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<DATE>2012-02-25</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="order">
<PB REF="1">
<HEAD><HI>Die Mercurij,</HI> 30 Novemb: 1642.</HEAD>
<P>IT is this Day Ordered by the Commons now A&s;&s;embled in Parliament, that M. <HI>&V;ines</HI> &s;hall be de&s;ired from this Hou&s;e, to print the Sermon hee preached before this Hou&s;e at S^t. <HI>Margarets</HI> We&s;tmin|&s;ter this Day at the publike Fa&s;t; And it is further Ordered, that he &s;hall have the u&s;uall privledges as others formerly have had, that none &s;hall Print or reprint his Ser|mon, but tho&s;e whom he &s;hall ap|point.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Hen: El&s;yng,</HI> Cler. Parl. D. Com.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="appointment">
<P>I Appoint <HI>Abel Roper</HI> to Print this Sermon.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Richard &V;ines.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>CALEBS INTEGRITY In following the LORD fully, IN A Sermon Preached at S^t. <HI>Mar|garets We&s;tminster,</HI> Before the Honourable Hou&s;e of COMMONS, at their late &s;olemne and publick Fa&s;t, <HI>Novemb:</HI> 30^t^h. 1642.</P>
<P>By RICHARD VINES, M^r. of Arts of <HI>Magd.</HI> Colledge in <HI>Camb:</HI> and Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell at WEDDINGTON in the County of WARR&punc;</P>
<Q><HI>Et facere, &amp; pati fortia, Chri&s;tianum e&s;t.</HI></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>G. M.</HI> for <HI>Abel Roper,</HI> at the Signe of of the Sun again&s;t St. <HI>Dun&s;tans</HI> Church in <HI>Fleete-streete.</HI> M. DC. XLII.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<P>HONOR ATISSIMO, GRAVISSIMOQVE SENATVI PARL. DOM. COM. HANC SUAM QUA|LEMCUNQUE CONCIO|NEM HABITAM APVD EVNDEM,</P>
<P>IN ECCLESIA SAN|CTAE <HI>MARGARETAE,</HI> APVD <HI>WESTMONASTERIVM,</HI> SOLEN|NI, MENSTRUORUM JE|JUNIORUM, DIE, <HI>NO|VEMB.</HI> ULTIMO, ANNO 1642. EX OMNIBVS, QUI SACRIS OPE|RANTUR, IN AGRO <HI>WARWICENSI,</HI> MINIMUS.</P>
<P>D. D. D.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>RICHARDVS VINES.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="3">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD><HI>CALEBS</HI> INTEGRITY In following the LORD fully. <HI>OR</HI> The Patterne of a godly Man, going upon a dangerous &s;ervice, or at a de&s;perate point.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL><HI>NUMBERS XIV-XXIV.</HI></BIBL>
<Q>But my &s;ervant <HI>Caleb</HI> becau&s;e he had another Spi|rit with him, (or in him) and hath followed me fully, (<HI>Hebr.</HI> hath fulfilled after me) him will I bring into the Land whereinto he went, and his &s;eed &s;hall po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e it.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THE Hi&s;tory whereof this Text <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 2. &amp; 9. &amp; 11. &amp; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> is part; is a narrative of one of the murmurings of the I&s;|raelites, which famous &s;inne of theirs is expre&s;t in &s;ome va|riety of &s;tile, being el&s;ewhere called Temptation of God, or <GAP DESC="foreign"> provocation, or imbittering of God, and &s;ometime rebellion, which is a &s;inne incident to a people that are under promife, or in expectation of good from God, and yet withall, &s;o incountred
<PB N="2" REF="4"> with temptations and ob&s;tructions of their hopes, wave after wave, that they cannot unto them&s;elves by faith reconcile the promi&s;e, or tenderne&s;&s;e of God with his pre&s;ent providence and di&s;pen&s;ation towards them, his foot-&s;teps being cloudy, and his hand heavy: whereupon their &s;pirits are even by his probationary &s;courges imbittered again&s;t him, as if he neither regarded his own truth, nor their &s;ufferings. And God againe is imbittered again&s;t them for their unbeliefe in him, their jea|lou&s;ie of him, their di&s;contents, thought or vented again&s;t him; for God would not have the people of his Covenant, becau&s;e they are in &s;traits, to que|&s;tion his re&s;pect to them; no, though they be be|tweene <HI>Pharaoh</HI> and the Sea, at point of peri&s;hing: But if his pre&s;ent hand make them cry, <HI>Alas for the day is great, It is even the time of</HI> Jacobs <HI>trouble</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r. 30. 7.</NOTE> (and who will not &s;hrinke at the fir&s;t putting his feete into cold water) yet to over-beleeve &s;ence, and adde withall, <HI>but he &s;hall be &s;aved out of it.</HI> This murmuring was the Tenth, the greate&s;t, and of the heavie&s;t con&s;equence.</P>
<P>The Tenth, &s;o God him&s;elfe numbers it, who, as he keepes a Booke of every mans particular &s;ins (as the phra&s;e of blotting out imports) and where|of every mans con&s;cience is a counter part, &s;o it appeares hence that he keepes an exact account of our Nationall rebellions and provocations, <HI>Ver. 22. They have tempted me now the&s;e ten times.</HI></P>
<P>The greate&s;t, for be&s;ides that it is after nine, and the repetition of a &s;inne makes the latter <HI>eo nomine</HI> the greater, (<HI>Ezra 9. 14. Should we againe breake thy Commandements</HI>) I &s;ay, <HI>ab&s;&abque; ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> their other
<PB N="3" REF="4"> murmurings aro&s;e upon their want of fle&s;h, bread, water, or &s;ome di&s;likes of &s;ome particular occonomy of God over them: This &s;trikes at the roote, at <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 12&punc; 16. Deut. 1. 20.</NOTE> the throate of all, for now being in <HI>Paran,</HI> or at the Mountaine of the <HI>Amorites,</HI> in the very borders of the Land of their re&s;t, ready to put in their &s;ickle to reape the promi&s;e made to <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;o many hundred yeares before. They &s;o undervalue and di&s;honour Gods re&s;t made over by deede of pro|mi&s;e unto them long agone, and now ready to be given by livery and &s;ei&s;in into their hand, that they prefer a &s;lavi&s;h life, nay a grave in <HI>Egypt,</HI> before &s;uch an adventure, <HI>would God that we had died in Egypt,</HI> Ver. 2. <HI>Or would God wee had dyed in the wilderne&s;se,</HI> any grave would &s;erve their indigna|tion, rather then they would put on for this inheri|tance; and haply they thought (as we &s;ometimes doe in like ca&s;e) that this Land being in promi&s;e, it &s;hould have dropt into their mouthes, even with|out their opening them, and not have beene a Land of conque&s;t as well as promi&s;e; for &s;o we fancy, that promi&s;es mu&s;t fulfill them&s;elves, even though we be not in capacity of them, or contribute not to &s;erve Gods command or providence in the way of rea|ping them.</P>
<P>And what was the con&s;equence? God was pro|voked, and in his wrath &s;wore an oath exclu&s;ive of this people, led them off the borders of the Land a 40. years march in the wilderne&s;&s;e, untill all the mutineers (all above twenty yeares old at their go|ing forth of <HI>Egipt</HI>) fell therein. Upon which ac|count, not a man of that great people (except <HI>Caleb</HI> and <HI>Io&s;huah</HI>) of much above 60. yeares of age came into <HI>Canaan.</HI></P>
<PB N="4" REF="5">
<P>Now if the&s;e things be our en&s;amples, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10. 6.</NOTE> then it is but laying the &s;cene among our &s;elves, and the re&s;ult of it will be this; That if after all our other Nationall provocations of God, for which wee have long de&s;erved, that the hand &s;hould write upon the wall, <HI>that God hath numbred our Kingdome and fini&s;ht it.</HI> We &s;hould be brought to the borders of that long prayed for re&s;t from our yoakes and burdens in Church and State, and then prove, as I may &s;o &s;ay, run-awayes from <HI>Edge</HI> Hil, and &s;tumble at the thre&s;hold, de&s;pi&s;ing the offer, cancel|ling our former prayers, &s;candalizing our &s;elves, &s;ay|ing, <HI>The time is not come, the time the Lords hou&s;e &s;hould</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hag. 1. 2.</NOTE> <HI>be built,</HI> and &s;o wi&s;h for Captaines that we may re|turne into <HI>Egipt,</HI> as this people, <HI>Ver&s;.</HI> 4. Might wee not feare &s;uch another oath of God again&s;t us, and &s;uch another pilgrimage of our &s;elves in the wilder|ne&s;&s;e of our own mi&s;ery, untill our carca&s;&s;es were all fallen as theirs.</P>
<P>The occa&s;ion of this mutiny was, Twelve Princes or heads of the Tribes, were &s;ent out to di&s;cover the Land, they went, returned, and reported, but the&s;e Twelve were not all agreed of their verdict, they were ten to two; The ten &s;poke their carnall feares, nothing but walled Townes, warlike people, &s;ons of <HI>Anak.</HI> the Land indeed is good, but like the garden of the <HI>He&s;perides,</HI> Dragons keepe it; not a word or &s;illable of Gods covenant, promi&s;e, or pre&s;ence, to counter-ballance or make re|batement. The people are drawn after them and imbittered, they cry out that God hath betraid their lives, Wives, Children to manife&s;t ruine, and to <HI>Egipt</HI> they will backe againe.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="5">
