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<NAME>Holly (Beeman) Smith</NAME>
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<P>The Fiery Change: OR, ALMIGHTY GOD, His Melting and Refining of his people, purging out their dro&s;&s;e and dro&s;&s;y Metals, making them like unto Him&s;elf and to his Son who is the pure Word.</P>
<P>Wherein is di&s;covered, by the compari&s;on of Metals, how the vi&s;ible Church is corrupted, con&s;i&s;ting of men of all degrees and conditions and how God hath begun to Refine them:</P>
<P>Which have pa&s;t in the world a long time for good Metal: But now is di&s;covering by fire.</P>
<P>By Robert Read.</P>
<Q><P>When the Lord &s;hall purge the blood of Jeru&s;alem out of the mid&s;t thereof by the Spirit of Judgement and the Spirit of Burning. <BIBL><HI>I&s;aiah 4.4.</HI></BIBL></P>
<P>Every mans work &s;hall be made manife&s;t: for the day &s;hall de|clare it, becau&s;e it &s;hall be revealed by the fire, and the fire &s;hall try every mans work, of what &s;ort it is. <BIBL><HI>1 Cor. 3.13.</HI></BIBL></P>
<P>For even Our God is a con&s;uming fire. <BIBL><HI>Heb. 12.29.</HI></BIBL></P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for the Author, and are to be &s;old by <HI>Giles Cal|vert,</HI> at the Black <HI>Spread-Eagle</HI> at the We&s;t end of <HI>Pauls,</HI> and by <HI>Richard Moone,</HI> at the <HI>Seven Stars</HI> in <HI>Pauls</HI> Church|yard, neer the great <HI>North door.</HI> 1656.</P>
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<HEAD>To the right Chri&s;tian Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_MAny writings have been of late, in the&s;e di&s;tempered times, printed &amp; publi&s;h|ed; which have proceeded, from the &s;everal authors de&s;ires, to have all men to agree unto them, which have, like as &s;treams of water, run to and fro the&s;e Nations: Had they come from the pure foun|tain, there would not have been &s;uch difference; but i&s;&s;uing from the dirty, miry, and dreggy puddles of art, wit, &amp; humane invention, together with corrupt learning, and imagination, wherein hath been &s;een much Pride, Pa&s;&s;ion, Avarice, Ambition, Novel|ty, and &s;elf conceit, it cannot be otherwi&s;e, but that in&s;tead of being medicinall, as the pure word is, tho&s;e writings have proved to be killing, and de|&s;tructive. True it is, where prevaricate and prejudiciall complaints are made, out of the carnall and &s;ini&s;ter ends of vain men, there can be no remedy, or relief to their &s;atisfaction: But where complaints are, from ju&s;t di&s;coveries of God, there is a power goes along, to remedy that that is is complained of: Some would have the whole Orbe guided after one manner, &s;ome after an other man|ner, each man &s;eeking chiefly his own honour, intere&s;t and profit, and what is corruptly &s;een by them to be good, that they de&s;ire to be done; and conclude all to be evil that &s;eemeth again&s;t their Tenents. Whence it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that they revile, and per|&s;ecute that truth; and that good thing, they &s;ee not, which others purely &s;ee, and do declare: dealing with many as <HI>Balaam</HI> did with his A&s;&s;e, beating him
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becau&s;e he &s;topt, and would not carry him along the way where he was going, contrary to the Word of God; the A&s;&s;e &s;aw an Angel, with his &s;word drawn, but <HI>Balaam</HI> &s;aw not the Angel. It is even &s;o, that many who are accounted A&s;&s;es, &amp; Idi|ots &s;ee, (the Lord makes them &s;ee and complain a|gain&s;t) that, that many wi&s;e, and learned men of the world do not &s;ee; for the wi&s;dom of the world can|not &s;ee nor know God: they &s;ee no <HI>Babylon,</HI> but what is again&s;t their jugdement: no <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> but that of <HI>Rome:</HI> no <HI>Whore,</HI> but what keeps not corre&s;pondency with the vi&s;ible <HI>Church:</HI> no <HI>Bea&s;t</HI> but onely the poor, profane, and breaker of the Civill Law. They &s;ee not the impure purity, the di&s;&s;embled Chri&s;tianity, the un&s;avory Salt, the covnterfet Diamond, the dro&s;&s;y &s;ilver: But think that the late bru&s;tring of their own Garments, to be the Garment of Chri&s;t, the new guilding of their ba&s;e mettle, to be very gold; that they are &s;ufficiently changed, becau&s;e Baptized, and Civilized; that they know the Lord, if they can tell the report that they have heard of him: and know them&s;elves, if they can &s;ay, they are &s;inners. Here <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> in the my&s;tery, exalt|eth him&s;elf again&s;t Chri&s;t, in the my&s;tery, and per&s;e|cuteth him; laying &s;tumbling blocks before the peo|ple of God, loving the wages of unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, more then the hidden trea&s;ure: The con&s;ideration of this, hath, together with the great fire that is kind|led by providence, &s;et more pens to work: for they that bear good will to <HI>Sion,</HI> cannot for its &s;ake, hold their peace, but mu&s;t declare, the things that they have heard and &s;een, and what will &s;hortly be: Even the fall of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and the de&s;truction of
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the great Whore, which hath been &s;poken of by the Prophets, by riddles, and compari&s;ons, &s;o twi&s;ted that the Clergy could not undoe: as al&s;o the new Jeru&s;alem coming down from God out of heaven, Chri&s;ts finall conque&s;t and exaltation, over &s;in, death and hell, the Saints &s;piritually and mo&s;t purely refined, purified and &s;ublimed, from &s;infull and car|nall forms, and will-wor&s;hip: Were it not, that that impurity lodgeth with purity, and Antichri&s;t found to be in the &s;eat of Chri&s;t, there would not have been &s;uch a fiery contention, but when curing compo&s;itions are found to be de&s;troying potions, if ve&s;&s;els of truth, and &s;implicity, are changed to lies, and formality, what lamentation may be taken up, that our guides and our coun&s;ellours are fallen, in their wi&s;dom, <HI>Surely the Lord is departed from his people.</HI></P>
<P>But thanks be to God, there is a &s;till, and a &s;oft voice, that rendeth the Mountains, &s;hakes the Rocks, divideth the waters, and expelleth darkne&s;&s;e apace, that true Religion, and Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that the ene|mies thereof, (or rather the &s;eeming friends of it) would extingui&s;h and bury, now beginneth to get rooting, and to grow from dry Bones, to an exceed|ing great Army.</P>
<P>Should any one then be &s;ilent, whom the Lord biddeth to &s;peak, waiting on the Learned, the Aged, and the Honourable men to &s;peak, fearing the revilings of the Di&s;puter, and Oppo&s;er: No, al|though he be the lea&s;t, and the wor&s;t of his Fathers hou&s;e, being thereunto appointed and enabled, he mu&s;t do his duty, knowing that the Lord is ri&s;en and doth great things, by &s;mall and contemptible
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meanes, and that out of the mouthes of babes and &s;ucklings, he ordaineth &s;trength.</P>
<P>Upon this account, was the en&s;uing matter pre|&s;ented to me, by that Imperiall hand, which &s;waieth all, having no power to wave the medling with this &s;ubject, that tendeth to the di&s;coveries of a pure trim'd Whore, which gloriou&s;ly glittereth, like the Sun, that &s;peaketh &s;o much of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and integrity, that none, without high pre&s;umption and very great affront, dareth to que&s;tion, e&s;pecially without a learned tongue, and a gilded pen.</P>
<P>What here is &s;poken, is not to flatter any, nei|ther is it unju&s;tly to cen&s;ure, but to advi&s;e from the Lord, the painted face to brini&s;h teares &amp; &s;ad cheeks; the eleoquent and Oratory tongue, to &s;ilence in the glory of the fle&s;h; the raking and greedy hand, to Charity, Liberality, and Sobriety, the impotent and lame feet, to walk according to their &s;tage, and &s;trength; yea, and the whole man, to his purging, and refining change. Perhaps &s;ome may ask whe|ther this fiery Change &s;hal be before the final Con|&s;umption of the whole world (having been taught that it is not till then.) Mo&s;t certain, it is before: Have you heard and &s;een the late inventions, that men have had, in all nations by fire, (pre&s;aging that God may by fire do more &s;trange things): the one of guns, and, that great &s;laughters, &s;uddain batteries, &s;peedy victories, and mighty conque&s;ts, have been made by them, both by Land, and Sea: the other of Tobacco, accounted to be as vitall, to the &s;upport of the naturall life of man, &s;eeming to overpoi&s;e bread, in the traffick of it; which inventions our forefa|thers, never heard of; Hath man found out the&s;e
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fiery wayes, the one for de&s;truction, and the other for pre&s;ervation? and cannot the great God, finde out wayes by fire, the one to con&s;ume his ene|mies, Antichri&s;t, the Whore, and the bea&s;t; and the other to burne, and con&s;ume the dro&s;&s;e, out of his Church, that they may be pre&s;erved (being by it made fit Temples) to eternall life? Tophet is ordained for the King; for that, that doth exalt, in the Church, or in any particular minde, again&s;t God: He will &s;lay tho&s;e, that will not he &s;hould reign over them, and he will melt his own peo|ple, that they may be rid of all their dro&s;&s;e, he will con&s;ume their fle&s;h, that he may be ever with them, in Spirit.</P>
<P>Reader, the Lord hath manife&s;ted to me, that there is nothing more, that he will make war again&s;t, than again&s;t the impure Saints, the dro&s;&s;y Silver, the bad coin that hath, <HI>filius Dei,</HI> on the out&s;ide, and dro&s;&s;e within.</P>
<P>Would the Church vi&s;ible of <HI>England,</HI> did but &s;ee, how they are cheated? a little light varni&s;h &s;ilvering or gilt without is nothing, to the ma&s;&s;ey body of Bra&s;&s;e, Tinn, Iron, and Lead within, which God will melt and take away: He com|plaineth, and he will redre&s;&s;e; his people &s;hall not be his, onely in name, but as he is him&s;elf, <HI>Gold:</HI> and, as Chri&s;t the Word is <HI>Silver:</HI> What God hath accquainted me with, I am to acquaint, as many as love the Lord Je&s;us. Read it in the Spirit.</P>
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<HEAD>The Fiery Change.</HEAD>
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<Q><BIBL><HI>P&s;alm 47.6.</HI></BIBL>
<P>When the Nations raged, and the Kingdoms were mo|ved, God uttered his voice, and the earth melted.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>P&s;alm 102.13.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Thou wilt ari&s;e, and have mercy on Sion, for the time to have mercy thereon, for the appointed time is come.</P></Q>
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<P>_THe State and condition, of Eng|land, in re&s;pect of Gods wor|&s;hip, and &s;ervice, the union and communion we ought to have with him, doth appear at this day, like as the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3.15. which was neither fa&s;t nor loo&s;e, they did neither cleave to God, with all their hearts, nor for&s;ake him, as the words are, <HI>they were nei|ther hot, nor cold:</HI> And yet there was both heat and cold, confu&s;edly luke-warm, talking and &s;peaking much of their riches, gifts, graces, goodne&s;&s;e, and goods, and of the late increa&s;e of the &s;aid goods; But know not they are <HI>wretched, mi&s;erable, poore, blinde, and naked.</HI> One of the&s;e conditions is mi&s;ery enough, but to be in them all, not to have any &s;ight, or any feeling, but to be blinde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4.19.</NOTE> and pa&s;t feeling of their earthy, defiled, corrupted, dro&s;&s;ie, and unrefined condition, is to be lamented, and deplored. And &s;o it is by Englands late Converts, bewail|ed and bemoaned, who have pa&s;t through the fire, and have been refined, and have bought of the mo&s;t pure Gold, of their Maker, being clothed with the Garment of Chri&s;t, and have anointed their eyes with eye &s;alve, that they can &s;ee the filthine&s;&s;e, from which they are e&s;caped purged and clean&s;ed, from complaining of it, and di&s;covering it: Yea, uncovering the Whore, and making her bare taking her vaile away, &s;hewing the filthine&s;&s;e of her &s;ecret parts:
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In pro&s;ecution of which, it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that there is a very great difference, among men in the world, <HI>Tot homi|nes, &s;ententiae,</HI> So many men, &s;o many mindes; the corrupt Metal would &s;eem to be, as good as that, that is refined; there is both good and bad, there is that, that is refined, and there is counterfeit. This is found to be among us in England:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;ea 7.8. ver&s;e 10.</NOTE> We are a people that are mixt: we have a|dulterated our &s;elves: The pride of England doth te&s;tifie to their faces, that they do not return to rhe Lord their God, nor &s;eek him for all this that he hath done; But do live in their own wills, and not &s;ubmit unto his will, neither have they any re&s;pect, to be drawne up to a uni|on with their God, nor with his people; All men having not a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ike mea&s;ure of the knowledge of him, neither do all men beleeve: for &s;ome have no faith, therefore they can have no love to God, nor to his people, being carnall; they are <HI>full of envying, &s;trife, and divi&s;ions, and walk as men,</HI> (not as Chri&s;tians) 1 Cor. 3.3. Hence it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that there is much difference in judgement, and opinion, in matters of religion: Some walk by an ab&s;olute and perfect rule, obeying the ight, God &s;hineth in them, be|ing dead to their own wills, living in the will of God; others are hurried, and carried by the violent &s;treame of their own wills, fle&s;hly under&s;tandings and imaginations, into all manner of contradictions, di&s;&s;entings, oppo&s;iti|ons and dividings: owning a God, and a re igion too in &s;hew, but have no de&s;ire to attain to any other perfecti|on then that which is externall, to the vi&s;ible &s;ight of men, fearing to bring their deeds to the true light, to be tried there by it; but <HI>love darkne&s;&s;e more then the light</HI> reviling, reproaching, and per<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ecuting tho&s;e that do <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">o; and that endeavour to walk, according to the light, who wor&s;hip God, as he ought to be wor&s;hipped; inwardly in Spirit, and in Truth:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6.22.</NOTE> Yea &s;uch as walk with God, as <HI>Henoch</HI> did, and &s;uch as would, for God and to him, part with their deere&s;t childe, as <HI>Abraham</HI> did, and &s;uch as walk before God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 20.3.</NOTE> with a perfect heart, as <HI>Hezekiah</HI> did. Yea, and &s;uch, as now meekly wait for the appearance of the
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mighty God, and our Lord Chri&s;t, in the perfect con&s;um|mation, and fullfilling of tho&s;e prophe&s;ies which are neer at hand, to be accompli&s;hed, and fulfilled to the over|throw of the Man of Sin, that Antichri&s;t; and to the com|pleat &s;etting up of Chri&s;t in his Kigdome.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tles knew very well, what would come to pa&s;&s;e, after their daies: and therefore, Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 2.8.</NOTE> <HI>Then &s;hall the wicked man be revealed, whom the Lord &s;hall con|&s;ume, with the &s;pirit of his mouth, and &s;hall aboli&s;h, with the brightne&s;&s;e of his coming;</HI> Then, after that great Apo&s;tacy which &s;hould fir&s;t come, which yet continueth:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4 7.</NOTE> Saint <HI>Peter</HI> al&s;o &s;aith, <HI>Now the end of all things is at hand, be ye there|fore &s;ober, and watch unto prayer: But above all things, have fervent love, for love covereth the multitiude of &s;ins:</HI></P>
<P>Be &s;ober in your mindes, be not drunk, for drunken|ne&s;&s;e makes men fit for any evill: it makes men full of wrath, forgetfull, &s;leepy, and ready to &s;peak or do any evill; it doth infatuate the under&s;tanding, it weakens all the powers of man, it makes him as a bea&s;t, as a dead man, and not to know him&s;elf, where he is, or what he is. All the&s;e &s;everall evils, as to the naturall &s;en&s;e, condu|ceth much to the undoing of the body and e&s;tate of man: But drunkenne&s;&s;e, in the &s;pirituall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e, in the in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;ible and internall part of man, to be drunk, and not with wine, to &s;tagger and not with &s;trong drink to be drunk with the wine ot the fornication of the great Whore,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 29 9.</NOTE> to &s;leep in &s;in, to forget God, to be full of wrath again&s;t God his will, his people, and his Word; to do e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ill and &s;peak evil, to be infatuated, and to have the powers of darkene&s;&s;e rule over us, and in us and not to knovv our &s;elves, nor vvhere vve are, but reel, and &s;tumble, and fall; This is mi&s;ery: Be &s;ober in your invi&s;ible actings,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 25.27.</NOTE> in your thoughts, imaginations, under&s;tandings, affecti|ons, wills, pa&s;&s;ions, that nothing break into outvvard act again&s;t Almighty God, or his deare relations, either in revilings, reproachings, or per&s;ecutions; But be pati|ent, bearing all things, and abiding in the vvil of our God, although never &s;o cro&s;&s;e to our vvills:</P>
<P><PB N="4" REF="7">Furthermore, Watch: Watch as a Centinel doth, both to de&s;troy and to di&s;cover: and by prayer call for help and a&s;&s;i&s;tance, again&s;t the potent Enemies of our &s;oules, who doth continually a&s;&s;ault us, by inward objects, in|jected into our mindes, and thoughts, and &s;ome vi&s;ibly pre&s;ented before our eyes, which we cannot be freed from, &s;o long as we are in the fle&s;h, but are kept by the power of God, through Faith unto Salvation, which is prepared to be &s;hewed in the la&s;t time.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 115.</NOTE>Again, <HI>Have fervent love, &amp;c.</HI> Above all things, e&s;|pecially, and chiefly, primarily, and in the fir&s;t place, have fervent love, hot love, not cold, and frozen, but fervent, earne&s;t: the want of this love, makes all things to be out of order, that we love not our &s;uperiours, inferiours, nor our equals, but differ with them all, and &s;peak evill of all: We &s;hould love all, for Gods &s;ake, and be tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God for Chri&s;ts &s;ake forgave us:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 John 4.11.</NOTE> <HI>Beloved, if God &s;o loved us, then ought we to love one another.</HI> For this want of love, all men are to be blamed; For tho&s;e that are called Mini&s;ters, the teachers of the people at this day, they do &s;peak bitterly, and would act cruelly, again&s;t divers poor people of God, that are otherwi&s;e inlightened, then them&s;elves, and are led by the true light of God, living above the ordinances of man, which they call the ordinances of God: And they that are &s;o highly inlightened, by the inward teachings of the Almighty, are full of cen&s;uring and condemning of tho&s;e, that have not attained, to the &s;ame mea&s;ure, nor yet come to that pitch and height, that they are come to; not con&s;idering, that that which they now live in, being darkne&s;&s;e, was once their own light, and &s;o &s;eem to de|&s;pi&s;e the &s;mall things of the Lord, which once they re|joyced in:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 4.10. Ephe&s;. 4.4.</NOTE> There is but one body, that &s;hall be &s;aved; yet there are many members of that one body; the Presby|ter, and the Baptized Churches are of that body, if they cleave to the Lord, with all their hearts, though they va|ry in the outward: Let not one member, therefore, de|&s;pi&s;e
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another; for love covereth all: All Chri&s;tian be|leevers are but one body, of which there are many mem|bers. The head is the greate&s;t and chiefe&s;t part of the bo|dy, the Spirit of God acteth all one and the &s;ame thing in every beleever, in different forms. As the life of mans body is three wayes, &s;o is the life of the my&s;ticall body three wayes: In the body of man the life thereof is, <HI>Ani|mal</HI> in the brain, <HI>Vitall</HI> in the heart, <HI>Naturall</HI> in the liver, &s;inews and arteries. As it is thus in the body naturall, &s;o in the body my&s;ticall; yet but one life, though three di|&s;tinct: for in the body my&s;ticall there is God in you, Chri&s;t in you, and the Spirit of Chri&s;t in you: where the Spirit of Chri&s;t is, there is God, be it in what opinion &s;o|ever, <HI>For our life is hid with God in Chri&s;t,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3.3. 2 Cor. 3.17.</NOTE> where there is both &s;ecrecie and &s;afety. Re&s;i&s;t not the Spirit; <HI>For the Spi|rit is the Lord, and there is liberty:</HI> The Spirit is light, the Lord is that light: let the members of the body &s;ympa|thize; if one part &s;uffer, and is not in its perfection, let the other parts and members &s;uffer with it, and lament for it. In the primitive time there was &s;carce a brother did differ with a brother; but now Churches again&s;t Churches differ, and are at great variance.</P>
<P>O let brotherly love be among us, yea, that fervent love that covereth the multitude of &s;ins. Gods infinite and eternall love manife&s;ted to us, in the fulne&s;&s;e of it, even in the Lord Chri&s;t, covereth all our &s;ins: And our love one to another, covereth the &s;ins and offences com|mitted one again&s;t another: Let not our hearts burn within us one again&s;t another, becau&s;e of opinions; but rather wait, to be delivered out of this apo&s;tate &s;tate the Church of Chri&s;t is now in:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 24.2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> for God is beginning to ga|ther his together, from the four winds, and to &s;catter and con&s;ume all fle&s;hly wor&s;hips and &s;ervice done to him &s;et up by the will of man, and to &s;et up his King on the holy hill of Sion: let the heathen rage never &s;o much, it will be all in vain; for he will come, and reign, and rule, over us and in us, he will be our guide, our coun&s;ellour, and our teacher, and will dwell with us; after we have
<PB N="6" REF="8">
pa&s;t thorow the fire of his indignation, and are purged, clean&s;ed, purified, and refined. Therefore what our God &s;hall do unto us, or bring upon us, either by wounding, &s;quaring, &s;ifting purging purifying clean&s;ing, or refining; let us be patient, with meekne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit, in it and under it, and rejoycing with gladne&s;&s;e of heart, that out of his great mercy he will take us into his own hands, being un|clean, filthy, impure earthy and dro&s;&s;ie, and make us par|takers of &s;uch and &s;o great g ory, by being made like un|to him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Hear then the word of the Lord, you people of the Land,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.25.</NOTE> who are &s;uccenturiated from I&s;rael; that, that did concern them, doth concern you, being in the &s;ame po|&s;ture the &s;ame di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e mu&s;t have the &s;ame cure: the Lord will not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">et his people peri&s;h he wil have judge mercy on them, and heal them; for the Lord wil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> judge with fire and his &s;word,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 66.16.</NOTE> all fle&s;h: <HI>And the &s;lain of the Lord &s;hall be many.</HI></P>
<P>Son of man, the hou e of I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">rael is unto me as dro&s;&s;e; All they are bra&s;&s;e and tin, and iron, and lead, in the mid&s;t of the furnace they are e en the dro&s;&s;e of &s;ilver. Therefore thus &s;aith the Lord God, Becau&s;e you are all as dro&s;&s;e; behold therefore I will gather you in the mid&s;t of Jeru&s;alem, as they gather &s;ilver, and bra&s;&s;e and iron, and tin and lead, into the mid&s;t o the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; &s;o will I gather you in mine anger, and my wrath<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> and will put you there, and melt you: I will gather you, I &s;ay, and blow the fire of my wrath upon you, and you &s;hall be melted in the mid&s;t thereof: As &s;ilver is melted in the mid&s;t of the furnace, &s;o &s;hall you be melted in the mid&s;t thereof, and you &s;hall know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath upon you. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 22. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. Here is Gods com|plaint again&s;t I&s;rael, and his purpo&s;e what he will do to I&s;rael: God is the agent, and his people are the patient, he will melt them, and they &s;hall be melted.</P>
<P>The Almighty God, who is the &s;earcher of the heart and the trier of the reins,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jerem. 17.9.</NOTE> knoweth what his people are, although they think well of them&s;elves, not knowing
<PB N="7" REF="8">
them&s;elves, nor God; but have back&s;lidden,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 3.</NOTE> and fallen into grievous &s;ins, he will not &s;uffer them &s;o to lie, but wil make them to know him, &amp; that he is di&s;plea&s;ed with them, and they &s;hall ta&s;te of his di&s;plea&s;ure. In the for|mer chapter the Lord doth threaten Jeru&s;alem with the &s;word, and that he would remove the Diadem, and over|turn o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">erturn, overturn and it &s;hall be no more the &s;ame, untill he come, who<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e right it is, and he wi l give it to him. In this chapter he reckoneth up their &s;everall &s;ins, &s;hedding of blood, idolatry, di&s;obedience oppre&s;&s;ion un|charitablene&s;&s;e, covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and fornication. In the&s;e ver&s;es he po&s;itively concludeth what the hou e of I rael is, <HI>The hou&s;e of I&s;rael is dro&s;&s;e,</HI> unto God: Some re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d it, They are turned into dro&s;&s;e: Further, they are bra&s;&s;e, and tin, and irons and lead &amp;c.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, here is I rael called a <HI>hou&s;e,</HI> &s;ometimes called the hou&s;e of God.</P>
<P>Secondly, that they are to God as <HI>dro&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, the denomination of the dro&s;&s;ie metals, <HI>bra&s;&s;e, tin, iron,</HI> and <HI>lead,</HI> which they are.</P>
<P>Fourthly that God wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">l gather them, and bring them into the mid&s;t of Jeru&s;alem.</P>
<P>Fifthly, the receptacle that mu&s;t contain them, the fur|nace, and the mid&s;t of it.</P>
<P>Sixth<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">y, that he will blow the fire of his wrath upon them.</P>
<P>Seventhly, that he will melt them.</P>
<P>Eighthly, the end, they &s;hall know that the Lord hath done it in his wrath.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, here I&s;rael is called a hou&s;e, the hou&s;e of I&s;rael: the people of God are the true I&s;raelites,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6.16.</NOTE> Chri&s;t the true I&s;rael, <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 49.3. <HI>Nathaniel</HI> a true I&s;raelite, <HI>Joh.</HI> 1. This hou e this people, they are corrupted, <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 1. their wine is become as water their &s;ilver is become dro&s;&s;e, <HI>Cant.</HI> 6.7. there are three&s;core queens, four&s;core concubines, and virgins without number, they are dro&s;&s;e, they are mixt and adulterated.</P>
<P>A &s;trange and a &s;ad thing, that this people, this hou&s;e
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&s;hould be thus.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2, 5.</NOTE> What the people of God? that are in co|venant with him? they to whom the promi&s;es do belong? who are built up to God? who are cemented to him, by a lively faith and hope?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 19.18.</NOTE> who are clothed with the gar|ments of Chri&s;t? who obey the Go&s;pel of God? who hear the voice of Chri&s;t?<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 57.15. Heb. 3.6. P&s;al. 144.15.</NOTE> who have an humble heart? where God delighteth to dwell? who hold fa&s;t the confi|dence in God? and rejoyce in him? that have the Lord for their God? The&s;e are the properties of Gods hou&s;e: was I&s;rael thus? and is I&s;rael not &s;o? is I&s;rael dro&s;&s;e? how comes this hou&s;e &s;o to be?</P>
<P>When his hou&s;e, his people cleaves not to him with all their hearts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 8.7.</NOTE> but fals to idolatry, as they did, and em|brace other lovers, abu&s;ing the mercy, love, and grace of God, turning it to wantonne&s;&s;e, when their righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e is become as filthy rags, as a mon&s;truous cloth, when their wor&s;hip is barely externall, when they draw neer to God with their lips, and their hearts are far from him, when there is more re&s;pect to the beautifying of the out|ward man, than of the hidden man of the heart, when they commit &s;pirituall whoredoms; that they can lie down with God in an out&s;ide ordinance, and the heart not there: and lie down with the world al&s;o in heart, a|greeing to all the worlds cour&s;es and fa&s;hions; when they have a religion, that they might enjoy their own wils and lu&s;ts; when they are become unthankfull, murmu|rers, idolaters, oppre&s;&s;ours, when they do forget God, and all his mercies, and deliverances pa&s;t and pre&s;ent, when they cau&s;e God to complain, as he did of his Vine|yard,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 4.</NOTE> and to &s;ay of it, What could I have done more for it, and it bring forth no fruit, but wild fruit? Such demea|nour under the grace, mercy, and love of God, makes him not onely to complain of them, but to puni&s;h them. For his people to revolt, back&s;lide, and turn re|bellious, wicked, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ive, God cannot bear it: therefore he &s;aith by his Prophets in divers places, what he will bring upon them, as in <HI>Ezek.</HI> chap. 14. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">ad 15. I will, &s;aith the Lord, &s;et my face again&s;t them:
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A fearfull thing to have the face of the Almighty to be &s;et again&s;t a people. And when they call,<NOTE PLACE="marg">As by the ex|ample of a great man.</NOTE> I will not an|&s;wer, &s;aith the Lord, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 20.31. And I will not be en|quired of by them, &s;aith the Lord, <HI>Amos</HI> 3.2. You onely have I known, of all the families of the earth, therefore will I vi&s;it you for your iniquities. Hence it is that So|dom is called her &s;i&s;ter, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 16.48. Should God keep his hou&s;e, when the Devils haunt it? No: Apo&s;tate peo|ple mu&s;t &s;uffer &s;everely: where God hath be&s;towed much mercy and love, there he requireth obedience, or el&s;e he will &s;orely puni&s;h them.</P>
<P>Well, I&s;rael is dro&s;&s;e, Gods people are revoltets, back|&s;liders, rebellious, and yet the mercifull God he owns them &s;till:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jerem. 2.13. 2 Chron. 7.14&punc;</NOTE> my people hath for&s;aken me the fountain of living waters, and digged them&s;elves pits, broken pits that can hold no water; My people, if they do humble them&s;elves and pray, then will I hear them, &amp;c. God, he will heal their back&s;liding, and be mercifull to their &s;ins: he takes occa&s;ion by the greatne&s;&s;e of his peoples &s;ins, to &s;hew mercy, as in the &s;econd of <HI>Ho&s;ea:</HI> at large the Lord &s;peaks there, what he will do to his people in the 14 ver&s;e; I will allure her, and bring her into the wilder|ne&s;&s;e, and &s;peak friendly to her. How willing is the Al|mighty God to accept of, and to receive &s;inners, although gro&s;&s;ely &s;infull: notwith&s;tanding his great mercy, when they were in their blood. To call a people to him&s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 17.</NOTE> and to adorn them, and beautifie them, and after to fall from him, to recall them again is an invaluable mercy: as in <HI>Jeremy</HI> the third, and fir&s;t ver&s;e; Though thou ha&s;t played the harlot with many lovers, yet turn again to me, &s;aith the Lord: as if he &s;hould have &s;aid, Bring the dregs of all thy wicked life to me, I will receive it, I will pardon all.</P>
<P>The &s;ame that I&s;rael was in her time, the &s;ame is the Church now, &s;cattered upon the face of the whole earth, the Gentiles being &s;uccedaneous to I&s;rael, whereof Eng|land is a particular. How hath God dealt with this Na|tion from time to time, &amp; delivered it out of the hands of
<PB N="10" REF="10">
the Romi&s;h power, Antichri&s;tian here&s;ies and wor&s;hip, and from all the tyrannicall government, and lords over our con&s;ciences; Heavie things were upon us, and &s;ome of us not &s;en&s;ible of it, the innovations, bowings, and cringings at the name of <HI>Je&s;us,</HI> and to the Altar: <HI>Jure divino:</HI> like to be long lived, reformation feared as much as va&s;&s;allage: yet Almighty God with his own arm &s;a|ved us, and &s;natched us as brands out of the fire, from the violence that was lately; and delivered us from our ene|mies, and hath wrought &s;ome reformation for us, he lookt upon us as a people that were dro&s;&s;e, and hath begun to refine. But we, like the Egyptians, love the garlick and onions of our Countrey; that that hath been vomited out, would we willingly take up again: And the&s;e few yeers wherein God hath &s;hewed us much mercy and love, both to our &s;pirituall and temporall beings, in much tranquillity and peace, we have abu&s;ed to our own lu&s;ts, and have not followed that light which God hath &s;ent among&s;t us, but the dark and foggie mi&s;ts of our own car|nall hearts, de&s;pi&s;ing and per&s;ecuting the &s;ame; &s;o that we have given the Lord ju&s;t occa&s;ion to complain of us, that we, we the church of England is dro&s;&s;e, as the hou&s;e of I&s;rael was; yet neverthele&s;&s;e take comfort, thy God wilt melt thee, and thou &s;halt be as the word, pure &s;ilver.</P>
