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<DATE>2010-12-08</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>Good Tydings for SINNERS, Great Ioy for SAINTS;</P>
<P>OR, <HI>A Word to the World, and two to tho&s;e that are cho&s;en out of the</HI> WORLD.</P>
<P>Wherein is held forth, Fir&s;t, the &s;weet tenders of grace from the Father through the Son to all dejected Sinners; he Invites them, he Woes them, he Intreats them, nay, he be&s;eecheth them to accept of mercy.</P>
<P><HI>IN</HI> The &s;econd part of this Book, called, Two words to tho&s;e cho&s;en out of the World, is &s;poken to the Saints under their &s;everall Forms, taking notice fir&s;t of the things commen|dable in them: and in the &s;econd place reproving them for things ami&s;&s;e among them.</P>
<P><HI>With a &s;hort Prophe&s;ie of the downfall of</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Presbyterie,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Independencie,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Anabapti&s;mie,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Vaine Notions,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Free-Will.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>With a brief de&s;cription of a true Church-&s;tate, again&s;t which the gates of Hell &s;hall not prevaile; it being founded upon a rock, it will &s;tand again&s;t all Waves and Storms, that either Men or Devils can rai&s;e again&s;t it.</P>
<Q><L>I will give you all one heart, and one way.</L>
<L>Then the Lord &s;hall be one, and his name one.</L>
<BIBL><HI>Robert Purnell.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P>Printed at <HI>London</HI> for <HI>Giles Calvers,</HI> and are to bee &s;old at the Black-&s;pread Eagle at the We&s;t end of <HI>Pauls.</HI> 1649.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_COurteous Reader, I &s;hall in few words give thee a ju&s;t accompt, why I have writ|ten this little Book In the&s;e latter daies many books are publi&s;hed, &s;ome good and whole&s;ome: but few to ends not carnal; for with every man is imperfection more or le&s;&s;e, I mu&s;t own it al&s;o. Yet I faith|fully profe&s;&s;e, that had my own credit or advantage been my inducement hereun|to, the&s;e thoughts had been buried in the wombe; becau&s;e I know, I could reap no &s;uch fruit; or if I did, it were but vanitie. He that gave me my being, hath given me a com|mand to learn of him; not onely to love his people, but al&s;o to love his enemies, <HI>Matth. 5.44.</HI></P>
<P>God having kindled in me, a love to you both Saints and Sinners; I have here written a word to the one, and two words to the other: <HI>Rom. 1.14.</HI> I am debtor to the Greek, and to the Barbarian, both to the wi&s;e, and to the unwi&s;e:</P>
<P>And to thee fellow &s;inner, is the fir&s;t word; becau&s;e I &s;ee many of tho&s;e that undertake to teach thee, &s;hutting the door of the kingdom again&s;t thee; and in&s;tead of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, they preach to thee <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> at lea&s;t <HI>Elias;</HI> and that in the letter. The things I lay be|fore thee, and commend unto thee; are &s;uch, and onely &s;uch, as I my &s;elf have pa&s;t through, and found aboundance of comfort in: And looking upon that place <HI>2 Corinth. 1.4.</HI> I finde it my duty to endea|vour to comfort others with the &s;ame comfort wherewith I my &s;elfe have been comforted of God.</P>
<P>Expect not heare a plea&s;ing methode, &s;ugard words, nor &s;chola|&s;ticall
<PB REF="3">expre&s;&s;ions; for that &s;avours more of the wi&s;dome of man than of God. Though it be not &s;chola&s;tick yet if thou findest it authen|tick; let it have acceptance with thee. Fir&s;t read, and then judge of what I have &s;aid; and the Lord that hath power, give thee under|&s;tanding in all things.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t part of this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">k called, <HI>A Word to the World,</HI> is held forth in few words; the &s;weet tenders of grace from the Fa|ther through the &s;onne, to the poore dejected Sinners; wherein God <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 span">, woes, and entreates them to be reconciled to him&s;elfe. He <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;wers all the Objections that lye in the way, he u&s;eth very &s;trong and powerfull arguments: He not onely &s;aith but &s;wears, he delights not in the death of a &s;inner, <HI>Ezek. 33.11.</HI></P>
<P>In the &s;econd part of this Book called, <HI>Two Words to tho&s;e cho|&s;en out of the World;</HI> I my &s;elf having had communion with the Sain<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s in each of tho&s;e forms, more or le&s;&s;e&punc; their principles and pra|cti&s;es I have in &s;ome mea&s;ure weighed, examined, and tryed with an unbya&s;&s;ed affection: And I finde among all the&s;e (except tho&s;e in this book excepted) many excellent, &s;weet, and &s;ound truths, both in Do|ctrine and Di&s;cipline, Principle and Practi&s;e, worthy not onely of commendation, but al&s;o of our imitation.</P>
<P>But notwith&s;tanding, there are many things that &s;avour more of the fle&s;h than of the &s;pirit among all the&s;e A&s;&s;emblies, which are ra|ther of mans invention than of Gods in&s;titution: as their knowing Chri&s;t and Saints after the fle&s;h; crying, Lo here, lo there is Chri&s;t; and mo&s;t in a &s;ence building upon the Sand. Wherefore I have here Prophe&s;ied of their fall, in which I mean not that they &s;hall be without Church-order; but they &s;hall have Pa&s;tors and Teachers, Elders and Deacons, Helps and Governments. But the ground of this com|munion &s;hall be &s;pirituall union: and when this day is dawned, and this day-&s;tar ri&s;en in our hearts, <HI>Ephraim</HI> &s;hall not envy <HI>Judah,</HI> nor <HI>Judah</HI> vex <HI>Ephraim; Presbyterians</HI> &s;hall not &s;o bitterly cry out a|gain&s;t <HI>Independents,</HI> nor <HI>Independents</HI> have &s;uch hard thoughts of the <HI>Presbyterians.</HI> Yea, they will be a&s;hamed to own one another by the&s;e fle&s;hly titles; but look upon and love one another as Chri&s;tians, members of the &s;ame body, heires of the &s;ame Promi&s;e, children of the &s;ame father: having all the &s;ame &s;pirit, all clothed with the &s;ame robe, inclined to the &s;ame work; ruled by the &s;ame Word and Spirit. And &s;o their love to each other &s;hall ari&s;e from the &V;nion in the Spirit. And again&s;t this Church-State the gates of hell &s;hall not prevaile.</P>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A <HI>WORD</HI> TO THE VVORLD.</HEAD>
<P>_THat Sin had its fir&s;t entrance into the World by <HI>Adam,</HI> we all know; What &s;in is in it own na|ture, mo&s;t of us doe know; But that &s;in is clearly taken away by the &s;econd <HI>Adam, Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> that, very few doe know.</P>
<P>Poore &s;inner, why do&s;t thou lye groaning, come along with me, and hear Chri&s;t thy Lord &s;peaking to thee.</P>
<P>Que&s;t. <HI>What is that that doth &s;o trouble thee?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Oh! my &s;ins, my &s;in.</P>
<P>Que&s;t. <HI>What is &s;in?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The breach of a command, or the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of a law.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Though thou ha&s;t broken this law,</HI> yet con&s;ider, that there is one to be found, that hath kept it; fir&s;t, in thy nature: &s;econdly, for thee, and imputes the keeping of it to thee, as really, as if thou had&s;t fulfilled it thy &s;elfe; Art thou a &s;inner? Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>He came to call &s;inners, and why not thee?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sinner,</HI> Oh, but I am one of the greate&s;t of &s;inners.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Yet con&s;ider what the Lord &s;aith in the&s;e Scriptures, Joh.</HI> 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the &s;ins of the World. 3. <HI>Joh.</HI> 16. God &s;o loved the World, that he &s;ent his onely begotten Son, to take away the &s;ins of the world. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.15. He came into
<PB N="2" REF="4">the world to &s;inners, of whom I am chief.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Oh, but though he came to &s;ave &s;inners, it is a que&s;tion, whether he died for all &s;inners, and therefore I que&s;tion, whether he came to call me, or to take away my &s;ins, I &s;ee no ground why I &s;hould believe; nay, I cannot believe, Faith is too high a thing for me to attain unto.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> But con&s;ider, God is the alone worker of it, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.2. And when thou looke&s;t upon Faith, and &s;ee&s;t it too hard a thing for thee; yet con&s;ider that nothing is too hard for God, who hath un|dertaken to work it.</P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> It I could &s;ee a promi&s;e wherein God had promi&s;ed to work it, that were &s;omething.</P>
<P>Que&s;t. <HI>What art thou? A</HI> Jew <HI>or a</HI> Gentile, Scythian <HI>or</HI> Barba|rian?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> I am a <HI>Gentile,</HI> a &s;inner.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Thou the&s;e are promi&s;es for thee, &s;ee Matt.</HI> 12.21. <HI>Rom.</HI> 15.12. In him &s;hall the Gentiles tru&s;t, in him &s;hall the Gentiles tru&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> But all Gentiles doe not, neither &s;hall they believe; therefore if I could &s;ee my name written in Scripture, and a promi&s;e made to me in reference to that name, then there were hope indeed.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Thou art ju&s;t like</HI> Thomas, <HI>Joh.</HI> 20.25. Except I &s;hall &s;ee in his hands the print of the nailes, and thru&s;t my hand into his &s;ide; I will not believe: <HI>Well, &s;aith Chri&s;t, thou &s;halt &s;ee the print of the nailes, reach hither thine hand,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Wilt thou &s;ee thy name in&s;cri|pture indeed?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> Yea, with all my heart, But I fear it is not there.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Why do&s;t thou doubt? all things are po&s;&s;ible to him that be|lieves: wilt thou &s;ee thy name? Then what is thy &s;tate? How is it with thee?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> My &s;tate is mi&s;erable, I am full of blindenes and ignorance, and can under&s;tand nothing in a &s;pirituall way.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Here is thy name then recorded, I&s;a.</HI> 50.10. Who &s;o walketh in darknes and &s;eeth no light, let him tru&s;t in the name of the Lord, and &s;tay upon God.</P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> But I am dead almo&s;t, my heart and my fle&s;h do faile me.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Why, can&s;t thou read the beginning of the ver&s;e</HI> (<HI>with</HI> David) <HI>and not the latter end of it,</HI> and God is the &s;trength of my heart, and my portion for ever: <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 7<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.26.</P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> But I am weak (faith another poore &s;oule) where is my name?</P>
<P><PB N="3" REF="4">Chr. <HI>The weak &s;hall be as</HI> David, <HI>there is thy name.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> But &s;aith another di&s;tre&s;&s;ed &s;oule, I am quite dead; where is my name?</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.14. Awake thou that &s;leepe&s;t, and ari&s;e from the dead, and Chri&s;t &s;hall give thee light: <HI>There is thy name.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> But I have not ears to hear Chri&s;t voice, nor &s;trength to ari&s;e; if I could hear.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>But Chri&s;t can give &s;trength with his voice, as to</HI> Lazarus, come forth, <HI>and he came forth.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> Here is comfort for the&s;e indeed; But oh! that you could &s;hew me my name, in &s;cripture, and God &s;peaking to me by name; Then I &s;hould believe and rejoyce with joy un&s;peakable and full of glory.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Well: What is thy name?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> Rebell; That is my name; for I have rebelled again&s;t the Lord ever &s;ince I was born; I have lived in a continuall breach of e|very command.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Yet behold thy name, P&s;al.</HI> 68.18. Chri&s;t hath received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell a|mong them: <HI>Read thy name in every promi&s;e, endeavour to &s;ee thy name enrolled in the book of Life, where all the Devils in Hell, and all the wicked men in the world can never blot it out.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> Oh! &s;aith another poore di&s;tre&s;&s;ed &s;oule, I have no minde, nor heart to &s;eek after God, Where is my name?</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>I&s;a</HI> 65.1. I am found of them that &s;ought me not, <HI>There is thy name: though thou wilt not &s;eek for him, yet he will &s;eek and</HI> finde thee.</P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> But I cannot believe; Where is my name, &s;aith another?</P>
<P>Chr. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2 13. If we believe not, yet he abideth faithfull, he can|not deny him&s;elf.</P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> But I have called and cryed for mercy, and that often, yet God would not an&s;wer me: Where is my name?</P>
<P N="2">2. Saith another, others have prayed for me, and the Lord gave them an an&s;wer; he was not &s;ent to &s;ave me: Where is my name?</P>
<P N="3">3. A third poore &s;oul &s;teps in, and &s;aith, I &s;pake with the Lord, as it were, and he told me, I was a Dog; and that Dogs have nothing to doe with Childrens bread; oh, where is my name?</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Will you &s;ee all your three names together?</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sin.</HI> Oh that it might be &s;o, faith the troubled &s;oule.</P>
<P>Chr. <HI>Then read and well con&s;ider that</HI> 15. <HI>Matt.</HI> 22, 23, 24, 25,
<PB N="4" REF="5">26, 27, 28. And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the &s;ame coa&s;ts, and cryed unto him, &s;aying; have mercy on me O Lord, thou &s;on of <HI>David:</HI> But he an&s;wered her not a word: <HI>There was the fir&s;t &s;tep of his deniall.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>His Di&s;ciples came and be&s;ought him, &s;aying, &s;end her a|way, for &s;he cryeth after us. But he an&s;wered and &s;aid, I am not &s;ent but unto the lo&s;t &s;heep of the hou&s;e I&s;rael.</HI> There is the &s;econd branch of his deniall.</P>
<P>Thirdly. <HI>Then came &s;hee, and wor&s;hipped him &s;aying: Lord help me, But he an&s;wered and &s;aid, it is not meet to take the childrens bread and ca&s;t it to dogs:</HI> There is the third branch of his deniall.</P>
<P><HI>And &s;he &s;aid, truth Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their Ma&s;ters table: Then Je&s;us an&s;wered and &s;aid unto her; &ocirc; woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.</HI></P>
<P>Oh the un&s;earchable love of a tender father, to a prodigall Son!</P>
<P>To &s;umme up all in a word; Search diligently in what &s;tate thou &s;tande&s;t, examine well thy pre&s;ent condition what it is: and when thou ha&s;t found out the true temper of thy &s;oul; <HI>that thou can&s;t tru|ly &s;ay, thus and thus it is with me:</HI> Then &s;earch the Scriptures, for they were written for thy learning; and thou &s;halt finde upon &s;eri|ous con&s;ideration, that &s;ome one or other of the Saints (gone before the) hath been in the &s;ame condition, and yet hath found mercy: Then thou wilt break forth with <HI>Paul,</HI> and &s;ay, <HI>There is no tenta|tion hath befaln me, but &s;uch as is common to all men, and the Lord will deliver mee.</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10 13. &amp;c. Are thy &s;ins &s;o many that thou can&s;t not look up! &s;o it was with that pretious &s;aint, <HI>David, P&s;al.</HI> 40.12. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 38.4.</P>
<P><HI>Deare friend,</HI> who ever thou art that reade&s;t the&s;e words, let me tell thee, I &s;peak by experience; I have been in &s;o &s;ad a condition, e|ven as it were in de&s;paire: And when I have read or heard the&s;e words, that &s;uch and &s;uch of the Lords own children, were in the &s;ame condition; my heart hath begun to revive and &s;ay, well: The Lord hath dealt no otherwi&s;e with me, than he hath with &s;uch a Saint left upon record: now I &s;ee, I am not alone in this heavines, I cannot now &s;ay; <HI>Was ever &s;orrow like unto my &s;orrow.</HI> Lam. 1.12. But I can now &s;ay with <HI>Ieremiah,</HI> Lam. 3 32. <HI>Though he cau&s;e griefe, yet will he have compa&s;&s;ion, according to the multitude of his mercies.</HI> I re|member that &s;weet place of Scripture: 2 Cor. 1 3, 4. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be God, even the Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations,
<PB N="5" REF="5">that</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>we may be able to comfort them that be in trouble, by the comfort wherewith wee our &s;elves are comforted of God.</HI></P>
<P>Here by the way wee may take notice, that it is a duty well be|coming the Saints, to endeavour as in&s;truments in Gods hands, to comfort others with the &s;ame comforts, wherewith the Lord hath comforted them, <HI>Come</HI> (<HI>&s;aith</HI> David) <HI>I will tell thee what the Lord hath done for my &s;oule.</HI></P>
<P>Againe: Oh thou drooping &s;inner, li&s;ten a little unto the voyce of Chri&s;t, and thou &s;halt heare him calling to thee and &s;aying, <HI>Come come unto mee all yee that bee weary and heavy laden, and I will give you re&s;t.</HI> Hee cals thee, hee invites thee, hee entreates thee, hee be&s;eecheth thee to come in, and to bee reconciled unto the Lord thy God. See and con&s;ider well that Scripture 2. Cor. 5 20. <HI>Now then wee are amba&s;&s;adours for Chri&s;t, as though God did be&s;eech you by us, wee pray you in Chri&s;t &s;tead bee you reconciled unto God,</HI> you &s;ee hee is willing to have &s;inners reconciled to him, and that hee doth manife&s;t, by many demon&s;trations, or evidences.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, His patience towards thee all this while, he is long &s;uffering, not willing that any &s;hould peri&s;h 2 Pet. 3 9. Rom. 2.4. <HI>The goodne&s;&s;e of God, or the patience of God doth (or &s;hould) lead thee to repentance.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Hee doth manife&s;t his willingne&s;&s;e, in that hee hath made this the ma&s;ter-piece of all his works, to provide a Saviour for us: in &s;ending his Son, and making him a cur&s;e for us, in this great worke the Lord doth proclaime to all the world, <HI>Oh all you people of the world, if I had not beene willing to bee reconciled to you,</HI> or rather, to have you reconciled to mee, (as I have for ever beene) I would never have &s;ent my deare&s;t Sonne from the bo&s;ome of my love, to die for you. So that this is the greate&s;t worke; all my other workes are &s;ubordinate to this. <HI>In this was the love of God mani|fe&s;ted to us, that he &s;ent his onely begotten Sonne into the world, that we &s;hould live through him,</HI> 1 Joh. 4.9.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The Lord doth profe&s;&s;e this to the people, That there is no one thing wherein hee doth more glory, than to &s;hew mercy to poore &s;inners, yea to his enemies. Micah 7.18. <HI>Hee delighteh in mercy.</HI> Exod. 34. <HI>The Lords glory pa&s;&s;ed by,</HI> and what was that? <HI>The Lord, the Lord, mo&s;t mercifull and gratious, long &s;uffering</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Pardoning iniquity, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions and &s;inne.</HI> Here is my glory. <HI>Hence it is expre&s;t,</HI> I&s;a. 30.18. <HI>Therefore will the Lord waite that hee may bee gratious, and therefore will hee bee exalted that hee may
<PB N="6" REF="6">have mercy upon you.</HI> So then, the Lord doth accompt him&s;elfe, an exalted God, when hee hath brought in a &s;inner to accept of mer|cy.</P>
<P>Fourthly, The Lord doth expre&s;&s;e his willingne&s;&s;e even with a &s;igh (as it were) which doth much denote his willingne&s;&s;e, Deut. 5.29. <HI>Oh that there were &s;uch an heart in them, that they would feare, my Name and keepe my Commands,</HI> and that for one good too, for &s;o the words follow, <HI>that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever.</HI> Now the&s;e people had &s;aid before, <HI>what&s;oever the Lord hath &s;poken wee will doe. Oh that there were &s;uch an heart in them (&s;aith the Lord.)</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, The Lord doth expre&s;&s;e his willingne&s;&s;e with an oath too, and that, the greate&s;t that ever hee tooke; That &s;inners &s;hall not dye. Ezek. 33.10, 11. <HI>As I live, &s;aith the Lord God, I have no plea&s;ure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turne from his way and live. Turne yee, turne yee from your evill wayes, for why will you die, oh hou&s;e of</HI> I&s;raell &amp;c.</P>
<P>Sixthly, God doth manife&s;t his willingne&s;&s;e in this; that above all other workes, this worke of beleeving on him, is mo&s;t plea&s;ing to him, and our not beleeving, is the greate&s;t offence that wee can give to God, Joh. 6.29. <HI>This is the worke of God, that you beleeve on him whom he hath &s;ent,</HI> as if the Lord had &s;aid, <HI>This doth plea&s;e mee better than any other worke,</HI> Let a poore &s;oule come in, and rowle him&s;elfe upon the love of God in Chri&s;t, for reconciliation. This is a more glorious worke, than the conquering of a whole world; If you give all your goods to the poore, and your bodies to be burnt, all is nothing if this be wanting. Joh. 3.19. <HI>This is condemnation that light is come unto the world, and men love darkne&s;&s;e more then light.</HI> In a word, binde all your &s;innes together in a bundle, (except this &s;in of unbeliefe) and put them in a ballance together, And put this &s;in of unbeliefe in the other ballance, you &s;hall finde that unbeliefe will weigh downe all the re&s;t, and from this unbeliefe, as the roote, &s;prings all other evils, as the branches.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Con&s;ider further, God doth &s;eeke to &s;inners fir&s;t: Therefore it is &s;aid, The Lord Chri&s;t came to &s;eeke <HI>and to &s;ave them that were lo&s;t.</HI> I&s;a. 45.22. <HI>Looke unto me and be you &s;aved all yee ends of the earth, the Spirit and the Bride &s;ay come, and let him that is a thir&s;t come and take of the waters of life freely.</HI></P>
<P>Eightly, Con&s;ider, the Lord &s;ends forth his grace to allure thee and to entice thee, a &s;inner, to come to him, Hee doth with cords of
<PB N="7" REF="6">love draw the heart to come, Hee &s;ends forth his mercy to &s;tand be|fore the &s;oule, and tender its &s;ervice (as it were) to the &s;infull &s;oule, <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 2.14. <HI>Therefore will I allure them &s;aith the Lord.</HI> There was a great breach betweene this people and God, as you may &s;ee at large in this chapter, And yet &s;aith the Lord <HI>I will allure them</HI> Ho&s;ea 11.4. <HI>I will draw them with the cords of men: with the bands of love.</HI></P>
<P>Ninthly, The Lord is &s;o yeelding unto his creatures, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">t to keepe his owne honour and glory he cannot yeeld further. At fir&s;t, wee are all going a&s;tray, the Lord cals us backe. 2. Wee were going to pri&s;on, The Lord &s;teps in, &s;aying, I will provide a &s;urety. The Covenant of workes requires &s;atisfaction, &s;aith the Lord, I am con|tented to take this, in a &s;urety. Wee are like a Beggar, begging an almes of one that pa&s;&s;eth by, to whom it is an&s;wered, I will give thee oh Beggar that which thou de&s;ire&s;t, but thou mu&s;t come and fetch it: I cannot come &s;aith the Beggar, I want legs: I will give thee legs (&s;aith the giver) that thou maye&s;t come. But &s;aith the Beg|gar, when I am come, I have no hands to receive that which you will give me: I will give thee hands al&s;o. Oh! But I want wi&s;edome to make u&s;e of that gift: I will give thee wi&s;edome &s;aith the Lord. Oh that ever, &s;o glorious a God, &s;hould &s;o farre &s;toope and yeeld to his poore creatures, as to an&s;wer all que&s;tions, cleare all doubts, and take away all &s;cruples!</P>