<P>The two, <HI>Caleb</HI> and <HI>Io&s;hua,</HI> countervoted the ten, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 30. 30, 31.</NOTE> and prote&s;ted. We are not able &s;ay the ten, we are well able &s;aith <HI>Caleb;</HI> they are &s;tronger then we &s;ay the ten, they are bread for us &s;ay the two; wee are <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cum Cap. 30, 31, 32, 33. Cum. Cap. 14, 8, 9.</NOTE> Pi&s;mires and Gra&s;hoppers to them &s;ay the ten; the Lord is with us, feare them not &s;ay the two; they are fenced in with walles, and giants &s;ay the ten; their &s;hadow is departed from them &s;ay the two; This was the conte&s;tation, but the Noes carried it, and though <HI>Caleb</HI> and his fellow plyed the people with Gods pre&s;ence, power and promi&s;e, and with the experience they had had of him, yet they got no heate into them, but the heate of in&s;olency and rage, <HI>All the Congregation bad &s;tone them with stones,</HI> Ver&s;. 10. Spirituall arguments to a carnall heart, are but warme clothes to a dead man; when men have once a prejudice again&s;t God, as if he would be fal&s;e to them, and thinke their faith in his promi&s;es will be but a &s;nare to ingage them into wayes de&s;tructive of them&s;elves, then it's no oyling of a wheele &s;o skotcht: for it is a &s;ure rule, he that hath no faith to make u&s;e of God, would by no meanes have need of him. When this people &s;aw the great worke which God had done upon <HI>Egipt,</HI> then they beleeve; the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 4 31.</NOTE> faith of a carnall heart is laid up in pre&s;ent &s;ence or evidence of Gods hand; but while the <HI>Anakims</HI> are alive, God is no body to them; a hard heart will not bring up former experiments of God, to charge new dangers in the face, for though &s;aith <HI>Mo|&s;es,</HI> you have &s;eene &s;o much of God already, <HI>yet in this thing yee did not beleeve the Lord your God.</HI> On the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 1. 31, 32.</NOTE> contrary, <HI>Caleb</HI> values God alone again&s;t all that can be &s;aid, and makes the Giants but Pi&s;mires to his
<PB N="6" REF="6"> faith, by &s;etting God by them, of &s;uch down-weight is God, to a &s;pirit of faith, in that very thing wherein to an unbeleever he doth not &s;o much as &s;tirre, much le&s;&s;e turne the beame.</P>
<P>So much for the &s;urvey of the Suburbs of the Text, whereby you already doe perceive, that here is &s;omething that is proper to the Meridian of our owne ca&s;e.</P>
<P>And now I am at the words, which are an excep|tion of <HI>Caleb</HI> out of the number of them, whom God by oath peremptorily excluded the Land of promi&s;e for their Rebellion, and therein we have,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Gods te&s;timony of him.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Gods promi&s;e to him.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<ITEM><LIST>
<LABEL>1. Gods te&s;timo|ny of him.</LABEL>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM>1. He hath fulfilled after me.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. He had another &s;pirit with him.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Gods promi&s;e to him. <HI>Him will bring,</HI> &amp;c. and therein,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. The a&s;&s;ignement of <HI>Calebs</HI> plot, the Land hee &s;earched, or that part of it into which he went.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The ground of that promi&s;e; becau&s;e <HI>he had a|nother &s;pirit, and hath</HI> &amp;c.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The entaile of the promi&s;e, or the inheritance upon his &s;eed. <HI>His &s;eed &s;hall po&s;se&s;&s;e it.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>I begin with Gods te&s;timony of this &s;ervant of his, <HI>He hath fulfilled after me,</HI> which after this time you may ob&s;erve to be &s;et as a marke of honour upon <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 1. 36 Io&s;. 14 &amp; 6. <HI>&amp; alibi.</HI></NOTE> this man: in&s;omuch as when his name is named, this character &s;irnames him, <HI>Hee that followed mee fully;</HI> in like manner, as that brand &s;tickes upon the name of <HI>Ieroboam, Hee that made</HI> I&s;rael <HI>to &s;inne.</HI></P>
<PB N="7" REF="6">
<P>I li&s;t not to vex the words. The Hebrew being <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>he hath fullfilled after me,</HI> an&s;wered with <GAP DESC="foreign">; in the new Te&s;tament, <GAP DESC="foreign">, 2 <HI>Cor. 10. 6. when your obedience is ful|filled:</HI> but I will not &s;tand to tub that eare, which will yeeld me no more corne then the Tran&s;lation hath beaten out. <HI>He hath followed me fally;</HI> as if the Lord had &s;aid, he hath &s;tuck clo&s;e to me, and improved the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e under his hand, how&s;oever &s;ucce&s;le&s;ly as to the people, yet dangerou&s;ly as to him&s;elfe for my &s;ake, and managed it to the be&s;t ad|vantage of my honour, by valuing me, my promi&s;e, pre&s;ence, power, again&s;t all Objections made by humane wi&s;edome; or Ob&s;tructions laid by humane power.</P>
<P>Let us now &s;ee what the Text holds forth unto us, and that honey is be&s;t, which runnes freely from the combe; we mu&s;t not commit rape or extortion up|on the word of God, a &s;inne too frequent in our times, by &s;uch as are mo&s;t zealous for their party, for how many doe <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>cauponari verbum Dei,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;peakes, da&s;hing and mixing as Huck&s;ters doe their wares, adulterating the pure word with their owne crude fancies, and &s;o uttering and venting it abroad into the world, to the great &s;candall of Scripture it &s;elf, godline&s;&s;e, learning and ingenuity.</P>
<P>The Ob&s;ervations that offer them&s;elves willingly are the&s;e.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That God makes great reckoning of, and gives &s;peciall testimony unto &s;uch his &s;ervants who fulfill after him. <HI>My &s;ervant</HI> Caleb <HI>hath fullfilled after me.</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="8" REF="7">
<ITEM>2. To fulfill after the Lord, proceeds from another &s;pirit than the unbeleeving <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> are acted with|all. <HI>He had another &s;pirit with him.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Such &s;hall not loo&s;e by the hand, who out of a right &s;pirit doc follow the Lordfully. <HI>Becau&s;e he had,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>him will I bring into the Land,</HI> &amp;c.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>For the fir&s;t, it is not <HI>Calebs</HI> commendation onely, but every mans duty al&s;o, who beares this &s;tile, <HI>My Servant.</HI> You heare that <HI>Solomon</HI> who out of com|plyance with his wives, tooke in al&s;o, as I may &s;ay, Concubines to Gods Temple, is therefore char|ged, 1 <HI>King. 11. 6. Not to have fulfilled after the Lord;</HI> and <HI>Iehu</HI> who out of compliance with that pollicy which proved fatall to that Kingdome, not ca&s;ting out that <HI>Ieroboamiticall</HI> Idolatry in being, is likewi&s;e charged, 2 <HI>King. 10. 31. Not to have ob|&s;erved to walke in the Law of the Lord with all h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters"> heart:</HI> both of them are taken as defective in this duty, he that tooke in more, and he that ca&s;t out le&s;&s;e then might an&s;wer the levell of Gods order of wor&s;hip, and judge the &s;ame in other ca&s;es. For it is plaine by our Saviour his frequent and in&s;tant im|portunity, that his people mu&s;t deny, loo&s;e, &s;ell, for&s;ake, hate all, not onely all &s;inne, but all deare&s;t things of this life, which are lawfull, nece&s;&s;ary, and (out of the ca&s;e of impediment of our following of Chri&s;t, and their competition with him) wor|thy to be &s;ought or enjoyed, which can im|port no le&s;&s;e then this duty of <HI>fulfilling after the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Nor are the&s;e meerly Evangelicall coun&s;els to &s;ome perfect men, but obligatory of all Chri&s;tians, otherwi&s;e that weight could not be laid on, which
<PB N="9" REF="7"> is, <HI>Who&s;oever doth not this cannot be my Di&s;ciple,</HI> And indeed, as the Philo&s;opher &s;aith of privation, that it is one of the principles of naturall generation; &s;o is &s;elf-denyall and the whole &s;ale of all for Chri&s;t, it is the fir&s;t le&s;&s;on, how&s;oever it be la&s;t that is well learned, being the onely <HI>removens prohibens,</HI> that which removes all impediments of our fulfilling af|ter Chri&s;t. And as the times of Chri&s;t, oppo&s;ite to the in&s;titution of the Go&s;pell did require the incul|cation of this Point, &s;o ours, oppo&s;ite to the re&s;titu|tion of Gods wor&s;hip to it's native &s;implicity, doe be&s;peake the &s;ame, being &s;uch, <HI>In quibus animum firmare oportet constantibus exemplis,</HI> as he in <HI>Ta|citus.</HI></P>
<P>For the opening of this Point, we &s;hall con|sider,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. What ground-worke is requi&s;ite to be laid in a man, that he may fulfill after the Lord.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. What it is to fulfill after him.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Why we &s;hould fulfill after him.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>For the fir&s;t of the three, I &s;hall acquit it in foure things, of which the &s;econd will ri&s;e out of the fir&s;t, the third out of the &s;econd, the fourth out of the third.</P>