<P>Secondly, The hou&s;e of I&s;rael is dro&s;&s;e to me, &s;aith God: as dro&s;&s;e, and the dro&s;&s;e of &s;ilver. Almighty God is a pure, a holy, and a good God; there is nothing can remain, or dwell with God, but holine&s;&s;e and purity: holine&s;&s;e becomes his habitation,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hag. 2.9.</NOTE> the gold and the &s;ilver are his, the dro&s;&s;e and dro&s;&s;ie metals are ours. By gold, is under&s;tood the gifts and graces of Gods holy Spirit; and by &s;ilver, the word of truth, the word of God, yea the word, God. There can be no union between gold and &s;il|ver, and dro&s;&s;e: for dro&s;&s;e is that imperfect matter which doth accompany metals, and is to be &s;evered from them at the fir&s;t ri&s;e of them out of the earth, and taken from the metall, as the &s;cum and film of the metall, by a refi|ning and a purging fire. Dro&s;&s;e likewi&s;e is found among
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metals &s;ubject to ru&s;t, and apt to receive into it &s;elf cor|ruption, being in ve&s;&s;els; and this likewi&s;e by melting and refining is clean&s;ed and made clear. Dro&s;&s;e of it &s;elf is worth nothing, yet it fixeth and abideth in metals, and may be by the skilfull refiner brought to &s;omething, being wa&s;hed and purified.</P>
<P>Is England dro&s;&s;e? &s;ee, are they not like the hou&s;e of I&s;rael, that were Idolaters, and other kindes of &s;inners; what &s;in is there that is not committed in England? Hath not God lately, and now at pre&s;ent, made triall of us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 12.1, &amp; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> as the Husbandman did of tho&s;e that kept his Vine|yard; he hath &s;ent his &s;ervants to &s;ee what fruit we have for him, and we yeeld him none at all; but beat, revile, reproach, and per&s;ecute his &s;ervants. That light that he hath &s;ent among&s;t us, our fathers &s;carce heard of it, but never &s;aw it, that di&s;covers Antichri&s;t, the Bea&s;t, and the Whore: Antichri&s;t to be man exalted in the fle&s;h, man &amp; the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of man, in us; the Bea&s;t to be the man of &s;in, that is, man deceiving him&s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6.3.</NOTE> thinking to be &s;ome|thing, when he is nothing; for man of him&s;elf is no|thing without God, but as a bea&s;t: and the Whore to be, man, that &s;eems to live with God in the outward ap|pearance, or Church; and lives on the traditions and in|ventions of men, cleaving onely to the wi&s;dom and fa&s;hi|ons of men, and not de&s;iring God to be all in all. Do we not hate the me&s;&s;engers of truth, and &s;in with an high hand again&s;t the bounty and love of God? falling to &s;piri|tuall whoredoms and fornications, like the Concubines and Harlots, having a &s;eeming heart for God, but wholly yeelding of it up to the &s;ervice of the Devil, the world, and the fle&s;h, hating tho&s;e that tremble at the word of God, ca&s;ting them out for his names &s;ake, and &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 66.5.</NOTE> Let the Lord be glorified; but mark the end, the one &s;hall have the appearance of God to their joy, and they the o|thers &s;hall be a&s;hamed.</P>
<P>What is the demeanour of the people of England in their profe&s;&s;ion? Is it not meerly out&s;ide? The more mercy and love God doth be&s;tow on us, the more we lift
<PB N="12" REF="11">
up our heels again&s;t him, when we &s;hould live and prai&s;e him in the admiration of his bounty, beholding our great dignity in and through Chri&s;t: he hath called us to be his &s;ons, heirs of a Kingdom that cannot be &s;haken, and fellow-heirs with Chri&s;t; in that Kingdom he cal|leth us unto a union with him&s;elf, my Tabernacle &s;hall be among men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 1. ult. Col. 2.19.</NOTE> as he hath &s;aid. We are his portion, and he is our portion, we are his fulnes, having the increa&s;es of God; yet notwith&s;tanding all this, we are wedded to fle&s;hly &s;ervices and forms, and content our &s;elves with the bare names of Chri&s;tians, denying the life and power of Chri&s;tianity, and do hate tho&s;e that live in that power.</P>
<P>Our &s;ervices and wor&s;hip of God are as dead things, not being done by our &s;elves, but by an Attourney; we do not call on God by a dead Saint, but by a living man, who may be as dead, having not the life of God in him, nei|ther hath attained to the fir&s;t re&s;urrection, a poor &s;ervice that is not in our own per&s;ons, with our own hearts. Many there are that neither call on God them&s;elves, nei|ther do a&s;&s;ent to the prayer of another; but cu&s;tom and fa&s;hion cau&s;es them to bring their bodies to a publike place, where the poor blinde heart cannot tell what he comes for; neither is he carefull, being benummed, what the i&s;&s;ues of his &s;encele&s;&s;e comming will be. Is this the coming to Chri&s;t for life? Is this the way to get acquain|tance with God? No, this is that dro&s;&s;e, and more there is like to it that doth accompany the good metall; but it &s;hall in time be ca&s;t out, and then we &s;hall learn of Chri&s;t, for he is meek, and not learn of tho&s;e that are proud boa&s;ters, haters of God, inventers of evil things, and de&s;pi&s;ers of the pure light and truth.</P>
<P>O that the Lord, would &s;hew men the deceitfulne&s;&s;e of their own hearts, that can be content, with the husk and &s;hell of Religion, &amp; be ful of glorying in that Righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which they have gotten by outward meanes, in their own wi&s;doms and imaginations, and utterly neg|lect, refu&s;e, and abhor, the inward binding of their &s;ouls up in union, by Chri&s;t with the Father, in the free Cove|nant
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of Grace and life. Many will &s;ay, What, &s;hall we we not pray? when they neither know, what God is, nor what them&s;elves are; &s;uch as pre&s;ume to pray, without knowledge, do break the command of God, in taking his Name in vaine, when the heart is not according to the tongue, and &s;ound; yea, when their Company, or their Congregation agreeth not: for there is the hater and the hated, the oppre&s;&s;our and the oppre&s;&s;ed; the rich, that cares not for the poor; and the poor, that cur&s;|eth the rich; What congregall prayer, can there be, in this mixture, when mens hearts, are one agin&s;t the other? The rich and the poor goes together, but the Lord is the maker of them both; he knows their hearts, &amp; their ends, in comming to publike places: every &s;ound &amp; noi&s;e is not a prayer; then the Phari&s;ee had been commended, for his long one; but it is the inward and deep &s;ighings of the heart, in the &s;inglene&s;&s;e thereof, and being fervent: We are commanded to pray continually; and they that make long prayers, are condemned, being in o&s;tentation as in publike congregations, once or twice in a week, and have little conver&s;e with God all the re&s;t of the week; be not deceived, God is not mocked; What&s;oever ye &s;ow, that &s;hall ye reap:
<Q><L>Decipies alios verbis, vultuque benigno:</L>
<L>Sed mihi jam notus, di&s;&s;imulator eris.</L></Q></P>
<P>Be a&s;hamed, and &s;tand amazed, all ye that are under the great Light, that God hath cau&s;ed to &s;hine forth in this Nation. You will &s;ay, that you are the people of God, and that you know him, but it appears by your actions, that you know him not; for a man to know a thing, is to know the condition of it, as to know a peece of coine. To know God, is another manner of bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, than the world makes it; to know God, is to have experience of him, and of all his Attributes, his Mercy, his Love, his Goodne&s;&s;e, his long &s;uffering, &amp;c. To know God in Chri&s;t, is the true knowledge of him, to be in Union and
<PB N="14" REF="12">
Communion with him, to obey him, love him, and fear him, to honour him, and glorifie him; this the world knoweth not, for the world &s;eeks its own. Therefore many, that do profe&s;&s;e, that they know God, and in their works do deny him, are not onely Heathens, but they are wor&s;e then the heathens;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cato.</NOTE> for they &s;ay, If there be a God, he ought to be wor&s;hipped, with a pure minde: mi&s;era|ble is the condition, of many that think it &s;ufficient to have the bare name of a Chri&s;tian, and &s;ay, Chri&s;t died for me, and ro&s;e again for me, and never felt the power of Chri&s;ts death, killing &s;in in them, nor the vertue of his Re&s;urrrection, quickening, and rai&s;ing them, to a new life, that cannot witne&s;&s;e a new birth, a &s;eparation; But live in the old nature, and the old man of &s;in, remaining &s;till. Deale plainely with your &s;elves, ye &s;ons of men, for the ca&s;e doth require it; do not lo&s;e your precious time here, and &s;ay, I hope to go to Heaven, whereas you know not, what heaven is, neither are you fit for it: for heaven is a Condition, rather then a Local place, and the heavenly condition, &s;tands not in outward things, as to &s;atisfie the fle&s;h, neither is it found, any otherwi&s;e, then in the Cro&s;&s;e here in this World, but it doth appear in us, by Peace of con&s;cience, and joying in the Holy Spirit of God, being perfectly a&s;&s;ured, and having a firme te&s;ti|mony, of our Re&s;urrection; being Adopted, and made the Sons of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 John 1.3.</NOTE> and having fellow&s;hip with the Father, and the Son.</P>
<P>Deceive not your &s;elves, but &s;trive to enter in at the &s;trait gate; Go not the broad way of the Worlds pro|fe&s;&s;ion, but the &s;trait and narrow way of the Cro&s;&s;e: De|ny your &s;elves, your own works, your own righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and what&s;oever plea&s;eth, and agreeth with your own wills, and wait at Wi&s;doms gate, examining your &s;elves, whether you be not that, that cleaves to the pure Metall, and makes it the wor&s;e; whether you are not the corrupt matter of Silver, and not Silver it &s;elf; if you be the corrupt matter, if you be the dro&s;&s;e, you mu&s;t be purged out, you mu&s;t be &s;pewed out; if you come to
<PB N="15" REF="12">
the porch onely, and go no further, if you come not to the Holy of Holies, you were better not come neer, at all;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.119.</NOTE> for the Lord will take away the wicked like dro&s;&s;e: The Lord will not have to do with &s;uch cor|rupt, impure, and unclean matter, Prov. 25.4. Take the dro&s;&s;e from the &s;ilver, and there will proceed a ve&s;&s;ell fit for the refiner: when the Almighty God, hath purged and purified the &s;ilver, and ejected and ca&s;t out the dro&s;&s;e, then there is a ve&s;&s;ell for him&s;elf, a temple for him&s;elf, to dwell in; for the Lords delight is in his Saints, and a|mong them, and &s;ilver is as his Word is, when it is refined. Meddle not, nor have to do with the mo&s;t Holy, and pure God, upon any account, living in your own wi&s;dome, wills and lu&s;t; for it had been better for <HI>Cain,</HI> that he had offered no Sacrifice, then to account the be&s;t too good for God, and to offer the wor&s;t; better not to come to any Table, then to the Table of the Devils: the end of all Re|ligion is to bring &s;oules to God, not to make a greater &s;eparation by it from God. You were once a far off, but now ye are made nigh, by the Blood of Chri&s;t: that onely brings us neer to God; draw neer through his Blood, and he will draw neer to us, look to your hearts, and to the i&s;&s;ues of all exerci&s;es, not what the exerci&s;e is, but to what it tendeth; for it is either life or death; If you &s;erve God in the fle&s;h; you &s;hall have corruption, and death for your reward; if you live to the fle&s;h, you &s;hall die; but if through the Spirit, you mortifie the deeds of the fle&s;h, you &s;hall live. God accepteth no &s;acrifice done in the fle&s;h, but as he is a Spirit mo&s;t holy, &s;o he mu&s;t be wor&s;hipped, in Spirit and in Truth, which was the Legacy Chri&s;t Je&s;us left with his Di&s;ciples, when he left them. We cannot come to the Lord with anything of our own, to be acceped of him, but what we come to him with, mu&s;t be his; he heareth nothing but his own Spirit, and that he wil not deny. What &s;aith Chri&s;t, In vain do they wor|&s;hip me, &amp;c. The Lord (E&s;ay. 1.) &s;aith, What have I to do with your Sacrifices? and in the &s;ame fir&s;t of <HI>E&s;aiah,</HI> I hate your new Moons, and your appointed fea&s;ts, they
<PB N="16" REF="13">
are a burden unto me, I am weary to bear them.</P>
<P>All the devices of men, all their art, all their inventi|on, proceeding onely from them, in drawing neer to to God, is nothing worth, for it cannot but differ from the will of God; in Gods wor&s;hip, the more of mans wi&s;dom the le&s;&s;e of Gods re&s;pect, the more plainer, and &s;implier we wor&s;hip him, the more hope of acceptance. The ordinances of man, or of any Churches, if they differ in the lea&s;t from the will of God, mu&s;t be ca&s;t out: For not onely humane rea&s;on, but divine rea&s;on, not &s;anctifi|ed, can may or ought to have any power, in the ordering, placing, or di&s;po&s;ing of any wor&s;hip of God: The will of God onely is the rea&s;on of his own wor&s;hip; and mans rea&s;on, can be no ground, for &s;uch a &s;tructure, which his art and &s;cience defileth as &s;eparate from the will of God.</P>
<Q><L>Non vox &s;ed votum, non mu&s;ica cordula, &s;ed cor;</L>
<L>Non clamans, &s;ed amans; clamat in aure Dei.</L></Q>
<P>Much might be &s;aid concerning the dro&s;&s;e, that is a|mong the pure metall: In plain termes; the corruption the filth and the uncleanne&s;&s;e, that is among profe&s;|&s;ing people, that profe&s;&s;e to be the people of God, and are civilized exceedingly, that to the eyes of the World are almo&s;t &s;potle&s;s, but when God comes to try by fire, then will their filth and dro&s;&s;e appear.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 7.3.</NOTE> <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, As the fi|ning pot for &s;ilver and the furnace for gold, &s;o the Lord tryeth the hearts: The outward vi&s;ible actions of pro|fe&s;&s;ours, that is &s;o much accompanied with outward de|cency in the behaviour, keeps off the inward purity, that the &s;oule &s;hould be exerci&s;ed in in the &s;ight of God: Curi|&s;ity in duties outwardly done in the &s;ight of man, hinders the inward integrity, invi&s;ibly to be done with God. Therefore it is, that the exerci&s;e of Religion, which &s;hould cure, and eject our dro&s;&s;e; by an addition of more filth and impurity, in that which &s;hould &s;peak purity and life, it doth kill and brings death. The &s;hining beames of Gods mo&s;t pure and holy Spirit, &s;hining in us, cau&s;eth
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our actions and duties, through that mo&s;t pure Light, to be living, and become a living Sacrifice, acceptable to God; But duties done vi&s;ibly, and audibly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12.1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> onely in the body, the minde and will being carried on, to the &s;ati&s;|faction of the outward &s;pectacle, re&s;ting in the forme, cu|&s;tom, u&s;e and manner, woundeth, and &s;layeth the &s;piritu|all, and invi&s;ible part, where the receptacle &s;hould be for the living Sacrifice. For men to go about to make them|&s;elves like God, in their own wills, doth derogate from the nature of obedience, and doth manife&s;t that they are the &s;ons of emnity: but yeelding them&s;elves up, &s;ubmitting un|to, &amp; embracing that which is cro&s;&s;e to their wills, de&s;iring to be ruled and guided by that good coun&s;ell, which is of God, maketh the pure&s;t &s;acrifice.</P>
<P>It plea&s;ed God, by the&s;e compari&s;ons of metals, to di&s;cover what his people are, and how they are differ|ent in purity from him&s;elf, which is mo&s;t pure and holy: let therefore all men that live in a profe&s;&s;ion, not &s;tand upon the purity of it; for the Whore &s;its upon wa|ters; there is many bapti&s;ms of water, but the bapti&s;me of fire, is that that God will purifie his people withall: and that that hath quenched this many yeers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3.</NOTE> mu&s;t now be dried up by the fire of the Lord, and it will burn up all, and dry up all, For our God is a con&s;uming fire. Experi|ence this ye that are called godly, you cannot be God-like (which is the Old language) untill the Lord God hath con&s;umed all fle&s;h within you, and there be nothing in you, but the Lord God All in All.</P>
<P>Thirdly, God &s;aith that I&s;rael is Bra&s;&s;e, and Tin, and Iron, and Lead: What I&s;rael was and what England is, by the&s;e compari&s;ons of metals, the Lord will make known to us; The&s;e &s;everall metals, are of &s;everall natures, and qualities, &s;ome by art, counterfeiting the richer me|tals, of Gold, and Silver, which are figures of Him&s;elf and of his word:</P>
<P>The&s;e metals, are very apt to ru&s;t, and to receive and embrace the &s;ame, and &s;o are accounted dro&s;&s;y metals; yet very v&s;efull, as to the World, ordained by the great
<PB N="18" REF="14">
Creatour in their &s;everall kndes, for &s;everall nece&s;&s;itous negotiations, in the world. They have their breeding, and their generation in the earth; and being from thence and thereout, they mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e through a &s;trong blowing fire, before they come to perfection, and be fit to offici|ate the u&s;e, &s;ervice, and the end, the great Creatour made them for, as to the u&s;e of the world: wherein is &s;een, a great deal of the glory of God, in the excellency of his creation, in the various qualities of them, as doth al&s;o appear in all other things created by God.</P>
<P>How is I&s;rael Bra&s;&s;e, and Tin, and Iron, and Lead? wherein, and in what are they &s;uch metals?</P>
<P>The people of I&s;rael here named, are thus, in divers re&s;pects.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, They are Bra&s;&s;e, in their men of power, Rulers, Governours, Magi&s;trates, Ju&s;tices, and Arbiters.</P>
<P>Secondly, They are Tin, in their Prophets, Teachers, Guides, and Mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>Thirdly, They are Iron, in the people of Trafficke, Com|merce, Trade, and merchandi&s;e, and in them that exer|ci&s;e to the &s;upport of the Nation.</P>
<P>Fourthly, They are Lead, in the poor and mean, in people of low degree.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;ee what Bra&s;&s;e is, and how it may be &s;aid, that Rulers, Governours, &amp;c. May be as bra&s;&s;e:</P>
<P>Bra&s;&s;e is a compound metall, made and contrived of Copper and Calamy, which metall &s;o compo&s;ed, hath a lu&s;tre, like gold by its mixture, and the more u&s;efull for it's mixture: So are tho&s;e that are called to high places, of Government; they are not barely naturali&s;ts, onely men as borne &s;imply them&s;elves naturally; But there is a mix|ture compo&s;ed with other ingredients in them, of natural endowments fit for their places, of learning, experience, knowledge, under&s;tanding and rightly to cen&s;ure, as al&s;o to execute, as to the World, the things, matters, and cau&s;es that are under their di&s;pen&s;ation, and their de|termination; and herein, as bra&s;&s;e hath a lu&s;tre like gold, &s;o have the Governours, &amp;c. a lu&s;tre beyond other men;
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Hence it is, that there is and hath been, at all times, an honour and a re&s;pect given unto them, being the greate&s;t in&s;truments under the arme of God, for the peace, the welfare, and the good of people, in the Nations under them.</P>
<P>I have &s;aid, You are Gods, and you are all,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 82.6.</NOTE> the children of the mo&s;t High; Chri&s;tians have had at all times, re|&s;pect to their governours, for Gods &s;ake, they are &s;et up of God; By me kings reign, &amp;c.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13.1.</NOTE> There is no power but of God: wherefore re&s;i&s;t not the powers; they that doe, &s;hall receive to them&s;elves judgement.</P>
<P>But whence is the complaint that the Lord makes, that I&s;raels Rulers are Bra&s;&s;e, &s;omething is the matter; God Almighty expecteth, that they &s;hould not onely doe, and execute the common and ordinary bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, as to the World, but that they &s;hould &s;tand up like men, in the cau&s;e of God, to di&s;tribute ju&s;tice impartially, and as in his &s;tead; to curb; and puni&s;h the evil doers, and to de|fend and pre&s;erve tho&s;e that do well, encouraging others al&s;o, to live in their wayes; that they &s;hould be as nur&s;|ing fathers, and nur&s;ing mothers;<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 49.23.</NOTE> they &s;hould defend the innocent, and acquit him, and execute ju&s;tice on the nocent.</P>
<P>The cau&s;e why, the Lord complaineth of them, and that he will melt them is, that, as Bra&s;&s;e will adulterate with Tin and with lead, with the fal&s;e prophet, and with the rable; So the Rulers and Governours, have not walked &s;ingly before God, but have mixt them|&s;elves, with that that hath been again&s;t his pure, and undefiled law, yeelding to the Harlot, <HI>Iezabell;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 22.6.</NOTE> and ta|king coun&s;ell of the multitude of fal&s;e prophets, as <HI>A|hab</HI> did, embracing flatterers, and flatteries, which hath cau&s;ed them to erre; to do inju&s;tice, to puni&s;h the inno|cent, and not let the oppre&s;&s;ed go free, and do in their waies, according to their own wills &amp; fle&s;hly lu&s;ts, walk|ing according to their fle&s;hly de&s;ires and under&s;tandings, minding their own profit, plea&s;ure, &amp; worldly advantages; and as the poor rabble of the world doth for their re|ward;
<PB N="20" REF="15">
&s;o do they, out of their ambitious hearts, for further honour, and preferment not doing the thing that is right.</P>
<P>Was it thus with I&s;rael, and among their men of pow|er and is it not &s;o with England? It is nor my bu&s;ine&s;&s;e to reckon up the wickedne&s;&s;e that was heretofore, in for|mer powers that are pa&s;t and gone; But to the pre&s;ent be|ing, my duty is to &s;tir up all Chri&s;tians to a hearty thank&s;|giving, and to a continuall prai&s;ing of God, for his mer|cies, that he hath &s;et over us, &s;uch a valiant, and God-like <HI>Jo&s;hua;</HI> and for that, through the late pa&s;&s;ages of war, and di&s;cord, wherein once we were in jeopardy to be di&s;|peopled, and our religion to be traduced, we are arri|ved, to the greate&s;t liberty of any people under Heaven, Religion, and godly people being much countenanced, and defended, &s;uper&s;tition and here&s;ie extirpated in a great mea&s;ure, no mans con&s;cience compelled, the de|&s;ignes of Antichri&s;tian plotters, and contrivers, not onely weakned, but confounded, to their ignomy, and &s;hame for ever, &s;ubordinare Magi&s;trates in their pluces, more vi|gilant and knowing, and the profe&s;&s;ing people of the Na|tion, much increa&s;ed by it.</P>
<P>Hath God begun to melt the bra&s;&s;e, to refine the men of power; Let no man murmure then, at the powers; for the effects, and i&s;&s;ues of Chri&s;tian and God-like powers, we and our &s;ucce&s;&s;ours, may rejoyce in; for it is of great con&s;equence, to our eternall, and everla&s;ting peace; That when pure truth doth begin to appear in our daies, no vi|olent heat of per&s;ecution can wither it, for upon all the glory there will be a defence: if God maketh us his glory, he wil defend us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 4.3.</NOTE> that neither the wilde Bore of the fore&s;t, nor the little Foxes of the wildernes &s;hal hurt us, God wil keep his Vineyard,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 54.11, 12.</NOTE> that he him&s;elf hath planted; He will yet go forward, and be refining &s;till, untill he hath made the Pillars of his Church, like to the poli&s;hed Saphirs, and her windowes of &s;hining Emraulds; He will melt, and purifie all that bear his Name,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 12.</NOTE> and are for the cau&s;e of his people, that they &s;hall be as pure, as his Word which is Silver. For God will not de&s;troy his, but purge
<PB N="21" REF="15">
them; He will not lay his Garden wa&s;te, but weed out that that is hurtfull, to the growth of the tender plants; he will not touch tho&s;e flowres that have favour, but them that have no &s;avour, but colour onely.</P>
<P>Great hope have we, that the Lord will be gratious un|to us, becau&s;e he hath begun &s;o to be; &s;urely what God begins, he will fini&s;h, who can hinder him,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Job.</HI> 9.12.</NOTE> or who can &s;ay, why do&s;t thou &s;o. But what means the crying out again&s;t unju&s;t Judges, and Arbiers, who are concerned in this re&s;emblance? There is in our nation, a great num|ber who are as bra&s;&s;e ve&s;&s;els, (I would they were ve&s;&s;els for God) But what are they? I fear that they are, as Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;tiles them that were in his time, 1 Cor. 6. In the fir&s;t ver&s;e he calls them unju&s;t, and in ver&s;. 6, he calls them Infidels, how ever, they are &s;uch that he warnes the Saints not to meddle withall, and que&s;tions whether there was a wi&s;e man among them, or no: a &s;trange thing. It &s;eemes none but fooles hath to do with them. Thefe men are cal|led in our language Lawyers, &s;ome &s;ay they are nece&s;&s;ary evils, but they are &s;uch as hold evill to be nece&s;&s;ary, and &s;urely, if any evil be nece&s;&s;ary; this is, it is as nece&s;&s;ary as a di&s;ea&s;e which pains &s;o &s;orely, that makes the patients cry to their God; for many thou&s;ands have bin impoveri&s;hed by their evill practices, and they &s;till gainers. It is in their hands, to compo&s;e differences more ea&s;ier: But they are co|vetous, double dealers, oppre&s;&s;ours, exactours, and cruell. When matters come to them to view, skan, order, and to prepare for the determiner, what horrible fal&s;e dealing is there? bribery, treachery, forgery, fal&s;e te&s;timony, un|derhand and partiall dealing, as if they were made of pur|po&s;e to act the Divels part.</P>
<P>The&s;e are like unto the bra&s;&s;e ve&s;&s;els that are u&s;ed in and upon the fire; for they are not onely Incendiaries to &s;trife, envy, malice, and contention, but are nouri&s;h|ers and pleaders for the continuance of it. Did not Chri&s;t &s;ay, Ble&s;&s;ed are the peace-makers, for they &s;hall be called the children of God? Who&s;e children are they then that &s;et at variance, who love not peace? is it again&s;t their
<PB N="22" REF="16">
profit? The ve&s;&s;els they are like to, are kettles and pans, which as to the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the world are very u&s;efull; as the kettle holds water, &s;o there is fire underneath it that makes it boil, and oftentimes the heat of the fire boils away the water, &s;ometimes the fiercene&s;&s;e of the fire makes the water to boil over, and put out the fire. It is &s;o with this generation, that the exerci&s;e of their cru|elty makes the watery Client, I mean the man that mourns to be in Law, to be the better, as water is by heating, for u&s;e. But it u&s;ually fals out, that the water overcomes the fire, or the fire dries up the water, and &s;o the kettle or pan being wa&s;ht, or &s;coured with &s;ome of <HI>Pilates</HI> water makes it &s;hine as it did before,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 26.</NOTE> after the co|lour of gold, and &s;tands up for a &s;hew in many Countrey Churches and Congregations, where the Mini&s;ter there dares not &s;peak a word, but &s;mooth him up for a good Benefactour, for fear of his place, his tithe, or &s;omething he cals his dues, or fearing to have his ill will.</P>
<P>O what wretched, cruell, and foul enormities are com|mitted by men of brazen faces, that &s;hould in their acti|ons endevour to &s;et forth the glory of God in deciding controver&s;ies, and giving to every man his right; for that end were they fir&s;t ordained, and therefore called Ar|biters:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezra 7.25.</NOTE> the right u&s;e and end of &s;uch as they were, here|tofore ordained among the people of God, was to do ju|&s;tice, equity, and right; that u&s;e is not among Lawyers, but the abu&s;e is and remains, and God will purge it out, this &s;infull and abominable filthy dro&s;&s;e, out of his Church and people, and will &s;et up &s;uch as &s;hall admini|&s;ter true ju&s;tice with godly prudency, in their room: the time is come that their mo&s;t horrid actions have made them to be in que&s;tion, and &s;ome abatements have been lately. Oh that they were wi&s;e, that they would con&s;ider their latter ends, and have in minde that of <HI>Salomon</HI> and <HI>Paul,</HI> For we mu&s;t all appear (if all, then Judges and Ar|biters) before the judgement-&s;eat of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 21.9. 1 Sam. 17.5.</NOTE>Bra&s;&s;e is that which &s;ets out the &s;trength and fortitude, that the people of God have among them by good Ru|lers
<PB N="23" REF="16">
and Arbiters; the brazen Serpent, a type of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 4.1. P&s;al. 107.16. Zach. 6.1. Jerem. 1.18.</NOTE> overcoming the Devil, and vanqui&s;hing death, the hel|met of bra&s;&s;e, bra&s;&s;e armour, altar of bra&s;&s;e, pillars of bra&s;&s;e, gates of bra&s;&s;e, mountains of bra&s;&s;e, and bars of bra&s;&s;e, and wals of bra&s;&s;e. How great good do the peo|ple of God receive and enjoy by the gracious Govern|ours and government? how are they defended, protect|ed, &s;ecured, and encouraged to all godly living? <HI>Ad exem|emplum Regis totus componitur orbis:</HI> Mo&s;t commonly as the Governours are, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">o are the people: when good Laws, Edicts, and In&s;titutions are &s;et out by the good Govern|ours, what an increa&s;e doth it make of good people? But when they are &s;lack, negligent, given to plea&s;ure, pride,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 10.16.</NOTE> wantonne&s;&s;e, lu&s;t, and other vices, how &s;oon will the people learn all manner of evil, and mi&s;-living; when &s;ubordinate Magi&s;trates do not diligently look to the cutting down of profanene&s;&s;e, nor put in execution E|dicts concerning idle per&s;ons, and helps not the poor in their nece&s;&s;ity; but takes onely the honour, or grace, and credit of the place, as to their own ambitious humour, in their outward deportment among men, having no re&s;pect to glorifie God in doing acts of righteou&s;nes; what defile|ments and irregular carriages is there among inferiour people? The Lord hath cut down, &amp; thrown down many that heretofore have &s;o walked, and he will melt and re|fine in his time, all the dro&s;&s;e that &s;hall appear, he will &s;cum it all off from the pure metall, then &s;hall the land rejoyce in the Lord their Saviour.</P>
<P>Magi&s;trates may be re&s;embled to Bels, which are made and ca&s;t of bra&s;&s;e; the &s;ound of bels is heard far off, and neer at hand; their warrants are like to that &s;ound, which &s;ummons in tho&s;e they have to do withall, and as bels &s;hould agree in the places of height, in a tuneable har|mony, &s;o &s;hould they all agree together in the &s;ame high places they are &s;eated in, not differing one with another in matters of ju&s;tice, but all joyntly &s;eeking the glory of God in the welfare of the people whom they are &s;et over, not re&s;pecting any mans per&s;on, but keeping every man
<PB N="24" REF="17">
his place, ready to officiate and to do what &s;hall be re|quired of them: not like to bra&s;&s;e Andirons, which &s;tand in the chimneys, meerly for &s;hew and not for any u&s;e at all; there they &s;hine, but have no &s;ound at all, to give warning to the people to live peaceably, neither is there any noi&s;e to give an alarm to the world, as to the de|&s;troying and cutting down of &s;in and iniquity. Happy are that people who live under a godlike Magi&s;tracy, in a Town or a City, who are continually &s;tirred up to a god-like life, by the example of their walkings, and al&s;o to ab|hor vice, by &s;eeing ju&s;tice done upon it impartially. As men are naturally blinde, that they cannot &s;ee the effect of Gods dealing in the world, &s;o neither can they &s;ee what the changes of times and men in high places doth produce: But he that is inlightened can &s;ee that by this, God is &s;etting up his Son Chri&s;t to reign and all the pow|ers that &s;eem to &s;tand for God and his, and doth not in truth and &s;incerity of heart, &s;hall not &s;tand; for the Lord will melt the bra&s;&s;e, yea, he will blow the fire of his in|dignation upon it, and melt it.</P>
<P>In the &s;econd place let us &s;ee what Tin is, and how, as before mentioned, I&s;raels Prophets, Prie&s;ts, Teachers, and Guides are as tin.</P>
<P>Tin is fir&s;t like to &s;ilver, in its lu&s;tre, in its &s;ound, and in its weight.</P>
<P>Secondly, it will adulterate with other metals.</P>
<P>Thirdly, it will beautifie and colour other metals, yea, the very earth.</P>
<P>Fourthly, it is a dry metall, and therefore when it is bended, it will creek.</P>
<P>Fifthly, it will receive any impre&s;&s;ion; yet not malle|able.</P>
<P>Sixthly, it is a metall that fire will utterly con&s;ume to a&s;hes.</P>
<P>The Prophets and Prie&s;ts of old that were re&s;embled to tin, the Lord much complained of, by <HI>I&s;aih, Jeremiah,</HI> and <HI>Ezekiel,</HI> and other of his Prophets: &s;o that the Lord, when he &s;aith by his Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 1.25.</NOTE> chap. 1. ver&s;. 25.