<P>Tenthly, He yet comes nearer to a &s;inner (as it were) and doth profe&s;&s;e, that the greate&s;t &s;ins that ever they have committed again&s;t him, &s;hall not hinder them from comming to him, nor him from par|doning them. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1.18, <HI>Come now and let us rea&s;on together, &s;aith the Lord. though your &s;ins be as Scarlet, they &s;halbe as white as Snow.</HI> Oh here the Lord proclaimes <HI>that all thy &s;innes pa&s;t &s;hall bee done away, Thy continuance in &s;inne</HI> will be thy undoing, if any thing.</P>
<P>Eleventhly, Againe Con&s;ider, The Lord doth in his Word u&s;e very powerfull arguments, to draw the heart to bee reconciled to him; Hee doth not onely offer mercy, and &s;et it before the &s;oule, but he doth labour with &s;trong rea&s;ons, and arguments, and motives, to draw the &s;oule to him&s;elfe, and doth u&s;e the&s;e arguments, that will take the heart mo&s;t. Sometimes hee doth draw arguments from his equity. Ezekiel 18.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">5. <HI>Are not my wayes equall &s;aith the Lord.</HI> Sometimes from our nec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;ity. Joh. 3.36. <HI>Hee that beleeveth not, the wrath of God abideth on him.</HI> Sometimes from the benefit
<PB N="8" REF="7">and profit we &s;hall have, if we do come in; Prov. 1.23. <HI>Turn yee at my reproof, and behold I will powre out my Spirit upon you, I will make known my words unto you.</HI> Oh ble&s;&s;ed promi&s;e! one would think, this &s;hould break the heart of Devils; as if the Lord had &s;aid, well, though thou ha&s;t been a great &s;inner, and though thou ha&s;t re|belled again&s;t me ever &s;ince thou wa&s;t born; yet if thou wilt but turn at my reproof, or &s;ay to thy God, Turn us and we &s;hal be turned, (for I mu&s;t doe it) I will powre out my Spirit upon thee, I will give grace and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ory, a Hou&s;e, a City, a Kingdome, Light, Life, and all things: The Lord doth &s;eem to out-bid all other comforts that we have in &s;in; therefore he doth tell us of honey, milk, raiment, &s;uch things as do mo&s;t take with our hearts, that &s;o he might gain us to come in and be at one with him. Now I &s;hall appeal to your con&s;ci|ences, that have felt this in &s;ome mea&s;ure: Doth not the Devill come with &s;trong arguments? The World with the like? And wick|ed men with &s;trong per&s;wa&s;ions? The corruptions within you with &s;trong motives? And yet doth not the Lord out-bid them all, and &s;o win the Soule to him&s;elf.</P>
<P>Twelfth, Con&s;ider further, The Lord comes and an&s;wers all obje|ctions that lye in the hearts of &s;inners.</P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> 1. Saith one I am unworthy; I have nothing in me that good is:</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> The Lord &s;aith, I&s;a. 55. <HI>Come and buy milk and wine with|out money, and without price,</HI> three times it is &s;poken in one or two ver&s;es. So that God doth &s;et forth his kingdome by milke, wine and bread, things u&s;efull for the body; &s;ometimes by a marriage, &s;ome|times by a &s;upper, wherein are all kindes of dainties; &s;ometime he doth invite them to the &s;upper, and to the marriage of his Sonne, and &s;ometimes doth compell them to come in. Then the Devil working with our corrupt nature; doth what he can to make the Soule &s;light the Go&s;pel, and to look upon the blood of the Covenant as a mean thing: When the &s;oul doth begin indeed to apprehend the greatnes and &s;weetnes of the Go&s;pel of glad tidings, then &s;teps in Sathan; What &s;uch a one as thou have &s;uch mercy? Fellow &s;inners; mark the policy of the &s;ubtle Devil, he doth at fir&s;t labor to &s;et at naught the Go&s;pel, accounting it as a mean thing: But when the Lord doth &s;hine through that mi&s;t, and &s;hew the &s;oul the excellency of his &s;on, and the glory of the Go&s;pel: Then comes the devil the other way, &s;aying, with thee the&s;e be great things indeed; But thou art vile and ba&s;e both in thy principles &amp; practice: and can&s;t thou think that God ever intended
<PB N="9" REF="7">the&s;e things to thee? <HI>What to &s;uch a one as thou art;</HI> Then the Lord an&s;wereth for thee, <HI>Come without money and without price,</HI> as if he had &s;aid, though thou ha&s;t no ability to doe any thing; yet come I will make thee rich enough; thou ha&s;t no money (that is no &s;elf righ|teou&s;nes) let not that hinder, <HI>Revel.</HI> 22.17. <HI>The Spirit and the Bride &s;ay come, and let him that bears come, and let him that is a thir&s;t come, and who&s;oever will let him take of the water of life free|ly.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ob.</HI> It may be (&s;aith the Soule, though the Lord doth require no|thing before hand; yet when I am come he will require hard things of me, I mu&s;t live &s;o &s;trictly, and abandon all my plea&s;ures, what? &s;hall I leave all tho&s;e plea&s;ant wayes, and have nothing but according to the word, and according to con&s;cience; Then farewell all the comfort and joy of all our life, if we come to this once.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> I appeale to you, whether your hearts have not been kept of by &s;uch things as the&s;e. But now <HI>(&oacute; fellow &s;inners)</HI> mark how Chri&s;t doth take off the&s;e objections, Matth. 11. <HI>Come unto me and I will give you re&s;t. Take my yoke upon you</HI> (and mark what follows) <HI>my yoke is ea&s;ie and my burthen light.</HI> As if Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;ay, I will lay no yoak upon you but what is ea&s;ie, nor any burthen but what is light. And this I affirme, though this may &s;eem to be hard to you at fir&s;t; you will finde the wayes of God more ea&s;ie than ever you found the wayes of &s;in: Do but ask them that have any experience of the love of God to them, and they will tell thee; that they have found more &s;weetne&s;&s;e in one day, in following of God, than they found in the wayes of &s;in many years: Prov. 3.17. <HI>Her wayes are wayes of plea|&s;antne&s;&s;e, and all her paths are peaceable paths:</HI> Now if you will believe the &s;pirit of God, you &s;ee there is more peace, more joy, more &s;weetne&s;&s;e, more comfort than ever you had before.</P>
<P N="13">13. Again con&s;ider, The Lord doth not onely u&s;e &s;trong argu|ments, and an&s;wer all objections. But he is importunate too, as fir&s;t; He doth cry out after &s;inners; Prov. 1. <HI>Wi&s;dome cryeth in the &s;treets,</HI> and &s;o Prov. 9. and I&s;a. 55. He doth make Proclamation, <HI>Ho, every one that thir&s;teth come!</HI> He doth importune, and bid come, over and over again, and again; <HI>Come, come, come,</HI> three times together: So that God doth &s;eek more earne&s;tly to &s;inners, than they doe to him. It may be thou wilt &s;eek to God once for a mercy thou wante&s;t, and give over; But behold, God cals to thee again and again, <HI>come, come, come.</HI></P>
<P N="14"><PB N="10" REF="8">14. If all this will not prevaile with &s;inners to come in, yet the Lord leaves them not, but appeals to the very Con&s;ciences of &s;inners, &amp; deals with them that way. If you were in great di&s;tre&s;&s;e concerning your e&s;tate or life, and you go to a man that hath both wi&s;dom and power to help you; and open the ca&s;e to him, but cannot prevaile: then you bring &s;trong arguments; and they do not move, then you take away all objections: but yet prevaile not; then you importune him, and urge your arguments againe and again; and all this doth not prevaile; then you appeale to his own con&s;cience whether you have not &s;poken right to him, &s;aying; I will even leave this to your own con&s;cience to judge of it; and this many times doth prevaile when no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">hing el&s;e will: even thus (of all the world) doth God deal with &s;inners and appeals to their own con&s;ciences. I&s;a. 43.26. <HI>Put me in remembrance: let us plead together. Declare thou that thou maye&s;t be ju&s;tified:</HI> as if the Lord had &s;aid, If thou can&s;t declare any thing why thou doe&s;t not come, that lyeth in thy way, I will remove it, and thou &s;halt be accepted. Ier. 2.5. Thus &s;aith the Lord, <HI>What iniquity have your Fathers found in me, that they are gone farre from me.</HI> Ver&s; 31. <HI>Have I been a barren wilderne&s;&s;e to I&s;rael.</HI> Ezek. 18.25. <HI>Hear now &ocirc; hou&s;e of I&s;rael, are not my ways equall? are not your waies unequall?</HI> as if the Lord had &s;aid, doe you think in your con&s;cience, that the&s;e wayes that you walk in are right? Is this equall, that &s;in|ners &s;hould go on their dayes and pa&s;&s;e their time in &s;in; and when they can &s;in no longer, then to plead for mercy: Is this equall? If this will not doe, the Lord will &s;ay, Con&s;cience let him alone; So con|&s;cience may be quiet, but the Lord hath left pleading with him.</P>
<P N="15">15. Again, the Lord hath many times brake forth into tears to &s;ee the &s;tubborne&s;&s;e of m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ns hearts: <HI>O Jeru&s;alem, thou that kille&s;t the Prophets,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>if thou had&s;t known in this thy day the things that make for thy peace.</HI> Now &s;uppo&s;e that Chri&s;t &s;hould come and weep over a company of poore &s;inners, as he did over Jeru&s;alem, &s;aying, &ocirc; thou &s;infull &s;oule, had&s;t thou known in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace, and &s;uppo&s;e thou &s;houlde&s;t &s;ee one tear trickling down after another, and he &s;hould &s;ay; Oh, that this people did but know the things that belong unto their peace: If thou had&s;t a heart of &s;tone, it could not but melt.</P>
<P N="16">16. The Lord doth fore&s;ee, what a little honour hee &s;hall have of this &s;inner when he hath brought him home; he &s;eeth &s;till that thou wilt have abundance of corruption in thy heart, and that thou wilt grieve his holy Spirit, and walk very offen&s;ively, di&s;honour the way
<PB N="11" REF="8">of Religion, and open the mouths of the enemies as <HI>David;</HI> I &s;ay, God doth fore&s;ee, that after he hath taken all this pains to bring thee unto him&s;elf, what a little honour he &s;hall have by thee, and yet he doth per&s;wade thee to come: This al&s;o doth note his willingne&s;&s;e to &s;ave thee.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, con&s;ider, that after the Lord our tender Father hath u&s;ed all the&s;e means and many more to bring in &s;inners; yet he is conten|ted to waite a long time upon &s;inners, and to take advantages to win them. I&s;a. 30.18. <HI>The Lord doth waite that he may be gracious unto you.</HI> O how many years hath the Lord waited upon me, and thee, and other &s;inners: How long hath he knocked, and yet we let him &s;tand at the doore. <HI>O Jeru&s;alem wilt thou not be made clean, when &s;hall it once be.</HI> I&s;a. 51.17, 18. <HI>I &s;mote him, and he went on frowardly; but I have &s;een his waies, and will heal him, and re&s;tore comfort to him, and to his mourners.</HI> Though he went on frowardly, I will re&s;tore comfort to him.</P>
<P>Now put all this together, and &s;ee how infinitely willing God is to &s;ave thee, &ocirc; thou drowping &s;inner.</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> If any &s;hould ask a rea&s;on, why God is &s;o importunate and de&s;irous to draw up &s;inners to him&s;elf?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. The ground of this love is in him&s;elf, and I can give no rea&s;on of it, but the &s;ame that he hath left upon record, Exod. 33.19. <HI>I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will &s;hew mer|cy on whom I will &s;hew mercy.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. He doth this, becau&s;e mercy plea&s;eth him: Micah. 7.18. <HI>I will pardon becau&s;e mercie plea&s;eth mee,</HI> &s;aith the Lord; Now then, that that doth plea&s;e a man, he is ever de&s;irous after: The &s;cripture &s;aith, <HI>He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men;</HI> but hee &s;heweth mercy willingly, becau&s;e he delighteth in it.</P>
<P N="3">3. The blood of Chri&s;t his onely &s;onne doth cry aloud in the ears of the Lord for mercy; and that obedience of Chri&s;t wherewith the Lord is &s;atisfied, is &s;o well plea&s;ing to him, that what&s;oever this blood doth plead for, God mu&s;t needs grant: Now the blood of Chri&s;t, cryeth mercy, mercy Lord, for &s;inners; the blood of <HI>Abel</HI> cryed vengeance, vengeance; but the blood of Chri&s;t &s;peaketh bet|ter things, and cryeth pardon, pardon. Nothing in the world can &s;top the current of Gods mercy to a people, when it doth come to the blood of Chri&s;t; Then &s;aith the father of mercies, open all the flood|gates now, and let mercy be &s;hewed in the highe&s;t degree; &s;eeing the blood of my &s;onne cryeth for this: though this be wonderfull
<PB N="12" REF="9">mercy to pardon &s;uch a great &s;inner, there is not a drop onely, but a Sea of mercy, to clean&s;e thee throughly. <HI>Come,</HI> &s;aith the Lord, <HI>let us rea&s;on together, though your &s;ins be as &s;carlet; they &s;hall be as white as Snow.</HI> I&s;a. 1 18. <HI>I, even I am he that blotteth out thy tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ions for my own name &s;ake, and will not remember. thy &s;ins.</HI> I&s;a. 43 25. <HI>Put me in remembrance, &s;aith the Lord, put me in remem|brance of this my promi&s;e, and let us plead together,</HI> &s;aith the Lord; <HI>Declare the&s;e words with thy mouth, that I have put into thy heart, that thou maye&s;t be ju&s;tified.</HI> I&s;a. 43.26.</P>
<P>O thou troubled &s;inner (for to thee I &s;peak) I mean thee, to whom &s;in is a but then; See how our tender father hath dealt with our bro|ther prodigall; <HI>Luke</HI> 15 28. He aro&s;e and came to his Father; but when he was yet a great way of, his Father &s;aw him, and had com|pa&s;&s;ion on him, and ran, and fell on his neck and ki&s;&s;ed him.</P>
<P N="1">1. Take notice, his father &s;ees him, before he &s;ees his Father. No &s;ooner doth a &s;inner think of looking toward heaven, but the Lord &s;pyes him and pities him.</P>
<P N="2">2. He &s;aw him whiles he was a great way off; he was but in the beginning of his way to come: his father might have let him alone till he had been come quite home to his hou&s;e, and it had been &s;in|gular mercy to have bid him welcome then; but it is done whiles he is a great way off. So thou art at a great di&s;tance from the mercy of God in thy apprehen&s;ion, that is, thou can&s;t not believe, nor &s;carce hope in his mercy; yet he will draw nigh to thee.</P>
<P N="3">3. The &s;cripture &s;aith, his father had compa&s;&s;ion on him: I &s;ee the Lords bowels yearn, work, and &s;tir within him at the &s;ight of his &s;on, Jer. 3.20. <HI>Therefore my bowels are troubled for him, I will &s;urely have mercy upon him, &s;aith the Lord.</HI> Jer. 9.24. <HI>I delight in loving kindnes,</HI> Mich. 7.18. <HI>He pardoneth becau&s;e mercy plea&s;eth him.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. It is &s;aid, that his father <HI>ran:</HI> How rich, abundant mercy had it been in his father, though he had &s;tood &s;till, till his &s;on had come to him: <HI>But what mercy is this?</HI> he will go towards him, and give him a meeting; <HI>O mercy!</HI> that his father ran not from him; but what mercy call you this, that he runs to him: Why, would it not have &s;er|ved (if he would needs go meet him) to have walked toward him with a &s;oft and grave pace? No, no, that will not &s;erve the Lords turn: if a &s;inner will but go towards the Lord, mercy will not go a foot-pace, but runs to meet him; yea, mercy draws him and puts him upon comming at fir&s;t-&s;tep: The &s;onnes pace is, he aro&s;e and came he came walking towards his father; this is the fathers pace he <HI>ran;</HI> the
<PB N="13" REF="9">&s;onne mo&s;t needed to have run, his belly was pinched with hunger, yet hee onely walkes, but his father runs, bowels full of mercy out|pace bowels pinched with hunger.</P>
<P N="5">5. I &s;ee him falling upon his necke, that is, he hugg'd and em|braced him, How? fall on his necke? Who would not have beene loath to have touched him? yea, to come neare him? Is he not in his loath&s;ome &s;tinking rags? Smels he not of the Swine hee kept? Could a man come neare him without &s;topping his No&s;e? Would not a man bee ready to ca&s;t up his Stomach, upon &s;uch an embrace|ment? Mercy is not nice and dainty, will God thus embrace a Prodigall in his loath&s;ome rags? Oh &s;inner be encouraged to draw neare to God, for the wor&s;t of all wickedne&s;&s;e and ba&s;ene&s;&s;e in the world cannot make him rejct thee. <HI>Ezekiel</HI> 16.4 5, 6.</P>
<P N="6">6. But yet behold, a greater wonder than all the re&s;t: I &s;ee him <HI>ki&s;&s;ing his Sorne;</HI> who could have brooked to have imbraced a per&s;on, in &s;o futhy a pickle? Much le&s;&s;e would any one ki&s;&s;e &s;uch a one; what ki&s;&s;e tho&s;e lips that had beene &s;o lately lapping in the Hogs-Trough: Tho&s;e lips that had &s;o often ki&s;s'd tho&s;e ba&s;e and beggerly Harlots; <HI>Ki&s;&s;e him?</HI> A man would rather have thought he would have kick'd him, and yet his Father ki&s;&s;eth him. There is a pa&s;&s;age &s;omewhat like this, Gen. 33.4. <HI>And</HI> E&s;au <HI>ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his Neck, and ki&s;&s;ed him.</HI> A &s;trang and wonderfull thing that hee that had threatned to kill him and came now upon that errand to kill him and all his, That his heart &s;hould bee &s;o &s;trangely altered by God, that killing &s;hould bee turned into ki&s;&s;ing: It was very &s;trange that <HI>E&s;au</HI> &s;hould ki&s;&s;e <HI>Jacoh,</HI> but it is more &s;trange here, that this Father &s;hould ki&s;&s;e this Prodi|gall.</P>
<P>Read and con&s;ider well the&s;e Scriptures.</P>
<P>Joh. 1.29. <HI>Behold the Lambe of God, that taketh away the &s;ins of the World.</HI></P>
<P>Luke 2.10.11. <HI>Behold I bring you good tydings of great joy, that &s;hall bee to all people.</HI> That is, <HI>That unto you is borne this day in the City of</HI> David, <HI>a Saviour which is Chri&s;t the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>John 3.16. <HI>God &s;o loved the World that he gave his onely be|gotten Son, to this end, that all that beleeve in him &s;hould not peri&s;h, but have life everla&s;ting.</HI></P>
<P>John 3.17. <HI>God &s;ent not his Son into the world, to condemne the world, but that the world through him might be &s;aved.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="14" REF="10">1 Tim. 1.15. <HI>This is a true &s;aying that Chri&s;t came into the world to &s;ave &s;inners, of whom I am chiefe.</HI></P>
<P>Heb. 13.12. <HI>Je&s;us that he might &s;anctifie the people with his own blood, &s;uffered without the Gate.</HI></P>
<P>1 John 2.1, 2. <HI>If any man &s;inne wee have an Advocate with the Father Je&s;us Chri&s;t the righteous, and hee is the propitiation for our &s;ins and not for ours onely, but al&s;o the &s;innes of the whole world.</HI></P>
<P>Rev. 5.8. <HI>Thou wa&s;t killed and ha&s;t redeemed us to God out of every kindred, tongue and people.</HI></P>
<P>P&s;alm 145.19. <HI>Hee will fulfill the de&s;ire of them that feare him.</HI></P>
<P>Zach. 13.1. <HI>The Lord hath opened a Fountaine for &s;inne and for uncleanne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><HI>He every one that thir&s;teth come then.</HI> I&s;aiah 55.1.</P>
<P><HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that bunger and thir&s;t, for they &s;hall be filled.</HI> Math. 5.6.</P>
<P><HI>If any man thir&s;t, let him come unto mee and drinke.</HI> John 7. ver. 37, 38.</P>
<P><HI>And hee that commeth to me I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t off;</HI> oh marke, <HI>I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t him off,</HI> John 6.37, that is, there is no cor|ruption in thee, nor all thy enemies without thee, that &s;hall &s;o farre prevaile with mee, as that I &s;hall for&s;ake thee.</P>
<P>Oh then come unto mee, come unto mee, <HI>all you that are heavy laden, and I will undoubtedly give you re&s;t.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider, Hee that hath made the&s;e promi&s;es, is able to make them good.</P>
<P N="2">2. Hee is not onely able to doe it, but hee is willing to doe it, hee delights in it.</P>
<P N="3">3. Hee is not only able and willing, but he is faithfull too in keeping promi&s;e; In &s;o much that not one title &s;hall faile of all that he hath promi&s;ed: He never &s;aith, <HI>Seeke yee me in vaine.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Take notice, the Lord keepes open hou&s;e, Rev. 22.17. <HI>Let him that will, come and take of the water of life freely.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e of our backwardne&s;&s;e to come, he invites, I&s;a. 55.1. <HI>He, every one that thir&s;teth, come.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Hee an&s;wereth objections, and taketh away all excu&s;es, in the&s;e words, <HI>come without money and without price,</HI> though thou ha&s;t not righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to commend thee to mee, yet come, <HI>without money and without price.</HI></P>
<P N="4"><PB N="5" REF="10">4. He a&s;&s;ures thee, thou &s;halt be welcome, John 6.37. <HI>Him that commeth to me, I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t off.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. Hee tels thee, that if thou come, thou &s;halt not loo&s;e thy labour, <HI>He will give thee re&s;t,</HI> Mat. 11.28.</P>
<P>Hee will give thee re&s;t from thine owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that thou &s;halt &s;ee thy acceptance in the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of another, and &s;o cea&s;e from thine owne. Hee will give thee re&s;t, that is, hee will &s;till tho&s;e troubles that ari&s;e in thine heart, and take off tho&s;e veiles from thine eyes, and the bondage that lay upon thy heart, and &s;hew thee that he hath &s;et the free from hell, death, law, &s;inne pa&s;t, pre&s;ent, and to come, and &s;o gives thee faith, which is the evidence of things not &s;eene, which will evidence this to thy &s;oule: Thy &s;oule no &s;ooner apprehends this, but pre&s;ently it wilbe ready to break forth in the&s;e words of <HI>Mary,</HI> Luke 1.46, 47, 48. <HI>My Soule doth magnifie the Lord, my Spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour: For he hath regarded the low e&s;tate of his handmaid</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>And now to draw to a conclu&s;ion (for as I &s;aid in the beginning) I have but a Word to the World. 1 He gives free liberty to come. 2. Hee invites thee 3. He will bid thee welcome. 4. He will ca&s;e thee of all thy troubles.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But thou wilt &s;ay, Heare are indeed &s;weet rules and ble&s;&s;ed promi&s;es among&s;t the&s;e things that you have layd downe. But I have no abillity to walke in the one, nor heart to embrace or beleeve the other, and I finde it written, Jer. 10.23. <HI>The way of man is not in him&s;elfe, It is not in man that walketh to direct his &s;teps.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> But con&s;ider, hee requires nothing of thee, but what he hath promi&s;ed hee will inable thee to doe. For in&s;tance, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1.16. He requires thee, and &s;aith, <HI>wa&s;h thee and make thee cleane, put a|way the evill of thy doings, cea&s;e to doe evill: Learne to doe well.</HI> Here is his precept, and thy duty. Now turne from this precept to that promi&s;e, Jer. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.8. <HI>I will clean&s;e them from all their iniquities, whereby they have &s;inned again&s;t mee.</HI> Now when thou goe&s;t about that duty required, and finde&s;t thy &s;elfe unable, then looke to that &s;ame promi&s;e; And in the apprehen&s;ion thereof, thy &s;oule &s;hall looke up, and goe about the worke in the &s;trength (not of thy &s;elfe) but of the mighty God of grace, who hath &s;poken, and will doe it for thee. So for Repentance, He commands thee to <HI>repent. Acts</HI> 17.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">0. Thou goe&s;t about it, but finde&s;t the worke of Repentance <HI>(true and unfayned)</HI> too hard for thee to performe: Then turne from this
