36.<HI> Ye &s;hepherds </HI>and prie&s;ts,<HI> hear the word of the Lord </HI>again,<HI> Thus &s;aith the Lord God, Be|hold, I am again&s;t the &s;hepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand, and cau&s;e them to cea&s;e from feeding my flock, nei|ther &s;hall the &s;hepherds feed them&s;elves
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any more: for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. </HI>And as for his people, he &s;aith,<HI> I will &s;eek out my &s;heep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been &s;cattered in the cloudy and dark day, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of I&s;|rael by the rivers, and in all the inhabi|ted places of the Country. I will feed them in a good pa&s;ture, and upon the high mountains of I&s;rael &s;hall their fold be: there &s;hall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pa&s;ture &s;hall they feed; I will feed my flock, and cau&s;e them to lie down, &s;aith the Lord. I will &s;eek that which was lo&s;t, and bring again that which was dri|ven away, and will binde up that which was broken, and will &s;trengthen that which was &s;ick. </HI>God will feed his flock him&s;elf, and cure them and heal them him|&s;elf.<HI> Ezek. </HI>34. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, that the Prophet <HI>Nathan</HI> ne|ver went about any thing without a Call from God; Then take heed of tho&s;e that venter upon any thing without a Call from God; as there are many of our Prie&s;ts do: they preach and prophe&s;ie without a Call from
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God: they have been at <HI>Cambridge,</HI> and have taken their Orders and Degrees, and have been cho&s;en by men to the work; and they think that is a &s;ufficient Call from God. <HI>Paul</HI> had not his Mini&s;tery from man, nor by man, but as he was taught it by the revelati|on of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: and therefore the&s;e are fal&s;e Prie&s;ts and Prophets. <HI>There &s;hall fal&s;e Prophets ari&s;e, that &s;hall deceive many; if it were po&s;&s;ible, the very Elect.</HI> If the Prie&s;ts in our age, were put to prove their Call to the Mini&s;try, there would be found very few of them that could prove their Call from God. Beware therefore of the&s;e Wolves; take heed of the voice of &s;trangers, le&s;t they devour you: they will pretend that they are fearful of offending or troubling the con&s;ciences of Gods people; but if any child of God makes a &s;cruple in his con&s;ci|ence of paying Tythe, and that it is a trouble to his con&s;cience to pay it, and he &s;hould, if he di&s;t pay Tythe&punc; &s;in again&s;t his con&s;cience; yet the Prie&s;ts will have it. What care they for offending the Con&s;cience of Gods peo|ple? How &s;hall we live&punc; &s;ay they, el&s;e? It is not Con&s;cience, &s;ay they, it is rather humor; and be&s;ides, Tythes is a Civil Right, and a &s;oul need not &s;cruple them, &s;ay they. This
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is a diveli&s;h cloak to cover the Prie&s;ts ba&s;e|ne&s;s. But we hope you would have us have a livelihood? Yes, (God forbid el&s;e:) work with your hands as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, and live no more upon the &s;weat of other mens brows; el&s;e you mu&s;t fa&s;t, <HI>and not eat:</HI> See 2 The&s;. 3. 10. <HI>For even when we were with you this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither &s;hould he eat. And if any man obey not our word by this Epi&s;tle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be a&s;ha|med,</HI> ver. 14. We do work, they will &s;ay; we &s;weat and take pains day and night for the good of peoples &s;ouls. But do you work with your hands, and &s;et upon &s;ome manual calling or other? I know you take a great deal of pains for to &s;tudy and get by heart this mans and that mans writings, and to preach them in publike Congregations, to get a living: but do you work as the Apo|&s;tles did with their hands?</P>
<P><HI>Obj. </HI>But it is &s;aid in Scripture that<HI> the Lord hath ordained that they which preach the Go&s;pel &s;hould live on the Go&s;pel; </HI>and,<HI> Do ye not know that they which mini&s;ter about ho|ly things, live of the things of the Temple; &amp; they which wait at the Altar, are parta|kers
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with with the Altar? Or I onely and Barnabas, have not we power to for|bear working? Who goeth a warfare at his own charges? Who planteth a Vine|yard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? Who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk thereof? Say I the&s;e things as a man? Or &s;aith not the Law the &s;ame al&s;o? For it is written in the Law of Mo&s;es, Thou &s;halt not muzzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for Oxen? Or &s;aith he it altogether for our &s;akes? For our &s;akes, no doubt, this is written; that he that ploweth, &s;hould plow in hope; and he that thre&s;heth in hope, &s;hould be partaker of his hope. If we have &s;own unto you all &s;piritual things, is it a great thing, if we &s;hall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? </HI>1 Cor. 9. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I an&s;wer thus: It is true, that tho&s;e that preach the Go&s;pel, &s;hould live by the Go&s;pel; but you preach other mens books and writings: You preachers of the Go&s;pel! What, you amba&s;&s;adours of Chri&s;t, and have not matter to &s;peak from Chri&s;t, but &s;peak other mens experience! Neither, as
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I &s;aid before, had you your Mini&s;tery from Chri&s;t, nor by Revelation, as <HI>Paul</HI> had. If you had your Mini&s;tery from Chri&s;t, you would tru&s;t Chri&s;t for a livelihood; you would not fir&s;t &s;eek a Living, and then go and preach the Go&s;pel. You cannot preach without other mens books, and therefore are not fit to preach the Go&s;pel. Can you preach, all books being taken away from you &s;ave the Bible, at any time when you are de&s;ired to do it? Can you preach twice every day of the week throughout the yeer, without other mens books? If you cannot, you are not to live on the Go&s;pel: for ye are no true Preachers of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Secondly, I an&s;wer thus: Though tho&s;e that preach the Go&s;pel may live on the Go|&s;pel, as<HI> Paul </HI>and<HI> Barnabas </HI>might; yet, &s;aith<HI> Paul, We have not u&s;ed this power, but &s;uffer all things, le&s;t we &s;hould hinder the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, </HI>1 Cor. 9. 12.<HI> But I have u&s;ed none of the&s;e things, neither have I written the&s;e things </HI>(&s;aith<HI> Paul) that it &s;hould be &s;o done unto me: for it were better for me to die, then that any man &s;hould make my glorying void, </HI>1 Cor. 9. 15.<HI> What is my reward then? Verily, that when I preach the Go&s;pel, I may
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make the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t without charge, that I abu&s;e not my power in the Go&s;pel, </HI>1 Cor. 9. 18.<HI> For your &s;elves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not our &s;elves di&s;orderly among you, neither did we eat any mans bread for nought, but wrought with labour and travel night and day&punc; that we might not be chargeable to any of you, </HI>2 The&s;&s;. 3. 7, 8. Let me &s;ee you Prie&s;ts do &s;o: where is there &s;uch a &s;pirit as<HI> Paul </HI>had, among you? O how you make the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t chargeable! Your reward is Tythes; but this was<HI> Paul</HI>'s reward, His preaching the Go&s;pel for no|thing: he abu&s;ed not his power in the Go|&s;pel, as you do: he wrought with labour and travel night and day, that he might not be chargeable to any; you are idle, and mad upon taking Tythes.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But you will &s;ay, We have done good, many of us, and converted &s;ouls, and are worthy of &s;omewhat for our pains.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> This was <HI>Paul</HI>'s reward, his preaching the Go&s;pel for nothing; and it is a bigger reward then taking Tythes. O that you would con&s;ider of it therefore!</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, let us be &s;ure to have a Call from God for what we do. We do many
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things that we have no Call for from God. O how &s;weet it is, when we do what we do from a Call from God! We cannot take plea&s;ure in any thing we do, unle&s;s we have a Call from God to do it. We cannot war|rant unto our &s;elves &s;afety and pro&s;perity in going unto &s;uch a place, and &s;uch a place, and convert &s;uch a &s;oul, without a Call from God. We mu&s;t not look that God &s;hould go with us, and be with us, in any enterpri&s;e, without a Call from God. If we have a Call for what we do, we may do what we under|take with cheerfulne&s;s, and may expect God to go with us, and be with us, and in us, to help us to do what he calls us to.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But, may &s;ome &s;ay, How &s;hall we know whether we have a Call to this or to that?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> You may know it by this, that is to &s;ay, by the power of God: If it be naked|ly the power of God that carries you out to do this or that, and not any by-re&s;pect, or &s;elf-end, then you have a Call from God. Or you may know it by this: If you be cal|led by God to do this or that, he enables you to do that which you are called to, &s;utable and according to his will.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then if God hath called any
<PB N="60" REF="38">
of you to teach, in&s;truct, pray, and the like, to go to &s;uch a place, and do &s;uch a thing; what&s;oever he hath called you to, that do; be not di&s;obedient to the heavenly vi&s;ion: follow the Lamb whither&s;oever he calls you; if it be to &s;uffer, yet follow him&punc; if he bid thee go to &s;uch a one, and &s;uch a one, to tell him of his &s;infulne&s;s, pride, ba&s;ene&s;s, hypo|cri&s;ie, to convince him of his &s;in, though in a Parabolical way and manner; go, and the Lord will be with thee.</P>
<P>The next Point of Doctrine to be&punc; &s;poken to, is, That Chri&s;t &s;uffers that di&s;ciple whom he dearly loves, to be brought up and nou|ri&s;hed with him, and to grow up together with him and his children; to eat of his own meat, and drink of his own cup, and lie in his own bo&s;om, and to be unto him as a daughter. This is clear from the words.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then this &s;peaks the great love that Chri&s;t hath to his beloved di&s;ciple. Friends, what high love is here! What, for his beloved di&s;ciple to be brought up and nouri&s;hed with Chri&s;t, and to grow up toge|ther with him; to eat of Chri&s;t's own meat which he eats of, and to drink of his own cup, that cup which he drinks in! and more|over,
<PB N="61" REF="38">
to lie in his own bo&s;ome, and be unto him as a daughter! Greater love then this, can no man &s;hew. What heart would not this love ravi&s;h and melt! It &s;peaks the heighth, length, bredth, and depth of love. Lord, thou make&s;t us amazed at it; we cannot do any thing but wonder at it: we are not able to expre&s;s it, and tell what it is, and how much it is: it is &s;o va&s;t, that when we look into it, we lo&s;e our &s;elves in the apprehen&s;ions of it: we cannot declare it, but &s;tand and admire, that he &s;hould &s;uffer us to lie in the bo&s;ome of him&s;elf, who lay in the bo&s;om of his Father, and there drink of tho&s;e bre&s;ts of con&s;olation that are in him, and to &s;it at his own table, and eat his own meat, and drink his own drink. O admirable! O ex|cellent! <HI>And I appoint unto you a king|dom, as my Father hath appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and &s;it on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of I&s;rael,</HI> Luke 22. 29, 30.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Friends, then beg of Chri&s;t to be one of his beloved di&s;ciples, that &s;o you may be brought up and nouri&s;hed with him, and grow up together with him, and with his children; eat of his own meat, and drink
<PB N="62" REF="39">
of his own cup, and lie in his own bo&s;ome, and be unto him as a <HI>daughter of Jeru&s;a|lem.</HI> It is a high priviledge to be one of the beloved di&s;ciples of Chri&s;t: for then we are intere&s;&s;ed into all the glory of Chri&s;t; there is nothing that Chri&s;t hath, but we have a &s;hare in: if we be his lambs, we are under his tender care and protection from the wolfs mouth.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, then do not envie the poor lambs happine&s;s; that is to &s;ay, his being brought up and nouri&s;hed with Chri&s;t, and growing up together with him, and with his children; his eating of Chri&s;t's own meat, and drinking of Chri&s;t's own cup, and lying in his bo&s;ome, and being unto him as a daughter. We are ready to envie another's happine&s;s: becau&s;e we are not as this man, and cannot do as this man, therefore we envie him: Such a one hath notable parts, can write and preach; he hath &s;weet enjoyments of God, knows much; but I am poor, and enjoy nothing, and can do nothing: and be|cau&s;e the &s;oul cannot do as that man doth, therefore, through the ba&s;ene&s;s of the heart, and malice of the devil, it envies, &s;peaks evil of, and reproacheth that man.</P>
<P>I be&s;eech you, therefore, take heed of
<PB N="63" REF="39">
&s;peaking evil of the poor man's lamb, that is as dear to Chri&s;t as the apple of his eye, le&s;t you &s;peak evil of, envie and reproach Chri&s;t. That is indeed a beloved di&s;ciple of Chri&s;t, which Chri&s;t &s;uffers to lie in his bo|&s;ome, to eat of his own meat, and drink of his own drink, &amp;c. Therefore, beware, be|ware, take heed what you &s;peak of a beloved di&s;ciple of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The next Point of Doctrine to be &s;poken to, is this, That the committing of &s;in is &s;laying the poor man's lamb. This is clear from the words.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, that the committing of &s;in is the &s;laying the poor man's lamb, then, Friends, take heed of &s;inning, of committing adulte|ry, murder, fornication; of offending a weak brother; of being proud, high-minded, lifted up&punc; le&s;t you kill the poor man's lamb.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, then this may &s;erve to di&s;cover what the killing of the poor man's lamb, or &s;laying the beloved di&s;ciple of Chri&s;t&punc; is: It is the doing of any thing that is &s;inful before God; all your unholy walkings, all your &s;elf-admirations, all your &s;elf-exaltations high conceit of your &s;elves, &s;elf-applau&s;e, is the &s;laying the poor man's lamb.</P>
<P><PB N="64" REF="40">
If it be &s;o, let the poor man's lamb be tender in your eyes: it is tender in Chri&s;t's eyes, let it be &s;o al&s;o in yours. Do you love it as Chri&s;t loves it? Be you careful of offending, killing, &s;laying of it, as Chri&s;t is: let it be dear to you, as it is to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The next Point of Doctrine to be &s;poken to, is this, That God many times &s;peaks in a parabolical way and manner, to awaken a poor &s;oul out of the &s;leep of &s;ecurity and &s;in, by cau&s;ing him unknowingly to pa&s;s an im|partial &s;entence again&s;t him&s;elf, in the per&s;on of another, that &s;o he might be brought unto unfeigned repentance. This is clear from the Parable.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, then this may &s;erve to di&s;|cover the truth of this, How that God many times takes &s;uch a my&s;tical way of &s;peaking, that he makes the poor creature condemn him&s;elf, pa&s;s &s;entence upon him|&s;elf in the per&s;on of another, as he made <HI>David.</HI> It makes me wonder at <HI>David</HI>'s being caught by God, and what he &s;aid, when the Prophet &s;aid unto him, <HI>Thou art the man.</HI> Friends, if you have committed adul|tery, murder, fornication, or &s;ome &s;ecret &s;in, or the like; God hath a Parabolical way
<PB N="65" REF="40">
and manner, to make you pa&s;s &s;entence upon your &s;elves, in pa&s;&s;ing &s;entence upon others, if he intend good to you. There is no hiding of your &s;ins; God will finde them out. <HI>David</HI> little thought that he was the man the Prophet &s;poke to, and that he pa&s;&s;ed &s;entence upon him&s;elf in the per&s;on of ano|ther. God can catch us, &s;ome way or other: if he intend good to our &s;ouls, he will &s;hew us that we have &s;inned, as he did <HI>David,</HI> &s;ome way or other.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, it &s;peaks the wi&s;dom of God. O how wi&s;e is our God, for our good! Though haply, we think him not to be &s;o. O the depth of the wi&s;dom of God! his ways are pa&s;t finding out, in this thing, in convincing of &s;in in &s;uch a parabolical way. We ma|ny times &s;peak again&s;t his wi&s;dom and ways, becau&s;e we do not comprehend them: there is no &s;earching of his ways, they are pa&s;t finding out; the more we &s;earch into them, the more we lo&s;e our &s;elves in them.</P>
<P>The fifth doctrine is this: That that which convinceth a man of &s;in, is, Gods &s;aying unto him, Thou art the man: This is cleer from the words.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then you that take your fill
<PB N="66" REF="41">
of &s;in, that commit &s;in with greedine&s;s; when God comes to &s;ay to you &s;ouls, You are the men and the women that have &s;inned again&s;t him, what will you do then? And you that are proud, &s;elf-conceited, high-minded, and the like; God will finde you out, and di&s;cover to you, that you are the men and women that have &s;inned again&s;t him, and wronged your own &s;ouls. To confirm this Doctrine, con&s;ider that in <HI>Act.</HI> 2. 3, 6. <HI>Therefore, let all the hou&s;e of I&s;rael know a&s;&s;uredly, that God hath made that &s;ame Je&s;us, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Chri&s;t;</HI> Whom they had crucified. When God had &s;aid unto them, that they were tho&s;e which crucified Chri&s;t, that they were the men which did it; when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts, and cryed out, What &s;hall we do to be &s;aved? And in another place, <HI>It was ye that denyed Chri&s;t in the pre&s;ence of Pilate, that de|nyed the holy One and ju&s;t, and de&s;ired a murderer to be granted unto you: it was ye that killed the prince of life, whom God, rai&s;ed from the dead,</HI> Act. 3. 13, 14, 15. <HI>The God of our Fathers rai&s;ed up Je&s;us, whom ye &s;lew and hanged on a tree, him hath God exalted with his right</HI>
<PB N="67" REF="41">
<HI>hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto I&s;rael, and forgivene&s;s of &s;ins. When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took coun&s;el to &s;lay them,</HI> Act. 5. 30, 31, 33. The Apo&s;tles &s;aying unto them in the Spirit of Chri&s;t, that they were tho&s;e that &s;lew Chri&s;t, they were the men that did it; that cuts them to the heart, and makes them take coun&s;el to &s;lay them. VVhen God &s;peaks to a &s;oul, Thou art the man that ha&s;t &s;inned, that ha&s;t &s;lain Chri&s;t; either he will cry out, VVhat &s;hall I do to be &s;aved? or el&s;e he will inrage and take coun&s;el again&s;t the people of God. The VVord of God is like a two edged &s;word, and will cut one way or other.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then O that God would &s;ay to you, as he did to <HI>David,</HI> you are the men and women, that have killed the poor mans Lamb! VVe are ready, with the whori&s;h wo|man, to wipe our mouthes, and &s;ay, VVe have not &s;inned: but when God comes to di&s;co|ver &s;in, we &s;hall &s;ee we have &s;inned, been proud, vaunted, and gloried in our &s;elves what we have been, done, or can do; that we have &s;poken honourable of tho&s;e that ad|mired us, and poor, and ba&s;e, and contempti|ble, of tho&s;e that did not admire us, and cry us up.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="68" REF="42">
<HEAD>CHAP. III.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The three Witne&s;&s;es in heaven with their te&s;timonies; and the three Witne&s;&s;es on earth, with their te&s;timonies, explicated, out of 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 5. 7, 8.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 7.</BIBL>
<P>For there are three that bear re|cord in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the holy Gho&s;t; and the&s;e three are one.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>8</BIBL>
<P>And there are three that bear witne&s;s in earth, the Spirit, and the Water, and the Blood; and the&s;e three agree in one.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the fifth ver&s;e of this chapter, there is a Que&s;tion propounded with an An&s;wer anne|xed to it. The Que&s;tion is this: <HI>Who is he that overcometh the world?</HI> The an&s;wer is this: <HI>But he that believeth that Je&s;us is the Son of God, this is he that came by water and</HI>
<PB N="6" REF="42">
<HI>bloud, even Je&s;us Chri&s;t; not by water onely, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witne&s;s of this.</HI> The rea&s;on is, <HI>becau&s;e the Spirit is truth.</HI> Now the&s;e two ver&s;es which we are to &s;peak to, are a rea&s;on of part of the &s;ixth ver&s;e. There are in the fir&s;t ver&s;e of the words, the&s;e things to be con&s;idered,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Who the Witne&s;&s;es are that bear re|cord in Heaven.</P>
<P>Secondly, What Heaven is, in which they bear te&s;timony.</P>
<P>Thirdly, What the Witne&s;&s;es Records are.</P>
<P>Fourthly, What the Witne&s;&s;es Onene&s;s is.</P>
<P>There are in the &s;econd ver&s;e of the words the&s;e things likewi&s;e to be con&s;idered,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, What earth is.</P>
<P>Secondly, Who they are that bear witne&s;s in earth.</P>
<P>Thirdly, What their te&s;timonies are.</P>
<P>Fourthly, How the Witne&s;&s;es agree in one.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing to be con&s;idered in the fir&s;t ver&s;e of the words, is this: Who the Wit|ne&s;&s;es are, that bear record in Heaven. They are three great my&s;teries, the Father, the
<PB N="80" REF="43">
Word, and the Spirit; the huge&s;t my&s;teries that ever were; which no natural eye can finde out: all the parts, learning, and gifts of men, are here lo&s;t: And be&s;ides, they are of &s;uch infinite va&s;tne&s;s, that they &s;wallow up all other my&s;teries what&s;oever. The very marrow of Godline&s;s and Chri&s;tianity con|&s;i&s;ts and lies hid in the knowledge of the&s;e Three: it is the right under&s;tanding of the&s;e Three, that makes the &s;oul truly godly. All happine&s;s and glory lie involved in the&s;e Three, the Father, Word, and holy Gho&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But you will ask me, What is the Father? what is the Son? and what is the holy Gho&s;t?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The Father is God, the Son the &s;ame God, and the holy Gho&s;t the &s;ame God; though in a different manner.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But why is God called the Fa|ther? why the Son? and why the holy Gho&s;t?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> He is called the Father, with re|&s;pect to two Creations:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Old Creation;</P>
<P>Secondly, the New Creation.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he is called the Father with re&s;pect to the Old Creation: he is the Former, Be|getter, and Framer of the heavens, and of
<PB N="81" REF="43">
the earth, and of the &s;ea, and of every thing in the earth and in the &s;ea; that belongs to the Old Creation: for it is the proper work of God, as he is the Father, to Beget and Create.</P>
<P>Secondly, He is called the Father with re|&s;pect to the New Creation: he is the Father, as he is the begetter of Chri&s;t, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 2. 7. and as he is the begetter of &s;ouls to him&s;elf <HI>by the Word of truth</HI> in the New Creation, <HI>James</HI> 1. 18. as he is the begetter of us <HI>to a lively hope, by the re&s;urrection of Je&s;us Chri&s;t from the dead,</HI> 1 Pet. 1. 3. and as he is the begetter of us to him&s;elf by the Go|&s;pel, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 15.</P>
<P>He is called the Word, fir&s;t, with re&s;pect to the Old Creation likewi&s;e; &s;econdly, with re&s;pect to the New Creation al&s;o.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, He is called the Word, with re&s;pect to the Old Creation, as he is the thing be|gotten in the heavens, and in the earth, and in the &s;ea, and in every thing in the heavens, earth, and &s;ea: for there is nothing in them, but holds forth <HI>the power and wi&s;dom of God, which is Chri&s;t:</HI> &s;ee 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 24. For it is the proper work of the Son, to be begotten in the Old Creation.</P>
<P>Secondly, He is called the Word, with
<PB N="72" REF="44">
re&s;pect to the New Creation, as he is the thing begotten in us in the New Creation; as he is the life, power, and <HI>hope of glory within us,</HI> Col. 1. 27. as he is our wi&s;dom, ju&s;tification, &s;anctification, redemption, and the like. For it is the proper work of the Son, to be begotten in us.</P>
<P>He is called the Spirit, with re&s;pect to two things:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, as he is a di&s;coverer and revealer of Truth and Glory to us, and in us, in the Old Creation: there is abundance of Truth and Glory to be &s;een there, which we &s;ee not, nor know: every thing of the Old Creation &s;ets forth more or le&s;s glory. <HI>The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firma|ment &s;heweth his handy-work.</HI> And the devil keeps us from looking after the glory of God that &s;hines forth in the things of the world. Now it is the onely work of God, as he is the Spirit, to di&s;cover and reveal that glory and truth that lies hid in every thing in the world.</P>
<P>Secondly, he is the Spirit, as he is the re|vealer and di&s;coverer of truth and glory in the New Creation: there is no glory to be &s;een, without the Spirit; and there is no knowing of truth and glory, but by the Spi|rit.
