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<DATE>2012-02-27</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Did text and markup review.</ITEM>
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<STC T="C">R172988</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">45504322</BIBNO>
<VID>171624</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P>A Little STREAM OF DIVINE Sweetne&s;s, FROM The Living Fountaine for the Paradice of God.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>G.D.</HI> &s;ould by <HI>Tho: Brew&s;ter</HI> and <HI>Greg: Moule,</HI> at the three Bibles in <HI>Pauls Church-yard,</HI> neer the We&s;t end. 1650.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="quotations">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="2">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB REF="3" MS="y">
<P>THE &s;ubject and occa&s;ion of this little Treati&s;e: fainting in the wilderne&s;&s;e of affliction, I went to the&s;e Scriptures for reco|very, and on them &s;pent &s;ome few meditati|ons, which I recommend unto the dead and livings view, as v&s;efull unto both;</P>
<P><HI>Rev.</HI> 3.21. <HI>To him that over comes will I give to &s;it with me in my Throns, even as I over|came, and am &s;et with my Father in his Throne.</HI></P>
<P>Rev. 21.2. <HI>And I John &s;aw the holy City, new Jeru&s;alem, come down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride, trimmed for her husband.</HI></P>
<P>Rev. 3.2. <HI>Behold I &s;tand at the doore and knock, if any man heare my voyce and open, I will come in and &s;up with him.</HI></P>
<P>Rev. 22.1. <HI>And he &s;hewed me a pure River of water of life, cleare as Chri&s;tall, proceeding out of the Throne of God and the Lambe.</HI></P>
<P>Rev. 22.4. <HI>And they &s;hall &s;ee my face, and his name &s;hall be on their foreheads.</HI></P>
<P>Doe not look, but read, and for what you profit, let God have all the glory, for to your &s;infull friend there is none at all due.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="3" MS="y">
<HEAD>To the right honourable, his Excellency, THO. Lord FAIRFAX, Captain generall of all the forces in <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Wales, &amp;c.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_NOble captain Gene|rall, will your Ex|cellency once give leave to, I dare &s;carce &s;ay what; yet, I beg as on my bended knee, for the Spirits &s;ake, leave to &s;helter the&s;e few lines under your greatne&s;&s;e, hoping you will peru&s;e them in a lea&s;ure
<PB REF="4">houre, not but that your brea&s;t hath &s;weeter things in it, in which ye delight your &s;elfe more, then in all your victories, pomps, glo|ry, greatne&s;&s;e, which you are crowned with, and ad|mired for by all men, good &amp; bad: but the rea&s;on why I take this boldne&s;&s;e, is, to pre&s;ent my thankfulne&s;&s;e for your unwearied mar|ches round about this kingdome, in all houres and &s;ea&s;ons; I &s;ay, for this and your many brave, bold, gallant charges,
<PB REF="4">where <HI>Cannons</HI> playd, like thunder; and bullets flew like <HI>Haile-&s;tones</HI> driven by the winde, &s;uch was that at <HI>Maid-&s;tone,</HI> and divers more be&s;ides; <HI>but in the&s;e Chri&s;t did ever keep you with his life-guard of Angels,</HI> and now hath brought you home from the fields of deadly &s;laughter to refre&s;h your greatne&s;&s;e; now good men will bring pre&s;ents, or at lea&s;t, their thankfulnes, as well as bad men, court you for their owne advan|tage: both the former I
<PB REF="5">would doe as well as I can, will your Excellency &s;o take it, my thankfulne&s;&s;e it is, and a pre&s;ent too, <HI>like a gla&s;&s;e of Nectar from the Spirits breathings,</HI> drinke it up my Lord, for &s;ure it will refre&s;h you; I know you may refu&s;e it, expecting <HI>the &s;onnes of Levi</HI> &s;hould all bring in their flagons full of rich and choycer liquor; but they are many of them angry, I cannot tell the rea&s;on, why good men &s;hould be &s;o, unle&s;&s;e they are weak and froward,
<PB REF="5">and know not what they would have; but yet I think you value not the ingrati|tude of men, <HI>knowing your reward is with your Lord and Ma&s;ter Chri&s;t, the King of kings, who will one day &s;et you in his throne and glory, for you have overcome; you, my Lord</HI> Tho. Fairfax <HI>have foyld, and &s;poyld all;</HI> yea, all the mighty ones that have ri&s;en again&s;t us, yea, you, I &s;ay, with your gallant <HI>Champions,</HI> have bravely done the thing once over, and once again to that, and
<PB REF="6">with &s;uch expedition, that the world round doth won|der, for which wee hope, though many &s;tars or com|mets like to &s;tars be fallen, yet your honour, glory &s;hall endure like to the &s;un and moon for ever, &amp; your merits with your <HI>Champi|ons</HI> be remembred whil&s;t one good man breaths in the nation; And now, wee who are private chri&s;tians adde this &s;hort title to your Excellency, <HI>the Saints Cap|tain Generall, next under Chri&s;t,</HI> and when, my <HI>Lord,</HI>
<PB REF="6">you need us, wee are all in readines, to pray, to fight, to live &amp; die at your com|mand, for Chri&s;t and this nation, which now &s;its at re&s;t: but for taxes, &s;ome poor, and widdows wants, who are all in hopes, you will &s;peake a word in their behalfe to tho&s;e, who &s;oon can help them, and &s;urely will ere long, though mur|muring men &s;ay no. Well, my Lord, I &s;ay no more, but the great <HI>Iehovah, God Almighty ble&s;&s;e you, make his face to &s;hine in, and from you,
<PB REF="7">&amp; al tho&s;e who have followd you, high and low, in faithful|nes and unweariednes: doing Chri&s;ts, and the nations work;</HI> this is my wi&s;h to you, and tho&s;e who are &s;ent over to the other nation, by yours &amp; others commands, to do <HI>Chri&s;ts work, and make him room for his Go&s;pell;</HI> and to this I wi&s;h O all ye Saints, that love Chri&s;t your king, his cau&s;e, or the&s;e nations, &s;ay, <HI>Amen, Amen,</HI> as with one voice.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Lord&s;hips &s;ervant in Chri&s;t. <HI>WILL. BLAKE.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="7">
<HEAD>To the Chri&s;tian Reader.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_TO</HI> the &s;trong and to the weak, to the merry, and melancholy Chri&s;tian, I recommend the&s;e following lines, which was pend in a wilderne&s;&s;e of affliction, by the Spirits &s;trength and power, which hath em|boldned me, to pre&s;ent them to thy view, and the worlds; and that on &s;erious con&s;idera|tion, and &s;ome able Chri&s;tians importunity.</P>
<P>But fir&s;t, I will tell thee what I was, and now am, that thou may&s;t &s;ee Gods good|ne&s;&s;e, calling poore creatures out of dark|ne&s;&s;e to him&s;elfe; I was brought up by my parents in my youth, to learne, hall <HI>mary, Pater no&s;ter,</HI> the <HI>Beliefe,</HI> and learne to read, and where I &s;erved my apprentice&s;hip little more was to be found; but in that time, I &s;peake, without any boa&s;ting, to the prai&s;e of Gods grace, he &s;hind in &s;ome mea&s;ure into me, minding me of eternity, and my &s;oules
<PB REF="8">condition, which I &s;aw, and I &s;till doe, to be very &s;infull. Well, I fell to reading the <HI>Practi&s;e of Piety,</HI> Mr. <HI>Perkins,</HI> and by the&s;e, or rather the Spirit, I got a little per|&s;wading of Gods love to my &s;oule. Well, my time being out, <HI>I</HI> &s;et up for my &s;elfe; and &s;eeking out for a wife, which with long waiting and difficulty, much expence and charge, at la&s;t I got; Four children, God gave me by her, but he hath taken them and her all againe too; who was a woman of a thou&s;and for good nature. In &s;ix weeks time, which mu&s;t needs goe neer. My elde&s;t Sonne and daughter in a fortnight, and my Wife a month after. Well, thought I, if comfort be any where, it is in God; and &s;o fell to meditating of the&s;e Scriptures; but no more of this, nor another tedious line; onely mark Gods dealing with his people in afflictions, which is mo&s;t &s;een in that fur|ne&s;&s;e; in&s;tance <HI>Peter, Paul, Daniel,</HI> and the three Children. Well friends, what ever your afflictions, or conditions be, I know not; but in the&s;e following lines, lyes much comfort, which <HI>I</HI> found in pen|ning,
<PB REF="8">and I hope you will in reading; for the glory all is yours, and the &s;weetne&s;&s;e too, what is yours you may rejoyce in, by an eye of faith, fore-&s;eeing it a forehand: God gives a promi&s;e, after that the thing; &s;o he delt with us by his Sonne; fir&s;t, &s;ent him in a promi&s;e, after that in &s;ub&s;tance, to be our life, light, and glory, re&s;t, peace, comfort, and &s;alvation, in all wants, and from all wants, of all kindes and nature. Well, this Chri&s;t, and God that &s;ent him, and the Spirit too, is the <HI>Stream of &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e,</HI> where all your comfort lyes, unle&s;&s;e it be in the creature, which withers, like the gra&s;&s;e when it is cut and grows no more; if creature comforts be cut off, or withering, one of the&s;e they are, or el&s;e they are not momentany, but induring, which I am &s;ure they are not, from my own expe|rience, no more then a dreame, which is but a fancy: when the man awakes, may fancies, riches, honours, plea&s;ures, profits, in the dreaming houre; thou may&s;t doe the like, and not enjoy at all what thou labour&s;t for, whil&s;t thou &s;eeke&s;t it in the
<PB REF="9">creature; runne thou may&s;t, and win not, &s;eek thou may&s;t, and finde not, try thou may&s;t, and ta&s;te not, the &s;weetne&s;&s;e thou expecte&s;t; true &s;ome lyes in every flower, but the Bee that skips from one to another, all the Summer long can &s;carce fill her Hive; but grant that &s;he doe, how quickly is &s;he rebl'd and &s;trangled too at la&s;t, O thou <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> Chri&s;tian, after plea&s;ures, profits, riches, lands, and livings, death will one day &s;trangle thee, and r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">b th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e to, of all tho&s;e &s;weet comforts thou ever g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ther&s;te here the Manna would not keep but in the pot of gold, no more will the creature, but in God and Chri&s;t, and therefore what thou ha&s;t, lay it up <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> Chri&s;t, and lay it out for Chri&s;t, and the thou &s;halt be &s;ure to finde it, like bread upon the waters, after many dayes; but thou that &s;eeke&s;t none, and ha&s;t none, but God, Chri&s;t, and the Spirit; thou ha&s;t all al|ready, yea, more then all the world, ten thou|&s;and times, can give thee, for thou ha&s;t all. All they &s;eek and crave, thou ha&s;t found in God, Chri&s;t, and the Spirit; and hence it is that a poore Chri&s;tian, who hath Gods
<PB REF="9">love, Chri&s;ts pardon, and the Spirits &s;eale, can beare up his head, and &s;mile in his heart, though pur&s;ele&s;s, and penyle&s;s, hou&s;ele&s;s, and homele&s;&s;e, ragged, poore and hungry, in a chearfull way, when many rich and great men complaine of a thou&s;and wants; whil&s;t the true Chri&s;tian, in the &s;ence of Gods love, wants nothing: but if &s;ome poore Chri|&s;tian <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word">, as many there are, wailing and weeping, like to <HI>Hagar,</HI> for want of this or that comfort, a Wife, a Childe, e&s;tate, pardon; this or that comfort, light, or know|ledge: loe, this &s;eeming want is in thee, on|ly thou do&s;t not &s;ee it, for where Chri&s;t is, all is; and therefore look about thee, yea look, and if Chri&s;t bee in thee, I dare &s;ay, thou &s;halt finde more &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and drink too, more delight (out of this little Booke) then in all the creature comforts thou ever yet enjoye&s;t, and therefore when the world is &s;till, and thy Spirit quiet, in a lea&s;ure houre, ta&s;t, try, read, and if yee be deceived pardon me, for I am a weake, froward, doubting Chri&s;tian, and yet I hope a growing, though it be but &s;lowly: let us
<PB REF="10">pray for one another, for I will for you, and the <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of God, while my name is <HI>Wil|liam Blake.</HI></P>
<P>A Word, and but a Word, to many of my fellow Chri&s;tians, who think they have no ability to rai&s;e, write, or &s;peak to a porti|on of Scripture, in a linct and profitable way, for want of learning. I dare &s;ay to thee, whoever thou art, if the Spirit of God be in thee, lend him thy &s;leep, or meditation, when thy bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the world is ever, and thy Spirit quiet, he will feed thy thoughts be|yond thy expectation; I dare pawn my life for it, the&s;e few lines was brought to my hand in this way: and therefore try and &s;ee, if <HI>William Blakes</HI> words be not true.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="lesson">
<PB N="1" REF="10">
<HEAD>A STREAME OF SVVEETNESSE from the Spirits breathing.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="exegesis">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Revelat. chap. 3.21.</HI></BIBL> To him that overcomes, will I give to &s;it with me in my throne, as I have overcome, and am &s;et with my Father in his throne.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THis is the revelation of God by Je&s;us Chri&s;t unto <HI>John,</HI> and therefore it is &s;aid: <HI>ble&s;&s;ed is he that readeth, and he that hear|eth:</HI> What, this my&s;tery, or prophecie? <HI>I, ble&s;&s;ed is that &s;oul for ever,</HI> as in the fir&s;t <HI>chap.</HI> and the third <HI>ver&s;e:</HI> In the &s;eventh <HI>ver&s;e</HI> Chri&s;t &s;aith he comes; <HI>Amen,</HI> &s;aith the Bride, <HI>come Lord Je|su&s; quickly;</HI> In the la&s;t of the <HI>Revelation</HI> and in
<PB N="2" REF="11">the &s;econd <HI>chapter,</HI> and the &s;eventh <HI>ver&s;. To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the Tree of Life.</HI></P>
<P>This tree is Chri&s;t, and his leaves are for the healing of the Nations, <HI>Rev.</HI> the 22. and the 2. <HI>v.</HI> And in the la&s;t of the 10 <HI>v. A Crown of life.</HI> And in the latter end of the 11. <HI>v. A promi&s;e of no hurt, by the &s;econd death.</HI> In the 17. <HI>v. A promi&s;e to eat of the Manna that is hid.</HI></P>
<P>This Manna was the &s;weet food that the chil|dren of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> fed on in the Wilderne&s;&s;e; Chri&s;t is this <HI>Manna,</HI> but his &s;weetne&s;&s;e is a hidden thing to the carnall world; and in the 25. <HI>A promi&s;e to rule over Nations,</HI> and further, <HI>I will give him the morning Star:</HI> this Star is Chri&s;t, <HI>as Peter tels us,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>Wait untill the day dawn, and the Starre ari&s;e in your hearts.</HI> In the 15. <HI>ver.</HI> of the 3. <HI>chap.</HI> Chri&s;t tels his Church, <HI>That he that overcomes &s;hall be clothed in white array. I, then &s;hall he &s;tand with boldne&s;&s;e before Chri&s;t, when Kings and Princes &s;hall cry to the hills and mountains to fall and cover them,</HI> Revel. the 16. And further, <HI>I will not put out his name out of the book of life.</HI> and in the 12. <HI>ver. I will make him a &s;tanding Pillar in the hou&s;e of my God, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the City of my God, and my name:</HI> The name of my God, that is, he &s;hall be &s;o filled with his divine na|ture, that it &s;hall be as vi&s;ible as a name in his forehead.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="11">
<P> And now in the 21. <HI>ver.</HI> which I fir&s;t mentio|ned, a further promi&s;e is laid downe, as if Chri&s;t had not enough yet &s;poken, to engage his Church again&s;t hers and his enemies, namely, the world, fle&s;h, and devill.</P>
<P>Well, according to my light, I &s;hall hint at the meaning of Chri&s;t in the&s;e words: and fir&s;t,</P>
<P><HI>Ob&s;erve.</HI> The univer&s;allity of the promi&s;e, it is a promi&s;e to him, any him; high, low, rich, poor, young old, bond, or free, man or ma&s;ter, maid, or mi&s;tre&s;&s;e: O but the world does not al|wayes &s;o; one gaines the victory, and another gets the honour, or reward many times.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, What is meant by overcom|ming, &s;urely to get the ma&s;terdome, or upper hand with tho&s;e we encounter with: this ma&s;ter|dome is got two wayes, by a Captain, or a &s;oul|dier, by a Captain, or a Champion; &s;o <HI>David.</HI> en|gaged with <HI>Goliah,</HI> and his &s;laying him was <HI>I&s;|raels</HI> victory, and he in this was a type of our <HI>David,</HI> our Chri&s;t, who hath &s;lain and triumpht openly over our enemies upon the cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And therefore &s;aith Chri&s;t to his Di&s;ciples, <HI>be of good cheare, I have overcome,</HI> as in <HI>John</HI> the 16, the la&s;t. Secondly, <HI>We do overcome likewi&s;e, when we doe by the &s;trength of Chri&s;t oppo&s;e and over|come the pollutions of the world.</HI> In this &s;ence &s;aith <HI>John, Greater is he that is in you, then he that is in this world:</HI> and yet not, but that a poor &s;oule may be foyld, and &s;eemingly wholly overcome, as
<PB N="4" REF="12"><HI>David,</HI> but yet <HI>David,</HI> by renewing grace he gets up and fights, and like <HI>David</HI> in conclu&s;ion, wholly overcomes <HI>Saul</HI> and his hou&s;e.</P>
<P>Again, he may be &s;aid to overcome two waies. Fir&s;t, Comparing him&s;elfe with him&s;elfe, <HI>I was &s;uch a &s;inner, and &s;uch a &s;inner, but now I thanke God I am no more the &s;ame man.</HI> Secondly, Hee may be &s;aid to overcome, comparing him&s;elfe with the world, who lies, lives and wallows in all kinde of polutions and defilements; <HI>Revel.</HI> 16. there is a ble&s;&s;ing promi&s;ed to &s;uch a one; <HI>Behold &s;aith Chri&s;t I come as a Thief in the night: ble&s;&s;ed is he that keepes his garments undefiled,</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, What is meant by Chri&s;ts Throne, and by the Fathers Throne, &s;urely here is meant both one thing, namely, the Glory of God, I &s;ay, the Glory of God is the thing meant, the eteruall Glory of God is the Throne on which Chri&s;t &s;its on, and in which you mu&s;t fit al&s;o.</P>
<P>Doth Chri&s;t &s;it in this glory of God, Chri&s;t your Husband, Chri&s;t your Head, Chri&s;t your Vine? then mu&s;t you O Chri&s;tians too, for ye are in&s;e|perable.</P>
<P>Where &s;hould the Bride &s;it but by the Bride|groome? Where &s;hould the Members be but with the Head? Where &s;hould the Branches be but with the Vine?</P>
<P>O poore gentile &s;inner, what glory is de&s;ign'd for thee?</P>
<P>But fourthly, What is meant by &s;itting down
<PB N="5" REF="12">in Chri&s;ts Throne, or Gods Glory.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, It denotes a ce&s;&s;ation, or re&s;t, &s;o you know Chri&s;t is &s;aid to enter into his re&s;t, as he is &s;et down with his Father in glory. And <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, there remains a re&s;t for the people of God, aluding to that, &s;o that to &s;it down with Chri&s;t in his Throne is to &s;it with Chri&s;t in the Glory of God; <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was but a while in the Mount with God, and yet his face &s;hined, &s;o that <HI>I&s;rael</HI> could not behold him. O how will thy face &s;hine, when thou &s;halt &s;it down with Chri&s;t in the true glory of God; <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;aw him in fire, &s;moake, and thunder: but thou &s;halt &s;ee him in Chri&s;t, a loving, kinde and tender father, a father rejoycing over thee, even as a bridegroome rejoycing over his bride, to do them good, &s;aith the Lord, in <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> O how well plea&s;ed was <HI>Jacob</HI> when he had his <HI>Jo&s;eph?</HI> O friends, God will &s;weetly plea&s;e him&s;elf, as I may &s;o &s;ay; when Chri&s;t &s;hall &s;ay, <HI>he are am I and all the Chil|dren thou ha&s;t given me, make them welcome Fa|ther, they are my &s;ons and daughters whom I dearly loved, &amp; dearly bought:</HI> O &s;eeing now I have them, I am at re&s;t, while they were in the world, to&s;&s;ed with afflictions, and troubled with temptations, my heart was not at re&s;t, but &s;eeing now I have them, and from tho&s;e things have freed them, I will &s;et them in my Glory, where they &s;hall &s;weet|ly &s;ing: thus,</P>
<P>Farewell all &s;in and &s;orrow, which now &s;hall be no more, my work and labour is over, and nothing
<PB N="6" REF="13">now remains but re&s;t, and joy, and glory: O this is a &s;weet &s;itting down indeed for a &s;oul to&s;t and tumbl'd with &s;inne and &s;orrow, to be brought from all, to re&s;t for ever.</P>
<P>Secondly, This &s;etting in Chri&s;ts Throne, or Gods glory denotes a welcome unto Chri&s;t; we bid them &s;it down that are welcome unto us, take them by the hand and &s;et them down by us: O friends, Chri&s;t will one day take you by the hand, lead you to the Father, pre&s;ent you as his Spou&s;e, the Father will take both Chri&s;t and yee, and &s;et you both down in his own Glory: and in that day &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>Yee &s;hall know the Father is in me, and I in you;</HI> then &s;hall yee know the Fathers love too, as Chri&s;t &s;peakes, <HI>Iohn</HI> 17. <HI>la&s;t v.</HI> O Chri&s;tians yee will never know this love, nor your union, the &s;trength, glory, &s;weetne&s;&s;e of it, till that day commeth, but in that day yee &s;hall know the relation your &s;ouls &s;tand in to God, to Chri&s;t. You will know him then to be a Father indeed, and not in name onely, you will finde &s;o much fa|therly love and tenderne&s;s towards you, that your &s;ouls &s;hall lye &s;teeping in it like Sugar in wine.</P>
<P>If a little ta&s;te of Gods love now be &s;o &s;weet, O what will it be when you &s;hall lye night and day &s;oaking in it, and wholly melted by it into holy prai&s;es.</P>
<P>Here a gracious heart mourns for want of love to God, to Chri&s;t, but this want &s;hall be &s;upply|ed, when the Father and you per&s;onally meet,
<PB N="7" REF="13">which day is a comming, and I tell you this, till this day commeth, yee will never know what the love of God and Chri&s;t is.</P>
<P>Now a drop is &s;weet, but how &s;weet will it be when it &s;hall be like a flowing Fountain in you. O friends, in that day yee &s;hall be like as a Ve&s;&s;ell thats &s;et under a Fountain Cock, alwayes full and alwayes running over: Now &s;aith <HI>David,</HI> thy loving kindne&s;&s;e is better then life. O but then he will &s;ay nothing but &s;tand; &s;tand, pore, and admire; I admire to al eternity: when great and unde&s;erved love is &s;hewn unto us by &s;ome one unexpected, how do we admire, and as it were &s;tudy and won|der why &s;uch kindne&s;&s;e &s;hould be &s;hewn unto us.</P>
<P>O precious chri&s;tian, thou wilt one day ad|mire indeed to think, that &s;uch love &s;hould be &s;hown to &s;uch a dead dog; as that good man &s;aid before the King, &s;o wilt thou &s;ay, O my God and King, what am I, that thou &s;houlde&s;t love a poor Gentile &s;inner, to keep me in thy pre&s;ence, to have me in thine eye, to &s;et me in thy throne, that thou mai&s;t talk with me, and tell me there thy thoughts of old. O great and glorious God, why art thou &s;o kind to worme, <HI>Jacob.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, by &s;itting down in the throne of Chri&s;t or Gods glory, it denotes re&s;pect and e&s;ti|mation: we u&s;ually bid them &s;it down, whom we be&s;t re&s;pect and e&s;teem.</P>
<P>O happy chri&s;tian, how art thou e&s;teemed of
<PB N="8" REF="14">the Son and Father, that thou &s;houlde&s;t &s;it down with them: the world hates thee, &s;o farre as Chri&s;t appears in thee: yea, it cannot but hate thee &s;o farre, I &s;ay it hates thee, though it love thee other wayes as a friend, and kin&s;man, or harmle&s;&s;e man: but I &s;ay, &s;o farre as thou refu&s;e&s;t to comply with their wayes, and wink at their faults, to &s;peak of their folly, to &s;igh at their joy, and mourn at their laughter, &s;o farre, I &s;ay, they cannot but hate thee: but &s;o farre as thou wor|ke&s;t by their example, and walke&s;t by their rule, and &s;peake&s;t them fair, thou plea&s;e&s;t them well to &s;mooth them thus up, by laughing, and &s;aying, and doing as they; I &s;ay, thus far happily the world may not &s;light thee, but e&s;teeme thee, though Chri&s;t be grieved by thee: but &s;till I &s;ay, &s;o farre as you make Chri&s;t your rule, his word your law, his work your plea&s;ure, and &s;ervice your delight, not at all caring who be plea&s;ed or di&s;plea&s;ed, &s;o Chri&s;t be honoured and obeyed: this, I &s;ay, will make the world hate you, and &s;o it did Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Well, the world &s;lights thee, and &s;hufes thee; &s;o far as they &s;ee Chri&s;t appearing in thee: doe not thou be troubled, Chri&s;t will one day take thee, and embrace thee as a man doth his lover.</P>
<P>O thou &s;halt &s;it and &s;up with Chri&s;t. <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.20. thou &s;halt &s;it at his table, and &s;tand by his &s;ide, yea cut on his trencher, and feed on his dainties, which is the fea&s;t of fat things God &s;peaks of
<PB N="9" REF="14">in E&s;aiah. <HI>Behold I will make in this mount a fea&s;t of fat things: of marrow, and of wines, well refined I&s;a.</HI> 25. <HI>v.</HI> 6. O this mount is Chri&s;t, and the fea&s;t, Gods di&s;covery to a Saint in Chri&s;t: this fea&s;t is &s;weet, yea &s;weeter then honey, or the honey-combe, though it comes far &s;hort of that which God &s;hall make for the Lamb, and the Lambs wife. <HI>Rev.</HI> 19.9. Which is called <HI>the Lambs &s;upper,</HI> of which it is &s;aid, ble&s;&s;ed are all they that are called to it; yea, ble&s;&s;ed in|deed that ever they were borne to come to this Supper.</P>
<P>O this God and Chri&s;t, familiar pre&s;ence with you will be a fea&s;t and &s;upper to you: here is Chri&s;t the tree of life, and God the river of life, eat and drink abundantly, yea, I mean now, O precious chri&s;tian, by beleeving what is a comming.</P>
<P>O, I would a poore Saint &s;hould fea&s;t his &s;oul with expectation of what Chri&s;t hath promi&s;ed, and will then make good in that day, when they &s;hall &s;it in his throne, and feed at his table, and drink of his wine, at this fea&s;t of Gods own ma|king for his &s;ons and daughters now married to Chri&s;t, and brought to his pre&s;ence, to live in his &s;ight, and fea&s;t at his table.</P>
<P>It is &s;aid, when the King &s;its at his table his <HI>Spiknard</HI> &s;ends forth a fragrant &s;mell, as in <HI>Solo|mons</HI> &s;ongs: This is &s;poken of Chri&s;t &s;itting in a Saints heart.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="15">
<P> O but what a &s;mell &s;hall there be then, when a Saint &s;hall &s;it (as I may &s;o &s;ay) in God and Chri&s;ts heart at &s;upper in their loves, by feeding on divine delights.</P>
<P>O friends this is the &s;weet <HI>Manna</HI> that Chri&s;t promi&s;ed to feed his Saints with. <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.17. Chri&s;t tels his di&s;ciples, <HI>he will drink no more of the fruit of the vine: till he drink it new in his fathers kingdome with them:</HI> the Vine was a tipe of Chri&s;ts blood, and Chri&s;ts blood a type of Chri&s;ts love, and Chri&s;ts love a merit and manife&s;tation of the Fathers love, when ye come to &s;it down in the glory of God and Chri&s;t: full cups of this &s;hall go round from Saint to Saint.</P>
<P>Fourthly, this &s;itting down in Chri&s;ts kingdom or throne, and Gods glory it denotes familiarity, we u&s;ually bid friends &s;it down to enterchange di&s;cour&s;e with them.</P>
<P>O friends in that day, God will tell thee over and over againe his tran&s;actions in re&s;pect of de|cree and purpo&s;e: O when God &s;hall tel thee, how he rould thee in his thoughts, and carried thee in his purpo&s;e, and had thee in his eye, intending thee for glory: it is &s;weet to think how Gods de|light was with the &s;ons of men before the foun|dation of the world, as him&s;elf &s;peaketh <HI>Pro.</HI> 8. and then in that day &s;hall Chri&s;t tell thee over his travels, troubles, and pains too, for thee his Spou&s;e.</P>
<P>It is &s;aid in a fabli&s;h &s;tory, that <HI>Dido</HI> the queen wept when <HI>Aeneas,</HI> prince of <HI>Troy,</HI> cold
<PB N="11" REF="15">her of his ten yeares wars. I will not &s;ay thou &s;halt weep when thy deare Saviour &s;hall tell thee the&s;e true things: but I dare &s;ay, thy &s;oule &s;hall even melt, (as it were) to think what paines and labour, what care and co&s;t, what griefe and &s;or|row, thy &s;oule did co&s;t thy dear Saviour: be&s;ides the &s;lights, and &s;cornes, and jeares which the vile&s;t of men did ca&s;t upon him, which he contentedly did beare for thee from day to day his whole life long.</P>
<P>And then at la&s;t, &s;till for thy &s;ake, his back, his belly, his hands, his feet, his head, his &s;ide, his heart; his heart blood too, and all for thee, that thou mighte&s;t know how much he loved thee.</P>
<P>O friends, I am per&s;waded that Chri&s;t will in that day tell you over and over &s;uch true &s;tories, that it &s;hall even melt you hearts and &s;oules to thinke how much he loved you, how deare he bought you: but then Chri&s;t &s;hall ask his Saints what they &s;uffered for him, to which they will an&s;wer, O &s;weet Je&s;us, why do&s;t thou ask us this que&s;tion, &s;eeing thou knowe&s;t all our &s;uffe|rings were but fleabites to thine, thine, O deare Saviour: the mo&s;t we &s;uffered was but jears, and &s;corns, and &s;uch &s;light things; nay, my children, ye were whipp'd, and &s;tripp'd, and killed too for mee, my &s;ake; O Chri&s;t doe not &s;peake of that, were it to do again, ten thou&s;and lives &s;hould not be deare for thee, thy &s;ake O deare&s;t Chri&s;t, to whom our &s;oules are &s;o engaged.</P>
<PB N="12" REF="16">
<P> O Chri&s;t, we now Wi&s;h we had done when time was, and &s;ufferd ten thou&s;and times more then we did: O Chri&s;t, it even now grieves us to think we never did, nor &s;uffered any thing for thy &s;ake to any purpo&s;e. O Chri&s;t, that we had now an opportunity to &s;how our love as once we had, for &s;quibs and &s;corns, for &s;tripes and pri&s;ons we would not &s;tand, nor yet our lives, nay, &s;ouls and all to honour thee. O &s;weet, O dear, O pre|cious Chri&s;t: and then Chri&s;t being taken as it were with the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions of his Spou&s;e &s;hall &s;troke her, &s;aying, <HI>O my love, my dove, my dear,</HI> thou &s;uffered&s;t enough to te&s;tifie thy love to me.</P>
<P>But now, <HI>my love, my dove,</HI> the winter is over, all &s;tormes pa&s;t, &s;inging, rejoycing is now at hand, come along, come along <HI>my love,</HI> from <HI>Lebon,</HI> come let us to my fathers <HI>wine-&s;eller:</HI> who &s;hall then &s;ay, bring them in, and &s;et them down in my throne and glory, they are my &s;ons and daughters.</P>
<P>Friends, what a privilidge will this be to &s;it by God and Chri&s;t in glory, like children round a|bout a fathers table.</P>
<P><HI>Mary</HI> once &s;ate at Chri&s;ts feet pondering Chri&s;ts &s;ayings, and it was a great privilidge for a &s;inner to &s;it &s;o neer a Saviour: but thy privilidge is farre greater, who &s;halt &s;it by God and this Saviour, who is, far a&s;cended above all principa|lities and power, and is &s;et down in glory on the right hand of God, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="16">
<P> This is a greater privilidge then <HI>Marys,</HI> bearing Chri&s;t, (barely con&s;idered;) the di&s;ciples had a great priviledge to wait on Chri&s;t: a greater to &s;up, and dine with Chri&s;t: but what are all to the &s;itting downe with Chri&s;t, in the throne of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>It is &s;aid, <HI>John</HI> leaned on the bo&s;ome of Chri&s;t, O loving <HI>John!</HI> O loving Chri&s;t! to give &s;uch priviledge to a bold, but loving, &s;weet, and hum|ble &s;inner: <HI>John, John,</HI> how coulde&s;t thou be &s;o bold with Chri&s;t thy Lord and Ma&s;ter? <HI>John,</HI> twas love within that bo&s;ome that drawed thee there to re&s;t, and loll as in a lap, it was love that drawed thee, it was loue that laid thee in that &s;ame bo&s;ome: but yet I &s;ay, thy privilege far excels in &s;itting down with Chri&s;t in the throne of Chri&s;t, Chri&s;t was in the form of a &s;ervant, now Lord of all things: Chri&s;t was then, I &s;ay, on earth with a mean out-&s;ide round about him, but now &s;ur|rounded with Angels with his title on his thigh, King of kings, Lord of lords.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t was then in rags but now cloathed with &s;uns and &s;tars, Chri&s;t was then God-man, unglorified, but now glorified of God with that eternall glory of God which Chri&s;t had be|fore the world was, as Chri&s;t &s;peaks, <HI>John.</HI> 17.</P>
<P>O friends, this glory like gli&s;tering diamonds, &s;parkles round the heavens, dazeling Saints and Angels. Well friend, is not thy privilidge farre above <HI>Johns,</HI> to &s;it down with this Chri&s;t in
<PB N="14" REF="17">his throne and glory, &s;ide by &s;ide, as I may &s;o &s;ay.</P>
<P>Fifthly, this &s;itting downe in the throne of Chri&s;t, and the glory of God, denotes honour; what an honour is it for a beggar to &s;it at a Kings table, you will &s;ay, that is a great honour indeed: but what is that to thine, O gentle &s;inner? to &s;it with God and Chri&s;t in glory.</P>
<P><HI>Seemes it a &s;mall thing,</HI> &s;aith <HI>David, to be a Kings &s;on in law?</HI> O but ye are the King of kings &s;ons and daughters, ye are the Bride, the Lambs wife. <HI>Rev.</HI> 21 9. Come &s;aith the Angel, <HI>I will &s;hew thee the Bride, the Lambs wife,</HI> nothing draws the eyes of the people to gaze more, then the &s;ight of the Bride and the Bridegroom. Was the queen of <HI>Sheba</HI> &s;o taken with <HI>Solomons</HI> glory, that &s;he cried out, O happy are the&s;e that tend thee, <HI>O Solomon:</HI> Angels and Archangels will be taken with thy glory, when this marriage &s;hall be &s;olemnized before the Father.</P>
<P>It was a que&s;tion once. <HI>What &s;hall be done to the man whom the King will honour, and delight in:</HI> But I ask, what &s;hall be done to the man whom the King of kings delighteth to honour; fir&s;t, <HI>he &s;hall be arayed in pure white linnen, which is the rigteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the Saints,</HI> as in <HI>Revel. He &s;hall be cloathed with the Sun, and trample the Moon under his feet.</HI></P>
<P>I know, the Saints &s;hining forth in Chri&s;t are able in &s;ome mea&s;ure to trample the&s;e changeable things, by living farre above them, in an un|changeable
<PB N="15" REF="17">God, by the Spirit of Chri&s;t living in them: but &s;o far as they are fle&s;h, they are apt to mixe them&s;elves with the&s;e things below: not knowing their maje&s;ty, nor glory, forgetting their de&s;cent, but time is a comming that they &s;hall know God: know as they are known, they &s;hall know God with all his attributes and glory: yea, they &s;hall know them&s;elves with the glory de&s;igned for them.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t &s;ayes, <HI>John</HI> 17. <HI>The glory thou ha&s;t gi|ven me, I have given them, that we may be one, O Father.</HI> One part of Chri&s;ts glory is this, that the Father hath appointed the Son to judge the world, and in this re&s;pect Chri&s;t will honour his Saints; know ye not, &s;aith <HI>Paul, that the &s;aints &s;hall judge Angels and men:</HI> here they look like poor &s;hrimps, as they are cloathed with rags and fle&s;h: but when Chri&s;t &s;hall appear, then &s;hall we appear with him in glory, as the Apo&s;tle <HI>John</HI> &s;peaketh.</P>
<P>O this appearance &s;hall confound the world, as &s;oon as Chri&s;t hath confounded the world, with his own, and his Saints glorious appearing to the world; then &s;hall he &s;it downe in glory, to re&s;t him&s;elfe as it were &s;atisfied in the fini&s;hments of all his works, and the Saints &s;hall &s;it down by Chri&s;t, as well plea&s;ed with Chri&s;t and all his works, what an honour is this? Well, this ho|nour all his Saints &s;hall have, <HI>Thy name O Lord it above the heavens,</HI> &s;aith <HI>David;</HI> and as his name,
<PB N="16" REF="18">&s;o his Saints too, in &s;eating them above Angels, as taken into union with Chri&s;t, and &s;et down in the Throne of Chri&s;t: What joy, fea&s;ting, mu&s;ick, is there at your Princes marriage dayes when &s;olem|nized? O but when the Bridegroome, and his Spou&s;e the Bride, &amp; the Lambs Wife &s;hall &s;it down to &s;olemnize that eternall match, made up in the e|verla&s;ting purpo&s;e and coun&s;ell of God the Father, long before all worlds, or the Foundations of them: O what &s;ongs then? what joy? what prai|&s;es &s;hall Angels &s;ing with light&s;ome hearts? Yea, I &s;ay Angels, and this too &s;hall they count their heaven and happine&s;&s;e: O thou melancholy Saint, to&s;&s;ed with afflictions, what think&s;t thou of this day? tell me, tell me true; &s;ure thou do&s;t not mind this, if thou did&s;t, thou could&s;t never com|plain of wants &amp; lo&s;&s;es; if thou did&s;t mind this day indeed, this endle&s;&s;e day, when heaven &s;hall ring with &s;houts and prai&s;es unto the Lord, and unto the Lambe, by Saints and Angels as with one voice.</P>
<P>Doth a little In&s;trument &s;weetly touchd, take and charme the eare, and Siren-like, kill all other delights, at lea&s;t, for pre&s;ent? O how &s;hall thy &s;oul be taken? yea, taken and charmed to heare the Songs of prai&s;es unto the Lord, unto the Lambe, in that &s;ame day unto the Lord; O that mu&s;t needs have a &s;weet melodie in it, which mu&s;t touch and take that eare, which made that eare by which weheare.</P>
<PB N="17" REF="18">
<P> If all the skilfulle&s;t Mu&s;itions in the world &s;hould meet, with every one the &s;weete&s;t In&s;tru|ments that could be thought on, with all <HI>Solo|mons</HI> Singers, yea, and ten thou&s;and more to them; I &s;ay, if all the&s;e &s;hould meet to try their skill, and &s;traine their voyces, yet would the Songs, the Prai&s;es of one bare Saint, or Angel, as farre excell them all for &s;weetne&s;&s;e, as they excell the A&s;&s;es braying; and if &s;o, what &s;weetne&s;&s;e will there be when ten thou&s;and times ten chou&s;ands of Saints, with as many Angels, &s;hall all joyne as with one voice, to &s;ing their prai&s;es unto the Lamb; O Chri&s;t, how ble&s;&s;ed is that &s;oule whom thou wilt to &s;it in thy Throne to hear the&s;e Songs, to heare the&s;e prai&s;es.</P>
<P>Sixtly, This &s;itting down in the Throne of Chri&s;t, and the Glory of God, denotes joy and triumph: It is &s;aid, at <HI>Chri&s;ts birth, Angels and innumerable company of Angels was heard to &s;ing and rejoyce,</HI> Luke 2.13. <HI>Glory to God on high, peace and good will to men on Earth.</HI></P>
<P>Shall not this Song be &s;ung again at that day, when Chri&s;ts marriage &s;hall be &s;olemnized, a match of the Fathers own making? Surely yea, and the twenty four Elders &s;hall &s;ing, <HI>wor&s;hip God for ever,</HI> Revel. 18.20. <HI>O Heavens doe yee re|joyce, and all yee holy Apo&s;tles and Prophets too.</HI></P>
<P>At <HI>I&s;raels</HI> victory its &s;aid, <HI>Deborah,</HI> and <HI>Ba|rak</HI> &s;ung prai&s;es: but for Chri&s;ts victory, and his
<PB N="18" REF="19">Saints, over Worlds, Men, Sinne, Death, and De|vils; let all now rejoyce; now let the Song of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> be &s;ung again, <HI>Revel.</HI> 15.3. <HI>Great and merveilous are thy work, Lord God almighty, ju&s;t, and true are thy wayes, O thou King of Saints; Who &s;hall not feare thee, give glory to thee, and glorifie thy name, for thou onely art holy, and all Nations &s;hall come and wor&s;hip thee, for thy judge|ments are manife&s;t.</HI> How glad was <HI>I&s;rael</HI> when <HI>David</HI> had &s;laine and &s;poiled <HI>Goliah?</HI></P>