<P>1. The fir&s;t and indeed the root of all the re&s;t, is this, that there be in a man a principle of &s;aving faith, clo&s;ing with Chri&s;t to &s;ecure the pre&s;ent and finall e&s;tate of the &s;oule, or the ground-worke of &s;ound Regeneration and conver&s;ion to God; there may be many workings or gifts of the Spirit of God in and unto men, in whom there is not a &s;pirit uni|ting to Chri&s;t, and there is a dogmaticall faith of holding the truth in opinion and a&s;&s;ent which is
<PB N="10" REF="8"> not ju&s;tifying of the per&s;on by reception of Chri&s;t; now there mu&s;t be &s;uch a &s;pirit, and &s;uch a faith as may carry the &s;oule out of it &s;elfe for &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, and above it &s;elfe in operation and working, &s;o that God may be <GAP DESC="foreign">, from whom and unto whom the &s;oule doth act, and then it will follow, that he that hath ca&s;t his &s;oule on Chri&s;t by faith, &s;ecuring the maine e&s;tate thereof, &s;hall the more ea|&s;ily ca&s;t away his life, e&s;tate, &amp;c. in a particular cau&s;e for him. He that through all the pangs and &s;truglings of the new-birth, di&s;couragements at the weight and height of his &s;innes, oppo&s;itions of rea&s;onings, delu&s;ions and flatteries of &s;elf-righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, violence of hell it &s;elfe, hath &s;hot the maine gulfe and hath landed in Chri&s;t, &s;hall with more facility lay a&s;ide his le&s;&s;er, his outward intere&s;ts for him: for it is a terrible thing for the &s;toute&s;t heart a|live to looke &s;uch a danger in the face, as for ought he knowes may at one blow kill him and damne him, or in a moment, &s;end him both to his grave and hell, it makes a man follow the Lord fully, when he obeyes the Commandement by the &s;ame faith, whereby he receives the &s;aving promi&s;e, and offers up <HI>I&s;aac</HI> by the &s;ame faith, whereby hee got him; that is, to obey and &s;uffer by a ju&s;tifying faith, as they, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11. who&s;e acts there expre&s;&s;ed, were not mo&s;t of them ju&s;tifying acts, yet done by a &s;a|ving and ju&s;tifying faith, for &s;o it is the &s;ame hand which &s;huts and clo&s;es upon the gift and opens it &s;elf to work. And yet I mu&s;t needs preoccupate an Ob|jection, and grant that <HI>Abraham</HI> who beleeved the maine promi&s;e without &s;taggering, &s;hewed &s;ome trepidation, when he conceived him&s;elfe in danger
<PB N="11" REF="8"> of his life, <HI>They will kill me,</HI> &s;aith he; but that is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gon. 12. 12.</NOTE> but the encountring of &s;ence with faith, which &s;ence fights &s;ore again&s;t faith, when it is upon it's owne dung-hill, I meane in a &s;en&s;ible danger, natures re|traction of it&s;elfe from a vi&s;ible feare may cau&s;ethe pul&s;e of a Chri&s;tian which beats truely and &s;trongly in the maine point, <HI>the &s;tate of the &s;oule,</HI> to intermit and faulter at &s;uch a time; but the needle will re|turne to the true point againe upon &s;elf-recollection, <HI>That godline&s;se hath the Promi&s;es that belong to this life and the life to come:</HI> as for &s;uch men who&s;e hearts are not balla&s;t with grace; no marvell if they ride uncertainly and are up and downe in rough wa|ter, for though in faire and ea&s;ie weather they may keepe tune and time, yet it will be no wonder if they ring their bels backward whenthings begin to bee on fire, <HI>Religio religat,</HI> Godline&s;&s;e bindes fa&s;t.</P>
<P>2. The &s;econd is, That a man affect God him|&s;elfe, and account him his great reward, and this is the immediate effect of &s;aving grace and faith, to bring the &s;oule into the e&s;teeme and acceptance of God him&s;elfe for our <GAP DESC="foreign">, or chiefe&s;t good; it is true tho&s;e Promi&s;es, <HI>I will call for the corne and increa&s;e it, and will multiply the fruit of the Tree and of the Field,</HI> are ble&s;&s;ings and benefits of his Covenant, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36. 29. And <HI>ble&s;&s;ed are the people that are in &s;uch a ca&s;e,</HI> P&s;al. 144. 15. but the maine Promi&s;e of the Covenant is, <HI>I will be their God and they &s;hall be my people;</HI> and then &s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>Ibid. Yea ble&s;&s;ed are the people who&s;e God is the Lord:</HI> That which we call <HI>amor amicitie</HI> or <HI>conjugalis</HI> clo|&s;es with the per&s;on, and not onely with benefits.
<PB N="12" REF="9"> The fir&s;t Commandement &s;hewes that this is the mo&s;t naturall order; fir&s;t, to have God for our God, and then and thence to performe other duties. Ser|vility when one is awed from &s;inne, or driven to duties by the whip, and mercenarines when one is drawne by meere benefit or reward, are the bane of following the Lord fully: He that parts with &s;inne as a &s;lave, parts with it and loves it, and will in the calme gather up againe that which hee ca&s;t over|board in the &s;torme; and hee will performe duties and hate them: He that followes God as a merce|nary will no longer <HI>uti Deo,</HI> then he can <HI>frui mund<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> He will u&s;e him while he can &s;erve him&s;elfe of him. Duties and &s;ufferings are irke&s;ome things without that <HI>&s;uave condimentum,</HI> the love of God him&s;elfe. I know the opinion of merit with God or men, &s;wee|tens &s;harpe duties and &s;ufferings to &s;ome palats, but that is but <HI>dulce venenum,</HI> a &s;weet poy&s;on to all wee doe, it fru&s;trates our very Fa&s;ts, <HI>Did yee at all Fa&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 7. 5</NOTE> <HI>unto me, even unto me?</HI> Was it not an argument of an excellent &s;pirit in <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> when God offered him the benefit without him&s;elfe or his pre&s;ence, <HI>Exod.</HI> 33. 2. <HI>I will &s;end an Angell before thee, and I will drive out the Canaanites,</HI> &amp;c. but <HI>I will not goe up in the mid&s;t of thee;</HI> and this was the rea|&s;on, I &s;hall but <HI>con&s;ume</HI> thee if I do; what a fair offer was this, and what a rea&s;on of Gods denyall of his owne pre&s;ence was that, and yet <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> could not be content with it; <HI>For if thy pre&s;ence goe not with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 33. 25.</NOTE> <HI>me, then carry us not up hence.</HI> Let us be here in the Wildernes under thy Cloud, rather then po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e a <HI>Canaan</HI> without thee.</P>
<P>3. The third is, To value Gods intere&s;ts in any
<PB N="13" REF="9"> bu&s;ine&s;&s;e under our hand, more then our owne, his Go&s;pell, his cau&s;e, his glory; and this ri&s;es out of the former; for he that loves God him&s;elf, above him&s;elfe, will value Gods intere&s;t above his owne. It is the property of a &s;incere heart to ob&s;erve, what &s;hare God may have in any action or duty to which he is called, and to di&s;tingui&s;h and ab&s;tract it from his owne. We have a famous in&s;tance in <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> who was offered a private fortune, even by God him&s;elfe, <HI>I'le make of thee a great Nation,</HI> greater <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 14 12.</NOTE> and mightier then they; no (&s;aith he) Lord, thou wilt be a loo&s;er by it, and &s;halt runne the hazard of thy honour; and &s;urely as God was di&s;plea&s;ed with <HI>Balaam</HI> for going, though hee bad him goe, &s;o the Lord would not have taken it &s;o kindly of <HI>Mo|&s;es,</HI> if he had taken him upon the offer he made in a time of his heat again&s;t his people; nothing makes a man eccentricke in his motions &s;o much as private re&s;pects; he that hath an habituate bie-end, hath as it were a nayle in his foot, and though he may goe well enough in &s;oft ground, yet hee will halt when he comes in hard way: If ever in any great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e God did intwi&s;t his owne intere&s;t with ours, it is now in our ca&s;e, and if there be any that could bee content to &s;it downe in the &s;ettlement of their liberty and property, without further care of Religion, and to dwell in &s;eiled hou&s;es, while the hou&s;e of God <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hag. 1. 4.</NOTE> lyes wa&s;te: let me put them in mind of <HI>Reuben</HI> and <HI>Gad,</HI> who being &s;eated in their plot, would yet march on to &s;ee the re&s;t of the Tribes &s;etled, as well as them&s;elves, before they would &s;it down; and &s;aith <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> if you will not do &s;o, <HI>yee have &s;inned again&s;t the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 32. 18, &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>Lord, and be &s;ure your &s;in will find you out.</HI></P>
<PB N="14" REF="10">
