THe Works of this Author have obtained such general Esteem, that many are desirous nothing of his should be lost: I have already published two small Volumes of his Sermons, the First containing Eight, and the Second Ten of his Declarations; and the acceptance they have gained from Persons of different Persuasions, has induced me to emit this Third and Last Collection, containing Twelve Sermons more, upon several very necessary Subjects, none of which have been yet Printed; One of them being his last Sermon, preached at Devonshire-house, London, a while before his Death: So that now these are all of this Author's, which are to be expected from  
N. C.   

THE Third and Last Volume OF THE Sermons OF Mr. STEPHEN CRISP, Late of Colchester in Essex, Deceased.  
Containing XII. DECLARATIONS upon several Divine Subjects.  
Exactly taken in Shorthand, as they were delivered by him at the Public Meeting-Houses of the People called QUAKERS  
In Grace-Church-street, Devonshire-house and S. Martin's legrand, London.  
And now faithfully Transcribed and Published; with some of his Prayers after Sermon.  
London, Printed for Nath Crouch, at the Bell in the Poultry, near Cheapside. 1694.   

The Contents of the Three Volumes of the Sermons or Declarations of Mr. Stephen Crisp.  

THe First Volume contains Eight Sermons, upon the following Subjects,  
I. The great Mediator of the Everlasting Covenant.  
II. Heart Preparation for receiving the Gospel.  
III. The First and Great Commandment.  
iv The Standard of Truth.  
V The necessary Duty of remembering our Creator.  
VI The Divine Monitor, or Light from Heaven.  
VII. The Inward Preacher, or the Office of Conscience.  
VIII. Saving Faith the Gift of God alone.   

THe Second Volume contains Ten Sermons upon the following Subjects.  
I Truth's Testimony against the Power of Sin and Satan.  
II. Bearing the Cross, the right Mark of a Christian.  
III. The Spirit of Christ the only true Guide.  
IU. Pure and Spiritual Worship.  
V The Divine Life of Christ Jesus.  
VI The Kingdom of God within.  
VII. The undefiled way to Eternal Rest.  
VIII. The dawning of the Day of Grace and Salvation.  
IX. The Excellency of Peace with God.  
X. True Christianity.   

THE Third and Last Volume contains Twelve Sermons upon the following Subjects,  
I. The mighty Work of Man's Redemption.  
II. The Word of God a Christian's Life.  
III. The necessity of an holy Life and Conversation.  
iv Baptism and the Lord's Supper, asserted.  
V Christ the Way, the Truth and the Life.  
VI Captive Sinners ransomed by Jesus Christ.  
VII. The Sheep of Christ hear his Voice.  
VIII. No True Worship without the right Knowledge of God.  
IX. The wonderful Love of God to Mankind.  
X. Salvation from Sin by Jesus Christ.  
XI. The acceptable Sacrifice.  
XII. Christian's should often think on the Name of the Lord: Being his last Sermon, preached at Devonshire-house, a while before his Death.   

And are all to be sold, either single or bound up in one Volume, by Nath. Crouch, at the Bell in the Poultry, near Cheapside, Price Three Shillings.    

SERMON I. The mighty Work of Man's Redemption, Preached at Grace-Church-street, Feb. 8. 1687.  
My Friends,  
WE are met upon the most weighty Affair that can be to every one of us, even to wait that we may have a true knowledge of the beginning, carrying on and perfecting the mighty Work of Redemption, that People may know that Redemption is wrought in their Souls; for every ones Soul hath been lost and captivated, and led away from the pure Presence of God; all have been alienated by reason of Sin; which hath become an universal Wall of Partition, and hath excluded and shut out unholy Souls from the Holy God; all that have been defiled and polluted they have been excluded from his Dwelling-place, they have been driven out into the World, and the World hath become a World of Misery, and of Distraction and Confusion, to the Sons and Daughters of Men; there hath been Anguish, Tribulation and Wrath upon all their Souls, and an insensibility hath happened unto many that they have not been apprehensive of the great Depravation they have lain under, and they have not been sensible of the Glory of that State and Condition which they were to have enjoyed, and in that State of Insensibility they have not sought after the Lord, but have been captivated and led away by divers Lusts and Pleasures, by which they have wounded their own Souls more and more.  
And in such a State as this, it is that the Lord hath found us, he hath sought us out, and he hath found us, cast out into the open Field, and wallowing as it were in our Blood, and yet this hath been a time of Love, and he hath manifested his Love to us in this respect in that he hath awakened us and brought us to a sense of our depraved and deplorable Condition; and given unto a Remnant to perceive, that there is a more excellent Glory, a more excellent Enjoyment to be had, than any this World can afford.  
But a great many of those whose Eyes are so far opened, that they can see and discern a more excellent Glory; yet they cannot receive it, for they are not in a capacity for the Enjoyment o● it; many have the Glimmerings, and some little sight of Heavenly Things, but they themselves are earthly: Many perceive there is a holy Life, but it is not theirs, for their own Life is unholy, and yet they know there is a Life that is Holy and Pure. Hereupon Desires are begotten, by the divine Word of Life in the Sons and Daughters of Men through the Lord Jesus Christ the Mediator; by him Desires are begotten in People that they might come to enjoy that Life of Holiness, that they might not only see a better State than what they do enjoy, but that they might come to enjoy it and have i● for theirs.  
There is an universal Desire in People that they might have Eternal Life; and they believe there is an Eternal Life to be enjoyed; but every one hath it not, and the reason is, because they are not fitted and prepared for the enjoyment of it; for it is a kind of Treasure that is never put into an unclean Vessel; there must be a cleansing and purifying, that so earthen Vessels may come to retain and hold this heavenly Treasure, and when it comes to this, that People must be cleansed and purified, here the World turns out to divers Means and Methods; some have gone to outward Washings, outward Cleansings and Observations of this and the other Ordinance, and when all that hath been done, they themselves being Judges, were yet unclean; when they have done all that lies in their Power and Ability towards their Washing and Cleansing, and towards preparing themselves, they have found some secret Testimony in their own Consciences that their Hearts were still unclean, and that there was defilement still abiding and lodging in the Secret of their Souls; and this hath put a great many to a stand, what they should do; when they have come to the end of all, they know not what to do: Many have cried secretly, what shall we do to be saved? For all what we can do cannot save us. We have retained this, and the other Doctrine, followed this and the other Way, and made many Observations; but all this doth not cleanse our Soul, nor purge our Consciences from dead Works, this will not bring us to the Inheritance of that Immortal Life that will give us satisfaction. We hear many speak of Satisfaction and of Joy unspeakable and full of Glory, but here is a weight and burden still lying upon our Souls.  
Therefore, my Friends, that all such who are brought so far as to be under such a Burden and Oppression, that they might be informed and come to understand, where the true Rest is, and where that Power can be found, that is able to answer those tender Desires that are begotten in them, for this cause hath the Lord our God communicated and given the Dispensation of the Gospel of his Son, unto a Remnant whom he hath sanctified, that they might Speak a word in Season to the weary Soul. This is not a day to make a mock of Sin, this is not a day to make a Covenant with ●●ath and Hell, and to resolve to go on in a wicked Life, and continue in it all their Days.  
But yet there are a sort of People that desire to have a Word spoken in Season to them when they are weary. How many are there in our Age and Generation, that one may reckon of this number, that are Sinners and overcome by their Lusts and Corruptions, and by the Temptations of Satan and his Instruments? But they are weary of it, it is a burden to their Souls, it costs them many a b●●ter Tear, many a Sigh, and many a sad and sorrowful Thought in secret, that they shou●● have a sight of a more excellent Glory, and of a better Life than that of their own, and yet know not how to get into it.  
My Friends, that same Divine Word of Life by which any of the People of the Lord in any Age were ever restored, redeemed and purchased again to the Lord; That Word of Life must have been at work in their Hearts, and hath been at work in them, or else ●hou hadst never been so far opened; there hath been something that hath unstopped thine Ears, that thou mightst hear, and the reason of thy Continuance in thy Bonds after thy knowing something that might have freed thee is, because thou hast not hearty closed with that which hath begun the Work, God b● his redeeming Power in the Hearts of them that believe in Christ, to raise an inclination in People to seek after the Lord.  
You know what the Apostle sai●●, It is not of us so much as to think a good Thought. But this all People will grant is a good Thought, when a Sinner thinks of turning to God and leaving his evil Ways, if he had Power and Ability, and cries out, If I knew how to stand against Temptation, I would never sin against the Lord more; this must be a good Thought in thy Mind; How came it there? Who is the Author of this Thought, you will say? This aught to be attribured to the Love of God in Christ that he hath convinced and persuaded us; and that tho' there is Sin and Pollution, yet he hath not so forsaken us utterly to cast us off, he hath sent forth his quickening Spirit, that is, the Lord from Heaven, that he might stir up and quicken People to consider their condition, and bring them to a sense of their present State, that they may come into a better State than they are in at present.  
If this may be granted, that the Spirit of God and the Grace of God is the Author of all these Desires, than it will be granted at the same time, that every one of you ought to be sensible, that such spiritual Desires stirring in you are from the motion and operation of the Spirit of God that hath raised them in your Souls, and then I hope, you will grant, that if you had but joined with that Spirit, and with the assistance of that Spirit, all things would have been possible thereunto.  
So that here is the first thing that I would have every one satisfied about in their Understandings, whether they ar● totally exempted from any such Touches and Operations of God or no, for it is said by some ignorantly, That a great part of Mankind have never had any such Divine Workings of the Spirit of God upon them, in order to their Conversion; therefore it is not in vain for you to consider your state and condition, for if you, or I, or any here be under such Circumstances that they never had, nor are ever like to have any such Divine Operations or Touches of the Spirit of Life, in order to Conversion, than I am sure you and I had better never have been born.  
If you will consider with yourselves and lay aside the Disputes of Doctors and Learned men, you may know the things pertaining to yourselves. Things relating to others, I may let Disputes alone about them, but as for things relating to my Salvation, I must have a certain Knowledge of them. It concerns you (my Friends) to know within yourselves, by an infallible Evidence of the Spirit of God, whether you have had such Divine Touches, Workings and Operations upon your Hearts, as have inclined you to seek the Lord. I hope I may believ there are none here but have in their Heatrs an Answer; I have had such Touches and Operations in me: This is great Love from God more than my Tongue can set forth; You will be ready to say, I have not deserved this, I have not so behaved myself towards my Maker as to deserve that he should wait upon me, and call upon me, When wilt tho● turn and amend thy Life and hearken to him that made thee? When wilt thou leave serving God's Enemy, and serve him that is thy rightful Lord?  
So that now this is a greater Aggravation of our Sin to continue in it, and yet to have a Belief that God is still waiting upon us, and that he hath such a kindness for us, as now and then to touch our Hearts by the inward Operation of his Spirit and Grace, in order to Conversion.  
Now when this is agreed, and Men settle themselves in the belief of this, you know what the consequence will be. When I consider with myself, I that have been under these Workings, have been rebellious, wicked and disobedient to God, yet the Lord is not so angry as utterly to cast me off, but is still waiting to be gracious by the Operation of his Spirit, to gather me to himself, in order to sanctify me and heal my my Backsliding, to cure my Weakness and Infirmities, and at the last to save me, and make me an Heir of his Eternal Kingdom, What is the consequence of this Love? Why, the next Resolve must be this, I will rebel against his Grace and resist his Power, or I will submit to him; Which of these is the best way, the safest way?  
Are there not a great many in this Age that are as sensible of the Workings of God's Grace for their Conversion as ever you and I were, that are as sensible that God hath called them to Holiness and Righteousness as any of us can be, and yet they have resisted the Grace of God? They have said in their Hearts, We will not submit to this Power, that will make us so holy and so watchful, and so careful, diligent and obedient, for this very reason, because it will cross my Interest, it will cross my Pleasure, it will hinder my Preferment in the World and my Reputation among men; and for this reason I will not bear this Yoke. I would be glad to hope there are none such here, that have made such a Covenant with Death and Hell, and yielded themselves up to the Devil, to serve him all their Days.  
Let us, who are at this Time, and at this Meeting, under the Operation of God's Grace, and do feel the Lord calling us by his Grace, and working upon us by his Spirit; let us enter together into a holy solemn Resolution, That we will obey this good Spirit, and take him for our Leader, and submit, though it should be to a Cross: Thus People will think they will come to this Resolution; when the Work of Redemption is begun in their Souls, and when they are convinced of their Sin, and their Eyes are opened to see the way of Holiness; and though they never take a Resolution to walk in it, yet every one shall be convinced, and see there was a better wa● than their own, and be convinced by the Grace of God one time or other, that in respect of God's working of it, it is a beginning, but in respect of Man that should join with the operation of God, it is not beginning, for he ha●● no desire to those things which he doth not know, he still depends upon himself; but when the Soul comes to be satisfied, that it is the Visitation of God, and joins himself to him in a holy Resignation of his own will, and saith, This is the Lord, he is come to work upon me, he is come to change and alter the Frame of my Mind, It is the Lord, let him do what he will, here is a Mind brought to submit to the Grace of God, God is able to do that for him which he cannot do for himself.  
When People come to the right Object of their Faith, and act their Faith upon that Object, they every Day find a Progress, a going forward in the Work of Grace, according to the Work of Faith in their Souls; and there is a Power that inclines them to believe; it is not for such to cry, If they had Power they would do more; he that hath the Spirit of Grace, the Spirit of Christ that had all Power in Heaven and Earth given to him, to put it forth on purpose for the bringing back of Men and Women home to God; he that hath this Object of Faith before him, he will not look for Power in his own Will and Affections to redeem him, he expects a Power to be daily ministered and dispensed to him, as he hath need of it, through the Lord Jesus Christ, who is present with him in all his Trials and Temptations; He cries, Here is a Temptation that will carry me away, O Lord help me, Put forth the Arm of thy Power and save me, plant thy Fear in my heart and deliver me, Their Eyes shall see their Saviour, saith the Prophet.  
Thus when a Man comes to be joined to the right Object of Faith, and doth exercise and put forth lively Acts of Faith upon Christ, high Eyes shall see his Saviour, the light that shines into his Heart discovers to him the Temptation, and it also shows him a Redeemer at hand, his Saviour is nigh him and he trusteth in him, and relies upon him, and says, This Word of God is in my Heart, and I do really believe, that although the Temptation that assaults me be strong, yet it shall not prevail; whether it be the Profits, the Pleasures or the Honours of the World, if I put my Trust in this Power, I cannot go near the Evil; I am a Christian, I am entered into a Covenant in Christianity that I will join with nothing but what God approves of; now when I have represented to my Mind the Temptation of the Devil, and that evil which he sets before me, and I know it is contrary to the Mind of God, How can I go into that evil, and break my Covenant with God, after I am entered into Covenant with him, to love him, serve him and obey him? the Power of Grace upon such Souls, the Operation of Grace is so powerful, that the Temptation comes and goes, and they are saved and delivered out of it, because God helpeth them; but if they comply with the Temptation, than Tribulation Wrath and Anguish pursues all such as are rebellious and disobedient to the Will of God.  
Now this Redemption is carried on gradually, from day to day, the Truth that thou believest it operates by degrees; thou art delivered, first from one evil Practice, and then from another evil Work; but there is a great deal more, thou rejoicest and art glad that thou art delivered from one sin, but thou wouldst be more glad to be delivered from them all: I speak to those that are serious for their immortal Souls, when they see themselves delivered out of one Evil, that they were ready to run into, they would be glad that they were redeemed out of every evil, that their crossness and perverseness, their frowardness and Wantonness were removed, they should be glad to be delivered from all their Sins.  
What do you think, say some, that a Man, while he liveth here may come to see all Sin, all Evil and Corruption brought under, and nothing but Holiness and Righteousness and Truth remain in him, and that there shall be nothing but Simplicity and Innocence? Do you think that such a thing can be?  
Why should not I think so? You will grant me, That the Power of Grace is able to get such Power and Victory over Sin and Corruption, that you may come to hate it as much as ever you have loved it, if you grant me that the Consequence will follow, he that gave me Victory over Sin can give me Power over all Sin. All Christians believe, That God's Power is infinite, the Scripture testifies, All things to be possible to God, with whom we have to do: If all things be possible to God, sure this is possible; there is nothing so contrary to God as Sin is, and God will not suffer the Devil always to rule his Masterpiece, Man: Mankind is God's Masterpiece, the most eminent Creature in this lower World, made after God's likeness; and though the Devil hath brought Men into his own likeness now, yet nothing can be more contrary to the Mind of God, than that the Devil should have the Rule of us, for God would have the Government of us himself.  
When we consider the infiniteness of God's Power for destroying that which is contrary to him, who can believe that the Devil must ever stand and prevail? I believe it is inconsonant and disagreeable with the true Faith, for People to be Christians, and yet to believe that Christ the Eternal Son of God, to whom all Power in Heaven and Earth is given, will suffer Sin and the Devil to have dominion over them; There is no other Name under Heaven by which I can be saved, therefore I have put my confidence in him: If the Devil must have the Rule of me here, than I cannot be subject to Christ in all things; I may go to Meetings, but I can never master the Devil and his Temptations; this is as inconsistent with the Faith of a Christian as Light with Darkness, and Christ with Belial: If Christians think themselves true Believers, then let them see how far their Faith will reach, wh●ther it be like that Faith, which was once delivered to the Saints, for by that Faith their Hearts were cleansed, and they became free from Sin, Rom. 6.22. But now being made free from sin, and the servants of God, saith the Apostle, you have your Fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life; you were Servants to Sin, but now you are free from Sin, so that this Faith is but one, and if Men have got another it will do them no good: Take heed thou art not mistaken about thy Faith.  
I have heard some learned Men say, That a Believer is a Servant of Sin, and he is ever like to be so; but he is not at the same time free from Righteousness, for he hath the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him, and God looks upon him as righteous in his Righteousness; there cannot be a more Anti-apostolical Doctrine, I may be a servant of Sin and yet have the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness, I may be a Servant of Sin (say they) yet Christ is Righteous, he is the Righteousness of God, and he hath fulfilled the will of God, and hath purchased salvation for me, and he is the Object by which I am made righteous.  
Consider this, the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness will never do me good, till I come to partake of his Righteousness, till his Righteousness be made my Righteousness in me and for me: Christ is made to us of God wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption; so that if a Sinner, one that was a Sinner the other Day, come through F●●●● in Christ to have his Heart cleansed and purged, and true Righteousness planted in him, where Sin was planted, there Sin through the Blood of Christ is cleansed and purged away.  
So that Christ is made Righteousness to me, and not his Righteousness barely imputed and reckoned to me; Christ is my Wisdom, I am a Fool without him; Christ is made Righteousness to me; for my good Deeds and holy Living cannot be acceptable to God till they be done in him, and commended to God by him; the proper Work of Faith is to fix the Soul on him that worketh all things in us and for us, that worketh in us both to will and to do, according to his good pleasure, and it is the good pleasure of God that we should live in 〈◊〉 Righteousness.  
They that come to receive this Faith at first, receive it from an inward Feeling, they have the Operation of the Word of God in them; so the Apostle reckons Faith, not because such a Man heareth, and such a Man believeth what such a Man preacheth, but Faith is the operation of God; you may hear me and a Thousand preach, and you may die Unbelievers for all that, except you come to thi● to know the Operation of God, and the wo●● of Faith in you. How doth my Heart close with this? how doth my Soul join with this▪ What Virtue and Power do I feel in myself▪ It may be others that preach feel the Pow●● but do I feel it? if not, I come but to a Noise and Sound: If People feel not their Hearts joining with the Word preached, there comes no advantage to them; You read in Scripture, That the word preached did not profit, because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it: This is your Case, you come to Meetings, and you love to hear the Doctrine of Truth preached; I tell you, and I will speak plainly to you, unless you come to feel the Operation of the Word of Truth in your Hearts, you may hear the Gospel and the Word of Life preached to you, but it will not profit you much.  
How is it possible for a Man to have a Testimony against Drunkenness and yet be drunk, a Testimony against Uncleanness and yet be unclean? How can a Man hear such a Testimony and believe it, and yet commit the Sin? he heard it but did not feel the Virtue of it within himself, and so he did not mortify the Sin that he was inclinable to; but they that come to join with Truth, and with meekness receive the engrafted word, they find the Power and Ability of it, they find how able it is to save their Souls, they find how it worketh not only just when they hear it, but it goes along with them, and dwells with them, and they feel the virtue of it overshadowing their Souls with the Dread and Terror of the Lord, not with the Words that a Man speaks, I do not trust to them, but here is the Power ●●d the Fea● of the Lord, which will preserve my Soul, and keep me in safety; this is that which will keep my Mind fixed upon him, and keep my Mind inward that I do not gaze about me; so that every one may have an Infallible Testimony of what they have heard and known.  
I have known the Doctrine of several Sects that have been among us, and the main thing that many have gone from one People to another about is this, that they might know what such a Man holds forth more than such a one, and they think the truth is more perspicuous among such a People than other People; if you examine the Matter, it is this, Who preached and proved his Doctrine be●●▪ Alas, if they did all concur together, and did preach as certain and infallible Doctrine as ever Chr●●●● and his Apostles preached, this will all ●● thee and me no good, unless we know the Power. You know there were Thousands that heard Christ Preach, as you now hear me, and there were some so taken with him, that they went away and said, Never Man spoke like this Man. But were they all Christians, did they partake of Life by him? No, some of them were ready to stone him.  
Now bring this home and consider with yourselves, whether you are not some of yo● in the same State; when you hear Trut● preached, there is an assent and agreement with it in your Minds; but when a Command comes to be obeyed, and a Cross to b● taken up, and Self-denial to be shown; 〈◊〉 some Increase of Trade lies in the way, let Truth go where it will, you must follow your Interest; there wants somewh●● to fix you in the Principle of Truth, which is able to sanctify you and perfect you, that you may be reconciled to God through Christ.  
They that are resigned and given up to Truth, it is possible for them that they may be satisfied, they have an Infallible Testimony of the Spirit of Truth, witnessing with their Spirits, that such a thing is bad, and if they might get the whole World to do it, they will not. What is Profit and Pleasure to me? My Pleasure is at God's right Hand, and my Profit is to get Grace, and to have an abundant entrance into God's Everlasting Kingdom. Those that have the true knowledge of Christ, they have Profit and Advantage, Pleasure and Delight enough, which is hid from the World, and ever will be. They are for Profit and Pleasure which they may have with a good Conscience. Those Things which God affords them as Blessings in this World; they despise them not, but take them with Thanksgiving, and use them for his Glory: But if they cannot have Profit and Pleasure without sinning against the Lord and their own Consciences, take Profit and Pleasure that will.  
They that come thus to close with Truth, they have an infallible Evidence within them; they do not conceive it is thus and thus, because such a Man saith it is so, but they have an infallible Evidence in themselves. This is the Mind of the Lord, God hath signified it by his Spi●●t and sealed it upon my Spirit, and I cannot but know it.  
What do you profess Infallibility? Else I would hold my Tongue; if I did not know what I assert infallibly, I would never Preach more; Truth may be many times concealed. A Man may have wronged and cheated his Neighbour and he not know it; this Man goes away and his Neighbour doth not reproach him; but when he comes to lie down in his Bed, he hath a sting and a reproach in his Conscience, I know I have don● him harm. Whether is not this Infallible? Let me consult some learned Men, that I may know w●●ther it was a Lie I told. I need not go to learned Men and Logicians to know whether it was a Lie; I am infallible in this, I know certainly it was a Lie, I have a certain Evidence, and if a thousand Men tell me to the contrary, I will not believe them. If there be Infallibility here, is there not then Infallibility in the word of Truth? Shall I question it, or doubt it, if I have an infallible Testimony of it?  
Tho' Men have never so little proficiency, if they have it upon sure Terms and lasting Foundations, let a thousand Men come with all their Logical Skill and Sophism, yet they can never remove a Man from the Witness ●n himself. The Remnant that God hath ●rought to this Foundation, they have a certainty and Infallibility in their Obedience they pay to the Will of God, a●● in the comfort they have in their Obedience to the Law of God, which he hath written in their Hearts. Let what will come, they can never be removed; for this exceeds all the Precepts and Doctrine of Men, it is the Precept and Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles. Let People read them and endeavour to practise them; but here comes the Testimony, the Divine Power by which the Precept was given forth to them, and is now given forth again to thee and me, with as much Liveliness and Power. Let us perform them as did the Primitive Christians.  
Here now Comfort comes to flow forth from a settled Foundation that shall never be moved. The Winds have come and blown upon Religion; let what Wind will blow, and can blow, God hath built his Church upon a Rock, and it will remain unmoveable against all opposition; blessed are they that are founded thereupon. Hath God fixed and established us in our Society with one another, and with our Lord Jesus Christ? This is the Foundation that God hath placed it upon: We desire that all Men may come to the same stability and settlement, and never more to be tosse● with the Winds of Doctrine, but be built upon Christ Jesus the Rock of Ages, the Rock of our Ages, the Rock of us and our Children. That God will carry us ●n in this Society is the desire of our Souls, for ourselves and all our Friends and Countrymen. The way for you to be blessed, and to have 〈◊〉 Advantage for your Immortal Souls by the Testimony that hath been raised up, is to have regard to the working of the same Power that you may come to partake of the Benefit of those Gifts and Graces which God hath bestowed upon his Church.  

His Prayer after Sermon.  
MOST blessed and glorious God and Father of Life, how wonderful art thou in thy Appearances to thy People in the Day of thy Power, in which thou has stretched forth thine Arm, and hast gathered a Remnant of those that were scattered, and art yet gathering them and bringing them to thyself, those that have been driven away; and thou hast made known thy power and goodness in the Hearts of the Sons and Daughters of Men, that they might love thee. That thou mightest beget love to thyself, thou hast made known▪ thy love to their Hearts; if thou hadst not loved us first, we had never loved thee: But thou hast been shedding abroad thy love in our Hearts by the Holy Ghost to constrain us to love thee. Thy love is manifested to all that are breathing after thee, and none do breath after thee, but through the Life that thou givest to them; and those that were dead in Sins a●● T●es●asses hast thou quickened, and we w●●● 〈…〉 forth thy Praises and Thanksgivings for the great things that thou hast done for us in Jesus Christ. All thy Works praise thee, and thy Saints bless thee. Holy Father of Life, increase and multiply those Graces and holy Desires which thou hast begun to work in us, and pluck up every Plant that thy right Hand hath not planted. Let spiritual Sodom be burnt up, and all that are Corrupt; let those things that thou hast planted spring up to the Praise of thy Name, and the Salvation of the Souls which thou hast gathered. O powerful God of Life, let thy blessed Presence and living Fear be among us, that all thy Children may offer Praises and the Sacrifices of humble Thanksgivings upon thy Holy Altar. Arise, O Lord, more and more in the greatness of thy Power, and dispel the Clouds of Darkness that have been upon the Hearts of the Sons and Daughters of Men, and raise up in every one of us more and more holy Desires and Breathe after that Life that is Eternal. Those that have been scattered let them be now gathered, and let those that have been driven away in a cloudy and dark Night, be brought to a glorious and blessed Day, wherein they may enjoy the Gospel that brings Light to dark Souls, that Praises and Thanksgivings may be offered up in thy House for thy Holy Presence with us, that we may be fed there, when we are assembled together in thy Name, accordi●● to thy Promise. Continue to 〈◊〉 ●midst of us, that living Praises and Thanksgivings may be offered up to thee through Jesus Christ; for thou alone art Worthy, who art God over all blessed for evermore,  
Amen.    