<P>O friend, this <HI>David</HI> was a tipe of our <HI>David,</HI> our Chri&s;t, who hath foyld and &s;laine all for his <HI>I&s;rael; Let her therefore be glad and rejoyce in God her Saviour, yea, let her rejoyce now with Timbrell and Harp, let the high prai&s;es be had in their mouthes, and let them &s;ing aloud his prai&s;es, who hath now redeemed them from off the earth, out of every kindred, tongues, and nations, a people for his prai&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>O <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> created for his prai&s;es, prai&s;e thou the Lord; O <HI>Jacob,</HI> formed of God, prai&s;e thou the Lord: O all ye Saints of his, prai&s;e him day and night; O all ye Angels, Archangels, Cherubims, and Seraphims prai&s;e ye the Lord, for he hath magnified you.</P>
<P>Seventhly, this &s;itting down in the throne of Chri&s;t, or Gods glory, denotes abiding; we bid friends &s;it down when we would have them a|bide With us: &s;o by this &s;itting in the throne of
<PB N="19" REF="19">Chri&s;t, it denotes, that Chri&s;t is willing thou &s;houlde&s;t abide, and &s;it with him for ever. I remember <HI>Peter,</HI> having but a glimps of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> glory in the mount, &s;aith thus to Chri&s;t: O Ma&s;ter, let us build here Tabernacles: marke <HI>Peters</HI> de&s;ire was &s;ure to live and die here.</P>
<P>O precious Chri&s;tian, thou &s;halt live and never die in this mount <HI>Sion,</HI> where thou &s;halt &s;ee <HI>Mo|&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> again; yea ten thou&s;and times ten thou&s;and glorious Saints, as well as with as many Angels, and God, and Chri&s;t, excelling all ten thou&s;and times over and over again: now <HI>Peter,</HI> how much better will this be then thy wi&s;h, to &s;it down in the glory of this God, and throne of Chri&s;t. One thing, &s;aith <HI>David,</HI> I have de&s;ired of the Lord, <HI>That I might dwell all the dayes of my life in thy hou&s;e, to behold the beauty of thy tem|ple:</HI> this is the wi&s;h of every gracious heart as well as <HI>Davids:</HI> but here is more promi&s;ed, far more then this wi&s;h: namely, an abiding, not onely in the hou&s;e of God, but a &s;itting in the glory of God, with Chri&s;t, where thou &s;halt &s;it time, time out of minde. Chri&s;t will never bid that &s;oul &s;it up, whom he once &s;ets down in his throne.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t tels his Di&s;ciples, <HI>becau&s;e I live, ye &s;hall live al&s;o. John.</HI> 17. As if Chri&s;t &s;hould have &s;aid, I cannot live without you: and whil&s;t I have a throne, I mu&s;t have your company.</P>
<PB N="20" REF="20">
<P> O chri&s;tian, wert thou to be in heaven a few mo|ments, it would be a reward &s;ufficient for all thou did&s;t, or ever &s;uffered&s;t for Chri&s;t. O happy chri|&s;tian, thou &s;halt &s;it, not onely moments, but dayes, moneths, nay years, nay ages, yea more then a|ges, as much longer then ages: as all ages are longer then one moment, one bare moment, time &s;hall be no more, nor &s;in be no more, nor &s;orrow &s;hall be no more but thou &s;halt remain, and be for ever with Chri&s;t in the throne of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>O &s;aith <HI>Daniel, his Kingdome is an everla|&s;ting Kingdome:</HI> &s;o may I &s;ay, his throne is an everla&s;ting throne, <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Though the hea|vens be changed, and rouled up like a &s;crowle, yet thou remaine&s;t the &s;ame:</HI> &s;o may I &s;ay of this throne: O happy chri&s;tian, Princes would thinke them&s;elves happy, might they but &s;it but a few days more then ordinary in their thrones to reign in glory.</P>
<P>O friends, Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>He that overcommeth &s;hall &s;it with me in my throne, as I have overcome, and am &s;et with my Father in his throne;</HI> &s;o that thou &s;halt &s;it with Chri&s;t, and reigne, as it were, within the eternity of Chri&s;t. O eternity, O eternity, when I think on thee, how is times and worlds &s;wallowed up, and lo&s;t like little ri|vers in the ocean? how are joyes, griefs, and &s;or|rowes &s;wallowed up by thee, O Eternity, like little fi&s;hes by the whales? here one age pa&s;&s;eth,
<PB N="21" REF="20">and another commeth, all mouldering into eterni|ty, like fle&s;h to du&s;t, <HI>here, &s;aith Paul, we have noe abiding city: but we have one to come,</HI> aluding to what Chri&s;t hath promi&s;ed. O that can never be &s;haken: all things here, are, and mu&s;t be &s;haken, yea, the earth, and heavens, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaketh, We &s;ee it, we &s;ee it, how are all earthly <HI>Monarchs</HI> &s;haken now in our dayes. O me thinks Chri&s;t is now a &s;haking all powers in the world, do not you &s;ee it, nay, do not you &s;ee them fall like our ripe fruit; truely, me thinks I &s;ee Chri&s;t hewing down Kings and Princes with a voice as loud as thunder, crying, room, room, for my &s;elfe, and my Go&s;pel: O how have the&s;e kingdomes been &s;haking, and the mighty men overturned: over|turned by the voice which is &s;till abroad thun|dring, that the world round about may heare and make room for Chri&s;t, and his Go&s;pel, and all that will embrace it: but the heavens mu&s;t be &s;haken, the heavens that cover this earth, and the heavens that covers Gods glory, the glory of his free grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t: I mean, mans righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that is now a &s;haking by the Spirit of the Lord, by proclaiming Chri&s;t, and his righ|teou&s;ue&s;&s;e to the wor&s;t of &s;inners.</P>
<P>Men have thought, by way of works, to find life and &s;alvation, neglecting Chri&s;t, at lea&s;t in part, by re&s;ting, as it were, on two propes, Chri&s;t, and their own works: but know this, Chri&s;t is
<PB N="22" REF="21">all, and now will be all or nothing at all; your former Popi&s;h ignorance he winked at, but now he wills that all men repent of this &s;inne, &s;elf|conceitedne&s;&s;e. O! Chri&s;t mu&s;t be all in all, but I &s;hall &s;tep a little a&s;ide; the thing I aime at, is to tell you, what that is that remaines, and cannot, nor &s;hall ever be &s;haken by men, or devils; well heaven and earth mu&s;t be, but the&s;e two things cannot be.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t in which he clothes &s;inners, yea, the wor&s;t of &s;inners that comes to him, and makes them Saints. O &s;in|ner, &s;inner, come to Chri&s;t, honour him by com|ming, and he will honour thee, by giving his righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e unto thee; O this righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is the long white Robe in which all the Saints are clothed, <HI>Revelations.</HI> Sinner, come and take this Robe, come, yee may have it, come, it is free, yee may have it, come, it is free to all, yea, free to all that will accept it: O come then, come &s;inners, all &s;orts of &s;inners, high, low, rich, poore, young, old, bound, free; but if yee do not come, then remember this, I &s;ay, remember this, yee &s;hall cry one day to the rocks and mountaines to fall on you, and runne to the dennes and caves to hide your naked &s;oules, naked for want of Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;s which yee once refu&s;ed.</P>
<P>Secondly, As the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t can|not be &s;haken, &s;o the throne of Chri&s;t cannot be
<PB N="23" REF="21">&s;haken: <HI>Daniel</HI> &s;aith, <HI>His Kingdome is an ever|la&s;ting Kingdome, and his Throne is an everla&s;t|ing Throne, and is e&s;tabli&s;hed for ever,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Da|vid.</HI> Well, he that overcomes by Chri&s;t, &s;hall &s;it by Chri&s;t in this Throne. How we overcome I tould you at fir&s;t, namely, by Chri&s;t the Captaine of our &s;alvation, an ea&s;ie way for thee: well, O &s;inner, re&s;olve, re&s;olve thy &s;elfe what thou wilt doe. For &s;urely there are two eternities that all mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e into; one with Chri&s;t in the Throne of Chri&s;t; and of this eternity and glory, all this that hath beene &s;poken, is but as one Grape of that Bunch which the Spies brought from <HI>Cana|an</HI> for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to ta&s;te in her journey; you, who are traveling with your faces <HI>Zion</HI> ward, ta&s;te if there be not a &s;weetne&s;&s;e in this one Grape, this one Promi&s;e of Chri&s;t, in &s;itting down with Chri&s;t in the Throne and Glory of Chri&s;t: but as for thy re&s;olution I know it, I know it very well; thou art re&s;olved to live more and more to Chri&s;t, and the honour of Chri&s;t, who will thus honour thee, by &s;eating thee on his own Throne: but for thy re&s;olution, I faine would have. yea, thine O carele&s;&s;e &s;inner, and if it be not for Chri&s;t, and the honour of Chri&s;t, mark me well what I &s;ay; thy eternity &s;hall not be with Chri&s;t, no, nor the Saints of Chri&s;t, but quite contrary with Devils, <HI>Zim,</HI> and <HI>Ohim,</HI> and damned &s;pirits in dreadfull flames and utter darkne&s;&s;e: but I hope thou wilt
<PB N="24" REF="22">be wi&s;e, and change thy re&s;olution, or el&s;e, O all that love thee, mourne, mourne, mourne for thee.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="exegesis">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Revel. 21. v. 1.</HI></BIBL> And I John, &s;aw the holy city, the new Jeru&s;alem, come downe from God out of heaven, prepared as a Bride trimmed for her husband,</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_MAny glorious things did this young bo&s;ome beloved di&s;ciple &s;ee, in the chap. 20. v. 11. <HI>He &s;aw Chri&s;t &s;itting on his throne in Iudicature,</HI> and in v. 12. <HI>The dead both &s;mall and great &s;tanding be|fore him, and the books opened:</HI> which I conceive to be the con&s;ciences of men, by which he judges all according to their works, and in the 13. v. it is &s;aid, <HI>The Sea, Death, and Hell give up their dead,</HI> and in conclu&s;ion, <HI>all was ca&s;t into the lake, that was not found in the book of life:</HI> which book of life, I conceive to be Chri&s;t, or the foreknowledge, or purpo&s;e of God in Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>And now in the 1. ver&s;e of this chap. he &s;aw a new repre&s;entation of all things, <HI>as a new Hea|ven, and a new earth,</HI> and of this <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;peaks chap. 66. v. 22. and chap. 65. v. 17. and here again. Rev. 21. <HI>I &s;aw a new heaven, and a new
<PB N="25" REF="22">earth, for the fir&s;t heaven and the fir&s;t earth was pa&s;&s;ed away, and there was no more &s;ea,</HI> which denotes trouble. O chri&s;tian, the time is comming, when &s;ea and trouble, &s;in and &s;orrow &s;hall be no more for ever, and now in the 2. v. he tels us of the <HI>holy city, new Ieru&s;alem, comming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a Bride trimmed for her husband. I Iohn &s;aw, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>From whence ob&s;erve briefly, that God makes his divine, and glorious di&s;coveries to &s;ome &s;in|gular men, to <HI>Abraham,</HI> to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> to <HI>Iacob,</HI> to <HI>Daniel,</HI> to a <HI>Paul,</HI> to a <HI>Iohn,</HI> as in the&s;e words.</P>
<P>Secondly, I <HI>Iohn &s;aw the holy city too,</HI> he &s;aw many glorious things, and this city among&s;t the re&s;t.</P>
<P>From whence ob&s;erve, where God makes one divine di&s;covery, he will go on to make more and more &s;till, till at la&s;t he &s;hewes them his own face, and glory, <HI>and they &s;hall &s;ee my face,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>Revel.</HI> 22. ver&s;e 4.</P>
<P>Thirdly, I <HI>Iohn &s;aw,</HI> how did&s;t thou &s;ee? by a divine di&s;covery of Chri&s;t, O all di&s;coveries of this nature, are from Chri&s;t and the Spirit: but when was this di&s;covery to him? on the Lords day, as chap. 1. v. 10. on the Lords day, that is, on that day, when the Lord Chri&s;t took <HI>Iohn</HI> up in a trance, to &s;hew him all tho&s;e glorious things, which he &s;aith, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that read, or hear the&s;e things.</HI> I, ble&s;&s;ed are they indeed, that ever
<PB N="26" REF="23">they were born, who&s;e eyes and eares Chri&s;t hath &s;o opened, as to &s;ee, and under&s;tand the mi&s;terie herein, which the blind bats, and carnall world, neither doe, nor can &s;ee, till God enlighten them by his Spirit.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>I Iohn &s;aw the holy city, new Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;peaks chap. 64.16: of <HI>a holy city, which lay wa&s;t. v.</HI> 26. <HI>of a city which had &s;alvation for wals and bulwarks.</HI> But briefly, the holy city <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;peaks of here, is that new <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> of which old <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> was but a type, and yet that <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> which was but a type of this city, was the glory of the whole world, the only city in the world, yea called the city of the great King.</P>
<P>For fir&s;t, it was the figure of the everla&s;ting city of God, and therefore called <HI>Salem,</HI> a place of peace, wherein the Prie&s;ts of God reigned; it was &s;etled on four mountaines, mount <HI>Sion,</HI> mount <HI>Moriah,</HI> the two chief: on mount <HI>Sion, Dauids</HI> hou&s;e &s;tood, and it was called mount <HI>Sion,</HI> becau&s;e it was a type of the highe&s;t heaven, or habita|tion of Almighty God, from which throne, or habitation, he de&s;cended in Chri&s;t to this lower <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and became our Redeemer, to bring us into the highe&s;t Mount, his eternall glory in mount <HI>Sion</HI> the highe&s;t heavens.</P>
<P>And now for mount <HI>Moriah,</HI> it is as much to &s;ay, the Lords mirrhe, as mini&s;ters do interpret, which &s;ignifieth our Lord Chri&s;t, which is the
<PB N="27" REF="23">true mirrhe, and a &s;weet &s;melling &s;acrifice unto God, yea a &s;tedfa&s;t rock, and unmoveable foun|dation, whereon Gods Church, and Chri&s;ts mem|bers are all built, as on a &s;ure foundation, as <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 28. and <HI>Matth.</HI> 16. <HI>On this rock I will build my Church,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, meaning him&s;elf, <HI>and there|fore the gates of hell &s;hall never prevail again&s;t it.</HI></P>
<P>Be&s;ides, this city had many mountaines round about it, mount <HI>Olivet</HI> was one, to which Chri&s;t went many times to pray and meditate, <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, in one of his <HI>P&s;almes; as the mountaines are round about Ieru&s;alem, &s;o the Lord is round about his people,</HI> and in Ieru&s;alem was <HI>Davids</HI> hou&s;e, which &s;tood on mount <HI>Sion,</HI> as I &s;aid before, mount <HI>Sion</HI> was a great mount in <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> on which <HI>David</HI> built, typing out the Saints &s;afety, who are built on Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, in <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> was <HI>Solomons</HI> temple, which the Iewes told Chri&s;t was fourty yeares a building, and this temple was indeed the glo|rious piece in the whole world, for workman|&s;hip, and riches, and in this temple was all the ho|ly things, the <HI>Ark</HI> and the <HI>Covenant,</HI> the <HI>Mercy|&s;eat,</HI> and the <HI>Manna,</HI> the <HI>Arke</HI> of God was made of <HI>Shittim-wood,</HI> which like the <HI>Olivet,</HI> and the <HI>Cipre&s;&s;e,</HI> are not &s;ubject to wormes, and putri|faction, which did typefie the humane nature of Chri&s;t, which <HI>Dauid</HI> &s;aith. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 16. <HI>Thou wilt not &s;uffer to &s;ee corruption.</HI> And in this <HI>Ark</HI> of
<PB N="28" REF="24"><HI>Shittim</HI> was kept, or laid up by Gods appoint|ment, the golden pot of <HI>Manna, Aarons</HI> rod, and the two tables of commandements, as <HI>Exod.</HI> 25. and <HI>Hebr.</HI> 9. And for the golden pot of <HI>Manna,</HI> it was a clear type of Chri&s;t, who is the true <HI>Manna,</HI> and <HI>the bread that came downe from heaven, to give life to the world,</HI> as him&s;elfe &s;peaketh. <HI>John</HI> 6. <HI>I am the bread of life,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t to the Jewes.</P>
<P>And for <HI>Aarons</HI> Rod that lay in this Arke of <HI>Shittim</HI> wood, its blo&s;omes did &s;ignifie, the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of the Go&s;pel, and the Glory of Chri&s;t, and the fruitfulne&s;&s;e of his Members, who bud and blo&s;ome continually by his renewing grace.</P>
<P>Fourthly, To this City the Tribes and all the People of God, re&s;orted at &s;et times to wor&s;hip, and all the world to trade and trafique; it had twelve Gates, which were not to be &s;hut day nor night; which <HI>John</HI> alludes to in the 12. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> of this <HI>chapter, Glorious things are &s;poken of this City; on the wals of this City,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>have I &s;et watchmen, which &s;hall never keep &s;ilence, till</HI> Jeru|&s;alem <HI>be made the prai&s;e of the whole earth;</HI> this is the city which <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, <HI>If I forget thee, then let my right hand for get its cunning;</HI> which was his mu&s;icall skill, by which he charmed the Devill in <HI>Saul</HI> many a time.</P>
<P>And this was that city too, which melted the
<PB N="29" REF="24">heart of Chri&s;t to think of its ruine, &s;aying, <HI>O Jeru&s;alem, Jeru&s;alem,</HI> with rouling bowels, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ights, and teares, <HI>O that thou had&s;t knowne in this thy day, the things that make for thy peace, which now are hid from thine eyes. For this Ci|ties &s;ake,</HI> &s;aith <HI>I&s;aiah, will I not hold my tongue, till</HI> Sion <HI>and</HI> Jeru&s;alem <HI>be made the glory and prai&s;e of the whole Earth.</HI> I &s;hall &s;peake no more of old <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> the Type, but of this new <HI>Jeru|&s;alem</HI> which is the Church and People of God.</P>
<P>But why is the Church of God called by the name of a City.</P>
<P>For three, or four rea&s;ons, which I will breifly hint at. 1. It is compared to a city for numerati|on, and the variety of this numeration. 2. The Church of God is called a city, for her vi&s;ibility, for &s;he is not like a candle under a bu&s;hell, but like a beakon on a hill. 3. The Church of God may be called a city, for her trea&s;ure and riches. 4. It may be called a city, for her peculiar priviledges, which the Church of God hath from all the world; like a city from your country townes and villages. 5. In re&s;pect of her rivers, your cities are fed and refre&s;hed by &s;ome great river; <HI>There is a river that the &s;treames thereof &s;hall refre&s;h the City of God,</HI> P&s;al. 46. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, Whereas it is compared to a city, it denotes, the Church of God are a great and num|berle&s;&s;e people, as you cannot number the Inha|bitants
<PB N="30" REF="25">of a city, no more, nor le&s;&s;e; indeed, can yee number the Church of God: O &s;aith God to <HI>Abraham, In ble&s;&s;ing, I will ble&s;&s;e thee, and mul|tiply thee as the Starres in Heaven, or the &s;ands on the Sea &s;hore, &s;o that if thou can&s;t number them, then &s;hall thy &s;eed be numbered. Many &s;hall come,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>from the Ea&s;t, and from the We&s;t, and &s;hall &s;it down with</HI> Abraham, I &s;ack <HI>and</HI> Jacob <HI>in the Kingdome of God.</HI> Here is the variety of the Church, &s;ome comming in, from the Ea&s;t, and &s;ome from the We&s;t, which is the mo&s;t remote place that can be, and implies them to bee the greate&s;t &s;inners for Idolatry and Hea|theni&s;me; yet &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>many of the&s;e &s;hall come from both places,</HI> which denotes variety. O the long wayes, out wayes, by wayes, and many wayes, that Chri&s;t brings &s;inners to this <HI>City,</HI> or <HI>Fould;</HI> which <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;peakes of to the <HI>Jewes,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>I have other Sheep, which I mu&s;t bring into my Fould, when they &s;hall he are my voyce, or whi&s;tle, by my Spirit in their &s;ouls, and &s;o there &s;hall be one &s;heep, and one fould,</HI> Chri&s;t commands, and commi&s;&s;ionates his di&s;ciples, to go and preach the Go&s;pell to every nation, tongue, and people; and therefore &s;aith <HI>Paul,</HI> Iew and Gentile, bond, or free, Scithian or Barbarian, Chri&s;t is all, and in all, he hath all in his fould, and &s;o he is all to them.</P>
<P>And as he hath great number of the&s;e varieties,
<PB N="31" REF="25">&s;o his church may well be called a numberle&s;&s;e people, and therefore &s;aith <HI>Iohn, I &s;aw with the Lamb &s;tanding, an hundred forty and four thou|&s;and, be&s;ides a great number, which no tongue could tell.</HI></P>
<P>Well, let us, who were remote &s;inners, not onely in re&s;pect of nature and gentili&s;me: but in re&s;pect of parentage, and families brought into the church of Chri&s;t; one from popery, and popi&s;h ignorance, another from a cur&s;ed, drunken, and helli&s;h family, where God, it may be, never &s;hi|ned into one &s;oul, before he did into thine; which mercy cals for as much thankfulne&s;&s;e at your hands, as ever <HI>Noahs, Abrahams, Lots, Daniels.</HI> O, for God to appear to <HI>Abraham,</HI> and enter in|to a covenant of life and peace, and to &s;ingle out <HI>Noah</HI> from the whole world, and lead out <HI>Lot,</HI> yea catch, and carry out the lingering man to a <HI>Zoar,</HI> and leave the re&s;t for fire and brim&s;tone, did argue abundantly free grace.</P>
<P>Well friend, doe not thou neglect to ble&s;&s;e God, whil&s;t thou ha&s;t any beeing, for doing the like to thy &s;oul, by chu&s;ing and pulling thee out of &s;inne, nature, death, and hell. O &s;aith <HI>Paul, I have obtained mercy.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, &s;he may be compared to a city, be|cau&s;e of her vi&s;ibility, &s;he is not like a candle un|der a bu&s;hel, but as a fire, a beacon on a hill, your cities are &s;pacious to the eye, and &s;o is the Church,
<PB N="32" REF="26">and &s;hall be more and more: for Chri&s;t now by his providence &s;eemes to &s;ay, <HI>ari&s;e, and &s;hine, and &s;hake thy &s;elf from the du&s;t, O captive daughter of Sion,</HI> &s;hew thy &s;elf, and let the nations know thy &s;trength, power, glory, and greatne&s;&s;e, that they may be in love with thee, and come in, fall down, and bow their neckes to thy &s;weet yoaks of obedience to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the church of God is compared to a city for her trea&s;ure, you know all the trea&s;ures of God are laid up in Chri&s;t, as a &s;tore hou&s;e to this city, and every citizen hath, as I may &s;o &s;ay, is the key of this &s;torehou&s;e, by which he goeth and fetcheth out what trea&s;ure he will, I mean the Spirit, by which they may fetch out pardon, peace, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, yea, any thing they need: but &s;till by the Spirit, which <HI>is the key of David, that &s;huts and no man opens, that opens and no man &s;huts,</HI> this Spirit &s;aith Chri&s;t to his di&s;ciples, <HI>&s;hall take of mine, and &s;hew it unto you,</HI> as <HI>Iohn</HI> 10.</P>
<P>And this he doth to the whole church of God, and truely, you that know the Spirit, knows, he brings rich and co&s;tly things to your &s;ouls many times; &s;ometime pardon for &s;inne, and them free|ly too, which could not be bought out by tears and &s;orrows before he comes.</P>
<P>O &s;aith the Spirit, I have brought thee that, for which thou weepe&s;t, and mourne&s;t, namely, a pardon &s;ealed in Chri&s;ts blood, and a crowne to
<PB N="33" REF="26">purcha&s;t by Chri&s;ts merits. O &s;inner, what thin|ke&s;t thou of this pardon, is it not &s;weet, yes &s;aith the &s;inner, &s;weeter then the honey, or the hony-combe.</P>
<P>O &s;aith a poore &s;oule, I ble&s;&s;e God more for this, then if he had made me the greate&s;t prince in the world.</P>
<P>Fourthly, it is called a city, for her privilidges; no city, but hath its charter, and privilidges, at lea&s;t &s;ome di&s;tinct from towns and villages.</P>
<P>O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> city of our God, thy privilidges excell all the worlds, who may be compared to thee for privilidges, yea, peculiar privilidges; which no nation, but thee, can lay hold on, nor people in the world neither; all the people in the world are Gods by creation, but <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> by purcha&s;e; all the world he feeds and cloaths.</P>
<P>O I&s;rael, who is a people like unto thee, &s;hielded by the great God, fed by the <HI>Manna,</HI> and <HI>watered by the rocks, and &s;heltred by a cloud by day, and a pillar of &s;ire by night.</HI></P>
<P>God in a way of providence, keeps all crea|tures, but man e&s;pecially: but <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and <HI>Jeru|&s;alem</HI> above all, who are his choice pieces of &s;il|ver, yea, his trea&s;ure and jewels; now trea&s;ure, you know, men will keep choicer then that which is but ordinary, parents will let farthings and counters lie about for their children to play with: but who will leave jewels carele&s;ly, here
<PB N="34" REF="27">and there, in common places: no, men are wi&s;e, and will lay up their precious &s;tones in choice cabbenets: and &s;o doth God, he layes his up in his cabbenet of providence, and charges his An|gels with the&s;e jewels, or &s;ons of <HI>Sion,</HI> more precious then jewels, or choice &s;ilver either; and in this particular, he is &s;aid to keep them, as a man keepeth the apple of his eye, and is as ten|der over them, as a father; &s;o &s;aith <HI>David as a father pittieth his children, &s;o pittieth the Lord them that fear him.</HI></P>
<P>O happy, and ble&s;&s;ed people, pittied, &s;aved, and kept by God; I will keep thee every mo|ment, yea, every moment in the den, yea, every moment in the furnace, and every moment in all houres and &s;ea&s;ons, night and day, death, and judgement, in times of troubles, warres, and judgement, yea, clo&s;&s;et them; in raines I hou&s;e them, like <HI>Noah</HI> in the Arke, and in famine feed them, like <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> by the raven; yea, what &s;hall I &s;ay, I will be a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day, yea, a &s;un and &s;hield, as <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks, and &s;ure defence too.</P>
<P>And now, who art thou that forgette&s;t the Lord thy maker, and feare&s;t the man, or the &s;on of man, who is as the gra&s;&s;e of the field, and &s;hall die.</P>
<P>But in the fifth, and la&s;t place, the Church is compared to a city; becau&s;e the Spirit is as a
<PB N="35" REF="27">river feeding of it, O &s;aith <HI>David, He feeds me in green pa&s;tures, and leads me by the &s;till wa|ters,</HI> this he &s;peaks of concerning the Spirit; if the foundation be removed, what can the righteous do, <HI>There is a river, the &s;treames thereof &s;hall make glad the city of God. P&s;alm.</HI> 46.4. O this Spirit &s;treaming in, and by thee, pre&s;ents Chri&s;t over and over to thy &s;oul in all his loveline&s;&s;e, and this mu&s;t needs make glad the city, a people of God.</P>
<P>Nothing is the Spirit oftner compared to, then the waters, when the poor and needy &s;eeks waters, I the Lord will heare, and open rivers in the tops of the mountains, this is a prophe&s;ie of the Spirits powring out to poore, and thir&s;ty, who do apprehend them&s;elves farre from the water of con&s;olation, <HI>I will powre out my Spirit</HI> &s;aith God, by the prophet <HI>Ioel, and your &s;ons and your daughters &s;hall prophe&s;ie,</HI> that is, they &s;hall be enabled to open the Scriptures my|&s;teries.</P>
<P>But now, why is it called a holy city.</P>
<P>The Scripture &s;peaks of a two fold holine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t a holine&s;&s;e of things.</P>
<P>Secondly a holine&s;&s;e of per&s;ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, a holine&s;&s;e of things in foure or five re&s;pects.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, things are &s;aid to be holy, by way of dedication, or con&s;ecration, &s;o the bowls of the
<PB N="36" REF="28">temple are &s;aid to be holy, and all the ve&s;&s;els of the temple too.</P>
<P>Secondly, things are &s;aid to holy by way of &s;imulation, or figure, &s;o was the Arke, the bra|&s;en &s;erpent, <HI>Aarous</HI> rod, and the <HI>Manna,</HI> which did figure and &s;imilie out Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, things may be &s;aid to be holy, by way of calling, &s;o was the Prie&s;ts office, it was a holy calling: <HI>be holy, ye that beare the ve&s;&s;els of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, things may be &s;aid to be holy, by way of rule, or precept, &s;o the word of God, the law of God is holy, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, though I be &s;infull, <HI>yet the law is holy, and ju&s;t, and good, though I be carnall.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, things may be &s;aid to be holy, by way of comparation, &s;o <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> is called, the holy city, becau&s;e the holy God was wor&s;hip|ped in it, though it were in it &s;elfe a &s;infull city.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, per&s;ons may be &s;aid to be holy likewi&s;e.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, by way of creation, &s;o the fallen Angels were made holy, and <HI>Adam</HI> too in his fir&s;t creation, <HI>God created man upright: but he found out many inventions.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, per&s;ons may be &s;aid to be holy, by way of calling, &s;o the Prie&s;ts, Prophets, Apo|&s;tles, and Patriarchs, O &s;aith <HI>Paul, the holy men
<PB N="37" REF="28">of God &s;pake as they were in&s;pired by the holy Gho&s;t in them.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, men may be &s;aid to be holy, by the inherent holine&s;&s;e of God in them, having the holy Spirit of God in them, purifying of them, and now they may be well &s;aid to be holy, in the&s;e re&s;pects, fir&s;t comparing them&s;elves with them&s;elves, formerly they walked in darkne&s;&s;e, and lived in &s;in, and nature: but now in light by the Spirit, who tels them they are none of their own: but redeemed of Chri&s;t, to whom they live, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>if I live, I live to Chri&s;t, and if I die, I die to Chri&s;t,</HI> O happy change from &s;in and Satan, to God and Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, men may be &s;aid to be holy, com|paring them&s;elves with others, who&s;e lives lies and wallows in all pollution, <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks of &s;ome, <HI>who were drunkards, covetous, filthy, un|clean, &s;inners, and &s;uch were &s;ome of you, but now you are wa&s;hed, and clean&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>La&s;tly, and chiefly, men may be &s;aid to be holy, by way of imputation, having the holines, or righteou&s;nes of God imputed to them, <HI>he was made &s;in for us who knew no &s;in, that we might be the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God in him.</HI> 2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.21. And in this &s;ence, the whole church of God is holy, having the holine&s;&s;e, or righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t imputed to her; and in this &s;ence, &s;he is &s;aid to be holy, even as Chri&s;t is holy.</P>
<PB N="38" REF="29">
<P> But thirdly, why is this <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> called new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> for three or four rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, in re&s;pect of creation.</P>
<P>Secondly, in re&s;pect of declaration.</P>
<P>Thirdly, in re&s;pect of reparation.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, in re&s;pect of creation, &s;o you call a thing new, that is newly made; what is &s;o a building is called new, becau&s;e it is newly &s;et up: in this re&s;pect <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> is called new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> becau&s;e God hath &s;et it up for a building for him&s;elfe, or habitation for his owne glory, where he will dwell for ever, as <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks in another ca&s;e.</P>
<P>Secondly, a thing may be &s;aid to be new, in re&s;pect of reparation.</P>
<P>God dwels with his people. O when God &s;hall new polli&s;h his temple, and repaire all the wants of his people, may he not then be &s;aid, to new make his temple: yea, his pre&s;ence with them, is the glory of them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> may be &s;aid, to be new, comparatively, comparing it with old <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem</HI> that was defiled; this wa&s;hed, that decay'd and withered, this fre&s;h and lovely, even as Bride.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> may be &s;aid, to be new, in re&s;pect of the manife&s;tation God gave to <HI>John,</HI> he never &s;aw this new <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> till now, old <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> hee had &s;eene againe, and againe,
<PB N="39" REF="29">but this new and lovely City he never &s;aw be|fore, and therefore it was new to him, for he had never till now the full di&s;covery of it; I &s;hall wind up the&s;e former lines by a word, or two, to what I apprehend, and have &s;aid of this City, this holy City, new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> which <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aw comming down from God.</P>
<P>But &s;ome may &s;ay, your lines would have been more advantages to the Saints and Ser|vants of God, if they had beene on &s;ome practi|call point.</P>
<P>O chri&s;tian, precious Chri&s;tian, let me tell thee, nothing in the world doth more divinely fire the &s;pirits of holy Soules, then a &s;pirituall di&s;cour&s;e of the holy God, and the holy City; O did the Earthly chri&s;tian but minde this hea|venly <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> how would his low and ba&s;e affections loo&s;en from the creatures plea&s;ures and profits hear below; or did the ignorant chri&s;tian but know this holy City, new <HI>Iera|&s;alem,</HI> how &s;weetly would this knowledge feed his &s;oule, if he did indeed, divinely know this <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> his &s;oule would feed on this know|ledge, yea, it would feed his &s;oul as with mar|row and fatne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And if the fainting chri&s;tian did but minde this holy City, and his eternall re&s;t in it, how would hee pluck up his &s;pirits; this would be like the hony that <HI>Ionathan</HI> licked on, which
<PB N="40" REF="30">did &s;o much revive his &s;pirits.</P>
<P>O the knowledge of this holy City new <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem,</HI> it would make the blind chri&s;tian &s;ee, yea, &s;ee and &s;ay, <HI>O Ieru&s;alem, Ieru&s;alem, the holy City, the City of the great King, who may be compared with thee, for the glory of the Lord is in thee, the glory of the Lord is on thee, thy Sun &s;hall never &s;et, thy day &s;hall never end, thy &s;or|rows &s;hall be no more, thy joy &s;hall be for ever.</HI></P>
<P>And now come yee lame chri&s;tian and leap for joy, for the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they &s;hall be his people, and God him&s;elfe will be their God, and dwell with them, and by dwelling with them, wipe away all teares from their eyes, &s;o as they &s;hall never &s;orrow more, and death &s;hall be no more, for the fountaine of life &s;hall live with them; nay, with them, doe I &s;ay, it &s;hall live in them, and they &s;hall live in it, and by it, and to it for ever and ever, wherefore leap and dance, O thou lame &s;oul.</P>
<P>Truly friends, I know no portion in Gods Word like this and that which followes, which I &s;hall point at by Gods a&s;&s;i&s;tance, to rai&s;e and cheare chri&s;tians, all &s;orts of chri&s;tians, blind chri&s;tians, deafe and dumb chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>O but how do you call chri&s;tians, deaf, blind, and dumbe? how? well enough, if they doe not heare with joy the&s;e things, I think they are
<PB N="41" REF="30">deafe; and if they doe not &s;ee with an eye of plea&s;ure, with an eye of joy the&s;e things, are they not blind? I am &s;ure they are little better; and if they doe not &s;ing for joy, are they not dumb? O chri&s;tian, I &s;ay, thou art dumb, if thou do not come away and &s;ing: O but what &s;hall I &s;ing, and how &s;hall I &s;ing? O <HI>Ieru&s;alem; Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> thy warfare is accompli&s;hed, thy &s;orrowes are over, thy enemies dead, thy God, and thy Father, thy Husband, thy Chri&s;t is alive, and he lives for ever, for ever for thee, for ever with thee, for ever to thee; let this be thy Song and the burden of it, free grace, free grace, be &s;ure of that: but now not knowing but &s;ome uncleane wretch may read the&s;e &s;weet lines, who lives, loves, and wallowes in his &s;innes; I &s;hall not &s;peake many words, but one word I would &s;peak to &s;uch a one; O poore &s;oule, goe and weep, weep, weep &s;eas, if it be po&s;&s;ible, that thou &s;hould&s;t be &s;till in thy filth, thy blood, and thy &s;innes.</P>
<P>O poore and unhappy man, as &s;ure as the Lord lives, if thou be not wa&s;hed by Chri&s;ts blood, faith and repentance, thou wilt be &s;hut out of this city, among&s;t Dogs, Sor&s;erers, and Whoremongers, and Lyers, which thou maye&s;t thinke mee har&s;h for telling of thee, but read I pray, and con&s;ider, <HI>Revel.</HI> 22.15. and there it is written with a Pen of Iron what I &s;ay, which
<PB N="42" REF="31">thou wilt one day finde the truth of it; and then, what wilt thou then doe? but mourne, mourne bitterly, mourne becau&s;e thou did&s;t not when time was, mourne for thy &s;innes, but plea&s;e thy &s;elfe with a bare name of a chri&s;tian, when indeed thou wert in thy heart an enemy to Chri&s;t and his people.</P>
<P>But fiftly, It is called new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> be|cau&s;e it &s;o farre tran&s;cends old <HI>Ieru&s;alem:</HI> I &s;hall hint &s;omething breifly. 1. In re&s;pect of her Foundation. 2 In re&s;pect of her Builders. 3. Her Materials. 4. In re&s;pect of her Wals and Gates. 5. In re&s;pect of her Watchmen. 6. Her Glory. 7. Her Light. 8. Her Safety. 9. Her Inhabitants.</P>
<P>But fir&s;t, For her Foundation, which was but a common Foundation; but thine O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> is a choyce and pretious Foundation; Chri&s;t in thee is the Fonndation of thee.</P>
<P>Secondly, Old <HI>Ieru&s;alems</HI> Foundation was a decaying, mouldering Foundation; but thy Foundation, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> is the Founda|tion indeed, the &s;ure Foundation, the la&s;ting Foundation, yea, the outla&s;ting Foundation, out la&s;ting time and ages, therefore he is called the rock of ages, the rock out la&s;ting ages, all ages and generations pa&s;t and to come.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Ieru&s;alems</HI> foundation was but a