<P>4. The fourth is, To be able to peri&s;h for God, and this ri&s;es out of the former, for he onely can lay him&s;elfe out for God, that can lay up him&s;elfe in him: And it is a point of great ability, <HI>I know how to be aba&s;ed, how to hunger, I can doe all things, Phil.</HI> 4. 12. Let no man &s;ay, <HI>Paul</HI> thou mu&s;t hunger and be aba&s;ed, it is a matter of nece&s;&s;ity, nay but yee &s;ee he makes it a point of ability in him, that he can be in a nece&s;&s;itous condition; a man &s;hall never be quiet nor at point, till he can loo&s;e him&s;elfe to &s;ave him&s;elfe, as Chri&s;t &s;peakes, and peri&s;h to live, for he &s;hall be daunted at every alarum of ill tydings, fearefull of the &s;hadow of the Cro&s;&s;e; every dan|ger in a duty awes him; every frowne of a great man da&s;tards him, untill hee can peri&s;h in his reputation, and be vile, more vile, yet more vile for God, or <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 35.</NOTE> can come to that, <HI>They would not be delivered.</HI> It was the greate&s;t heart-breaking to <HI>Paul</HI> when his friends in affection to him, would have be&s;ought him out of his owne danger, <HI>Act.</HI> 21. 13, 14. And this ground-worke being well laid, you may ea&s;ily &s;ee how po&s;&s;ible and probable it is, that &s;uch a man &s;hould follow the Lord fully, e&s;pecially in the mat|ters of God and of Religion, wherein many excellent <HI>Romanes</HI> to their Country and true Patriots, prove ve|ry truants and heavy &s;lugs.</P>
<P>I come to the &s;econd thing, <HI>viz.</HI> what it is <HI>to full|fill after the Lord,</HI> or who may be &s;aid to doe it? And this I &s;hall briefly run through.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. More generally.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. More particularly.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>1. For the more generall explication of this point, <HI>To fullfill after the Lord.</HI> 1. Excludes par|tiality
<PB N="15" REF="10"> in the Law of God and takes in integrity. Par|tiality is either in the negative part of the Law, and that is when a man ca&s;ts off &s;ome &s;innes, and hath &s;ome other, one at lea&s;t, <HI>in delicijs;</HI> or in the affir|mative part, when he plowes here, and makes a bawke there, this cannot be following fully, for that con&s;i&s;ts in integrity of aver&s;ion from &s;inne, and of conver&s;ion to God, <HI>quoad a&s;&s;en&s;um &amp; conatum.</HI> 2. It excludes &s;ini&s;terity of ends, and takes in &s;incerity; for the Scripture brands it for an empti|ne&s;&s;e of fruit, when a man brings forth fruit to him|&s;elfe, <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 10. 1. <HI>I&s;rael is an empty vine, he brings &s;orth fruit to him&s;elfe.</HI> 3. It excludes lukewarme|ne&s;&s;e and takes in zeale, not that preternaturall heate, mi&s;called zeale; for that is a di&s;ea&s;e rather then a grace; zeale &s;hould eate us up, but not eate up our wi&s;dome, nor &s;hould pride eate up our zeale. 4. It excludes the meere forme of godline&s;&s;e, and takes in power; for forme wants the chiefe dimen|&s;ion of holine&s;&s;e, which is depth and &s;ub&s;tance; there|fore tho&s;e follow not &s;ully, that run before the com|mandement in outward forme, but walk not after it it in morall piety. 5. It excludes withdrawing and takes in con&s;tancy, for <GAP DESC="foreign"> &amp; <GAP DESC="foreign">, to follow fully, and goe on to the end, are much at one; he that walkes fully after the Lord, walkes fi|nally after him. But this fulfilling after the Lord, doth not nece&s;&s;arily require legall perfection, as to exclude all &s;inne out of the per&s;on, or his wayes, for we heare of none be&s;ides the two <HI>Adams,</HI> in whom it might be &s;aid <GAP DESC="foreign">, there is no &s;in; though it was &s;aid of one, and may be of other true <HI>I&s;ra|elites, <GAP DESC="foreign">, there is no guile,</HI> or predominant
<PB N="16" REF="11"> hypocri&s;ie; Neither doth this fulfilling after the Lord, exclude inequality, and take in the &s;ame mea|&s;ure as nece&s;&s;arie in all, for the fullne&s;&s;e of two ve&s;&s;ells, doth not infer the equality of them; God hath differently tallented men with grace, parts, meanes, opportunities, and he doth not require him that hath but one tallent, to put forth five.</P>
<P>2. For the more particular explication of the point, and fir&s;t, who fulfils after the Lord in duties of obedience, and that is when a man walkes,</P>
<P>1, Univer&s;ally in compliance of heart and en|deavour to the whole rule, clipping off indu&s;triou&s;ly no part of that &s;ervice which beares Gods &s;uper|&s;cription upon it, though it may be to him har&s;h and unplea&s;ant, yet the command of God &s;hall both awe and draw the heart unto it, for that word, <HI>I am the Lord thy God,</HI> makes every Thou &s;halt of his, and every Thou &s;halt not, acceptable to a god|ly man, and this is to walke <GAP DESC="foreign">, fully.</P>
<P>2. Freely, though no rod be holden over us, the Laws cur&s;e is the impre&s;t &s;hilling to force a &s;er|vile &s;pirit, but the love of God is the byas of a vo|luntiere. Grace is that whereby God is free in gi|ving to us, and grace is that which makes our hearts free in obedience to him, and this freene&s;&s;e of &s;pi|rit will be mo&s;t &s;eene, when there are mo&s;t rubs in the way; for then he that moves by outward poy&s;es will &s;tick and be dull: as when a bowle runs up hill every rub &s;luggs it, but when it goes downe hill a rub quickens it; a free &s;pirit is enkindled by that which quencheth another man.</P>
<P>3. Satisfied in part with duty, and with the con|&s;cience of &s;incerity and exerci&s;e of his graces there|in,
<PB N="17" REF="11"> though &s;ucce&s;&s;e an&s;wer not; what a joyfull man was <HI>David</HI> when he and his people had offered &s;o willingly the materialls of a Temple, though he might not build it, 1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 29. What plea&s;ure tooke <HI>Paul</HI> in infirmities and reproaches for Chri&s;t, when the &s;trength of Chri&s;t was <HI>perfected in his weakene&s;&s;e, 2 Cor.</HI> 12. 10. And this is that &s;atisfaction wherein a good con&s;cience finds &s;ome re&s;t, when a man can pray, can beleeve, waite and &s;peake for God, though the &s;ucce&s;&s;e and event an&s;wer not his duties or de&s;ires, a good heart is loaden with the very burden of duty, and finds ea&s;e when it is &s;in|cerely di&s;charged, let the i&s;&s;ue be as it will.</P>
<P>4. Independent upon, and unre&s;pective unto the eye and account of men, and that, 1. Though equalls intere&s;&s;ed as well as he doe de&s;ert him, as the ten did <HI>Caleb</HI> and <HI>Io&s;hua.</HI> 2. Though the peo|ple mi&s;con&s;true him, as the&s;e did them; hee that walkes by mens countenance or eye, &s;teeres by a Planet, and not the Pole-Star.</P>
<P>2. To fulfill after the Lord when impediments lye in our way, and cro&s;&s;e winds carry us from the Port, is,</P>
<P>1. To reckon upon God with us, again&s;t all mountaines of oppo&s;ition, &s;o <HI>Caleb, The Lord is with us, feare them not.</HI> Thus the Prophet animated his man being in feare, and <HI>Hezekiah</HI> his Subjects, <HI>There be more with us then with him,</HI> yet had he none but <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King 6. 16. 2. Chro. 32. 7.</NOTE> God to recken on, and the <HI>A&s;&s;yrian</HI> had a hundred foure&s;core and five thou&s;and at lea&s;t; &s;uch is this God of ours, who &s;aith, <HI>Shall I bring to the birth, and not cau&s;e to bring forth, I&s;a.</HI> 66. 9. who promi&s;eth <HI>Iacob</HI> the worme, that he &s;hall be his in&s;trument to
<PB N="18" REF="12"> <HI>thra&s;h mountaines to du&s;t, I&s;a</HI> 41. 14, 15. and what compari&s;on betweene a worme and a mountaine; what other rea&s;on is given of the breaking in peeces of all confederacies and a&s;&s;ociations again&s;t the Church, but only this, <HI>For Immanuel, I&s;a</HI> 8. 10. and it might teach all the world, to &s;ay when they &s;et again&s;t God, <HI>&s;i collidimus frangimur,</HI> as the earthen pot again&s;t the iron rod breakes not the iron, but is it &s;elfe broken.</P>
<P>2. To &s;tand firme, by &s;etting one foote upon the experiences we have had of God, and the other up|on his promi&s;es yet in expectation; for our expe|rience of him, we may argue from his opening of the red Sea, to his opening of <HI>Iordan.</HI> He that ope|ned the Sea to bring us into this wilderne&s;&s;e, will &s;urely open a River to let us out. And for his pro|mi&s;es to his people, they will eate their way over all Alpes of oppo&s;ition, God will be the midwife of them to deliver them of their wombe, as it's &s;aid, <HI>He hath fulfilled with his hands, that which he &s;pake with his mouth.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chr. 6. 4.</NOTE></P>
<P>3. To fulfill after the Lord, being in incumbran|ces inward, outward, is,</P>
<P>1. When a man prefers not a quiet <HI>Egipt,</HI> before a trouble&s;ome and hazardous adventure upon the Land promi&s;ed; He will never repent of his choyce of God, nor of his ingagements to his cau&s;e, though he &s;uffer for it, and lo&s;e by it, he will never &s;ay, would God I had died in <HI>Egipt,</HI> nor &s;ound for a parley with the world and &s;inne, nor &s;ound a retreat to his heart, to march away from the cau&s;e or work of the Lord.</P>
<P>2. When we mi&s;con&s;ter not Gods intention and