SERMON II. The Word of God a Christians Life. Preached at Grace-Church-street, March 14, 1687.  
IT was the Doctrine of the great Master of the Christian Religion, the Lord Jesus Christ, while he was preaching and publishing and making known the way of Salvation among the Sons and Daughters of Men; he then preached and declared, That it was not Bread only by which Man lived, but by ever● Word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of Go●▪ Now the way and means of Man's Preservation in Life, in a living state, the Meth●● and Course that the God of Heaven do●● open to keep the Sons and Daughters of Me● alive, is by this Word. Every Word 〈◊〉 proceedeth out of the Mouth of God, hath a Ministration of Life in it; and, therefore, all that are desirous of the enjoyment of the Immortal Life, and of the preserving and increasing of it, they are diligently to wait to be made Partakers of this Divine Ministration. Outward Bread is for our outward Preservation, but Man is made inward as well as outward, he hath a Soul as well as a Body. Now Christ to signify to us what the inward Man is nourished and fed by, tells us, That Man liveth not by Bread only, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of God.  
So now in this our day, as well as in former Days, it hath pleased God to give unto a Remnant an experimental knowledge of the Truth of this; that they have been quickened and made alive by the Word of God; that is, they have heard, and felt, and tasted of the Word of Life that was with the Father, before the World began, that hath been divinely ministered to them by the mercy of God through Jesus Christ; many that were dead in Sins and Trespasses, he hath said unto them, Live. He hath given unto many an inward sense of their State, who sometimes had it not; he hath brought many a one to feel sin to b a Burden and an oppressing Load, who sometimes before have taken Pleasure and Delight in it. This is a great change that is wrought in a Man's Mind, that he should come to be loaden with that, burdened and oppressed by that, which was before ●is Pleasure and Delight; yet this great Ch●●ge hath been wrought in many a Soul, by the operation of the word of God, of that inward Word, that inward Voice, when the Lord hath taken Men in hand himself.  
There are many have taken Sinners 〈◊〉 hand, and have gone about to convince the● and convert them, but they were not able to do it; but when the Lord hath taken Man in hand himself, when his Creator hath undertaken to deal with him himself, than the Man cries out, I am a Worm, and no Man; then he cries out under the sense of the judgement of God▪ then he cries out under the indignation of the Lord, which he hath kindled by his Sins, he cries out for Mercy, than he prays for Remission, than he wishes that he had never provoked the Lord; for the Word that goes out of the Mouth of God, hath ● mighty Force and Power upon the Spirit of ● Man, so that he is converted and changed ●● it; as the Prophet said of old, The Word ●● God is pure, converting the Soul.  
Now where any come to an experimental knowledge of the Word of the Lord, of th● inward Voice, whereby God speaks to th● Sons and Daughters of Men, they have received thereby an infallible feeling of th● own State and Condition; this is the fir●● Lesson learned by it. They come to have certain infallible knowledge of their o●● State, and they are sure that they cannot 〈◊〉 deceived; for it brings an Evidence with it in their Consciences, so that whatsoever this Word of Life signifieth to a Man, he hath the knowledge of the same thing evidencing it in his own Conscience, as the Apostle saith, If our Hearts condemn us, God is greater than our Hearts, and knoweth all things. Now here is a way found out for Men to obtain divine Knowledge by a divine Means; for the Lord speaks by his Spirit, and if Men come to hearken to that Voice, unto that Speaking, they perceive readily what it saith unto them: The Lord tells People as well now as in former Days, what he hath against them, and this every one in the Closet of their own Hearts come to understand. We read in the Book of Revelations, what our Lord Jesus Christ appointed John to write to the seven Churches in Asia, that he had a few things against some, and many things against others.  
Now that which is the design of our Meeting when we are Assembled together is, that we may know what the Mind and Judgement of God is concerning ourselves: How shall we know that, unless we ask him, and come to wait upon him, and inquire at the Oracle of Counsel, that God hath appointed in the Bosom of every man? For he signifies his mind unto the Children of men, by that Light ●nd Grace which Jesus Christ hath Planted in ●hem, he hath Enlightened every man that comes ●●to the world, with an undeceiving Light, and he hath ministered of his truth and Grace to every man; tho' the man be bad and untrue, and in the Dark and there be Darkness in him, yet the Light shineth in Darkness. The Man may be a false Man, yet there is true knowledge in him, if this false Man hearken to the Voice of Truth, when the God of Truth signifies what his Mind and Judgement is concerning him, and his present State.  
So that here is an opportunity offered, and if a Man believe the word of Truth which is administered to his own mind he cannot say such a Man hath deceived him; for it is Truth itself which is signified to him, which he believeth: For the Truth is the object of 〈◊〉 Faith, and he believeth it of himself; he believeth that while he remains wicked in 〈◊〉 unrenewed state he is out of the Covenant of God, and in the high Road to Destruction, if he doth not get out of it, and return to God, and mind his Duty: He believeth this, and he believeth the Truth: It hath been so with many, it hath been so with us all; this is the fir●● kind of Faith, and Belief that ever we receive; for when Truth signifies to us our fallen state our alinated state, when Truth signifies and discovers to us the Partition Wall of Sin and iniquity which we have builded up whereby the Glory and favour of God, was hid from the Soul, we believed this to be true; we would have been looked upon as Heirs ●● Gods Kingdom, yet when we are come to hear●en to the Truth, we find that we are Children 〈◊〉 the Devil and do his works; shall a Man believe this after he hath been forty years a professor of Christanity? If a Man believe Truth, there is no danger in believing it, tho' it be his own Destruction that is threatened.  
Now the great thing that I would have ushered into the Hearts of Men, is that they may believe the Truth, for Truth's sake. If Men will believe the truth, they must believe many things against themselves, which they are not willing to believe; but saith Christ no Man can be my Scholar, my Disciple, but be denying himself: I must deny myself, my pretensions to Christianity, my supposed Saintship and ●itle to the Kingdom of God; now if I would be convinced that I am a wicked Man, a profane Man, one that doth not live as becomes the Gospel; I must believe truth, the Voice of truth being of infallible certainty; it is signified Divinely, by the immortal Word that cannot deceive us; this aught to be the reason why People should believe the Testimony of it, tho' it be against themselves; they that do so, presently come to find the effects of it, for they were in their Sins and Trespasses before, and so are still; they were before in a kind of liberty, in a kind of ease, and indulgence of themselves, and still their Sin remains in them, and they remain in it; but they are now under a sense of Sorrow, under a weight, under a Burden, under an oppression, which signifies they are alive, and quickened; for (if you take an outward comparison) they remain not senseless and dead; now lay what Load you will upon a dead Man, he will neither groan, nor grumble at it; but if he comes again to life, he cries take off the Burden, the weight, and oppression, that lies heavy upon me,  
This is the difference between being dea● in sins and trespasses, and being brought to li●● and sense again; this word of life that com● from the Mouth of God, begets a sense in ev●ry one that receiveth it; it is of great servi●● and use to all People to be acquainted wit● it that desire to be Heirs of life eternal, tha● desire to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of God▪ But how should they come by it? they thin● by this duty, and the other duty and this and the other Temporary performance, to obtain it; no but if they will have life, they mu●● have it from the God of life, that created them, he must Create them again to good works▪ they can have it but by one way, all must be brought to it that way; it cannot be by hearing a Man preach; unless the Spirit do●● cooperate with the word of God, there is n● possibility of being quickened, and necessi●● binds me to hearken and have a regard to the one means: Now I say to you, saith Chri●● speaking of People's way of living to eterni●● Man liveth not by Bread alone, but by ev●● word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of 〈◊〉 now when we come to understand this 〈◊〉 as spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ, we 〈◊〉 conclude there was a possibility of understanding and hearing that inward Voice and Word of Truth in our own Hearts, that God did speak to us by his Son Jesus Christ, who enlightened us. Hereupon Meetings were appointed at first, that the Word should minister Life in them, and Life to them that attend them; and to this Day, our Meetings are appointed for this purpose, that we may have ●he ministration of Life and Virtue from Christ, the Fountain of Life and Virtue, by whom we are to be quickened and strengthened, and by whom those that are dead in Sins and Trespasses are to be quickened.  
Therefore, I would have every one always to have a Reverence to the Word of Life, that speaks in themselves; for, if we speak as we are moved by the Spirit of God, and utter those things by verbal Testimony, which God hath made known to us; if you have not an Oracle in your Bosoms, if you do not at the same time perceive an Echo of Truth in your own Souls, this will do you no good, but be an empty sound which will pass away again; but the Mind that is serious and settled in waiting upon God with an earnest Desire, that it may receive Benefit in going to this and the other Meeting; such a●one will say, I pray God bless this opportunity to me, that so I may receive Benefit to my Soul. Where People meet in this manner, they have not only an administration of Doctrine from without, from this and the other Instrument, but they have a Ministration of the Word of God in themselves, by which a Man liveth.  
Let us not be 〈◊〉 and hurried away with the grand Error of the Times, the great Error of this Age, and of the Ages bypast, that there is no possibility for People to understand and hear this Voice of God, this inward Voice. There are (say they) not immediate Teachings now adays, no Inspirations now adays; they had as well said, that there are no Conversions now adays. I will prove it from the Holy Scriptures, that there is no Man in this Age, is like to be converted to God, or redeemed from his Iniquity and brought to the knowledge of his Maker, unless he have it by the inward Working of the Eternal God: Not by Man's Preaching and Instruction, nor by reading all the good Sermons that ever were preached, without the Co-operation of the holy sanctifying Spirit which begets Life in them that believe; and if these Men say none can be Converted, than we must all go Headlong to Hell, and they and all.  
These Quakers may say what they will there is no immediate Teaching now adays no Man can know the mind of God, nor understand the Scriptures, none can open the● to you.  
But blessed be God this Darkness is removed, this Veil is gone over and taken ●way; the brightness of the glory of the Go●pel hath expelled this Darkness, and thousan● now adays do not only hear the Minister reprove them, but they ●e● a Voice within that doth reprove them 〈◊〉 ●●iquity, and they find and feel a Judgement and Tribunal within themselves, and that God hath an immediate way of Counselling, and Instructing them, if they will hearken to him.  
You that are under any sense of this, that are come to such an inward sense of the operation of the Word of God, if you have heard it reprove you, exhort you, judge you and condemn you, consider that this Word proceeded out of the Mouth of God, and not out of the Mouth of any Man. You hear the sentence of God upon you in your own Consciences: Whence comes it? This is out of the Mouth of God. Every Word that comes out of the Mouth of God, administers Life, Sense and Conviction; and you feel it and receive it, and you may have more familiar Acquaintance with it. There is not a Day or Hour that passeth over your Head nor mine, but if we attend to this inward Voice, we may know what it speaks to us, by its Counsels, Doctrines, Reproofs, Convictions and Illuminations; for the Spirit, speaketh expressly, with an express signification, unto the Spirit of Man; and if he be under a Temptation to tell a Lie, and he comes to a little Pause or Question, whether he shall tell it or no; if he harken to this inward Word he will not pause long about it, but such a Sentence will arise in him, as that to Joseph, How can I do this great Wickedness, and sin against God? How can I speak a Lie, tell a Lie, when in so doing I sin against God? Here is a sentence of Truth, wilt thou receive it or not? No, sayest thou, I will venture to tell a Lie; then shalt thou come into the rank of them that do Despite to the Spirit of Grace, that trample under Foot the Son of God, and count the Blood of the Covenant an unholy thing. What Sentence such shall have at the latter end, you may read at large in the Holy Scriptures.  
Now there is a great necessity that every one be persuaded to hearken to this Voice; not only at a Meeting, but on all Occasions they have in the World. I hope I speak to many serious and religious Persons that are enquiring about their Immortal Souls, what may be best for their Souls, whether 'tis better to go on in Wickedness or leave off; and that resolve and say, I would be glad to leave my Sins as well as you, if I had Power, and to live a holy Life. As for the want of Power, that you have not Power, I do not wonder at it; for till you come to an exercise of Faith, in that which hath empowered the People of God, in all Ages, I wonder not that you have not Power. You say I am so weak, that I am overcome before I am ware; the Devil is so subtle and cunning with his Temptations, that I am surprize● and snatched into Temptations, and overcome with evil before I am ware: He is like 〈◊〉 Roaring Lion, going about continually so all 〈◊〉 whom he may devour. But who can he devour? Can he devour those that harken and submit to the Word of God? If he could, than none could escape him; if the Devil could pluck out of God's Hands, than no Body would go to Heaven, nor ever shall, if he have Power.  
Where the Devil finds any in their own Hands, as suppose a religious Person of this and the other Religion, who never experienced any thing of this Power of God, but trusteth to his Duties and Performances, this Man is at his own Hand; now such a one the Tempter hath Power over: He can make him cheat his Neighbour, and lead him into Drunkenness and Uncleanness sometimes, and into the greatest Abominations; but if a Man come into an exercise of Faith and dependence upon God, and hath left trusting in his own Hands, and saith, I see I cannot preserve myself from sin, I see a necessity of putting my trust in the Lord, and of waiting upon God's Power to keep me: If the Tempter come to such a one he cannot prevail, all the Devils in Hell cannot stir him one jot; the Devil may tempt him, but he stands in the Power of Faith; he knows his Name, and saith; Get thee behind me Satan; when the Devil comes before him, and lays a Temptation before him, he casts it behind him; if the Devil rises up against him, he can chain him down, he can say in the Name of the Lord, Get thee behind me Satan.  
This is the Reason why many are tempted, and not overtaken; why many are tempted to sin, and not overcome: How comes it to pass that we do not do every thing that we are Tempted to? There is something that keeps us; the Devil is not so bad to Tempt, but we are as bad in our own Inclinations to yield to him; The Heart is deceitful above all Things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? There is more Wickedness in it, than can be uttered. If People be tempted and not overcome, something must preserve them; if there be something that preserves a Man from any Evil, it can preserve him from all Evil.  
The Reason why some People are led into Temptation sometimes and resist it, is, because sometimes the Temptation suits not their Inclination; sometimes their Reputation lies in the way, sometimes one thing, sometimes another: But when a thing they are Tempted to, suits their Profit and Pleasure, than away with the fear of God, and nothing shall hinder them, I will have my Pleasure.  
But they that understand the Keeper of Israel, and come to know his Power living in their Hearts, these always bring their Deeds and Temper before him, and they come to him for a Verdict and Judment, and they ask, Doth this tend to the Honour or Dishonour of God? Is it good or evil? The Oracle of God in the Heart says do it not, it is evil, Thou, wilt kindle the Indignation of the Lord against thee; what will it profit to gain the whole world and lose thy own soul; or what wilt thou give in exchange for thy Soul? Here is one at hand that can give Counsel to all of us, at all times; this is he that we must advance; our Labour and Work upon the Stage of th●s World, among the Sons and Daughters of Men, is to advance the Virtue and great Authority of this mighty Counsellor Christ Jesus; we do say and affirm, in the Name of God, that the same Light and Grace by which God hath brought us out of Darkness into his marvellous Light, and from the Power of the Devil into the Kingdom of his dear Son; the same Power is extended to you, that you may be sanctified and saved from your Sins.  
One Sect will say, my Tenets are so and so, and our Ordinances are so and so, will you come over to us? You shall be a Member of our Church.  
Our duty is to come over to the Grace of God that shines in our Hearts; now we are Witnesses for God that he doth not desire the death of them that die, but rather that they would turn and live, for his Word is gone forth and his Light shines, and his Glory is risen upon the Nations, that they that inhabit the Earth may fear him. Fear God and give Glory to God. The hour of his Judgement is come; Do you know that to be true? that you may not be deluded, you shall certainly know that the Hour of God's Judgement is come.  
Thus when any one suffers himself to be led away with the Evil One, when he feels after that a Remorse upon his own Heart, 〈◊〉 finds a secret Judgement and Tribunal set up in his own Bosom, against Whoredom, Lying, Drunkenness, Fraud and other Sins, he knows he hath done amiss; he is not going to a Confessor, that will take off and remove the Gild from his Conscience; he hath offended the Majesty of the great God, and God hath signified to him. Is not Judgement come, and hath not God set it up in his own Heart? if through Custom in Sin thou losest the Sense of this Judgement, it is not because God hath determined to take Advantage against thee, but because thou actest against thyself, and comest to be past feeling; thou wast once under a sense of these things, and thou wast not past feeling; if thou at any time told thy Parents a Lie, thou hadst Remorse; but now thou canst tell a Lie, and not feel it, thou art past feeling, whose Fault is this? The Lord would have brought thee to love Truth, but thou choosest Lying; if thou peri●● 〈◊〉 Blood will be upon thine own head, the 〈◊〉 clear from it.  
They that receive the Word of God 〈◊〉 Life: for man liveth not by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God: You are sensible of God's speaking this Word to you: I exhort you all, in the Love of God, that you would prise this manner of Speaking, and look upon it as the greatest Mercy that ever you enjoyed, that God hath not given over speaking to you, and that Conscience hath not given over speaking to you, and that the Spirit of the Lord doth yet strive with you; he will not always strive; you may be of that sort of Fools before you die, that make a mock of sin, and be as trees, twice dead and plucked up by the roots. You that are sensible of this inward Voice, prise it above all your Mercies: Health and Wealth, and all other Mercies, are not worthy to be compared to this Voice of God speaking in you; They that prise this, will never complain for want of Power; they will find Power in it; all the Power in Heaven and Earth is contained in this Truth that shines unto you; They that come to be exercised in this Word receive Power from God, for God gives it to them; he gives them Power by degrees, from being Sons of Belial, Sons of the Devil, to become Sons of God, to as many as believe in his name. They that receive this Truth grow tender of a Lie, of a vain Word, they find themselves grow tender, feeling and sensible; H●●e is a token that the God of Life is quick●●● them; I am now tender of speaking a Lie to my Neighbour; I will not do that thing to another that I would not have another do to me; when you come to a tender state, which is far better than an hardhearted state, you will have an Evidence in yourselves, That man liveth not by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.  
Blessed are they that God hath brought into Acquaintance with his Word; of all Nations and People upon the Earth, they are a blessed People; though there are manifold Blessings that reach indifferently to all, the sun shines and the rain falls on the evil and the good, and on the just and unjust; yet this is a Blessing that can only make the Soul happy, that an Intercourse between it and its Maker is open▪ that there is an open Intercourse for the Lord to hear a Man cry, and he to receive his Word, all those that God hath brought into Covenant with himself by Christ, he hath made sensible of this Intercourse and way of God's speaking to his People, which he spoke to them by in former days: Take heed that this way be not stopped up; you know by what it was opened, and what will stop it up again; when you were in much Trouble and Grief you cried to the Lord, and he delivered you: But if I regard iniquity in my heart, said David, the Lord will not hear me; You cried to the Lord again, it may be, and he did not answer you; and the Lord cried to you and you answered him not, but harkened to your Lusts.  
Yet the Lord, by his long-suffering and patience hath won upon a Remnant, and hath brought them over to believe and trust in his Power, for Salvation; and as soon as ever they came to believe in him, they found his Power to remove out of the way that which hindered the Intercourse between God and their Souls. What a great Stir was there in removing out of the way the Pride, Corruption, Enmity, Looseness, Wantonness and abundance more of evil things, that made the Soul like a Wilderness? What hacking up and burning up was there? God's Word, like a hammer and like a fire, did break up and burn up these things; and the same Word of God like a Sword did cut down those Sins and Lusts which prevailed over you before: By this means God hath opened a Way for you, to have access to him, and for his Word to have access to you; When you come to the Lord in this way you know you live by this Word, and if you hear the Word of the Lord spoken immediately to you, your Joy and Consolation increaseth, and you have sweet Communion and Fellowship with God and Christ, and with one another, by this Covenant of Life. How came you into it? It was by removing a great deal of Rubbish out of the way. If you should let this Rubbish grow up again, which kept you from the Joy of the Holy Ghost, will it not do it again? If your Pride, Corruption, Enmity, Prejudice, Looseness and Wantonness, if these be suffered to grow up in any of you, they will do as they did before, they will separate you from the Lord and from one another: As the Truth brought you to God and this heavenly Fellowship with him, so if a wrathful Mind and wanton Spirit get up again, it will separate you from God, and scatter you from one another; than you will live in the outward Life, and die to the inward one and perish Remember you were told so.  
Every one that goes from this living Word, and suffers any thing to arise of the old Nature, so much as that riseth so much will your way of Intercourse with God be stopped; sometimes Men cry to God, but they have a Bar in their way; and they come for Comfort to the Throne of Grace, but they cannot receive those Ministrations of Joy and Peace, which they desire; their foolish hearts are darkened and their minds blinded, and they will go on in darkness, and be left out of the Holy Covenant which God hath called his People to.  
You that God hath engaged to be his, by the Operation of his Power, O live in a holy Fear and watchfulness, and know this, That let your Understanding and Gifts be what they will, you have nothing but what is given you, and what God he hath given you he can take away: Thou hast decked thyself with my flax, and my wool, and with my silver and gold, and other ornaments, and followed thy lovers, therefore will I take them away from thee, and strip thee of all thou gloriest in: Those that forget God, of whom they had these things, that forget their brokenness of Heart, and the Subjection of their Spirits to God; if they forget this, let them know, that let their Part● be what they will, they will certainly whither, and their inward Life will fail; you that have regard to your own Souls, and do desire hearty (at this Time) to be quickened, a●● find that the Lord hath removed your Deadness, and quickened and raised you to such a degree and measure of Life, that you can say, I find Communion with God, and Fellowship with my Friends and Brethren in that one Eternal Life, I pray God you may continue in it long, and lay down your Heads in this Blessed heavenly Life. Now that you may so do, keep yourselves low and humble, and in the Fear of God, and keep your Ears always open to his Word, and live as becomes those that are born again and begotten of God, and are brought to partake of the Divine Life. Let Temptations surround you, that Life will preserve you; he that never sinned is with you, to keep you from Sin▪ and he that never deceived any, will keep you from being deceived; To his Consel and Conduct, and to his Divin Care and Protection, I do now commit you.   

SERMON III. The Necessity of an Holy Life and Conversation. Preached at S. Martin's-le-Grand, March 16th. 1687.  
O How happy are they that have Bread in their own Houses! and that can draw Water out of their own Wells! These have a blessed glorious Dwelling-place, these are the Children that their Father provideth for: All the divine Treasures and the Riches of Heavenly Things are laid up for these; O that all that have a Sight of this blessed State, were got into it! that their Minds might no more wander, that People might not be scattered in their Thoughts, that when they meet together they might have their Expectations entirely from that God whom they profess to worship: Lord thou hast said that thou wilt teach thy people thyself; here a Cry goes up to the Lord and their Expectations through Faith are pitched upon God; they never meet in vain, but a well springs up and the water of life comes to them, by which they meet with Divine Refreshments; for, you know, the Promise that our Lord made to his Disciples, He that drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst more. Why, will once Drinking serve? Because I have tasted of the Living Water that the Lord Christ gives me, will that serve? No, but he giveth me a substantial River, that is the reason why I shall thirst no more, it shall be in me a well of living water, springing up to everlasting life; blessed are the Witnesses of it, these are they that are satisfied concerning Religion and Doctrine, they are satisfied concerning Worship, they are looking after no new things; when these meet together they meet in the Name of the Lord, and they have their Eyes to him who is a Fountain and they discern a Brightness and a Glory that is unspeakable; and the Glory that is speakable, that appears many times through Instruments, will not satisfy them; there is something beyond that, which must satisfy; this will never do it: People will never be satisfied with hearing, nor never satisfied with seeing, till they come to hear and see that which is unutterable, and then they are satisfied; Christ had preached many Sermons in the hearing of his Disciples, and there were a great many said, That there was never any man spoke like him, preached like him; yet one of them that was nearest to him, and most acquainted and intimate with him, after some Years meeting and hearing of his Sermons, he cries out, Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us;  
My Friends, this comes near to many of your States; many of you have heard long, and have heard the speakable Word of God, that which could be uttered, that which could be spoken forth, by the Demonstration of the Holy Ghost, by them that have received it of the Father; this you have heard long, and yet there are many of you, that if you come to a serious Search, you will find a Want, you will find still that you have not that Satisfaction that puts you beyond Doubt, beyond Fear; there is some thing that stands in the way, that hinders your Enjoyment of the unspeakable Glory, of the unspeakable Word, and this will never be removed, but by your innocent submitting to the Work of the Power of God in your own Hearts, that so you may not only be Believers but come to be really Baptised, and then all is out of doubt; for our Lord said, he that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; he doth not say he may be saved, but he shall be saved.  
Woeful Experience hath told us in our Days, That a great many have believed the Truth, and yet they are never like to be saved, they have made shipwreck of their faith; but if they had been baptised, if they would have endured the Baptism, if they would have been buried with Christ in Baptism, they should have been saved, every one of them; and now there are a great many that remain in the Belief of the Truth, and yet they are not Baptised, they are not Dead, not Buried, notwithstanding they have received like precious faith with us, that faith which is of the operation of God, and that is alike precious in its nature to all that do receive it, and would work the same effect in all too, if it were not obstructed; but notwithstanding they have received Faith towards the saving of their Souls, yet their Souls are Captives, their Souls are subject to Lusts, and Pleasures, and Vanities, and unto empty and foolish Things, and to Passions and Corruptions, after they have received Faith.  
For if you take one that is a Believer of Truth, that is overtaken with his Lusts, and Passions, and Corruptions, he will commonly own that he believeth the contrary, he believeth that these things should not be, that it ought to be otherwise: This is the signification of Truth against Untruth; If it should be otherwise, why is it thus then? Why, he finds a Life to spring up in that which is corruptible, that is always contrary to the life of God, and at enmity with it: What shall I do? I believe the Truth, I know it is a holy thing, it leads all that submit to it to a holy Life, and there is this and that unholy thing, this and that corrupt thing remains, what shall I do?  
It is an evident Demonstration that thou wantest the Baptism of him in whom thou believest; thou hast believed in Christ Jesus that cometh after John, and was before him, and now having believed in him, thou wantest to be baptised by him, and for want of that, the Pollution and Corruption that was grown up in thy nature, in the time of thy alienation, prevails still upon thee, contrary to thy Faith; and there is no coming to obtain this Baptism but by sinking down into that which will slay thee, that which will kill thee: But there is such a shifting to save one's Life, there are so many twist and twine of People to save their Lives, that at last they lose them; but there are none that could ever find that Life that is Eternal, but those that are willing to be given up to the Dead, and submit to this Baptism, that is by the Holy Ghost and by Fire: these only do come to Life, they come to the Resurrection, for you never knew any that died this Death but they risen again; it is as impossible for Death to hold any one down that is buried in this Baptism, as it was impossible to hold Christ down, when he was in the Grave; The same power that brought again our Lord Christ from the dead, the same power it is that quickens us, while we remain in these mortal Bodies, after we have sustained this Death and Crucifiction.  
But who can believe this Saying? for this is a hard saying, who can bear it? Is it not enough that I am a Believer, which makes me a Friend, and entitles me to a Community among you, and as long as I hold the Truth and profess the Truth I am looked upon as one of your Society? This is very true, this doth entitle People unto the outward Privivileges of the Church of Christ; but there is another inner Court, that lies under the Angel's Reed, the measuring Reed, that is to be measured, the Temple is measured, and every Worshipper in the Temple is measured; there was an outward Court, that was for representing the Church of God in general from the particular; the outward Court was not measured, that the Gentiles might come in; the unbaptized People which were never regenerated they might come so far as the outward Court, but this did not entitle them to the Privileges of the House of God, nor to any Worship or Sacrifice that was accepted upon God's Altar.  
It concerns you and me (my Friends) to be serious about Matters of this Moment and Importance, and not spend your Days, and, as it were, speak by rote, under an airy Profession, though of Truth itself, without considering what Progress you have made, what benefit you have obtained, and whether you are come not only to the shadow of good things to come, but to the very Substance of the heavenly things; for the comers to the outward worship could never with those Sacrifices they offered be made perfect; the comers thereunto were not made perfect as to things pertaining to the conscience, speaking there of the outward worship, Heb. 10.1. but coming to the heavenly things, whereof the other were but a shadow, they made People perfect, as to the Conscience, and did bring them to Salvation. The Apostle alludes to this Baptism, for he speaks in a Figure of the Eight persons that were saved in Noah 's ark; then he brings down the Allegory to Christian Baptism, not only to the Baptism of John, the forerunner of Christ, that preached of Christ, but to the Christian Baptism itself; by the like figure, whereof baptism now saveth us, saith the Apostle, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good Conscience. What doth he mean by Baptism saving us? He means, the answer of a good Conscience towards God, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead; so that Christian Baptism did bring along with it the cleansing and putting away of all sin out of the conscience that might bring them under Doubts and Scruples; and then there is an arising of Jesus, the Saviour, in the Conscience, the Mediator that brought them to answer for them in the Sight of God; for if People be conscious of Sin, and do leave off their Sin, this doth not yet cleanse the Conscience; for there still remains a Conscience of Sin; 'tis not the leaving off our Sin, that makes our Atonement with God, or that expiates our Gild, or doth away the Gild of the Sins that we have committed; but there must be a forsaking and a leaving off Sin by the Virtue and Power of the Spirit, by which we are enabled not only to leave off Sin, but are guided and directed to the Mediator, whose blood alone reconcileth us to God, and cleanseth us from all sin. If I should never commit a sin, while I live, it is not this simply in itself that will make me have the answer of a good Conscience in the sight of God; for there remains the guilt of sin contracted in the Days of unbelief, which is a bar and hindrance that none can approach the Holy God but in the atonement and Salvation that comes by Jesus Christ; for all that believe and obey the Gospel are accepted in Christ, and upon the account of Christ's precious Blood that cleanseth us from all sin and unrighteousness. Whom doth it cleanse? those only that forsake their sins and by his power are brought to a holy life; they by the virtue of his power and the cleansing of his Blood come to have their former sins removed from them, as far as the East is from the West,  
But what is this to them that remain in their Sins? what is this to them that are not baptised? for the dead that have not put off the old Man, nor put on the new Man, but have only put on the name and profession of Christ, and put on the outside of him, his Garment, but have not put him on, they are not Created again in Christ Jesus unto good works, that they might walk in them; no wonder there remains a conscience of sin in them, there is a Bar that hinders them from the sight of the glory of God, and from real and true satisfaction, concerning their atonement and reconciliation with God, and this hinders them from the enjoyment of that peace that passeth understanding; and it is no wonder, because they are not come to this baptism that brings the answer of a good conscience in the sight of God; they are not risen with Christ; how should they? for they are not buried with him, Rom. 6.3. know ye not that so many of us (saith the Apostle) as were baptised into Christ were baptised into his death; therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life; here is a change figured out between them that had partaken of the spiritual baptism, and were come again to the participation of life in the resurrection of Christ Jesus; and those that were not baptised.  
So it is now with every one that cometh to believe the truth, and maketh a profession of it; there is a way cast up, and there is a door opened for salvation; but the grand question that every one ought to inquire about, and put to themselves is, What progress they have made in this way? Whether they are Baptised yet or no? Whether they have Put off the old Man and his deeds, and put on the new Man and the new Man's deeds, which are righteousness and holiness? They that find that though they are believers, they are short of this, they do also find that their shortness is their hindrance, their shortness in not coming up to the pattern that hath been showed them, is their hindrance so that they enjoy not the things here spoken of; the being under this sense and really sitting under this sense in a Meeting, though there should be no Man speaking to them outwardly, yet being come to this faith, and made partakers of this baptism, People would find in their own Bosoms the hidden Word of life ministering to their condition; they would have enough, there would not be a famine of the Word unto them, nor they should not need to be in expectation of going out to this or the other Instrument, but they would be satisfied when they are met together with the presence of the Lord, that the Lord is in midst of them, ministering to them the Word of life, in his operating and working, speaking in a tongue that every one can understand it, speaking with a kind of Voice and Language, that every one may understand his own state and condition; and this is the way that God brought up People at the beginning, to the knowledge of Heavenly things, and opening of the mysteries of Salvation; we had it not of Men, but of Jesus our Lord; he was our great minister, we waited upon him and trusted in him, and he taught us himself; he hath ministered to us at our silent and quiet waiting upon him those things that were convenient for us; we might well say he gave us our Food in due season; he hath not only given strong Meat unto Men, but hath ministered of the sincere Milk of his word unto Babes, that lived in sincerity and self-denial, loving God above all things; and he taught and conducted us in our way, this way of simplicity, until our understandings came to be opened, until our Souls came to be prepared to receive the mysteries of his Kingdom.  
In those Days there were some that started up in Knowledge, and that built their Nets on high, and took Flax and Wool, and Silver and Gold, and decked themselves with them; but the Lord found them out, and brought them down, and took the Crown from their Head, and clothed them with Dishonour: So God doth from Age to Age, his Judgements will begin at his own House; if you would Grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, then grow in humility and self-denial, and keep a constant watch upon your Hearts; examine your Hearts, and Commune with yourselves upon your Beds, and be still; take heed lest you sin against the Lord, and provoke him: There were some that provoked the Lord of old, and they committed two great evils: What be they? They have gone away, and forsaken the Fountain of living Water; as much as to say, they have not their dependence upon an inusiable power, as they ought to have; for I am a living fountain and 'tis by an invisible power that I am able to council, and teach, direct, and purify and open their understanding; but they have forsaken me, that is one great evil; and the other is, they would not be without somewhat, they have forsaken the Lord and they would have somewhat instead of God; They have digged to themselves broken Cisterns, that will hold no Water. And how many in this Age have committed these two great evils?  
My Friends, examine yourselves; are there not many that have been guilty of these two great Evils? They do not keep their close dependence, trust and reliance upon the invisible Power of God, as they profess they ought to do, but are hurried away from it; some by the love of the World, some by Lusts and Pleasures, some by Passions and others by worldly Interests, are drawn away from the Power, to do and say that which the Power is against: Is not this a forsaking of the Lord the living Fountain? What do they do then? Are they not for this and that, and the other Man? for hearing this and the other Man's word, and digging to themselves broken Cisterns? And have they not their trust and confidence in going to Meetings, in commending this and the other way? Have they not their trust in their Profession outwardly, when it ministers nothing to their Souls, so that they secretly whither for all this? If you had all the Men and Angels that were ever sent of God appointed to preach to you, that could not minister Life to you, unless there be that Faith that stands in the Power of God. The Faith that stands in any Man's Words, that will not overcome your Lusts, but the Faith that stands in the Power purifies the Heart, it will not suffer any unclean thing there. As for Preaching, let a Man preach against this and the other Lust and Corruption, there it will remain for all his Preaching, unless Men know God's Power and Life in which there is Righteousness; for Words and Knowledge, and Sight and Speculation, will never give People Victory over their Sins.  
Therefore you know, every one who is settled must be settled where the Foundation of Religion is; it is not coming to Meetings, and owning this and the other Doctrine which is the Foundation of our Religion; God hath revealed his Power to every one of us; God hath not given his Spirit to Preachers and Prophets only, for then there would be a Famine of the Word, as was in Israel, The Priest's Lips preserved Knowledge. If you did take away the Priest you did take away their Knowledge. The Prophets had the Word of God, and they only spoke the Word of God. If the Prophet was taken away, than the Word of God was taken away. The Lord threatened to send a Famine among them, they grieved and vexed, and killed and destroyed the Priests and Prophets; therefore, saith th● Lord, I will send a Famine among you, not of Bread but of the Word, and they shall go from City to City, and inquire for the Word of the Lord.  
Thus it was in the Jewish Church; if there was a Prophet they would go 30, 40 or 100 Miles to him that had the Word of the Lord, They shall go from City to City, to inquire for the Word of the Lord: But blessed be God we are come to another Day, for now the Word of the Lord is manifested in the Hearts of all that believe; they know the Word: I do not say all that believe do preach the Word, or aught to preach; but the Word preacheth to them; they are not as broken Cisterns that can hold no Water; when they find the Word and hear it, they speak it presently; what is ministered to their own Condition, that they tell to other Folks; when People come to the Blessing of this Dispensation that God's Word revealeth in their Hearts, they then know what the signification of it is, they understand the Doctrine of it, the Doctrine preacheth Holiness to them; not that they should preach Holiness and yet remain Unholy; not that they should preach Humility, and yet remain Proud: It preacheth Holiness, Humility and Singleness of Heart to a Remnant, that like good Scholars and Disciples learn the Lessons and Doctrine of the Word of God.  
Now when thou hast learned them well, and art come to see the effect of the Word, and dost bring forth the Deeds and Works which are the Fruits of Holiness, Perfecting Holiness in the fear of God, and with Humility known and witnessed in Christ Jesus, and art not only meek in show, but meek and lowly in Heart; when People come to be meek and lowly, and of a clear Conscience, purged from all dead Works to serve the living God; then if the Lord gives them a Word of Exhortation, of Doctrine or Counsel, it is very welcome, and it hath a Savour through the Blessing of God, and they come by it to be built up in their most holy Faith, and this Word is brought forth in Holiness and Righteousness in their Lives, and shows itself in a Life of Holiness; then thou wilt shine in thy Conversation to all that thou conversest with, so that they may see thee to be such a Man or Woman as hast been with Jesus, and learned of Jesus, and receivedst a word engrafted; when thou dost receive the Word into thy Heart, there is the engrafting of it: If it hath not Root there, then, saith Christ, My Word doth not abide in you. If you feel something of this Invisible Word in your Hearts, it brings you to a Resolution to serve God, and to keep yourselves from sin, and to answer the Profession which you make of God, this is the effect of the Word of God, if it doth abide in you. Doth it abide? You shall know anon or to morrow, so soon as a Temptation comes to stir you up to Pride or Passion, to Fraud or Deceit, than you will see whether the Word abide: If it abide you sin not.  
This is Scripture, a certain Foundation Doctrine, that may be as safely preached as any Doctrine: If the Word abide in you, you sin not; What of that? Let the Word go, and you will sin, when ever you are tempted to it. I writ to you young Men, because you have overcome the wicked one, you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. We shall see as soon as a Temptation meets with thee, whether the Word abides in thee; if it abide thou wilt not sin, but resist the Tempter. Set thy Foot upon the Temptation, and go over it, and thou wilt have the Dominion; and this will make thee a Freeman or Woman, and thou wilt stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made thee free. The Apostle supposeth them free, and that they have got Dominion; then Stand fast, saith he, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made thee free. It is a liberty not of Lust and Sin, but a liberty of the Soul; the Soul now is not at the Devil's Will and Call.  
For it is a shame to the Doctrine of Christianity, that we profess things, and yet deny them in Practice: We profess that there is a Power in Christ to keep and preserve us out of sin, and we profess to believe this Power is communicated to them that do believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for their Preservation; that is, he will not withhold it from them: We profess these things in the face of the whole World, and yet when the Devil calls one Man to Covetousness, and another to defraud his Neighbour, and another to defile himself, he is drawn away thereby; what Hypocrisy is here to profess this, and act the contrary? I do not wonder that they that profess they cannot live a day without Sin, that they should fall; but they that profess to believe there is Power enough in Christ, and that it is offered to them, for them to live in sin and yield to temptation, this is horrid Wickedness. They that are of an upright single Mind, would die before they would sin, knowing that God is Almighty, and gracious and willing to bestow his Power, and Wisdom, and Grace, upon them that ask it; they would die rather than sin against God presumptuously: Let it cost me my Goods, my Estate, my Liberty or my Life, How can I do this great Wickedness, and sin against God? They love God above all; you never heard them complain that they wanted Power, For the Lord is at their right Hand, and they shall not be moved. They cannot fall; tho' they are Tempted, they will not fall into Temptation. They have Power when they see the Devil before them, to put him behind them; the Nobility of their Extract, of their new Birth and Regeneration puts such a Temper and Disposition into their Souls, that they scorn to be at the Devils Command, as if they were his Children.  
Oh it is a noble and honourable thing to be a Child of God, a very high Dignity to be in such an honourable Relation to God, and to have a Right to the Heavenly Mansions, To sit down in heavenly Places in Christ Jesus. I would to God you were all ready for it, that you had the Wedding Garment on, that you might not be bound Hand and Foot, and cast into utter Darkness. What is the reason that you do not sit down in this heavenly Frame and Temper, and draw the Waters of Salvation our of your own Souls; Can the Lord do any thing more than he hath done, and could his Servants do any more than they have done for your Help? Are not their Labours demonstrations of it? We have been as Epistles of Christ written in your Consciences: We have been testifying that there is something wanting in too too many, the want of resigning up themselves to the Baptism of the Cross. People are willing to be counted Friends; but they are Friends of God, that do whatsoever he commandeth 'em; that is the Christian Lesson, not to say, I will be a Friend to you and a Friend to the Church, and to such a sort of People; but I will be a Friend of God, and do whatsoever he commandeth me, whatsoever Command God lays upon you, either to take up a Cross, or to deny yourselves and follow him.  
Learn this Lesson, and you will be Disciples indeed, and Members of the Church too; not Members of a Church privileged outwardly only, but members of a church of the firstborn, and you will have your names written in heaven; when one comes to have his Name written in Heaven, he comes to know his Name, 'tis a white Stone, not a speckled one; they that have it they know it, they are not ignorant of one another's Names, that are written in this Book; they have a Fellowship that no body can declare; their Communion is in that Bread and that Cup: This is a Cup of Blessing indeed, and this hath blessed us and will bless us; God will preserve a People in this Fellowship. You that are at a distance now, you must come nearer to him; God will choose a People by whom his Name shall be magnified; Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, we cannot but desire this for all, especially for the household of faith; we cannot but desire their Perfection, their growing up in the Grace of God, that they might come to be partakers of Heaven. And, in the next Place, our Love is to all People, every where; we would be glad that all were saved; they that despise us, when we are speaking of Heavenly things, speaking like a Child, like a stammering Child, speaking of the glorious Excellencies of God, of the loving kindness of God, speaking of those things which God hath spoken to our Souls, they that despise these things, we would be glad that they might be saved: If they were partakers of these things, they would be glad as well as we and they would be more really happy in respect of this World, for the Time that they are to live here; they would live a happier Life, even in this World, and they would have everlasting life in the world to come.  
The love of Christ constrains men thus to judge, that every one that hath received like precious faith, aught to answer that Grace and Faith which God hath ministered to them in a holy Life and Conversation, and every one who is a stranger to this thing, aught to be of an enquiring Mind and an open Heart to wait for the Day when God will visit them with the same Grace; when you give up yourselves to a daily Cross, as Christ's Disciples, you will not be running after any one to teach you to know the Lord, for you will all know the Lord, from the least to the greatest; I that have been but a little convinced, shall I know the Lord? Thou shalt know the Lord, thou that art dead in thy sins and trespasses, thou that hast not known the Blood of cleansing, thou shalt know the Lord to be thy Judge, and thy Lawgiver, to teach thee how thou must live, walk and act; and is not that a good knowledge? This is the way they reckoned upon in old Time, it is a notable Expression, The Lord is our Judge; there is the beginning, he began there, Judgement began at the house of God; those he brings into his House, he brings them under the Discipline of his House, The Lord is our judge, he is our king and lawgiver, and he will save us; this same Exercise of Discipline under Judgement brought to them the Faith and Experience of his being their Lawgiver, and this brought them to a Faith of the last Sentence, we shall be saved; and the Lord answers such a People, That he will bring salvation to them, Salvation shall be for walls and bulwarks: Did the People of this Nation but know Salvation was brought near to them, and that it was their Bulwark, there would not be a crying up this and the other rotten thing for a Bulwark.  
We talk of a Bulwark as well as others; we have a Bulwark, blessed be the God of Heaven, made of better Stuff than theirs; for it is the Salvation of God which hath kept us from the Pollution of Sin, and from a running into all excess and riot that others have run into; it hath kept us from the Evil, it hath kept Evils out of us, and we have found that certainly true, That all things work together for good, to them that love God and fear God; that all the Providences of God together, they have all wrought for our good; and this is the Bulwark that we have trusted in, and it hath served hitherto, and it will serve us and our Posterity to the end of the World: This is a Bulwark that will never be stormed, that will never be thrown down nor laid waste: Though all the Powers on Earth, and all the Potentates in this World should agree together, they shall not prevail against it; we have salvation for walls and bulwarks; if I be within these Walls, Salvation is round about me; If I am got into this eternal Bulwark, I am safe from the Devil and his Instruments; here is a Bulwark to be relied upon.  
Many wonder we differ with them in some Opinions; we have that Confidence in this Bulwark, that we desire not another; God will last and abide for ever, so will this Bulwark; all the care that I take, and all the care that you should take, is to keep within these Walls: Do not sally out, if you go out, the the Devil is watching, and seeking continually whom he may devour; he will catch Stragglers; if that People will go out for Profit or for Pleasure, or Interest, the Devil will catch them: What, such People talk of Salvation for Walls and Bulwarks? the Devil hath got them in his Snare, and they are caught in Drunkenness, Uncleanness and other Sins; the reason is they have gone out of their Bulwark, they have sallied out of their Walls, for the Devil could never have fetched them out.  
O take heed, says the Apostle, lest there spring up in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God; as if he had said, You are Christians now, you are a People come to a good estate in Christ; but consider you have no strength to stand but in him, no Power to keep yourselves but in him; Take heed at all times that there spring not up in you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God; take heed lest there spring up in you such a Thought as this; I may take this Pleasure and the other Profit; Consider that thou diest and witherest if thou depart from the living God; take heed of taking Liberty above the fear of God: It is not our talk of Salvation for Walls and Bulwarks, that will do us good, but our keeping within these Walls.  
I remember a notable Saying of the Apostle, which hath a great Emphasis in it, and a great deal of Doctrine, he writeth to the Church, after they were become a People of professing Christians, Take heed lest you come to be beguiled by the serpent, as he beguiled Eve; he did not speak of Jezabel, a wicked Woman; but he spoke of Eve a good Woman, created after the image of God, in righteousness and holiness; They were come to a Life of Sanctification, to a Life that was hidden from ages and generations; You must look to yourselves, and look upon yourselves as in the state of your Mother Eve, a Woman brought forth in Righteousness and Holiness, that might have stood in that Primitive state, notwithstanding all the Subtlety of all the Serpents in the World; but letting her Ear hearken to this Old Serpent, she was beguiled; there grew up a Consultation in her reasoning part; It may be so as he saith, I will try.  
So I say to you that are come to a state of Sanctification, and in some measure to know the cleansing Power of God, and that you have not believed in it in vain, but it hath effectually wrought some Change and Alteration in you, and is still carrying on the Work of your Salvation: Many Temptations will attend you, and many Snares will be laid in your way, but God hath preserved you to this Day: I know the Devil's Wiles and Temptations are manifold; they are fitted to every one's Inclinations, fitted to every Opportunity and to every occasion in this World; Men are tried every way by the Tempter, to see which way he may ensnare them; he tries every way to ensnare and entangle the simple, that he may turn them to the right-Hand or to the left, that their Souls may be destroyed and perish.  
I cannot speak to you by a more emphatical word, by a more familiar Exhortation than this, Take heed you be not beguiled as Eve was; many will be tempted as she was, but I would not have you do as she did, and yield to the Temptation: Take heed that you do not defile yourselves, but keep your garments white; you that have been washed and cleansed, labour to keep yourselves unspotted from the world; this is pure religion and undefiled, that which hath enlightened many a Nation, and shall enlighten many of those whose Religion is to be undefiled, and to keep themselves unspotted from the world: I pray God increase the number of them, that so the blessed Work of Sanctification that hath begun in this way may be carried on, to his Praise and the Salvation of our Souls, to the spreading forth of his Glory, and the exalting of his Name; that the Strangers which are scattered and desolate may be brought into his holy Way and walk in it; that we all, in a Fellowship together, walking in that holy way, may through the Eternal Spirit offer Praise and Tanksgiving to God, who is worthy to receive Glory and Honour, Power and Dominion for ever and ever. Amen.   