<PB N="73" REF="44">
We may &s;eek to finde it out, and la|bour, and weary out our &s;pirits, and yet not finde it. It is not the joyning of every mans Learning together, can finde it out: Truth indeed will put all learned Rabbies to a <HI>non-plus.</HI> And &s;o for the Glory of God, it is un&s;earchable; men cannot finde it out, though they joyn all their heads together. <HI>Where is the wi&s;e? where is the &s;cribe? where is the di&s;puter of this world?</HI> Tell me what is glory of God, and what is Truth. You cannot tell me: for, no man knows the minde of God, but God. Now it is the onely work of God, as he is the Spi|rit, to reveal and make known Truth and Glory to us and in us.</P>
<P>Again, he is called the Spirit, as he is the leader of the poor creature into Truth and Glory, in the Old Creation. Though God, as the Spirit, di&s;covers Truth and Glory to us in the Old Creation; yet, Friends, we cannot be led into it, but by the Spirit: though we &s;ee never &s;o much Truth and Glory &s;hine forth in the Old Creation, yet we cannot enjoy it, without the Spirit; the Spirit is that which leadeth us into the enjoy|ment of it, which is &s;weeter then the &s;eeing of it. <HI>Howbeit, when he the Spirit of</HI>
<PB N="84" REF="45">
<HI>truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he &s;hall not &s;peak of him&s;elf; but what&s;oever he &s;hall hear, that &s;hall he &s;peak; and he will &s;hew you things to come,</HI> Joh. 16. 13.</P>
<P>Secondly, he is the Spirit, as he is the guider of poor creatures into Truth and Glo|ry, in the New Creation. Friends, if there be any Truth and Glory that you po&s;&s;e&s;s, the Spirit guided you into it: for we are &s;o ready to go out of the way of Truth and Glory, though it be di&s;covered to us, that unle&s;s we had &s;ome one to guide us into Truth and Glory, we &s;hould mi&s;s of the enjoyment of it, though we &s;ee it.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be &s;poken to in the fir&s;t ver&s;e of the words, is this: What hea|ven is, in which the Witne&s;&s;es bear re|cord.</P>
<P>Heaven here, is rhe uncompounded and unmixt &s;tate of Saints; it is &s;uch an e&s;tate of glory in which Saints &s;hall be, as &s;hall not be mixed or compounded with fle&s;h. That &s;tate which we are now in, it is a mixt &s;tate of Fle&s;h and Spirit; but that &s;tate which we &s;hall be in, in heaven, is a pure &s;tate of Spirit and Glory.</P>
<P><PB N="85" REF="45">
The third thing to be enquired into, is, What the Witne&s;&s;es record in heaven is. In which, we &s;hall con&s;ider four things.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. What the Father's report is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. What the Word's report is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. What the holy Gho&s;t's report is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. How they witne&s;s.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>For the fir&s;t, what the Father's report is: The Father's report is &s;omewhat concerning the Son. What is that? See in 1<HI> Joh. </HI>5. 9, 10, 11, 12.<HI> If we receive the wit|ne&s;s of men, the witne&s;s of God is greater: for this is the witne&s;s of God, which he hath te&s;tified of his Son. He that belie|veth on the Son of God, hath the witne&s;s in him&s;elf: </HI>and<HI> he that believeth not God, hath made him a lyer, becau&s;e he be|lieveth not the report that God gave of his Son. And this is the report, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. </HI>See that in<HI> Joh. </HI>5. 32.<HI> There is another that beareth witne&s;s of me; and I know that the witne&s;s which he beareth of me, is true. </HI>See ver&s;e 37.<HI> And the Father him&s;elf which hath &s;ent me, hath born witne&s;s of me. </HI>But
<PB N="76" REF="46">
what doth the Father witne&s;s of Chri&s;t? See in<HI> Matth. </HI>3. 16, 17.<HI> And Je&s;us, when he was baptized, went up &s;traightway out of the water; and lo, the heavens were open|ed unto him, and he &s;aw the Spirit of God de&s;cending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven, &s;aying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well plea&s;ed. </HI>That which the Father te&s;ti|fies of Chri&s;t, is, That he is the Me&s;&s;iah, the Son of God; and that he is well plea&s;ed with his Son, and &s;o with us, in his Son. Then that in<HI> Joh. </HI>8. 18.<HI> The Father that &s;ent me, beareth witne&s;s of me. </HI>What is that? See ver&s;. 12.<HI> Then &s;pake Je&s;us again unto them, &s;aying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, &s;hall not walk in darkne&s;s, but &s;hall have the light of life. </HI>God beareth record of Chri&s;t, that he is the light of the world, that en|lightens the world; and that he that is a follower of Chri&s;t, &s;hall not walk in dark|ne&s;s, but &s;hall have the light of life, that is, life's light; that is, he &s;hall have that light that is accompanied with life. See that in<HI> Heb. </HI>7. 17.<HI> For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchi|zedek. </HI>The Father te&s;tifieth of Chri&s;t, that
<PB N="77" REF="46">
he is an everla&s;ting Prie&s;t, to make interce&s;|&s;ion for us, and to take away our &s;ins.<HI> Who is made, not after the Law of a car|nal commandment, but after the power of an endle&s;s life, </HI>that is, unloo&s;eable and indi&s;&s;olvable life.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be enquired into, is, What the Word's report is.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. It beareth witne&s;s of the Father.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Of it &s;elf.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Fir&s;t, It beareth witne&s;s of the Father, that he &s;ent his Son to be the Saviour of the world; <HI>it te&s;tifieth what it hath &s;een and heard,</HI> in the Father, and from the Father, <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. 32. The Word te&s;tifieth of that good will, love, and grace, which it hath &s;een and heard to be in the Father, towards the wor&s;t of &s;inners: the Word beareth wit|ne&s;s of the Father, by its works that it did, that the Father &s;ent him into the world, to fi|ni&s;h that great work of Redemption and Reconciliation. See <HI>Joh.</HI> 18. 37. <HI>To this end was I born, and for this cau&s;e came I into the world, that I &s;hould bear witne&s;s unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, It te&s;tifieth of it &s;elf. See<HI> Joh. </HI>8. 14, 18.<HI> Je&s;us an&s;wered and &s;aid unto
<PB N="88" REF="47">
them, Though I bear record of my &s;elf, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go. I am one that beareth witne&s;s of my &s;elf, </HI>that I came from the Father, and go to the Father.</P>
<P><HI>Object,</HI> But, may &s;ome &s;ay, Chri&s;t &s;aith in <HI>Joh.</HI> 5. 3. <HI>If I bear witne&s;s of my &s;elf, my witne&s;s is not true:</HI> &s;o that Chri&s;t bearing witne&s;s of him&s;elf, is not true.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To this I an&s;wer; If Chri&s;t bear witne&s;s of him&s;elf alone, that is, with|out the Father, and not as one &s;ent from the Father; then indeed his witne&s;s is nottrue; otherwi&s;e it is.</P>
<P>The third thing to be enquired into, is, What the holy Gho&s;t's report is.</P>
<P>The holy Gho&s;t's report, &s;ee in<HI> Heb. </HI>10. 15.<HI> Whereof the holy Gho&s;t al&s;o is a wit|ne&s;s to us: </HI>of which &s;ee in ver&s;. 10.<HI> By the which will we are &s;anctified, through the offering of the body of Je&s;us Chri&s;t once for all. </HI>See likewi&s;e ver&s;. 12.<HI> This man, after he offered one &s;acrifice for &s;ins for ever, &s;ate down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his foot&s;toole. </HI>See ver&s;. 14.<HI> For by one offering, he hath perfected for ever them that are &s;anctified. </HI>All which the<HI><PB N="89" REF="47"></HI>holy Gho&s;t te&s;tifieth. And that in<HI> Act. </HI>5. 32.<HI> For we are his witne&s;&s;es of the&s;e things, and &s;o is al&s;o the holy Gho&s;t, whom God hath given to them that obey him. </HI>What doth the holy Gho&s;t witne&s;s? See in ver&s;. 30, 31.<HI> The God of our Fathers rai|&s;ed up Je&s;us, whom ye &s;lew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to I&s;rael, and for|givene&s;s of &s;ins: </HI>of which the holy Gho&s;t is a witne&s;s. Now the holy Gho&s;t beareth witne&s;s<HI> by cloven tongues, </HI>that Chri&s;t is exalted. See<HI> Act. </HI>2. 3, 4, 33.<HI> And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it &s;ate upon each of them. And they were all filled with the holy Gho&s;t, and began to &s;peak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utter|ance. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promi&s;e of the holy Gho&s;t, he hath &s;hed forth this which you now &s;ee and hear.</HI></P>
<P>The fourth thing to be inquired into, is, How the Father, Word, and holy Gho&s;t wit|ne&s;s. They witne&s;s immediately, that is, without means.</P>
<P><PB N="80" REF="48">
The next thing to be inquired into, is, How the Father, Word, and holy Gho&s;t, are one. They are one in &s;ub&s;tance, in being; they are one pure e&s;&s;ence and per&s;on. He doth not &s;ay, <HI>They agree in One;</HI> but, <HI>Are One.</HI></P>
<P>If it be thus, Then this may &s;erve to di&s;|cover what the&s;e three Witne&s;&s;es in Heaven are; they are the Father, Word, and holy Gho&s;t; three immediate, true, and &s;trong Witne&s;&s;es. <HI>It is written in the Law, that the te&s;timony of two witne&s;&s;es is true;</HI> much more the te&s;timony of three. What greater te&s;timony can there be in Heaven, then the te&s;timony of three? the Father bearing te&s;timony of the Son, and the Son of the Father, and the holy Gho&s;t of both; all three witne&s;&s;ing grace and love, to our &s;pirits, that we are theirs, and they ours. <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Al&s;o now behold, my witne&s;s is in heaven;</HI> (&s;peaking of the Father, Son, and holy Gho&s;t in unity) <HI>and my record is on high,</HI> that is, in the high places, <HI>Job</HI> 16. 19. <HI>It &s;hall be e&s;tabli&s;hed for ever, as the moon, and as a faithful witne&s;s in heaven: Selah:</HI> &s;peaking of <HI>Davids</HI> Throne. So <HI>P&s;a.</HI> 37. The witne&s;&s;es in Heaven are &s;uch as are faithful. Now <HI>a faithful witne&s;s will not lye,</HI> Prov. 14. 5, 25.</P>
<P><PB N="81" REF="48">
If it be &s;o, Then de&s;ire God to open <HI>the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Te&s;timony in heaven</HI> to you. <HI>Rev.</HI> 15. 5. It is &s;aid, when <HI>the Temple of God was opened in heaven, there was &s;een in the Temple the Arke of his Te&s;tament; and there were light|nings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail,</HI> Rev. 11. 19. Friends, when God comes to open his Temple in Heaven, then we &s;hall &s;ee the Ark of his Te&s;tament, and lightenings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail fall upon the man of &s;in in us.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then this may &s;erve to di&s;co|ver what the my&s;tery of the Father, Son, and holy Gho&s;t or Spirit is; That they are three, and yet one; one, and yet three: that the Father is one, the Son another, and the holy Gho&s;t another; and yet the &s;ame&punc; God va|riou&s;ly come forth. So that Unity brancheth forth it &s;elf into Variety, and Variety into Unity: the Father is not limited to Unity, but &s;preads forth him&s;elf into Diver&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">y.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then this may &s;erve to di&s;cover the vanity and bla&s;phemy of tho&s;e that hold that Chri&s;t and the Spirit are meer Creatures, and not the mo&s;t high God; For it is cleer from what hath been &s;poken, that they are
<PB N="92" REF="49">
the mo&s;t high God in Unity; and the Fa|ther, Son, and Spirit differ not, but in their &s;everal makings forth; all are but one, eter|nal, wi&s;e, immortal, and invi&s;ible Being. And the rea&s;on why people fall into &s;uch gro&s;s ab&s;urdities, is, becau&s;e they are igno|rant of this my&s;tery: He that &s;endeth, and he that is &s;ent; He that gave the holy Gho&s;t, and the holy Gho&s;t that was given; He that &s;peaketh of him&s;elf, and he that &s;peaketh not of him&s;elf; He that teacheth, and he that is taught; He that gives, and he that receiveth; He that is the giver, and he that is the gift; He that prayeth, and he that of|fers up prayer, are all but one incomprehen|&s;ible being; and therefore Chri&s;t &s;aith of the Father and him&s;elf, that they are one: <HI>I and my Father are one.</HI> Till we come to under&s;tand things thus, we &s;hall mi&s;s of the truth, and run into a thou&s;and errours.</P>
<P>Thus much for the fir&s;t ver&s;e of the words.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing to be con&s;idered in the &s;e|cond ver&s;e of the words, is, What earth is, in which the Water, Blood, and Spirit wit|ne&s;s.</P>
<P>Earth is the mixt and compounded &s;tate
<PB N="83" REF="49">
of Saints, in which they live in this life; which is an e&s;tate part of fle&s;h, and part of &s;pirit; part fle&s;hly, part &s;piritually: in which &s;tate, there is &s;uch a lu&s;ting and fighting of the &s;pirit again&s;t fle&s;h, and fle&s;h again&s;t the &s;pirit, that a Saint cannot do many times the things he would, but is led captive into the law of &s;in.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be con&s;idered in the &s;econd ver&s;e of the words, is, Who they are that bear witne&s;s on earth. They are three; the Spirit, VVater, and Blood.</P>
<P>But you will ask me, VVhat the Spirit is, what the VVater is, and what the Blood is.</P>
<P>The Spirit is God, and the Lord is that Spirit. Now God is the Spirit (as I &s;aid be|fore) in reference to the di&s;covery of truth, and leading into truth: or, he is called the Spirit, in re&s;pect of his Omnipre&s;ency, or be|cau&s;e of its Invi&s;ibility: a &s;pirit cannot be &s;een.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be &s;poken to, is, VVhat the VVater is. It is that which came out of the &s;ide of Chri&s;t, when one of the &s;ouldiers with a &s;pear pierced his &s;ide.</P>
<P>The third thing to be &s;poken to, is, VVhat
<PB N="84" REF="50">
the Blood is, that beareth witne&s;s in earth: It was that likewi&s;e which i&s;&s;ued out of Chri&s;t's &s;ide. See both the&s;e in <HI>Joh.</HI> 19. 34.</P>
<P>The next thing to be con&s;idered in the words, is, VVhat the VVitne&s;&s;es te&s;timo|nies in earth are: and in this, there are the&s;e three things to be con&s;idered:</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 VVhat the witne&s;s of the Spirit is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 VVhat the witne&s;s of VVater is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 VVhat the witne&s;s of Blood is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 How they witne&s;s.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The fir&s;t thing to be inquired into, is, VVhat the witne&s;s of the Spirit is, or what it te&s;tifieth. It te&s;tifies of Chri&s;t: See<HI> Joh. </HI>15. 26.<HI> But when the Comforter is come, whom I will &s;end unto you from the Fa|ther, even the Spirit of truth which pro|ceedeth from the Father, he &s;hall te&s;tifie of me, and make known me: </HI>I &s;ay, The Spirit te&s;tifies of Chri&s;t; it witne&s;&s;eth Chri&s;t to the &s;oul.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 It te&s;tifies of the &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 Of the glory that &s;hould follow tho&s;e &s;ufferings.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Fir&s;t, It te&s;tifieth the &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t; it witne&s;&s;eth them to the &s;oul; it makes known what Chri&s;t hath &s;uffered, and the fruit of tho&s;e &s;ufferings; and witne&s;&s;eth
<PB N="85" REF="50">
the truth thereof to the &s;oul, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 11.</P>
<P>Secondly, It te&s;tifies of that glory which &s;hould follow tho&s;e &s;ufferings. VVhat is the glory? That glory which Je&s;us Chri&s;t is in at the right hand of the Father. VVhat is that? See in <HI>Joh.</HI> 17. 5. <HI>And now, O Fa|ther, glorifie me with thine own &s;elf, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was;</HI> which was with his own &s;elf. Now the Spirit te&s;tifies of that glory, and witne&s;&s;eth it to the &s;oul. There is always glory following after affliction; and the more affliction, the more glory: <HI>Our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, are not worthy to be compared with that glory which is to be revealed in us.</HI> All which the Spirit te&s;tifies.</P>
<P>The next thing to be con&s;idered, is, VVhat VVater witne&s;&s;eth. It witne&s;&s;eth my&s;ti|cally Sanctification, Purity, VVa&s;hing, Clean&s;ing, doing away &s;in.</P>
<P>The third thing to be con&s;idered, is, VVhat Blood witne&s;&s;eth. It witne&s;&s;eth Salvation, Redemption, Ju&s;tification, Life, though in a my&s;tical &s;ence.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But, may &s;ome &s;ay, How can VVater witne&s;s Sanctification, wa&s;hing, clean&s;ing of the &s;oul? And how can Blood
<PB N="86" REF="51">
witne&s;s Salvation, Ju&s;tification, and the like, &s;eeing the VVater and Blood of Chri&s;t was long &s;ince &s;pilt upon the ground?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I &s;hall an&s;wer this, by asking another Que&s;tion: How did <HI>Abel,</HI> being dead, &s;peak? <HI>Rev.</HI> 11. 4.</P>
<P>The fourth thing to be inquired into, is, How the Spirit, VVater, and Blood wit|ne&s;s. They witne&s;s mediately, that is, by means.</P>
<P>The la&s;t thing to be inquired into, is, How the Spirit, VVater, and Blood agree in one. Thus: They witne&s;s to one thing: what the Spirit witne&s;&s;eth, that VVater witne&s;&s;eth; and what VVater witne&s;&s;eth, Blood witne&s;&s;eth; and what VVater and Blood witne&s;s, that the Spirit witne&s;&s;eth, which is love.</P>
<P>If it be thus, Then this may &s;erve to in|form us of this truth, That God hath not left us without three VVitne&s;&s;es in earth: God would not have us be without three, by rea&s;on that he tenders us &s;o much: he knows our frailties, that we are ready to be &s;et up|on by Satan, and to &s;ink in our Spirits for want of VVitne&s;&s;es: he hath given us three, to confirm us, and e&s;tabli&s;h us, in our mixt &s;tate of fle&s;h and blood, le&s;t we &s;hould be
<PB N="87" REF="51">
di&s;couraged, and &s;o faint away in our &s;pi|rits, becau&s;e of tho&s;e corruptions and fle&s;h which are within us: he hath given us his own Spirit, and his own VVater and Blood, to bear witne&s;s to our &s;ouls of loving kindne&s;s and mercy, &s;anctification, pardon of &s;in, righteou&s;ne&s;s, and the like.</P>
<P>If it be thus, Then do not &s;ay you &s;hall not be Sanctified and made clean: VVater witne&s;&s;eth Sanctification, and Purity to the &s;oul. Do not &s;ay you are not, nor &s;hall be ju&s;tified, that your &s;ins are not pardoned: Blood &s;peaks it, that your &s;ins are pardoned, and you ju&s;tified.</P>
<P>If it be thus, Then &s;et to your &s;eals to that which the Spirit, VVater, and Blood te&s;tifie: the not receiving what they witne&s;s, is the cau&s;e of abundance of trouble, and &s;inkings of the &s;pirit. Li&s;ten therefore what VVater and Blood, or rather the Spi|rit in water and blood witne&s;&s;eth, and it will force you to &s;ubmit to its te&s;timonies; and tho&s;e that have received their te&s;timonies, have &s;et to their &s;eals that God is true.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="4" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="88" REF="52">
<HEAD>CHAP. IV.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Some &s;weet Di&s;coveries of tho&s;e glorious things that are &s;poken of the city of God; out of <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 87. 1, 2, 3&punc; 4 5, 6, 7.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 1.</BIBL>