<PB N="19" REF="12"> meaning towards us, nor put a fal&s;e glo&s;&s;e upon his hand that goeth forth again&s;t us, like the&s;e rot|ten-hearted <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> that cryed God would betray them; it is hard when his covenant, truth and love, cannot vindicate him from all po&s;&s;ibility of fal&s;e|hood towards us, or forgetfullne&s;&s;e of us. Keepe up good thoughts of God; that if he bring us not into <HI>Canaan</HI> at the fore-doore, yet after he hath led us about to humble our pride, he will bring us in at the po&s;terne, as he did this people; and if he &s;ave not <HI>Ionah</HI> by the Marriners, he may &s;ave him by the Whale that &s;wallowes him.</P>
<P>3. The third thing is, why his people &s;hould fulfill after the Lord; in which I will be briefe, for <HI>Eliah</HI> his rea&s;on is enough, <HI>If the Lord be God follow</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 18. 21.</NOTE> <HI>him,</HI> for all attractives are in him, all remunera|tives, all re&s;toratives, and he expects it of his peo|ple, commends it in them, and rewards it to them: He expects it, I know <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aith God, that he will doe &s;o and &s;o: He commends it, as here he doth <HI>Caleb, he followed me fully:</HI> He rewards it, as here he promi&s;eth, and afterward performed to <HI>Caleb,</HI> and generally they that follow the Lord home.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Shall &s;ee more of him.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Receive more from him.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>1. They &s;hall &s;ee and ta&s;te more of him, for <HI>then &s;hall we know the Lord, if we follow on to know him, Ho&s;e.</HI> 6. 3. we &s;hall &s;ee him in oftner experiments, and ob&s;erve the curio&s;ity of his contrivements and workman&s;hip in his wayes, and that is one rea&s;on why he crumbles his mercies to his people, and why they have his ble&s;&s;ings by retaile, that com|munion
<PB N="20" REF="13"> and trading between his people and him|&s;elfe may be maintained, and he more &s;weetly en|joyed: &s;o the cloud empries not it &s;elfe at a &s;udden bur&s;t, but di&s;tills and di&s;&s;olves upon the earth drop after drop.</P>
<P>2. They &s;hall receive more from him; he mea|&s;ures liberally backe to them that meete liberally unto him: They that will have their fill of God, mu&s;t hold on to the loo&s;e of a duty or &s;uffering, for u&s;ually he re&s;erves the be&s;t and fulle&s;t cup to the la&s;t; we know what <HI>Saul</HI> lo&s;t by not holding out one moment longer, his men melted from him, the enemy was &s;trong and neere, and him&s;elfe had &s;tayed almo&s;t to the end, yet for want of a minute, hee lo&s;t by it, 1 <HI>Sam. 13. 13. Thou ha&s;t done foo|li&s;hly, for now would the Lord have establi&s;hed thy Kingdome for ever;</HI> wee know not what we lo&s;e by making ha&s;te, and not holding up our hands as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did, to the going downe of the Sun.</P>
<P>For the U&s;e or Application of this Point,</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e"> Fir&s;t it meetes with the murmuring and di&s;affe|cted <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> who, whether out of neutrality or malignity, fulfill not after the Lord, being either purely privative in re&s;pect of this duty, or po&s;i|tively di&s;affected, of the&s;e we have infinite, and of divers principles, It's &s;trange, that men &s;hould be no more &s;en&s;ible of the &s;inne of lukewarme|ne&s;&s;e, but that our Saviour gives a double rea&s;on of it. 1. That they are not &s;tone cold, that is, not &s;o vitious or profane as others, for there are not &s;o many degrees of cold in the lukewarme as in the cold water; but they &s;hould con&s;ider that the lukewarme are more offen&s;ive to Chri&s;ts &s;tomack,
<PB N="21" REF="13"> and can le&s;&s;e be borne by it. 2. That lukewarme|ne&s;&s;e is attended with &s;elfe-conceit and &s;ecurity, <HI>thou &s;ai&s;t I am rich and have need of nothing,</HI> but this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 17.</NOTE> &s;ecurity ari&s;es out of &s;elfe-ignorance, by which key who&s;oever is lockt up, they lye fa&s;t. I &s;hall not &s;o much di&s;cu&s;&s;e the &s;in, as the principles whence &s;uch indifferency towards, or malignity again&s;t God and his wayes doth flow. As,</P>
<P>1. Some are indi&s;po&s;ed meerely out of a &s;tupid carele&s;ne&s;&s;e, lying a&s;leepe in the &s;ide of our to&s;&s;ed Ship in this great &s;torme, foulded fa&s;t up in blind|ne&s;&s;e and &s;ecurity, as blankes in a Lottery, and they are but white paper, having nothing written on them; &s;uch as the&s;e, like <HI>Samaritans</HI> are a kin to the <HI>Iewes</HI> when the <HI>Iewes</HI> pro&s;per, and di&s;claime kin|dred when they goe downe, being ready to contri|bute their eare-rings neither to golden Calfe nor Tabernacle; or haply indifferently to both, I mean Popery and purity are to them alike; And &s;uch is the ca&s;e for mo&s;t part of &s;uch poore &s;oules among whom there hath beene no vi&s;ion, their Idoll &s;hep|heards having made their people Idolls like them|&s;elves; not &s;eeing, not hearing, not having any &s;pi|rituall &s;ence; nor are they much the better who have had &s;ome rare Sermons, mo&s;t what about Orders and Ceremonies, and &s;uch extrin&s;ecalls, which have pro|ved as a thrum left in the loomes, to which our crafts ma&s;ters might more ea&s;ily tye in their new peece, and if in no other, yet in this re&s;pect, de&s;erve ca&s;ti|gation; becau&s;e they have &s;o taken up Pulpits, Pens and Tongues, as to commit wa&s;t of pretious time, of affections between brother and brother, and even of the &s;ub&s;tance of practick godlines, which hath
<PB N="22" REF="14"> &s;uffered by &s;uch diver&s;ion; nor yet are they more awakend, who&s;e Preachers have been but Ethick Lecturers reading morality, who&s;e Mini&s;try hath not beene fir&s;t a fiery Serpent to &s;ting the con&s;ci|ence (for Gods witne&s;&s;es are called <HI>tormentors of the inhabitants of the earth</HI>) and then a pole to hold up <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 11. 10.</NOTE> the bra&s;en Serpent to the wounded.</P>
<P>2. Some are indi&s;po&s;ed to this duty of fulfilling after the Lord, out of pollicy, and that is either pol|licy of &s;afety or of temperament.</P>
<P>1. Of &s;afety, as a reede in the &s;treame, which &s;tands becau&s;e it yeelds to the tyde and ebbe, and bends the &s;ame way as the &s;treame runs; the wi&s;|dome of the&s;e men (as they call it) makes them &s;tand as &s;pectators upon the &s;hore, while the Ship is to&s;&s;ed at Sea, applauding them&s;elves alone to have hit the right blot, and cen&s;uring all others that endanger them&s;elves for the Truth; If there be deliverance they &s;hall have part in the benefit without their care, co&s;t or trouble, and have &s;hare in the winnings though they have nothing at &s;take: but put ca&s;e a man is not agreed <HI>in hac hypothe&s;i,</HI> that &s;uch or &s;uch a cau&s;e is Gods, and therefore cannot lay out him|&s;elfe in it, or &s;uffer for it. I an&s;wer, when men are indi&s;po&s;ed towards a duty they can ea&s;ily pleade in Barre, every le&s;&s;er &s;cruple, or hae&s;itancy of mind, which if they might forbid the action, notwith&s;tan|ding more preponderating arguments, melancholy and Satan would have us at &s;uch a pa&s;&s;e, as wee &s;hould doe little or nothing; as it is a &s;innefull thing to ravi&s;h the judgement, to goe without, or again&s;t the dictate of it; &s;o it is dangerous to en&s;lave it to ba&s;e feares, intere&s;ts, lu&s;ts; the heart is not more
<PB N="23" REF="14"> fraudulent than in &s;eeking conviction, being like a Clyent in&s;tructing his Councell, and laying open all that favours him, concealing the &s;trength of what may be &s;aid again&s;t him, and when a rotten heart is pitched upon a verdict like a partiall and ingaged <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u|ry, it will hold to it, let the evidence be what it will, re&s;olving to elude the evidence and not &s;ee it. And if inconviction of judgment, was but enough to free a man from the finne of not doing a duty, a man might the better re&s;t in it; but &s;ince it is not, let e|very man labour to avoid that perplexity of &s;inning, if he performe, and of &s;inning, if hee performe not, and to that purpo&s;e, not onely &s;earch the Word of God, but purge his heart from the fal&s;e byas; nor onely praying, but praying for practicke ends, <HI>He that will doe &s;hall know:</HI> and let not the common &s;ence and concurrent judgement of tho&s;e that trulie&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 7. 17.</NOTE> feare God be utterly &s;leighted as incon&s;iderable, for though that be no rule determining my act, yet it is a &s;trong motive of my more diligent inquiry. I con|clude with that of our Saviour, <HI>He that will &s;ave his life &s;hall loo&s;e it.</HI> It is a mans perdition to be &s;afe, when he ought to peri&s;h for God.</P>