<PB N="43" REF="31">&s;ingle foundation; but thine, O new <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> is the foundation of all foundations; twelve foundations are laid upon thee, on which twelve thou&s;and &s;oules have built, yea, twelve thou&s;and times twelve thou&s;and, which if they had not, they had been ruind, yea, &s;oul and body for ever. O yee unbelieving and fearfull Saints, did you know your rocke and &s;afety, if you did, though the winds blow, and &s;tormes beat, yet you will not feare.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Thy foundation, O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> was but of ye&s;terday, and to day it is rai&s;ed, but the ancient of dayes is thy foundation, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> &s;o that thy foundation was for time, before all time pa&s;t, and is, and &s;hal be to all time to come, yea, and longer too; the Angel &s;wore time &s;hould be no more; God hath &s;worne by him&s;elf, that thou &s;hould&s;t be for ever, the foun|dation of <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> above, the mother of us all: and what &s;hall I &s;ay of it? O foundation, foun|dation, of Gods own laying, choi&s;e and preci|ous, &s;trong and &s;table foundation, time and age out la&s;ting foundation, heaven, earth, Saints, and Angels foundation.</P>
<P>Secondly, It might be very well called new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> if you con&s;ider her builders: old <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> was built by Bricklayers, Car|penters, and &s;uch like crafts-men, the choy&s;e&s;t of them; but thou, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> by
<PB N="44" REF="32">God, Chri&s;t and the Spirit; therefore art thou &s;aid by <HI>Paul,</HI> to <HI>be made without hands; wee looke for a City who&s;e builder and maker is God;</HI> thy Husband is thy maker, the God of the whole earth &s;hall he be called, thy God and he onely: none laid one &s;tone in thee, but he, none found a &s;tone but he, no, nor &s;tick, nor &s;traw, as I may &s;o &s;ay, for he found all in his own eternall purpo&s;e: O, &s;aith God, this, and this &s;hall be a &s;tone to make me a <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> where I will dwell for evermore, but the&s;e I will not u&s;e, throwing millions by, which was as likely as any if he had plea&s;ed to u&s;e them, to &s;et his glory of.</P>
<P>But as God found all, &s;o Chri&s;t beares all; <HI>We on him are built,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul, as a &s;pirituall hou&s;e unto the Lord, built by the Spirit;</HI> for as God findes all, and Chri&s;t bears all, &s;o the Spirit builds all, by his Word and Prophets.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> was built for the ho|nour of the <HI>Jewi&s;h</HI> nation, but thee, O new <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem,</HI> for the God and Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who will &s;hew his glory in thee, becau&s;e his love is &s;et upon thee, yea, thy very gates more then all the dwellings of <HI>Iacob.</HI></P>
<P>Fiftly, Old <HI>Ieru&s;alems</HI> wals and gates was but common &s;tone, but thine, O new <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> are built of all manner of pretious &s;tones, yea, thy very gates are pearle, O glorious city, thy
<PB N="45" REF="32">wals, thy gates are precious living &s;tones, thy pavements are pure Gold, <HI>Revel.</HI> 21.18.</P>
<P>O King <HI>Solomon,</HI> where is thy glory? all thy glory was but a dark &s;hadow of this glory, O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> city of the great King, which he hath built for his Jewels, and by his Jewels, and the Sons of <HI>Sion</HI> more pretious then choy&s;e Silver, to dwell with him, Chri&s;t and Angels, for ever and ever.</P>
<P>Sixtly, It is called new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> in re&s;pect of her watchmen and keepers; O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> God did once &s;et watchmen on thy wals, but did they keep thee? nay, they could not keep thee, they could not &s;ave thee, for thou wa&s;t raced even to the ground. But thou, O new <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> hath God and Chri&s;t within thee, Angels round about thee, well may thy gates be open day and night, <HI>Revelations</HI> the 21. all &s;afety is in thee, all protection round about thee, who was wont to be frighted from fears within, and dangers round about.</P>
<P>Seventhly, in re&s;pect of her light, thy light O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> was not to be compared to thine, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> thy light was but &s;un, moon, and creatures light: but thy light, O new <HI>Ieru|lem,</HI> is this &s;un, Suns and glory, Angels are the &s;un of thy Sun, and God is the Sun of Angels, and glory too.</P>
<P>O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> the glory of this God in
<PB N="46" REF="33">thee, is the light of thee, the increated glory, the uncreated glory O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> that is thy light: therefore is thy light, the light of lights, and the light of life too, the glory of the Lord, and of the Lambe in thee, are the light of thee, O <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem;</HI> therefore is thy light, the light of lights, and the light of life too.</P>
<P>Now thou &s;halt need light of &s;un and moon no more, no more for ever; thou moon give place unto the &s;un, thou &s;un give place unto the Lambe, and unto the Lord; for they mu&s;t &s;hine, and ye mu&s;t out for ever: and let them &s;hine thy day throughout, thy long and endle&s;&s;e day, thy nightle&s;&s;e day, thy time and age, out-la&s;ting day. It is &s;aid, <HI>Abraham</HI> rejoyced to &s;ee Chri&s;ts day, O ye &s;eed of <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Jacob,</HI> rejoyce in this your day, for it will make amends for all your nights, your nights of &s;orrow, fear, and trouble, your longe&s;t nights, your dark&s;ome, could, and &s;tormy ones, yea, <HI>David</HI> tells you &s;o, &s;aying, <HI>though &s;orrow endure for a night, yet joy commeth in the morning.</HI> I, this morning hath a noon of joy in it, this mornings dawning hath: and when ye by its dawning &s;ee, O then what joy, what peace, what hope, what re&s;t! thou can&s;t not tell, but doe&s;t enjoy thy wi&s;h, thy would; thy onely wi&s;h, thy onely would, which when thou ha&s;t, thou ever crave&s;t; ju&s;t as the child which &s;uckes, and cries, and craves, but hath.</P>
<PB N="47" REF="33">
<P> Eightly, it is called new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> in re&s;pect of her glory, thy glory was gates, walles, tem|ple, towers, riches, &s;trength, and numeration of people.</P>
<P>But for thy glory, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> it doth more excell all this, then ever <HI>Solomons</HI> did the poore&s;t <HI>Pe&s;ant:</HI> for this read the 60 of I&s;a. <HI>Ari&s;e, and &s;hine, for the glory of the Lord is ri&s;en on thee,</HI> the full glorie, the true glorie, which <HI>Mo&s;es could not behold and live, no man can &s;ee my glory, and live,</HI> &s;aith God to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> but to thee, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> when darknes &s;hal cover the earth, with al the dwellers therein, then &s;hall the Lord ari&s;e upon thee, and his glo|rie &s;hall be &s;et, and &s;een on thee, yea, &s;uch a glo|rie, which &s;hall confound the world, yea, confute the world of madnes, and folly, the world hath never &s;een thy glorie, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> but when it doth, &s;hame &s;hall cover her face, and for &s;hame &s;hall kings and princes call to the hills, and mountaines to fall upon them. O <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> the Gentiles &s;hall walk in thy light, then &s;halt thou &s;ee, and &s;hine, and be a&s;toni&s;hed at thy own glorie, the &s;eas &s;hall convert her trea|&s;ure, and the Gentiles their riches to <HI>Midian; Ephah</HI> and <HI>Sheba, &s;hall bring their gold and in|cen&s;e unto thee,</HI> for I will &s;aith God, <HI>beautifie the hou&s;e of my glory. ver&s;e</HI> 7. <HI>The yles &s;hall waight upon thee, the &s;hips of</HI> Thar&s;hi&s;h <HI>&s;hall
<PB N="48" REF="34">bring their &s;ons, their gold, and freely offer to thee,</HI> becau&s;e of the name of the Lord thy God, the holy One of I&s;rael hath glorified thee, <HI>Kings &s;hall mini&s;ter unto thee: therefore thy gates &s;hall be continually open, they &s;hall not be &s;hut day nor night, ver&s;e</HI> 12. <HI>and tho&s;e kings and nations that will not &s;erve thee &s;hall be utterly de&s;troyed.</HI> O, when will kings and nations minde this prophe&s;ie, till then they will never &s;ubmit, their proud hearts cannot &s;ubmit to lick the du&s;t of thee, O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> as <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks <HI>P&s;alme.</HI> But they &s;hall &s;ubmit, like <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> brethren, yea, they that did afflict thee, &s;hall fall down at the &s;oles of thy feet, and call <HI>thee Sion, the holy One of I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>And; whereas thou ha&s;t been de&s;pi&s;ed, &s;o that men went by thee, I will make thee an eternall glory, and a joy from generation to ge|neration, and thou &s;halt &s;uck the milk of Gen|tiles, and the brea&s;ts of kings, yea, the brea&s;t of Chri&s;t, as I may &s;o &s;ay, the King of kings, in who&s;e brea&s;t lies a &s;ea of &s;weetne&s;&s;e, where you may &s;uck and &s;mack, &s;mack and &s;uck, I, and &s;o ye &s;hall time out of minde, &s;uck for thir&s;t, and thir&s;t by &s;ucking, becau&s;e of &s;weetne&s;&s;e, divine time and age, outla&s;ting &s;weetne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Tenthly, it may be called new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> in re&s;pect of her &s;afety, thy &s;afety, O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> was but men and walles, and creatures &s;trength,
<PB N="49" REF="34">but thine, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> is God in thee, and his &s;alvation round about thee, is the &s;afety of thee, <HI>Salvation will God appoint for walles and bulwarks. I&s;aiah.</HI> 46.5. <HI>In the mid&s;t of her the Lord doth dwell, &s;he &s;hall no whit be moved. P&s;al.</HI> 48.8. <HI>As we haue heard, &s;o have we &s;een, in the city of our God, our God will e&s;tabli&s;h it for ever and ever. I&s;aiah</HI> 65, 21. <HI>They &s;hall build hou&s;es and inhabit them, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks of a city, <HI>&s;ure and &s;table, which cannot be &s;haken or moved:</HI> but for old <HI>Ieru&s;a|lem,</HI> it was &s;haken, and ran&s;act too, and &s;o &s;hall all the cities in the world, fir&s;t, or la&s;t, but thou, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> city of &s;afety, city of re&s;t, ble&s;&s;ed city, everla&s;ting joy, and &s;afety is in thee.</P>
<P>Againe, in re&s;pect of her inhabitants in thee, O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> was clean and unclean, circumci|&s;ed and uncircumci&s;ed, <HI>many were called Iewes which were not Iewes, but were the very Syna|gogue of Satan. Revel.</HI> 3.9.</P>
<P>But for thee, O new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> no unclean thing &s;hall come into thee, God, and Chri&s;t will keep out of thee every uncircumci&s;ed &s;inner, I &s;ay, Chri&s;t will &s;ee, who comes into thee, O new <HI>Jeru&s;alem.</HI></P>
<P>Friend, where is thy wedding garment, bind him hand and foot, ca&s;t him out, I will not have
<PB N="50" REF="35">any unclean thing here, &s;aith Chri&s;t, in any wi&s;e, <HI>Revel.</HI> 21.27. He is unclean, that was never wa&s;hed in the fountaine of <HI>Iudah,</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem,</HI> which &s;tands open for &s;inners, therefore &s;aith <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> henceforth &s;hall come no more into thee the uncircumci&s;ed and unclean.</P>
<P>Again, in re&s;pect of her temple in thee, O <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem,</HI> was <HI>Solomons</HI> temple: but it was but a typicall temple; but in thee, O new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> is the true temple indeed. <HI>Rev.</HI> 21.2. <HI>I &s;aw no temple there,</HI> &s;aith <HI>John, for the Lord God, and the Lambe was the temple of it.</HI> Ah! ble&s;&s;ed temple, God and Chri&s;t, who would not wor|&s;hip here. <HI>One thing,</HI> &s;aith <HI>David, have I de&s;i|red of the Lord, that I might dwell in his hou&s;e all the dayes of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord.</HI> O <HI>David, here is thy wi&s;h, and more;</HI> for thou &s;halt not onely dwell in his hou&s;e, but dwell in him&s;ef: for God will now dwell with his <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and be her temple, O thou neede&s;t no other temple now to offer thy &s;acrifices, for here &s;hall all thy &s;acrifices of thanksgiving be continually offered unto the Lord, and unto the Lambe: for he is thy temple now, where thou, and all thy fellow Saints mu&s;t offer their &s;acri|fices, and &s;ing their thankfulne&s;&s;e for ever|more.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall now hint at the la&s;t of the&s;e words, <HI>I &s;aw her comming down from God out of hea|ven,
<PB N="51" REF="35">prepared as a Bride adorned for her Hus|band.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I conceive, &s;he may be &s;aid to come from God, as being borne of God; Chri&s;t &s;peaks of &s;ome in the fir&s;t of <HI>Iohn,</HI> which were <HI>not borne of man, nor the will of man, but of God;</HI> a thing is &s;aid, to be borne of that, of which it had its fir&s;t being: O <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> in this &s;ence thou may&s;t be &s;aid truly, to be borne of God, and to come downe from God, for where had&s;t thou thy fir&s;t being? &s;urely in God, yea, there thou had&s;t a being long before all be|ings; there wa&s;t thou begotten indeed, begotten in his purpo&s;e, and in his love, yea, borne from everla&s;ting, and therefore art thou <HI>Melchi&s;edek</HI>-like, without Father, or Mother, and had&s;t thy being only in the purpo&s;e of God.</P>
<P>O how admirable it is, to thinke how long, as I may &s;o &s;ay, God did travaile with his <HI>Ieru|&s;alem;</HI> a woman travailing but a few months, is in paine and longs for deliverance: But O God, thou did&s;t with thy <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> not for a few months, or yeares, but a time longer, yea, farre more longer then a thou&s;and yeares, to a &s;ingle moment, from everla&s;ting was thy tra|vaile.</P>
<P>But, O God, was there not a longing in thee, or was it el&s;e a plea&s;ure to thee, it was both, it was both, O my deare <HI>Ieru&s;alem.</HI></P>
<PB N="52" REF="36">
<P> For fir&s;t, It was a plea&s;ure to mee, in all the time I bare thee, my plea&s;ure was, I had thee, my plea&s;ure was, I bare thee; yea, a &s;a|tisfying plea&s;ure, or if thou wilt delight, for <HI>I tooke &s;olace in compa&s;&s;ing the earth, and my de|light was in the &s;onnes of men;</HI> O God, &s;eeing thou hade&s;t many Angels, why could&s;t thou not be &s;atisfied? I wanted &s;onnes and daughters that they might be my heires; we are now the &s;ons of God, and if &s;ons, then heires; yea, joynt heirs, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks.</P>
<P>But, ah Lord, thou hade&s;t a &s;onne and heire before, but I had not &s;onnes and daughters to make me a <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> where I might &s;hew my glory. O Lord, had&s;t thou not ten thou&s;and times ten thou&s;and Angels, Cherubims, and Seraphims? Yea, but all they were not halfe e|nough for me, to &s;hew my glory too, therefore I appointed as many more, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> the 1.14. That <HI>they &s;hould be to the prai&s;e and glory of my grace;</HI> And &s;o likewi&s;e in the 5. <HI>ver&s;. He hath prede&s;tinated us,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul, through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, according to the good plea&s;ure of his will, that we might be to the prai&s;e and glory of his grace, as well as Angels.</HI> But were not all man kinde appointed to &s;et forth his glory? Yea, they were &s;o; But &s;hall they &s;ee his glory? No, no; But why not? Becau&s;e <HI>God will have mercy on whom he will, Rom.</HI> the 8. But doe
<PB N="53" REF="36">not que&s;tion no further about this, but returne backe to the que&s;tion; which was, Whether there was not a longing in him, to &s;ee his &s;onnes and daughters, with whom he travailed, though that too, were a plea&s;ure?</P>
<P>Alas, he could not but long to &s;ee them, whom he had &s;o long borne in his purpo&s;e; and nature it &s;elfe will an&s;wer this; Doth not the Mother long to &s;ee the Childe &s;hee bare? Surely yes, the Parent longs to &s;ee his Childe, &s;o doth God his People too. Yea, how can he but long to &s;ee them, &s;eeing they are his own from everla&s;ting, begotten in his purpo&s;e, and brought forth by his providence into this world, where he a while nur&s;eth them among&s;t the vulgar peo|ple of this world, though they be Princes in re|&s;pect of his eternall thoughts towards them? yet I &s;ay, they are nur&s;t as it were, and hardly kept for a few yeares til he &s;end for them home, by death and angels, who indeed did alwayes tend tho&s;e Princes from the womb, for they have a charge with his &s;onnes and daughters, to keep them in all their wayes whil&s;t they live, tend their &s;oules whil&s;t they die; and &s;urely no Ladies are readier to receive a Prince&s;&s;e into this world, to pre&s;ent it to the King its Father, then Angels are the &s;oules of his Children when they dye; the Angels mind the very bodies of the&s;e Children turnd to du&s;t, and mu&s;t give ac|count
<PB N="54" REF="37">of this du&s;t to Chri&s;t, for he &s;hall one day &s;end them to all the winds to pick it up, as him|&s;elfe &s;peaketh.</P>
<P>Secondly, I <HI>Iohn, &s;aw the holy City, new</HI> Jeru&s;alem, <HI>de&s;cending down from God, prepared as a Bride;</HI> She de&s;cended, or came down from God.</P>
<P><HI>Ob&s;erv.</HI> Nothing comes up to God, but that de&s;cends from God; <HI>Fle&s;h and blood,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>cannot inherit the Kingdome of God;</HI> no, it is a corrupt thing, but <HI>corruption &s;hall put on incorruption, and mortality put on immortality,</HI> but this <HI>incorruption</HI> and <HI>immortality</HI> too, de|&s;cends from above, and therefore, <HI>I &s;aw her de|&s;cending down from God;</HI> the &s;pirit and power of the mighty God, may be the thing for which the Evangeli&s;t &s;aith, <HI>I &s;aw new Ieru&s;alem com|ming down from God, out of Heaven.</HI></P>
<P>But in the third place, <HI>I &s;aw new Ieru&s;alem comming down, prepared, or trimmed like a Bride,</HI> a Bride is trimmed or adorned with new or beautifull garments, old &s;potred garments are ill be&s;eeming the Bride, and therefore &s;he never doth aray her &s;elf, but in lovely ones. Well then, here is according to my light, the meaning of the&s;e words, and I think the very naturall &s;ence of the &s;pirituall, as I may &s;o &s;ay, or the &s;pirituall meaning of the Spirit of God in the&s;e words. <HI>I John, &s;aw the boly city, the new Iern|&s;alem
<PB N="55" REF="37">comming down, prepared as a Bride,</HI> the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, God, man, impu|ted, reckoned and given to man by God, and put on by the mighty Spirit, is the newne&s;&s;e of it, and the adornment of her, and this righteou&s;|nes of God. 2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. <HI>and the la&s;t.</HI> yea it is the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God, <HI>For he was made &s;inne for us, who knew no &s;inn, that we might be the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God in him.</HI></P>
<P>Well, by this mighty Spirit of God, is <HI>Ieru|&s;alem</HI> arayed in this righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, wrought out by Chri&s;t for her, and &s;o given by God for that &s;ame purpo&s;e, namely, <HI>Ieru&s;alems</HI> adorn|ment, and now, he beholding her in this, he mu&s;t needs &s;ay: <HI>I &s;aw her de&s;cending down from God out of heaven trimmed as a Bride.</HI></P>
<P>When &s;he is trimmed and arrayed by God, Chri&s;t, and the Spirit, yea, and &s;he mu&s;t needs be now lovely and Bride-like beautifull; doth the &s;potted moon, and twinckling &s;tars adorne the cloudy element, and make it &s;o lovely, that a <HI>David</HI> cries out, <HI>O Lord how wonderfull are thy works. P&s;alme.</HI> 8. <HI>v.</HI> 3. then mu&s;t needs Chri&s;t the Sun of &s;uns, and angels too, to make his <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> beautifull, when he &s;hall cloath her with his own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, as with a gar|ment, downe to the ground.</P>
<P>Ofriends, this righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t is the wedding garment of new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> and in this
<PB N="56" REF="38">garment, &s;aith <HI>Iohn, I &s;aw her comming as a Bride trimmed for her husband.</HI> Chri&s;t the King of kings, Saints, and Angels, &s;urely the kings daughter is all glorious without as well as with|in, for her cloathing is all embroidered gold, wrought out by Chri&s;t, and put on by the Spi|rit. O when the Saints &s;hall wait on Chri&s;t up and down the heavens in this garment, or righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e of his, how princelike will his atten|dance bee, when ten thou&s;ands of the&s;e &s;hall &s;tand before his throne, yea, ten thou&s;andmillions of the&s;e, with as many Angels to them, &s;hall all as one joine to &s;ing his victories over &s;in, death, hell, men, and devils, in this garment of love, and livery of his favour, what &s;parkling beames will pa&s;&s;e from one to the other, like &s;uns refle|cting on each others glory, yet all from Chri&s;t, like Moon and &s;tarres in their horizon.</P>
<P>And now, O thou poor, and prodigall &s;inner, what thinke&s;t thou of that day, when it &s;hall be &s;aid, bring hither the be&s;t robe, and the gold ring, for this my once lo&s;t, but now found &s;on.</P>
<P>O what a change will here be, when the rags in which thou tended&s;t hogs &s;hall be taken off, and thou cloathed with thy elde&s;t brothers gar|ment brought thee, will not thy change be like <HI>Io&s;huahs,</HI> in putting off his filthy garment; yea, truely will it: if du&s;t were turned to gold, and common &s;tones to jewels, nights to dayes, and
<PB N="57" REF="38">falling Commets to fixed &s;tars, and then againe to beaming &s;uns, yet all was nothing, I &s;ay, all the&s;e changes were nothing to that change that Chri&s;t maketh with &s;inners, when hee takes off their &s;ins, rags and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and puts on his own righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e on them, and there|fore well might <HI>John</HI> &s;ay, <HI>I &s;aw her trimmed as a Bride,</HI> when he had trimmed her with his own righteou&s;nes; <HI>thou art comely,</HI> in my come|lines, &s;aith Chri&s;t to the &s;pou&s;e.</P>
<P>Well reader, I hope in this interpretation, that thou and I am one, and doe agree, that this is the beauty of the new <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> that the Spirit means by wedding garment, and beauti|full adornment.</P>
<P>And mark, becau&s;e it is this &s;he is trimmed with, therefore is &s;he &s;aid to be &s;een <HI>comming down from heaven,</HI> as having none of this bra|very, but from God, Chri&s;t, and the Spirit.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>I &s;aw new Jeru&s;alem comming down</HI> in an uniform manner, &s;hee came not tumbling nor dropping, now and then a piece, as I may &s;o &s;ay, nor in a &s;cattering manner, but <HI>I &s;aw new Ieru&s;alem,</HI> the whole Church, as one &s;ingle per&s;on comming down from God; the whole church is but one Bride, as I may &s;o &s;ay, for Chri&s;t the Bridegroom, neither doth hee look on her any other wayes, nor &s;hould wee: but we are like the &s;illy country people, who
<PB N="58" REF="39">&s;ometimes take the Courtier for the Prince, and the lachey &s;ervant for the ma&s;ter: &s;o we many times, take the &s;on for the Bridegroom, and the la&s;ie profe&s;&s;or, who makes a fait &s;how, when as indeed, he is but a beggarly time &s;erver, and hath no true grace nor vertue, for the noble and royall Chri&s;tian, though there be not &s;uch an outward &s;how in re&s;pect of talk and perfection, which I &s;peak not again&s;t in a &s;incere heart, but as I &s;aid before, Chri&s;t counts his church but one, and &s;o the Angel invites, &s;aying, <HI>behold ye the Bride, the Lambs wife,</HI> and &s;o &s;aith him&s;elfe, <HI>my love, my dove,</HI> &s;he is but one, the onely one of her mother. And this may ju&s;tly reprove ma|ny in our dayes, who will di&s;tingui&s;h the Church of Chri&s;t into as many parcels, as are formes, or judgements, and congregations, every one thinking them&s;elves to be the true Church, when as, at the be&s;t, they are but a piece of his <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> as I apprehend, and that for the&s;e rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> or the Church of God, though &s;he con&s;i&s;t of many Iewes and Gentiles, called and uncalled; yet in truth, &s;he is but one church or body, of which Chri&s;t is the head.</P>
<P>Secondly, every particular per&s;on of the whole Church of Chri&s;t, being arayed and trim|med by God and Chri&s;t, may be called by the name of one &s;ingle per&s;on, and &s;o counted the
<PB N="59" REF="39">Spou&s;e of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Againe, <HI>I &s;aw new Jeru&s;alem comming down as a Bride,</HI> here he makes no di&s;tinction of bond or free, high or low, Independant, Anabapti&s;t, Presbyterian, this, or that forme of fellow&s;hip: but he &s;aw all the&s;e as in one <HI>comming down as a Bride,</HI> and now what &s;hall I &s;ay of this <HI>Jeru|&s;alem</HI> comming down in her bravery.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;he is richly cloathed, for it is in the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God, which is &s;ometimes cal|led a decking, or trimming, with ear-rings, or jewels; <HI>I&s;aac</HI> trimmed <HI>Rebecka</HI> &s;o, and how lovely was &s;he then in his eyes, &s;urely very lovely.</P>
<P>O when Chri&s;t &s;hall look on his <HI>Rebecka,</HI> trim|med with his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, as with ear-rings and jewels, how lovely will &s;he then be? will he not then &s;ay, <HI>Thou art all faire, my love, thou ha&s;t ravi&s;hed my heart with one of thine eyes,</HI> as <HI>Solomons &s;ongs.</HI> 4.9. Yea, &s;he will ravi&s;h, as I may &s;o &s;ay, the very heart of God to behold her in his Sons righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, or bravery, in the day of her e&s;pou&s;als to him, when &s;he is thus cloathed as a Bride for Chri&s;t the King of kings. O now who can behold any deformity in her, &s;he is in|vi&s;ibly, cloathed and covered with his righteou&s;|nes, from head to foot, as I may &s;o &s;ay.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="exegesis">
<PB N="60" REF="40">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Revel. chap. 3.20.</HI></BIBL> Behold, I &s;tandat the doore and knocke, and if any man hear my voyce, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_I Shall very briefly hint at the&s;e words, without any preface at all; <HI>Behold,</HI> that is a word &s;eriou&s;ly to con&s;ider. 2. The Per&s;on, <HI>I,</HI> what I is it? I the Lord of life, light and glory. 3. His Po&s;ture, <HI>Behold I &s;tand,</HI> I the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; O high and low, great and humble Chri&s;t. 4. the Place, Where is that? At the doore, <HI>Behold I &s;tand at the doore.</HI> 5. <HI>Behold I &s;tand at the doore,</HI> not gazing up and down, but <HI>I &s;tand knocking;</HI> for this end, to &s;ee if any man will heare and o|pen, and then I will come in, and &s;up with him, or refre&s;h him with my pre&s;ence.</P>
<P>But fir&s;t, <HI>Behold,</HI> this is a word never u&s;ed in Scripture, but upon &s;ome very &s;erious, great and weighty matter; this word, <HI>Behold,</HI> in Scripture, is like a fiery Beakon on a mighty Hill, which is to give warning to all Inhabi|tants round about; or like the &s;ilver Trumpet in the Law, which was blowne to call the Peo|ple of God together, to the wor&s;hip and &s;ervice of God; or like a Larum in the night to the
<PB N="61" REF="40">Souldier, which cries, arme, arme, arme all; or like an En&s;igne, or Banner, which being di&s;|plaid, gathers all to heare and &s;ee.</P>
<P>For the&s;e rea&s;ons the Spirit u&s;eth it in Scrip|ture; <HI>Bhold, a Virgin &s;hall conceive and beare a Sonne, and his name &s;hall be called Je&s;us. Behold the Lambe of God, which taketh away the &s;innes of the world,</HI> John 1.29. <HI>Behold I come quickly,</HI> Revel. 3. And &s;o in the la&s;t of the <HI>Revelations,</HI> to which the Spou&s;e &s;aith, <HI>A|men, come Lord Je&s;us, come quickly.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Take notice of his patience, <HI>Be|hold, I &s;tand,</HI> I, the Lord of life and glory, I, the Saviour of the world, I, the Sonne of God, the Lambe of God, that was dead, but am alive, and live for evermore; I, that have this title on my thigh, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, with the keyes of death, hell, in my hand, bind|ing, loo&s;ing, and remitting whom I plea&s;e.</P>
<P>Thirdly, His Po&s;ture, <HI>he &s;tands,</HI> he &s;its not, <HI>Behold I &s;tand and knocke;</HI> What is that? wait for admittance, which doth denote his humility and patience; O humble Chri&s;t, Lord of life, light and glory, King of Nations, Saints and Angels, how do&s;t thou aba&s;e thy &s;elfe to wait the &s;inners lei&s;ure? If a great man &s;hould wait at a beggers doore, how would men won|der? Loe, Chri&s;t waits at thy doore, O begger|le&s;&s;e &s;inner, here is humility indeed, Chri&s;t the
<PB N="62" REF="41">King of Kings who hath ten thou&s;and times ten thou&s;and Angels at his heels, waits at thy doore, O gentle &s;inner, did you ever &s;ee a Prince with his Nobles waiting at a beggers doore? no, I dare &s;ay, no; but heare is Chri&s;t the Prince of Princes, waiting at the &s;inners doore, whil&s;t Angels and arch-Angels waits for a beck, with all readine&s;&s;e to doe his will; and this they count their heaven too: Princes u&s;es to &s;end their pardons to malefactors, but Chri&s;t brings them, and waits the &s;inners lei&s;ure too.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t, &s;eeing thou ha&s;t aba&s;ed thy &s;elfe, God &s;hall highly exalt thee, above all the Prin|ces of the Earth, and Angels too in Heaven; for to which of them hath he &s;aid, <HI>Sit thee on my right hand, till I make thy enemies thy foot|&s;toole?</HI> O all mu&s;t &s;ubmit to Chri&s;t, and there|fore it is &s;aid, <HI>At his name &s;hall every kneee bow, both in heaven, earth, and under the earth,</HI> that is to &s;ay, Angels, men and Devils mu&s;t &s;ubmit, or be di&s;po&s;ed by his appoint|ment, to light, life and glory, or wrath, hell, or darkne&s;&s;e, even which he plea&s;e: but it de|notes his patience too, as well as humility, if men be not ready to receive courte&s;ie, we u&s;ally withhold them: But Chri&s;t waits with patience the &s;inners lei&s;ure, who is ever bu&s;ie when Chri&s;t comes to him, in his hou&s;e, or calling, the plea&s;ures, profits of the world, buying, &s;elling,
<PB N="63" REF="41">eating, drinking, marrying, like the old world, who could not all heare <HI>Noahs</HI> preaching, no more then they at Chri&s;ts knocks: O Chri&s;t, Why &s;houlde&s;t thou wait, &s;eeing the &s;inner is &s;o carele&s;&s;e, to neglect his own welfare? Becau&s;e I am God, and not man, and my patience mu&s;t be like my &s;elfe, farre above yours, as the Hea|vens are above the earth, &s;o is my patience a|bove all Men and Angels, and if it were not &s;o, I &s;hould have no admittance no where; for I come to no &s;inners doore, but they make me &s;tand and wait: &s;ometimes they doe not know me, and &s;ometimes they will not know me, and &s;eldome it is too, they minde me, un|le&s;&s;e it be in &s;ome great trouble, &s;ickne&s;&s;e, death, or danger, and then they cry, help, help, with their bitter teares; helpe, O Chri&s;t, helpe, which many times I doe; and after comes and &s;ees them, Doctor like, when they are well, and free; but then they think I am paid by their old prayers, and &s;o will &s;car&s;e admit me, or de&s;ire me to &s;it down, my company now is bur|then&s;ome, though once they thought it other|wi&s;e in their di&s;tre&s;&s;e and mi&s;ery. But O Chri&s;t, <HI>thou art the de&s;ire of all Nations;</HI> who would not de&s;ire and minde thee? for thou gi|ve&s;t Jewels, Crownes and Kingdomes, yea, Life, Light and Pardons, to all that do admit thee; but even the &s;inner mindes not, nor
<PB N="64" REF="42">knowes not thy gifts nor the richne&s;&s;e of it, or at lea&s;t way &s;ee no want of pardon, light, or knowledge; no, if he did, he would not &s;tay &s;o long waiting at his doore; how long O Chri&s;t? ten yeares at &s;ome, and twenty yeares at others, yea, forty yeares have I waited, <HI>till I was greived with them, and &s;wore they &s;hould never enter in unto my re&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Well &s;inner, happy is it, Chri&s;t hath &s;o much patience to waight thy lea&s;ure, do not abu&s;e this patience, le&s;t he leave thee, and for&s;ake thee, and &s;wear again&s;t thee by damning of thee, for neg|lecting and abu&s;ing his goodne&s;&s;e; many poor &s;ouls are in hell now for this very &s;inne, negle|cting Chri&s;ts patience, &s;tanding at their hearts knocking for admittance, and yet, I dare &s;ay, there are &s;ome &s;inners at who&s;e doore Chri&s;t hath knocked twenty years by preachings, teachings, afflicting, and admoni&s;hing by his word, and his Spirit, and by example too.</P>
<P>But what doe I &s;peake of twenty yeares, are there not &s;ome gray-headed &s;inners, at who&s;e doore Chri&s;t hath often knockt heretofore, but now they are deaf, and cannot heare, and the things belonging to their peace are hid from their eyes, as once from <HI>Ieru&s;alems,</HI> for who&s;e mi&s;ery Chri&s;t wept, and &s;o will ye over your own &s;ouls one day in flames of hell.</P>
<P>O me thinks, I &s;ee poor &s;ouls &s;it looking on
<PB N="65" REF="42">one another; weeping bitterly for their folly, in not minding Chri&s;ts knocks when time was.</P>
<P>O &s;aith the aprenti&s;e wringing of his hands, with heart breaking &s;ighs, I was &s;even yeares in a godly family, where my ma&s;ter prayed, read, and expounded every day: by which Chri&s;t oft knockt at my heart, and made me to re&s;olve for to let him in; but I was yong, and thought it was too &s;oon to hear him yet, but I made account to do it, when my time was out, but Chri&s;t then did not knock, or at lea&s;t, I minded him not: for the world, wife, and children came upon mee, that I did not once minde him.</P>
<P>And &s;o another Bible-carrier doth much the like. O &s;aith he, in the&s;e flames weeping, I went twi&s;e every Sunday in the yeare to the Church with my wife and family, heard-prayers, took my booke, turnd to text and proofes, and had Chri&s;t knocking at my heart too, but I know not how, &s;till I forgot all, and Chri&s;t knocks too, who at la&s;t left to knock at all; but I went &s;till to Church with my neighbours ac|cording to the cu&s;tome, with old father world|ling, who would alwayes talk of bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, go|ing home and comming, putting all good things quite out of my minde, for which, cur&s;ed be the time that ever I did &s;ee him; for it may beels, I might have minded &s;omething, what I heard of there, as well as many others, whom
<PB N="66" REF="43">wee counted puritanes, becau&s;e they would &s;till be talking what good matter they had heard, and how &s;weet it was, talking of the u&s;es: but as we followed after, wee laughing for to hear them goe conning over the &s;ermon, one to ano|ther all the way home, not at all minding what he &s;aid to us, but how he met with &s;uch a one, and &s;uch a one, and never minded once at all our &s;elves, like unhappy &s;oules, for which we mu&s;t lie in the flames for ever, to repent our folly, and houle for our mi&s;ery, in not harkening unto Chri&s;t, when the time was, which never &s;hall be more.</P>
<P>O &s;aith, wrinkled faced hypocrite in the flames at the bottome, I deceived my &s;elf, &amp; ma|ny an hone&s;t Chri&s;tian too, like a cur&s;ed wretch, for I was a great profe&s;&s;or &s;even years together, in which time, Chri&s;t gave me many a hard rap at the door of con&s;cience, for my hollow-heart, &s;ometimes telling me, I was a masked &s;inner, and had a rotten heart, ayming at the world, name, fame, credit, all the while profe&s;&s;ion was in reque&s;t, going up and down with many ho|ne&s;t Chri&s;tians, and would be talking with them in matters of religion for many by ends, little minding Chri&s;ts thundring knocks again&s;t &s;uch as I: crying, woe, woe, woe to the hypocrites, Scribes, and the Phari&s;ees, one that did love much to have preheminency, though a great profe&s;&s;or,
<PB N="67" REF="43">bearing &s;way, and rule, ju&s;t like a Bi&s;hop over the Church of Chri&s;t, lord and ma&s;ter-like, &s;ay|ing, he was chief, and mu&s;t be beleeved, and obeyed in his forme, minding this, his owne &s;elfe and intere&s;t, more then the honour of his ma&s;ter, or the good of poore Chri&s;tians, whom hee &s;eldome went to vi&s;it without his doctors fee, or the hope of a &s;ermon, if in ca&s;e he died, worth him five pound; Woe, woe to tho&s;e that &s;o neglect the Church of Chri&s;t, and the poore Saints, who &s;ometimes lies in cottages, and &s;ellers, where their wor&s;hips will not come, it is to mean a thing, becau&s;e they are ma&s;ters, and called, <HI>Rabbi, Rabbi,</HI> which, the true Di|&s;ciple never aymed at.</P>
<P>But &s;tay, I had like to forget one &s;inner more, where Chri&s;t hath long &s;tood, and u&s;ually doth, yea, longer then at any doore be&s;ides, I mean the &s;imple Chri&s;tian, or the ignorant Chri&s;tian, who knowes not right or left hand in religion, more then his grandmother taught him bringing of him up, according to the cu|&s;tome which their parents left them, building their religion on the old race, yet mu&s;t &s;till be called Chri&s;tian, for his bapti&s;me &s;ake: which I &s;peak not again&s;t, but the mans ignorance, which the Lord knowes, I pitty; for truely at the&s;e poore &s;oules doore, doth Chri&s;t knock many times: but the &s;oule is &s;o &s;imple, it doth not
<PB N="68" REF="44">know Chri&s;t when he knocks, but gapes, and &s;tares on the Par&s;on in the pulpit, when it is Chri&s;t that knocks at the heart, with life, light, and knowledge, which is more worth then jewels, crownes, and kingdomes; yea, the gold of <HI>Ophir,</HI> and the rich &s;hips of <HI>Thar&s;hi&s;h:</HI> but poore &s;imple, &s;otted, and deluded &s;oule, thou knowe&s;t not the want of this knowledge, Chri&s;t, and thy &s;ouls mi&s;ery for want of knowledge.</P>
<P>And here, mi&s;take me not, for I doe not mean unlearned men, more then learned men; for truely, many of them, which are great Grecians know not the A.B.C. in the new creature, but by heare &s;ay poore &s;imple &s;ouls, how many &s;uch be there in the world, doe you not know thou&s;ands, that are cryed up for wi&s;e, able men, though not &s;uch great Schollers, yet cried up for able men, fit for Jewry, Judge, or Ju&s;tice|&s;hip, which I doe not &s;peak again&s;t, but honour; yet I &s;ay, I will take a young &s;tripling in the &s;chool of Chri&s;t, without an haire on his face, &s;hall winde him like a childe in the worke of conviction for &s;in, Chri&s;t knocking at thy heart, and the Spirits working in the new man; and old, and &s;ound experienced things.</P>
<P>I &s;ay, in the&s;e things, he will wind your old &s;ol|lid blades &amp; many Churchwardens, who &s;hould be knowing men, as well as Furre-gowned, where Chri&s;t hath often knockt, before ever