<P>His foundation is in the holy mountains.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>2.</BIBL>
<P>The Lord loveth the gates of Sion, more then all the dwellings of Jacob.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>3.</BIBL>
<P>Glorious things are &s;poken of thee, O city of God. Selah.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>4.</BIBL>
<P>I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me; Behold, Phili&s;tia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia: this man was born there.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>5.</BIBL>
<P>And of Zion it &s;hall be &s;aid, This and that man was born in her: and the Highest him&s;elf &s;hall e&s;tabli&s;h her.</P></Q>
<Q><PB N="89" REF="52">
<BIBL>6.</BIBL>
<P>The Lord &s;hall count when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>7.</BIBL>
<P>As well the &s;ingers as the players on in&s;truments, &s;hall be there: all my &s;prings are in thee.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THere are in the fir&s;t ver&s;e of this P&s;alm, the&s;e things to be con&s;idered:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what is meant by <HI>foundation</HI> here.</P>
<P>Secondly, who&s;e this foundation is.</P>
<P>Thirdly, where this foundation is.</P>
<P>Fourthly, what the <HI>holy mountains</HI> are in which the foundation is.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing to be enquired into, is, What is meant by<HI> foundation </HI>here. It is meant Chri&s;t; he is a Saints foundation, up|on which he builds, or is built.<HI> We are built upon the foundation of the Apo&s;tles and Prophets, Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf being the chief corner-&s;tone. </HI>It is not any thing that a believer builds upon, but Je&s;us Chri&s;t.<HI> As a wi&s;e ma&s;ter-builder, </HI>(&s;aith<HI> Paul) I laid the foundation, Chri&s;t: for other foundation can no man lay, then that is laid, Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, &s;ilver, precious &s;tones, wood, hay, &s;tubble, </HI>which are fal&s;e<HI><PB N="90" REF="53"></HI>Doctrines and Principles;<HI> every mans work &s;hall be made manife&s;t: for the day &s;hall declare it, becau&s;e it &s;hall be revealed by fire; and the fire &s;hall trie every mans work, of what &s;ort it is&punc; If any mans work abide, which he hath built there|upon, he &s;hall receive a reward. If any mans work &s;hall be burnt, he &s;hall &s;uffer lo&s;s&punc; but he him&s;elf &s;hall be &s;aved; yet &s;o as by fire, </HI>1 Cor. 3. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be enquired into, is, Who&s;e this foundation is. It is God's foun|dation, of God's own laying in the moun|tains: <HI>Behold, I lay in Zion for a founda|tion, a &s;tone, a tried &s;tone, a &s;ure founda|tion,</HI> I&s;ai. 28. 16. And in another place it is &s;aid, <HI>that the foundation of God &s;tand|eth &s;ure,</HI> 2 Tim. 2. 19.</P>
<P>The third thing to be enquired into, is, Where this foundation is: that is to &s;ay, in the holy mountains. What is meant by the holy mountains? See<HI> Dan. </HI>9. 16.<HI> O Lord, according to all thy righteou&s;ne&s;s, I be|&s;eech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jeru&s;ulem, thy holy mountain; becau&s;e, for our &s;ins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Je|ru&s;alem
<PB N="91" REF="53">
and all thy people are become a re|proach to all that are about us. </HI>And that in<HI> Joel </HI>3. 17.<HI> So &s;hall ye know that I am the Lord your God, dwelling in Zion my holy mountain: then &s;hall Jeru&s;alem be holy, and there &s;hall be no &s;trangers pa&s;s thorow her any more. </HI>So that the holy mountain is the City<HI> Jeru&s;alem; </HI>it's<HI> Zion: </HI>God hath laid his foundation in<HI> Jeru&s;alem, </HI>in<HI> Zion, </HI>for<HI> Zion </HI>to build upon.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord loves the gates of Zion more then all the dwellings of Jacob.</HI></P>
<P>There are in this ver&s;e the&s;e things to be con&s;idered:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what <HI>the gates of Zion</HI> are. They are tho&s;e that open into <HI>Zion,</HI> that give an entrance into <HI>Zion,</HI> that let us into <HI>Zion.</HI> It is the property of a gate to let in into &s;ome place or other: &s;o the gates of <HI>Zion</HI> are tho&s;e which give us an admittance into <HI>Zion.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be enquired into, is, what<HI> the dwellings of Jacob </HI>are. They are the&s;e: They dwelt upon &s;omewhat that was not God; they dwelt upon wickedne&s;s, as tho&s;e that know not God do: &s;ee<HI> Job </HI>18. from ver&s;. 6 of this Chapter, to ver&s;. 21.<HI> Yea,
<PB N="92" REF="54">
the light of the wicked &s;hall be put out, and the &s;park of his fire &s;hall not &s;hine; the light &s;hall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle &s;hall be put out with him: the &s;teps of his &s;trength &s;hall be &s;traightned, and his own coun&s;el &s;hall ca&s;t him down. For he is ca&s;t into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a &s;nare. The grin &s;hall take him by the heel, and the robber &s;hall prevail again&s;t him. The &s;nare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way. Terrours &s;hall make him a|fraid on every &s;ide, and &s;hall drive him to his feet. His &s;trength &s;hall be hungerbit|ten, and de&s;truction &s;hall be ready at his &s;ide. It &s;hall devour the &s;trength of his skin; even the fir&s;t-born of death &s;hall de|vour his &s;trength. His confidence &s;hall be rooted out of his tabernalce, and it &s;hall bring him to the king of terrours. It &s;hall dwell in his tabernacle, becau&s;e it is none of his: brim&s;tone &s;hall be &s;cattered upon his habitation. His roots &s;hall be dried up beneath, and above &s;hall his branch be cut off. His remembrance &s;hall peri&s;h from the earth, and he &s;hall have no name in the &s;treet. He &s;hall be driven from light into darkne&s;s, and cha&s;ed out of the world.
<PB N="93" REF="54">
He &s;hall neither have &s;on nor nephew a|mong his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings. They that come after him, &s;hall be a&s;tonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted. Surely &s;uch are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God. </HI>Then that in<HI> P&s;al. </HI>55. 15.<HI> Let death &s;ei&s;e upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedne&s;s is in their dwel|ling, and among them. </HI>Now the Lord loves the gates of<HI> Zion, </HI>the outward part of<HI> Zion, </HI>the entrance of<HI> Zion, </HI>more then<HI> Jacob</HI>'s dwellings: he cannot endure dwel|ling places where wickedne&s;s is: he cannot endure our dwelling places, that which we dwell and live upon be&s;ides God.</P>
<P><HI>Glorious things are &s;poken of thee, O city of God. Selah.</HI></P>
<P>The things that are to be enquired into in this ver&s;e, are the&s;e following&punc;</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what <HI>the city of God</HI> is. It is that in which God dwells and inhabits, and takes up his abode: it is <HI>Zion, Jeru&s;alem;</HI> it is God's people.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be enquired into, is, what tho&s;e<HI> glorious things </HI>are that are
<PB N="94" REF="55">
&s;poken of the city of God. See<HI> P&s;al. </HI>45. 13, 14, 15.<HI> The Kings daughter is all glorious within; </HI>(which is the Church of Chri&s;t:)<HI> her clothing is of wrought gold. She &s;hall be brought to the King </HI>Chri&s;t Je&s;us<HI> in rayment of needle-work: the vir|gins her companions that follow her, &s;hall be brought unto thee. With gladne&s;s and rejoycing &s;hall they be brought: they &s;hall enter into the Kings palace; </HI>that is, into Chri&s;ts glory; who&s;e<HI> garments &s;mell of myrrhe, aloes, and ca&s;&s;ia, out of the ivory palaces whereby they have made thee glad, </HI>ver&s;. 8.<HI> Kings daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did &s;tand the queen in gold of Ophir, </HI>ver&s;. 9. See that in<HI> I&s;ai. </HI>33. 20, 21.<HI> Look upon Zion, the city of our &s;olemnities: thine eyes &s;hall &s;ee Jeru&s;alem a quiet habita|tion, a tabernacle that &s;hall not be taken down: not one of the &s;takes thereof &s;hall ever be removed, neither &s;hall any of the cords thereof be broken; but there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad waters and &s;treams, wherein &s;hall go no galley with oars, neither &s;hall gallant &s;hips pa&s;s thereby.</HI></P>
<P>See <HI>Rev.</HI> 21. 1. <HI>And I &s;aw a new hea|ven</HI>
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<HI>and a new earth.</HI> This new heaven and earth is a &s;tate of righteou&s;ne&s;s: See 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 13. <HI>Neverthele&s;s we, according to his promi&s;e, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteou&s;ne&s;s:</HI> that is, &s;uch heavens and &s;uch an earth as is free from all corruption and &s;in. This new heaven and new earth is &s;poken of in <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 45. 17. <HI>For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former &s;hall not be remembred, nor come into minde.</HI> This new heaven and new earth is de&s;cribed there to be &s;uch an e&s;tate of glory, in which the voice of weeping &s;hall be no more heard, nor the voice of crying, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 19. but <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem</HI> &s;hall be created a rejoycing and a joy, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 18. And he who ble&s;&s;eth him&s;elf in the earth, &s;hall ble&s;s him&s;elf in the God of truth; and he that &s;weareth in the earth, &s;hall &s;wear by the God of truth; becau&s;e the former troubles &s;hall be forgotten, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 16.</P>
<P><HI>For the fir&s;t heaven and fir&s;t earth were pa&s;&s;ed away:</HI> they &s;hall not be remembred, nor come into minde. Which fir&s;t heaven and earth is that &s;tate of things in and under which the Saints are now: <HI>Who&s;e voice then &s;hook the earth; but now he hath</HI>
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<HI>promi&s;ed, &s;aying, Yet once more I &s;hake not the earth onely, but al&s;o heaven,</HI> Heb. 12. 26. God is now a &s;haking the old heaven and earth, and they begin to fall apace, and to make way for the new heavens and earth.</P>
<P><HI>And there was no more &s;ea:</HI> That is, no more trouble&s;omne&s;s, confu&s;edne&s;s, broils, waves, tempe&s;ts, and &s;torms. This <HI>John</HI> &s;aw, and it will &s;hortly be fulfilled.</P>
<P><HI>And I John &s;aw the holy city, new Hieru&s;alem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.</HI> This holy City, new <HI>Hieru|&s;alem,</HI> is the Church of Chri&s;t in her glori|ous triumphing e&s;tate. It is therefore &s;aid to come down from God out of heaven, be|cau&s;e it hath all its newne&s;s and holine&s;s from God, and from heaven, by which &s;he is now prepared and adorned for her husband.</P>
<P><HI>And I heard a great voice out of hea|ven, &s;aying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they &s;hall be his people; and God him&s;elf &s;hall be with them, and be their God. Iohn</HI> heard a voice from heaven, which called him to behold, &s;ee, and take notice, that God would tabernacle in men,
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make men his tabernacle. He tells <HI>Iohn</HI> that this his tabernacle is with men; he doth not tell him it &s;hall be with men; but it is already; he dwells him&s;elf with the Saints already: intimating unto us this, that it is &s;o in the coun&s;el of God. There is a great deal in that word <HI>him&s;elf:</HI> he dwells in us now by the Spirit: <HI>(Ye are the habitation of God by the Spirit:)</HI> but he will dwell him&s;elf, in his own proper &s;ub&s;tance, being, and per&s;on: <HI>God him&s;elf &s;hall be with them:</HI> He is with us now, but he &s;hall be with us in greater glory: <HI>and he will dwell with us:</HI> Now he is in us and with us for a while, and then withdraws him&s;elf; but then he &s;hall take up his dwelling for ever in our hearts: <HI>and we &s;hall be his people:</HI> We are his people now; but we &s;hall be &s;o his peo|ple, as that his name &s;hall be written upon our foreheads, that we &s;hall be di&s;tingui&s;hed from the world: the world &s;hall acknow|ledge us to be his: <HI>and he &s;hall be their God:</HI> He is their God now, but it &s;hall ap|pear to all then that he is their God.</P>
<P><HI>And God &s;hall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there &s;hall be no more death, neither &s;orrow, nor crying, neither &s;hall there be any more pain: for the for|mer</HI>
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<HI>things are pa&s;&s;ed away.</HI> Here is a fur|ther de&s;cription of <HI>Hieru&s;alem</HI>'s &s;tate. When God comes to dwell among us him|&s;elf, when he him&s;elf comes to be with us, he will put an end to all our &s;orrow, and cry|ing, and pains; yea, he will wipe away all our tears; &s;o that we &s;hall weep no more; he will take away death, even that death through fear of which many were all their life-time &s;ubject to bondage, <HI>Heb.</HI> 2. 15. and we &s;hall live for ever in his &s;ight: and the rea&s;on is, Becau&s;e the former things are pa&s;t away.</P>
<P><HI>And he that &s;ate upon the throne, &s;aid Behold, I make all things new. And he &s;aid unto me, Write: for the&s;e words are true and faithful. And he &s;aid unto me, It is done.</HI> Here is Chri&s;t upon the throne, calling us to behold that he makes all things new. Friends, Je&s;us Chri&s;t is doing of it, and he will re&s;tore his people into a better and more firm e&s;tate then they were in in the fir&s;t <HI>Adam;</HI> and for the confirmation of this, commandeth <HI>John</HI> to write it as a thing already done. Things to come, which are decreed in the coun&s;el of God, are as certain as if they were pa&s;t: for God cannot change nor alter: therefore he &s;aith, <HI>I am Alpha</HI>
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<HI>and Omega, the fir&s;t and the la&s;t,</HI> ver. 6.</P>
<P>Now at the ninth ver&s;e he &s;aith, <HI>And there came unto me one of the &s;even An|gels which had the &s;even vials full of the &s;even plagues, and talked with me,</HI> &s;ay|ing, <HI>Come up hither;</HI> (Here the Spirit of the Lord calls up <HI>John</HI> above him&s;elf, that &s;o he might &s;ee and receive the vi&s;ions of the Lord) <HI>I will &s;hew thee the Bride the Lambs wife,</HI> that is, the Church of Chri&s;t in her glorious e&s;tate.</P>
<P><HI>And he carried me away in the &s;pirit to a great and high mountain,</HI> which is Chri&s;t, that &s;o he might take a view of the &s;pou&s;e of Chri&s;t in her glory. Which thing holds forth this to us, that none can take a right view of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> unle&s;s they be taken from earth into heaven. <HI>And &s;hewed me that great city, the holy Jeru|&s;alem, de&s;cending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God,</HI> that is, the light, wi&s;dom, power, beauty, and excellen|cy of God: no le&s;s then the very glory of God is the new <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> clothed with. <HI>And her light was like unto a &s;tone mo&s;t precious, even like a ja&s;per &s;tone;</HI> which is full of beauty, excellency, and glory. <HI>And cleer as cry&s;tal,</HI> that is, in re&s;pect of its
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bright &s;hining and gli&s;tering light&punc; <HI>And had a wall great and high;</HI> which &s;peaks the &s;e|curity, defence, and &s;afetine&s;s of the City. <HI>And it had twelve gates;</HI> which &s;ignifieth this to us, the hardne&s;s and difficulty of ene|mies to enter in. <HI>And at the gates twelve angels,</HI> to keep the gates, that none but the righteous enter in. <HI>And names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of I&s;rael;</HI> that is, all the Elect of God, both Jews and Gentiles, that are not I&s;raelites after the fle&s;h, but true I&s;raelites. Which holds forth this to us, that tho&s;e that are to enter into the Ci|ty, their names are written upon the gates of the City. <HI>On the ea&s;t three gates, on the north three gates, on the &s;outh three gates, and on the we&s;t three gates.</HI> Which holds forth this unto us, That out of all the four quarters of the earth, the Elect &s;hall be ga|thered. See <HI>Mat.</HI> 24. 31. <HI>And he &s;hall &s;end his angels with a great &s;ound of a trumpet; and they &s;hall gather together his elect from the four windes, from one end of hea|ven to the other:</HI> or, <HI>from the uttermo&s;t parts of the earth, to the uttermo&s;t part of heaven,</HI> Mark 13, 27. And &s;ome &s;hall
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be let in at one gate, and &s;ome at another. <HI>And the wall of the city had twelve foun|dations;</HI> which &s;peaks the &s;urene&s;s of its foundation: <HI>and in them the names of the twelve apo&s;tles of the Lamb;</HI> to &s;ignifie unto us, that the ground and foundation of this City is laid upon the doctrine of the Apo&s;tles and Prophets, Je&s;us Chri&s;t being the corner-&s;tone. <HI>And he that talked with me, had a golden reed to mea&s;ure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.</HI> Mea&s;uring with Reeds, was a thing of great u&s;e, as we read among the Prophets. Becau&s;e every thing of this &s;piri|tual <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> is glorious, therefore the mea|&s;uring-reed is &s;aid to be of gold. This golden Reed is the Spirit. <HI>And the city lieth four&s;quare:</HI> which pre&s;ents us with this, The fa&s;tne&s;s and unmoveablene&s;s of its &s;tature: for round things are ea&s;ily rolled and moved a&s;ide; but &s;quare things are not. <HI>Seeing we receive a kingdom that cannot be &s;haken, let us have grace, whereby we may &s;o &s;erve God, that we may plea&s;e him, with reverence and fear,</HI> Hebr. 12. 28. <HI>And the length is as large as the breadth. And he mea&s;ured the city with the reed, twelve thou&s;and furlongs: the length, and</HI>
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<HI>the breadth, and the height of it are equal.</HI> The Angel with his golden Reed mea&s;ureth the &s;quare &s;ide of the City, both in length, breadth, heighth, and depth of it and findeth each of them to be Twelve thou&s;and furlongs; which after 8 furlongs to the mile, maketh in our account fifteen hundred miles, as &s;ome &s;ay; and &s;o the whole &s;quare of this great City cometh to &s;ix thou&s;and miles; which is a great compa&s;s; and holdeth forth unto us the great largene&s;s of this City, that there is room enough for all the inhabitants thereof, yea mo&s;t plea&s;ant and commodious rooms. <HI>And he mea&s;ured the wall thereof, an hundred fourty and four cubits, according to the mea&s;ure of a man, that is, of the angel:</HI> which, after our common account of two Cubits to a Yard, amount unto &s;e|venty and two yards; which is a great thick|ne&s;s, even &s;o thick, as no enemy can break in. <HI>And the building of the wall of it was of ja&s;per;</HI> that is, &s;potty, greedy, green, and flouri&s;hing. <HI>And the city was pure gold,</HI> without any mixture. <HI>Like unto clear gla&s;s,</HI> pure and gli&s;tering. <HI>And the foundations of the wall of the city were garni&s;hed;</HI> beautified and adorned with all manner of precious &s;tones, which were written upon
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the bre&s;t-plate of the High-prie&s;ts under the Law.</P>