SERMON iv Baptism and the Lord's Supper, Asserted. Preached at Grace Church-street, April 15th 1688. If any man hath not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  
IF I should say no more, there is that in every one's Conscience that will make Application; If he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his you may say, Whose is he then? If they be none of Christ's that have not his Spirit, whose are they? They are all his whose Spirit rules them, every one of us doth belong to him whose Spirit ruleth over us, unto whose Power we are subjected. You know this distinguisheth People in the World, One King knoweth his Subjects from another King's Subjects, they are under the Obedience of this, that and the other King or Prince, his Law is over them, they are subject to it, so here is a Decision of all the People in the World, who they belong to.  
We, all of us, I hope, do expect there will be a Decision at the Day of Judgement, and believe the things we read concerning that, That there will be a Decision, and some will be placed on the right-Hand and some on the lefthand; some will have the Sentence of Come ye blessed, and others the Sentence of Go ye cursed; but now there is a way of finding out the Decision of the Matter before we go out of the World, before the Day of Judgement, when there will be no Remedy, that is, than it must be and abide so; now there is no need it should continue so; if it be amiss it may be mended, if I do not belong to the right Prince, if I be not under the right Power and Spirit, I may be, for now it is a day of Grace, a day of Mercy; I have been a Rebel to the right Prince. I may be pardoned and taken into Favor; it is far better for People to know their state now than to know it then, because then there will be no Remedy.  
The Apostle, in laying down Fundamental Apostolical Doctrines that were to be belived and taken notice of, and are in our Age, so that we may say, Things written of old time were written for our learning, he makes this Affirmation and Position of Doctrine, He that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his, he doth not belong to him; if he be called a Christian he is not a Christian, if he hath not the Spirit of Christ; It is but a Name he hath got, he hath not that which makes him essentially so, for nothing can make a Christian but having the Spirit of Christ; therefore when they would vindicate their being Christians, they prove it thus; For he (speaking of God) hath sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, and we know the mind of Christ, we know him that is true, or we are in him that is true; These things, if they were right, if they were true, were evident Demonstrations that they were a sort of Men who depended more upon th● Spirit and spiritual Teachings and Spiritual Guidance than upon Rules and Methods of Teaching that were in the World.  
I speak of this, Friends, because you know as well as I, how averse this Age of ours hath been, to have any thing spoken of Spiritual Dispensations, or about spiritual Teachings; though a Man hath been counted formerly a wise Man, a learned Man, a Man of parts, if once he come to smatter out a little about inward Teaching, it is enough to spot him and make him ridiculed of his Acquaintance as if there were no such thing in the World; We have a Book, called the Bible, it is from one end to the other full of such Expressions, of being led by the Spirit, you have an anointing which teacheth you all things; The whole Tenor of the New Testament is about Spiritual Teaching and Divine Operarations, and of Faith being the operation of God; and the Old Testament hath abundance of Expressions by way of Prophecy, that in the New Testament Days, if People would look for the Law of God, they must look for it in their Hearts, and if they would know God they must look to the mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ; The New Testament seems to go that way, Christians should be the most Spiritual People in the World, that is the Guide, the Rule.  
But, say they, the Scripture is the Foundation of Faith and Manners, Belief and Practice; this is but Dissimulation, I am afraid, that is to be found in some; What is the Scripture the Rule of Faith? and may People believe what they find in Scripture? Yes, but say some, it is best be ware for fear of Error; What is in the Scripture is serious, sound and orthodox, and did Quakers, think you, never find in Scripture that People were to wait for the Spirit, and pray in the Spirit, and serve God in the Spirit, and that all Religion that is not in Power is not available, did they not find it in the Scripture? And you that are not Quakers, Did you ever read the New Testament? How came it to pass that ye never found these Texts? But some People read and read the New Testament twenty times over, and mock, and deride, and persecute a Man that shall speak of the Spirits Teaching.  
I have admired at it, how intelligent Men, to whom God hath given a competent Understanding, should be so blinded; they have learned to read English, and they have read the New Testament over several times and the Old Testament too, and they have read those Sentences of Christ's Doctrine, that do so currently and unanimously speak of Divine Teachings and Spiritual Operations, Spiritual Worship and Spiritual Religion, that mu●t have some Motion and Stirring of the Holy Ghost to be the Original of it, and that al● others are not acceptable to God; doubtless they have read these things, but I have often desired and do still desire that they would but read it again once more, and try and see what God will do; he hath oftentimes made use of the Holy Scripture as a means to awaken People and to open their Understandings, and let them see the Mind of the Spirit by which the Scripture is written, and the next time if they can find Scripture Text and Apostolical Doctrine, to teach People to wait upon the Spirit, I hope they will leave Scoffing and Mocing.  
It hath been hitherto looked upon as an Invention, to speak of the teaching of the Spirit and waiting upon the Spirit, and being moved by the Spirit. This Apostolical Doctrine, Prayer and Worship hath been looked upon as an Invention that we have brought in; To look for the Holy Ghost in that way that was never known to our Fathers, is a fantastical Conceit of the Quakers, say they; To tell People they must be led by the Spirit in Divine Things, as in Prayer and Worship, and the like, that in these things they must wait for the spirit, was there ever any Man that was counted good for any thing that ever preached so, before they came? Do we read any such kind of thing in Scripture?  
O the blindness that hath happened to this Nation! I have considered not without admiration, how the Devil (he is a spirit too and a wicked one) the Devil should have power to shove out the knowledge, belief, sense, and feeling of the Spirit of God, now a days; there are thousands in this Nation that have formerly believed that it was as impossible for a Man to believe the divine motions and struggle of the spirit of God in this life as to raise their Fathers and Mothers out of their Graves; some of their learned Teachers have told us it is a Whimsy and Fancy, and that there was no inspiration of the spirit now a days, but that it was a foolish fancy in us to wait for such a thing, it is needless say they, there was an Immediate Teaching in the Apostles days and they had the sense of the spirit of Christ working in them, to teach them to write Letters and Epistles to the Church, which Letters and Epistles were written by the moving of the Holy Ghost, but we have no need of it now, the Holy Ghost hath brought order and government into the Church, we have it now in black and white Printed in our Books, therefore say they, there is no need of the spirit, and People need not be acquainted with the operation of the spirit now a days in regard they have it in their Books what manner of Worship they must perform.  
I grant them their due, that they have the direction of the Scripture, I am able to understand that People are to worship God and pray to him, and are to meet together and to observe this and the other doctrinal precepts there laid down; I confess I can make shift herewith to frame out a form of Religion, and if I do not mistake in the opening and explication of the Doctrine, I could make a right form too, but I am liable to mistake, another Man that understands Greek better than I, saith that the Greek word ought to be translated so, and the form ought to differ in such a respect; some say the only way of government is by Bishops, and the word bears it in the original, and another saith he hath stretched the word, for the word means Presbyter; another saith Presbyter signify no more than choice of Church Elders and Deacons and such like, and this is all out of one Book, the settlement of Bishop's Presbyters and Elders.  
Here a parcel of form-makers all fall out about the meaning of the word; what remedy can any mortal Man provide for this? We must not be killing and slaying one another about words; if I be an episcopal Man and say the word signify Bishops, I may be a wicked Man still; and if another say it must be Presbyter, he may be a wicked Man too, and if another say it should be Pastor, Elders, and Deacons, he may be a wicked Man notwithstanding.  
Thus they have rend and torn one another about Church Government, what remedy shall we have for this that these quarrelings and contentions about terms and words may come to an end? Can a Man prescribe a more certain remedy for all these mistakes than this, if they had a measure of this spirit which did work in the Apostles when they wrote down these Words, which the Apostles had in Writing them, than I say they could tell you what the spirit meant, for the spirit is the same and not changed, and the Words are the same to a small matter, so that if a Man had that, he might end all the controversy; but where shall we have a Man that hath this spirit to end the controversy? There is none now a days say the Protestants, and say the Papists there is none but one that hath this infallibility; and they will not suppose that neither, for some of them say, that one Man is as infallible as another Man; there is a great brangle, whether any one Man be infallible or a great many men together are infallible about Doctrine and Worship: This might be cured all at once if we could come to this conclusion, Papists, Protestant and Quakers, here is an end of all their outside Worship, He that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his: If there be not spirit in it it is not Christ's Religion and Worship.  
So that they that jangle and bark and by't are without among Dogs and Sorcerers, that are stra●gers to the spirit of Christ; there is a spirit in them that denies the spirit of Christ, there is a spirit that rules in them that are without the spirit, for no Body that I know on acts things without a spirit, and without being moved. What, are good and bad all moved by the spirit, and yet are there no motions? I have sometimes turned the Question upon People and asked them if there were no motions of the evil spirit, hath it no such kind of influence that it can move upon our spirits, that we can sensibly feel ourselves thrus● forth to such an action? I never met any Man that would deny it, they are so generally favourable to the wicked spirit; no Man will deny but the Devil hath a way of moving and stirring upon the spirit of a Man, and to suggest to him such an evil thing, and as I have sometimes said, it is so received an opinion that when the malefactor comes to be arraigned at the Bar for some grievous crime, they lay the foundation of the indictment, such a Day he was moved and instigated by the Devil to do such a thing; here is a settled motion for the Devil for him to influence people's spirits but no way for the good spirit of God to influence men's spirits; here is nothing left us but a bad instigation; but to know inward motions to good things it is not to be expected now a days.  
How should ever the cunning Serpent, that would have Power over the best of us all, be said to winnow us? Christ signified to Peter, a bold and resolute Disciple, Satan desires to have thee, and winnow thee as wheat; if the Devil had Power over every one, to make them his Servants and Slaves, wh●●● Remedy have we but we must all perish and go headlong to Hell with him, unless there be some way of resisting him? That is true, say People, the Devil, must be resisted, we find it in the New Testament, Resist the Devil; This is a good Exercise, but tell me one thing, when I go about to resist the Devil, must I resist him in my own Power? If I said you might do so, you would say I was an erroneous Preacher, and well you might; This is an old  Doctrine, that a man may resist the Devil by his own Power, and escape his Snares and do the Will of God; This hath been cried down by the Doctors of the Church of England, and by most of all sorts of Christians, and for our parts, since the Lord hath opened our Mouths, we did never speak a Word in favour of it, as if we went about to resist the Devil in our own Strength, if we did the Devil would make Fools of us; He that goes about to resist the Devil in his own Strength, he will entrap and ensnare him, in that Men have a propensity to sin and by his Cunning and Subtilty may be led into a Snare before they are ware.  
Thus it is agreed on all Hands, that our Power, as Men, is too weak to resist Satan's Temptation, so that you see we must have the Assistance of the Divine Power or go all to Hell; there is no medium between these two Extremes, some extraordinary Power must assist me or else the Devil will have me. If you will not admit of a supernatural Power to come in to help me and you, we must all go to Hell, there is no Remedy: I will say my Prayers, saith one; do so, yet in the best of your Prayers there will be Sin, and if I regard Iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me: I will go and hear Sermons, say you; the very Man that preacheth will tell you, That hearing of Sermons will do you no good at all, unless there be Motions of the Spirit of God, so that you will be warped from one thing to another, and have diversity of Doctrines and come to no fixedness; and while you concern yourselves about Doctrines, all the while the Devil prevails upon you; For the Tongue, he hath rule of that, and for the Mind, he hath rule of that, and as for the Hands, he hath rule of them, and makes you do those things that by his perpetual Suggestions he moves you to; So that your going to Church and saying your Prayers signify nothing to bring you from under the Wrath of God and from the Captivity of the Devil, Hath not the Devil those in Captivity that go to Church, and say their Prayers and give Alms? These are things that you can do in pour own Power, the saying of your Prayers, and Fasting, and giving of Alms, these things thou mayest do, the Devil will not hinder thee, for he knows that these will not bring thee out of his Clutches, nor out of his Chains and Fetters.  
There is but one Way and Means by which the Devil may be effectually resisted, that 〈◊〉 by taking to my Help one stronger than he: I have gone for Help to many stronger than I in my young Days, that I thought to be stronger Christians, and many of them did afford their Help in the Work, by Counsel, by Persuasion, by Exhortation and by Doctrine, but all this did not do, and the Reason was this, because the Devil was too strong for me, and so he was for them. As long as you go for Help to this and the other Place, till you find one stronger than the Devil, expect no Deliverance or Help from 〈◊〉 thing in the World, but lay aside all con●●●●● in the flesh, in any Man on Earth, or in all the Doctor's Words and best Preaching you shall hear, lay aside your Confidence in them, they will never do you any good in this respect, for they will never break your Chains off; many are loaded with them, but some, I hope, are weary and heavy laden and feel the weight of Sin, I pray God increase the Number, though it be a state of Sorrow, it is better than the state of Fools, that make a mock of sin; I would have you weary and heavy laden with your Sins, and brought into this state, to see yourselves captivated by the strong Power of Darkness, and to see you are unable to deliver yourselves out of it by your own Power.  
For me to fall into the Hands of a Tyrant that is stronger than I, and never a Man to deliver me, how sad would it be? If I could ●●nd a Man stronger than this Tyrant, and that would kill him, I should be his Servant and have a better Master: ●o Man can kill t●● Tyrant, that hath led the Captive and made me a Slave; if he say, Be drunk I must be drunk, if he bid me swear I must swear: This is the Slavery that the Devil hath got his Servants into, that whatsoever he saith that they must do, if he bids them do it: O wretche● man that I am, who shall deliver me? I cannot deliver myself, and no Man can deliver me; I would be acquainted with all Christians, if they could help me; I would try all Religions that are this Day in the World, to see if ●here be help for me: Many are oppressed with Sin, and they go to and fro, to see what Help can be given them, to fre● them from the Bondage that the Devil ha●● them in: This sort of People are to be pitied and the Souls of all good People will pi●● them, for such as these seek the Living amo●● the Dead; they seek to them to redeem the● that cannot redeem them: We have sought say they, for Power and Strength from them that had not enough for themselves, they were captivated as well as we, and all this because we came not to him that is stronger than the Devil. You will take the same course, and stay till grey Hairs come, and you go down to the Grave with Sorrow, unless you come to one stronger than the Devil, and the● trust in him, believe in him, and expect Deliverance by him. The Reason why People do not expect Deliverance is, because t●●● Two Things are shut out of their Belief 〈◊〉  
I. They believe not that a sinful Life will carry them to Destruction.  
II. They think there is not any possibility in this World to live any other than a sinful Life.  
The Devil hath brought Men to this pass, that they live as easily in a sinful Life as a Fish in the Stream: We are in the way, say they; when we were baptised we were initiated into the Christian Church, we were baptised with the Sign of the Cross, that shows we are Soldiers of Christ and bear his Badge and Banner upon us; and the Man said at that Time, I was made a Child of God and an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven; if this be not true than I am cheated and deceived, for I am to believe this to be true; the Church hath affirmed that these things are to be belived, and to question the Verity of the Church is to question all.  
I would question whether thousands find the Truth of it. When thou wert baptised, there was a kind of Covenant and Bargain made for this Child of God and Heir of Eternal Life, That he should forsake the Devil and all his Works, and the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World, and the sinful Lusts of the Flesh: And there is Security given that this Child shall never serve the Devil and sinful Lusts, and never be proud, but serve God and keep his Commandments: Now this Security being taken, than they suppose that this Child will certainly be an Heir of the Kingdom of God. It is very true, stand to thy Church; if this Security that is taken for a Child be but effectual, then there is no doubt of being a Child of God and an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven. But if this Security fail, is the Church to blame if Men's Hopes to Eternal Life fail? Was it not my Condition, That thou shouldest forsake the Devil and all his Works, and the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World, and the sinful Lusts of the Flesh, and if thou break the Bargain and thy part of the Covenant, and miss of Eternal Life, who is to blame? Look to the Security, see that thou forsake the Devil and all his Works, and the Pomps and Vanities of the World. But thou mayest rather say, I have enjoyed as many of them as I could; and for the Lusts of the Flesh, I have enjoyed as much of them as I can, and what, dost thou believe thyself to be a Child of God and an Heir of the Kingdom of Heaven, notwithstanding?  
If I promise to deliver a Man such a Bail of Silk or other Goods, upon the Payment of so much Money, if I fail in delivering the Goods he will not deliver the Money; A Man must forsake the Devil and all his Works, and never lust after the Pomps and Vanities of this World; that is a Child of God, let us see him grow up, and if he goes on to be faithful in this Covenant till he die, I do not at all question but he will be an H●●r of eternal Life; but when all this is broken and the Security signifies nothing, and the Man is given up to serve the Devil, breaks all God's holy Laws, erreth and strayeth from the Way of God's Commandments like a lost Sheep, and Grasps at the Pomps and Vanities of the World, as much as he can, and thinks he gets no more than comes to his share; and when he shall indulge the Lusts of his Flesh this is a Child of the Devil; he is a Child of that Spirit that was a Liar from the beginning. Never talk of being a Child and an Heir of God's Kingdom, such a Man is in Fetters, he is to go along with the Devil and his Angels, and there is a Kingdom prepared for them, a Kingdom of Darkness, and he must have his Portion with them in Everlasting Misery: Tophet is prepared of old for all the workers of iniquity.  
What, for those that are baptised? Yes. But do not you deny Baptism?  
No, not I, I would have Men and Women baptised with a Baptism that will do them some good. Some have seen the Vanity and Weakness of this kind of Baptism and called it Baby Baptism, and therefore would go and be baptised and plunged in the Water over head and Ears, but they came up again with the same Heart and Mind, and the same Polluted Soul. John baptised in Jordan and all Jerusalem and Judea came to be baptised of him: There were a sort of baptised Persons then th●● crucified the Lord Jesus Christ, that never did them harm in his Life, but much good.  
This Baptism had never an Apostolical Patron, but there is another Baptism that is so infallible a Baptism▪ that if a Man were surely baptised withal he was sure of Heaven, he would never need any other Assurance of Heaven than to be baptised with this Baptism Jesus Christ: The Lip of Truth speaks of him, He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved; He shall be saved in spite of the Devil and all his Temptations, in spite of Persecutions and the Stumbling-Blocks laid before him. Here is a Baptism worth a Man's while, worth all his Labour, if he could obtain it; He that cometh after me, saith John the Baptist, he shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Here is a Baptism belongs to Christians, an Ordinance ordained. Far be it from us to deny Baptism; but we would light of the right, since there are so many sorts: This Baptism is so right and certain that it assertains a Man of his Salvation, but it is done by the Holy Ghost and with fire; If it be by the Holy Ghost than it is far enough off from us, for there is no Holy Ghost in our Days, say some, so this Baptism is ceased and Inspiration is ceased: If the Holy Ghost and Fire be the Matter of Baptism the thing being failed and ceased, the Consequence cannot follow; thou and I cannot be baptised because there is no working of the Holy Ghost in our Days; say some, this Baptism is with the Holy Ghost and with fire; with Fire for burning 〈◊〉 our Corruptions and purifying our Hearts. But the Holy Ghost hath done working upon Men, say they, why, then there is an end of Baptism: A Man is hungry, and when his Time comes to eat, he hath no Victuals, yet he sits him down as if he did eat; will this feed and nourish him? So men now a days, they have a Baptism wherewith they are baptised, but Baptism with the Holy Ghost and with fire is the right Baptism, therefore do not baptise until you find the Holy Ghost, this will be far better; this is the Baptism that they which come to know it are sure of Salvation by it, for by this Baptism they are born up and tinctured in their Souls with the Divine Spirit of Christ Jesus, proceeding from the Father and the Son till they receive his Likeness, and so die unto Sin; As many as were baptised were baptised into Christ's death. He openeth it himself, in that he died he died unto sin once, but in that he liveth he liveth unto God; so that they that were baptised were baptised into Christ's Death, and you that are dead unto sin, how should you live any longer therein?  
These that were baptised lived without Sin, can that be true, never any lived without Sin but Christ only? Yes, saith the Apostle, you that were free from sin are alive to righteousness; their Life stood before in Sin, and now that Life is taken away by Baptism, and they are alive to Christ, and he that liveth he liveth to God. ●e that comes to be partaker of the first Resurrection, if he live Ten, Twenty, Forty or an Hundred Years, he liveth to God, he liveth no more in the Pomps and Vanities of the Wo●ld and the sinful Lusts of the Flesh, but he liveth unto God: This Baptism, whosoever comes to be baptised with it shall be saved; so that we do not deny Baptism.  
But we hear say, That you deny the Lord's Supper.  
We had never such a Thought, God knows, there is nothing that our Souls long after more; but people have been making a kind of Work of their own, they have lost a Reality, and make Shadows as Children do, who when they see things made in the House for Service, they will make the like in Sand and Clay: People do not see what a great thing it is to attain to the Supper of the Lord; as things came into an Evangelical Opening they spoke then more lively and freshly of things, Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man open to me I will come in and sup with him, and he with me. For the understanding of this Text: If you go and examine and search all the Commentators you can find, see what the learned Men say of it, see if they do not apply this to the Inward Call of the Spirit and Grace of Christ, to let him into our Hearts; and would one think that those that wrote these things should be against the Spiritual Dispensation of things? They say that this knocking at the Door of the Heart signifies the Call of God's Spirit at the Door of the Heart: There are two sorts of Sinners that God knocketh at the Door of their Hearts: one is a Man that is weary of his Sin; for his part, he wisheth that he might never sin more: As soon as he perceives the Knock, and is called upon to let in the Grace of God, to help him against Temptation, he freely opens his Heart to receive it, and saith; With all my Heart, I will entertain and welcome the Grace of God; glad I am that God hath had so much Patience towards me, and since God offers his Grace I will embrace this Grace of God above all Pleasures, and I will take it into my Heart; the Grace of Christ is the greatest Jewel that I know. Honest Paul, he took this Course, and prayeth, Lord take away this Tempter; here is a Temptation that troubleth me, and I am not willing to yield, for all the Devil follows me with it; He cried unto the Lord, and besought him three times, earnestly, to take away the Temptation: And the Lord answers him, My grace is sufficient for thee. What matter if the Tempter buffet thee, and the Temptation trouble thee, hast thou not received my Grace into thy Heart? thou art a Believer and thy Trust is in me, and my Grace is sufficient for thee: Let the Tempter do his worst, keep thou to the Grace of God, and thou wilt withstand and overcome the Temptation when it comes.  
If a Man openeth his Heart and receiveth Christ when he comes, than you shall find such an Alteration in that Man, that go and carry him the same Temptation which prevailed over him the last Week, it will not do with him now; tho' he be as weak as Water, and as prone to Corruption and Iniquity as before, yet now having a Faith begotten in him, that the grace of God will defend him, he keeps out of the Devils Snares. Now this Man trusting in this grace till his Sin and Iniquity be purged out; now is the time to spread the Table; there is a clean Heart, and the Heavenly Guests are now come, and the Dainties of the Kingdom are brought to him for his Nourishment. Now, saith Christ, I I will come in and sup with him, and my Father also will come, and we will sup with him, and he with us. This never happens to any Body so long as the Table and Heart is foul; for the Table must be clean, and the Devil and Sin thrown out, and then will the Lord confirm and ratify and seal the Covenant; so that here is a Seal with a Witness. When a Man hath this Testimony of the Love of God that God is reconciled to him in Christ, than Christ will come in, and he will bring his Father, and they will sup with him; and this is that which will give complete satisfaction to such a Soul.  
All the Tongues of Men and Angels are too short to speak of these things, as they are in themselves, but they are all manifested by the Spirit. All the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, are manifested by the Spirit of God; now to say there is no Spirit to be regarded now adays, that is as much as to say, we must never regard the Kingdom of God, for no Man can discern the things of God but the Spirit of God, no Man can tell what they be; As no Man can know the things of a Man bu● the Spirit of God.  
But I must look to this and the other Form and Mark and Method about them, for we can know nothing of the things of God themselves.  
I hope you are all of another Judgement, and believe that this is a Trick and Cheat of the wicked one; People do find the Spirit and will feel it, if they will wait upon the Motions of it. I do not only mean when you are here together, but when you are separated one from another; when you feel the Motions of thi● good Spirit, embrace them and make them yours. This Spirit is a Gift that is given; so may a Shilling or a piece of Bread be held forth to a poor Creature, but if he receive it not, he may perish for all that; it is not his, tho' I have appointed it to be his, and have separated it from my other Substance to be his. If he receive not what I offer and would give him, he may Perish for all that.  
Here is Grace and Truth comes by Jesus Christ, and God hath offered it to all Men, in that he hath raised up Christ from the Dead; the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation, hath appeared unto all Men; but all Men have not received it, therefore all Men have it not; and they that have not the Grace of Christ and the Spirit of Christ, are none of his; but it doth not follow that they never will be none of his. When they have received the Gift by Christ and say, I will be his Sheep or Lamb, they will come into his Favour by that Gift, and shall partake of the good things of his Father's Kingdom; but till they have received this Gift they are not the better for it, they have not any Benefit by the death of Christ; they have no help no benefit by it, except it be the Patience and long Suffering of God, who for Christ's sake bears with their Weakness, and waits to 〈◊〉 ●ious, and for Christ's sake offers them Favour, but they are not come to the Possession of it, till they open their Hearts, and receive the Grace of Christ; then they are convinced of Christ's end, and ●hat there is a possibility of enjoying the Spirit of God, and of being taught and led by it.  
Take this along with you, that it is your absolute and indispensible Duty to wait from day to day upon the great God of Heaven, the Giver of every good and perfect Gift, that you may have that blessed Gift, that you may have the Assistance of a greater Power than your own to lead you out of Sin into Righteousness, that through Jesus Christ you may be acceptable to God.   

SERMON V Christ the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Preached at Grace-Church-street, Ap●●● 18, 1687.  
I Fear the high Places are not taken away it hath been so in all Ages, and it is manifestly so in this Day; where the Heart is n●● rightly prepared for the Lord, there the hig● Places are not taken away: For all the hig● Places in the time of Israel's Idolatry, the● were ever set up when they departed from th● Lord, and all the high Places now they ar● up in a time of Ignorance of God, when People have forgotten the Lord, than they exalt themselves, than Pride and Arrogance, and every evil way prevails upon us; but when Men come to seek the Lord with Uprightness that brings down their high Conceits, tha● brings every one into Humility; for every one comes to be convinced in themselves that none can find the Lord, but as they are brought to be Humble; nay, indeed, none seek after him aright bu● such, none have the promise of finding him but the Humble.  
Therefore it is the duty of every one that is a real inquirer and seeker after God, to know the right preparation of the Mind, to know themselves in such a frame of spirit, that they may see● 〈◊〉 hope, that they may have a right and just expectation of finding him whom they are seeking after; for this hath been the reason that a great many 〈◊〉 been frustrated in their endeavours and 〈◊〉 their purposes of seeking after the Lord 〈◊〉 have not been rightly prepared for him 〈◊〉 ●●nifest himself ●●to them, they have no●●●wn the Preparation of his Sanctuary; there was a peculiar preparation that was requisite to those that drew near unto the Sanctuary of God, they were Hallowed, that is, made Holy ere they drew near to the Holy Place; but alas this hath been greatly neglected in our Days, unholy People with unholy Minds have been seeking after the Holy God, they have been enquiring after a Holy way, and were not prepared to walk in it, there was nothing raised in their Minds, in their Souls that was fit to walk in that way,  
For so long as Men or Women stand in Unity with their Sins, with their Lusts and Concupiscence, with the spirit of this World and the way of it, they are not capable of receiving that which should lead them into the way of Holiness; nay if it appears to them they cannot receive it, for it is with them as with other guests, there be other Lovers already let in, which employ th● Powers, and faculties of their Souls, so that if the most beloved of all, the most excellent, if the Chiefest of Ten Thousand do appear, they cannot see 〈◊〉 comlyness in him. The Prophet speaking o● this state and condition of Men did prophecy concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, when we shall see him there is no comlyness in him why we should desire him; and so it hath happened to a great many now adays, though the Truth hath appeared to them, yet they have not looked upon it as a pleasant way, as a way desirable, but a 〈◊〉 be shunned if possible What shifts have 〈◊〉 great many People made 〈◊〉 keep themselves, if possible, out of the way o● Truth, arguing for this and that, and disp●t●● for one way and another that was out of Truth's way, out of the way of Holiness? What was the meaning of all their arguments, but to tell us they might be happy, they might be saved though they did not come into Truth's way and walk in Truth's way? and though they did abide in those things, that were contrary to the Testimony of Truth in their own Hearts, yet it might go well with them.  
This is the strength of the arguments of all sorts, of all persuasions in the World, that have been arguing themselves out of the Truth and would argue us out of the Truth too, and would take the liberty to do those things which are not agreeable therewith; but now the reason of this is because the preparation is wanting, they are those that have no need of Truth and that have no need of God, and of a Saviour; but think they can make shift without them; he is not become the chiefest to them, they can abide in the high places, the can call upon the name of the Lord, and they can worship in the Groves, and in the high places both together, like as those Nations that were brought to inhabit the Kingdon of Israel when the ten Tribes were carried away, they sent for Priests to teach them, they sent back to the King of Assyria to send them some Priests, to teach them to worship the God of their Country, and when the Priest came to teach them, he taught them the Ceremonies of the Law, and the divers observations that the Jews used to practise in that Country, and so they grew into a formality of serving the God of Israel, They called upon the Name of the Lord, and every Nation Worshipped their own Gods.  
How is this Nation and the Nations of Europe now inhabited with such a People that are calling upon the Name of the Lord, but every one worshipping their own Gods; one makes Gold and Silver his God, another makes his Pleasure his God, another his Honour, another this, that and the other Lust, and they bow down to them, that is, they yield themselves to their Lusts, concupiscence and corruptions that they stand in unity with, but they call upon the Name of the Lord too; they do apply themselves to some kind of form of worship which they say is unto the immortal and invisible God, but alas they come not to the Knowledge of God by this. All that the Priests could do, that the King of Assyria sent back, they brought not the Samaritans to the Knowledge of the God of Israel, they only brought them to a Report of such a God, that had set up such a Law: They had the Report of it, and for fear that the Lions should tear them in pieces, they would enter into that Form, but they worshipped their own Gods still.  
So it is now, People do not come to the Knowledge of the true God, the living God, by entering into any Form of Religion; for instance, Prayer, Hearing or any Ordinance or Church-Fellowship, these give give not Men the Knowledge of God, there is but one way to come to that, but only one. Men have found a great many, it is passed your Skill and mine to reckon up the many ways that Men have found out upon the Face of the Earth, how they might come to the Knowledge of God, and to Peace and Reconciliation with him; but they have only played the Fools and spent their Time in vain, especially they that own the Scriptures of Truth to be a true and faithful Record of the Mind and Will of God, they play the Fool abominably; for the Scripture that they give so much Reputation to in their Profession doth testify the way is but one, and there is no other way for People to be reconciled to God than by coming in to Christ; to be found in him, to be regenerated and born into his Nature, and have his Qualities put upon them, That as he was pure they may be pure, that 〈◊〉 that sanctifieth, and they being sanctified 〈◊〉 him may become both one, and so be reconciled to the father through him. This you know is the common Profession of Christendom, or at least of our Nation: And in other Nations, the common Profession is, There is no Mediator but one, no Reconciler but one: Indeed some others hold there may be other Mediators, and that there are others that may contribute to them by their Mediation, and by their Prayers and Merits, but the generality of the Nation are otherwise.  
Now for People to fall out, and say, my way is best, and thy way is not best, and to fall into Contests about many ways, when the Scripture concludes but one Way, is not well; We were better all agree about this Doctrine, That there is no possibility of Reconciliation with God since we are fallen out with him, and since Sin hath made a separation, there is no way of being reconciled again to God but by and through our Lord Jesus Christ, nor by him neither unless we receive of his Spirit to quicken us; nothing can quicken us, enliven us or recommend us to God but the Spirit of Christ operating and working in our Hearts, that he may prepare us for the Father's Kingdom.  
If People would agree upon this, there would be an end of all Labour, and Toil, and Jangling about the right way, for the Consequence and Conclusion would be thus; That Man that doth not know in himself the sanctifying Power of the Spirit of Christ Jesus, he is out of the way to Reconciliation with God, let his Form and Profession be what it will: If therefore he be reconciled to God it must be by and through the Mediator, and he will never recommend him to the Father till he hath made him a Temple to let in the Spirit of Christ, to work in his Heart, to fit him for the Kingdom of God: And Men have no other way to come to it; for though they be zealous in every Prayer and Form it signifies nothing to any great purpose, their Hope will be frustrated; There is no other way (saith Christ) of coming to the father but by me, I am the way, the truth and the life. If I am out of the Truth I am out of the way; and if I am out of the way, than I cannot come to the end of the Way. This is plain reasoning among Men: If I tell a Lie, that is out of the Truth; If I have vain Communication, or deceive or wrong my Neighbour, that is out of Truth; what is manifest in my Conscience to be contrary to the Truth, if I am in it I am out of the way; though I be strict in the way, as to Profession, yet I am out of the Way to God, I am out of the Truth, there is no way to God but by Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life; whoever is out of him is out of the Way, which made the Apostle say, That his labour, endeavour and desire was, that he might be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, but having on the righteousness of Christ Jesus.  
Many Men think to recommend themselves to God by their righteous, just and honest Deal, and doing Wrong to no Body: This is good in itself, but doth not recommend us to God, unless it be done by the righteous and holy Spirit of Christ Jesus, unless it be of his Working; he must have the working of Righteousness and Truth in us; he must plant it, and it must grow by his working, if it be acceptable to the Father, for without me, saith Christ, you can do nothing. A Man out of Christ, a Stranger to his Spirit, may do something, but nothing available to the well-being of his Soul, till he have Reconciliation by Christ Jesus: If he be reconciled to God, this Mediator must be the Reconciler, and he must fit and prepare him for Reconciliation with the Father.  
All the Divisions, Sorts and Sects of Religion, they all come to an end if this Measuring Line be laid to them; they all appear too short; and there is nothing will do a Man good but that Religion that obligeth and ties him to the good Pleasure of God, through the Spirit of the Mediator, which he feels working in him, by which he is raised from Death to some degree of Life: When he is sensible what a Burden sin is to his Life, and that godly Life which he hath is burdened with every Sin and oppressed with every vain Thought and every vain Word: If he be not in some measure quickened 〈◊〉 ●ot sensible of this Burden, but being quickened he is sensible of the Burden that lies upon his Life, by reason of his Sin; and then, being under the Weight of his Sin, he calls to God for his Assistance; he cries to God to help him; he now knows that he hath striven and laboured in vain. O God of all Grace, if thou vouchsafe not Help to my Soul; if thou dos● not interpose by the Assistance of thy Grace, I cannot overcome this Sin. There is a continual Cry to God for Divine Assistance, and as they cry to God for Assistance he ministers Assistance to them, by which they are able to overcome the Enemy of their Souls and all Temptations when they come: And when a Man finds such Divine Assistance his Faith is strengthened and confirmed, and so he fights the good fight of faith, and at last gets the Victory; Victory over his Sin and his own Lusts, and Concupiscence, and Victory over the Assaults and Temptations of the Adversary, and at last he comes, through the Grace of God to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live righteously, soberly and godlily in this present world.  
Now when People do thus, it is by the Grace of God: This Life of Righteousness, Sobriety and Godliness is not the effect of their Labour and Exercise, and of their Endeavours herein, but it is the effect of the Holy Spirit that hath been the Teacher. When you see a Man is grown a good Scholar, eminent in al● 〈…〉 ●●●ning, you will conclude he di● 〈…〉 to all this of himself, he could not le●●n this and the other Language, this ●nd the other Art and Science of himself; No, he had some judicious and able Master and ●eacher, who communicated of his Learning and Knowledge to his Disciple and Scholar: This is the efficient cause of his Improvement. Now if a Man, by the Grace and the Spirit of God, and the Teachings of it, live a holy, godly Life, this is the effect of something; he did not always live such a Life, How comes he to live such a Life now? Is it by his own Industry, Labour and Exercise? No, it is by being exercised, taught and led by the Spirit of God; so that it is the effect of the Grace of God that he should live such a holy Life, though it is not the meritorious cause of it, as he is a Creature, but acceptable to God in Christ the Mediator.  
Thus a Man comes to be justified and accepted, not because he is a godly Man, but is made so by the Spirit of God: You are not under the law (saith the Apostle) but under grace: You are under the Teachings of it, under the Directions of it: Grace can reprove People; for that Grace and that Truth that comes by Christ, and manifests itself as a Light in the Hearts of Transgressor's, reproves their Sin, and calls them out of it; it reproves them for it, and exhorts them to leave it, both at one Time; so that we must acknowledge all our Righteousness, Holiness and Obedience to be o● 〈…〉 ●●ll that we do in order thereunto, a● 〈◊〉 done by the Teaching, by the Influence and Operation of the Grace of God given us in Christ Jesus; it is the effect of him who is our Mediator, he worketh it in us and for us of his good pleasure.  
If we be justified, we are not justified for a righteous, holy Life, and for our Obedience; but we are justified through Christ who worketh a godly Life in them that believe, so that a Man is not justified by any other way or means; and all other ways a Man takes of being reconciled to God are vain and fruitless, and have been spoken against by all that were moved by the Holy Ghost in the New Testament. Saith the Prophet, What shall I come before the Lord with all? I am fallen under Death and Sin and in a separation from God, I would fain be reconciled to him; what shall I do to be reconciled to God? He goes about to reckon without Christ, and without Faith and Holiness. Shall I take a thousand Rams, and ten thousand Rivers of Oil? Shall I come nearer still? Shall I make an Offering of the Fruit of my Body, for the sin of my Soul? Shall I offer my firstborn to God; that I may not be rejected and brought to a separation from him? Thus Men when they come to be sensible, do feel in themselves that all this is to no purpose: The Answer comes, Thou mayst live, but all thy Contrivances about making an Offering are vain: 〈…〉 ●●ewed thee, O Man, 〈◊〉 ●o do. It is no● thy finding this way and t●●● way, viz. thy ●●●●s, and thy Oil and 〈◊〉 firstborn; it is no way of thy devising and imagining that can reconcile thee to me, I have showed thee, O Man, what is good. What is this that is showed? It is comprised in a short compass, It is to love Mercy, to do Justice, and to walk humbly with thy God. Will this serve without offering Rams and Oil, and offering my first born? This will do if thou canst but love Mercy when it's shown thee; that is, embrace Mercy and love it. He hath showed Mercy to all Men; then love it and receive it; do justly, leave every thing that is unrighteous, and do that which is just in the sight of God, but do not boast of thy Justice and Righteousness, but walk humbly with thy God; here is the whole Duty of Man. This looks as if I should go to Works, and forbear something in order to my Justification.  
Indeed the consideration of these kind of Lessons do corrupt some Men, and put them upon doing this or that, and upon forbearing this or that, and hath brought many to Confession and great Abstinence, and put them upon great do, thinking this would answer the Justice of God; I have loved Mercy, and given all I had to the Poor. If I do justly, and abstain from this and the other Liberty; if I walk humbly, that is, if I humble myself by this and the other manner of Penance and Contrition, than I do what God requires, and then I have pleased God. Now all that hav● gone this wa● of working to do justly and love m●●cy, and to make themselves humble, and humbled themselves low in such a manner, they have miss the Mark. He hath showed thee, O Man, what is good; that it is impossible for fallen Man to answer this himself; he may be convinced of his Duty to do Justice, but by his own Power and Strength he cannot do it; there are so many Temptations from without, and so many from within, such a propensity in Nature, that will prevail against all ●●e ●onds of Charity that he can make.  
Therefore is Help laid upon one th●t is mighty; without the Grace 〈◊〉 God that comes by Christ Jesus, a Man can never do it, tho' Convinced: Tho' the Lord hath showed him what is good, he shows us that we are unable of ourselves, he hath taken care to send his Son: God hath so loved the World, that he hath sent his Son into the World, that he might help those that have need of help, that every one that is in Distress might have an Eye to Christ, the Author and Finisher of their Faith; when Men have a reference to their Faith in Christ, this makes their Duty acceptable; I cannot do it except the Lord strengthen me; therefore I will have respect to the Mediator Christ Jesus, who was sent for a Light into the World. God sends forth his Grace to every one to lay hold on, that generally believe that tho' they are unable to do what God requires, ye● he will enable them to do it; 〈◊〉 a● many as rece●ved him, to them he gave Power to become the Sons of God, tho' they were the Devils Children before: He is the same yesterday, to day, and for ever. He abides al●●●s the same in his Grace to Men, he is in his operation to them the same; he offers Grace to them that are out of a frame of Mind to receiv● it; they may know that his Power will giv● them Ability, and that whatsoever they do of themselves will prove fruitless, because it is not done in Christ's Name and Power, and so not acceptable to God.  
The greatest thing that we are to be concerned about, if we will be Religious, and concern ourselves about divine Matters, about the Kingdom of God and the World to come, is to see what frame of Mind we are in at present, whether the high Places are taken away; whether we are not exalted in our own Conceits of Knowledge and Wisdom, and reckon not to be beholden to him for his Grace. If we be highly conceited, and think we can stand upon our own Legs, the high Places are not taken away: Men are not prepared to seek the God of their Fathers; therefore, let every one mind turning to God, and see how it is with you; see whether there be a Mind brought low enough to be subject to Christ, and to the gracious Teachings of his Spirit.  
A Man may say, I can make a good Sermon, I can make a good Prayer and Exhortation, and I can make a Book, ●nd 〈◊〉 it abroad, I can do all this by mine own P●●ts and Abilities; so thou mayst, and mayst ma●e it all full of good Words, but thou canst never make it acceptable to God; for without me, saith Christ, you can do nothing. T●●● must have the assistance of the Spirit of Christ, else thou canst not make a good Prayer, nor a good Book, nor any thing good; God esteems the very Ploughing of the Wicked to b● an Abomination to him. Where the Mind is not exercised by the Spirit of God, if he should pray from Morning to Night, and spend all his Days in Penance, it will do him no good. If I, saith David, regard Iniquity, you may think I am a Man in favour with God, a Man after Gods own Heart; yet if I regard Iniquity in my Heart, the Lord will not hear my Prayer. What signifies Prayers and Sermons, made of good Words, if they come not f●●m a Heart separate from Iniquity? If it be not so, it will do no good at all, in point of Acceptance with God.  
O let the fear of the Lord enter upon every Heart; wait all to feel the Divine Power of the Lord, that brings down every high Thought, that so you may look to the Preparation of your Heart; that is a right Preparation when People are so low, so broken and so tender, that they are nothing in their own Eyes, but what the Lord will make them to be: Then they are as Clay to the Hands of the Potter, they are fashioned by his Hands, and 〈◊〉 the Workmanship of God in Chr●●● Je●●● 〈◊〉 ●●e one Mediator between God and M●● They must bear Christ Jesus his likeness, 〈◊〉 his h●●●enly Image, they must ●●ve hi●●ualities, and have the same Min● in them that was in him: I do always that which pleaseth my Father, saith the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed he hath the doing of things in the Hearts of Men, and God is pleased with him, and where Men have the doing of them themselves they are thrown back as Dung in their Faces, where any aim at infallible Justification, where Men have a right preparation of Heart so to seek the God of their Fathers, as to find him, and be accepted of him, it is through Jesus Christ in whom he is well ple●●●●  
In all your Assemblies, Prayers, Exercises and Meditations, you must be separated and drawn o●●●●m your former Lovers, and you must be joined to him that God hath sent to be a ●eader and a Guide unto you, than you will find daily his Assistance; and as you have Assistance from him, you will find Acceptance wi●● God, and he will show you the Father, and that and nothing else will satisfy the Soul hungering and thirsting after God. Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. So when Christ the Mediator comes to have wrought so far as the purifying of the Soul and the sanctification thereof, and thereby fitted it for his Glory, such holy Soul's 〈◊〉 behold his Glory; For the Lord 〈…〉 Grace and Glory, and no good thing will 〈◊〉 hold from them that walk uprightly.  
That you may be brought to this State, and ●ept and preserved in it; that the Heavens may rain down Fatness upon you, and that you may feel the living Virtues that flow from Christ to every Member; this is the Labour and Travel of the Servants of God, for their own Souls, and the Souls of others that are in Unity and Fellowship with the Holy Spirit.   