<PB N="25" REF="17">
that he would take away all the tin, it is to be under&s;tood, that he would take away all the Prophets, Prie&s;ts, Mini|&s;ters, and Di&s;pen&s;ers of his word, that were, as tin is to &s;ilver: for his Prophets that were called, and &s;ent by him, they were as &s;ilver, even as the word; but the o|thers were but counterfeit, fal&s;e, and abominable, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Therefore in the in&s;uing matter, being a very large complaint again&s;t the picturall imagery, and &s;imilicall kinde of Prophets, Prie&s;ts, Teachers, and Di&s;pen&s;ers of the word, as they call them&s;elves; as al&s;o again&s;t all proud, covetous, boa&s;ters, inventers of evil things, all idle drones, Ignoramu&s;&s;es, dunces, doters, illiterate, unexpe|rienced, vain, profane, ambitious, envious, and conten|tious per&s;ons, that have undertaken to teach, in&s;truct, re|prove, comfort, pray for, and to vi&s;it, to &s;tand in the gap, to mediate, and ab&s;olve, being unacquainted with the my&s;teries of God, and have not their union and commu|nion with God and Chri&s;t; Let not tho&s;e true Prophets, or Teachers, which do declare the minde of the eternall God plainly, who tels <HI>Jacob</HI> of his &s;ins, and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of his tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion; let not them, I &s;ay, that are &s;ent of God, and &s;peak not their own te&s;timony, which do beleeve,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 116.</NOTE> &amp; therefore do &s;peak without flattering, or fear of any mans per&s;on, or any cro&s;&s;e power mi&s;-led, be exempted from their mo&s;t inward and invi&s;ible calling, to accompany the&s;e intruders, u&s;urpers, and defilers of mankinde.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, tin is like to &s;ilver: it was the Devils policy, when he tempted our fir&s;t parents,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;. 3.</NOTE> to tell them that they &s;hould be as gods, or like God: To be like that we are not, is &s;till in the de&s;ire of the earthy and carnall minde: It is the onely thing profe&s;&s;ion doth pur&s;ue, and rejoyceth in, to be like that another is; to be like &s;il er, is to be like the pure word of God; for that the Word the Son of God is re&s;embled to, they that &s;hould teach others, &s;hould not be onely the image or the likene&s;&s;e of that they do teach, but they &s;hould be the very &s;ame not like the oracles of God and not them; like the true Prophets, but are fal&s;e prophets; declaring the letter, either
<PB N="26" REF="18">
through their own practicall art and &s;cience, or el&s;e by &s;tealing that from others, which them&s;elves had not art to compo&s;e. This cunning &s;ophi&s;try hath been much in u&s;e, and it is got into that garb that it deceiveth many, and they deceive them&s;elves to &s;peak &amp; prate of that that is not within them, but without them; they teach not the te&s;timony of Je&s;us, that &s;hould be the &s;pirit of pro|phecie, but &s;peaks out their lying vanities to deceive, yet taken by the world for teachers of the truth.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 15.16.</NOTE> But <HI>S. Paul</HI> bids other Apo&s;tles not to teach by another mans line, but to get prai&s;e of God; for he that &s;eeketh his prai&s;e of men, or from him&s;elf, is not allowed of God. Such Apo|&s;tles are deceitfull workers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 11.12, 13, 14, 15.</NOTE> that transform them&s;elves into the Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t; and no marvell, for Satan him&s;elf is transformed into an Angel of life: therefore it is no great thing, though his Mini&s;ters transform them|&s;elves as though they were the Mini&s;ters of righteou&s;nes, who&s;e end &s;hall be according to their works.</P>
<P N="1">1. Tin is like &s;ilver in colour, in lu&s;tre; &s;ilver is of a very bright colour, and &s;hineth much, and tin doth re|&s;emble it in the colour and brightne&s;&s;e as much; for we may finde by things made of tin being in &s;hape and form of the &s;ilver ve&s;&s;els, &s;ome are apt to take one for the other, b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ing not in their neer view; &s;o the Mini&s;ter he &s;hineth, and is a &s;pectacle for his whole pari&s;h to look on, and for others where he re&s;orteth, ob&s;erving all the rules of civil carriage and behaviour, a fair out&s;ide, good words, cour|teous, &s;eemingly thankful for courte&s;ies, temperate &s;ober, and ready to give advice, and every way &s;eeming to be of a godlike behaviour, like the painted &s;epulchres that are fair on the out-&s;ide, but within nothing but dead mens bones.</P>
<P N="2">2. Tin is like &s;ilver in its &s;ound, &s;ilver hath a very &s;weet &s;ound to the ear of man, and nothing can pa&s;&s;e it; &s;o the &s;ound that the Mini&s;ter doth make,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.14.</NOTE> is very &s;weet to the ear, for they &s;ound out the great love of God, accord|ing to the letter, and tell of his great mercies, like the &s;ound of the pure word: but where is the true &s;ound of
<PB N="27" REF="18">
the word that &s;oundeth to us, the taking up the Cro&s;&s;e, the &s;ubmitting and yeelding of our wils to Gods will, de|nying our &s;elves, lo&s;ing of our lives: this is bitter, <HI>Durus &s;ermo</HI> to them&s;elves, and cannot &s;ay as <HI>Paul</HI> did, that he rejoyced in the Cro&s;&s;e, that is the &s;weete&s;t &s;ound to the &s;oul, when the my&s;tery of God comes to be revealed by the Cro&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. Tin is like &s;ilver in its weight, herein is &s;ome dif|ference, but yet many times Tin hath not been &s;u pected by wait, when a piece of coin hath been counterfeited by it, it is neer it in the weight of it. So are Mini&s;ters like &s;ilver in the weight, they will &s;peak of as weighty matters and as pre&s;&s;ing, as if the very power of the Lord went a|long with their voices, when it is nothing but a meer pre&s;|&s;ure upon the minde for the pre&s;ent, and makes the me|lancholly man or woman (it may be) &s;ermon-&s;ick. Where is the alteration and change of the minde wrought? It cannot, though they pre&s;&s;e home with loud voices, terri|ble words, dreadfull and threatening quotations, all is nothing, it is but as the weight of Tin. But the word it &s;elf figured to us by &s;ilver, is that that &s;hews its perfect and ab&s;olute weight, when that without (as to the out|ward) makes a greater &s;hew; for when the Temple was builded, there was no noi&s;e of axes and hammers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 6.7.</NOTE> nor any tool el&s;e, while it was building, &s;o the inward work of the word is not by outward hammering, but by a low and &s;till voice into the inward part.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Tin will adulterate with other metals, and mix it &s;elf with them, it will adulterate and mix with bra&s;&s;e, and &s;o it becomes hard, joyning with a hard &s;e|vere metall. So doth the Clergy, they mix and adulte|rate with the power and authority, taking that up|on them they are not called unto by the Lord: wit|ne&s;&s;e the&s;e late times, wherein the Epi&s;copacy had great power and authority to do and undo, upholding by their power t e Bea&s;t and Antichri&s;t, compelling men to ob&s;erve dayes and meats, and the Orders of their Rubrique, who did puni&s;h with as &s;evere a puni&s;h|ment,
<PB N="28" REF="19">
him that did deny Bi&s;hops to be <HI>Jure divino,</HI> as he that &s;hould deny Je&s;us Chri&s;t, or the Father, to be God. Ble&s;&s;ed be God we are delivered from that horrible adul|teration, and &s;o far is tin refined, or melted, nay, in that ca&s;e taken clean away: yet the &s;eed of that power lies in the earthy minde; for the Clergy would (if po&s;&s;ible) bear &s;ome &s;way, but becau&s;e they cannot, they are gotten to be Incendiaries to the Magi&s;trate again&s;t the Innocents, for that the my&s;tery of Antichri&s;t is by them a di&s;cover|ing and laying open to the Beleever, which they cannot endure to hear of, becau&s;e they are the chief concerned in upholding him, it is conceived that they are the great|e&s;t hinderers of the growth of the pure and infallible truth. But what can they do? their power, if they were &s;o many Bi&s;hops, might be re&s;trained: their behaviour concerning marriage heretofore did te&s;tifie what they were,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 76.10.</NOTE> and now they rage: but the rage of man will turn to the prai&s;e of God, and the re&s;t God will re&s;train. <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith of his per&s;ecutors, Why per&s;ecute ye me, as God, is not my fle&s;h &s;ufficient? let them take heed who they per&s;ecute, for Chri&s;t is upon the earth, though not &s;een by them, nor heard out of the pulpit, and God is &s;haking the heavens, they are chiefly to look to it for they are as the pillars of that heaven that &s;hall fade: It is &s;aid, when the Son of man &s;hall come, &s;hall he finde faith on the earth? It is to be doubted, whether there will be any, or no; for the channell begins to be dried up: the Spirits pre&s;ence is not where &s;ome &s;ay it is, and therefore &s;u&s;pect your &s;elves, you that would mix with the authority, take heed of kindling any more fire, if you do, you are like to be burnt in it.</P>
<P>Again, Tin will adulterate and mix with lead. This is a &s;trange thing, that tin &s;uch a &s;hining metall &s;hould de|ba&s;e it &s;elf &s;o to mix: yet &s;o it is, the Clergy will mix them&s;elves with the poor rabble of the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;ea 7.8.</NOTE> tho&s;e that are ignorant, and though not openly profane, yet &s;ecret|ly vile, making them the executioners of their de&s;igned purpo&s;es; what they will not be &s;een to do them&s;elves,
<PB N="29" REF="19">
they encourage and countenance the poor to do, as in the per&s;ecution of the tongue, to mock and deride the poor Northern men, that goes about, &s;peaking words of the kingdom, &s;uch as <HI>Noah</HI> was to the old world, a Preacher of righteou&s;nes. In this matter the Mini&s;ters of the land, &s;hew no &s;pirit of meeknes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.5.</NOTE> neither are they Mini|&s;ters of the Go&s;pel that do not obey the Go&s;pel of our Lord: he &s;aith ble&s;&s;e them that cur<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e, pray for them, that hate you, and per<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ecute you; and they neither ble&s;&s;e nor pray, except they pray to have mi chief fall upon &s;uch as would &s;hew them their blind<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ne&s;&s;e and hypocri&s;ie, which they do di&s;cover by their conver&s;e with the poor: for what is &s;aid unto the poor, weak, and ignorant by them, is voted for good, commended and applauded they &s;peak well of them that know them not; for many do live by the rule of cu&s;tome, and &s;o the Mini&s;ter is honoured more out of ignorance and cu&s;tome, or for &s;ome preingagements, then any other way el&s;e but for&s;owing of pillowes un|der the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e bowes of men of higher degree,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 22.28. Jer. 6.14 8, 11 1 The&s;. 5.3.</NOTE> and &s;peaking peace, when they have no warrant, from the Lord; this makes the rich worldling al&s;o to hold with them, and plead for them.</P>
<P N="3">3 Furthermore, be&s;ides Tin mixing with metals, it doth al&s;o beautifie other metalls, it doth put a fairer glo&s;&s;e and lu&s;ter upon metals, then they have of them&s;elves, it becomes as a coat or a cloake on them, as for example, Tin covering bra&s;&s;e makes it very like Silver, as that we call Alkemy, how many have been deceived by this &s;ort of contrived metals, in ve&s;&s;els, in&s;truments, and in coine, taking it for good Silver when being Bra&s;&s;e, it hath onely a coat of Tin upon it. Thus doth the Clergy, they put another hue and countenance, upon the Magi&s;tracy, then they have of them&s;elves: their a&s;&s;ociating with them, their frequent conver&s;ing with them, their di&s;cour&s;ing with them, and their advizing, and coun&s;elling of them, makes the world, &s;eeing their familiarity, to judge them to be as they are, which &s;uppo&s;e to be the pure metall of Sil|ver, and &s;o as in their judgement they conceive well of
<PB N="30" REF="20">
the Mini&s;ter, &s;o do they of the men in Authority, becau&s;e are together often in conver&s;e, and in di&s;cour&s;e; Thus the world comes to be deceived, to build their confidence up|on hay and &s;tubble, which the fire will con&s;ume, although the prai&s;e the mini&s;ter giveth, makes the party the more in re&s;pect; it is but of the men of the world: but the Al|mighty God knoweth the heart, and that one doth &s;poil and corrupt the other:<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 5.20.</NOTE> for the Mini&s;ters, as well as the old fal&s;e prophets, are apt to call evil good, and good evill, and &s;o there is a wo pronounced again&s;t them.</P>
<P>Again, Tin it doth beautifie iron, and makes it &s;eem as Tin, by which iron, we under&s;tand the worldling, he that is nothing but Iron, that regardeth nothing but the world and the profits of it, it makes him &s;eem to be that he is not, to be as the Tin is, that is, like his Preacher, and his teacher, witne&s;&s;e many wretched worldlings, who&s;e intimacy with their Preachers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos. 3.3.</NOTE> their re&s;orting to him, their familiar &s;ociety, walking and talking with them, as agreed, makes the people of the world to take them for no wor&s;e then their Preachers, although like Iron, they be never &s;o hard and cruell, lying as iron in the earth, un|till the earth hath turned them to earth; Thus doth the Mini&s;try, for their worldly ends, keep company with the men of the world, as long as they live, and &s;ometimes before they die, like Ravens about a bea&s;t, they vi&s;it him often for their prey &s;ake; and when they are dead, they put an eternall fame upon them, worth &s;ometimes five pounds: This good man, this ju&s;t and upright man, this man that loved the word; a con&s;tant hearer, and frequen|ter of the Church, and the Ordinances of God, and chari|table to the poor, as appeareth at his death: he is now in Heaven, after which, if a monument of him <HI>pietas, virtus, &s;anctus,</HI> if not, <HI>&s;ancti&s;&s;imus, &amp;c.</HI> mu&s;t be part of his Epi|taph: and &s;o the mini&s;ters doe not only verni&s;h, and co|lour the worldlings, and the corrupt minded here while living, but indeavor to perpetuate, and eternize their fame, and all this for the &s;ucceding expectation of the like reward: Saint <HI>Paul</HI> became all things, to all men,
<PB N="31" REF="20">
that he might gain &s;ome, that is, &s;ome to Chri&s;t, into the hou&s;e of God, into the Kingdom; but &s;hame it is that Mini&s;ters are become all things to all men, that they might gain &s;ome of the world with them, but to gain them to God, to Chri&s;t, if a &s;ermon or two, once or twice a week will do it, well, if not what care they: they look for their fleece, and therefore they do with their people of eminence, as &s;ervants that flatter their ma&s;ters, fearing their frownes, and that they &s;hall be lo&s;ers, if they &s;peak out their mindes really, and not to their ma&s;ters affecti|on, or to his gaine being asked, is this well don; though perhaps ill don; yea &s;ay they, it is well done or otherwi&s;e if they &s;ay it is be&s;t, or may it be lawfull for me, to do thus or thus, though perhaps unlawfull, &s;aies the &s;ervant know|ing his ma&s;ters affection, and the purpo&s;e of his minde; yea, you may lawfully do it: if otherwi&s;e that the ma&s;ter be cro&s;t, away then; if they &s;peak contrary to their mindes and waies. Should a Mini&s;ter &s;peak again&s;t a rich world<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ing, and come to him as <HI>Nathan</HI> did to <HI>David,</HI> and &s;ay thou art the man, it is as much as his place is worth: witne&s;&s;e certaine places, and towns that might be named, where it is in the power of the chief men of the place: there the preacher mu&s;t be wary.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, it doth colour and &s;et a glo&s;&s;e upon the earth, it makes that to &s;hine: for all the earthen ve&s;&s;els,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 6.</NOTE> that are &s;hining white ve&s;&s;els, they are made &s;o with Tin very fair, clear<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">, and pure to the eye, but the matter chiefly where|of they are made, is earth; The Clergy doth beautifie and colour the earth; and earthly minded people, who as their Di&s;ciples do follow them, making them, to &s;eem that they are not, for they appear to men to pray, to hear, to live orderly among others, when they are but onely civilized, there is nothing within that is changed, the &s;ame that came into the world, the &s;ame remains in|wardly in their hearts; yet hone&s;t men, good men: this is the Tinny approbation, they give them, when poor ig|norant &s;ouls, there is nothing in them but blindene&s;&s;e of minde, darkne&s;&s;e of under&s;tanding, and clean contrary to
<PB N="32" REF="21">
God and his Word, meer earth: They are told by their Mini&s;ter, If they come and hear him, and pray and ob&s;erve their Church duly, they need not be &s;o &s;crupulous, and &s;o full of inquiry, after things that do not concern them, trade&s;men &s;hould not come from off their &s;hopboard and leap into Election and Prede&s;tination,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bi&s;hop <HI>Pearce</HI> of Wells.</NOTE> but follow their callings, &s;o holding them in the outward forme, feeding, cheri&s;hing and nouri&s;hing them in blinde hypocri&s;ie, they cannot percei<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e what the change means,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn. 3.4.</NOTE> like to <HI>Nicodemus,</HI> they wonder at a new birth, and yet they think them&s;elves to be as good Chri&s;tians, as any in the world, they &s;ee them&s;elves to be full,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32.1. I&s;a. 34.1. Jer. 6.19, 22, 29.</NOTE> and to need nothing, but more of the world, that they might provide for their po&s;terity, there is all the care they have, which made the Prophet cry; Earth, earth, earth hear the Word of the Lord.</P>
<P>In their Exerci&s;es they call a P&s;alm, and either they or their Clarke, read a ver&s;e at a time, not too much for fear of cloying them, and &s;weetned being meter; and the peo|ple mu&s;t &s;ing to the prai&s;e and glory of God, That they love the Lord with all their hearts, that Gods Comand|ments are better to them then Gold and Silver, and &s;weeter then the Hony, and Hony Combe, and divers &s;uch words whereas it is not in their hearts. And thus the Almighty God is mocked, by a company of poor &s;oules, that know not what they doe: Yet by the report of their mini&s;ter, they are good Chri&s;tians, he dawbes with un|tempered morter, and laies a little of his Tin upon them and &s;o they pa&s;&s;e for currant. O what a reckoning will here be when the Lord comes to try, and refine the &s;ons of <HI>Levi,</HI> who are re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">emb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ed to Tin, they will be clean taken away, God will have in his temple no other ve&s;&s;els, but Gold and Silver, that they may bring offerings, to the Lord in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; then &s;hall the offerings, both of <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> be acceptable unto the Lord, as in the old time.</P>
<P>Aagain, Tin is a dry metall, and by rea&s;on of its dry|ne&s;&s;e, when it is bended it will creek, tho&s;e that are Mi|nerali&s;ts know this, that Tin of all metalls is dry: Shall it
<PB N="33" REF="21">
be &s;aid that the Clergy is &s;o, it may be &s;aid they are dry and thir&s;ty too; their drine&s;&s;e appeares that they have but little good within them, and their thir&s;t declares that they would draw what they could to them: for their dry|ne&s;&s;e, it appears by their charity, peace, contentation and humility, let them examine them&s;elves, I would none of them, were to be blamed, but found to be Sions builders, yet being my duty, I mu&s;t &s;peak what I know and have found them to be; I charge not all, that are or have, the name of Mini&s;ters, but the corrupt ones they are uncharitable, contentious, greedy, proud, and per|&s;ecuting &s;ome there are; I would &s;et down their good|ne&s;&s;e, if I could perceive any, they are quite dry of all goodne&s;&s;e. But this is not all, they are thir&s;ty, that is, they are covetous, their de&s;ire above all is large, for they de&s;ire rich Benefices, fair hou&s;es, farmes, dairies, land, li|ving, &s;tore of tithes, all mens good will, their &s;ervants, their cattell, their gold, and &s;ilver, what not: if the&s;e be not like Tin in its drine&s;&s;e, then no men are: But they are &s;o, and therefore the Lord will melt-them. We may ob|&s;erve that in the Temple, there was much Gold &amp; Silver, Bra&s;&s;e, and Iron u&s;ed, but no Tin: in the new heaven,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 21.1.</NOTE> and new earth that coms dowen from God, there will be no Tin: this Tin was never found but where Apo&s;tacy was, and when Almighty God, removeth away our Apo&s;tacy, then will he take away all our Tin.</P>
<P>Again, Tin, when it is bended, it will creek, and cry, it makes a noi&s;e, and by that &s;igne many knowes it to be Tin, and different from mixt metals; will Tin, when it is bowed and bended creek and cry? And what do the Cler|gy, when things goes contrary to their outward peace and welfare, how do they cry till a deliverance comes, till a repair is made; this is &s;ufficiently experienced, what ex|cellent &s;hifts they u&s;e? above all men, that lo&s;t in the late warrs, they were &s;oone&s;t repaired; they will not ly long in a trouble, or in adver&s;ity, but they will cry to their gods, whether favourers of Epi&s;copacy, or Presbytery, they are &s;ure to &s;peed, rather then not, they will pa&s;&s;e upon them a
<PB N="34" REF="22">
Romi&s;h &s;entence, which &s;ome poor Ignoramu&s;&s;es, &s;tand in fear of, and helpes them; out of his tender minde: (&s;aith he) a mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell! There be many &s;uch canonized for Saints, that have done much for the wor&s;t Mini&s;ters, which is to their further hardening. I mu&s;t &s;ay of them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 6.5.</NOTE> as our Saviour Chri&s;t &s;aid, verily they have their reward; they have it already, it is in their po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, they have all they &s;hall have; let them look for no more, for the unrighteous, &s;hall not enter into, the King|dome of Heaven.</P>
<P>What a do is there now, with the Clergy, there is news that their kingdom is at end, that there is no need of them, that they are Seducers, and Deceivers, that they preach for hire, here is a great matter to bow them, and bend them, to make them creek and cry: and do they not? Survey their demeanour under this &s;trange Acade|my: they do cry out amain, they travell much, they &s;pend their &s;pirits much more then they did; having mended their pace, they &s;ay we are all undone, if this light do con|tinue. If they cannot blow it out, they cry for help, help Judge, help Magi&s;trate, help Ju&s;tice, help Lawyer, help common men, help poor, help rabble and ra&s;cality: (I had almo&s;t forgot) they cry for help to their God too, and that at all publike occa&s;ions and meetings: (I cannot a&s;|&s;ure them that the almighty God will hear them,) al|though &s;ome men of authority do hear them: my advice is from the Lord to them, Let all fle&s;h be &s;ilent be|fore the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 2.13.</NOTE> for he is rai&s;ed out of his holy place:</P>
<P>Fiftly, Tin, it will receive any impre&s;&s;ion ea&s;ily: <HI>Filius Dei</HI> was once &s;tampt on the clergy, when the &s;ons of <HI>Levi:</HI> Since, was <HI>Jure Divino</HI> on &s;ome; &amp; on others, &s;uch a Lords Chaplain. They were at the beginning only Prophets, and Prie&s;ts, but of late, they have been (leaving out the Ro|mi&s;h Catalogue) Bi&s;hops, Doctours, Bachelours, and Ma|&s;ters; As Tin will ea&s;ily receive any &s;tamp, cognizance, or badge, &s;o will the Clergy, imbrace any place or name, any title what&s;oever, to make their benefit great; Yet in all
<PB N="35" REF="22">
this, and notwith&s;tanding all other impre&s;&s;ions, they claim the old &s;tamp, <HI>Filius Dei:</HI> although they be not Sil|ver, but a mixt deceiveable metal, &s;o that they are in the world like unto bad coine: which when &s;ome &s;ee the &s;tamp, they own the peece for good; being afterwards, upon better view, or advice of others found to be bad, and that no experienced party will meddle with it for good, as it &s;o pa&s;t before, then there is a &s;tir and a mi&s;chief, being a lo&s;&s;e and a detriment to him, that received and took it for good: Even &s;o the &s;tudied doctrines, and &s;peeches, which is &s;quee&s;ed through the corrupt braines of &s;ome called Divines, and brought through multitudes of words of Art, Eloquence, and Philo&s;ophy, which is not con&s;i|&s;tent with the minde of God, who is the Eternal, and mo&s;t holy God; make much mi&s;chief in the world, among the &s;ons of men, now. In&s;omuch that men that are truly and purely inlightened, will not medle with it, and likewi&s;e doth forbid their brethren, to have any thing to do with it, knowing and under&s;tanding, how formerly they were at a lo&s;&s;e by it, and that &s;hortly all &s;uch, yea &s;uch ba&s;e mixtures, and deceiveable coine, &s;hall be called in by the Great Supreme Commander, who will melt it, and refine it, (for there is little ba&s;e coine but Tin is in it.)</P>
<P>Again, as Tin will receive any impre&s;&s;ion, &s;o it will not hold the hammering, it is not malleable, it will not indure &s;trokes, as other metals, but it will break, and tear. So will the Clergy, when any &s;troke comes upon them, it rents them from their people, they then for&s;ake their flock; reduce a hundred to fifty, they are gone: They will not be pliable to yeeld to the per&s;wa&s;ions of any, but of their own Tribe, and rather then they would turn, they would if their power might, limit God, the Holy One of I&s;rael; and do now breathe out impo&s;&s;ibilities of things, that will come to pa&s;&s;e, pleading; That this corrupted, defiled, and Apo&s;tate Church now being,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 1.6.</NOTE> is the very true Church of God, and that they are, as the Apo&s;tles in the Primitive times were, and that who&s;oever doth for&s;ake them, for&s;akes their mother, and that there is no happi|ne&s;&s;e
<PB N="36" REF="23">
in departing away from them to be expected; for that that is out of it, concerning Gods wor&s;hip, is here|ticall, and abominable, (Can the vote of a Synod, be &s;uch a vote, if there were one) I doubt it? for the &s;ober mode&s;t Preacher, and the rebaptized, conclude that the Church vi&s;ible, is not clean&s;ed as it &s;hould be, or may be: if it were, then <HI>Quor&s;um haec di&s;pendia,</HI> what means all this &s;tir, more then ever? what meanes the complaints, &s;uch various Judgements and Opinions? what means &s;o &s;o much burnings, one again&s;t another? enquire out the author, and the cau&s;e of it: Is not God by this, beginning to refine his people is not he a gathering of his people to|gether, that were &s;cattered, doth not the great day of the Lord, begin to dawn? But I am &s;peaking to them, that care not to hear; for of all men, the wor&s;t man, is a bad Mini&s;ter, (the Schools will &s;ay that). I know not, where|in they are the wor&s;t, except it be in matter of turning. It is a &s;ad thing for a Leader to retreat, for a Teacher, to un|teach, for a mini&s;ter to change, Oh no, it is again&s;t his cre|dit. The good Propher <HI>Jona</HI> was faulty in this, but what became of him, you may read, a heavy puni&s;hment: the like &s;ad things, may come upon &s;uch, as now raile, revile, and per&s;ecute, tho&s;e men that now &s;ay, that the Lord will &s;uppre&s;&s;e all the teachings of men, and that there is a light, in every man, that directs him to obedience: &s;hall poor vile wretched man, &s;ay out of his unbelief, God can|not this way bring men to him&s;elf: but it mu&s;t be, by the ancient Apo&s;tatized way? be &s;ilent for ever, and let God alone, in his mo&s;t wonderfull Changings.</P>
<P>Sixtly, Tin is a metall that will con&s;ume by fire, and come to a&s;hes contrary to other metals, Gold and Silver will not con&s;ume; neither will Bra&s;&s;e con&s;ume by fire, wa&s;te it will. But Tin will &s;uddenly be con&s;umed, and then all the lu&s;ter, the glory and brightne&s;&s;e of it is gone, and cannot appear any more, happy were it, that the me&s;|&s;engers of the Lord, as they call them&s;elves, were as Sil|ver, that their lu&s;ter might continue, as &s;hall the lu&s;ter and glory of the Word, the Son of God: But there is a
<PB N="37" REF="23">
time of fading, peri&s;hing, and con&s;uming of all the glory of Tin, and &s;o there will be, of all the Shinings, Glo&s;&s;ings, Gli&s;terings, Soundings, Likene&s;&s;es, Adulterations, Sha|dowes, Mixings, Coverings, &amp; Impre&s;&s;ions, which are not purely of &amp; from the Lord: but begotten in the corrupt minde, artificially, through the skill of vain man beautifi|ed, adorned, and &s;et out as the glory of the eternall God, &s;eeming to be as the Lords golden candle&s;ticks;<NOTE PLACE="marg">The a&s;hes of Tin &s;erves to &s;cour iron, &s;tone, and o|ther things.</NOTE> but the Lord will con&s;ume all with the breath of his mouth, and make the a&s;hes of it, as the a&s;hes of Tin &s;erveth, to clear and to make bright other ve&s;&s;els, in&s;truments and tools which may &s;erve in his hou&s;e for the future.</P>
<P>Hear then, all you that boa&s;t of your callings, that are not called of the Lord, as <HI>Paul</HI> he &s;aith, that he was by the will of God, and not by the will of man; you (I &s;ay) that are called by the will of man, and of men, to be &s;peakers, and teachers, or mini&s;ters, know this, that Je|&s;us Chri&s;t is the Mini&s;ter of reconciliation, and the onely teacher of his people, and you are the intruders among his people, taking up that liberty to your &s;elves that belongeth not to you; being you know not what you &s;ay, nor the word you &s;peak, nor the Go&s;pel that you profe&s;&s;e, and pretend you preach to the world; for the Go&s;pel is hid to them that peri&s;h, and if you be in that peri&s;hing and con&s;uming condition, wo be to you from the Lord. Deceive not your &s;elves in the&s;e la&s;t times, wherein God in great love comes to manife&s;t him&s;elf unto his: think not that the old ve&s;&s;els of Tin can now &s;tand, that hath held all manner of mo&s;t filthy poi&s;on for this many yeers, and that the boa&s;ting of bare ignorance &amp; hypocri&s;ie can uphold them. Hath not the outward vi&s;ible Church, &s;ince the primitive Saints, been apo&s;tatized and corrupted this many hundred yeers? Do you conceive that the lopping of &s;ome boughs off the tree, that hath ever &s;ince brought forth bad fruit, will &s;erve the turn? No, no, the tree it &s;elf mu&s;t be cut down and ca&s;t into the fire, the corrupt and dro&s;&s;ie metals mu&s;t be refined. This the Almighty will do, he will gather his jewels and his wheat, his
<PB N="38" REF="24">
Saints, he will gather them together, and there &s;hall be one Shepherd, and one &s;heepfold, there &s;hall be no more hirelings that do for&s;ake the &s;heep when the woolfe cometh, for fear of their own per&s;ons; but the Lord God will be their everla&s;ting light and defence, amid&s;t all their enemies.</P>
<P>Is it Gods complaint, that his people are Tin? it con|cerns all to look about, although by his Prophets he complains onely again&s;t the Prophets that &s;inned again&s;t him, and al&s;o the Prie&s;ts for their behaviour towards him and his people, as by the re&s;emblance of tin is at large &s;et forth; yet other people, inclining to the wayes of the Prophets and the Prie&s;ts, are herein al&s;o concerned: Some there are that put their tru&s;t and confidence in the &s;ayings and doings of others for them&s;elves, and not wil|ling to romage their inner man, to get a te&s;timony of their own; but rely on the preaching, praying, and prai|&s;ings of God, by tho&s;e Prophets and Prie&s;ts lips, being content to hazard their eternall welfare, not caring in their inward and invi&s;ible part, to an&s;wer and obey the light that acquaints them with their condition, and &s;o live without the evidence and a&s;&s;urance of their eternall welfare. Fools and blinde, can you be content to lie down, and be &s;atisfied with the bare name of Chri&s;tians, and not prove your &s;elves to be &s;o in very deed? You &s;hould work out your &s;alvation with fear and trembling;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 13.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> but, like <HI>Felix,</HI> you do not care for to tremble, you will hear of that another time, and &s;o put it off untill you have no time left, and then your trembling &s;hall have no end; let not your religion be of that &s;ort, that hath no union, or communion with God;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5.13.</NOTE> if it be &s;o, it is like that &s;alt that is un&s;avoury, that is not good for any thing, but for the dunghill: but let your religion be that of the Saints of old, that could &s;ay, The Lord is my habitation. When we can truly &s;ay, I finde Chri&s;t liveth in me, then &s;hall we be able to draw conclu&s;ions of Gods love in all con|ditions, either of pro&s;perity, or adver&s;ity, and in it &s;hall behold with great joy, through the Cro&s;&s;e, our dignity
<PB N="39" REF="24">
that we are called the &s;ons of God: then &s;hall we finde within our &s;elves the pure &s;alt that pre&s;erveth us, being in the fle&s;h, as naturall &s;alt doth keep fle&s;h from tainting, &s;o &s;hall we be kept holy and blamele&s;&s;e, till the coming of the Lord.</P>
<P>In the third place, let us &s;ee how I&s;rael is Iron, and how the people of traffique, Merchants, men of com|merce and trade, their exerci&s;e being to the &s;upport of their Nation, City, Town, or place, where they dwell or inhabit, are re&s;embled to iron.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Iron is a metall that is very hard and &s;trong, and is of very great u&s;e to the main bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the world, of|ficiating various and &s;undry kindes of &s;everall &s;ervices and u&s;es.</P>
<P>Secondly, it is a metal, that notwith&s;tanding its &s;trength and &s;erviceablene&s;&s;e, is &s;ubject above all metals to ru&s;t, to lo&s;e not onely his beauty and colour, but to lo&s;e its &s;trength; yea, utterly all, and its very &s;ub&s;tance changed and turned into earth.</P>
<P>This metall of iron, there is no dealing with it with|out the fire, and with the fire it is very yeelding, to the bringing forth, or making of any in&s;trument, tool, or thing what&s;oever is nece&s;&s;ary for building, fencing, fra|ming, foiling, &s;ecuring, drawing, cutting, hammering, delving, plowing, and all kindes of working, in&s;omuch that there is no bu&s;ine&s;&s;e concerning the world, but there, to the doing of that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, iron, and things and in&s;tru|ments made of iron, both on the land and on the &s;ea are attending.</P>
<P>The which doth &s;et forth unto us the great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e and &s;ervice that the men of the world doth, as in the world, and to and for the love and &s;ake of the world one|ly: by them many great de&s;ignes and enterpri&s;es are brought to pa&s;&s;e of merchandizing, and trading, and commerce; as al&s;o much manufactory, husbandry, til|lage, and labours, wherein is &s;een to the outward, the great providence of God in the world, in di&s;po&s;ing of all the affairs of men, in their outward adventures and their
<PB N="40" REF="25">
more hard labours; &s;ome men &s;itting &s;till, and living up|on the adventures and labours of others, and others la|bouring and endevouring them&s;elves with much hard|&s;hip to maintain them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Is iron a very hard and &s;trong metall? So are the peo|ple of trade and merchandi&s;e, and all other &s;ignified by iron; they are hard, not ea&s;ily plied and bowed, they are hard in their bargains, dealings, hirings, and paying of wages; they are &s;trong, for they have great &s;ub&s;tance, much art and cunning, and do gain great profits, po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ions, and inheritances, having the exerci&s;e of buying and &s;elling all commodities u&s;efull for men.</P>
<P>As the Lord doth complain again&s;t them he &s;ets up in authority, and again&s;t his Prophets; &s;o doth he com|plain again&s;t others of his people, who were &s;et by him, and appointed in callings, to furni&s;h the Nations with things convenient for the outward nece&s;&s;ity of man, and here &s;ayes they are iron, they are as hard as iron, they will not ply (&s;aith the Lord) nor bow to me, but are a &s;tiff-necked people, a &s;tubborn and a gain-&s;aying people, a people that have deaf ears, blinde eyes, hard hearts, as deaf as the deaf adder, that will not hear the voice of the Charmer charm he never &s;o wi&s;ely; that walk according to the &s;tubbornne&s;&s;e of their own hearts, and their rebel|lious wils and under&s;tandings; and &s;uch Chri&s;t &s;pake of in his time, They will not come to me that they might have life: and others that will not come to the fea&s;t, they are &s;et and re&s;olved, and firmly determine, they will not yeeld, &s;ubmit, and bow. And as they are hard and &s;tiff, that they will yeeld no obedience to God, &s;o likewi&s;e they are hard and cruell to their brethren in their bargains and dealings, e&s;pecially to their poor; they have no re&s;pect to equity, but to great gain, and herein they do u&s;e lying, deceit, guil, over-reaching, and oppre&s;&s;ion, the one to the other; and as the more hard iron doth cut the &s;oft iron, and makes it to be fit in&s;tru|ments for u&s;es and purpo&s;es, &s;o doth the hard and cruell man, he cuts his neighbour not onely in his out&s;ide, but
<PB N="41" REF="25">
in his very inward, nay, to the taking of away the very marrow of his poor neighbours bones: they are hard and cruell in their hiring of poor men, waiting and taking all the advantages that may be, to &s;crew them and bring them to work &s;o low, that they cannot maintain them|&s;elves, nor their families: they are hard in paying of wages, concerning the time and the place, not when they mo&s;t need, or at the mo&s;t convenient place, but put|ting them to the wor&s;t every way, to make them the more &s;erviceable and tendable upon them. Some there be that do abate the poor man of his wages, or pay him in bad coin, or bad commodity. Thus, thus do the people deal that are &s;ignified by iron, and re&s;embled to iron, wherein large complaints might be made again&s;t them.</P>
<P>Again, they are &s;trong, they have great &s;ub&s;tance and much art; they are &s;till gaining great profits, inheritan|ces and lands, having the exerci&s;e of buying and &s;elling. God made man righteous, but he hath &s;ought out many inventions; herein, in the traffique, merchandi&s;e, and trading of the world, is &s;een much of the wickedne&s;&s;e of men: Fir&s;t, man makes him&s;elf &s;trong by owning other gods, he is &s;trong in his own might, making his merchan|di&s;e, his trade, or his calling to be as his god; in it he puts his confidence and his tru&s;t more then in God. I would I could not &s;ay it, but true it is, that the worldly man doth put his tru&s;t in his merchandi&s;e, in his trade, in his husbandry in his manufactory, in his cunning, in his craft, in his deceit: hence it is, that &s;ome places and hou&s;es, that are and have been, are called hou&s;es of de|ceit; it is a very &s;ad thing being well con&s;idered that any man &s;hould profe&s;&s;e him&s;elf to be a Chri&s;tian, and relie, confide, and wholly put his tru&s;t in his outward calling for the &s;upport and maintaining of his family, not tru&s;ting God in the lea&s;t, but to wall in, to him&s;elf, all po&s;&s;ible things within his own reach, to his vi&s;ible eye, for to er e him not onely from wanting, but to get an e&s;tate&punc; and to make him<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">elf great by deceit.</P>
<P>Secondly, man becomes &s;trong when he hath attained
<PB N="42" REF="26">
his own de&s;ires, and brought to pa&s;&s;e his own ends. Re|&s;olution to be rich (being accompli&s;hed) makes the heart as &s;trong as iron; for rea&s;on gives to man, that if once he hath gotten, he may keep what he hath gotten, and &s;o poor blinde man, having gotten a &s;ub&s;tance, doth glory in it, and boa&s;t of it, it may be not without &s;ome verball ex|pre&s;&s;ions of the ble&s;&s;ing of God to him in his trade, or his way that he did exerci&s;e him&s;elf in: But he is &s;trong, he is able for great undertakings, and to give a&s;&s;i&s;tance to others; he is &s;trong, fearing no change, no alteration, he hath enough to maintain him&s;elf and his, he is not be|holding to any, others are to him; he is &s;trong concern|ing the noble atchievements, in bringing about great de|&s;ignes, whereby many poor is &s;et on work, much bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e, as to the livelihoods of many, is generated and born out of his care and ca&s;ting about in the &s;everall un|dertakings of him&s;elf, that it is merit &s;ufficient for him to do &s;o much publike good, crying peace to him&s;elf, in the &s;atisfaction of his earthly minde, that becau&s;e of his conceived publike good he doth, carrying a greater coun|tenance then other mens bu&s;ine&s;&s;e doth in the world, he ble&s;&s;eth him&s;elf in his own imagination, &amp; &s;o becoms &s;trong, but not according as S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, Be &s;trong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.</P>
<P>Thirdly, man becomes &s;trong in his own conceit, that after he hath gained an e&s;tate, and is the means of much employment of others to get their living, then man comes to preferment, to honour and dignity, to have many friends, to have all men to &s;peak well of him, and to be friendly to him, to afford him any &s;ervice and re|&s;pect, to prai&s;e him and to pray for him: <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aith, The rich have many friends, but the poor is hated of his neighbour: the worldly rich man, what can he de&s;ire more: when he hath gotten that that makes him &s;trong, he needs not to fear, nor to be afraid what evil can come to him; he is &s;afe, he is well provided for, (as the word is.) Thus we &s;ee how worldly men, rich men, are of the &s;trength of iron, &s;trong every way to their hearts de&s;ire;
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&s;urely the&s;e &s;trong men may be concerned in the &s;peech of our Saviour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 11.22.</NOTE> when the &s;trong man keeps the hou&s;e all things are at peace; but when a &s;tronger than he cometh upon him, then he taketh from him all his armour wherein he tru&s;ted, and divideth his &s;poils: when men come to attain, be&s;ides the worldly contentments, &s;ome inward peace that nothing doth di&s;turb them, di&s;quiet them, or ail them, then they are &s;trong and able in their own imagination, to overthrow power, to vanqui&s;h all things that &s;hall ri&s;e up again&s;t them: Even then in the height of all this, there is &s;orrow in the mid&s;t of laugh|ter, weakne&s;&s;e in the mid&s;t of &s;trength. There is an over|ruling power and &s;trength that &s;ees the folly and mad|ne&s;&s;e of men, to think them&s;elves &s;trong, and wi&s;e, and rich, when they are weak, fooli&s;h, and poor; for God will bla&s;t all the &s;trength of men, and they &s;hall know that the Lord is onely &s;trong.</P>
<P>Again, as iron is a metall of great u&s;e &amp; much &s;trength, &s;o it is a metall that is very &s;ubject to ru&s;t, and to come to earth again.</P>
<P>Iron is a metall that will not mix with other metals, yet it may be gilded, &s;ilver'd, and tinn'd: workmen do make many &s;undry &s;orts of things of iron, the which is gilded, and &s;ilver'd, and tinn'd.</P>
<P>That iron which is gilded, doth &s;et out to us tho&s;e worldly people, men of the world that are very high in profe&s;&s;ion and in &s;eeming practice, as if they were the very &s;ons of God, and of the&s;e men now, there is the greate&s;t talk and the greate&s;t &s;tir, and the greate&s;t plague will fall upon them; for they are not as the three&s;core queens that <HI>Salomon</HI> in the Canticles &s;peaks of, but as the four<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">core Concubines, they are in &s;hew &s;uch as are married to the Lord, that are e&s;pou&s;ed to him; but in truth they love other gods be&s;ides, therefore they are iron for its &s;trength, and as gilded iron in re pect of their ex|ceeding fair &s;hew among men: I would our Nation had but a few of the&s;e, le&s;&s;e than four&s;core, but I fear there are thou&s;ands &s;peaking according to the capacity of men.