<PB N="16" REF="11">precept to that promi&s;e, <HI>Acts</HI> 5.31. And when thou there &s;ee&s;t, that hee that hath commanded thee to repent, even the God of power, and truth, and that cannot lye, hath engaged him&s;elfe to enable thee to the performance thereof, wilt thou not bee encou|raged?</P>
<P>Againe, He commands thee, <HI>not to let &s;in reigne in thee,</HI> Rom. 6.12. And is not the promi&s;e nigh thee (ver. 14.) <HI>that it &s;hall not reigne in thee</HI></P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Thou wilt &s;ay, The&s;e promi&s;es indeed are made to the E|lect, and to Saints!</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Let that bee granted: Yet art thou excluded? Can&s;t thou &s;ay thou art not elected? How wilt thou prove it? wilt thou dive into the &s;ecret Coun&s;ell of God? It is too deepe for thee to fathome. Doe&s;t thou complain that thy wicked life doth evidence it? Well; Con&s;ider then: ha&s;t thou denyed Chri&s;t? So did <HI>Peter,</HI> ha&s;t thou per&s;ecuted Chri&s;t? did not <HI>Paul</HI> &s;o? And yet for all this, were not they elected? In a word; There is not a man or woman under the whole Heavens can ju&s;tly or truly &s;ay, he or &s;hee is not elected, of this many rea&s;ons and te&s;timonies might be given, but I would not be tedious.</P>
<P>Hee commands thee to love him, with all thy heart with all thy &s;trength and with all thy &s;oul, <HI>Deu.</HI> 10.12. and <HI>Deut.</HI> 30.6. The Lord comes in with his promi&s;e, &s;aying. <HI>I wil circumci&s;e thine heart, and the heart of thy &s;eed, to love the lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy &s;oule, that thou maye&s;t live.</HI> He commands Col. 3 5. <HI>To mor|tifie thy earthly members which are upon the earth &amp;c.</HI> And <HI>Micah</HI> 7 19. he undertakes the worke: <HI>Hee will &s;ubdue our iniquities, and ca&s;t all our &s;ins into the depth of the Sea.</HI></P>
<P>2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.2. The Lord &s;aith by <HI>Paul, Thou mu&s;t keepe in memory, what is preached unto thee.</HI> But thou wilt &s;ay (as mo&s;t doe) thou can&s;t not remember; then have recour&s;e to that promi&s;e, <HI>John</HI> 14 26. There the Lord undertakes and promi&s;eth to thee, &s;aying, <HI>Hee will teach thee all things, and bring all things to thy remembrance, what&s;oever he hath &s;aid unto thee.</HI> So <HI>David P&s;al</HI> 25 5. intreates the Lord to teach him, and in&s;truct him in his way. And in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 25.12. The Lord undertakes the worke, and <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 32.8. The Lord &s;aith to him, <HI>I will in&s;truct thee and teach thee in the way which thou &s;halt goe; I will guide thee with mine eye.</HI> And &s;o for all things what&s;oever the Lord thy God requireth of thee in any Scripture; In the &s;ame or another Scripture hee comes in with his &s;weet, and
<PB N="17" REF="11">ble&s;&s;ed promi&s;es of a&s;&s;i&s;tance, to enable thee unto it: He knows right well as &s;aith <HI>Jeremiah,</HI> chap. 10.23. <HI>Ehe way of man is not in him&s;elfe, it is not in man that walketh to direct his &s;teps.</HI> In a word, con&s;ider; There bee many of the greate&s;t promi&s;es amid&s;t the greate&s;t precepts. So <HI>Deut.</HI> 10.20. Hee commands thee to feare him, and <HI>Jer.</HI> 32.39. Hee comes with a &s;weet promi&s;e &s;aying, <HI>I will give thee an heart to feare mee,</HI> and in another Scripture. <HI>I will put my feare into your hearts.</HI> Truly friend, the con&s;ideration of this, will &s;weeten all the commands of the Lord unto thee, and it will cau&s;e thee to &s;et about what is required, in the &s;trength (not of thy &s;elfe) but of the Lord, then goe on, and bee &s;trong in him and in the power of his might. Now to draw to a conclu&s;ion, con&s;ider the&s;e particulars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That if after all the&s;e &s;weete encouragements, invitations, entreatings, per&s;wa&s;ions, be&s;eechings, thou continue &s;till in unbeliefe, and will not come to him that thou maye&s;t have life, although hee doth prote&s;t that him, that doth come to him, hee will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out, <HI>John</HI> 6.37. It is the greate&s;t of thy &s;innes, and it may be, thou &s;halt heare the Lords voyce changed and telling thee, <HI>the axe is laid to the root of the tree, and hee that brings not forth good fruit &s;hall be hewen downe and ca&s;t into the fire:</HI> Or &s;uppo&s;e thou &s;hould|e&s;t heare him &s;aying to thee as once he was to <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> Mat. 23.37. <HI>Oh Jeru&s;alem, Jeru&s;alem, how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens, but yee would not: Behold your hou&s;e is left unto you de&s;olate.</HI> Prov. 1.24. 25. <HI>Becau&s;e I have called and yee refu&s;ed, I have &s;tretched out my ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">d and no man regarded,</HI> ver&s;e 26. <HI>I al&s;o will laugh at your cala|mity, and mocke when your feare commeth.</HI> Reade and well con&s;ider that in <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.16, 17. <HI>E&s;au</HI> having &s;lighted and undervalued his birth-right, would afterwards have repented, but could not, though hee &s;ought it with teares. <HI>Therefore to day if you will heare his voyce harden not your hearts.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Con&s;ider; The day is at hand, in which all the Na|tions of the world, all the Tribes, Kindreds and Tongues under the heavens that now are, ever were or &s;hall be, I &s;ay all, both &s;mall and great &s;hall be gathered together before the judgement Seat of Chri&s;t. <HI>Math.</HI> 25.32.33, 34. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Yea the Sea &s;hall give up her dead, and the Grave &s;hall give up her dead: Death and Hell &s;hall give up their dead. <HI>Rev.</HI> 20.12, 13, 14. In another place wee reade, that we &s;hall all appeare before the judgement Seat of Chri&s;t, and all that ever thou ha&s;t done, good, or evill, &s;hall be laid open before all the
<PB N="18" REF="12">world, all thy &s;ins, &s;ecret and open, &s;hall be brought to light; and thou &s;halt bee judged according to thy workes, <HI>Math.</HI> 25.32, 33, 34, 35. <HI>Rev.</HI> 20.12, 13. Then when the &s;ecrets of all hearts are laid open, if thou art found a beleever in the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and that thou ha&s;t made him thy confidence, then thou &s;halt in that terrible day &s;tand up with boldne&s;&s;e, 1 <HI>John</HI> 4.17. And thy Judge (which is thy Saviour) &s;hall &s;ay to thee, as in <HI>Matth.</HI> 25.34. <HI>Come yee ble&s;&s;ed of my Father, inherit yee the Kingdome prepared for you, from the foundation of the world,</HI> then &s;hall all teares bee wiped from thine eyes, and &s;orrow and &s;ighing &s;hall flye away, there &s;hall bee ea&s;e without payne, beauty without blemi&s;h, credit with|out di&s;grace, in a word, thy priviledges and enjoyments &s;hall be &s;o great, as the heart of man cannot conceive, much le&s;&s;e his tongue re|port: for thou &s;halt be like him. 1 <HI>John</HI> 3.2.</P>
<P>But if thy name be not writen in the Lambs book, if thou conti|nue&s;t &s;till in unbelief, and ende&s;t thy days with an evill life: Oh what a terrible day will this be unto thee! 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.12. The heavens &s;hall be on fire and di&s;&s;olve; the earth al&s;o it &s;hall melt with fervent heat: then, if the rocks and mountains might fall on thee, thou woulde&s;t think it a favour, to hide thee from the face of him that &s;itteth on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lambe; for the great day of his wrath is come: and who &s;hall abide it? <HI>Rev.</HI> 6.16, 17, &amp;c. Then &s;halt thou hear that dreadfull &s;entence pa&s;&s;e on thee, <HI>Matth.</HI> 25.41. <HI>De|part from me yee Cur&s;ed into Everla&s;ting fire, prepared for the De|vill and his Angels.</HI> Con&s;ider a little, this dolefull &s;entence.</P>
<P N="1">1. Thou mu&s;t depart from the pre&s;ence of the Lord.</P>
<P N="2">2. Thou departe&s;t (not ble&s;&s;ed but) a cur&s;ed wretch. <HI>Depart from me yee cur&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Not onely into fire, but into everla&s;ting fire, no hope of retur|ning.</P>
<P N="4">4. The companions that thou &s;halt have there, are the Devill and his Angels, <HI>Depart from me yee cur&s;ed into everla&s;ting fire, prepa|red for the Devill and his Angels.</HI> And this dreadfull day will come as a thiefe in the night, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.10. <HI>In which the heavens &s;hall pa&s;&s;e away with a great noi&s;e, and the element &s;hall melt with fervent heat, and the earth al&s;o and the works that are therein, &s;hall be burnt up,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Seeing then that all the&s;e things &s;hall be di&s;&s;olved.</HI> 2 Pet. 3.11. <HI>What manner of per&s;ons ought you to be, in all holy conver&s;ation and godline&s;&s;e? Oh!</HI> then take heed, <HI>Watch and pray, for you know not how near the time is.</HI> Mark 13.33. <HI>The day of the Lord commeth as
<PB N="19" REF="12">a thiefe in the night,</HI> 1 The&s;&s;. 5.2. <HI>Wherefore (beloved) &s;eeing that you look for &s;uch things, be diligent that you may be found of him in peace, without &s;pot and blamele&s;&s;e,</HI> 2. Pet. 3.14.</P>
<P>Thirdly, con&s;ider, if it &s;hould be a few moneths or years before this great and terrible day come; yet it may not, for ought that thou knowe&s;t, be many dayes, no, not &s;o much as many houres or minutes, before thy particular end come; in which, thou &s;halt be ga&s;ping for life, and breathing out thy la&s;t breath: If then thou look up, God will appear as an angry Judge; if thou look down, the bottomle&s;&s;e Pit will &s;trike terrour into thee; on thy right hand, thy &s;ins &s;tand accu&s;ing thee; on thy left hand, the Devill is ready to execute Gods eternall &s;entence upon thee; within thee, thy con&s;cience gnawing; without thee, thy friends bewailing. So that look which way thou wilt, above thee, beneath thee, within thee, without thee; every ob|ject will adde to thy mi&s;erie. Therefore, <HI>Oh, remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth, before the&s;e evill daies come</HI> Eccle&s;. 12.1. Intreat the Lord, as <HI>David</HI> did, P&s;al. 39.4. <HI>Lord make mee to know mine end, and the mea&s;ure of my daies, what it is; That I may know how fraile I am.</HI> And wilt thou know how fraile thou art, oh vaine man? then con&s;ider,</P>
<P>One &s;cripture &s;aith of thy dayes, it is as water &s;pilt upon the ground, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 14.14. Another &s;cripture &s;aith, <HI>Our dayes are like a &s;had|dow.</HI> P&s;al. 102.11. And as if that were too long, <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith, Job 7.7, <HI>My life is but a winde:</HI> P&s;al. 102.3. <HI>Our daies con&s;ume like &s;moak. Wee all doe fade as a leafe,</HI> I&s;a. 64 6. <HI>All fle&s;h is gra&s;&s;e, and all the glory of man, as the flower of the gra&s;&s;e, the gra&s;&s;e withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.</HI> 1 Pet. 1.24. And as if all the&s;e re|&s;emblances &s;ignified too much length, to hold forth the &s;hortnes of our life; the holy Gho&s;t doth contract it &s;horter. P&s;al. 39 5. <HI>Thou ha&s;t made my dayes as an hand breadth.</HI> And as if that re&s;emblance al&s;o, were too long, he &s;aith in the &s;ame ver&s;e, <HI>Mine age is as nothing.</HI> Well then doth the &s;cripture in many places &s;ay, <HI>We are like a buble of the brooke, a tale that is told, or a dream.</HI> Oh how &s;hould the &s;eri|ous con&s;ideration hereof, teach thee &s;o <HI>to number thy dayes, that thou mighte&s;t apply thine heart to true and perfect wi&s;dome.</HI> Or as the wi&s;e man &s;aith, Eccle&s;. 12.6. <HI>Remember thy creator before the &s;ilver cord be loo&s;ed, or the golden bowle be broken,</HI> for as death leaves thee, &s;o Judgement will finde thee, &amp;c. In a word, it is a point of high wi&s;dome, to be often thinking and meditating of out latter end, for the Lord him&s;elf faith, Deut. 32.29. <HI>That they were wi&s;e, that they
<PB N="20" REF="13">under&s;tood this, to con&s;ider their latter end.</HI> So he that made thee, teach and perfect thee.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Two Words to tho&s;e cho&s;en out of the World.</HEAD>
<P>NOw I &s;hall come to &s;peak two words to tho&s;e that are cho&s;en out of the World.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Generally, to all the Saints.</P>
<P>Secondly, More particularly, to the Saints under tho&s;e titles, or forms, by which they are mo&s;t commonly known.</P>
<P N="1">1 The word in generall. To all that are truly godly, for now to you I &s;peak, <HI>even to you my fellow members, and brethren in Chri&s;t.</HI> Awake, awake, Put on t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">y &s;trength O <HI>Sion,</HI> put on thy beautifull garments, O <HI>Ieru&s;alem, thou holy City.</HI> I&s;a. 52.1. <HI>Ari&s;e my belo|ved, and come away,</HI> 2 Can. 10.13. <HI>For the day is dawning, and the day-&s;tar ari&s;ing in your hearts,</HI> 2 Pet. 1.19.</P>
<P>Oh Saints! Con&s;ider a little upon what ground you &s;tand, upon what foundation you are built: doe&s;t thou believe there was &s;uch a Chri&s;t as the &s;criptures mention? Doe&s;t thou believe that this Chri&s;t took thy nature, and al&s;o thy &s;ins? Doe&s;t thou believe, that in this thy nature, he fulfilled the law, took it away, nailed it to the Cro&s;&s;e, and &s;o is become the end of the law to all that believe? al&s;o freed thee from &s;in pa&s;t, pre&s;ent, and to come, and &s;o from death the wa|ges thereof? doe&s;t thou conceive; that God will make good his gra|cious promi&s;es, in particular the&s;e? I&s;a. 25.7, 8, <HI>&amp;c. He will de|&s;troy in this mountain, the face of the covering ca&s;t over all people, and the vaile that is &s;pread over all nations, He will &s;wallow up death in victory: And the Lord God will wipe away tears from of all faces, And the rebuke of his people &s;hall bee taken away, from off all the earth.</HI> Doe&s;t thou believe that the knowledge of the Lord &s;hall cover the earth as the waters the Sea, and that <HI>We &s;hall all know him from the greate&s;t to the lea&s;t.</HI> Jer. 31.34. Doe&s;t thou believe tho&s;e words, which the Lord &s;pake to <HI>Daniel,</HI> chap. 7.27. <HI>And the kingdome, and the dominion, and the greatnes of the kingdome under the whole heavens</HI> (mark this word <HI>under the whole heavens</HI>) <HI>&s;hall be given to the people of the Saints, for their kingdome is an everla&s;ting king|dome, and all dominions, &s;hall &s;erve and obey them.</HI> Doe&s;t thou be|lieve tho&s;e words, I&s;a. 30.26. <HI>Moreover the light of the Moone &s;hall be as the light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun &s;hall be &s;e|venfold?</HI>
<PB N="21" REF="13">Doe&s;t thou believe, <HI>that the Lord will wipe away all tears from off all faces, and that there &s;hall be no more &s;orrow nor crying: neither &s;hall there be any more pain.</HI> Revel. 21.4. Doe&s;t thou believe what the Lord &s;aith, in I&s;a. 35.10. <HI>And the ran&s;omed of the Lord &s;hall return, and come to</HI> Sion, <HI>with &s;ongs, and everla&s;ting joy, upon their heads; They &s;hall obtain joy and gladnes; and &s;orrows and &s;ighing &s;hall flie away.</HI> Doe&s;t thou believe the Lord will heal all our back|&s;lidings, all our di&s;tractions? and compo&s;e all our differences? and give all his people one heart and one way? <HI>Jer.</HI> 32.39. Read under|&s;tandingly, that 11. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 6.7, 8, 9 <HI>The Woolfe al&s;o &s;haell dwell with the Lambe, and the Leopard &s;hall lie down with the Kid, and the Calf, and the young Lion, and the fatling together; and the Cow, and the Beare &s;hall feed their young, and lie down together. And the Lion, &s;hall eate &s;traw like the Oxe, and the &s;ucking childe &s;hall play on the hole of the A&s;pe, and the weaned childe &s;hall put his hand on the Coc|katrice den. They &s;hall not hurt nor de&s;troy in all mine holy mountain, for the earth &s;hall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea. Light is &s;own for the righteous; and gladnes for the upright in heart. I&s;a.</HI> 79 11.12. Therefore rejoyce in the Lord yee righteous and give thanks at the remembrance of his holines. The&s;e (and, many &s;criptures more, which for brevity I omit) doe &s;hew thee, &ocirc; mo&s;t noble overcomming Saint, that glorious times are com|ming; wherefore, <HI>gird up the loins of thy minde, be &s;ober, and hope to the end,</HI> for the grace that is to be brought unto thee, at the reve|lation of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.13. And when he is revealed; a|mong&s;t many mercies, which thou &s;halt receive, I will onely mention two.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he &s;hall appear without &s;in; and thou &s;halt appear &s;o in him <HI>Hebr.</HI> 9 the la&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, Thou &s;halt be like him; for thou &s;halt &s;ee him, as he is. 1 <HI>John</HI> 3.2, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Then when thy &s;oule apprehends this, it will even break forth into prai&s;es, and &s;ongs of deliverance, as once <HI>David:</HI> God let in a light, whereby he &s;aw his &s;ins pardoned. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 103. 1, 2, 3, 4. <HI>Ble&s;&s;e the Lord O my &s;oul, and all that is within me, ble&s;&s;e his holy name. Ble&s;&s;e the Lord O my &s;oule and forget not all his be|nefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy di&s;|ea&s;es. Who redeemeth thy life from death, who crowneth thee with loving kindnes, and tender mercies.</HI> If thou ask, why I doe ci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e &s;o many &s;criptures, and not explain them, I an&s;wer. Remember to whom I &s;peak, that is, to the cho&s;en generation, to the Saints enligh|tened,
<PB N="22" REF="14">and they have the &s;um of them opened to them already; or at rea&s;t they have the &s;pirit of God in them, which is the true&s;t Key to unfold, or unlock the my&s;terie of them, unto them.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 2. But I &s;uppo&s;e; that many of the&s;e forementioned pro|mi&s;es were made unto particular Saints, as, to the Jews, or the like; And &s;o have been fulfilled to them: And if &s;o, Then what matter of comfort can they admini&s;ter unto me?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;wer</HI> Suppo&s;e it were &s;o; That they bee fulfilled already: (which I know, mo&s;t doe &s;ay) yet in &s;ome mea&s;ure (through Gods goodnes) I doe know the contrary; they are wholly, or for the greate&s;t part, yet to be fulfilled: as I could prove by &s;cripture; but I forbear becau&s;e I would not be tedious. But &s;uppo&s;e they were made to &s;ome particular Saints, and fulfilled to them, yet they are in whole, or in part, appliable to thee, as to in&s;tance in one &s;cripture for all. <HI>Jo&s;h.</HI> 1.5. The Lord promi&s;ed <HI>Jo&s;hua, that he would never leave him nor for&s;ake him.</HI> And the Apo&s;tle in <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.5. pre&s;&s;eth the Saints to make u&s;e of, and to lay hold on that promi&s;e, as made to <HI>them,</HI> though it was made to <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> many hundred yeares be|fore.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> 3. If they be yet to bee fulfilled, it is a great que&s;tion whether I &s;hall live to &s;ee any of them fulfilled, and then what com|fort doe they hold forth to mee?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> If thou doe&s;t not live to &s;ee them fulfilled with thy bodily eyes, yet with the eye of Faith, which is the evidence of things not &s;een (<HI>with naturall eyes</HI>) Heb. 11.1. Thou maye&s;t &s;ee them fulfilled to <HI>thee:</HI> as the Saints Hebr. 11.13. <HI>They all dyed in the Faith, not having received the promi&s;es, but having &s;een them a farre off,</HI> and were per&s;waded of them, and embraced them, that is, They lived in the enjoyment of them, in the Spirit. Again, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;</HI> 4.16.17. There are promi&s;es made; one, <HI>That the dead in Chri&s;t &s;hall ri&s;e fir&s;t,</HI> and another, <HI>That we &s;hall ever be with the Lord.</HI> And in the 18. ver&s;. He commands the Saints, that <HI>they &s;hould comfort one ano|ther with the&s;e words.</HI> Then (in one word) this is the &s;umme to be learned from hence; that we &s;hould not onely rejoyce in the pre&s;ent enjoyments, but live in a full expectation of (and comfort in) what wee &s;hall &s;hortly enjoy; <HI>and comfort one another with the&s;e words.</HI></P>
<P>Is not that time drawing neare which is prophe&s;ied of, Rev. 11.15. <HI>And the &s;eventh Angel &s;ounded, and there were great voyces in Heaven, &s;aying, the Kingdomes of this world are become the King|domes
<PB N="23" REF="14">of our Lord, and of his Sonne Chri&s;t, and hee &s;hall reigne for evermore.</HI> Wherefore, mo&s;t noble over-comming Saints, Servants of the mo&s;t high, and mighty God, looke for great alterations, and mighty changes. See what de&s;olations God will make in the earth, when he hath accompli&s;hed his worke upon mount Sion, then hee will Judge the Mountaine of <HI>E&s;au;</HI> that is, when God hath fully brought up his people to enjoy nothing but him&s;elfe, then he will declare him&s;elfe to be a God taking vengeance, on his, and our ene|mies. Wherefore rejoyce O you Saints, for the time of your &s;inging is come. The day of our redemption is appearing. Howle oh <HI>Ba|bylon:</HI> Mourne oh thou proud oppo&s;er of Chri&s;t, thy pride is fal|ling, thy end is comming: Who will mourne for thee? Then &s;hall all thy lovers &s;tand a farre off, for feare of thy torments; they &s;tand farre off, they will not come neare to comfort thee. Bee &s;ilent then, oh all fle&s;h, for the Lord is ri&s;en out of his holy habitation. Then wilt thou break forth as in <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 25.9. And it &s;hall be &s;aid in that day, <HI>This is our God; wee have waited for him: This is our Lord; wee have waited for him; we will bee glad and rejoyce in his &s;alvation.</HI> Then by this glorious appearing hee will de&s;troy the face of the co|vering ca&s;t over all people, and the vaile that is &s;pread over all nations, and hee will &s;wallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away teares, from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people &s;hall be taken away, from off all the earth: for the Lord hath &s;poken it. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 25.7, 8. Oh Saints, lift up your heads, your redemption draws nigh; and now will our God make good to us, that which is written. Zephe. 3.9. <HI>I will turne to the people of pure Language, and they &s;hall &s;erve me, with one con&s;ent.</HI> This pure Language is the Language of the Spirit.</P>
<P>Is appointed by God to put an end to the&s;e divi&s;ions, not till then &s;hall the envy of <HI>Ephraim</HI> depart, and the enemies of <HI>Judah</HI> be cut off, <HI>Ephraim</HI> not envy <HI>Judah,</HI> nor <HI>Judah</HI> vexe <HI>Ephraim.</HI> Then the Kingdome, and the dominion, and the greatne&s;&s;e of the King|dome, &s;hall bee given to the Kingdome of the Saints; <HI>Who&s;e King|dome, is an ever la&s;ting Kingdome, and all dominions &s;hall &s;erve and obey them,</HI> Dan. 7.27. <HI>Then the Nations that will not &s;erve thee</HI> (that is Chri&s;t in the Saints) <HI>&s;hall peri&s;h</HI> I&s;a. 60.12 Now God, hav|ing given you all one heart, and one way, as it is written <HI>Jer.</HI> 32.19 Now &s;hall bee brought to pa&s;&s;e that &s;aying, I&s;a. 11.6, 7, 8. <HI>The Woolfe &s;hall dwell with the Lambe, and the Leopard &s;hall lye downe with the Kid</HI> &amp;c. ver&s;e 9. <HI>They &s;hall not hurt nor de&s;troy in all