SERMON VI Captive Sinners set free by Jesus Christ. Preached at Devonshire-House, April 29th 166●.  
THere is nothing will make People live to God, but that which they received from God: For as all Men by Nature are in a state of Death, so there must be something beyond Nature to make them alive again; and that ●s it that every one ought to wait upon God 〈◊〉 that you may feel something that is supernatural: And that you may be acquainted with God's Gift, The gift of God, saith the Scripture, is eternal life. Many find a Life in this World that is not the Gift of 〈◊〉: The Life that People have in Sin it is not the Gift of God, the Delights and Pleasures of this World are become a Life unto them: The World is that to which every one must die; they that are not dead to that, they live all to themselves, they do not live to God, for none can live to God, but by the Life that comes from him: That which People receive of Man gathers them unto Man; that which they receive of God carries them to God.  
So Men have made Gatherings, and have communicated of what they have to one another, and by virtue thereof have made them a People: Many Men have gathered many People, ●●ny Churches, and they live to them that gathered them; they do not live to God, for want of receiving something from God, 〈◊〉 all they that come to receive the Gift of God; they die to the World, and they come to live such a Life as the World doth not love, doth not care for, ●nd hath no Pleasure in: If you were of the world, saith Christ, the world would love you, but because you are no● of the world they hate you. How should this 〈◊〉 understood, were not they some of the Men o● that Generation? How doth he mean the●● were not of the World? Why, I have tak●● you out 〈◊〉 i●, ●●ith he; and y●t they 〈◊〉 ●here still, and they were named by certain Names, the Sons of such and such Men; yet for all that, they were not of the World; and th●● which differed them was, being made partakers of that Life which the World knew not.  
And so there will be an Enmity in the World against the Life of Holiness; they will hate any Body that lives in it; and as it was then so it is at this Day, they that are of the World, they hear and receive those things that are of the World from the Men of this World; but they that are of God, they hear them that are of God, and they receive the things of God, and their greatest Comfort and Joy that they have is their Communion with God in Christ Jesus, through whom, as through a Conduit-Pipe, the Blessings of the Father are ministered to them, and through whom, as from the Fountain of Life, their Life is renewed from Day to Day.  
But these things are hidden from the World, from the wise and prudent of it; they canno● dig into the Depth nor ascend to this Height; they cannot comprehend the length and the breadth of the things of God, which are in Christ Jesus; they may reach unto something of the Love of God, that is in the Creation: they can tell when the Sun shines upon them, and when the Rain falls upon their Fields; and when it falls in due season they call it a Blessing; and while the Covenant with Win●●● and Summer remains th●y look upon it as comfortable, and perhaps some 〈…〉 stow a Saying, I thank God for it. All 〈◊〉 things are beneath us, and there is neither 〈◊〉 nor hatred know● by them all. I saw 〈◊〉 ●●●ed, saith one, I beheld his dwelling-●●●●●, and he flourished like unto a green bay-tree, and was wicked still, for all this.  
But now, they that see where they live that live to God, they can say, That their Leaf never withers, but they bring forth their fruit in due season; but he did not so. But the wicked Man, that flourished like a green bay-tree, behold I looked and he was removed; and his place was no more to be found: There came a Blasting upon all his Blessings, and his flourishing came to an end; his Riches perish●● and his good things passed away from him But the Man whose delight is in the law of God and makes it his Pleasure both Night and Day, he is like a tree planted by the rivers of water, whose leaf never fades, and brings forth his fruit in due season.  
But this is hid; there is no body in the World but would have something of this Life too; they would be sure of Eternal Life, but they would not die to the other Life, they would not be crucified to the world, they would not be separated from their Lovers, if they could get into the state of a righteous Man an Hour or Two before they die, wh●● they are sure they shall die, it would plea●● them; ●ut to live that Life that is to God to die to the World, and to part with 〈◊〉 they have their Comfort, their 〈◊〉 their Peace and Honour, and all their worl●●● Enjoyments in, before they can come to receive t●●●ift of God, they think 〈◊〉 hard: But they that lo●● after it, and have a mind to find it out without parting with the World's Life, they befool themselves.  
Do not you see how Men have befooled themselves in these days? They have sought after the Kingdom of God till they are scattered in their own way; they are quarrelling about their own way, as if they never had any Scripture to be their Rule: They cry the Scripture is their Rule; this is the way to eternal Life, saith one; and this is the way, saith another; and the one and the other say ●ll these ways are false saving their own; and ●ll these Contenders about the way to eternal Life, they all say the Scripture is the Rule.  
And yet the Scripture speaks of the way too, and tells us the way plainly, the way to Rest, Peace and Life Eternal. If the Scri- had been silent in it, and had said nothing but of Genealogies and Histories of Armies and Wars, it had been something; but the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament speak of a certain way to Eternal Life, and say it is the way of Holiness, A way shall be cast up for the redeemed and the ransomed of the Lord to walk in, which the way-faring man, though a fool, shall not mistake in it: Though he never took a degree at the University he shall 〈◊〉 ●rr in it; though he be a 〈◊〉 the accounted of the World, and never understood Greek or Latin, yet he shall not 〈◊〉 this way.  
The way that leads to the Kingdom of God is called the way of Holiness; but while many have been reading in their Books they have been contending for a way of Unholiness; no wonder than they have been quarrelling about it, and have all miss it, and that in the main point of all: Let them make a way, which way they will, and frame it never so wisely, according to the best Wit they have, be it a way that hath all the ma●e●ial Qualifications that should make it a way of Holiness, these Men may walk in it, but they will never find the way to the Kingdom ●f God, though they have sought it out: Go to one place and another place, and ask them what is your way? Our way (say they) is the right way, the most sure and certain way that can be found for People to walk in: But whither will it lead me? It will lead thee to the Kingdom of God: That is it I would have; but will it lead me to Holiness? No, never in this World, you must never come to Holiness; do the best thou canst do here, it is but Sin; the best days work thou makest is but Sin; the best Child of God on Earth cannot live a Day without Sin: Do you hold out that in your way? Yes; then I have done with that, and go to another People.  
So, many have gone many 〈◊〉 to the Kingdom of God, and when the ●●●●t is come, they have found every way a polluted way, a sinful way; I know this way will never lead me to God; sin first led me from God. I had been well enough as I was created at first, if I had never sinned against God; a sinful way will lead me from God. It is against common Sense, and against Rationality to say we did first go from God by sin, and must go to God again by a sinful way. Who will believe that such a way leads to God's Kingdom? that that way will lead men to God that will not lead them to Holiness?  
The Scripture saith, If I regard Iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me; though a Man keeps close to Meetings and Ordinances, and Duties, and Performances, iniquity it seems must remain still; there is no rooting it out in this World: This continuing and remaining with a Man makes all his Performances, and Duties, and Prayers unacceptable to God; they are all turned back again upon him and cast as Dung upon his Face, and true enough too; so that here is no coming unto God in this way; the comers thereunto know well enough they are not reconciled to God, if they are Men that are Conscientious.  
There are a sort of People so stupid and sordid in their Judgements, that if a Man tells them they are reconciled to God, they will believe him though Conscience reproves them an hundred times a day. If the 〈…〉 the Parish say, That he hath made this C●●●● an heir of the kin●●●● of God and an inherit o● of eternal life; I know some have believed it forty Years after, and have born themselves up upon this Man's Word all their Life: Do you think there is any Danger of me, that in Baptism was made an Inheritor of Eternal Life and an Heir of the Kingdom of God? God hath not appointed Ordinances in his Church for nothing.  
I speak not of such sordid hardhearted People, that never entered into themselves to know how it was with them, whether they are converted; but I speak of sober conscientious People, that will not be cheated in a Point of Salvation; though they have been deceived a great while they may be undeceived: Then they must take this for certain Doctrine, that nothing can reconcile them to their Maker but that which takes away Sin. God hears not sinners, he will never be reconciled to a Man in this World, as a sinner; but there are many thousands (blessed be God) in this Age● as well as in other Ages, that were Sinners and reconciled to God through Christ, and had Remission of Sin, but never any Man in his Sin was reconciled to God, though he did believe the Truth, if he did not come to th● Sanctification of the Spirit he could never 〈◊〉 reconciled to God.  
So that there hath been in all Ages a way of the working of the Spirit of God in the Hearts of them that believe, to prepare them for the sinless Kingdom, for that glorious Kingdom; into which nothing that hurteth, and defileth, and corrupteth, can enter. And because we cannot enter with Corruption and Defilement, he hath appointed the Ministration of his Spirit to work out that which might hinder to cleanse us from Sin, that we might have an abundant entrance into his glorious Kingdom; so that whilst they say there is an impossibility of living without Sin, I had as leave they had said, there is an Impossibility of entering into the Kingdom of God; for never any shall come into the Kingdom of God but those that are without Si●● for there is no Purgatory after Death.  
The Papists have a better conceit than the Protestants in that respect: The Protestan●● conceive Sin to be expelled at the point of Death; and, they say, all the Sins of Believers, all the guilt of Sin, after we are Believers, is pardoned, forgiven and done away by the Death of Christ upon the Cross; we will have it if we can get it. If Men can imagine to find a way into the Kingdom of God, they will have one: They believe that a Man may sin and contract no Gild; and that he may sin till his dying Day, and then all Sin shall pass away▪ and he shall enter into God's Kingdom. The Papists say none can come to Heaven till they be purged from Sin; and they say God hath appointed a place for that purpose, and Persons must go into Purgatory, and they must lie there till they are putted, and purified, and fitted for Heaven. Now, say the Protestants, truly; There is n● such thing, we find no such thing mentioned in the Scripture, therefore such a thing as this cannot be; for the Apostle said, We have declared to you the whole Counsel of God, and he speaks not a Word of Purgatory in all the New Testament. The Protestants they have got a way to help themselves, and the Papists to help themselves, and both lie under Danger: As for the Papists, if their Priests mistake, and there be no such Place as Purga●●●● than they m●●● be brought back to the Doctrine of the S●●●●●●res; which declares, That as death leaves us so judgement shall find us; and as we sow so we must reap: if we sow to the ●●●sh, then of the flesh we shall reap Corruption. Then the Protestants, likewise, if they mistake in saying, A Man may act Sin and yet contract no Gild, than they must be brought back to the Doctrine of the Scriptures, that tell us; The soul that sinneth must die: If a righteous man forsake his righteousness, and doth that which is evil, his righteousness shall be remembered no more, but in the sin that he hath committed, he shall die.  
This is sound Doctrine: I had rather trust the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles than the Doctrine of them all, either Protestants or Papists; and had rather depend upon their Doctrine for Salvation, that were inspired by the Holy Ghost, than upon those Doctors that say▪ There is no Inspiration . Some conceive this Scripture may be interpreted thus and thus; and others conceive it means so and so, but we must (say they) submit to better Judgement: I am a fallible Man, I submit it to better Judgements. Now when People are concerned for Immortality and Eternity, to have such things dished out in such a manner, what Souls are so dull but they would bestir themselves, and consider and look about them before they go hence, how it shall go with them when they are gone?  
We are now to work out our own S●●vation, that is on our part: None eve● have earned out this Salvation, it is wrought out on God's part already, and it is to be made ours; he that is our Saviour, he hath suffered for our sins and risen again for our justification; He was made to us, of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Now Wisdom signifies the opening of the Counsel of God; Righteousness signifies the Subjection of our Wills to the Will of God; Sanctification signifies Obedience to the Spirit of Christ. Sanctification signifies Obedience to something; to what? what shall we be obedient to? what is our Rule? He that is led by the spirit of Christ, he is his; but he that is not led by the spirit of Christ is none of his; so that it is plain Sanctification signifies Obedience to the Spirit of Christ, and Redemption signifies buying again or setting free from Bondage.  
We know when our Friends are in Captivity, as in Turkey or elsewhere, we pay down our Money for their Redemption; but we will not pay our Money if they be kept in their Fetters still. Would not any one think himself cheated, to pay so much Money for their Redemption, and the Bargain be made so that he shall be said to be redeemed, and be ●●lled a redeemed Captive, but he must wear his Fetters still? How long? as long as he hath a day to live.  
This is for Bodies; but now I am speaking of Souls, Christ must be made to me Redemption and rescue me from Captivity. Am I a Prisoner any where? Yes: Verily, verily, he that committeth sin, saith Christ, he is a servant of sin, he is a Slave to Sin: If thou hast sinned thou art a Slave. A Captive that must be redeemed out of Captivity, who will pay a price for me? I am poor, I have nothing, I cannot redeem myself, who will pay a Price for me? There is one come that hath paid a Price for me: That is well, that is good News, than I hope I shall come out of my Captivity. What is his Name, is he called a Redeemer? So then I do expect the Benefit of my Redemption, and that I shall go out of my Captivity. No, say they, you must abide in Sin, as long as you live: What benefit then have I by my Redemption? I could have been in Captivity no longer, if I had not been redeemed I must wear my Shackles and Fetters still, and be subject to my old Master and Patron, and when he will have me be drunk, I must be drunk; and when he will have me be unclean, I must be unclean.  
Thus many professed Christians there be, (you see it with your Eyes) that will tell you they believe all the Articles of the Creed, and they have been baptised into the Christian Faith, and can rehearse all the Principles of the Christian Religion, and perform the Duty of Christians in going to Church, saying their Prayers, and in giving Alms too it may be; they are such as would be called Christians, they would be called so, yet they are not Redeemed from their vain Conversations; for what makes their Shackles and Fetters about them? When their old Master bids them be Drunk, they will be Drunk; and when he bids them commit Whoredom, or Lie, or Cheat their Neighbour, they will do it: You do believe the Devil leads you to this; you will not say the Spirit of God led you to it. If one demand, How did you do it? You say, the Devil prevailed upon me: What, hath the Devil Power over Men after they are Redeemed? What sort of Redemption is this? Then comes in the old Shift again, we are Redeemed from the Punishment of our Sin, but not from the Act of it.  
Now if those that are called Ranters had told me this Tale, it had been like them; but when Doctors of Divinity tell us this Tale, it is so unlike Divinity, that it is Carnal, Sensual and Devilish. To tell Believers they are redeemed from the Punishment of Sin, but not from the Act of Sin; that this is the benefit which we receive from Christ's Sufferings; that we may sin on free Cost; that there is no Gild contracted by it; will any Man or Woman, that understands they have a Soul, venture their Immortal Souls on this Divinity? I hope not. They will not venture their Soul on this Foundation-Doctrin: I hope God will awaken the Consciences of People, that they will not hazard their Souls upon such a carnal, devilish Foundation; that if the Devil should preach, he could not preach a worse Doctrine than this, to persuade Christians they may live in Sin, and Sin will not hurt them, nor impair or break their Peace with God and Reconciliation with him.  
I will tell you how it hath been with me; in my Childhood, if I had spoken a vain Word, or a false Word, I had contracted such a Gild thereby, that I was ashamed to draw near to God, to pray to him; I knew he would not hear Liars, I knew there was no way to be accepted without Repentance and Amendment of Life. I believe others have met with the same dealing from God, by the secret Strokes of Conviction that have come upon their Hearts, when they have sinned against God.  
So that I am still of the Mind, that the Persons that depend upon this kind of Doctrine do at some times, especially when Sickness comes, and Death looks them in the Face, or in times of common Contagion or Pestilence, at such a time they have a weight of Gild upon their Consciences; for this Doctrine will not support them at Death, but that then they believe they have contracted Gild, or committed Sin.  
I have wished many times that the Lord would open the Eyes and Hearts of the People of this City and of this Nation, to see how miserably they have ventured their Souls. Will Merchants in this City ever venture their Goods at such a Rate as Men commonly venture their Souls? What, will they venture their Goods in a Ship without a bottom, before she goes to Sea? Now this Doctrine hath not a Foundation; shall I believe a Person that tells me I do not contract Gild, when I feel it upon my Heart; when I commit Whoredom and Drunkenness, and Cheat my Neighbours, shall any one persuade me that I do not contract Gild?  
O Friends, we are speaking of great Matters; it is about Eternity, that we are speaking, it is about the hazard of Eternal Happiness; therefore, I pray, let every one be serious, and consider what I say, for I speak ●n God's Name, and on your behalf: Men are ●o come to a true search in themselves, what a Life it is that they live. Many support themselves by the Doctrines and Precepts of Men, and they buoy themselves into Conceits of Salvation; let them examine wheth●● it be a Life that hath its supportation by t●● Spirit of God; this is material for every o●● to consider. There are none can live t●●●d, bu● by the Life they receive from God; The grace of God which bringeth Salvation, hath appeared to all Men: Now here is an universal Doctrine.  
There are a sort of Men in this City and Nation that tell us, That saving Grace is given only to the Elect. Saving Grace is given to all Men; but you must construe those Words, all the Elect, where they are somewhat injurious, and would cast off the condition of the Text, if they make a distinction in the latter part of the Sentence, for it will not be good Sense; The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation, hath appeared to all the Elect, teaching us to deny all Ungodliness, etc. Here is Us taken out of the All. The same Grace, that is our Teacher, appears to be the Teacher of others, tho' they turn it into Lasciviousness. The Grace is the same, tho' they make many School-distinctions between common and saving Grace. The Apostle explains it, by telling what Grace he means; The grace of God which bringeth Salvation appeareth to all Men, and that is by teaching us; What doth it Teach? I pray consider it; i● teacheth us, To deny all Ungodliness and 〈◊〉 worldly Lusts, and to live soberly, righteous and godly in this present World. Where is 〈◊〉 Sin now, if a Man be taught by this G●●●● and the Dictates of it? Can a Man live Sin, and yet live righteously, soberly and godly too? Can a Man live in Sin, and yet de●y all Ungodliness at the same time? Where ●ave men's Understandings been, that cannot understand their Mother Tongue, and consider sense? Where are men's Understandings that will say, I may deny all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts, and yet follow the Lust's 〈◊〉 my own Heart? You would think I speak Nonsense if I should speak thus; and yet we ●●ve been put off with such nonsensical Stuff as this. We must pray to God to send his holy Spirit into our Hearts, to enable us to live godly, righteous and sober Lives, and at the same time believe that we shall never do it, but that it is a business of Impossibility.  
Now when Men come to lay these things together, and when they consider between God and their own Souls, how it is with them, many are amazed to think they should ever be put off with such incongruous disagreeing and dissonant things, that are not consistent with one another.  
But do you think it is possible for any Man to live without sin?  
Yes, or else I would say it is impossible for any to be reconciled to God; for God will never be reconciled to Sinners as such; for his bargain and Covenant is made with such kind 〈◊〉 Articles, Isa. 1.16, 17. Wash ye, make ye ●●ean, put away the evil of your do from before mine Eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do well, etc. Then come and let us reason together, saith the Lord; tho' your Sins be as Scarlet, th●● shall be as white as Snow; tho' they be Red 〈◊〉 Crimson, they shall be as Wool; still these 〈◊〉 the Terms, Put away the evil of you● doings than Patience, Mercy and Long Suffering shall be extended to you, God will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold what, from those that say their Prayers, or g● to the Church or a Meeting? No, but no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly, Psal. 84.11. These are the Men.  
And when the Lord is distinguishing by his Prophet who he would have among them, he speaks of a sort of People that called upon the Name of the Lord, Those that feared the Lord, and spoke often one to another, that is, of the goodness of God; they were a sort of People that Trembled at the Word of God; a sort of People that did not do as others did, hunt after Pleasures, Riches and the Honours of the World, but to be acquainted with the inward Word that wrought upon their Hearts; In that Day that I make up my Jewels, they shall be mine, saith the Lord Whose shall the others be? Thou wilt own these for thine; but whose shall the others be, that think not upon thy Name, and tremble not at thy Word. There is a Place for them too. Tophet is ●●●pared of old, made both wide and large 〈◊〉 Fuel thereof is Fire and Brimstone, and 〈◊〉 Wood, and the breath of the Lord kindle●● 〈◊〉 This is for all that are Wicked 〈…〉 work Iniquity.  
This is in the Old Testament; then comes the New Testament in John's Revelations, there is a separation again: There are a sort of Folk which are called the true Worshippers, and the Angel was commanded to go and measure the Temple, and those that worshipped therein: The outward Temple was not measured, but left for the Gentiles to tread in, and left without the measure; For without are Dogs and Sorcerers, and Whoremongers, and Murderers, and Idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a Lie. And then the Lord speaks to his Prophets in the Old Testament again; If thou put a difference between the Precious and the Vile, than thou shalt be as my Mouth unto them; but if thou huddle them altogether, and sow Pillows under their Elbows, than thou shalt be as my Mouth.  
So that in all Ages God aimed at a separation of the state and condition of his People; and one sort of People were purified, through the sanctification of the Spirit and Belief of the Truth; and another sort were unsanctified and unpurified, and remained in their Sin; and the end of Christ's coming into the World it was to call People to Repentance; He came not to call the Righteous, but Sinners to repentance, and to leave off their Sin. To as ●●ny as received him, to them he gave Power 〈◊〉 become the Sons of God, to as many as be●●●ed on his Name. Whose Sons were the other? They made as high a rattle of Profession as the other: He tells them who is their Father, You are of your Father the Devil; o● he did orderly prove it, and that was t●●● That they did the Devil's Works, Ergo, T●●● were the Devils Children. It was Christ himself, the greatest Doctor of Divinity that ev●● was in the World, that spoke these Wo●●● And this is the manner of Logic whereby 〈◊〉 argues with the Pharisees, to make them believe that they were the Devils Children they that do the Devils Works are the Devil's Children; but you do his Works, therefore you are his Children; so they sought to 〈◊〉 him, they could not bear such Arguments.  
If one should go and search out a People in th●● City and Nation, and see one Man of this Religion, another of that Religion, and pick them out, and use this Argument with them. There is a Man professeth high, he professeth a Light within; if you look upon his Deeds they are dead and dark, why then he is one of the Devils Children: If you put me to prove this, I say, he doth the Devil's Works; he is an Extortioner, a Deceiver, and a Drunkard and unclean Person, and doth the Devil's Works, and so is none of God's Children. And so go to another sort and use this Argument, it is safe enough, you can never fail in this kind of Argument which Christ used; and if People would use it with ●●e●selves, and think themselves no better, 〈◊〉 we should have People confess themselves 〈◊〉 Devil's Children.  
None come to be God's Childr●● 〈…〉 come to acknowledge their lost estate 〈◊〉 deplorable condition; that they are fallen from God, and through Sin and Iniquity are got into a nature that is at ●●mity with God, than they will cry out, Who shall deliver me ●rom this body of death and Childship of Sa●●● this Heirship of Wrath? I am an Heir o● an Inheritance, I am an Heir of Wrath, and I would fain lose my Inheritance and Heirship, and have an Inheritance with the Saints in light; we shall never know this till we come to Divinity without Sophistry, and without Tricks and Quirks, and come to Christ's R●●●●ning. He that do●● 〈…〉 Works is the Devil's Child; then ●●ey wi●●●●nfess this is of the Devil, and ●he other 〈◊〉 the Devil: This is an evil W●●k, an● 〈◊〉 that I had need be brought into another condition.  
When People come to an Acknowledgement of the Truth, and of their own Condemnation, than they are one Step towards Redemption and Salvation: No one ever took one step towards their Salvation, till they acknowledged their own Condemnation. He that sanctifies and they that are sanctified are all of one, and they that are joyne● to the Lord are one spirit: An evil tree, saith Christ, cannot bring forth good fruit. When Christ spoke this he spoke it to Men and Women, ●nd he spoke it of Men and Women, and not of Trees: And when he said, No man can gather grapes of thorns nor figs of thistles, he speaks of a Generation of Men; as if he had said 〈◊〉 this Thorn must be transl●●● changed into another nature before 〈◊〉 bring forth Grapes; and this Thistle 〈◊〉 changed into another nature before 〈◊〉 forth Figs.  
There must be a Change in the na●● Man before there can be a Change 〈◊〉 Fruit and Effect of his Do; Wha● he sows th●● he shall also reap; whatsome man doth in the body he must give an 〈◊〉 thereof at the day of judgement; for th● 〈◊〉 will be opened and men judged according to 〈◊〉 thin●● written in those books. If there be 〈◊〉 Boo●●or thee and me, i'll warrant thee th●● is a great deal in it; there is a Recorder an● a Clerk for the Book, which God hath opened in every Man's Conscience; and there 〈◊〉 set down every Man● Transgressions and hi● Sins: Saith one, Th●● hast written my Transgressions as with the point of a diamond; thou hast engraven it so deep that it seems impossible that it should ever be blotted out again▪ Some have had their Sins so deeply engraven in their Consciences, that they have thought they would never be blotted out, they were written as with the Pen of a Diamond.  
When People see and consider that they have ventured their Souls upon such 〈◊〉 Grounds, I hope they will be awaked to 〈◊〉 after Righteousness, when they see the 〈◊〉 nothing good in them: Where there is 〈◊〉 thing good it is God that hath given it 〈◊〉 them. Some will say, If I be perverse 〈◊〉 〈…〉 wicked, I cannot h●lp it, therefore 〈◊〉 be beholdenn to my Maker to help 〈◊〉 ●lse I must never be helped. Now, be●●●● God knows that we are helpless, he 〈◊〉 ●id help upon one that is mighty, that is, 〈◊〉 Lord Jesus Christ; and Christ hath sent 〈◊〉 his spirit into the world to convince the 〈◊〉 of sin, and to lead his people into all 〈◊〉. And this Grace that comes by Jesus ●●●ist hath been so universally showed, and 〈◊〉 universally extended to all Men, that I never met with a Man yet that had none of it: But let them be as bad and as dark as they could, yet the Light of Christ shined ●o that Darkness, into the darkest Heart that ever I met with in all my Life: He showeth Men, That his light shineth in darkness, and the darkness cannot comprehend  
Therefore the Wor● that God hath set us about, and the Service which he requires at the Hands of many of us, is to turn Men from their own Darkness unto the Light of Christ their Saviour, and from the Devil's Power, that hath enslaved them, to the Power of God that can redeem them; and yet we are far enough from that which they call Free Will, we are far enough from this. We say a man can never be saved till he learn to deny his own Will; it is God's Will that every one ●●ould be saved: But some will not be saved, they will keep their Wills and not resign them up to God; they have a  to go to Destruction. As for Salvation, if they will obtain it; they must part with 〈…〉 and they must take a Yo●● 〈…〉 on them, before they can b● 〈…〉 ●●●ple can have thei● Wills, they will 〈…〉 Christ's Yoke upon them: He that 〈◊〉 Christ's Disciple must deny his own W●●● take up his daily Cross: These are ●he 〈◊〉 of the Gospel.  
But you will say, No Man, by 〈◊〉 Power he hath can redeem himself, 〈◊〉 Man can live without Sin.  
We will say Amen to it: But if Men te●● us, That when God's Power comes to help u● and to redeem us out of Sin, that it canno● 〈◊〉 ●ffected, than this Doctrine we cannot awa● with; nor I hope you neither. Would yo● like it well if I should tell you, That God puts 〈◊〉 his Power to do such a thing; bu● the Devil hinders him? That it is impossible for God to do it because the Devil doth not like it? That it is impossible that any one should be free from sin, because the Devil hath got such a Power in them that God cannot cast it out?  
This is lamentable Doctrine; hath not this been preached, this Doctrine of Impossibility of living without Sin? It doth in plain Terms say, Though God doth interpose hi● Power it is impossible, because the Devil hath so rooted Sin in the Nature of Man. Is 〈◊〉 Man God's Creature, and cannot he nev●● make him, and cast Sin out of him? If 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is rooted deeply in Man, I say 〈◊〉 〈…〉 deeply rooted but Christ Jesus is en●●● 〈…〉 the Root of the Nature of 〈◊〉 that he hath received Power to destroy 〈◊〉 evil and his Works, ●nd to recover and 〈◊〉 Man into his Primitive Nature of ●●●hteousness and Holiness; or else that is 〈◊〉. That he is able to save, to the utmost, ●●at come unto God by him. We must throw 〈◊〉 the Bible if we say that it is impossible 〈◊〉 God to deliver Man out of Sin: Is not ●●●ist entered into the root of our Nature? And hath he not taken upon him the Seed of Abraham, after the Flesh? Is he not entered into the Root of all Men's Natures, and tasted death for every man, that he might quicken every one that is dead in sins and trespasses? All these things speak the Love of God to Mankind, in order to ●●●ir Salvation.  
Much might be said to these things, these Clouds of Error and Darkness that have overspread the Nation; yet, this I say, if one were to speak of it never so long, it must be by the Eye that God gives you, that you must see it; it is he that opens the Hearts of Men as he did Lydia's: If there had not been the Power of God that reached her Heart, Paul could not have opened it.  
When all is said that can be said, the Counsel of God which hath sounded in your Ears is recommended to you, that every one may retire in quietness and stillness of Mind to 〈◊〉 for the feeling of that quickening P●●●●r of the Spirit of Christ that is sent in●● 〈◊〉 Hearts of Men; that that may open 〈◊〉 Eyes to see your present state; than you 〈◊〉 see a better state, 〈◊〉 further state, and 〈◊〉 you see with your inward Eye that your 〈◊〉 is not so good as you would have it ●o 〈◊〉 then trust and rely upon the all-sufficient 〈◊〉 powerful Operation of God's Holy Spi●●● mend your state and give you Power 〈◊〉 your Corruptions, and to go on from one 〈◊〉 to another, towards the Cleansing and Sanctification of your Souls, so that you may receive something from God to enable you to live to God; for all that you receive from Men will only make you live to Men, but that which you receive from God will help you to live to God; that will purify you and sanctify you, and make you clean through the word: So through the Word you will come to Cleanness, Purity and Holiness: And when you are come to the way of Holiness, you may believe you are gotten into the way of God's Kingdom, and never till then.  
It is not enough to make a Profession, but we must live up to the Profession of that Religion that we make; it is not holding this Tenet and the other Tenet, and saying, This Minister, I am sure, preacheth the Truth thou mayest be a Child of the Devil for 〈◊〉 that. I now speak indifferently to all People, without respect to any fort: They tha● believe they are walking toward the Kingdom of God, and yet their way is not a holy 〈◊〉 ●hey have cheated themselves and deceived their ●wn Souls, and they had need look about them ●nd take heed what they do; the Glass is ●●nning and Time is hasting away, and our ●ife may end we know not how soon. It is ●ood to prize and improve Time, while you ●ave it, and bring your Deeds to the Light; ●ee what Reproofs, Instructions, Counsels and Openings you have met with from the Lord, and see how you have answered a●d been obedient to them, and so you will come to take a sound and infallible account of your condition; and if it be not so good as it should be, wait upon the Lord to mend it; he that made you can mend you, he that made your Ears must unstop your Ears to hear the Word of God.  
To that Power that carries on the Work of Sanctification and Redemption by his word, to that word I must leave you, and to his Spirit I commit you. This word will be with you, and if you part not with it, it will not part with you; it will go with you to your Houses, and to your Shops, and to your Beds; it will lie down with you at Night, and rise with you in the Morning: To that end, Christ he is a Leader and Governor, and the Captain of our Salvation, to lead the Van, and carry you on in the way of Salvation; and as many as follow Christ and are led by the spirit of God, they are the Children of God.   