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Would there were not thou&s;ands of them among the Presbyterians. But what &s;hall I name them? may not there be &s;ome among the Independants, among the ba|ptized Churches, and among the people called Quakers; the&s;e people compared to gilded iron are not to be found otherwhere; for they have prote&s;ted again&s;t the common Prote&s;tant and Epi&s;copali&s;t, be&s;ides all other religions of that &s;ort. O wo, wo, wo from the Lord a|gain&s;t all &s;uch that have &s;uch co&s;tly and golden coverings, and meer iron within, that &s;eem above other profe&s;&s;ours and practi&s;ers, not onely to be changed, but to be ange|lized; not onely to be civilized, but to be (as it were) deified. The&s;e, the&s;e are hypocrites with a witne&s;&s;e, which the Lord is now &s;hewing to the world, he is unco|vering and taking away their gilt, and they &s;hall &s;hew and appear what their in&s;ide is: The&s;e are the wor&s;t of all men, like to the Devil, that can transform him&s;elf into an Angel of light; of the&s;e I will &s;ay no more, but what is &s;aid of them, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.26. For if we &s;in willingly after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more &s;acrifice for &s;in, but a fearfull looking for of judgement, and violent fire which &s;hall de|vour the adver&s;ary.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6.4, 6, 7, &amp;c.</NOTE> Again, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.4. there are terrible things for the Apo&s;tate.</P>
<P>Again, that iron which is &s;ilver'd, are another &s;ort of profe&s;&s;ours in the world, who are not upon &s;o high a &s;train as the other, but yet they are not according to their &s;hew, they are as <HI>Martha</HI> was, that was cumbered with much bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, but <HI>Mary</HI> had cho&s;en the better part, which &s;hall never be taken away, the gold and the &s;ilver, that is as a covering to iron, &s;hall by means of lying on the iron wear away; for the iron will &s;hew it &s;elf, and break tho|row its covering: The&s;e &s;orts of people are a worldly peo|ple but yet they are full of the Word in their mouths, al|wayes, talking of God, his word, and of religion; but they have not the power of it in their hearts, they are onely in &s;hew; for the&s;e do per&s;ecute people that live in the power and life of what they do profe&s;&s;e, which doth
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manife&s;t by that, that they are enemies to the Cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t. To be Silver without, and Iron within, is much like to that fooli&s;h builder, not building his hou&s;e on a Rock, but on the Sands; when the windes came, and the rain fell, it bla&s;ted not onely the glory of the profe&s;|&s;ion, but the very hou&s;e it &s;elfe fell, for when the wea|ther of affliction comes, it weares away the &s;ilvering, and then the Iron that ru&s;teth, and becomes earth, and &s;o all is worth nothing?</P>
<P>Secondly, Iron is &s;ubiect above all metalls to ru&s;t, and &s;o loo&s;es not onely his beauty and his colour, but al&s;o his &s;trength yea his very &s;ub&s;tance, for by lying in the earth, it is turned unto earth.</P>
<P>Iron, never &s;o well cleaned and beautified, will lo&s;e his colour, let it be from the fire, the fire doth pre&s;erve it &s;tanding, or being u&s;ed neer it. So long as the fire of God anger is neer the worldling, &s;o long is he of a bright hue, and countenance, and &s;ome appearance of God is in him: But when his corrupt heart, joyneth it &s;elf to earth, or to the waters, that is to lie in the earth, in his earthly and carnall minde, and not be brought out of it, but there remains &s;till, in its own element, it becomes afterwards, to be very earth it &s;elf, by ru&s;ting in it.</P>
<P>How is the worldling by loving the world, cleaving to it, and delighting in it, loving it with all his heart, with all his minde, with all his &s;oul, with all his &s;trength exerci&s;ing all his under&s;tanding, art, cunning, and wi&s;|dome, in the pro&s;ecution of it, adding more and more to his de&s;ire, and to his endeavours &s;till un&s;atisfied? &s;o that in the end, he becomes infinite in his de&s;ires being with|out bounds, or limits, no word or coun&s;ell can re&s;train him, but colours the unmea&s;urable de&s;ire, of &s;till obtain|ing, with the &s;hew of good husbandry, and thrift, and therein thinks he doth God good &s;ervice, in the exerci&s;ing of his talent, and pleads for his mo&s;t covetous and wretched practi&s;es, which is the height of all wickednes, to plead for it, and to defend it, again&s;t all the per&s;wa|&s;ions
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that can be urged: So that the lying in this earthly minde and will, without any remor&s;e at all, makes him to be very earth, he is eaten up and devoured of his own earthly, &s;en&s;uall, and worldly pur&s;uings, that there is no|thing of God in him, neither of Religion, being thus cen|tured, hence it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that being pre&s;ent at any meeting, where any thing of God is &s;poken, though he be pre&s;ent in body, he is ab&s;ent in minde, and either his minde wanders, &amp; his thoughts runs out into the world, or el&s;e heavie, and &s;leepy, in &s;uch places, and at &s;uch ex|erci&s;es, declaring plainly, that he hath no love at all to God, his Word, or Religion; the talke of it is tedious to him, he cannot bear it; it is to him, as an un&s;avoury, or an unreli&s;hable di&s;h of meat, being offen&s;ive to him, it mu&s;t be taken from him; or el&s;e he will de|part.</P>
<P>Lamentable is the ca&s;e of worldlings, in re&s;pect of their loving the trea&s;ure of the world; whereas being men made with a face directed to look upward, they look downwards, alwaies groveling in the earth like bea&s;ts. And this is not all; but there are &s;ome, who live and cen|ter them&s;elves, in the pride and plea&s;ure of the world: what the world affords them, they do embrace it, and make their chief delight and joy in it: the proud man that is proud of his e&s;tate, means, lands, livings, friends, or his place or office is here concernd, in this re&s;emblance of iron, and he living here, in the onely &s;ervice of his volun|tary and high minde, ad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ancing him&s;elf above others, and thinking him&s;elf, in his proud conceit, to be better then others, &s;taveth off from him&s;elf all good, coun&s;ell to hu|mility, that in the end he is &s;wallowed up, into &s;uch an extream deluge of pride, being hardened in it, that no|thing will work upon him; his ru&s;t and filth of his proud minde doth devour him. The like may be &s;aid of &s;uch as give them&s;elves up wholly to plea&s;ure, and can &s;ee no benefit at all to them&s;elves, but onely the plea&s;ure; yea, the plea&s;ure that the world yeeldeth them, that they take as their portion, and dreams of a Heaven that is of &s;uch
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like condition. Beware oh ye that love plea&s;ure more then God, for your end is damnation, and while you live thus, not owning God, or the plea&s;ure: and plea&s;ant|ne&s;&s;e of His countenance, you are &s;o ru&s;ted with lying in plea&s;ure, that nothing but earth, and the tran&s;itorine&s;&s;e of that plea&s;ure &s;hall be your reward, and are devoured by that wherein your fle&s;h delighted.</P>
<P>Doth God complain that his people are Iron, great cau&s;e there is for it, for the greate&s;t part of the world are as Iron, hard and &s;tiffe cruel and &s;trong, worldly, covetous, proud, and living in plea&s;ure; con&s;ider this ye that do for|get God, le&s;t he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you, although you are as &s;trong, and as hard as Iron, the Lord can finde away to weaken and &s;often you, the fire of his wrath will do it, there is nothing too hard for the Lord: hath he &s;aid and &s;hall it not be done. Break off therefore your &s;ins by repentance, and your iniquities by &s;hewing of mercy: be liberall and bountifull in the di&s;tri|bution of what God hath given you to the poor make not the earth your own, it is the Lords, and he giveth it to the &s;ons of men, Boa&s;t not of any worldly thing, it is all va|nity, your wi&s;dom, your &s;trength, your riches, honour and dignity, and all &s;hall pa&s;&s;e away as a vaine thing.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccles. 2.</NOTE> <HI>So|lomon</HI> had all his heart could de&s;ire, of all the plea&s;urable things of the world, and when he had con&s;idered all, he &s;aw all to be vanity, and vexation of &s;pirit, and that there is no profit under the Sun.</P>
<P>Fourthly, and la&s;tly, let us &s;ee how I&s;rael is &s;aid to be Lead, in the poor, mean, and people of low de|gree.</P>
<P>Lead is a metal that is &s;oft and waighty, it is pliable, and will receive any impre&s;&s;ion, and it hath &s;ilver contain|ed in it, not to be &s;een: it is al&s;o malleable:</P>
<P>Of all the former metals, this hath the lea&s;t e&s;teem yet the be&s;t metall, con&s;idering the good qualities of it, being &s;oft, and pliable, and retaining &s;omething of &s;ilver.</P>
<P N="1">1 Is Lead &s;oft and pliable, &s;o are the poor of the world, they are &s;oft in their an&s;wers, as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, A &s;oft word
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appea&s;eth &s;trife: it is not for a poor man to &s;tirre up &s;trife, his care is to peace, gi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ing good words, diligent atten|dance &s;uffering wrong; he is &s;oft, being gentle, and &s;ub|mi&s;&s;ive, he is &s;oft, in being friendly and &s;erviceab e every way a poor man is &s;oft, not rough, nor rigid, nor high minded, as the former &s;orts of men, exemplified by other &s;orts of metals are.</P>
<P N="2">2 A poor man is al&s;o pliable as lead, you may winde him&punc; and turn him any way, put him to any bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">ne&s;&s;e, &s;peak any thing to him, he is content to be of anothers judgement, being ignorant, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">oon per&s;waded, do any thing for a livelyhood.</P>
<P N="3">3 Again, a poor man, like as lead will receive any impre&s;&s;ion any &s;tamp; call him what you will any title &s;erves him, he bears it becau&s;e he cannot avoid it he is al|&s;o as Lead malleable; the hammer will fa&s;hion him to any thing; to this condition or to that, to any forme.</P>
<P>In all the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e qualifications the poor &s;eemeth to be the be&s;t of all. Mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">t true it is, that there are a &s;ort of poor, that in all the equalities, do appear in the world beyond the men of the world, (whom our precedent di&s;cour&s;e hath made mention of): for the wi&s;dom of Almighty God is &s;uch that he knoweth what is be&s;t for us, and to &s;ome, in his great and rich love, doth he give a very &s;mall pittance of the outward things of this life, that being hereby pinched they might be &s;till calling to God, who is the giver of all things meat, and drink apparell, hou|&s;es, and other nece&s;&s;aries, they are gifts of God; <HI>Dantur bonis quia non mala, dantur malis qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">a non bona,</HI> good men may be bettered by them, and e ill men may be made wor&s;e however it be, yet God is good, and loving to I&s;|raell and to all them that are true of heart; they &s;hall want nothing that is good for them. Ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">h God appointed the poor to &s;erve the rich, and are they th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">s p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">t and gentle, unto their earthly ma&s;ters, Let us by them, yea, let all the great ones of the world, learn to be p ia|ble to their Maker, in all t ings, as the poor man is to his ma&s;ter, be willing to go, to come, to be ea&s;ily
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per&s;waded by the Word of our God, and not to live being ignorant according to our own judgements, and under|&s;tandings, but according to the will of our God:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 7<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>David</HI> when he &s;aw the pro&s;perity of the wicked, he was ca&s;t down, and thought he had clean&s;ed him&s;elf in vain, But afterwards, when he had been at the Sanctuary of God, he under&s;tood, &amp;c. and &s;aid, Thou wilt guide me with thy coun&s;ell, and after that receive me to Glory; In this, let us learn of the poor, and be poor in &s;pirit, for they &s;hall in|herit the Kingdom of God: the poor takes any impre&s;&s;ion, call him what you will, he is not angry neither offended; &s;o &s;hould it be with us, take all manner of wrongs and in|juries patiently, not &s;eeking revenge, but be Mal eable, un|der the hammer of God, to be beaten, and fa&s;hioned to what he will have us to be.</P>
<P>Again, Lead is waighty, and in that quality it is like Gold, for that is the weightie&s;t of all metals. But this lead being a waighty and heavie metall, it &s;erveth in the world to make weights, wherewith mo&s;t commodities that are &s;old by weight, are weighed and ballanced. So are they, the poor of the world, they are as the weights wherewith the dealings of men, one with another, and towards them&s;elves, are by them weighed, and con&s;ider|ed; all their unju&s;t actions, their oppre&s;&s;ions, fraud, in|juries, and hard dealing is by them &s;een, and felt, and known more then to others; for by &s;uch means, men are made poor, and kept &s;o: and therefore the pre&s;&s;ure of it lying on them chiefly, it is by them weighed, and con|&s;idered, and al&s;o by them judged, cen&s;ured, and exe|crated,</P>
<P>Lead al&s;o is waighty in another re&s;pect, and that is in re&s;pect of the poor them&s;elves, being heavie, and bur|den&s;ome, to the places, they are and do remain in: &s;ome of them, being aged, lame, impotent and blind, and de|&s;titute; the&s;e poor are chargeable, and burden&s;ome, and &s;uch as the&s;e, are alwaies in the world, and to be provi|ded for.</P>
<P>Thete is al&s;o poor that are vagarants, rogues, theeves,
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and poor pri&s;oners; the which are trouble&s;ome, to the Common Wealth, and burden&s;ome where they are; the&s;e the civil Magi&s;trate &s;hould take in hand to re&s;train, pu|ni&s;h, and &s;uppre&s;&s;e:</P>
<P>Here we &s;ee, that the poor here under&s;tood by the me|tall Lead, are of two kindes, the one are very flexible, and tractable, and doth re&s;emble the &s;ilver, that is in the Lead, as it lies in the dro&s;&s;y body un&s;een.</P>
<P>The other poor is as the dro&s;&s;ey body of the Lead, which mu&s;t by refining be brought to a &s;eparation, forth from the Silver, and &s;o the one makes a ve&s;&s;ell for the re|finer, and the other is as a weighty, and burden&s;ome peo|ple in the world.</P>
<P>Take Lead as it is in the originall, and ye cannot per|ceive any Silver to be in it. So the poor; they are &s;uch that have &s;ome graces, and di&s;coveries of God unto them, but they cannot &s;hew it; they are &s;o trampled on by the men the world, and kept low, in a de&s;pi&s;ed, forlorne, and mean condition, that they cannot exerci&s;e their graces as they &s;hould, it lies inwardly in the heart, and doth not appear outwardly; This is the condition of many, and yet the rich ju&s;tifie them&s;elves very much, by the carriages of the poor, being contrary to them; for they fre|quent publike preaching, and u&s;e long prayers, pay their dues, &s;peak the truth without avowing, and do acts of charity, being &s;ober, and cha&s;t outwardly, whereby it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that the rich man in his demeanor, and carriage ble&s;&s;eth him&s;elf that he is not &s;uch a one as the poor, like the proud Phari&s;ee, that did thank God he was not as other men, he did fa&s;t twi&s;e a week, &amp;c. where|as there is a great difference between them; the rich can very well &s;pare the time, to be &s;een of men, and &s;pend much in the outward vi&s;ible matter of &s;ervice, and no|thing troubles him, all things is in &s;tore for his u&s;e, with|out &s;eeking after it. But the poor man, he mu&s;t get his bread, and be imployed, at all &s;ea&s;ons, for that end, to have to &s;u&s;tain nature: but &s;eeing the difference, he crieth to the Lord, from his heart, <HI>God be mercifull to me a &s;inner,</HI>
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and &s;o getteth inward comfort, and &s;olace, though out|wardly he cannot &s;hew it to the world.</P>
<P>Other poor, that is &s;ignified by Lead, being parted from the Silver, is that fort of poor, that are wicked: of the&s;e there are, that are mockers, raylers, revilers and ver|bal per&s;ecutours, &s;landerers of men in high places, for good acts of Ju&s;tice, Piety, and Charity, having nor the fear of God before their eyes: they are ready to do any evill, as coadjutors to others, being thereunto engaged, wherein men of eminence, outwardly civil, forbear in their own per&s;ons, and force and compell tho&s;e poor whom they can command. And thus the de&s;ignes of evil men, are brought to pa&s;&s;e, and executed as in the&s;e dayes, again&s;t the pure people of God, who are drawn from the the common practice of the world, to live more neerer with God, and to commune with him, out of the worlds ordinances; the&s;e are much abu&s;ed and mocked.</P>
<P>Some of the&s;e poor are &s;uch, that are di&s;contented that they are poor, falling from one wickedne&s;&s;e to another, and mo&s;t rudely do abu&s;e the Name of God, his people, his creatures, and all the things of God, impatient, pa&s;&s;i|onate, and charging of God, for aflicting them; &s;ome, as it hath been heard &s;ay, &s;aid: Could God do more to me then he hath done? &s;ome al&s;o that were before,<NOTE PLACE="marg">A poor man at Cardiffe.</NOTE> of &s;ome ability and means, having lo&s;t it, are moved through the in&s;tigation of the evill One, to rage and foment evill a|gain&s;t their Maker; for that they have not, as heretofore, to carry on the de&s;ires of their lu&s;tfull hearts, into that, they formerly lived in?</P>
<P>There are al&s;o poor that are idle, lazy, and &s;wini&s;h, that are as mon&s;ters among men, and the very &s;hame, of nature, by their mo&s;t filthy, na&s;ty, and bea&s;tly behaviour, who are nor worthy the name of men, and women, who takes no care, neither will they be advi&s;ed, and ruled by any good per&s;wa&s;ion, or de&s;ire the &s;ame: but like brute bea&s;ts, which have no under&s;tanding to &s;eek after any thing that &s;avours of civility, or humanity; for the&s;e, let our pity and grief, make future prevention, that no more
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may fall into the like condition, that poor children may have &s;ome Chri&s;tian education, a thing de&s;ired of all them that fear the Lord:</P>
<P>Mu&s;t the poor, the Lead be melted? Con&s;ider this, then ye that are the poor of the world, although you have not &s;tore of talents, put into your hands as others have: if you have but one, you mu&s;t not hide it in a napkin, you mu&s;t imploy it. Demean your &s;elves, according to your mea&s;ure, murmure not at your &s;hort allowance you have of the things of this life; but rather prai&s;e the Almighty God that you are kept &s;hort, &s;eeing his great love in it, that you &s;hould not enjoy the de&s;ires of your own fle&s;hly wills, and heart, which would make you to &s;purne and kick again&s;t your maker,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 11.12.</NOTE> and to be as, <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith, like the wilde A&s;&s;es colt, to run away from him, and to be fild with high exaltations, living in, and loving of, the vanities the world affordeth, having not that way of procuring, and perfecting the full accommodation of the&s;e terrene and earthly trea&s;ures, neither able to reach them by any earthly means, or power in your &s;elves&punc; but are kept low, depre&s;&s;ed, and de&s;pi&s;ed by the men of the world, who live in ea&s;e, plea&s;ure, and delight, knowing little care, &s;orrow, or want, having all things to the full, and every thing pro&s;pereth and goes well with them, who are like unto the fatted Oxe, that is fitted for the &s;laughter. You that are the poor of the world, know, that the Lord, out of his great mercy would not have you to peri&s;h with the wor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d, but makes the world, to be bitter and grievous to you, that your mindes might be &s;et on Hea|ven and heavenly things. Ob&s;erve but the manner of the world, and the &s;everall conditions of men in the world, and you &s;hall finde, that it is a more ble&s;&s;ed thing&punc; for to be kept &s;hort of the things of this life, then to have them to the full: <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, before I was afflicted I went a|a&s;tray; and the prophet &s;aith from the Lord In their affli|ction they will &s;eek me early: poverty is accounted an affliction for all affliction, that is outward, tendeth to that end, to make men poor; See&s;t thou a man, that
<PB N="53" REF="31">
&s;ome di&s;ea&s;e hath &s;eized on him? that is pined for hun|ger, &s;tarved with cold, wounded, bruized, crippled, im|pri&s;oned, or any &s;uch like thing is come upon him, or ei|ther cro&s;&s;e or lo&s;&s;e? if there be any grace in that party, it will then be di&s;covered; for there will be &s;ome &s;ym|ptomes, &s;ome cryings and callings, &s;ome relentings, &s;ome ejaculations, or other expre&s;&s;ions of a penitent heart, which were not &s;hewn in time of pro&s;perity and health; For the pro&s;perous welfare of the &s;ons of men in this life, doth cau&s;e corruption and infection in the inward man, &s;o that it often falleth out, that the lo&s;&s;e of a limb, of the fight, of goods, &s;trength, or liberty, by the goodne&s;&s;e and mercy of God in his providence, is the drawing and gain|ing of a &s;oul unto God. <HI>Job</HI> he prai&s;ed God for e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> as well as for good, and made it to appear, that the evil of puni&s;hment, correction and affliction, is better then pro|&s;perity. Happy are tho&s;e that &s;ee God to be good unto them in affliction and in poverty, &s;urely the Lord is good to all, then to the poor that are the Lords; for they &s;hall be melted and refined, and be made as the Lord will make others to be, his ve&s;&s;els; for he dwelleth with the humble, and men of low degree, he de&s;pi&s;eth not the poor but &s;etteth them up among Princes.</P>
<P>By this that h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">th been &s;aid concerning the&s;e &s;everall metals, Bra&s;&s;e, Tin, Iron, and Lead, we &s;ee what I&s;rael was and what England is, and what would become of us, if the Lord God &s;hould not melt us; Surely, we can never enter into his Kingdom, we cannot be ve&s;&s;els, or tem|ples for hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> Spirit to dwell in; except we are melted all are dro&s;&s;e and dro&s;&s;ie &s;ub&s;tances, all both high and low, rich and poor have erred, and do go a&s;tray from the Lord, and it is his great mercy that he doth acquaint his people what &s;hall come upon them, and unto them; He will not deal with all as he doth with his own peo|ple; for all are not I&s;rael, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">r are of I&s;rael&punc; There|fore &s;aith the Lord, I will gather them, w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ich is the fir&s;t thing that God will do, now they are di&s;covered to be what they are.</P>
<P><PB N="54" REF="32">Fourthly, he will gather them, and bring them into the mid&s;t of Jeru&s;alem. Will God gather his people? He will do it. Are his people &s;cattered? It doth appear &s;o. The&s;e words do not &s;o much make it to appear, as the experience the people of God have had of their conditi|on, at all times and in all ages of the world, as in <HI>Gene&s;is;</HI> I will divide them in <HI>Jacob,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gene&s;. 4.7. Nehem. 1.8. 1 King. 22.17. Ezek. 31.10. Ezek. 34.6.</NOTE> and &s;catter them in I&s;rael; <HI>Nehem.</HI> 1. Ye will tran&s;gre&s;&s;e, and I will &s;catter you a|mong the people. God doth &s;catter his people. And the &s;hepherds that are over them doth &s;catter them, <HI>E|zek.</HI> 34.10. If Gods people be a &s;cattered people, that are not known by their multitudes and great numbers, at publike places and meetings, but are expelled and dri|ven out from tho&s;e places; then there is matter of &s;u|&s;pition, what tho&s;e places of great re&s;ort are, and what the people are, that do meet together by &s;uch multitudes.</P>
<P>God will gather them: How will God gather them? He will gather them as men gather fruit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 4 39. Gene&s;. 31.46. P&s;al. 106.47. Jerem 49.5. Matth. 3.</NOTE> or herbs; he will with his own hand pull them from that whereunto they are fixed, and will draw them out, or from the place, or places, where they abide and remain, as men gather &s;tones; he will gather his people from the Heathen, from the men of the world, he will bring them from among the Nations, he will gather him that wandereth, he will gather his out of the far Countrey. He will gather them into his hou&s;e, into his garner, into his bo&s;om; they &s;hall be within his limits, neer to him&s;elf, to have acquaint|ance with him, to be &s;aved and defended by him.</P>
<P>What great comfort is here to the people of God that are &s;cattered, they &s;hall be gathered. God will do it, here is his word for it, who can hinder him, who can &s;catter? when he &s;aith he will gather, he will gather them to him|&s;elf, to an acquaintance one with another; there &s;hall be one God and one King,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 14.7. Joh. 11.52.</NOTE> they &s;hall be taken from off their other Gods, their other lovers, My Beloved is but one: this was was prope&s;ied by <HI>Caiaphas.</HI> That he might gather together in one the children of God that are &s;cat|tered, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.10. He will gather all things into one by
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Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who is the head of the body, that being knit and coupled together, it may increa&s;e together in love. That that God gathers to him&s;elf, he doth e&s;teem of it, he loves it, he doth delight in it, takes care of it, it continues with him for ever.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 10.28, 29.</NOTE> None &s;hall be able to pull any thing out of Gods hand that he hath gathered: them that God doth gather from wandering in the four elements, he doth not intend they &s;hall return, but he will keep them as the apple of his eye, as the &s;ignet on his right hand.</P>
<P>Was the people of God a &s;cattered people, and are they not &s;o now? Were the true I&s;raelites &s;cattered, and are not the true Beleevers &s;o now? Many of the Saints are weeping in &s;ilent, for want of a &s;olemn A&s;&s;embly; but it cannot be, it is their lot to &s;it down and weep by the waters of Babylon, while others &s;ing p&s;alms,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 137.1, 2.</NOTE> they can|not &s;ing the &s;ongs of Sion in a &s;trange land, li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ing in Ba|bylon, in fle&s;h, and in &s;elf, in which they are &s;en&s;ible that they are in bondaged, and not in the life and liberty of God alone: they are incumbered with much of the filth of the world, it being centered in evil; yea, the pure things of the world are mo&s;t defiled, the wor&s;hip of God, the teachings and exhortations given out by men are full of impurity; the light of the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 6.23.</NOTE> that that is embra|ced by the world is full of darkne&s;&s;e, and if the light be darkne&s;&s;e, how great is that darkne&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>It mu&s;t needs be, that the people and Saints of God, who live with God, walk with him, and commune with him inwardly, &s;hould not be bound up to apo&s;tate forms, and Church ordinances outwardly, being not con&s;i&s;tent with the pure life of God, but as death they divide from them, &amp; are &s;cattered from &s;uch Church-fellow&s;hips that bring no true peace, having been taught to be e&s;&s;entiall, but now found to be only the name of an a&s;&s;ociation, or agreement, when as there is nothing more then differ|ence, di&s;&s;ention, and confu&s;ion, as Babel: Come our from among them, my people, &s;aith the Lord, the holy One. And again, A&s;&s;ociate your &s;elves, O my people, and ye &s;hall be broken in pieces; gird your &s;elves,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 3.8.</NOTE> and
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you &s;hall be broken pieces. Let the world in their wi&s;|doms, arts, learning, and goodline&s;&s;e of fle&s;h, meet and congregate by multitudes together: let their teachers which conceive they can teach the Go&s;pel, &s;peak out what they are able of them&s;elves, having not that gift of the Spirit to manife&s;t the my&s;tery, they &s;hall be broken in peeces; that part which is built up to God, and they unto whom the Lord hath revealed him&s;elf, invi&s;ibly and indi|vidually, mu&s;t turn out, mu&s;t &s;catter from them. Thus it mu&s;t be, the Lord God will &s;ave his, although it may be &s;aid, Many pa&s;tours, many teachers have de&s;troyed and di&s;tracted thee. O England; yet God hath re&s;erved to him&s;elf a &s;cattered people, whom he will &s;ave, and which he will gather.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 13.7, 8.</NOTE>God will gather all the di&s;per&s;ed, &s;cattered, and bro|ken ones, he will bring them out of Babylon, out of con|fu&s;ion, from the fal&s;e chri&s;ts, which are the fal&s;e churches, and bring them to Chri&s;t, to the true Church. It is impo&s;|&s;ible they &s;hould be deceived, who are in the hands of the Lord, who are with him, who have renounced the fair forms and fle&s;h of the Whore, and wait onely for the appearance of God in them, who &s;hall not be a&s;hamed, but &s;hall rejoyce, having a new name, having higher di|&s;coveries of God, living in more holy and righteous wayes with men, the Almighty God being in them, all in all.</P>
<P>God doth gather his people to this end, that they may live and abide with him for ever. But fir&s;t he gathereth them to melt them, and to refine them, that they may be capable of all that he hath to be&s;tow upon them, and therefore he will gather them, and bring them into the mid&s;t of Jeru&s;alem, there to be melted.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 4. I&s;ai. 31.9. 1 King. 8.13.</NOTE>He will bring them into the mid&s;t of Jeru&s;alem, into Jeru&s;alem the holy City, the City of God, where Chri&s;t was tried and tempted, being the vi&s;ion of peace, where mount Sion is, the place of Saints, the City of <HI>David,</HI> in which the Temple of Gods habitation was; Jeru&s;alem which received many favours from God, and hath &s;uf|fered
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for their di&s;obedience. Is this the place where God will bring his people? to his own City Jeru&s;alem, and into the mid&s;t of that City, where there is both &s;afety and plenty, where there is the chief and the choice of all things that can be had, or obtained;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 12.5.</NOTE> where there is &s;ecu|rity and &s;trength; where there is re&s;t, peace, and tranquil|lity; where there is Governours and godly inhabitants; where there is Laws, and obedience to tho&s;e Laws, where there is all manner of delight and comfort? To this place, this City, God will bring his people. Happy are the people that &s;hall be brought to &s;uch a City, &s;uch a place, where there is no want, no manner of injurious, or wrongfull dealing, but ju&s;tice and equity exerci&s;ed in its due manner;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.23.</NOTE> this place which the authour to the He|brews &s;peaks of, in the commendation of the &s;tation of the Saints, that they are come to mount Sion, the City of the living God, the cele&s;tiall Jeru&s;alem.</P>
<P>Behold here the love of God to his, that he will bring them to &s;uch a place to be melted; by this appears his great love to them in every particular, he will not deli|ver up his people into the hands of the wicked; into dark, ob&s;cure, and uncomfortable places, there to be cruelly handled; but he will bring them among his people, to his hou&s;e, to the a&s;&s;embly of his Saints, there to be melted and refined, and made conformable to him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Fifthly, the receptacle that mu&s;t contain them, and the place whereinto the Lord will put them is the furnace, and the mid&s;t of the furnace: What furnace is this, that the Lord will put his people into?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 4.20.</NOTE> Egypt is called an iron furnace. <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aw a &s;moaking furnace and a burning lamp, <HI>Gen.</HI> 15.17. There is a furnace of affliction, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 48.10,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 3.23. I&s;ai. 31.9.</NOTE> <HI>Nebuchadnezzars</HI> hot fiery furnace may be a type of this furnace which is in Jeru&s;alem; for <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;peaks, who&s;e fire is in Sion, and who&s;e furnace is in Jeru&s;alem. I have cho&s;en thee in the furnace of affliction; when the three children were in the furnace, God was with them; So long as we are in the furnace, we are in the hands of God, he is with us, for his help is &s;till abiding: his gracious
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appearances and his furnace are in&s;eparable, although the people of God may be brought to a very low condi|tion by many pre&s;&s;ures, yet deliverance is at hand: there will be a door opened, a mo&s;t gracious di&s;covery of the Lords pre&s;ence and of his goodne&s;&s;e towards them there will not be a &s;eparation of us from God, but there will be a &s;eparation made betwixt us and our defilements. Who &s;hall &s;eparate us from the love of God?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.35, 36, 37, 38.</NOTE> &s;hall tribu|lation, or angui&s;h, or per&s;ecution, or famine, or naked|ne&s;&s;e, or perill, or &s;word, &amp;c? By this, by this furnace we are more than conquerours, through him that loved us; for tho&s;e that God loves once, he loveth ever: He is a &s;un and a &s;hield unto his,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 8.4.</NOTE> he is a lamp unto them that are in the &s;moaking furnace, it being the place of triall that God hath made for his to be tried, purified, and refi|ned in.</P>