<P>But here we are not to think that the city of God is of &s;uch metal and matter indeed, as is here de&s;cribed: but the holy Gho&s;t would give us &s;ome ta&s;te of it, and, after a &s;ort, &s;hadow out unto us under the&s;e things, which are of mo&s;t e&s;teem among&s;t men, what the glory and excellency of this new <HI>Hieru|lem</HI> is.</P>
<P><HI>And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every gate was of one pearl: and the &s;treet of the city was pure gold, as it were tran&s;parent gla&s;s.</HI> All which hold forth to us the bravene&s;s, beautifulne&s;s, glo|riou&s;ne&s;s, gli&s;tering, and admirablene&s;s of the City. If the gates be of Pearl, and the &s;treet of gold, then what are the inmo&s;t rooms! <HI>And I &s;aw no temple therein,</HI> as was in the old <HI>Ieru&s;alem. For the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple of it.</HI> As the City hath no need of the Temple, &s;o <HI>it hath no need of the &s;un, neither of the moon, to &s;hine in it:</HI> that is, it hath no need of any light: <HI>for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.</HI> God and Chri&s;t is all in all there. <HI>The kings of the earth do bring</HI>
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<HI>their glory and honour into it.</HI> Though none of the Kings and Nobles of the Gentiles might be admitted into the old <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> yet they have free pa&s;&s;age into this. <HI>And the gates of it &s;hall not be &s;hut at all by day.</HI> The gates of this City always &s;tand open for believers to come in, as not fearing enemies. <HI>For there &s;hall be no night there.</HI> All &s;hall be light. <HI>And they &s;hall bring the honour and glory of the nations into it;</HI> and throw it down at Chri&s;t's feet. <HI>And there &s;hall in no wi&s;e enter into it any thing that defileth, neither what&s;oever worketh abomination&punc; or maketh a lye, but they that are written in the Lambs book of life.</HI> No unclean thing &s;hall enter in here.</P>
<P>Now in Chap. 22. to ver&s;e 6. he &s;peak|eth of a <HI>pure river of water of life:</HI> This River is Chri&s;t, who is pure: the Water of this River, is the Spirit, that flows from him, and begets life in us. <HI>Clear as cry&s;tal.</HI> There is no muddine&s;s in it. <HI>Proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb.</HI> Which holds forth unto us, that God in Chri&s;t is the original of all our life and hap|pine&s;s. <HI>In the mid&s;t of the &s;treet of it, and of either &s;ide of the river, was there the tree</HI>
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<HI>of life;</HI> which is Chri&s;t: <HI>which bare twelve manner of fruits:</HI> Which &s;peak|eth tho&s;e varieties of plea&s;ures and delights that are in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>And yeelded her fruit every month,</HI> as well in &s;ummer as in winter: Which &s;peaks this to us&punc; the plenty of plea&s;ures and delights that are in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations;</HI> to pre&s;erve them from all di&s;ea&s;es and griefs, &s;orrow and pain, and &s;ickne&s;s. The tree &s;tands not in an out|ward corner of the City&punc; but in the mid&s;t of the &s;treet, and of both &s;ides of the river, that all the Citizens of <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> might freely come unto it, and ta&s;te of the fruits of it. <HI>And there &s;hall be no more cur&s;e.</HI> We &s;hall be no more &s;ubject to any cur&s;e in the heavenly Paradi&s;e, as <HI>Adam</HI> was in the earthly. <HI>But the throne of God and the Lamb &s;hall be in it.</HI> God &s;hall be on his throne, and the Lamb there. <HI>And his &s;er|vants &s;hall &s;erve him;</HI> yea, <HI>they &s;hall &s;ee his</HI> very <HI>face,</HI> (which <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> could not en|dure the &s;ight of) and be taken with his glo|ry. <HI>And his Name &s;hall be in their fore|heads;</HI> which &s;hall di&s;tingui&s;h them from the world: yea, his Name &s;hall be &s;o &s;een in their foreheads, that all the world &s;hall take
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notice of it. <HI>And there &s;hall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the &s;un: for the Lord God gives them light; and they &s;hall reign for ever and ever with the Lord. And he &s;aid un|to me, The&s;e &s;ayings are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets &s;ent his holy angel to &s;hew unto his &s;er|vants the things which mu&s;t &s;hortly be done.</HI> All which are &s;poken of the City of God. <HI>Selah.</HI> And if you look into the 54, 60, 62, 65 of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> you &s;hall &s;ee further what glorious things are &s;poken of the City of God.</P>
<P><HI>I will make mention of Rahab and Ba|bylon to them that know me.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing to be inquired into in the&s;e words, is, What<HI> Rahab </HI>is. It is<HI> Egypt: </HI>See<HI> I&s;a. </HI>51. 9.<HI> Awake, awake, put on &s;trength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Ra|hab, and wounded the dragon? </HI>See<HI> P&s;al. </HI>89. 10.<HI> Thou ha&s;t broken Rahab in pie|ces. </HI>Or&punc;<HI> Rahab </HI>may be taken for the har|lot.<HI> Heb. </HI>11. 31.<HI> By faith, the harlot Rahab peri&s;hed not with them that be|lieved
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not, when &s;he had received the &s;pies with peace.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be inquired into, is, What <HI>Babylon is.</HI> It is a great City, <HI>Rev.</HI> 18. 10. <HI>Alas, alas, that great city Ba|bylon.</HI></P>
<P>The third thing to be inquired, is, What Gods <HI>making mention</HI> of <HI>Rahab</HI> and <HI>Ba|bylon</HI> is. It is his making known and di&s;|covering of <HI>Rahab</HI> and <HI>Babylon.</HI></P>
<P>The fourth thing to be inquired into, is, to whom God will make mention of <HI>Rahab</HI> and <HI>Babylon:</HI> and that is, to tho&s;e that <HI>know</HI> him; to tho&s;e that are acquainted with God; that have not an outward cog|nizance of God, but a divine inward know|ledge of him: God will make mention of <HI>Rahab</HI> and <HI>Babylon</HI> to them that thus know him. What, make mention of <HI>Rahab</HI> and <HI>Babylon?</HI> Why? What is to be &s;een in <HI>Rahab?</HI> Is there any thing to be &s;een that is worth the &s;eeing, in <HI>Egypt,</HI> where there is nothing but blackne&s;s&punc; darkne&s;s, bondage, cruelty, and the like? Yes, <HI>this man was born there.</HI> Who is that? Chri&s;t. VVhat, Chri&s;t born in <HI>Egypt,</HI> among the <HI>Egyptians,</HI> where there is nothing but cruelty, dark|ne&s;s, and bondage? This is &s;trange. God
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will make mention of this, to them that know him, as an incouragement to them to believe, notwith&s;tanding their darkne&s;s and bondage, that Chri&s;t &s;hall be born in them. Or, <HI>Rahab</HI> here&punc; may be taken for the har|lot. If you take <HI>Rahab</HI> for the harlot, then it is thus: God will make mention of <HI>Ra|hab</HI> the harlot to them that know him. VVhat, a harlot? Is there any thing to be &s;een or learn'd from her? Yes; though &s;he was a harlot, yet &s;he obtained mercy; and &s;o it is an incouragement to us. Gods ma|king mention of <HI>Rahab</HI> the harlot to them that know him, is his letting them &s;ee, that &s;he obtained mercy; that &s;o it might be an incouragement to tho&s;e to whom he makes mention of it, to believe.</P>
<P><HI>I will make mention of Babylon</HI> like|wi&s;e <HI>to them that know me.</HI> VVhy, is there any thing to be &s;een in <HI>Babylon,</HI> among the <HI>Babylonians?</HI> Yes: <HI>This man was born there.</HI> VVhere? In <HI>Babylon,</HI> among the <HI>Babylonians,</HI> tho&s;e &s;inful per&s;ecuting creatures, that held the people of God in captivity: this God will make mention of to them that know him, as an incouragement to them likewi&s;e.</P>
<P><PB N="109" REF="62">
Behold, &s;ee, take notice. What &s;hall we take notice of? <HI>Phili&s;tia.</HI> What is <HI>Phili&s;tia?</HI> A Country, of which the <HI>Phi|li&s;tims</HI> came. What is to be &s;een there? <HI>This man was born there.</HI> Where? A|mong the <HI>Phili&s;tims</HI> that fought again&s;t Chri&s;t, and were enemies to him.</P>
<P><HI>Behold,</HI> &s;ee, take notice of <HI>Tyre.</HI> What is <HI>Tyre?</HI> A City, <HI>Mat.</HI> 11. 21, What is to be &s;een there? <HI>This man was born there.</HI> What, born in that &s;inful City? Yes.</P>
<P><HI>Behold, Ethiopia.</HI> What was <HI>Ethio|pia?</HI> A Country, of whom the <HI>Ethiopians</HI> came, that is, Blackamores. What is to be &s;een there? <HI>This man was born there.</HI> Where? Among the Blackamores, tho&s;e &s;ullied, &s;inful, black creatures.</P>
<P>So that if Satan makes the que&s;tion, how Chri&s;t can be born in &s;uch an <HI>Egyptian Ba|byloni&s;h Rahab</HI>-like heart as thine is; make mention of <HI>Rahab</HI> and <HI>Egypt,</HI> and tell him&punc; That <HI>this man was born there.</HI></P>
<P>If Satan makes the Que&s;tion, how Chri&s;t can be born in thee, that art &s;o <HI>Phili&s;tia</HI> and <HI>Tyre</HI>-like; Behold <HI>Phili&s;tia</HI> and <HI>Tyre,</HI> and tell him, That <HI>this man was born there.</HI></P>
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If Satan tempt thee with thy blackne&s;s and &s;ulliedne&s;s&punc; and makes thee que&s;tion whe|ther Chri&s;t be born in thee, from thy black|ne&s;s and &s;ulliedne&s;s; Behold <HI>Phili&s;ta;</HI> and tell Satan, That <HI>this man was born there.</HI></P>
<P>As it was &s;aid of<HI> Rahab </HI>and<HI> Babylon, Phili&s;tia&punc; Tyre, </HI>and<HI> Ethiopia, </HI>That<HI> this man was born there: </HI>&s;o it &s;hall be &s;aid of<HI> Zion. And of Zion it &s;hall be &s;aid&punc; This man, and that man, </HI>that is,<HI> man and man, </HI>the man Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and the man<HI> David, was born in her.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the Highe&s;t him&s;elf &s;hall e&s;tabli&s;h her.</HI> God him&s;elf &s;hall e&s;tabli&s;h her with grace, &s;hall root her and ground her in him|&s;elf, again&s;t all winds of Doctrine, tempta|tions, &s;in&punc; and the gates of hell.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord &s;hall count,</HI> or, <HI>reckon, when he writeth up the people (among the living in Jeru&s;alem&punc;</HI> I&s;a. 4. 3. <HI>In the writing of the hou&s;e of I&s;rael,</HI> Ezek. 13. 9.) <HI>That this man</HI> Chri&s;t, <HI>was born there.</HI> Born where? In Zion. Selah. <HI>He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.</HI></P>
<P><HI>As well the &s;ingers, as the players on</HI>
<PB N="111" REF="63">
<HI>in&s;truments &s;hall be there.</HI> Where? In <HI>Zion;</HI> and &s;hall make &s;weet and heavenly mu&s;ick and melody in their hearts to God. What &s;ingers and players on In&s;truments &s;hall be there? Not carnal &s;ingers, but &s;uch as can &s;ing the &s;ong of the Lamb; and not carnal players or carnal In&s;truments neither, but &s;piritual.</P>
<P>The P&s;almi&s;t ends the P&s;alm with this &s;weet &s;aying,<HI> All my &s;prings are within thee: </HI>As if he &s;hould &s;ay, I am nothing but what I am from thee, thy &s;prings are mine; all my &s;prings of comfort joy, parts, are in thee; and if thou withdrawe&s;t them, I die: my lower and upper &s;prings are in thee, my le&s;&s;er and my greater. Chri&s;t &s;aith of his people,<HI> A garden inclo&s;ed is my &s;i&s;ter, my &s;pou&s;e; a &s;pring &s;hut up, a foun|tain &s;ealed&punc; a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters and &s;treams, from Le|banon&punc; </HI>Cant. 4. 12, 15.<HI> Therefore with joy, &s;hall ye draw water out of the wells of &s;alvation, </HI>I&s;a. 12. 3.<HI> Therefore are they before the throne of God, and &s;erve him day and night in his temple; and he that &s;itteth on the throne &s;hall dwell a|mong them. They &s;hall hunger no more,
<PB N="112" REF="64">
neither thir&s;t any more; neither &s;hall the &s;un light on them, nor any heat: for the Lamb which is in the mid&s;t of the throne, &s;hall feed them, and &s;hall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God &s;hall wipe away all tears from their eyes, </HI>Rev. 7. 15, 16, 17.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="5" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="113" REF="64">
<HEAD>CHAP. V.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Some &s;weet Di&s;coveries of the way Chri&s;t takes to undo a man, and take away his Life, Light, Under&s;tanding, Know|ledge, Wi&s;dom, and &s;o make him a meer begger; out of <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 6. 5, 6, 7.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 5.</BIBL>
<P>Then &s;aid I, Wo is me, for I am undone; becau&s;e I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the mid&s;t of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have &s;een the King, the Lord of ho&s;ts.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>6.</BIBL>
<P>Then flew one of the Seraphims, unto me, having a live coale in his hand which he had taken with the tongs from&cmbdot; off the al|tar.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>7.</BIBL>
<P>And he laid it upon my mouth, and &s;aid, Loe, this hath touched
<PB N="114" REF="65">
thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy &s;in purged&punc;</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the ver&s;es going before, the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> gives a de&s;cription of that di&s;co|very that he had of the Lord, and of the time when he had it: the de&s;cription of his dicovery is part of the fir&s;t ver&s;e, to the fifth: the time when he had this di&s;covery, is &s;et down in the fir&s;t words of the fir&s;t ver&s;e, which was in the year that King <HI>&V;zziah</HI> dyed, 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 26. 23. The Prophets di&s;|covery of the Lord, is as followeth.</P>
<P><HI>I &s;aw the Lord &s;itting upon a throne; </HI>as ready to judge,<HI> P&s;a. </HI>9. 7, 8.<HI> But the Lord &s;hall endure for ever: he hath pre|pared his throne for judgement, and he &s;hall judge the world in righteou&s;ne&s;s; he &s;hall mini&s;ter judgemen to the people in uprightne&s;s. </HI>See<HI> Dan. </HI>7. 9, 10.<HI> I beheld till the thrones were ca&s;t down, and the Ancient of days did &s;it, who&s;e garment was white as &s;now, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the very flame, and his wheeles as burning fire&punc; a fiery &s;tream i&s;&s;ued and came forth from before him: thou&s;and thou&s;ands mini&s;tred unto him, and ten
<PB N="115" REF="65">
thou&s;and times ten thou&s;and &s;tood before him. The judgement was &s;et, and the books were opened. </HI>See that in<HI> Rev. </HI>4. 2&punc; 3.<HI> And immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was &s;et in heaven, and one &s;ate on the throne; and he that &s;ate, was to look upon like a ja&s;per, and a &s;ar|dine; </HI>two gli&s;tering &s;tones.<HI> And there was a rain-bowe round about the throne, in &s;ight like unto an emerald; </HI>which holds forth the Covenant of Grace. See<HI> Revel. </HI>6. 16.<HI> And they &s;aid to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that &s;itteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. </HI>And that in<HI> Rev. </HI>20. 12.<HI> And I &s;aw the dead&punc; &s;mall and great, &s;tand before God: and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of tho&s;e things which were written in the books, according to their works. </HI>At ver&s;. 19.<HI> And I &s;aw a great white throne, and him that &s;ate on it, from who&s;e face the earth and the hea|ven fled away, and there was found no place for them.</HI></P>
<P>Or, the Throne may be taken thus: A Throne denotes Dignity, Rule, Kingline&s;s,
<PB N="116" REF="66">
Authority: Sitting holds forth Re&s;t. The words being thus explained, the meaning of them is this: <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;aw the Lord &s;itting up|on the Throne; that is, ruling, reigning, tri|umphing, in a peaceable manner, over his enemies.</P>
<P><HI>High, and lifted up; </HI>that is,<HI> far above all principalities and powers, might and dominion, and every name that is named, not onely in this world, but that which is to come, </HI>Eph. 1. 21.</P>
<P><HI>And his train filled the temple:</HI> That is, the skirts of his Robes&punc; with which he &s;ate upon the Throne, filled the Temple, that is, the Saints: for they are the Temple of the living God, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 16, 17.</P>
<P><HI>Above it </HI>(that is, above the Throne)<HI> &s;tood the Seraphims. </HI>What are tho&s;e? An|gels appearing as fire,<HI> P&s;al. </HI>104. 4.<HI> Who maketh his angels &s;pirits, his mini&s;ters a flaming fire. </HI>The&s;e &s;tood and attended Chri&s;t. See<HI> Dan. </HI>7. 10.<HI> Thou&s;and thou&s;ands mini&s;tred unto him, and ten thou&s;and times ten thou&s;and &s;tood before </HI>the Anci|ent of days&punc; that &s;ate upon the Throne, who&s;e garments were white as &s;now.</P>
<P><HI>Each one had &s;ix wings: with twain he covered his face; </HI>as not able to endure
<PB N="117" REF="66">
the brightne&s;s of Chri&s;t's glory; even as<HI> Mo&s;es </HI>did: &s;ee<HI> Exod. </HI>3. 6.<HI> Moreover, he &s;aid, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of I&s;aac, and the God of Jacob. And Mo&s;es hid his face: for he was afraid to look upon God. </HI>See that likewi&s;e in 1<HI> King. </HI>19. 11, 12, 13.<HI> And he &s;aid, Go forth, and &s;tand upon the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord pa&s;&s;ed by, and a great and &s;trong winde rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the winde: and after the winde, an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake, a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire, a &s;till &s;mall voice. And it was &s;o, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle&punc; and went out&punc; and &s;tood in the entring in of the cave. Elijah </HI>could not endure the glory of God, and therefore puts a mantle before his face.</P>
<P><HI>And with twain he covered his feet;</HI> as aba&s;hed in apprehen&s;ion of their own in|firmities and imperfections, compared with God's incomparable perfection and maje&s;tie, <HI>Job</HI> 4. 18. <HI>Behold, he put no tru&s;t in his &s;ervants, and his angels he charged with folly.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="118" REF="67">
<HI>And with twain he did flie: </HI>Which &s;peaks their readine&s;s and &s;wiftne&s;s to go a|bout God's bu&s;ine&s;s,<HI> P&s;al. </HI>110. 20.<HI> Ble&s;s the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in &s;trength, that do his commandments, hearkning unto the voice of his word.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And one cried to another, </HI>or,<HI> this cried to this, Holy, holy, holy. </HI>Their con&s;tant employment is prai&s;ing God. See<HI> Rev. </HI>4. 8.<HI> And the four bea&s;ts had each of them &s;ix wings about them, and they were full of eyes within; and they re&s;t not day and night, &s;aying, Holy, holy&punc; holy Lord God Almighty&punc; which was, and is, and is to come. The whole earth is full of his glo|ry; </HI>or,<HI> his glory is the fulne&s;s of the whole earth: </HI>He fills heaven and earth with his glory: we can look nowhere, but behold glory.<HI> P&s;al. </HI>104. 24, 25.<HI> Lord&punc; how mani|fold are thy works! in wi&s;dom ha&s;t thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches; &s;o is this great and wide &s;ea.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the po&s;ts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried; and the hou&s;e was filled with &s;moak&punc; </HI>that is, the po&s;ts of the door of the hou&s;e or temple moved. The po&s;ts are tho&s;e upon which the door hangs: Their moving was a &s;igne of God's in|dignation.