<PB N="69" REF="44">that came on him, but now he thinks it is enough to &s;it by his white rod in a maje&s;tick way, with a black &s;oule, by cheating of the poor, to fea&s;t his own ungodly gut, with capon, &s;ack, and claret, till his belly be &s;o &s;welld, that Chri&s;t cannot come at his heart, or &s;eldom doth hereafter; for, for the mo&s;t, they turne drunkards, not that <HI>I</HI> mean right blading, cur&s;ed, or down right drun|kards: but I mean, in a dry way without any roa|ring, by clubbing pot after pot, and then an half pint, and another to that, with a point at the la&s;t to &s;et the reckoning right, and a gell of &s;trong water to clo&s;e up their &s;tomake, I am &s;ure I know &s;ome, that will &s;it with a coughing, and &s;pauling di&s;cour&s;e, from four to &s;ix, from &s;ix to eleven, with a&s;erious di&s;cour&s;e in a cavilere way, of a turn that &s;hall be, but I do not know when: and &s;o they drink healths, &s;aying, you know who I mean, in a my&s;ticall way, from one to another, till all be halfe drunk, and then they depart with an equall proportion toward the &s;hot; but I will bid the&s;e good night, and come clo&s;&s;e to the matter in a &s;pirituall way, for I think it as vain to &s;peak to them now, as it is to expect a &s;wallow in winter.</P>
<P>Well, the next thing is, the place where Chri&s;t knocks, which is the door, O that is without you know, who is without, why, who is within, that the King of glory is without, why, who is within,
<PB N="70" REF="45">that Chri&s;t &s;tands without? &s;inne, Satan, the world plea&s;ure, profits, and they alwayes keep Chri&s;t without, till he breakes in, and whips the&s;e buyers and &s;ellers out of his Temple, which Chri&s;t &s;ometimes doth, as well as once tho&s;e out of <HI>Solomons</HI> Temple; but for pre&s;ent, Chri&s;t is without, Chri&s;t the Lord of life and glory, who &s;tands with pardons, peace and mercy for their &s;oules, if he might once be ad|mitted; but what if he be not? then they are undone, for they mu&s;t die without them, and be damned too, for the abu&s;e of his patience; therefore minde it carele&s;&s;e &s;inner, before Chri&s;t goes and takes his leave for knocking any more, which Chri&s;t will one day doe, when he cannot have admittance for the worlds plea|&s;ures, profits.</P>
<P>But &s;ure it is impo&s;&s;ible Chri&s;t &s;hould be without, whil&s;t they are within; nay, it is true enough, doe you not heare him knock? I heare &s;ome body, but I doe not think it is Chri&s;t, you doe not thinke it is Chri&s;t; &s;ome|times you doe not heare at all for bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; and &s;ometimes you doe not heare for carele&s;|ne&s;&s;e; when &s;hall Chri&s;t have admittance? (when) when I am for my &s;elfe, &s;aith the &s;er|vant, and can tend to open; and when I have this, or that e&s;tate, &s;aith the worldling, and for every childe a portion; &s;o &s;aith the vaine chri|&s;tian,
<PB N="71" REF="45">or much to this purpo&s;e, when I have my &s;wing of plea&s;ure, I will tend Chri&s;t, and till then he mu&s;t wait; and thus the &s;ervant puts off Chri&s;t, for freedome, and the worldling, for e&s;tate, and the luxurious, for his plea&s;ure, all abu|&s;ing Chri&s;t, and his patience too.</P>
<P>But if the&s;e delayes Chri&s;t &s;hould take, for full and flat denyals, what will then become of their immortall &s;oules, worth more then crowns and kingdomes, or ten thou&s;and worlds, be|cau&s;e they are immortall and breathed once from God? But now mu&s;t die in their &s;innes, as Chri&s;t told the <HI>Jewes,</HI> and peri&s;h too for him; and now they had been happy, if they had ne|ver heard of him, nor his knocks neither; which &s;eeing they have &s;lighted, &s;hall damne them with a vengeance. (But how doe you know it is Chri&s;t that knocks?) Poore &s;imple &s;oule, doe you not know it, that &s;eemes thou art not much acquainted with Chri&s;t, nor his knocks, when thou do&s;t not know that; when the Servant knowes his Ma&s;ter, and the Childe his Parent, every thing knowes more then thee, the Sheep the Shepherds whi&s;tle, the Bee his own Hive, and the A&s;&s;e his Ma&s;ters Crib, <HI>but my People knowes not me,</HI> &s;aith the Lord, by his Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah.</HI></P>
<P>But I will helpe thee, what I can to learne Chri&s;ts knocks, expecting thou wilt open,
<PB N="72" REF="46">when he comes againe? 'tis Chri&s;t knocks (mark me.)</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I know it is Chri&s;t that knocks, he knocks thunderingly, or loudly. 2. I know it is Chri&s;t that knocks, by his &s;till and &s;oft knocks. 3. I know it is Chri&s;t, by his &s;low and lei&s;urely knocks. 4. I know it is Chri&s;t, by his &s;weet and plea&s;ant knocks. 5. I know it is Chri&s;t, by the place, he knocks at the doore, where he u&s;ally comes in, and not at a window, or a by way.</P>
<P>But why doth Chri&s;t knock &s;o loud and thun|deringly? He thinkes you are a&s;leepe, or dead &s;ure, as every man and woman too, is by nature; and therefore &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>The dead &s;hall he are my voyce and live,</HI> as in <HI>John</HI> 5.25.</P>
<P>This Chri&s;t doth not meane of the day of Judgement, though that be true, that by Chri&s;ts voyce and power, the dead &s;hall one day heare, and every man be &s;tarted from his grave; &s;ome for glory, mo&s;t for wrath and vengeance, or execution; like malefactors, with chaines of guilt about their necks and con&s;ciences, bind|ing up their feares about them, which heavier laies then mil&s;tones.</P>
<P>O how dreadfull will this re&s;urrection be, when millions of ungodly &s;oules &s;hall come to joyne with cur&s;ed bodies. It is &s;aid, <HI>Iephthah</HI> wept and tore his haire, when he &s;aw his daugh|ter,
<PB N="73" REF="46">and the Virgins of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> come to meet him; but &s;urely this meeting of damned &s;oules and cur&s;ed bodies, will bee much more bitter to thy body, who laid in du&s;t &s;ilent, free from paine; happy were it for thy body, if it might &s;till live with wormes, and mouldring rotten|ne&s;&s;e, and &s;ilent darkne&s;&s;e; but it cannot be, Chri&s;t mu&s;t have thee out, and judge thee too, for thy ungodly deeds and acts, as well as re|ward his Saints for all their works wrought by his Spirit in their &s;oules.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall forget my &s;elfe. The thing was, that I was &s;peaking too, Sure Chri&s;t knew the &s;inner was a&s;leep, or dead, that he did not open; and truly a &s;inner may be well &s;aid to be dead, till Chri&s;t comes to live in him, becau&s;e Chri&s;t is the Fountaine of life; and therefore if Chri&s;t be not in the &s;oule, it mu&s;t needs then be dead, at lea&s;t in a &s;pirituall &s;ence, for want of Chri&s;t; for as the &s;oule is the life of the body, &s;o Chri&s;t is the life of the &s;oule, and therefore when thou keep&s;t Chri&s;t out, thou keep&s;t thy &s;oule from thy &s;oule; O death and &s;leepy &s;inner.</P>
<P>But why doth he knock &s;o &s;oftly? becau&s;e he would not fright you, Chri&s;t would come in a milde and gentle way, and not in a furions way, which he often doth to many &s;oules, who hath long kept him out by delayes and &s;innes,
<PB N="74" REF="47">but Chri&s;&s;t doth not alwayes doe &s;o.</P>
<P>You know he di&s;cour&s;ed and rea&s;oned him|&s;elfe at the Well of <HI>Iacob</HI> unto the Woman of <HI>Samaria,</HI> and invited him&s;elfe to <HI>Zacheus</HI> hou&s;e, bringing &s;alvation with him, and &s;o did not at all fright the little man, though a great &s;inner; the <HI>Ethiopian</HI> found Chri&s;t in his cha|riot, by reading of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> and many a &s;oule doth the like by a good booke, reading in a pri|vate way, where Chri&s;t comes, breathing life and peace to their &s;oules, as once to the Di&s;ciples when the doores was all &s;hut, and they met in a roome, where Chri&s;t comes, and breathes the holy Gho&s;t on them.</P>
<P>But Thirdly, Why doth Chri&s;t knock &s;o &s;lowly? that you might con&s;ider, who it is that knocks, and opens to him; the Turtle hath a &s;weet and penetrating voyce, but the mo&s;t &s;low of any creature; you &s;eldome heare her often at one time, but &s;he cals her mate once, and then is &s;ilent for a while, and then &s;he &s;weetly cals againe, in a mournfull way, even to the peircing of a mans heart, as it were, with her &s;weet and &s;erious, yet dolourous call, but with a pretty di&s;tance of time, between every call.</P>
<P>Well, &s;o doth Chri&s;t by the &s;oule, Chri&s;t comes by a Sermon, jogs and cals &s;weetly to thy heart; &s;ometimes by death in a dolourous
<PB N="75" REF="47">way, percing thy heart, for a wife, a child, a hus|band; &s;ometimes at night, in a &s;ilent way by thy bed &s;ide, &s;aying, &s;inner, &s;inner, art thou a|waked? it is time to ri&s;e, what do&s;t thou mean? ari&s;e, ari&s;e, looke about thee, get thy cloaths, prepare for death, by minding it, heaven, hell, and eternity, and thy &s;oules condition, and its eternity, which if it &s;hould mi&s;carry thou art undone; it is time, high time, and yet not to late, if thou wilt re&s;olve thy &s;elfe in earne&s;t, to minde me, and thy &s;oules welfare, which is the only thing nece&s;&s;ary; and therefore know, thy &s;oules life and pardon is the maine thing, when will that be minded? if thou &s;hould&s;t delay this time, now away, time may be no more, no more for ever; and then thou wilt weep like <HI>E&s;au,</HI> yea, bitterly weep, crying, <HI>ha&s;t thou not one ble&s;&s;ing more,</HI> when <HI>Iacob</HI> hath the maine, and thou can&s;t not have it, for he hath gotten it already. Chri&s;t tels the <HI>Iewes, Many &s;hall come from the Ea&s;t and from the We&s;t, and &s;hall &s;it down with Abraham, I&s;aack, and Iacob; but they &s;hall be ca&s;t into utter darkne&s;&s;e, where &s;hall be weeping and gna&s;hing of teeth.</HI> And &s;o &s;aith Chri&s;t &s;oftly to thy &s;oul, this, or that &s;inner may be &s;aved, and thou dam|ned, and how wilt thou weep, when thy neigh|bours childe, wife, parent, be received, and thou ca&s;t off, yea, into hell, for neglecting,
<PB N="76" REF="48">&s;lighting me, my &s;low, and mournfull knocks, minding thee of the grave, death, and eternity, which will &s;traight be here, what do&s;t thou mean to build ca&s;tles in the aire, doe&s;t thou know how long thou &s;halt live.</P>
<P>Death hath been at thy neighbouts, and fetcht away his children, yea, in thine own hou&s;e, for a friend, a wife, a child, a &s;ervant, and he will come again to morrow, or ere it be long, did&s;t thou not meet with a coffin, nor hear a pa&s;&s;ing bell: hark, it is going now, whil&s;t the death watch clickers, &s;et thy hou&s;e in order, quickly, quickly, it is very dangerous, all delayes breed danger; but this, O &s;inner, &s;imple &s;inner, more then any, yea, any in the world; thou talke&s;t of wife and children, and providing for them, I pray thee, &s;inner, minde thy &s;oule, let that be &s;erved fir&s;t, it is time enough for them, what is wife and children to thy &s;oule, thy deare and precious, everliving &s;oule, if that be lo&s;t, all is lo&s;t for ever, then what good will their wellfare doe thee, O &s;inner, this will no more advantage thee, then a little thetch when the hou&s;e and &s;ub&s;tance is all burnd. O&s;inner, it is thy &s;oul that is the &s;ub&s;tance, and the trea&s;ure too: for thy &s;ouls &s;ake, have a care, it is immortall, everliving, and &s;hall never die, why &s;hould&s;t thou be cruell to thine own &s;oul, or unkind, and carele&s;&s;e of its welfare, ha&s;t thou any more &s;oules? if thou lo&s;e one &s;oule, doe&s;t
<PB N="77" REF="48">thou not lo&s;e all, all thou ha&s;t, and all thou can&s;t? other lo&s;&s;es may be gaind; name may be gaind, and friends may be gaind, and e&s;tate too, before that thou die&s;t: but if it be not, thou may&s;t be happy; yea, as an Angel of God.</P>
<P>But can thy &s;oul be gained, being once lo&s;t, No, no, it cannot be once lo&s;t, and lo&s;t for ever; yea, unrecoverable, O when men lo&s;e their friends, wife, children, husbands, lands, living, it cuts deep: O but this &s;oule of thine will cut ten thou&s;and times deeper, that is very neere, but this ten thou&s;and times neerer; one creature may make up another in re&s;pect of lo&s;&s;e, but who can make up thy &s;oul, if it be once lo&s;t; &s;or|row cannot do it, &s;ighs cannot do it, teares can|not doe it, though they like brine, be &s;teeped with &s;ence of mi&s;ery. O &s;inner thy lo&s;&s;e is irre|coverable, men cannot help thee, Angels cannot help thee, God cannot help thee; nay, Chri&s;t him&s;elfe cannot doe thee any good: what wilt thou now doe? weep thou maye&s;t in vaine, cry thou maye&s;t in vaine, howle thou maye&s;t in vain, none now will pitty thee, though thou weep &s;eas, and &s;eas again to Chri&s;t; it will be all in vaine: for bowels are all &s;hut up, all that are in men, all that are in Angels, all that are in God, all that are in Chri&s;t, men would once pitty thee, for a wife, a childe, a friend; Angels would once &s;helter thee from dangers, and mi&s;|chiefs,
<PB N="78" REF="49">Chri&s;t would once weepe for thee, O <HI>Ieru&s;alem, Ieru&s;alem,</HI> Chri&s;t would once fa&s;t for thee, Chri&s;t would once bleed for thee, Chri&s;t would once live for thee, Chri&s;t would once die for thee, and goe into the grave, that thou mighte&s;t goe to heaven: but all bowels now are quite &s;hut up, all in God, all in Chri&s;t, all in Angels, all in men, all in friends, for they are buying, &s;elling, and never minde thy howling; nay, thy wife, and children doe not think upon thee, though thou did&s;t them once, more then thy &s;oule, labouring &s;till for riches for to leave behind thee, and never thought on Chri&s;t to take along with thee, in thy long journey, be|tween the mighty &s;eas of time and eternity, which is the dying minute, where devils lyes like robbers, catching every poor &s;oule that hath not Chri&s;t to guide them, and &s;o will he do thine; the fir&s;t &s;tep thou &s;ett&s;t in it, hurling thee a long in a furious way of darkne&s;&s;e, fear, and hor|ror, trembling like the partridge in the Falkons talent, and Satan &s;wiftlier carrying thy &s;oule a long to hell, then lightning flies in ayre, or thun|der bolts falles downward, where <HI>Dives</HI> minds his brethren, but &s;eldome they do him, thou maye&s;t doe the like by thy wife and children, but they will not think on thee; for thou art quite forgotten, <HI>for no remembrance is in grave,</HI> or at lea&s;t of thy &s;oule, and its &s;ad condition,
<PB N="79" REF="49">men will laugh and talke, whil&s;t thou weep&s;t, and howl&s;t, friends will doe the like while thou &s;hreek&s;t and cry&s;t, Saints are &s;inging, <HI>holy, holy,</HI> whil&s;t thou art wailing, weeping, and wringing of thy hands, with bitter teares, and &s;oul-full &s;ighs: while Angels &s;ing with light|&s;ome hearts, like to the Saints, thou lye&s;t a cur|&s;ing, ju&s;t like the devils, &s;ometime God that made thee, and &s;ometimes &s;hee that bare thee, as well as thy father; &s;ometimes the dayes, &s;ome|times the nights, in which thou rioted&s;t hereto|fore, &s;ometimes thy &s;elf, thy &s;oule, thy body, &s;ometimes thy friends, and old companions of thy &s;innes, whom once thou loved&s;t, and prefer|red&s;t more then many good Chri&s;tian, who then told thee of this day, which thou then alwayes thoughte&s;t was but untrue, or el&s;e a great way off, but now thou art a cur&s;ing every one that cometh within thy heavy, &s;ad and dolefull thoughts; &s;ometimes thy nur&s;e, &s;ometimes thy midwife, becau&s;e &s;he did not &s;trangle thee, &s;ome|times the mini&s;ter for no oftener feeding thee, when thou wa&s;t &s;quay &amp; &s;quemi&s;h, and would&s;t not di&s;ge&s;t any thing from him, &s;omething was too hard, and &s;omething was too plaine, &s;ome|thing was too high, and &s;omething was too low, &s;omething was too &s;oon, and &s;omething never &s;hould be, though hee preached it never &s;o oft, and pre&s;t it on thee too, with arguments from
<PB N="80" REF="50">heaven, and arguments from hell, with all like|wi&s;e under the &s;un: which thou refu&s;ed&s;t and minded&s;t it not, but frownd, and quarreld, and raild, and jeard, with wicked men, and &s;aid&s;t, thou would&s;t never heare him more; but &s;uch a one &s;hould be thy Pa&s;tor, he &s;moothd thee up, and plea&s;ed thee well, but now thou &s;ee&s;t what is come on it.</P>
<P>But I feare, I &s;hall offend in running wide from the words, though it be in a way of pro|fit, and therefore come to another que&s;tion.</P>
<P>Fourthly, why doth Chri&s;t knock &s;o &s;weetly, to tempt and allure you, to open to him for his many &s;weet knocks; and many a &s;oule Chri&s;t winnes by this kind of knocking, which opens, as it were, all the vaines and powers in the &s;oule wide unto Chri&s;t, and as freely entertaine him, as ever did <HI>Zacheus.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, why doth Chri&s;t knock at the doore, becau&s;e he will come in there, or no where, de|ceivers climbs the walles, but Chri&s;t will at the doore, or no where, if he comes, he can come in if he plea&s;e any where, at the window, or top of the hou&s;e: but you know Chri&s;t loves to come in at the doore of con&s;ent, which is the common way of Chri&s;ts comming to every &s;oul.</P>
<P>But the doore, what is that, the heart, the heart of man, what would it bee, but why doe
<PB N="81" REF="50">ye call that a door: fir&s;t, becau&s;e it is the inlet to the hou&s;e. Secondly, it is the outlet to the hou&s;e, &s;o is the heart to the &s;oule: as Chri&s;t comes in at the heart, &s;o the world, &s;in, and Satan goes out at the heart, <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>my &s;on give me thy heart,</HI> well knowing, if he hath this doore, he may lay what he will with in.</P>
<P>But you &s;aid, I may know it was Chri&s;t by his thundring knocks, but what do you call Chri&s;ts thundring knocks, I mean his thundring judgements to the world, the nations, and king|domes of the world round about, in all which Chri&s;t is now a thundring, rouzing them from their dens of pomp, glory, and greatne&s;&s;e, to exalt him&s;elf, and Saints, in the roome of &s;inners, which mu&s;t be done in every kingdome, before that all be hu&s;ht, and <HI>Chri&s;t all in all,</HI> and the kingdomes his according to Gods promi&s;e, <HI>I will give thee the uttermo&s;t part of the earth for thy po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion,</HI> &s;aith God by his prophet <HI>David. Turke, Pope,</HI> and <HI>Antichri&s;tian</HI> Princes, have kept the nations of the world, and made poore Saints &s;quelke, and hide them&s;elves in new plan|tations, to keep their con&s;ciences free from their idolatrous wor&s;hip.</P>
<P>But Chri&s;t is now a mea&s;uring out lands and livings for them, yea, cities, towns, and king|domes, by his pro&s;pering armies, which mea|&s;ure, by cutting every one &s;ome: which makes
<PB N="82" REF="51">the mighty grumble, as if they were lo&s;ing all, and &s;o they are in danger too: if Chri&s;t be ju&s;tled by them in his way of providence by his thun|dring knocks.</P>
<P>Secondly, I meane by Chri&s;ts thundring knocks, tho&s;e righteous judgements, which thou &s;ee&s;t befall private wicked men, Chri&s;t braines on by his thunder bolts, that twenty more might feare, &s;ometimes &s;trikes the drunkard with a deadly &s;urfet, and &s;ometimes the worldling with a deadly heat and cold, and here and there a &s;inner, that thou&s;ands more might be warned.</P>
<P>Thirdly, I meane by Chri&s;ts thundring knocks, when Chri&s;t knocks like a Bell-man, at midnight, in thy dead &s;leep, crying, fire, fire, fire, and is not this a thundring knock: I truely, it would make a man &s;tart out of his bed naked, to &s;ave his hou&s;e, to &s;ave his goods, truely, thus Chri&s;t knocks at a &s;inners heart, or door.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, by judgements to the world, as I &s;aid before.</P>
<P>Secondly, by judgements on ungodly men, whom, fir&s;t or la&s;t, Chri&s;t will meet withall, when they have fild their mea&s;ure, which thou|&s;ands doe apace, &s;ome by ungodly deeds, &s;ome by ungodly &s;peeches, which Chri&s;t will reckon with them for, as it is &s;aid in <HI>Jude.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, by Chri&s;t crying out at mid-night,
<PB N="83" REF="51">fire, fire, which frights a poore man, that his &s;in, &s;in, death, hell, hell, and how doth this, like a fire at midnight, fright a man out of his &s;leep. And truely, many &s;inners doth Chri&s;t awake at mid-night, that is an unexpected time.</P>
<P>Secondly, at midnight, in his deep &s;leep of drunkenne&s;&s;e, uncleanne&s;&s;e, or &s;uch like &s;innes: &s;o you &s;ee what I meane by Chri&s;ts thundring knocks. I &s;aith one, I have experience of this, he awaked mee from my <HI>Dalilah,</HI> the &s;inne wherein I lay: I too, &s;aith another, that wal|ked in his &s;innes for twenty yeares together: Chri&s;t falls upon a &s;inner by this kind of knock|ing, like three or foure enraged enemies upon a man, crying, downe with him, downe with him, and &s;o beats him down, leaving him even dead, and &s;o goes away: but the Spirit comes, and vi&s;ites him, and rai&s;es him up againe, by telling him, his &s;innes are not pa&s;t, the cure of faith and repentance, which Chri&s;t both gives to the man whom he wounds thus, with the &s;ence of his &s;innes.</P>
<P>Secondly, what doe you meane by Chri&s;ts &s;oft knocks, by Chri&s;ts &s;oft knocks, I mean his mild, and gentle way of comming to a &s;inner, craving of his due from him, and not like that cruell &s;ervant, <HI>who finding out his debter, caught him by the throat pre&s;ently, &s;aying, pay me &s;traight,</HI> and would have no compa&s;&s;ion on him.</P>
<PB N="84" REF="52">
<P> But Chri&s;t, by his &s;oft knocks, comes to a poor indebted &s;inner, &amp; &s;ayes unto him, Friend, friend, doe&s;t thou remember what thou owe&s;t mee? yes, yes, &s;aith the &s;inner, little minding how much it is, and &s;o is &s;traight a going: nay, but &s;tay, &s;tay friend, &s;aith Chri&s;t, let mee reckon with thee before thou goe&s;t: which the &s;inner le&s;&s;e loves, then the broken Bankerout to look into, or ca&s;t up his books, and therefore prayes Chri&s;t to come to morrow, <HI>he is now bu&s;ie, buying of a Farm,</HI> or &s;etting up his &s;hop. O but Chri&s;t tels him, he will neither &s;tay, nor come againe; but arre&s;t him &s;traight by death, which &s;tartles &s;o the &s;inner, that hee now &s;aith, I will &s;tay, and heare all I owe thee, and then Chri&s;t tels him.</P>
<P>Sinner, fir&s;t, thou owe&s;t mee thy &s;oule, I bought it.</P>
<P>Secondly, thy body, I redeemed it by my blood.</P>
<P>Thirdly, thy e&s;tate and gifts, I gave it thee.</P>
<P>O Chri&s;t, thou demands all: why, do not I de&s;erve all? and thou owe me all? yea, O Chri&s;t, but I would fain keep my e&s;tate to &s;erve my wife and children, and my gifts and parts; becau&s;e they are of great e&s;teem with men now a dayes: Friend, do not talk of wife &amp; children, I mu&s;t have thy e&s;tate, thy gifts, and parts too, let men e&s;teeme them how they will, I mu&s;t have them all.</P>
<PB N="85" REF="52">
<P> O Chri&s;t, this is hard pay, but I will pay thee &s;ome and &s;ome, as I am able: do not tell me of that, I mu&s;t have them all now, and it is not &s;o hard as due, or as thou think&s;t for, either: for I learn this le&s;&s;on to all my poor indebted &s;chol|lers, yea, every one, and I tell thee man for thy comfort, when I have learnd them this le&s;&s;on, I do give them back their e&s;tates again, with intere&s;t twenty in the hundred, and &s;o I do their parts with the &s;ame advantage: but, O Chri&s;t, wilt thou do &s;o by mee? if I give thee my whole e|&s;tate, gifts, and parts.</P>
<P>Friend, I alwayes do &s;o, tru&s;t me, try mee, prove mee. O Chri&s;t, I will, I will: well friend, let me tell thee, as I am Chri&s;t, thou &s;halt never lo&s;e by it: but &s;halt have the light of life, and glory to the bargain.</P>
<P>O, but what doe ye meane by Chri&s;ts &s;low knocks: I mean, all the good purpo&s;es he puts in your &s;oules: as to read a chapter, go to prayers in the &s;ence of his goodne&s;&s;e, to hear a &s;ermon, to lead a new life, to &s;erve God better; and there|fore friends, as you vallue Chri&s;ts company, or your own &s;ouls, looke to the&s;e knocks of good purpo&s;es, by Chri&s;ts knocking in your hearts.</P>
<P>Many &s;oules are damnd in the yeare for neg|lecting the&s;e purpo&s;es, O &s;aith one, I was going for to open, but I think, I was bewitched by my old companions, and I too, &s;aith another, but
<PB N="86" REF="53">there came &s;ome to buy commodities, and kept mee in my &s;hop; and I too &s;aith another: but my friends began to jear, and &s;aid, I would not now turn fool, would <HI>I,</HI> to open unto Chri&s;t, all the world would but laugh at me, to minde him &s;o &s;oon before the worlds profits, plea&s;ures, which every one almo&s;t feekes fir&s;t of all: and then Chri&s;t, when they die; which was one M^r. <HI>Carefulls</HI> &s;peech to his &s;on <HI>Worldling</HI> many yeare agoe: which <HI>I</HI> thinke all his &s;ons did very much mind, and ever &s;ince have practi&s;ed: but <HI>Zacheus</HI> a convert by Chri&s;ts knocking at his heart, and inviting of him&s;elf to dinner.</P>
<P>But thirdly, what do you mean by Chri&s;ts &s;low knocks, evening meditations telling thee of death, and eternity, the vanity of the world, the empti|ne&s;&s;e of the creature, the nece&s;&s;ity of him&s;elf.</P>
<P>O &s;aith Chri&s;t, the world is vain by knocking at the &s;oule, <HI>Solomon</HI> hath found it &s;o, and all the &s;ons of wi&s;edome too. One &s;aid it would not &s;atisfie the &s;oule of any man, no more then mitigate the paines of the body: another &s;aid, it was changeable like the Moon, and weather: &s;ometimes in Eclins, &s;ometimes clear again, not a moneth con&s;tant all the yeare about: but al|tering mens conditions, who live below the Sun: &s;ometimes into &s;ear, &s;ometimes into care, &s;el|dome out of trouble all the yeare about, which are &s;o &s;trong in many, that they can &s;carcely
<PB N="87" REF="53">&s;leep either day or night, and &s;till after the world, which changes like the Moone,</P>
<P>O happy were it for the&s;e &s;oules, if Chri&s;t would knock, or tell them, they are dead and buried in cares of the world, and &s;o rai&s;e them up to live in him&s;elf, and minde the other death and eternity beyond.</P>
<P>O death and eternity, who mindes yee, and yet thou kil&s;t and hourds up all yea all, high, low, rich, poore, young, and old, in thy two gar|ners of hell and heaven, but the Saints onely there, which Chri&s;t fetcheth in by his &s;erious knocks.</P>
<P>Fourthly, I mean by Chri&s;ts &s;low knocks his night knocks of affliction, &s;uch as &s;traits, wants, &s;ickne&s;&s;e, reproach, and di&s;grace; O friends, Chri&s;t knocks at the door of your hearts by all the&s;e; ble&s;&s;ed, and for ever ble&s;&s;ed is &s;uch a &s;oule, that heares Chri&s;t by the&s;e kinde of knocks.</P>
<P>But what doe you meane by Chri&s;ts &s;weet knocks? I meane by Chri&s;ts &s;weet knocks, his telling thee of thy Fathers love, the &s;trength and length of this love, with thy intere&s;t in it; O &s;aith Chri&s;t, my Father &s;o loves thee, that he thinks nothing too dear for thee; <HI>God &s;o loved the world, that he gave his onely begotten Son;</HI> yea, and more he could not give, for in him he gives him&s;elf, and all we have, and all we need;
<PB N="88" REF="54">and therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Seeing he hath given us his Sonne, how &s;hall be not with him give us all things, life, pardon, heaven, happi|ne&s;&s;e, and &s;alvation;</HI> and therefore Chri&s;t is called, <HI>The Guift of God, John</HI> 7. <HI>Had&s;t thou known the Guift of God,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t to the wo|man of <HI>Samaria;</HI> and indeed to this Guift all is nothing; If a Prince &s;hould give his favour, what was that to Chri&s;t? If he &s;hould give thee hou&s;es, mannours, lord&s;hips, what was that to Chri&s;t? If he &s;hould give thee crownes and kingdomes, what was that to Chri&s;t? honours, mannours, lord&s;hips, crownes, and kingdomes, are but nothing unto Chri&s;t, the Gift of God to a poore &s;inner: well might <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ay, <HI>O the height, depth, and breadth of this love,</HI> which he acquaints the &s;oule with, by his &s;weet knocks, and of his intere&s;t in it too.</P>
<P>O &s;aith Chri&s;t to the &s;inner, <HI>It is firmely &s;et upon thee, and cannot be removed, mountaines may be moved, but my Fathers love cannot; though the mountaines &s;hould be removed, yet my loving kindne&s;&s;e will I not remove.</HI> Men cannot, Devils cannot move it, &s;inne cannot move it; <HI>If my Children for&s;ake my Law, yet my loving kindne&s;&s;e will I not take away,</HI> &s;aith God by <HI>David,</HI> Mark, <HI>my loving kindne&s;&s;e will I not take away;</HI> I will onely vi&s;it them with a rod: O &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>once beloved and
<PB N="89" REF="54">ever;</HI> men may love and hate, but God cannot, he is unchangeable, <HI>Mal.</HI> 3. and &s;o is his love too; his love is grounded in his Son, and &s;pread in all relations to &s;hew the greatne&s;&s;e of it; the Friend loves as a freind, the Bridegroome as the Husband, the Father as the Parent, but Gods love is all at once; yea all, and more then all, ten thou&s;and times over, and over againe to that. And therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Behold what manner of love is this,</HI> how great? how &s;weet? how deare? how neare is this Father, Friend, and Husbands love? <HI>As a Bride|groom rejoyces over his Bride, &s;o will I rejoyce over my People to doe them good,</HI> &s;aith the Lord, by his Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI></P>
<P>Well Friend, Chri&s;t acquaints the &s;oul of this love by his &s;weet knocks, which even melts it, like the Suggar in the Wine.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, I meane by Chri&s;ts &s;weet knocks, his acquainting thee of the Fathers glo|ry, thy intere&s;t in this glory; Gods glory make the heavens heaven, and fils the heavens too, and makes them heavens indeed to Saints and Angels, and all that doe dwell there.</P>
<P><HI>Paul</HI> had once a glimps of this glory, and it was unutterable; <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> with the very con|ceit of it, for&s;ook <HI>Pharohs</HI> court, and cho&s;e ra|ther to be afflicted with the People of God, then to live in his court, and glory, and be the
<PB N="90" REF="55">Sonne in law to that great King of <HI>Egypt. Paul</HI> having once a glimple of it, de&s;ires <HI>to dye, and be di&s;&s;olved,</HI> that he might enjoy it: <HI>David</HI> cries out, &s;aying, <HI>It is wonderfull, yea, it fils Heaven and Earth,</HI> &s;aith he, in his <HI>P&s;alms.</HI> And &s;o it &s;hall thy &s;oul too, &s;aith Chri&s;t, by his &s;weet knocks at the heart; O &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>I will fill thee with this glory, and wrap thee in this glory, and cloth thee head and foot, and thou &s;halt be like</HI> Solomon, <HI>yea, like Angels, clothed with &s;plendor from the God of glory.</HI> And now, what think&s;t thou of it &s;inner, if thou &s;hould&s;t &s;ee a lovely Princes arayed and clothed in gol|den Ti&s;&s;ue, lac'd and trimm'd with Jewels, it were a gallant &s;ight; but O ala&s;&s;e, ten thou|&s;and of the&s;e were all but nothing to &s;et off thy glory, O arayed Saint, by God and Chri&s;t in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. But when &s;hall I have this glory? &s;aith the &s;inner, quickly, quickly: <HI>Behold I come quickly, Rev.</HI> 22.20. and will then give it thee, and all that long for my appearance, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith of his Crowne, which he tels you, is <HI>laid up for him, and all that loves Chri&s;ts ap|pearance.</HI></P>
<P>But thirdly, I meane by Chri&s;ts &s;weet knocks, Chri&s;t telling thee of his Fathers coun|&s;ell and purpo&s;e, and of thy being wrapt up in this coun&s;ell and purpo&s;e of God, like time be|tween eternities; O friend, &s;aith Chri&s;t, my
<PB N="91" REF="55">Father loved thee from all eternity, and cho&s;e thee to him, from all eternity, a ve&s;&s;ell for his own Glory, Name, and Fame, that <HI>thou mights &s;hew in ages to come, the exceeding riches of his grace,</HI> Ephe&s;. 4.5.6.</P>
<P>O this mu&s;t needs be &s;weet indeed, for Chri&s;t to tell thee of a love before time, and a love out la&s;ting time; yea, all time and ages.</P>
<P>O when a &s;inner fits poring of this love, in re&s;pect of per&s;on, God the lover, in re&s;pect of time, before all worlds; then &s;aith he, <HI>O Lord God, what is man that thou art &s;o mindfull of him? and what am I, but le&s;&s;e then the lea&s;t of all thy mercies,</HI> as <HI>Iacob</HI> once &s;aid, which was of old towards me? And why me, O Lord God, a poore gentile &s;inner, a runnagado &s;inner, who had neither hou&s;e, nor home, nor grace, nor vertue, but hell, and &s;inne, and cur&s;ed na|ture, and yet thou love&s;t me more then all, and cho&s;e me out of all my neighbours, kindred, hou&s;e, and family, wherein were many &s;weet, and many courteous, many wi&s;e, and many knowing, but none but I cho&s;en, the younge&s;t of them all, the poore&s;t of them all, the &s;infulle&s;t of them all, yet I obtained mercy for his purpo&s;e &s;ake.</P>
<P>O &s;aith the &s;inner, me thinks I even &s;ee how God rould me in his thoughts, and all the &s;onnes of men too; &s;aying, this &s;hall be a ve&s;&s;ell, and
<PB N="92" REF="56">this &s;hall be a ve&s;&s;ell, and this &s;hall be another, but the&s;e I will not u&s;e, throwing millions by, which were as like as any, if he had plea&s;ed to u&s;e them to &s;et his mercy off; but he re|fu&s;ed both mighty ones, and many, and cho&s;e a little remnant, of which my &s;oule was one, to &s;et his love upon, which hath no height, nor depth, but over-&s;preadeth all, and leaves no roome, to think the ground, or rea&s;ons of it, but onely free-grace, which makes the &s;oule &s;till wonder, and leaves him at a lo&s;t, why he &s;hould be the man to be exalted &s;o, above his fellow creatures, which are alike unto him&s;elfe, but for free graces &s;ake, which onely lookt on him, and made him what he is, which makes him &s;tud and &s;till to &s;ay, it is God alone doth all, according to his purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, I meane by Chri&s;ts &s;weet knocks, his acquainting thee with him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, In re&s;pect of his love, which thou art by nature more ignorant of, then ever <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> Brethren were of him, who eate and drunke with him, but knew him not to be their Bro|ther, till teares and bowels &s;aid, it was he whom they unkindly &s;old.</P>
<P>The &s;inner doth the like, full many a time by Chri&s;t, when he comes to the heart, and tels them of his dreames, as <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> did his Bre|thren, how they mu&s;t bow to him, and eke &s;ub|mit
<PB N="93" REF="56">their &s;oules unto his yoaks of love, his &s;weet and ju&s;t commands; which thing they cannot away with, but huncht him for his newes, by greiving of his Spirit, but Chri&s;t now makes a famine by wants, and &s;traights, and knocks, and brings them down by need, to &s;ave their hungry &s;oules, which now doe &s;ee the need of Chri&s;t, his love and righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, which he cannot hide from them; but by his &s;weet knocks, acquaints them with his love him&s;elfe, like <HI>Io&s;eph</HI> with his bowels.</P>
<P>And in re&s;pect of his love, which was and is, beyond all loves; <HI>Greater love,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t to the &s;inner, <HI>hath no man then this, to lay downe his life for his friend,</HI> but mine is greater. O unkind &s;inner, an enemy to me, who loved thee in thy blood, and loved thee in thy &s;inne, and hid thee from di&s;plea&s;ure, which thou once laid&s;t liable too, till I in love did free thee; but this thou little minde&s;t, nor all my loves for many yeares together, in hunger, cold, and wants, in life, in death, &s;till for thy &s;ake.</P>
<P>And thus Chri&s;t acquaints the &s;oule with his love, by his &s;weet knocks, and wider opens the &s;inners bowels, then ever <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> did his Brethren.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, I meane by Chri&s;ts &s;weet knocks, his acquainting the &s;oule with his
<PB N="94" REF="57">loveline&s;&s;e, as well as of his love, which wa&s;h|ed us from our &s;innes in his blood, <HI>Revel.</HI> 1. <HI>v.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>O &s;aith Chri&s;t, &s;weetly knocking at the &s;in|ners doore, in a woing way, Sinner, &s;inner, behold me, behold me, <HI>my locks are wet with the dew of the night, Cant.</HI> 5.1, <HI>How long &s;hall I knock and &s;tand? for pitty let me in, I am the ro&s;e of Sharon, the &s;weete&s;t of ten thou&s;and, the Lilly of the vallies, the faire&s;t of ten thou|&s;and; How can&s;t thou cho&s;e but love me, &s;in|ner? Behold me, behold me, with the Crowne that my Father crowned me, Proverbs.</HI></P>
<P>And now for my own &s;ake &s;inner, with my crowne and glory let me in; I am the faire&s;t, I am the &s;weete&s;t that ever will come woing to thee; how can&s;t thou thus deny me, O thou hard hearted &s;inner, that ever I met with, to &s;tand me out &s;o long, who am the ro&s;e, the lilly, and &s;tarre of heaven too, which twin|kles day and night, and darkens Sun and Moone, which cannot come neere unto me, I am &s;o farre, excelling for beauty, light and lu&s;ter, and yet &s;till undervalued by thee, O proud and &s;corning &s;inner; But yet behold me once a|gaine, and if thou can&s;t deny me, I will never try thee more, nor &s;hall my &s;pirits &s;trive with thee, when as it is in vain; and thus Chri&s;t acquaints the &s;inner of his lovelines, by his &s;weet knocks.</P>
<PB N="95" REF="57">
<P> But thirdly, Chri&s;t acquaintes the &s;inner with his union, O &s;aith Chri&s;t, I am <HI>Adam</HI> too, <HI>yea fle&s;h of thy fle&s;h, and bone of thy bone, thy brother, &s;i&s;ter, husband, friend, and father. Matth.</HI> 12.48, 49. Wilt thou deny all the&s;e relations, and fall below nature, then farewell &s;inner, but I am &s;till the &s;ame, and cannot yet deny my &s;elf in no re&s;pect to thee: O &s;trange, unkind, and forget|full &s;inner, of me thy husband, head, and vine in whom thou live&s;t, as in thy root, when once thou knowe&s;t the&s;e &s;weet relations, which are more &s;trong then death, and &s;weeter too then &s;ugred wines, <HI>the honey, or the honey-comb,</HI> yea, <HI>and the ro&s;e of Sharon,</HI> the &s;weete&s;t in the world.</P>
<P>But what my union is for &s;weetne&s;&s;e, it is for time and length, and this I would acquaint thee, O fooli&s;h, &s;imple &s;inner.</P>
<P>And if thou did&s;t but minde mee in this, how I am one with thee in all conditions, and &s;o will be to all eternity, <HI>thy head, and husband, vine and glory.</HI></P>
<P>But fourthly, I mean by Chri&s;ts &s;weet knocks, his acquainting thee of thy union with him, as well as his with thee, by which Chri&s;t &s;aith to the &s;inner, <HI>thou art righteous in my righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and comely in my comline&s;&s;e, and &s;o farre, faire,</HI> yea, altogether <HI>lovely,</HI> there is no &s;pot, nor wrinkle in thee now, none that I can &s;ee, or my father either. <HI>Who &s;hall lay any thing to
<PB N="96" REF="58">the charge of thee my love, my dove, my undefi|led one: it is God that ju&s;tifieth. Rom.</HI> 8.33.5. and I that died, who dares to que&s;tion thee, <HI>my &s;i&s;ter, my Spou&s;e, my love, my dove, my undefiled one. Cant.</HI> 1.2, 3. If men doe it, it is no mat|ter: if &s;inne do it, it is no matter: if Angels do it, it is no matter: what if &s;in, Satan, men, and devils, Saints, and Angels, all accu&s;e thee, and thy &s;elf too, &s;eeing I am he that ju&s;tifieth, all can doe thee no hurt, and therefore be not thou aba&s;ht, for I will bear thee out again&s;t all. Sin, death, men, and devils, if thou wilt &s;tick to me, by beleeving in me: but if thou do&s;t not, to&s;&s;ed thou wilt be, and tumbled, foyld thou wilt be, and &s;poild of all thy hopes, and comforts, joy, re&s;t, and peace, which lyeth in my union with thee, and thine with mee.</P>