<PB N="24" REF="15">mine holy mountaine, for the Earth &s;hall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea. The envy of</HI> Ephraim <HI>&s;hall depart, and the Adver&s;aries of</HI> Judah <HI>&s;hall be cut off: Then all you, the</HI> I&s;raell <HI>of God, &s;hall have your Fathers law written in your hearts.</HI> Then you &s;hall cea&s;e, <HI>teaching one another, &s;aying, know the Lord, for they &s;hall all of them know mee, from the lea&s;t to the greate&s;t of them, &s;aith the Lord,</HI> Jer. 31.34</P>
<P><HI>My deare friends,</HI> I have much more to write unto you of the&s;e things, but being more &s;traitned in time, than in love; at pre&s;ent, I &s;hall pa&s;&s;e by many things, fir&s;t concerning the re&s;titution of all things &s;poken of <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.19, 20, 21, 22, 23. and <HI>Acts</HI> 3 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. And to in many other Scriptures, which for pre&s;ent I omit, and then, what &s;hall follow upon the re&s;titution of all things <HI>Rev.</HI> 11.15. <HI>Rev.</HI> 21.2, 3, 4. The&s;e things were in my heart, to write of di&s;tinctly, &s;eeing that all, as well Saints as &s;inners are extreamely ignorant of the&s;e tnings, though mo&s;t clearly held forth in Scripture, that a man can hardly &s;peake of them, though he &s;peaks no more than the Hi&s;tory holds forth, but one is offended and another is troubled, therefore at pre&s;ent I am &s;ilent therein: As our Lord &s;aid, I have more things to &s;peake, but yee cannot beare them now; and this Scripture likewi&s;e, <HI>Ha&s;t thou faith? have it to thy &s;elfe</HI> &amp;c. So I pa&s;&s;e by that which thou &s;halt &s;hortly enjoy, and come to &s;peake a few words of what many of the Saints doe already enjoy, and oh that all the Saints did but truly con&s;ider the&s;e en&s;uing things, which I never received of man, neither was I taught them by man: but of God alone.</P>
<P>Thou that art a beleever, con&s;ider;</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The law that thou ha&s;t broken, Chri&s;t hath kept, fulfilled, and taken away.</P>
<P>Secondly, Thy &s;innes which were many, both originall, and actuall, of omi&s;&s;ion, and commi&s;&s;ion, thy &s;ins pa&s;t, tho&s;e pre&s;ent, and tho&s;e to come, are all laid upon Chri&s;t, and the wages due to them heereceived.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Con&s;ider, Upon what accompt thou now &s;tande&s;t, before the Father, not of thine owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e but the righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Con&s;ider, That thou being made free from &s;in, doe&s;t reckon thy &s;elfe &s;o, Rom. 6.11. <HI>Likewi&s;e reckon your &s;elves to be dead indeed unto &s;in, but alive unto God.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, When thou art thus built upon Chri&s;t; and thus rooted,
<PB N="25" REF="15">and grounded in him, <HI>Ephe.</HI> 3.18, 19. Then thou &s;halt be able to com|prehend with all Saints, what is the height, and depth, breadth, and length of his love, and to know the love of Chri&s;t, which pa&s;&s;eth knowledge.</P>
<P>Now followes, the fruit of this knowledge; The &s;oule that is enlightened, will not goe on in &s;inne, but the love of Chri&s;t will con|&s;traine him from a cour&s;e of &s;inne, I &s;hall &s;peake a word to every one of the&s;e particulars, briefly, and plainely.</P>
<P N="1">1. Of the fir&s;t, the Law, that thou ha&s;t broken, <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> hath kept, fulfilled, and taken away. The Law required obedience of thee, Chri&s;t comes, and yeelds obedience for thee, and imputes it to thee, Rom. 5.19. <HI>As by the di&s;obedience of one, many are made &s;inners; &s;o by the obedience of one, &s;hall many bee made righteous.</HI> The Law required the keeping of every title, of the fir&s;t and &s;econd Table, Chri&s;t comes and walkes up to it, &s;tep by &s;tep. So that the Law could no &s;ooner require obedience, but pre&s;ently Chri&s;t yeelds obedience, as it was in the old Te&s;tament prophe&s;ied, and in the new, te&s;tified of him. The Law required an holy life; Chri&s;t lived a holy life: The Law required perfect obedience, as well in the principles, as in the practi&s;e; Chri&s;t yeelds it in both: The Law requires death for the lea&s;t di&s;obedience, and though Chri&s;t had not broken it in any title, yet hee repre&s;enting the per&s;ons of tho&s;e that had broken it, became obedient unto the Law in this al&s;o, Phillip. 2.8. <HI>And being found in fa&s;hion as a man, he humbled him&s;elfe, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cro&s;&s;e:</HI> And that the Law is done a|way by Chri&s;t &s;ee 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. foure times in that chapter it is &s;aid to bee done away. Al&s;o <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.4. and &s;o the 2, 3, 4. chap. to the <HI>Galathians,</HI> and many other Scriptures.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider, Thy &s;innes which are many, both originall, and actuall, of omi&s;&s;ion, or commi&s;&s;ion, again&s;t the fir&s;t Table, or the &s;econd, thy &s;ins, pa&s;t, pre&s;ent and to come, are all laid upon Chri&s;t, and the wages due to them hee received, I&s;ai. 53 6. <HI>And the Lord hath laid on him, the iniquities of us all:</HI> 1 Pet. 2.24. <HI>Who him&s;elfe, bare our &s;ins in his owne body, on the tree,</HI> &amp;c. 2 Cor. 5.21. <HI>Hee hath made him to be &s;in for us, that knew no &s;in, that we might bee made the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God in him,</HI> Mat, 8.17. <HI>Him&s;elfe tooke our infirmities, and bare our &s;ickne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider, Upon what accompt you &s;tand before the Father, <HI>viz.</HI> not of your own righteou&s;ne, but upon the accompt of the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. 1 Cor. 1.30. <HI>Hee is made unto us,
<PB N="26" REF="16">wi&s;edome, righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, &s;anctification, and redemption.</HI> Phil. 3.9. <HI>And be found in him, not having mine owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which is of the Law, but that which is through the Faith of Chri&s;t, the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God by Faith.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. Con&s;ider, If the Law be fulfilled, thy &s;innes pardoned, and thou now &s;tande&s;t before thy Father, by the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of ano|ther, Then thou can&s;t not but looke upon thy &s;elfe as free from &s;in, and &s;o breake forth, as in Rom. 6.11. <HI>Likewi&s;e, reckon your &s;elves dead unto &s;inne indeed, but alive unto God. Being then made free from &s;inne, yee became the Servants of Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> Rom. 6.18, <HI>But now being made free from &s;in, and become Servants to God, yee have your fruit unto holine&s;&s;e, and the end everla&s;ting life,</HI> Rom 6.22 Collo. 1.22. <HI>Hee hath reconciled you in the body of his fle&s;h through death, to pre&s;ent you holy, and unblameable, and unreprovable in his &s;ight,</HI> 1 The&s;&s;. 3.13. Now one that is, 1. Holy, 2. Unblameable, 3. Unreproveable, mu&s;t needs be free from &s;in.</P>
<P N="5">5. When thou art thus rooted and grounded in love, thou &s;halt be able to comprehend with all Saints, <HI>What is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth, and to know the love of Chri&s;t, which pa&s;&s;eth knowledge,</HI> Ephe. 3.18. <HI>So &s;halt thou be filled with all the fulne&s;&s;e of God,</HI> ver&s;e 19. My thinks I &s;ee many of the Saints, even breaking forth in the language of <HI>Mary,</HI> Luke 46, 47.48. <HI>My &s;oule doth magnifie the Lord, my Spirit doth rejoyce in God my Saviour,</HI> (and then gives occa&s;ion of this Joy) <HI>for he hath regarded the low e&s;tate of his hand-maid.</HI> The tongue of the dumbe doth begin to &s;ing, the eyes of the blind to be opened, and the eares of the deafe to heare. Reade the 35. of <HI>I&s;aiah:</HI> that whole chapter, briefly and plainly layes downe, by way of prophe&s;ie; that he, our tender father, is bringing downe the mighty from their &s;eat, and exalting them of low legree: yea, he rebuketh Kings for your &s;akes; your God, is no re&s;pecter of per&s;ons: If Kings and Princes rebell again&s;t him, and his cho&s;en ones, hee will bring downe their heads as low as the block, and if the&s;e great ones endeavour to &s;eperate God and his peo|ple, God will &s;eperate their heads from their bodies, you &s;ee the&s;e dayes of ours doe witne&s;&s;e to this; in a word, He is pulling downe the Kingdomes of men, and &s;etting up the Kingdome of his deare Sonne. And how doth the bruti&s;h Malignant, rage, and the poor blind Presbyterian murmure, at the going on of Gods worke, let mee &s;ay to both as Prov. 1.22. <HI>How long you &s;imple ones, will you love &s;implicity?</HI> What; doe you not know that God, hath an attribute
<PB N="27" REF="16">of ju&s;tice, that he will magnifie, as well as that of his mercy. If he afflict his own dear children whom he &s;o loves, will he not execute vengeance on his adver&s;aries? Be &s;ilent then all fle&s;h before him, for the Lord will bring to pa&s;&s;e his work; yea his &s;trange work. True Ju&s;tice hath no re&s;pect of per&s;ons: wherefore turn your murmuring, and repining, into rejoycing, and thank&s;giving for the ju&s;t judge|ments of God, upon the enemies of his truth. O you mo&s;t noble overcomming Saints, &s;ervants, of the mo&s;t high God, you &s;hall judge Angels as well as earthly Kings. Your Father loves you, and there|fore he will honour you, (nay, he doth honour thee already.) <HI>Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> that honour me I will honour,</HI> &s;aith the Lord. Fir&s;t,</P>
<P N="1">1. He cals thee his &s;ervant, and that is a great honour, to be a &s;er|vant to &s;o heavenly a Prince, but, as if that were too little.</P>
<P N="2">2. He cals you his cho&s;en ones, his friends, <HI>Joh</HI> 15.15.</P>
<P N="3">3. He cals you his brethren and &s;i&s;ters. <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.11.</P>
<P N="4">4. He cals you his &s;onnes and daughters, a more near relation, yet as if that were a &s;tile too low to expre&s;&s;e his tender love unto you.</P>
<P N="5">5. He cals you his cho&s;en Spou&s;e, and Wife, <HI>Rev.</HI> 21.9.</P>
<P N="6">6. He cals you members of his own body, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.12.</P>
<P N="7">7. Hee tels you, yee are coheires with him&s;elf, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.17.</P>
<P N="8">8. He tels you, that the glory that the Father gave to him, he hath given to you; that you may be one, as the Father and he are one.</P>
<P N="9">9. He tels you, that you are not onely one in the body; but one in the &s;pirit al&s;o. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.17.</P>
<P N="10">10. And la&s;tly, He tels you that this is but a &s;hort ta&s;te of what you &s;hall be, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.1.2.</P>
<P>How will the con&s;ideration of the&s;e near relations cau&s;e you to break forth with the holy Gho&s;t, 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 4.17. <HI>As he is &s;o are we in this pre&s;ent world,</HI> Or as in <HI>Heb.</HI> 2.11. Both he that &s;anctifieth, and they that are &s;anctified are all one: again, Hence it is, that the Lord &s;aith, <HI>He that toucheth them, toucheth the apple of mine eye:</HI> In a word, the Lord takes all the wrongs done to any of his, as done to him|&s;elf. <HI>Saul, Saul, why per&s;ecute&s;t thou mee? I was an hungred, and yee gave me no meat: I was thir&s;ty, and you gave me no drink. I was a &s;tranger, and you took me not in: naked, and yee cloathed me not. Sick, and in Pri&s;on, and you vi&s;ited me not: In a&s;much as you did it not to one of the lea&s;t of the&s;e, you did it not to mee.</HI></P>
<P>Again, con&s;ider, As thy mo&s;t wi&s;e God, turns all things to his own glory; &s;o likewi&s;e he turns them to thy good: To in&s;tance in a few
<PB N="28" REF="17">things, as fir&s;t; The very fall of <HI>Adam,</HI> wherein the Devill thought to have wrought thy ruine, God in his wi&s;dome hath turned it to thy greate&s;t good. And in the &s;ame thing, wherein the Devill thought to ca&s;t thee, thy God appointed to recover thee: <HI>Adam</HI> fell through unbelief; thou rife&s;t again by Faith; and the &s;tate in which thou &s;tande&s;t in the &s;econd <HI>Adam,</HI> is a more firme and glorious &s;tate than that of the fir&s;t <HI>Adam.</HI> So that thou ha&s;t gotten many priviledges by his fall: For in&s;tance,</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Adam,</HI> though made without &s;in, yet might &s;in. Now it is im|po&s;&s;ible for thee, as thou art made a new creature by Chri&s;t, to &s;in. 1 <HI>Ioh.</HI> 3.6, 9</P>
<P N="2">2. The fir&s;t <HI>Adam</HI> was made inferiour to Angels, but the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> hath made thee equall with (if not above) the Angels <HI>Luk.</HI> 22.36. <HI>Matth.</HI> 22 30.</P>
<P N="3">3. The fir&s;t <HI>Adam</HI> had power over vi&s;ible creatures of the earth; but thou (being re&s;tored by the &s;econd&punc; <HI>Adam</HI>) ha&s;t power over principalities, and &s;pirituall wickedne&s;&s;es in high places. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 6.12. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.4.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Adam</HI> was made righteous, and that was a glorious &s;tate, but the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> hath made thee <HI>the righteou&s;nes of God in him.</HI> 2 Corin. 5. ver&s;. 21.</P>
<P N="5">5. The fir&s;t <HI>Adam,</HI> in his be&s;t e&s;tate, was &s;ubject to fall by the temptation of evil Angels. But nothing can make a &s;eparation be|tween thee and thy God. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.35.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>Adam</HI> had but a temporall paradi&s;e, at the be&s;t; but the &s;onnes of <HI>Sion</HI> by virtue of their &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> have a &s;pirituall Paradi&s;e. <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.22, 23.</P>
<P>Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wi&s;dom and knowledgeoff God, <HI>how un&s;earchable are his judgements, and his wayes pa&s;t finding out.</HI> Well doth <HI>John</HI> &s;ay, <HI>Ioh.</HI> 3.36. <HI>Hee that believeth on the &s;oune, hath everla&s;ting life,</HI> mark: he doth not &s;ay he <HI>&s;hall</HI> have everla&s;t|ing life; but he <HI>hath</HI> it already. And particularly he hath it thus,</P>
<P N="1">1. He hath everla&s;ting life in the <HI>promi&s;e; Feare not little flock: it is your fathers good plea&s;ure to give you the Kingdome</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. He hath it in the fir&s;t fruits: for what is heaven, but a more full enjoyment hereafter of what is begun here?</P>
<P N="3">3. He hath it <HI>even now</HI> in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, by Chri&s;t his head; for Chri&s;t his head is entred in already. Oh then you &s;ervants of God! If you be entred into heaven, if you have received a kingdome that cannot be moved, <HI>Serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="29" REF="17">So having &s;poken a word in generall, to all the &s;ons of <HI>Zion;</HI> give me leave to &s;peak a word in particular to each of them under their &s;everall forms, and herein, I &s;hall &s;omwhat differ from the practice of mo&s;t men.</P>
<P>I &s;hall fir&s;t take notice of tho&s;e things that are commendable in the Saints, to whom I write; to cheri&s;h and commend that. And</P>
<P>Secondly, Reprove them &s;harpely (but yet in the Spirit of love and meeknes) for the evill among them. So did <HI>Paul</HI> with the Church of <HI>Corinth.</HI> 1 <HI>Corin.</HI> 1.4. and &s;o to the 15. ver&s;e. So dealt Chri&s;t with the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us Rev</HI> 2. from the fir&s;t ve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e to the end of the fift. And in the &s;ame manner he &s;pake to the Church of <HI>Pergamus, Revel</HI> 2. from the 12. ver&s;e to the end of the 16. And &s;o when he wrote to the Church of <HI>Thyatira, Revel.</HI> 2.18, 19. <HI>I know thy works, and charitie&punc; and &s;ervice, and faith, and thy patience; and how thou growe&s;t, for thy la&s;t works be more than thy fir&s;t.</HI> So having taken notice of the things commendable, and prai&s;ed them for that, <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 20. in the next place (not the fir&s;t) he reproves their evill, &s;aying, <HI>Neverthele&s;&s;e I have a few things again&s;t thee, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In this order or method, I &s;hall at pre&s;ent &s;peak; not in oppo&s;ition to, or deniall of any way now in practice among&s;t the godly, and warranted by the Scriptures.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>A Word to tho&s;e that have taken to them&s;elves the name of <HI>PRESBYTERIANS.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Brethren,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>MY hearts de&s;ire and prayer to God is, that the God of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Father of glory may give unto each of you the Spirit of Wi&s;dome and Revelation, in the knowledge of him: That you may be able to comprehend, with all Saints, what is the breadth and length, and height, &amp; depth, &amp; to know the love of Chri&s;t, which pa&s;&s;eth knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fulne&s;&s;e of God; I thank my God on your behalf, for the grace of God that is in &s;ome mea&s;ure given to many of you already, by Je&s;us Chri&s;t. God hath made &s;ome of you in&s;trumentall, for the conver&s;ion of &s;ouls, by the preaching of his Word. And I my &s;elf, mu&s;t acknowledge to the glory of God, and to your prai&s;e; that I have had many &s;weet and heavenly refre&s;hments by your teachings, and &s;olid di&s;cour&s;es, both in publique and private. In &s;ome things God hath enlightened me
<PB N="30" REF="18">by you; and in &s;ome other things, I have been convinced by you; and in &s;ome other things, I have been confirmed by you: The&s;e things I &s;peak by experience; and be&s;ides, I have heard from &s;ome others, that they have al&s;o received the like benefits from the Lord by you. Again, Many of you are men of tender con&s;ciences, In &s;o much that when you &s;ee but the very appearance of evill, you will ab&s;tain from it. And the Charitie of many of you to the Poore is very large, as ap|pears by the relation of many poore Souls, who&s;e bowels you have refre&s;hed; and appears al&s;o by your &s;tirring up others, to the per|formance of that duty.</P>
<P>By my Brethren! there are faults among&s;t <HI>you:</HI> therefore I have a few things again&s;t you.</P>
<P N="1">1. Why do you &s;o frequently complain again&s;t this pre&s;ent Parlia|ment, and Army, &s;aying; they be pulling down Magi&s;tracy and Mi|ni&s;try? are they pulling down any &s;uch Magi&s;tracy or Mini&s;try, as Chri&s;t hath &s;et up? Or el&s;e &s;uch as Anti-chri&s;t hath &s;et up, and acted his de&s;igns by? Let him that is &s;pirituall judge: if you examine our pre|&s;ent Magi&s;tracy and Mini&s;try, by the word of Truth; you &s;hall ea&s;ily &s;ee, that they are not according to Chri&s;t, but to Anti-chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Touching the Magi&s;trate, I appeal to your Con&s;ciences; Hath he been the Magi&s;trate of God, for good to thee, in countenan|cing them that do well; and puni&s;hing of evill doers, or rather: Hath he not continually, for a long time, puni&s;hed tho&s;e that doe well; and countenanced tho&s;e that do ill: Herein, I will appeal to the &s;ons of <HI>Sion</HI> to judge: Have they not bani&s;hed, impri&s;oned, reproached, per&s;ecuted, de&s;pi&s;ed, and contemned, and that to the highe&s;t pitch of their power, all tho&s;e, in whom the fruits of the Spirit of Chri&s;t have appeared in any mea&s;ure? And is this a lawfull authority which we ought to obey? Then let us never accompt it bla&s;phe|my, to &s;ay, that the mo&s;t wicked of actions are lawfull and ju&s;t: For is any thing le&s;&s;e from the will of God, or more contrary to his commands, than this? Is not one unrighteou&s;nes as ab&s;olute a tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion as another?</P>
<P>It is worth you pains to examin, what lawfull authority is? and let us con&s;ider,</P>
<P>It is &s;aid, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.1. <HI>The powers that bee, are ordained of God.</HI> There is no power (that is lawfull) but it is of God; for this is mo&s;t true, that the mo&s;t high God is to reigne in the kingdome of men: and who&s;oever are his in&s;truments in governing, they mu&s;t derive their power from him, and act purely <HI>the command of God, and no
<PB N="31" REF="18">more, nor no le&s;&s;e, but even &s;o;</HI> as it is recorded of the children of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> Exod. 39.42, 43. <HI>They had done the worke of the Tabernacle, as the Lord had commanded, even &s;o they had done it. And</HI> (there|fore it follows) Mo&s;es <HI>ble&s;&s;ed them.</HI> Wherefore were they ble&s;&s;ed? Sure, you &s;ee, not for their own inventions, but for their obedience: &s;o purely and exactly after the command of God. And <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Be not the &s;ervants of men,</HI> that is; doe not you ob&s;erve the things that men doe command, unle&s;&s;e God hath commanded them. But you will ask, How may we know the true power, from the fal&s;e? <HI>Oh, that you were &s;o teachable.</HI> Then</P>
<P>The Scripture will tell you, that the lawfull powers are of God; both of his Commandements, and bearing his image, holy as he is holy; being a terrour not to good works, but to evill. And who&s;o|ever doth re&s;i&s;t this power <HI>(onely this)</HI> he re&s;i&s;teth the Ordi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ance of God, and &s;hall receive judgement to him&s;elf.</P>
<P>But the Parliament and Army do not re&s;i&s;t this power (&s;poken of by <HI>Paul</HI> to be obeyed) But they doe re&s;i&s;t (and I admire that you the Seers doe not &s;ee it, that they do re&s;i&s;t) that power &s;poken of by <HI>Micha,</HI> Mic. 3.11. <HI>The heads thereof that doe judge for reward</HI> (and that <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h iniquity by a law</HI>) <HI>the Prie&s;ts thereof that teach for hire, and the Prophets thereof</HI> that <HI>divine for money;</HI> and yet lean upon the Lord and &s;ay, <HI>is not the Lord among&s;t us; No evill can come upon us.</HI> That the powers of this nation (that have been re&s;i&s;ted) have been and are &s;uch, their late actions are proofes, than which nothing can be more full or plaine, to men of rea&s;on.</P>
<P N="2">2. For the Mini&s;try, that are &s;aid, to be pulling down: what are they? Apo&s;tles from Chri&s;t or from our Univer&s;ities? who hath taught them? God or man? How are they con&s;tituted Mini&s;ters? By God or man? a power internall or externall? By the hand and power of Gods Spirit upon their &s;ouls, and in them; or the hands of fle&s;h upon their heads of fle&s;h, without them? They fa&s;t and pray for them; but is it therefore certain, that God doth hear and grant that particular thing? What is their principle? The Spirit and living power of God? Of the naturall and carnall Spirits of men? What is their knowledge? Of Faith, or of rea&s;on meerly humane? Is it of the Type, or Truth? Letter, or Spirit? Forme, or Power? have they received it by Revelation, or Tradition? And what is the end of mo&s;t of them? Is it not worldly honour and power, earthly riches? will they preach if their profit invite them not? Doe they reckon them&s;elves rewarded, if they receive not money? Is not their