<PB N="119" REF="67">
See<HI> Amos </HI>9. 1.<HI> I &s;aw the Lord &s;tanding upon the altar, and he &s;aid Smite the lintel of the door, that the po&s;ts may &s;hake; and cut them in the head all of them&punc; and I will &s;lay the la&s;t of them with the &s;word: he that fleeth of them, &s;hall not flee away; and he that e&s;capeth of them &s;hall not be delivered.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the hou&s;e was filled with &s;moak: </HI>Another &s;igne of his fierce anger incen&s;ed. See<HI> P&s;al. </HI>18. 7, 8.<HI> Then the earth &s;hook and trembled&punc; the foundations of the hills moved and were &s;haken, becau&s;e he was wroth. There went up a &s;moak out of his no&s;trils, and fire out of his mouth de|voured; coals were kindled by it. </HI>See<HI> Deut. </HI>29. 20.<HI> The Lord will not &s;pare him but then the anger of the Lord, and his jealou&s;ie &s;hall &s;moak again&s;t that man. </HI>Or by &s;moak here is meant darkne&s;s: &s;ee<HI> Rev. </HI>15. 8.<HI> And the temple was filled with &s;moak from the glory of God, &amp; from his power: and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the &s;even plagues of the &s;even angels were fulfilled.</HI></P>
<P>In this &s;ymbolical Vi&s;ion, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;aw the Lord; and the di&s;covery of the Lord had &s;uch an efficacie and power upon his &s;pirit,
<PB N="120" REF="68">
that he was forced to cry out, that he was <HI>undone.</HI> So that the words are a fruit of that di&s;covery that <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> had of Chri&s;t. And there are in them the&s;e things to be con|&s;idered:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Here is what <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;aid when he &s;aw the Lord: <HI>Wo is me,</HI> or, <HI>Wo belongs to me;</HI> it is my portion.</P>
<P>Secondly, Here is the rea&s;on of that &s;ay|ing, Wo is me; and that is, <HI>For I am un|done,</HI> that is, cut off.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Here is the ground why he &s;aid he was undone; which is threefold:</P>
<P N="1">1.<HI> Becau&s;e I am a man of unclean lips; </HI>that is, becau&s;e he was vile.</P>
<P N="2">2.<HI> I dwell in the mid&s;t of a people of un|clean lips.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3.<HI> Becau&s;e mine eyes have &s;een the King, the Lord of hosts.</HI></P>
<P>That which we &s;hall rai&s;e from the words, is this:</P>
<P>That a true &s;eeing the Lord, is accom|panied with the&s;e things following:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, It undoes a man.</P>
<P>Secondly, It makes him cry out, Wo is he.</P>
<P>Thirdly, It makes him cry out that he is a man of unclean lips.</P>
<P>Fourthly, That he dwells in the mid&s;t of a people of unclean lips.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="121" REF="68">
I. Fir&s;t of all, A true di&s;covery of the Lord, undoeth a man; that is, cuts him off from what he is, or can do. <HI>As for Sama|ria&punc; her king is cut off, as the foam upon the water,</HI> Ho&s;. 10. 7. As the foam upon the face of the water is cut off, &s;o is that man cut off and beheaded, that hath &s;een the Lord. Or, it may be meant that <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> was cut off in his own apprehen&s;ions &amp; thoughts. Or, the word <HI>undone</HI> may be taken thus: An undone man is one that hath nothing to live upon of his own; no victuals or cloathes of his own: Friends, to be undone, is to have nothing to live upon of our own; as parts, gifts, righteou&s;ne&s;s, doing, working, being, thinkings, conceits, &s;elf-per&s;wa&s;ions, high e&s;ti|mation of our &s;elves, fancies, fictions, and the like; but to live upon &s;omewhat of another, which is Chri&s;t. There is in a true undoing of a man by the &s;ight of the Lord, the&s;e things following:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, There is a &s;triking of a man down. When God intends good to a &s;oul, the fir&s;t work that God takes with him, is, he &s;trikes him down &s;tark dead, that he never lives any more to him&s;elf, or to &s;in, or to the devil, but unto God. In this manner <HI>Paul</HI> was &s;truck down, <HI>as he journeyed with letters to Da|ma&s;cus:</HI>
<PB N="122" REF="69">
<HI>he came neer to Dama&s;cus, and &s;uddenly there &s;hined round about him a light from heaven; and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice &s;aying unto him, Saul, Saul, why per&s;ecute&s;t thou me?</HI> Acts 9. 3, 4. Much like to this, is that in <HI>Rev.</HI> 1. 17. <HI>And when I &s;aw him, I fell at his feet as dead.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, A true di&s;covery of the Lord, takes away a man's &s;ight, that he cannot &s;ee with his own eyes. Friends, if God intends us good, he will put out our eyes; he will blinde us, that we &s;hall not &s;ee in our own light&punc; as he did <HI>Paul&punc; And Saul aro&s;e from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he &s;aw no man&punc; but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Dama&s;cus.</HI> See <HI>Acts</HI> 9. 8. and 22. 11. We would live and &s;ee, but God will de&s;troy our life and &s;ight, if he intend us good.</P>
<P>Thirdly, A true di&s;covery of the Lord, takes away a mans &s;trength and breath. See <HI>Dan.</HI> 10. 16, 17. <HI>And behold, one like the &s;imilitude of the &s;ons of men, touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth, and &s;aid unto him that &s;tood be|fore me, O my Lord, by the vi&s;ion my &s;or|rows are turned upon me, and I have re|tained</HI>
<PB N="123" REF="69">
<HI>no &s;trength: for how can the &s;er|vant of this my Lord talk with this my Lord? for as for me, &s;traightway there remained no &s;trength in me&punc; neither is there breath left in me.</HI> It takes away our breathing after God, and our &s;trength, our power to do this and that&punc; to &s;ubdue &s;in, with&s;tand temptation, and to wre&s;tle with God, ond the like. We are ready to vaunt, and &s;ay, This is that which we have done by our might, for the honour of our maje&s;tie: but God will, if he intend good to us, con|found our breathings and &s;trength, yea, all that we are, or can do.</P>
<P>Fourthly, A true di&s;covery of the Lord confounds a mans Under&s;tanding. See <HI>Prov.</HI> 30. 1, 2. <HI>The words of Agur the &s;on of Jakeh, even the prophecie: the man &s;pake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and &V;cal. Surely I am more bruti&s;h then any man, and have not the under&s;tanding of a man.</HI> Our under&s;tandings are a great hinderance to us, in the knowledge of the things of God; and till our under&s;tanding of things be de&s;troyed, we &s;hall not &s;ee in|to the truth of things.</P>
<P>Fifthly, A true di&s;covery of the Lord&punc; de|&s;troys our Knowledge, We would and do
<PB N="124" REF="70">
know things; and no further then things do &s;ute with our knowledge, do we take things to be truth. We make our Knowledge the mea&s;ure of all Truth. But a true &s;ight of God, will confound it: If once you come to &s;ee the Lord&punc; then you will &s;ay, you have not the under&s;tanding of a man; As I was forced to &s;ay.</P>
<P>Sixthly, A true &s;ight of the Lord, de&s;troys our Wi&s;dom that makes us wi&s;e in our own eyes. We think we are wi&s;e, and we need not the wi&s;dom of God, whenas our <HI>wi&s;|dom is fooli&s;hne&s;s.</HI> We think we carry our &s;elves wi&s;ely: but <HI>God will de&s;troy the wi&s;|dom of the wi&s;e.</HI> We think we are wi&s;e to do good, and all other wi&s;dom is nothing to our own: but a true &s;ight of God will put an end to it.</P>
<P>Seventhly, A true di&s;covery of the Lord, de&s;troys all mans Holy walkings: Not that I am again&s;t holy walkings, if they be the holy walkings of Chri&s;t: it de&s;troyeth all that a man hath tru&s;ted in, and put confi|dence in, be&s;ide the Lord; all his natural faith and hope of being &s;aved; all his &s;peak|ings, pride, &s;elfi&s;hne&s;s, and the like.</P>
<P N="2">II. A true &s;ight of God doth not onely undo a man, but di&s;covers &s;in to him, and
<PB N="125" REF="70">
makes him cry out, that he is a &s;inner, that he is a man of unclean lips, that he hath &s;in|ned again&s;t the Lord: <HI>Again&s;t thee, thee onely have I &s;inned, and done this evil.</HI> It makes a man abhor him&s;elf: <HI>I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye hath &s;een thee; where|fore I abhor my &s;elf, and re pent in du&s;t and a&s;hes,</HI> Job. 42. 5, 6.</P>
<P N="3">III. A true &s;ight of God, makes a man cry out that he dwells among a &s;inful people: O it is a wicked people among whom I dwell and live! It makes him cry out of their &s;infulne&s;s. A &s;oul that hath &s;een God, cries out of &s;in&punc; whereever he &s;ees it; and of his <HI>dwelling in the tents of Sechem.</HI> It doth not onely make a &s;oul cry out that he is a man of polluted lips, but makes him ac|knowledge, that the people among whom he dwells are &s;inful. A man that hath &s;een the Lord, will not onely cry out that he him&s;elf hath &s;inned, but that tho&s;e among whom he dwells have &s;inned.</P>
<P N="4">IV. A true &s;ight of God makes a man cry out, Wo is him: wo and de&s;truction be|longs to me, for I am undone&punc; I am a man of polluted lips, for I have &s;een the Lord. Friends, if once you come to &s;ee the Lord,
<PB N="127" REF="71">
then you will cry out&punc; Wo is you, wo is you, we are undone&punc; we know not what to do; <HI>How &s;hall we do to be &s;aved?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Then flew one of the Seraphims unto me:</HI> That is&punc; one of the fiery Angels, at the command of God. See <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 103. 20. It is &s;aid, <HI>It flew:</HI> It &s;peaks the &s;wiftne&s;s with which it went to <HI>I&s;aiah;</HI> it &s;peaks the ha&s;te that it made to him, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> being in an un|done &s;tate. <HI>Having a live coal in his hand&punc;</HI> This Seraphim did not fly empty to <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> but it had in his hand a live coal; it came with &s;omewhat to enliven and comfort <HI>I|&s;aiah</HI> in this &s;tate. But what is this live coal? And whence had the Seraphim it? This live coal is the Spirit: <HI>And the Seraphim, had taken it with the tongs from off the altar:</HI> which Altar, in the type of it, was the Altar of burnt offerings, where the fire never went out, and upon which the fat of the Peace-offerings was burnt: See <HI>Lev.</HI> 6. 12. The Antitype of which Altar is Chri&s;t: &s;o that the Seraphim had it from Chri&s;t. The tongs are that with which he took the coal from off the Altar. <HI>And he laid it upon the prophets mouth;</HI> or&punc; cau&s;ed it to touch the Prophets lips. <HI>And &s;aid, Lo, this hath</HI>
<PB N="126" REF="71">
<HI>touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is ta|ken away, and thy &s;in purged.</HI> The coal touching the Prophets lips, is nothing but a &s;ecret per&s;wa&s;ion by the Spirit, that his ini|quity was done away. God no &s;ooner &s;trikes a man down dead, and undoes him, but he &s;ends a Seraphim with a live coal, to tell him good news, that his &s;ins are pardoned, and his iniquities are done away.</P>
<P>If it be thus, Then this may &s;erve to di&s;|cover a true &s;ight of the Lord from all fal&s;e &s;ights of him. Friends, if it be a true &s;ight of the Lord that you have had, then it hath undone you, taken away your Strength, Breath&punc; Under&s;tanding&punc; Knowledge, Wi&s;|dom, Light, Life, &amp;c. It hath robbed you of all yours, made you a meer beggar, &s;o that you have nothing of your own to tru&s;t to&punc; feed and live upon: It hath &s;tricken you &s;tark down dead; dead to every thing of your own and of the worlds, and alive to God: it hath crucified you, &s;lain you, that you no more live&punc; but Chri&s;t lives in you: it hath forced you to cry out, Wo is you, wo is you; for you are of unclean lips, and you dwell among a people of unclean lips. <HI>He that hath an ear to hear&punc; let him hear.</HI></P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then do not cozen and cheat
<PB N="128" REF="72">
your own &s;ouls: do not &s;ay you have &s;een, when you have not &s;een him. VVhat, have you &s;een the Lord, and are not dead, and are not undone? VVhat have you &s;een the Lord, and are alive? Do not lye. I be&s;eech you, <HI>let not a deceived heart lay hold on you; do not feed on lyes,</HI> in this re&s;pect. If you have not &s;een him, &s;peak the truth, and do not decieve your own &s;ouls: if you have &s;een him, he hath &s;tricken you down dead. If you &s;ay you have &s;een him, &amp; are yet alive, then I know not what &s;eeing of him is.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then this may &s;erve to di&s;cover the goodne&s;s of God, that when he hath &s;truck a &s;oul down dead, and took away his life from him, undone him, forced him to cry out that he is undone, and that wo, wo is he, for he is a man of uncircumci&s;ed lips, and dwells among a people of unclean lips; yet, that God &s;hould not &s;uffer that man to be &s;wallowed up in de&s;pair, but &s;hould cau&s;e to flie one of his Seraphims unto him with a live coal in his hand, and to lay it upon his mouth, to put life into him, and &s;ay, <HI>Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine ini|quity is taken away&punc; and thy &s;in purged;</HI> and &s;hould &s;ay&punc; <HI>O man greatly beloved, fear not; peace be unto thee: be &s;trong,</HI>
<PB N="129" REF="72">
<HI>yea, be &s;trong; As he did to Daniel,</HI> Dan. 10. 19. This is admirable.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Be not afraid to be undone, to lo&s;e your Life, Light, Breath, Under&s;tanding, Knowledge, Wi&s;dom, and Strength. O it is &s;weet, &s;weet: do not think much, though God by the di&s;coveries of him&s;elf to you, rob you of all you have&punc; leave you a begger. Be not afraid of the di&s;coveries of &s;in; do not fear that you &s;hall be &s;wallowed up in de|&s;pair, if God &s;hould di&s;cover your &s;elf and &s;in to you: &s;o &s;oon as ever he hath di&s;cover|ed &s;in to you, undone you, taken away your life, he will &s;end a Seraphim with a live coal in his hand, a coal that hath life in it, and will lay it upon your mouth, and &s;ay to you, <HI>This hath touched thy lips, and thine ini|quity is taken away, and thy &s;in purged,</HI> Thou art greatly beloved; fear not; peace be unto thee; be &s;trong; and &s;o fetch life in thee again, keep thee from &s;inking in &s;pirit, and being &s;wallowed up in de&s;pair. And you &s;hall no more live your own life, but for ever live the life of God; And you &s;hall no more under&s;tand and know things, and &s;ee things in your own under&s;tanding knowledge, and light: but in the under&s;tanding, knowledge, and light of God: you &s;hall do nothing in
<PB N="130" REF="73">
and by your own &s;trength and wi&s;dom, nor breathe after God in your own breath: but you &s;hall do all things in the &s;trength and wi&s;dom of God, breathe after him&s;elf in the breath of God. <HI>Selah.</HI></P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Beg of God a di&s;covery of Chri&s;t upon the throne; of a ri&s;en Chri&s;t; that it may undo you, take away your Life, VVi&s;dom&punc; Strength, Under&s;tanding, Know|ledge, Light, Strength. It is a &s;weet thing to be undone, to be &s;tript of all a man hath, to lie naked before God; and we to have nothing and be nothing of our own, but to have all and be all in God: it is the greate&s;t work God can do for a &s;oul, and it is the greate&s;t mercy God can &s;hew to a &s;oul.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then O that I had a di&s;covery of a ri&s;en Chri&s;t, of Chri&s;t upon the throne, &s;aith the &s;oul. Do you know what you de|&s;ire, what you ask for? Are you contented to be undone, to lo&s;e all that you have and are? Are you willing to have all burnt up in you by that fiery flame that i&s;&s;ueth out of Chri&s;ts mouth? Then he will manife&s;t him|&s;elf to you, and you &s;hall know the Lord in|deed and in truth, in your &s;ouls.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="6" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="131" REF="73">
<HEAD>CHAP. VI.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Some &s;weet Di&s;coveries of what &s;hall be in the later days, out of <HI>Zech.</HI> 14. 20, 21.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 20.</BIBL>
<P>In that day, &s;hall there be upon the bells of the hor&s;es, HOLI|NES &V;NTO THE LORD: and the pots in the Lords hou&s;e &s;hall be like the bowls before the altar.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>21.</BIBL>
<P>Yea every pot in Jeru&s;alem and in Judah &s;hall be holine&s;s unto the Lord of ho&s;ts: and all tho&s;e that &s;acrifice, &s;hall come and take of them, and &s;eethe therein. And in that day, there &s;hall be no more the Canaanite in the hou&s;e of the Lord of hosts.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe words are a Prophecie of what &s;hall be in the later days, and of the time in which &s;hall be that which is prophe&s;ied of.
<PB N="132" REF="74">
What &s;hall be, are the&s;e things following.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t,<HI> There &s;hall be upon the bells of the hor&s;es, Holine&s;s unto the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly,<HI> The pots in the Lords hou&s;e, &s;hall be like the bowls before the altar.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly,<HI> Every pot in Jeru&s;alem and in Judah, &s;hall be holine&s;s unto the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly&punc;<HI> All they that &s;acrifice, &s;hall come and take of them, and &s;eethe therein.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly,<HI> In that day, there &s;hall be no more the Canaanite in the hou&s;e of the Lord of ho&s;ts.</HI></P>
<P>Sixthly, The time when all the&s;e things &s;hall come to pa&s;s&punc; will be, <HI>In that day.</HI></P>
<P>There are in the fir&s;t ver&s;e of the words, the&s;e things to be con&s;idered:</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t&punc; what</HI> the bells of the hor&s;es <HI>are.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, what the meaning of that &s;ay|ing is, There &s;hall be upon the bells of the hor&s;es&punc; <HI>Holine&s;s unto&punc;the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly&punc; what the <HI>Lords hou&s;e</HI> is.</P>
<P>Fourthly, what the <HI>pots</HI> in the Lords hou&s;e are.</P>
<P>Fifthly&punc; what the <HI>altar</HI> is.</P>
<P>Sixthly, what<HI> the bowls before the al|tar </HI>are.</P>
<P><PB N="133" REF="74">
Seventhly, in what &s;ence the pots in the Lord's hou&s;e &s;hall be like the bowls before the altar.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing to be enquired into, is, What the bells of the hor&s;es are. They are the bridles of the hor&s;es, which govern, rule, and command the hor&s;es. Bridles are &s;uch, that are put into the hor&s;es mouthes, to re&s;train them.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be enquired into, is, What the meaning of that &s;aying is, There &s;hall be upon the bells of the hor&s;es, <HI>Holine&s;s unto the Lord.</HI> The Prophet having &s;poken before, of the hor&s;es overthrow, and other cattel of the enemies, (&s;ee v. 15.) he addeth, to make up the mea&s;ure, That all their &s;poils, even the very deckings of their furniture, &s;hould be con&s;ecrated to God, to make uten|&s;ils for his &s;ervice. The meaning is, God &s;hall convert to his &s;ervice, in his Church, all &s;uch things as before were employed a|gain&s;t him. See this interpretation further cleared, in <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 23. 17, 18. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s, after the end of ten yeers, that the Lord will vi&s;it Tyre, and &s;he &s;hall turn to her hire, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon</HI>
<PB N="134" REF="75">
<HI>the face of the earth: and her merchan|di&s;e and her hire &s;hall be holine&s;s to the Lord; it &s;hall not be trea&s;ured, nor laid up: for her merchandi&s;e &s;hall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat &s;uffici|ently, and for durable cloathing.</HI> Her hire &s;hall be holine&s;s unto the Lord; that is, &s;hall be converted to the &s;ervice of God, which was before employed again&s;t God. Or, the meaning of that &s;aying, <HI>There &s;hall be upon the bells of the hor&s;es, Holi|ne&s;s unto the Lord,</HI> may be this: There &s;hall be holine&s;s &s;een upon mean things poor things comparatively, as a Bridle is: A man &s;hall look nowhere, but he &s;hall &s;ee Holine&s;s writ|ten, yea, upon the mo&s;t contemptible things: If a man look behinde him, or before him, or on either &s;ide of him, he &s;hall &s;ee Holi|ne&s;s, that is&punc; he &s;hall &s;ee &s;omewhat of God in every thing in the world; &s;hall &s;ee Holi|ne&s;s in mount <HI>Zion:</HI> though mount <HI>Zion</HI> now &s;eems to be that &s;he is not, black, un|holy, yet there &s;hall be Holine&s;s &s;een there: for it &s;hall &s;hine forth, and all the world &s;hall &s;ee it: See <HI>Obadiah</HI> ver&s;. 17. <HI>&V;pon mount Zion &s;hall be deliverance, and there &s;hall be holine&s;s.</HI> As there is writ|ten Holine&s;s upon the bre&s;tplate of our high-prie&s;t
<PB N="135" REF="75">
Chri&s;t Je&s;us: &s;o &s;hall there be Holi|ne&s;s written upon us, upon <HI>mount Zion;</HI> and it &s;hall be vi&s;ible too, as it is in our Head, and as it was in the High-prie&s;t under the Law: See <HI>Exod.</HI> 39. 30. <HI>And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing like to the ingraving of a &s;ignet, Holine&s;s to the Lord,</HI> or <HI>of the Lord.</HI> And as holine&s;s was ingraven upon the Bre&s;tplate of the High-prie&s;t under the Law: &s;o it &s;hall be upon us. Con&s;ider that in <HI>Joel</HI> 3. 17. <HI>So &s;hall ye know that I am the Lord your God, dwel|ling in Zion, my holy mountain. Zion</HI> is holy, but the world &s;ees it not, and therefore the world &s;peaks evil of <HI>Zion.</HI> Then &s;hall <HI>Je|ru&s;alem be holy,</HI> or holine&s;s; <HI>and there &s;hall be no &s;tranger pa&s;s thorow her any more.</HI> God looks upon <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> to be holy, now; but when there &s;hall be no &s;tranger pa&s;s thorow her, then &s;he &s;hall be more ho|ly; then &s;he &s;hall be vi&s;ibly holy; holine&s;s &s;hall &s;o break forth in her, that the world &s;hall acknowledge her to be holine&s;s to the Lord.</P>
<P>The third thing to be enquired into, is, What the Lords hou&s;e is. It is <HI>Zion,</HI> it is <HI>Jeru&s;alem:</HI> the Lords hou&s;e are tho&s;e in
<PB N="136" REF="76">
whom he dwells; and they are his peo|ple.</P>
<P>The fourth thing to be enquired into, is, What the pots in the Lords hou&s;e are. The pots in the letter, were tho&s;e that were made u&s;e of under the Law, and were made of bra&s;s. See<HI> Exod. </HI>38. 3.<HI> He made all the ve&s;&s;els of the altar, the pots, and the &s;hovels, and the ba&s;ins, and the fle&s;h|hooks, and the fire-pans, all the ve&s;&s;els thereof, made he of bra&s;s; and they were &s;uch in which they &s;od the holy offerings. </HI>See 2<HI> Chron. </HI>35. 13.<HI> And they ro&s;ted the pa&s;&s;eover with fire, according to the or|dinance; but the other holy offerings &s;od they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them &s;peedily among the peo|ple, and afterwards they made ready for them&s;elves and the prie&s;ts, becau&s;e the prie&s;ts the &s;ons of Aaron were bu&s;ied in offering of burnt offerings. </HI>See that in<HI> Ezek. </HI>46. 22, 23, 24.<HI> In the four cor|ners of the court, there were courts of fourty cubits long, and thirty cubits broad; the&s;e four corners were of one mea&s;ure: and there was a new building round about in them, round about them four: and it was made with boyling|places
<PB N="137" REF="76">
under the rows round about. Then &s;aid he unto me, The&s;e are the places of them that boil, where the mi|ni&s;ters of the hou&s;e &s;hall boyl the &s;acrifice of the people. </HI>So that you &s;ee the pots in the letter were tho&s;e in which the Sacrifices of the people were to be boiled. The pots in the my&s;terie, are tho&s;e Divine di&s;cove|ries and manife&s;tations of Chri&s;t, in which the &s;piritual Sacrifices of the Saints are and &s;hall be boyled. That they are the di&s;coveries of Chri&s;t that fit a Sacrifice to be offered to God, &s;ee<HI> Mal. </HI>3. 2, 3, 4.<HI> But who may abide the day of his coming, and who &s;hall &s;tand whon he appeareth? for he is like refiners fire, and like fullers &s;oap; and he &s;hall &s;it as a refiner and purifier of &s;ilver; he &s;hall purifie the &s;ons of Levi, and purge them as gold and &s;ilver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteou&s;ne&s;s: then &s;hall the offering of Judah and Je|ru&s;alem be plea&s;ant unto the Lord&punc; as in the days of old, and as in former yeers.</HI></P>
<P>The fifth thing to be enquired into, is, What the Altar is. The Altar is Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><PB N="138" REF="77">
The &s;ixth thing to be enquired into, is, What the Bowls before the Altar are. The Bowls, in the letter, were tho&s;e in which was put the blood of the Sacrifice, and of Sprinkling. See 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 4. 8. <HI>Exod.</HI> 29. 20. <HI>Levit.</HI> 4. 6. <HI>Levit.</HI> 9. 8, 9. Or, the Bowls in the letter were tho&s;e in which they put fine flour mingled with oil, for a meat|offering: See <HI>Numb.</HI> 7. 13, 19, 25, 31, 37, 43, 49, 55, 61, 67, 73, 79. The Bowls in the &s;piritual interpretation, are the Saints, in which the blood of &s;prinkling is. The pots in the Lords hou&s;e &s;hall be like the Bowls before the Altar, in this re&s;pect, that is to &s;ay, for multitude; as it was in the letter: &s;ee 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 4. 8. <HI>He made al&s;o ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the right &s;ide, and five on the left: and he made an hundred ba&s;ins,</HI> that is, <HI>bowls of gold.</HI> Now the pots were not &s;o many. It &s;peaks the ma|nifold di&s;coveries of God that &s;hall be in the later days to his people. Or, it &s;peaks this, that is to &s;ay, The multiplicity of &s;piritual &s;ervices that &s;hall be offered to God in the later days.</P>
<P>The things that are to be enquired into
<PB N="139" REF="77">
in the la&s;t ver&s;e of the words, are the&s;e fol|lowing.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> are.</P>
<P>Secondly, what every pot in <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> is.</P>
<P>Thirdly, how and in what &s;ence it &s;hall be holine&s;s to the Lord of ho&s;ts.</P>
<P>Fourthly, what is meant by the <HI>Canaan|ite.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, when the&s;e things &s;hall come to pa&s;s.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t thing to be &s;poken to, is, What <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> are. <HI>Judah</HI> was one of the twelve Tribes: &s;ee <HI>Revel.</HI> 7. 5. <HI>Hieru&s;alem</HI> is the Saints of the mo&s;t High, the Lambs wife.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing to be &s;poken to, is, What every pot in <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> is. It is the &s;ame as the pots in the Lords hou&s;e are: Every pot, that is, every di&s;covery of Chri&s;t, that purifies every Sacrifice, and makes it fit to be offered up to God.</P>
<P>The third thing to be &s;poken to, is, How and in what &s;ence every pot in <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> &s;hall be Holine&s;s to the Lord. The meaning is, It &s;hall be of a holy u&s;e to the Lord of ho&s;ts, that is, of Armies.