SERMON VII The Sheep of Christ hea● his Voice. Preached at Devonshire-House, May 10th 1688. My Sheep (saith the true Shepherd) hear my Voice.  
THE Sheep of the true Fold hear the Voice of Christ, the good Shepherd, and know the Voice of Strangers too: But, saith he, the stranger they will not follow. This Scripture hath been a Mark of Distinction in all Ages, that hath been peculiarly bestow●● upon the People of God, that they have h●●● a discerning Knowledge to make a certain distinction between them that were of God, and those that were of the World: Now they that are of God hear us, saith the Apostle.  
Now, that you may all find in your selve● this peculiar Gift of God, to be able to understand and discern between the precious and the vile, that you might know the Ministration of Life from the Ministration of D●●th you must all be gathered inwardly into ●hat which you have received 〈◊〉 God; for they ●●at are only exercised 〈◊〉 Gifts and Parts, and Acquirements that appertain to this world, they have been always subject to Delusions, apt to be led away into a by-Path and crooked way, that leads to destruction: but they that are under the Government and Direction of the Gift of God, they have been able thereby to make such a Distinction of Voices and of Sounds, that they have been preserved from the Delusions of the Age.  
This was the difference of old between the Prophets of God and the false Prophets, between the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ and the false Apostles; the difference was not so much in their Words, for they had in a great measure the same Words; if the true Prophets used to say, Thus saith the Lord, the false Prophets would say so too; if the true Prophets declared against Sin, the false Prophets likewise would do so; for the false Prophet stole his Word from his Neighbour: But the great Matter by which the People of the Lord were preserved was that hidden and divine Wisdom they received of God, by which they understood the Voice of the Spirit from the Voice of Strangers, from the Voice of them that were of the Flesh; and that was the Cause that Christians in the Primitive Days, did not adhere to and follow those false Apostles that came to them in their own Names, and held a form of Godliness, but denied the Power of it.  
But they amongst them into whom thei● witchcrafts did enter, they went away from th● spirit, and saught to be made perfect in the flesh; they went to the outward observation and to the beggarly rudiments of things that perish with their using, and from the Law of the spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.  
And as it hath been in those Ages of which we have read, so it comes to pass in this our Age, in which a dispensation of the spirit of Truth is manifested and revealed unto the Children of Men; there is a remnant, that have received the Testimony of Eternal Life, and have believed the Testimony, and waited on him of whom the Testimony is born, not to have Life by the Testimony, but to have Life in him; so they receive their Life by the ministration of the spirit of Christ, and they live to God and others who have received no Life from him, but have a Life in the Words, and Sounds, and Noizes and Terms, and distinguishing Phrases of things, their Life 〈◊〉 there, they live not to God but to themselves, their Glorying is not in the Cross of Christ, but in the Words and outside of things; so that every one had need at such a time as this to approve their Hearts unto the Lord; who knows the inside of People's profession, the inside o● of their Religion, that knows how the Heart is concerned towards God, and what they say and do upon the account of his service, so that all that are met together might come to receive more and more of the Life and virtue that sanctifies the Soul of him that receiveth it.  
For Alas! my Friends, it is not the gathering together of the most excellent Words about Religion, and about worship and service, which will approve any Man in the sight of God; that is but the painting of a Sepulchre, and covering the rottenness that is in many; but the Lord sees into the inside of every professor, and whosoever names the name of Christ and departeth not from iniquity, they do but take his name in vain, and contract a guilt upon their own Souls; so that every one that seemeth to be Religious aught to inquire, whence their profession springs; If it springs from a real possession of a measure of that which sanctifies the Life and shows itself forth, in its working and operation many times abundantly more than it doth in Word and profession; It manifesteth itself in Holiness and Righteousness, to the Honour of God; it's the aim and design of all such to exalt the name of him whom they profess by Holiness and Righteousness shining forth in their works, for it will never shine through words alone; many good Words may be spoken yet God not glorified, but his name may be dishonoured by them; but whosoever comes to feel that which is Life in themselves, they know what will Honour God, they feel the Birth Immortal that is of God, of his own begetting by the Word of Truth.  
This living birth is that which brings fort● living praises; the other is but flesh, that which is Born of the 〈◊〉 is Flesh, and it glorifyes the Flesh, and ●●en the Flesh is most of all glorified, most of all exalted, it is then but as the ●●wer of the Field, it is then cut down and withered; the Sun of Righteousness shines with the beams of the Everlasting glory of God, and causeth it to whither and come to naught.  
So Friends let your Minds be gathered inward, that you may be able in your own selves by virtue of the divine gift of God to distinguish between the Vo●●● of the true Shepherd, and the Voice of a Stranger, that so your minds may not follow a strange Voice, that you may follow the Lord with your whole Heart, with a fu●●●●●pose 〈◊〉 Heart; for there is a real Word of prophecy discovered in the inward parts, which doth Distinguish between the precious and the Vile in every one's particular; and that which is precious in one it answereth to that which is precious in another; and that which is vile in one, it answereth to that which is vile in anothcr,  
For there is an inward and secret mystery of iniquity, as well as a mystery of Godliness. The mystery of Godliness is when God is manifested in the flesh, the mystery of iniquity is when the wicked one is making himself manifest, and appears and discovers himself in the Flesh, that he may rise up and glory in the Flesh.  
Now the eternal Truth which never changeth, that is it which giveth a discerning; this hath always put a difference between the true and the false Prophets, the true and the false Apostles, between the true and the false Ministers; the difference hath not been so much in words as in Power, as the Apostle speaks concerning some in his Days that had endeavoured to deceive and draw Men aside from the Simplicity of the Gospel, when I come (saith he) I will know; now their Words were not so much taken notice of what they said, whether their Words be true or no: I will not know their Words but their Power. How should he know their power if he was not in the power himself? Now this Divine Power, as every one acquaints himself with it, it worketh unto the Sanctification of them, when they have fellowship with the stir and move of all others that are partakers of it; this is that which will establish and confirm your Minds in the true Faith and simplicity of the Truth, that you turn not aside to the right Hand or to the left. If you have regard to the principle of Divine Truth that you have received from God, than you can receive confirmation from any one that hath a Measure according to it. There is a measuring Line, and the Reed of the Sanctuary that measureth the Temple and all that dwell therein, that measures them with one Reed and one Measure, and every one answereth to that Measure, according to the stature and degree of growth of the grace of God they arrive to; and now they are come to a fixed foundation.  
Others there are in the World, that ha●● laid their foundation upon this creaturely help, and the other creaturely help, upon this Man, and the other Man; but now true Christians, they come to have their foundation, their rooting and Building upon Christ Jesus, upon that word of Life that first of all gathered their Minds into a desire after Holiness, into a desire after acquaintance ●●th God that made them.  
You that are true Christians can remember, how you were begotten, and that which did beget you; that Word of God that is incorruptible, that is immortal, that was not of a dying quality, that need not be supported by this and that and the other means, but it hath its support in itself, it hath its nourishment in itself, and it grows up in 〈◊〉 ●●lf, and every one that receiveth it they grow up in it, until they come more and more to partake of the Life and qualities of it; that as he is, so they may be in the present World.  
But, alas, this is never known, but where the Word of God hath its free passage: Many have tasted of this Word of God, and by tasteing of it, have been acquainted with the powers of the World to come; they knew well enough the Power that would bring forth another World, A new Heaven, and a new Earth, and Righteousness in it; many have felt the Power that have never continued to see the working of it, never continued to see and witness what this Power would work; going ●●de from the Power of the World that was to come, they have never seen the coming of it, but their foolish Hearts have been darkened again, and their Imagination have grown vain, and they have conceived to themselves a false liberty to the Flesh, and their Wills have been strong, and have prevailed over them; that tho' they had tasted of the Powers that did belong to the World to come, they never saw the working and operation of that Power to bring to pass that which by sight and vision they did behold.  
Therefore, it is needful for every one of you in every state and condition that the Lord hath brought you into, to keep yourselves in a deep Humility; to know the Afflictions, Temptations and Trials you are under, and to exercise ●●ur Minds not only on what you have got over (for when some come to look at what Sufferings and Difficulties they have got over, they are apt to be exalted above measure, and lifted up in their Minds) but let every one know the state and condition in which at present they are labouring; let every one consider what is their present state and work; their help lies in that condition: Some have always a foundation of their Faith present with them, that they may feel the object of their Faith where they hope for Help, where they hope for Comfort and Strengthening to be present with them.  
Now every one that believeth in the word of God, their care is that they may know this Word of God, that they may hear it, feel it, and behold the beauty of it under the Exercises of it; how it conducts and leads, how it counselleth and adviseth, that so in all things they are to pass through, they may not be as those that have run into it; as those that do this and that of their own Wills, but may be properly Followers of something.  
I go into this or that or the other thing, not to do mine own Will, not that I run into it, but I am lead into it; my Leader goes before me, the Word of God, that hath conducted me and led me: I am a Follower of God in all his Dispensations, in all his Leadings and Guiding; I am to follow him, for he teacheth me his way, he instructeth me in the true way: The best of all his Scholars and Disciples, they are to be led and guided into that Work and Service they are to do, that they may run into no Irregularity or Absurdity, for he will lead them into Holiness, Righteousness and Humility, where all become the Servants of God in Christ Jesus, and Servants to one another: There is a mutual Concord and Harmony in the Work of this Spirit, in the Service of this Power, where every one finds what they are appointed and directed to, and all the Members of the Body of Christ know they ought not to be disjointed and rend, and separated one from another, but tied together in Joints and Bands, to edify one another in the Love of God; so th●● here is one Spirit that hath been the Guide of this one People in all Ages.  
Many People have been guided by many Guides, and they have been scattered, divided and separated one from ●nother, and have been under this, that and the other Name; but all God's People have been guided by the Spirit of Christ, that universal Spirit that is one with God. In the Old Testament times, and the New Testament times, they were all led by the universal Spirit of Christ, and they were of one Heart, and of one Mind, serving the Lord; there was a Concord and Unity among them; and if at any time any Discord or Division happened, it was because the roaring Lion that goes about continually seeking whom he may devour, had found some or other that he might devour, and draw into his Snares and Gins; for there are some that he may, and some that he may not. Who are they that this roaring Lion may destroy? The Devil knows who those are that he may prevail upon; he knows that those which are in the Hands of God are out of his reach; My Father, saith Christ, is greater than all, and none shall pluck them out of my Father's hands; yet doubtless those that are in the Father's Hands are tempted and tried, the roaring Lion goes about seeking to devour them if he might; a Man that he devours, he swallows up with Prejudice, Enmity, Covetousness and Pride, and he will lead him into any evil thing; he hath many Gulfs to swallow Me● up into, but if he meet with one that is kept in God's Hands, he knows such a one is out of his reach, and he is not able to catch him.  
If he meet with a Man that he can prevail over, as he did over our Father Adam and Mother Eve, that are in their own Hands, that stand upon their Wit and Parts, and Knowledge and Eloquence; those that stand upon these things as their Foundation, they are in their own keeping; these are they whom he may devour and catch, and ensnare in one or other of his Gins, and swallow them up in one of his Gulfs and Temptations: But seeing God hath opened and manifested these things by his Spirit, and seeing the secret Wiles of Satan are discovered and made known by the shining of his Light, how ought every one that is a Believer of the Truth, to depend upon God for his Protection, and be careful that he goes not out of his Father's Hands, that he never trust himself to his own keeping for his Security and Preservation, lest he meet with a Temptation that may swallow him and devour him.  
I remember our Lord Jesus Christ when he was upon Earth, he put his Disciples in mind of what happened long before, Remember Lot's Wife: You may take notice of her, the Power of God took hold of her and brought her out of Sodom, and was leading her to a place of safety, but she had something of Ada●'s Apostasy in her Nature, she looked back, and was turned into a Pillar of Salt. Our Saviour was pleased to make use of this Passage that happened some hundreds of Years before, to show how she failed of coming to the place of Safety, tho' she was led out of Sodom by the Hands of one of the Angels of God: O remember her, she was turned into a Pillar of Salt, and remains so to this day.  
If we remember where our Safety is, and from whose Hands we must expect it, we need not go and look at Lot's Wife. We have seen many in our Days that have stood fair for Redemption, they have had a Power revealed to them, that is able to redeem them, and save them to the uttermost; but afterward by exalting themselves above this Power, and taking the Government of themselves into their own Hands, they have rob God of his Glory, and he hath withdrawn himself from them, and then it was with them as with Saul, when the Lord departed from him, The evil Spirit entered into him.  
We have before our Eyes from day to day, those that have known the beginning of the Redemption of God's Power, and have been in a great measure brought out of Sodom, and out of the way of Egypt, and they have had opened to them the Mystery of the Kingdom of God for their Encouragement, but at last they have taken and arrogated these Gifts to themselves, and looked upon themselves as far excelling others, magnifying their Parts as if they were their own, when they were the gifts of God. Then the Lord hath left them to let them see whether they could stand of themselves, and they have fallen, and been taken in the 'Gins and Snares of the Devil, who like a roaring Lion goes about continually seeking whom he may devour.  
Now, my Friends, it greatly concerns us all to know what Refuge we have to fly to in a time of Trial; we have a time of Trial now, tho' not a time of External Suffering and Persecution, and enduring Hardship yet upon us, to try our Faith and Trust in God; yet we have no reason to be secure, careless nor remiss in our present Duty, nor to put the evil day far from us, but to be in the exercis● of Humility and Watchfulness as become● Christians; for there is now as much Danger and Peril in this time of Liberty and Tranquillity, as there was before.  
If any one in the time of Persecution and Suffering hath said within himself, I had better give over and part with the Truth, and forsake the ways of the Lord, and give over my Testimony for his Name, for I shall be undone and ruined in the World; this Man by his carnal Fears hath lost his Testimony.  
So likewise if a Man in this time of liberty and freedom of serving the Lord, and bearing Testimony to his Name, if he shall not entirely trust in the Lord, to carry him on in his Work and Service, and continue his dependence upon him, and wait for the Assistance of the holy Spirit of God to work in him to will and to do of his good Pleasure, this Man shall lose his Testimony as well as the other: Therefore, let every one of you keep up a dependence upon God's holy Spirit for carrying on the Work which he hath begun in your Souls; consider what Work it is that Christ is now at in every one of you; I know what his Work was when I was first Convinced, he was burning up and hewing down every thing that hindered his carrying on the Work of Sanctification and Redemption, and Settledness and Stability in the Covenant of Life and Peace.  
So that our meeting together ought to be ●n the Name of Christ; I hope it is so with most of you: I hope it is not to see and hear what this or that Man saith, but to know within yourselves what part of the Work of Redemption the Lord Jesus Christ is carrying on, that you may join with him, and be a willing People in the Day of his Power, and say as Paul, Lord what wilt thou have me to do? If thou wilt have me part with my all, Lord here it is, I offer it up; and if thou wilt have any Service done, Lord here I am, Speak for thy Servant heareth; let there be in every one of you an attentiveness, and an humble waiting upon the Lord, and say as the Psalmist, Behold, as the Eyes of Servants look unto the hands of their Masters, and as the Eyes of a Maiden unto the hands of her Mistress, so our Eyes wait upon the Lord our God until he have mercy upon us.  
When ever a Christian hath his dependence upon God's Wisdom and Power, such a one shall never want Wisdom, the Lord will give him Wisdom to preserve him against all the Wiles of Satan; and he shall never want Power, for the Lord will enable him to fulfil and perform what he requireth of him; he shall be replenished with Judgement and Understanding, Ability and Power, to direct him into the good ways of God, and to enable him to walk in them.  
It is the earnest desire of my Soul that every one of you may be exercised in those things which are profitable for you, and which may be comfortable to your Friends and Brethren; that you may all grow up into a stability and steadfastness in the good ways of the Lord, that you may not be shaken and tossed with every Storm and Tempest; that when there comes a time for the trial of your Patience and Fortitude, and Courage, you may not be tossed to and fro like Children, but be steadfast and unmoveable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord, that so living in all holy Obedience and patiented continuing in welldoing, you may have a constant Supply of Strength and Power from God ministered unto you by his Holy Spirit.   

SERMON VIII. No true Worship without the right Knowledge of God. Preached at Grace-church-street, May, 24. 1688.  
My Friends,  
THere is no Man can truly worship God till he comes to a measure of certain Knowledge of him; for all the Worship in the World where the Veil of Ignorance still prevails upon the Mind, is all abominable; there is no acceptance with God: There must be a knowledge of God before there can be a true Worshipping of him; for they that worship before they know God, they worship they know not what; they worship a God they have heard of, but do not know; so every one that would be a true Worshipper must first come to that which giveth a true knowledge, that raiseth up a certainty in the Mind, This is the Lord, we will trust in him; this is our God, and we will serve him.  
And that all People might come to this certainty of Knowledge, therefore it is that God hath sent forth his Spirit, that the things of God might be communicated by the Spirit of God, for without the Assistance of this Spirit Men seek after the Knowledge of God in vain; If they seek after the Knowledge of God, they cannot find it, and if they seek after the Worship of God, and after Acceptance with God, they cannot find it; so that all Religion and religious Performances that People are exercised in, where the Spirit of Truth hath not the beginning they will all prove fruitless in the end.  
There be wise Men in the world, and they have employed their wisdom to find out the true God; but God in wisdom hath ordained, that the world by all their wisdom shall not know him; so there is an end of all their Labour: How shall they know him then? As none can know the things of a man save the spirit of a man that is in him, so none can know the things of God but the spirit of God; so that they that resist the Guidance, Direction and Counsel of the Spirit of God, are like unto those that would enter into a House or Palace, and remember not the Door that leads into it.  
People would fain come into the Divine Knowledge and into the understanding of Divine Mysteries, but they would come by it another way; they would study for it, they would learn it by Arts and Sciences, they would attain it by their own Industry; and herein they labour to excel one another. If there comes a Man among them that tell● them, Friends, you are all out of the way, than they are angry, and instead of enquiring what is the way, they are angry that their way must be rejected. Friends, you will never come to the Knowledge of God but by the Spirit of God; then they mock, and then they scoff and scorn the Doctrine of the Spirit, for the Teaching of the Spirit hath been the common Scorn and Derision of our Age.  
It is so in our Day with many; if they cannot come to the Knowledge of God any other way but by the Spirit, they would deny to make use of that, to be subject to that, and these put their Trust in their own Power and Industry, to find out the Mystery of the Knowledge of God; so they are ever learning, but are never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth: How should they? How can a People come to the Knowledge of the Truth, without the spirit of truth that reveals it? Can any come to the Knowledge of Christ unless he that sent him reveals him? Where are People's Books? where are their Bibles? where is their Rule (they call it so) that all their Endeavours for many Ages have proved fruitless in respect of the Knowledge of God?  
This is but your say so (may some say;) How doth it appear that we have not attained to the true Knowledge of God and to the true Worship, and to the true Religion?  
I will tell you how it appears, for all in all Ages that have attained to the Knowledge of God, they have been made partakers of his divine nature and his Divine Qualities; they have brought forth a sort of Fruit in their Lives and Conversations, that hath been of the same Nature, it hath been Holy and Divine: They have known the Sanctifier, and they have been a sanctified People, so they have become one with him, and have shown forth the Beauty of Holiness in their Lives, that is a Demonstration that may show the Knowledge of God, for without it they live another Life, an unholy one, a corrupt one, a Life of Self-love, a Life of Pride, Vanity and Enmity, and that they never had from God, but from another Root; a Life of Iniquity and Sin, it came from another Seed; so that they are still without the Knowledge of God,  
And again, all that have come to the Knowledge of God, they have trusted in him; that People cannot do , except here and there a few that do know him; the generality of the Age they cannot trust God; they must have something else to rely upon, and trust to, for in him they cannot trust. Now the Lord said by the Prophet of old. They that know my name will trust in me; tha● is enough if People know God, whom to know is life eternal, even to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent; This is Life Eternal; if People were co●● to this Divine Knowledge, they would never take care or study for any Refuge, or set up this, or that, or the other thing to lean upon. A rich Man he trusteth in his Richeses, one trusteth to one thing and another to another, but they would trust in the Living God, and he should be their God and their Rock, and they would venture their Concerns upon him both in this World, and that which is to come, if they did but know him. People may talk as much as they will, but he can never properly be said to be my God and thy God, till we cast our care upon him, and can venture our concerns upon him both in this World and that which is to come, and can say, He is our God and our Reliance and Dependence is upon him.  
Now this is the Effect and Consequence of this Knowledge of God; such as come to partake of it, they shall not need to be bid to worship him: You shall not need to make a Law that this People shall worship the God that they know; there needs no Law to command the People of God to worship him; his law is written in their hearts, and they that know him will worship him. There was never any Man on Earth that had the Knowledge of the true and living God, that needed be put upon worshipping him, that needed a Law to oblige him to it; for the very Knowledge that is given of God through Christ, this brings forth naturally an Adoration of the invisible Power which Men put their Trust in; it produceth an Adoration that is true Worship; it causeth an humble Reverence of that Power; it brings the Soul upon its Knees, as it were; it brings the Soul to stoop and bend, and bow upon all occasions to God, as his God: It raiseth his expectations to receive Counsel, and Judgement, and Understanding from him, as the Fountain of Wisdom; and hereby People are taught to worship in the right Divine Knowledge.  
But to tell Men of the Worship of God before they know him; though you make as many Laws as you will to force them to worship that God they do not know, yet you can never do them any good, nor make their Worship acceptable, nor make them devout; you can never bring Devotion nor Divine Adoration into their Hearts by all the Laws that you can make.  
But there is a Spirit of Life that sets the Soul at liberty from its former Bondage to Sin and Satan; and when this Law comes to be revealed in my Heart, what saith this Law? Worship God, give Honour and Glory to him. This Law saith, Submit thyself to him that redeemed thee, thou art his, thou art no more thine own: This Law being written in the Heart obligeth a Man to a true Worship, and to worship God in spirit and truth, for this Man hath done imagining among the Heathen, that there are Gods many and Lords many: He hath done imagining what God is and where he is, for he is now come to Knowledge; he is come beyond the best Scholar in Athens, let him be never so mean and despicable in the World; if it be never so poor a Lad or Lass they are beyond the best Scholar in Athens; for the best Scholar there came only so far as to contradict their fellow Scholars: Some of them were for Mars and some for Jupiter, some for one God and some for another: These Scholars, by some Beam of Divine Light shining in them, had come to perceive that the Influences that were in Mars, Jupiter and Venus, and the Sun and Moon, and other Planets, they received them from an higher Power, that is, God. They denied not that these Planets had Power and Influences given to them; sometimes they are called heavenly Bodies, the Sky or Cano● of the Earth; and Sun, Moon and Stars 〈◊〉 called Heavenly Bodies, they have Power and Influences; but this was given them, and that Power must be greater than theirs from whom they receive their Power Virtue and Influence, even that God who is the maker of all things. The Scholars at Athens were gotten so far as to see there was a God greater than the Planets which the Nations worshipped; they thought that God was to have an Altar as well as Jupiter and Mars, and those other Gods, and therefore they built an Altar to the unknown God whom they ignorantly worshipped.  
If thou and I are come to the knowledge of the true God, than we must know more than these Scholars of Athens, who erected an Altar to the unknown God: When the Apostle comes to Preach Divinity among these Scholars of Athens, there were Masters of Arts and sciences; he gins to Preach to them about an unknown God, whom ye ignorantly Worship, saith he, him declare I unto you; we do not need to declare to you the Gods of the Nations, for you Worship them, but to declare to you the unknown God whom ye ignorantly Worship; these were the ●reat Scholars of Athens that the Apostle s●●ke to: What dost thou declare of God? He is the God that made the World and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of Heaven and Earth, and dwelleth not in Temples made with hands, neither is Worshipped with men's H●●ds, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all Life and Breath, and all things, and hath made of one Blood all Nations of M●n for to dwell on the Face of the Earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their Habitations that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us; for in him we live and move and have our being; for as certain also of your own Poets have said, for we are also his offspring; for as much then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto Gold, or Silver, or Stone Graven by Art and Man's device.  
Here is a way of learning, you need not turn over Books any more; if I would know the true God, I must know who gave me Life and motion, and who created me, he is not far from me; and how should I find the knowledge of him? Feel after him, if haply you may find him, for he is not far from any of us; in him we live and move and have our being; we cannot live without him one Moment; he giveth life, essence and power to all Creatures in Heaven and Earth; we must have him with us or we cannot live; I die as soon as my Life departs from me, so do you; if my Breath and Life continue with me, 〈◊〉 by the power of him that giveth it, in whom I live and move and have my being; still it is in him that first gave it.  
Here all the great Scholars and Philosophers were counselled to feel after him 〈◊〉 are all People now a days; this is our Business, when we go to Preach the knowledge of God to them that want it; our Commission runs not that we must read such a Book, such an Author, and turn over such a Leaf, and there you shall have a discovery and a fair demonstration of the attributes of God, of his Wisdom, Power, Goodness and Mercy, Omnipotence, Omniscience; our Commission runs not that way, but our Commission runs thus, that we turn People from darkness to Light, and from the power of Satan to God; to turn their Minds from that which may hinder the knowledge of Christ, from darkness, blindness and ignorance; God is not far from them; perhaps they might find him, if they did feel after him,  
There are a sort of Men now a-days, (such as were in former times) that say unto God, depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways, such a sort of People are dark and blind and ignorant, and are like to continue so, that say to God depart from us; God is come to them, but they bid him departed from them; We are sent to these People that are dark and ignorant, and have not the true knowledge of God, though they have abundance of notions, hear-say knowledge, learning, and speculation; our business is to convince them of their ignorance and to turn them from Darkness to Light.  
There are a People that have mocked and scoffed at us many Years, what (say they) is there a light within? must we go to the light within? Hath every body a light within?  
Yes I believe so, and you must believe so too if you will believe the Scriptures. Christ is the true Light, and he hath lighted every Ma● that cometh into the World. If he did light them, how did he do it? I will tell you, (say they) he spoke a great many gracious words, and some body hath writ them down. What, will this prove the light within? because we have got a new Testament, and Christ hath spoken a great many gracious Words, and they are written down and recorded, doth this prove the light within? No, People might have been in darkness still for all the Books of the New Testament, and the Old Testament to; and for all the Books in the World; for they would never have conveyed light into the Hearts and Consciences of Men if God had not placed it there.  
Indeed these Books may be instrumental, and God doth make use of them as a means for the conveying of Light and Grace, and working of true conversion; but the holy Scriptures cannot do it of themselves, unless there be a coacting and cooperation of the Spirit of Christ with them; without this Spirit they cannot convey saving Light to us: How prove you then a Light within? the Apostle tells you if you will believe him, 2 Cor. 4.6. God who commandeth the Light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our Hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; so that every one that retireth into himself will know quickly and understand his Error, and confess that there is a Light within, and that by this rule because there is something in the Heart, that makes manifest that which is reprovable; if they do or say a thing reprovable, that which manifesteth a thing is Light; that which manifesteth dark words or works is Light.  
Now when they have found this Light within, the next question in controversy is, whether this will give Men sufficient Light for the true knowledge of God, whether this be sufficient to bring a Man to Life and to Salvation?  
I am of that judgement that it is sufficient 〈◊〉 and I believe it heartily and preach it boldly in the name of the Lord, that the Light that shines in your Hearts shines there to give you the true knowledge of God in the Face of the Mediator the Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot believe this, you will say, for you have had this ever since you was a Child, and you know not the least good it hath done you; all our learned Men and Ministers, go to what sort you will, they speak very slightingly of it; this Light within it is nothing but natural conscience, a poor Light, it is but an Ignis Fatuus, that will misled us. But let me tell thee the reason why it doth thee no more good, is, because thou hast been lose and wanton, and vain and wouldst not receive the reproofs of it; reckon but up the time, and call to Mind, when thou didst receive the reproofs of it, than it did thee some good and brought thee to remorse, and brought anguish and sorrow and trouble into thy Mind, and brought thee to a right sense of what evil thou hast done▪ but if thou didst not regard it, no wonder it did thee no good; its reproofs and counsels were like the seed sown by the high way; the Fowls of the Air gathered it up, and it did no good, that is, the Devil plucked it up, and then thy Soul lay as seed that brought forth no Fruit to God, and the Devil might have what he would,  
I will tell you the reason why so many learned Men, Men of g●●●● abilities speak slightly and meanly of it, because it hath done them no good inward nor outward that they know of: How should it do you good when it hath done them none? The reason why it doth them no good is because they do not believe in it; and did Christ ever do any Body good that did not believe in him? He gave Men power indeed to become the Sons of God, the greatest good that they are capable of; but it was to those that believed on his name: Were all they the Sons of God that heard Christ preach? No, some were the Devils Sons; our Saviour tells them, that they were of their Father the Devil and his Works they did do; they came to Meetings and heard Christ preach; he discoursed to them, but it did them no good, for they did not believe on his Name.  
And then it appears in the next place, that if this Light be taken heed to, and if Men come to be taught by it and receive instructions, they would then have it all for nothing, they would have it all for God's sake; all the counsels and understanding of Divine mysteries, all the openings of God, and all their knowledge of God would come for nothing: What then would become of the trade of preaching Christ, and the attributes of God; then their Silver shrine trade will be spoiled, and then their Diana is gone; and this Light hath done them no good inwardly because of their unbelief; and it doth them no good outwardly, because 〈◊〉 spoils their preaching trade, because it teacheth 〈◊〉 ●or nothing and for God's sake the light 〈◊〉 knowledge of God, that shines in the face of Jesus Christ, wherein are the Openings of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God.  
So that if any come to know the Virtue a●d the Power that turneth Men from Darkness to Light, they are come to another state, and turned from the power of Satan to the power of God; and when the Power of God i● revealed in them, than they say, This is my God; now I know the true God; they speak as those that are acquainted with him, This is life eternal to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent: It is not to know him at a Distance, but as always present: The Soul comes to be acquainted with God as familiarly as a Man is acquainted with his Friend, and better too: A Man that is acquainted with his Friend, only knows some things pertaining to him; but those that are acquainted with their Maker they know the whole counsel of God, so far as belongs to their Peace; therefore it was not in vain said of old, Acquaint thou thyself with him and be at peace: Be but acquainted with that inward Power that knows thy Thoughts, and then no body needs to preach a Sermon to thee of the Omnipresence of God; no Body needs make thee a Doctrine of it, and offer Reasons and Motives to believe it; it is all foolish labour; I know that God is with me and near me; I feel him in ●●e and with me, at my downlying 〈◊〉 rising; when I am in my Shop and ab●●● 〈◊〉 business he is with me in all Places; and such a Man is also well instructed about the Omniscience of God; God's knowing cvery thing; I have learned that since I came to know him, all the Doctors in Europe can tell me no more than I know in that Point; The Lord observeth all my go and numbereth all my steps; Lord, thou makest manifest the thoughts of my heart, thou searchest my heart and tryest my reins. Here is God's Omniscience and knowing all things. Here is Divinity growing out of the Life.  
Then the Wisdom of God is infinite; so are all God's Attributes Infinite, Incomprehensible and Unspeakable, they are all so in him; but he makes manifest a measure of his Wisdom; he brings a Man from being such a Fool as he was before, to become a wise Man; He was such a Sot and Fool as to be drunk and tumble in the Dirt; he could not stand upon his Legs, but now he is become wise and sober: Another was so foolish as to defile himself and wallow in his Uncleanness; now such a Man comes to true Wisdom, it gins in the fear of God, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: What doth his Wisdom do? It keeps him out of the Dirt; It makes him live first as a Man, then as a Christian, to live righteously, soberly and godly in this present world: It leads him into the Knowledge of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God; to know and comprehend with all saints what is the height and length 〈◊〉 breadth, and depth, and 〈◊〉 know the love 〈◊〉 Christ which passeth knowledge: This is more than bare Sobriety and moderate Living; such are taught to live soberly, righteously a●d godlily, to live by Faith, and to be led into the kno●●●●●e of the mystery of the kingdom of God; to know the Lord Jesus Christ to their Justification. This is the learned and the wise Man; he hath not the Substance as well as the Shadow; 〈◊〉 ●●th the Marrow as well as the Bone; he is reconciled to God, through Christ; he 〈◊〉 ●emission of sins through Christ Jesus, tha● 〈◊〉 for him and rose again.  
When you come to be partakers of this, 〈◊〉 will do you good; Notions will not do it 〈◊〉 when you come to know God for your selve● and under 〈◊〉 him for your s●lves, to know him as your Saviour and Redeemer, that hath rescued you from the Snares of the wicked 〈◊〉, whoever, doth this they will worship God; when they have this Knowledge of him they will bow to him, they will be like those of old that said, he is our judge, he is our lawgiver, he is our king, and he will save us. There arose a Testimony in the Hearts of good People of that Age, that God was their Judge that judged them, their Lawgiver th●t directed them how they should make their way to him; that he was their King and aught to rule them, for he must save them.  
So when People come to know God for themselves, to be inwardly acquainted with God for themselves; when a Company of these Souls meet together, when they have been at this School and learned this Lesson ●f Divinity, they then sit down and wait ●●on the Lord, that God that se●●●●th the heart and tryeth the reins, and observeth how they do Service for the Honour of his Name, and they receive Spiritual Gifts from him to their Edification and ●●●fort, and they receive Judgement from him when they do any thing contrary to his 〈◊〉.  
The Lord Jesus Christ he is the Minister of ●he Sanctuary which the Lord hath pitched: If Men have a Church, as they call it, they ●ust have John or Thomas for their Minister: We know who is the Minister of such a Place; but here is a Minister set upon ●o●'s Sanctuary, this Priests Lips shall preserve knowledge. All that come to God's Church are taught of this Priest, he is a high one, the high pri●●● of our profession, we have not such another; he is not set up by a Carnal Commandment; his Induction came not from any Priest in this World, but his Induction came from the God of Heaven and Earth; his Father set him up for a Priest; he comes by a heavenly Induction and Commission, he is a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedek, not after the Order of Aaron: If you come to God's Church you may hear this Minister.  
Some have called a House of Stone 〈◊〉 Wood a Church, but that will not do no●● therefore there are People that know better than they when they gather Churches of living Stones; Men and Women are gathered to these Churches. Now the Apostle saith, the Church is in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: if you will come to Church you must come to Jesus Christ, the Church is in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the general Assembly, the Congregation of his faithful People. What do you mean by a Church? Ask a learned Man, that understands Greek and H●brew, what is the meaning of the Word? A Church, saith he, is the Congregation of the Faithful, it is an Assembly of the Faithful People congregated together. Where must they meet? they must meet in the general assembly of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. The Hebrews were come to that Church, though they lived many hundred Miles asunder, in Asia, Cappadocia and Bythinia: You are come to the general assembly of the firstborn; there is a Priest, there is the high priest of our profession, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is a priest after the order of Melchisedeck, not after the order of Aaron. How long is this Priest like to stay in his Priesthood? For ever, He is a priest for ever, not after a carnal commandment, but the power of an endless life.  
The Priests that were after Aaron's Order they could not continue: Death snatched one away, than they must have another Priest; but here is one that hath a Priesthood higher than the Heavens, by the Power of an endless Life: Here is the Priest of God's Church, and the Teacher of God's People; so that when God's People come to Church, that is, to God the Father, there Christ teacheth them, according to the old Prophecy, I will teach my people myself.  
We have laboured to bring People to this Teaching, that they might come to the Knowledge of the Living God. Now there needs none to teach them, for they are taught of God; blessed be God, our labour hath not been in vain, we see the fruit of our labours and are satisfied: We have been labouring to bring Men to know the Lord, new all shall know the Lord from the greatest to the least, and bow before him and worship him; they hear that their high priests lips shall preserve knowledge: If they do amiss, he chastiseth them for it; if they do well, than he comforteth them by his Spirit: Now our Labour is that all may be brought to this, and that every one may know the Lord, and may fear him and serve him, and worship him in his Temple: Our Bodies are a Temple for that use to worship God in; know you not that you● bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost? you mus● worship in yourselves, you must go into you● selves, you must know the Exercise of the Graces of the Spirit in yourselves, and th● Workings of the Spirit of Truth in you● selves, and that your Souls that are in yo●● Bodies may be bowed to the Power of the Sp●rit, and that your Worship must be in the Spirit; you must pray in the Spirit, and give Thanks in the Spirit.  
Though those that set up Worship in the Church, talk 〈◊〉 Divinity and Religion in every part of it; yet the Substance of all the Shadows of the Law are fulfilled in the Gospel; the Substance of all the Modes, and Rites, and Forms of Religion are fulfilled in the Gospel-way: So then let every one compare and examine their State, and consider how the case stands between them and their Maker, what Knowledge they have of God; and what Trust they have put in him, that so they may be persuaded and prepared to come within the Pale of this Church. But you must first come out of the World, else you can never come into that Church that is in God; if you be in the World, you must go to the World's Church, and be the Members of the World's Church; and you shall have this for your Pains, the World will love you; but if you come out of the World's Church into God's Church, the World cannot love you.  
Be as good as thou wilt thou canst never b● so good as Christ Jesus, and they loved him not because he was not of the World; if you were of this world, saith Christ, the world would love its own; but since you are not of the world, but I have taken you out of it, therefore the world hates you; if they do so to the green tree. ●hat will they do to the branches? Are you better than I, saith our Saviour? the servant is not greater than his Lord: Those that are the Disciples of Christ must be content to be persecuted, reviled and hated for his name's sake; for thus they treated him who 〈◊〉 holy, and harmless, and undefiled, who gave them a good Example, and who did them no hurt, but did them good; yet the World hated him, and it is but reasonable that you should suffer from the World in the same manner, and bear it at their Hands.  
If you come to this Church that is in God the Father, and Jesus the mediator, the church of the firstborn that are written in heaven, and come out of the World's Church, than the World will be about your Ears, all the World will set themselves against this Church, against the Woman that shall bring forth a Birth, that shall rule over the Nations: There appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars, and she being with Child cried, travelling in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there also appeared another wonder in heaven (a terrible thing) and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns; and the dragon stood before the woman that was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born: and she brought forth a man child, that was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up to G●● and to his throne. When the Dragon 〈◊〉 ready to devour this Birth, God took it into his own Care, in spite of the Devil and all his Instruments, and he will save the Child and preserve the Woman; he that fits in heath hill laugh at his Enemies and defeat them. 〈◊〉 is a pl●ce appointed for the Woman in 〈◊〉 Wilderness, where she is preserved by the ●●mighty Power, where she is nourished for a Time, and Times, and half a Time, from the Face of the Serpent; but she must come out again after some Time, in spite of the Devil and all his Instruments, of all his Dragons and Serpents: The woman must come out of the Wilderness, and the Manchild must come down with great Power, to rule the Nations.  
This hath been accomplished, say some, above fourteen hundred Years ago; and, if you will take their Word, the Church hath been come so long out of the Wilderness. But the Church that they speak of, hath it not wanted Holiness and Righteousness? Hath it given glory to God on high, with peace on earth and good will to men? No, their Church hath lived in Tyranny and barbarous Cruelty, and shedding of Blood. They say the Church was in the Wilderness in Dioclesian's Time, and when Constantine came to the Empire the● she came out of the Wilderness.  
If it had been a Holy Church, we should have seen the Manchild come down from God, and Holiness and Righteousness would have run down like a mighty stream, and Truth would have filled the whole Earth. All these things have not yet been fulfilled, for we have seen the Professors of Truth fallen in the Streets; they have been persecuted and troubled, and thrown into Prisons and … on's, but there is a better Church some … to be found.  
I read of the Holy Church, the Lam●● Wife, the Spouse of Christ that hath been hid somewhere, a great while, in some Corner or other in the Wilderness; but she will come forth again out of the wilderness, leaning upon her wellbeloved: She doth not come leaning on this Prince and the other Potentate: She comes not out of the Wilderness leaning on Captains, Generals and Armies, but leaning on Christ her wellbeloved, the Immortal, Invisible Power of the Son of God; she trusteth in it.  
All the other Churches, I have read of, they have leaned upon one Prince or Potentate, or one Emperor or another, and they have relied on these great Men as on their Bulwark; but this Church that comes out of the Wilderness will come leaning only upon her wellbeloved, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Author and Finisher of her Faith; she will put her Trust in him, for he will deliver his Church from all her Enemies: And though the Serpent cast out of his Mouth Water as a Flood, after the Woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the Flood, 〈◊〉 the Lord will cause the Earth to help ●he ●oman, and th● Earth shall open her Mouth and swallow up the Flood which the Dragon cast out of his Mouth. Let the Dragon do what he can to destroy the Woman and her Seed, she knows what her beloved can do, he will command the Earth to open and swallow up the Flood, and she shall go dry through it.  
How happy are they that lean upon Christ their wellbeloved? The Church of Christ in all Ages hath leaned upon him, and he hath founded his Church upon a Rock, so that the Devil and all his Instruments, and the very gates of hell shall not prevail against her. The Members of this Church have their Teacher Christ Jesus, and they receive Counsel and Direction from him: He is their Priest and Teacher, and he teacheth them by his Spirit and his Word, which he hath placed in their Hearts, and given them an Understanding to know him that is true: Christ's Word you must keep to 〈◊〉 if you will be true Scholar's. This 〈◊〉 true Divinity; if you will have the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God communicated and opened to you, give heed to 〈◊〉 word, and that Truth that is in your 〈◊〉 parts: Attend to that Light and that 〈◊〉 that is manifested in your Hearts, and 〈◊〉 Lord will show you more of the Power 〈◊〉 Efficacy thereof, and if you be faithful 〈◊〉 little he will make you ruler over much 〈◊〉 answerable to the Understanding and Knowledge that God hath given you, and if you be faithful in a little he will communicate more and more of his Mind and Will to you; and if you be led by the Spirit of Truth, you will trust in it and hearken to it, and understand the Language of it in your own Hearts; and if you be a willing people in the day of God's power, God will work all things in you and for you, and work in you both to will and to do, of his good pleasure.   