<P>The afflictions, lo&s;&s;es, and cro&s;&s;es of the world, are not &s;o much the furnace, as the &s;eeming lo&s;&s;e of Gods favour, the multitude of our &s;ins lying before us, Satan continu|ally a&s;&s;aulting, the horrible fear, and the pit, of our own wounded &s;pirits, when we &s;ee all men hate us.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jerem. 30.17. Ver&s;. 6.</NOTE>This is Sion, whom no man regardeth: when our wounds &s;tink and are fe&s;tered, when our bones are bro|ken, and our &s;inews &s;hrunk, when we are in captivity, when we are dead when we are as dry bones;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 37.</NOTE> then, then the Lord liveth in us, when we have eaten the little book which is bitter in the belly, even as death pangs. It is a my&s;tery, that in the mid&s;t of death we then have our chiefe&s;t life, when our bones are broken, when our con|fidences are &s;lain, then are we mo&s;t firm, and be&s;t e&s;ta|bli&s;hed in the power and might of the Lord, when we finde in our &s;elves to be mo&s;t out of the Lords love and favour, then are we mo&s;t in his favour and love, when our &s;pirits are mo&s;t wounded, then the &s;pirit of the Lord is upon us with healing, more e&s;pecially then, than when we had a peace of our own gaining. Was not this fe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">t by our Lord Je&s;us, when he cried out, My God, my God, why ha&s;t thou for&s;aken me? Was it upon him, and &s;hall
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it not be upon us? Sion &s;aid, God hath forgotten me: When the glory and excellency of all fle&s;h &s;hall be cruci|fied in us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 49.14. Phil. 3.</NOTE> then &s;hall we rejoyce in the fellow&s;hip of the &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t. The end of the Cro&s;&s;e is to bring us to the Crown, and the putting us into the furnace, is to make us pure for the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 12.6.</NOTE> as pure as the &s;ilver that is tried, in the furnace of earth &s;even times: then &s;hall we being dead with Chri&s;t, ri&s;e with him, and &s;hall ever &s;eek tho&s;e things that are above, above the reach of the world, the capacity of mortals, we &s;hall have no de&s;ire to &s;eek and &s;earch after earthy trea&s;ures: for that de&s;ire is &s;ubje|cted and dead, by our pre&s;ent enjoyment, (although in tribulation,) having received a better hope of a more lively and la&s;ting trea&s;ure.</P>
<P>This furnace which the Lord will put his people into, is contracted of earth, as may appear in the twelfth P&s;alm forenamed: as bra&s;&s;e, and iron, and other metals cannot be melted, but in furnaces of earth, &s;o neither can the people of God be melted, but in an earthen furnace. Here we may &s;ee what u&s;e the Lord makes of all earthly mind|ed wretches, of all de&s;pi&s;ers of his Word, and of his peo|ple, he makes them to be the furnace, wherein he melt|eth his people; their mockings, &s;coffings, revilings, re|proaches, and per&s;ecutions, their cruelty and oppre&s;&s;ion, their tyranny and their &s;laughters, are as the furnace of the Lord all the contentions, quarrellings and fightings again&s;t Gods people, are as the refining pot.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 27.21.</NOTE> Gods per&s;o|nall afflicting of the body, or wounding the &s;pirit, u&s;u|ally comes not, but by the envie, malice, wrath, and ha|tred of man towards man. God is the chief refiner but he hath many in&s;truments and weapons, wherewith he doth &s;o refine us; Satan he de&s;ireth it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22.32. Ezek. 21.31.</NOTE> and his aim is utterly to undo us, and we are delivered up into the hands of bea&s;tly and cruell men, and we know not how we &s;hall be delivered: but the Lord doth know how to deliver his, and to re&s;erve the ungodly unto the day of judgement to be puni&s;hed who by their malici|ous hating of the people of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2 9.</NOTE> do hate God him|&s;elf,
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and his Word, and would, if it were po&s;&s;ible, pull God from his throne:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 19.22.</NOTE> they per&s;ecute me, as God, &s;aith <HI>Job,</HI> their rage is again&s;t that of God, that is in men; &s;o that what&s;oever the per&s;ecutour doth &s;peak, or act, again&s;t any of the people of God, that they may a&s;&s;ure them&s;elves, is good, and what&s;oever they plead for, and would main|tain, and defend it, may not be accounted for good, nor &s;o received, and entertained: the&s;e times te&s;tifie to us that in difficult matters, we may know good, by evill mens hating de&s;pi&s;ing, and per&s;ecuting of it.</P>
<P>Sixthly, God will blow the fire of his wrath, upon them, &amp;c. Fire, is that element, that doth produce no|table effects, both by making metalls, that are very hard, to be &s;oft and plyable, and by con&s;uming the dro&s;&s;e, out of them, making them to be pure: this naturall fire doth many things that are excellent, as in divers arts, my&s;te|ries, and humane &s;ciences, is to be &s;een, exceeding far the other elements.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 66.15. Zach. 13.9. 1 King. 18.23. Ezek. 36.5. Amos. 7.4. 1 Cor. 3.13, &amp;c.</NOTE>It is by fire, that the Lord will purge his people he will Judge his people by fire, and &s;word, he will bring them through the fire, and refine them, he will &s;hew unto us, what &s;acrifice, he doth accept of by fire, Malachy 3.2. who can endure, when he appeareth, for he is like a purging fire, Amos 5.6. Seek ye the Lord, and ye &s;hall live, le&s;t he break out, like fire, &amp;c. Every mans work, &s;hall be tri|ed by fire of what &s;ort it is.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.15.</NOTE>It was the great God for the &s;in of man, that fir&s;t did put an enmity, between the &s;eed of the woman, and the &s;eed of the Serpent; which enmity hath continued, &amp; doth by degrees, come to be as fire: it doth from enmitie come to contention, from contention, to alienation, and &s;epa|ration; from that to hatred, lothing, and revenge; from that to anger, and wrath, which doth bring to pa&s;&s;e the de&s;igne of the one, vanqui&s;hing, and overthrowing of the other.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.29. P&s;al. 2. la&s;t.</NOTE>God is &s;aid to be as fire, which doth con&s;ume, our God is a con&s;uming fire, he is &s;o in his anger, and in his wrath, again&s;t the enmity, again&s;t the wicked, the profane, un|godly,
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again&s;t the de&s;pi&s;ers, and them that make a mock of his word; the breath of the Lord, as a river of brim|&s;tone &s;hall devour them. As God placed, the enmity,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 30.33.</NOTE> &s;o he will de&s;troy it; there &s;hall be nothing, that &s;hall &s;tand again&s;t him, he will burne up all, and con&s;ume all, that is not of him&s;elf; that that lies in the vain imagination of man, he will burn it up for nothing can come, from vain man, as he is guided, by the enmity, but what is fuell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 1.10.</NOTE> fit for the fire of the Lord.</P>
<P>Hence it is, that God terms his people to be dro&s;s, and dro&s;&s;y metalls, &amp; &s;aith he will melt them, he will blow the fire of his wrath upon them, and they &s;hall be melted: the Lord is the fire, and here he &s;aith, he will blow the fire, &amp;c. Much like to that, the Lord &s;aid permi&s;&s;ively, concerning <HI>Ahab:</HI> I will go forth, and be a lying &s;pirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. King. 22.22 E&s;a. 54.16. E&s;a. 40.7. Hag. 1.9.</NOTE> in the mouth of all his prophets. I will blow the fire, &s;aith the Lord, I will &s;et men a work, to blow the fire, Behold then, what the Lord hath now done among us. What fire hath there been lately blown up, what Divi&s;ions, Di&s;&s;en|tions, Da&s;hings, Cla&s;hings, Fomentings, Rentings, and Dividings, yea what Burnings, and boylings is there, in the mindes and hearts of men? &s;ome raging, tearing, &s;poil|ing and con&s;uming them&s;elves, in blinde zeal; others wearied, and almo&s;t tired with patient waiting for the accompli&s;hent of the promi&s;es, being clouded, and vailed; and therein are afflicted, and to&s;&s;ed with tempe&s;t, and have no comfort. Is it not the Lord that hath kindled the fire, which Chri&s;t &s;peaks of, which he wi&s;ht it were kindled?<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 54.11. Luke 12.49. 2 Cor. 11.29.</NOTE> I wil blow the fire of my wrath upo~ you, I have cau&s;ed men to be inflamed one again&s;t the other, I have blowed the fire, that is now among you; Your diver&s;ities of opini|ons, your contrary and different judgements, your various kindes of preaching, your &s;everal prayings, your fiery wri|tings one again&s;t another, your impatient and pa&s;&s;ionate &s;peakings, railings, and revilings, your condemnings, and &s;entencing one another, this fire that is in each of your bo|&s;oms, wil I blow, til it be &s;uch a &s;trong fire, that it &s;hal con|&s;ume al that is of fle&s;h, &amp; the glory of it, for it doth deceive my people, and makes them to err, therefore the fire &s;hall
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burne out all the dro&s;&s;e and the Tin, and there &s;hall be none left but the good metall.</P>
<P>When therefore we take notice of the &s;everall contra|dictions, that is in the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.28.</NOTE> among the &s;ons of men, let us know that all &s;hall work for good in the end, to them that beleeve, and do, with faith and patience, wait for the accompli&s;hment of the promi&s;es: for herein doth matter of comfort ari&s;e to them that have received an unction from the Holy One,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 John. 2.20.</NOTE> for they know all things&punc; if &s;o that then as the Saints did, that there are many antichri&s;ts now in the world, and that the time is come, nay the very day doth appear, in the which, an overturn &s;hall be, to all re|religions and profe&s;&s;ions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 66.22.</NOTE> that were made, invented, and &s;et up by men: And that there &s;hall be a new Heaven, a new religion &s;et up by God, which &s;hall remain for ever. But before this is really accompli&s;hed, and brought to pa&s;&s;e, there may be much per&s;ecution, occa&s;ioned by them who are the upholders of Antichri&s;t, in the profe&s;|&s;ed way of a religion, patched up in the&s;e times of Apo|&s;ta&s;ie: which cannot endure to hear of the fiery change, that &s;hall come, which will burn up all Envie, &s;elfe-con|ceitedne&s;&s;e, pride, &s;elf-love, ambition, di&s;cord and &s;trife, and bring us to that pure love, that &s;hall ever the Saints badge,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 13.5, 6, 7, 8.</NOTE> and cognizance, as in the fir&s;t of John, Chapter the fourth.</P>
<P>Seventhly, God will melt them, God will melt his people, as men melt Bra&s;&s;e, and Tin, and Iron, and Lead. This word, melting is often times u&s;ed in the Scriptures, as in <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> 7.5. the peop es heart melted away: <HI>Jo&s;i|ah</HI> his heart melted,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 22.19. 2 Chro. 34.27.</NOTE> as you may read at large, the i&s;&s;ue of it, <HI>Nahum.</HI> 1.5. P&s;al. 147.18. he &s;endeth his Word and me teth them.</P>
<P>God will melt his people, that is, he will di&s;&s;olve them, he will make them &s;oft and liquid, he will make them plyable to relent to faint, to be di&s;couraged he will break them and mollifie them: The end of melting is to make pliab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e and capab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e, the metall that is melted to accompli&s;h, and to bring to pa&s;&s;e the de&s;igne of the work|man,
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for his intended purpo&s;e as may be &s;een, by the &s;eve|rall varieties of ve&s;&s;ells, and other things, made found|ed, ca&s;t, and formed, by men that are skild in met|tals.</P>
<P>Here the people of God, are as metall,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 38.6. Rom. 9.21.</NOTE> in the hands of the founder: in other places of Holy writ, they are as clay, in the hands of the potter, and he hath power o|ver them.</P>
<P>As clay is made &s;oft by water, and &s;o is wrought, and made to what fa&s;hion the potter plea&s;eth: So are metals made &s;oft by fire, &s;ome having a more &s;trong fire, then the others, according to their &s;everall qualities; and ca&s;t, wrought, and made up by the workman, in what fa&s;hion, he plea&s;eth.</P>
<P>Even &s;o it is with the Lord; he can melt us and ca&s;t us, frame us and forme us, into what fa&s;hion, or condition he plea&s;eth.</P>
<P>Will God deal thus with his people? Will he break them, undoe them&punc; melt them, di&s;&s;olve them, di&s;courage them, make them faint, and relent; Yea, God will do it, when no cour&s;e el&s;e will &s;erve the turne, he will do it: yet doth he appoint means, not to ca&s;t him out from Him, him that is expelled.</P>
<P>Behold, here the goodne&s;&s;e, the bounty, and the love of God to mankinde and to his people! he wil melt them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 14.4.</NOTE> their hearts &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> be melted, he wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> not con&s;ume them, but their dro&s;&s;e that is in them&punc; he will new found them, that whereas their hearts were impure, he will purifie them, he will renew them, he will open their hearts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 15.9. Ezek 11.19. 1 King. 8.37.</NOTE> as <HI>Lydias</HI> was, Acts 16.14. he will give them &s;incere hearts, Heb. 10.22.</P>
<P>He will e&s;tabli&s;h their hearts, with holine&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;. 3.13. 2 The&s;. 2.16.17.</NOTE> he will give them upright hea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ts, as he did to <HI>A&s;a&punc;</HI> 1 King. 15.14. A perfect heart, as he ga e <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> 2 Kings 20.3. a con|trite heart, and a clean heart, as he gave <HI>D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">0. he will gi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e his people humble, patient m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">k<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span">g and tender hearts.</P>
<P>O, what a metamorpho&s;e will there <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">re God
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doth melt, he will take all manner of evill away, and give and be&s;tow all manner of good: will it not be a &s;trange al|teration among Chri&s;tians, that of proud, they are be|com humble, of being contray to God, they are God-like?</P>
<P><HI>If I had not been undone; I had been undone.</HI></P>
<P>Con&s;ider, how fit this re&s;emblance is: Man is as dro&s;|&s;y metall, that mu&s;t be melted, refined, and puri|fied.</P>
<P>The&s;e metalls are all generated; and bread in the earth, and they are no way u&s;efull, or &s;erviceable, as they come forth of the earth, but mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e through a &s;trong blowing fire, before they can be made perfect, or u&s;efull for the Ar|tificer.</P>
<P>Even &s;o it is with man, being brought forth into this world, he is not fit for any thing, nor to have to do with his Maker, untill he hath pa&s;t through the fire, that all the earthy di&s;po&s;ition, and incapable &s;ub&s;tance of dro&s;&s;e, that fixeth to him, be clean taken away; A man canno<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> com|mune with his Maker, nor offer any &s;acrifice to him, as he is in nature, untill he is new born, he cannot enter: all that earthine&s;&s;e, and dro&s;&s;ine&s;&s;e, that is in the internall part, mu&s;t by fire be &s;cummed, cleared, and utterly taken away, and con&s;umed: hence it is, that Saint <HI>John</HI> the <HI>Bap|ti&s;t</HI> &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 3.3.</NOTE> I Bapti&s;e you with water, but there is one that cometh after me, who will baptize you with the Holy Gho&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 3.</NOTE> and with fire; the bapti&s;me of fire, is that that will be hereafter, for the Whore &s;its upon the many waters, and &s;he is in di&s;covering.</P>
<P>What is there in the world, that is fit for u&s;e and &s;er|vice, as it is brought forth? Children are apt and prone to all evill, and di&s;obedience, and do what&s;oever is contrary to right; if they be not educated, taught, corrected, and in|&s;tructed; the naturall di&s;po&s;ition mu&s;t be &s;ubdued and kept under, that the direction to a good demeanour, may work upon them, and they grow up into it.</P>
<P>Survey the whole creation, and &s;ee where there is any thing, that is fit, in its body naturall, by rea&s;on of its af|affixes,
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to make u&s;e of, before there is a change. Corne canot be made into bread, before it be thre&s;hed, winnow|ed, ground, &s;ifted, and baked: no fle&s;h, can be fit to nou|ri&s;h, before it hath been ordered &amp; dre&s;&s;ed by fire. Trees cannot &s;erve for building, but they mu&s;t be &s;quared, &s;awed, and fitted, &s;tones mu&s;t be hewed: and &s;o mu&s;t all things that doth belong to meate, and drink, apparell and ma|nufactory, there mu&s;t be a change of them, or an abate|ment from them: the earth it &s;elf canot yeeld forth fruits, before it be tilled and manured.</P>
<P>Can&s;t thou then, Oh unbeleeving man, conceive, al|though thou art lord of the Creatures, that thou art clean|er then other creatures? can&s;t thou approach neer to, can&s;t thou &s;erve, and obey thy Creatour, in that nature of thine, thou wa&s;t brought forth in, before thou art clean&s;ed, puri|fied, purged, melted, plowed, winnowed, and &s;ifted? be|fore thy &s;elf, thy will, wi&s;dome, under&s;tanding, de&s;ires,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.8.</NOTE> and all in that nature be dead, and a new birth be wit|ne&s;&s;ed? that the broken bones may rejoyce over the dead body of &s;in, which is called the old man, becau&s;e it is as old as thy &s;elf, having all the parts of a man, a head to imagine mi&s;chief and vanity, to plot and contrive again&s;t his Maker, a &s;tiffe neck, arms, and hands, full of oppre&s;&s;i|on and guile, and &s;tretched out again&s;t the innocent, feet &s;wift to &s;hed blood, heels to kick again&s;t the law of God, eares to hear folly, eyes to behold vanity: if this old man be not dead in thee, and thou art not a new creature, nothing that thou doe&s;t can be accepted, thou maye&s;t dream of a happine&s;&s;e to be had, when thou ha&s;t gotten an artificiall tongue, like a newborne creature, and art, through education and thine own wi&s;dome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 1.</NOTE> civilized in the outward garbe; but if thy heart b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> not changed, thou art farre off from happine&s;&s;e, Judgement mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e over thee, yea the fire of the Lord, mu&s;t burn out thy dro&s;&s;e, or el&s;e thou wilt be mi&s;erable, poor, blinde, and naked.</P>
<P>Thou mu&s;t yeeld and &s;ubmit thy &s;elf to thy God bring thy cur&s;ed nature to him, there to be &s;lain, come willing y,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 10.</NOTE>
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humble thy &s;elf, under the mighty hand of God, and he will exalt thee, learn of thy Maker to know him, and to beleeve in him, that for the love of the world, gave his onely begotten Son, that they &s;hould not peri&s;h, but ob|taine through him everla&s;ting life. Thinke on this, O man: of the great love of God, to thee, what &s;atifaction could the whole world give, for the Redemption of one &s;oul? and hath Chri&s;t Je&s;us, equall to God his Father, purcha&s;ed, Redemption for the whole world: and art thou &s;o far from pri&s;ing it, that thou wilt not accept of it, but think to live happie without change, in thy naturall unclean, unpurified, and unrefined condition? Con&s;ider in thy hought it to minde, did thy Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that be no robbery, to be equall to God, as it were un-God him&s;elf, becomming man, and &s;uffering a &s;hameful death, to recover and Redeem thee? and art thou &s;o de&s;perately wicked, and &s;o fool-hardy, that thou wilt not unman thy &s;elf, to be like God, (that is to &s;ay) to put off, thy will, wi&s;dome, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, thy pride, lu&s;t, and carnall minde, to be inve&s;ted into a kingdom of righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, peace, and holine&s;&s;e, and to be made like unto Chri&s;t, in whom all fulne&s;&s;e dwels, and to be in union and communion, with the Father:</P>
<P>Let him, that hath ears to hear, hear: what the Lord hath &s;aid. Know ye not that Chri&s;t is in you, except ye be reprobates, and except your righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e exceed the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the Scribes and Phari&s;ees, you cannot enter: if you are the &s;ervants of &s;in, your wages is death, if you live after the fle&s;h, you &s;hall die, for they that are in fle&s;h, cannot plea&s;e God, for the wi&s;dome of the fle&s;h, is death, but the wi&s;dom of the &s;pirit is life, and peace: all that you can do, in the raw, unquoth, earthy, rough, dro&s;&s;y, vain, darke, uncircumci&s;ed, unprepared, and dead condition of nature, though never &s;o much beautified, and adorned, with art learning, and outward wi&s;|dom, and glory, it is but hypocri&s;ie, we are onely Chri&s;tians portraied, and as it with a diamond, if not right, it is worth nothing; and as in a picture, if it be not
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to the life, then it hath no regard: &s;o, except we are really changed, and metamorpho&s;ed, from that we were borne in, and are made like the Son of God, we are not free from the law of &s;in, and death, but it hath power over us, to eternall death.</P>
<P>Will the almighty God melt his people? let them be of what &s;ort &s;oever? in their outward callings? either men of authority, men of the world, teaching men, or mean men? Then here, Behold, the great love of God unto you, he will will melt you, he will make you plia|ble, tractable, and vertible, that what you cannot do your &s;elves, he will do for you. Can the Leopard change his &s;pots, or the Blackmore his skin, no more can a man change his nature of him&s;elf, or by any power within him&s;elf, but God onely is the changer of all; Are his people Bra&s;&s;e, Tin, Iron, and Lead, &s;uch metalls being of dro&s;&s;y, earthy &s;ub&s;tances, and qualities that are not fit for his &s;ervice, that will be &s;erved with Gold, and Silver? how then can the&s;e metalls be melted, and purified, and be made fit ve&s;&s;els, for the Lord? They cannot melt them|&s;elves, neither is it in the power of one to melt another, no more can man be humbled, mollified, or be made capable, tractable, or vertible of him&s;elf, by him&s;elf, or by any other man, bur onely by the Lord him&s;elf who &s;aith: <HI>I will melt them.</HI></P>
<P>Behold then, I &s;ay, the goodne&s;&s;e, mercy, and love of God, that doth &s;uch great things for us, as to melt us, him&s;elf! we are &s;till in his hands, we cannot do ami&s;&s;e, no hurt &s;hall come to us, we have his pre&s;ence, his love, his bounty; although in the Furnace, he owns us, he will not depart from us, what greater love then this? to be with us when we have mo&s;t need, when we have the bitter cup, pre&s;ented to us, then, then is our &s;anctification neer, then the Lord is making of us like to Him&s;elf, and like to his Word, to be righteous, as he is righteous, pure as he is pure.</P>
<P>Therefore tho&s;e that have gone through this fire, and have been melted, humbled, broken, and refined, &s;ound
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fort the prai&s;es of God, and declare, as <HI>David</HI> did, what the Lord hath done for your &s;oules, how he hath &s;evered, and &s;eparated you, from the world, and hath made you fit, to have fellow&s;hip, with the Father, and with the Son, which is a my&s;tery to the World,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 John 1.3.</NOTE> and to tho&s;e, that have not pa&s;t from death to life, that have not pa&s;t through the fire, and known the indignation of the Lord, but li|veth in the vanity of their mindes, &s;erving their lu&s;ts co|hering to the corrupt formes, fa&s;hions, and cu&s;tomes, of the world, which have no life in them, but have the i&s;&s;ues of death, proceeding from a raw, earthy, dro&s;&s;y, unmelted, and unpurified root, holding, and continu|ing, in it &s;elf, no true peace, nor joy, but what nature or art hath.</P>
<P>Let the people, who have been dead, and are now alive, that were darkne&s;&s;e, and are now light, in the Lord, that are made conformable to the Death, and Re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t, being dead to all &s;in, and alive, to all Grace, who love not the world; nor the things of the world, but have attained the Kingdom of Grace, Love, Joy, and Peace, and have communion with their God, have a reciprocall, and corre&s;pondent love to God, and to their brethren, and eccho back, everla&s;ting thanks, and prai&s;es, to their God, who hath freely communicated of him&s;elf unto them, and hath made them, as kings, and prie&s;ts, who have not onely, the fruits, and effects of peace, but peace it &s;elf:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7.2. Ephe&s;. 2.14. Col. 1.27.</NOTE> for Chri&s;t in them, the hope of glory, he is their eternall Peace, and their everla&s;ting Light, which pro|ceeded from that fire, in which they were melted and pu|rified, which hath con&s;umed, in them, all their dro&s;&s;e, and all manner of carnall lu&s;t, concupi&s;cence, and &s;elf wi&s;dom, all righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, invention, and imagination, that was in the will, and carnall minde, that led them into errour, imitation, and &s;eparation, from the pure truth, that comes from God, the Fountain of all Truth, and the very e&s;&s;ence of all true religion, and of all righteous living, be|ing derived from him, and to be yeelded up to him, with a pure con&s;cience, being divided, and &s;evered, from
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the world, which &s;avours not of the things of God.</P>
<P>Eighthly, and la&s;tly, The end; They &s;hall know that the Lord hath done it in his wrath, &amp; in his indignation. What, my people I&s;rael, are they &s;uch abominable &s;in|ners, as to commit &s;uch gro&s;&s;e &s;ins, blood-&s;hed, idolatry, oppre&s;&s;ion, di&s;obedience, uncharitablene&s;&s;e, covetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and fornication? I have great indignation again&s;t my people, for the&s;e their great &s;ins; you may think that you are &s;till in my favour, and becau&s;e your &s;ecret hiding of your &s;ins makes the le&s;&s;e cry among men, you think by my &s;ilence that I am like unto you: But I will reprove you, and &s;et your &s;ins in order before you,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.21.</NOTE> you &s;hall know that I am angry and wrathfull again&s;t you, you may apprehend in your carnall wi&s;doms and under&s;tandings, that I &s;till love you, but you &s;hall feel my fury, I will melt you, and then you &s;hall know wherefore, becau&s;e you tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed again&s;t me. The Lord in the &s;ixteenth of <HI>Ezekiel</HI> &s;peaks much of his peo|ple, how they were, and what he did for them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 16.</NOTE> and what their behaviour was, ver&s;. 48. As I live, &s;aith the Lord God, Sodom thy &s;i&s;ter hath not done, neither &s;he, nor her daughters, as thou ha&s;t done and thy daughters. Af|ter many threats and menaces the Lord &s;till owns them, and in ver&s;. 62. &s;aith, that he will e&s;tabli&s;h his covenant with them, and they &s;hall know that he is the Lord.</P>
<P>The Lord here doth tell them that when he hath melt|ed them, they &s;hall know that it is the Lord hath done it in his wrath: they &s;hall not &s;ay, This fiery change came upon them by chance, or fortune, or out of the du&s;t, or by the tran&s;actions of differences that is among the Na|tions of the world, or through the envie and malice of men again&s;t them, and &s;o blame the in&s;truments, as the ignorant world doth; but they &s;hall know that it is he that doth it, and by the power of his arm, and in his wrath.</P>
<P>See here, and take notice of Gods love and mercy in the mid&s;t of judgement: although he be angry and full of wrath, yet he will not de&s;troy his people, in the mid&s;t
<PB N="70" REF="40">
of judgement he remembereth mercy;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 83.3.</NOTE> that what he doth bring upon them is to change them, not to confound them; it is to purifie, not to con&s;ume them; it is that they may know the Lord, as in many places in <HI>I&s;aiah, Jeremiah,</HI> and <HI>Ezekiel</HI> of their prophecies, you &s;hall find, that after judgements denounced, it is &s;aid, <HI>And they &s;hall know that I am the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>The knowledge of God is that that the world is not acquainted with, although they talk much of it, they have none of it;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 4.1.</NOTE> God complains by his Prophet <HI>Ho&s;ea,</HI> that there was no knowledge of him in the Land, and that his people were de&s;troyed for want of knowledge, ver&s;. 6. We are Heathens by nature and by profe&s;&s;ion, we declare it; for we profe&s;&s;e outwardly, what is not inwardly: It is the inward living, the life of grace, that makes us Chri&s;tians; to be ingrafted into Chri&s;t truly, to be as the branches to the Vine, to have experience of Gods mercy and love to us, to know God by our acquaintance and fellow&s;hip with him, is to know him aright as Chri&s;ti|ans, not as the world, that &s;ayes they are Chri&s;tians, and know God no otherwi&s;e, but as a dreadfull Judge, by the fla&s;hings that they have in their mindes, living in di&s;o|bedience to the light, and every thing that they do in profe&s;&s;ion is heavie, irk&s;ome, and burden&s;ome to them; they wor&s;hip God, becau&s;e of his great power that can de&s;troy them, not for the love of his great power tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> burns and con&s;umes &s;in and dro&s;&s;e in them; they fear him becau&s;e they are &s;infull, and do not convert and change, but live in &s;in, love it, and plead for it. But becau&s;e God hates &s;in, and &s;in is of &s;uch a defilin, nature, and makes us that we cannot be ve&s;&s;els for him therefore &s;hould we hate it.</P>
<P>Search and examine your &s;elves, ye &s;ons of men, tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ay you know God, and are Chri&s;tians, and hope to b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;aved by Chri&s;t. Do you know God? If you did, yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> would know his people, his Word, his will, his power his love, his mercy, his goodne&s;&s;e, and his tender com+pa&s;&s;ion. Can people &s;ay they know God, and hate an
<PB N="71" REF="40">
per&s;ecute his Saints, de&s;pi&s;e his Word, re&s;i&s;t his will, re|gard not his power? take nothing from God, as love to them, but what doth appear vi&s;ibly in the things of the world? that cannot &s;ee God mercifull to them when he doth afflict them, that cannot conceive that God made them men out of his goodne&s;&s;e, that cannot appre|hend God to be tender unto them, in delivering them from their lu&s;ts, from the &s;nares of Satan, and from the allurements of the world? that cannot prai&s;e God for afflictions, and rejoyce under cro&s;&s;es? that fear death, and being never renewed; nor changed, cannot tell what Heaven is, neither is their de&s;ire to any other heaven, than that that is like the happine&s;&s;e of this world?</P>
<P>Should there be &s;uch a &s;trict &s;urvey and enquiry made of the knowledge of God among us, we &s;hould finde very few that do know God aright and truly, as they ought, and as the Saints of old did; but imaginarily by relation, by hear-&s;ay, and by writings. Who is it that knoweth God experimentally, not onely to be his Creatour, but to be his God? Who is there that &s;heweth forth in a lively practice, that he was made to glorifie God, with and in his heart, minde, &s;oul, and &s;trength? that doth witne&s;&s;e to the world, that all his members and &s;ences were deputed in their &s;everall orders and places, to honour and glorifie his Maker, and not to make them va&s;&s;als and drudges in the &s;ervice of &s;in and Satan? Who is there that doth exerci&s;e his affections in the things of God onely, that leapeth and danceth as <HI>David</HI> did, becau&s;e of the Ark of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 6.14.</NOTE> that was recover|ed and brought again among the people of God? Or who doth grieve and mourn to the death, as old <HI>Eli</HI> and his daughter <HI>Phineas</HI> wife, did,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam, 4.13. Jerem 9.1. I&s;ai. 22.3.</NOTE> becau&s;e the Ark of God was taken, they would not be comforted, The glory is depart|ed from I&s;rael; therefore life was nothing to them? Are mens affections carried on, or off, according to the te|nour of Gods will, as for the glory of God? Or are they &s;et on the world, and carried on to the contrary, then there can be no true knowledge of God? Who is there,
<PB N="72" REF="41">
that the pa&s;&s;ions of his minde bends to the glory of God, that is angry when the Lord is di&s;honoured, his people abu&s;ed, truth de&s;pi&s;ed? Where is the zeal that <HI>David</HI> had,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 69 9.</NOTE> which did eat him up, he was not him&s;elf, his zeal had devoured him? Who is there that will adventure his life, liberty, goods, e&s;tate, credit, or reputation for God? If there be any &s;uch, as are here enquired of, &s;urely they know the Lord. And all others that live onely in the Heatheni&s;h nature, and run together with the multi|tudes, to do they know not what, and to they know not whom. The Lord will make as many as doth belong to him, to know him by his furnace, and acknowledge him to be ju&s;t, holy, and good, as he hath declared him&s;elf to be, &s;o &s;hall his people finde in them&s;elves, if there were no Scripture, by their own te&s;timony, which is the be&s;t evidence and proof: for no true knowledge can be, but by the inward te&s;timony, other knowledge decei|veth; for when men boa&s;t of their knowing God to be all-&s;ufficient, and that he knoweth be&s;t, what is fit for them, and if this be not radicall within, by inward te&s;ti|mony, when trouble and affliction cometh, and the evil day approacheth, they are ready to murmure again&s;t God, and di&s;dain his dealings, whereby they te&s;tifie to their own hearts, their own failings, and that recoileth back that &s;hould go forwards, witne&s;&s;ing by their impa|tiency and unquiet &s;pirits, that their knowledge of him was not true, neither can there be any thing true, but what will hold the fiery triall, that makes us to know the Lord, and to know our &s;elves.</P>
<P>The people of God that are and have been melted, they onely &s;hall know the Lord and his indignation they &s;hall not need to fear the wrath to come, for wrath &s;ei|zeth on them here, &amp; they &s;hall know the Lords wrath, that it hath pa&s;t o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">er them, and that there &s;hall be no more; and that his triall is that they might be the bet|ter, that they might know, God knoweth what all men are, though men know not them&s;elves. Where no triall hath been, and none of Gods indignation hath pa&s;t over,