<P>2. Of temperament, I meane &s;infull, &s;uch as are they that cry, <HI>Divide the living child,</HI> or can be con|tent to make a mixture, like the tran&s;planted Nati|ons, 2 King. 17. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Who feared the Lord and &s;erved their graven Images.</HI> If there be any that can goe &s;o low as to give toleration to Popery (though now the Papi&s;ts put them&s;elves into &s;uch a po&s;ture as they &s;eeme to threaten to give, rather then take) let him con&s;ider that wee have beene too liberall in conni|vence that way already, and is it not therefore <HI>that
<PB N="24" REF="15"> warre is in our gates;</HI> The &s;etting up of <HI>Reubens</HI> al|tar had pre&s;ently &s;tirred up warre again&s;t them, if the mi&s;pri&s;ion had not been cleared, that no Religi|on was therein intruded; and what &s;ay the me&s;&s;en|gers <NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 5. 8.</NOTE> of the Tribes, &s;ent upon the emba&s;&s;ie, <HI>Rebell not again&s;t the Lord nor again&s;t us,</HI> Jo&s;h. 22. 19. Wee &s;hall &s;mart for it if you doe it. Let their Popery and our Popi&s;hne&s;&s;e goe forth at once for ever: and &s;o I would clo&s;e this point, but that having named the word Temperament, I would not be mi&s;taken, as if I meant to blow the fire which needs no bellowes, flaming already out at the hou&s;e-top, to which eve|ry good man &s;hould bring water and not oyle. For <HI>love peace,</HI> &s;aith the Scripture, yea <HI>&s;eeke it when it is wanting to you,</HI> yea and <HI>follow it</HI> when it is flying from you; but yet withall the &s;ame Scripture cou|ples peace and truth: peace and holine&s;&s;e in our lo|ving, &s;eeking and following, for we &s;hall have a deare bargain of it, if we &s;ell truth to buy it, and therefore we mu&s;t not play booty with one another, to ri&s;e winners, and God who hath greate&s;t intere&s;t to bee the loo&s;er. Wee &s;hould be happy in &s;uch Treaeies, as might not proove a <HI>Trojan</HI>-hor&s;e unto us; and which might heale us to the bottome, and not skin us over. And for him that delights in blood, let <HI>sa|tiate &s;anguine</HI> be his burden.</P>
<P>3. Some are indi&s;po&s;ed to this duty out of feare, as</P>
<P>1. Feare to be engaged, &s;tanding with one foot within, and another without the thre&s;hold, looking back-ward and forward, afraid of every new &s;tep, &s;aying as <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> at <HI>Rubicon,</HI> yet wee may goe backe, and of &s;uch men there can be no certainty; for as it
<PB N="25" REF="15"> is &s;aid of tho&s;e that followed <HI>Saul, they trembled af|ter him, 1 Sam.</HI> 13. 7. and the next newes of them is that <HI>they were &s;cattered from him, ver&s;.</HI> 11. So is it here.</P>
<P>2. Feare of lo&s;&s;e by the Reformation, and &s;uch is every <HI>Demetrius,</HI> who&s;e Trade goes downe by it; and therefore no wonder if all the Craft&s;-men cry up their <HI>Diana;</HI> there is but little more rea&s;on for ingro&s;&s;ers of dignities and livings in the Church, then for Monopoli&s;ts in the State, yet let not that Oxe his mouth be muzzled that treads out the corne: If our Churches be made golden Candle|&s;ticks, let not candle-ru&s;hes be &s;et up in them: If our Mini&s;ters be Angels, they mu&s;t have wings, and their feathers not &s;o pluckt-off, as to prevent their flying; there is no colour of feare of this from a Se|nate of &s;uch learning, Religion, and already decla|red re&s;olution, for &s;tarve the Nur&s;e, and &s;hee mu&s;t needs &s;tarve the Child; the bird that is to keepe the ne&s;t and &s;it upon the egges, mu&s;t have her meate brought in to her, and not fly abroad to purvey for her&s;elfe; nor makes this any thing again&s;t that free|ne&s;&s;e of preaching the Go&s;pell, which &s;ome in &s;im|plicity or wor&s;e doe urge as incon&s;i&s;tent with liberall maintenance; for even the Volunteer followes not the warre at his owne charges. I &s;ay no more but this, that poore pittances and meer benevolences, are but too like a pri&s;oners maintenance, who&s;e &s;mall allowance, and almes-basket to boot, keep him &s;till hungry.</P>
<P>3. Feare or hatred of the purity of Ordinances and power of Religion, of which thou&s;ands will &s;ay, as they of Chri&s;t, <HI>Mal. 3. 2. But who may abide
<PB N="26" REF="16"> the day of his comming, and who &s;hall &s;tand when he appeareth, for hee is like a Refiners fire and Fullers &s;ope.</HI> This root bears gall and wormewood, <HI>Deut.</HI> 29. 18. unto &s;uch the burning and &s;hining light of the Mini&s;tery is terrible; and the more, when they &s;hall not be able at plea&s;ure to hamper it in the old &s;nare of Ceremonies, or bring upon it the old extin|gui&s;hers with that facility as was wont; it is a marke of a <HI>Phili&s;tine,</HI> if the Arke of God &s;mite him with E|merods and afflicts him, it &s;erves not the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> &s;o.</P>
<P>4. A &s;crupulous feare of &s;inning again&s;t authority, and in truth the tenderne&s;&s;e of the con&s;cience in that point is to be approved; for God hath &s;o hedged in Magi&s;tracy, <HI>whether the &s;upreame or &s;ubordinate,</HI> that <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2, 13, 14.</NOTE> who&s;oever breakes through that hedge, &s;hall feele the thornes in his &s;ides, and therefore con&s;cience mu&s;t acquit it &s;elfe of it's warrant and &s;incerity, that it &s;eekes nothing but the &s;aving of the Ship and Ma|&s;ter from the violence of the &s;torme; and in that ca&s;e that once &s;peaking A&s;&s;e &s;aid rea&s;on, who having &s;aved her &s;elfe, yea and &s;aved her Ma&s;ter from the Sword, again&s;t his owne will, did thus plead again&s;t his anger, <HI>What have I done unto thee, that thou</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 22. 28, 30.</NOTE> <HI>hast &s;mitten me, was I ever wont to doe &s;o before time.</HI></P>
<P>Let this point helpe forward our Humiliation this <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e"> day, for our not following the Lord fully, and is it not time, when our former rebellions again&s;t and provocations of God, doe now plead again&s;t us by the fir&s;t of Gods foure &s;ore judgements, the Sword, and that Sword the &s;ore&s;t of all Swords, which kind <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 14 21.</NOTE> may yet doubtle&s;&s;e be ca&s;t out by Prayer and Fa&s;ting:
<PB N="27" REF="16"> nor &s;hall I now at this time &s;et in order before you our former Nationall &s;innes, for which God hath been a <HI>Moth</HI> unto us, and is now become a <HI>Lion;</HI> for from &s;o &s;mall a thing as a <HI>Moth,</HI> doth he threa|ten to be a <HI>Lion</HI> unto <HI>Ephraim,</HI> Ho&s;. 5. 12. <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Let us rather apply our &s;elves to take notice of &s;uch markes of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure as are now upon us, &s;ince we came to the borders of our happine&s;&s;e, and ob&s;erve the rea&s;on why wee are wafted from the &s;hore &s;o farre into the maine backe againe. When was the venome &s;pirits of men &s;o di&s;covered as now of latter times, <HI>When I would have healed</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>the &s;inne of</HI> Ephraim <HI>was di&s;covered,</HI> Ho&s;. 7. 1. Healing times are di&s;covering times; and have wee not cau&s;e to looke for that in <HI>Io&s;hua</HI> 24. 20. namely that the Lord &s;hould <HI>turne to doe us hurt, and con|&s;ume us after hee hath done us good;</HI> or for that in <HI>Numb. 14. 34. Yee &s;hall know my breach of promi&s;e;</HI> Our Arke is like <HI>Noahs</HI> floating upon the waters. We have many <HI>that are weeping for Tammuz,</HI> thir&s;ting <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 8. 14.</NOTE> for the returne of their <HI>Adonis,</HI> we have bitter mur|murings and eructations of gall again&s;t God and his Truth, we feare our remedies; wee are full of divi&s;ions, &s;infull, paenall in Church and State. We abound in jealou&s;ies, a ju&s;t puni&s;hment of our provo|king God to jealou&s;ie of us by our former dalliances with &s;uper&s;tition. <HI>Wee arc di&s;couraged becau&s;e of the way, and &s;peake again&s;t God and</HI> Mo&s;es, <HI>Numb.</HI> 21. 4, 5. and therefore hath the Lord <HI>&s;ent fiery Serpents amongst us,</HI> that bite us and even devoure us, Reli|gion is torne into divi&s;ions and fragments, the &s;warm is up and &s;ettles in &s;o many places, as without great mercy, they will never be got into one hive; &s;uch
<PB N="28" REF="17"> &s;ymptomes doe wee put forth now that God is healing of us, and are come to &s;uch a <HI>cri&s;is</HI> as makes our hearts to bleed, what is there in <HI>Ireland?</HI> what in <HI>England,</HI> but <HI>pila minantia pilis? quis talia fan|do?</HI> What mon&s;ter of cruelty can endure to &s;ee his Mothers bowels &s;o tipt up. Where are our publicke &s;pirits remote from mixture of private ends? What Souldier is willing to forget his <HI>a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ream me&s;sem,</HI> or golden harve&s;t, and rather be bankrupt by peace, then make the State bankerupt by warre? What Delinquent rather offers up him&s;elfe to Tryall, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iona. 1. 12</NOTE> &s;aith, <HI>Take me up and ca&s;t me forth into the Sea, &s;o &s;hall the Sea be calme unto you?</HI> Surely God will ferch our pride out of us by &s;trong hand, if wee take not off the head of it, and ca&s;t it over the wall, to prevent his indignation; and yet wee have marvel|lous mercies too, if we had eyes to &s;ee them. God hath evidently &s;howne that he is in our burning-bu&s;h, we had otherwi&s;e been in a&s;hes by this time, and &s;o we are like the flint betweene the hard hammer and the &s;o&s;t pillow, and have cau&s;e of the be&s;t kind of hu|miliation, which is <HI>to love and weepe,</HI> as that woman did: if we be not battered into the mould, why are we not melted, that we may runne into it? and let the&s;e humiliations be continued in their vigour, that fre|quency beget not formality; for <HI>the valley of Ach<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 2 15. <HI>V&s;e</HI> 3.</NOTE> <HI>is given to us for a doore of hope.</HI></P>