<P>And therefore now &s;tick to me, for I will un|to thee, lets &s;ee, who dares condemne, for I am <HI>he that ju&s;tifieth,</HI> in &s;pite of men, and divels, <HI>all that comes to me, and beleeveth in me,</HI> and will do &s;o &s;till, while my name is Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Fiftly, I know it is Chri&s;t, by the place, he knocks at the doore, which is the heart of the &s;inner. Well, what of that, fir&s;t it is the mo&s;t &s;ecret and retired part of man: a place indeed which none can &s;peak to, but Chri&s;t, I have had ere now many &s;peak to my eare, but never any but Chri&s;t could &s;peak to my heart: many would
<PB N="97" REF="58">&s;peak to my eare, but that <HI>I</HI> little regarded; now Chri&s;t &s;peaks to my heart, and this <HI>I</HI> can|not but weigh.</P>
<P>Light things were &s;poken to my eare. O but Chri&s;t &s;peaks &s;erious things to my heart, things concerning Gods glory, things concerning my &s;oule; yea, the everla&s;ting welfare of it. O this hearts &s;peaking mu&s;t be weighed, O this hearts &s;peaking mu&s;t be con&s;idered: it is as much as my life is worth; yea, it is as much as my &s;oule is worth.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> have heretofore heard talke of Chri&s;t, <HI>I</HI> have heretofore read of Chri&s;t, I have heretofore di&s;pu|ted of Chri&s;t; O but <HI>I</HI> never till now, knew what it was indeed to hear Chri&s;t, or &s;peak with Chri&s;t, or conver&s;e with Chri&s;t either, nor thou&s;ands in the world as well as <HI>I,</HI> that would be thought good chri&s;tians, and do pa&s;&s;e for good chri&s;tians by many.</P>
<P>O but now, to my comfort, <HI>I</HI> ta&s;te him, now <HI>I</HI> &s;ee him, now <HI>I</HI> feele him, now <HI>I</HI> enjoy him, and from this ta&s;ting, &s;eeing, feeling, and enjoy|ing, my &s;oule is ravi&s;hed, my heart is warmed, <HI>I am now filled with marrow and fatne&s;&s;e. P&s;alm.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Let him ki&s;&s;e me with the ki&s;&s;es of his mouth, for his love is better then wine. Cant.</HI> 11. <HI>v.</HI> 1. <HI>Yea, then life it &s;elfe,</HI> &s;o &s;aith <HI>David. I will now &s;ing of my beloved, he is the lilly among the valleys. Cant.</HI> 2.1, 2, 3, 4. <HI>Hee is the ro&s;e of
<PB N="98" REF="59">Sharon, he is white and ruddy, the faire&s;t of ten thou&s;and. Cant.</HI> 5.10. The chiefe&s;t of ten thou|&s;and, the &s;weetne&s;t of ten thou&s;and; for beauty, love, and &s;weetne&s;&s;e, there is none that can come neere him.</P>
<P>They are mad that minde him not, they are mad that know him not, they are mad that &s;eek him not; did men know as I do, did men &s;ee as I do, and enjoy as I doe; they would &s;ay as I &s;ay, they would &s;ing as I &s;ing.</P>
<P>Thou, O Chri&s;t, art beautifull, thou, O Chri&s;t, art &s;weet, thou, O Chri&s;t, art lovely; yea, alto|gether lovely; thou, O Chri&s;t, art all, yea, &s;til I &s;ay, thou art all: all for beauty, all for plea&s;ure, all for profit, all for &s;weetne&s;&s;e, pure divine &s;weetne&s;&s;e, yea, they would cry out, thou art all, thou art all, thou art all, O Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>At all times, in all places, and conditions, all in wants, all in &s;traights, all in peace and plenty, all in bondage, all in fredome, all in health, all in &s;ickne&s;&s;e, making health by thy pre&s;ence.</P>
<P>O Chri&s;t, I &s;ay no more, but thou art all in life, <HI>and he that hath thee &s;hall never die. John</HI> 4.10. &amp; <HI>John</HI> 11.26.27. <HI>but &s;hall live for ever with thee,</HI> and therefore thou art all, O Chri&s;t, <HI>all in life, all in death, and eternity too.</HI> 3. <HI>Col. v.</HI> 11.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="exegesis">
<PB N="99" REF="59">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Revelat. chap. 22.1.</HI></BIBL> And he &s;hewed me a pure river of water of life, cleare as chry|&s;tall, proceeding out of the throne of God, and the Lambe.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THIS Revelation was &s;howne to <HI>John,</HI> the bo&s;ome Di&s;ciple of Chri&s;t. Whence ob&s;erve, that divine, glorious, and &s;pirituall revelations are to &s;ingular men; to an <HI>Abraham</HI> will God di&s;cour&s;e, even as a friend, God mu&s;t acquaint <HI>Abraham</HI> with his intention, concerning <HI>Sodom</HI> and <HI>Gomorrah,</HI> before he can doe any thing; <HI>How &s;hall I doe this thing, or hide it from Abraham?</HI> &s;aith God; <HI>O the &s;ecrets of the Lord are revealed to them that feare him;</HI> often did God ap|peare to <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and once he cau&s;ed his glory to pa&s;&s;e before him, and proclaimed his name unto him, <HI>I am the Lord, the Lord gratious and mercifull, pardoning iniquities, tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ions and &s;innes,</HI> Exod. 33.18.19.20. <HI>Jacob</HI> wre&s;tels with God, and &s;ees Chri&s;t in both his natures, in a dream of a lader reaching from earth to heaven. The Angel <HI>Gabriel</HI> was &s;ent to <HI>Daniel,</HI> to comfort him and &s;trengthen him; and at ano|ther time he appeared, &s;aying, <HI>Daniel,</HI> &s;ingularly
<PB N="100" REF="60"><HI>Beloved, I am come to comfort thee, to &s;trengthen thee, peace be to thee, be &s;trong, be &s;trong, and I will &s;hew thee that, that is revealed in the Scripture of truth;</HI> Chri&s;ts Kingdome the glory and dominion of it, Antichri&s;ts kingdome with the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> of it, and all the Mo|narchies be&s;ides, &s;mall and great, &s;tanding be|fore Chri&s;t, giving an account to Chri&s;t. Chri&s;t was &s;o revealed to <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> that foretold all, al|mo&s;t he die, or &s;uffered; his riding to <HI>Jeru|&s;alem,</HI> and the manner of it; <HI>Mary Magda|len</HI> &s;hall conceive of Chri&s;t, by the power of the mo&s;t high, over &s;hadowing her, and in her armes &s;hall carry him that made the world, her God and Saviour, from place to place. <HI>Paul</HI> was &s;trook to the ground by Chri&s;t, after taken up into the heavens, with &s;eeing &s;uch things that was unutterable: So <HI>John</HI> &s;ees here the Throne of God, the Glory of God, the River of Life, the Tree of Life.</P>
<P>Secondly, All glorious di&s;coveries are of Chri&s;t, and the Spirit; <HI>He &s;hewed me the River of life;</HI> yea, all my revelations: as <HI>chap.</HI> 1. <HI>v.</HI> 1. and therefore it is called, <HI>The revelations which God gave by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, to &s;hew unto his Servants;</HI> of which it is &s;aid, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is he that readeth, and he that heareth.</HI></P>
<P>But I come to the words, and will open them, or at lea&s;t will hint &s;omething from them,
<PB N="101" REF="60">according to my weake, and glimmering light.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, We have the ri&s;e of this River, and that is the Throne of God and of the Lambe, which I conceive to be his own ever|la&s;ting glory, in which he dwels and lives; or otherwi&s;e, the glorious union of the divine na|ture, which &s;ets up one another, as a Throne, a Prince; the Father &s;ets up the Sonne, the Sonne reveales the Father, the Spirit &s;ets up, and is &s;ent forth by both, which is the River.</P>
<P>Secondly, For the nature of this River, It is pure, <HI>He &s;hewed me a pure river of water:</HI> &s;o &s;aith <HI>David, With thee is the well of life &s;o pure;</HI> this River is pure, pure indeed.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, In its nature and ri&s;e, it proceeded from the pure fountaine of Gods Glory, or the Throne of God and the Lambe; and &s;o it is pure for nature.</P>
<P>Secondly, It is pure for operation, it puri|fieth where it runneth, and &s;o it is like the re|finers fire, and fullers &s;ope, purifying the &s;onnes of <HI>Levi,</HI> which is by wa&s;hing them in the blood of Chri&s;t, and leading them in, and by the com|mands of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, It is cleare, yea, &s;o cleare, as it can|not be compared to any thing but the Chry&s;tall: O the Chry&s;tall &s;tone, it is the cleare&s;t of all
<PB N="102" REF="61">&s;tones, Diamonds are darke and cloudy many, but the Chri&s;tall &s;tone, it is the cleare&s;t of all; you may &s;ee through, and through it; &s;o cleare is this River, you may &s;ee through and through all eternities by it; from eternity to eternity, and my&s;tery to my&s;tery; Chri&s;t in earth, Chri&s;t in glory, Chri&s;t in fle&s;h, Chri&s;t in &s;pirit, and all cleare; <HI>We with open face, behold the glory of God, as in a gla&s;&s;e, and are changed from glory to glory,</HI> but by the &s;pirit of the Lord, the River from the Throne.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>He &s;hewed me a pure river of life;</HI> I, <HI>that is the well of life,</HI> &s;aith <HI>David,</HI> 36.8 Here is the excellency of this river, it is a living river, and a life-giving river: &s;o &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>He that &s;hall drinke of this water that I &s;hall give him,</HI> meaning this river, <HI>&s;hall never thir&s;t againe, but &s;hall have a living &s;atisfaction in it, and out of his belly &s;hall flow rivers of living wa|ter.</HI> O the worth of this living river, this life-giving river, endle&s;&s;e life and glory; Glorious things are &s;poken of thee, O City of God; &s;o may I &s;ay of thee, O River of God, <HI>who&s;e &s;treames refre&s;h the City of God, P&s;al.</HI> 46.4. Well, I know yee perceive by this, what this river, this living river, &s;o pure and cleare as Chri&s;tall, flowing from the Throne of God, and the Lambe, as proceeding from both, &s;ent forth by both, to water the Paradice of God,
<PB N="103" REF="61">yea, every plant and tree, e&s;pecially tho&s;e that want mo&s;t.</P>
<P>Well, are you &s;atisfied what this river means, that <HI>John</HI> tells you is &s;o pure, &s;o clear; I beleeve you are: but take this Scripture too however, <HI>John</HI> 7. <HI>v.</HI> 37. <HI>in the la&s;t day, the great day of the fea&s;t, Je&s;us &s;tood up, &s;aying, if any man thir&s;t, let him come unto me, and drinke, and out of his belly &s;hall flow rivers of living water,</HI> and this &s;pake he of the Spirit which they &s;hould receive, beleeving in him. <HI>Hearken O heavens, heare O earth, give eare O ye inhabitants of the world.</HI></P>
<P>O what a proclamation is here for you, from a &s;weet and bountifull Chri&s;t, to a poore and thir&s;ty &s;inner, what <HI>the river of life</HI> to any one, high, low, rich, poor, yong, old, bond, free; yea, any one that will come by beleeving. O free, O bountifull Chri&s;t, inviting &s;inners to a river, yea, a living river to drinke their fils; and yet a drop is more worth then ten thou&s;and rivers of oyle; yea, the oyle of &s;pices, yea, the &s;weete&s;t &s;pices. O chri&s;tian friend, here is the well of life indeed, here is the fountaine of life indeed, here is the river of plea&s;ure, I, and the &s;weete&s;t plea&s;ure too lies in this &s;treame: for it is the river of life endle&s;&s;e, endle&s;&s;e life, and glory.</P>
<P>And heare now, O ye &s;ons of men, how loud|ly Chri&s;t calls poore &s;inners to come to this <HI>Chry&s;tall river;</HI> in the Scriptures before, <HI>John</HI>
<PB N="104" REF="62">&s;aith, Chri&s;t &s;tood up in the mid&s;t of the fea&s;t upon the great day, where multitudes were ga|thered, and cried out with a loud voice, &s;aying, <HI>if any man thir&s;t, let him come unto me; and drink.</HI> O &s;weet Saviour of &s;inners, how doe&s;t thou &s;catter life and pardon to all? by &s;tanding up, and proclaiming loudly, <HI>a river of life to all:</HI> thoughts of graces, and bounty are free, &s;o &s;aith <HI>Davids P&s;alm,</HI> Free indeed, when unto all; and &s;ee the like proclamation <HI>Revel.</HI> 22. <HI>v.</HI> 17. <HI>the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> of God, and Chri&s;t, the heavenly Jeru|&s;alem, the mi&s;ery of &s;oules being</HI> &s;poken of by <HI>John,</HI> that are &s;hut out of this glory.</P>
<P>A proclamation is again made, &s;uppo&s;ing up|on the former con&s;iderations, carele&s;&s;e &s;inners will mind their eternall happine&s;&s;e, being con|cerned <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word">.</P>
<P>Well, <HI>the Spirit, and the Bride &s;aith, come, and let him <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> beareth &s;ay, come, and who|&s;oever is a thir&s;t, let him come, and take the wa|ter of life freely, freely.</HI> O friends, mee thinks, this proclamation cries room, room, expecting (as it were) the whole world would now fol|low Chri&s;t for <HI>this water of life, the river of life,</HI> and yet where is the man that &s;tirres: if a Prince &s;hould ride a circuit with an Herald, and make a proclamation of lands, and livings, to all that would accept them: How, O how then would all men run and tumble.</P>
<PB N="105" REF="62">
<P> O friends, Chri&s;t proclaimes both lands and livings, jewels, crowns, and kingdomes; nay, more, ten thou&s;and times more: <HI>a river of life, and glory,</HI> and men will &s;carcely &s;tirre: ari&s;e, ari&s;e &s;ots, and heare, if you be not deaf, and can|not. O the Spirit invites, and bids you come too, the eternall Spirit of God, one with God, the third per&s;on in the Trinity of God; &s;hall this eternall Spirit of God, one with God, comming down from God, inviting you in the name of God, and for your own &s;oules &s;ake, to accept of <HI>this river of God,</HI> &s;ent forth by God, for the glory of God, &s;hall this invitation he &s;lighted.</P>
<P>O, mu&s;t not this be a high contempt of God, and a great afront to the Spirit of God, &s;ent to thee by God, &s;o to be &s;lighted? O thou &s;lighting, carele&s;&s;e, fooli&s;h &s;inner.</P>
<P>Sinner, this contempt of the Spirits invita|tion, may co&s;t thee thy &s;oule: thy &s;oule, I &s;ay, thy everliving &s;oule, if thou do&s;t not quickly minde it.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>the Bride bids you come, the Lambs wife, the Spou&s;e of Chri&s;t,</HI> united to Chri&s;t, being married with Chri&s;t, by the Spirit of Chri&s;t, in faith, divine love, and &s;weet obe|dience to Chri&s;t. O &s;he hath drunk <HI>of this river,</HI> well may &s;he &s;ay, <HI>come all that will come, come,</HI> &s;he knowes by experience, this to be <HI>the river of life and plea&s;ure,</HI> and therefore &s;he &s;aith come
<PB N="106" REF="63">away, come away, or el&s;e you die, you die; and now, O every one that will come, come; Chri&s;t loudly calls you, and the Spirit &s;till invites you, <HI>and the Bride</HI> would faine per&s;wade you, from her own experience that &s;he hath of this river, why will you not then come away, and take <HI>the water of life,</HI> you may have it if you will, now take it freely: &s;o &s;aith, <HI>the Bride and the Spirit.</HI></P>
<P>And now friends, ye &s;ee what this river is, how freely you may have it: yea, you, I meane, the wor&s;t of &s;inners: come away then, come away, and drinke abundantly; come, I &s;ay, for the name of God, come and drink.</P>
<P>For the name of God, what is that?</P>
<P>His goodne&s;&s;e, and his kindne&s;&s;e, his unchange|able goodne&s;&s;e, his tran&s;cendent goodne&s;&s;e, his infinite goodne&s;&s;e, O for this his goodne&s;&s;e &s;ake come and drink; for the name of Chri&s;t, come and drinke.</P>
<P>For the name of Chri&s;t, what is that?</P>
<P>His love, his love, his bleeding love, his dying love, his living love, his eternall love. O for Chri&s;t, &amp; his loves &s;ake, &s;inners, come away, for the name, and &s;ake of the Spirit, come and drink.</P>
<P>The name of the Spirit, what is that?</P>
<P>His freeing name, his &s;ealing name, his comfor|ting, &amp; &s;weet name, his leading name, his pleading name &s;ake, come away, O &s;inner, in the name of
<PB N="107" REF="63">God, and for the &s;ake of God, Chri&s;t, and the Spirit, come and drinke. O &s;inner, I &s;hould invite thee too for thine own &s;oules &s;ake: but what is that to God, Chri&s;t, and the Spirits &s;ake: but &s;tay, me thinks I heare one &s;ay, what is it to drinke <HI>of this river of life.</HI> Fir&s;t, it is to delight your &s;elves in it; yea, drinke for delight as well as for thir&s;t.</P>
<P>O then, ye &s;onnes of men, why will ye not come hither, that your &s;oules might be delighted with draughts of <HI>living water.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, yea, drinke to quench your thir&s;t, O come, and quench your thir&s;t in this plea&s;ant river; yea, quench all kinds of thir&s;t in your &s;oules: your thir&s;ts for profits, plea&s;ures, and contents, come quench them here, for here you may, and no where el&s;e: men who have runne to creatures to quench their thir&s;ty &s;oules, have found them all a lie, and &s;o will you too, who run, and call for creature waters, to quench their feveri&s;h &s;oules.</P>
<P>Thirdly, ye drink to coole your &s;elves, come hither, drinke, drinke, and then ye &s;hall lay all your heates, your worldly heates, your lu&s;tfull heates, your &s;infull heats.</P>
<P>O thou laborious <HI>Worldling,</HI> thy bottle will be empty, what &s;hall thy &s;oul then do, when death, like night comes on thee, I &s;ay, what will you doe. O me thinks, I heare thee even crying out,
<PB N="108" REF="64">drink, drink, or el&s;e I die, I die.</P>
<P>Why doe you not give me drink, but let me thus lye burning, and dying too, for thir&s;t of that which once was freely offered to mee, but now cannot be bought with prayers, teares, nor cryes, nor all my worldly riches, which I once overvalued, and thir&s;ted after, more then God, Chri&s;t, or heaven; have you never heard dying worldlings thus complain? &s;urely you have: why doe you not that are alive, and living come then unto this river, and drink of this &s;ame wa|ter; and thee I would too, who art heated with lu&s;t, with burning lu&s;t of uncleanne&s;&s;e, pride, pa&s;&s;ion, and &s;uch like fiery di&s;tempers burning in thy &s;oul as if hell fire was already kindled in thee.</P>
<P>O friends, tho&s;e lu&s;ts which lye &s;o &s;ecret &s;mothering in thy &s;oule, will one day breake forth into dreadfull flames, burning round a|bout thee. Have you never &s;een a dying &s;inner di&s;pairing of mercy, lie in the mid&s;t of the&s;e flames burning, and di&s;pairing, and no friend able to bring him any comfort, no not in the lea&s;t.</P>
<P>Againe, ye drink for comfort, to comfort your hearts: but poore hearts, know this, there is no true comfort but in God, Chri&s;t, and the river, and unle&s;&s;e you come to this river of plea|&s;ure, this &s;oul-comforting water of life, ye &s;hall
<PB N="109" REF="64">live comfortle&s;&s;e, ye &s;hall die comfortle&s;&s;e, and be damnd for want of it.</P>
<P>God hath decreed, true comfort &s;hall be no where, but in him&s;elf, his Son, and river. <HI>John</HI> 15.26. ye know, Chri&s;t promi&s;ed his Di&s;ciples a comforter, and what was that Comforter, I pray, but the Spirit, and the river mentioned.</P>
<P>O me thinks, I might per&s;wade you to this river, a drop, a drop of it will &s;weeten any con|dition; art thou poore, &s;ick, weak, what ayle&s;t thou man, take a drop, take a drop of this river, I will warrant you comfort? but here I would invite, and not di&s;courage, for a world, &s;uch poor Chri&s;tians, that are heated with tempta|tions, and corruptions, that they goe mourning and &s;ighing by rea&s;on hereof, and Satans temp|tations filling them with feares and doubts, that they cry out like <HI>David, O, I &s;hall one day peri&s;h by corruption and temptation,</HI> &s;uch a corruption &s;ayes one, and &s;uch a corruption &s;ayes another, me thinks they grow &s;tronger and &s;tronger, and I feare at la&s;t will be my ruine.</P>
<P>O my friend, let me tell thee two things, and doe thou remember them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, no &s;oule is damnd for the pre&s;ence of &s;in, but for the love of &s;in; marke me, I &s;ay, it is not the pre&s;ence of &s;in, but the love of &s;in, that damns.</P>
<P>My &s;econd word is this to thee, O com|plaining
<PB N="110" REF="65">&s;inner; &s;inne flutters mo&s;t, when it hath its deaths wound, as &s;oon as Chri&s;ts comes into our hearts, he wounds &s;inne to the heart, as I may &s;o &s;ay, by giving a &s;ight of it, a di&s;like and hatred to it.</P>
<P>Well, thus Chri&s;t wounds &s;inne, and it may be now, &s;inne like &s;ome fowle, who&s;e necke is broken, beats the wing, and flutters, as if it were, alive; well, &s;o doth &s;inne, who&s;e neck Chri&s;t hath broken in the &s;oule, beates the wing and fluters, keepes more &s;putter now then ever.</P>
<P>Well friend, remember the&s;e &s;putterings are the death pangs of &s;inne, I, the death pangs; and be but patient, thou &s;halt plainly &s;ee them to be no otherwi&s;e, and therefore doe not fill thy heart with feares of ruine, for it &s;hall never be, for thou like <HI>David</HI> &s;halt overcome <HI>Saul</HI> thine enemy; I meane corruption; but in the meane time come away to the river, drinke, drinke, and it will &s;trengthen thee and coole thee.</P>
<P>O but now me thinks I heare &s;ome &s;oule &s;ay, I would drinke with all my heart, but I am an unworthy, poore &s;inner. O friend, the more poore, the more worthy to Chri&s;t; art thou poore, then goe to Chri&s;ts doore, <HI>he feeds the poore, but the rich he &s;ends empty away.</HI></P>
<P>Againe, Thou art unworthy; What do&s;t thou meane by unworthy? Thou &s;ee&s;t no rea|&s;on
<PB N="111" REF="65">why Chri&s;t &s;hould give thee the water of life, nor the Spirit; I beleeve thou do&s;t not; I verily beleeve thou art unworty in thy &s;elf, and cannot &s;ee any rea&s;on, why Chri&s;t &s;hould give thee the water of life.</P>
<P>But, Friend, know, there is a worthyne&s;&s;e in Chri&s;t, and &s;o thou may&s;t be worthy, or any poore &s;inner, who layes hold on Chri&s;ts worthyne&s;&s;e, and &s;o goes to the Father in the worthyne&s;&s;e of the Son, for the water of life, and the river.</P>
<P>But to be plaine with thee, thou art indeed a proud &s;inner, thou art proud, I &s;ay, and art a&s;hamed to have this water of life on Chri&s;ts owne termes freely, but would&s;t faine buy the river, by a worthyne&s;&s;e in thy &s;elfe; O let me &s;ee thee, let me &s;ee thy face, &ocirc; covetous man.</P>
<P>What would&s;t thou buy Chri&s;ts purcha&s;e o|ver his head? that is the plaine engli&s;h of it, get thee gone, O proud &s;inner, and come againe beggar-like, with a Bottle and a Di&s;h, that is, a a poore, empty and unworthy &s;oule; this is the way man, if thou mean&s;t to &s;peed; for tru|ly I think, for a &s;inner to bring any thing of his own worthyne&s;&s;e to God and Chri&s;t, is as great a &s;inne, as thou can&s;t commit, this is an affronting &s;inne, it affronts God and Chri&s;t, as if they were &s;ellers of the water of life, which they can as freely give to a thir&s;ty &s;oule, as raine to the thir&s;ty ground.</P>
<PB N="112" REF="66">
<P> What co&s;t, or charge, or labour, is it for God, to raine downe &s;howers, to water the earth, when it lyes gaping for it? I &s;ay, it is no charge, or labour to God, who hath his clouds and bottles full; and a word from God, and they &s;traight &s;hower down, and doe not give over till they have &s;atisfied the dry ground; &s;o truly can, and will God, raine down this wa|ter of life, to a poore and thir&s;ty &s;oule gaping for it; <HI>When the poore and needy cry for wa|ter, and there is none, I the Lord will heare, I&s;aiah</HI> 41.</P>
<P>But againe, I &s;ay as at fir&s;t, this is an affront to God and Chri&s;t, to bring any thing for a paile, yea, a &s;oule full of the water of life, it is the high-way to overturne his free grace, which God will have exalted above the heavens, and that it might be known in the earth; he freely &s;ent, yea gave, his Sonne, un&s;ought uncravd and will he &s;ell the river, thinke you, that is purcha&s;ed by his Sonne? doe not thinke &s;o, it overturnes the glory of his free grace, freely offered unto all, that freely will accept it; and this was Gods de&s;igne, to make his glory known unto the &s;ons of men, which they have little minded; I &s;ay, the de&s;igne of God from all eternity, was to &s;et up his name, his free grace, in giving Chri&s;t the bread of life, and the Spirit the water of life, freely to the &s;onnes of men,
<PB N="113" REF="66"><HI>Iohn</HI> 6.48.32.33: and 48.9.10. <HI>Iohn</HI> 4.20.21. <HI>Iohn</HI> 7.37.</P>
<P>O, God delights to make all his attributes known, his Ju&s;tice, Power, Wi&s;dome. But the glory of his grace, freely giving Chri&s;t and the Spirit.</P>
<P>This is that which e&s;pecially, he would have exalted in the world, and the &s;onnes of men admire him in God would be admired for his bounty, to give &s;o like him&s;elfe a Chri&s;t, a River of life freely; I &s;ay, God thinks not much to give all this, for the magnifying of his free grace, that his bounty and him&s;elfe might be admired, and we the &s;onnes of men, cry out and &s;ay, who, <HI>who is a God like unto thee? that pardons iniquity by forgiving iniquity, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and &s;inne, giving life, Chri&s;t, and the Spirit freely.</HI> Now I &s;ay, this was Gods de&s;igne Before all worlds, and for this de&s;ignes &s;ake, even the glory of his grace, <HI>Iohn</HI> 3. <HI>v.</HI> 16. he gives his Sonne and Spirit freely.</P>
<P>Now when a Soul will not come to God, nor accept of God, his Sonne, the Spirit freely, but would bring &s;ome kind of worthy|ne&s;&s;e for his Sonne, and river: thou over|turne&s;t this grace, &s;hearly overturne&s;t it; O what a fearfull thing is this to buy Chri&s;ts river, I tell thee, thou buying Chri&s;tian,
<PB N="114" REF="67">Chri&s;t will not &s;ell one drop for Iewels, Gold, nor Silver, for he bought to give, and thou talk&s;t of buying by &s;o much repentance, tears, and I know not what.</P>
<P>O but now me thinks, I heare &s;ome poore &s;oule &s;ay, I &s;ee no worthyne&s;&s;e in my &s;elfe, nei|ther looke I after a worthyne&s;&s;e, or expect to have a drop of the river of life, for any wor|thyne&s;&s;e of my owne; I loath my &s;elfe, and condemne my &s;elfe, for I finde my &s;elfe wholly carnall, fold under &s;inne, and in the &s;elfe con|demning way, have I like a Beggar waited at Chri&s;ts doore, for the bread and water of life, praying and craving Chri&s;t for it, night and day; but I am &s;till un&s;erved, and yet I &s;ee thou&s;ands &s;erved, who have not waited half &s;o long as I.</P>
<P>Well friend, Beggers mu&s;t be &s;o &s;erved, that they may learne how to wait; if you give a Beggar, he like a Fidler, &s;traight is gone, and many have &s;erved Chri&s;t &s;o; &s;ometimes for a creature comfort, for a &s;upply of helpe in time of need, for a wife, for a childe, &s;ometimes gi|ven by Chri&s;t, &s;ometimes &s;pared by Chri&s;t, from death in &s;ickne&s;&s;e, which as &s;oon as Chri&s;t hath given them, they &s;traight runne away, and &s;carce &s;ay, I thank you Chri&s;t, but runne &s;traight away, till they know not what to doe for another &s;uch like Almes, and Friend:
<PB N="115" REF="67">many &s;erve Chri&s;t &s;o, <HI>for the river of life.</HI></P>
<P>O, they would faine have <HI>the water of life,</HI> and are night and day at Chri&s;ts doore, by prayers, &s;ermons, &amp;c. When Chri&s;t hath once &s;erved them with a prettie deale of a&s;&s;urance a|bout the river, and their &s;oules, the&s;e beggars &s;traight are gone away into the worlds cares, and plea&s;ures, where Chri&s;t heares no more of them for the river, nor nothing el&s;e a long time after: but this Chri&s;t takes very unkindly from them, that they &s;hould, as &s;oon as ever their own turn is &s;erved by Chri&s;t, come no more at Chri&s;t, till &s;ome great nece&s;&s;itie even drives them: and it may be Chri&s;t &s;ees thee, that thou would&s;t &s;erve him &s;o too, and there|fore makes thee wait a little: a little do you call it, when I have waited whil&s;t many have been &s;erved, and &s;ome that I know very well; but I am &s;till un&s;erved.</P>
<P>Wel friend, do not be angry, if Chri&s;t makes the la&s;t fir&s;t, &amp; the fir&s;t la&s;t, by this they all learn to wait Chri&s;ts lea&s;ure, which is a le&s;&s;on, he wil teach his poore, who beg for the bread of life, the river of life: and &s;uch things I &s;ay he will learne them all; I, all to wait his lea&s;ure, fir&s;t or la&s;t.</P>
<P>But &s;tay my friend, it may be thou art &s;erved already, I have &s;een beggars well &s;erved, and yet begging pre&s;ently after, as if they were
<PB N="116" REF="68">&s;tarved, it may be thou doe&s;t do &s;o about the river, let me ask thee one que&s;tion, and an&s;wer me truely: have you never had no bread, nor water from Chri&s;t at no time?</P>
<P>Yes, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e the truth, and will, &s;eeing you put me to it; I was one time very earne&s;tly begging in my clo&s;et all alone, by prayer, and then Chri&s;t indeed, gave me a good draught of <HI>the water of life, the bread of life,</HI> I mean the Spirit, which &s;atisfied me for two or three dayes, and made my heart very light&s;om, and chearfull; And I will tell you of another time, when I was at a &s;ermon where I got a &s;up and a bit too: for he was &s;pea|king how freely Chri&s;t did give poore &s;in|ners <HI>the river of life, the well of life,</HI> the Spirit inviting thir&s;ty &s;inners; crying, come, come to me ye weary &s;inners, ye thir&s;ty &s;inners, and &s;o forth, and then he was &s;peaking of that of <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. <HI>v.</HI> 3, 4. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that thir&s;t for Chri&s;t, and mourne for &s;inne:</HI> which my &s;oul then did, and truely, this proved a great deal of comfort to mee.</P>
<P>But I remember many a time be&s;ides this, I have had much comfort by the word: when mi|ni&s;ters have clearly opened the Go&s;pel-promi|&s;es: but &s;ometimes; yea, many times, I hear &s;uch &s;weet Go&s;pel-texts, and precious things held from them, which hath filled me, even as with
<PB N="117" REF="68">marrow, and fatne&s;&s;e, and I haue even thought with my &s;elfe, all the&s;e comforts held forth by them, belong to mee.</P>
<P>But as &s;oone, as hee had held forth his com|forts, now &s;aith he, I will give you &s;ome markes, and &s;ignes, how a poore &s;oule may know this belongs to him.</P>
<P>I remember, I gave great attention to him, but before he had done with his marks, and &s;ignes; I had lo&s;t my comfort againe, by thin|king, none of it, belongs to me: for I had not &s;o repented me of my &s;ins, as he &s;hewed me.</P>
<P>True repentance there to be, which he &s;aid, was a turning from all &s;inne to Chri&s;t, and a for&s;aking of all my &s;inne for Chri&s;t, and a &s;or|row for all my &s;innes, by which I had di&s;ho|noured Chri&s;t: This one mark, he did &s;o abun|dantly branch out, that before hee had done with this one mark and &s;igne of that &s;inner, to whom this comfort belongs, I had lo&s;t my comfort. I am &s;ure: but he went to twenty more marks and &s;ignes, I think, and at la&s;t &s;aid, if the&s;e marks and fignes be in you, then the&s;e comforts belong unto you: but if they be not, then you deceive your &s;elves: but in the con|clu&s;ion, he &s;aid indeed, if wee would repent, and wa&s;h away our &s;innes by that, like <HI>David,</HI> for&s;ake all our &s;innes, and bring our whole hearts to Chri&s;t, and denie the world, the
<PB N="118" REF="69">plea&s;ures, and profits of the world, and abun|dance more which <HI>I</HI> cannot now &s;tand to name; but all this <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure, he bad me, and others to do, before we did pre&s;ume to lay hold of any comfort, &s;o that whereas <HI>I</HI> was in hopes of being comforted, <HI>I</HI> was not; but rather ca&s;t down: but at &s;ome other time Chri&s;t &s;er|ved me freely with comfort from his word, for which <HI>I</HI> ble&s;&s;e his name, and thus <HI>I</HI> have told you, what comfort Chri&s;t hath gi|ven me ere now.</P>
<P>But yet, <HI>I</HI> will tell you of one or two wayes more, by which Chri&s;t u&s;es to come, and &s;erve mee with comfort, giving the water of life to mee.</P>
<P>One way in Chri&s;tian meetings, commonly called, conventicles heretofore: but <HI>I</HI> have in the&s;e meetings, found much of Chri&s;t, and com|fort to my poore &s;oule: at our la&s;t meeting, <HI>I</HI> think, there was &s;ome twenty of us, all met in a friends hou&s;e, purpo&s;ely to di&s;cour&s;e of Chri&s;t, and wait on Chri&s;t, expecting all comfort from Chri&s;t, and whil&s;t we were &s;peaking, and di|&s;cour&s;ing of Chri&s;t in that place, <HI>I</HI> think verily, we were every one refre&s;hed, onely by telling how Chri&s;t u&s;eth to &s;erve us, &s;ometimes pre|&s;ently, and &s;ometimes not at all: but &s;eemed to be angry with us, for asking &s;ome carnall things; &s;o at la&s;t, wee found many things
<PB N="119" REF="69">Chri&s;t would never grant to any of us, but ra|ther &s;eemed to frown upon us, for asking &s;ome things which we had all been a craving of him: &s;o at that time we con&s;idered, what might be got by begging, and parted; but this <HI>I</HI> do re|member, a &s;coffing <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> called it a tub preaching.</P>
<P>And one time, which <HI>I</HI> &s;hall never forget, I was walking all alone by Chri&s;ts doore, in a way of meditation of his bounty, love, and frankne&s;&s;e to &s;uch poore fellowes as I, and while I was walking, thinking nothing, God knows: Chri&s;t &s;tept out, and puld me in, &s;et me down, and him&s;elf by me, and &s;upt with me; we had whole flagons of wine then, of which I drank very freely, and I dare &s;ay, I &s;hall ne|ver forget this bout. So the next day, I told half a dozen Chri&s;tians, waiting at Chri&s;ts door in a &s;ermon, how I had &s;ped the day before, they bade me, thank God, &s;aying, they had never &s;uch good fortune, nor &s;uch di&s;coveries of Chri&s;ts love.</P>
<P>Friend, friend, I rejoyce to heare the&s;e &s;weet relations of your experience: but let me tell you, <HI>I</HI> am a&s;hamed, and &s;o may you well be; but however, <HI>I</HI> am, to think how you com|plaind, nay, murmured but now, and &s;aid, Chri&s;t had never &s;erved you of the water of life, but you had waited &s;o long, and &s;o long, and <HI>I</HI>
<PB N="120" REF="70">cannot tell how long you made me beleeve, &amp; how Chri&s;t had &s;erved thou&s;ands, and not you.</P>
<P>Friend, I am a&s;hamed to thinke, how you have abu&s;ed Chri&s;t, by your fal&s;e complaints of Chri&s;t; &s;urely it is a great &s;inne in you, I pray, doe &s;o no more.</P>
<P>But now mee thinks I heare one &s;ay, but I am a poore thir&s;ty &s;oule, I doe not know when in prayer, &s;ermon, chri&s;tian conference, either I was &s;o refre&s;hed, and therefore what would you have me doe, who am even &s;corcht with heat and thir&s;t, I thir&s;t for Chri&s;t, and would rather have him, then the world a thou|&s;and times, if I know my own heart.</P>
<P>What would you have me doe, do&s;t thou &s;ay? Let me tell thee, fir&s;t, how well I like this complaint of thine; Surely by this com|plaint of thine, and the high pri&s;ing of this ri|ver, it doth argue his &s;treames, &s;trongly running in thy &s;oule.</P>
<P>Yea, let me tell thee my thoughts; This I doe beleeve, tis from the pre&s;ence of Chri&s;t and the Spirit in the &s;oule, that any &s;oule living, is drawne forth to de&s;ire Chri&s;t, or the Spirit; you know the naturall man, de&s;ires not the things of God, but is dead to every good worke, or de&s;ire, and &s;ure cannot indeed de&s;ire any thing in a &s;pirituall way, before God workes it in his &s;oule. Now friend, if God,
<PB N="121" REF="70">or Chri&s;t hath wrought a &s;trong de&s;ire after the well of life, the river of life, the &s;pirit; let me tell thee, I verily beleeve he hath given it thee already; for this de&s;ire in thy &s;oule, is to me a &s;trong evidence of it.</P>
<P>I, for my part, doe firmly conclude, when I heare any &s;oule complaine for want of Chri&s;t, and the Spirit, &s;aying, of Chri&s;t and the Spirit, his &s;oule had rather have Chri&s;t and the Spirit, then all the plea&s;ures, profits of the world, I &s;ay, I doe conclude this to be the work of God in the &s;oule.</P>
<P>This is true, a naturall man may have a heart quame, and a heart wi&s;h to die the death of the righteous, as wicked <HI>Balaam</HI> once &s;aid, <HI>O that I might die the death of the righteous, and that my la&s;t end may be like theirs.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;ay, A wicked man may de&s;ire to bee ownd of Chri&s;t, nay more, to give all the world for Chri&s;t at the la&s;t hower, when they come to &s;ee a nece&s;&s;ity, and their &s;ouls damn'd for want of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>O how will a carnall man dying, mourn, and beg, and cry for Chri&s;t, and howl for Chri&s;t too, though all in vain; but as the&s;e men have lived without him all their lives, &s;o mu&s;t they die without him too; for I believe he will &s;carce own the~ now, who never regarded him before; but yet as I &s;aid at fir&s;t, &s;o I doe conclude, there
<PB N="122" REF="71">is comfort, yea, abundant deale of comfort belongs to thy &s;oule, or any &s;oule in thy condi|tion, and for this read <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 41.17.</P>
<P><HI>When the poore and needy &s;eek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thir&s;t, I the Lord will heare them, and I will open Rivers in the tops of Hils, and Fountaines in the mid&s;t of the Valleys, and in her Wilderne&s;&s;e make pools of water, &amp; her wa&s;te places Springs of water.</HI> Marke this &s;weet and full promi&s;e, <HI>when the poore and needy &s;eeke water, and there is none, their tongues cleaveth for thir&s;t:</HI> Friend, this Promi&s;e is to thee, as &s;ure as the Lord lives, and &s;uch as thee: for marke, <HI>when the poore and needy &s;eek water;</HI> art not thou poor, yes, it was thy very objection again&s;t thy &s;elfe.</P>
<P>O, &s;aid&s;t thou, I am a poore &s;oule, and doe not know when I dranke of the water of life, and &s;o forth. Well, thy very complaint doth argue thee a needy &s;oule, yea, thou &s;ee&s;t the need of Chri&s;t, yea, ab&s;olute need of Chri&s;t, for thou &s;ee&s;t thy &s;oule undone without him, and this need of Chri&s;t, makes thee &s;o com|plaine after Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Well, Is it not &s;o; yes truly, <HI>my &s;oule &s;tands in need of Chri&s;t, and is a thir&s;t,</HI> as <HI>David</HI> &s;peaketh, <HI>Yea, it panteth for Chri&s;t, like the Heart after the water Brooks in a
<PB N="123" REF="71">barren wilderne&s;&s;e, &s;o panteth my &s;oule after him, whom my &s;oule thir&s;teth for.</HI> Truly friend, you mu&s;t learne to beleeve that, that &s;hall be, which &s;eemes mo&s;t unlikely to be, &s;o did <HI>A|braham, he beleeved in hope again&s;t hope, and obtained the promi&s;e.</HI> O poore complaining &s;inner, beleeve this promi&s;e of God to thy &s;oul, &s;o much again&s;t hope and rea&s;on; <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, beleeve God will not onely give thee the wa|ter thou de&s;ire&s;t of him, but <HI>will open rivers of water in the tops of the Hils and Fountains in the valleys.</HI></P>
<P>Well friend, you &s;ee here is Gods Promi&s;e to open up to a &s;oul, a river of water in Chri&s;t, <HI>who is the hill of our &s;alvation;</HI> therefore &s;aith <HI>David, I will looke to the hils, from whence commeth my &s;alvation,</HI> or, <HI>I will open rivers in the tops of the hils,</HI> that is, <HI>I</HI> think poore &s;oules that are as far from any &s;prings of con&s;olation, as tops of hils are from &s;prings of water, but <HI>I</HI> will open fountains in low grounds, or &s;pirits in humble &s;oules, that is the vallies here meant.</P>