<PB N="73" REF="41">
to melt, refine, purifie, and purge out the dro&s;&s;e, the filth and corruption, which lieth hidden and covered with|in, what ever metall-like &s;hining there is, or what gilded profe&s;&s;ion &s;oever there is, or what&s;oever art, or worldly wi&s;dom there is, there is nothing but death. To know God inwardly, &s;avingly, experimentally, in all his attri|butes, in all his dealings, to know that his wrath here, &amp; his indignation here, worketh for our eternall good, is the right, knowledge that God will indue his people with; for the true knowledge of God and a pure minde goes together, being attained unto by the Cro&s;&s;e, and by the true revelation of the Son of God, made manife&s;t in the fle&s;h by his &s;ufferings, that as he overcame death, and now &s;its at the right hand of the Father, &s;o might we al|&s;o overcome, and be fellow-heirs with him.</P>
<P>Away with the knowledge the world hath, that can|not apprehend God to be good to them in time of di|&s;tre&s;&s;e, &s;orrow, mi&s;ery and calamity, in the time of their triall; but deem that they are out of Gods favour, and lie down either de&s;pairing of happine&s;&s;e, looking with|out them&s;elves, and revile others, which they conceive have been the cau&s;e of that that is fallen upon them. The ca&s;e of England is &s;o at pre&s;ent, becau&s;e men cannot en|joy their plea&s;ures and profits as heretofore, and things are not according to their wils, they lie down in di&s;con|tent, and rage again&s;t tho&s;e that rule over them, emula|ting &amp; reviling of them, if not &s;eeking their de&s;truction.</P>
<P>Mark, and behold what man is, he is a polluted,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 3. I&s;ai. 6.</NOTE> un|clean, filthy, and a defiled creature, how unable is he to do any thing to the clean&s;ing of him&s;elf: and to enter in|to life he cannot, let him be what he will, except he be clean&s;ed: as the bra&s;&s;e cannot make it &s;elf to be gold, nor the Tin to be &s;ilver, &s;o cannot man approach neer to God, to be in union and communion with him, except he be changed and renewed, and this God mu&s;t alone do, he is the Agent, and we mu&s;t be the Patient; the work is Gods, man can but re&s;igne him&s;elf up, and yeeld him&s;elf to him; his obedience is pa&s;&s;ive, God works all
<PB N="74" REF="42">
in all:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 2.30.</NOTE> Re&s;ignation and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion is that that God re|quireth, <HI>Honorantes me honorabo,</HI> Tho&s;e that honour me I will honour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;&s;. 4.4.</NOTE> and tho&s;e that de&s;pi&s;e me &s;hall be de&s;pi&s;ed; tho&s;e that will honour God by their re&s;ignation, he will honour them by his communication &amp; tho&s;e that do de|&s;pi&s;e God, when he calleth, &s;hall be de&s;pi&s;ed when they call,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;&s;. 5 19, 20.</NOTE> S. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, Quench not the &s;pirit, de&s;pi&s;e not pro|phe&s;ying: Doth it not appear that &s;uch there are that do? Our Saviour Chri&s;t &s;aith, The children of this world are wi&s;er in their generation, than the children of light. Wherein is that? The children of this world, let any man but nod, or becken to them, be it in &s;ome hope of profit, away they get, and they take much pains and tra|vell to get the wealth of this world. But in matters con|cerning God, neither the light that &s;hines in the minde, the motions of the good Spirit, the prophecyings, nor any verball per&s;wa&s;ion will work upon them, to take any pains, &s;o much as to yeeld, or &s;ubmit, to endevour to &s;ubdue a lu&s;t. But &s;till men &s;ay, What &s;hall we do, or how &s;hall we do this, or that, in matters between God and them? but do not that they can. If man hold up his finger, or wink, although never a word be &s;poken, it is pre&s;ently under&s;tood.<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3.5.</NOTE> But let God, notwith&s;tanding the light that &s;hineth into every mans con&s;cience, &s;peak by his Me&s;&s;engers plainly, Turn, return, repent, come, &s;ubmit, draw neer, why will you die? and the like invi|tations, yet poor mi&s;erable men refu&s;e. Speak con&s;ci|ence;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1.24, 25.</NOTE> may not a man be pa&s;&s;ively obedient in re&s;igning and yeelding him&s;elf up to his Maker, taking up the Cro&s;&s;e, &amp; waiting on the light which directeth him to his God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.19, 20, 21.</NOTE> an&s;wering the motions of the good Spirit, and &s;ub|mitting to the wil of God? Mu&s;t man of nece&s;&s;ity be act|ing &amp; doing in his own will, or el&s;e nothing to be done? Surely the Lord will be &s;erved after the manner he pre|&s;cribeth, that is in &s;pirit and truth&punc; no fle&s;h, no wil of man mu&s;t be in any thing, wherein we have to do with God; we cannot read of any that did walk according to his own heart, but that he did wickedly.</P>
<P><PB N="75" REF="42">Ob&s;erve the commands of Chri&s;t, if we will have our fle&s;h mortified, we &s;hall finde them to be ea&s;ie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 11.29.</NOTE> <HI>Come, love, beleeve, &s;ubmit, embrace, ki&s;&s;e, follow,</HI> and the like: If he bid us take up his yoke, he meaneth to draw with us, we &s;hall not be overburdened, he will a&s;&s;i&s;t us, and make it ea&s;ie and light. Con&s;ider this then, O man, what can&s;t thou do le&s;&s;e then come to thy Saviour, to re&s;igne, yeeld, and roll thy &s;elf on him, to embrace, to depend, and tru&s;t on him. O I&s;rael, thy de&s;truction is of thy &s;elf: thou can&s;t move and &s;tir forwards in thine own will, and in thy mi&s;-led under&s;tanding, and wilt not thou move or &s;tir in &s;ubmitting thy &s;elf unto his will? You will not come to me that you may have life: It appeareth then, that men love death, that they love darkne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 1.5.</NOTE> mo&s;t true it is, for they cannot comprehend the light: Let there|fore the con&s;ideration of the mi&s;erable effects: that fol|low the neglect of not coming to Chri&s;t, make us to be wi&s;e, and come, move and &s;tir, yeeld and &s;ubmit, ask, &s;eek and knock, enquire, not as <HI>Ahaziah</HI> did,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kihg. 1.2.</NOTE> but as <HI>Da|vid</HI> did, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 37. at the Sanctuary of God, and as the Prophet <HI>I&s;a</HI> &s;aith, Should not they enquire of their God?<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 8.8.</NOTE></P>
<P>Hitherto, that that hath been &s;aid, hath been to &s;hew what is &s;ignified by dro&s;&s;e and dro&s;&s;ie metals, whereunto God doth liken his people: it remains now that &s;ome|what be &s;aid to each particular people, as a direction from the Lord to walk by. If the Apo&s;tles, <HI>Paul, Peter,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;&s;. 5.2, 3. 2 Pet. 3.10, 11, 12. Jam. 5.8.</NOTE> <HI>James,</HI> and <HI>John</HI> fore&s;aw a change that would be in the world, as if it had been at hand in their dayes: what do the people and Saints of God fore&s;ee now, now Anti|chri&s;t the man of &s;in is revealed; for Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2.8. That the Lord &s;hall con&s;ume him with the breath of his mouth, and the brightne&s;&s;e of his coming: When man fell from God, he fled away, and his po&s;te|rity hath ever been feeding upon the four elements, and would not willingly be beholding to God, but eternally live in them: what wil mankind do, when the&s;e elements &s;hal be melted with the heat of fire? &s;urely not one jot or tittle of Gods word, &s;hal evade; but in his du time, al that
<PB N="76" REF="43">
hath been prophecied of,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 40.8.</NOTE> &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e; It &s;eemeth cleer to &s;ome, that the day of the Lords coming, is now begun, and that the apo&s;tacy, which hath continued many hundreds of yeers, is declining, and the light beginneth to &s;hine, that along time hath been &s;imulated, which de|clareth what the vi&s;ible church is now upon the earth, even like to I&s;rael, they are dro&s;&s;e to the pure, and holy God, they are Bra&s;&s;e, Tin, Iron, &amp; Lead. The&s;e four metals, which &s;ignifie four &s;orts of men, me~ of power, teaching men, men of Trafficke, &amp; poor men, may be further re&s;embled, to the four elements, <HI>S. Peter</HI> &s;peaketh of, that &s;hal likewi&s;e melt, fire,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3.12.</NOTE> aire, earth, and water: The man of power, being as the fire which doth predominate, and do the greate&s;t exe|cution, to the regularity of the re&s;t; the teaching man, which is as the aire in which men do breath, and live in, yet as aire; the man of trafficke, which is as the earth, that beareth forth fruit, to the &s;upport of the life of man; the poor man which is as the water, that doth refre&s;h and ea&s;e, and bring much comfort, and helpe to man.</P>
<P>Will God not onely melt the forenamed metalls, but al&s;o the elements, in which man, hath, and doth live in, being the onely &s;upport of man (for what can man do, if any one of the&s;e elements be taken away, he cannot &s;ub|&s;i&s;t, in his naturall being) Then here &s;ee the great good|ne&s;&s;e of God, that will not onely pruge, and refine man, but he will al&s;o refine the elements, that man lives in, and whereby, he doth &s;ub&s;i&s;t. God will not onely, make man pure, but the place and &s;eat, where mans &s;tation is, he will make it pure, al&s;o; there &s;hall be a pure world, as well as pure inhabitants, the fire &s;hall be pure fire, like the fire of the Lord, that con&s;umeth all the combu&s;tible mat|ter, of dro&s;&s;e and filth, that remaineth now: the air &s;hall be pure, cleared, and purged, from all humane, and ter|rene vapours wherein, the defilements of it, did con&s;i&s;t; there &s;hall be no more of of noi&s;ome and infectious air, but an air,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4.17.</NOTE> like that Saint <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaketh of, or the &s;ame: where wee &s;hall meet the Lord, and ever bee with him.</P>
<P><PB N="77" REF="43">The earth al&s;o, &s;hall be made pure,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 21.2.</NOTE> for it &s;hall be made new, there &s;hall be a new earth, all the actions, com|merce, conver&s;e, that is in the world, that were corrupted, through deceit, oppre&s;&s;ion, and cruelty, &s;hall all be burnt up, and there &s;hall be a clear, and a pure conver&s;e, and commerce, without fraud, covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, or guile; equity, and hone&s;ty, &s;hall then be exerci&s;ed, according to the Chri&s;tian rule to do, as others &s;hould do unto us, the wa|ters &s;hall no more remain, there &s;hall be no more Sea, all the waters &s;hall be dried up, by the fire of the Lord;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 21.1. E&s;a. 11.6.7. Acts 3.19.</NOTE> there &s;hall be no more poore, and oppre&s;&s;ed, by the rich the Lion &s;hall lie down with the Lambe, and our refre&s;hing &s;hall come from the pre&s;ence of the Lord.</P>
<P>Again, Saint <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith, in the forenamed chapter, that the heavens &s;hall pa&s;&s;e away, that the Heavens being on fire, &s;hall be di&s;&s;olved, and further &s;aith:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver. 10. ver. 12. ve&s;. 13.</NOTE> We look for new Heavens, and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Many heretofore, and &s;ome now, doe from this Scripture, tell the people, of the finall end, and di&s;&s;olution of the whole world for ever. But Chri&s;t &s;aith, To you it is given, to know the my&s;teries or &s;ecrets of the the Kingdom: And the Prophet <HI>Amos</HI> chapter the third,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 13.11.</NOTE> and the &s;eventh, &s;aith &s;urely, the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth, his &s;ecrets to his &s;ervants, the Prophets. It cannot be then &s;o under&s;tood, as our common Expo|&s;itors, have concluded, but it mu&s;t be truly, and cleerly taken, for the fiery change, that &s;hall be by the anger, and wrath of God, upon the world, which &s;hall di&s;&s;olve the Heavens; That is, the religions, that are in the world, for Religion, is as Heaven, by it we do conver&s;e with God, and commune with him, and it hath been, from the be|ginning, that the people of God, have had a way, to draw neer to God, by religious wor&s;hip, and &s;ervices of him: But &s;o it is come to pa&s;&s;e, that the man of &s;in, that is, &s;in deceiving man, and Satans temptations, prevailing with man, hath &s;o corruptly and &s;o confu&s;edly, &s;o hypo|critically, &amp; &s;o adulterately, wor&s;hipped and obeyed God, in the outward forme, in the &s;hew, in the hi&s;tory, with
<PB N="78" REF="44">
the lip onely, in the outward man, by and in the will of man; That the Spou&s;e is become an Harlot; Man is be|come a bea&s;t, and that body which the now-religion boa&s;t|eth that it is Chri&s;t, is Antichri&s;t; This heaven wherein the &s;ons of men, do &s;olace them&s;elves, this &s;trong City, this fenced Jeru&s;alem, This mountain, which they tru&s;t unto, plead and fight for, This heaven, where righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e dwelleth not, that is but the huske, the &s;hell, the &s;heath, the out&s;ide, the carka&s;&s;e, where the inward man, is pri&s;oned, captivated, and imbondaged, and &s;uffereth: This heaven, which is counterfeit, full of dro&s;&s;e, fal&s;hood, lies, whoredoms, witchcrafts, abominations, mockings, and per&s;ecutions, This heaven &s;hall pa&s;&s;e away, with a noi&s;e, This heaven &s;hall be di&s;&s;olved.</P>
<P>This is the great wonder of the world, at this time, that the heavens &s;hall melt, that the earth &s;hall quake, that the &s;tars &s;hall fall; But he that hath eyes to &s;ee, &s;eeth it now plainly, for the &s;ixt &s;eal is opened, and it doth manife&s;tly appear,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 6.12.</NOTE> that the change now is begun; mens confidences are &s;laying, Babylon is be&s;ieged, Antichri&s;t is di&s;covered, per&s;ecution increa&s;ed, the iniquity of the Whore revealed, her &s;ecrets uncovered, and the man of &s;in di&s;mantled, up|on which there is ari&s;en, a great war, between <HI>Michael,</HI> and the Dragon, in this heaven, they are both within the limits of heaven: a &s;trange thing that the Dragon, the great old Serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, &s;hould have his abode in heaven, and claim a right there, and now fight|eth, again&s;t that power of <HI>M chael,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 12.</NOTE> to maintain, keep up, and to continue this heaven, which is de&s;igned to pa&s;&s;e a|way, and to be di&s;&s;olved: Yet &s;o it is, This heaven, mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e away, this corrupted, &s;imulate, and dro&s;&s;y religion, mu&s;t fade,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16.17. Mat. 5.18. Rev. 6.14. E&s;a. 66.22. Rev. 21.1.</NOTE> the Dragon &s;hall be overcome, there will be a new heaven, and a new earth, which &s;hall continue and remain for ever, that God him&s;elf will make, which <HI>John</HI> &s;aw, wherein there is no vi&s;ible temple, but the Lord God, and the Lambe are the temple thereof, where righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e dwelleth, and abideth for ever; Not as the old hea|ven, that yet continueth, which is full of ceremonies, or|dinances,
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humane in&s;titutions, and injunctions, which hath cau&s;ed much confu&s;ion, contentions, and intangle|ments, the Nations being in controver&s;ie, how it &s;hall go, every one thinking his own way to be right, and that he &s;hall have the conque&s;t, at la&s;t, exerci&s;ing them&s;elves, in the corrupt and infatuated matter, proceeding from the four elements, within them, of pride, malice, covetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, and murmuring, awaking, and &s;tirring up the wrath and fiery indignation of the Lord, to the bringing of &s;ore, &s;ad, heavie, and, lamentable tribulation, by which, and through which tribulation, the Lord will make known, the great my&s;teries of the Kingdome, that lyeth now hidden, vailed, and unrevealed, that men &s;hall know the Lord, even in nature, in which knowledge, the &s;trang|er, and the Heathens, &s;hall be converted, and turne to the Lord, as Chri&s;tians; and all Art, cuning, skill, humane learning, formes, cu&s;tomes, and inventions of men, &s;hall be clean di&s;pelled, and God alone &s;hall be all in all.</P>
<P>That which hath been &s;aid, concerning metals let it be &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered, How the Almighty God, doth &s;et out the condition of his people by metalls, and declareth, his purpo&s;e, concerning them, as by the compari&s;on of metalls, is largely di&s;cour&s;ed, how he will melt them in all manner of their conditions, degrees, and qualities, and not onely &s;o, but he will melt the Elements, the Heavens al&s;o &s;hall be di&s;&s;olved, the Earth and all the works therein &s;hall be burnt, let it then be con&s;idered, as in the fore|named Epi&s;tle of <HI>Peter,</HI> what manner of per&s;ons, ought we to be? To this inquiry he doth advi&s;e, That our con|ver&s;ation &s;hould be holy, and God-like, that we may be found, when the Lord cometh, without &s;pot and blame|le&s;&s;e, having peace within us: To this end is the Prophe|&s;ies, the &s;ayings of Chri&s;t, and his Apo&s;tles,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3.</NOTE> that we might be betttered, and amended. The di&s;ea&s;e then being di&s;co|vered, and the cau&s;e of it, there remaineth now the reme|dy to be applied.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, to the men of power, &s;ignified by bra&s;&s;e, Let it be &s;aid to them, from the Lord, although they may
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think well of them&s;elves: they are dro&s;&s;e, and they are Bra&s;&s;e;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hag. 1.7, 8.</NOTE> Con&s;ider in your mindes you great ones, God will be glorified by you, you are his &s;ervants, and his work you mu&s;t do, you are not to act, any thing in, and ac|cording to your own wills, neither to and for your own ends; you are not to look to the glory and fame of your callings, and places, but to have re&s;pect unto the glory of God above all, as the Prophet <HI>Micha</HI> &s;peaketh, you &s;hould do ju&s;tly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mica. 6.8.</NOTE> love mercy and walk humbly with God; Ju&s;tice &amp; mercy &s;hould be exerci&s;ed, after the mo&s;t perfect, patern of God him&s;elf, for God &s;aith, Be holy, as I am holy, per|fect as your Hevenly Father is perfect: the ju&s;tice di&s;pen&s;ed by men on earth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5.48.</NOTE> &s;hould be &s;uteable to the ju&s;tice, and judgement of God, an&s;wering to his holine&s;&s;e, and to his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and that not in &s;ome things, as do the Heathens, but in all things what&s;oever, and that exactly, and compleatly, that the will of God may be done, on Earth, as it is done in Heaven; In this deportment, the wi&s;e and faithfull, that are in authority, do manife&s;t them|&s;elves, to be the children of God their Father, when that among all the prunings,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5.9.</NOTE> and loppings of inju&s;tice, the equitable, and cleer reducement, &s;tands con&s;i&s;tent with the mo&s;t free, &s;ingle, and perfect righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the mo&s;t Holy God.</P>
<P>And as God requireth ju&s;tice, &s;o doth he require al&s;o mercy, mercy to the poor that are oppre&s;&s;ed, wronged, and trampled on; Ju&s;tice and Mercy mu&s;t go together; it is ju&s;tice to puni&s;h the offender and oppre&s;&s;our,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 101.1.</NOTE> and it is mercy to relieve the poor and the innocent. It is the coun&s;ell of Chri&s;t; Be mercifull as your Heavenly Father is mercifull, and there is a ble&s;&s;ing pronounced, to them that are mercifull, full of mercy.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5.7.</NOTE>Again, men of power, &s;hould walke humbly with God, men that do walk humbly, as they ought to do, do walk with God, as <HI>Noah</HI> did: the Lord he will dwell with the humble man, he giveth grace to the humble, and re&s;i&s;teth the proud; Pride hath been much among men of power, &s;ome have &s;marted,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5.5.</NOTE> for their pride, as our late times can
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te&s;tifie, and through that, and by that means, the powers are &s;ome way refined: the taking away of the Eccle&s;ia&s;ti|call power, is a great &s;igne, that God intendeth good unto us; and it &s;hould cau&s;e the oppo&s;ites derived from them, to be humbled.</P>
<P>Let men of power con&s;ider, how the Lord, for the pride of <HI>Nebuchadnezzar,</HI> dealt by him, taking from him his rea&s;on, making him to feed, as the bea&s;ts; They may al&s;o look back, to the times that we have known of late: how were the powers of this Nation, &s;haken and &s;hivered, yea broken to peeces, that when they thought, to make a grea|ter addition to tyranny and oppre&s;&s;ion, they became pow|erle&s;&s;e? What were tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e that were in authority, or how were they &s;et up? was is not more becau&s;e of their wealth, then of their grace? or becau&s;e of their &s;ini&s;ter relations, then their qualifications? more that they might act, and do the will of man, then to do according to Gods will?</P>
<P>Hath God begun to refine the powers, have we &s;een &s;ome amendment? Doubtle&s;&s;e, God will proceed. For he will have tho&s;e to rule, that are God-like, that are as Him&s;elf is, he wil be the Shepherd of his &s;heep, he wil cor|rect them with his rod, and bear them up with his &s;taffe, he will have no cruelty, exerci&s;ed on his, nor partiality on the evill doers, but the Judges, and the Arbiters, &s;hall deal ju&s;tly, and impartially, in dubious mat|ters.</P>
<P>Mo&s;t &s;trange effects of Gods providence in this Nati|on, is to be taken notice of: how hath God begun among us, as it were were with a be&s;ome, to &s;weep away all ad|ver&s;e power, in the great mutation of Governours and of Government, laying a&s;ide &s;ome per&s;ons, and powers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 23.</NOTE> and depo&s;ing of them, who thought them&s;elves, on a &s;ure foundation, and &s;etting up others, that never thought of being capable of it, being of mean di&s;cent:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 1.43.</NOTE> Surely this cannot, but &s;hew unto us, that the Decree of God is gone forth, to overturn all Nations, Kingdoms, Kings, Gover|nours, and Rulers of the earth, untill they be wi&s;e, and
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learned, in the the fear of their God, and are willing to ki&s;&s;e the Son,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2.</NOTE> to embrace the Lord Chri&s;t, the chief Head of all kingdoms, and do yeeld up them&s;elves, their great|ne&s;&s;e, lawes, intere&s;t, and affaires, into perfect &s;ubjecti|on, and conformity, to the mo&s;t ab&s;olute, and perfect power of Chri&s;t; and to rule men, no further, nor no other|wi&s;e, then as they are the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t, their Lord; Thus God will have his people, that rule over others, un|der him&s;elf, when they are melted, to be &s;uch, as &s;hall curb the evill doers, and to defend, pre&s;erve, &s;u&s;tain, maintain, and uphold, them that do well.</P>
<P>Truth and right government, according to the perfect Law of God, is mo&s;t &s;erviceable, in its place, and it can|not be performed, rightly, but by &s;uch as fear God, and hate covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that are impartiall. God that hath by the &s;pirit of burning, burnt and con&s;umed the fle&s;hly minde, and will of Governours, cau&s;eth them to act ac|according to his own will, and for his glory, being led by his Holy Spirit, into all wi&s;dom, endeavouring to plea&s;e him, not winking at any deceit for carnall ends, but ad|mini&s;tring, and di&s;tributing true ju&s;tice, for Gods &s;ake, &s;aving the innocent, and puni&s;hing the nocent, gi|ving forth according to Gods will, and not according to their own, without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, but for con&s;cience &s;ake, to do the thing that is right, and as becomes men, given wholly up, to &s;erve and obey the living God:</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6.1. Matth. 19.28.</NOTE>Let the Arbiters, they that were of old called &s;o, now the Lawyers of our times, learn to dread the Lord, and not to &s;crue, and wre&s;t the propo&s;alls, made to them of peace, into a long contrived debate, to enrich them&s;elves by others ruine, and clothe them&s;elves by the nakedne&s;&s;e of others: It is an office for Saints, and not for the cove|tous, and cruell; there will be a time, in the new <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem,</HI> that the Saints &s;hall judge the earth, they &s;hall give the Law forth, from the Spirit of the Lord; for the Evan|gelicall Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;hall comprehend, more then the the Morall, the love of the Father &s;hall be in the Arbitrer, and he &s;hall admini&s;ter judiciou&s;ly, equally, and impar|tially,
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which &s;hall ca&s;t out the oppre&s;&s;our, and re&s;tore a|gain the prey, taken from the &s;poiled, and be in that love and meekne&s;&s;e, as becommeth a Saint, doing no wrong.</P>
<P>Secondly, Tho&s;e that are called, by the will of man, to teach, and to in&s;truct men, let them con&s;ider, what they are, and how they are to be qualified: it is not for them to be as Tin, to have the likene&s;&s;e of the better metals, and to adulterate with all mean metals, it is not &s;ufficient for them, to have an artificiall, humane, pregnant, and Scho|la&s;tique manner of delivering &s;peeches and &s;ermons, and with it, &s;et forms of prayer, but they mu&s;t have the theory within them, that is, &s;uch a te&s;timo|ny that their &s;pirits can bear witne&s;&s;e within them, of the truth, of what they do &s;peak: for Saint <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, The te&s;timony of Je&s;us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 19.10.</NOTE> is the &s;pirit of prophecie. They are not to teach by letter, or by another mans lines, nor by tran&s;mi&s;&s;ion of other authors, for that is as theft, which the Lord by his prophets complains of, and al&s;o they are not, to teach the vi&s;ions, the divinations, the fal&s;ities, vanities,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 14.14.15.</NOTE> and deceitfulne&s;&s;e of their own hearts, but cleerly and exactly, what is within them&s;elves, of the truth of God, and of the power, and life of the Spi|rit of God.</P>
<P>Wherefore, let all the Teachers, that are at this day, who have took upon them, to teach; examine, and try them&s;elves, whether they are of the &s;ame Spirit, that their Lord Chri&s;t was of, when he taught upon the mount,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5.</NOTE> af|ter he had foiled the Tempter, he pronounceth happi|ne&s;&s;e, and ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e to divers; As to the poore, to the mourner, to the meek, to the hungry, to the mercifull, to the pure, to the peace-makers, and to them that are per|&s;ecuted: proove your &s;elves, yee teachers of men, whether the &s;ame minde be in you, as was in Chri&s;t Je&s;us; he was according to all the&s;e &s;everall &s;orts of people, &amp; he giveth them comfort, whom comfort belongeth unto, and ble&s;|&s;edne&s;&s;e to them that are pure, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Is it &s;o with you, do you do the like? then are you the Light of the world, and the Salt of the earth. It is to be
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feared, that the worlds preachers are not &s;o to be found, but rather in &s;tead of being poor in &s;pirit, they are rich, like the Laodiceans;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 3.</NOTE> in &s;tead of mourning for the abo|minations that are in the land, as &s;pirituall whoredoms, they are blinde to it, and think them&s;elves to be the very Spou&s;e of Chri&s;t, and rejoyce in the fle&s;hly &s;ervice of God, which is not accepted; in &s;tead of being meek, they are filled full of envie, breaking out into revilings &amp; per|&s;ecutings; in &s;tead of being hungry, they are full, they have need of nothing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> when they are poor, blinde and naked; in &s;tead of being mercifull, they are cruell, Incendiaries to authority again&s;t the innocent; in &s;tead of being pure in heart, they are pure in tongue, they prophe&s;ie in the name of God, but God may &s;ay unto them, I know you not, I have had no inward acquaintance with you; in &s;tead of being peace-makers, I would it could not be &s;aid, that they are the greate&s;t peace-breakers, dividing, rending, railing, fomenting and di&s;&s;enting with tho&s;e, that they &s;uppo&s;e are ri&s;en up, to ju&s;tle them out of their livings.</P>
<P>Are the teachers of the world contrary to Chri&s;t? Surely then they are not to be heard: Take heed how you hear, &s;aith our Saviour: Come learn of me, &s;aith he al&s;o. Tho&s;e that have the holy Spirit of God in them, have the gift of di&s;cerning,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 3.</NOTE> and they are guided to hear nothing, but what the Spirit &s;peaks, he that hath ears to hear, hear what the Spirit &s;aith to the Churches: They were all faulty, and would our Churches now were not &s;o. It is the &s;cattered people in Babylon, the de&s;pi&s;ed remnant that de&s;erteth the worlds fa&s;hions, that are per|&s;ecuted by the Churches, that are now gathering toge|ther by the hands of the Almighty, which will be the people, that will grow up to an invincible mountain, which &s;hall for e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">er &s;tand.</P>
<P>Can the Teachers of the world &s;ay? that they are the light of the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 18.6.21.17.</NOTE> and live in blindne&s;&s;e and darkne&s;&s;e, and have not the true light &s;hining in them, can they give light to others that have no light? They may have
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a certain kinde of light in dark and ob&s;cure places, like that rotten wood that is called Dadock, which &s;hineth untill the true light comes; and when It comes, no light at all appears in it. Can they &s;ay they are the &s;alt of the earth? Salt is of that quality, that it doth as it were give life to that which is dead, it pre&s;erveth from putrefaction, it is medicinall, and of a healing quality, <HI>Sal &s;apit omnia,</HI> It is an embleme of love: would this were &s;o, that the teachers of the world were as &s;alt, that they could intro|duce into their dead hearers, the living and eternall Go|&s;pel of God, that it might be to them as life, and that their exhortations, in&s;tructions, rebukes, and comforts, were medicinall and healing to the di&s;ea&s;es and wounds of their peoples &s;ouls and &s;pirits, as &s;alt is to the body, and that there were pure love and a godly jealou&s;ie in them, as was in Saint <HI>Paul,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 11.2.</NOTE> that had prepared the Corin|thians for one husband, to pre&s;ent them as pure virgins to Chri&s;t, but feared they were beguiled, as <HI>Eve</HI> was by the Serpent, and their mindes might be corrupted from the &s;implicity that is in Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>None &s;hould be teachers of others, but tho&s;e that are Beleevers; for the &s;imple and plain Beleever is the be&s;t &s;peaker: <HI>David</HI> &s;aid, I did beleeve, therefore I &s;pake;<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 116.10.</NOTE> in|timating, had he not truly beleeved, he had not been ca|pable of &s;peaking; a true Beleever may be a right Expo&s;i|tour, and a right Interpreter. But pity it is, that where the Teacher is defective, there is joyned the traditions of men with the pure Word, &amp; with Chri&s;ts commands; car|nall pagani&s;h Philo&s;ophy, with the anointing of the Spi|rit; the orders and degrees of Schools, rudiments of the world with the mini&s;tery of Chri&s;t which is from Hea|ven. The&s;e things cannot &s;tand together, and therefore there is a great rent made, and will &s;till divide and rend, untill all be made new; for new wine mu&s;t be put into new bottles; the old bottles of the fle&s;h cannot hold the wine of the &s;pirit of God; the new Covenant requires another manner of obedience then the old did,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4.18&punc;</NOTE> and the Go&s;pel mini&s;tration is for the perfecting of the Saints;
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the way of the righteous is light, that &s;hineth more and more to the perfect day, to build them up into the unity of faith, and to lead them from faith to faith, into the perfect knowledge of the Son of God, to be a perfect man, into the mea&s;ure of the &s;tature of the fulne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>When will the time come, that there &s;hall be no more complaint again&s;t un&s;avoury &s;alt, blinde guides, &amp; divine Merchants? Surely the time is now coming, it is begun, that the Lord will expell and drive out from his Church all tho&s;e that are pernicious, unnece&s;&s;ary &amp; unprofitable teachers and guides, who by the will of man are educa|ted and brought to learning and humane art, fitted, as to the eyes of men, for to teach, and in&s;truct, and no way, as by the election of God inwardly po&s;ited and habitua|ted by the Lord, but rather &s;uffered and continued for the &s;ins and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of the people, who do collect matter together out of Authours, keeping it in memory to deliver it, not fixed by the Spirit in them&s;elves, but are as a channell or pipe, that conveyeth to the outward, certain po&s;itions framed and compiled out of the letter, cho&s;en by them&s;elves to &s;erve their own turns, for the advance of their functions. Mo&s;t certain it is, that there is a generation of teachers that are not &s;ent by the Lord, who are de&s;perate enemies to the pure truth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 23.21. Ezek. 13.2, 3, 4</NOTE> and cannot endure tho&s;e that do di&s;cover their weakne&s;&s;e, defecti|ons, or wickedne&s;&s;e, and upon this ground will be rai&s;ed a far greater conte&s;t than is yet, not con&s;onant to the minde of God; for di&s;puting &s;hould be laid a&s;ide, and be no longer among us, but advice given, to turn, amend, repent, or el&s;e for ever peri&s;h.</P>