<PB N="32" REF="19">cry great, and their labour extream for Mammon, judge you. But the&s;e Mini&s;ters are made &s;uch, in a way of imitation: They &s;ay, they follow the pattern of the Apo&s;tles: But is it &s;o? The Apo&s;tles had a glorious Spirit of light and power, poured out upon them; migh|tily manife&s;ted in them, &s;o that they were in a holy exta&s;ie, &s;eeming as men drunk, filled not with Wine, but the Spirit: that they plain|ly &s;aw the promi&s;es and prophe&s;ies fulfilled in them; and the world al&s;o might &s;ee, and &s;ay, that God was in them, becau&s;e of the works that were done by them. They profe&s;&s;ed and declared, that they had not their doctrine of man, nor by man; but by God: they were not in&s;tructed through, or by means of the fle&s;hly Organs, or faculties of their bodies: or any fle&s;hly, or outward forme. But &s;ay they, the Go&s;pel of God is revealed in us, from Faith to Faith; the Spirit of God doth reveale it to us; we have ta&s;ted, and &s;een, and felt of the Word of Life. The things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God; but we have the Spirit, &amp;c. And now are the pourings out of the Spirit upon all fle&s;h, heretofore prophe&s;ied and promi&s;ed, &amp;c. By all which and other expre&s;&s;ions of &s;cripture, which are many and abundant; it is apparent that the Apo&s;tles had a mini&s;tration of light, life, power, and efficacie in them; which went forth by them in marveilous operations. Now they could with great boldnes and clearnes declare, and Preach the my&s;teries of the Go&s;pel; becau&s;e they had a clearne&s;&s;e of &s;ight of them, by a proper demon&s;tration and immediate manife&s;tation, the Spirit of God dwelt in them, taught them plainly; and they certainly knew, that he taught them; they had &s;ure experience, as wee by our bodily &s;ight have experience or knowledge, that the Sun &s;hineth.</P>
<P>But among&s;t all the&s;e pretenders to the mini&s;try, and that appro|priate to them&s;elves that function, &s;o di&s;tinct, as being the true and &s;ingular Apo&s;tle-imatators, or as if they were thereunto anointed and &s;anctified above the re&s;t of Chri&s;tians, their brethren; where is he that God hath made &s;o di&s;tinct by any guifts or endowments which either are comparable to tho&s;e of the primitive Chri&s;tians, or doe competently inable him to declare the my&s;tery of the Go&s;pel which as &s;pirituall, &s;o deepe and my&s;terious? Or wherein is he a Mini&s;ter more than an ordinary Chri&s;tian? Nay I will be bold to &s;ay, that if they that are called the Mini&s;ters, had but &s;o much true light of the Go&s;pell revealed in them, as many private weake Children of God, it would cau&s;e them ab&s;olutely to be a&s;hamed to be termed Mini&s;ters, &s;o unlike are they to and untruly counted &s;uch. Can their humane
<PB N="33" REF="19">wi&s;edome, their &s;choole-learning and arts, which are fle&s;h and of the world, unfold unto them the my&s;tery of Godline&s;&s;e (&s;o great?) If &s;o, then the Apo&s;tle &s;aid not truly, <HI>That God hath hid the things of his Spirit from the wi&s;e and prudent of the world, and revealed them to babes. And then al&s;o may the naturall man perceive the things of God,</HI> though <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith he cannot.</P>
<P>And now if all your worldly and fle&s;hly wi&s;edome be no more to be accompted of, what then is your mini&s;try? What is your complaint and murmuring again&s;t the Authority of the Nation? What are they pulling down, Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t, or impo&s;ters of Anti|chri&s;t, Shepherds that feed the Sheep, or Wolves that devoure them; do they pull downe their feeders? or el&s;e their fleecers? Are they pul|ling downe leaders or &s;educers? May I not &s;ay to you in this ca&s;e as our ble&s;&s;ed Lord &s;aid to <HI>Nicodemus</HI> in another ca&s;e, John 3.10. <HI>Are you Ma&s;ters in I&s;rael, and know not the&s;e things.</HI> Indeed they are pulling downe &s;uch a mini&s;try as is &s;poken of by the Prophet <HI>Micah,</HI> Micah 3.5. <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord, concerning the Prophets that make my people erre, that bite with their teeth, and yet cry peace, and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare warre again&s;t him.</HI> And in the next ver&s;e you may reade their judgement at large.</P>
<P>Well then, will you be offended with Parliament and Army for pulling downe &s;uch a magi&s;tracie and mini&s;try, as this, let me be&s;eech you: Give over with &s;peed lea&s;t you fall with them.</P>
<P>Againe; My friends: I doe admire that you complaine of the badne&s;&s;e of the&s;e times, &s;urely you doe but dreame, for if you doe awake, you &s;hall plainly &s;ee, that they are the be&s;t times with us in <HI>England,</HI> that ever we had, to live by faith, what? Hath the Lord with the Be&s;ome of de&s;truction &s;wept away the head of the enemies of truth? And yet &s;ad times?</P>
<P>What? Doth hee take Princes and Lords which were &s;o high, and bring their Heads &s;o low as the Blocke? And yet &s;ad times?</P>
<P>What? Have the Saints in obedience to the command of their Fa|ther, given them to drink of the bitter, that they have given you &s;o long? And yet &s;ad times?</P>
<P>What? Is the Lord making inqui&s;ition for blood; and meeting the &s;ame mea&s;ure to his enemies, as they have meeted to his people? And yet &s;ad times? What? Is the Lord magnifying the attribute of his Ju&s;tice, upon his and our implacable enemies? And yet &s;ad times?</P>
<P><PB N="34" REF="20">What? Is the Lord pulling downe the powers of the world, and the Kingdomes of men, and &s;etting up, or at lea&s;t making way to &s;et up the Kingdome of his owne deare Son? And yet &s;ad times?</P>
<P>Hath the Lord pro&s;pered our Armies and given us &s;o many Victories over them that would have devoured us? And yet &s;ad times?</P>
<P>My Brethren: I am afraid you did not mourne with <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> becau&s;e you doe not now r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">joce with her. It is true, unto &s;ome, the times are &s;ad, but to whom?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To the deceivers of our nation, for the&s;e times doe di&s;co|ver them, and (plainly) it is a bad time for fal&s;e Prophets and cor|rupt Judges, for God hath threatned their ruine, it is bad times for <HI>Babylon</HI> and all her brats, for the day of her de&s;truction is dawning, and the houre of her plagues is comming when Kings and Princes, No|bles and Merchants, &s;hall all lye howling, weeping and wailing, cry|ing <HI>alas, alas&punc;</HI> And all the Saints &s;hall &s;tand before the pre&s;ence of their tender Father, <HI>&s;inging, rejoycing and prai&s;ing the Lord for his judgements upon their enemies.</HI></P>
<P>Againe; You Mini&s;ters of the Presbiterian Congregations, me|thinks you have lo&s;t your beauty: I doe not &s;ee you in the affections of the Heires of promi&s;e, the Sonnes of Sion as formerly, the cau&s;e of this mu&s;t be in the people or in your &s;elves; and I have &s;pent a lit|tle time, and made diligent &s;earch for to finde where the cau&s;e lyes, and have, with an impartiall heart, weighed the Saints in one bal|lance and you in another: And I finde <HI>you,</HI> not <HI>them,</HI> to light. I meane, I finde the cau&s;e of your being &s;leighted to be in your &s;elves, wherefore let me intreat you to take a word of advice from me, for, I a&s;&s;ure you, I have taken advi&s;e from you, and (I hope) &s;hall a|gaine, though you looke upon me as onely worthy to be your &s;er|vant or &s;choller, and not your teacher, yet I pray you, minde what <HI>Job</HI> &s;aith, <HI>He will not de&s;pi&s;e the coun&s;ell of his Servant.</HI> And if you will indeed heare with your eares, trea&s;ure up in your hearts, and practi&s;e in your lives the&s;e en&s;uing things, you &s;hall &s;oone grow in fa|vour both with God and man.</P>
<P>Then there be foure things that you mu&s;t lay a&s;ide and for&s;ake, and there be five things that you mu&s;t immediately doe.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Lay a&s;ide or leave of charging your hearers for breach of the <HI>Scotch Covenant,</HI> untill you have repented of your owne breach of that Covenant, for how can you preach, <HI>thou &s;halt not &s;teale</HI> and &s;teale your &s;elves? How can you boldly reprove another for &s;in, when
<PB N="35" REF="20">you your &s;elves are guilty of the &s;ame? How can you pull out th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> moat that is in your brothers eye, untill you have pulled out th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> beam, that is in your own eye. I will appeal to your very Con&s;cience then, whether you be not breakers of covenant in the highe&s;t nature: For &s;aith the Covenant, <HI>You mu&s;t bring to condigne puni&s;hment all delinquents:</HI> and you have often declared in the faces of your Con|gregations, be&s;ides, in your private di&s;cour&s;es, that the King was a delinquent in the highe&s;t nature: and yet almo&s;t all of you were a|gain&s;t the bringing him to condigne puni&s;hment. Shall not many of the Army; which never took the Covenant; and yet had their hands in bringing malignants to puni&s;hment, ri&s;e up in judgement a|gain&s;t you, which took a covenant to doe it; and yet above all men were again&s;t it; If this be not breach of Covenant, I do not know what is a breach.</P>
<P>Again, you covenanted to endeavour in your places, the reforma|tion of Religion, according to the &s;criptures; but if you examine your Church-di&s;cipline by tho&s;e rules there held forth, and you &s;hall &s;ee you have broken the Covenant in this al&s;o. And more I could &s;hew you; but a word to the wi&s;e is enough: O my dear friends doe not you be like the Tribe of <HI>Levi</HI> in the dayes of <HI>I&s;aiah, I&s;a.</HI> 28 7. <HI>They erre in vi&s;ion, they &s;tumble in judgement;</HI> I &s;ay, do not you be like them in their &s;in, lea&s;t the Lord make you like them in their puni&s;hment; and &s;o &s;peak to his people as <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 28.11. <HI>With a &s;tam|mering lip and another tongue will he &s;peak to his people:</HI> and you that a little before were cryed up of many, as the onely Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, now are made like to tho&s;e prophe&s;ied of <HI>Micah,.</HI> 6, 7. <HI>Therefore night &s;hall be unto you, that yee &s;hall not have a vi&s;ion, and it &s;hall be dark unto you, that yee &s;hall not divine: and the Sun &s;hall go over the Prophets, and the day &s;hall be dark over them. Then &s;hall the Seers be a&s;hamed, and the Diviners confounded: yea, they &s;hall all cover their faces, for there is no an&s;wer of God.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Lay a &s;ide or leave off, that cold, lukewarm letter-preaching, which &s;eems to be onely in the notion, received from tradition; ha|ving a form, but not the power: Remember how it was with <HI>Paul, he compared &s;pirituall things with &s;pirituall;</HI> and mo&s;t of you (for I &s;peak not of all) compare letter with letter, and &s;o come up with a voice of words, &s;o cold, that &s;ome of your hearers begin to &s;leep, and others to withdraw from your Congregations. Tho&s;e that doe indeed attend to what you &s;peak, are profitted very little by it. <HI>O come then, in the fulne&s;&s;e of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t; and as you have
<PB N="36" REF="21">received the gift (not &s;tudied) &s;o admini&s;ter the &s;ame.</HI> See what <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, Rom. 15. v. 8. <HI>I will not dare to &s;peak of tho&s;e things which Chri&s;t hath not wrought in mee: to make the Gentiles obe|dient by word and deed.</HI> Again, 2 Cor. 10.15, 16. <HI>Wee will not (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) boa&s;t of things without our mea&s;ure;</HI> that is, of other mens labours: <HI>Wee will preach the Go&s;pel, and not boa&s;t in another mans line;</HI> of things made ready to our hands. Let me then appeal to your con&s;ciences, whether this be your practice. Again, <HI>Why do you tye your &s;elves,</HI> to preach onely &s;o long, and not &s;ome|times longer, or &s;horter: did ever the Prophets or Apo&s;tles doe &s;o? Why do you tye your &s;elves, to &s;peak onely from one text, in one Ser|mon? did ever the Prophets and Apo&s;tles tie them&s;elves con&s;tantly as you do your &s;elves to this. But think not that I write again&s;t preaching an houre, or &s;peaking from, or to a particular text; for I am not again&s;t it: but onely, this your making ties; where God doth not tie you, and cry up forms, more then the power of god|line&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. Leave off the Idolizing of humane learning, and u&s;e it onely in its place; then you will look upon it as convenient, but not of ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;itie: it will inable you with expre&s;&s;ions, but not with &s;pirituall interpretations. Never think that you know more of the minde of Chri&s;t than others, becau&s;e you know more of of the ton|gues than they: Alas! take all the learning, arts, parts, in the whole world, and give them together into one man; yet this man by all his parts, wit, and arts, in Logick, tongues, and phylo&s;ophie, is unable to give a true &s;piritual &s;ence of one of the ea&s;ie&s;t and plaine&s;t &s;cri|ptures. The &s;pirituall my&s;terie is &s;o high, he cannot reach it; &s;o deep that he cannot fathom it; &s;o long, he cannot mea&s;ure it; and &s;o broad, that he cannot comprehend it. Hence it is, that many in our daies, are great &s;chollers in humanitie, and meer ignorants is divinitie. Was not <HI>Paul</HI> a great &s;choller, as he te&s;tifieth of him&s;elf; and yet igno|rant of Chri&s;t, knowing nothing of the &s;pirituall &s;ence of &s;criptures. O you &s;chollers, have you been &s;o long at <HI>Oxford</HI> and <HI>Cambridge</HI> (the two eyes of our land) and can you not &s;ee without Spectacles: have you been at the fountain, and mu&s;t the &s;treams teach you? Doe you not know, that there is a &s;pirituall learning as well as a humane? If you do know it, why do you give, a fal&s;e interpretation of mo&s;t &s;criptures; taking them in the litterall, when they are to be under|&s;tood, in the &s;pirituall &s;ence. To in&s;tance, in one for all, 2 Pet. 3.16. <HI>There are &s;omethings hard to be under&s;tood, which they that are un|learned
<PB N="37" REF="21">wre&s;t, as they doe al&s;o other &s;criptures to their own de&s;tructi|on.</HI> Now the que&s;tion is, of tho&s;e things in <HI>Pauls</HI> Epi&s;tles, which <HI>Peter</HI> here &s;peaks of, as hard to be under&s;tood, and which the igno|rant did wre&s;t, the que&s;tion is: What is meant here, by <HI>unlearned?</HI> Doth hee mean unlearned in humane, or unlearned in &s;pirituall things?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Mee thinks the Apo&s;tle in the &s;ame ver&s;e, re&s;olves the &s;cruple.</P>
<P N="1">1. For, fir&s;t it is &s;aid, <HI>Paul wrote the&s;e things according to the wi&s;dome given unto him;</HI> which is not meant wi&s;dome of the world, for God doth accompt that but fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e (&s;aith the &s;cripture) and <HI>Paul</HI> renounced it al&s;o, and &s;aid; <HI>I came not with excellency of words, or of wi&s;dome, &s;hewing unto you the te&s;timony of God: Nei|ther</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;tood my Word and Preaching, in the enticing &s;peech of mans wi&s;dome; but in plain evidence of the Spirit, and of power: that your Faith &s;hould not be in the wi&s;dome of men, but in the power of God. And we &s;peak wi&s;dome, and not the wi&s;dome of this world, &amp;c. but we &s;peak the wi&s;dome of God in a my&s;tery, even the hid wi&s;dome, &amp;c. which the Princes of this world have not known, &amp;c. But God hath revealed them unto us, by his &s;pirit, which &s;earcheth the deepe things of God, &amp;c. and which we have received, that we may know the things that are given to us of God, &amp;c. Which things al&s;o wee &s;peak, not in the words which mans wi&s;dome teacheth; but which the Holy Gho&s;t teacheth, &amp;c.</HI> 1 Cor. 2. chap. throughout; which you &s;ee doth abundantly te&s;tifie, that <HI>Paul</HI> &s;pake not according to humane learning: reade al&s;o 1 <HI>Gal.</HI> 12.16.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Peter,</HI> here &s;aith, that one of tho&s;e difficult &s;ayings of <HI>Paul,</HI> which the unlearned under&s;tood not, was this; <HI>That the long &s;uf|fering of our Lord is &s;alvation;</HI> which being a &s;pirituall thing (as all the things of &s;alvation are) cannot be under&s;tood by natural wi&s;|dome; for the things of God, <HI>knows no man, but the &s;pirit of God:</HI> therefore <HI>Pauls</HI> wi&s;dome was &s;pirituall, and their <HI>unlearnednes,</HI> there &s;poken of, was this; that they had not that wi&s;dome, in which he knew &s;alvation; that is, the wi&s;dome of God: for worldly wi&s;|dome they might have, and bee neverthele&s;&s;e ignorant of all &s;piri|tuals.</P>
<P>Thirdly, They were unlearned, that is, they had not the learning, by which they might under&s;tand tho&s;e things in the &s;ence which would tend to their &s;alvation, or true knowledge of God; and that,
<PB N="38" REF="22">&s;urely is onely a &s;pirituall &s;ence: For el&s;e to wre&s;t it to another &s;ence, could not be to their de&s;truction.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>Peter</HI> here exhorts the Saints, to take heed of that errour of the wicked, lea&s;t they al&s;o &s;hould be lead away with it, accounting it (you &s;ee) a wicked errour. And then in the next place, exhorts them to <HI>grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Chri&s;t,</HI> as being a thing contrary to that wicked errour, and a remedy again&s;t it. Now <HI>if the knowledge of Chri&s;t and growing in grace,</HI> be a remedy again&s;t that errour; then, it is mo&s;t plain, That their unlearnedne&s;&s;e (which is there &s;aid, to be the cau&s;e of their errour) was not of humane tongues and &s;ciences (for then <HI>Peter</HI> would have bidden them &s;tudie the&s;e to keep them from errour:) But it was of the grace of God, and of the knowledge of Chri&s;t they were ignorant or unlearned; and therefore he bids them grow in that grace and knowledge, that they might not erre.</P>
<P>So that that &s;aying of <HI>Peter</HI> being thus truly under&s;tood; it is mo&s;t plain that their unlearnedne&s;&s;e which cau&s;ed them to erre, was their ignorance of Grace, and of Chri&s;t, not of humane learning:</P>
<P>To which al&s;o let me adde the&s;e rules, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That a mans principle, by which he doth conver&s;e with (or apprehend) any thing; mu&s;t be of a nature &s;uitable to the nature of that thing which he conver&s;eth with or apprehendeth; as in particular,</P>
<P>You cannot apprehend or di&s;cover any object of &s;ence, by the prin|ciple of rea&s;on; for example, you cannot by your rea&s;on (or any thing el&s;e, but your &s;ence of hearing) apprehend or know, that there is any &s;ound or noi&s;e, nor how it &s;oundeth. But the care and voice are &s;uitable: not a voice and another &s;ence, as, we cannot &s;ee a voice, &amp;c. Ju&s;t alike impo&s;&s;ible it is for rea&s;on (meerly naturall) to know &s;pirituall things, as the &s;cripture &s;aith, <HI>the naturall man knows not the things of God:</HI> nature hath not a power &s;uitable to attain to them.</P>
<P><HI>Second rule,</HI> Every evill or defect is remediable, onely by its contrary good, or &s;upply; as darknes is remediable by light, carnal|ne&s;&s;e by &s;piritualne&s;&s;e, weaknes by &s;trength, ignorance by know|ledge, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Which two Rules (if you ob&s;erve them) will help to the under|der&s;tanding of tho&s;e words of <HI>Peter.</HI></P>
<P>But if yet you are per&s;waded that your Univer&s;itie learning can
<PB N="39" REF="22">dive into the &s;pirituall &s;ence of &s;cripture, I would propo&s;e to a whole Synod of your function to reconcile the&s;e Scriptures hereafter cited, that are in the letter &s;o contradictory one to another, for in&s;tance,</P>
<P>One Scripture &s;aith, <HI>Thou mu&s;t love thy Father, Mother, Wife, Children</HI> &amp;c Another Scripture &s;aith, <HI>Thou mu&s;t hate all the&s;e if thou wilt be my di&s;ciple</HI> Luke 14.26. One Scripture &s;aith of God, <HI>Anger is not in me:</HI> Another &s;aith, <HI>He is angry with the wicked e|very day,</HI> P&s;al. 7.11. One &s;aith, <HI>Yee doe alwaies re&s;i&s;t the holy Gho&s;t,</HI> Acts 7.51. Another &s;aith, <HI>They could not re&s;i&s;t the Spirit by which he &s;pake,</HI> Act 6.10. Another Scripture &s;aith, <HI>That he that &s;aith he hath not &s;inned, is a lyar and the truth is not in him,</HI> 1 John 1.8.10. One Scripture &s;aith of <HI>John, That he was not</HI> Elias, <HI>John</HI> 1.21. Another &s;aith of the &s;ame <HI>John, That he was</HI> Elias, Math 11.14. Matth. 11, 12.</P>
<P>I might in&s;tance in at lea&s;t 40. Scriptures thus contradictory in the letter.</P>
<P>Now this is the thing that I would aske you, whether through the under&s;tanding of tongues or arts humane, you can give the true genuine &s;ence of tho&s;e Scriptures? &s;urely you cannot, for the&s;e Scri|ptures were pend by the holy Spirit, who&s;e my&s;terious language, the eare of man naturall cannot heare, nor his heart conceive much le&s;&s;e his tongue expre&s;&s;e or interpret.</P>
<P>To conclude, you doe ignorantly looke upon your &s;elves as &s;o many learned Apo&s;tles, now con&s;idering that there are many <HI>Aquillas</HI> and <HI>Pri&s;cillas</HI> that can teach you the way of God more plainly. Read and well con&s;ider that <HI>Acts</HI> 18.25, 26.</P>
<P>That place of <HI>Peter</HI> about the unlearned, hath led me to a long digre&s;&s;ion, but now to returne againe to advi&s;e you.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Lay a&s;ide or leave off your kindling of flames in the State, and blowing the bellowes of contention and vaine jangling, and fall to preaching the Go&s;pel of peace: Let the State Governours alone with the State affaires. And al&s;o let the Lord Chri&s;t alone with the di&s;cipline of his Church. Let it not be &s;aid of you as once it was of the high-Prie&s;ts, that they were the onely enemies to the Kingdome of Chri&s;t, and yet the great pretenders to it. Doe not reproach the Lords people as once they did, for beleeving in and following of their Lord Chri&s;t, &s;aying, <HI>Have any of (us) the Rulers beleeved on him?</HI> No, none (&s;aid they) but a few ignorant people that know not the law. Doe not accu&s;e the Lords people in your Pulpits, as the
<PB N="40" REF="23">Prie&s;ts did <HI>Paul, Act.</HI> 24.5. &s;aying, he was a pe&s;tilent fellow; <HI>amover of &s;edition, and a ring-leader of the &s;ect of the Nazarens.</HI> Lea&s;t the Lords people &s;hould an&s;wer you as <HI>Paul</HI> did them, <HI>Acts</HI> 24. v. 14. <HI>After the way which you call here&s;ie, &s;o wor&s;hip I the God of my Fa|thers, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>So having &s;poken of the things that you mu&s;t lay a&s;ide, or for&s;ake; Give me leave, as briefly as I may, to lay before you a few things that you ought immediatly to practi&s;e; I &s;ay, immediatly: becau&s;e it is high time, if you have not &s;taid too long.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, If you be the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, ob&s;erve your Commi&s;&s;ion given you <HI>Mark</HI> 6.15. and <HI>Matth.</HI> 28.19. The &s;umme of which is this, Go yee to all the world and Preach the Go&s;pel to every crea|ture; And <HI>Paul</HI> el&s;where gives an account of his commi&s;&s;ion, and &s;aith, Chri&s;t &s;ent him to preach the Go&s;pel, and &s;o he went Preach|ing peace by Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Seeing God in the&s;e latter dayes &s;peaks unto us by his Son <HI>Heb.</HI> 1.2. Why do you &s;peak &s;o much by <HI>Mo|&s;es;</HI> you &s;ay <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> mu&s;t prepare us for Chri&s;t &s;ure that is not in Your Commi&s;&s;ion: Me think I hear you &s;aying with <HI>Peter;</HI> Ma&s;ter, let us build here three tabernacles, one for <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> one for <HI>Elias,</HI> and one for thee; and there appeared a bright cloud, upon the appearance of which, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> (which was <HI>John Bapti&s;t</HI>) vani&s;hed a|way. And God an&s;wered <HI>Peter</HI> from heaven, and told him, <HI>This is my beloved &s;onne: heare him.</HI> Why do you then build a taberna|cle for <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and another for <HI>Elias,</HI> &s;eeing the bright cloud hath ex|pelled the dark admini&s;trations of them both.</P>
<P>O then follow the advi&s;e of Chri&s;t, and keep clo&s;e to your com|mi&s;&s;ion; and into what&s;oever hou&s;e you enter, let your fir&s;t words be, <HI>Peace, to this hou&s;e,</HI> Luke 10.5.</P>