<PB N="140" REF="78">
But of what u&s;e? To purifie and make fit Sacrifices to be put up to him. Or&punc; it may be taken thus: every di&s;covery of Chri&s;t &s;hall be holy to the Lord; that is, there &s;hall be written upon every di&s;covery, <HI>Holine&s;s:</HI> for tho&s;e are true&s;t di&s;coveries, that have Holine&s;s written upon them. <HI>Sclah.</HI> And all they that Sacrifice &s;hall come and take of them, that is&punc; of the di&s;coveries, and &s;eethe there|in: they &s;hall boyl their Sacrifices in the di&s;coveries and manife&s;tations of Chri&s;t, and &s;o make them pure Sacrifices, to be offered up to God, <HI>Mal.</HI> 1. 11.</P>
<P>The fourth thing to be &s;poken to, is, What is meant by the<HI> Canaanite. </HI>The<HI> Canaanite </HI>may be meant the<HI> Merchant: </HI>he &s;eems to have a &s;pecial relation to the abu&s;e of Mer|chandi&s;ing and &s;elling, which was u&s;ed in the Temple: See<HI> Joh. </HI>2, 15.<HI> And when he had made a &s;courge of &s;mallcords&punc; he drave them all out of the temple, and the &s;heep and the oxen and poured out the changers mony, aud overthrew the tables, </HI>Mat. 21. 2. Or, by the<HI> Canaanite </HI>may be meant the un|clean, per&s;on: See<HI> I&s;a. </HI>35. 6.<HI> And an high|way &s;hall be there, and a way; and it &s;hall be called the way of holine&s;s: the unclean &s;hall not pa&s;e over it. </HI>See Rev. 2. 27.<HI> And
<PB N="141" REF="78">
there &s;hall in no wi&s;e enter into it any thing that defileth, neither what&s;oever worketh abomination or maketh a lye. </HI>God will &s;o purifie his people, that there &s;hall be no unclean thing in them; but they &s;hall be ho|ly and unblameable before him.</P>
<P>The la&s;t thing to be &s;poken to, is, When all the&s;e things &s;hall come to pa&s;s; and that is, <HI>In that day.</HI> What is meant by <HI>that day?</HI> The day of Gods coming: See <HI>Zech.</HI> 14. the latter part of ver&s;. 5. Then &s;hall the&s;e Prophecies be fullfilled, when Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hall appear the &s;econd time without &s;in, to &s;alvation.</P>
<P>If it be thus, Then this may di&s;cover what &s;hall be in that day; there &s;hall be holine&s;s written upon every thing: we &s;hall &s;ee &s;ome|what of God in every thing, even in the meane&s;t things. And tho&s;e things that have been made u&s;e of again&s;t the Lord, &s;hall be turned into an holy u&s;e: they &s;hall be holi|ne&s;s unto the Lord. The pots in the Lords hou&s;e &s;hall be like the bowls before the Al|tar: there &s;hall be multiplicities of di&s;cove|ries of Chri&s;t; that is, abundance of di&s;co|veries of Chri&s;t in the latter days: Every pot in <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> &s;hall be holine&s;s unto the Lord; there &s;hall be holine&s;s written upon every
<PB N="142" REF="79">
di&s;covery of God: they &s;hall come and boyl their Sacrifices in the&s;e di&s;coveries of God: there &s;hall no Merchant, no unclean thing, be in <HI>Zion,</HI> in <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> but all &s;hall be pure, <HI>and nothing &s;hall hurt nor de&s;troy in Gods holy mountain.</HI> So that <HI>Zion</HI> &s;hall be a peaceable and pure e&s;tate.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, This may &s;erve to di&s;cover what <HI>Zion,</HI> the Lords hou&s;e, is. It is not a Stone|walled hou&s;e, &s;uch as your meeting-places are: the Lords hou&s;e is his People, in whom he dwells: the the foundation of this hou&s;e, is Chri&s;t; it is founded upon a &s;ure Rock, that the winds and &s;torms of corruptions and temptations cannot &s;hake it. The Lords hou&s;e is a &s;piritual building, built by him&s;elf, to be the habitation of him&s;elf by the Spirit.</P>
<P>If it be thus, Then this may &s;erve to in|form us of tho&s;e pure Sacrifices that &s;hall be offered up to God in the latter days. Now, our Sacrifices are full of dro&s;s and mixture of &s;omewhat of our own; but then, they &s;hall be clean: that which &s;hall make them clean, &s;hall be tho&s;e great and large di&s;cove|ries of God that then will be. Now, we are troubled and perplexed that we cannot offer up better Sacrifices then we do, to God, that we cannot wor&s;hip him as we would
<PB N="143" REF="79">
do, in Spirit and in truth; but then, we &s;hall wor&s;hip in the purene&s;s of the Spirit.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then this may &s;erve to di&s;co|ver true di&s;coveries of Chri&s;t, from fal&s;e. VVhat a many rotten pretended di&s;coveries of Chri&s;t we and others have had! O how we have entertained fal&s;hood in&s;tead of truth, and lived upon it! But a true di&s;cove|ry of Chri&s;t, hath this Motto written upon it, <HI>HOLINESS TO THE LORD.</HI> If your di&s;coveries of God bring not along with them holine&s;s, they are delu&s;ions of Satan: if any di&s;coveries of God come with holine&s;s engravened upon them, receive them.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, Then this may &s;erve to over|throw that doctrine that is newly &s;prung up; which is, that there &s;hall not be Sacri|fices offered up to God in the new <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem</HI>-&s;tate. That there &s;hall be, it is cleer from what I have &s;aid: Onely there &s;hall be this difference; more purer Sacrifices &s;hall be offered up then, then now there are: then &s;hall the offerings of <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> be more pure and plea&s;ant to the land. And that the words here &s;peak of the new <HI>Jeru|&s;alem</HI>-&s;tate, it appears by the la&s;t ver&s;e: <HI>There &s;hall be no more the Canaanite in the land;</HI> of which thing <HI>John</HI> &s;peaks of, when
<PB N="144" REF="80">
he &s;peaks of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI>-&s;tate, in <HI>Rev.</HI> 21. 27.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But, may &s;ome &s;ay, It will be a long while before what you have &s;aid will come to pa&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To this I an&s;wer, It will come to pa&s;s <HI>in that day;</HI> and how &s;oon God may come, we know not: he may come pre&s;ent|ly, and deceive many, for ought that we know.</P>
<P>Secondly, I &s;ay this, that <HI>all the promi&s;es of Chri&s;t are yea and amen in Chri&s;t;</HI> and we are not to look upon prophecies and promi&s;es as altogether at a di&s;tance, and to be fullfilled hereafter; but <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">gh, and fulfil|led in Chri&s;t.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="7" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="145" REF="80">
<HEAD>CHAP. VII.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Some &s;weet Manife&s;tations of the neerne&s;s of Chri&s;t's coming, and of tho&s;e glorious things that &s;hall follow after his coming; out of <HI>Zech.</HI> 14. the later end of ver&s;. 5. and v. 6, 7, 8, 9.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>Ver&s;. 5.</BIBL>
<P>And the Lord my God &s;hall eome, and all the &s;aints with thee.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>6.</BIBL>
<P>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s in that day that the light &s;hall not be clear nor dark.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>7.</BIBL>
<P>But it &s;hall be one day, which &s;hall be known to the Lord, not day nor night: but it &s;hall come to pa&s;s, that in the evening-time it &s;hall be light.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>8.</BIBL>
<P>And it &s;hall be in that day, that living waters &s;hall go out from Jeru&s;alem, half of them towards
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the former &s;ea, and half of them toward the hinder &s;ea: in &s;ummer and in winter &s;hall it be.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>9.</BIBL>
<P>And the Lord &s;hall be King over all the earth: in that day &s;hall there be one Lord, and his Name one.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the fir&s;t Ver&s;e of this Chapter, the Pro|phet &s;peaks of the coming of the day of the Lord: <HI>Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,</HI> &s;aith he: <HI>Behold;</HI> as if he &s;aw it, and therefore called upon them to &s;ee it: and tells them, that <HI>their &s;poil &s;hall be divided in the mid&s;t of them.</HI> He bids them be|hold and take notice of the coming of the day of God, le&s;t it &s;hould come upon them unawares. He gives them the rea&s;on why he would have them take notice of the coming of the day of God: <HI>For I will ga|ther all nations again&s;t Jeru&s;alem to bat|tel, and the city &s;hall be taken, and the hou&s;es rifled, and the women ravi&s;hed.</HI> Here he &s;peaks of the ruine of <HI>Jeru&s;alem. And half of the city &s;hall go forth into captivity.</HI> Here he &s;peaks of leading one half of the City into Captivity. <HI>And the re&s;idue of the people &s;hall not be cut off</HI>
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<HI>from the city.</HI> Here, he would &s;ave a remnant that &s;hould po&s;&s;e&s;s and enjoy tho&s;e glorious things prophe&s;ied of in this Chapter. <HI>Then &s;hall the Lord go forth, and fight again&s;t tho&s;e nations:</HI> or, as it is in the margine of &s;ome Bibles, <HI>in the middle,</HI> or <HI>among tho&s;e nations gathered together a|gain&s;t Jeru&s;alem;</HI> not as an enemy, but helper. <HI>And he &s;hall fight as when he fought in the day of battel for Gideon,</HI> Judg. 7. 22. God &s;etting every mans &s;word again&s;t his fellow; <HI>and as at the red-&s;ea,</HI> cau&s;ing his enemies to be drowned in the &s;ea, and his people to go over dry-foot. <HI>And his feet &s;hall &s;tand in that day upon the mount of Olives which is before Jeru|&s;alem on the ea&s;t.</HI> God would fight upon that mount again&s;t <HI>Jeru&s;alem.</HI> Or, it may be taken thus: By this manner of &s;peech the Prophet &s;heweth Gods power and care over his people, and how he will as it were by miracle &s;ave them. <HI>And the mount of O|lives &s;hall cleave in the mid&s;t thereof, to|ward the ea&s;t, and toward the we&s;t; and there &s;hall be a very great valley: and half of the mountain &s;hall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the &s;outh, &s;o that there &s;hall be a very great valley;</HI>
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in&s;omuch that out of all the parts of the world they &s;hall &s;ee <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> which was before hid with this mountain. This is to be under&s;tood of &s;piritual <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> the people of God. See <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 66. 23. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s, that from one new moon to another, and from one &s;abbath to ano|ther, &s;hall all fle&s;h come to wor&s;hip before me, &s;aith the Lord. And ye &s;hall flee to the valley of the mountains:</HI> All you be|lievers &s;hall run unto the people of God, to be &s;afe from the de&s;truction of <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI> Or it may be taken thus: The Prophet &s;peaketh of the hypocrites, that could not endure the pre&s;ence of God, but &s;hould flee into all places where they might hide them|&s;elves among the mountains. <HI>For the valley of the mountains &s;hall reach unto Azal;</HI> that is, to the place he &s;eparated for his peo|ple; which the word <HI>Azal</HI> &s;ignifieth. <HI>Yea, ye &s;hall flee, like as ye fled from be|fore the earthquake in the days of &V;z|ziah king of Iudah;</HI> which fleeing was with fear and trembling. <HI>And the Lord my God &s;hall come, and all the &s;aints with thee.</HI> Becau&s;e they did not credit what the Prophet &s;aid to them, he turneth to God, and comforteth him&s;elf, in that he knew
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the&s;e things &s;hould come to pa&s;s, and &s;aith, <HI>And the Lord my God &s;hall come, and all the &s;aints with thee,</HI> to perform this. The Prophet &s;peaks to the Lord, as his God, and can claim an intere&s;t and propriety in him&punc; as his; as the P&s;almi&s;t in many places of the P&s;alms doth: <HI>Thou art my God, and I will prai&s;e thee.</HI> Oh how &s;weet a thing it is, when a &s;oul can claim an intere&s;t in God, and can &s;ay, Thou art my God, The Lord my God &s;hall come! The Prophet cannot onely claim an intere&s;t in the Lord, as his God; but he can command God; He &s;hall come: he had power with God, as <HI>Iacab</HI> had over the Angel. Friends, what an excellent thing it is, for a &s;oul to command God, to have power with God for any thing; to &s;ubdue &s;in, repel a temptation, conquer the devil! A believer hath this pri|viledge and power; he may command the Lord, as his God, for things to come, things concerning his &s;ons, or the work of Gods hands; and he will be commanded by him. See <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 45. 11. <HI>And there was no day like that, before it, or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for I&s;rael.</HI> See this in <HI>Io&s;h.</HI> 10. 14. <HI>And this is the confidence</HI>
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<HI>that we have in him,</HI> or concerning him, <HI>that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, what&s;oever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we de&s;ired of him,</HI> 1 Joh. 5. 14, 15. <HI>And what&s;o|ever ye &s;hall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye &s;hall ask any thing in my name, I will do it,</HI> Joh. 14. 13, 14. <HI>And in that day ye &s;hall ask me nothing: Verily, verily, I &s;ay&punc; unto you, What&s;oever ye &s;hall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you,</HI> Joh. 16. 23.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord my God &s;hall come.</HI> There are three &s;orts of the coming of Chri&s;t, in Scripture.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, There was a coming of Chri&s;t in fle&s;h.<HI> Great is the my&s;tery of godline&s;s, God manife&s;ted in the fle&s;h, </HI>1 Tim. 3. 16.<HI> Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but was mani|fe&s;ted in the&s;e la&s;t times for you, </HI>1 Pet. 1. 20.<HI> But we have not followed cun|ningly-devi&s;ed fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; but were eye-wit|ne&s;&s;es of his maje&s;tie. </HI>See this in 2<HI> Pet.</HI>
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1. 16. Now this coming of Chri&s;t was to<HI> fini&s;h tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, </HI>and to<HI> make an end of &s;in, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everla&s;ting righteou&s;ne&s;s, </HI>Dan. 9. 24.</P>
<P>Secondly, There is a coming of Chri&s;t in Spirit. See<HI> Ioel </HI>2. 28, 29.<HI> And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s in the la&s;t days, &s;aith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all fle&s;h; and your &s;ons and daughters &s;hall prophe&s;ie, and your young men &s;hall &s;ee vi&s;ions, and your old men &s;hall dream dreams. </HI>See that likewi&s;e in<HI> Zech. </HI>12. 10.<HI> And I will pour out upon the hou&s;e of David, and upon the inhabitants of Ieru|&s;alem, the &s;pirit of grace and of &s;upplica|tion; and they &s;hall look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they &s;hall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his onely &s;on, and &s;hall be in bitterne&s;s for him, as one that is in bitterne&s;s for his fir&s;t-born. </HI>Now all this was fulfilled in part, in<HI> Act. </HI>2. 2, 3. and is yet to be fulfilled. And the end of his coming thus, was, to<HI> convince the world of &s;in, of righteou&s;ne&s;s, and of judgement. </HI>See<HI> Ioh. </HI>6. 9, 10, 11. and to teach his di&s;ciples<HI> all things, </HI>and to<HI> bring all things to their remembrance. </HI>See
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<HI>Ioh. </HI>16. 26. and to<HI> te&s;tifie </HI>of Chri&s;t to them, and to<HI> guide them into all truth; </HI>and many other things.</P>
<P>Thirdly, There is a third appearance of Chri&s;t, which is <HI>his appearance the &s;e|cond time, without &s;in&punc; unto &s;alvation, unto them that wait for him,</HI> Heb. 9. 28. Which coming of Chri&s;t, is the la&s;t com|ing of Chri&s;t; of which I do intend now to &s;peak.</P>
<P><HI>My God &s;hall come. </HI>I can &s;ay boldly, as well as the Prophet My God &s;hall come, (ble&s;&s;ed be his holy Name:) I can com|mand him, and he will be commanded by me. And not onely My God &s;hall come, but Your God &s;hall come. He is not onely the Prophet's God that &s;hall come&punc; but My God, Our God, Thy God, and Your God which &s;hall come. What, my God? Yes: &s;ee<HI> I&s;ai. </HI>35. 3, 4.<HI> Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees: &s;ay to them that are of a fearful heart, </HI>that is, of an unbelieving heart, or ha&s;tie heart,<HI> Be &s;trong fear not: behold, your God will come: </HI>your God that you &s;eek for, and wait for, will come, and he &s;hall come. What, to me? Yea, to a ha&s;tie heart. But he will appear to my &s;hame.<HI><PB N="153" REF="84"></HI>No, to your joy and comfort. See<HI> I&s;a. </HI>40. 10.<HI> Behold, the Lord God will come. </HI>Be|hold; as if he &s;aw him coming.<HI> I&s;a. </HI>66. 11.<HI> Behold, the Lord will come, </HI>will indeed come.<HI> The vi&s;ion is for an appointed time; wait for it, it will come, it will &s;urely come, it will not tarry, </HI>Habb. 2. 3.<HI> Sing and rejoyce, O daughters of Zion: for lo, I come, and will dwell in the mid&s;t of you, </HI>Zech. 2. 10.<HI> Say unto the cities of Jeru&s;a|lem, Behold, your God, </HI>I&s;a. 40. 9.<HI> Let the fields be joyful, and all that is therein: then &s;hall all the trees of the wood rejoyce before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he &s;hall judge the world with righteou&s;ne&s;s, and the peo|ple with his truth, </HI>P&s;al. 96. 12, 13.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But how &s;hall he come?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w. </HI>See that in<HI> P&s;al. </HI>50. 3.<HI> Our Lord &s;hall come, and &s;hall not keep &s;ilence. I have a long time, </HI>(&s;aith God)<HI> holden my peace, I have been &s;ilent, I refrained my &s;elf; now will I cry like a travelling woman, I will de&s;troy and devour at once. The Lord &s;hall go forth like a mighty man; he &s;hall &s;tir up jealou&s;ie like a man of war; he &s;hall cry, yearoar: he &s;hall prevail again&s;t his enemies, </HI>I&s;a. 42. 14. 13.<HI> A fire &s;hall
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devour before him; </HI>which is him&s;elf: See<HI> Deut </HI>4. 24.<HI> For the Lord thy God is a con|&s;uming fire, even a jealous God: under|&s;tand therefore&punc; this day, that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee: as a con&s;uming fire he &s;hall de&s;troy them, and he &s;hall bring them down before thy face; &s;o &s;halt thou drive them out, and de|&s;troy them quickly, as the Lord hath &s;aid unto thee, </HI>Deut. 9. 3.<HI> And it &s;hall be very tempe&s;tuous round about him. Who &s;hall &s;tand when he appeareth? for he is like the refiners fire, and he &s;hall &s;it as a refiner and purifier of gold, </HI>Mal. 3. 2 3. Con&s;i|der that in<HI> I&s;a. </HI>35. 4.<HI> Your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recom|pence will come and &s;ave you. </HI>This Scri|pture holds forth the coming of Chri&s;t two manner of ways.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, He will come with a vengeance a|gain&s;t all our &s;ins, and temptations, and di|vel; and &s;ave us from them all.</P>
<P>Secondly, He will come with a recom|pence: he will come with a reward for all tho&s;e &s;ufferings that we have endured from &s;in, men, and Satan: he will reward us for all our &s;ufferings. Or it may be taken thus: He will come with a recompence; he will re|ward
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with de&s;truction all our enemies: <HI>for the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver&punc; the Lord is our King; he will &s;ave us,</HI> I&s;a. 33. 22. And then that in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 41. 10. <HI>The Lord will come with a &s;trong hand&punc;</HI> or <HI>again&s;t the &s;trong with a mighty hand&punc;</HI> or <HI>mighty power, again&s;t his ene|mies</HI> again&s;t our corruptions; <HI>and his arm &s;hall rule for him.</HI> The &s;trength of a man is in his Armes; &s;o Gods &s;trength is in his Armes: Gods Armes &s;hall rule for him: <HI>Behold, his reward is with him, and his work</HI> (or recompence) <HI>before him.</HI> Con|&s;ider that in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 66. 15. <HI>Behold, the Lord will come with fire; and with his Chari|ots like a whirlwind</HI> (that is, he will come &s;wiftly and fiercely) <HI>to render his anger with fury upon his enemies, and his rebuke with flames of fire:</HI> that is, with the &s;corch|ing burnings of him&s;elf.</P>