<P>Let it &s;et an edge upon you to fullfill after the Lord.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. When hee goes before you, that is, <GAP DESC="foreign">.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. When he flyes from you, that is, <GAP DESC="foreign">.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>1. When the Lord goes before you and invites
<PB N="29" REF="17"> you yet after him, by making the tracke of his feet evident; we mu&s;t not &s;it &s;till, when his Cloud ari|&s;eth to move forward, it's &s;afe to march after it: and &s;urely if God be to be &s;eene. 1. In nickes of time, <HI>Tanquam a machina.</HI> 2. In working or creating good out of evill, hope out of de&s;paire, furtherances out of oppo&s;itions, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> 3. In &s;ea&s;onable di&s;cove|ries of Clouds, while they were but like a mans hand. 4. In mini&s;tring or &s;ugge&s;ting timely an|tidotes or preventions. 5. In entangling the Spi|ders in their owne webb, or bringing downe ene|mies by their owne hands. 6. In drawing hope|full ble&s;&s;ings on, upon their way above our fir&s;t thoughts or aime, as he drew on <HI>Luther,</HI> whetted by importunity of Adver&s;aries; then is God gone out before us, wee may &s;ee his foot-&s;tepps in all the&s;e wayes, therefore follow him.</P>
<P>2. When he flies from you, yet then follow him fully: Doth he hide his face, delay to heare, leng|then our danger, are things in wor&s;e &s;tate with us &s;ince <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> came? are Treaties abortive, Fa&s;ts imprevalent? <HI>&amp;c.</HI> let us not turne backe and &s;ay, <HI>This evill is from the Lord, why &s;hould we wait up|on him any longer?</HI> There is rea&s;on that God &s;hould be &s;harpe, we have inveterate &s;taines to be wa&s;ht out, which will hardly be got out, untill the cloth be al|mo&s;t rub'd to peeces: Chri&s;t came with a &s;haking of the Heavens and Earth, and all the Nations, <HI>Hag.</HI> 6. 7. after &s;uch concu&s;&s;ions, <HI>The de&s;ire of all Nations &s;hall come;</HI> nor did Chri&s;t ri&s;e out of his grave without an Earth-quake, <HI>cum duplicantur late|res venit Mo&s;es;</HI> for how could mercies be wonders, if &s;traits were not wondrous; though ob&s;tructions
<PB N="30" REF="18"> be ob&s;tinate, yet Chri&s;t will come in to his people, even when <HI>the doores are &s;hut:</HI> pre&s;ently after <HI>Ma|rahs</HI> bitter waters, God brought <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to <HI>Elim,</HI> where they had twelve wels of water, and three&s;core and ten Palme-trees, <HI>Exod.</HI> 15. 27. God hides him|&s;elfe to be &s;ought, delayeth to be importuned, flies from us to be followed.</P>
<P>I will adde but a word or two of encourage|ment.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. To all.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. To you our Honourable Senatours.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>1. That which I &s;hall &s;ay to all is this, that if we fulfill after the Lord, we &s;hall cut &s;horter our travailes and troubles: &s;o had this people done if they had followed the Lord fully at this time, we lengthen our mi&s;eries by &s;hortening of our duties, and the Lord keepes aloofe from us, becau&s;e we lye aloofe from him: God is di&s;abled from doing great workes among us by out di&s;tru&s;t, <HI>Hee could doe no great workes among them, becau&s;e of their un|beliefe,</HI> &s;aith the Text: Or admit we be long holden off our happine&s;&s;e, as <HI>Caleh</HI> was kept out of his pro|mi&s;es fill our laps at the la&s;t; the longer day God takes to make payment, the more he gives us at the la&s;t. If he come not to heale <HI>Lazarus</HI> while he is alive, we &s;hall lo&s;e nothing by it, for he will come to rai&s;e him when he is dead; therefore let us fol|low him fully, both by prayer, and all po&s;&s;ible con|tributions to his worke, and cau&s;e, and Go&s;pell; what if we have not an eare-ring left, &s;o that the Ta|bernacle have it: water we &s;ee puts it &s;elfe to ex|tremities, and contrary to particular nature, ri&s;es up|ward
<PB N="31" REF="18"> <HI>ad prohibendum vacuum,</HI> to prevent a fraction in the univer&s;e; who is likely to &s;ave his own cab|bin, when the Ship founders; but it may be the worke &s;tickes, and it may be at thee, why is not thy &s;houlder at the wheele, when the Cart is &s;talled; though <HI>I&s;rael</HI> &s;tick at fir&s;t in <HI>Egipt,</HI> yet they went out at length with the <HI>Egyptians</HI> leave, <HI>and not a dog</HI> (as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 11. 7</NOTE> the <HI>Text</HI> &s;aith) <HI>moved his tongue again&s;t them.</HI></P>
<P>2. To you of Senatorian order, be you encou|raged to follow the Lord fully, and let not the Lu|minaries of the highe&s;t Orbe be &s;lowe&s;t of motion, you have need of encouragements, that you may &s;cat|ter the obloquies, the &s;candalls, &s;u&s;pitions, jea|lou&s;ies had of you, and endure the contradiction of &s;uch as are afraid to be healed: In the Univer|&s;ities they complaine their mu&s;es lye a dying, O let it never be by or under your hand, but onely teach them as of old they were feigned, &s;o now really to frequent and be mi&s;tre&s;&s;es of purer fountaines: Some cry out that Religion will be changed, and that there will be an alteration thereof; If this Ob|jection ari&s;e from this, that the ceremonies and u&s;ages hitherto offen&s;ive and burden&s;ome, are like|ly to be aboli&s;ht, what can be &s;aid more again&s;t them; for is it not time to ca&s;t them out, the ra|ther, becau&s;e they are accounted &s;uch immoveables, that to remove them, is to commit wa&s;te upon the very free-hold it &s;elfe. It's time to breake the bra|&s;en Serpent, and to call it <HI>Nehu&s;htan,</HI> a peece of bra&s;&s;e, when it's idolized; or if rather the quarrell ari&s;e from that pure admini&s;tration of Ordinances of wor&s;hip which is de&s;ired, is it not as voide of rea|&s;on; for &s;hall perfective alterations be accounted
<PB N="32" REF="19"> de&s;tructive, doth the changing of the Tabernacle into a Temple, wherein are ten Candle&s;ticks for one and more &s;etledne&s;&s;e and beauty, imply any change of Religion? Others finde out as many Religions as we have Articles of Doctrine, nine and thirty, and upbraide us with Sects and Schi&s;mes, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> which truely are our mi&s;ery, and fill us with &s;candalls, &s;hame and &s;orrow; yet this I may &s;ay, that if every &s;everall or new opinion, makes a new Religion, then we have more then &s;o many: If not, then doubtle&s;&s;e we have fewer; but what&s;oever it be, it is but a fond thing to &s;ay there will be no building, becau&s;e the timber, &s;tone, materialls lye yet in con|fu&s;ed heapes. I be&s;eech you to &s;et on worke hew|ers in the Mountaines, and &s;tone-&s;quarers, to prepare <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kin. 5. 15, 18.</NOTE> timber and &s;tones to build the Temple, that our <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem</HI> may at length be a City compact together, and at unity in it &s;elfe. And as for all a&s;per&s;ions and reflections upon you, follow the Lord fully; and as the ecclip&s;ed Moone by keeping her motion, wades out of the &s;hadow, and recovers her &s;plendor, &s;o &s;hall you, <HI>For every tongue that &s;hall ri&s;e in judge|ment</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a 54. 17</NOTE> <HI>again&s;t thee thou &s;halt condemne, and this is the he|ritage of the &s;ervants of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>For the confirming of you in following after the Lord, I might put you in minde, what Gods people have done for God in pre&s;&s;ing extremities. namely,</P>
<P>1. Doing that which &s;aving the pre&s;&s;ing ca&s;e, it might be que&s;tioned whether they ought; an in|&s;tance whereof we have in <HI>Phinehas, Numb.</HI> 25. 13. who by an act of zeale, turned away the neere ap|proaching wrath from <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and <HI>made an attonement
<PB N="33" REF="19"> for them,</HI> by &s;uch a &s;acrifice as it's doubted by what warrant he offered it up, I meane the execution of Delinquents, and yet is ju&s;tified and highly extol|led by God for it. And &s;o <HI>E&s;ther,</HI> in a time of ex|tremity, put her&s;elf to do that&punc; <HI>which was not according</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;th. 4. 16</NOTE> <HI>to the Law,</HI> to draw forth her people out of de&s;tined de&s;truction; nor doe I know how &s;he could have an&s;wered it to God, if her particular ob&s;ervation of that humane Law, had forbidden her there&s;cue and pre&s;ervation of a whole Nation of Gods peo|ple, and yet the Law &s;he broke was capitall, as &s;he &s;aith, <HI>Ver.</HI> 11^t^h. and therefore &s;he goes on with this re&s;olution, <HI>If I peri&s;h I peri&s;h;</HI> whereby it ap|peares, &s;he could in this ca&s;e have comfortably pe|ri&s;ht in the breach of that known Law.</P>