<P>Why doe you teach repentance before Faith, &s;eeing true and un|feigned repentance is a fruit of Faith, not a preparation for Faith. The <HI>Ninevites</HI> believed God before they proclaimed a Fa&s;t: and thou mu&s;t fir&s;t look upon Chri&s;t, whom thou ha&s;t peirced, by Faith; be|fore thou can&s;t mourn, as one mourneth for his onely Son. The good|ne&s;&s;e of God will lead thee to repentance. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.4. <HI>And the grace of God will teach thee to deny ungodline&s;&s;e and worldly lu&s;ts,</HI> 2 <HI>Tit.</HI> 11. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 12.</P>
<P>Faith is a notable ground-work, in a &s;ence of true repentance; without this Faith, it is in vain to think to build up our &s;elves in &s;an|ctity of life, and &s;incerity of conver&s;ation; For <HI>he that commeth to God mu&s;t fir&s;t believe, that God is: Heb.</HI> 11.6. And without this
<PB N="41" REF="23">Faith, it is impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e God: and what&s;oever is not of <HI>this Faith is &s;in,</HI> Rom. 14.23 My friends, is not faith the fir&s;t &s;tone in the &s;pirituall building, the fir&s;t &s;tep in a Chri&s;tian race, the fir&s;t linke in our golden chain of Chri&s;tianity, the fir&s;t act of our new life, the fir&s;t degree in our holy conver&s;ation, the fir&s;t round in your <HI>Jacobs</HI> ladder, wherby you a&s;cend up into the pre&s;ence of your Lord? Should you not acquaint your hearers fir&s;t with the doctrinall part of Divinity, before you pre&s;&s;e the practicall part; endeavour to have them truly prin|cipled, and then pre&s;&s;e obedience as the fruit of tho&s;e principles; I have heard &s;ome of <HI>you</HI> &s;ay, that what&s;oever obedience doth flow from any man; if it flow not from good principles, that obedience is in a &s;ence di&s;obedience. See what Chri&s;t commands <HI>Matth.</HI> 12 33 Make the tree good, and his fruit will be good, and good rea&s;on, for <HI>Matth.</HI> 7.18. a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Now here is the rea&s;on, why you &s;ee &s;o little fruit of all your labours? you preach &s;o much, yet doe &s;o little good: you do not doe Gods work in his own way; you preach and contend for order, and &s;carce are any in the kingdome more out of your order, than your &s;elves. In a word, you require good fruit from a corrupt tree, and Chri&s;t tels you, it cannot bee. When <HI>David</HI> taught his &s;on <HI>Solomon,</HI> 1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 28 9. He in&s;tructs him fir&s;t in the doctrinall part, before the practi|call part; He mu&s;t fir&s;t <HI>know the God of his Fathers,</HI> before he is pre&s;t to &s;erve him: This was <HI>Pauls</HI> advi&s;e, <HI>Titus</HI> 3.8. Again, our ble&s;&s;ed Lord Chri&s;t, <HI>Joh.</HI> 15.4. exhorts the people fir&s;t to abide in him; and being in him by Faith, then bids them bring forth fruit, &s;aying, <HI>as the branch cannot bear fruit, except it abide in the Vine; no more can yee except yee abide in mee.</HI> So <HI>Paul</HI> dealt with the <HI>Collo&s;&s;ians,</HI> 1 <HI>Coll.</HI> 9.10. He prays and de&s;ires, fir&s;t that they might be filled with the knowledge of Gods will; and then <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 10. (as the fruit of that knowledge) <HI>that they might walke worthy of the Lord, being fruit full in every good work.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. The next thing that you &s;hould practice after you have exalted Chri&s;t alone, to be the onely King, Prie&s;t, and Prophet, not in word only, but in power; in expecting the teachings of God the father to your &s;oules, by, and through him, have recour&s;e to his rules in the Go&s;pell for your practice: and then you will not look &s;o much upon Synods, and not be a&s;hamed to confe&s;&s;e him before men: If you have been in the Pulpit delivering his me&s;&s;age, why are you &s;o afraid to have your doctrine que&s;tioned? why will you not give your hearers that liberty, that Chri&s;t hath given them; to judge of what you have
<PB N="42" REF="24">&s;aid? are you a&s;hamed to own Chri&s;t, when his doctrine is examined? Or el&s;e, do you finde your &s;elves unable by &s;ound doctrine to con|vince the gain-&s;ayers. But you will &s;ay, If any be not &s;atisfied, let him come to us in private; let me ask you: where have you a rule for that? do you not deliver your things publiquely? And do not the &s;criptures tell you, that a publique evill mu&s;t have a publique reproof? But you will &s;ay, we have done no evill: we have preached Chri&s;t according to our commi&s;&s;ion. Then (my friends) never fear to have it qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;tioned: but (I be&s;eech you) if any can object again&s;t what you have taught, &s;o he do it in the &s;pirit of meeknes, rather to finde out truth, then to carp at truth: And &s;eeing Chri&s;t hath given him that liberty. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14. Do not you deprive him of it. If you would but make tryall of this; I will a&s;&s;ure you, you might gain many privi|ledges by it: In particular, I will &s;hew your two or three.</P>
<P N="1">1. You will take away all ju&s;t occa&s;ions, for any to cavill at your doctrine, or &s;peak evill of you in private.</P>
<P N="2">2. You will increa&s;e your own knowledge; for there are &s;ome <HI>Aquila's</HI> and <HI>Pri&s;cillas</HI> doe heare you: and you al&s;o may bee more inabled to in&s;truct.</P>
<P N="3">3. It will make the lu&s;tre of the truths which you a&s;&s;ert, the more beautifull, if you vindicate them.</P>
<P N="4">4. It will make all your &s;ayings &s;eem the more worthy &s;erious and &s;ober con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>O that I could &s;ee the mini&s;ters of <HI>England,</HI> as willing to be taught, as they are to be teachers; as &s;wift to hear, as to &s;peak: Truly, this were a way to untie the greate&s;t things we want in our kingdome.</P>
<P N="3">3. When you have exalted Chri&s;t alone, and diligently ob&s;erved his Commi&s;&s;ion; next I be&s;eech you, be tender of his Lambs, and feed them; and &s;o much the rather, becau&s;e they are yet &s;tan|ding in the &s;treets of <HI>Sodom,</HI> and the Dogs of <HI>Egypt</HI> do bark at them: Oh &s;end forth no more Dogges to bark and &s;nap at the poor tender ones; for they have a tender father, the Almighty Lord God, that doth take all the injuries done to them, as done to him&s;elf; and takes notice of all the hard &s;ayings again&s;t them, as you may read at large in the Epi&s;tle of <HI>Jude</HI> 15.</P>
<P>But you will (as I have heard you) &s;ay, we &s;peak not again&s;t tho&s;e that are truly godly; but we cry out again&s;t bla&s;phemers.</P>
<P>So was our ble&s;&s;ed Lord Chri&s;t per&s;ecuted, and reproached under the name of a bla&s;phemer. <HI>Luke</HI> 10.33.</P>
<P>And &s;o was <HI>Stephen</HI> (a man full of the holy Gho&s;t, and of Faith) accu&s;ed for a bla&s;phemer. <HI>Acts</HI> 6.13.</P>
<P><PB N="43" REF="24">And they were great learned men that did this: and this is written for &s;ome to learn. Again, Chri&s;t was called a deceiver, <HI>Matth.</HI> 27.6. And a Wine-bibber. <HI>Matth.</HI> 11.19.</P>
<P>It would be worth your labour, to examine from the beginning of the Bible to the end; how in all ages, and under all admini&s;trations, the Prie&s;ts, and Levites, and pretended Mini&s;ters, which would be known by the names of Prophets, Seers, Watchmen, or Leaders, and in this pre&s;ent generation above all others, have had their hands in (almo&s;t) all the Wars, divi&s;ions, combu&s;tions, uproars, tumults, and troubles in the Kingdome. For matter of bla&s;phemy, here&s;ie, &s;uper|&s;tition, Idolatry, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> were not this tribe the ring-leaders, as al&s;o in per&s;ecuting the Lords people: nay, the greate&s;t oppo&s;ition that our Lord Chri&s;t him&s;elf met withall, was from that tribe; and have not they the chiefe&s;t hand in our pre&s;ent troubles, I leave to the whole kingdome to judge. Wherefore, my friends, con&s;ider upon what ground you &s;tand, and upon what foundation you are built: and let it be your &s;tudie to put out, not to kindle flames in the kingdome; to heal the wounds with which we langui&s;h, not to make more. Re|member the&s;e words of Chri&s;t; <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are the peacemakers.</HI> Matth. 5.9. I know this is the practice of &s;ome of you; but truly, the number of &s;uch is but few: yet I do believe there are, and &s;o in all former ages, there were a few &s;cattered up and down, that were true Prophets waiting upon God for an heavenly me&s;&s;age; and that they doe re|ceive and declare unto this kingdome.</P>
<P N="4">4. Seek not your maintenance in an unju&s;t way: But ca&s;t your &s;elves upon the providence of God; as for the &s;alvation of your &s;ouls, &s;o al&s;o for the maintenance of your bodies; can you tru&s;t God with a &s;oul, more worth than ten thou&s;and words; and can you not tru&s;t him with a little earth, your bodies. You teach us to pray for daily bread, and you do well: but mu&s;t you &s;elves take canal care for yearly bread; if not, what means this bleating of Sheep, and lowing of Oxen; your pleading for Tythes in your Pulpits. On my friends! bee yee &s;ure to doe Gods work; and I will pawn my life for him, he will pay you your wages: feed his Lambs, and your God will give you your meat in due &s;ea&s;on: O let the &s;ame minde be in you, as was in your brother <HI>Paul,</HI> 1 Cor. 9.15. where he renders three rea&s;ons why he would not preach for money, not tythes.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e he would not make his glorying voide, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9. <HI>v.</HI> 15.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e he would not make the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t chargeable to them, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 18.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="44" REF="25">3. He would not compell any to pay money or tythes for preach|ing, lea&s;t he &s;hould hinder the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>How many &s;uch <HI>Pauls</HI> have wee in our dayes; is there indeed one of a thou&s;and: yes, (my friends) there are through Gods goodnes (to my knowledge) a few.</P>
<P>I &s;peak not in this again&s;t a ju&s;t maintenance for a true mini&s;tery, for then I &s;hould &s;in again&s;t God and my own Con&s;cience; for I know God &s;aith, he hath ordained that they that preach the Go&s;pel &s;hould live of the Go&s;pel: and my own con&s;cience tels me that if they have &s;own unto me &s;pirituall things, I &s;hould not keep back from them carnall things. All that I here &s;peak again&s;t is this, your looking for your maintenance in an unju&s;t way.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Give no offence unto any man, neither to Jew nor to Gentile, nor to the Church of Chri&s;t; but keep a con&s;cience void of offence both towards God, and towards man: be patient towards all, &s;peak evill of no man; &s;eek the glory of God before your own honour, and the good of his people as your own good: and as you would that others &s;hould doe unto and &s;peak of you, &s;o do and &s;peak you of them; in all you actions, propound Chri&s;t, for your pattern; and learn of him, for he was meek and lowly.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Now to you called <HI>Independents.</HI></HEAD>
<P>I May &s;ay to you, as once <HI>Paul</HI> did to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> 1 Cor. 1.4. <HI>I thanke my God alwaies on your behalfe; for the grace of God that is given you by Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Yea I may &s;ay to you as Chri&s;t did to the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> Rev. 2.2. <HI>I know thy workes, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou can&s;t not beare them that are evill, and thou ha&s;t tryed them which &s;ay they are Apo&s;tles, and are not; and ha&s;t found them lyars. And thou ha&s;t born, and ha&s;t had pa|tience under all thy reproaches; for thou ha&s;t had many oppo&s;ers, reproachers, &s;landerers, back-biters, and evill &s;urmi&s;ings again&s;t thee;</HI> if thou holde&s;t to the end, and art willing to be a follower of Chri&s;t, as well in his humiliation, as in his exaltation; thou ha&s;t a fellow&s;hip with him in the one, as well as in the other.</P>
<P>Again, This I finde in thee (O thou <HI>Independent.</HI>) Thou de&s;ire&s;t to walk by rule. When thou woulde&s;t know the minde of God, thou looke&s;t into the te&s;timonies of his revealed will, the Old and New Te&s;tament; Thou grounde&s;t what thou holde&s;t, upon that word;
<PB N="45" REF="25">thou accounte&s;t the principles and practices evill, that are not warran|ted by that word: And if men come unto thee, and &s;peak with the tongues of men and angels, thou wilt (with the noble <HI>Bereans</HI>) &s;each the Scrip ures, to &s;ee, whether the things they &s;peak of be &s;o or no; and if they &s;peak not, according to that rule, thou wilt pre&s;ent|ly conclude; it is, becau&s;e there is no light in them: Nay, thou knowe&s;t, that if a man come, and preach any other Go&s;pel than that which thou ha&s;t received, 1 <HI>Gal.</HI> 8, 9. he is to be accur&s;ed: and this thou ha&s;t al&s;o (to thy commendation) the more others doe &s;light, de|&s;pi&s;e, and lay a&s;ide the &s;cripture, as a thing out of date; the more thou doe&s;t embrace it, read it, conferre, and meditate on it; and account it &s;weeter than the honey, or the honey combe, and e&s;teem it (with <HI>Job</HI>) more than thy naturall food. Thou knowe&s;t right well, they were written for thy learning. Again, I may &s;ay of thee, as once it was &s;aid of the Church of <HI>Pergamos,</HI> 2 <HI>Revel</HI> 12.13. <HI>I know thy works, and where thou dwelle&s;t, even where Satans &s;eat is: yet thou holde&s;t fa&s;t Chri&s;ts name, and ha&s;t not denyed his Faith.</HI> Again, this thou ha&s;t, that thou withdrawe&s;t from every brother, that thou clearly &s;ee&s;t to walk di&s;orderly; thou doe&s;t reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all long &s;uffering. Again, this thou ha&s;t; thou looke&s;t to the &s;pirituall growth of tho&s;e with thee: thy members watch over one another, and in love reprove one another, and many of you do it in the &s;pirit of meeknes, as you would that they &s;hould doe unto you in the &s;ame ca&s;e, even &s;o you doe to them.</P>
<P>Again, This you have; you take a &s;peciall care of the poore among you, and you loath the unju&s;t practices of &s;ome other Congregations of the <HI>Presbyterians,</HI> that gather a ju&s;t maintenance for the Poore in an unju&s;t way: They cut large thongs, but it is of other mens Hides: they doe not with Chri&s;t choo&s;e Deacons, but with Anti|chri&s;t Collectors. Some of which mu&s;t pay the Poore, and are &s;ure never to receive their money again, though they borrowed it for that purpo&s;e: but God be thanked (oh thou <HI>Independent</HI>) thou ha&s;t not &s;o learned Chri&s;t; thou knowe&s;t well, that the Lord loveth a chearfull giver, and accepts none but a Free-will offering: you give unto all, but have a &s;peciall regard unto the hou&s;hold of Faith, according to rule. <HI>Gal.</HI> 6.10.</P>
<P>Again, This thou ha&s;t, thou for&s;ake&s;t not the a&s;&s;embly of Saints, as the manner of &s;ome is; you hear the Word in publique, and build up one another in private; you doe not (as &s;ome others) cry up the publique, and contemn the private; nor cry up the private in con|tempt
<PB N="46" REF="26">of the publique: thou looke&s;t into the Go&s;pel and finde&s;t both of them commanded and commended, and therefore make&s;t u&s;e of both: Thou knowe&s;t that as God is no re&s;pecter of Per&s;ons, &s;o he is no re&s;pecter of places. Thou finde&s;t him teaching thee in pub|lique and al&s;o in private; abroad, and at home; thou finde&s;t him in the Fire to &s;ave thee, and in the Water to help thee, and in the Pri|&s;on to free thee: thou knowe&s;t thy God is in all places, and yet com|prehended in no place.</P>
<P>Now having thus taken notice of the things commendable in thee, according to that rule, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 And as Chri&s;t dealt with the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> 2 <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.3.</P>
<P>Give me leave al&s;o to deal plainly with thee, as <HI>Paul</HI> did. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.11, 12. and as Chri&s;t with <HI>Ephe&s;us:</HI> and then, I &s;hall not &s;pare to tell thy Congregations and Members, that there are faults, among&s;t you; therefore I have &s;omewhat again&s;t you.</P>
<P N="1">1. If you be not guilty of that &s;in that <HI>Paul</HI> reproves the <HI>Corin|thians,</HI> for 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.11, 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">. I am &s;ure you are guilty of that &s;in that is reproved, 2 <HI>Jam.</HI> 2, 3.4. <HI>You have the Faith of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Lord of glory, with re&s;pect of per&s;ons; for if there come into your a&s;&s;embly</HI> (as <HI>James</HI> faith) <HI>a man with a gold ring, and in goodly apparrell; and there come in al&s;o a poore man in vile raiment, you are apt to &s;ay to him in gay clothing; Sit thou here, (in a good place)</HI> and though you do not in plain terms or words, <HI>&s;ay to the poore, &s;tand thou there, or &s;it at my foot&s;toole;</HI> yet you let him &s;tand at a di|&s;tance, or &s;it at your feet: and <HI>James</HI> tels you, <HI>Jam.</HI> 2.4. <HI>Yee are par|tiall.</HI> And many times tho&s;e poore ones whom you &s;leight, God hath cho&s;en; and the rich ones, whom yee honour, God hath rejected: ver&s;. 5. <HI>Hath not God cho&s;en the poore of this world rich in Faith,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P N="2">2. You are &s;trange to tho&s;e that are called <HI>Presbyterians,</HI> which many of them being truly godly, you &s;hould vi&s;ite; and if there be any way of wickedne&s;&s;e in them, reprove them; if they bee low in their principles, endeavour to rai&s;e them; and where they are imperfect in the way of God, teach them more perfectly: Love not one man, becau&s;e he is an <HI>Independent,</HI> hate none for being a <HI>Pre&s;|byterian;</HI> for this were to know men after the fle&s;h, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.16.</P>
<P N="3">3. There is utterly a fault among you in that many of you do fa|&s;hion your &s;elves according to this world; if there be any new foo|li&s;h fa&s;hion going, yee are in ha&s;t to take it up with the fir&s;t, quite contrary to the command of God, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.14. And as in your ap|parrell,
<PB N="47" REF="26">&s;o in your long haire; why doe you <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> were it like <HI>Ruffians?</HI> It is true I know that as religion &s;tands not in meat or drinke, &s;o neither &s;tands it in cloathes nor haire long or &s;hort: But your abu&s;e of this doth di&s;honour religion, grieve the Saints, and har|den the world, e&s;pecially of the fir&s;t of the&s;e, to wit, <HI>cloathes.</HI> There|fore I be&s;eech you heare a few words further.</P>
<P>Is your Kingdome or glory of this world or in things outward, or fle&s;hly, or even in vanity? Is it your worke appointed and your de|light (yee Saints) to plea&s;e the irrationall fancies of your fle&s;hly mindes? Can you who are &s;o di&s;tinct and di&s;tant in your principles from the carnall and ungodly, &s;o &s;uite and conforme to them in tho&s;e things who&s;e very fountaine or cau&s;e is none other but ignorance of God, which al&s;o are rationally cen&s;ured even of tho&s;e that are with|out? Have you not better enjoyments: no better kingdome than this? Is not your glory within? Is not the mo&s;t excellent your &s;atisfaction, his pre&s;ence in your hearts your great refre&s;hments? Union and conver&s;ation with him your heaven and ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e: Doe you walke as Chri&s;t did: Who&s;e meat and drinke was to doe the will of his father, are you like him?</P>
<P>And &s;eeing your fa&s;hions are co&s;tly, let me aske you, doe you be|lieve that God hath given you &s;o much of his creatures for any &s;uch purpo&s;e? Can you &s;ay to the Lord, we ble&s;&s;e thee in our &s;oules that thou ha&s;t given us the&s;e creatures, and di&s;po&s;ed our hearts by thy &s;pi|rit to u&s;e them thus? Did ever God call &s;uch things &s;acrifices well plea&s;ing to him? Or have you the creatures in &s;uch &s;uperabundance, or are better opportunities &s;o &s;carce that you cannot better u&s;e them? doe you thinke &s;o? Then harken hither.</P>
<P>Here are many of us poore mi&s;erable wretches, who&s;e bodies pine for hunger and thir&s;t, and &s;tarve with cold: Some of us are exiles and &s;trangers, &s;ome of us in pri&s;on, &s;ome of us &s;icke, &s;ome wounded, lame, &s;ome weake, &s;ome widdowes, fatherle&s;&s;e and friendle&s;&s;e. Here wee &s;tand before you, yee &s;ee us, yee know us: and can you yet withold reliefe? Have you no bowels of compa&s;&s;ion? Hath mercy taken wing and returned to her eternall fountaine that &s;ent her forth? Hath &s;hee no tabernacle nor temple with men? Hath &s;he left all hearts to hardne&s;&s;e? Will &s;hee not vouch&s;afe us any of her divine bounty now, but leave us de&s;olate, captives to nece&s;&s;ities till they have pur&s;ued our fle&s;h to di&s;&s;olution? Where are the&s;e promi&s;es of our deare redeemer, <HI>to dwell with men to the end of the world.</HI> When &s;hall the powrings out of the &s;pirit of grace (promi&s;ed) be? Or
<PB N="48" REF="27">where are tho&s;e Temples of his habitation, that wee may goe unto them? Will no man &s;hew us? Ah &s;ad! Oh dolefull ca&s;e mi&s;eries devoure us: and pitty is departed from us.</P>
<P>Oh deare friends: Are there all the&s;e &s;ad cryes and teares, and yet doe your vaine plea&s;ures bewitch you to bee deafe? Awake, a|wake, for now your Lord commands, goe heare what tho&s;e my (and your) poore membes &s;ay, &s;ee why they weepe: <HI>Lord, they cry for want.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Chr.</HI> What, want? And thou &s;tand by with &s;uch rich &s;tores of mine? Oh mo&s;t unfaithfull! Mo&s;t unkinde! Doe&s;t thou love me: and doe I hunger in my members? and wilt not feede me with mine owne? but imbe&s;&s;ell tho&s;e my &s;tores to &s;uch ba&s;e Harlots as thy fle&s;hly fancies. Ah unfaithfull wretch, get hence, thou &s;halt not &s;tay with me, nor &s;ee my face the&s;e many dayes. I de&s;ire you to con&s;i|der whether Chri&s;t doth not &s;peake thus to your Spirits. But I have digre&s;&s;ed and now I returne.</P>
<P N="4">4 This is al&s;o a fault among you, that you doe not pitty the poore blinde world, and endeavour to bring them into the knowledge of the truth, by laying before them the free love of God through Je&s;us Chri&s;t; all your &s;tudies are how to build up Saints, therefore to them you doe altogether &s;peake: Nay I have heard Sermon after Sermon in publique, be&s;ides your practice in private, and you &s;peake onely to Saints enlightened, though mo&s;t of the people to whom you &s;peake are yet in the old man, and have neede of &s;uch a Sermon as <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> preached to <HI>Nicodemus.</HI> And &s;o you are blame-worthy as the Presbyterians are, yea more than they, for many of them doe teach the practicall part of divinity before the doctrinall; and you tell of great enjoyments, before your hearers are truly principled; he that doth truly preach the Go&s;pell mu&s;t preach to &s;inners to convince them, as well as to Saints, to confirme them. If you will indeed be followers of Chri&s;t, you mu&s;t not content your &s;elves to preach a piece of the Go&s;pell, for Chri&s;t when he came among &s;inners he was intreating and per&s;wading them and calling them to come to him that they might have life; He often encouraged them to come to him, telling them, he <HI>came not to call the righteous, but &s;inners to re|pentance.</HI> He bids come unto him, <HI>all you that are weary and heavy laden,</HI> and he will <HI>give you re&s;t:</HI> And &s;aith, <HI>They that come to me I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t off.</HI> And when he gave his Commi&s;&s;ion to his Di&s;ciples, he told them, they mu&s;t preach the Go&s;pell <HI>to every crea|ture.</HI> Oh then pitty the world, pray for the world, rebuke, in&s;truct,
<PB N="57" REF="27">exhort, per&s;wade, and be&s;eech them to be reconciled to God: your father lets the Sun &s;hine and the Rain fall upon them, and bids you learn of him to love them.</P>