SERMON IX. The wonderful love of God to Mankind. Preached at S. Martin's-le-Grand, November 9th 16●0.  
IT is our great concern, while we are in this World, to promote the Glory of God, and 〈◊〉 work out our own salvation, to endeavour ●hat in us lies to be sensible, and to help one another to be sensible of the Love of God to 〈◊〉: This is the only thing that can give us 〈◊〉 comfort, to have a Sense of the Love of God to us in Christ Jesus: There is 〈◊〉 more certain ●ha●●hat all of us are Partak●●● of the Love of 〈◊〉 which is imparted to us daily, and we live no● a Day without it; but we may, if we have not a care, live ma●● Days without it, and without the comforta●●● Sense of it; and that is the reason that 〈◊〉 great many of ●he S●●● and Daughters of Men do 〈◊〉 in their Li●●● so little Love to God, because they have so ●●●tle Sense of his Love to them, for the Apostle ●ohn, that had attained 〈◊〉 great Knowledge and Experience in Christianity, plainly declareth, that ●he ●●●son of that Love ●●at we have to 〈◊〉 is ●●●ause he first loved us; and I do not believe that any Man can have any true Love to G●d, that is not sensible of the Love of God to h●m.  
And 〈◊〉 those temporal Blessings that we enjoy 〈◊〉 th●●●●fe, as Health and Strength, and our very ●●eath 〈◊〉 ●●ing, and well-being that every Day and Hour are continued, they are from 〈◊〉 Love of God to us, and the lengthening 〈◊〉 of our Lives and vouchsafing us Opp●●●● 〈◊〉 ●●es for the good of our Souls are evident Tokens of God's Love and  to us. Where these things are not considered and regarded, men live like the 〈◊〉 that perish, and regard not him that m●d● them, but go on in Disobedience to him, 〈◊〉 Dishonouring of his great Name; and ho●●●ing up Wrath upon their own Souls. A●● 〈◊〉 doth every Man, while he rema●●● in 〈◊〉 natural state and condition● fo● there is in every Man by nature the S●●d a●d Root of all Sin and Rebellion against 〈◊〉 which makes him return evil to God f●● the good he doth to us.  
And I believe we are ●ll of us sensible in some measure of the depravedness that is fallen upon all Ma●●●d and of t●●t ●●mity to God, and that averseness that ●s 〈…〉 the doing the will of God and that impotency and inability that is in every Man to the reforming of his ways and the changing of his Heart, and leaving of his corrupt and vicious inclinations without the divine ●elp and assistance 〈◊〉 the Grace and Spirit of God.  
Now they that are thus far sensible of their alienation by nature from the Lord, and 〈◊〉 also sensible that the time they have here, 〈◊〉 the only time they have for their ●●●●●ing and being fitted for that Everlasting Kingdom which we all wo●●● enjoy, H●w ought this to affect the mind of every ●ne that while they have time they might ●●rize it and improve in, and come to an 〈◊〉 sense of the love of God, that for they 〈◊〉 have a love raised in their Hearts again to God for People will never be obedient unto God till they love him, nor never love him till they are sensible of his love to them.  
Therefore that which is the means and way of Gods making known himself to the Sons and Daughters of Men; that mean● and that way ought every one to embrace every one ought to be 〈◊〉 ●●ted with ●t and have 〈◊〉 exercise of th●● minds in it, that so we might come to the knowledge of God, and might know by an experimental and sensible feeling the kindness of God to us.  
And truly Friends, they that are 〈…〉 to spend their time and exercise themselves in th● consideration of the mercy and kindness of God, th●● have wor● enough for their whole life-time ●●e consider and contemplate the manifold Mercies of God bestowed upon them; for we have our Life and Breath from him whom the whole World obeys, and serves God that made all living Creatures, hath created us, preserved us, he hath had long suffering and patience towards us until now 〈◊〉 he is yet minded to do us good, which ●●e●● d●●ltly manifest by the invitations and promis● he hath m●●e us, and the workings of his H●ly Spirit that he hath made us acquainted withal.  
For who is there in this Assembly that God hath not made sensible of the tenders of hi● grace and inundations to Repentance and Reformation, that they that live lose 〈…〉 vainly in the World might turn to the Lor● with all their Hearts, and consider their wa● and do? God hath waited to be gracious the Sons and Daughters of Men, and his ●●●cy and patience hath been beyond all hu●●● patience, beyond the patience that 〈◊〉 did bestow upon any, this the Lord 〈◊〉 showed upon you; therefore I entreat 〈◊〉 hoo● the love of God, let this ●●●●deration sink deeply into your spirits, tha● you may be affected with the kindness of God and his patience towards you, and his long-suffering while you have been sinning against him.  
But some will say, How shall I know this? After what manner may I experience this love of God to me? How may I be sure that the Lord hath a love for me?  
My Friends, it is not only temporal kindness that we enjoy from God, it is not only the lengthening out of our Days, that is an evident token of the love of God to us; but there is a demonstration and manifestation of i● that is universally extended to the Sons and Daughters of Men, in that he hath sown his Word in them, and hath sown his Truth and his Grace in their Hearts, that every Man, tho' never so wicked, ne●er so ●oolish and vain, yet hath many times checks and reproofs in his own Heart: I know it, and I doubt not but you do.  
Pray whence comes it that which doth stop you in a course of sin, and ch●●k and reprove you for sinning against the Lord? If you come to mind this and consider of it you will find it comes from God; it comes from him, from him comes our life and Breath; then People ●●ould be incited to receive the Grace of God; ●●e favour and mercy of God which he hath bestowed upon them in order to their salvati●●. The Scripture tells us, that Grace and ●●●th came by Jesus Christ. I● 〈◊〉 hast any good it came by Jesus Christ, and if thou hast any Truth it came by Jesus Christ, who is the Fountain of Truth and the Fountain of the 〈◊〉 of God; it is he by whom God hath m●de known himself to the Sons and Daughters of Men; it is Christ alone that God hath ordained to be a Mediator between God and Man, that so he might be the Minister of an everlasting covenant, which we are brought into with God; so that now People should com● to the consideration of the way and means that God hath ordained for their redemption, namely, that he hath given Jesus, that great and unspeakable gift of his love and kindness to the Sons and Daughters of Men; here i● Grace and Truth that came by Jesus Christ: How is it con●●? It is come into my Heart. Tho' Sins, and Lusts and Corruptions, perhaps have a plac● in many, yet Christ hath a place too; He ha●● made his grave with the wicked and was numbered with the Transgressor's; he was like that Seed that lies under the Clods an● i● the least of all Seeds, yet when it comes out of the Ground it riseth high and spreads abroad its Branches and brings forth Fruit; this love of God, this unchangeable Holy Truth, is in every one; why then should not every Man b● ruled and governed by it?  
But some Men will say, is Truth b● than Falsehood, and Grace better than 〈◊〉 and Corruption?  
You may see that by the Light that is d● 〈◊〉 in the inward parts: Let every Man 〈◊〉 inward to the Grace of God, turn to that Light that shows itself in the Creature, and see what it will do for us: This is the Doctrine that the Apostle was sent withal; he wa●●●nt with a Commission to turn Men from Da●●●●ss to Light, and from the power of Satan to God: Why did he do it? It was for this end, that Men might have remission of Sins, and that they might come to an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord; so that this Gospel is the same that it ever was, though Men have divers ways of preaching, and several methods and ways of declaring the Truths of the Gospel; blessed be God the Apostolical Doctrine is p●●ached again, and the blessed Gospel hath the same power attending it that was in former Days, and 〈◊〉 have the same effect; and that this may be the Portion of every one of you, this i● the end of our Labour. And we have i● 〈◊〉 Eye but two things:  
I. First, to discharge a good Conscience in the sight of God, who hath given us his Word to Preach, and to turn Men from Darkness to Light, and from the power of Satan to God; that we might keep ourselves free from the Blood of all Men.  
II. Secondly, another end is, the desire that God ●●th placed in our Hearts that all Men every ●here might be Saved; this is God's Will; if a● be Damned it is their own will and the ●s will; this is God's will that none should ●●sh, but that all should come to repentance and be eternally saved. Now in this work of your salvation, we would have regard to him that sent us to Preach the Everlasting Gospel, and we would discharge ourselves faithfully, and be made manifest in your Consciences, that the benefits of the Gospel might come to be yours▪ that you might answer the purpose of God in sending Christ to be the Saviour of Mankind; you must turn from Sin to God, and then you will find the blessing that comes by Jesus, which it to turn every one from his evil way▪  
You may read this in a Book, and you may also plainly read it i● your Hearts: The Lord Jesus Christ hath given you Light to distinguish between good and evil; if you do good, you may make a comfortable reflections upon yourselves, and this will be your rejoicing, the testimony of your Conscience on tha● account; bu● if you do evil, though all Men do justify you and commend you, yet you will be condemned in yourselves; so that you have that in yourselves which distinguisheth between things that differ in their nature and kind, and you have a little enlightening by the knowledge and understanding you▪ have received concerning the things that are pleasing and displeasing to God; if after yo● know this you will go on in a way displeasing to God, he will at length be too hard for yo● and plunge you down into the Abyss of 〈◊〉 W●at ●to all Eternity▪  
After Persons are satisfied and enlighten 〈◊〉 with the Light of Christ, and come to the Experience of things in themselves; they will love the Light and Walk in the Light; but there are many in this Age that have read the Scriptures plentifully, and yet still go on in a way of Sin, they cannot love the Light that reproves them; He that doth evil he hates the Light, and the Dawning of the Day is as the shadow of Death to him, and it brings nothing but condemnation upon such Persons, so that they do not love the Light, though it is evident they have it and enjoy it, and it shall be their condemnation whether they will or no; if they do not love the Light and embrace it; it will never be to their Salvation.  
God hath given Christ to be a Light to the Gentiles and his Salvation to the ends of the Earth. He is the Light that enlightens every Man that comes into the World; the Apostle John tells you the genealogy of the Word of God, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; and the same was in the beginning with God; all things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made; in him was Life, and the Life was the Light of Men; The Life of the Eternal Word was the Light of Men; What Men do you mean? I answer, He is the true Light that lighteth every Man ●●at cometh into the World. He extendeth ●is Light to every Man, but it is condemnation to every Man so long as he continues to be a sinner against God: This is the condemnation, that Light is come into the World, and Men love darkness rather than Light, because their deeds are evil.  
Now all Men ●re by nature dead in Sins and Trespasses; 〈◊〉 our first Parents fell into Sin they were dead to God; in the Day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die; when they had eaten the forbidden fruit, they did not die as to outward appearance, but they died as to that Communion they had with their Maker; in this dead state lie all the Sons and Daughters of Adam; but, as our Saviour speaks, though they be dead, they shall live again; Christ is Lord from Heaven, a Quickening Spirit; this is the object of our Faith that hath been extended and offered to Mankind ever since the fall; there is no name under Heaven, no other Power or Spirit by which a Man can be saved; this great Mediator, the Eternal Son of God, is the Light that lighteth every Man that co●●●h into the World: Faith in Christ is the same that ever it was, notwithstanding the many forms of Worship among the Sons of Men; some of Gods setting up, and some of men's setting up; yet among all these, the object of Faith is the same, and Faith the same.  
In the 11th. Chapter of the Hebrews, That little Book of Martyrs, the Apostle there give● you a Catalogue of the mighty things 〈◊〉 have been done by the Faith of God's People he gins with Abel, By Faith Abel offere● more excellent Sacrifice than Cain, by which 〈◊〉 obtained witness that he was Righteous, 〈◊〉 testifying of his Gifts; and by it, he being dead, yet Speaketh; by Faith Enoch was translated that he should not see Death▪ ●nd was not found, because God translated him, 〈◊〉 before his translation he had this Testimony that he pleased God; and so the Apostle there goes to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses: And what shall I say more, saith he, for the time would fail ●e to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and Jeptha, of David, Samuel, and of the Prophets, who through Faith subdued Kingdoms, wrought Righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the Mouths of Lion's quenched the violence of Fire, escaped the Edge of the Sword, out of weakness were made strong, turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens. All these great and noble things were done by Faith; it was the aspect their Souls had upon Christ the Mediator between God and Man; it was their trust and reliance upon God through Christ the Mediator that did support and uphold them in all they did and suffered. This Faith is still the same.  
There are many Faiths in the World beside, but they will prove but the Faith of Hypocrites. Some have a Faith, that if they do this and the other Work, they say you may trust your Souls upon these good Works; but this 〈◊〉 not the Faith of Abraham, the Father of the ●●●●hful. But some called Christians are gone 〈◊〉 ●ar in the Doctrine of merits, that they ●●ok they can do enough for their own Salvation, and for their Friends and Relations too; that there may be more Merit still over and above, that others may have Benefit by the Merit of their Works of Supererogation: B●t this is not the Faith of Abra●●● and other Saints, by which they wrought such Wonders in the World. I would not have Men trust at all in their own Works 〈◊〉 Salvation, but trust in Christ alone, who is able to save to the uttermost, all that come to God by him▪  
But some will object: We are taught the Doctrine of Faith in Christ, and Justificati●● by him.  
Well, for my part, my Tongue shall as soon drop out of my Mouth 〈◊〉 oppose the Doctrine of being justified by Faith in Christ: But, let me tell you, this may be misapplied▪ If a M●n believe that he is justified by Faith in Christ, and yet knows in his own Conscience that he is condemned, he believeth a Lie, he is seduced and deceived: A Man cannot be justified ●y Christ▪ when the Spirit of Christ condemneth him: Such 〈◊〉 wh●●●e comes to lay down his Head up●● his Dying Pillow all his Faith will fly away▪ I 〈…〉 with some Instances, lamentable I● 〈…〉 those tha● were called Christians, 〈…〉 made a Profession of Religion, an● 〈…〉 have laid down their Heads in So● 〈…〉 this be your Mistake consider, while y● 〈…〉 Time, ●●at you may die in Peac●.  
Now 〈◊〉 Proposition and T●●der o● 〈…〉 Lo●● of God 〈◊〉 Mankind hath al●●ried, that Limitation with it, that is 〈◊〉 in the World ought to observe; If a Man hope to be saved by Christ he must be ruled by him: I● is contrary to all manner of Reason, thenche Devil should rule a Man, and Christ be his Saviour: The whole tenor of the New Testament is against it (pray read it) as oft as you p●●●se, for it is a good Exercise) you will find the true Christian's Faith to be this, That he that hath Faith in Christ hath an Operation upon him for the Cleansing his Heart and purifying and purging his conscience from dead works, that he may serve the living God; though he hath been a Servant of the Devil, it will make h●●r leave his former Servitude, and bring him under the Influence of another Law, the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which will make him free from 〈◊〉 law of sin and death. The Apostle sets down ●he several Conditions he had ●●ssed through, I was alive without the law once; he thought himself a Man▪ a brave Man, a Man of Understanding, th●● had profited among the Jews; I was alive, having respect to that Law which should have been my Goverour, but when the comm●ndment came, sin revived and I died. He h●d ●ead the Law, the Commandment many 〈…〉 and had been at the reading of it in the 〈…〉 ague; but there was a coming of the Com●●ndment which he had not been acquainted ●ith; there was a Writing of th● Law of God in his Heart; when he 〈◊〉 to this inward World upon him, ●●●re was th●● the 〈◊〉 he lived? When the 〈◊〉 came, Sin revived, and I died: There was a professing Life he formerly li●●d, but he was slain by the Power of th●●●●man●ment, it laid him in the Dust as a ●●ain Man; when he was in a 〈◊〉 condition he found out that Law in him that was the Law of Sin and Death, and this caused a Combat and a War in him; I find a law, saith he, that wh●● I would do good, evil is present with with me; for I delight in the law of God in the inner m●; but I see another law in my member 〈…〉 against the law of my mind, and b● 〈…〉 into captivity to the law of 〈◊〉 which 〈…〉 members: Now this br●●gh● him 〈◊〉 a Poverty of Spirit, into a Sense of his mi●●●●ble Condition, and then he cries out, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death!  
Now some People in this Day, they are like the Apostle, they have a law in their members warning against th● l●w of their minds, the good that they would d●●●ey do not, and they can go no further: But the Apostle Paul did reach further, though he did not in that state know Deliverance, yet 〈…〉 that he should be delivered, and that he 〈…〉 be miserable all his Days. Thus ha●ing 〈…〉 Romans into the several Sta●●s through wh●●● he passed, he brings them to a further S● The law of the spirit of life in Christ 〈◊〉 h●th made ●e, free from the law of sin 〈◊〉 de●●●: And now there is no condemns 〈…〉 ●●em that are in Christ Jesus. How sh● 〈…〉 know this? They walk not after the flesh, 〈◊〉 after the spirit. N● P●ul was come to that sanctified state, tha● 〈◊〉 of Freedom and Liberty which Christ ●esus will bring all those unto that believe ●n him.  
Holy Men, in former Days, did experience and find a grea● Strife and Warfare in their own Hearts, they would do all well, and exercise a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man; but there is a Law of Sin that wars in their Members; if we yield to it it lead● to Sin and Death: but if we yield ourselves to the law ●f the spirit of life, there is a Power tha● 〈…〉 pved from the Mediator, that will translate the Soul out of the kingdom of darkness and Sin, which the Devil is the Prince of and bring it into the kingdom of God's dear Son.  
There must be a real Change wrought in us before we can come t● God and to Fellowship and Comm●●ion wi●h God▪ which ●lone can make th● 〈◊〉 happy. Let this be t●e Exercise of e● one of us to adore and magnify and 〈◊〉 Mercy and the kindness of God, ●hat 〈…〉 not withdrawn his Spirit from yo● 〈…〉 hath placed a M●n for in your 〈…〉 ●s upon you to cease to do evil 〈…〉▪ and to consider that the 〈…〉 sin is death: Here is a Sin, I may ●mit it; there is a Temptation beofre me; 〈◊〉 I know there is a Bait and a Hook 〈…〉 swallow it if I will, but if I do, i● will 〈…〉 ●y R●th: Would I come to eternal Death, and have my Portion with Liars and wicked Persons in the Kingdom of Darkness. Where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched? or would I have my Portion with Saints and Angels? If I would have my Portion with the blessed in the Kingdom of God when I die, I must walk in the way that leads to it; but the Gate is straight and the way narrow, and few there be that find it; Labour then to be one of those few.  
But what signifies our Labour (some may say) if we can do nothing that is good, not so much as think a good tho●ht? What signifies our Labour? all the Labours and Endeavours in the whole World cannot ●●●ke a Man happy.  
I now speak to a People to whom God doth vouchsafe the Help and Assistance of his Grac● and Spirit, and the Visitations of his Love and Power; you mu● 〈…〉 ●ndeavour to do something; if a Man endeavour, with the help of 〈…〉 ●ie may do● great deal of good, and 〈◊〉 a great deal of Evil: Though all our Endeavours, in our own Power and Strength can signify nothing, yet they are required by God, and ●y joining them with his Gr● and layin●●old of Opportunities, by 〈◊〉 Assistance, we may do wh● God will a● But if a Man do 〈◊〉 thing in his own Po● and Strength, whether Prayer, Hearing, R●●ing Meditation or any other Duty, he ha● 〈◊〉 good let it ●●one.  
I would consider you as those that God hath followed with his Grace and the Manifestation of his Spirit; this is given to every Man to profit withal, and every Man hath Opportunity to work with it; but he must work while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work.  
Let every one of us that are now met together, labour to be sensible of the Love of God to us, and love him above all, and express our Love by a willing and persevering Obedience, that we may have the love of God shed abroad upon our hearts by the Holy Ghost, and offer up living Praises to him through Jesus Christ, ●ho hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made to kings and priests unto God and his father: To him be Glory and Dominion for ever and ●ver. Amen.   

SERMON X. Salvation from Sin by Jesus Christ. Preached at Devonshire-House, August the 9th 1691.  
IT is a general Doctrine in the World, That no man by any means in the World can ever be set free from Sin in this Life: This is universally received almost among all Christians, in all Churches, one and another; tho' they differ never so much in other things, yet they agree in this; so that this Doctrine hath ●ot a Sway in the World, and it is accounted a great Delusion and a Heresy, and a grand Error for any to question the Truth of it.  
Now while a Man is of that Belief, That there is an impossibility of living without Sin, and of breaking down the Kingdom of Satan in any one Soul in the World, How can Men hope or believe that Righteousness should prevail in the Heart of one Man? Ther● neither King nor Beggar, if he be a Bishop 〈◊〉 a Gospel Minister, the Devil must have a Rul● and Government in him, so long 〈…〉 this World. As long as this is believe 〈◊〉 not possible that the other Belief should t● place: It is madness to think that I must b● under the Rule and Government of Satan if I am under the Government of the Son of God. And it is still greater madness to say, That Christ and the Devil are both my Governors and Rulers: It is prodigious Folly and Madness to speak after this manner.  
This Belief prevails over all Men; over the Wise, and Mighty, and Noble, and Learned, that they can never be freed from the Power of Sin in this World, but that the Devil will lead them into Sin every Day; le● Men be never so sober, never so abstemious in their Lives; let them spend never so many Hours in Prayer every Day; let them come to Meetings and hear Sermons, and write them and repeat them, and do what they will, here is a Bar of Unbelief that lies in the way, that makes Men departed from the living God and his Power, and lose the Benefit they should receive from Christ: And therefore they go to fetch it another way, that is, to have the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and they shall be holy and pure in the sight of God, when they are polluted in their own Eyes; and when they see their daily Failings, Infirmities and Corruptions, yet God may not see them; but that he sees them Holy, Just and Righteous in his Son.  
What strange kind of Doctrine is this? I must presume that God will see me in his Son Jesus Christ, when I never was in Christ: How can this be? He that is in Christ 〈◊〉 new creature; old things are done away, and 〈◊〉 things are become new: But if there be O● things remaining still, and I be not become New, shall I presume that I am in Christ, and that God will see me in his Son? When People come to use the Understanding that God hath given them, the will look upon themselv●● as barred out by their Unbelief, that the Nations have drunk in; and it is as sweet to them as the Honey and the Honeycomb.  
But, blessed be God, many have vomited it up already: If they would have placed this Doctrine upon Man's Natural Ability, I would have said Amen to it. I know there is none of us all have a natural Ability an● Power to deliver his own Soul from Sin and Satan; but when they come to place it upon God, that though the Lord make bare his arm▪ and reveal his power; though they come to have the Grace of God, that still they could not be delivered from Sin; this hath Blasphemy at the bottom of it. The other reflected upon man's Power, this reflects upon the Power of God Almighty: That the Devil hath got such a Power over us, that God hath no● Power over us, nor cannot have Power a● Dominion over us, so that of a whole N●tion he cannot have one Man to serve him▪  
Much might be said in answer to this▪ When Men are once willing to serve Go● they will be willing to leave the Service 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Devil. There is no way to answer that good Wish, but by waiting upon God for the revealing of his Power: I pray God that when you come to a Meeting, you may say, Lord, let thy Power go forth upon my Heart; Let thy Arm be made bare, and deliver me from the Power and Dominion of Sin. Some will say they feel God's Power in a Meeting; I feel the Power of God working upon my Heart, in order to the taking away Sin and Transgression, and giving me Victory over it, through the Lord Jesus Christ. If they feel this Power of God upon them it is their Duty to believe it and depend upon it: If I believe it I must wait for the Dictates of it and believe that I shall be able to do all things through Christ that strengthens me; Then Faith will come forth into Works, and appear to be a living Faith.  
You may remember what the Apostle James saith, As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. As soon as a Man comes to join with the mighty Power of God, he will be able to withstand Temptation: If he comes into evil Company he will deny them and not comply with them; 〈◊〉 will find then something of a Power 〈◊〉 Ability to serve God; though he is ●ot come to Perfection, yet he is walking 〈◊〉 the way of Holiness, and pressing forward towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus: He will say, I am got a little ●●arer than I was towards the place where I would be, towards that Life which I w● live and die; then let Death come whe● pleaseth God, it shall be welcome.  
This is the wickedness of many in th● World, they will not live such a Life as they would be willing to die in: They cannot come at it unless it be given them to believ● for it is the Gift of God; they must come to th●● Governor and Leader, which goes be● to the Gift of God, which is eternal l●fe; then let Death come when it will, if I have the Gift of eternal Life.  
It is a miserable thing to think that there ar● divers that have not laid hold of eternal Life: It is manifested that we may lay hold of it, there is a Hand of Faith joining with it▪ When a Man comes to lay hold of eternal Life, this Life will purify him and sanctifi●● him, at least by degrees, till he be wholly sanctified in Body, Soul and Spirit: This i● that which the Apostle writes in one of his Epistles, Your salvation is nearer than when you at first believed. When they first believed, their Salvation was a pretty way off: He describes Salvation to be the End of thei● Faith and Hope. When a Man comes to be delivered from his Sins, he shall serve God without fear; but when a Man comes to liv● by Faith, he shall overcome; he is a 〈◊〉 Soldier of Jesus Christ, and he must fight v●liantly under his Banner till he gets a Vi●●●ry over all his Enemies, and then his Sal●●tion is much nearer than when he at first believed.  
I would I could say so of some of you, for I fear you Salvation is farther off: Some go straggling here and there, as Sheep not having a Shepherd; this is that which my Spirit is intent upon. You that are Travellers towards the Kingdom of God, it is the wonderful Grace and Mercy of God that ev●● it should come into your Minds to seek the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof: They that have obtained this Mercy from God, shall receive and enjoy other Mercies, better Mercies; blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: That is one Mercy; but there is another Mercy, They shall be filled, they shall be satisfied: When a Man comes to this, he must take up a daily Cross, and exercise Self-denial; but if he follows Christ he shall be satisfied, he shall then have nothing but Peace and Joy; he shall then sing Praises and Glory to God in the highest, and to the Lamb for ever.  
There is none can understand the Glory that is laid up for those that take up their Cross and follow Christ and love his Appearing. This is the great Blessing that God doth give unto his People, He hath sent his son Jesus to bless us, and turn us from our iniquities: This is a Blessing indeed. Take heed that you do not admit of any new Terms: Do not think to bring God Almighty to new Articles, the Terms are declared and concluded on already: If you will obtain the Blessing you must be turned everyone of you from your Iniquities; the Terms are already made, the Law of God must be written in the heart and inward thoughts, and you must close with that Power that will write the Law in your Hearts, and by travelling towards the Kingdom of God, you will see the coming of that Kingdom into you.  
It was the Joy of my Soul, that I saw the Kingdom of Christ would be set up in my Heart, before it was set up there; then I saw the Lord's wonderful Work, and a great Alteration in me, when the Lord was pleased to wean me from the World's Breast, and take off my Heart, and wean it from worldly Lusts, from the World's Joys, and Pleasures, and Fashions, and the World's Honour and Reputation: I saw the Lord was pleased to wean me from these things, and brought me to an holy Resignation, to give up my Heart to him: If I have Joy it must be from the Holy Spirit; if I have Pleasure it must be in the presence of God, who in the multitude of my thoughts within me made his Comforts to delight my soul; and if he bring not Comfort to you, you will never have it; you cannot expect it till you do believe; and when 〈◊〉 have Faith you can feel the Kingdom of God within you: There must be the New B● the Work of Regeneration, for except a m● be bo●● again be cannot see the kingdom of God▪ there must be a translation from Death to Life, there must be a turning out of the old Bottom and a fixing ●pon a new Bottom, upon Christ Jesus the rock of ages; there must be a Subjection to his Holy Power and Government, else you cannot see the Kingdom of God.  
Many have gone on in a Profession m●ny Years, and never saw the Beauty of it; every little Trifle in the World hath diverted them, and drawn them away. This and the other Pleasure hath drawn away their Hearts, they have seen the Glory of the World, which hath captivated them: But those that make a profession of the Truth, and have seen the Beauty and Glory of the Kingdom of Christ, they should be shy of returning to the World again, for the Apostle saith, It happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire; for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them: They made a Profession and were Members of a visibl● Church, and had a Name to live, but they were inwardly dead; the Sight of the Kingdom of God is not given to such, but unto Babes, that have a Divine Birth, and that desire the sincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby. God hath hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes.  
You that are h●re this day, I speak to tho●● that would receive some Kindness from Go● and th●t desire 〈◊〉 knowledge of his ways and that the My●●●●s of his Kingdom may be revealed to yo● let your Minds be retir●● and you shall find ●he great things belongs to your Peace made known to you. We have spoken much of this but I would not have yo● know it only by 〈◊〉 Say, but 〈◊〉 have you g● 〈…〉 ●ur selves, to●ke wh● God hath not bestowed this Grace and ●sing upon you: If God hath given you Grace▪ do not turn it into wantonness; do not abuse the Grace of God▪ What is it that you d● when the Grace of God ●●th convinced yo●●hat such and such a thing is Sin● and if yo● do it 〈◊〉 ●ll tend to your Ruin▪ Da● 〈…〉 venturino commit Sin after you are convince of it▪ O take heed of doing despite 〈◊〉 spirit o● grace, and of g●●●ving the holy s●●rit, whereby you are sealed 〈◊〉 the day of redemption▪  
I wish that the weight of this Considera●●●● might lie upon you▪ and that a holy Dreads Aw of God mi●ht be wrought in yo● 〈…〉 that you m● 〈…〉 kept from sinning 〈…〉 God: You know there is a general O● 〈…〉 against presumptuous Sinning, Sinning 〈◊〉 Light: Why should not we all cry ou● 〈…〉 it? It is a most dreadful thing for any 〈◊〉 to sin against his Knowledge and Convi● if any of us have been guilty of 〈◊〉 against Light, let such a one say, I hav● Iniquity, I will do so no 〈◊〉, but enter into Covenant with the Lord, and say, O Lord, so far as thou hast re● 〈…〉 ●y W● unto me, I will obey it; I w● 〈…〉 light to 〈◊〉 thy Will, O God, tho' I 〈◊〉 mine own Will. Whatever I cross I will no● cross God's holy Spirit, by which I may b●●●●ed to the Day of Redemption; I will never do this though I hazard my chief Interest 〈…〉 World: This is the Temp●● of a true 〈…〉 ●nd I pray God make all of you of th● 〈…〉  
And now my Friends▪ you that 〈◊〉 to see this great Work wrought in yourselves, commit the whole Work to God▪ and trouble not yourselves about it. 〈◊〉 sure God will carry on his own Work, and bring down the Devil's Kingdom, and rebuke that ●●clean Spirit that is gone forth over the 〈◊〉 Nation, and pour out abundantly of his h●ly Spirit to carry on a glorious Reformation▪ This I believe God will certainly do, from what he hath wrought 〈◊〉 my own Soul 〈◊〉 I know not what Instruments are to be employed in the Work, I leave that to the Lord▪ but the Kingdo● of Christ shall be advanced, and it shal● be outwardly, and a 〈◊〉 Destruction▪ ●●ll sweep away all his Enemies from the Earth, and the Wrath of God shall burn against ●●em; only there is an obduration hath 〈◊〉 ●pon the Nations of the World, and othing hath stood in the way in all-Genera●  
But howe● 〈…〉 I am sure wicked Men 〈◊〉 En● 〈…〉 may well say, That Chris● is the S● 〈…〉 Men, but especially of the● that believe. He hath saved this City and Nation from the Plagues and Vengeance tha● hang over us. Many Years the Lord hath spared us, and waited to be gracious for a long-time, to see if we will at last turn to him 〈◊〉 long the Mediator will intercede on 〈◊〉 beha● 〈…〉 ●l; there is a time who● the 〈◊〉 differing of God will come to an end. God hath brought a Scourge upon the Nations round about us, and the Flames of his Wrath ●●ve kindled upon them, and Destruction hath overtaken them; how soon i● may be our Lot, we know not; all our Money▪ our Silver and Gold, and Valour and Courage, will not be able to stave it off, if the Lord but blow upon us. It is even at the Door, there is but one way to save us, and that is turning to the Lord, and crying to the Lord for the continuance of his Mercies and Long-suffering, and Patience towards us. In this Cry, let us all cry to the Lord, that are Lovers of the Nation, and let us join our earnest Supplications in this Work, seeing the Lord hath made us the Monuments of his Mercy and preserving Goodness.  
This Island hath been continually surrounded with War and Blood, and Flames and Destruction, and the Cry of the Orphans hath been heard from other Nations: And while they have been consumed with Flames, ●nd deluged in Streams of 〈◊〉 we ha●● sat under our own Vines and 〈…〉 but Judgements hang over the Nation▪ and whether they will fall or not the Lord knows: But shall we do for the good of our Nation, and Cities and Families, but labour every one in the Fear of God to reform your Lives, and to take heed that we sin not against the Light, lest we die and perish, in the midst of those terrible Judgements that hang-over us▪  
Let us turn from our evil Ways, and departed from all Iniquity, that the Kingdom of Christ may be set up in ourselves▪ It is the Righteous in the Nation that the Lord looks at, and for their sakes he will spare a Nation. If there be a People among us that walk in Humility, and lament and mourn for the Abominations committed in the midst of us, God will have regard to them, and he will hear the Cries and the Supplications of a praying People.  
Friends, You that cannot make use of Sword and Spear for the saving of a Nation, you may do good by your Prayers, and turning to the Lord with an unfeigned Heart, and let your Sincerity appear before him. if I would take a Common-Prayer-Book in my Hands, and pray never so devoutly and solemnly, if I be not sincere, what will that do? Or, if I pray without Book, or if I pray without a Form, or reject the Forms that others have made for me, what will this avail? But the Cry of the Poor, and the Sighing of the Needy, and the effectual fervent Prayer of th● Righteous, hath availed much for the saving o● this Nation many Years.  
Therefore, I exhort you all as you love the Nation, and as you love your selves 〈…〉 ●our Families and Relations, sin not a●●●nt the Lord; for he is now setting up Righteousn● Equity and Justice, and it shall preva●● in th● Nation. God hath been please ●o gather in many that have been Enemies in it, that are now turned from sin to God, and led Captive by the Truth: and it is their greatest Joy, that now they are no longer Servants of Sin, but are now become the Servants of God.  
Now Truth will prevail, and Righteousness go forth as the Morning Sun, and 〈◊〉 hope the Lord will show Mercy to us for th● glory of his own Name, tho' we are an unworthy People: It will be matter of joy and gladness to us, if the Kingdom of God be come; then we may say our Prayer is answered. We have often prayed, Thy Kingdom come, and thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven. If the Will of God be done, than I can do mine own Will no longer, than I can be led away by Satan no longer; the Devil will have little Power, if I do Gods Will on Earth, as it is done in Heaven; then Praises will arise in the Hearts of every one that delight to do the Will of God, and God will carry on his Work for the glory of his own Name, and for the Redemption of his People, that Christ may be Preached for So●●tion to the Ends of the ●●rth.   