<P>Let not Teachers be &s;light in the examination of them|&s;elves in that large charge which is laid again&s;t them, le&s;t that come upon them which Saint <HI>Paul</HI> endevoured to avoid, that after he had preached to others, him&s;elf might not be a ca&s;taway;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 9.27.</NOTE> therefore did he beat down his body, and kept it in &s;ubjection. But how far are many from this duty? How do they feed and pamper their bodies in e|very
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manner of way as much as any? It is a &s;trange re|coil for a di&s;ea&s;ed man to &s;ay, Phy&s;ician, heal thy &s;elf: or for an Auditour to &s;ay to the preacher, Pull the beam out of thine own eye. That light which is &s;prung up &amp; &s;ent among us from the Lord, let them obey it, though never &s;o cro&s;&s;e to their wils, le&s;t that, after all their learning, teaching, preaching, praying and exerci&s;ing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2.1.</NOTE> they be found among the raging Heathen; or, which is wor&s;e, to be their Abettours and Ring-leaders. Think upon the complaints that the Lord often hath made again&s;t the Prophets, who cau&s;ed his people to erre: Judge your &s;elves, that you be not judged and condemned of the Lord; Try and examine your &s;elves, ye that call your &s;elves &s;ons of <HI>Levi,</HI> for the Lord is coming to try and to refine you.</P>
<P>Great is the goodne&s;&s;e of God to his Church, that he hath made &s;uch a di&s;covery, that they in whom we tru&s;t|ed, and have been our introduction, we mu&s;t for&s;ake, be|ing called to a better, and a more lively hope to the in|dwellings of God, than to attend the ordinances of man; that &s;peaks nought but death: the Prie&s;ts lips &s;hould pre&s;erve knowledge,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 2.7.</NOTE> but they have de&s;troyed the true &s;a|ving knowledge; they have known the will of the Lord; but they have not done it; they have thru&s;t them&s;elves into Chri&s;ts office, meerly to get profit, favour, and ho|nour. It is a great mi&s;chief, and a deadly injury to be blinde-led; Chri&s;t &s;aith, If the blinde lead the blinde, they both fall into the ditch, that is, they fall into that they cannot ea&s;ily get out, and when they are, through mercy, helped out, they mu&s;t be clean&s;ed from the filth of the ditch which they have received, in the ditch. If by leading men fall, where their de&s;ire is to avoid, what are they better by leading? what a heavie account have the&s;e leaders to give above all others?</P>
<P>Are not the teachers moved, to hear of the fall of Baby|lon? Surely &s;ome are, but tho&s;e that are not, that endevour to uphold Antichri&s;t in the my&s;tery, &s;hall &s;uffer with the Whore, and be partaker of her plagues. Is there <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word">
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in Heaven, and cannot tho&s;e hear of it that are &s;till talk|ing of Heaven? Is there a new Jeru&s;alem coming down from God out of Heaven, and &s;hall our Supervi&s;ours not &s;ee it? Hath that City but one &s;treet in it, and no cro&s;&s;e-wayes at all, tending to unity and concord, and &s;hall our peacefull Preachers not know it? Certainly God will dwell him&s;elf with his people, and they &s;hall know all things,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 3.19.</NOTE> through that light and love of his, wherewith many Nations &s;hall be joyned to him, and whereby he will be all in all, that that which was above the reach of the highe&s;t Apo&s;tle, will come down and appear to the lowe&s;t and meane&s;t of his people.</P>
<P>The great di&s;coveries that Almighty God hath made, concerning the fall and overthrow of Antichri&s;t, which fall is beginning; the wi&s;e and the learned of the world are &s;o far from waiting to &s;ee it, that they are blinde, yea wilfully blinde, concerning it; being friends to that wor&s;hip of God, which is according to the oldne&s;&s;e of the Letter,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.6.</NOTE> and great enemies to that of the newne&s;&s;e of the Spirit, holding forth for good the outward Circum|ci&s;ion, the outward Bapti&s;m, the outward lip-labour, and auricular attendance in divine Ordinances, that now is wounded; and condemneth the Circumci&s;ion and the Bapti&s;m of the heart, the invi&s;ible and &s;pirituall Com|munion in the Spirit with the Father, and the Son, which is the marrow of all religion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.27, 28, 29.</NOTE> not holden by men wor|thy of prai&s;e, or commendation, and therefore maligned and envied, as <HI>Stephen</HI> was, <HI>Acts</HI> 7.54. &amp;c. being &s;toned for &s;peaking the truth which the people could not ap|prehend. All the Apo&s;tles &s;pake &s;omewhat of the great change that would be in the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.23. 1 Joh. 3.2. 2 Pet. 3 13.</NOTE> and do declare evidently, that there is a third di&s;pen&s;ation, which is of the Spirit; that of the Law had its period; that of the Go&s;pel, as the Go&s;pel had its limit bound up to the outward admini&s;trations of men gifted, hath had its A|po&s;tate-being, digre&s;&s;ing from Go&s;pel graces and faith, being as the night of the world, to the revelation of the great light that God would after &s;hine into the &s;pirits
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and hearts of men, &s;poken of by Saint <HI>Paul.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2.9, 10, 11.</NOTE> Now the night of Apo&s;tacie is beginning to pa&s;&s;e away, and the day approacheth, wherein the Almighty will manife&s;t him&s;elf to be the God and Father of his people, by his dwelling in them, foretold by the Prophets, &s;een a far off by the Apo&s;tles, and witne&s;&s;ed by &s;ome now, the which hath a very great oppo&s;ition, not by &s;candalous and profane per&s;ons onely, but by great Profe&s;&s;ours, a|cute and learned Teachers, which will not yeeld to any reproof, nor &s;ub&s;cribe to any other mans revelati|on, and therefore do charge the unchangeable God, that he changeth not, nor di&s;turbeth not, neither doth he rent and divide the vi&s;ible Church, but that &s;ome do, they do conclude, they are &s;uborned of the evil one, and endevour to &s;top their mouths, and puni&s;h tho&s;e per&s;ons that &s;ay as <HI>Malachi</HI> did,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 2.17.</NOTE> Ye have wearied the Lord with your words, Why u&s;e you &s;o many words, &s;o much pha|ri&s;aicall prayers, and &s;uch counterfeit and heedle&s;&s;e &s;ing|ing and prai&s;ing? Why &s;uch variety of humane learning, philo&s;ophy, and plea&s;ing the fle&s;hly mindes of men? And, wherein have we wearied the Lord, are we not his peo|ple, and are not our exerci&s;es the exerci&s;es of Faith and Love, derived from the primitive time? we know no|thing of it, but what is agreeable to the Word, and if we &s;hould de&s;i&s;t, what will become of religion? Mark the Text when ye &s;ay, Every one that doth evil is good in the &s;ight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them, or where is the God of judgement? Look to this, O ye Teachers of men, your ca&s;e is &s;o, that God hath found you great enemies to the mo&s;t pure light and truth that floweth from him&s;elf;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.</NOTE> and as in the third chapter of the &s;ame Prophet, being the next words, hear there your doom, God will try you.</P>
<P>Judgement beginneth at the hou&s;e of God, among the righteous, among them that are full, that are rich,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4.17, 18.</NOTE> that are wi&s;e: Oh that this &s;ort of people could &s;ee but their unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, their emptine&s;&s;e, their po|verty, and their folly; until men come to &s;ee that they
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are &s;o,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 3.39. I&s;a. 29.18, 19.</NOTE> they are not happy; the blinde onely &s;hall &s;ee, and the deaf onely &s;hall hear; and he that is hungry &s;hall be &s;atisfied, for the Lord hath &s;ealed the book, that he that can read cannot open it, and he that can read will not meddle with it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 29.11, 12.</NOTE> but per&s;ecute it; witne&s;&s;e the late times &s;ince that the hidden my&s;teries that <HI>John</HI> &s;aw hath been opened, which the Teachers of our times yeelded them&s;elves willingly to be blinde unto,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3.5.</NOTE> how is it like to be per&s;ecuted further? Is the ri&s;e of their per|&s;ecution, becau&s;e that &s;ome illiterate men &s;peak, account|ed not worthy in their e&s;teem to meddle with &s;uch things?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 18.7, 16.</NOTE> Or, is it becau&s;e that Babel, the &s;eat of the Whore, with all her ornaments, &s;hall be de&s;troyed? Or, is it be|cau&s;e divine merchandi&s;ing &s;hall have an utter end? Saint <HI>Paul</HI> did intimate in his Epi&s;tle to the Corinthians, that there were &s;ome,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 2.17.</NOTE> but he and the re&s;t of the Apo&s;tles were no &s;uch, that did make merchandi&s;e of the Word.</P>
<P>Tremble then all you that are Teachers, that &s;ay you are Apo&s;tles and are not,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.2.</NOTE> that would be canonized for Saints here, and have not yet bowed to the Scepter of the Lord Chri&s;t, that have onely ta&s;ted of the little book which is &s;weet in the mouth, <HI>Emanuel, God with us,</HI> but have not eaten it up,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 10.9. &amp;c. Rev. 21.8.</NOTE> becau&s;e of its bitterne&s;&s;e in the bel|ly, that are fearfull of lo&s;ing the glorious things of the world, if they &s;hould embrace Chri&s;t really, loving &s;uch a religion and profe&s;&s;ion that agreeth with the conditi|ons of the great men, driving &s;till at tho&s;e that would &s;eparate worldly &s;ame, pomp, ea&s;e and wealth, from the inward,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 2.15.</NOTE> invi&s;ible, and &s;pirituall wor&s;hip of God, which cannot &s;tand together, joyning the humane and corrupt ordinances and will-wor&s;hip, with the inward wor&s;hip of God in &s;pirit, limiting the holy One to their traditi|onall &s;ervice.</P>
<P>Learn to know that the Almighty hath power to change all things at his own will and plea&s;ure, yea, the very Heavens, which is the Church, and the religion we live and conver&s;e with God in; and that there &s;hall not &s;uch adulteries and fornications be committed among
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his people, and in his hou&s;e there &s;hall be no more inti|cers to love the &s;trange woman,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 7.</NOTE> who hath all comeli|ne&s;&s;e and excellent entertainment to the &s;atisfaction of the de&s;ires of the fle&s;h. There is other di&s;coveries made, and they who are the &s;ons of <HI>Levi,</HI> that wait at the Al|tar mu&s;t be changed, and not cry, <HI>Templum Domini,</HI> not the temple of the Lord, becau&s;e once it was &s;o, and now it hath not the Spirits pre&s;ence to &s;ay all one words, but they mu&s;t cry, <HI>Dominus in templo,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 21.3. Rev. 3.20.</NOTE> The Lord in his tem|ple; the Lord is now coming to dwell, he &s;tandeth at the door and knocketh.</P>
<P>Ob&s;erve with a di&s;cerning eye, whether it be not in vain for the Teachers of the world to go about to uphold that which God hath de&s;igned down; if Antichri&s;t &s;hall fall, it will not be in part, but in the whole, the &s;tars &s;hall fall; therefore envie not, and de&s;pi&s;e not the &s;mall be|ginnings, neither trample on any &s;pringing up, that is of the Lords planting, for it may pro&s;per the better. Contend not, neither fight again&s;t them unto whom the Lord hath made great di&s;coveries of Chri&s;t his coming forth in the glory of God, cen&s;uring, reproaching, and per&s;ecuting tho&s;e doctrines that you are not able to com|prehend, as the devout women did, and the chief men did again&s;t <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 13.5<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> &s;uch are the great oppo|&s;ers of pure truth, that live in the profe&s;&s;ion of truth and teach others, carried out with a zeal kindled from the outward letter, endevouring to open the my&s;teries, by and with their outward gifts, which cannot be. But in &s;tead of opening Heaven, they open Hell, having the key of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit, &s;tirring up contentions and &s;trifes, rather manife&s;ting them&s;elves to be the apo&s;tles of Gods anger and infliction, then the peace-exerci&s;ing and teach|ing Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t were. Shew forth your Evange|licall fruits, you that &s;tile your &s;elves &s;o; let your love, your patience, meekne&s;&s;e, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and long-&s;uf|fering appear in your behaviour towards all men, and your rendering good for evil, ble&s;&s;ing for cur&s;ing, praying for per&s;ecuting.</P>
<P><PB N="92" REF="51">Behold, and &s;ee ye Teachers of the world, whether there hath not been and now is among&s;t you, &s;uch which have been as you &s;ay, called to the function and place of the Mini&s;tery, vile and vicious per&s;ons. A great grief it hath been to many &s;ouls who have received &s;omewhat from God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mills Flavell Wells.</NOTE> by the con&s;cientious and right dividers, to &s;ee &s;uch covetous, proud, oppre&s;&s;ing, drunken, idle, lying, vain &amp; incontinent per&s;ons to &s;tand up, to &s;peak, as if &s;ent from God, &s;triking terrour &amp; amazement to the poor ten|der hearted hearer, being ignorant of God, that &s;uch as are reprovers of evill, &s;hould be examples of committing evill: This, ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord is taken notice of by our Governours, and there is a beginning in &s;ome places of the Nation, to call &s;uch to the barre, and to try them for tho&s;e gro&s;&s;e evils; and there is hope that they being taken in hand for their open wickedne&s;&s;e, others that live in the &s;ecret, &s;hall al&s;o be detected; it is manife&s;t that God is co|ming forth to refine and purifie all.</P>
<P>Thirdly, to the men of Trafficke, Merchants and o|thers, that by their commerce, are as the earth, to &s;up|port and bear up, and yeeld &s;ufficiency to others, through the exerci&s;e of their worldly imploiments, Let them learn here to know God as he is, and to know them&s;elves what they are, for God is the chiefe&s;t good, &amp; there is no happi|nes in the enjoyment of any thing without God, al things created by him, having not their u&s;e for, &amp; to his glory, are abu&s;ed, and become as &s;o many hinderances, and letts un|to us in the way to life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ter. 1.5.</NOTE> They are all vanity, there is no worth in them; all the world, and the things therein are not worth one &s;oul;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 16.1.</NOTE> and as for them&s;elves, let them know that they are but as &s;tewards, which mu&s;t give an account,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.17.</NOTE> of their &s;teward&s;hip, and they are not to put their tru&s;t, in uncertain riches, nor to be high minded, but to do good and to di&s;tribute, laying up in &s;tore a good foundation, again&s;t the time to come, &amp;c.</P>
<P>The men of the world &s;etteth their mindes on the world wholly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 1.19.</NOTE> all their &s;tudy and care, all their diligence, and watchfulne&s;&s;e is to get gain, to adde to what they have, to make them&s;elves great, to be in e&s;teem in the
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world, to have an aboundance, contriving to get large po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ions, great inheritances, fair buildings &s;tore of mo|nies, potent friends, all which is nothing; this procures no inward peace, no forgivene&s;&s;e, no &s;pirituall &s;atisfacti|on to the &s;oul, no communion with God; but doth cor|rupt infect and mi&s;-lead the &s;oul, into the &s;nares of death, for by loving, affecting, and delighting in the things of the world, the poor &s;oul is everla&s;tingly captivated, and hardened in the worldly walkings, that they come to plead for their &s;ins of covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, calling it good hu&s;|bandry, and exerci&s;ing of their talents,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73.</NOTE> and &s;o the Lord God their Maker comes to be forgotten of them, all things going well with them, that they break out into pride, am|bition, cruelty, and oppre&s;&s;ion, all under the colour of li|ving according to their degree and their calling. Thus do men of the world, that are without God in the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5.17.</NOTE> demean them&s;elves towards God; <HI>ut Papa, &s;ic populus.</HI></P>
<P>They &s;till entertain the religion of the word, that that is mo&s;t in u&s;e, and be&s;t agreeth with their palate, although there is inwardly in them, nothing but plotting, contriving, devi&s;ing, &s;tudying, and indeavoring after the world, the plea&s;ures and profits thereof; Yet they would be known to be of &s;ome religion, as well as others: and, the&s;e times do afford them a receptacle, they are welcome to the teachers of the world, in all their exerci|&s;es, praying, preaching, &s;inging, and conference, and have the chiefe&s;t room, and the be&s;t applau&s;e, for con|&s;tant hearers, and very good incouragement, to rejoice, and boa&s;t of their religious carriage, e&s;pecially becau&s;e they pay thir dues, keep their church, being quiet, and not medling with the differences, that now are, but takes all for good that the mini&s;ters &s;aith or doth.</P>
<P>Be not deceived, O worldling, God knoweth the &s;e|crets of thine heart, and &s;eeth the bent thereof, Thou can&s;t not &s;erve God, and <HI>Mammon;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16.13.</NOTE> Although thou lo|ve&s;t thy mini&s;ter plye&s;t the Church, and paye&s;t thy dues, and all &s;eems to be at peace, with thee: Thou art nothing but as earth, thou maye&s;t make a &s;hew of &s;ome religion
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to men,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jams. 2.18.</NOTE> but the Lord &s;eeth, that thou ha&s;t no religion at all, let it appear by thy works, what thou art: the Lord cannot endure, a half Chri&s;tian, an out&s;ide one, he requi|reth the in&s;ide, the heart, the Spirit of the minde; there is nothing can make thee happy, but the injoyment of the Lord Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4.</NOTE> and his benefits; Silver and Gold cannot deli|ver thee, in the day of the Lords wrath, neither wil God be &s;erved, but with the male of thy flock, thou mu&s;t &s;acrifice the be&s;t for an offering to the Lord, and think nothing too dear to part withall,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 16.9.</NOTE> in compari&s;on of gaining Chri&s;t. Make you friends of the Mammon of unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everla&s;ting habitation: make you friends, <HI>Abraham</HI> beleeved God, and was called his friend? what great happine&s;&s;e it is for a man to have God for his friend, nothing can go ill with him, if God be on our &s;ide, who can be again&s;t us: Make Chri&s;t thy friend,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.31. John 15.14.</NOTE> O worldly man; the benefit of His friend&s;hip, will be great, he is thy Saviour, Mediatour, and Interce&s;&s;our. What priviledge like to this, to be the friend of Chri&s;t? we cannot, but mu&s;t participate of all, he hath obtained for us, and hath in &s;tore al&s;o. Make the poor your friends, give them of your &s;ub&s;tance, and of your &s;tore, &s;pare &s;omething of your abundance, vi&s;ite the pri&s;oner, feed the hungry, cloathe the naked, take pity on the &s;ick, and entertain the &s;tranger; that their prayers to God, and prai&s;es of God, for &s;uch reaching of outward comforts to them, by their frequency, and fervency, may cau&s;e the dew of heaven, to di&s;till down upon you.</P>
<P>Do not forget thy Maker? O worldling, but remember him, and do works of pity, and mercy, of love, and charity, and as thou ha&s;t received freely, from the Lord; &s;o for the Lords &s;ake give freely, that thou maye&s;t not be liable, to the &s;entence, that God doth pronounce again&s;t the cove|tous, not to enter into life; nor to have the cur&s;es, and the execrations of the poor, to ly at thy door.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6.9, 10.</NOTE>Make the people of God thy friends, love them, ac|quaint thy &s;elf with them: Do not revile, mock, &s;coffe,
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&s;corne, and de&s;pi&s;e them, either becau&s;e of their plainnes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 19.29.</NOTE> nor becau&s;e thou art reproved by them, nor becau&s;e they love that thou hate&s;t, and hate that thou love&s;t; but go to the Sanctuary of God, and learn to love, that that God loveth, to for&s;ake all, and follow the Lord Chri&s;t, not to go from that thou doe&s;t po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, but out of that covetous will, that is within thee; that will mu&s;t be de&s;troyed, and brought to nothing, thou mu&s;t account thy Ma&s;ter&s;hip, thy Wealth, thy Wi&s;dome, thy great Place, thy Credit, thy great Pro&s;perity, thy Authority, and thy co&s;tly Gar|ments, to be all one, as Service, Poverty, Plainne&s;&s;e, Di&s;|e&s;teeme, Di&s;grace, Adver&s;ity, and Scarcity: &s;uch a temper &s;hould men, that have the wealth of the world be of, that they &s;hould be as willing to lo&s;e as win, to wear coor&s;e garments, as fine garments, and what&s;oever is conferred upon them, either of honour, wealth or goods, to return, and give it back again to God, and &s;ay unfainedly, Lord it is thine; I am unworthy to have the command over it, but being thou ha&s;t put it into my hands, make me to do thy will with it, and that thou maye&s;t have the glory of it, and that all the exerci&s;es and undertakings, I am called unto, may produce good to thy people.</P>
<P>How far otherwi&s;e, is the practice of worldly men, that live in the anxiety of their Spirits, both in the getting, and keeping earthly trea&s;ure, and how do they expati|ate their de&s;ires: the earthly father, would have an earth|ly &s;on, nothing can bring an earthly, worldly minded mans will, to a limit, but onely the love, and power of God; Man is apt to run all his &s;tock, out upon the world, his confidence, tru&s;t, joy, comfort, his love, and fear, and all, and wholly to forget God, as if they were made for nothing el&s;e, but to get the things of the world, and joy in them, which many through much care, travell and watchings, do not po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, but &s;ees them a farre off, and cannot attain to that joy: mi&s;erable is the condition of earthly minded men; &s;ome wanteth, that they have, and &s;ome are at an eternall lo&s;&s;e, by joying in them.</P>
<P>Let the advice of our Saviour Chri&s;t be followed, by
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the men of the world. Ye men of trafficke, take heed to your &s;elves,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 21.34.</NOTE> that ye be not ovrcome with the cares of the world, for worldly things, cannot produce any comfort, it is one of the greate&s;t baits, the evill one hath to catch men by: what profit is there in winning the world, and lo&s;ing the &s;oul by it, How hardly can a rich man enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? Strive therefore, in the exerci&s;e of piety, and God-like life, and not by grovelling in the earth, as an earth-worm, but ca&s;t off the evil de&s;ire of gayn|ing, which cau&s;eth oppre&s;&s;ion, cruelty, and exaction, and much detaining of the labourers hire: be ye renewed, from the condition of old man, which is from the earthearthy.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.47.</NOTE>Labour not for the meat that peri&s;heth, but for that that endureth, vexe not your &s;elves, in the anxiety of your mindes, that you are not &s;o rich, and have &s;uch large po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, as others, neither &s;trive, in the attaining of riches, as the manner of the world is, and that among profe&s;&s;ors, having dark, &amp; deceiveable lights, fal&s;e weights, and mea&s;ures, fraud cou&s;enage, and lying, with &s;wearing; Take heed of the&s;e things, you that &s;ay you are Chri&s;tians, the&s;e things ought not to be among them, the Lord &s;eeth all your actions, and will puni&s;h the evill doers, yea even him that is as the Wolfe, that devoureth his neighbour, by &s;ubtilty to increa&s;e unto him&s;elf unlawfull gain; and al&s;o the u&s;urer, that commonly drinks the blood of the poor: the&s;e, like to a Wolfe that hath blinde whelpes, go down into the pit, with their children, the one for gather|ing, and the other for &s;cattering.</P>
<P>Fourthly and la&s;tly, the poor of the world, are here to learn, whether impotent poor, or aged poor, to be rich, in God. Ask of God in faith and he will give freely; he gi|veth to all that asketh, and upbraideth none, you that are &s;till ready to open your lips to the men of the world, your brethren for relief; call and cry, mightily to God, for his mercy, learne to be of a poor &amp; a low &s;pirit, what wil you do, if poor, and not poor in &s;pirit, you &s;hall not &s;ee God. You poor that are hungry, learn to hunger, and thir&s;t after righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5.</NOTE> and you &s;hall be &s;atisfied, a
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&s;trange &s;aying that the hungry &s;hall be &s;atisfied, and the full &s;ent empty away, &s;o it is that the fulnes that is in men, cording to the wi&s;dome of their fle&s;h, agreeable to the lu&s;ts thereof, &s;peaks &s;atisfaction to the carnall minde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 8.38.</NOTE> but it is the plague of the heart. Better it is for a ve&s;&s;el to be empty then to be filled, with filthy corruptible and evill matter.</P>
<P>Let no outward ingagement make you that are poor to offend, and &s;in again&s;t God: or to for&s;ake him, for the Lord is with you while you be with him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 15.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters"></NOTE> in what &s;tate or condition &s;oever, but if you for&s;ake him, he will for&s;ake you: Hazard all, endure all, that you may enjoy your God, your Saviour, and the gifts, and graces of his Holy Spirit, &s;ubject your &s;elves, to none, whereby you might break your peace, with God; do nothing for any mans &s;ake, friend&s;hip or money, but what may &s;tand with a good con&s;cience, &s;pend what time you may, in the &s;ervice of God, and in accompanying his people: and if the nece&s;&s;a|ry endeavours for bread, takes away preparation, know thus much, that God doth accept of all tho&s;e that cleave to him with all their hearts,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chr. 30.19.</NOTE> though they may not be out|wardly clean&s;ed: the poor Publicane, was commended and ju&s;tified, through the fervency of his &s;hort prayer, be|ing not with with o&s;tentation, but in humble confe&s;&s;ion, contrition, and animadver&s;ion.</P>
<P>The poor may take comfort in this, that they are not in the way of &s;inners, the great enormities, and impieties,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 3.</NOTE> that are committed by the wanton ones of the world; they are bard from them, through their poverty, as not fit companions, being not fitted in outward deportment, for &s;uch company, neither can they &s;o walke, in the coun|&s;ell of the ungodly, for ungodly coun&s;els, are mo&s;t among the wealthy of the world: happy are they, that are expeld from &s;uch ungodly coun&s;els, that do con&s;pire again&s;t God and Chri&s;t, and that are not exerci&s;ed,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2.2.1, 2, &amp;c.</NOTE> in the &s;eat of the &s;corners: u&s;ually the proud, and the rich of the world are &s;ornefull, it is a haynous &s;in, to be a &s;corner,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1.</NOTE> the Lord will laugh at their de&s;truction, many plagues are denoun|ced
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again&s;t them: if men are ble&s;&s;ed, that are none of the&s;e, then happy are the poor that are not &s;o.</P>
<P>Take heed thou that art poor, and be low in thine own e&s;timation, walk humbly with God, becau&s;e thou art con&s;trained, to walke humbly to man, let God be in all thy thoughts, he it is that will ble&s;&s;e thee; and give thee thy hearts de&s;ire,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37.</NOTE> if thou delight in him, he will feed thee: Commit thy way to him, and he will bring it pa&s;&s;e; that for thy povery here he hath eternall riches for thee hereafter.</P>
<P>Now &s;eeing that all &s;orts of per&s;on, &s;ignified by the&s;e metals, have had advice from the Lord, in particular, let them here take warning in this their day, and repent, for the day of the Lord is drawing neer: if we be wa&s;hed, clean&s;ed, purified, &amp; purged, then are we fit ve&s;&s;els for him, if not then know, that notwith&s;tanding all, that we boa&s;t of, as concerning Oidinances, Mini&s;ters, Churches, Profe&s;&s;i|ons, and Services, we are no way fit, but without God, in the world, in carnall &s;acrifices.</P>
<P>O that England did know the day of its vi&s;itation, and could but &s;ee how gracious &amp; merciful the Lord bath bin, &amp; &s;till is, in forbearing, and forgiving, and &s;tanding at the door there knocking, waiting, when we will open unto him, that he may come in, and &s;up with us, his kindne&s;&s;e is &s;o great, that he would have us eat of the &s;ame that He doth, that there may be both union and communion, He would not have us lay out our mony, and not for bread, that, that doth not profit: but would have us to come, and buy milke, and wine, without money, yea, to buy Gold, of him, and eye &s;alve, to anoint our eyes, that we may &s;ee; But fooli&s;h people as we are, we think our &s;elves happy, in our old cu&s;tomary &s;ervices, and do not con&s;ider from whence they were derived, and had their ri&s;e. And that the night of Apo&s;tacy, hath been over the face of the whole world, this many hundred yeers; It ap|peareth plain, that England, as well as I&s;rael, is dro&s;&s;e; and who is there, that hath the &s;pirit of di&s;cerning, but doth perceive the very fiery beginnings, that God hath
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made among us, as to de&s;troy, and con&s;ume, all will of man, fle&s;hly wi&s;dome, and Antichri&s;tian church policy, which hath kept us, from the &s;incere, and the mo&s;t pure, and unblameale &s;ervice of God in the &s;pirit.</P>
<P>Know thy &s;elf O England, to be not that, what thou boa&s;te&s;t thou art. Thou art ready to &s;ay, thou art a refor|med Church; See where thy reformation lieth, if it lie in words, in &s;hew, in form, in letter, this is not that, that God requireth, he will have it in actions, in &s;ub&s;tance,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 1.7, 26, 12. Jer. 4.22. E&s;a. 1.</NOTE> in the inner man, in the &s;pirit. See how the Lord of old, did reprove his people, for their being well conceited of them&s;elves, having nothing, but the externall &s;acrifices, the husk and &s;hell of purity, the internall, and &s;piritu|all life being departed. Sooth not thy &s;elf up, &s;ee thy poverty, thy need, and luke-warmene&s;&s;e. It is in vain to bring a dead &s;acrifice, to the living God, It is to ve|ry great lo&s;&s;e, &s;o to do, Witne&s;&s;e the &s;acrifices of <HI>Cain,</HI> and others, who found no acceptance, but were ca&s;t off.</P>
<P>It is a hard thing for men to be convinced of their im|purity, and dro&s;&s;ines, that do love live in a &s;trict profe&s;&s;ion godlines and have not the life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 28.13.</NOTE> and the power of it within them. <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith, he that hideth his &s;ins &s;hall not pro&s;per, hence men inferre, that &s;uch as hide the &s;ins of murder, adultery, deceit, lying, &s;tealing, and the like, they &s;hall not pro&s;per: and very well may it be, but yet that &s;peech of <HI>Solomon,</HI> is more nicely, and clo&s;ely &s;poken to, and directed to profe&s;&s;ing people, being in other langua|ges rendered Defection: as thus,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19.22. Luke 18.22.</NOTE> if &s;o be a man were even a perfect, &s;potle&s;&s;e, and an unblameable man, ob&s;erving all things, from his youth up, as the Ruler did, yet being defective in one particular, endeavouring to cover it, and hide it from the Lord, he &s;hall not pro&s;per: it is the cover|ing, the hiding from the Lord, that makes the Whore. The hone&s;t and cha&s;te wife, &s;he hideth nothing from her husband; but it is the whori&s;h woman, &s;he that lo|veth another, and that doth commit folly privately, &s;ecret|ly, in dark places, &amp; yet &s;eemeth to be as hone&s;t, and cha&s;t
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as any; The varni&s;h, and gilt of a profe&s;&s;ion, makes the ba&s;e metall, to be of great e&s;teem, being it appeareth not, the corruption lieth within, and cannot be di&s;cerned, but by the fiery light and heat of God: Corruption cannot &s;ee coruption, it is grace, that can &s;ee it, and di&s;cover it, no light in man,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 36.9. 1 John 3.18. Exod. 27.20.</NOTE> can make his defilements, vi&s;ible to his inward, and internall minde, untill the perfect, and reall light of God appeareth, that is a &s;earching light, a la&s;ting light, a pure light, a powerfull light, and a di&s;cerning light: where this light is, there is God, and there is no dark|ne&s;&s;e, for where God is, the patient may &s;ee him&s;elf; and what he is, and that &s;ight is the cure. When thou wa&s;t in thy blood, then &s;aid I, Live, when we are as dead, and as dry bones,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 16. and 37.12.</NOTE> Then oh my people, &s;aith God, I will open your graves, I will do it by mine own power, I will not let you lie in the fle&s;hly outward formes, as great profe&s;|&s;ours, and &s;mall practizers, but you &s;hall &s;ee your &s;elves, as dead and dry bones, then will I bring you to live, in the &s;pirit, that you may &s;ee your life in the Lord alone, not hid in Chri&s;t onely, but Chri&s;t appearing to be life, in you; your life may appear to be in God.</P>
<P>The great work that God is doing, is by melting of us, to make us &s;ee, that in the fle&s;h, we are the dead body of Chri&s;t, that is the end; why the Lord doth rend, divide, di&s;quiet, and de&s;troy all our comforts, for we would wil|lingly,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 50, 34.</NOTE> e&s;tabli&s;h a righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, of our own, and it is a great mercy that God doth &s;hake us, he will di&s;quiet the inhabitants of Babell, they have no re&s;t, untill they re|turn to his land: happy are we, when we &s;ee our &s;elves the dead body,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 26.19.</NOTE> of the Lord Chri&s;t, then we &s;hall ari&s;e: With my body &s;aith he, &s;hall they rai&s;e, the &s;ame &s;pirit, that rai&s;ed his body, rai&s;eth ours, together with him; we that truly &s;ee our &s;elves,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 2.12. Ephe. 5.</NOTE> to be darkne&s;&s;e, are light in the living Lord, let us walk as children of the light.</P>