<P>Doe they revile thee? Then with <HI>Paul, ble&s;&s;e them,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.12. Doe they per&s;ecute thee? Then with him &s;uffer it, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.12. Do they take away thy cloak? give them thy coat. Doe they &s;mite thee on the one cheek? offer the other.</P>
<P>Do they cur&s;e thee as <HI>Shimei</HI> did <HI>David?</HI> Then as <HI>David,</HI> let them alone: It may be the Lord hath bid them doe it. To you it is given, in the behalf of Chri&s;t; not onely to believe, but al&s;o to &s;uffer for his &s;ake: And how knowe&s;t thou, but that he will reward thee good for all their evill. If thou wer'&s;t of the world, the world would love thee; but becau&s;e he hath cho&s;en thee out of the world, there|fore the world doth hate thee.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>A Word to tho&s;e that goe under the name and title of <HI>ANABAPTISTS.</HI></HEAD>
<P>MY Brethren, there are the&s;e things worthy of commendation among you.</P>
<P>You meet often together, and when you come together, as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God; as every one hath received the gift, &s;o he doth admini&s;ter the &s;ame: you exceed, in &s;ome &s;ort, all other Churches, namely in this; That you doe admini&s;ter a right ordinance to right objects: you will doe God work in Gods way, I mean, you Bapti&s;e tho&s;e to whom Bapti&s;me belongs; you do that which is required, and as it is required. And in &s;ome mea&s;ure you doe according to the command of Chri&s;t, 1 The&s;&s;. 5.14. <HI>You warn them that are unruly: you doe comfort the feeble minded, &s;upport the weake;</HI> and in &s;ome mea&s;ure yee endeavour to have patience to|wards all men. And when men begin to deny, or &s;leight Gods or|dinances, you withdraw your &s;elves from &s;uch; and this al&s;o is found in you, for which, I commend you: You look upon the &s;cripture, as written for your learning; and therefore you often read, and medi|tate of it; you cannot bear with tho&s;e that &s;light it, and &s;peak reproach fully of it: you have experience, that God doth teach you by his word mediately, more than by immediate revelations.</P>
<P>But, my Brethren, there are faults among you; therefore I have
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<PB N="58" REF="30">a few things again&s;t you, wherefore bear with me, if I deale plainly with you: fir&s;t, the Scripture bids you &s;peak evill of no man; why then doe you imagine in your hearts, and &s;peak evill of the <HI>Indepen|dent,</HI> becau&s;e he will not be rebaptized? Why doe you &s;o judge the <HI>Presbyterian</HI> for Baptizing children, to whom it doth not belong. They doo not &s;ee by your eies, therefore they cannot walk by your ruks: are they in darkne&s;&s;e in this? &s;o once wa&s;t thou: Doe&s;t thou out-&s;trip them in this? it may be (nay I am &s;ure) they do go beyond thee in other particulars of obedience: Doe they neglect the ordi|nance of Bapti&s;me? that is their evill; but thou doe&s;t re&s;t upon it, and this is thy evill: do they &s;in in &s;leighting Bapti&s;me, thou &s;inne&s;t in idolizing of it: Oh then, be &s;paring to cen&s;ure, and judge thy Brother!</P>
<P>Here is another branch of your mi&s;carriage; you &s;uffer no man (though never &s;o well gifted) to &s;peak among you: no, though he be able to teach you all, unle&s;&s;e he be joyned to you by the ordi|nance of Bapti&s;me with water, and though he be baptized with the Bapti&s;me of the Spirit, without which that of water is nothing; you hear him not.</P>
<P>Again, you often take Scripture in the literall, when you &s;hould take it in the &s;pirituall &s;en&s;e; When Chri&s;t &s;peaks of the bapti&s;me of the Spirit, you under&s;tand it to be of Water: In a word</P>
<P>You live much under the admini&s;tration of <HI>John,</HI> who tels you, that he mu&s;t decrea&s;e, but not &s;o much under the admini&s;tration of Chri&s;t who &s;hall encrea&s;e.</P>
<P>Again, you make Bapti&s;me the ground of your communion, and &s;o di&s;order, what God hath ordered; for the ground of communion &s;hould ari&s;e, fir&s;t, from that union you have with Chri&s;t your head; and &s;econdly, from that near relation you have each to other, as be|ing one in the &s;ame &s;pirit: In a word, your knowledge that you have one of another, is after the fle&s;h: when will you be of <HI>Pauls</HI> minde, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.16: <HI>to know no man after the fle&s;h:</HI> I may truly &s;ay of you, as once it was &s;aid of <HI>Apollos, Acts</HI> 18.25. that he was in&s;tructed in the way of the Lord; knowing onely <HI>Johns</HI> Bapti&s;me of water: and &s;urely you have great need as once he had, to have <HI>Aquilla</HI> and <HI>Pri&s;cilla</HI> to take you a&s;ide, and teach you the way of God more perfectly, &amp;c.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="59" REF="30">
<HEAD>A Word to tho&s;e that hold <HI>Free-Will,</HI> and <HI>General-Redemption.</HI></HEAD>
<P>MY Friends, &s;ome things I have ob&s;erved from you, by my be|ing among you; which I de&s;ire to learn of you, and for which I commend you: I have &s;een you bearing one anothers burthens, relieving one anothers nece&s;&s;ities, according to your abilities, often vi&s;iting one another, with many outward expre&s;&s;ions of that inward love, which you bear one to another, the&s;e things ought to be done; and there are other things which you ought not to leave undone; as al&s;o to love tho&s;e that are not under your form.</P>
<P><HI>The&s;e Principles al&s;o do you hold.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That Je&s;us Chri&s;t gave him&s;elf a ran&s;ome for all; and you prove it by Scriptures, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. <HI>v.</HI> 6. 1 <HI>John</HI> 29. 1 <HI>John</HI> 2. <HI>v.</HI> 2. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.15.</P>
<P>Secondly, That remi&s;&s;ion of Sins ought to be preached to every crea|ture; which proves the fir&s;t, that Chri&s;t gave him&s;elf a ran&s;om for all; and therefore remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins mu&s;t be preacht to all, and that you prove by the&s;e, and the like Scriptures, <HI>Luke</HI> 24.47. <HI>Mark</HI> 16.15 <HI>Luke</HI> 10.5. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 45.22.</P>
<P>Thirdly, That every one is to believe the forgivene&s;&s;e of his &s;ins; for if Chri&s;t died for all, and the Go&s;pel ought to believe, and that all are called upon to believe: you bring the&s;e and the like Scriptures, <HI>John</HI> 1.7. <HI>John</HI> 17.21. Now if your principles drawn from the&s;e or the like Scriptures, be according to the &s;pirituall &s;ence of them; you doe well: So much for the things worthy of commendation in you.</P>
<P>But my friends, there are many faults among you, for which I have at pre&s;ent, a few things again&s;t you.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t, is your abu&s;e of Scriptures: fir&s;t, in taking them in a li|terall &s;ence; &s;econdly, looking into, and &s;peaking of onely tho&s;e &s;cri|ptures, that &s;eemingly in the letter doe confirm your principles: Whereas if you rightly under&s;tood them, you would finde the &s;ence of one &s;cripture to &s;tand with the &s;ence of another; As to in&s;tance a little in the forenamed things.</P>
<P><PB N="60" REF="31">Fir&s;t, you &s;ay, That Je&s;us Chri&s;t gave him&s;elfe a ran&s;ome for all, and remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins is to be preached to all: Now compare tho&s;e &s;criptures with <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.30. where he &s;peakes of particular, not of ge|nerall prede&s;tination. So when he &s;peakes of election to the <HI>Ephe|&s;ians,</HI> he points at a particular, not at a generall election. And when Chri&s;t prayes <HI>John</HI> 17. hee prayes not for the world, but onely for tho&s;e whom the Lord had given him out of the world. And <HI>Joh.</HI> 6.44. <HI>There can none come to him but whom the father draweth.</HI> Read and well con&s;ider that one Scripture, which all of you are not able to an&s;wer, <HI>Acts</HI> 13.48. <HI>And as many as were ordayned to eternall life believed.</HI> I know what fal&s;e glo&s;&s;e you put upon this text through your ignorance; you &s;ay the originall &s;aith thus, <HI>As many as believed were ordayned to eternall life.</HI> And with this fal&s;e &s;ence you deceived me for a few dayes, but when I &s;earched the originall, I found you lyars, for that word is truly tran&s;lated; and I have &s;po|ken with many poore &s;oules that you have deluded with the&s;e and the like things. You &s;ay election depends upon qualifications and bring the&s;e or the like Scriptures, <HI>The Lord choo&s;eth to him&s;elfe the man that is righteous,</HI> never minding that other text which &s;aith, there is <HI>none righteous no not one.</HI> So then, if he choo&s;eth none but the righteous, and there are no righteous, not one, then he choo&s;eth none. Oh you &s;imple ones, how long will you love &s;implicity? Scorners delight in &s;corning? and Fooles hate knowledge? If this text doth &s;peak to any &s;uch in <HI>England</HI> this day: It &s;peaks to, and concerns you chiefly.</P>
<P>Did you never reade with under&s;tanding that text which &s;aith, that wee and all the Nations of the World are in the hands or God, as clay in the hands of the potter, who maketh one ve&s;&s;ell to honour, another to di&s;honour as he plea&s;eth: And if there bee any man &s;o impudent to &s;ay, as I have heard &s;ome of you &s;ay, that then God is partiall. See how <HI>Paul</HI> checks &s;uch, Rom. 9.19.20. <HI>Oh man who are thou that replye&s;t again&s;t God, &s;hall the thing formed &s;ay to him that formed it why ha&s;t thou made me thus?</HI></P>
<P>If thou wilt know a rea&s;on why the Lord doth elect &s;ome to life and to pa&s;&s;e by others, he is plea&s;ed to give thee no other accompt than this Exod. 33.19. <HI>I will be gratious to whom I will be gratious, and I will &s;hew mercy to whom I will &s;hew mercy; and whom he will he hardeneth.</HI></P>
<P>If thou wilt al&s;o know a rea&s;on why he will ca&s;t &s;ome into the pit of de&s;truction, and give to others life everla&s;ting: I an&s;wer,
<PB N="61" REF="31">God hath no rule to act by but his owne will, &s;o that for him to doe what he willeth, is ju&s;t, and it is ju&s;t for no other rea&s;on nor upon any other ground, but this, <HI>viz.</HI> becau&s;e it is his will to doe it, and this is the ju&s;tnes of mans actions, to doe what God hath comman|ded or declared that he will have man to doe. Now I &s;ay, this is the rea&s;on why he will ca&s;t &s;ome to de&s;truction, <HI>viz.</HI> to magnifie his ju&s;tice, or perform his will determined upon &s;uch as doe tran&s;gre&s;&s;e the law given them, and for this cau&s;e is &s;uch de&s;truction ju&s;t, becau&s;e it is that which the eternall will or decree hath appointed to follow upon tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion. And after the very &s;ame &s;ort doth he exalt the attribute of his mercy in the &s;alvation of others. Reade the 9. of the <HI>Romans</HI> and thou wilt finde mo&s;t of that chapter &s;pent in di&s;pu|ting this very thing.</P>
<P>Another gro&s;&s;e error that you hold contrary to the &s;cripture is this, That the &s;oule is mortall as well as the body.</P>
<P>Againe you hold and teach, That if God commanded the Go&s;pel to be preached to all, and Chri&s;t dyed onely for &s;ome, then God commands a lye to be preached to the mo&s;t part of men, and that is bla&s;phemy to &s;ay that God commands a lye to be preached.</P>
<P>Againe, You ground your owne particular faith upon that gene|rall redemption, and if your ground be fal&s;e, your faith mu&s;t needes be &s;o; for no good fruit proceeds from a corrupt tree; and where|in doth &s;uch faith exceede that of the Devils, that beleive and trem|ble.</P>
<P>You &s;ay there is a power in every man to doe what&s;oever is com|manded, a power to choo&s;e and a power to refu&s;e; you cite that of <HI>Jo&s;huah</HI> and the like &s;criptures. <HI>Behold I have &s;et before you this day, life and death, choo&s;e you whether</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Ergo</HI> (&s;ay you) the peo|ple have power to choo&s;e and to refu&s;e.</P>
<P>You &s;ay al&s;o that upon your doing, or not doing, depends your eternall ble&s;&s;ing or everla&s;ting cur&s;ing, and yet unle&s;&s;e it be in &s;ome few things which I have fore-&s;poken in your commendation, you are the mo&s;t unfruitfull people that ever I came among&s;t, except our new up&s;tart wantons or new <HI>Notioni&s;ts</HI> (to whom I &s;hall &s;peake next.) You &s;pend the mo&s;t of your time, in &s;peaking evill of almo&s;t all other Chri&s;tians that walke not by your rules, and hold not to your errours, you back-bite and reproach them with that bitterne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit, as is more &s;uitable to the principles of Heathens than of Chri&s;tians, I will forbeare to &s;peake the one halfe of what I have beene an eye witne&s;&s;e unto of this kinde, in that little time when I
<PB N="62" REF="32">was among you. You &s;pend your time to &s;pye a Mote in your Brothers eye, but when will you pull the Beame out of your owne eyes.</P>
<P>Againe, You hold that a man may fall from Chri&s;t or Grace, you have often affirmed that a man may bee a childe of God to day, and a limbe of Satan to morrow, that he &s;tands by obedience and not by grace.</P>
<Q><L>When he doth well he is accepted.</L>
<L>When he doth ill be is rejected.</L></Q>
<P>And &s;o by your errours, our &s;alvation &s;eemeth to depend upon workes, and &s;o the free grace of God is nullified, and the obedience of Chri&s;t made of none effect; and in effect you plainly deny Chri&s;t: In a word,</P>
<P>You hold more fooli&s;h, &s;otti&s;h, un&s;ound, unwarrantable, and un|comfortable points; than any Sect; And your conver&s;ation is ju&s;t an&s;werable to your principles, &s;o joyne both together and behold their ill &s;hapen forme and fruit. 1. By them both you di&s;honour God. 2. You grieve his people. 3. You delude the world 4. You cau&s;e the way of truth to be evill &s;poken of.</P>
<P><HI>Remember therefore from whence you are fallen and repent or el&s;e the Lord will come unto you quickly, and fight again&s;t you</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>A word to the new up&s;tart Wantons that deny Gods Ordainances, or New <HI>NOTIONISTS:</HI> full of Whim&s;ies.</HEAD>
<P>MY Freinds, I have &s;pent a few dayes and made diligent &s;earch to finde &s;omething in you worthy of commendation, that &s;o I might &s;peake to you as I have to other Churches, taking notice of your Good and of your evill, but (my Friends) I cannot finde any thing among you but bla&s;phemy and here&s;ie, and tru&s;ting in lying vanities. Therefore as <HI>John</HI> &s;aid in another ca&s;e 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.3. I &s;hall &s;ay to you in this ca&s;e. <HI>That which I have &s;eene and heard declare I unto you:</HI> and what I &s;hall now charge you with, I have beene an eye and care witnes of, in conver&s;ing with you and being among you. Our Lord Chri&s;t speaking to the &s;even Churches of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> by <HI>John,</HI> di&s;covereth in each of them &s;omething worthy of commendation, but when he comes to the &s;eventh Church, the
<PB N="63" REF="32"><HI>Laodiceans,</HI> there was not &s;o much as one graine of goodne&s;&s;e to be found in her: And yet this Church looketh upon her &s;elfe as the on|ly excellent Church, tran&s;cending all the re&s;t, Rev. 3.17. <HI>I am rich and encrea&s;ed with Goods,</HI> (&s;aith &s;he) <HI>and have need of nothing, and knowe&s;t not that thou art wretched, and poore, mi&s;erable, blinde, and naked.</HI></P>
<P>Here is thy &s;tate to a haires breadth, oh thou New <HI>Notioni&s;t,</HI> thou looke&s;t upon thy &s;elfe as one gone beyond all others in high en|joyments, and that can live upon God without u&s;e of ordinances, and wor&s;hip God without formes.</P>
<P>You &s;ay the Scriptures are not the word of God.</P>
<P>Some of you have &s;aid the Scriptures will teach you to lye, and &s;teale, you &s;ay God cannot be di&s;honoured by any Action you doe.</P>
<P>And &s;ome of you have &s;aid, the rea&s;on why they will not be drunk, is, becau&s;e they would not wa&s;te their money and cau&s;e others to laugh at them, and becau&s;e it is hurtfull to their bodies, not for any di&s;honour to God.</P>
<P>You &s;ay, That the Scriptures doe not concerne you, that it is one|ly a declaration of the Admini&s;trations that others have formerly beene under and wor&s;hiped God in, you &s;ay there are one hundred and fifty lyes in it.</P>
<P>You deny the re&s;urrection and the judgement, and &s;ay that there is no &s;inne in the world, but that all actions are alike.</P>
<P>You &s;ay that the highe&s;t enjoyment and perfection that a Chri&s;tian &s;hall have, is in this life.</P>
<P>You make your owne wils your rule, and when you are car|ryed forth by them, you &s;ay you are carryed forth by the Spirit of God.</P>
<P>You &s;ay there are neither Angels nor Devils, but an admini&s;tra|tion of life, and an admi&s;tration of death, or one of light and another of darkne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>When you come together you &s;pend your time for the mo&s;t part in je&s;ting &s;tories and Carnal merryment, and if any reprove you for it, you &s;ay you are carryed forth to it.</P>
<P>You &s;peake evill of others that waite upon God in the u&s;e of means, you call them <HI>Legalli&s;ts, Formalli&s;ts</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Mo&s;t of you de&s;pi&s;e to heare any Mini&s;ter preach, though never &s;o excellent a teacher.</P>
<P>Some of you &s;ay that you can make better Bibles your &s;elves, than
<PB N="64" REF="33">that which is made already; &s;aying, this Bible is but the opinions of men. You call Prayer, and all other Ordinances, bondage.</P>
<P>You &s;ay, if one man kill another, it is God that doth it; yea, you can u&s;e deceipt in your particular Callings, and &s;ay, you do no evill.</P>
<P>You care not for the weak, how you offend them; nor for the &s;trong, if you grieve them.</P>
<P>And you above all other Sects in the world, cau&s;e the way of truth to be evill &s;poken off; mo&s;t of the offences are come by you <HI>(wee be unto you)</HI> as &s;aith the Scripture. The <HI>Presbyterians</HI> heare of your bla&s;phemies, errours, and abhominable things that you hold: and becau&s;e &s;ome of you were heretofore <HI>Independents,</HI> and &s;ome <HI>A|nabapti&s;ts;</HI> It makes the <HI>Presbyterian</HI> cry out &s;o bitterly again&s;t the <HI>Independents</HI> and <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> thinking them to be all &s;uch as you are; when I mu&s;t needs bear witnes for them both, they doe hate your principles, and practices, as they do the Devil, the father of them; In a word, you have turned with the Dog to the Vomite, and with the Sow to the wallowing in the mire.</P>
<P>Wherefore, If there by any &s;parks of grace remaining in you; If there be any con&s;olation in Chri&s;t, any comfort of love, if any fel|low&s;hip of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercies: then, oh then, <HI>re|member from whence you are faln and repent!</HI> Learne of the Prodi|gall Son, and come back again to your Father: for you have fed a long time upon husks, and your companions have been the Swine. You have back-&s;lidden from your God, return to him again: It may be he will receive you: Seek meeknes, &s;eek righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; it may be you may be hid in the day of the Lords anger. Wa&s;h you, make you clean, put away the evill of your doings; cea&s;e to doe evill, learn to doe well.</P>
<P>There is al&s;o another &s;ort of people called <HI>Millenarians,</HI> who hold that Chri&s;t &s;hall come, and Reign a thou&s;and years upon earth per&s;onally: But &s;eeing the number of the&s;e is but few, and their er|rours (for the mo&s;t part) but in circum&s;tantials, not in &s;ub&s;tantials; I &s;hall at pre&s;ent omit to &s;ay any thing to them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>A Word to another &s;ort of People, that are under none of tho&s;e Forms.</HEAD>
<P>THere are al&s;o a quarter part, if not more of the People of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> that are not under any of the afore&s;aid formes; neither
<PB N="65" REF="33"><HI>Presbyterians, Independents, Anabapti&s;ts, Free-willers,</HI> nor tho&s;e up-&s;tart men of vanitie and emptie notions la&s;t mentioned; I &s;ay, They walk not, nor keep company with any of the&s;e, but a di&s;tance.</P>
<P>And the&s;e are of two &s;orts.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is a precious, &s;weet, moderate &s;ort of men and women, looking after and enquiring into the power and glory of truth, and godline&s;&s;e, more than the forme: They clearly &s;ee all tho&s;e to whom I have &s;poken before, to be in extreams, either towards the right hand, or towards the left; and for the mo&s;t part knowing Chri&s;t af|ter the fle&s;h; yet this &s;ort not under forms, look on tho&s;e that are under forms, for many of them to be (as indeed they are) members of the &s;ame bodie, whereof Chri&s;t is the head. The&s;e men de&s;ire to know no man after the fle&s;h; they love not any man becau&s;e he is a <HI>Presbyterian;</HI> neither do they hate another, becau&s;e he is an <HI>Inde|pendent;</HI> They de&s;ire to have their moderation known unto all men, &s;eeing the Lord is at hand: As the&s;e mens hearts are tender to all, &s;o their Pur&s;es are open to all. They de&s;ire to be good, more than to be thought of others to be &s;o; and e&s;teem the power of godline&s;&s;e more than the form.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, there are another company, and the&s;e are the greate&s;t part, that are under none of the afore&s;aid forms; who look upon all the re&s;t, and count it &s;trange, that they run not with them to the &s;ame exce&s;&s;e of ryot, &s;peaking evill of them all: The greate&s;t piece of the&s;e mens Religon is, to watch for the haltings of the re&s;t. The&s;e men and women &s;pend their time, for the mo&s;t part, in gaming, drinking, back-biting, railing at all others, that will not doe as they doe. The&s;e will not joyn them&s;elves with the <HI>Presbyterians,</HI> be|cau&s;e they will not love them: They will not come among the <HI>Inde|pendents,</HI> becau&s;e there they &s;hall meet with reproof; they e&s;teem their liberty more than their Religion: therefore they keep compa|ny with tho&s;e, where they may have their liberty.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>A few Words by way of Prophe&s;ie of the downfall of</HI> Presbyte|rie, Independence, Anabapti&s;me, Antinomini&s;me, Free-Willers, Vain-Notioni&s;ts, <HI>and all other Sects now extant in</HI> England.</HEAD>
<PB N="66" REF="34">
<HEAD TYPE="sub">A word in generall to all the Saints, who are under any of the afore&s;aid Forms.</HEAD>
<P><HI>OH all you &s;ervants of the mo&s;t high and mighty God, heires of Promi&s;e, and Sons of</HI> Sion; look for great alterations, and mighty changes, &s;ee what de&s;olations God will make in the earth, and looke for nothing but the Lord to be revealed from Heaven, which will be mighty in his di&s;pen&s;ation and exceeding glorious in revelation, &s;trong and powerfull in operation. He will bring to pa&s;&s;e his determination, that is, he will <HI>de&s;troy in this Mountaine, the face of this covering ca&s;t over all people, and the vaile that is &s;pread over all Nations,</HI> I&s;a. 25.7.</P>