SERMON XI. The Acceptable Sacrifice. Preached ●t Grace-Church-street, July 3. 1692.  
ALl People that would worship God and meet together for that purpose, they had need have a great Reverence upon their Minds, and a holy Fear upon their Spirits, that when they enter into the House of the Lord, and draw nigh to the living God, they might not offer the Sacrifice of Fools, but may offer to God that which may be acceptable to him: For all Worship, and all Religion, and all Offerings and Oblations that ever were offered to God by any People, they have had a return upon the Offerers and Worshippers, either of acceptance or rejection. Many you know have been rejected tho' they have offered, and many have been accepted of God, and their Offerings have been a sweet smelling Savour in his Nostrils; and, I hope, we are all of that Mind that we would be glad to have our Worship, and Service and Offerings to God accepted in his sight, and that our present assembling together might be for the better, and that every one might have an Answer of Peace, and of acceptance in their Bosoms; but that can never be unless Men be qualified and prepared in their drawing nigh to God, and that in all our Offerings and Worship that we perform, our Hearts be prepared according to the Preparation of the Sanctuary, the Preparation of God's Dwelling and holy Place.  
The Worshippers must be holy; there must be the Fear of God and a reverence of the great God upon their Minds, before People can offer an acceptable Sacrifice unto him, as the holy Apostle saith, Heb. 11.6. He that cometh to God must believe that he is; which signifies, that a Preparation ought to be in the Minds and Hearts of People that would draw nigh to God; or perform any Service or Worship to God, they must have the knowledge of the God whom they worship, they must first know that he is, and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Here is a qualification for Worshippers, for religious Persons; as they expect when they meet together to find the Lord in the midst of them, they must be qualified accordingly, there must be an Awe upon their Minds.  
I am in the Presence of God, I have an expectation from God, that he will open his abounding Treasury, and minister some good unto me, or else to what purpose do People draw nigh to God? It is because they would have something of him; but they must come in an humble petitioning frame; He giveth Grace to the Humble. It is the Lofty, the Proud, those that exalt themselves, the Fat and the Full that want nothing. These, saith the Prophet, the Lord beholdeth afar off. A proud Man or Woman cannot draw nigh to God, the Lord looks upon them afar off; nor do they partake of those divine and heavenly Comforts and Blessings, and Counsels and Instructions that the humble Mind hath the Promise of and will certainly enjoy, The humble God will teach, he will instruct the Meek in his Way; but what is this to the lofty Mind? What is this to one that is exalted, and conceited and puffed up, and reckons himself full and wanting nothing, while he is swimming in the Streams of the Pleasures of this World, and savours only the things of the Earth, the Pleasures of a sensual Mind? These Persons are not hungry, and so they are not fed; they are not thirsty, and so they never obtain that which can satisfy the Soul. Our Lord Jesus Christ pronounced a Blessing upon them that hunger and thirst; but that is nothing to them that are full and lack nothing.  
So my Friends, in this and all other religious Assemblies, a great care ought to be upon every one, that their coming together to wait upon the Lord may be in that reverence and fear, and that hope and expectation at the Hands of God, that they might be bettered by it, or else they all lose their labour, as Cain did; he would be an Offerer, he offered Sacrifice, but was not accepted▪ because his Mi●● and Heart wi●●●ot right before the Lord 〈◊〉 Sacrifice was rejected. It was before he had killed his Brother; ●he had great Gild upon him, before he had ●illed his Brother; he wanted a well-doing▪ If thou dost well, ●●●lt thou not be accepted? But if thou dost no● w●ll. Sin lies at thy Door. H● was got into evil doing, and an evil Mind hindered his acceptance with God; so i● doth with all Men and Women in the World that meddle with religious Worship and Sacrifice to God, if they meddle with evil doing. There must be a taking off the Mind fr●●he evil of Sin and Corruption, and the Min● 〈…〉 be brought over to something that they have received from God before ever they can be accepted.  
You know the general Doctrine of all Protestants is, That we have no acceptance with God but through Jesus Christ; we have no way to please God, nor can do any thing that shall be liked of in his sight, but only through one only Mediator. Now if so be I go to worship God, or perform any religious Duty without respect and reference to the sense and participation of the virtue and power of that only Mediator, how can I be accepted? And it hath pleased God out of his infinite Love to Mankind, to send this great Mediator into the World, that every Man that comes into th● World is made a Participant of something of the Life and Virtue of that Mediator. So you read John 1.4. In him was Life, and the Life was the Light of Men, the true Light that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World▪ and that with respe●● to Men whether they are good or no, both to good and bad, tho' Men are bad, as all Men are by Nature: So that tho' they are Children of Wrath and Heirs of Eternal Damnation, and in their natural State by reason of Sin, yet for all that this one Mediator, in whom this Light hath shined, he hath sent forth that Light among the Sons and Daughters of Men, that is, the Light of Men, that enlightens every one. So there is an Offer made of something that presents itself to the view of every Man that is good, if he apply his Mind to it, he may have that Good that comes by Jesus Christ; he may draw nigh to God; as bad as he is, he hath some good that God hath bestowed upon Men good and bad. There is no Man such a Liar but he hath some Truth in him; there is no Man so ungodly, but he knows that which is pure and holy, that which hath reproved him, checked, convinced him of his Ungodliness. This presents itself to the view of every Man and Woman, and calls them to Repentance.  
Now for Men to make a show and pretence to Worship, and not have regard to the glory of God, how can they draw nigh to God, or God draw nigh to them? Our Lord Jesus Christ saith, That where two or three are gathered together in my Name, I will be in the midst of them; but if People meet together in their Sin and Wi● me● 〈…〉 ●hey h●ve a loo● and a vain Mind, ●nd intent to 〈◊〉 Wickedness and Sin; if the● meet, 〈…〉 ●et not in Christ's Name, but in the Devil's Name, and he is in the midst of them, and he works and Rules in the Hearts of the Children of Disobedience. So that this hath been the ground and reason why abundance of Meetings upon this account have been fruitless as to any Benefit to their Souls, and People's Expectations have been frustrated as to their Salvation; they have not met with that in which the Blessing is, and to which the Promise is made. The Promise is not made to People that the Devil rules; there is no Promise to such but the Promise of Eternal Wrath to be executed upon them with the Devil and his Angels to all Eternity; if you can make that a promise's.  
The Promise of Life and Salvation which is recorded b●●●●e Prophets and Apostles, it hath always relation to the Seed that are i● Covenant with God. In this the Coven●●● stands, saith God to Abraham, Gen. 17●● I will establish my Covenant between me and thee, and thy Seed after thee in their Generations, for an everlasting Covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy Seed after thee. The Covenant is made to Abraham and his Seed, that is, with Christ Jesus the Mediator. It is he that brings to God those that trust in him and come to him, He that cometh to him, he will in no wise cast out; they that do not come to Christ are cast off already. All Men, by Nature, are cast 〈…〉 if any of the● will be 〈◊〉, it is by coming to Christ, wh● is able to ●ave to th● uttermost, and to mak● Peace for them, and of Twins to make on● new Man, and to make Peace between God and their Soul●  
There is a necessity for all People that have sense of their natural state and condition, that according to Nature have no Title to the Kingdom of God, to be reconciled to God By Nature they cannot make a claim to Righteousness and Life; they cannot reconcile themselves to God by all their Works, saith the Prophet Micah, Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand of Rams, or with ten thousand Rivers of Oil? shall I give my firstborn for m● Transgression, the Fruit of my Body for the Sin of my Soul? He hath showed thee, O Man, what is good: And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and love Mer●● and walk humbly with thy God? They that will be saved must lay hold of Salvation in that way and method that the Lord God of Heaven and Earth hath prescribed. He hath prescribed a way for every Body to be saved▪ he would have no Body to perish, but that all should come to Repentance, and obtain everlasting Life. God hath made a way that will serve every Body alike, Thousands as well as Ten, and all the World as well as one Man. Now the way that God hath made, is turning out of the State into which they are fallen, and a forsaking that Governor that rules in the Hearts of the Chil● 〈…〉 Disobedience, a● closing with Christ 〈◊〉 God hath appointed to reign in every ●●dy's Heart▪ People in Christendom will all say, they have closed with Christ. Do not you hope to be saved by Christ on the Terms of the Covenant? It is not crying Lord, Lord, but doing the Will of God; the Terms are, All Men must believe in Christ the Eternal Son of God, and through ●he Power of that Faith they have in him, he comes to rule over them, and they become subject to him. And if a Believer be not subject to Christ, he is all one as if he was an Unbeliever; Circumcision or Uncircumcision avails not any thing, but a new Creature, and Faith which worketh by Love.  
The Covenant doth not stand in mere Words▪ 〈◊〉 I conform to such Articles than I am a Christian; if I believe all the Articles of the Creed, than I am a Christian and a Child of God. If a M●n will say, I believe, his Say so is not sufficient. The condition of the Covenant that God hath made is, That Christ shall rule and have the government of those Souls that he presents to God: How should it be otherwise, seeing he is not to present any to God that are unclean? Christ hath no Commission to present any to God in their Uncleanness and Wickedness. He that believeth, he must be cleansed and purified by him: If so, then that cannot be done by ruling over them. If they had the Rule of themselves, they would be polluted and be like Water, whose Current is stopped with Di● 〈…〉 ●d, not running in its own natural S● 〈…〉 People will commit Sin when they have the Rule of themselves; but when Christ presents People to God, and when they come to be led by him, they are cleansed and purified.  
When the Apostle describes true Faith, he doth it by this quality and property of it, It purifies the Heart. All other Faith is but the Hope of the Hypocrite, but real Faith is the operation of God, saith the Apostle; and that Faith worketh in an unclean Heart to the cleansing of it, and in an impure Heart to the purifying of it: If the Heart comes to be purified, than it must needs follow that the Conversation must be pure also. No body doth an ill Work, nor speaks an ill Word, but it is from an evil Heart. Now if the Axe come to be laid to the Root of the Tree, and the Word of the Lord operate in the Heart powerfully, if never so much evil be in it, the Axe when laid to the Root of the Tree will cut it down; the Power of God will execute Judgement upon every thing that is contrary to him▪ Christ is holy, harmless and undefiled, and separate from Sin, and Sinners; and tho' he extend his Life and Virtue to the Life and Soul of the most wicked Man in the World, it never joins with their Uncleanness, but keeps immaculate and undefiled in the Heart of the worst of Men.  
Now this immaculate Power that comes from Christ it will purify the Hearts of Men, and preserve them from evil Thoughts, W● and Actions: This is the manifestation of 〈◊〉 one Mediator that they must be governed b● else they cannot be presented spotless to God the Father: There is a necessity of coming to a Saviour otherwise than by Words and Profession; we must come to him and hearty join with him; we have all joined with the Devil, he hath suggested, moved, and instigated, and People have followed his instigations and motions; there is no Man but is sensible of a devilish motion▪ why not then of a Divine motion? Though now it is become a Bugbear to say, we are moved by the Spirit of Christ; why not by that Spirit as well as by the Spirit of the wicked one? No Man doubts but that there are motions of the Devil which they are sensible of, that sometimes they have joined with him, and sometimes they withstand him. What is the reason that Men should join with evil motions? There is no just reason for it. The reason why you and I withstand the motions of the Devil, is b●cause we find another motion conveyed into our Hearts by the Spirit of God; if a Man hath one motion to commit uncleanness, he hath another motion to keep himself pure; if he hath a motion to speak a Lie, he hath another motion to speak Truth; there are two movers at the same time, in the same Heart, which shall we join with? Shall I join with the Devil's motion? If I find any thing of the ●ove of God in my Heart, it will constrain me to ●●nd the good motion, and make me withed the evil motion; so that the movings 〈◊〉 the Spirit of God is not such a wonder,  
There are none but they have bad motions in them, and they have also motions of the Spirit of Truth; they have met with evil motions, and they have admired them too much, than it is time to repent; if there be a distinction between a motion of the Spirit of Truth, and a motion of the Spirit of error, than I may boldly say, it 〈◊〉 our duty to join with the Spirit of Truth, and not with the Spirit of error; if there be a desire in us to be saved from the wrath to come, than the way to be saved from God's wrath is to be saved from the cause of it; take away the cause and the effect ceaseth: The cause of God's wrath being kindled against Man is Sin, for God had no wrath against Man when he first made him; for he made him after his own ●●●ge, and gave him Power to continued in 〈◊〉 Holiness and Righteousness, wherein he created him; but he fell, and was cast out of Paradise, and an Angel was sent with a Flaming Sword 〈◊〉 turned every way, to keep the Way of the Tree of Life. Thus Man fell under the wrath of God by his sin; but how shall I have the wrath of God allayed? By breaking off from sin and returning to God again.  
This looks like a covenant of Works, say some; do you say I must break of from Sin and so escape the wrath of God?  
Yes, I do; but no mortal Man 〈…〉 off from Sin but by joining with the 〈…〉 He is the Author of Eternal Salvation, h● 〈…〉 in us to will and to do, and enableth us to 〈◊〉 out our own Salvation; it was Sin that dr● 〈◊〉 Man our of Paradise, and brought upon him the wrath of God. Sin is the Devils work; now that Christ might be a Saviour to us 〈◊〉 will destroy the Devil's work, for this pur●●●●, saith the Apostle, the Son of God was manifested, that he might Destroy the works of the Devil. Now the Devil was not the destruction of Man simply in himself, but by tempting him to Sin, which is the Devils work; now Christ was manifested to destroy the Devil's work; that Propensity to Sin that is in the Nature of Man, which makes him rebel against the Mind and Will of God. Christ the Eternal Son of God he became Man, he took the Nature of Man, that he might bring Man again to his primitive state, wherein he was Created after the Image of God,  
Now how doth the Devil work his works? doth he do his works coercively? No, he useth no irresistible force. But doth Christ the Mediator work coercively, with an irresistible power and force to bring a Man again to God? No, no more than the Devil did to bring a Man from God. Man might have stood and continued in his state of Innocency if he would; he might join with evil, and yield to the Temptation of the Devil if he had a Mind; he knew if he gave over his Mind t● 〈…〉 ●e should be ruined; and it proved so. 〈…〉 ●as resolved to try what it was to yield 〈◊〉 Devil, and obey him. He told them that 〈◊〉 they did eat of the forbidden Fruit they should be as Gods, but they became more like the Devil; this they got by being obedient unto him, not that the Devil laid an irresistible force upon them, you shall eat of the Fruit of this Tree; but there was only a presentation of it to them, and with that he prevailed, and so came the destruction of Mankind.  
So Christ the Mediator, that he may present us to God, he comes and presents himself to us in his commands, and his command is that we must break off from that servitude and subjection that the Devil had brought Man into, and there must be a yielding of subjection unto Christ; we must believe in Christ, and hearken to the word of God, and break off from Sin; But where is the Power? If God would have me Holy let him make me Holy; if he would have me Pure let him make me so, and give me ability to do that which of myself I cannot do; when it pleaseth God to give me Grace and captivate my Will, I shall become a good Christian. Now here is a great mistake that People should think they must wait for an irresistible power to bring them back to God; there is a presentation of love and mercy, and earnest invitations, and the long-suffering and patience and goodness of God's long waiting upon Sinners, 2 Cor. 4.6. God who Commanded the Light to shine out of Darkness, hath shined into our Hearts, to give the Light 〈◊〉 knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face o●●●sus Christ. What shall I do with the Li● that shines into my Heart? I will shut mi● Eyes against it, I love Darkness rather tha● Light, and evil more than good; this Light will lead me to Holiness and Righteousness, I will quarrel with it, it comes to bereave me of my Comforts in this World, of my merry Companions and of all my Bravery, I will not hearken to it. Who can help it? This is the Condemnation, that Light is come into the World, and Men love Darkness rather than Light, because their deeds are evil, saith our Saviour. If I had not come and spoken to them, they had not had Sin, but now they have no Cloak for their Sin.  
Here is the Gospel Preached by Christ himself, here is the presentation of an opportunity for every Man and Woman to return again; but I must be in the way of returning, that is, by joining with that which presents itself with Holiness, with Righteousness, with Chastity and Humility, that presents and offers to the Soul all the Virtues and Graces that are in Christ, and shows it the Light and Grace that comes from Christ. Now this Light and Grace showing itself to my Soul, I have a view of it. Hast thou a view of it? Hast thou seen Purity, Humility, Sobriety, Meekness, and Self-denial, and an Heavenly frame of Spirit in thyself or some body else? How dost thou like it? I like it▪ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; I love to have Honour and Dignity, ●ower and Dominion, and my Elbow-Room in the World; I love not this Meekness, Humility and strictness of Life, that a man must have a Care what he speaks, and set a Watch upon his Lips, and upon his Heart and Tongue, and Hands, I do not like this kind of Life.  
If thou dost not like a good Life, some body will like it and live in it; and for all your Vapouring, and Hating, and Despising it, when People come to live this kind of Life they will outlive thee; thy topping Life, thy reigning Life, and thy having Elbow-Room in the world will at last come to be limited; the Hand of God is against it, and it will bring down the Pride of Man: When thou comest to life upon thy Dying Pillow, expecting every moment to expire, and breathe thy last; then thou wilt wish, O that I had been more serious and lived more like a Christian, lived a godly Life and given up my Heart to God, and been more watchful over my Thoughts, and Words, and Actions. There is such a Friend of mine that hath lived better than I; if I had lived such a Life as he hath lived, I should have had more Comfort; And they that are despisers of the godly, they do not like such a Life now, but they will like it then.  
Friends, you that are Lovers of your Souls, and meet together upon that account, of being better, and having Expectation, and Hope that you shall receive Comfort and Benefits your meeting together; I tell you as a S●●vant of God and a Lover of your Souls, it is but a little while and you will wish that you had chosen the most holy, harmless, innocent Life that ever you saw yourselves, or heard of from any body else, and you will wish that you had been more watchful over your Thoughts, Words and Actions: There is a day a Day a coming when we must give an Account for every thing that we have done, whether good or evil; you must give an account for your cursed Debauchery, for your Swearing, and Lying, and inordinate Passions; you must give an account for every vain Thought and every idle Word.  
If this will certainly come to pass, how shall I prevent these Idle Words and evil Actions? Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way (saith the Psalmist?) by taking heed thereto, according to thy word. I am not as those that say Lo here and lo there: I do not say, You must come and learn Truth of me, but if you find it you must find it in yourselves: What if I live in the Truth? that will not serve thee; and if I be a holy Man, that will not sanctify thee; thou must hearken to Truth's speaking in thyself; thou mayest hear it speaking in thine own Heart before thou be an Hour older; you may hear it call you to Righteousness and Holiness; and if you he●● it, you may do it too, if you please; for there is a Power that goes along with it.  
I know enough, thou wilt say, but I cannot do what I know; I have not Power. What ails thee that thou hast not Power? If I had Power then I would abstain from all Sin, and break off from my evil Ways; but the Devil throws this Object and the other Object in my Way, and by his Temptations he doth ensnare me, I have not Power to resist: Would you have me do more than I can do? and as long as I have not Power I am to be excused.  
Now here is a Device of the Devil to keep People in his Net still. If Men would be true to themselves they would not be long without Power: If thou art convinced of the Evil of thy Ways, and that it is thy Duty to break off from Sin, there is a Power offered to thee, that if thou join with it thou mayest overcome all Temptations and forsake thy Sin: I would have you all prove, and search, and see whether I speak Truth or no; I am persuaded there is not a Man or Woman here but they have sometime abstained from an evil Work which they were tempted to. How were you restrained? because you knew it was an evil Work, you durst not do it; the Devil had not a coercive Power to force you to do it; I knew it was an evil thing, and I joined with that in my Mind which dissuaded me from it; and I prayed to God to give me Power to abstain from it. The Devil tempted thee on still, who helped thee against the Temptation? God restrained thee by his Grace. Will not he be a present help unto thee? H● 〈◊〉 the same yesterday, to day, and for ever; depend upon him still and he will be always ready to help thee, and support thee, and strengthen thee▪ and thou shalt be kept from Sin in an Hour of Temptation: Consider that all Power in Heaven and Earth is given to Christ, and if he be able to keep thee thou shalt not fall into it 〈◊〉 ●hose that come unto me, saith Christ, no●● shall pluck them out of my hands, and my father is greater than all: If thou comest unto Christ he will in no wise cast thee out, and if thou depend upon him he will preserve thee, and none shall be able to pluck thee out of his hand. If thou join with the Truth and with that which is holy, thou shalt have Strength and Ability to withstand Temptation and overcome it; and (I may speak with Reverence) Christ hath bound himself to those that trust in him, Those that keep the word of 〈◊〉 patience, I will keep them in the hour of temptation: If I keep waiting upon his Power, that is ready to help me, and have a mind to be purified and sanctified, and to have Righteousness brought in to my Soul, and have mine Eyes unto God, and my Expectation from him, he will work in me to will and to do of his good pleasure.  
Now here People have a fixed Foundation for their Faith; there is no working at this rate without bearing a daily Cross. The●● are a great many can receive the Truth in Words, and receive Doctrines, and Tene●● and that with Delight; but there is no practising Holiness and Righteousness without a daily Cross and Self-denial. There are a great many have come to Truth, as far as it stands in Words, but when it comes to something that they must do, to speak the Truth, and live in the Truth, they meet with so much of the Temptation of the Devil so much Lust and Corruption, and Ungodliness in themselves, they meet with such evil things that their Souls join with and yield to that they cannot go on in the ways of Holiness, unless they look up to Jesus, and have an Eye to their Saviour, and take up his Cross and follow him. Whatsoever Reproaches, and Sufferings, and Persecutions they endure, they must have a godly Resolution to follow the Lord Christ, and say, I will obey his Commands, he shall have the Rule and Government of my Life, and be the Guide of my way; whatsoever stands in ●y way I will take up my Cross and deny myself: Without this there is no good Christianity in the World.  
There are a great many that seem to be religious and are Professors of the Truth: We all know there are many Professors of the Truth in Notion, and with some Zeal will talk of it; but they do not know how to live and walk in the Truth, they do not live uprightly and honestly in it; they do not keep their Words; they do not live justly and honestly with all Men, nor do unto others as they would hav● others do to them: They can tell how to speak and act, then why do they not do it? They have got a Notion tha● they are above the Cross of Christ, and Self-denial is far below them: People will not live in the Truth.  
This is wanting in the whole World: If we look into this City, we shall find a great many are illuminated; there is abundance of Knowledge and Understanding among Professors, abundance of Learning, and great N●●●●rs of learned Men: What is the Reason that Oaths, and Curses, and all manner of Wickedness runs down the Streets like a River; there is Pride, and Wrath, and Envy, and Revenge, and Violence to be found among us, as if it would pull down Vengeance upon this City. They have heard preached in Pulpits much of Holiness and Humility, Patience and Meekness, That a meek and quiet Spirit is an ornament of great price: Men have heard much Preaching against Pride, Profaneness, and Drunkenness, and Uncleanness, but they have heard it like a tale that is told, not much concerned about it, and have given little Credit or Regard to what they have heard of these things. Why are People so wicked? The Reason at last results into this, Men are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, they are not the servants of Christ, but serve divers lusts, and pleasures, and are led captive by the devil, at his will▪ and so they go on in Iniquity. All the La● of Kings and Queens cannot ●●●train and curb them, when the Law of Christ is not written in their Hearts; but when Men come to see a Necessity of Self-denial, 〈◊〉 taking up the Cross; this will produce a Reformation.  
This is that I labour for, and all good Men and Wom●n will do it: It is time to cry for Reformation. Vain F●●hio●s, and Garbs, and Pride have been cried up, why should not we cry for Reformation before the Wrath of a provoked God is kindled against us▪ and his Vengeance poured down upon the Nation? We must reform our Lives. How shall Men reform, you will say? By getting the law of God within their hearts, that is pure, and holy, and heavenly, that will be as a light to men's feet, and a lantern to their paths: Now till People come to this they will go on in Sin and Iniquity till they be swept away with some overflowing and dreadful Judgement.  
So that, my Friends, in the Fear of God, and out of Love to you, I seek that you may be brought to God, through Christ; that you may live in the Love and Fear of the Lord, and, when you come to die, you may have Rest and Peace for your Souls. There is no Rest for those that are evil-doers; There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. The Ungodly cry, Peace, peace, and talk of Peace, but there is no Peace for them, but they shall have for their Portion tribulation, and wrath, and anguish; this shall certainly come upon every one that doth Evil. It is no matter what Religion you are of, if you do not obey the Truth, but live in Unrighteousness.  
Now, Friends, my Exhortation to you ●ll is, That you will return to the Truth in your own Hearts, and do it while you have time. I am not pulling and persuading People to love my Truth, but to love God's Truth in their o●n Heart's, to love it and obey it, and you cannot do this unless you resolve to take up a daily Cross, and be Followers of Christ, who is gone before to prepare a Place for them that are his true Disciples; and then he will present them to God, as holy, harmless, and undefiled, for these are Heirs of that everlasting Kingdom, which God hath prepared 〈◊〉 them that love him.   