<P>O friend, beleeve thou this, that the Lord will open fountaines of living water, by ma|king peace, or joy, or comfort, flow like living fountaines in thy &s;oule; <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, beleeve this Promi&s;e, which &s;hall be fulfilled in its &s;ea&s;on, and then &s;halt thou &s;ing and &s;ay, <HI>Sing yee wa&s;te places of the earth, for the Lord hath com|forted
<PB N="124" REF="72">his people by making her wilderne&s;&s;e be|come a Pool, and her wa&s;t land &s;prings of wa|ters.</HI></P>
<P>But why is the Spirit compared to a river, <HI>I Iohn &s;aw a pure river of water,</HI> Why is it, for the&s;e and &s;uch like rea&s;ons I think.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t rea&s;on is, a river is &s;trong and power|full, no &s;topping a river, but it will over|flow: yee know, if yee &s;top a river, it will do &s;o, &s;o are the workings of Gods Spirit in his people, &s;ee in <HI>Daniel</HI> in whom they would have &s;topped the Spirit of prayer by the un|godly decree of the King, but &s;ee how <HI>Daniels</HI> &s;pirit ri&s;es like a River, and now he will call up|on his God with more boldne&s;&s;e then before. Many would have in our dayes dammed up this river by a Form of prayer, but O the&s;e men are drownd; the&s;e fooli&s;h men are carried clean away, like dry leaves by a mighty Land-flood, and what the Spirit is in pray|er, the &s;ame it is in preaching to a &s;trong river; &s;ee in <HI>Peter,</HI> who was forbid by the Scribes and Phari&s;ees to preach Chri&s;t; but &s;aith he, <HI>I cannot but mu&s;t &s;peak the things of Chri&s;t.</HI> Many have in our dayes paid dear for their boldne&s;&s;e this way.</P>
<P>Secondly, how powerfull is this river in its conviction, when it runs in a way of di&s;|covering Sin and wrath, who can &s;tand be|fore
<PB N="125" REF="72">it, truly none: it bears down young and old &s;trong and &s;tout, yea, oakes and ceders, as well as &s;trawes. Doth this &s;pirit like a flood beare away, when it runs in a way of convicti|on? See in the Gaoler who, I am per&s;wa|ded was a &s;tubborn crabbed knave: &s;ee how he abu&s;eth the poore Di&s;ciples over|night even fleaed the skin off their backs; well, the &s;ame night the flood breaks in upon his Spirit, and he cryes out, <HI>what &s;hall I do to be &s;aved?</HI> to the Di&s;ciples. Poore &s;ouls, they tell this fellow, notwith&s;tanding their u&s;age, how he may e&s;cape drowning by wrath and &s;inne: and &s;o <HI>Paul</HI> was overturned by this river, and carried back to <HI>Dama&s;cus</HI> like a dead drownd man, yea &s;o &s;uddenly did this river break in upon his &s;pirit, that he was turned by it, like a &s;traw in a whirlwind.</P>
<P>Thirdly, a river is powerfull in its progre&s;s, a river is of that nature, that it beats down all dammes ye can throw up, or el&s;e over|flow as I &s;aid before, &amp;c. So did the Apo|&s;tles bear down al oppo&s;ition from threats and &s;corns, &s;coffes, whips, &s;tones, and the like.</P>
<P>Fourthly, a river is plea&s;ant, and de|lightful, ye chu&s;e a river &s;ide to walk by, who&s;e &s;treames with &s;ilence, &s;weetly glides trinkling along, and makes the walk delight|full, &s;o is the Spirit in its di&s;coveries, e&s;peci|ally
<PB N="126" REF="73">in &s;uch as the&s;e. Fir&s;t the love of Chri&s;t which is &s;een pa&s;&s;ing by this river, or ra|ther looking in this river, where you &s;ee his love like a circle, and your Souls in the mid&s;t, where is no way in nor out, I &s;ay by the Spirit ye &s;hall &s;ee &s;uch a love; a love from eternity to eternity, thy Soul looking both wayes, like <HI>Janus</HI> two faces, e&s;pecially for|ward.</P>
<P>But as his love, &s;o his loveline&s;&s;e the &s;pirit &s;treaming in the &s;oul, pre&s;ents Chri&s;t over, and over to the Soul. Chri&s;t rides in this river, as in a barge of State, who&s;e various &s;treams &s;weetly rowes him up and down. The &s;pi|rits of his Saints like a Princes in her barge of plea&s;ure, O how lovely is Chri&s;t in the Soul, when in his glory di&s;covered to the Soul by the Spirit, then is he indeed the faire&s;t of ten thou&s;and, the chiefe&s;t of ten thou&s;and, the &s;weete&s;t of ten thou&s;and, yea altogether lovely.</P>
<P>Thirdly, it &s;hows you your union to, which you may &s;ee walking by this river, yea, all your relations to Chri&s;t, and his to you, he the vine, you the branches, he the head, you the members, he the husband, you the &s;pou&s;e. I &s;ay, this union you may &s;ee by the Spirit, the &s;trength, length, glory and &s;weetne&s;&s;e of it, O &s;aith the Spirit, thy union is &s;trong, O
<PB N="127" REF="73">Chri&s;tian, nothing can di&s;&s;olve or untie it; men cannot, Devils cannot, &s;inne cannot, nay death it &s;elf cannot, it is &s;tronger then all, &s;inne, death, men or devils, and as long as &s;trong it was from eternitie to eternitie, from eternitie intentionally to all eternitie reallie, but it is more &s;weet, &s;aith the Spirit, then &s;trong or long. O the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of all unions is but glimp&s;e of this union. What is the Father to the Son? the husband to the wife? but a &s;hadow of Chri&s;t to the Soul; yea, all relati|ons with all the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of them, and all the &s;weetne&s;&s;e in them is but as a drop to this ocean of &s;weetne&s;&s;e, Chri&s;ts union with the Saints.</P>
<P>Fourthly, the u&s;efullne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t to the Soul, <HI>without me &s;aith Chri&s;t, ye can do no|thing,</HI> to his Di&s;ciples, Chri&s;t is all in the Soul, and all to the Soul. A Chri&s;tian can neither do, nor &s;uffer any thing, but by Chri&s;t, by him he can want and abound, <HI>ye doe all things,</HI> as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks, <HI>through Chri&s;t, that &s;trengthens him.</HI> Any work is hard for a Chri&s;tian in his own &s;trength, a difficult work is nothing when the &s;trength of Chri&s;t comes in. O in his &s;trength, will a little <HI>Da|vid</HI> grapple with <HI>Goliah</HI> and foil him too.</P>
<P>But as he is &s;trength to the Saints, &s;o is he all indeed to them, yea all they &s;tand in need
<PB N="128" REF="74">of him to be; he is a righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to cover them, and an interceder to the Father for them, yea what &s;hal I &s;ay more, he is an everli|ving faithful high Prie&s;t, yea our King and Cap|tain, our ark where we may &s;afely ride when a world lies round, de&s;troyed, O Chri&s;t, O Chri&s;t, what &s;hall I &s;ay of thee? our ark, our pillar, our cloude by day, our pillar by night, our rock and &s;hadow in a weary land, our life, our all in all, and at all times.</P>
<P>Fiftly, it &s;howes us our advantage by Chri&s;t, <HI>we are ju&s;tified by his blood, wee are &s;anctified by his &s;pirit, and &s;aved by his merit.</HI> O the blood of Chri&s;t clean&s;eth us from all &s;in, <HI>which the blood of buls and goats could never doe,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;peakes.</P>
<P>Does Satan lay &s;in to your charge, tell him thou art ju&s;tified by Chri&s;t? doth he lay great &s;ins to thee, tell him, Chri&s;t ju&s;tifieth from all &s;ins, of all kinds, great and &s;mall; yea, tell him, thou art no &s;inner at all, neither doth the fa|ther look upon thee as one in his Sons righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Truely when a poor &s;oule is carried by his power, thus to argue with Satan, we winde him as a man doth a childe: but el&s;e he binds, and locks us up in bondage, fears, and darkne&s;&s;e, that our very &s;oules are re&s;tle&s;&s;e day and night, being filled with doubts, and his accu&s;ements, he is therefore called <HI>the ac|cu&s;er
<PB N="129" REF="74">of the brethren,</HI> he accu&s;eth God to man, and man to God, envying both.</P>
<P>Sixtly, our glory with Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, the certainty of it.</P>
<P>Secondly, the greatne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>O &s;aith the Spirit, thy glory is &s;ure, its laid, and kept too for thy comming: but as it is &s;ure and &s;afe laid up by Chri&s;t, &s;o it is full and large, and therefore called by <HI>Paul, a weight of glory.</HI></P>
<P>Here we many times admire the light pain|ted &s;hadowes of glory, and forget the true &s;ub|&s;tance God hath laid up for us in his Son, and heavens, <HI>Eye hath not &s;een, nor eare heard, neither ever entred into the heart of man, to conceive,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Paul, what God hath laid up for us.</HI> Eye hath not &s;een &s;ure, the eye hath &s;een <HI>Solomons</HI> glory; yea, all the gloryes of this world too. O &s;aith <HI>Paul,</HI> that is nothing, the&s;e things are nothing, but painted &s;hadowes and butterflies, after which the fooles of this world runs, like little children: and for the eare too, what hath that heard; &s;urely of all that hath been true, and as much more too, by reports of fained gods, and glories in the <HI>Poets</HI> lying &s;tories: but were all the&s;e things true, yet God hath laid up more glorie for the poore&s;t Saints that walks in rags, then all that they have wrought, thou heard, or thought; no, thou can&s;t not think, &s;aith <HI>Paul,</HI> nor no man living,
<PB N="130" REF="75"><HI>what God hath laid up for them that fear him.</HI> Surely, men might fancie more then hath been &s;een or heard.</P>
<P>Well, &s;aith <HI>Paul,</HI> fancy all that this world hath &s;een, or heard; yea, fancie another world too, with as many joyes and plea&s;ures of this world, as griefs and &s;orrows, yet all &s;hort, and nothing.</P>
<P>O Chri&s;tian, little doe&s;t thou think, and le&s;&s;e the world, what God hath laid up in &s;tore for thee, and all his &s;ervants.</P>
<P>Fifthly, a river is advantagious, and u&s;efull; &s;o is the Spirit, <HI>it helps our infirmities, wee know not what to pray for, as we ought: but the Spirit helpeth us, with groanes which cannot be uttered.</HI> O the Spirits groanings in us, are powerfull prayers before God for us, the promi&s;es are made to the Spirit praying in us, and indeed tho&s;e reque&s;ts we are denyed of God, are not from the Spirit, but from fle&s;h and blood; and therefore it is that they are lo&s;t for the mo&s;t part: but the Spirit who knowes the minde of God, never drawes forth a Chri&s;tian to aske any thing, but what is accor|ding to the minde of God, and this he cannot but grant.</P>
<P>But thou complaine&s;t, thou art an ignorant &s;oule, true; <HI>the naturall man knows nothing, but the &s;pirituall new man in the naturall man
<PB N="131" REF="75">knows all things; yea, the deep things of God,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, <HI>a naturall man is &s;aid to be a dead man every where in Scripture, and the dead, &s;aith Solomon, knowes nothing, hee knowes not he lyes in the grave of &s;inne and cor|ruption, mouldering as it were into du&s;t:</HI> call him to come forth from wormes and putrifa|ction, yet he &s;tirres not at all: even &s;o the na|turall man, tell him his condition, he believes it not, call him to come forth of the grave of nature, &s;inne and death, he &s;tirres not, nor indeed cannot, he is bound up &s;o by the power of the Devil, &s;inne and darkne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Sixthly, a river runnes &s;ilently, and makes little or no noi&s;e at all, have you never found the Spirit running in a Sermon, at a praier, in a conference, but e&s;pecially in a meditation with little noi&s;e, it &s;weetly turning thy ve|ry blood in thy veins, making thy heart, as it were to wamble: I know you have many times. Truly, when this river runnes trickling up and down the Soul, making little noi&s;e in the Soul, yea, dipping, and diving of her in Divine delights, which many talking Chri|&s;tians are ignorant of.</P>
<P>Seventhly, a river is deep, &s;o is the Spirit in its di&s;coveries. He di&s;covers the deep things of God, and Chri&s;t, and the Go&s;pel, which others cannot reach nor fathom by wit nor
<PB N="132" REF="76">Learning, no, it is out of their element, I have heard as wi&s;e able men, at lea&s;t &s;o count|ed: and are &s;o &s;ure in civill things, in lat|tine Law, or Fathers, &s;peaking of this river, and the nature of it, but as much out of the way, as any blind man ever was without his guide. The maskd man turns and winds, but &s;till be&s;ide the way: the Sinner does the like, following carnall rea&s;on, to find out Chri&s;t and his river, and therefore, friend &s;it down, it is midnight yet in thy &s;oul: if the day break, and Chri&s;t the &s;tarre ari&s;e in thee, thou &s;halt &s;ee this river, yea the depth of it in &s;ome mea&s;ure, a depth beyond all depths, thou ever met&s;t withall. Here, one depth calls to another, like the eccho to the voice. Gods decrees and purpo&s;es an&s;wered by his Sonne. The&s;e depths are clearly &s;een by look|ing into this river, and if thy &s;ight be &s;trong indeed, then thou &s;halt &s;ee the &s;onnes of men, like precious &s;tones, and pebbles lying in the bottome, from thence plummed up by Chri&s;t to &s;wim a top, as in a &s;ea of plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Eightly, a river is cool, and bathing, we go to rivers in Summer heats to cool and bath our bodies. O come hither and bath your Souls, your heated Souls, heated with &s;inne, heated with guilt, heated with apprehen&s;i|ons too of wrath, heated with Satan and
<PB N="133" REF="76">temptations: truly, many a poore &s;oul is heated by &s;inne, and then cha&s;ed by Satan for his &s;in, &s;o heard, that his &s;oul even fainteh: well friend, my advice is, come unto this river, for here thou maye&s;t cool and bath thee.</P>
<P>Ninthly, a river is alwayes moving, and working, &s;o is the Spirit, it is active in the &s;ouls of Gods people, though &s;ometimes not de&s;cerned. <HI>I &s;leep, but my heart awaketh, &s;aith the Spou&s;e</HI> in the <HI>Canticles.</HI> Thou art dead, and dull in praier many times, but the Spirit being wakefull, &s;ees thee, and after chides thee for it, &s;ometimes thou art nodding in the creature, but the Spirit wakes and jogges thee by &s;ecret calling on thee, which if thou refu&s;e&s;t to heare, then he &s;ayes little for the pre&s;ent, but &s;ends &s;ome afflictions to thee, and if that do not do, then he &s;ends a|nother, and another, every one &s;harper then the former, and &s;o makes thee heare to the purpo&s;e, agine in the tenth place.</P>
<P>A river is reflective, ye may &s;ee your &s;elfe, or &s;hadowes in a river: and by the Spirit, you may &s;ee your &s;elf, your face, your &s;ouls, your hearts, your natures, and affections: the heart &s;aith <HI>Salomon</HI> who knows it truly, none but the Spirit, and the Spirit dwelling in it therefore by the by.</P>
<P>Thou that &s;aye&s;t, and complaine&s;t of a hard
<PB N="134" REF="77">and &s;infull heart, &s;ure, it is the Spirit in thy heart, that gives thee thus to &s;ee it, and all its windings from God, which are more then the doores of <HI>Solomons</HI> Temple.</P>
<P>Secondly, it &s;hows you your nature and corruptions which have more &s;inne in it, then there is poi&s;on in the world: &s;inne in nature, is like an old running &s;ore which cannot be &s;topped, or if it be, it breaks out again: &s;o &s;inne in nature &s;tops pride, and out comes covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e: &s;top that, and out comes pride, and prodigalitie, &s;top up that, and then back againe to old unwearied father <HI>worldling,</HI> drunkenne&s;&s;e &s;topt, does the like, lu&s;t runs as long as it can in old filthy for|nicators, but when it is &s;pent, they turne to baudy talkers. I have &s;een old carnall fel|lows laugh and wiker at their youthfull pranks in the fea&s;ts and Iunkets, yea, &s;uch as have had one foot in the grave; poore mi&s;erable men did they know their own condition, the reckoning they mu&s;t give for every idle word, and every &s;infull action, which Chri&s;t &s;peaks in <HI>Matthew,</HI> one thought, one &s;eri|ous thought of that would &s;trike us dead as <HI>Bel&s;hazzar</HI> that great King was at the hand|writing, in the mid&s;t of his fea&s;t with his Nobles, <HI>dinking healths in bowls of Gold his countenance fell, his joynts loo&s;ened, and his
<PB N="135" REF="77">knees knockd one again&s;t another,</HI> no more, but remember this filthy &s;inner.</P>
<P>Thirdly, it &s;howes your affections, and which way they &s;tream and run, a man by na|ture can never &s;ee how wide they run from God and Chri&s;t, &s;ometimes bia&s;&s;e, drawn by a wife, a child, a husband, &s;ometimes by the world, and the worlds plea&s;ures, profits, which like two &s;trumpets enti&s;es all, not kept by Chri&s;t, and as dangerou&s;ly takes them as that &s;trumpet, <HI>Salomon</HI> acquaints the young man with, <HI>and how her paths go down to hell.</HI></P>
<P>Again, by the Spirit you may &s;ee your name in the Lambes book, your wedding robe, and Supper, with your re&s;t and glory in the Throne of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>O thou fooli&s;h man, that &s;pende&s;t thy dayes in gazing up and down the world, let me exhort thee to come hither, for heres an ob|ject worth the &s;eeing, and thou O Chri&s;tian friend, let me intreat thee al&s;o to looke into this river, this clear and Chri&s;tall river: but &s;tay a little, me thinks I heare one &s;ay, what is it to look into this river? Fir&s;t, it is not to look into your own light, for that is blind, and hath no reflection at all. Secondly, it is not to look with anothers light, for that is, as if you would look by anothers eyes: but to be &s;hort, if you would &s;ee this pure living ri|ver.
<PB N="136" REF="78">Fir&s;t come in Gods light to &s;ee, and then ye &s;hall &s;ee; is it not a thou&s;and better lights that will &s;how you the greate&s;t light, a thou&s;and candles cannot &s;how the &s;unne; nay a thou&s;and torches, nor a thou&s;and &s;tarres can|not; you mu&s;t &s;ee him by his owne light, or not at all: but fir&s;t look into this river by the light of God, and then it will be a river of plea&s;ure indeed unto thy &s;oul, all its &s;treames will be plea&s;urable and glad thy very heart. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 46.4. there is a river, <HI>the &s;treames thereof &s;hall make glad the City of our God.</HI> Yea all its turnings will delight thy &s;oul.</P>
<P>Secondly, Looke in this river by the light of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> he is the true light that enlightens every man that comes into the world, and therefore called, <HI>the light of lights, Iohn</HI> 8.12. I, that is the right way indeed, if ye mean to &s;ee; if men will neglect God and <HI>Chri&s;ts</HI> light, then let me tell them, they &s;hall never &s;ee, they &s;hall never finde this well of life, this river of life, let them look their eyes out, let them look their lives out, wi&s;e men have try|ed, wi&s;e men &s;trived, but Oh, ala&s;&s;e, in vaine, for they could never find it, but rather more were blinded.</P>
<P>The Father &s;hewes us the Sonne, and the Sonne &s;hewes us the Father; <HI>No man knowes
<PB N="137" REF="78">the Father but the Sonne, and he to whom the Sonne reveales him; no man knowes the Sonne but the Father, and he to whom the Father doth the like.</HI> So likewi&s;e the Spirit &s;hewes the Sonne, <HI>Behold the Lambe of God,</HI> &s;o &s;aith the Sonne; <HI>Behold the River of God,</HI> as in this text; and all the world cannot &s;hew us the Father but the Sonne; nor all the world cannot &s;hew us the Sonne but the Father: <HI>Behold this day,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>have I begotten him;</HI> nor all the world cannot &s;hew us the Spirit, nor the River of life, the Well of life, nor the Fountaine of life but the Sonne; there|fore &s;aith <HI>Chri&s;t, Buy of me eye &s;alve that yee may &s;ee, Rev.</HI> 3. <HI>la&s;t v.</HI></P>
<P>How blind was <HI>Bartholmew</HI> till <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> came and opened his eyes; ju&s;t &s;o was thy &s;oule, and is thy &s;oule without <HI>Chri&s;t? I am the light of the world,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Chri&s;t, he that walks in mee &s;hall not abide in darkne&s;&s;e, but &s;hall have the light of lights,</HI> John 6.</P>
<P>So &s;aith <HI>Paul, God that cau&s;ed light to &s;hine out of darkne&s;&s;e, hath given us the knowledge of him&s;elfe in the face of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> marke that; and indeed <HI>Iohn</HI> had all his vi&s;ions by <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> the golden candle&s;ticks, new <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> the Glory of God, the Throne of God, the Garment, the wedding Supper, and all tho&s;e heavenly things; and therefore get
<PB N="138" REF="79">thee gone fooli&s;h man, that &s;tands dreaming to &s;ee this river in thy own light.</P>
<P>Get me gone, O but whither &s;hall I goe? whither; why, where thou &s;hould&s;t goe, and all others, that have any minde to &s;ee this pure, plea&s;ant, living river.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;tion.</HI> O but what &s;hall I &s;ay to <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> when I come to him: What &s;halt thou &s;ay?</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Tell him thou art a poore blind &s;oule, and wert born &s;o; and that thou can&s;t not &s;ee thy right hand from thy left; and withall, as to tell him how blind thou art; &s;o be &s;ure to bewaile thy &s;elfe, and &s;ay, O <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> I would &s;ee the river of life, the well of life; why do&s;t not thou O man? why doe not I, O <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> I am blinde thou knowe&s;t, I am blind and cannot &s;ee; why how came it, or what aile&s;t thou? O Chri&s;t I was borne blind of my pa|rents; yea, ring your hands, weep, waile and cry, O unhappy man, O unhappy wretch, O unhappy &s;oule, O that I &s;hould be born blind, and have no eyes to &s;ee the Glory of God, the Throne of God, the River of God, and &s;ay as I bid thee; O Chri&s;t I came blind into the world, &s;hall I die &s;o too, farre be it from thee, O thou God of mercy; and be &s;ure to, as I &s;aid, to bewaile thy &s;elfe, and then I will pawn my life for it, Chri&s;t will come by, and
<PB N="139" REF="79">&s;ay, what aile&s;t thou man; and now Chri&s;t is of a good nature, very pitifull, e&s;pecially to poor &s;oules, bemoaning and lamenting them&s;elves for want of life, legs, or limbes, or light, or &s;ight, or eyes, or any &s;uch like things, for Chri&s;t knowes how u&s;efull &s;uch things are for poore creatures, and how they are like to dead men in graves without them; or ju&s;t walking like gho&s;ts in the &s;hapes of men, which is as meere a delu&s;ion as can be in the world; but as I was about to tell thee, be &s;ure when Chri&s;t comes by and asketh thee why thou mourne&s;t, weep&s;t and wring&s;t thy hands; then &s;ay, O Lord Je&s;us I am blind, I am blind, O that I might receive my &s;ight, &s;weet Je&s;us looke upon me, <HI>O thou Sonne of David have mer|cy upon me;</HI> and if any &s;hould reprove thee for troubling Chri&s;t, be &s;ure you be not daunted or beaten off for crying after him, but cry louder, yea, as loud as you are able, and &s;ay, Lord Je&s;us if thou pa&s;&s;e&s;t by and will not helpe, I will tell thy Father of thee, who &s;ent thee purpo&s;ely to helpe &s;uch poor wretches as I am; and then Chri&s;t will &s;ay to them that bid him let thee alone, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t goe doe my Fa|thers work lea&s;t he chide me.</P>
<P>And then they will &s;ay, doe it to morrow, O but &s;aith Chri&s;t, <HI>I mu&s;t do my worke while it is day, the night comes, when no man can
<PB N="140" REF="80">worke. John.</HI> 9. <HI>v.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>And then Chri&s;t will come and &s;ay, why did you cry &s;o after me, <HI>O thou Son of David? that I may receive my &s;ight,</HI> and this will plea&s;e Chri&s;t very well.</P>
<P>And thus you &s;ee what you get by my coun|&s;ell in bemoaning your blind &s;oule, and cry|ing after Chri&s;t, you are now made whole, and &s;ee as well as any, I dare &s;ay, thou woulde&s;t not be in &s;uch a condition for a thou&s;and pound; no truely, not for a thou&s;and worlds neither; for what would all the world have done me good, if I had lived blind and darkly all my dayes, I mu&s;t needs have been ignorant of God and Chri&s;t, and the river of life, when as now, I thank God, I &s;ee all the&s;e things, and I tell you, thou&s;ands of wi&s;e men do not, but are ju&s;t of my condition as can be; but &s;ure they are be|witched, I think, for they do not know their own condition, if they did, they would cry as I did.</P>
<P>O but from my &s;oul, I thanke, and I thanke you Sir, my good friend, for directing mee to Chri&s;t, O &s;ir, if you had not, I had been un|done for ever and ever: for I mu&s;t needs have beene damnd; for I mu&s;t have died in my &s;ins, which I did not think of; ala&s;&s;e, <HI>I</HI> was a man that minded nothing, the Lord knowes, till you fell a talking of <HI>the river of life,</HI> and &s;peaking
<PB N="141" REF="80">many things about this river.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> came to aske you, how <HI>I</HI> might doe to &s;ee it; for <HI>I</HI> remember, you were &s;peaking, how clear, how pure, how beautifull it was; and like wi&s;e, how &s;weet, and u&s;efull, advantagious, and de&s;ireable it was, and a long di&s;cour&s;e you know to that purpo&s;e, &s;o then <HI>I</HI> think, <HI>I</HI> askt you, how <HI>I</HI> might do to &s;ee this pure, living, cleare, and chry&s;tall river, and you told mee, to my thinking, a &s;trange thing at the fir&s;t. For you told me, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t not &s;ee it in mine own light which made me &s;tare and wonder at you; good Lord, thought <HI>I,</HI> what does the man mean, would he lend mee his eyes, thought <HI>I;</HI> nay, you told me further, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t not goe in the light of another man, God ble&s;&s;e me, thought <HI>I,</HI> the man is mad as &s;ure as can be, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t not &s;ee in mine own light, nor anothers, but then he told me, as <HI>I</HI> remember, how pure, how plea&s;ant this river was. O &s;aid he, it is a pure, living river, and an ever living river, an everla|&s;ting river, and a great deale of di&s;cour&s;e about this river, &s;o that <HI>I</HI> thought indeed he would never have done with this river.</P>
<P>But to be &s;hort, in my relation about this ri|ver; <HI>I</HI> think, <HI>I</HI> &s;aid, &s;how me this river; but &s;aith he, you cannot &s;ee it in your own light, O thought <HI>I</HI> in my &s;elfe, he counts me one of the blind men of the world, becau&s;e <HI>I</HI> did never
<PB N="142" REF="81">much away with the new lights of our world, which was never halfe &s;o many, <HI>I</HI> think, as now, &s;ince the world &s;tood.</P>
<P>But to come to my &s;tory, he told mee as I could not &s;ee that Chry&s;tall river by my own eyes, &s;o no more could I &s;ee it by another mans, &s;o I plainly &s;aw, he did not at all weigh the mini&s;ters, <HI>I</HI> mean the old Orthodox Divines, <HI>I</HI> think the&s;e new fellows he did well approve of, and &s;eeme to own, &s;aying, they were clear Go&s;pell-preachers, and did hold forth Chri&s;t very well: di&s;tingni&s;hing the difference be|tween the two Covenants.</P>
<P>But then in relation to the river, he told me, if <HI>I</HI> would &s;ee it, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t, &s;aid he, &s;ee it in Gods own light; and &s;o quoted <HI>David</HI> &s;aying, <HI>in thy light we &s;hall &s;ee light,</HI> and then he told me, <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t &s;ee this river in Chri&s;ts light too, &s;aying thus, as God was Chri&s;ts light, &s;o Chri&s;t was Gods light, &s;aid he to me, <HI>no man can &s;ee the Father, but by the Son, and he to whom the Son doth reveal him.</HI></P>
<P>And then he told me further, that the father reveals the &s;onne, and the &s;onne the father, and both the &s;pirit and the river, by giving of it to the &s;onnes of men, and &s;o indeed he lead me up and down in a mi&s;-maze, for I had never in all my life before heard &s;o much talk of revealing, and I know not what, of the
<PB N="143" REF="81">father, &s;onne, and &s;pirit, and the river, for &s;o he called the &s;pirit, &s;aying, it was a pure, clear, and living river, &s;till talking of I know not how many lights, and I never knew but of one here, which rules the day. So thought I, what doth this man mean by his lights, but he turned I know not how, about to a light of God, and a light and life of Chri&s;t, or in Chri&s;t, I think he called it, &s;aying, it was the &s;ure&s;t and &s;afe&s;t, and the &s;weete&s;t, the happie&s;t, be&s;t, and ble&s;&s;ede&s;t life of all lives that the &s;oul lived, when it lived in God, the fountaine of light and life, endle&s;&s;e light, and endle&s;&s;e life.</P>
<P>For indeed, God is the life of our lives, the root of our lives, the fountain of our lives, we live in our own element, &s;aid he, when we live in God, and when we live out of him: we pilgrime like, wander up and down the world, begging pre&s;ervation of e|very poore creature, which is a &s;ad condition for a noble &s;oul, yea we bury our &s;elves as in a grave of darkne&s;&s;e, which few loves, being nothing, but wandering and rottenne&s;&s;e, earth turning into earth: but in one word, I wind up all, the river is the Spirit, the eter|nall &s;pirit of God by which he doth all in the world, yea all his mighty works, he binds Kings and loo&s;es Captives, breaketh nati|ons, and binds them up again, and as Kings
<PB N="144" REF="82">and Nations, private men and per&s;ons, are bound and loo&s;ed, comforted and wounded, and all by this Spirit, Oh then doth it con|cern all, high, low, rich and poore, to em|brace this &s;pirit; for if ye &s;light him, he can <HI>&s;mite you, wound you, kill you,</HI> and damne &s;oul and body, O then come and ki&s;&s;e this enlight|ning Sonne, as <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks of Chri&s;t in his &s;econd <HI>P&s;alm, le&s;t that he be angry,</HI> its &s;aid of this Sun that rules the day, that it &s;hall one day break forth in &s;uch flames of heat &amp; bright|ne&s;&s;e, that it &s;hall &s;corch and burn up Moun|tains, the &s;pirit will do the &s;ame, yea, eve|ry man and woman, in one way or other, &s;ome in love, mo&s;t in dreadfull wrath and vengeance, for neglecting and abu&s;ing the love, grace and mercy, which he once freely tendred them, which they little minded, be|ing like the old world, buying, felling, mar|rying: all the time of <HI>Noahs</HI> arkes build|ing, yea, untill the very flood came; but then how did they run and tumble, O me thinks I &s;ee the whole world &s;hifting, &s;ome to the hills, others to the mountains, &s;ome climb|ing trees and cedars, and getting up to &s;tee|ples, whil&s;t others wade to <HI>Noah:</HI> yea beg, and hang upon his Ark, crying <HI>Noah, Noah, Noah,</HI> for pitie take us in, but he is &s;ecure, and minds not all their skreeks and cryes, nor
<PB N="145" REF="82">their dolefull mourning for their drowned &s;ouls, this he little minds, for he is &s;afe, and his Ark ari&s;es by the mighty waters, in the which he rides more and more &s;teady, the higher that they ri&s;e, carying him at la&s;t over hils and mountaines and all kindes of dangers.</P>
<P>And now he &s;ings this unto him&s;elfe, God hath &s;afely hou&s;ed me, God hath &s;afely kept me in a &s;helter from the raines, which the black and melancholy heavens have weeped day and night for the &s;innes of men, till they were drowned with teares; well, <HI>Noah</HI> is yet &s;afe, the hangers on the Ark wa&s;ht off, &s;creeks and cries over, all &s;wimme up and down the de|luge. Well, the mighty waters doe beginne to beat, and the heavens &s;mile by clearing up againe; <HI>Noah</HI> &s;ends out his Dove, &s;hee &s;oone returnes, he againe doth the like, &s;he brings in an Olive branch, an Emblem of peace to all in the Ark. Well, this Ark is Chri&s;t, and none there is but he, that can &s;afely &s;helter from all kinde of danger, and yet this Ark is open, and ready to receive all that will come in at the Spirits invitation; but what if they doe not? the Spirit will break forth in dreadfull flames of fire, drying up the Seas, and burning of the Mountaines, none, no not one e&s;caping but tho&s;e in the Ark. Well friend minde this, Chri&s;t is the Ark, the Spirit is the River, God
<PB N="146" REF="83">the Fountaine too, of light, life, and glory; &s;hall all be neglected, then thou art undone; O unhuppy &s;oul, ill betide the time, and cur&s;ed be the day that ever thou wa&s;t born.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="exegesis">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Revel. chap. 22.4.</HI></BIBL> And they &s;hall &s;ee his face, and his name &s;hall be written upon their foreheads.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_O Chri&s;tians, from the&s;e words give mee leave to &s;peake a little my thoughts, for to you is this pro|mi&s;e, and if God give in the &s;weetne&s;&s;e of it to you, it will be as a little ho|ny, yea, as a lick of that Manna which Chri&s;t will give to his Saints to feed on, <HI>Revelations</HI> 2.17.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, the&s;e words they are a Promi&s;e of God to his people, who are the per&s;ons to whom this Promi&s;e is made.</P>
<P>Secondly, The Promi&s;e it &s;elfe, which is, <HI>They &s;hall &s;ee my face;</HI> that is the thing, O chri&s;tian, promi&s;ed heare.</P>
<P>Thirdly, For the time, that is a comming; they &s;hall not yet, but they &s;hall; from whence denote the certainty of it.</P>
<P>And truly friends, if you did but con&s;ider this promi&s;e, and the certainty of its accom|pli&s;hment,
<PB N="147" REF="83">it would be like <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> little &s;tick which did &s;weeten the bitter water which the <HI>I&s;ralites</HI> could not drinke, before he had throwne in his &s;tick: So I thinke it would &s;weeten any condition a Saint meets with in this world, though never &s;o bitter; be thou &s;ick, be thou weake, be thou poore, for the&s;e conditions are they &s;ubject too as well as a|ny, therefore hath God made a thou&s;and of &s;uch kinde of promi&s;es to his Saints, to &s;upport them here.</P>
<P>Sometimes he tels them, <HI>They &s;hall drinke of the River of his plea&s;ure, and be abundantly &s;atisfyed with the fatnes of his hou&s;e, P&s;a.</HI> 36.8.</P>
<P>A &s;econd Promi&s;e to them is this, <HI>They &s;hall eat of the Manna that is hid.</HI></P>
<P>A third, <HI>They &s;hall &s;ee my face.</HI></P>
<P>I will &s;peake no more of them, pray re|member the&s;e three in all your troubles; by faith feed your &s;oules on them, they will not onely comfort your hearts, but con&s;olate your troubled &s;oules. O, they will make you well in &s;ickne&s;&s;e, they will al&s;o make you rich in po|verty, they will make you fea&s;t in hunger, they will make you &s;ing in pri&s;on, live in death, yea, triumph over death, yea, all kindes of death.</P>
<P>Chri&s;tians you know this, I know yee know it in &s;ome mea&s;ure; but what is the rea&s;on you
<PB N="148" REF="84">doe not make u&s;e of the&s;e and &s;uch like Scrip|ture, &s;weet promi&s;es in the times of troubles? You will &s;ay you doe; you doe quoth he, yee doe not to any purpo&s;e; witne&s;&s;e your whi|ning, pining, &s;ithing, and continually &s;orrow|ing, after a husband, a wi&s;e, a childe. And how, doth another complaine for lo&s;&s;e of tra|ding; O my poverty comes on me like an ar|med man, mi&s;take me not, I know chri&s;tians have bowels of compa&s;&s;ion more then any, and may moderately complaine for friends and want; but &s;hould they, &s;hould they greive, as men unhappy, without hope of ever enjoying of that they they have lo&s;t? No, no, they &s;hould not; my Husband is dead, but my Chri&s;t is alive, and lives for ever; my Wife is dead, yet am I the Spou&s;e of Chri&s;t, and becau&s;e he lives, I &s;hall live, <HI>John</HI> 17. I have lo&s;t my Childe, but yet am I the Child of God, the Son of God, Heires, joynt-Heires with Chri&s;t; my e&s;tate is &s;pent, and becau&s;e of that the world will not &s;mile, friends look &s;trange becau&s;e of poverty I was wont, but now ca~not &s;ee their faces in my di&s;tre&s;&s;e; well, what of that, art thou troubled at this? O happy chri&s;tian, God hath pro|mi&s;ed that thou &s;halt &s;ee his, <HI>And they &s;hall &s;ee my face,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.4. the words I fir&s;t named; what is that thou cal&s;t thy face? O my God: what is it? this, my glory, man.</P>
<PB N="149" REF="84">
<P> O Lord how wonderfull is that, <HI>Heaven and earth is full of thy Glory, P&s;al.</HI> 8.9. all the glories of this world are but &s;hadowes of thy glory; yea, all the glory of Heaven, An|gels and arch-Angels, Cherubims and Sera|phims are but the reflecting &s;hadowes of thy glory, thy uncreated glory, thy increated glo|ry: O my God, when <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> begged to &s;ee this, thou would&s;t not; alas, poore &s;oule, he could not, <HI>No man can &s;ee my glory and live,</HI> but time is a comming when they &s;hall &s;ee my glory, my naked glory, and live; yea, live by &s;eeing, and &s;ee by living, by living in it, by li|ving to it, in &s;inging prai&s;es alwayes before it; and then, O happy Chri&s;tian: &s;halt thou for|get all former things, all former &s;orrows, all former feares, all former griefs.</P>
<P>O how then will the&s;e things pa&s;&s;e away and be forgot, as if they had never been.</P>
<P>I remember, <HI>Peter</HI> having but a glimp&s;e of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> glory in the mount, de&s;i|red then to live, and to die in that mount; but thou, O precious Chri&s;tian, &s;halt live and never dye in this mount, mount <HI>Sion,</HI> hea|venly <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> where thou &s;halt &s;ee <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> yea, a thou&s;and <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and ten thou&s;and times ten thou&s;and glorious Saints, as well as he, with as many Angels with God and Chri&s;t, excelling all ten thou&s;and times over, and o|ver
<PB N="150" REF="85">againe. O but when will that day come, that I a poore Gentile &s;inner &s;hall &s;ee this glo|ry, Heavens, Saints, and Angels excelling glory: will it come? doe thou &s;ay it will come, and it will make amends for all, it is now a com|ming; <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>We &s;ee now but darkly, as in a gla&s;&s;e,</HI> we &s;hall &s;ee him then naked as he is.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t tels thee friend, in <HI>John</HI> 17: 22. <HI>And the glory that thou ha&s;t given me, I have given them, that they may be one, O Father, as we are one.</HI> Here thou &s;ee&s;t, that Chri&s;t prayes for this day, and yet thou as ke&s;t, &s;hall this day ever come?</P>
<P>O friend, know this, that what ever Chri&s;t prayes for, he wils, and what he wils &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e; as in <HI>John</HI> 17.24. <HI>Father I will that all the&s;e thou ha&s;t given me, may be with me, even where I am, to behold my glory.</HI> Chri&s;ts glory is Gods glory, and Gods glo|ry is Chri&s;ts glory; and this wils Chri&s;t that yee may &s;ee.</P>
<P>O, &s;aid the Queene of <HI>Sheba</HI> once to <HI>So|lomon. Happy are tho&s;e that tend thee, and &s;ee thy glory.</HI></P>
<P>Thrice happy, yea, ten thou&s;and times thrice happy are they, O Chri&s;t, whom thou wilt &s;halt &s;ee thy glory in thy Kingdome, in thy Throne. O my Chri&s;t, it is &s;aid, that the
<PB N="151" REF="85"><HI>Kings and the Captaines too, &s;hall hide them|&s;elves in their dens, and among the rocks, and mountaines, crying to the rocks, and calling to the mountaines to fall on them, from thy glo|ry, and thy pre&s;ence. Revel.</HI> 6.15.</P>