<P>If you aske what this <HI>vaile</HI> is, that &s;hall be taken away.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, There are many vailes whereof this is one, <HI>thy knowing of Chri&s;t and Chri&s;tians after the fle&s;h:</HI> As &s;oone as ever the Lord tooke this vaile of our deare brother <HI>Pauls</HI> eyes, &s;ee what a change it wrought immediately upon him, 2 Cor. 5.16. <HI>Henceforth know Ino man after the fle&s;h, yea though I have knowne Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h, yet henceforth know I him &s;o no more.</HI> Our looking upon men and loving them becau&s;e they are under this or that forme, is a know|ing them after the fle&s;h. <HI>Presbyterians</HI> looke upon others of the &s;ame judgement, wor&s;hiping God in the &s;ame forme, and therefore love them. But let the&s;e &s;peake never &s;o little again&s;t their forme, and pre&s;ently they ca&s;t them out of their affections. and al&s;o the <HI>Independents,</HI> they know men after the fle&s;h much after the &s;ame manner: And likewi&s;e the <HI>Anabapti&s;ts,</HI> and <HI>Free-willers,</HI> they are vailed with the &s;ame vaile. And therefore what I &s;ay to one Sect, I &s;ay to you all; you &s;hall &s;peedily receive a totall rout: You have gathered your &s;elves together, but you &s;hall be &s;eattered, yea you &s;hall be broken in peices. Lo here is Chri&s;t, (the <HI>Presbyterian</HI> &s;aith) in the publique ordinances, therefore highly e&s;teeme the pub|lique preaching, and frequent the publique a&s;&s;emblies. Then comes in the <HI>Independent,</HI> and taking a &s;trict view of the <HI>Presbyteriall</HI> Way, &s;ees many di&s;orders among&s;t them, and &s;o &s;eperates him&s;elfe from them, and joynes him&s;elfe to tho&s;e o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> his owne judgement, and &s;o meet in private, &s;aying in effect, Lo here is, Chri&s;t, Lo here is Chri&s;t: Then &s;tands up the <HI>Anabapti&s;t</HI> in oppo&s;ition to both, and &s;aith, Chri&s;t is not with you in publique, nor with the <HI>Independent</HI> in private, But Chri&s;t is with us in the <HI>bapti&s;me of John.</HI> Lo, lo, here is Chri&s;t:
<PB N="67" REF="34">Then comes in he that holds generall redemption and free-will, and &s;aith, Chri&s;t is among none of you all, for you doe eclip&s;e his free|grace, and limit his unlimited mercie, for he dyed for all, but you &s;ay it was but for &s;ome. 2. The Go&s;pel is to be preached to all, but yon &s;ay, though he preached it to all, yet he intended it only to &s;ome. 3. Whereas we hold that all &s;hould beleeve the remi&s;&s;ion of their &s;ins, you &s;ay, none can beleeve but a few that are elected. But we hold that as in the fir&s;t <HI>Adam</HI> all dyed, &s;o in the &s;econd <HI>A|dam</HI> all are made alive. So that, if any peri&s;h, let him thanke him|&s;elfe, for upon his obedience, or di&s;obedience, depends his weale or woe, and &s;o God doth neither elect one, nor reprobate another, be|fore he hath done good or evill. Lo here is Chri&s;t, here is Chri&s;t, &s;ay the <HI>Free-willers.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o all other Sects, Lo here is Chri&s;t, &s;aith one, Lo there is Chri&s;t, &s;aith another, wherefore if they &s;hall &s;ay unto you, Behold he is in the De&s;art, Goe not forth, Behold he is in the &s;ecret Chambers, Beleeve it not.</P>
<P>You all have built your outward hou&s;e of externall di&s;cipline, up|on the &s;and, and it mu&s;t fall becau&s;e it is not grounded upon the rock Chri&s;t, you have made your communion the ground of your union, and that mu&s;t fall, becau&s;e it is not the Lords but mans building</P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But how doe you know that <HI>Presbytery</HI> mu&s;t downe, and <HI>Independency, Anabapti&s;me</HI> and the re&s;t of the Sects mu&s;t downe.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I an&s;wer, Chri&s;t told the <HI>Jewes John</HI> 8.56. that <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aw his day and was glade Now if <HI>Abraham</HI> by faith did &s;ee the day of Chri&s;t, comming in the fle&s;h, many yeares before he came, why may not I and others &s;ee the day of chri&s;t comming in the Spirit to de&s;troy all fle&s;hly formes, &s;ome few yeares before it be fini&s;hed.</P>
<P>But if thou aske&s;t, How &s;hall I know that thou prophe&s;ie&s;t true concerning the downfall of all the&s;e.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer thee in this ca&s;e, as the Lord him&s;elfe an&s;wered his peo|ple in another ca&s;e, <HI>Deut.</HI> 18.21.22. If thou &s;halt &s;ay in thine heart, How &s;hall we know the word that the Lord hath &s;poken, from the word that he hath not &s;poken? The Lord there an&s;wereth, When a Prophet &s;peaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing come to pa&s;&s;e, it is from the Lord, if it come not to pa&s;&s;e, it is not from the Lord.</P>
<P>Againe, I have by faith &s;eene all the&s;e opinions fallen, and I have
<PB N="68" REF="35">heard from many others that they have &s;eene them fallen al&s;o. Therefore that which I have heard and &s;eene, declare I unto you, that you might have fellow&s;hip with the Father and the Sonne in the &s;pirit, for then, and not till then, you will give over &s;aying, as (in effect) you doe, I am of <HI>Paul,</HI> I am of <HI>Appollo,</HI> I am of <HI>Cephas:</HI> Then you will not &s;o much crye up a forme but endeavour the pow|er of godline&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Deliver thy &s;elfe, then, oh</HI> Zion, <HI>that dwelle&s;t with the daughter of</HI> Babilon, Zecha 2.7. <HI>For the Lord &s;hall &s;lay</HI> Babylon, <HI>and call his Ser|vants by a new name,</HI> I&s;a. 65.15.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>A &s;hort de&s;cription of a true Church-&s;tate, or communion of Saints that &s;hall &s;tand again&s;t al oppo&s;ers.</HEAD>
<P><HI>PAul&punc;</HI> writing to the Church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> be&s;eecheth them in the name of Chri&s;t, that they would endeavour a perfect joyning to|gether, in one minde and one judgement, and good rea&s;on he had for &s;o doing, for he well knew that all joynings what&s;oever that were imperfect, were not of God, and &s;o could not &s;tand. In oppo|&s;ition to all &s;uch imperfect unitings or un&s;ound communions, he di&s;|&s;wades this Church of Chri&s;t, from pleading or &s;tanding for patties, and from &s;aying, I am of <HI>Paul,</HI> I am of <HI>Apollos</HI> &amp;c. He doth in effect, tell them they mu&s;t cea&s;e from knowing Chri&s;t and Chri&s;tians after the fle&s;h, for that mu&s;t vani&s;h. He doth per&s;wade them not to build upon the &s;and, for that will fall. The Spirit of Chri&s;t doth exhort you to give over &s;aying, lo here is Chri&s;t, lo there is Chri&s;t, for that is un&s;ound and cannot &s;tand.</P>
<P>That communion of Saints, that &s;hall &s;tand, again&s;t which the gates of hell &s;hall not prevaile, let the winde blow, the raine de&s;cend and the floods come and beate upon it, it will not fall, for it is founded on a rocke. That communion then is this.</P>
<P>A communion that doth ari&s;e or flow from union, I &s;ay, It is a communion of Saints, ari&s;ing from a cleare apprehen&s;ion of their u|nion with Saints, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.13, 14. <HI>For by one Spirit are we all bapti&s;ed into one body, whether we be Jewes or Gentiles, bond or free.</HI> And have beene all made to drinke into one &s;pirit, for the bod<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">s not one member but many&punc; ver&s;e 20. <HI>For now are they many mem|bers, yet but one body.</HI> Now when a Saint comes to &s;ee that every one in whom the Lord Je&s;us appeareth, though in the lea&s;t mea&s;ure, is a member together with him in the &s;ame body, whereof Chri&s;t is
<PB N="69" REF="35">the head; then his heart longeth to joyne him&s;elfe in fellow&s;hip with &s;uch, who have fellow&s;hip with the father and the &s;on in &s;pirit, whether in ordinances or otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P>He con&s;iders that he and all the faithfull under the whole Heavens have all one father, all one mother, all one elder Brother, all one cal|ling, all one hope of their calling, all cloathed with the &s;ame robe, all inclined to the &s;ame worke, all united by the &s;ame &s;pirit, all ruled by the &s;ame word, and &s;o he honours them all, as the body of Chri&s;t, and nouri&s;heth and cheri&s;heth them all, as his owne body. Oh who can breake the linkes of this golden chaine? Who can throw downe this &s;pirituall building? No, no, The gates of hell cannot prevaile again&s;t it. Reade, and well con&s;ider that in the 1 Pet. 2.5. <HI>Yee al&s;o as lively &s;tones, are built up a &s;pirituall hou&s;e, an holy Prie&s;thood, to offer up &s;pirituall &s;acrifice acceptable to God by Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> &amp;c. or as it is in the margin, <HI>be you built up a &s;pirituall hou&s;e.</HI> Goe now through all the Shires and Cities of <HI>England,</HI> and enquire, nay make diligent &s;earch among all &s;orts of people, profe&s;&s;ing and pretending, to Chri&s;t, for &s;uch a Congregation, that of lively &s;tones hath built up &s;uch a &s;pirituall hou&s;e, and note that Church: It &s;hall never fall.</P>
<P>Oh where is &s;uch an a&s;&s;embly of Saints to be found, as is &s;poken of <HI>Ephes.</HI> 2.22. that are built together for an holy habitation of God through the &s;pirit. Shall I appeale now to thy very con&s;cience, and aske thee, oh thou zealous <HI>Presbyterian.</HI> Is your building which is &s;o much cried up in <HI>England,</HI> &s;uch a building?</P>
<P>Shall I appeale now to thy con&s;cience, oh thou <HI>Independent;</HI> and aske thee, Art thou built up for an habitation of God through <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">he &s;pirit? Doe&s;t thou indeed offer up a &s;pirituall &s;acrifice? Me thinks there is &s;o much truth in both the <HI>Presbyterian,</HI> and the <HI>Independent.</HI> as to an&s;wer in the negative.</P>
<P>Well then, Hence it is you love one Saint, and hate another be|cau&s;e you are not perfectly joyned together; You yet know Chri&s;t and Chri&s;tians after the fle&s;h, you have been joyned together in one forme, but not united together in one &s;pirit. But the day is dawn|ing before you, and the day &s;tar is ri&s;ing in you, at the appearance of which your communion &s;hall be in the &s;pirit as well as in the forme, and your love &s;hall be to all as well as to &s;ome, and when you are ab|&s;ent in body (as <HI>Paul</HI>) you will be pre&s;ent in &s;pirit, joying and be|holding their &s;pirituall order.</P>
<P>Now there are many rea&s;ons why the Saints ought to bee thus joyned together: Take two,</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e they are commanded to &s;tand fa&s;t in one &s;pirit, <HI>Phil.</HI> 1.
<PB N="70" REF="36">27. And how can they &s;tand fa&s;t in the Spirit if they be not joyned in the Spirit.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e that wor&s;hip wherewith they mu&s;t wor&s;hip God, mu&s;t be a &s;pirituall wor&s;hip, <HI>John</HI> 4.23.24. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.5.</P>
<P>And untill Saints are thus joyned together they are not fitly joyn|ed, according to that <HI>Ephes.</HI> 4.16.</P>
<P>Neither untill they be thus united in one &s;pirit, can they be &s;aid to have any fellow&s;hip of the Spirit, according to that <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.1.</P>
<P>Againe untill they be thus united in one &s;pirit, how can they yeeld obedience to that command Ephes. 4 3. <HI>Endeavouring to keep the unity of the &s;pirit in the bond of peace.</HI> And that they might keepe the unity of the &s;pirit in the bond of peace, &s;ee what power|full convincing arguments hee brings, <HI>Ephes.</HI> 4.4, 5, 6. <HI>There is one body,</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>and one &s;pirit, even as yee are called in one hope of your calling: One Lord, one Faith, one Bapti&s;me: One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.</HI> Mark then (I be&s;eech you) the Lord by <HI>Paul</HI> doth here lay downe. 1. The uni|on thou ha&s;t with him, 2. The union thou ha&s;t with his people, and from both the&s;e, as from the ground, he puts his people upon a &s;weet communion and fellow&s;hip both with him&s;elfe and his peo|ple. Upon this rocke hath Chri&s;t built his Church, and the gates of hell &s;hall not prevaile again&s;t a Church thus &s;tated. But I have beene in communion with all &s;orts of Profe&s;&s;ors now extant in <HI>England,</HI> and waded out of one forme into another, and at the la&s;t I have clear|ly found that much of their building, hath beene upon &s;andy founda|tions, I &s;hall then &s;hut up all with one word of advice to all.</P>
<P>Oh ye &s;ons of <HI>Sion!</HI> Behold your union with God, con&s;ider al&s;o that yee are one, not with &s;ome (onely) but with all the Saints under what&s;oever forme they be. Wherefore love them all, pitty them all, doe good to them all, and as you are united in one &s;pirit, &s;o let the the word and &s;pirit be your rule. When you have gathered your &s;elves together according to the order of the Go&s;pell, choo&s;e to your &s;elves Pa&s;tors, and Teachers, Elders, and Deacons, make u&s;e of all Gods ordinances but re&s;t upon none, looke upon them all but as Pipes and Organs through which he conveyes him&s;elfe to the &s;oule <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Que&s;t.</HI> But me thinkes I heare &s;ome &s;ay, What religion, or (at lea&s;t) opinion is he him&s;elfe off, that hath written this Treati&s;e? He can be no <HI>Presbyterian,</HI> for he writes again&s;t them: He is no <HI>In|dependent,</HI> for he reproves them: No <HI>Anabapti&s;t,</HI> for he di&s;likes
<PB N="71" REF="36">them: No <HI>Free-willer,</HI> for he writes directly again&s;t them: What then is he?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I an&s;wer, I am a Chri&s;tian.</P>
<P>You will &s;ay, So are all the people of <HI>England,</HI> Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>But that I deny, For though there are many Chri&s;tians of mans making, yet there are few, yea very few of Gods making.</P>
<P>But you will &s;ay, What are they then, if not Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, There are many Heathens, and Turkes, Jews, and Infidels many Canaanites, and Amorites, Perrizzites <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But I am a Chri&s;tian, This name was given fir&s;t to the di&s;ciples in <HI>Antioch,</HI> I beleeve in one God, Father of all, and in one Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t redeemer of all, and in one &s;anctifying Spirit of Grace; I beleeve that it is the office of the Father to elect, the office of the Sonne to redeeme, and the office of the Holy Gho&s;t to Sanctifie tho&s;e and onely tho&s;e, whom the Father hath elected, and the Sonne re|deemed, And I doe beleeve my owne intere&s;t in all the&s;e, without which the knowledge of it is nothing; the Father loves me freely, the Son manife&s;ts that love to me, and the Spirit doth evidence it in me: The Father loveth me, as redeemed by his Sonne; The Son lookes upon me, and loves me, as being given by the Father, for him too redeeme; And the Holy Gho&s;t &s;eeing the love of the Father in choo&s;ing me, and the love of the Sonne in redeeming me, he al&s;o &s;ets his love upon me, and manife&s;ts this unto me, which is the earne&s;t of my inheritance. I beleeve that God hath his being in him&s;elfe, and gives being to all other creatures, and the cau&s;e, why he made mee, was for his owne glory, and the end, why he elected me in Chri&s;t, was that I &s;hould bring forth fruit to him, I know I am not my own I am bought with a price, wherfore I de&s;ire to glorifie God with my body and my &s;oule, which are the Lords. I endeavour, as to love God, &s;o al&s;o to love his people, not &s;ome but all, and to love my enemies, de&s;iring to become all things to all that I might in my place gaine <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word">&punc; I doe bel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ve that I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> to give no ju&s;t offence to the <HI>Jew,</HI> nor the <HI>Gentile,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> the Church of Chri&s;t, wherfore as much as in me lieth, I endeavour to keepe a con&s;cience voide of offence both towards God, and towards man. I love all, and yet I de&s;ire to with|draw my &s;elfe from every brother that walketh di&s;orderly.</P>
<P>I doe beleive that I am a Servant of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>I doe beleeve I am a Friend of Chri&s;t, <HI>John</HI> 15.15.</P>
<P>I doe beleeve that I am a Brother of the Lord Chri&s;t, <HI>Heb</HI> 2.11.</P>
<P>I doe beleeve that I am in as neare relation to Chri&s;t, as the wife is to the husband, <HI>Rev.</HI> 1.9.</P>
<P><PB N="72" REF="37">I doe beleeve that I am a Member of his owne body, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. ver&s;e 12.</P>
<P>I do beleeve that I am a Joynt-heire with Chri&s;t, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.17.</P>
<P>I doe beleeve that I am joyned to the Lord, and &s;o one Spirit with him, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.17.</P>
<P>I doe beleeve that the Lord takes all the evill done to me, as done to him&s;elf, <HI>Zac.</HI> 2.8. <HI>Mat.</HI> 25.45.</P>
<P>I doe beleeve that I have everla&s;ting life already, according to that <HI>John</HI> 3.36.</P>
<P N="1">1. In the promi&s;e, <HI>feare not little flocke, it is your fathers plea&s;ure to give you a kingdome.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. In the fir&s;t fruites, for what is heaven hereafter but a more full enjoyment of what is begun here.</P>
<P N="3">3. I have everla&s;ting life already in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion by my head Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>I doe beleeve that all this is but a ta&s;te of what I &s;hall be, accor|ding to that 1 John 3.1, 2. <HI>Now are yee the &s;ons of God, and it doth not yet appeare what you &s;hall be. But when he &s;hall appeare yee &s;hall be like him.</HI> The &s;erious con&s;ideration of which, (I doubt not) will draw up my conver&s;ation more and more to be in heaven, even whil'&s;t I remaine here on earth.</P>
<P>I doe beelve that my &s;innes by Chri&s;t are taken out of the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P>I doe beleeve that the de&s;igne of Chri&s;t was to take it away out of my Con&s;cience, that there might be no more con&s;cience of &s;inne, <HI>Heb.</HI> 9.14.</P>
<P>I doe beleeve that as Chri&s;t hath taken away &s;inne out of the &s;ight of God, and out of my owne Con&s;cience, &s;o in due time, he will take away &s;in out of my conver&s;ation, according to that &s;cripture 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.15. and <HI>Luke</HI> 1.75.</P>
<P>In a word, I doe beleeve, my &s;innes pa&s;t, pre&s;ent, and to come, are all laid upon and done away by Chri&s;t, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 53.6.</P>
<P>I doe beleve that as there was no good fore-&s;eene in me, that did cau&s;e the Lord to &s;et his love upon me, &s;o there is no evill that can be done by me, that can cau&s;e him to hate me.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="73" REF="37">
<HEAD>A Word to the Parliament the Repre&s;entative body of the <HI>Kingdome.</HI></HEAD>
<P>I Cannot put a period to this little Volume, without one word to you, who are Members of the High Court of Parliament. Ho|noured Worthies, you have begun well, go on that we may finde in <HI>England</HI> that that was &s;o earne&s;tly &s;ought for in <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> Jer 5.1, <HI>Men executing judgement, and &s;peaking the truth:</HI> And then why may we not expect to be partakers of the mercy there promi&s;ed; a pardoning of the &s;in, and a healing of the Land. Eye the Lord Je&s;us in all your actings, and advance his Kingdome, as much as in you lyeth: honour him and hee will honour you, and endeavour with <HI>David</HI> to deliver his Lambs out of the Lyons mouths, for they are tender in your Fathers eyes, let them be &s;o in yours: Your un|daunted courage in not fearing the faces of men, and your executing of ju&s;tice upon all offenders, without re&s;pect of Per&s;ons or partiality: as it is very acceptable in the &s;ight of God, &s;o the &s;ound of it is ve|ry &s;weet in the ears of his People. And as the Saints in <HI>England</HI> have put up many Petitions at the Throne of Grace, that God would give you undaunted Spirits; and having by experience found God an&s;wering their reque&s;t by your late actings, as touching the King and Lords; they are now turning their Prayers into Prai&s;es, to the Almighty for an&s;wering their Prayers in a&s;&s;i&s;ting you. And the more difficulty you found in the work, the more God will honour you for the &s;ame.</P>
<P>But Right Honourable Worthies, What &s;hould be the cau&s;e that the people of <HI>England</HI> whom you doe repre&s;ent; yea, they that have cho&s;en you, and have ever &s;ince with their Lives and E&s;tates a&s;&s;i&s;ted you: What is the rea&s;on, that they all with one voice &s;ince the death of our late King are &s;aying to you, as once the children of <HI>I&s;|rael</HI> to <HI>Rehoboam</HI> after the death of their King, 1 <HI>King.</HI> 12.4. <HI>Ea&s;e us of our heavy burthens, take away our taxations &s;o heavy:</HI> and you have an&s;wered the people as <HI>Rehoboam</HI> did, if not in your words, yet in your deeds: &s;aying, <HI>My little finger &s;hall be heavier than my Fathers loins,</HI> and whereas you had a heavy yoak before, I will make it heavier: and whereas my Father cha&s;tized you with whipps, I will cha&s;ti&s;e you with Scorpions.</P>
<PB N="72" REF="38">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="73" REF="38">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<P><PB N="74" REF="39">If you &s;ay, this is none of our an&s;wer, or practice; Let me aske you, What means the Exci&s;e, the doubled contribution, and Free-quarter, and many other grievous taxations and a&s;&s;e&s;&s;ements: And when we con&s;ider the time in which you encrea&s;e and continue the&s;e devouring Caterpillars, it doth aggravate your evill, as well as our &s;ence of the mi&s;ery; as to in&s;tance.</P>
<P N="1">1. In a time when our trading at Sea is &s;poyled, and our Shipps daily lo&s;t and taken.</P>
<P N="2">2. In which our trading by Land is almo&s;t utterly decayed.</P>
<P N="3">3. In which all &s;orts of provi&s;ions for the nouri&s;hment of our almo&s;t fami&s;hed bodies is ri&s;en almo&s;t to a double price.</P>
<P N="4">4. Though what little Money and Pla<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e we had, we lent before upon the Publike Faith; which proves a dead Faith, or at be&s;t, but a hi&s;toricall Faith: For notwith&s;tanding all Promi&s;es, wee receive none of it back again.</P>
<P N="5">5. In a time, in which many People are but, as it were newly re|turned to their Homes, after bani&s;hment for a long time from their habitations and e&s;tates, left to the cruell mercies of the adver&s;ary.</P>
<P N="6">6. In which many thou&s;ands have had their Hou&s;es burnt to a&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">s, and cry for help to their neighbours that have e&s;caped that calamity.</P>
<P N="7">7. And la&s;tly, Which adds to our mi&s;ery more than all the re&s;t; In a time, when we expect a full deliverance; having by the a&s;&s;i|&s;tance of the Almighty power, gotten the victory over all our ene|mies: &s;o that we may yet lament in the words of <HI>Jeremiah; Wee looked for Peace, and there is no good: and for times of Peace, and behold trouble.</HI></P>
<P>God hath put into your hands a power, if you have but hearts to make u&s;e of it, to take off the&s;e heavy burthens, wherewith your friends are laden.</P>
<P>Are not the Crown Lands in your hands, and all the trea&s;ures thereunto belonging: Are not al&s;o the Bi&s;hops Lands in your hands.</P>
<P>Are not all the Cu&s;tomes in <HI>England</HI> in your hands, which a|mount &s;o high.</P>
<P>And al&s;o Delinquents Fines and Compo&s;itions.</P>
<P>And yet mu&s;t we have Exci&s;e remaine? and Contribution doub|led? Is this the reward that we &s;hall have for all our Obedience to you? Oh con&s;ider, con&s;ider! To reward us evill for all our good, it is not &s;ound; and to make your friends your foes, it is not &s;afe: Shall I acquaint you with what I know, and that upon &s;ound ground.
<PB N="75" REF="39">If the King had gotten the day, and all into his hands, as you have: would not he have freed tho&s;e that a&s;&s;i&s;ted him? And have main|tained his Armie upon the co&s;t of tho&s;e that did oppo&s;e him? did not his practi&s;e begin to te&s;tifie the truth of this? So tender was he of tho&s;e that a&s;&s;i&s;ted him in his extremity.</P>
<P>And will not you that profe&s;&s;e your &s;elves to be the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t, and favourers of his people; doe as much for Chri&s;t, as hee for Antichri&s;t? Oh then! Oh then! let the co&s;t light upon tho&s;e that were the cau&s;e; and they that forced you to rai&s;e an Army, let their e&s;tates pay the Army.</P>
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