SERMON XII. Christian's should be often thinking on the Name of the lord Being his last Sermon? ●●eached at Devonshire-House, July 17th 1692. a while before his Death.  
THE People of God in former Ages, did think upon the name of the Lord: I would it might be the daily Practice of all that make Profession to be the People of God in our Days, to think upon the Name of the Lord. This you know is an inward Exercise, invisible and known to none but God; he only knows when you are met together, whether you are thinking upon his Name, whether the Exercise of your Minds is upon his Power or upon whatsoever else your Minds are engaged. They whose Exercise and Desire is to feel God's Power, and to be acquainted with his Name, the Lord is nigh to them, to reveal his mighty Power and his Name to them, and they are a People that partake of his Goodness and of his Virtue, and 〈◊〉 an experimental Knowledge of the divers Administrations of both his Judgements and Mercies to their own Souls, and so they can proceed from Thinking to Speaking of the Goodness of God from the Experience that they have in themselves, that the Lord is goo● to them,  
For all that some do in their manner of speaking of God and his Goodness, and crying up the Name of the Lord, it is al●● worth nothing, it is but Noise: But every one that partakes in his own Soul 〈◊〉 something of the Divine Virtue and Goodness that flows from God invisibly to him through Jesus Christ, he hath Assurance in himself tha● he speaks the Truth: It is not mere Words made ready to his hand, but it is his ow● Knowledge and Experience of that wh● God hath wrought in him by his own Spirit there are none that think upon the Name o● the Lord, and his Power, and the working of it, but they are able to speak of it effectually and truly.  
I know it hath been and is the practi●● among many, that they are able to speak 〈◊〉 God's Goodness from what they find in 〈◊〉 Writings and Say of some that lived b●fore them, that did bear an honourable Testimony of God's Goodness in their Relig●●● and they learn to say it over-again i● particular Age: But what hath this Tale that they have told, wrought? This Report they have made, How God was with the Christians of old, the Primitive Christians and Martyrs; they have told a Tale of these things, and what hath it effected? It hath either brought forth Christians or it hath not.  
Therefore the way for People to be grounded and settled in Divine Knowledge, is for every one to speak what they know: And if they know nothing of these things, to say nothing of them. And the way for them to come to receive Divine Knowledge is by thinking, by meditating, by considering of that Converse that God hath with their own Souls; for there is a way provided for all Men to converse with God that made them: Every Man and Woman may ask Questions of him, and may have Answers from him, if they have Patience enough to wait for them; every Soul here present, that shall come to be serious, and with seriousness of Mind shall ask of God what their State and Condition is, if they were to die presently, God will ●ell them, He will answer them; he will shine unto them by the Light of his Son Jesus Christ, and let them know whether they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of their iniquity still, or whether they are redeemed out of it, and brought into Covenant with himself: But will you believe his Answer? I would have no Man go about to ask such a Question of God unless he hath a mind to believe the Answer that God giveth him. To what purpose should Men ask, if they ask and ask amiss? If they ask without Faith, they do not believe except the Answer please them.  
Many, in our Days, have put up their Petitions and Prayers to God, that he would discover to them the State and Condition of their Souls: The Lord hath answered them, that notwithstanding all the Profession that they have made of his Name, and of their Faith in his Son Jesus Christ, and of the Work of Redemption; yet he hath told a Man▪ Thou art still unredeemed, thou art still in thy Sin, and Lusts and Concupiscence prevail over thee, thou art still in Bondage. This is God's Answer to many; but there is something ariseth in their Minds, that they are not willing to believe this; I would think better of myself than this: What if thou dost think better of thyself? Thou art never the better, for ●he word of the Lord stands sure. There is no removing of it; there is no ●●nial of the Truth. If this Truth condemn thee all the World cannot justify thee; and this Trut● by which God condemns the Sinner is in the Sinner's own Heart: What will he do with it? It is in the Sinner's Conscience; it doth not only condemn him by Book, out of this Chapter and that Verse, out of this Author and the other Author, but he is condemned by God's true and faithful Witness, in his own Conscience. Thou wilt not believe i● but if thou believest not this, than thou remainest in thy Unbelief of the Truth; and nothing else but believing it can save thee; No counsel else can deliver or redeem thee.  
So that the best Advice and Counsel that I can give a People, in this case, is this; That when they come to such a religious Meeting as this is, they would come with a Mind prepared and fitted to think upon the Lord; to think upon his Name, and the way by which he brings People to himself, for no Man can be called a Child of God that doth not partake of his Nature: If a Man be never so wise, and rich, and great in the World, if he be a Prince or an Emperor, without this he is a Child of Wrath: Now if these Children of Wrath meet with something that convinceth them; if they are touched and become a sensible People, than Crowns and Diadems are nothing to them: Such a one will say, If I be a child of wrath● a Captive to Sin and my own Lust and Concupiscence, yet for all that I will go to a religious Meeting, where I hope the Word of God will be preached; I hope to meet with something there that will do me good; and I have a Desire that I may be translated out of a natural State, from being a child of wrath, and to be brought into the kingdom of God: If I have this Desire in me, God that made me wrought it in me, for by Nature we cannot so much as think a good thought: When Men think of being better, and of amending their ways, and doing their Souls good; these are very good Thoughts in themselves: When such Thoughts are begotten in any Men's Hearts, I would have them to ascribe them to the Grace of God, and nothing else; Preachers may do much where these Desires are begotten▪ but it is not in their Power to beget these Desires.  
Many have come to a Meeting with lose, profane and wand'ring Minds, and though many good things have been spoken to them, it hath not reached so far as to beget good Desires, their Hearts have been so alienated from the Grace of God in themselves, which is the great superior Worker, to which we are but Servants and Ministers; there is none can beget any thing but he in whom all Power is. They that are under the Power of Darkness the Devil begets in them Wantonness, and Vani●●, Profaneness and hardness of Heart▪ Some go away from a Meeting without being touched and persuaded, and they have no good Hope of being better: But where People are really touched in their Spirits, with a desire after something that will do them good; they must come to the Fountain of Good, the God that made them, and think upon him; if they cannot see his glory and hear his voice, yet they can think upon him. This is the least Duty of a Christian, to think upon the Name of the Lord; and where their Minds are exercised about divine Matters, about the State and Condition 〈◊〉 their poor Souls: If I die this ●ight, what will become of me? This and that Sin I have committed, how shall I be able to answer to God for one of a thousand of all my lose Thoughts, Words and Actions? They that come to a Consideration of this, and a due Sense of their State and Condition, though it is such a State that they do not like of, that it is not such as it ought to be; yet notwithstanding it may be better, they may be brought out of it into a better condition.  
Now this is the duty of all, to be waiting upon God, the Fountain of all Good, that they may receive something from God, for every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Lights, the Father of thy Light and my Light, that Light comes to us from the Father of Lights: If we have any perfect Gift bestowed upon us, it is bestowed by God; therefore you will grant that we are all obliged, from the great● 〈…〉 least, to wait upon him, if we have the 〈◊〉 Expectation from God, by a Meeting, otherwise we had better keep away.  
But I am apt to judge that the most here are come with some Desire, that if it please God they may receive Benefit by their Meeting: Where shall they have it? They say, if such a Man preacheth, than I can edify much by him: This is a great Mistake, for let who will preach there is no Body can receive any Benefit, but it must be from the Lord, as the Fountain of Good; for the best Preach●rs in the World are but Instruments in the Hands of God● if God doth not bless his Labours, 〈◊〉 ●●eacher can do nothing to the Souls of P●●ple; b●●●an sound the Truth 〈◊〉 their Ears outwardly▪ but he can reach no further, God only speaks to the Heart. If thou mind the Preacher and not God that made thee, all his Preaching will do thee no good; It may indeed help thee to a Notion or Speculation, but that comes not to the Inside, that will be no better, the Inside wants mending.  
There are great Deformities, Scars, Spots, Stains, Wounds and Lameness upon the Soul● of Men, by reason of their Sins, Lusts and Corruptions; and there wants a Remedy▪ and th●●● is no Physician of value but God that 〈◊〉 us after his own Image. The Devil hath brought in Deformity, he hath made one proud, another cruel, another wanton, another an Oppressor, another malicious; this is all the Devil's Work: And for this end 〈◊〉 Jesus came into the world, that he might destroy the works of the Devil. He came to destroy Pride, Malice and Lust; these are the De● Works, that Christ came to destroy 〈◊〉 doth he not do it? He will destroy 〈◊〉 Devil hath wrought in every Man that will be subject to him: Can a Chirurgeon set a Bone if the Patient be not subject to his Hand?  
But this is far beyond all comparison; Christ hath received all power in heaven and earth, yet he ●●●●ays looks for a willing People; he sends 〈◊〉 Day of his Power upon a People, an● he worketh upon th●●r He●rts by an invincible Power; he makes them willing to be helped, and mended, and healed, and cured, and then he cures them. I dare say, there is not one here that is willing to be reform, and to submit to Christ to be saved and redeemed by him, but he will do it; He that is willing and obedient shall eat of the good of the land, and shall know the Good of Redemption. See whether it be come to a State of Redemption; here is universal Grace offered; for the light of Christ Jesus lighteneth every one of you; It shows you your lost State and Condition: When you see yo●● Condition bad, that it is not as it ought to be, who would not have it better?  
What means Prayer, that Christian Duty? 〈◊〉 us; What shall we pray for? Must not People be sensible in themselves what they should pray for, before they come to pray? And what is it that will make them sensible but the Light and Grace of God? They see their own Wants when God worketh Faith in their Hearts, and they believe that God can supply those Wants. Why should I go to a Beggar, to pray him to give me an hundred Pounds? I believe he cannot do it, therefore I will not pray to him for it: Now necessity brings People to go to Prayer, but there must be Faith in him to whom 〈…〉 he is able to supply their Wants 〈…〉 relieve their Necessities. Upon this acco … the Apostle saith, H … cometh to God 〈◊〉 believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder 〈◊〉 them that diligently seek him. He must 〈◊〉 know that there is a God to come unto, an● then that he is a Rewarder.  
Here is the Foundation of all true Religi●● and true Worship; they that go to God 〈◊〉 say their Prayers, and join with others in ●●●ing their Prayers, if they have no 〈…〉 God, they had as good hold their 〈…〉 for their Praying is to no purpose: They 〈◊〉 pretend to believe in God without an experimental Power of God working upon 〈◊〉 Hearts, their Belief is not worth a Straw● without their Respect to the Power of God all their Belief is nothing; but if they know that God hath such an Operation upon them, that no Man of Woman in the World can discover that to them that God discovereth, than they know that God is the searcher of hearts and the tryer of the reins, Jerem. 17.10.  
Suppose I know that there is a God, and at the same time I believe that he will never hear me; that I am a reprobate Creature, and that he hath cast me off for ever, and that he hath sealed Condemnation upon me, to all Eternity. What reason hath such a one to pray? This is a desperate condition. But while we believe there is a God, and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rewarder of them that diligently seek him it is not in vain to pray; yet there is something antecedent to to Prayer; there is Knowledge, and Faith upon that Knowledge, that God is a Rewarder: He that hath this, let him pray in God's Name. But what must he pray for? He must not offer the sacrifice of fools; he must have regard to his Lips; if it ●e mental Prayer, he must pray for that he ●●ands in need of; it is for something he prays, ●●at God hath revealed by his Holy Spirit, ●e stands in need of; it is for something that he needs, it is Power to overcome Corruption, and Power to overcome Temptation, that ●e stands in need of; he stands in need of a Mediator to procure for him the Pardon of his Sins: These things he stands in need of, then let him pray; He that is afflicted let him pray.  
So that if a Man or Woman go to Prayer, they must pray to God, in the Belief of his Goodness ●d Mercy, that he will bestow some Blessing upon them, that may be for the better, that may be for their good. When they come to a Meeting, to worship God, and hear the Word spoken outwardly, they must pray for something that may be for their good; Lord give me something that may support my Soul, and something that may withstand Temptation. People should have their Minds thus exercised, and they should think upon the Name of the Lord, according to their particular Necessity; they should pour out their Supplication to the Lo● This is such Worship as God looks for, 〈◊〉 such as he likes and is pleased with; he w● deliver those that thus pray to him out 〈◊〉 Temptations, so that they shall not prevails over them: One Man's Temptation is of one sort, another's of another sort; but they are all delivered by ●e Grace of God, and helped over them upon their Prayer to God, for they find by Experience that God is a God, hearing prayers.  
Now, when we have ●●●yed, what is th● next Work? It is to ●●it for an Answer of our Prayer. I prayed 〈◊〉 other Day to God for Power to withstand such a Temptation▪ when that Temptation comes ag●●n I do expect that God will answer my Prayer. Dost thou so? Then I pray thee have an Eye to the sam● Grace ●f G●d that convinced thee, and shown thee the Temptation, and have thy Faith exercised upon that G●●ce of God, and thou wilt find it sufficient for thee, I will warrant th●e: Let the Devil come with a Temptation never so suitable and subtle, keep thine Eye upon the Grace of God and it will deliver thee. This was the Case of Paul, when a messenger of Satan was sent to buffet him, he besought the Lord thrice: The Temptation did attend him, and God gave him an answer of his Prayer; My grace is sufficient for thee. As if he had said, Let the Devil come with never so much Power he shall never overcome ●hee▪  
I speak to those that are well skilled in 〈…〉 of Work, and have met with sharp Temptations, and sometimes perhaps they ●ave been overcome by them; and at other times they have withstood them: What is the difference, why one while they are lose and careless, and did not pray for the Assistance of Divine Grace; an●●her while they kept close to it, and were delivered?  
Therefore when you come to Meeting, with a desire to receive Benefit from God, with you Expectations God-ward, to receive Comfort from the Hands of the Lord, let your Eye be upon ●im, and the Working of his Grace in your own Hearts, and hearken to that Voi●● that is within you, and it will be more effectual than mine. If you find th● Work of Grace in you to be the same thing that I speak of, then believe me 〈◊〉 the Truth's-sake; believe me be●●●●e you find the same Wor● and T●st●●●● within yourselves. And I m persuade there is never a one here but ●●metime 〈◊〉 other they have withstood that Temptation which they have met withal. Pr● tell ●e how they did it? Why, the Tempta●●●● came unto me, and it pleased God to show me the evil of it, that it was a bad thing if I yielded to it. How didst thou resist it, had not the Devil a coercive Power over thee, to force thee to it, whether thou wouldst or not? That God that shown me the Evil of it, delivered me from the evil of it; I was not judged and condemned 〈…〉 because I 〈…〉 delivered from it; there are no● 〈…〉 you would not be lazy and id● 〈…〉 might be delivered every Day, and h● 〈…〉 experience in your own Souls, that w● 〈…〉 Devil comes and tempts, the Lord is a● 〈◊〉 to deliver you 〈◊〉 his Grace and Power.  
So that t● 〈…〉 way for People to be ●●served from Sin and Iniquity, is to ha●● a reverend respect to that Grace of God which they have alrea●●●●ceived. I would ha●● that taken out of your Head, that vain Conceit that hath lo●g reigned in 〈◊〉 World; When you see a wi●ked Husband, Wife, or Child, you say, If they had Grace they would be better; I say they have from degree of Grace already; God hath s●nt forth his Grace and Truth, to teach men to deny ungodliness, 〈◊〉 ●at I w●uld not pray that God would give my H●●band▪ Wife, or Child, or Friend Grace, but tha● 〈◊〉 would break his hard Heart, that he may submit to the Grace of God that is already bestowed upon him. I believe there is no● a graceless Person here that is utterly void of all Grace; but they walk not according to it, they trample upon it: For ever● one being endued with a measure of Grace, through Christ, our Duty therefore is to have a reverend regard to the Grace of God, that 〈◊〉 have received.  
What G●●ce have I received from God may some one say?  
〈◊〉 received so much Grac● 〈…〉 truly say) that I can tell wh●n the 〈…〉 eggs a Temptation to me; that when 〈◊〉 tempts me to Uncleanness, Theft, Wrath, 〈◊〉 ●ee, or to deceive my Neighbour, I have 〈◊〉 much Grace that I can tell I am tempted ●n such a respect; the Gr●●e of God shows 〈◊〉 this is a Temptation of 〈◊〉 Devil: But the Question is, Whether I am subject to the Grace of God, and do love his Grace better than the Profit or pleasure of a Temptation? It comes as a Bait, but the Devil cannot make me do that which he tempts me to; it is not in the Power of all the Devils in Hell, or of his Servants on Earth to make me do this evil thing: The Light of my own Conscience shows it to be a Temptation. Now I am free and at my Choice whether I will love the Profit and Pleasure th●● com●s with the Temptation more than the Grace of God: I believe there is no ●●●ly that hath been tried by a Temptation but they can say so: I leave it to him that searcheth, and tries all your hearts, and knows your thoughts, to judge whether you joined with the Temptation, that you might have the Profit and Pleasure of it, or joined with his Grace, that might have resisted the Temptation: You th●● have done the one and the other, tell me which is the best Bargain? When you ●ave joined with the Temptation that you m●ght have the Profit and Pleasure of it that came alon● with it, or when you joined with the Grac● of 〈…〉 ●hat s●●wed you th● 〈…〉 ●●ger of 〈◊〉 Temptation a● 〈…〉 speaks to you that spoke to Cain, 〈…〉 well shalt thou not b● accepted? A● 〈…〉 dost not well sin lie● at the door. 〈…〉 yielded to a Temptation sin lies 〈…〉 there is a Breach made between Go● 〈…〉 Soul.  
The same Man, at another time, having ●●ted so deeply for it, being judged by his 〈◊〉 Conscience, when he meets the Temptati●● again, he saith, Let the Profit or Pleasure go where it will, if I yield to this Temptation I cannot go to God but as Thief to a Judge▪ Let the Profit or Pleasure be what it will I will not touch with this Temptation. Ca● the Devil force thee to comply with his Temptation? No, if thou be true to the Grace of God in thy own Heart, it will make thee able to resist the strongest Devil in Hell. Christ hath purchased for the Sons and Daughters of Men a Power to withstand the Devil's Power, and all his Devices and Temptations, and you shall obtain Victory, and have Dominion over them. If you have a mind to grow in this Dominion, when the Devil comes to tem●● you resist him, and you shall, through the ●●wer of Christ, be enabled to overcome.  
If Satan tell thee of the Profits and Pleasures of this World; tell him, That the w● passeth away, and the lust of it, b● 〈…〉 with God endures for ever: By the 〈…〉 〈…〉 will be able to overcome 〈◊〉 Devil 〈…〉 Angels. This Power is given to 〈…〉 ●●ve and obey the Gospel: If you 〈…〉 ●ve Benefit by it, you must be exert 〈…〉 resisting of Temptation, and have 〈◊〉 to the Grace of God, and the Work● 〈◊〉 it in your own Hearts; and than you will be able to say, when a Temptation comes, promising Profit and Pleasure, How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? Turn your Eye to God's favour, which is better than life, and you will be more than conquerors; you will say the Fear of God seized upon my Soul, and the Grace of God came in to my Assistance, and made me stand like a Bulwark against Temptation. Here Praises will go up to God; here will be occsion for thee to speak good of his Name. Remember what David said, My soul praise the Lord that hath delivered me from the horrible Pit: Thus David and the Saints of old praised God in their Day; and why should not we? They breathed forth living Praises and Thanksgivings for the Deliverances wrought for them; and shall not we do it?  
Now this cannot be done without thinking upon his Name, the Name of that God that made us: Here I live in the World, I live and breathe still, I have Health, and Strength, and an Estate, how came I by all this? Did I make myself? No, there is a God that gave me Life, and Breath, and Being; he holds forth the Hand of Mercy to gather me to himself, and to redeem m● 〈…〉 iniquity, that I might serve him wit● 〈…〉 in holiness and righteousness all the 〈…〉 life: If I believe all this, I shall re● 〈…〉 him, and love and p●●ise him, and dai● 〈…〉 upon him for the Accomplishment o● 〈…〉 Work. He desireth not the death of s● 〈…〉 If 〈◊〉 will believe the Almighty, it is 〈◊〉 possible for him to lie, all things are possible to him except that; he saith, He would not the death of him that dies: What would he have then? He would have you turn and live: What means doth he use? What I would have done I would use means for it. You will say, What means doth God use? I am ready to say, What means hath he not used 〈◊〉 What is it that God doth more wish for th●n that Men would repent, return and live and be happy for ever? He hath created them, and given them Life and Breath, and continued them twenty, thirty, forty or fifty Years, that they might have Time to prepare for Eternity; and he hath given his good Spirit to instruct them, but they have rebelled against him. He hath sent forth his Word, the Gospel of Salvation, which hath been preached to them▪ and he hath waited to be gracious▪ and ●xercis●d much patience and long-suff●●● 〈◊〉 towards them; so that I may say, what me● hath he omitted? He hath planted them as a vineyard, in a very fruitful hill; and he ha● fenced it, and gathered out the stones th●●● and planted it with the choicest vine, and 〈…〉 in the midst of it, and made a win● 〈◊〉 therein, and he looked that it should 〈◊〉 fo●th grapes, and it brought wild grapes. 〈◊〉, I pray you, saith ●he Lord, between me 〈◊〉 my vineyard: Wh●● could have been done 〈◊〉 to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?  
But notwithstanding all your unfruitfulness, the Day of your Visitation is continued, the Lord is willing to show Mercy to your Souls. This is all the Lord your God requires of you, That you would think upon his Name, believe in him and trust in him, and wait upon him for the Operations of his Grace in the Use of his Ordinances and your Attendance upon them, and harkening to his Voice, and obeying it, and so to hear, that your souls may live.  
I will affirm that there is never a one of you here present, whether you be Quakers or no, but you may meet with the Divine operations of the Power of God in your own Hearts, if you will regard it, and when you meet with these operations and regard them not, I cannot help it; if you will resist the good things of the Spirit of God, I cannot help it; if you will be of that Mind▪ always to resist the Holy Ghost; If as your ●athers did so do ye, than you must all perish, both you and your Fathers; there is no escaping but by being subject to Christ Jesus, and his ●●ickening Spirit; if there be any Divine ●●●●rations that you meet with in your own Hearts, let me persuade you to s● 〈…〉 have regard to them; for I know th● 〈◊〉 is near at Hand; and when People 〈◊〉 with Divine operations in their Soul● 〈◊〉 humble them and bring down their P● and convince them of the danger of their ●●●dition, the lies in the way and suggests 〈◊〉 poisonous thing that takes off the edge o● these operations, that they may dislike them; It is true● 〈◊〉 meet with convictions of Sin; but they reckon they have that Faith and belief in ●hrist, that doth in the sight of Go● ob● all their Sins that can be laid to th● charge, both past and to come. If I would look, say they, to the Divine operations▪ or any thing wrought in me, it w●re enough to make me mad. I look wholly for the meri● of C●rist; my Mind is wholly fixed upo● him who i● the Author of Eternal Salv● his meritorious sufferings and obedience 〈◊〉 obliter●●●nd blot out all my Sins.  
My M●●ds, I tell you many a Poor Soul hath sp● upon this Ro● by undervaluing the Divine operations of the Spirit upon 〈◊〉 Hearts; they m●ke a false and wrong application of the merits of C●●●st which indeed are so gr●●● that no body can outvalue them▪ but we must not make a false application 〈◊〉 them, For this purpose was the Son of 〈◊〉 manifested, that he might destroy the Wor●● the Devil; He takes away the guilt o● 〈◊〉 no● that you might live in it still: Who● believeth i● Christ, shall h●ve Po● 〈…〉 〈◊〉 and not be 〈◊〉 the dominion and 〈◊〉 of Sin; Sin shall not hav● dominion over 〈◊〉 for you are not under the Law, but under 〈◊〉. But God be thanked you were the servants 〈◊〉 Sin; but you have obeyed from the Heart, the form of Doctrine which was delivered you: being than made free from Sin ye became the Servants of Righteousness. Rom. 6.14, 18.  
But you will say, I am guilty of agree at deal of Sin already, what shall become of me for the guilt that I have contracted?  
If we confess and forsake our Sins he 〈◊〉 ●kfull and just to forgive us our Sins and to advanced us from all unrighteousness; and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin; 1 John 9.9. Here is a true application of Christ his Merits and Righteousness; when there is a confessing of Sin to Go● and a forsaking of it, here is an offering and a Sacrifice made to God by our Lord J●●us Christ for the expiation of Sin; he 〈◊〉 by his precious Blood p●●●hased the pardon of all my Sins, that he might present me to God without Spot and Blemish; here is a true application the Righteousness of Christ; but how can I apply it to myself while I live in Si●?  
Here Gods Witness in the Conscience of a Sinner pleads against the Sinner; when he hath got a trick to believe that his guilt is taken away, and all his S ns, past, present and to come are pardoned while, he continue to live in 〈◊〉, and Sin hath yet dominion over him.  
Take heed you split n● 〈…〉 if you be humble, well grown Ch● 〈…〉 will think upon the Name of the 〈…〉 when ye find the operation of God's 〈◊〉 begetting good desires in you to hate Sin 〈◊〉 love Righteousness, you will then believ● you will then Pray to the God of all Grace▪ for the Prayer of the Faithful is acceptable to him: The effectual fervent Prayer of a Righteous Man avails much. Jam. 5.16.  
Let your supplications therefore be poured forth unto God, to endue you with Power and Wisdom to subdue all your Spiritu●● Enemies, and to conquer your concupiscence, and the inordinate desires and affections of your own Hearts, that you may take up the Cros● of Christ and follow him as your grea● Patr●n, and in his Name, and by the h● and Assistance of his Holy Spirit you m● know how to ●●ercome all Temptations.  

His Prayer after Sermon.  
MOst Glorious Lord God, wonderful is thy great Power over all, which thou hast revealed and made manifest in this thy blessed Day. Thy Arm O thou Almighty God is stretched forth; thou hast touched a Remnant with a sense of thy Divine love, whom thou hast gathered unto thy Name; thou hast revealed thy great Salvation, and therewith thou ha● made glad the Souls of thy Children; thou hast endeared thyself ●●to us by the discovery and manifestation of thy abounding love, who didst love us, when we were Strangers, and preserve us when we were Enemies, and brought a glorious Day of visitation upon us, and opened our eyes 〈◊〉 behold the Light thereof, so that we are an engaged People to speak good of thy ●●me: Thou hast declared and manifested to the Sons and Daughters of Men thy good Will and thy universal Grace that thou art daily extending to them, that all may be made partakers of the Riches of thy House, and of thy great Salvation, which by the Lord Jesus Christ thou hast ordained: And O thou Powerful God of Life, since the Day that thou first gathered us, thou hast been with us, thou hast been our Guide, and our Eyes have been towards thee for instruction; thou hast taught us and ●ed us in the way in which thou wouldst have 〈◊〉 to walk; thou hast led us O Lord in the way Everlasting ●ith the po● 〈…〉 and the meek of the Earth; 〈…〉 placed our Feet, O Lord, near the Eve● 〈…〉 Mountain, which thou hast exalted▪ 〈◊〉 the high Hills of the Earth, and thou ha●●●●vealed the Glory and the splendour of 〈◊〉 House, thy Holy Dwelling Place, and 〈◊〉 raised Breathe in the Hearts of thy Peo● that they may dwell in thy Courts for ev● And now, Holy Father, thou hast gathered 〈◊〉 Remnant, and brought a peculiar People 〈◊〉 trust in thy Name; but still we do all th● we do by thee; thou must be our Keeper, thou must be our preserver, therefore we wait upon thee, we expect all from thy Hand, therefore our applications are unto thee, that f● Day to Day, and from time to time, we 〈◊〉 find thy living Presence in the midst 〈◊〉 And O living God of life, thou hast give● 〈◊〉 Children large experience that thou art a 〈◊〉 nigh at hand to us in all our Trials, in all 〈◊〉 Exercises; as our Eyes have been turned 〈◊〉 thee, thou hast preserved us and revealed th● Heavenly Power, O Lord, in preserving and delivering thy Church and People, that they may bear a testimony in their generation t● thy great love, and the great Salvation 〈◊〉 tho● hast wrought for them and made 〈◊〉 partakers of. Now Blessed God of Li● desires and supplications of thy People● unto thee, for the glorifying of thy P● the exalting of thy glorious Name▪ 〈…〉 le● the mighty operation of thy 〈…〉 〈…〉 and stubborn ones, that 〈…〉 ●gainst thee, and that hav● withstood 〈◊〉 tenders of thy Grace and the Motions ●d striving of thy Holy Spirit: Thou art ●ole to bow them, and to break their stony Hearts; thou art. able to speak effectually to their Souls, and to make them submit themselves to thee: Holy and living Father, let the progress of thy Word and Gospel be great in our Day; let it have a free course and spread itself mightily to those that believe not, to beget a Seed of Faith in their Souls, that they may believe in thy Name, and Trust in thy Power, ad wait to see the great Work of Redemption wrought for the Salvation of Immortal Souls, before the Da● of Visitation goes over. Powerful God 〈◊〉 Life, thy little Remnant which thou hast redeemed keep them by thy Power, and preserve them in Uprightness and Cleanness of Mind; preserve them in the places and stations, wherein thou hast appointed them to dwell, and in all their Trials, and Tribulations, and Distresses, that may come upon them, that they may be quiet and still, and in patience possess their Souls; and let them ●ave strong consolation in that Everlasting ●●venant which in thy Son thou hast made ●th them and revealed to them; and let 〈◊〉 not be moved and tossed with the hur● of this World, with the tumults and dis● that evil Men make in it, and the Storms 〈…〉 that are raised; but let th●●● Hearts and Minds be ●●●yed upon 〈…〉 they may know how to behave then 〈…〉 wards thee and one another, and tow● 〈…〉 t● 〈…〉 ●e without, and thereby glorify 〈…〉 m● 〈◊〉 thy great Name by the Beau● 〈…〉 Holiness shining in their Conversations, w● may reach the Consciences of Men, that 〈◊〉 that see them may say, these 〈◊〉 the Plan● that the Right Hand of God hath Plant●● and see the Fruits that are brought forth f● 〈◊〉 that Root of Life revealed in Christ Jesu● Powerful God of Life, carry on thine ow● Work in this City and the whole Nation▪ and in other places among that People whi● t●●u hast chosen and gathered to thy 〈◊〉 of the World: Powerful God of Life remember those that groan in secret, making 〈◊〉 moan to thee, that they cannot lay hold o● Salvation for their Souls: Prepare them 〈◊〉 that consolation that their Souls are brea● af●er: They are Night and Day wrestling 〈◊〉 thee by earnest Prayer: But what will all the● wrestling signify, except thy Word and th● Power of thy Grace assist them, and 〈◊〉 them to lay hold of thy strength, that 〈◊〉 may Fight the good Fight of Faith, tha● 〈◊〉 may get the Victory and rejoice in th●●●●vation and see the Glory of it? Thou se● 〈◊〉 the Children of Men are working an●●●●triving divers ways for their own Salv● make the● to know that all their o● 〈…〉 and inventions ar●●n vain. Bless● 〈…〉 the de● 〈…〉 ●y, wa●●●●y Heritage; and 〈…〉 thou hast gathered by thy Word, do 〈◊〉 preserve them, that they may serve thee ●●th sincere and upright Minds all the Days 〈◊〉 their Lives; and offer up daily Tha● 〈◊〉 ●ings and living Praises to thee, the 〈◊〉 and living God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou ●ast sent, and ●hy Eternal Spirit, who alone art worthy, who art God over all, blessed 〈◊〉 ever and ever,  
Amen.    

A Catalogue of Books Printed for Nath C●ouch, at the Bell in the Poultry, near Cheapside.  
1. The History of the Principality of 〈◊〉 in three parts, containing, 1. A brief ●●●unt of the ancient Kings and Princes of Brit●●● and Wales till the final extinguishing of the ●oyal British Line. 2. Remarks upon the 〈◊〉 of all the Princes of Wales, of the Royal ●●milies of England from King Edward the first to this time, particularly of Edward the Black Pr●●ce of Wales, who with 30000 English defeated an Army of 100000 French at Cressy; and at Poicti●●s with 10000 beat 80000 and took John the French King Prisoner; also of Henry of Munmouth, (after●●●d King Henry the fifth) who with 13000 〈◊〉 90000 French; whose Son Henry sixth was 〈◊〉 King of France at Paris. 3. Remarkable ovations on the most memorable Persons and 〈◊〉 in Wales, and of divers considerable passages 〈◊〉 any Hundred Years past, with the Birth and 〈◊〉 Actions of Merlin the famous Welsh Pro● 〈…〉 with natural 〈◊〉 artificial ●●●ities 〈…〉 Princi● 〈…〉 〈◊〉 ●wered in above 300 〈…〉 containing, 1. Dreadful Judgements upon 〈…〉 Blasphemers, and Perjured Villains. 2. The 〈…〉 ends of many Magicians, etc. 3. Remarkable predictions and presages of approaching Death, a● how 〈◊〉 event has been answerable. 4. Fearful Judgements upon bloody Tyrants, Murderers, etc. 5. admirable Deliverances from imminent dangers & deplorable distresses at Sea and Land. Lastly, Divin● goodness to penitents, with the dying thoughts of several famous Men, concerning a future state. P. 1●▪ 3. The General History of Earthquakes: or A● account of the most Remarkable and Tremendous Earthquakes that have happened in divers parts of the w●●ld from the Creation to this time, and particularly those lately in Naples, Smyrna, Jamaic● England and Sicily; with a Description of th●●●mous Burning Mount Aetna, and the several dreadful Conflagrations thereof for many Ages. To which is added an Appendix, containing fever● other late strange Accidents and Occurrences. As I. A Surprising Account of Angels Singing Psalms in the Air over the Ruins of the Protestant Church at ●●●ez, a City in the Province of Bearne, and oth●●●●aces in France in the year 1686. With the W● they Sang in the hearing of many hundr● A●●●●ors at once, Papists as well as Protestant II. The Life of a Great Person of near a hund●●● years ol● who is now an Hermi● a Fore●● 〈◊〉 France, with the Devotions, Clothing, Di● 〈…〉 Subsistence of him and his Companions 〈…〉 III. The wonderful Army of Locusts or Gr●●●●pers that were seen near Breslaw in Silesia, S● 7. 1693. and in other parts of Germany; w● their March took up 16. Miles, devouring Green thing. Iu. Thr● Miraculous Cures 〈◊〉 by ●●ith in Christ, in 1693. As 1. Of 〈…〉 〈…〉. 2. 〈…〉 Hand. 3. A Shepherd near Hitch● 〈…〉 ●fordshire instantly healed of the King's Evil, under which he had languished Twenty Years. Price one shilling.  
4. Extraordinary Adventures of several ●●mous Men: with the strange Events, and signal mutations and changes in the Fortunes of divers Illustrious places and persons in all Ages; being an account of a multitude of stupendious Revolutions, accidents, and observable matters in divers States and Provinces throughout the World; with Pictures. Pr. 1 s.  
5. Surprising Miracles of Nature and Art, in two parts; containing, 1 The Miracles of Nature, or the wonderful Signs and prodigious 〈…〉 Appearances in the Heavens, Earth and Sea, with an account of the most famous Comets and other Prodigies, from the Birth of Christ to this time. 2 The Miracles of Art, describing the most magnificent Buildings, and other curious Inventions in all Ages, as, the seven Wonders of the World, and many other excellent Structures and Rarities throughout the Earth, Beautified with Pictures, price 1 s.  
6. Memorable Accidents and Unheard of Transactions, containing an account of several stra●●● Events: as the Deposing of Tyrants, lamenta●●● Shipwrecks, dismal Misfortunes, Stratagems of War, perilous Adventures, happy Deliverances, with other remarkable Occurrences, and select Historical Passages, which have happened in several Countries in this last Age. Printed at Brussels in 1691. and ●●dicated to his present Majesty, William King of England, etc. published in English by R.B. price 1 s.  
7. Martyrs in Flames, or Popery in its true Colours, being a brief Relation of the horrid Cru● 〈◊〉 Persecutions of the Pope and Church of 〈…〉 hundreds of years past, to this 〈…〉 and England 〈…〉 Persecutions lately exercised upo● 〈◊〉 ●●●●●stants in France and Savoy, in 1686, 16●7 together with a short ●●●unt of God's Judgement upon Popish Persecutors. Price 1 s.  
8. The History of O. Cromwell, being an Impartial Account of all the B●●●●ls, Sieges, and other Military Achievements, wherein he was engaged in England, Scotland and Ireland; and likewise of his Civil Administrations, while he had the Supr●●● Government, till his Death. Relating only matte● Fact, without Reflection or Observation. By R.B. p●  
9 Th● 〈…〉 Empire in America, or a pro● of H● Majesties Dominions in the West-Indies namely, Newfoundland, New-England, Ne●-York, New-Jersey, Pensylvania, Mary-land, Virginia, Carolina, Bermudas, Barbuda, Anguila, Monferrat, Dominica, St. Vincent, Antego, Mevi● or Nevis, St. Christopher's, Barbadoss and Jamaica: With an account of their Discovery, Situation and Product: The Religion and Manners of the Indians▪ and other excellencies of these Countries: T● which is prefixed a relation of the discovery of th● New world, and of the remarkable Voyages a● Adventu●●● of Sebasti● Cabot. Sir Mar●in Forbish●● Capt. Davi●, Capt. Weymouth, Capt. 〈◊〉, Cap● Hudson, Sir Tho. Cavendish, the E. of 〈…〉 Sir Walter Raleigh and other English Wo● 〈…〉 divers places therein. Illustrated with Map 〈…〉 Pictures of the strange Fruits, Birds, Beasts, 〈◊〉 Infects, Serpents and Monsters found in th● 〈…〉 of the World. Price one shilling.  
10. A View of the English Acquisitions 〈…〉 and the East-Indies: With an Account 〈…〉 ●gion, Government, Wars, strange Cus● 〈…〉 Serpent's, Monsters, and other Obse● 〈…〉 〈…〉 Religion as 〈…〉 in the Alcoran. Two Letter●, one w●●ten by the Great Mogul, and the other by the King of Sumatra in the Eastindies to our K. James I. of an extravagant stile. Th● 〈◊〉 Executions in these parts, with the manner of the Women ●●rning themselves with their dead Husbands. Together with a description of the Isle of ●t. Helena, and the Bay of Sou●dania; intermixed with pleas●nt Relations. Pr. 1 s.  
11. England's Monarches: Being a Compendious account of the most remarkabl● Transactions from William the Conqueror to the sixth year of the Reign of their present Majesties▪ King William and Queen Mary: With Poem 〈…〉 of every Monarch; and a List of the p●●sent Nobility of this Kingdom. Price one shilling.  
12. The History of the House of Orange: Or, a brief Relation of the Glorious and Magnanimous Achievements of His Majesty's Renowned Predecessors, and likewise of his own Heroic Actions, till the late wonderful Revolution, together with the History of K. William and Q. Mary: Being an impartial Account of the most Remarkable Passages ●rom Their Majesty's happy accession to the Throne, to this time. By R. B. Price, 1. s.  
13. The History of the two late Kings Charles II. and James II. being an impartial Account of the most Remarkable Transactions and observable Passages during their Reigns, and the secret French and 〈◊〉 Intrigues and Designs, managed in those 〈◊〉; together with a Relation of the happy ●ition, and the accession of their present Ma●●●●ies to the Thrones, Feb. 13. 1689. Price, 1 s.  
● The Wars in England, Scotland and Ireland, 〈…〉 a particular and impartial Account of all 〈…〉 Sieges, and other remarkable Tr● 〈…〉 equal Trial at large of K. C. 〈…〉 ●his Suffering; and the most consider 〈…〉 till 1660. With Pictures of several 〈◊〉.  
15. Historical Rem●●k and Observations of th●● and Present St●●●e of London and Westminster, ●ing the Foundations, Walls, Gates, Towers, Bri●●●● Churches, Rivers, Wards, Halls, Companies, Government, Courts, Hospitals, Schools, Inns of Courts, ●ters, Franchises, and Privileges thereof▪ w● most remarkable Accidents, as to Wars, Fires, Pl● and other occurrences for above 902 years' pa●  
16. Admirable Curiosities, Rarities and w● in England Scotland, and Ireland; or an● many remarkable persons and places and 〈…〉 of the Battles, Sieges, prodigious Fact● Tempests, Inundations, Thunders, Lightning's Murders and other Occurences and Accidents ●ny hundred years past: Together with th● and Artificial Rarities in every County in 〈◊〉 With several curious Sculptures. pr. 1 s.  
17. The History of the Kingdom o●●ing an Account of the Ancient inhabitan●● all the Battles, Sieges, and other consid● 〈…〉 actions both Civil and Military in 〈…〉 from the first Conquest thereof, un● 〈◊〉 ●till its entire Reduction, by His Maj●●●gether with the most remarkable P● 〈…〉 since happened there to this time. 〈…〉  
18. The English Hero: Or, Sir 〈…〉 Revived. Being a full Account of t● 〈…〉 Voyages, admirable Adventures, n● 〈…〉 ●ries, and Magnanimous Atchievemen●●●liant and Renowned Commander. As, 〈…〉 in 1572. to Nombre de Dios in the We● ●●ey saw a Pile of Bars of Silver ne● 〈…〉 〈…〉 ●s Voyage into A●●●ic● in 〈…〉 the Towns of St. J●go, St. Domingo, Ca● 〈…〉 Augustine. iv His last Voyage into th●●●●tries 〈◊〉 1595. with the manner of his Death ●urial. Revised, Corrected, and very much en●●ged, reduced into Chapters with Contents, and ●tified with Pictures. By R. B. Price 1 s.  
19 Two Journeys to Jerusalem, Containing first, acount of the Travels of two English Pilgrims 〈◊〉 years since, and what Admirable Accidents be● 〈◊〉 ●em in their Journey to Jerusalem, Grand Caro● 〈◊〉 ●andria, etc. 2. The Travels of 14 English Mer● 〈◊〉 in 1660. from Scanderoon to Tripoli, Joppa, 〈…〉, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, the River of Jor● 〈…〉 the Lake of Sodom and Gomorrah, and back a● to Aleppo. To which is added, a Relation of the 〈◊〉 Council of the Jews, assembled in the plains of 〈…〉 in Hungary, 1650 to examine the Scriptures scorning Christ. By S. B. an Englishman there present: With the notorious delusion of the Jews, 〈…〉 ●erfeit Messiah, or false Christ at Smyrna, 〈◊〉 ●666. and the event thereof. Lastly, The Extirpation of the Jews throughout Persia in 1666. Epistle 〈…〉 to our Saviour, with our Saviour's Answer: Beautified with Pictures. Pr. 1 s.  
20. The History of the Nine Worthies of the 〈◊〉 Three whereof were Gentiles; 1. Hector 〈◊〉 Pri●miss King of Troy. 2. Alexander the 〈◊〉 King of Macedon, and Conqueror of the 〈◊〉 Julius Caesar first Emperor of Rome. 〈◊〉 Jews. 4. Joshua Captain General and Leader 〈◊〉 to Canaan. 5. David King of Israel. 6. 〈…〉 ●heus a valiant Jewish commander, against 〈…〉 ●ny of Antiochus. Three Christians. 7. Ar● 〈…〉 Britain, who courageously defended his Cou●● 〈…〉 believes, ●●ruly actions, 〈…〉 Death. Illustrated with Poems and th● 〈…〉 each Worthy. By R. B. Pr. 1 s.  
21. Female Excellency, or the Ladies Glo●●strated in the Worthy Lives and Memorable 〈◊〉 of nine Famous Women, who have been ren● either for Virtue or Valour, in several Ag● World: As 1. Deborah the Prophetess. 2. 〈◊〉 valiant Judith. 3. Queen Esther. 4. The 〈◊〉 Susannah. 5. The  Lucretia. 6. V● Britain, in the Reign of Nero Emperor 〈◊〉 containing an account of the Original Inh● Britain. The History of Danus and of his 5. ●ters, who murdered their Husbands in on● Of the valour of Voadicia, under whose co● Britain's slew 70 thousand Romans, with ma● remarkable particulars. 7 Mariam Wife 〈◊〉 Herod▪ 8. Clotilda Queen of France. 9 A● Princess of Spain. The whole adorned with 〈◊〉 and pictures to each History. By R. B. Pr. 〈…〉  
22. Unparallelled Varieties or the Ma●ons and Passions of Mankind; displayed in 〈◊〉 notable Instancss and Examples, disc● transcendent Effects; 1 Of Love, Frie● Gratitude. 2 Of Magnanimity, Courag●●ty. 3 Of Chastity, Temperance and H● on the contrary, the tremendous Consy Hatred, Revenge and Ingratitude. 5. O● Barbarity and Treachery. 6 Of Uncha●●perance and Ambition. Embellished with 〈◊〉 Figures. Price 1 s.  
23. The Kingdom of Darkness; or t● 〈◊〉 of Demons, Spectres, Witches, Apparitio●●ons, Disturbances and other wonderful a●●tural Delusions, mischievous Feats 〈…〉 〈…〉 ●ther with a 〈…〉 ●tions and Alle● 〈…〉 of the Age, who 〈…〉 with Pictures 〈…〉 ●s, Price 1 s.  
〈…〉 ●lations Divine and Moral, 〈…〉 ●s A. L. Capel, Baron of 〈…〉 ●ith some account of his Life, 〈…〉 Letter● to his Lady the day be● 〈…〉 ●k Behaviour and last 〈…〉 also the Speeches and 〈…〉 the Earl of Holland, who 〈…〉 his pious Advice to his 〈…〉  
〈…〉 ●ngs Entertainment, in two 〈…〉 Ten pleasant Relations of 〈…〉 ●e Accidents and Occurrences: 〈…〉 ●es, with their Explanati● 〈…〉 ●tions and Morals upon each. 〈…〉 Pictures, for illustrating 〈…〉. Excellently accommo● 〈…〉 or Young, and useful 〈…〉 aversation. Price 1 s.  
●INIS.