<P>We &s;hall further illu&s;trate the coming of Chri&s;t by the&s;e things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t&punc; He &s;hall come in a cloud.</P>
<P>Secondly&punc; He &s;hall come in the clouds.</P>
<P>Thirdly&punc; He &s;hall come with clouds&punc;</P>
<P>Fourthly, He &s;hall come with his Saints and Angels.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, He &s;hall come in a cloud. See
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<HI>Luke </HI>21. 27.<HI> And then &s;hall they &s;ee the Son of man coming in a cloud. </HI>What cloud? In a cloud of darkne&s;s. As he went up in a cloud, &s;o he &s;hall come down in a cloud: in the &s;ame manner that he went up, in the &s;ame manner he &s;hall come down. See<HI> Act. </HI>1. 11.<HI> Which al&s;o &s;aid, Ye men of Galilee, why &s;tand ye gazing up into hea|ven? This &s;ame Je&s;us which is taken up from you into heaven, &s;hall &s;o come in like manner as ye have &s;een him go into hea|ven. For the Lord him&s;elf &s;hall de&s;cend from heaven with a &s;hout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Chri&s;t &s;hall ri&s;e fir&s;t. Then we which are alive and re|main, &s;hall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and &s;o &s;hall we ever be with the Lord&punc; </HI>1 The&s;. 4. 16, 17.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But, may &s;ome &s;ay, You hold the per&s;onal reign of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Yes: but I do not hold it as ma|ny hold it: I hold that he &s;hall come per|&s;onally, and reign; but yet &s;piritually, with &s;piritual fle&s;h and blood, with a glorified body; and what that is, I know not.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But &s;hall not he come and reign,
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with that very fle&s;h and body which he had at <HI>Ieru&s;alem?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> No. My rea&s;on is: <HI>For thou &s;owe&s;t not that body which &s;hall be:</HI> that which &s;hall be, is changed, metamorpho|&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>Object. </HI>But &s;ome will &s;ay,<HI> How are the dead rai&s;ed? and with what body do they come?</HI></P>
<P>An&s;w.<HI> Thou fool, that which thou &s;ow|e&s;t is not quickned, except it die; and that which thou &s;owe&s;t, thou &s;owe&s;t not that body that &s;hall be&punc; but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of &s;ome other grain; but God gives it a body, as it hath plea&s;ed him, and to every &s;eed his own body, </HI>1 Cor&punc; 15. 35, 36, 37, 31.<HI> Selah.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, he &s;hall come in the clouds. See <HI>Matth.</HI> 26&punc; 64. <HI>Je&s;us &s;aid unto them, Thou hast &s;aid. Neverthele&s;s I &s;ay un|to you, Hereafter &s;hall ye &s;ee the Son of man &s;itting on the right hand of power,</HI> which is the Father, <HI>and coming in the clouds of heaven.</HI> What are the&s;e clouds? They are clouds of darkne&s;s: <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 97. 2. <HI>Clouds and darkne&s;s are round about him,</HI> and <HI>he maketh the clouds his chariot, P&s;al.</HI> 104. 3. Clouds of darkne&s;s are
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Chri&s;t's Chariot, in which he will come riding into the world, and into the &s;pirits of his people. He &s;hall come in this Chariot two manner of ways:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he &s;hall come with Power: he &s;hall come with power into the world, and the &s;pirits of his people: they &s;hall feel his power: he will come with maje&s;tie, and as one that hath authority: he will<HI> beat down the mountains, and every thing that lies in oppo&s;ition to him; the lofty looks of men and women &s;hall he humble, and the haughtine&s;s of them &s;hall he bow down: then every one that is prond, lofty, and lifted up, &s;hall he bring lowe; all the tall cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lift|ed up, and all the tall oaks of Ba&s;han, and all the high hills, and the high towers, and fenced walls, and the &s;hips of Tar&s;hi&s;h, and plea&s;ant pictures; and the idols &s;hall he utterly overthrow and aboli&s;h. And they &s;hall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and the glory of his maje&s;tie, when he ari&s;eth to &s;hake terribly the earth: and then &s;hall they ca&s;t their idols of &s;ilver and gold, which they have made every one for him&s;elf to wor&s;hip, to the
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moles, and to the bats, to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the rag|ged rocks&punc; for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his maje&s;ty.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, he &s;hall come in great Glory; that is, huge&punc; va&s;t glory, that &s;hall dazzle the eyes of all people: he &s;hall come in &s;uch glory as &s;hall &s;corch the men of the earth: he &s;hall come in the brightne&s;s of him&s;elf, which &s;hall a&s;toni&s;h all fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Thirdly, he &s;hall come with clouds. See <HI>Revel.</HI> 1. 7. <HI>Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye &s;hall &s;ee him, and they al&s;o which pierced him; and the kinreds of the earth &s;hall wail be|cau&s;e of him. Even &s;o. Amen.</HI> Clouds of darkne&s;s &s;hall u&s;her him in into the world, and all &s;hall &s;ee him; and tho&s;e that have pierced him, &s;hall cry out becau&s;e of him.</P>
<P>Fourthly, he &s;hall come with his Saints and Angels.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he &s;hall come with his Saints:<HI> My God &s;hall come, and all his Saints with him. And Enoch al&s;o, the &s;eventh from Adam, prophe&s;ied of the&s;e, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thou&s;and of his &s;aints, </HI>Jude<HI> ver&s;. </HI>14.<HI> To the end he
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may e&s;tabli&s;h your hearts unblameable in holine&s;s before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t with all his &s;aints, </HI>1 The&s;. 3. 13.</P>
<P>Secondly, he &s;hall come with his Angels likewi&s;e.<HI> The chariots of God are twen|ty thou&s;and, even thou&s;ands of angels: the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place, </HI>P&s;al. 68. 17.<HI> For the Son of man &s;hall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, </HI>Matth. 16. 27.<HI> And to you who are troubled, re&s;t with us, when the Lord Je&s;us &s;hall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. </HI>2 The&s;&s;. 1. 7. As clouds and darkne&s;s &s;hall u&s;her him in, &s;o Saints and Angels &s;hall be his guard to wait upon him, in his coming.</P>
<P>I &s;hall further hold forth the coming of Chri&s;t, the&s;e manner of ways following; and then &s;hew you the end of his coming.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he &s;hall come in the glory of his Father.</P>
<P>Secondly, he &s;hall come in the glory of Him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Thirdly, he &s;hall come in the glory of his Angels.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he &s;hall come in the glory of his Father, cloathed with his Fathers glory, clad<HI><PB N="161" REF="88"></HI>with his riches, grace, and good will; filled with his fulne&s;s. See<HI> Mar. </HI>8. 38.<HI> Who&s;oever therefore &s;hall be a&s;hamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and &s;inful generation, of him al&s;o &s;hall the Son of man be a&s;hamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, he &s;hall come in his own glory, which is God him&s;elf.<HI> Father, glorifie me with thine own &s;elf, </HI>which is<HI> with the glory I had with thee before the beginning of the world, </HI>Joh. 17. 5.<HI> The Lord po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old: I was &s;et up from everla&s;t|ing, from the beginning, or ever the earth was, </HI>Prov. 8. 22, 23.<HI> In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, </HI>Joh. 1. 1. He &s;hall come with the fulne&s;s of the Godhead in him,<HI> Col. </HI>2. 9. he &s;hall come with a ful|ne&s;s of grace and truth,<HI> Joh. </HI>1. 14.<HI> For it plea&s;ed the Father that in him all fulne&s;s &s;hould dwell, Col. </HI>1. 19. With all his fulnh&s;s he &s;hall come.</P>
<P>Thirdly, he &s;hall come in the glory of his Angels, cloathed with the Angelical glory. But what is the glory of Angels? See <HI>Heb.</HI> 1. 7. <HI>And of the angels he &s;aith,</HI>
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<HI>Who maketh his angels &s;pirits, and his mini&s;ters a flame of fire.</HI> The glory of Angels is that flame of fire that is in them, and wherewith they are cloathed, which is nothing but their fiery and flame-like ap|pearances. The glory of Angels is the &s;trength of Angels&punc; <HI>Ble&s;s the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in &s;trength,</HI> or, are mighty in &s;trength&punc; <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 103. 20. The glory of Angels is their holine&s;s: See <HI>Mat.</HI> 25. 31. <HI>When the Son of man &s;hall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then &s;hall he &s;it upon the throne of his glory.</HI> The glory of Angels con&s;i&s;teth in this likewi&s;e: <HI>They neither marry, nor give in marriage.</HI></P>
<P>The la&s;t thing to be enquired into, is, the ends of his coming. They are the&s;e things following.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is this:<HI> That in the di&s;pen&s;ation of the fulne&s;s of times, he might gather to|ther into one, all things in Chri&s;t, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, </HI>Eph. 1. 10.<HI> And he &s;hall &s;end his angels, with a great &s;ound of a trumpet </HI>or, with a trumpet and a great voice;<HI> and they &s;hall gather together his elect from the four windes, from one end of heaven to the
<PB N="163" REF="89">
other, </HI>Matth. 24. 31. or,<HI> from the utter|mo&s;t parts of the earth, to the uttermo&s;t part of heaven, </HI>Mar. 13. 27.</P>
<P>Secondly, that he might<HI> gather his people together, unto the &s;upper of the great God; </HI>that is to &s;ay,<HI> to eat the fle&s;h of kings, and the fle&s;h of captains, and the fle&s;h of mighty men; and the fle&s;h of hor&s;es, and of them that &s;it on them; and the fle&s;h of all men, both free and bond, both &s;mall and great. </HI>Friends, we &s;hall feed upon all our enemies; we &s;hall make a &s;upper of them all,<HI> Rev. </HI>19. 18.<HI> And I &s;aw an an|gel &s;tanding in the &s;un, and he cried with a loud voice, &s;aying to all fowls that flie in the mid&s;t of heaven, Come and gather your &s;elves together to the &s;upper of the great God, </HI>ver&s;. 17.</P>
<P>The third end, is<HI> to take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Go&s;pel of our Lord Je&s;us. </HI>2 The&s;. 1. 7, 8 9.<HI> And to you who are troubled, re&s;t with us, when the Lord Je&s;us &s;hall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Go&s;pel of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t: who &s;hall be puni&s;h|ed with everla&s;ting de&s;truction from the
<PB N="164" REF="90">
pre&s;ence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.</HI></P>
<P>The fourth end of his coming, is, that he might de&s;troy that wicked one:<HI> And then &s;hall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord &s;hall con&s;ume with the &s;pirit of his mouth, and &s;hall de&s;troy with the brightne&s;s of his coming; </HI>which is Antichri&s;t, 2<HI> The&s;. </HI>2. 8.</P>
<P>If it be thus, that My God, Thy God, Our God, Your God &s;hall come, yea, will come; Be not afraid of his coming and of his fiery appearance: he comes to &s;ave you, to redeem you: he brings with him Redem|ption and Salvation: he comes to deliver you from your corruptions, from your tem|ptations, from your bondage and affliction. Why &s;hould ye fear? <HI>Therefore, lift up your heads: for your redemption draws nigh.</HI></P>
<P>If it be thus, that My God, Thy God, Your God &s;hall come, Do not doubt of his coming.<HI> Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be &s;trong, fear not; behold, your God will come; </HI>You need not fear but that he will. But when will he come? He &s;hall &s;uddenly come,<HI> Mal. </HI>3. 1.<HI> The
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Lerd whom ye &s;eek, even the Me&s;&s;enger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, &s;hall &s;uddenly come into his temple. Behold, I come quickly; hold that fa&s;t which thou ha&s;t, that no man take thy crown, </HI>Revel. 3. 11. Friends, look to your Crown: God hath &s;et a Crown of pure gold, that is, of &s;alvation, upon your heads; take heed that Satan rob you not of it:<HI> Behold, I come as a thief: ble&s;&s;ed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, le&s;t he walk naked, and they &s;ee his &s;hame, </HI>Rev. 16. 15.<HI> Behold, I come quickly: ble&s;&s;ed is he that keepeth the &s;ayings of the prophecies of this book, </HI>Rev. 22. 7.<HI> Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according to his work, </HI>ver&s;. 12.<HI> As the light cometh out of the ea&s;t, and &s;hineth even unto the we&s;t, &s;o &s;hall al&s;o the coming of the Son of man be; </HI>which will be with &s;peed, quickly,<HI> Matth. </HI>24. 27. He hath promi&s;ed that he will come, and come quickly.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But, may &s;ome &s;ay,<HI> Where is the promi&s;e of his coming? for &s;ince the fa|thers </HI>and Apo&s;tles<HI> fell a&s;leep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="166" REF="91">

<HI>An&s;w.</HI> Take heed what you &s;ay. This was the &s;aying of &s;coffers that walked after their own lu&s;ts&punc; See 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 4.</P>
<P><HI>Quest.</HI> But, may &s;ome &s;ay, There are a great many things to be fulfilled and ac|compli&s;hed before Chri&s;t comes in this manner; as. The calling of the Jews, The bringing in of the Gentiles, The time of <HI>re|&s;titution of all things,</HI> &s;poken of in <HI>Acts</HI> 2. 20, 21. and divers other things, &s;poken of in <HI>Matth.</HI> 24. Al&s;o, Satan is to be ca&s;t into the bottomle&s;s pit, and to be &s;hut up there, and to have a &s;eal &s;et upon him, that he &s;hould deceive the Nations no more, till the thou&s;and yeers &s;hould be fulfilled: after that, he mu&s;t be loo&s;ed for a little &s;ea|&s;on, <HI>Rev.</HI> 20. 1, 2, 3.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To all the&s;e Objections, I an&s;wer thus: It is true, there are the Jews to be called, and the fulne&s;s of the Gentiles to be brought in; but when this &s;hall be, no man knows: and, for ought that we know, it may be quickly, in a very &s;hort time, in the twinkling of an eye. And as for the re&s;ti|tution of all things, which is to be fulfilled before the coming of Chri&s;t; that may be as &s;oon, for ought that we know. And as to tho&s;e things &s;poken of in the 24 of
<PB N="167" REF="91">
<HI>Matthew,</HI> which are to be fulfilled before the coming of Chri&s;t; I &s;ay, The mo&s;t part of them are already fulfilled, and the re&s;t are about fulfilling, and will be fulfil|led in a very &s;hort time. And as to Sa|tan's being bound, and ca&s;t into the bottom|le&s;s pit, and there to be &s;hut up, and &s;eal|ed, that he &s;hould deceive the nations no more till the thou&s;and yeers be fulfilled: I &s;ay this, That Satan hath been bound al|ready, and ca&s;t into the bottomle&s;s pit, and there was &s;hut up and &s;ealed, that he &s;hould not deceive the nations: I &s;ay, he was, com|paratively to that which he is now; and that he is let loo&s;e again: If ever the Dragon was let loo&s;e, he is let loo&s;e now; and he is now gon out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, <HI>Gog and Magog,</HI> to gather them together to battel, the number of whom is as the &s;and of the &s;ea: And they &s;hall go upon the breadth of the earth, and compa&s;s the camp of the Saints about, and the beloved City; and fire &s;hall come down from God out of heaven, and devour them. And after this, the devil, that deceived them, &s;hall be ca&s;t into the lake of fire and brim|&s;tone, where the bea&s;t and the fal&s;e prophet are, and &s;hall be tormented day and night
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for ever and for ever. And if I be out in this, then I &s;hall &s;ay thus, That a thou&s;and yeers with the Lord are as one day, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 8. And by the way note this, That I do not believe that it is &s;o to be under&s;tood, that Satan &s;hall be &s;o &s;hut up, as that he &s;hall not decive &s;ome.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o,<HI> That which any of you hath already, hold fa&s;t, until Chri&s;t comes, </HI>Rev. 2. 25. You that are Pro|fe&s;&s;ors in deed, and not in &s;hew onely, hold fa&s;t your good Profe&s;&s;ion; let not Satan drag you out of your Profe&s;&s;ion, into earth:<HI> Hold fa&s;t, and repent: if thou &s;halt not watch. I will come on thee as a thief, </HI>&s;aith Chri&s;t;<HI> and thou &s;halt not know what hour I will come upon thee, </HI>Rev. 3. 3.<HI> Watch ye therefore </HI>when the ma&s;ter of the hou&s;e cometh,<HI> le&s;t coming &s;uddenly, he finde you &s;leeping. And what I &s;ay unto you, I &s;ay unto all, Watch; </HI>Mark 13. 35, 36, 37.<HI> Watch therefore; for ye know not at what hour your Lord will come, </HI>Matth. 24. 42, 43, 44.<HI> But know this, that if the good man of the hou&s;e had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have &s;uf|fered his hou&s;e to be broken up. There|fore
<PB N="169" REF="92">
be ye </HI>al&s;o<HI> ready: for in &s;uch an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh. </HI>Surely Je&s;us Chri&s;t is not far off, but will &s;teal in upon us unawares, when we look not for him: Therefore watch, with oil in your lamps. And to encourage you to watch, con&s;ider that place of Scripture in<HI> Luke </HI>12. 37.<HI> Ble&s;&s;ed are tho&s;e &s;ervants, whom the Lord when he cometh &s;hall finde watching; verily I &s;ay unto you, that he &s;hall gird him&s;elf, and make them to &s;it down to meat, and will come forth and &s;erve them. And if he &s;hall come in the &s;econd watch, or come in the third watch, and finde them &s;o doing, ble&s;&s;ed are tho&s;e &s;ervants. But if that &s;ervant &s;hall &s;ay in his heart, My Lord delayeth his com|ing; the Lord of that &s;ervant &s;hall come in a day when he looketh not for him, </HI>Luke 12. 45.</P>
<P>If it be thus,<HI> Be patient unto the com|ing of our Lord: </HI>be ye patient al&s;o; for<HI> the coming of the Lord draws nigh; </HI>it is at hand,<HI> James </HI>5. 7, 8. It was nigh in the Apo&s;tles times; it is neerer now.<HI> For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might re|ceive the promi&s;e. For yet a little while,
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and he that &s;hall come, will come, and will not tarry, </HI>Heb. 10. 36, 37. Certainly he is not far off, but will &s;teal in upon us, when we never expect him.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, wait and look for Chri&s;t's coming. <HI>Ye come behinde in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord,</HI> 1 Cor. 1. 7. <HI>Looking for and ha&s;ting to the coming of God, wherein the heavens being on fire, &s;hall be di&s;&s;olved, and the element &s;hall melt with fervent heat,</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 12. Look for him from the clouds; expect him to come down in a cloud of darkne&s;s into your &s;pirits: for he will break thorow your darkne&s;s, and turn it into light. Wait: who knows but that he may come down in a cloud of darkne&s;s into your hrarts?</P>
<P>If it be &s;o,<HI> Little children, abide in him, that when he &s;hall appear, we may not be a&s;hamed at his coming, </HI>1 Joh. 2. 28.<HI> For as the days of Noe were, &s;o &s;hall al&s;o the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drink|ing, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came,