<P>And this I will, &s;aith Chri&s;t, to confound mine enemies, which will not that I &s;hould reign over them, or in them; had they hearkened to mee, or accepted of mee, my righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e when time was, they &s;hould not have need to be a&s;hamed of their nakedne&s;&s;e, or call and cry to the hils to cover their poor &s;oules: but this is ju&s;t, &s;eeing, they did when time was, reject me, this in one day &s;hall come on them: but when the&s;e things &s;hall come on them like tra|vels on a woman, ye &s;hall lift up your heads with boldne&s;&s;e, becau&s;e my glory and yours too, drawes neer.</P>
<P>O frinds, no marveile, that wicked men &s;hall runne to the caves and dens, and rocks, to hide them&s;elves in: for the Saints &s;hall in that day &s;hine as &s;o many &s;unnes, and Chri&s;t as a &s;unne to all.</P>
<P>O glorious day, O day of dayes, that is now a comming, this is that day, <HI>that the righteous &s;hall &s;hine in the kingdome of their Father. Matth.</HI> 13.43. Then when they &s;ee the face of God and Chri&s;t, and this is nothing but the reflects of Gods glory, beaming out on the
<PB N="152" REF="86">Saints, in the beholding of his face, but yet this glory is not all that is implied, when God &s;aith, <HI>Ye &s;hall &s;ee my face,</HI> For it implies as well as his glory, his love, and delight, which you know are mo&s;t apparant in the face; for you judge of mens love and affections, by the face and countenance: &s;o that, to &s;ee this face, is to &s;ee his love, and delight in you, and on you, Delight ari&s;eth out of love, and flowes from love, as affections from relations.</P>
<P>But of this love and delight, what &s;hall I &s;ay, and fir&s;t for this love, this pure love, flowing from the fountaine of love, yea, divien love. Secondly, it is &s;weet love, yea, &s;wee|ter then the honey, or the honey-combe. Thirdly, it is &s;trong love, and long love, fir&s;t, it is &s;trong love, for it &s;o bindes the Saint, yea, &s;o &s;trongly binds him by its di&s;coveries to him, that as with coards his &s;oul is drawn to love, and bound, and cannot but love; yea, love &s;till more and more, this is that love, that is &s;tronger then death; yea, then death that kills all things: but cannot this love, nor ne|ver &s;hall; <HI>O death I will be thy death,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, &s;o &s;aith love, I am, and &s;till will be: but thou, like fading time, &s;hall be no more, <HI>The Angel &s;wore, that time &s;hould be no more. Revel.</HI> 10. <HI>v.</HI> 6.</P>
<P>But for love, Chri&s;t wills, <HI>that it &s;hall be for
<PB N="153" REF="86">ever, Iohn</HI> 17. <HI>v.</HI> 23. let the world know, &s;aith Chri&s;t to the Father, <HI>that thou ha&s;t loved them, as thou loved&s;t me.</HI> O when God &s;hall cea&s;e to love his Chri&s;t, then Chri&s;t &s;hall cea&s;e to love his Saints.</P>
<P>O friend, God cannot but love his Son, nor he, but love his Father, nor both, but love the Saints; and they that be wrapt thus up in love, mu&s;t needs, and cannot, but love againe, and thus this love binds up in one a Saint in Chri&s;t, a Chri&s;t in God; and thus a Saint, a Chri&s;t, and God is one, as Chri&s;t &s;aith. <HI>Iohn.</HI> 17.21.23. <HI>Father, I will that they in me, and I in thee may be one.</HI></P>
<P>O glorious union, A Saint in Chri&s;t, a Chri&s;t in God, here is Unitie in Trinity, and Trinitie in Unitie. O earth, earth; how art thou joynd to heaven, and by hearing the word of God, I mean his Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>And now <HI>Adam, Adam,</HI> made of du&s;t, where art thou now man, in the garden of God, or in God him&s;elf? O happy change, O happy man, O happy fall, from God to Eden, and then to earth, and thence rai&s;ed up to God againe.</P>
<P><HI>O mortality, how art thou &s;wallowed up by immortality,</HI> no changes now no more can be, me thinks, I &s;ee thee, O ye&s;terday-creature, <HI>&s;itting with the Aneient of dayes, like youg</HI>
<PB N="154" REF="87">Samuel <HI>with old</HI> Eli. Me thinks, I heare thee now, as once, <HI>the Angel &s;wearing, time &s;hall be no more, as in the Revelations, nor &s;in, nor &s;orrow, nor pain, nor labour,</HI> and now, thou mai&s;t truely &s;ay, what <HI>Babylon</HI> the great did, <HI>Revel. I &s;it as a queen, and &s;hall &s;ee no &s;or|row;</HI> yea, I am a Queen, and a Queen of queenes; for my husband is Chri&s;t, the King of kings, <HI>and now, come and wor&s;hip me, fall down at the &s;oles of my feet, call me</HI> Sion, <HI>the holy One of I&s;rael,</HI> my husband &s;aith, ye &s;hall. <HI>I&s;aiah.</HI> 60, 14. <HI>For I mu&s;t now be an eternall glory, and a joy, from generation to genera|tion. I&s;aiah</HI> 60.15. <HI>&amp;</HI> 19.20. A joy to my Father, a joy to my husband, a joy to the hea|vens, a joy to the Angels, and all that there|in is.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, a joy to my Father, <HI>as a Bridegroom rejoyceth over his Bride, &s;o will I rejoyce over my people, as in I&s;aiah.</HI> Secondly, a joy to my husband, <HI>Father, I will that they may be with me, that my joy may be in them:</HI> This Chri&s;t prays, and he being an&s;wered in all his prayers, &s;aith, <HI>Father, I thank thee, for that thou al|wayes heare&s;t mee.</HI></P>
<P>And now, <HI>come away, my love, my dove, winter is pa&s;t, &s;tormes are over, &s;inging of birds, and the &s;pring is come. Cant. Let mee &s;ee thee, let me &s;ee thy face; for thou ha&s;t been
<PB N="155" REF="87">ab&s;ent, but now I have thee. I will never leave thee, nor for&s;ake thee; come along with me my love from</HI> Lebon. <HI>Cant.</HI> 48, <HI>Come along with me my deare, wee'l to my fathers wine-&s;eller, and I will banner thee over with love, O my Spou&s;e, thou art fair, thou art faire. Cant.</HI> 6.3. <HI>O, I will ki&s;&s;e thee, I will embrace thee, and carry thee to my fathers hou&s;e, I will marrie thee there.</HI> And now, <HI>ye Angels, and all the ho&s;t of heaven, O ye innumerable companie, come and &s;ing, come and &s;ing Hallelujah, Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, lot us be glad, and rejoyce, and give glory to him, for the marriage of the Lambe. Revel.</HI> 19 <HI>v.</HI> 6, 7. <HI>is come, and his wife hath made her &s;elfe ready, &s;he &s;hall be ara yed like a Prince&s;&s;e, in pure white linnen, which is the rignteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Saints; ble&s;&s;ed are all they that come to the Supper of the Lambe.</HI> Break forth in &s;inging.</P>
<P><HI>O heavens, doe ye begin, ye holy Apo&s;tles, and Prophets doe ye follow next.</HI> Rev. 18.20. and al&s;o Rev. 19.1. <HI>and come ye innumer able comprny of heavenly ho&s;ts, Sing yee, &s;ing ye, what &s;hall ye &s;ing: Glory, honour, unto the Lord, and unto the Lambe.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And come ye foure and twenty Elders, down with your crowns, and come wor&s;hip God, and &s;ing Allelujah, Allelujah.</HI> Rev, 19.4. <HI>Mo|&s;es</HI>
<PB N="156" REF="88">where art thou, come away, come away, and &s;ing thy &s;ong to: <HI>Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.</HI> O thou King of Saints, who would not feare thee, O thou Ju&s;t and true: Ju&s;t and true are thy wayes, thou ha&s;t avenged the blood of thy Saints, who would not feare thee, and glorifie thy Name; <HI>for thou art onely holy, and all nations &s;hall wor&s;hip thee.</HI> Rev. 15.3, 4. O ye that brought the newes at fir&s;t, come ye that brought the newes of this match, &s;ing ye your &s;ong again, <HI>glory to God on high, peace, and good will to men, as in</HI> Luke 2.13, 14. but let the burden of your &s;ong, be the burden of all your &s;ongs, Free grace, free grace.</P>
<P>Thirdly, whereas God &s;aith, ye &s;hall &s;ee my face, it doth imply, God will one day di&s;co|ver him&s;elfe in a familiar way vnto his Saints. It was nothing but &s;inne that made a &s;trange|ne&s;&s;e between God, and man; for before man had &s;inned, there was no &s;trangene&s;&s;e between God and man, but &s;ince &s;inne came, there hath been a &s;trangene&s;&s;e all along, but before there was none: for when God made man fir&s;t, he was not at all afraid of God; for God before &s;inne came, took our father <HI>Adam,</HI> and led him by the hand, as it were, and put him into the garden of <HI>Eden,</HI> as a father would his &s;on into a vineyard <HI>Gen.</HI> 2.15. So God led, or put <HI>Adam</HI> into the garden of <HI>Eden, and bids
<PB N="157" REF="88">him eat of all the fruit of the garden, onely the tree of good and evill excepted,</HI> and then <HI>Adam</HI> goes to naming of the creatures of God. <HI>Gen.</HI> 2.20.</P>
<P>O here was no feare at all in <HI>Adam</HI> yet, for he goes and &s;ets names on all the creatures, which God had made, ju&s;t like a child naming his fathers works; but a&s;&s;oon as <HI>Adam</HI> had &s;in|ned, he is filled with fear, and timerou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and hearing then the voice of God in the gat|den, he runnes and hides him&s;elfe from God, and is afraid of God; witne&s;&s;e his running from God, to hide him&s;elf from God. Ju&s;t &s;o have all the &s;ons of <HI>Adam</HI> done all along, to this day, &s;o that though God would be fami|liar with them, yet they cannot be &s;o with him, there is &s;inne got into the fle&s;h, and to that, <HI>God is a con&s;uming fire of holine&s;&s;e,</HI> &s;o that now, God mu&s;t &s;peak in a &s;econdary way, by an Angel, or by a me&s;&s;enger, and that too they are afraid of, as the &s;hepherds were of the Angel, that bids them, feare not, &s;aying, <HI>I am come to bring glad tidings of great joy to all nations; for unto you a Saviour is this day born, and ye &s;hall call his name</HI> Je&s;us, <HI>for hee &s;hall &s;ave his people from their &s;innes. Luke</HI> 2.9, 10.</P>
<P>And now, God being clothed in fle&s;h, man he drawes neer to God, which before cryed
<PB N="258" REF="89">out in every di&s;covery, like <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 6.5. <HI>I am undone, I have &s;een the Lord:</HI> but God being not willing, that man &s;hould be &s;trange to him, or he to man, &s;ends his owne Sonne un|to us, to tell us, he is not at all angry with us, nor will at once harme us, but rather faine would have us to be as at fir&s;t, his familial creatures; yea, more, to be his &s;ons and daugh|ters, and to come live againe in his paradice; nay, more, to live in him&s;elfe, and with him|&s;elfe: and this is clear, by his comming down to live with us; nay, in us by his Son. And this is the way, by which God will again di&s;|cover him&s;elfe, and &s;how his face, his plea&s;ant face, in a fatherly way unto us.</P>
<P>O great and wonderfull, O my&s;terie of my|&s;teries, who would have thought of &s;uch a way as this, to have found a ble&s;&s;ed God a|gain. O <HI>Adam!</HI> lo&s;t! could&s;t thou have thought of this way? O angels, all ye angels, could ye have thought of this way? no, no, I dare &s;ay no, nor all the world be&s;ides you; it is &s;aid by <HI>Paul, when Angels heard of this my&s;terie, Gods coming down into fle&s;h, to find and bring back man, lo&s;t man again, it was &s;uch a my&s;terie to the Angels, that they de&s;ired to peep into it, Oh how farre was</HI> Io&s;eph <HI>carri|ed from good old</HI> Iacob, <HI>but yet at la&s;t he &s;aw his face again.</HI></P>
<PB N="159" REF="89">
<P> So farre and further, yea ten thou&s;and times, furthermore were ye &s;old by <HI>Eve,</HI> and car|ried by Satan; but God like <HI>Jacob</HI> comes down, though not for want, yet for his love, <HI>to bring ye back to your own place,</HI> it is &s;aid, when the I&s;raelites were delivered out of <HI>Ba|lon, they were as men in a dream,</HI> they had been &s;o long in Captivity, and were <HI>&s;o &s;ud|denly delivered unepxected, P&s;alme</HI> 137. But lo&s;t man, thou le&s;&s;e expected&s;t, if le&s;&s;e could be, thy great deliverance, that God by Chri&s;t, &s;hould bring back thee from <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> in <HI>Egypt,</HI> a &s;trange land to Chri&s;t in <HI>Cana|an,</HI> where plenty, and all fullne&s;&s;e dwels, <HI>and now will God again become your God, and dwell with you,</HI> now it may be truly &s;aid, <HI>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 will be there God with them,</HI> Rev. 21.3. Mark this, God him&s;elf will be with them; this being with them, denotes Gods familiarity to them: where &s;trangene&s;&s;e is, there can be no familiarity, but &s;trangene&s;&s;e now &s;hall be no more; for God will dwell with them, and they with him. O they mu&s;t needs &s;ee his face, who dwell in his pre&s;ence, <HI>In thy pre&s;ence O God, is fulne&s;&s;e of joy, and plea&s;ures for evermore,</HI> &s;o &s;aith <HI>David</HI> in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 36.8.</P>
<PB N="160" REF="90">
<P> Here is a fullne&s;&s;e indeed, Fir&s;t, a feeding fullne&s;&s;e, Secondly, a filling fullne&s;&s;e, Third|ly, an overflowing fullne&s;&s;. Fir&s;t, a feed|ing fullne&s;se, O Chri&s;tian, it &s;hall feed thy very &s;oul, to &s;ee the face of God and Chri&s;t, Secondly, a filling fullne&s;s, it &s;hall fill thy heart, yea every corner of thy heart and &s;oul too: it &s;hall &s;o fill thee, that thou &s;halt be, as David &s;aid in his P&s;alm. <HI>filled with mar|row and fatne&s;&s;e.</HI> Thirdly, an overflowing fullne&s;s, for thou &s;halt be &s;o filled with the &s;ight of thy God, that thou &s;halt over|flow with delight.</P>
<P>Here the di&s;coveries of God, have an emp|tine&s;s in the &s;oul, that there is &s;till an emp|tine&s;s in thee, but in that day, thou &s;halt be as a ve&s;sell brim-full, and not &s;o, but overflow with the fullne&s;s of Gods di&s;coveries to thy &s;oul, he &s;hall &s;o immediately di&s;cover him|&s;elf to thee. Here Gods di&s;coveries, are in a &s;econdary way, but then thou &s;halt have them immediately from him&s;elf, and not by any hand conveyed, but by him&s;elf; his pre&s;ence with thee, &s;hall be a flowing fatne&s;s: yea an overflowing fullne&s;s in thee: and in that day, thou &s;halt know the relations thy &s;oul &s;tands in to God, thou &s;halt know him to be a father indeed, he &s;hall &s;o fatherly di&s;|cover him&s;elf to thee. Here God carries him|&s;elf
<PB N="161" REF="90">&s;ometimes to his children, as <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> did to his brethren, rough and &s;trange; but then God &s;hall &s;ay to his children, O my deare children, how do I love you, yea, I love you more and more, I loved you before, and now I cannot hide my bowels from you; yea, I cannot but &s;how my love to you, come my deare children for whom I prepared Glory before the world was, as Chri&s;t &s;peaks, <HI>John;</HI> come, &s;it down by me, I will tell you over my love, I loved you before I had you, but now I have you, I cannot but embrace you, ye were my delight long before the world was, I rowled you in my thoughts, I had you in my eye, and carried you in my purpo&s;e, and bought you by my Chri&s;t, O my deare children, <HI>let me wipe away all teares from your eyes,</HI> Rev. 21.4.</P>
<P>You were wont to mourn, but now re|joice and &s;ing, and let no man take your joy from you, as Chri&s;t &s;peaks, <HI>Iohn</HI> 16.20. <HI>you wont to grieve, but grief &s;hall be no more, nor pain, nor &s;orrow, nor any &s;uch thing, &s;hall e|ver be again,</HI> I have you now, and I will no more nur&s;e you abroad, but ye &s;hall live in my pre&s;ence, and becau&s;e I live, ye &s;hall live al&s;o, as Chri&s;t &s;peaks in <HI>Iohn</HI> 16. O deare children, how did I long for this day, that I might have you in my pre&s;ence, and dandle you on my
<PB N="162" REF="91">knee, &amp; &s;peak with you, and to you, the world was wont to &s;nib you, <HI>Ioh.</HI> 20.33. therefore I plagued it: the world abu&s;ed you, and mifu&s;ed you, but I &s;aid, I would reckon with her for that: the world knew you not, &amp; therfore ha|ted you, but I knew you, and therefore loved you; yea, loved you more and more, I cannot but love, ye are my &s;onnes and daughters, my Iewels, my prea&s;ure, my trea&s;ure, my pur|cha&s;e, my lot, my inheritance, and now what will you that I do for you, <HI>&s;how us thy face, and it &s;ufficeth us,</HI> John 14.8. O my &s;ons, and daughters, I will &s;how you my face, and glorie, my heart, and all the &s;ecrets of my &s;oul, if that will &s;atisfie you: O God, it is our de|&s;ire to &s;ee thy face, thy plea&s;ant face, thy glorie, thy tran&s;cendent glorie: but thy heart O God, what is that? my love, my intire love, my &s;urpa&s;&s;ingand indearing love; and for my thoughts, I mean my purpo&s;e, my pur|po&s;e towards you, which was of old, as <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks of old; before time; yea, before time was at all; for before the world was no time, and then were you in my thoughts and purpo&s;e; I had a purpo&s;e of you, and on you: of you to make you my &s;onnes and daughters, and a habitation for my glorie, that ye in ages to come might know, I loved you above all, and cho&s;e you out of all
<PB N="163" REF="91">the Nations of the world, that I might &s;how the exceeding riches of my grace to you, and for my purpo&s;e on you, it was to rai&s;e my glo|ry by you, in &s;hewing it unto you, for if you had not &s;een my face, how could you know my glorie, but this I will that ye may know, how much I loved you, carrying you in my thoughts, time, &amp; time all along, yea, and long before time too, Chri&s;t and I was contracting your &s;alvation, little did you once know my tran&s;actions, concerning your &s;ouls, but <HI>God was in Chri&s;t, reconciling the world to him|&s;elf,</HI> John 5.19. But now ye &s;ee my face, and my tran&s;actions too, all which you do admire; and more, and more you &s;hall, to think how once I made you, and after that I lo&s;t you, yet back again I bought you, and now to my &s;elf have brought you, all this you mu&s;t ad|mire.</P>
<P>When <HI>Ionas</HI> was in the deep, and his head wrapped with reeds and ru&s;hes, little did he think to have ever &s;een the &s;hore again, le&s;&s;e, if le&s;s could be, did your &s;ouls think to have &s;een this day, which now you &s;ee; what I can do and bring about, that you might prize my face at la&s;t.</P>
<P>But in the fourth place, whereas God doth promi&s;e, they &s;hall &s;ee his face; It doth im|ply that great reward, by which he will re|ward
<PB N="164" REF="92">his &s;ervants that &s;erve him; &s;o that Chri|&s;tians doe not fight, as if there was no crown; nor worke, as if no wages. O &s;aith <HI>Paul, I have fought the good fight, I have fini&s;hed the cour&s;e, and henceforth is laid up for me a Crowne of life, and not for me onely, but for all that love his appearance too.</HI> And there|fore Chri&s;tian, <HI>be thou faithfull unto the death, and thou &s;halt have the Crowne of life. Revel.</HI> 2.10. Where Chri&s;t promi&s;ed it unto thee, for the incouraging of thee; Chri&s;tminded his owne glorie, and &s;o maie&s;t thou as well as <HI>Mo&s;es;</HI> &s;ee, Chri&s;t &s;peaks of it, yea, demands the Crown, <HI>John</HI> 16.1. <HI>I have fini&s;hed the work which thou gave&s;t me to do, and now glorifie thy &s;onne,</HI> or reward thy &s;on, and then it is &s;aid, <HI>I have glorified thee, and I will glorifie thee.</HI></P>
<P>O Friends, you are now glorified as you &s;it, by your union with Chri&s;t, in the glorie of God, which &s;hineth round the heavens, and makes them to be heavens indeed: wel friends, this is the glorie into which you mu&s;t be ta|ken to behold his face, and then will not this be a reward, a full reward ineeed, tenne thou&s;and times beyond all your doings, and all your &s;ufferings: yea equall unto Chri&s;t his merits, and to thine hearts de&s;ire; a Saints de&s;ire is to &s;ee God, and enjoy God, nothing
<PB N="165" REF="92">doth a Saint de&s;ire in compari&s;on of that, <HI>with our &s;ouls have we de&s;ired thee,</HI> &s;aith the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> yea, and this is the de&s;ire of every &s;oul, everie gracious &s;oul. O when the &s;en&s;e of Gods eternall love, glorie, &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e, lies boiling in it, how &s;trong doth the de&s;ire ri&s;e.</P>
<P>O friends, no de&s;ire under heaven, ri&s;es and heaves &s;o like to mighty waters in the Soul, as this de&s;ire, when the &s;en&s;e of Gods love and glorie lies boiling in it, and the mightie Spirit &s;tirring of it, thunders do not more &s;hake the cloudie aire, nor earthquakes move the dungie earth, then the&s;e de&s;ires the &s;oul of man, when it is &s;trongly rocking there. <HI>O</HI> &s;aith <HI>Mo&s;es, &s;hew me thy face, or glorie,</HI> while his &s;oul was filled with the &s;en&s;e of it, he would fain &s;ee it, though he died the death for it, but God &s;pares <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his life by hiding him and his glory for the pre&s;ent; well-know|ing <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was le&s;&s;e able for to &s;ee this glo|rie, which he reque&s;ts he might, then we to &s;ee the Sunne through and through: but &s;hall <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> never &s;ee this glorie therefore, becau&s;e of weakne&s;&s;e; yes, yes, he &s;hall, he doth, he now &s;ees it, and &s;o &s;halt thou, O happy Chri&s;tian, ere it be long: what was it that took <HI>Peter,</HI> when he had a glimp&s;e of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> on the Mount, but the beames of this
<PB N="166" REF="93">glory, &s;parkling on his back, like glittering &s;uns and &s;tarres.</P>
<P>Well friends, you wi&s;h and would, but time &s;hall pa&s;&s;e, and time &s;hall come, and you enjoy the thing you wi&s;h &amp; crave, and often breath|eth after, namely, that glory that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> then appeared in, namely, on the mount; well, you &s;hall, I &s;ay, you &s;hall, as &s;ure as the Lord lives have it, one day have it, and be cloathed by it, as with a garment down to the ground, <HI>like the white robe, Rev.</HI> 19.14. and then like <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> will your appearance be, as cloathed with twinkling &s;tars from <HI>Phoebus</HI> beames.</P>
<P>And now hearken, O heavens, and give ear O earth, earth, earth, with all that dwells therin, high, low, rich, poor, how God will glorifie his Son; and his Son, his Saints, to their hearts de&s;ire, with men and Angels ad|mirations, and a&s;toni&s;hments too. Well may <HI>David</HI> &s;ay, <HI>O Lord, I have none in heaven, but thee: and there is none in earth that I de|&s;ire in compari&s;on of thee;</HI> nay, Lord, in com|pari&s;on of thee, I &s;corn crowns, and kingdoms, yea, ten thou&s;and tuns of Jewels; marke, none in heaven, nor in earth, &s;aith a <HI>David,</HI> in com|pari&s;on of thee, and thus God rewards a Saint according to his hearts de&s;ire: when he pro|mi&s;eth to &s;how his face unto them.</P>
<P>O this reward will make amends for all, for
<PB N="167" REF="93">all your &s;ufferings, for all your &s;orrows; and now, in the hopes of this, rai&s;e your &s;elves, your &s;ouls, in all your troubles, and ca&s;tings down; and indeed nothing but this con&s;ide|ration will do it to any purpo&s;e, for if, by the lo&s;&s;e of one creature you rai&s;e your &s;elves by another; What will you then do, when all creature-comforts &s;hall be taken away from you, which God, at fir&s;t or la&s;t will &s;urely doe.</P>
<P>And then, what will ye then do; ye all of you, who&s;e hearts are bound up in the crea|tures, and things of this life: But mourne, mourn bitterly, like <HI>Babylon, crying, alas, alas,</HI> Revel 18.10. <HI>How in one day have I lo&s;t all my hopes,</HI> my creature comforts, my friends, my children, my wife and husband, my life and &s;oul, and Chri&s;t more worth then all, ten thou&s;and times over and over againe.</P>
<P>O unhappy man that I am, O unhappy &s;oul, how wa&s;t thou deluded, how was I deceived, to think my &s;elf happy in a few dying crea|ture-enjoyments, O my bewitched &s;oul, who deluded thee, who deceived thee? time was thou heard&s;t of God and Chri&s;t; and had&s;t thou then minded him, and &s;erved him, as thou did&s;t thy King, thy lu&s;t, and plea&s;ures, hee would not now have left thee, as dying <HI>Wol|&s;ey</HI> once &s;aid, that great <HI>Cardinall,</HI> in his di&s;|paire and horror.</P>
<PB N="168" REF="94">
<P> But thou, O precious Chri&s;tian, who&s;e heart and hopes are placed in God, &s;hall dying &s;ay? my hopes, my heart, and expectation lives, for it was not here, nor here below, in dying things: but a living Chri&s;t, and now my &s;oule &s;hall live with him, <HI>and becau&s;e he lives, I &s;hall live al&s;o. John</HI> 14.19. ye live in his pre&s;ence, &amp; live in his &s;ight; and now my &s;oule, my happy &s;oule, tell thou the world, thy friends, &amp; all that mournes for thy departure, thy life, thy life for which they mourne, its &s;ure and &s;afe, its hid with God in Chri&s;t, our lives are hid with God in Chri&s;t, <HI>and when he &s;hall appear, we &s;hall ap|pear with him al&s;o,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks. <HI>John</HI> 1.3.2. O glorious day, O day of dayes, un|thought, unminded by mo&s;t of men: now it appears not what we are, but then it &s;hall, when the du&s;t of this body, more precious then the &s;eed of &s;tars and jewels &s;hall be gathered, and be carefully picked up by Angels, &s;ent forth by Chri&s;t from all the winds for that &s;ame pur|po&s;e, then my life was hid; but now it is found, where fir&s;t it was in God and Chri&s;t, in my own root, and that to my dear &s;ouls content; and therefore let me go to my home, to my father, to my husband, to my God, to my Chri&s;t, and to my brethren; for &s;ure, I &s;hall be welcome, as <HI>Jacob</HI> was to <HI>Jo&s;eph.</HI></P>
<P>Welcome for relations &s;ake, O friends, there
<PB N="169" REF="94">is &s;uch a neere relation between Chri&s;t and a Chri&s;tian, he is the head, and you the members, he is the Bridegroome, and you the Bride, he is the vine, and you the branches, Chri&s;t can|not but bid you wellcome; nor the father neither, for you are all his children; how wellcome is a friend, a childe, a husband, after &s;even yeares voyage, when returned; what love, what embraces doth then pa&s;&s;e between them, powring heart into heart, as it were? How &s;weetly did <HI>Jo&s;ephs,</HI> and his brethrens bowels yerne one towards another.</P>
<P>O friends, Chri&s;t will one day embrace you in his armes, with his rowling bowels, like a husband his beloved wife, after &s;even yeares ab&s;ence, and you him with teares and ki&s;&s;es of joy and love. How glad was <HI>Dide</HI> queene of <HI>Carthage,</HI> when &s;he had <HI>Aeneas</HI> prince of <HI>Troy</HI> to look on and embrace. Well friends, time will come, when thou &s;halt have thy Chri&s;t to embrace and look on, who hath en|dured more broiles ten thou&s;and times then all <HI>Aeneas</HI> feigned ones. Here Chri&s;t to look on, is admirable, and lovely too in broiles. O &s;aith the Spou&s;e, <HI>Who is this that coms from</HI> Bozrah, <HI>with his garments dipped in blood. I&s;aiah,</HI> 63.1.2. <HI>travelling in the greatnes of his &s;trength.</HI></P>
<P>Chri&s;t the prince and Captain of our &s;al|vation, comes from the fields of &s;laughter like
<PB N="170" REF="95">&s;ome noble champion, and hath his bloody armes, which doth declare him conquerour; &s;o Chri&s;t here travels from <HI>Bozra,</HI> a field of &s;laughter; this I take to be the cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, on which he might be well &s;aid, and did con|quer all the Churches enemies, yea, naild them to the cro&s;&s;e, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaketh, by triumphing over them openly upon the cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Well, in this field Chri&s;t &s;layes the law, &s;inne and death, making this &s;aying good, <HI>O death, I will be thy death.</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.55. And now comes in warlick ve&s;tures, which are dipped in this blood, declaring him to be the mighty conquerour,</P>
<P>Well, the Spou&s;e &s;its and &s;ees him at her window, comming from the field, which is the Spirit in the &s;oule, through which &s;he lookes upon the&s;e mighty champions, Chri&s;t, Sinne, Death and Devils.</P>
<P>Well, Chri&s;t foyls and &s;poyles all, by tramp|ling on all, which being done, he leaves them dead, and comes away to refre&s;h him&s;elfe in glory; the Spou&s;e &s;pies him in the way, and cries out, who is this? not that &s;hee did not know Chri&s;t well enough, but &s;he is taken with Chri&s;t, in the beholding of Chri&s;t, thus bravely wins the field, which Chri&s;t never quited til all foild &amp; &s;poild &amp; the day his own.</P>
<P>Well, Is the Soule now &s;o taken with the
<PB N="171" REF="95">gallentry of Chri&s;t, that &s;he cryes out for joy and wonder? O then, how wilt thou be ta|ken, when thou &s;halt &s;ee this Chri&s;t againe, which heare is promi&s;ed? yea, &s;troak the face of this Champion, Chri&s;t the Prince of our &s;al|vation; how will &s;he be taken with him then? &s;aying, O my deare Chri&s;t, it was my enemies thou ingaged in <HI>Bozra,</HI> and if thou had&s;t not conquered, my &s;oule and thou&s;ands more, had been undone for ever; but &s;eeing thou did&s;t win the day, we will name and &s;tile thee, mo&s;t high, and excellent, and mighty Conquerour, King of Saints, Prince and Captaine of our &s;al|vation, which thou for ever &s;halt be called, by Saints and Angels, men and Devils; poore drooping &s;inner, what do&s;t thou think of this day, and this Chri&s;t, who is thy Champion, thy Captaine and Salvation.</P>
<P>I &s;ay, what do&s;t thou thinke O malencholy Chri&s;tian of this day, when thou &s;halt &s;ee the face of this Prince and Saviour, wilt thou not make one, to &s;ing his pray&s;es, to &s;ing his victo|ries over &s;inne, death, hell, men and devils, which Angels now are doing, and &s;o &s;halt thou; and this &s;hall be thy reward too, a full reward indeed, for all thou ever did&s;t, or &s;uffred&s;t.</P>
<P>In the mean time bear up, bear up thy head, O drooping Chri&s;tian, Chri&s;t hath conquered
<PB N="172" REF="96">&s;inne, death, men and devils, and yet it may be thou feare&s;t all; O fooli&s;h &s;inner, weake in faith, men are bound, &s;inne and &s;atan woun|ded, yea, death and &s;inne &s;laine too, and all by Chri&s;t in <HI>Bozra:</HI> what mean&s;t thou to be troubled? O but Sir, Sir, me thinks I &s;ee &s;inne alive, and Satan loo&s;e, yea, both in me; I will not deny, but thou may&s;t think &s;o; but all is not true that men doe thinke; but grant both the&s;e be in thee, yet if &s;inne be wounded and Satan bound, one cannot long live, nor the other doe much mi&s;cheife; if &s;inne be woun|ded it is to the heart, be &s;ure of that.</P>
<P>And when Chri&s;t was wounded there by &s;inne he &s;traight died; well, <HI>I</HI> am &s;ure Chri&s;t hath wounded &s;inne there too, and it cannot live long; O Sir, Sir, it is livelier then ever, it &s;truggles more then ever. O friend, that is to me as cleare as the day, that &s;inne is ju&s;t a dying, every thing in nature will doe the like; what do&s;t thou &s;ee dying willing but a Saint, and he <HI>I</HI> mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, on this con&s;ideration, that he &s;hall live with God and Chri&s;t, and behold the face of God and Chri&s;t, as in the fir&s;t words; <HI>I</HI> &s;ay, on this con&s;ideration, hap|pily he may with a great deale of willingne&s;&s;e die.</P>
<P>But who be&s;ides the Saint will? will man, or bea&s;t, or fi&s;h, or foule, or any other crea|ture?
<PB N="173" REF="96">No, no, the fi&s;h yawns and gapes, the fowle flutters, the bea&s;t beats it &s;elfe and yels, though bound and mu&s;led, man mournes and cries, alas, alas; why, mu&s;t I die, and leave my hopes, my wife, my childe, my lands and li|vings, nay, friends and all? fetch the Doctor, quickly fetch the Doctor, &s;ave me if it be po&s;|&s;ible, I faine would live a little longer; and thus he mournes to think on death; and when it comes and drawes neere to him, then he growns, and ga&s;ps, and grinnes, and &s;tares, &s;till &s;triving with it while breath doth la&s;t.</P>
<P>Well friend, the fi&s;h yawns and gapes, the fowle flutters, the bea&s;t yels, man mournes and cries alas; what &s;hall &s;inne doe nothing, it were contrary unto nature, if it &s;hould die without its throwes in thy &s;oule.</P>
<P>But &s;tay, you &s;aid Satan was bound; I, I did &s;o, and &s;o he is in two re&s;pects, Chri&s;t hath bound him up from hurting thee; Chri&s;t hath bound him up from forcing thee.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, From hurting thee, you know if the mo&s;t notorious theeving rogue in the world lyes bound in a lone womans hou&s;e, hand and foot; there was no ground, nor cau&s;e of feare, he is bound hand and foot, what can he now doe, but cur&s;e and &s;wear? well, &s;he being a weak woman, is troubled and frighted, not|with&s;tanding, but when her husband comes
<PB N="174" REF="97">home, her feares cea&s;eth and are gone.</P>
<P>Well friends know this, Chri&s;t hath bound Satan for a thou&s;and yeares, yea, for ever, from mi&s;cheiving his Saints and Servants; and if he be in thee he is bound.</P>
<P>O no, me thinks he is loo&s;e, he doth &s;o tempt me and accu&s;e me, I doe not know what to doe; it may be &s;o, he doth tempt and accu&s;e thee; I did not &s;ay Chri&s;t had bound Satans tongue, no, he hath not, nor never will, whil&s;t the world &s;tands; Satan &s;hall have his tongue loo&s;e to tempt &s;ome of his Saints, and to ac|cu&s;e others, for divers good rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>This is one, When he cals on thee to com|mit this, or that great &s;inne, thou may&s;t call on Chri&s;t to keep thee from &s;inne.</P>
<P>A &s;econd rea&s;on is this, When he accu&s;eth thee for thy &s;inne, Chri&s;t would have thee pray and crave his pardon for thy &s;inne; yea, beleeve it is pardoned, notwith&s;tanding his accu&s;ing thee, which when thy &s;oule doth by his power and &s;trength in thee, it brings much honour to Chri&s;t, yea, very much; but I will not &s;tand now, to give thee any more rea&s;ons, why Chri&s;t will not tie the Devils tongue.</P>
<P>But remember the&s;e two, but the thing I &s;aid, was, Chri&s;t hath bound Satan hand and foot, and &s;o he hath from doing thee any mi&s;cheife,
<PB N="175" REF="97">fa&s;t enough; and yet it may be, he lyes thus bound in the middle of the floor, as I &s;aid before; and raves, and cur&s;eth thee, and &s;tares at thee in thy hou&s;e about thy calling, and this cau&s;es a great deale of trouble in thy &s;oule; but when thy husband Chri&s;t comes home, which will be at noon in his di&s;coveries, thy feare will be gone, and thou with joy wilt tell thy neighbours, I meane, thy chri&s;tian friends.</P>
<P>Againe, Satan is bound from forcing thee; if a maid &s;hould be tempted day and night, to part with her virginity, yet if &s;he con&s;ent not, and the other have no power, but by con&s;ent, what is &s;he the wor&s;e, or her cha&s;tity the le&s;&s;er, no, it is rather greater if you will. So I &s;ay to thee, who talk&s;t of Satans temptations, what if Satan tempt thee day and night to part with thy virginity, or re&s;olution again&s;t &s;uch and &s;uch a &s;in.</P>
<P>Well, Satan tempts to yeild, yea, tempts thee day and night; doe not yeild by no means if he &s;hould goe to force thee, Chri&s;t will come and helpe thee, or at lea&s;t excu&s;e thee, &s;aying, thou art yet his cha&s;te and beloved Spou&s;e, and will not hide his face from thee, for all that.</P>
<P>But in the fifth and la&s;t place, whereas God &s;aith, <HI>They &s;hall &s;ee my face;</HI> It doth imply
<PB N="176" REF="98">that great and &s;weet delight that God takes in his peoples pre&s;ence.</P>
<P>God delights in all his workes, but e&s;peci|ally in his own people, <HI>O I&s;rael whom I have created;</HI> God created all things for his prai&s;e, but I&s;rael e&s;pecially, more then all his whole creation; God &s;aid of all his works, that <HI>they were good,</HI> &s;erving &s;ome de&s;igne, or other, but I&s;rael his glory: <HI>O Jacob my &s;ervant, and I&s;rael whom I have cho&s;en,</HI> I&s;a. 44.1, 2, 3. <HI>Feare not, O Jacob my &s;ervant, and Je&s;hurum whom I have cho&s;en;</HI> yea, thou art cho&s;en be|fore all times and worlds, <HI>Iacob have I loved,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>before Iacob had a being;</HI> but he is now brought forth by creation, for the glory of his grace, that he might &s;hew the greatne&s;&s;e of his love to them, in di&s;covering of him&s;elfe to be their God and Father, which he doth in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who is the expre&s;&s;e Image of his Fathers per&s;on, and &s;o the very face of God, as I may &s;o &s;ay. For in Chri&s;t he &s;hewes him|&s;elfe to the Saints a Father of love and &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e, yea, and a God, and fountain too of all delights.</P>
<P>God di&s;covers nothing in his Sonne, but love, delight and &s;weetne&s;&s;e to the &s;onnes of men: So that whereas God &s;aith, he will &s;hew his face, he meanes, he will &s;hew you Chri&s;t, and in him his love, delight and plea&s;ure:
<PB N="177" REF="98">which when it is once di&s;covered to the &s;oule, it &s;o takes the &s;oule, that it cryes out, O God, <HI>who is a God like unto thee?</HI> as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> once &s;aid, <HI>How great, O God, is this goodne&s;&s;e, which thou ha&s;t laid up for them that &s;erve, love and feare thee;</HI> As <HI>David</HI> once &s;aid, <HI>O God in thy pre&s;ence is life, and thy loving kindne&s;&s;e is better then life it &s;elfe, P&s;alme. And there|fore my lips &s;hall prai&s;e thee;</HI> nothing is bet|ter then life, but his favour is better and &s;weet|er too, ten thou&s;and times.</P>
<P>Doth the favour and &s;miles of a Prince, &s;o take the flattering Courtier, that he ble&s;&s;es him|&s;elf, as it were, in the obtaining of it, and &s;aith, he is now a happy man, he hath now the Prin|ces eye and eare; he more delights in me, then all his noble favourites.</P>
<P>O happy chri&s;tian, favourite of God and Chri&s;t, the Prince of princes, and nations too, as well as King of Saints; how wilt thou be delighted in the&s;e delights of God &s;et on thee, and &s;hewn unto thee in his Sonne. It is &s;aid of him, <HI>I will make my fir&s;t born higher then the princes of the earth;</HI> this is &s;poken of Chri&s;t, but it is as true of the Saints, in their creation, being the cheife of it; well God &s;ets up the&s;e higher then the Princes of the earth, as they are &s;et up in his favour by his Son, for his own glory, to make him&s;elf a name by them.</P>
<PB N="178" REF="99">
<P> Children, &s;aith <HI>Solomon, are the glory of their parents,</HI> and &s;o are the Saints too of God; namely, the glorie of his grace; by which he gets him&s;elfe a Name, and prai&s;e in the earth: O I&s;rael prai&s;e the Lord, that made thee of no|thing. <HI>O hou&s;e of Jacob, prai&s;e ye the Lord, O all ye &s;ervants of his prai&s;e him day and night, for he hath magnified you, by his grace in his Son,</HI> and &s;et you above men and Angels, in re&s;pect of union; and now, where would the riches of this grace appear to the world, but for the Saints.</P>
<P>The world is blind, and &s;ees no glory, love, nor &s;weetne&s;&s;e in him; but they, in Chri&s;t, &s;ee all, namely, a glory beyond all glories, a love &s;urpa&s;&s;ing all, a &s;weetne&s;&s;e like a &s;ea, and they in the mid&s;t, which fils the &s;oules with admi|ration, and makes them like <HI>David</HI> cry out, and &s;ay, <HI>how great is thy goodne&s;&s;e, which thou ha&s;t laid up in &s;tore for them that feare, and &s;erve thee.</HI></P>
<P>God hath laid up in &s;tore Jewels, Crowns, kingdoms; nay more, his own favour in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which they &s;hall one day &s;ee, and &s;ee|ing, &s;ay as once the queen of <HI>Sheba</HI> did to <HI>Solo|mon, I have heard of thee, but not of halfe thy glory.</HI> So &s;hall the Saints &s;ay, we have heard much of thee, O God and Father, and of thy glory: but never the halfe that we now &s;ee.