<P>2. Standing to it, &s;o as it might be que&s;tioned whether it was needfull, and it is the ca&s;e of <HI>Daniel, Cap.</HI> 6. 10. who&s;e keeping his thrice a day devo|tions, and opening his windowes towards <HI>Ieru&s;alem,</HI> not abating of the number of his prayers, nor per|forming them in a more concealed manner, to have avoided the malice of his accu&s;ers for one Moneths time (for no longer was the Interdict to la&s;t) may &s;eeme more then needs; yet he did not budge a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ot, nor abate a circum&s;tance, becau&s;e he &s;aw his Religion was &s;tricken at, and his &s;incerity put to the tryall, which he was re&s;olved to maintaine with (as I may &s;o &s;peake) a holy ob&s;tinacy, what&s;oever came on it. I doe not urge the&s;e examples, to pre|cipitate any man unto ra&s;hne&s;&s;e, e&s;pecially in ca&s;es not thus circum&s;tanciated, but to &s;hew how fully they went after the Lord, in that wherein carnall wi&s;|dome might and would have found &s;undry &s;pecious
<PB N="34" REF="20"> elu&s;ions to have evaded the duty.</P>
<P>I &s;hall re&s;ume the exhortation in a few words, as touching your advancing and &s;etling Gods intere&s;t, and then he will &s;ettle yours; <HI>He tooke out of all the Cities</HI> (&s;aith the <HI>Text) the high places and Images,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 14 5.</NOTE> <HI>and the Kingdome was quiet before him:</HI> If you will build God a hou&s;e, he will make you an hou&s;e; as it was &s;aid to <HI>David,</HI> labour ye therefore to &s;et up the evangelicall wor&s;hip and regiment of Chri&s;t, &s;o as there may not be one <HI>howbeit,</HI> if po&s;&s;ible, as there was in that of <HI>A&s;a, Howbeit the high places were not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 20 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>taken away;</HI> which worke we &s;hall bring to be&s;t perfection, if we adhere to the word of God, and print after &s;uch an originall as went before all edi|tions of error: not that I would tye any man to &s;uch examples, cu&s;tomes, con&s;titutions of the word, as were meerely occa&s;ionall in their both ri&s;e and u&s;e, and re&s;pective to times then being, for what would that differ from a &s;uper&s;titious valuing of the bra&s;en Serpent, after the u&s;e of it was out, becau&s;e it once had in&s;titution of God; but of this point no more now: My bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is, to excite you to follow the Cloud, and the Rock &s;hall follow you; let &s;eeds|men be &s;ent forth into all our fields, that the people may be taken by the con&s;cience, and not only con|formed by Law, for the &s;trength and continuance of a reformation, lyes not all in the Magi&s;trate, but in this, that the people receive the truth into them and among them, who otherwi&s;e will be but as Hens in a coope, alwayes boaking to get out: which was the rea&s;on that they were &s;o up and downe in <HI>Iudah,</HI> according as they had remi&s;&s;e or religious Princes; and by this meanes al&s;o &s;hall Popery be
<PB N="33" REF="20"> profligate, and Papi&s;ts converted a little better, then meerely by oath of &s;upremacy and allegiance, which breed &s;uch a generation as is contrary to rule of Philo&s;ophy, which is, <HI>Generatio unius e&s;t corrup|tio alterius,</HI> whereas the&s;e new Prote&s;tants are Pa|pi&s;ts &s;till.</P>
<P>Finally, If there be &s;ome cro&s;&s;e &s;prings in the locke, &s;ome prophe&s;ie may lye again&s;t our pre&s;ent hopes, for God hath his <HI>arcana Imperij;</HI> or if ne|ce&s;&s;ity of times, unripene&s;&s;e of the people, &s;hall re|tard the worke, &s;o as it &s;hall be &s;aid, <HI>&s;o many yeares was this Temple in building,</HI> yet I &s;ay to you as the Lord to <HI>David,</HI> 2 Chro. 6. 8. <HI>Thou didst well that it was in thine heart:</HI> and let but a right &s;pirit (name|ly a &s;pirit of adherence unto, and acquie&s;&s;ence in God) carry you on to fulfill after him, and then, though <HI>Caleb</HI> through the peoples rebellion, wander in the wilderne&s;&s;e forty yeares, and be kept off his promi&s;ed reward; yet he &s;hall come into po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion thereof at la&s;t, <HI>and his &s;eede &s;hall inherit it,</HI> and &s;o I &s;hould come to that which remaines in the words, as namely, That</P>
<P><HI>To follow the Lord fully proceeds from another &s;pirit,</HI> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Doct."> <HI>than the unbeleeving I&s;raelites are acted withall:</HI> and this &s;pirit of <HI>Caleb</HI> was clearly that which the Apo|&s;tle cals a <HI>&s;pirit of Faith,</HI> in clo&s;ing with, and clea|ving unto God alone. I cannot particularly handle this point, only be bold to ca&s;t in a word or two towards the &s;etting of the byas right way, els a man may run and never obaine. If we would have the hand of the dyall to point and goe right without, the wheeles and poy&s;es mu&s;t be right within, and wee mu&s;t not onely looke at the worke we have to doe, but al&s;o
<PB N="36" REF="21"> to the principle within us, that it be a right &s;pirit, for there is no que&s;tion but that a man of no filiall di&s;po|&s;ition towards God, may be Gods toole or in&s;tru|ment, or (if ye will) Gods &s;ervant, to performe &s;uch or &s;uch a &s;ervice right in Gods &s;ight, I &s;hall not need to &s;hew how farre a man may goe, and what adventure he may make in a good cau&s;e upon other rea&s;ons, principles and motives than proceed from a Go&s;pell &s;pirit; <HI>Cyrus</HI> proclaimes liberty to the Church, 2 <HI>Chro.</HI> 36. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">2. yet was he a man <HI>that knew not the Lord.</HI> I doubt not but a Prote&s;tant upon a dogmaticall Faith or beleefe of his tenets and princi|ples, might among Papi&s;ts dye upon them, and yet come farre &s;hort of &s;alvation; how farre would the name of <HI>Abraham</HI> or <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> have carried a Jew, e|ven a <HI>Iew in letter?</HI> Martyrdome is no merit.</P>
<P>L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t every man therefore <HI>take heed to his &s;pirit that</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 2. 16.</NOTE> <HI>he deale not treacherou&s;ly,</HI> for how&s;oever your good &s;ervice peri&s;hes not to the Church or Common|wealth, yet it peri&s;hes to you, if you be not carried with hearts full of God. Many a man is a Carpen|ter to build <HI>Noah</HI> an Arke, wherein him&s;elfe is not &s;aved. There are many re&s;t in their meere oppo&s;ition to, and hate of Popery, as if that &s;hould &s;eale up their &s;alvation; and many againe will rea&s;on thus, The cau&s;e wherein I am is good, it will &s;wim out it's gods, and that is their plea. Alas this is not all, for be the Prote&s;tant truth never &s;o cleere to thee, and be the cau&s;e thou art in never &s;o good, yet thou maye&s;t be lo&s;t in it, as the <HI>Egyptians</HI> were lo&s;t while they went in the &s;ame path, wherein the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> were &s;aved; therefore pray and &s;eeke for &s;uch a &s;pirit of chu&s;ing and following the Lord thy God,
<PB N="37" REF="21"> as may en&s;oule thy actions or outward works; and then be&s;ide the acceptance and te&s;timony thy wayes &s;hall find with God, thou &s;halt be able to goe through, and fulfill after the Lord, which a man up|on naturall parts, and &s;trength of morall principles or vertues, &s;hall never doe, <HI>for youths &s;hall faint and be weary, and young m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n &s;hall utterly fall,</HI> I&s;a. 40. 30. that is, men of mo&s;t able &s;elfe-&s;ufficiencies, who though their motion was &s;wift before, yet when they come to the center of their own ends, they re&s;t and proceed no farther; &s;uch a &s;pirit therefore as <HI>Caleb</HI> had, doe you re&s;tle&s;ly &s;eeke of God the giver of it <HI>to them that aske him,</HI> that being &s;incerely carried, (which&punc; in great and glorious actions is the more hard) you may reape the <HI>Euge</HI> of your own con|&s;cience, which is better then the <HI>Hic e&s;t</HI> of all the world; and not only &s;o, but there will be more hope of the worke when it is carried on by &s;uch hearts; as God &s;aid of <HI>David,</HI> he was a man after his own heart, and what followes, <HI>He &s;hall fulfill all my will, Act.</HI> 13. 22. And of <HI>Hezekiah</HI> it is &s;aid, that in every worke that he began in the &s;ervice of the hou&s;e of God, and in the Law, and in the Commandements, to &s;eeke his God, <HI>hee did it with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron, 31. 21.</NOTE> <HI>all his heart, and pro&s;pered;</HI> &s;uch hearts, &s;uch &s;uc|ce&s;&s;e we pray to them that are now ingaged in this great worke, that &s;o promi&s;es with the entayle of them upon Po&s;terity may follow &s;uch <HI>Calebs</HI> for ever.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