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and took them all away: &s;o &s;hall al&s;o the coming of the Son of man be, </HI>Matth. 24. 37, 38, 39.<HI> The very God of peace </HI>(therefore)<HI> &s;anctifie you wholly: and I pray God that your whole &s;pirit, &s;oul and body may be pre&s;erved blamele&s;s unto the coming of our Lord&punc; </HI>1 The&s;. 5. 23.</P>
<P>If it be thus, Then <HI>Occupie till Chri&s;t come.</HI> God hath given every one of us a Talent; let us improve our Talents; and let us not &s;ay, when Chri&s;t comes (as one of tho&s;e Ten did) Lord, here is thy Talent, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: for I feared thee, becau&s;e thou art an au&s;tere man, that thou take&s;t that up thou laye&s;t not down, and reape&s;t that thou did&s;t not &s;owe; but let us give him his own, with overplus; <HI>Luke</HI> 19. 20, 21. Let us not be as one of tho&s;e Husbandmen to whom God committed his Vineyard till he came; that when God &s;hould &s;end one of his &s;er|vants, or his Heir, for the fruit of his Vine|yard, that &s;hould beat or wound any of his &s;ervants that he &s;ends, or kill the Heir, and ca&s;t him out of the Vineyard; le&s;t he come and de&s;troy us, <HI>Luke</HI> 20. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.</P>
<P><PB N="172" REF="94">
<HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s in that day, that the light &s;hall not be clear, nor dark.</HI></P>
<P>There are three things in the&s;e words, to be enquired into:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, What <HI>that day</HI> is. It is the day of God's coming, of his appearance; as ap|pears by ver&s;. 5.</P>
<P>Secondly&punc; What is meant by <HI>light</HI> here&punc; I may be taken either for a natural or &s;piri|tual light.</P>
<P>Thirdly, What is meant by that expre&s;|&s;ion, <HI>The light &s;hall not be clear nor dark.</HI> The meaning is, It &s;hall be a <HI>medium</HI> be|twixt both: part clear, that is, precious; and part dark, that is, darkne&s;s; not alto|gether clear, nor yet altogether dark: we cannot &s;ay that it &s;hall be clear, nor yet can we &s;ay it &s;hall be dark; but it &s;hall be be|twixt both.</P>
<P><HI>But it &s;hall be one day:</HI> Or, The day &s;hall be one; that is to &s;ay, One perpetual day. The Prophet's meaning is, that there &s;hall be continual light in the Church of Chri&s;t under the Me&s;&s;iah; though &s;ometimes more dim and dark then at other times, yet
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ways &s;ome light. Or, one perpetual day may be taken thus; In which there &s;hall be no darkne&s;s at all: <HI>Rev.</HI> 22. 5. <HI>And there &s;hall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither the light of the &s;un: for the Lord God gives them light. And they &s;hall raign for ever and ever.</HI> Or, it may be taken for a &s;ingular day, to wit, of Chri&s;t<HI>'s</HI> death, when the Sun was darkened at noon: <HI>Amos</HI> 8. 9. <HI>And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s in that day, &s;aith the Lord God, that I will cau&s;e the &s;un to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day.</HI> Which thing God did; and &s;o re|mained three hours: &s;ee <HI>Matth.</HI> 27. 45. <HI>Now from the &s;ixth hour there was dark|ne&s;s over all the land, until the ninth hour.</HI> Or it may be taken for the day of Chri&s;t's coming: and the rea&s;on of it, are the words following, <HI>Which &s;hall be known to the Lord. Of that day and hour knows no man, no not the angels in heaven, but my Father,</HI> Mat. 24. 36.</P>
<P><HI>Not day nor night:</HI> It &s;hall not be day, neither &s;hall it be night. What then &s;hall it be? It &s;hall be &s;omewhat of ei|ther.</P>
<P><HI>But it &s;hall come to pa&s;s, that at even|ing-time
<PB N="174" REF="95">
it &s;hall be light. </HI>When we look for nothing but darkne&s;s to approach, when dark night draws on, then light &s;hall break forth: when we look for darkne&s;s, then be|hold glorious light. See<HI> I&s;ai. </HI>60. 19, 20.<HI> The &s;un &s;hall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightne&s;s &s;hall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord &s;hall be un|to thee an everla&s;ting light, and thy God thy glory: the Lord him&s;elf &s;hall be un|to us an everla&s;ting light: thy &s;un &s;hall no more go down, neither &s;hall thy moon withdraw it &s;elf: for the Lord &s;hall be thine everla&s;ting light, and the days of thy mourning &s;hall be ended. </HI>See<HI> Revel. </HI>21. 23.<HI> And the city had no need of the &s;un, neither of the moon, to &s;hine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. </HI>In the evening|time, when we little expect light, this everla&s;t|ing glorious light &s;hall break forth.</P>
<P>The Prophet further goes on, to di&s;cover what &s;hall be in that day.</P>
<P>And it &s;hall be in that day,<HI> that living waters &s;hall go out from Jeru&s;alem. Je|ru&s;alem </HI>here, is to be taken for the City of God, his Saints. The<HI> living waters </HI>here,
<PB N="175" REF="95">
are waters that have life in them, which are the abundance of the Spirit: &s;ee<HI> Joh. </HI>7. 38.<HI> He that believeth in me as the Scripture hath &s;aid, out of his belly &s;hall flow rivers of living water. </HI>The&s;e &s;hall flow out of the Saints: &s;ee<HI> Ezek. </HI>47. from the fir&s;t ver&s;e to the &s;eventeenth.<HI> Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the hou&s;e, and behold, waters i&s;&s;ued out from under the thre&s;hold of the hou&s;e ea&s;tward: for the forefront of the hou&s;e &s;tood towards the ca&s;t; and the waters came down from under from the right &s;ide of the hou&s;e, at the &s;outh &s;ide of the altar. Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate, by the way that looketh ea&s;tward, and behold, there ran out waters on the right &s;ide. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth ea&s;tward, he mea&s;ured a thou&s;and cubits, and he brought me tho|row the waters: the waters were to the ancles. Again he mea&s;ured a thou&s;and, and brought me thorow the waters: the waters were to the knees. Again he mea|&s;ured a thou&s;and, and brought me thorow the waters: the waters were to the loins.
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Afterward he mea&s;ured a thou&s;and, and it was a river, that I could not pa&s;s over: for the waters were ri&s;en, waters to &s;wim in. And he &s;aid anto me, Son of man, ha&s;t thou &s;een this? Then he brought me, and cau&s;ed me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the brink of the river were very many trees, on the one &s;ide, and on the other. Then &s;aid he unto me, The&s;e waters i&s;&s;ue out toward the ea&s;t country, and go down into the de|&s;art, and go into the &s;ea: which being brought forth into the &s;ea, the waters &s;hall be healed. And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s, that every thing that moveth, that liveth, which moveth whither&s;oever the river &s;hall come, &s;hall live; and there &s;hall be a very great multitude of fi&s;h, becau&s;e the&s;e waters &s;hall come thither: for they &s;hall be healed, and every thing &s;hall live whither the river cometh. And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s, that the fi&s;hers &s;hall &s;tand upon it, from Engedi even unto Eneglaim: they &s;hall be a place to &s;pread forth nets; their fi&s;h &s;hall be ac|cording to their kindes, as the fi&s;h of the great &s;ea, exceeding many. But the</HI>
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<HI>miry places thereof, and the mari&s;hes thereof, &s;hall not be healed; they &s;hall be given to &s;alt. And by the river, up|on the bank thereof, on this &s;ide, and on that &s;ide, &s;hall grow all trees for meat, who&s;e leaf &s;hall not fade, neither &s;hall the fruit thereof be con&s;umed: it &s;hall bring forth new fruit, according to his months, becau&s;e their waters they i&s;&s;ued out of the &s;anctuary; and the fruit thereof &s;hall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. </HI>So that you &s;ee what the&s;e waters are; they are &s;uch as are not pa&s;&s;able, healing waters, waters of life. See<HI> Joel </HI>3. 18.<HI> And it &s;hall come to pa&s;s in that day, that the mountains &s;hall drop down new wine, and the hills &s;hall flow with milk and all the rivers of Judah &s;hall flow with waters; and a fountain &s;hall come forth of the hou&s;e of the Lord, and &s;hall water the valley of Shittim. </HI>The Mountains, here, are the Saints: for they are &s;o called in Scripture. The New Wine which they &s;hall drop down, is new di&s;co|veries of the Spirit. The Hills are the Saints likewi&s;e, caught up into high enjoyments of God. Their flowing with Milk, is no|thing but the Spirit breaking forth in an a|bundant
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manner in them, in another con&s;i|deration. The meaning of that &s;aying, A fountain &s;hall come forth of the hou&s;e of the Lord, is this: There &s;hall be &s;uch a fountain of living waters, that is, of the Spirit, flow forth from the Saints, as &s;hall not be dry. See<HI> Revel. </HI>22. 1.<HI> And he &s;hewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as cry&s;tal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and the Lamb. </HI>Which &s;peaks the &s;ame thing; onely it holds forth the purene&s;s of tho&s;e waters.<HI> In the mid&s;t of the &s;treets of it, and of either &s;ide of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yeelded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.</HI></P>
<P>Half of the&s;e waters &s;hall go towards the former or Ea&s;tern &s;ea, and half of them toward the later &s;ea, or hinder &s;ea. The Ea&s;tern Sea, here in the letter, is the <HI>Lake of Sodom;</HI> and the hinder Sea is the <HI>Mediterranean &s;ea.</HI> But take it in the my&s;tery, and the meaning is this: By the former Sea are meant tho&s;e that are for|warde&s;t in the ways of Chri&s;t: by the hin|der Sea, tho&s;e that are hindermo&s;t in the
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ways of Chri&s;t. Or, the former Sea, and hinder Sea, may be taken for the Gentiles: <HI>The abundance of the &s;ea &s;hall be convert|ed to thee:</HI> See <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 60. 5. It &s;peaks this clearly, A general and large pouring forth of the Spirit.</P>
<P><HI>In &s;ummer and in winter &s;hall it be.</HI> When it is Summer, and when it is Win|tet with a &s;oul, the&s;e waters &s;hall never be dried up; no, not in the hotte&s;t time of Summer, as your natural Summer-&s;treams are.</P>
<P><HI>And the LORD &s;hall be King over all the earth.</HI> He &s;hall alone be acknow|ledged and wor&s;hipped, he &s;hall alone reign and rule; none but the Lord.</P>
<P><HI>In that day &s;hall there be one LORD, and his Name one. That day</HI> is to be under&s;tood of the day of God's coming, and of the appearance of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>There &s;hall be one Lord.</HI> Now there are many Lords, but then &s;hall there be onely the true God acknowledged. <HI>There &s;hall be one Lord,</HI> or, <HI>The Lord &s;hall be one.</HI> Now he is twain; then he &s;hall be one.</P>
<P><PB N="180" REF="98">
<HI>And his Name &s;hall be one.</HI> Now Twain, then One. O what a glorious &s;tate will that be, when there &s;hall be but One Lord and One Name wor&s;hipped! Then &s;hall be no other Name profe&s;&s;ed, but onely the Name of the Lord. Though all people now profe&s;s another God, and <HI>walk in the name of his God</HI> (Micah 4. 5.) yet they &s;hall then walk in the Name of the true God alone.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI> What is it to walk in the Name of the Lord?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;wer.</HI> It is to walk in the power, maje&s;ty, wi&s;|dom, knowledge, light, and life of God.</P>
<P>If it be thus, that the light &s;hall not be clear nor dark, neither day nor night, in the day and coming of Chri&s;t; Then think it not &s;trange, if it fall out &s;o, as &s;urely it will. <HI>But in the evening it will be light.</HI> When the night begins to ap|proach, and gro&s;s darkne&s;s to follow, then light will break forth, even the everla&s;t|ing light of God him&s;elf. A &s;trange thing
<PB N="181" REF="98">
is, Friends, when a man is in &s;piritual blindne&s;s, betwixt darkne&s;s and light: &s;ometimes he thinks he &s;ees, and &s;ome|times he thinks he &s;ees not; he cannot tell. <HI>In the evening it &s;hall be light;</HI> when a &s;oul lea&s;t looks for it. Who would look for light to break forth in the evening! But it is true that it &s;hall; therefore, wait for it.</P>
<P>If it be &s;o, that living waters &s;hall flow forth from <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> half of them toward the former &s;ea, and half of them toward the hinder &s;ea; Then this may &s;erve to di&s;cover the abundance of the Spirit that &s;hall be poured forth in the later days; A fountain of living waters &s;hall flow forth from <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem,</HI> to water the world with; The moun|tains &s;hall drop down new wine, and the hills &s;hall flow with milk, and all the rivers of <HI>Judah</HI> &s;hall flow with waters. The Church of Chri&s;t &s;hall be &s;o filled with the Spirit, as it &s;hall be in them as a Fountain; and it &s;hall come flowing &s;orth from them, towards the former &s;ea, and later &s;ea. This &s;hall be in Summer and in Winter; it &s;hall be al|ways, it &s;hall con&s;tantly flow forth from them towards the world.</P>
<P><PB N="182" REF="99">
If it be &s;o, You that want the Spirit, wait for it: if you believe, out of your belly &s;hall flow rivers of waters; a fountain of living waters &s;hall flow forth from you, to water the dry and parched ground.</P>
<P>If it be thus, This may &s;oon di&s;cover who &s;hall reign in that day, <HI>The Lord alone &s;hall reign;</HI> he &s;hall be King then over all the earth; then our Lord will be exalted. Now men reign, and are exalted; but he will throw them down, and exalt him&s;elf. <HI>And his Name &s;hall be one.</HI> His Name is not one now; there are other names be&s;ides his, wor&s;hipped: but God will throw them down, and His alone &s;hall be lifted up.</P>
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<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<PB N="183" REF="99">
<HEAD>The POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>THere are three things which moved me to write this <HI>Po&s;t|&s;cript:</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t was, To declare and make known, that that which I have written again&s;t the Prie&s;ts, was in|tended onely against tho&s;e that are ba&s;e and vile, and &s;uch as take Tythes, and are proud, ignorant, idle, blinde Prie&s;ts, &s;uch as are for Gain; that feed Them&s;elves, and not the Flock;
<PB N="184" REF="100">
that Go, before they are Sent; that teach for hire, and the like.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing was, To take off tho&s;e things that have been laid to my charge by Some, concerning my fir&s;t Book; which are the&s;e:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, They affirm that I &s;ay in my Book, that <HI>I take heaven to be the light and glory of God;</HI> which is true: and <HI>that Satan in heaven, is Satan in the very light and glory of God;</HI> which I deny: For it is an impo&s;sible thing, and cannot be. Though this I cannot but &s;ub&s;cribe to, that is to &s;ay, That he will admi|ni&s;ter to &s;ouls in that &s;tate, and teach &s;ouls to make fal&s;e applications and mi&s;apprehen&s;ions of things.</P>
<P>And be&s;ides, if they would look diligently into my Book, and &s;earch narrowly how things are &s;poken there, they would finde that I &s;peak a quite contrary thing: for I &s;ay, that <HI>Sa|tan in heaven, is Satan in glory;</HI>
<PB N="185" REF="100">
<HI>and Satan in glory, is Satan in an angel of light.</HI> As in the&s;e words, <HI>And there appeared ano|ther wonder in heaven;</HI> the mean|ing is not, that there appeared re|ally <HI>a great Red Dragon</HI> in the light and glory of God; but the meaning is, <HI>John</HI> being taken up by the Spirit into heaven, that is, into the light and glory of God, he &s;aw the appearance of the <HI>great Red Dragon</HI> there; but not really the Dragon, in the very light and glo|ry of God.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing that they lay to my charge, is, the Title of my la&s;t Book, which is, <HI>A WONDER, AND NO WONDER:</HI> They admire how I can make that which <HI>Is a Wonder,</HI> to be <HI>No Wonder.</HI></P>
<P>This is a poor thing to give an An&s;wer to: But I will &s;atis&s;ie them
<PB N="186" REF="101">
&s;o far, as to tell them, I make <HI>A Wonder, No Wonder,</HI> thus: It is <HI>a Wonder</HI> to tho&s;e that are not acquainted with what <HI>Satan in hea|ven</HI> is; for they &s;tand and admire at the thing: But it is <HI>not a Won|der</HI> to tho&s;e that know what <HI>Satan in heaven</HI> is; they do not admire, neither do they at all wonder at it, becau&s;e they know it, and are well acquainted with it.</P>
<P>And the rea&s;on wherefore <HI>John</HI> called it <HI>A Wonder,</HI> was, Becau&s;e he knew not what <HI>Satan in heaven</HI> was, he was not acquainted with <HI>Satan in an angel of light.</HI></P>
<P>Con&s;ider that place in<HI> 2 Cor. 11. 14&punc; And no marvel: for Satan him&s;elf is changed into an angel of light.</HI></P>
<P>The re&s;t of the things they lay to my charge, are words in my Book which are fal&s;ly printed; for which
<PB N="187" REF="101">
the Printer indeed is to be blamed, not I.</P>
<P>The third thing that moved me to write this<HI> Po&s;t&s;cript, </HI>was, To an|&s;wer a poor weak &s;aying of one whom I forbear to name, which was this:<HI> There are many that take upon them to write now a days, but I know no warrant for any of them to write, &s;eeing there are &s;o many learned, able, and godly men, that do write; unle&s;s they could write &s;ome New Truth, that was never heard of be|fore.</HI></P>
<P>To the fir&s;t, I ask you this: Is all Truth in learned godly men? Have none but they a warrant to write? May not a childe of God, that hath no Learning at all, be en|dued with the Spirit, and power from on high, and &s;o be made as fit as they to preach and write? Is not the
<PB N="188" REF="102">
&s;ame Spirit in one, as in the other? Certainly you have lo&s;t your Sen&s;es; you &s;eem to hold that which many ignorant Prie&s;ts do; that is to &s;ay, That none are &s;o able to deliver and write Truth, as them&s;elves are. I am &s;ure that godly learned men will not a&s;&s;ume this to them&s;elves, but will e&s;teem others above them&s;elves. There is that revealed, many times, to a poor, ignorant, weak Chri&s;tian, that learned Chri&s;tians are ignorant of: and I have &s;een that written by a Babe, the like whereof I never &s;aw come from learned Profe&s;&s;ors, though they were godly. I &s;peak not this to di&s;courage them, or to &s;et light by them; but to take off partiality: and my end in an&s;wering the fore&s;aid &s;aying, was (God knows) That tho&s;e that heard it, might not be led a&s;ide by it, but that they might &s;ee the va|nity of it, and that it proceeded either from Ignorance or Envie</P>
<P><PB N="189" REF="102">
To the &s;econd, I &s;ay, There is no Truth new, that is to be written; but that which is written, and &s;hall be written, is the old Truth. It is true, in one &s;ence, old Truth may be new; as in that &s;ence, <HI>I write to you a new Commandment:</HI> it was new to them, becau&s;e they had not practi&s;ed it before; but yet it was the old Com|mandment, which was, That they &s;hould <HI>love one another.</HI> Now he that writes, must write old Truth, that was heretofore, or el&s;e he mu&s;t write a Lye: <HI>There is nothing new un|der the &s;un.</HI> There are many hidden old Truths which you and others know not, though ye and others think ye know them; and therefore they may write them, and declare them, if they be called to it of God. And tho&s;e that think them&s;elves to know most, know least, yea, are very fools: nay, a man may write tho&s;e things that you and others haply know to be Truth: for
<PB N="190" REF="103">
though you and others know them to be Truth, yet haply others do not; &s;o that he writes the things he hath &s;een, felt, and handled: but for any to write the things of another (as he may) which he hath not &s;een nor felt, this is not lawful.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