<P>What great change will there be, when a beleever &s;eeth, and doth know, what he is? before that time, his heart and his apprehen&s;ions, doth deceive him: every man naturally, de&s;ireth good to his own &s;ence, and apprehen|&s;ion
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but our enemies, the Devil, the world, and the fle&s;h, do &s;o cunningly deceive us, that we cannot come, to under&s;tand what Almighty God is, neither what good is, but conceive ami&s;&s;e of both, taking good for evil, and evil for good, and are ready to yeeld up, our ingage|ments to God, upon the account of our ba&s;e, fle&s;hly rea|&s;onings about Gods dealing with us: and unle&s;&s;e we are become dead to all things of our &s;elves, and in our &s;elves, we cannot have power from God to vanqui&s;h. This mortall mu&s;t put on immortality, this dro&s;&s;e mu&s;t be purged and refined out, we mu&s;t be as the gold, and as the &s;ilver that is Gods; for how can two be together ex|cept they be agreed: when God hath refined his people,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 3.3.</NOTE> they &s;hall be like to him&s;elf, and they &s;hall &s;et forth his glory, and witne&s;&s;e the coming of Chri&s;t in them, having felt the power of his death, and the vertue of his re&s;ur|rection, being changed out of the worlds nature into the perfect image of God, glorifying God, that they are pa&s;t the condemnation, the war, the refining furnace, the &s;laughter, the enmity, the undoing the &s;trong man, and the taking away of his goods: rejoycing, that they have been baptized with the Bapti&s;m of fire, being a&s;&s;ured of their union and communion with God, the life of God dwelling and abiding with them; that there is begun in them an eternall and everla&s;ting peace, which &s;hall have no end; here is comfort, that they are pa&s;t from death to life; death being overcome, &s;hall have no more domini|on over them: Ble&s;&s;ed and happy are they that have their part in the fir&s;t re&s;urrection,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 20.</NOTE> for over them the &s;econd death hath no power.</P>
<P>A &s;ad thing it is, being well weighed, to &s;ee England in &s;uch a po&s;ture, a great, goodly, gilded profe&s;&s;ion, but a mi&s;erable, a de&s;perate, and wretched practice, exerci&s;e, and execution in that profe&s;&s;ion: it is plain by the words of Chri&s;t; If you are not in the Vine, you are not of him; except you be in Chri&s;t, you are reprobates:<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 15.</NOTE> we love the form, the beauty, and goodline&s;&s;e of religion, but do hate the power, the life, and the cro&s;&s;e, that true religi|on
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doth pre&s;ent. <HI>Salomons</HI> advice is, Buy the truth, and &s;ell it not; truth mu&s;t be bought, it mu&s;t be purcha&s;ed, it is not to be had by one dayes going in a week to hear, &s;pending that day chiefly in decking and adorning the body, in fea&s;ting or high feeding, in idle and vain di&s;|cour&s;ings, and proud walkings, and think all is well, and that we are good Chri&s;tians, becau&s;e we can talk of Chri&s;t having not found the true doctrine, being hid from us in a my&s;tery; &s;o that our knowledge, without the my|&s;tery, becomes a &s;nare, a bar, to keep us from the life and light of God, being proud, thinking thou art &s;omething, when thou art nothing.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6.</NOTE> Get out of thy &s;elf into &s;ingle-hearted humility, deny the glory and &s;ame of thine own wit, wi&s;dom and under&s;tanding, which is &s;prung up in thee from that evil &s;eed, &amp; is become that dro&s;&s;e in thee, that hath defiled and corrupted the good metall: &s;o &s;halt thou finde the Lord, and he will teach thee, and in&s;truct thee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.7. P&s;al. 45.</NOTE> he it is that will give thee coun&s;ell, without which thou art Antichri&s;t, and of the Whore, let thy profe&s;&s;ion be never &s;o &s;hining, for the Kings daughter is all glori|ous within.</P>
<P>Try and examine thy &s;elf, O England, whether thou do&s;t obey the Lord thy God, whether thou do&s;t love him with all thy heart, with all thy minde, with all thy &s;oul, with all thy &s;trength, thou ha&s;t been catechized un|to this,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 81.8.</NOTE> but where is the exerci&s;e of it? Had&s;t not thou need to learn it again of the Lord, hear what God &s;aith of I&s;rael, If they would have hearkened unto him, and not have any other gods, what ble&s;&s;ings would he have brought upon them, &amp;c? The like might the Lord &s;ay of England, See and behold thy gods of &s;ilver, of gold, of high places, lands, livings, friends, trade, and the like. Are not thy teachers, thy gods whom thou &s;erve&s;t and prai|&s;e&s;t? Do&s;t not thou idolize them for their parts of wit, art, humane learning and invention, &s;peaking things a|greeable to thy palate, and do&s;t de&s;pi&s;e, reject, and refu&s;e the inward teachings of God, being thereunto wilfully blinded: Why do&s;t thou take the Covenant in thy
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mouth, &s;eeing thou hate&s;t to be reformed?<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50.20. E&s;a. 1. 1 Cor. 4.5. Mat. 10.26.</NOTE> Or why &s;houlde&s;t thou think, that God is as thou art? con&s;ider this ye that forget God, he will reprove you by his crea|tures, the Ox, and the A&s;&s;e, and other creatures, by his judgements, and by thine own con&s;cience: For&s;ake therefore thine hypocri&s;ie, and leave off thy lip-labour, go from the fal&s;hood, dwell no longer in Babylon, nei|ther delight thy &s;elf in the abominations of the Whore; for her fle&s;h &s;hall be burnt, and happy are they that have attained to this in particular, and who are by the teach|ings of God made like to him&s;elf; he that is built on the Rock need not fear undermining.</P>
<P>Tremble all you that live in blindne&s;&s;e and ignorance, that &s;ee not the my&s;tery of God manife&s;ted among men, God in union with man being new created, clean&s;ed, purged, purified, and refined. Will you &s;till continue as young children, to be bound up, and &s;wadled in &s;wad|ling clouts: Time was when the Church was in its in|fancie, that it was needfull, that it &s;hould be bound and limited with ordinances, and fed with a little at a time being chewed by the Pa&s;tour, which u&s;ed Catechi&s;ticall forms, having then no other attainments: which &s;alting, kept the Church from a farther declen&s;ion or putrefacti|on, being introducible to a further and more cleare de|mon&s;tration, which now is lifted up and held forth, namely, the accompli&s;hment of the promi&s;es, whereby we do not only enjoy by faith the benefit of Gods good|ne&s;&s;e, mercy and love, as di&s;-joyned, but his pre&s;ence and abiding with us. Are you not glad to hear of the beginnings, of that which your forefathers did long to &s;ee? are you content with the rudiments and traditions of men, and for&s;ake the inward teachings of God? Take heed you do not turn the grace of God into wanton|ne&s;&s;e, and con&s;ult with the arm of fle&s;h, and be found fighters again&s;t God and his pure truth, accounting the times of darkne&s;&s;e to be better then the taking up the Cro&s;&s;e, by embracing and obeying the pure light, with|out
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which you &s;hall never &s;ee light, nor enjoy the Crown.</P>
<P>Much might be &s;aid concerning the times, and of the people that are in controver&s;ie in the&s;e our dayes, the one would have this way, the other that way, every one &s;eeking to be ma&s;ter over others their words and acti|ons, yea of their &s;pirits too, contemning one another, and contending one with another, in&s;omuch that Eng|land is become (as it were) a Chaos of confu&s;ion, and a nur&s;ery of Sects and Orders, &s;ome binding up the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t to the forms and orders of di&s;putation, &s;etting fooli&s;h rea&s;on to be the Ma&s;ter, or Judge, in things con|cerning the kingdom of Chri&s;t, giving out the meaning of the &s;pirit of God without inward te&s;timony, pervert|ing the holy Scriptures to their own de&s;truction; and o|thers, in &s;everall various wayes, broaching new do|ctrines, not con&s;i&s;tent with the minde of God, in&s;o|much, that brotherly love hath been much impaired, di|vi&s;ions increa&s;ed, and many revolted, and rebell in their mindes, again&s;t the Law and love of God: Some &s;tand much upon the ordinances and divine orders in &s;tone-hou&s;es called Churches, that their devout duties of lip-labour and preaching, wherein is counterfeited &s;ome|what of Chri&s;t, is the onely way to life, calling them&s;elves the true Church; and their Teachers true Apo&s;tles. O|thers &s;pend rheir time in di&s;puting, contending, and brawling about &s;ects, idolatries, opinions, and judge|ments, &s;o that one party doth condemn and &s;entence another, &s;o that the ears and hearts of the Auditours are much infected with gall and bitterne&s;&s;e, wilfully oppo|&s;ing one another, crying down that for diabolicall, that is not their own judgement; whence proceedeth very dangerous effects of daily and mo&s;t deadly provocations, through a &s;ecret inward pride of minde, working by en|vie and malice, generated and bred in that gall, exerci&s;ing and urging one another by evil entreating, by which it doth appear,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 2.18.</NOTE> that there are many Antichri&s;ts in the
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world, one per&s;ecuting and &s;peaking evil of another, <HI>Ephraim</HI> again&s;t <HI>Mana&s;&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Mana&s;&s;es</HI> again&s;t <HI>Ephraim,</HI> and both again&s;t <HI>Judah.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e contentions among us do perfectly declare, that the war &s;poken of is begun,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 12.7.</NOTE> betwixt <HI>Michael</HI> and the Dragon: they that have received the unction,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 2.20.</NOTE> Saint <HI>John</HI> &s;peaketh of, they know all things, they need not be taught of men, but they &s;peak of it, and that great tribu|lation &s;hall be, &s;uch as was not from the beginning, all to bring to pa&s;&s;e the promi&s;ed thing. It is much that the Devil, the great red Dragon, &s;hould make Heaven his place to war in; &s;o it is, he is now warring again&s;t <HI>Michael</HI> in Heaven, that is, in religion, in and among the Profe&s;&s;ors therof; but the comfort is, he &s;hall not prevail, although his angels make &s;port and recreation to fulfill the anger of God, being the very fire of God, and his bellowes al&s;o to blow up the fire; they do onely his will, in purging away the dro&s;&s;e of his people, by their mo&s;t fiery contentions, brawlings, revilings,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 8.10. I&s;a. 66.5.</NOTE> and per&s;e|cutions, as if it were the very zeal of the Lords glory. The people of God knowing that the Lord will purge and refine them, do willingly yeeld them&s;elves thereun|to to be tried and purified, &s;o that the cruell and wicked practices of the one, is the means of purging out the de|filements of the other, being &s;et in oppo&s;ition, through the wi&s;dom of our mo&s;t holy God.</P>
<P>Comfort thy &s;elf, O Chri&s;tian, thy God will purge thee through the fiery contentions that is among true Beleevers and hypocrites; the fire is kindled,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 6.28.</NOTE> and the bellows do blow, thy dro&s;&s;e &s;hall be clean purged out, and thou &s;halt be as the &s;ilver and gold, for the Lord hath enough, and he will fill thee out of his own fulne&s;&s;e: Read the thirteenth of <HI>Zachariah</HI> and the three la&s;t ver|&s;es, God &s;aith there of the &s;mall number of his people,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 13.7, 8. 9</NOTE> that after he hath refined them, then he wil be their God, and they &s;hall &s;ay, The Lord is my God: where no dro&s;&s;e is to purge out, there God will not ca&s;t into the fire, but
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he will there dwell, and abide for ever; thou &s;halt never need to mourn for the want of a Mini&s;ter, for God will be thy Mini&s;ter, and he will mini&s;ter light and peace un|to thee; the Sun &s;hall &s;hine &s;even times brighter than at noon, for the Lord him&s;elf will be thy light.</P>
<P>When Almighty God hath melted his people, and burnt up their dro&s;&s;e, and utterly con&s;umed it, then &s;hall they come to be in union with him, living and abiding with him for ever. This is that new Jeru&s;alem that <HI>John</HI> &s;aw, that came down from God out of Heaven, wherein there is no temple nor ordinance, being there is no need. In the time of the Apo&s;tacie, after the Apo&s;tles dayes, which yet remains (although wounded) then there was a need of Pa&s;tours and Teachers, as the onely means of di&s;tributing light to the world, like unto the light of the Moon, alwayes changing, &s;omtimes Popery, &s;omtimes Epi&s;copacie, &s;ometimes Presbytery, Independent, and Baptized. So that God was alwayes well plea&s;ed, to make &s;ome cloudy di&s;coveries of him&s;elf, by the mini|&s;tery of men. But the day of the Lord being now dawn|ed, Chri&s;t who is our light &s;hall appear again, and the power of Antichri&s;t, which waxed &s;o great, &s;hall be clean taken away, and the rent that was made, &s;hall be made whole: God will cement his people to him&s;elf, and he will be their light and defence.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 83. ult.</NOTE> And this is Babylons plague, yea, the vexation of the grand Profe&s;&s;ours that are now full, and will not obey the true light, but do per&s;ecute it, calling it the new light, or new lights, being blinde to the di&s;coveries that God hath made to his people of the Whore, and of her de&s;truction, and of the pure&s;t fle&s;h, and the glory thereof, which mu&s;t be burnt, that God may be all in all in his people, and never be any more forms.</P>
<P>Re&s;t not then, oh thou doubting &s;oul, untill thou ha&s;t found the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 3.</NOTE> as the Church in the Canticles, he it is that gives light and life, he is our peace, he &s;hall be thy Mini&s;ter, and thy Church, and the hou&s;e thou live&s;t in,
<PB N="107" REF="58">
for the Temple of Chri&s;t is within you, and thou &s;halt hear Chri&s;t teach within thee, incline therefore thine heart to the temple within, ca&s;t away all thine abomi|nations, and bring thy will to the Father, regard not the glory and vanity of the world, but humble thy &s;elf un|der his mighty hand, and know that there is no time to be when the holy Spirit of God, will force it &s;elf into the will of the hardened. But thou mu&s;t bring thy will into the holy Spirit, and then &s;halt thou hear it, teaching thee by another way and means than formerly thou ha&s;t waited in; for mo&s;t certain it is, that the change is now begun, and God will fini&s;h that long expected and wait|ed for,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45.6, 7.</NOTE> even his own pre&s;ence and fellow&s;hip with the Saints; prize thy dignity, and give prai&s;es, yea, eternall prai&s;es to the Lord of glory, that &s;heweth him&s;elf unto thee, in the fellow&s;hip of &s;ufferings. Oh the height, the depth, the breadth, and length of the love of God, that doth inve&s;t poor worms into &s;uch glory, that neither eye hath &s;een, nor ear hath heard, neither can enter into the heart of man, to conceive the riches of that glory!</P>
<P>Now &s;eeing that there mu&s;t be &s;uch a fiery change, as is &s;poken of, which through the great mercy of God doth free us from wrath to come; What manner of per&s;ons ought we to be, now in the body of fle&s;h? We ought to attend and wait on the inward calling of God, and to o|bey the light that &s;hineth into our mindes, living accord|ing to our mea&s;ure, exerci&s;ing our &s;elves in all godlike conver&s;ation, redeeming the time, becau&s;e the dayes are evill, &s;haking off the things that cleave &s;o clo&s;e to us, even our lu&s;ts, cru&s;h the Serpent in the head, kill the Cockatrice in the &s;hell, wait upon God with weeping, fa&s;ting, and mourning, praying, and ever praying, that the Kingdom of Chri&s;t may be enlarged that the wicked|ne&s;&s;e of the world may be abated, and the dro&s;&s;e among his people utterly con&s;umed &amp; that the Nations that yet know not the Lord, may be in&s;ightened and in&s;tructed to know him, glorifying God the Father, that he hath
<PB N="108" REF="59">
been &s;o gracious, &s;o long &s;uffering, &s;o mercifull, and &s;o patient, in bearing with &s;uch a wicked and hypocriticall a generation as we are.</P>
<P>You that are enemies to the pure truth now declared, and de&s;pi&s;ers of the light of Je&s;us made manife&s;t, and do live in contention for the upholding of the outward pro|fe&s;&s;ion, being blinde to the inward and invi&s;ible power that &s;hould rule within: Learn to know that there are but two wayes, the broad way, and the narrow way; the one a way of death, the other of life, the one with|out God in the world, the other God with us, living and abiding with us; the one way directeth and leadeth to God, as a mercifull Father and all-&s;ufficient Redeem|er; the other way directeth and leadeth to God, as a terrible Judge, and Avenger, knowing this: Be you led by the light that &s;hineth in you, the light of Chri&s;t, to the narrow way, to the &s;trait gate, thorow which you cannot enter, untill you are new born, new creatures, new moulded, new melted, which cannot be with the taking of the ea&s;e, plea&s;ure, and profits of the world, li|ving in an externall, profe&s;&s;ed, and vi&s;ible way of out|ward ob&s;ervances, but it mu&s;t be by the inward breaking, bruizing, and killing of that &s;erpentine life, will, and wi&s;dom of the carnall man; Either you mu&s;t fall on the &s;tone and be broken,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 10.18.</NOTE> or el&s;e it will fall upon you, and it will grinde you to powder; there is no middle way to life, &s;alvation and happine&s;&s;e: Either you mu&s;t yeeld, bow, &s;ubmit, and embrace Chri&s;t upon terms of lo&s;&s;e, and death to the carnall; or el&s;e you cannot have Chri&s;t at all, keeping the carnall minde, although never &s;o much covered and gilded.</P>
<P>Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is neer, get oil into your lamps, now there is an opportunity of having of it; come to the wedding now the dinner is ready, make no worldly, or fle&s;h-plea|&s;urable excu&s;es; get among the people of God into his Sanctuary, &s;tand not gazing about, expecting happine&s;&s;e
<PB N="109" REF="59">
without you, by other ways and means, than by the death of &s;in within you, and a re&s;urrection from that death of &s;in, to a life of God within you, for there are none &s;aved by the report of Chri&s;ts dying at Jeru&s;alem, and of his re&s;urrection and a&s;cen&s;ion into Heaven, but by the ver|tue and efficacie of it within them, finding the powers of &s;in and darkne&s;&s;e, by his death, to be utterly vanqui&s;h|ed within, and a new creation, a new life within.</P>
<P>Examine your &s;elves, and &s;ee whether you are yet &s;till as you were born, and brought forth into the world, whe|ther there be the &s;ame terrene thoughts, &amp; affections,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 13.5.</NOTE> and actions, the &s;ame will, and wi&s;dom, whether the old man be dead or no, Thou mai&s;t by the light of Chri&s;t, keep court within thine own &s;elf, thou maye&s;t Apprehend, Ar|raign, Try, Judge, and Condemn thy &s;elf, that thou may|e&s;t be freed from the judgments of the Lord: what is done by the light within thee, is of and from the Lord, and the judgement is his which pa&s;&s;eth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">1.</NOTE> and delivereth thee from wrath: Wilt thou then be tried in this court, what thou art, &amp; what thou do&s;t de&s;erve, thou &s;halt cry out, what have I done, what am I become, and what &s;hal I do? Thou &s;halt &s;ee thou ha&s;t offended, a mo&s;t gracious, a mo&s;t mercifull, and a long &s;uffring God, That thou art a filthy, a polluted, defiled, and a di&s;obedient wretch, and knowe&s;t not what to do, running up and down, in di&s;quietne&s;&s;e of minde, not finding any comfort at all, in any creature: but wait in patience, the Lord is nigh, when thou thinke&s;t, he is far|the&s;t off, in thine own apprehen&s;ion, then is he neere&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 34.18. &amp; 145.18. Luke 21.18.</NOTE> yea, to them that are afflicted in &s;pirit he will come in and be thy peace, after thou ha&s;t had a conflict in thy &s;elf, and ha&s;t made war agina&s;t thy &s;elf.</P>
<P>If thou do&s;t examine thy &s;elf, thou &s;halt finde what thou art, better then an another can tell thee, whether thou ha&s;t ob&s;erved the checks of thy con&s;cience, where|fore thou did&s;t re&s;train from committing &s;in, at any time, whether for the love of God, or for fear of outward di&s;|grace, di&s;credit, or repute among men, what thy end is,
<PB N="110" REF="60">
in all thy actions, whether thou art offended with thy &s;elf, after &s;in committed, whether thou do&s;t cover or hide any &s;in, or defection in thy &s;elf, or whether thou do&s;t let loo&s;e the rains of thy affections to all impiety, not caring to be changed, but in the outward Garbe; only Civilized with|out, the powers of darkne&s;&s;e raigning and ruling within, thy de&s;ires after carnall trea&s;ures, thy confidence on that, that fadeth, thy felicity and joy in the pro&s;perity of the world. When thou ha&s;t found what thou art, and that thou art not willing to unvail, &s;trip, and lay thy &s;elf open, before thy maker, hear then thy doom, thou &s;halt be ca&s;t into ut|ter darkne&s;&s;e, for thou ha&s;t not obeyed the light of Je&s;us within thee and darkne&s;&s;e will for ever over&s;hadow thee, that thou &s;halt not &s;ee thy &s;elf, but in a condition of peace, gotten by outward ob&s;ervances of reading, hearing, pray|ing di&s;cour&s;ing, di&s;puting, and talking of Heaven, not knowing, what it is, &s;o that notwith&s;tanding, all things that &s;eemeth to be of God, and in power is not, thou art in death, and art a &s;tranger to the life of Je&s;us. Con&s;ider this, ye that &s;mother, dimme, and put out the light in you, and will not be guided by it, to walk up, to the ever|la&s;ting light; for the time will come, that there will be no remedy, the gates will be &s;hut and cannot be o|pened.</P>
<P>Awake therfore thou that &s;leepe&s;t, &s;tand up, &amp; Chri&s;t &s;hal give thee light,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 50.5.</NOTE> defer no time, make no delay, but ask the way to Sion, with thy face thitherwards, get out of Babel, the place of confu&s;ion, waite onely on the teachings of God, be renewed in the &s;pirit of thy minde, exerci&s;e thy &s;elf, in all low and humble matters, lean not to thine own under&s;tanding, be meek to all men, render good for evill, de&s;pi&s;e not prophe&s;ying, quench not the &s;pirit, pray conti|nually, that the Lord would give thee an under&s;tanding heart and inlightened minde, to abhor the Whore, with all her gay glitterings, and &s;miling inticements to alie|nate from the true enjoyments.</P>
<P>Now to conclude, let England in generall, and every
<PB N="111" REF="60">
man in perticular, learn, what to do, Remember thy Cre|atour, in the dayes of thy youth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 12.1.</NOTE> before the evill dayes commeth, while liberty, &s;trength, peace, and opportunity is: imbrace that, that cu&s;tomary, and &s;tiffe old age cannot embrace, let no man marvell when he heareth, that the church is impure, or that being a member of the church, he is in controver&s;ie with other members, for &s;o it is, we are under the changing and overturning arm of God, and we mu&s;t da&s;h one again&s;t the other,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 12.1.</NOTE> untill the time come that we &s;hal know the Lord, and &s;hal be clothed with the Sun, having the Moon under our feet, all the&s;e &s;ublunary me|talls, and things before mentioned, &s;hall ly beneath our affections, being not worthy of them, although much of Gods glory is &s;een in them, there lies in them the tempter, and &s;ubtill enemy; that it is a hard matter to e&s;cape, by the u&s;e of them or any terrene things, from the defilement and corruption.</P>
<P>Be therefore lifted up, oh thou dejected &s;oul, that wait|e&s;t on the Lord, Thy God O I&s;rael raigneth in Sion.<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 39.1.</NOTE> Do waters, and the overflowing floods trouble thee? God will come with his fire, and dry up all tho&s;e waters and floods: thou thoughte&s;t that thou did&s;t well, to be wa&s;hed and cleered by water, being an element of refre&s;hing; But thou &s;halt now under&s;tand from the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23.25, 26.</NOTE> that the ele|ment of fire, is the mo&s;t excellent to purg &amp; refine thee; the element of water hath had its u&s;e, and its time, which did very well clean the out&s;ide of the ve&s;&s;ell, but it is the fire, that purifies the inward body of the metall whereof the ve&s;&s;ell is made, wherein corruption lieth, and water can|not wa&s;h, &s;cour, rin&s;e or purge it out; It is fire that will con&s;ume all thy tin, &amp; ba&s;e metal within thee, or among&s;t thy Silver; the &s;eeing of thy God, to be &s;uch a con&s;uming fire within thee, is the greate&s;t matter that can be for thee to lift the head, and rejoyce: When the brook in the way, is drunk up, it will be otherwi&s;e with thee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 110.7.</NOTE> then when thou wa&s;t in the watery element, for then thy Chri&s;tianity was in &s;hew, and Chri&s;tle&s;&s;e in power within,
<PB N="112" REF="61">
in profe&s;&s;ion: then the beleeving, the report of a Saviour dying for thee, was faith; but now the entertaining, the receiving in, and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t within, hath made thee faithfull, and faithfulne&s;&s;e to appear within thee.</P>
<P>O ye de&s;pi&s;ers, tremble before the Lord, and quake, O ye mockers, for the day of the Lord is come, in which he will not onely &s;earch Jeru&s;alem with candles but he will change Jeru&s;alem by fire: what can you expect, that when the great and dreadfull God who is holy and cannot en|dure uncleane&s;&s;e, and dro&s;&s;e to be among his people, but will con&s;ume it, by the fire of his anger, but to be utter|ly con&s;umed, as the&s;e &s;ublunary metalls: you can have no other end, for the Silver and the Gold, the pure me|tals, you ever hated, and made no reckoning of, but re&s;ted, and tru&s;ted, in the &s;hinings of your own ba&s;e me|tals, not regarding to know God, and therefore, God will give you up to a reprobate minde,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1.28.</NOTE> let &s;ea&s;onable advice take hold on you: What ever you do, or &s;uffer, get Gold; buy Truth, dig deep for Silver; and let not all the metalls beneath the&s;e metalls, gain thy heart, let them have what lu&s;ter, gilding, or &s;hining &s;oever, they will deceive thee.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jona. 3.8.</NOTE> They that tru&s;t, in lying vanities, for&s;ake their own mercy.</P>
<P>What will become of our Nation, if it &s;hould neglect &s;o great &s;alvation; is there not a deluge of pride, hypocri&s;ie, idolatry, covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and murmuring, now? God would be mercifull to us, if we would but re&s;igne our &s;elves up to him, but we are proud and exalted in the fle&s;hly wi&s;|dome, being blinde, thinking our &s;elves in an excellent good condition, giving our &s;elves up to the lu&s;ts of our own hearts, not caring to &s;ee the vi&s;ions of God in the inward and internall way; and &s;o peri&s;h, through our own carnall under&s;tandings, in an outward profe&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Let us be humbled, under the mighty hand of God, who will exalt us, the humble he will teach, and tho&s;e that dread and fear him, he will reveal his &s;ecrets unto,
<PB N="113" REF="61">
what greater ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e, can be to any of the &s;ons of men, then this, to be his &s;chollers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 29.18.</NOTE> and to know his will.</P>
<P>The teachers of the world are corrupted,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25.9, 14.</NOTE> and need to be taught them&s;elves; for it appeareth, they are not as the Apo&s;tles were in the primitive time, but alienated from their practice, having not the inlivening power within them, of the &s;pirit: whence it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that living and &s;peaking according to the letter, they are by an Arti|fice of Satan, &s;trengthened by the outward profe&s;&s;ion to oppo&s;e &s;trongly, from their forme, the inward and true &s;pirituall wor&s;hiper; and &s;o Antichri&s;t comes, to be taken for Chri&s;t, and Chri&s;t for Antichri&s;t. As the Scriptures are, &s;uch are the Mini&s;ters of it: the letter &s;erveth as a &s;hel|ter or an hiding place for Antichri&s;t, to lurke and &s;ave him&s;elf in, where now he is &s;triving for &s;uperiority, as the Phari&s;ees did in the time of Chri&s;t, again&s;t whom he did chiefly &s;peak, but the Spirit is of that pure, &s;imple, indi|viduall, and virgin like, holy quality, proceeding from the Father of light, that it needeth not to be urged, either by letter or word, being given up wholly to the invi&s;ible and internall enjoyment of the life of God, which by his in|&s;piration, the letter was fir&s;t monumented: to enioy the letter, without the &s;pirit, is to enjoy the picture, and not the per&s;on. Chri&s;t &s;aith, you thinke to have eternall life, in the Scriptures: No, you cannot, they te&s;tifie of me,<NOTE PLACE="marg">John. 5.39.</NOTE> that giveth life to all, that do beleeve: His mini&s;tration, is a mini&s;tration of reconciliation, to &s;alvation, and we are to look after no other, although there may be excellent pre|tences.</P>
<P>Should the men of the world &s;tudy but half &s;o much, for their eternall welfare, as they do for their temporall, they could not but give &s;trong rea&s;ons, and gain &s;trong re&s;olu|tions, again&s;t their own practices: to be in I&s;rael, and not an I&s;raelite; to be of the vi&s;ible Church, and to have no invi&s;ible light and truth; this is worth nothing: to talk of grace with the mouth, and have none in the heart, to &s;ay
<PB N="114" REF="62">
they know, and do not, there &s;in remaineth: Stirre up thy &s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 9.14.</NOTE> O worldling, ly not &s;till, con&s;ider what thou art, and wherefore thou wa&s;t created:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 3.20.</NOTE> let not the naturall light that is within, condemn thee to perdition, and make no further u&s;e of any thing wherein others meet with the Lord their God, then that thou mighte&s;t &s;o really and tru|ly meet him al&s;o: Let not the outward performances of duties,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccles. 5.7. Job 34.19. P&s;al. 113.7.</NOTE> &s;erve thine own will, to the increa&s;e of worldly gain, or preferment, but &s;erve God with a pure minde, and heart-performance, which he onely accepteth of.</P>
<P>Let the poor, and mean, Yea the &s;ervants of men, en|deavour cheifly that the Lord may be their portion: the &s;in of murmuring is, as among all people, &s;o e&s;pecially among people of low degree; they murmure becau&s;e God hath not given them, &s;uch a portion of the world, as o|others, becau&s;e they are impotent, or that they are under the co~mand of others: many waies is there a murmuring again&s;t God; learn patience, and know that the very wor&s;t e&s;tate, that can be, is beyond thy de&s;ert, and that thy Ma|ker will do with his own, as He plea&s;eth. Happy art thou if thou finde&s;t within thy &s;elf the God of love and in|finite mercy, anyway to appear: if in that thou ha&s;t received thou ha&s;t &s;een a hand directing it to thee, though it be bit|ter, take it from the Lord, as a token of his infinite love; rejoyce in thy low condition, the Lords eye is over thee, and will neverthele&s;&s;e judge thine oppre&s;&s;our, he hath a regard to the poor, he will defend them, he wil bring them them out of the du&s;t, and &s;et them among Princes: all that wait upon the Lord, &s;hall &s;ee his goodne&s;&s;e, in the Land of the Living. Let all therefore &s;ay, that have not to their de&s;ire in outward appearance of Gods favour, Verily thou O God hide&s;t thy &s;elf, O God thou Saviour of I&s;rael.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, whatever thou art, that do&s;t draw neer to God in any outward performance, meditate with thy &s;elf to what end thou do&s;t it, and be more neer to hear than to offer the &s;acrifice of fools;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 4.17, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">, 1.</NOTE> neither be ra&s;h with thy mouth to utter a thing before God, for he is in Heaven,
<PB N="115" REF="62">
and thou art on earth; therefore let thy words be few.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 4.17.5.1.</NOTE> Lamentable it is to &s;ee, how &s;infully men pre&s;ent them|&s;elves before the Lord in Congregations, petitioning for that their hearts are not affected with, and promi&s;ing that they have no intent to perform. Con&s;ider in your mindes: would a mortall man be &s;o &s;erved, that is in &s;ome regall authority, and do you think the great God can bear it? No, if this be your re&s;olved practice, he will ca&s;t you into utter darkne&s;&s;e, that doth thus counterfeit and di&s;&s;emble with him, who &s;eeth the heart; you &s;hall never have the light of his countenance here, nor that Heaven which you care little for, hereafter. Behold, the day of the Lord is very neer at hand, and he cometh as a thief in the night:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 3.2.</NOTE> Who may abide the day of his com|ing? And who &s;hall endure when he appeareth?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.2. 1 The&s;&s;. 5.6.</NOTE> for he is like a purging fire, and like Fullers &s;ope. Watch there|fore, <HI>Luke</HI> 12.33. to the 41. (read it in the Spirit, that being fore-warned, you may be fore-armed.) Fi|nally, brethren, what&s;oever things are true, what&s;oever things are hone&s;t, what&s;oever things are ju&s;t, what&s;oever things are pure, what&s;oever things pertain to love,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.8.</NOTE> what|&s;oever things are of good report, if there be any vertue, or if there be any prai&s;e, think on the&s;e things, which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and &s;een in <HI>Paul,</HI> or in any of the Saints of God; tho&s;e things do, and the God of peace &s;hall be with you.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