<PB N="179" REF="99">One &s;aid, thou art a God of love, and &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e; and another, of all delights and plea&s;ures, but we never heard halfe we now &s;ee, and find thee to be to our &s;oules. O had the world known thee, they would have ownd thee, and counted thy favour better then life it &s;elf, or heaven either: for it is thy pre&s;ence, love, and favour makes the heavens, heavens indeed to our &s;oules. O God we met with &s;prings of it <HI>in the valley of tears, but they were fountaines to us, and filled our &s;ouls with delights. P&s;al.</HI> 84. <HI>v.</HI> 6. But now our joyes are double, and fountaines too, like &s;eas, which breaks up every moment with new and fre&s;h di&s;coveries, and makes our &s;oules admire and overflow with joy, which we have in thy pre&s;ence every mo|ment, fre&s;h and greene, by &s;eeing of thy face, which is the joy of heaven, and Saints, and An|gels too: with all that do behold thee, as wee thy &s;ervants do, which once did live in dark|ne&s;&s;e, and &s;aw thee not at all: but in the &s;ha|dowey creature, which hinted &s;omething to us, but &s;hort of what we &s;ee, or ever did imagine. O &s;aith <HI>Paul, Eye hath not &s;een, nor ear heard, nor ever hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive, what God hath laid up for them that love him,</HI> this made us think, it was won|derfull, but now we find it &s;o; yea, wonderfull indeed, beyond all wonders too, which Saints
<PB N="164" REF="100">and Angels &s;hall ever finde.</P>
<P>And now in admiration of this wonder, we all, as one, cry out, <HI>Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty;</HI> Almighty in thy glory, Almigh|ty in thy loves, and al&s;o for delights to us thy poore creatures, now &s;wallowed up by plea|&s;ures in the beholding of thee.</P>
<P>O &s;ea of endle&s;&s;e &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and &s;un of all delights, and fountaine too of glory, what &s;hall we &s;ay more of thee; thou art the heaven of heavens, and glory too of Saints, who now will &s;ing thy prai&s;e, and ever thee admire for all thy beauty, &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and endle&s;&s;e life and glory, which Song &s;hall all joine in, and make the heavens ring for ever in thy pre|&s;ence.</P>
<P>But Lord, I do thy glory darken, to &s;peak &s;uch low things of it, one &s;tar cannot the heavens &s;how, nor thou&s;and &s;uns, thy glory; much le&s;&s;e a poor worme, hint out tho&s;e &s;eas of &s;weetnes, which lies hid in thy pre&s;ence, till thou &s;halt &s;how thy face to wormes, du&s;t, and a&s;hes, created for thy prai&s;e.</P>
<P>But let me winde up all in two words, one to the carele&s;&s;e &s;inner, and another to the Saint, who is the man, to whom this promi&s;e is, of &s;eeing his face: but what &s;hall I &s;ay to thee? O happy Chri&s;tian, that &s;erve&s;t God, more then is &s;aid in the&s;e words, <HI>they &s;hall &s;ee my
<PB N="165" REF="100">face.</HI> Which doth imply his glory, love, &s;weetne&s;&s;e, reward, and plea&s;ure, which he takes in you.</P>
<P>This promi&s;e is &s;ure enough indeed to beare up thy Spirit again&s;t all frownes, jeares, and &s;cornes, that thou mai&s;t meet with in the &s;er|vice of this God. I &s;ay this promi&s;e &s;ure, is enough to encourage thee.</P>
<P>And therefore, O precious Chri&s;tian, beare up, bear up, and be not wearie of well doing, for in due time, thou &s;halt have thy reward, if thou fainte&s;t not, which is to &s;ee his face.</P>
<P>What will men do for the favour of a prince, and yet his favour is but a changeable thing, but the favour, and loving kindne&s;&s;e of God, abideth for ever; it is a favour from everla&s;ting abiding to everla&s;ting, running out in divers &s;prings, election, creation, ju&s;tification, and glorification in the highe&s;t heavens, with Saints and Angels for ever more, which is thy crowne, reward, and wages for all thy work for God and Chri&s;t. What wilt thou now &s;it &s;till? or wilt thou give over running, as one thats weary, and &s;it thee down with men and &s;inners in creature vanities, which are a lie, and doth deceive all expectations, and ever will.</P>
<P>But why &s;hould I be jealous of thee, O pre|cious Chri&s;tian, &s;ure, thou can&s;t not think of
<PB N="182" REF="101">&s;eeing his face, glory, love, and &s;weetne&s;&s;e: but thy re&s;olutions are doubled in thee, to beleeve that God will &s;o abundantly reward thee, for all thou ever did&s;t, or &s;uffered&s;t for his &s;ake, or Name.</P>
<P>But I &s;hall clo&s;e up all with one word to the carele&s;&s;e &s;inner, for whom my &s;oul doth even weep to thinke upon that day; when hee &s;hall be bani&s;hed from the face of this God, in who&s;e pre&s;ence is fulne&s;&s;e of joy, and plea&s;ures for ever more, as <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks in his P&s;almes.</P>
<P>But in his ab&s;ence is mi&s;ery upon mi&s;ery: O &s;aid <HI>Ab&s;alom</HI> once, <HI>Let me &s;ee my fathers face, though he kill me.</HI> 2. Sam. 14.32. with what a longing was here now in <HI>Ab&s;alom</HI> to &s;ee <HI>Davids</HI> face, who heretofore rebelliou&s;ly &s;ought his life.</P>
<P>Well, know this, O rebellious &s;inner, time will come, that thou &s;halt weep; yea, bitterly weep as once <HI>E&s;au</HI> did for <HI>Jacobs</HI> ble&s;&s;ing; &s;o thou, for a glimp&s;e of this face, glory, love, and &s;weetne&s;&s;e of God; yea, thou &s;halt weep, and &s;ay as <HI>Ab&s;alom,</HI> let me &s;ee thy face, O God, though thou kill me, and damne mee too.</P>
<P>But will this prevail, no it will not, dam|ned thou &s;halt be, but never &s;ee his face.</P>
<P>It is &s;aid, <HI>the wicked &s;hall not &s;ee God,</HI> no
<PB N="183" REF="101">nor never &s;hall to their comfort. O &s;aid Chri&s;t once to the Jewes, <HI>Ye &s;hall &s;eek me, but &s;hall not find me, for whither I goe, ye cannot come,</HI> Iohn 7.34.</P>
<P>God will one day &s;ay the &s;ame, to everie proud rebellious &s;inner, <HI>ye &s;hall &s;eek me, but &s;hall not find me,</HI> no, though you &s;eek me with bitter teares, yet it will be all in vain, you may weep like <HI>E&s;au</HI> but not prevail; though &s;eas, and &s;eas again to that be &s;hed with &s;en&s;e of mi&s;erie, and bitter cries for &s;ight; yea, one glimmering &s;ight of my face and glorie, love and &s;weetne&s;&s;e, it will be vain, yea all in vain.</P>
<P>You might once, but mu&s;t not &s;ee it now, no nor cannot for &s;ighs and &s;obs with teares and cries; and then thy &s;oul with heavy heart will mourning &s;ay, O my unhappie &s;oul, what wilt thou now do, God will not be &s;een, but is wrapped up in di&s;plea&s;ure for ever, if this Sunne &s;hould do the like, how would man and bea&s;t mourn, (though but for a mouth) and prize him too, when it againe &s;hould &s;hine: but O my poore &s;oul, from thee is hid this Sunne, yea, this Sunnes Sunne, and glorie, Angels are this Sunnes Sunne, and God the Sunne and glorie too of An|gels; but what is this to me, &s;eeing he hath wrapt him&s;elf in di&s;plea&s;ure, and me in dark|ne&s;&s;s,
<PB N="184" REF="102">by hiding of his face: Which when <HI>David</HI> once had a conceit of, mark what bitter groanes, and &s;ad complaints doth his dolourous &s;oul then make, O &s;aith he, <HI>re|&s;tore me to the light of thy countenance, that the bones which thou ha&s;t broken may rejoice,</HI> Mark this good mans expre&s;&s;ions at the con|ceit of the lo&s;&s;e of Gods favour, <HI>O re&s;tore it,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>that the bones which thou hast bro|ken may rejoyce.</HI> O friend, what a &s;en&s;e was here in <HI>David,</HI> of a lo&s;&s;e that he &s;hould in the &s;en&s;e of it think all his bones were bro|ken.</P>
<P>Who knows the pain of one broken bone? much le&s;s of all his bones at once, well, if thou &s;houlde&s;t know all thy bones broken, yea and broken over again, is le&s;&s;e painfull, then the lo&s;&s;e of this love, and favour which is &s;een in the face of God, though carele&s;&s;e &s;inners little mind it for the pre&s;ent; but when the &s;en&s;e of it &s;hall break in upon thy &s;pirit like mighty &s;eas, how wilt thou be drownd for ever, hoping or expecting it again. O this lo&s;s mu&s;t needs break thy bones, yea, heart and &s;oul too, over and over again.</P>
<P>The child mourns for his fathers ab&s;ence, but more when he hides his face, and &s;o the wife for her husband, but what is their grief or lo&s;s to thine, unhappie &s;inner, thou ha&s;t lo&s;t a father
<PB N="185" REF="102">indeed, or at lea&s;t, one that would have beene a Father to thee when time was, in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; yea, a &s;weet and loving Father for them that have found him, have found him &s;o to be, yea, a Father as farr excelling all relations and Fa|thers too for &s;weetne&s;s, as the univer&s;all &s;weetne&s;s does the &s;ingle Pink.</P>
<P>Men may talk of los&s;es by wife and children, husbands, friends and Parents: but all is no|thing unto thine, O unhappie &s;inner, they have lo&s;t pebbles, but thou ha&s;t lo&s;t a Iewell, yea a God as farre excelling Iewels, Crowns and Kingdomes, as they for lu&s;tre, beautie, worth and &s;weetne&s;s, love, and love|line&s;&s;e, excell &s;traw, and &s;tubble, chaffe, and vanity. Yea, and lo&s;t it too for no|thing, which mu&s;t needs cut the &s;oul and &s;plit thy Spirit too, when it thinks on it. O &s;aith a poore Soul, I have lo&s;t the heaven of heavens, for du&s;t and a&s;hes; a few dying creatures &s;aith the worlding, and I too, &s;aith the wanton, for my <HI>Dalilah,</HI> this or that &s;inne which at the la&s;t betrayed me <HI>Iudas</HI>-like, in-into mine enemies hands, death, hell and De|vils, where I mu&s;t lie, yea weep and wail, and &s;ee no God, no hope, no help, nor pity, for millions of yeares as that young man the Apo|thecarie once &s;aid to his &s;ervant in his de&s;pair and horrour.</P>
<PB N="186" REF="103">
<P> And if then too, there were but any hopes to &s;ee God at la&s;t, it would be &s;ome comfort, but this everla&s;ting departure and never &s;eeing more, is a hell to hell, and a hell in hell to think upon, which every carele&s;&s;e &s;inner will one day find, though he now makes a &s;hip of God, and thinks there is no danger of finding him, or at lea&s;t finding him when he needs, he is &s;o mercifull, that if he crie but <HI>Lord, Lord,</HI> in a dying houre, God is &s;o near and mercifull, that he will be &s;traight found.</P>
<P>I will not le&s;&s;en his mercie, and &s;ay ab&s;o|lutely thou &s;halt not; but friend, let me tell thee, thou&s;ands, and ten thou&s;ands have found it otherwi&s;e, witne&s;&s;e <HI>Francis Spira,</HI> and tho&s;e de&s;pairing Sinners, which thou &s;ee&s;t daily dying &s;o, which would give a thou&s;and worlds might they live a little longer. O &s;aith one in his burning feaver would I could live to &s;ee God, a reconciled God in the face of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, I would be contented to lie a thou&s;and yeares in this Feaver; and I too, &s;aith another in this Gout; and I too, &s;aith a third, with his bowells twi&s;ted in his belly, which pains are all intollerable, yet all would fain live in them to find a God before they die.</P>
<P>O fooli&s;h man, O fooli&s;h &s;inner, what &s;hall I like thee unto, but unto that &s;imple man, that built his hou&s;e upon the &s;ands of peradventure.
<PB N="187" REF="103">I hope, and thinke to finde God when I die; for all the&s;e <HI>Puritans</HI> be &s;o &s;tritkt, though I take my plea&s;ure, and live in my &s;innes, and doe as my neighbours, Mr. <HI>Cu&s;tome,</HI> and the re&s;t; well friend, I will take thee at thy word, peradventure thou may&s;t: But wilt thou venture thy &s;oule, thy deare and pretious &s;oul, upon a peradventure? O fooli&s;h &s;inner, ha&s;t thou ever another &s;oule to &s;ave if this mi&s;car|ry? do&s;t not thou lo&s;e all, and for a perad|venture, which may take, and yet it is a thou|&s;and to one if it doth?</P>
<P>But with this parable, before me~tioned, I &s;hal conclude; &amp; now for thy &s;ouls &s;ake, hearken to me whoever thou art, that reade&s;t the&s;e lines, &amp; this little book, mind me, for it is a truth, and &s;hall be &s;o, when thou and I am rotten, that Chri&s;t is the rock, yea, the rock of ages, and whoever builds on him &s;hall &s;tand; yea &s;tand, and &s;tand firme, when the windes blow and whi&s;tle, and raines fall like hail&s;tones driven by the winde, and the &s;tormes beat, yet thou &s;halt &s;tand, and &s;tand firme, in all the&s;e &s;tormes, and troubles, and afflictions, and temptati|ons; yea, in death and judgement too, &s;halt thou &s;tand, where millions, yea, and millious too, &s;hall fall whil&s;t thou &s;tands firme on thy rock Chri&s;t, thy &s;ure foundation, and &s;ee the face of God too for thy comfort; after all
<PB N="186" REF="104" MS="y">the&s;e &s;tormes, like the Sunne after an April &s;hower, or a haven after many weary leagues by day and night, like <HI>Paul</HI> upon the Seas of <HI>Creet, Acts</HI> 28.38. But how thou mu&s;t build upon this rock know, and let all the world know, it is by the mighty power of faith wrought in the heart, by the eternall Spirit of the mighty God, and not by the workes which we doe, or can doe, by all created power.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="exhortation">
<PB REF="104">
<HEAD>Here followeth a briefe Ex|hortation which I gave in my owne hou&s;e, at my wifes Funerall, to our friends then pre&s;ent.</HEAD>
<P>_FRiends, and Neigh|bours, I am behold|ing to you all for your love, and lo|ving pre&s;ence, at this time. I have one reque&s;t to you, yea, all of you, which I hope no one will be offended at: It is to joyn with me to &s;peake a word to God, after a word to you, and to my owne heart, which if I know. It is not through pride, nor any &s;elf-&s;eeking end; and could
<PB REF="105">this Corps have beene conveni|ently longer kept, I would have had Mr. <HI>Sedgwick,</HI> whom &s;he lo|ved, heard, and profited by, to have preached her Funerall Sermon But &s;eeing it is as it is, and my &s;elf am more concernd in this, then all the world; I take leave from you, without any more reque&s;t to you, hoping you will take my meaning to be good, where my expre&s;&s;ions are &s;hort and broken; for I had neither time, nor a qui|et mind, but a few houres me|ditation la&s;t night, when want of &s;leep had much be&s;otted me. But what improvement &s;hall we now make by this my wife, your &s;i&s;ter, friend, and harmle&s;&s;e neigh|bour, <HI>Anne Blakes</HI> death? And to
<PB REF="105">improve it, Fir&s;t, &s;ee what is your end, a grave, a coffin, wil hou&s;e you all: O call in then your thoughts, your wide and wandring thoughts, and mind your change with &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s before it comes, which will not be long, you may be confident. Secondly, &s;ee what you, yea, all of you mu&s;t part with, at fir&s;t, or la&s;t; your friends, your neare&s;t, deare&s;t, &s;weete&s;t friends; your &s;ons and daughters; your wives and husbands. O this grave, and death, will have them all, which once I little mind|ed; but now I mu&s;t, and cannot but mind this death, this cruell death, which hath &s;o haunted me, and will doe you ere it be long; but I hope he will not be &s;o quick
<PB REF="106">with none of you; a &s;onne, a daughter, a loving wife, in &s;ix weeks &s;pace. O nimble, quick, &amp; cruell death! how ha&s;t thou &s;to|len my neare&s;t, &s;weet, and deare&s;t comforts? Odeath, where had&s;t thou this full and large Commi&s;|&s;ion? Was it given thee by chance? O no, I know it was not; thou can&s;t not take by that Commi&s;&s;i|on, a bird, a &s;parrow; much le&s;s a daughter, &s;onne, and wife. O death, this Commi&s;&s;ion it was from the Lord, for he gives and takes, <HI>Iob</HI> the fir&s;t, <HI>The Lord gives, and the Lord takes, and ble&s;&s;ed be his name.</HI> O friends, death hath no Com|mi&s;&s;ion but from him, the Lord, that gives, and takes, and ble&s;&s;ed be his name; yea, ble&s;&s;ed (I &s;ay)
<PB REF="106">be his holy name; for what he hath now taken from me, he fir&s;t did give unto me. Why &s;hould I not then prai&s;e his name? Oh that I could, and you my friends, for all he gives, and all he takes! And that we may know fir&s;t it is your duty; yea, I &s;ay, is your duty, and all theirs that truly feare God, to &s;ubmit with patience to his will, and ble&s;&s;e his name for all his di&s;pen&s;ati|ons, the which I will prove by &s;ome examples. I could give you many in&s;tances; as fir&s;t, that of old <HI>Eli,</HI> concerning his Sonnes, which you may read in <HI>Samuel,</HI> the fir&s;t Book, <HI>Chap.</HI> 3. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 18. O with what a &s;weet &s;pirit doth he receive that &s;ad me&s;&s;age con|cerning
<PB REF="107">his &s;ons, <HI>It is the Lord, let him doe with me what he plea&s;e.</HI> O &s;weet and &s;oure! A &s;ad me&s;&s;age is told good old <HI>Eli</HI> concerning his &s;ons; yea, a very &s;ad one, at which the eares of men &s;hould tingle: But yet &s;aith <HI>Eli</HI> unto <HI>Sa|muel, It is the Lord, and let him doe what &s;eemes him good.</HI> A &s;econd in&s;tance, is that of <HI>David,</HI> 2 <HI>Sam. Chap.</HI> 15. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 26. Who was faine to fly, with the Ark of God, and his &s;ervants, for his life, from his habitation, by rea&s;on of <HI>Ab&s;olom's</HI> unnaturall and deceitfull Rebel|lion. Well, many weep for this good mans danger and affliction and &s;o doth he, for he goes from <HI>Ieru&s;alem</HI> with his head covered, and his eyes weeping; but yet
<PB REF="107">&s;weetly thus &s;aying, <HI>If he have any plea&s;ure in me, he will bring me back a|gaine; otherwi&s;e, loe, here I am, let him doe with me what he plea&s;e.</HI> O what a &s;weet and Saint-like Spirit was here in <HI>David! Let him doe what he plea&s;e, loe, here am I to &s;ubmit.</HI> A third in&s;tance, is that of <HI>Paul,</HI> who makes this his de&s;ire, <HI>To glorifie Chri&s;t in his body:</HI> But whether it be by life or death, <HI>Paul</HI> cares not, &s;o Chri&s;t be glorified. I could in&s;tance above all in Chri&s;t, the patterne of all, who &s;weetly &s;ayes thus in the Garden, <HI>Not my will, but thine be done.</HI> But I &s;hall only mention in <HI>Iob,</HI> who&s;e &s;weet &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to God in his great afflictions, I little minded, till within the&s;e few dayes. I don't
<PB REF="108">remember &s;car&s;e when I read one of <HI>Iobs</HI> Chapters. O how many &s;ad me&s;&s;ages was brought to him; not in one week after a|nother, like mine; but in one day did his &s;ad me&s;&s;engers come tum|bling in with heavy me&s;&s;ages, concerning his &s;heep, oxen, &s;er|vants, &s;ons and daughters: well, &s;aith <HI>Iob, The Lord gives and takes, and ble&s;&s;ed be his name.</HI> What fuller &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion could there be in a gracious heart, then here is in the&s;e words? But let me give you three or foure rea&s;ons why a gracious heart &s;hould &s;weetly &s;ubmit to Gods will; and the fir&s;t rea&s;on &s;hall be this, the Holine&s;&s;e of his will; a Saint &s;ees in the will of God a holi|ne&s;&s;e,
<PB REF="108">and therefore let things goe how they will, yet thou re|maine&s;t holy, <HI>O thou that inhabite&s;t Eternity. Paul</HI> &s;ayes, he workes all things according to the coun|&s;ell of his owne will; &s;urely, that mu&s;t needs be holy, that is wrought according to the will and coun&s;ell of a holy God. A &s;econd rea&s;on why a gracious heart &s;hould &s;weetly &s;ubmit to the will of God, is the Sove|raignity of Gods will above the creature; he doth what ever he will, and all what ever he will; and therefore &s;aith <HI>Paul, who hath re&s;i&s;ted his will?</HI> Shall the pot&s;heard &s;trive with the Potter, or the creature with the Creator? No, nor the &s;ervant with his Ma&s;ter
<PB REF="109">neither; much le&s;&s;e a gratious heart with his God and Maker <HI>Teach me to doe thy will O God</HI> (&s;aith <HI>David,</HI> and every gracious heart too. It is our prayer to &s;ay, <HI>Thy will be done,</HI> and it would be our perfection to &s;ubmit. A third rea&s;on why a gracious heart &s;hould &s;ubmit to Gods will, is the goodne&s;&s;e of Gods will, the will of God is good in all his working to his people. So &s;aith <HI>Paul, all things worke together for the be&s;t to them that feare God.</HI> Yea, tho&s;e vvorkings of Gods vvill, vvhich mo&s;t cro&s;&s;e nature, doth he &s;ee a goodnes in. O that I had more a|bility to &s;ee this to; but however a gracious heart &s;ees a goodnes in conclu&s;ion, vvhich he doth ac|knovvledge
<PB REF="109">in the will of God; <HI>It was good for me</HI> (&s;aith <HI>David) that I was afflicted, for before I went a&s;tray.</HI> And truly, affliction doth often cau&s;e a Saint to looke to his wayes, which he is too apt in pro&s;perity to be mindle&s;&s;e of. Let us &s;earch, and try our wayes, (&s;aith the Church) in afflictions; and &s;o &s;aith a gracious heart in e|very &s;mart affliction. O how good is that will of God, that wils thy affliction for &s;o good an end! And thus you &s;ee three rea&s;ons why a gracious heart &s;hould &s;weetly &s;ubmit to Gods Will; be|cau&s;e of its Holine&s;&s;e, its Sove|raignity, and Goodne&s;&s;e. One word or two more, and then I hvae done. Fir&s;t then, labour
<PB REF="110">with your owne hearts to &s;ub|mit to Gods Will, for in every &s;ubmi&s;sion, yee &s;erve &s;ome glori|ous de&s;igne of God; and for this rea&s;ons &s;ake, labour quietly to &s;ub|mit. O that my &s;oule did know well his de&s;igne, and rea&s;on, why hee hath dealt &s;o with me as hee hath, in a way of affliction! my afflictions are yet like the black &s;ide of a cloud. O that I could &s;ee the bright &s;ide, the glory of God, which every &s;trong Chri&s;ti|an &s;ees, and by &s;eeing, quietly &s;ub|mit. 2^l^y. Let us labour to &s;ubmit our wils to Gods, for conformities &s;ake; and here let vveake Chri&s;ti|ans take the example of &s;trong, and they, the example of Chri&s;t. <HI>Who for the Glory that was &s;et before him,
<PB REF="110">endured the Cro&s;&s;e, and de&s;pi&s;ed the &s;hame.</HI> Thirdly, let us &s;ubmit our vvills to God, for it is the &s;ure&s;t vvay, and the &s;afe&s;t. Fir&s;t, it is the &s;ure&s;t, if you vvould not offend God, for if ye &s;torme yee &s;inne, and offend God, vvhich a gracious heart &s;hould be carefull of. Secondly, it is the &s;afe&s;t vvay; the &s;turdy oakes re&s;i&s;t the vvinde, and are &s;plit; but the gentle reed, by yeelding, &s;tands. Doth God take a child? yeeld. Doth he take a|nother? yeeld. Doth he take all? yeeld. Doth he take a Wife, a Husband? yeeld. If thou do&s;t not, he can take thy &s;oule, and throvv it into apprehen&s;ions of his vvrath, vvhich vvill make thee roare, as if thy bones vvere bro|ken,
<PB REF="111">yea, all thy bones; but e&s;pe|cially yeeld to God, for he cannot onely take all thy comforts from thee, but thy very &s;oul, and throw it into hell too.</P>
<P>O my friends, let us yeeld to God, for there is &s;afety in it, I have heard &s;ome mini&s;ters &s;ay of <HI>Au|gu&s;tine,</HI> Lord &s;aith he, cut me, hack me, kill me, &s;o thou &s;ave my &s;oul, he hath delt &s;o by my wife, &s;he hath had cutting afflictions two or three days travelling by a child as with <HI>Samuel,</HI> which &s;ome of you, my friends, well know, and as many by his lo&s;&s;e, his lo&s;&s;e, and the re&s;t, mu&s;t needs be cutting; well, thus was this poor woman cut, and at la&s;t cut of life too: O all cut, but her &s;oule &s;aved, and
<PB REF="111">that I verely beleeve on good grounds, and now though here lyes before us her body coffind, yet my &s;oule cannot but rejoyce in her &s;oules &s;alvation, one thing a little troubles me, and another thing would have &s;plit my very heart, if I did not beleeve it con|fidently; that, that a little troubles me is, that I &s;hould be no more kind to &s;o good a body, yet I hope and doe beleeve, none, no not one of all you can condemne me but my heart doth a little, I thought to enjoy her when wee were old, and to be &s;o kind to her as we might be all along, my ad|vice, O husbands and wives, is, yea, I wi&s;h you, pray you, intreat you, to look on one another as
<PB REF="112">as parting dying yoake-fellows, and if you doe, how &s;weet, how kinde, how loving will you be, when brethren are called to part farre a&s;under, the one to cro&s;&s;e the &s;eas, and the other to go a prenti&s;e, how &s;vveetly will they embrace one the other; do ye &s;o, I pray ye do &s;o, <HI>it is a duty well plea&s;ing to God,</HI> no love but Gods &amp; Chri&s;ts love, &s;hould be above this mutuall love of wife and husbands love. O &s;aith <HI>Paul, love your wives as Chri&s;t loved his Church,</HI> that is, for &s;incerity &amp; con|&s;tancy, I, &amp; quantity too: but that is impo&s;&s;ible, hovv ever, it holds forth that greatne&s;&s;e of affection that &s;hould be betvveen the Wife &amp; husband. But the main thing, as I &s;aid before, vvhich grievs me to think, is, how unfaithfull a hus|band
<PB REF="112">I have beene to her &s;oul, and that in the&s;e particulars. Fir&s;t, that I &s;hould put up &s;o few prayers, &amp; them &s;o cold; I have been as apt to &s;ay, I hope God will ble&s;&s;e us in our e&s;tates, I friends, I was as apt to &s;ay &s;o, and come love, let us look to the World, as oft as to &s;ay, look to thy &s;oule and Chri&s;t, either more worth then ten thou|&s;and Worlds. O my friends, I hope you be not guilty like me, in this particular, if you be, it may trouble you more, then you are aware of one day. O if I had doubted that her &s;oul had mi&s;|caried, how heavy, heavy would this have been; yea, how &s;adly &s;hould I have followed her corps to the garve; a body mi&s;carrying,
<PB REF="113">is not ea&s;ily born; but a &s;oul mi&s;|carrying, who can bear it. O friends, love your wives, and husbands &s;oules, as much above their bodies, as ye doe their bo|dies above their clothes; it will do the wife good to think, that the husbands &s;oule is in heaven &s;miling, whil&s;t &s;hee and her friends are mourning for the corps in the coffin: when my wife was &s;ick, and I thought it might be unto death, then, then I thought how many nights my poor wife would call on mee in the night watch, &s;weetheart, husband, let us talk of Chri&s;t a little, lets have &s;ome &s;pirituall di&s;cour&s;e, pray, be not &s;o &s;leepy, but talk to me; to which, I like a dead man, a &s;tock,
<PB REF="113">or &s;tone would &s;ay nothing ma|ny times, or el&s;e I am weary, or &s;leepy, or &s;ome &s;uch kind of &s;lug|gi&s;h an&s;were, and &s;o neglect a &s;pi|rituall and &s;weet opportunity, in which I might have done her &s;oul and mine own good, <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks <HI>of communing with his own heart in the night &s;ea&s;on.</HI> The wives, the hus|bands heart &s;hould be as one &s;pea|king to one another, being al|wayes mindful of each one ano|thers welfare, e&s;pecially in a &s;piri|tuall &s;en&s;e, and indeed this was the main end and rea&s;on, why I de&s;ired leave from you to &s;peak a few words to you, my friends; and truely, if I were now to be coffind for the grave to morrow, this &s;hould be my advice to you, my
<PB REF="114">la&s;t and &s;olemne advice to you; yea, to all of you my friends, to take all advantages by night and day, to doe one anothers &s;oules good. O if that be &s;aved; how wil it comfort &amp; rejoyce your hearts, when you in a melancholly way walke to view againe the grave of your wife, your husband: how will the heart be lifted up with &s;uch kind of &s;weet thoughts as the&s;e, though here lies rotting the fle&s;h and bones of my wife, my husband, yet their fouls are with God and Chri&s;t, with <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac, and Iacob</HI> in the kingdome of God, &s;inging, farewell all &s;in and &s;orrow, which now &s;hall be no more.</P>
<P>Oh, hovv do the &s;oules there
<PB REF="114">&s;ing its triumphs over &s;inne, and &s;orrow, death, hell, and mi&s;ery, devils, men, and dangers. The ab&s;ence of a friend is not &s;o much a grief, as the condition of him in his ab&s;ence: if a friend be in pro|&s;perity, ye onely mourn for his ab&s;ence, but if yee doubt he is in mi&s;ery, ye mourn double. Truly an ab&s;ent &s;oule doubted to be lo&s;t is the greate&s;t trouble; yea, the greate&s;t that can be in this World. I think it, I, in my con&s;cience really think it; and on this con&s;i|deration, my &s;oul did even weep, weep, till God did further fully confirme my faith, in her &s;ouls &s;alvation, if &s;he &s;hould die: But I had rea&s;on to beleeve this of her before, for many a time had I &s;een
<PB REF="115">her weep for want of Chri&s;t; for &s;in and corruption; for &s;inne, <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that mourn for &s;in, for they &s;hall be comforted,</HI> which I now beleeve &s;he is, and beleeving this; truely, my &s;oule cannot but now rejoyce in her &s;oules &s;alvation, who&s;e body lies here coffind, I &s;ay, her &s;ouls &s;alvation, I doe re|joyce in, who never did much work for Chri&s;t, but brought glory to Chri&s;t, by beleeving &s;trongly in Chri&s;t to the very la&s;t moment.</P>
<P>And that ye may know I do not flatter, which I would not for a|ny good in the World, in &s;uch a ca&s;e as this. I will read you a lit|tle of what &s;he beleeved concer|ning her &s;elf, and what &s;he &s;pake
<PB REF="115">concerning others the night be|fore &s;he died, and of this I will read &s;omething to you, which I writ down, thinking it would be &s;weet and comfortable to read another day, when I &s;hould think upon her.</P>
<P><HI>O God, not my will, but thy will be done.</HI> Lord, what is this that lies &s;o bitter here, pointing to her &s;tomack.</P>
<P><HI>Lord, if it be thy will, remove it.</HI> O Lord, thou ha&s;t removed ma|ny bitter paines from mee in my dayes, ble&s;&s;ed be thy holy Name.</P>
<P>I rejoyce to hear thy &s;weet ex|pre&s;&s;ions. O &s;weet heart. I am full, I am full within; but &s;o
<PB REF="116">weak, not able to &s;peake what I enjoy.</P>
<P>O, that all my friendes in the world were here, I would bid them live to Chri&s;t, and live in Chri&s;t; but alas, they cannot by their owne &s;trength. Well, I am willing to leave all, to goe to Chri&s;t, indeed I am, indeed I am. What will all things avail me, but Chri&s;t; the Lord hath not threat|ned mee with death, nor &s;inne; furely, the Lord hath been good to me above all women.</P>
<P>I asked her once againe of her a&s;&s;urance, &s;hee &s;eemed a little troubled, &s;aying, O Lord, &s;weet heart, why, do you not beleeve me, when I have told you &s;o of|ten,
<PB REF="116">I have peace in my con&s;ci|ence, and am verily per&s;waded of Gods love in Chri&s;t to my &s;oule.</P>
<P>If I were not, what would it do me good to tell you a lye, and &s;ay, I am. The Lord hath not laid one &s;inne to my charge, the Lord does not lay &s;inne to our charge: But I mean, hee hath not &s;uffered Satan to do it; for &s;urely he would if the Lord would have &s;uffered him; but he hath not, no, there is not &s;o much as one &s;in brought to my minde, &s;o as to doubt of the pardon of it, no not &s;o much as one &s;inne of all my many &s;ins. Satan was wont in my former lying, into tempt me, and accu&s;e
<PB REF="117">me; but God hath now chaind him up In my fir&s;t lying in, the nur&s;e having carele&s;&s;ely one night left me alone, &s;uppo&s;ing, I had been a&s;leep, Satan comes then, and mightily accu&s;ed me, and tempted mee &s;trongly, to make away my &s;elf; &s;o I knockt, and called for the nur&s;e, or &s;omebody, for two or three houres, no body heard me, well then I aro&s;e out of my bed, and laid every thing out of the way, which Satan would have had me mi&s;chief my &s;elf, or child, who was then in the cradle; which having done, I went into my bed again, and &s;weat, and prayed, and cryed with all my &s;trength; yet notwith&s;tanding, Satan continued &s;till his tempta|tion,
<PB REF="117">and told me, look, there lies thy garters, which I pre&s;ently catcht, and threw away, and con|tinued praying by the &s;trength of God, &s;o at la&s;t the nur&s;e came, and Satan left tempting me.</P>
<P>God that brought mee to this weakne&s;&s;e, can rai&s;e me, and will, or take me to him&s;elf.</P>
<P>One asked, if &s;hee was confir|med in the faith; yes truly, I am confirmed; ye are a poor creature, &s;aid he, nay, I am rich in Chri&s;t. O I wait with patience, to &s;ee what God will do with mee.</P>
<P>Sweet heart, I am per&s;waded, you will goe to Chri&s;t, as &s;ure as <HI>Abraham and I&s;aac</HI> are with him.</P>
<PB REF="118">
<P> I &s;aid &s;he, &s;o I am too, or el&s;e I were a mi&s;erable creature to lie here as I doe.</P>
<P>I have both inward, and out|ward comfort; I prai&s;e my God.</P>
<P>O my dear husband, &s;erve God with &s;incerity of heart, and he wil ble&s;&s;e thee and thy little family.</P>
<P>Co&s;in <HI>Barwick,</HI> I pray, certifie my friends, all my friends in the countrey, that my husband hath been a loving husband to me all along.</P>
<P>I do not flatter in my &s;peaking, but what God brings to my thoughts, I &s;peak to you.</P>
<P>I thank God, I am not afraid
<PB REF="118">to die, I have trembled ere now to think of death.</P>
<P>O how hath Chri&s;t led mee by the hand through this wildernes of my afflictions all along.</P>
<P>My deare husband, marry one that fears God, and loves thee ve|ry well, or el&s;e &s;hee will quickly bring thee to my condition.</P>
<P>Keep this maid, for &s;he is a gra|cious maid.</P>
<P>To all my friends, I wi&s;h eter|nall happine&s;&s;e: but they live in a heatheni&s;h place.</P>
<P>She called her apprenti&s;e, &s;aid, <HI>Robert,</HI> &s;ee you &s;erve God, read the Scriptures, &s;earch the Scrip|tures,
<PB REF="119">you will finde the &s;weetnes of them when you are old. Re|member what I &s;ay, they are the words of a dying mi&s;tre&s;&s;e, do not neglect the Scriptures, nor thy ma&s;ters bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, nor be deluded with idle boyes; and &s;o puld off a ring, and gave it him, willing him not to forget her coun&s;ell, &amp; <HI>to &s;erve his ma&s;ter, not with eye-&s;ervice; but with &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart, plea&s;ing God.</HI></P>
<P>She called for a Chri&s;tian friend, who did often vi&s;it her, who an|&s;wered, &s;he was there O &s;aid &s;he, I have all my comforts about me: God who is all in all, and you my creature-comforts, who are a comfort to me &s;o long as I am in
<PB REF="119">this tabernacle of fle&s;h. O I am a going, but before you, and all you mu&s;t follow after.</P>
<P>To a friend, &s;he &s;aid, pray, be you not troubled, if God &s;hould lay his hand of affliction, and take &s;ome, or al your children away, as he hath mine, ye may finde a com|fort in it, when ye come to die.</P>
<P>God hath done great things for me, for he hath taken me by the hand, and led mee through the wilderne&s;&s;e, I, and that by a hand of love, and not by an yron rod.</P>
<P>She &s;ent for a neighbour, &amp; &s;aid, in love I &s;end for you, &amp; in love I de|&s;ire you to &s;erve Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. O but you cannot by your own &s;trength: but he will give you &s;trength, if
<PB REF="120">you can lay hold on his Promi&s;es, ye are of a good nature, but do not let men, and company abu&s;e that; but &s;erve God, and hee will lead you through the wilderne&s;&s;e by his hand when ye come to die, as he doth now me; and therefore &s;erve him; naturally you cannot, but he will give you &s;trength. O &s;earch the Scriptures for there you will find eternall happine&s;&s;e, I hope you will, and if God give you &s;trength to do it, then he will ble&s;&s;e you, and al&s;o ble&s;&s;e your family: I pray, remember the words of a dying neighbour; I pray God you may.</P>
<P>A friend asking how &s;hee did, an&s;wered, I doe well, I have no paine; but joy, and peace, and
<PB REF="120">comfort. A friend coming late at night, asking her, how it was with her, &s;he an&s;wered, I am well, I prai&s;e God, and have a full a&s;&s;u|rance and accompli&s;hment of all the promi&s;es made good, holding up her hand, being the la&s;t friend that vi&s;ited her that night; The Doctor comming to &s;ee her, &s;aid, God catches &s;ome, and &s;ome he drawes by degrees. I finde that, &s;aid &s;he, for I am going to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>After a kind of trance, in which I thought &s;he would have depar|ted, &s;he &s;aid, Sweet heart, Satan and I had a bout ju&s;t now, but I got the better of it, for I got hold on Chri&s;t, and would not let him goe.</P>
<PB REF="121">
<P> A little while after, lifting up her hands, after another trance, &s;he &s;aid, O Chri&s;t, and by and by, O Chri&s;t, and againe with a &s;oftly voyce, O Chri&s;t, I will not let thee goe, and about a quarter of an houre after, being a little be|fore &s;he died, I askt, if &s;hee had Chri&s;t and her comforts &s;till, &s;he an&s;wered, I I, vvhich vvere the la&s;t vvords &s;he &s;pake.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<PB REF="121">
<P>Chri&s;tian friend, I pray, mend the&s;e faults, which happened in the printing.</P>
<P><HI>Page</HI> 26. <HI>line</HI> 18. <HI>for &s;etled.</HI> read <HI>&s;ituated. p.</HI> 29. <HI>l.</HI> 22. <HI>for rivers.</HI> read <HI>river. p.</HI> 73. <HI>l.</HI> 22 <HI>for death.</HI> read <HI>deafe. p.</HI> 100 <HI>l.</HI> 12. read. <HI>conceive Chri&s;t. p.</HI> 100. <HI>l.</HI> 17. <HI>for with &s;eeing.</HI> read, <HI>where he &s;aw. p.</HI> 182. <HI>l.</HI> 15. leave out <HI>with. p.</HI> 186 <HI>for a &s;hip.</HI> read <HI>make &s;light.</HI> Many faults more you will finde, and them it may be mine.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
